CSR Brush Pony

by shysage

Chapter 7, More Help

Hi, this is Fluttershy again. Of course, this is mine, too. No army for us...

I cried on my sister's shoulder for a little while. It took that long for me to even relax to where I could function. And Sis and I had not been crying long when the Brush Pony mare came over and cried with us. I think we all knew that Summer's presence meant we probably wouldn't die. I worked hard to try to forget what they wanted, what they told me to do. Only as I did that could I calm down. I think the Brush Pony mare felt the same way. I sensed that she felt a lot calmer with my Sis around. Of course Shysage came with us too. They probably weren't supposed to even be... ...except these two seemed to be the only ones that even wanted to help... me... us...

We did head to the train station next. I explained to the stallion selling tickets that the five of us were on official Equestria business (we were), and they gave us tickets without asking for payment. I don't know how kind I would have been otherwise. The trip to Dodge City, our next destination, would take days on hoof. None of us wanted to be Cougar bait any longer than we had to. The Brush Ponies were a little tense going inside the train, and certainly got some strange looks, but we found an empty car, and sat down. Towards evening, the train pulled into Dodge City. On the way, we had all tried to sleep, and talked little. Well, Summer described Dodge City some, and the Brush Pony mare seemed to know of the place, and said it was a few more days walk to their tribe. When we got out at Dodge City, the Brush Pony mare said quietly "This way" and we just followed the two of them as they headed further West. We nibbled some on the way, but it was clearly more arid out here. We found what we could.

And I had to ask my Sis... That same tune continued softly in the background(1), even after we got off the train in Dodge City. I wondered if she heard anything. Summer just smiled, and we hugged briefly. "Shysage and I really like this one" she said. "And I think, hearing a tune in the background, well it often tells us that something..."

Near dusk, the Brush Pony mare stopped abruptly, and began to weep softly. Without turning around, she said quietly "You go back, probably die, many Cougars..." Us three ponies, Summer, Shysage and I, we were following the two of them. When the mare stopped, we did too. And, after she said what she said, we didn't move or say anything, so the mare, still crying, said it again. "You go back, probably die, many Cougars..."

I could tell, I felt, my Sis... She walked around, then in front of the Brush Pony mare, facing her. Summer said slowly "Friends?" and made her voice go up a little as she said this. It was a question.

The Brush Pony mare put her head down right away, but answered "Friends..."

Summer said quietly "Friends... Not leaving... Even if die... Will do anything... help Brush Pony tribe..." Then Summer hugged the Brush Pony mare tightly; the mare was crying pretty hard by then.

Through her tears, the Brush Pony mare said quietly "Big friend... Thanks you..."

And now, since it seemed like we may actually be able to help and collect some information without dying (probably), I felt the same way Summer did. We were their friends; we wanted to help them. I joined Summer and the Brush Pony mare as they hugged. We would help them any way we could, even if... But I felt now, at least, we had a good chance of gathering the information Princess Celestia had asked... just me... ...to find out.

It was quiet a minute maybe, as Summer, the Brush Pony mare and I hugged and cried softly together. Then Summer quietly said something slowly that surprised even me, just 5 words...

"Friends... rescue... Brush Pony tribe..."

We all cried together for a while after that. I think the Brush Ponies had completely given up hope on any sort of rescue for their tribe. And I was sensing from the mare that time might have been of the essence with any sort of rescue...

What Summer said meant a lot to them. But it also clarified what we were doing. In Summer's mind, we weren't bringing information back. We were bringing the whole Brush Pony tribe, back to Equestria, to safety. I don't think we knew how to do that yet, but that seemed a much more reasonable, fair goal, then "go find out what you can." I was on board with my sister Summer's plan.

An hour later, the five of us were laying on our bellies, fairly close together, in a small cave with a creek running nicely in front. I thought the water was a good idea, but the Brush Pony stallion explained carefully and slowly that our scent would be more difficult to follow around the water. I had never thought of that.

