//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Eyes in the Everfree // Story: The Following // by AusFlick //------------------------------// "Come on, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "There's no way you're going to get better at flying if you don't at least try!" "Sorry," said Fluttershy, curled up as far away from the edge of the cloud as possible. "It's just that, it seems a little... dangerous." "It's not dangerous." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "This is basic flying. I do this stuff all the time. The ability to dive through some hoops, do a loop de loop and smash through a cloud is something that every pegasus should be able to do at some point." "Also," Fluttershy continued. She walked over to the edge of the cloud and peered down. "We're really high up." Rainbow Dash slammed her hoof into her face. "For Pete's sake!" she said. "You're a pegasus! You've got wings! You can fly!" "Maybe I might know how to do it if you did a demonstration?" Fluttershy suggested, kicking the cloud with a hoof. "I've shown you how to do it five times already!" Rainbow Dash snapped. Her eyes bulged from their sockets, and she was covered in sweat. Fluttershy could tell Rainbow was losing her patience. It was probably best just to do what she said to make her happy. She took a deep breath. "Ok, I'll do it." Rainbow Dash sighed with relief. "Finally!" Fluttershy approached the edge of the cloud and looked down. It wasn't a pleasant sight. She would have to fly down a very sharp slope, almost directly downwards through a bunch of rings made of clouds. Not too far from the ground she’d have to navigate the rings and perform a loop, with enough speed and momentum to destroy a cloud specifically placed at the end of the path. No sweat... if you were Rainbow Dash, or some other pegasus obsessed with speed and action. But Fluttershy wasn't that type of pony. She didn't even know why Rainbow Dash was making her do this in the first place, she didn't even want to learn how to be a faster flyer. She turned back towards her friend. The  rainbow-maned pegasus was still standing there, and looked extremely impatient. "Sometime today might be nice, Fluttershy," she said. Fluttershy took another deep breath and braced herself. "Ok, on three," she whispered to herself. "One... two... three!" She jumped off the cloud and was hit by a sudden adrenaline rush. As she sped downwards, she attempted to point her wings behind her in order to gain speed. Apparently this was a part of the method Rainbow used to perform the Sonic Rainboom. But a sudden burst of speed, in Fluttershy's dictionary, wasn't exactly flying but more straight up falling. Panicking, she spread her wings out and flew back up onto the cloud she was standing on a second ago. "What happened?" asked Rainbow Dash, with a look of disapproval on her face. "I—I can't do it," said Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash groaned loudly and fell over, crashing back first into the cloud they were standing on. "You're hopeless, Fluttershy," she said in frustration. "Hopeless!" "Sorry, Rainbow," she said quietly, trying to sound as sincere as possible. "I guess I was just... scared." Rainbow Dash sighed. "That's it!" she said. "I give up!" "Um, I guess I'll just head back down then?" said Fluttershy, slowly descending downwards. "Might as well come with you," Rainbow Dash acquiesced, leaping back up and following her. "Got nothing else to do." As much as she wanted to, Rainbow Dash refrained from bolting straight to the ground and past Fluttershy. While it was annoying that Fluttershy was too frightened to do some simple flying tricks, she understood that she was very sensitive and that it would be rude to just zip ahead of her. The trip down wasn't easy, though. Fluttershy wasn't lying when she said they were really high up, and she was taking her merry time getting down. At this rate, Rainbow Dash knew that reaching the ground was going to take a while. After a good five to ten minutes of an irritatingly slow descent, they landed a few feet away from the Ponyville town hall. Somewhere between getting off the cloud and onto the ground, they had fallen into an awkward silence. Grasping for something to cut the tension, Rainbow opened her mouth to ask Fluttershy if she was alright. Before she could utter a word, somepony else's voice interrupted her. "Fluttershy! Dashie!" yelled a high-pitched, excited voice from behind them. They both recognized who it was without having to turn around. Exchanging relieved