After a particularly filling lunch of Granny Smith’s famed Waldorf salad, the Cutie Mark Crusaders returned to their clubhouse to continue with their project. “Okay, so here’s what we still need,” Scootaloo said as she looked at the plans. “One mirrored disco ball, one roll of bubble wrap, and an anvil.”
“I thought we already got the bubble wrap,” Sweetie Belle said as she scratched her head in confusion.
“We did,” Apple Bloom said as her eyelids lowered into a squint. “An’ then you two spent about thirty minutes poppin’ it to make sure it was real bubble wrap, so now we need some more.”
“Hey, I’ve been burned by fake bubble wrap in the past,” Scootaloo insisted. “We had to make sure it was legit.”
“And you had to pop every single bubble in an entire roll to do that?” Apple Bloom asked with a scowl.
“Um, maybe?” Sweetie Belle responded sheepishly. “So, uh, where’d we get the last roll?”
“Here on the farm,” Apple Bloom said. “We use it to protect our jars of Zap Apple Jam for shippin’. I s’pose we can get another roll, but if we ain’t careful with it, we’re gonna be in trouble, on account of Applejack is probably gonna notice we’re runnin’ low. I figure I oughta handle that, so that nopony else gets tempted to test it out on her own.”
“The disco ball shouldn’t be a problem,” Sweetie Belle said in an effort to change the subject. “I bet Pinkie Pie has plenty to spare.”
“Yeah, nothing to worry about there,” Scootaloo agreed with a nod. “So that just leaves the anvil. Um... you wouldn’t happen to have one of those here on the farm too, would you?” she asked Apple Bloom with an odd wrinkle in her eyebrow.
“Why in tarnation would we need an anvil?” Apple Bloom asked. “It ain’t like we got time to forge our own shoes.”
“Okay, so I guess we need to head over to the blacksmith’s, then,” Scootaloo said.
“Actually, I’m pretty sure he’ll notice if one of his anvils is gone,” Sweetie Belle said. “Rarity took me over there once to pick up some custom shoes he’d made for her, and I think he uses all of them.”
“Well, that’s no good,” Apple Bloom said. “I mean, if we can’t get one from the blacksmith’s, where else will we find an anvil?”
“Hmmm...” Sweetie Belle said as she idly tapped her hoof against her chin. “Does it actually have to be an anvil, though? I mean, we just need something heavy, right?”
“Basically,” Scootaloo said with a shrug. “Why? Do you have an idea?”
Sweetie Belle grinned. “Let’s just say that Rarity knows somebody that might be able to help us out.”
September 1 – 12:54 PM
As Fluttershy’s friends split up to begin their roles in her plan, one thing was quite obvious: Mayor Pinkamena Diane Mare needed to know what was going on. Thus, with Pinkie Pie in tow (partly so that the earth pony could secure the town hall for her party, and partly because Mayor Mare really liked her niece), Fluttershy went to the Mayor’s office and outlined her intentions for the next day or so.
To the Mayor’s credit, her reaction to the news was considerably more reasonable than Fluttershy had expected. “Okay, so, if I understand you correctly, your plan is to blow the fog through Ponyville and into the Everfree Forest. Have I got that right?”
“Um, yes,” Fluttershy said.
The Mayor nodded her head calmly. “And this was Pinkie Pie’s idea, correct?”
“Um, no, I came up with most of it myself,” Fluttershy responded.
“Are you sure about that?” the Mayor said, looking Fluttershy in the eye. “Because that sounds like it might be something she’d come up with.”
“Aw, you’re just being silly now, Auntie Diane,” Pinkie Pie answered in her usual cheery voice. “I suggested cutting up the fog like a brownie! This is Fluttershy’s idea all the way.”
The Mayor blinked several times at this, but otherwise her face remained impassive. “I see. Er, Fluttershy, you do realize that it’s important for a leader to be able to keep things in perspective, right?”
“Well, yes,” Fluttershy said, though she looked a little confused by the Mayor’s question.
“Ah, I’m glad we’re on the same page,” Mayor Mare said as she pushed her pince-nez glasses further up her muzzle. “Perhaps now would be a good time for you to take a short break. A session at the spa can do wonders for the mind. After a few hours, I’m sure you’ll be feeling refreshed and ready to consider a solution to the problem.”
“But... I already did that,” Fluttershy said as a somewhat stern edge crept into her voice. “This is the best solution to the problem. The long-term consequences of the alternatives make them completely unacceptable.”