When us ponies woke up the next morning, the Brush Pony mare and stallion were already standing next to each other at the entrance to the cave, eyes and ears up, alert and listening. Waking up next to my Sis... Even since we were both little... I wanted to cry and hug her... a long time. We just couldn't. We were helping friends. That had to come first. When we walked out, everypony got a drink, and we resumed our walk to the West -- by walking down the middle of that same creek for at least a mile. That was slow, and not so easy. The Brush Ponies seemed to do ok, but... my hooves were sore when we were done. But I remembered what the Brush Pony stallion had explained about scents and stuff. They were just being careful, which I appreciated.

After that mile, we walked through woods, then back up to a level meadow, more arid than we were familiar with around Ponyville. The grass was low, and patchy, and there were many areas where just sand peeked through the grass. It was getting dryer here. Well, there seemed to be plenty of broad leaf plants, but I guess grass and oats had a more difficult time.

We kept walking, well past noon, snacking on our way. Water was a little more scarce, but I felt that the Brush Ponies were familair with the area, and knew where to go to find it. Summer, Shysage and I, we were following the two Brush Ponies as they led the way. It was clear they knew where to go.

Maybe mid-afternoon, I began to hear a vague sound, off in the distance. It didn't sound or feel dangerous to me. It was very sporadic at first, but as we continued walking, the sound... it sounded closer, and maybe a little more frequent. They remained just below my thinking even until I had heard them for maybe half an hour. Then, I started really listening. I also worked on placing exactly why I thought I recognized what I was hearing. That took longer than it should have. But it finally dawned on me like a lightning bolt...

"Oh my goodness, Summer..." I said that, then, well sang out something I had to remember from the past, well about the future. That is a long story, too. On our trip to Equestria but in the future, we found amazing animal friends, four huge Black Panthers. They kept us safe, and helped us. But I remembered how I called them, really lovingly singing out to them. Following behind the two Brush Ponies, I sang that same thing out right then... trying not to cry myself... I knew they were out there... The Brush Ponies froze immediately, and turned to look at me. Summer got the hugest grin on her face! And I only sang that out once. I only had to sing it out once.

Between 40 and 50 huge Black Panthers streaked quickly up from the fields and brush from all directions around us, and quickly encircled us, but leaving plenty of room between us and them. Then they all, together, turned to face away from us, then sat down and waited. I felt right away... They were protecting us...

One Panther did not turn around. I think the Brush Ponies knew the Panthers, and the Brush Pony mare walked slowly up to the one Panther still facing us, then bowed to that Panther when she was close. The mare then got up.

The mare said quietly to us ponies "This... Lady Grace..." The mare stopped there, and said slowly as if still practicing, then continued "...Prince... ess of Panther clan." Summer ran quickly up and bowed to Lady Grace right away, and Shysage and I did too. Then we got up and walked back behind the Brush Pony stallion. This was their territory, not Equestria. We were the visitors now.

But, evidently, the Brush Pony mare... Lady Grace began to speak, with a strange collection of mews and such, sounds that Panthers make. The Brush Pony mare understood, she clearly understood what Lady Grace said.

When Lady Grace stopped talking, the Brush Pony mare said something brief back to Lady Grace, probably using the Brush Pony language. Lady Grace said something back to the Brush Pony mare, also brief.

The Brush Pony mare sighed, then she turned slowly around. She bowed her head, and explained, in rough modern Equestrian, for our sakes.

"I... Arianna, Prince-ess of.. Brush Pony tribe...

"Ma-gane is..." Princess Arianna stopped there, as if searching...

Shysage said quietly "Prince..." I think he had already realized...

Princess Arianna continued.

"Ma-gane is Prince... to... me...

"My... foal... Arianna... take Princess... when I die..."

Summer ran up and bowed to Princess Arianna, and Shysage and I did too. I think Summer and Shysage may have already guessed all of this. But Princess Arianna didn't seem real happy with that, us bowing, and motioned us up quickly. Then she said quietly "Friends... not bow..." as she fought back tears. Summer and I took turns hugging Princess Arianna. Our hugs weren't short. Then the three of us again walked back behind Prince Ma-gane, and waited.