smiles, they looked back and saw a pink-colored, bushy-maned Earth pony bouncing forward to meet them. "Hey, Pinkie Pie!" said Rainbow Dash with a happy smirk. “What’s up?” "I've been looking for you two!" "Why's that?" asked Fluttershy, curious at Pinkie’s behaviour. The excitable party pony was hopping eagerly in one spot, almost giving her whiplash with how fast she was going. "Because you’re invited to my party, girls!" Pinkie replied excitedly, bouncing up and down with a huge, joyful grin on her face. "Another one?" asked Rainbow Dash, looking amused. "Didn't you already have one a week ago?" Pinkie Pie let out a huge gasp. "It’s been that long already?" she asked. "Well, I'd better get this one going pronto!" "Excuse me, Pinkie Pie," said Fluttershy. "But what's this party for?" "Well, you see, I was casually strolling through Ponyville like I usually do, and I saw somepony that I didn't recognise, and if I didn't recognise her then that means she's new, because as you know I know everypony and I mean everypony in Ponyville! And if she's new then she hasn't met anyone yet, and if she hasn't met anyone yet, then she mustn't have any friends, and if she didn't have any friends then she must be lonely, and that made me so sad. Then I got this great id..." "Ok..." Rainbow Dash interrupted; she was now using her wings to hover above the ground. "So what you're saying is that somepony new has just moved to Ponyville, and you're doing the same thing with her as you did with Twilight when she first came to Ponyville?" "Yup!" "When is this party?" Fluttershy asked. "I actually haven't figured that out yet," said Pinkie thoughtfully, dropping to her hooves and settling into a serious pose. "You're the first two ponies I've invited, but I'm thinking about setting it for this afternoon." Fluttershy lifted her eyebrows. "This afternoon?" she said. "You mean as in, this afternoon, this afternoon?" "Yeah!" Pinkie confirmed cheerfully, losing her grave demeanor. "Why’re you asking? Let me guess, you've got something planned already!" "I do," Fluttershy answered cautiously. "I promised Zecora that I’d visit her.” "No problem!" said Pinkie, throwing a leg around her shoulders. "I'll just set the party for tomorrow night." Fluttershy nodded, relieved. “Thank you, Pinkie. Tomorrow works.” "Tomorrow sounds good to me too," Rainbow Dash agreed, moving closer to them. "I'll be there." "Okie Dokie Lokie!" Pinkie released Fluttershy and turned. "The party’ll be right here in the town hall," she informed them, pointing with her hoof. "That reminds me, I'm going to have to make a lot of muffins! Either of you able to help me?" "Sorry, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash apologized, rubbing her neck sheepishly. "I'm not really good at baking, like... at all. Remember what happened last time I tried to help out?" "I'll help you, Pinkie Pie," said Fluttershy kindly. "If we can do it tomorrow morning." "Sounds like a plan to me," she replied happily, pinning each of them with brief, enthusiastic hugs. "See you later then!" With that, she bounced away. Most likely off to invite... well... everypony else in Ponyville. There was a small moment of silence before Rainbow turned her attention back on Fluttershy. "Can I just say how proud I am of you, Fluttershy?" she said smiling. This question really threw her off guard. What exactly did she just say or do for Rainbow to be proud of her? "Proud?" she asked. "What for?" "You may be hopeless at flying, but at least you're facing some of your fears. Not only are you able to spend quality time with Zecora, but I never thought I'd see the day you'd willingly go into the Everfree Forest alone!" The very mention of those two words caused Fluttershy to go pale. "Oh no! I forgot about the-the-the Ever-f-fr-fr-free Forest!" "I shouldn't have said that," Rainbow Dash mumbled to herself. "Fluttershy, you'll be fine! Just follow the main path we usually take and you shouldn't have any issues. It's been a really long time since anypony’s gone in there and been in serious danger." Despite her attempts, Fluttershy didn't feel any better. In fact, she now felt even worse. "Will you come with me?" There was an unnerved and shaky edge to her voice. Rainbow Dash stopped hovering in mid-air and landed back onto the ground, tucking in her wings in the process. "You have nothing to worry about, Fluttershy," she said reassuringly. "I promise, nothing bad’s going to happen to you." "I hope you're right," Fluttershy murmured quietly, steeling her nerves. Fluttershy had spent