“I understand,” the Mayor said in an artificially soothing tone of voice, “but perhaps you should wait a bit before—”
“Waiting is one of the unacceptable alternatives I just mentioned,” Fluttershy said, taking a few steps toward the Mayor to emphasize her point. “We don’t have much time to act.”
The Mayor seemed perturbed by Fluttershy’s forwardness. “Well, in that case,” she replied as the smile vanished from her face, “you might want to consider a different retreat on the outskirts of Baltimare where you can get your head cleared. This one has individual apartments, all of which are upholstered for maximum comfort, and ponies in white coats will attend to your every need, and there are even specialists there who will listen to your problems until your mind working properly again.”
“Hey,” Pinkie Pie said suspiciously, “that doesn’t sound like a retreat. That sounds like the Whispering Pines Sanitorium for Complete Nutcases!”
Mayor Mare sighed. “Well, it is rather effective. Screw Loose swears by their doctors; she says they’re the reason she was able to become a functioning member of society again. According to her neighbors, she hardly ever howls at the moon these days, and now she uses a shovel to bury her assorted belongings for safekeeping.”
Pinkie scratched her head, looking quite confused. “Really? But if that place is for real, why do ponies keep telling me I should try checking in there?”
Apparently, both the Mayor and Fluttershy thought it best to ignore Pinkie’s question entirely, because they continued their conversation as if Pinkie hadn’t jumped in. “My idea isn’t crazy, Ms. Mare,” Fluttershy said, deliberately dropping the Mayor’s title to subtly remind her which pony actually had the authority to make this call. “I’m an expert, and I know what I’m doing.”
“Then why does this plan sound like it might kill us all?!” The Mayor abruptly shouted. She jumped out of her seat and began pacing rapidly across the room, gesticulating wildly as she made her points. “Why is it that a town as small as Ponyville has to put so much at risk for the rest of the country? Do you have any idea how much property damage we’ve sustained over the past year alone? The emergency room at the hospital only has so much space, and you’re asking me to subject the citizens to the same fog that nearly killed Pinkie Pie?!” By the end of her tirade, the Mayor was standing on her desk with her cravat askew and her glasses dangling precariously on the end of her snout.
“Um, to be fair, I think it would have been a while before the fog actually killed me,” Pinkie pointed out in an attempt to diffuse the situation.
Apparently, this was enough to get Mayor Mare back on a more even keel, as she returned to her chair and straightened her cravat. “Sorry,” she said with a sigh as she pushed her glasses back to their usual spot on her face. “I’ve just been under a lot of stress over this fog business, but I shouldn’t have indulged in unprofessional behavior. I’m sure you have very good reasons for thinking this will work, Fluttershy, and I know you wouldn’t put anypony at risk unless you had to.”
“Wow,” Pinkie Pie said. “Was that one of those political apology thingies you were telling me about? Because you said all the right things, but I still can’t tell whether or not you’re actually sorry.”
“Elected officials can’t afford to apologize for their opinions,” Mayor Mare explained. “Not if we want to be reelected, at least. They create openings for accusations of being wishy-washy.”
“But I thought Wishy Washy just got elected to Parliament last year,” Pinkie Pie said as she wrinkled her brow in bewilderment.
Mayor Mare groaned. “Don’t remind me.” The last thing anypony needed now was a discussion of local electioneering. “How can I help you?”
“Well,” Fluttershy said, her expression softening, “if you could call a town meeting so I can explain the situation to everypony else, that would be good.”
“Consider it done,” the Mayor said as she scrawled a memo onto some stationary. “Anything else?”
“Oh, right,” Pinkie Pie said as her legs abruptly stiffened and her attention refocused on the reason Fluttershy had brought her along in the first place. “I’m going to need to use the town hall for my fog party.”
“A party?” replied the Mayor, whose eyes widened in shock. “Pinkie, is this really the time?”
“Well, yeah. We need to make sure all the foals are safe, especially the pegasus foals, and what better way to keep them from wandering outside than to throw a party to keep them interested?”
“That is a solid idea,” Mayor Mare responded, bobbing her head in an approving nod, “but I don’t think town hall is the best place for it.”
Pinkie Pie’s ears flattened in disappointment. “Why not? There’s plenty of room.”
“Yes, but we still haven’t quite finished the repairs from the... er... ‘incident’ with Ms. Hooves. They’re using tarps to keep the rain from coming through the back walls and the unfinished windows, but I doubt that will be much help against fog.”
