Fluttershy's Cabin
Ponyville
8:00 AM
When Robin woke, he found himself in a small (for his old form, he supposed), though beautifully rustic room. The sun shined in beams through its multiple windows, and the sound of animals rang everywhere. He didn't remember even falling asleep. He had simply spent the whole day yesterday thinking... taking this in. It was then when he realized: this was not a dream. It was his new reality.
Normally, he would have jumped from bed to train, but for once he found himself strangely lethargic. He sat there for fifteen minutes, resuming his thinking, before the door to the room finally creak open.
"Um... hello?" the voice of 'Fluttershy' squeaked.
"..."
Robin ignored her, simply looking out the window towards an expansive, nearby forest.
"Mind if I come in?"
Robin eventually sighed. "Yeah... it's fine: I guess I fell asleep dressed."
She gave a small chuckle. "It's alright to go without them - most ponies don't wear any clothing."
"Kind of makes me feel awkward, though," Robin grunted.
...
"Oh," Fluttershy blinked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"No... no, you're fine," Robin said.
"Well... OK, then."
...
She cleared her throat. "I brought you some tea... I wasn't sure what kind you wanted, so I just made green. Oh - and some cookies too."
Robin glanced over to her, noticing she was carrying a ornate, metal trey in her mouth: the mentioned items on it. He took a deep breath at the sight of it.
"Heh... um - thanks," Robin said, forcing a smile. "That was... nice of you."
"It was no big deal," she said, returning the smile. "I treat all my house guests this way. It's only polite."
With that, she set the trey down upon a nearby nightstand. Robin looked at it with apprehension, though when he reached to grab it with his two hooves, he found them surprisingly easy to manipulate things with them. Within a moment, he had the tea to his... muzzle, and took a sip.
His mask widened to nearly half his face.
"Wow... this is really good. What did you put in this: honey?"
She nodded, smiling again. "Right from the bee hive!"
Robin raised his eyebrows. "By that you mean... you bought a really fresh jar, right?"
She gazed at Robin quizzically, before shaking her head. "No. There's a hive in my back yard. They always make the best! Oh they're such joyous little creatures!" she squeaked.
Robin paused at his next sip.
"I-Is something wrong?" she asked. "I-I'm sorry- I didn't know you preferred store bought-"
"No," Robin sighed. "It's just - I meant to ask you a question last night... but I thought it was stupid. Then... well, you reminded me of an old friend, I guess."
She blinked. "You can ask me any question you want," she peeped.
"Well..." Robin said, closing his eyes. "Before we get to that... I just wanna say - I really don't deserve this hospitality: not with how I treated you and your friend. I really think we got off on the wrong foot-" He winced. "I mean uh - hoof."
Fluttershy smiled warmly yet again, relaxing him. Robin didn't know why, but she seemed to have this comforting presence to her. It was as if she radiated it... sort of like Starfire.
"It's alright," she said softly. "You're in a strange new world. You don't know where you are and have just taken a new body..."
Robin lifted an eyebrow. "Why am I not just a crazy to you, though?"
Her expression turned serious. "I just... know a few things about the Everfree Forest that many others do not... nor understand. I have a very special connection with it."
"The... Everfree Forest?" Robin said, tilting his head slightly. "Beautiful name."
Fluttershy blushed slightly at that for some strange reason.
"But uh- you said that's where you found me?" Robin asked.
Fluttershy slowly nodded.
"Well... about that question," Robin gulped. "I don't suppose... you found anybody - er... anypony else in it, did you?"
"No," she said slowly. "I'm sorry - if there was anyone in the deep woods... I would know. Were you expecting someone else to be there?"
Robin sighed, setting his tea down before resting his head against his pillow. "I'm not sure what to expect anymore, to be honest. Like I said yesterday - I feel like I just woke up after a very long sleep."
"It's not surprising," Fluttershy said. "You came from the artifact, didn't you?"
Robin blinked. That sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place his fin- hoof on it. "I-I'm sorry?"
She nodded slightly. "It's been a long time since the artifact produced anyone. Before my lifetime, at least... from the song the forest sings, they all reacted as you did. Only one seemed to retain his immediate memories..."
"Are my memories going to come back, though?" he asked. "I mean - I remember my past... but I don't remember how I got here at all."
She glanced away from him. "The stories don't go into detail about them. They usually left the Everfree Forest fairly quickly."
"Hmmm...." Robin said, squinting an eyebrow in thought. Before long, he suddenly smiled. "Wait - if they left the Everfree Forest... W-When's the last time anyone came through?!"
"Before my lifetime," she said sorrowfully.
"And how old are you?" Robin asked.
She blinked in confusion. "About twenty-one..."
"Then that means..." Robin pondered. "That means that they could have come through earlier than me, maybe!"
Suddenly, he closed his eyes, bring a hoof to his forehead in shame.