the last hour or so in her cottage, trying to decide on how to deal with going into the Everfree Forest. She didn't want to cancel her visit with Zecora, but she had to come up with a strategy to make the journey easier. Zecora lived deep enough in the forest that her house was practically invisible from the sky, so chances were she wouldn’t be able to fly over without missing by a large margin. Going through by hoof was risky at the best of times, but it was safest around noon. Her plan was to leave for Zecora's around midday, spend the afternoon with her, have dinner early, and then quickly make her way back to Ponyville before dusk. She would take the widest pathway, by far the safest one there was, where she’d be least likely to run into timberwolves or any other eldritch abominations. With that in mind, she ensured her critters had enough to eat for the day, convinced Angel Bunny to watch over them until she got back, and left her cottage for Zecora's. Halting at the edge of town, Fluttershy stared at the forest for several minutes. There was something deceivingly alluring to the wild flora and dark greenery, something that—if she was honest with herself—called to her with a loving and almost hypnotic pull. Something that whispered to her in deepest reaches of her brain, the dark places she tried to ignore. A shiver rattled through her wings. She took comfort in the fact that she was going through the forest in broad daylight, and that a close friend was waiting for her at the other side. There was one other reassuring thought that entered her mind. Rainbow Dash was right. She and her friends had been in the Everfree Forest numerous times, and the occasion of something bad happening to them was pretty rare. Furthermore, Rainbow had asked the rest of their friends to hang around the rim of the forest this evening. When she got home, her friends would be there to greet her and make sure she was okay. With that in mind, she took a deep breath, braced herself, and walked into the dense greenwood. Roughly thirty minutes later, Fluttershy spotted Zecora's hut and was flooded with a sense of joy. Apart from the occasional growling of a bear or snapping of a tree branch, her trip had fortunately been uneventful. That didn't stop her from being relieved that she was finally at her destination. Sitting just outside the cottage was Zecora, who looked like she’d been waiting for her. "Ah, my dear friend Fluttershy, it is so nice to see you," she said. "Please tell me, how do you do?" Fluttershy smiled as she walked onto her porch. "Hey, Zecora," she said, trying to push the forest out of her mind. "It's great to see you too." "You seem troubled, my dear," said the zebra, giving her a concerned look. "Did you have any problems getting here?" Fluttershy glanced back at the forest behind her, then turned back towards Zecora and shook her head. "It's nothing," she answered. It didn't take long before Fluttershy was so absorbed into catching up with Zecora that she completely forgot about her worries. They talked about a wide variety of subjects. Zecora went on a massive tangent about her potions—new ones she’d recently discovered, their ingredients, how to brew them, how they tasted, and most importantly, what each potion did. Fluttershy discussed random insignificant things that had happened to her recently. Zecora was particularly fascinated when she brought up her friendship with Discord, and had many questions on how she was able to befriend a being of that nature. After an incredibly long conversation and a lovely dinner, Fluttershy was in utter shock to realise that she’d completely lost track of the time. She’d been at Zecora's for seven hours. She glanced out the window, hoping her suspicions weren't true, but it was just as she feared. Night had fallen. She spent the next few minutes frozen in her seat, staring outside in dread. What was she going to do? How would she get back safely? The Everfree was a lot less safe at night, because of the monsters and carnivorous beasts that came out hunting. Even with her special talent, coming across one of the forest’s dangerous predators would be very hazardous to her life expectancy. Zecora returned from the small alcove that served as her bedroom, and glanced at Fluttershy. Observing her panicked expression, she moved forward with well-practiced grace and placed a hoof on the pegasus’s shoulder. "Fluttershy, you have nothing to fear." She rubbed her back reassuringly, calming her down slightly. "If you like, tonight you may sleep here." It felt like