“Oh, yeah... that is a problem, isn’t it?” Pinkie said, looking rather despondent as she stared at her hooves. “I guess it’s too much to ask the construction workers to hurry up.”
“Definitely, especially since their jackhammer has gone missing,” the Mayor replied drolly.
“Why would a construction crew need a jackhammer?” Fluttershy asked.
“I have no idea,” said the Mayor. “All I know is that their union agreement stipulates that they need to have all of their necessary equipment on site before they can work on anything, and they consider the jackhammer to be necessary equipment.”
Pinkie shifted her weight back and forth for a few seconds before looking up again. “You, um, wouldn’t know of any other places that might be large enough for all of Ponyville’s foals to fit in, would you?”
“The schoolhouse, perhaps?” suggested the Mayor.
“Maybe...” Pinkie Pie said unenthusiastically, “but there’s not a lot of room in there, once you also include all the foals who are too young for school, and the adults who’ll need to watch them all. Plus, if it gets really stuffy, somepony might be tempted to open one of the windows.”
“Well, I’m not aware of any other public buildings that might serve your needs,” the Mayor said apologetically. “Perhaps you can bring the issue up at the town meeting and find somepony who can volunteer their facility.”
“Volunteer?” Pinkie Pie repeated in distant-sounding voice.
“Don’t worry if you need to rent a space, Pinkie,” Fluttershy reminded her friend. “The Department of Weather will cover the cost.”
“No, it’s not that,” Pinkie Pie said as she shook her head dismissively. “I was just thinking about something.”
“And...” the Mayor beckoned, clearly interested in what her niece had to say (albeit in the same way one might show interest in a potential train wreck).
“There just might be a place that can work for us,” Pinkie Pie said, breaking out into a wide grin.
All aboard the Pinkie train, choo choo!
Sweet Apple Acres.....consarnit!
Ugh. No sapient horse would consent to being shoed. Evidence is in: horseshoes are actually injurious to a horse--- and provide no actual benefit (except maybe on the battlefield, where they're expected to dash someone's brains out with a good solid kick.) The only reason it persists is because bad ideas are always grandfathered in-- and because no HUMAN feels the pain and discomfort or suffers the ill effects of wearing them.
3746539 - Who said the shoes were nailed into the hoof? I'm thinking more along the lines of the shoes that Celestia and Luna wear on the show, which are probably more like hoof boots than traditional horseshoes.
I feel like this is going a bit too swimmingly. Nothing has gone terribly right so far; I doubt this will be a perfect success either.
Oh, ten bucks the CMC are involved in whatever makes it go rotten.
3746539 The horseshoe is nailed into the hoof wall, which is made of a similar material as your toenails and is insensitive. The advantages that the shoes provide is that they protect the hoof from wear. IRL Equus ferus caballus's hooves are quite soft, so reinforcement, in this case in the form of a metal band nailed or glued to the soft hoof. They can also provide additional grip on unstable ground.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe
3746539 Makes you wonder why they have them around at all, then. As far as I know though, the nails for the shoes are meant to go through the horse's, well, "toenail", so it shouldn't cause pain. There's a discussion thread about whether or not they wear horseshoes over here, with good arguments for either side. In Dragonshy, though, Rainbow Dash does say "Uh, think we got bigger problems than making sure our hair bows match our horseshoes."
Ah yes, a new chapter!
And also...
(I never bothered to do that until now XD)
3746635
I'm actually counting on whatever the CMC's hairbrained scheme is to be what saves the day in the end.
Good
3746539 Maybe instead of nails, they use an adhesion spell or some kind of alchemically produced super glue(Zecora made something that could regrow a tooth). We only use nails because we don't have much of a choice.
Just as good as the "Namby Pamby was a great editor!" bit.
mind is working properly
I think the sanitarium's employees would need their own little "vacation" if Pinkie were to visit.
Mayor just got told.
By Fluttershy.
Every single time there is some sort of cliff hanger. I can't stand waiting for the next chapter to come out. Excuse me while I take notes.
3746635
Keen eye. We still have the CMC plot going on, whatever that reporter is doing, not to mention this is hypothermia inducing fog, and that was before it got mega filled with water. Who knows what could happen?
Obviously, the author of course.
3746539
In Fall Weather Friends, AJ and RD are playing with horseshoes, and in Stare Master, we see that the CMC's hoofprints are horseshoe shaped.
