“The Great Valley?” Twilight asked Littlefoot.
“Yes. Although, the last time i was there it was little more than a dried out meadow.” Littlefoot sighed and lowered his head.
“But you believe it might be worth heading there now?” Twilight asked while nudging her hoof on his cheek in a cheering gesture.
“Well, yes... And no. You see, its a gamble, the place might be crawling with Sharptooths for all i know. I heard that all the herds left the place after The Big Drought.”
“...But?” Twilight was interrupted when Littlefoots face suddenly lit up with hope.
“...but i also know that the big waterfall never dried out completely, meaning there might still be a chance for green food to have returned there, plus there might still be other plant-eating herds that are thinking the same thing.”
For years Littlefoot had ben traveling by himself, found green food by himself, entertained himself and fought for himself. For years he had searched for his purpose in life, and so far he had told himself that the only way to do so was by doing it alone. But after he had meet these ponies something inside him had awakened, something he thought had been lost forever. That is why Littlefoot felt excitement by the notion that other herds might have gone to The Great Valley - Company. But the first end of the thought still hanged loose.
“But what about you ponies?”
Twilight smiled, forgetting about the question she wanted to ask. The decision had not taken long to make. Not only did they probably need Littlefoots help to survive but the appearance of a cutie mark on his flank could not be a coincidence.
“We’re coming with you.” Twilight answered without hesitation. Littlefoot grinned.
Around them the other ponies had taken up camp. It was in the middle of the morning and they were getting ready to head out again. Apple Jack had tried her best to gather some roots and make morning supper for them all.
But one pony had taken herself a detour.
Not far from the others Fluttershy trotted along a small dried out creek. She still couldn’t stop thinking about the lizard. Thanks to Littlefoot she had accepted that he was dead but she still felt she needed to tell his family the sad news. She was looking for signs of a lizard family right now. She spotted movement in the sand ahead. Fluttershy walked closer. She bent her hoofs down and lowered herself. It wasn’t a lizard. A yellow snake seemed to poke its tail out. Maybe it knew about any lizard families nearby?
“But hello there little one.” Fluttershy greeted.
The snake kept half his body in the sand. The protruding tail wavered in the air.
“Do you know of any lizard families nearby?” Fluttershy asked.
The snake still had it’s head buried.
“Hello? Can you hear me?”
Fluttershy reached out her hoof and touched the snake. There was a brutish answer.
“What are you doing!?”
Fluttershy froze horror The sand ahead of her formed into a mountain. It ran of to the sides and revealed a four legged creature. The snake Fluttershy had touched had actually been its tail. The creature wailed its head around. It had a half moon disc around the back of its head. There was a horn poking out above its nose. There were three horns growing at the sides of its facial disc. The yellow skin of the creature made her green eyes stand out even more. She glared angrily at Fluttershy while ranting.
“Can’t a threehorn get a little rest!?”
Fluttershy stammered.
“I’m sorry...I...I...I didn’t...”
“What? What are you saying? Speak up!”
The three horn turned the rest of her body around and took three decisive steps toward the trembling pony. Fluttershy shrunk. The wind spoke more clearly than her.
“I...I didn’t mean to...I...I...”
“Are you going to apologize or what!?” The three horn boomed.
“I...I...I am trying to...” Fluttershys voice died out. She made a whimpering sound.
The threehorn looked in bewilderment at the pathetic creature that had the unfortunate hour of crossing her own sleeping hour. The scrunching yellow body, along with her yellow hair, made the pony almost look like it was part of the sand. The threehorn rolled her eyes.
Well. Might as well have a little fun now when I’m awake.
The threehorn proceeded speaking in a low and dark tone, empathizing... every... word.
“Tell me, have you ever seen a Sharptooth?”
“A Sh...sh...Sharptooth?”
“Yes, a Sharptooth.” The threehorn grinned meanly.
“Yes... I have. It’s big and...”
“Oh... no, no, no, no.” The threehorn interrupted. ”That clumsy brute you can hear coming. No, i am talking about the ones that you don’t hear coming.”
“Th...th...the one that i don't hear com...”
“The one that comes...” The threehorn paused for dramatic effect. “...While you are sleeping.” Her mean smile widened.
“Wh...wh...While I'm sleeping? That can't be...g...g...good.”
“Oh yes, if they kill you in your sleep. But then they usually don’t do that, usually they just sneak up on you and wait... right there... by your bed. And then... when you wake up and open your eyes...”
Fluttershy could imagine the three horns green eyes being the sharptooth glaring down at her. Fluttershys' teeth hammered.
“...And then, when you open them.” The threehorn jumped forward and landed her green eyes right in front of Fluttershy. “ROAAAAARGH!
Fluttershy stopped shaking. There was the sound of a goat bleating. Fluttershy fell sideways and landed on her back, her hooves jutting stiffly into the air. There suddenly were a voice coming from nearby, one with a strange accent.
“Fluttershy! Come on, i made you root soup, its my own new recipe...”
Apple Jacks breath stopped once she saw the strange creature standing next to the fainted Fluttershy. She could immediately see that the creature was up to no good.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing to my friend!?” Apple Jack scowled.
“Me!?” The threehorn exclaimed incredulous with an innocent edge. She pointed her horn and tail straight up in a superior way. “May i remind you that if was she who awoke me, HM!” Upon saying the last phrase the threehorn pointed her chin skyward.