a huge weight was lifted off her back, and she beamed. "Thank you, Zecora!" she said happily. "Thank you so much!" A second later, the weight returned. "But I can't. All of my friends are waiting for me. If I don't show up, they’ll think something awful happened." The zebra nodded. She proceeded to lift her eyebrows and stare into oblivion, looking somewhat comical as she did so. Fluttershy felt a bit awkward watching her, and glanced away politely so as not to interrupt. After at least one full minute of blank staring, her face lit up and she turned back to Fluttershy. "I think I know what you can do," she said. "For I have an idea that may appeal to you." Her ears perked up, and she focused intently, determined to hear every word she had to say. "What is it, Zecora?" Zecora said nothing. Instead she stood up, walked out of the room, and came back with a rolled up piece of paper in her hoof. She dropped the sheet of paper onto the table, and spread it out with her forelegs. Fluttershy tilted her head to look at it, and her eyes widened. It had no title, but the dense greenery and swamps dotted across it made it easily recognisable. It was a map of the Everfree Forest! She walked over and studied it carefully. Zecora gestured to a brown area towards the bottom of the map, where it was written Zecora’s Hut. She then placed her hoof at a spot just outside the forest on the other side of the map. There was an arrow there, denoted with the words To Ponyville. “This is where your friends are likely to be,” she stated, before tracing from the top down a wide but relatively windy pathway. “And this is the path you took, if I stand correctly?” Fluttershy nodded wordlessly. Smiling at the confirmation, Zecora then pointed towards a much slimmer pathway not too far to the right of the the original one. The trees on either side seemed much thicker, and therefore harder to spot danger through, but there was one advantage it had over the wider one. It was a shortcut. With how much shorter it was, she’d be able to cut down her travel time by at least half. It should only take her about ten minutes, fifteen at most, to get back to Ponyville. "This is perfect!" she said, getting excited. "If I take this route, I should be home in no time. Thank you, Zecora!" "It was the least I could do," said Zecora, smiling at her exuberance. "Anything, I would do for you." After thanking her over and over again, Fluttershy said goodbye to Zecora and left the hut. As she stepped outside onto the porch, she looked around for the path Zecora had indicated. She walked alongside the trees until she spotted a narrow pathway curving into the forest, cutting a deep chasm into the dark, shrubbery and twisting out of sight. This was it. She took a long, deep breath, gathered her nerves, and ran forward. Little did she know, Fluttershy had just made the biggest mistake of her life. *** The trees towered over her, the thick leaves blocked the moonlight, and her environment became much darker. She could have sworn she heard the sound of hoofsteps coming from behind her, but she didn't turn back to look, nor did she care. All she wanted to do was get out of that forest... and fast. Roughly five minutes had passed. Fluttershy suspected she was now roughly halfway home. It was still incredibly dark, the tree trunks were thicker, and the leaves swayed back and forth in a quiet, cool breeze. The air was cold, and if it weren't for the heat she was generating as she ran, she’d have been freezing. She hadn't slowed down since entering the pathway, despite her increasing exhaustion, and the growing stitch in her side. It was sharp and hurt like a needle plunged into the chest, but she carried on regardless, never faltering, never relenting. The sound of trees swaying in the wind, and crickets chirping on the forest floor, were drowned out by her thumping heart, her constant panting, and the sound of her hooves pounding on the rocky dirt. She was moving so fast it sounded like she had eight legs instead of four. What she failed to realise, however, was that four of them were completely out of sync with the rest. The trees became thicker and thicker as Fluttershy ran, shrouding her in darkness and making it harder to see where she was going. Tripping over a large, jagged rock jutting from the ground, she came to an abrupt and unpleasant stop. Her left foreleg scraped across the protrusion, sending a sting of pain up her thigh that made her shriek. Panicking, she flew forward and crashed hard into a tree. For a minute, all she could think