Could it be? The return of...Tom?
...
Nah, that'd be too obvious.
...
Which means no reader would expect it. Damn it Kwakerjak! Stop making me go in circles!
3746539 Wow, I'm going to assume you work for PETA, because I've never met anyone else so so confident in such a weakly supported (completely unsupported in fact) opinion, that they would state it as fact. Actual facts incoming, horseshoes do provide an actual benefit, and their application is a relatively low-pain/no-pain procedure.
Benefits include: the prevention or crippling injuries due to split or damaged hooves, prevention of incorrect growth of the hooves, protection for the hooves from unstable or rough terrain.
Basis in the show supports that in Equestria horseshoes are not usually nailed in(though how exactly they ARE attached is not addressed), also there is evidence in the show to suggest that the ponies often tend to their hooves through the other method we use which is trimming, basically a filing down of the excess or misshapen portions of the hooves. This, if done incorrectly can be more detrimental to the health of an equine than any shoes. (laming a horse is far more common with filing than shoeing.)
Lyra and Bonbon's...place? I don't remember reading that the two had a very large building or anything. Maybe I just missed it.
3746539
No need to worry!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe#Process_of_shoeing
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080227032303AAoxHnj
If horseshoes hurt the horses, then they were put on wrong. That's why they're U shape, because the sensitive frog of the hoof shouldn't have metal on it. I can't imagine it's entirely comfortable to nail them in, but it's not supposed to be painful in the least. What is painful is a horse who gets cracked hooves from running on stone, packed clay, or cement. Not to say all horses need to wear horseshoes, but those that do, do so without danger.
3746539
Even if that were true, and it's not, our own species invented and wear it's own painful and often long-term crippling foot device: high heels.
3748571 - In this story, they don't even live together, actually.
Oh dear. I do not see things going well for the Crusaders. Especially if they're too wrapped in human trapping to hear about the epic party...
Still, at least Fluttershy has a plan and is asserting her way towards enacting it. I just hope the Everfree does what she expects it to...
Yeah, they're doomed.
3747820 And there are horseshoe symbols everywhere, and Spitfire's signing...
Or maybe Omega symbols are in this year or something.
3749915 Yes. And we still have corsets around--- but we don't use the wretched things the way our ancestors did; as whalebone cages that literally crushed their internal organs out of shape. My theory is that horseshoes were once, at least briefly, common among the aristocracy( like many follies, such as corsets, footbinding, lead and arsenic-based makeups, etc.) Until the long-term harmful effects made them drop out of fashion. And that the horseshoe consequently lingers as a cultural symbol in Equestria (much as corsets still linger as a symbol of the Victorian era.)
3748617 It IS true.
start here for some basics.
More info in Youtube.
an original site.
thesoulofahorse.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/OneShodThermograph4001.jpg
This is a thermograph of the blood circulation in the legs and hooves
of a horse wearing one nailed-on metal shoe, on the front right.
The other three hooves are barefoot.
See, the hoof naturally FLEXES. It has to. It's not only natural shock absorption, it's how the blood in the leg is pumped back up to the body. How important is this? enough that the entire Houston Mounted Police department keep their horses barefoot.
But hey... what do I know? To heck with research and common sense, it's tradition! Right?
....and that's why Luna and Celestia wear those shiny hoofboots instead of horseshoes!
Third Base!
Ahh the Pony Pun Names are very easy to set up the Abbott and Costello situations.
3748564 no need to be insulting...
3746655
3748588
3748617
all y'all should take a gander at this reply:
3750096
if horses really needed to be shod, then why do wild horses living in rocky areas apparently go unshod without ill effect?
3747820
actually, that's not quite right. see, horseshoes are hoof shaped.
3751013 - The reason wild horses don't suffer ill effects, as far as I can tell, is because they usually aren't carrying or pulling any loads. When horses are used as draft animals that apparently puts more strain on their hooves. Since Equestrian ponies often pull their own carts and plows, it stands to reason that they might have developed specialized footwear to provide better traction and reduce wear and tear, though they probably don't wear them all the time.
3751054 well...
any job I can do wearing steel toed boots I can do barefoot (provided I don't drop anything on my foot) I used to have collapsed arches, from wearing a pair of shoes that were all screwed up...
anyhow, no boot I ever owned required a reshaping of my foot in order to wear it.
for load bearing, i can't see how a horseshoe could have any benefit, except maybe one that spreads the load out for travel on soft ground. for traction, an iron shoe wouldn't be much help, unless it was shaped like a wood rasp on the bottom.