Princess Arianna turned to face Lady Grace again. Well, I don't know a lot about Panthers, but it looked to me like Lady Grace started crying. I could see the tears, anyway. Lady Grace motioned for Princess Arianna to step back some, which she did. Lady Grace said something quietly to Princess Arianna, and Princess Arianna tried to tell us.

Princess Arianna asked a question, first. "What... name... pictures... sleep?"

"Princess Arianna, that is a dream..." I said, then I said just the word again, "dream", and Princess Arianna repeated that word. Then Prince Ma-gane did as well.

Princess Arianna then explained what Lady Grace had told her. "Lady Grace had dream... very... ..import-ant." Princess Arianna explained this, then stopped and turned around again, to face Lady Grace.

Lady Grace used one of her claws to draw a large circle in the sand. Lady Grace then added three cryptic looking characters inside that circle. We could all see them clearly; the Sun was low in the West, and the ruts in the sand as Lady Grace drew with her claw were very pronounced. I didn't recognize any of the letters though.

Using the same claw, Lady Grace pointed to, poked her claw down into the first character, then she spoke to Princess Arianna.

Princess Arianna worked on explaining to us what Lady Grace said, from her dream, but Princess Arianna did not turn around to face us as she did. Facing Lady Grace, looking at that strange letter, she spoke to us. Princess Arianna slowly explained the first letter Lady Grace had written, based on what Lady Grace said.

"Hey... Hey-su-key-os... Deep... quiet one... Sensitive... Friend of Panthers..."

I don't know how this got into Lady Grace's dream, but I knew that was me. I absolutely knew that was me... I walked slowly forward, and stood behind Princess Arianna, facing Lady Grace, sat down, then put my head down.

I think this made Lady Grace cry a little more. And all 40 or so Panthers now in a circle around us, started making the same mmew sound. I have no clue what that meant.

Lady Grace moved her claw to the middle letter, then spoke softly. Princess Arianna explained, although she began to cry softly, too. I think she was realizing...

"Prow... Prow-tase... Great... great... great power... in also quiet... one..."

I would have said something, but Summer was already walking slowly to me. She surely knew too, who the Prow-tase was, Summer herself. She walked up next to me, stopped, then sat like I was, and put her head down like mine.

Lady Grace was having trouble even mewing, I think. I could see the tears quickly fall... And the chorus of mewing around us became louder. Still, Lady Grace moved her claw to the third strange letter. With great difficulty, it sounded like, she explained to Princess Arianna what the last character meant. Then Lady Grace fell to the ground and cried.

Princess Arianna turned to face us. I was pretty sure she knew Summer and I were sitting behind her, the Hey-su-key-os and the Prow-tase from Lady Grace's dream. Princess Arianna's head was down, and she was crying too. Princess Arianna asked a question next; again, I guess she didn't know the word... "What... hold front... protect?"

Before Princess Arianna was even done, Summer burst into choking, deep crying... I answered for Summer. The word was Shield... It was Shysage... And only Summer could truly understand the significance of that name...

Princess Arianna explained as Shysage, crying himself, walked up and sat next to his Mare...

"Therion... Shield... to Prow-tase..."

Lady Grace's dream... The Hey-su-key-os (me) the Prow-tase (Summer), and the Therion (Shysage)... Princess Arianna had brought the three of us to Lady Grace, soon after she had that dream...

As 40 or so Black Panthers cried, Lady Grace only spoke one more time, and Princess Arianna explained through her tears...

"Dream true... Very good... or... very bad..."

We all cried together. I knew which of the two it would be... I think we all knew...

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Author's Note:

1. Unless otherwise noted, the music flowing in the background for this entire story is "A New Horizon - Tavnazian Archipelago" from the Original Soundtrack for the "Chains of Promethia" expansion for "Final Fantasy XI", and this all is copyright by Square Enix.