about was the aching in both her foreleg and her throbbing head. It took her a while to realise she could still hear hoofsteps, approaching her quietly but still loud enough to hear. A thrill of fear raced up her spine. She wasn't alone. Fluttershy shook her head and climbed to her hooves. With difficulty. Putting any pressure on her injured foreleg was incredibly painful. She lifted it up and squinted, attempting to gauge how bad it was, but the darkness made that endeavor practically useless. Between the choking darkness, the eerie silence, and her stinging foreleg, she was starting to wonder if this had been a bad idea. The hoofsteps had stopped, but that was the least of her worries. Her only focus was to get back to Ponyville as soon as she could. She could no longer run, and was therefore forced to limp the rest of the way. She hoped that somepony would be able to look at it when she got back home. Maybe Nurse Redheart or Doctor Horse, if they were still at the hospital when she arrived. Moving at a slower pace allowed her to catch her breath. The stitch was gone, her heart was calming down, and the sound of her hoofsteps were much more gentle than before. Unfortunately, slowing down also meant the cold air was finally reaching her, and she couldn’t stop shivering as she walked. Being that much quieter, she was able to take note of the noises of her surroundings. That's when she heard a branch snapping. Fluttershy jumped, coming to a sudden stop, and looked down to check under her hooves. Despite being unable to see well in the darkness, she could work out that there was nothing beneath her except dirt, grass and a tiny bit of mud. It certainly wasn't her that stepped on that branch. She glanced over her shoulder, but all she observed was a trail of dirt covered hoofprints, the ones she herself had left there, and walls of trees that almost blocked out any view of the night sky. Her ears twitched at the sound of leaves rustling to her right, followed by more hoofsteps. Her heart rate was rising again. "Hello?" she stuttered in a shaky voice. Silence. "Is anypony there?" She waited. Still nothing. "Anypony?" Fluttershy's ears twitched again as she listened intently for any hint of a reply. There was still no response. Her mind was nearly frozen, struggling to figure out whether somepony was indeed out here or if she was completely alone. She couldn't decide which would be worse. Everything was dead quiet. Too quiet. She couldn't even hear the tree leaves rustling anymore, but what unsettled her the most were the crickets. They had stopped chirping. All she could hear was the sound of her heart thumping again, her heavy breathing, and the sound of her teeth chattering. Her body was still shivering, and it wasn’t because of the cold. She wanted to run, but she couldn't move, not because of her injured leg, but because she was stuck. Stuck in place, as frozen mentally as she was in body, counting down the seconds as her terror rendered her as defenceless and vulnerable as a baby duck. She stood in the same spot like a stone statue, unable to move, as if she’d been paralysed from head to hoof. 'What's happening to me?' she wondered. Her heart was pounding harder, and harder, and harder. The shivering was getting out of control. She was now visibly shaking, her tremble increasing with every passing moment. A low growl emanated from the forest around her. It was coming from her right. Fluttershy was terrified to look, but her curiosity overtook any sense of caution. She turned her head to the right to see who... or what the growl was coming from. Just a few inches in front of her were some bushes, but beyond that, there was nothing but shadows. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. 'Don't worry, calm down, Fluttershy, it's nothing, it's just nothing. You're going to be ok. There's nothing there, there's nothing there!' Fluttershy kept repeating this to herself over and over, forcing her heart to calm down and her legs to stop trembling. Once she got a better hold of herself, she opened her eyes again. That's when she saw them. She wanted to scream, but nothing came out when she opened her mouth. Directly in front of her, staring at her from the dark abyss, two round, glowing eyes pinned her to the spot, piercing her right to the very soul. They were red as blood, as vivid as the full moon. Feeling rushed back into her legs, and she took a step back. The eyes blinked. Scrambling away as fast as possible on three good hooves, Fluttershy's head was flooded with only one word. Run!