I envision ponies wearing magically adhered rubber shoes for traction.
(sorry for incommunicado status, btw. working too much...)
3751013 In their natural environment (in a non domesticated setting, as there is only one breed of wild horse left) horses up to 50 miles a day in steppes environment to get forage. This wears the hoof down to a hard hoof, but as a result of domestication, the horse doesn't travel that far each day, and as a result, their hooves are softer. So around 2500 years ago, someone decided that reinforcing the hoof would be a good idea (bronze horseshoes were found in Etruscan grave sites).
3750096 The problem is that hoof hardness has not been a trait bred towards (other than in mustangs, but that happened naturally)
As with all horse care, it should be done by experienced individuals, or with the direct supervisions of such individuals.
3751224 uh.
this is not how genetics work.
the hard hoof trait has not been bred out. did you even read the links?
a horse that has been shod most of its life will develop a hard hoof within a year of shoe removal.
mustangs are descended from domestic horses. Do you mean to tell me that, despite 2500 years of 'soft' hooves (to work from your archeological reference), all it took were a few generations of feral living to develop hard hooves again?
a horse kept in an enclosed space, with horseshoes on, will develop a weak, brittle, unhealthy hoof, yes. this has nothing to do with breeding. no-one tried to breed for soft hooves.
no, this is mostly because of the shoe.
a horse that doesn't get out much can have healthy hooves. all it takes is an occasional trim. a wild horse doesn't need any trimming because it walks around so much that wear and tear keeps its hooves trimmed.
read the linked documents, you'll see.
so, um. while I agree that no sapient, intelligent equine would willingly wear horseshoes, unless he were conned into it....
I don't think that AB's line is out of place.
3751578 no, that's no what I said. I probably was unclear. My point is that hoof hardness has not been a trait accounted for in the breeding of domesticated horses. Horses originally were adapted towards dry steppes, but humans have them in all kinds of environments. As hosted in pastures don't walk up to 50 miles in a day, so the natural method of hardening the hoof is not present.
Mustangs have this trait because hard hooves are an advantage, and therefore will be a selected trait.
Trivia: there is a difference between feral horses and wild horses. Feral horses, such as mustangs, are escaped domesticated horses. Wild horses have never been domesticated. Sort of like wild dogs and woolves.
More trivia: the word trivia comes from the Roman word for the meeting of three roads(tri-three, via-road). At these places notice boards were put up with all kind of info.
3751880 firstly, the wild horses and the feral horses don't do 50 miles. they average 20-30.
secondly, such distances are not necessary to achieve hard hooves.
Go, read the documents linked. there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that shows that all that is needed to develop a hard, healthy hoof is to keep it trimmed properly until it has grown out correctly, which will usually take less than 8 months, depending on initial condition. it will only take that long if it is in bad shape, most often the only time needed is the time it takes to do a trim
3751222 - I think you may have misunderstood my interest in this question. We know that there are horseshoes in Equestria. They're used as symbols all the time and occasionally referred to as such in the show itself. If someone doesn't think a sapient equine would use them as footwear he or she is obliged to explain what else Equestrians might be using them for, and why they are nonetheless called horseshoes.
Wow, this horseshoe debate really is a microcosm of the internet. It's a completely pointless argument that was mooted by *the very first reply* (3746559), and yet folks are still enthusiastically going at it.
Please proceed, fillies and gentlecolts.
i.imgur.com/N6slx.gif
I find it so funny how the CMC are like war veterans who've collectively seen absolutely everything, but in a very, very silly field. It never gets old.
D'aww... I really like this bit; It's a joke that is, of course, funny, but also makes sense and isn't just morbid – at Screw Loose's expense. At least, that's what I get out of it.
Ha! Oh, God, where have I seen this joke before? It's right there, just out of my mind's reach... Was it in the show, or earlier in this fic, or...?
Haha! I know there's a name for this kind of joke, but it escapes me at the moment. Whatever they're called, they always make me laugh. This one was certainly no exception.
3753624
From Ponyville Confidential:
3747029
Now there's a story development I hadn't considered yet!
Hmm, so far the CMC have stayed out of trouble (barring Lyra and Bon Bon) so who knows?
Personally I like how Fluttershy has developed some assertiveness, now she's free if her 'qualification' issues and can form her ideas without apprehension.