"Ugh... I'm an idiot. That would mean we all entered whatever the artifact is together... it could have just been me. I'm guessing this is some sort of alternate reality. I can't see any reason why one of my former... um..." He didn't want to say the word 'enemies'. It might have made him sound aggressive. "Acquaintances could get out of putting me in this kind of simulation. They could be looking for me right now..."
"A simulation?" Fluttershy said. "What's that? If you don't mind me asking, that is..."
"It'd be pretty complicated to explain... unless you guys have high-tech computers."
"Com-puters?" Fluttershy said, looking baffled. "I've never heard of that... though I am sort of a shut-in..."
"If you had anything but very old ones, I'd think anyone would know about them." Robin then lifted an eyebrow. "Wait - why are you a shut-in? You seem like a nice enough... um... pegasus to me."
"Well, um..." she squeaked, rubbing a hoof into her wooden floor. "I'm just a little..."
...
"Huh?"
"Well, you know..."
"What - shy?" Robin said. "Oh.... I get it. Fluttershy."
She nodded meekly.
Robin smiled slightly. "Heh - well... you wouldn't mind going for a walk with me, still, would you? I'm going to need a guide around this place... especially in the woods."
"Huh?" she said.
"I want to go see this... artifact," Robin said, narrowing his eyes in determination. "If there's any way I'm getting home, it's gotta be that! I'm not just going to sit around when my friends are probably worried about me..." His voice grew somewhat sinister. "And while Slade could be getting further and further away... we almost had him, too!"
With that, Robin leaped out of bed, wobbling slightly due to his new hooves, but quickly stabilizing himself.
"U-Um... I'm not too sure about this, Robin..."
"Why not?" Robin asked. "You said you have a special connection to the woods, right? You could take me there!" His voice grew positively desperate. "Please... I really owe it to you for being so nice to me... but I have to get back to my own world."
Fluttershy shook her head. "I-It's not that! I really wouldn't mind taking you there, but-"
"Don't worry if the woods are dangerous," Robin said, grinning slightly. With that, he quickly drew out his bo-staff, actually gripping it with one of his forward legs. "Hah!" Steadily, he raised himself onto his hind-legs, and actually began to twirl it. It was somewhat awkward, but it was as if he had never changed bodies. "See, I still have it!"
"Y-Yeah," Fluttershy said, her eyes widening at the sight. "B-But - how in Equestria are you doing that?!"
"I was trained by the best," he smiled, shutting and stowing it. "The best. But uh - what is Equestria? Is that the name of this planet?"
"Oh no, just the country. The planet is called Trinity." She then shook her head in disbelief. "But - Oh my - I-I've seen army displays with Twilight... it was um - during her coronation, but I've never seen any of them do that with a sword! It's incredible!"
"Heh, thanks," he said. "I don't know what I'd do without it. My staff is one of my best friends. But um-" He winced in confusion. "How do I have a costume that fits on a pony?"
Fluttershy squinted in thought for a few moments, before shrugging. "I don't know... but um - t-that's a costume?"
Robin froze at that. "Yeah... it's kind of a long story... I could explain on the way to the artifact."
"Well um - like I said, I'd be glad to take you, but..." She shut her eyes. "The artifact... as far as I know... doesn't go two ways. And it doesn't like talking to anypony..."
"Wait, are you saying the artifact is alive?" Robin asked, baffled.
"From what the stories say, yes," Fluttershy nodded.
"Well, I don't need it to talk to me, I just need it to listen!" Robin grunted, before pounding a hoof into another in determination.
Clop!
Robin furrowed his brow, frustrated..
Fluttershy blinked.
Robin moaned. "Alright... doesn't have the same effect as a fist does..."
"A fist?" Fluttershy said, furrowing her brow.
"Heh - we really have a lot to talk about," Robin smirked. "Come on, let's get going!"
And with that, he galloped out the front door to the cottage. Fluttershy followed after him.
"Wait! Not so quickly! You have to navigate the forest carefully!" she called, before shutting her eyes. "It's OK, Fluttershy... just take him there and get it over with. He won't believe you until he sees for himself..."
At that, she nodded to herself in determination, before catching up to the Colt Wonder.
Deep Within the Everfree Forest
One Hour Later...
Robin and Fluttershy walked through the thickest woods he had ever seen outside of the Amazon. It was baffling, really, that they were this close to civilization. The trees looked positively primordial, abstract... haunted, and cast the forest floor in an unending shadow.
Fortunately, they were too deep in conversation to notice.
"... So I swoop in, kick the Joker in the face, and land! I think that was the first time I made a pun, too. 'I guess the joke's on you, huh?'
Fluttershy giggled softly, before quickly shutting her mouth. "O-Oh, I'm sorry - it wasn't that bad."
"No offense taken," Robin grinned. "They're supposed to be bad. It helps to make the enemy underestimate you... and sometimes it just makes them angry. In fact, that was the first I've ever seen the Joker fume a little, at me, at least. 'I make the jokes around here, Boy Brat! And you won't like what I do to the competition...'"
After that, he managed to do his best, and apparently decent (judging by his companion's frightened expression) of the Joker's laugh.