“Well thats really putting you on the moral high ground by scaring Fluttershy.” Apple Jack said sarcastically.
“Fluttershy?! What kind of a name is that? Despite i wasn’t scaring her, i was just educating her.”
“Well you surely look like the teacher of the year with your class laying fainted on the ground!” Apple Jack raised her voice.
“Well looks like someone is longing to join her,” The threehorn said challenging.
“Well, after you yellow mushroom!” Apple Jack grinned. The threehorn looked incredulously at the strange creature with some kind of hair ball on her head.
Yellow mushroom. Well, the nerve!
The threehorn lowered her head and scraped her paws in the sand. Apple Jack planted her hooves in rodeo position.
Target acquired. Ready... Set... Go! The threehorn counted down in her head before charging. It was then like the four legged hoof creature had grown wings. Just as she was about to ram her it sailed right over her. The threehorn wailed around and came at her again.
Apple Jack turned around and galloped with the threehorn right on her tail. Ahead of them was a tree. Apple Jack planted her hooves at one of its roots and made a backflip over the threehorn. There were the sound of wood braking.
“Hujie! Looks like someone has gotten herself in a ‘wooden’ situation.” Apple Jack teased at the sight of the threehorn trying to break free.
“ROAAAAAAR!” The roar of the threehorn split the air. She pulled so hard that the entire side of the tree cracked.
The threehorn came at Apple Jack again with a piece of wood still stuck on her horn.
Apple Jack turned tail and galloped, letting the creature chase her again.
Threehorn could barely see around the junk that was stuck on her horn. I a flash the pony was gone again. Threehorn then felt something heavy land on her back. She felt a vine of some kind circulate her horn.
“Jieaaaa Verona! Put those hooves in the sky and swing em around!”
Apple Jack was now riding the threehorn. It jumped around and tried to shake her of.
Threehorn spotted a big rock jutting out from the ground ahead. She sprinted full speed toward it, planted her feet on it and lowered her head, allowing her to make a dead stop.
“Oauuuu!” Apple Jack gasped when she tumbled over threehorns head. Threehorn proceeded slamming her head against the rock and brake the wood around her horn.
After several minutes of the threehorn refusing to be tamed and Apple Jack refusing to give up both of them faced each other while breathing heavily.
“You...Better...Apologize.” Apple Jack demanded in-between her breaths.
“No...” Threehorn paused. ”She...Is...The...One...That should apologize.”
There was a raspy voice coming from the sand bead.
“Hey Apple Jack. Whats taking you so long? We need to head on out!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“Not before this horned lady apologizes for bullying Fluttershy!” Apple Jack shouted back.
“Me? bullying? I wasn’t bullying, its not my fault she's afraid of her own shadow.” Threehorn said.
“But you scared her on purpose!” Apple Jack spit.
“No i didn’t.” Threehorn lied. “Despite, if she didn’t want me to tell her my story she should’t have ruined my sleep.”
Rainbow Dash looked at Apple Jack, then at the three horn. She could help her friend and force the tired threehorn to apologize, but two against one wouldn’t be fair, and Rainbow Dash considered herself a true sportspony from mane to hoof.
“How about we settle this with a challenge?” Rainbow Dash proposed.
“Sounds fair enough to me.” Threehorn said.
Threehorn looked around. She spotted a huge boulder laying on the ground ahead. She grinned.
“I bet you that i can smash that bolder there into three big pieces.”
Apple Jack looked at the bolder, which towered four times the threehorns hight. She laughed at the clearly over confident proposal.
“Hehehe... Well, you got yourself a deal Verona.” Apple Jack swang her right hoof in a ‘bet ya’ manner. The threehorn grumped while shooting the orange pony a frown.
“My name is Cera.”
“Well... Cera. On you go.” Apple Jack offered teasingly.
Cera faced the bolder, feeling the nervosity boil up inside her. She took a deep breath, lowered her head and scraped her feets along the sand.
Target acquired. Ready... Set... Go!
Cera sprinted full speed at the bolder. Apple Jack looked confidently at Rainbow Dash before turning her attention back at the scene that she thought could only end one way.
There were the sound of rocks smashing. Apple Jacks confident face dropped in disbelief. Behind her Rainbow Dash did the same. Cera turned around smirking. Behind her the rock had smashed into, not three, but five pieces.
“Well, well, well. Look who is going to apologize here.”
“I am.” Fluttershy answered threehorn.
Cera turned toward Fluttershy, who was still lying on the ground.
“You are?” She asked bewildered.
“Yes. I apologize for wakening you Cera. That was clumsy of me and I am sorry.”
Cera closed her eyes and smiled.
“...But you still scared be on purpose!” Fluttershy added assertively.
Cera opened her eyes, her face twisting in confusion. Before she knew it she had Rainbow Dashs' glaring red pupils burning only centimeters in front of her. She had her blue wings raised in an aggressive manner. Cera backed away. She grumped.
“Hrm... Alright. I scared her on purpose and i apologize.” Ceras confident face fell slightly.
“Smart move.” Rainbow Dash lowered her wings. Despite the fact that Cera had lied to her earlier she liked the confidence of the three horn.
“My name is Rainbow Dash, nice to meet you Cera. And that pony over there is my friend, Apple Jack.”