3754473
Sorry, I thought 'Pegasus magic' and 'weather magic' were pretty much synonymous.
To clarify, in the Everfree, Pegasi are capable of flight, but not manipulation of atmospheric conditions?
3753972 A-ha, of course, thank you!
3753181 well, see, I figure RealityCheck overstates it. my thinking is that without someone convincing them otherwise, none would think it a good idea, or go along with it.
BUT! all it takes is some nut of a noble who somehow represents the height of fashion to convince others to go along with it. and it could easily be generations before somepony figures out that the original design is truly bad for you. of course, this is all assuming iron shoes attached by nails, and requiring an unnatural adjustment of hoof shape to wear.
horseshoes made to fit the wearer, rather than the other way around, are an entirely different kettle of fish. however, it doesn't seem that that's what is meant.
if we assume iron shoes, the practice of wearing them could easily have lasted generations, much like corsets and foot binding, before eventually dying back to nobles only (where I assume it would have started) and then altogether falling by the wayside. this would likely lead to horseshoes being a symbol with many meanings, such as 'wealth', 'good fortune' and 'useless frivolity'. this actually makes AB's line in this chapter even better for me, as it adds the impression that she holds the very idea in contempt. ie, why would we have such a thing, when the only use we could have for it is completely frivolous? I'll note we have seen no evidence that any of the main characters actually wear horseshoes, or at least not of the type most here are discussing. if they did, they would have to have had them removed on that one spa visit (remember rarity getting her hooves trimmed? she didn't have to take anything off to do so). and I doubt RD would tolerate someone hammering one on when she can't abide anyone touching her hooves.
...
I fear I am communicating poorly. basically, I figure horseshoes as we envision them are a practice long out of favor amongst ponies, seen by them as barbaric, much like old style corsets and foot binding are seen as barbaric by us. they're still part of the culture though, just mostly as a symbol, these days. modern ponies will wear hoofwear of various types, adhered in a non invasive fashion, and made to more naturally fit the wearer.
(these would have some other name, like hoofboots or just plain shoes. heck. the ponies generally don't use the word horse! I bet that, in this case, the prefix 'horse' is mildly derogatory. as in, you'd have to be dumb as a horse to wear these)
How does one end up getting fake bubble wrap?
3751880 You're not arguing with ME. You're arguing with professional breeders and trainers who've accumulated this evidence from personal experience.
3753226 Error, no matter how small, is anything but trivial. Consider that this "trivial" debate can and will influence people's thinking, make them question the things that they "know," and may very well determine the fate of some poor innocent animal none of us will ever see.
3761878
"A comment-debate on fimfiction.net isn't trivial!"
3763069 Regardless of where you say it, what you say influences people. Suppose some horse owner stumbles into this conversation. Suppose it sparks a tiny bit of curiosity, makes them look into the question, makes them change the way they shoe or don't shoe their horses. Which, I guarantee you, means nothing to you, but the entire world to the horse.
Nothing you do is trivial.
3754494 Oooh Oooh Oooh I think I can clarify this! It's mostly from an expanded view of my head-canon, so if it doesn't sync with yours feel free to ignore it.
I think it's not so much that magic doesn't work within the Everfree, but that the Everfree has too much ambient magic. We've seen Twilight cast spells in the Everfree so it's safe to assume it's not an Anti-Magic Field,(same with Dash and Shy flying) however we know that weather,trees, animals in the Everfree can't be controlled magically. The best explanation I can find is that using magic to affect things under the effect of the field of the Everfree forest is like trying to fly a kite in a hurricane. You can try; but it's not likely to work the way you planned. I think of it as an energy density/interference kind of thing, everything there has a ton of magical energy, so it just does whatever the heck it wants.
3764963
I'm not surprised you're naive enough to think that internet comment fights are that important. Your type always suffer from delusions of grandeur.
And that hypothetical you pulled out of your plot is a joke. In the incredibly unlikely event that a horse owner comes to fimfiction.net *and* happens to stumble across Flash Fog *and* decides to check out the story's comment forum *and* chances to find the needle in a haystack that is your specific post *and* doesn't already have a strong opinion on the subject, this incredibly unlikely hypothetical person will have no reason to believe you over the other commenters. You're just another anonymous piker on the internet, with no more credibility than anyone else here, and you're simply inventing excuses to let yourself believe otherwise.
So no, you're not going to save all the little horsies by being such an obnoxious blowhard. All you're going to accomplish is earning yourself additional derisive s.