"Oh my - he sounds absolutely horrible!" Fluttershy squeaked. "W-What'd he do next?! He didn't hurt anyone else, did he?"
"Na - he didn't get the chance," Robin smiled. "His 'joke' was easy to beat. He had this bird-cage rigged up above me - don't ask me how or why - just believe me: the Joker was like that. But anyway... with the push of a button, it went slamming down. I only managed to jump out of the way at the last second! After that, Batman dropped him with one kick, and it was over! The Joker went back to Arkham."
"That's a relief," Fluttershy said, sighing heavily. "My - I suppose I can see why your homeworld needs so many superheroes. And you led your own team of one..."
"Yeah," Robin smiled nostalgically. "Still lead, you mean."
She nodded shakily.
"Still - I'm not really super and I'm no more heroic than anyone else," Robin said. "I'm just doing what I think is right..." He closed his eyes, wincing. "What I'm always going to do, I guess..."
Fluttershy gave him a curious, even slightly worried look, before shrugging it off. "I-I can see why you care about your friends so much. Going through that together must really bring you close together, doesn't it?"
"They're like brothers and sisters to me," Robin said. "Well - maybe Beast Boy is the quirky little cousin of the family, but he's got a lot of heart, really. And when him and Raven fight it can be pretty hilarious." He winced. "Well uh - most of the time."
"I know what you mean," Fluttershy nodded sympathetically. "Two of my friends can be a little... um... noisy as well, sometimes." She then smiled. "But all of them seem really nice, especially Starfire! I wish I could meet her..."
"Well hey," Robin chirped. "Once I figure out a way to uh... convince the artifact to go both ways, maybe you could! You two have a lot in common!"
"Thanks," Fluttershy said, blushing. "But I wouldn't want to distract you at all..."
Robin paused at that, frowning ever so slightly...
...
She was right. The artifact must have been somewhere in South America... a continent away from Jump City. It was too far away to be accessed easily, if at all.
"Yeah..." he whispered. "Guess it'd be a little hard..."
...
The two continued on in silence for a moment.
...
...
...
"Um... Robin," Fluttershy eventually spoke. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Yeah, go ahead," he said in a somewhat sorrowful tone.
"That mask you where..." Fluttershy whispered. "I haven't seen you take it off."
...
Robin paused.
"Oh- well... it's a little private, but I don't mind talking about it with you." He cleared his throat. "Most superheroes have secret identities. Basically, who we are without the costume. If we didn't... well - any villain who wanted to could go after our family and friends - to use them as hostages or worse..."
"But we're alone in the woods," Fluttershy said, blinking. "And you're planning on returning to your own world, aren't you?"
Robin closed his eyes.
He quickly shook his head.
"It's... I uh- could we change the subject?"
...
"O-Oh, sorry," Fluttershy squeaked.
"It's alright," he said. "How far are we to the artifact?"
"Not to far," she said in her usual soft tone. "So far... things are going good. The forest doesn't seem to mind your presence..."
"About that," Robin said. "This um - connection to the forest you have... is that a normal thing for ponies?"
She shook her head.
"Are you some sort of druid, then?"
"Well - in a way..." she said. "Oh and, um - this is kind of my fault, but could you keep this a secret? - It's just - I don't really want to have ponies start asking me questions and-"
Robin nodded in understanding. "Believe me, I know how you feel, and I'm really good at keeping secrets-"
Before he could finish, there was a rustle in the woods... followed by a deep, dark, laugh - as if the world itself were giving it.
"That you are... and I'm going to make sure of it!"
The two halted in their treks, Fluttershy's eyes widening in fright. "Oh no..."
"Oooooh yes," the same voice hissed, before cackling madly. "You know very well that mortals aren't meant to dwell this far..."
"He's a friend," Fluttershy said calmly. "He came from the artifact."
"Then he should not have come back," the voice growled. "The forest has its patience... and its understanding. But that understand has a limit - and it's not happy of his return..."
Suddenly, there was another rustle in a nearby bush. As Robin drew his staff, narrowing his eyes, a shadow-like leg jutted out of it.
"Whoever you are, back off!" Robin barked. "I don't want to hurt anyone here, but I will!"
"Hahaha!" he cackled, before finally revealing himself.
He was a monstrous beast: one who seemed to be composed of timber and shadow, like a wolf made of burnt wood. However, as Robin gazed upon its vicious, drooling snout, he realized that this isn't the type of wolf anyone could burn...
"Oh, this one has SPIRIT!" he said, casting a hideous grin.
"Just leave us alone, Wrath, p-please!" Fluttershy squeaked.
"I'll make sure of it," Robin hissed. "Whoever you are - you're not hurting either of us!"
He gave another chuckle. "Whooo's afraid of the big bad wolf?" he sang. "Not you, it seems, but that will just make this all the more fun. Now - What should I take from you as a toll? Those pretty teeth of yours... an arm, maybe a leg? You do look pretty muscular..."
He licked his lips, before grinning at Fluttershy.
"Isn't that right... Kindness?"