//------------------------------// // Hello Beastie // Story: Over the Edge and Over Again // by Perpetual Motion //------------------------------// Over the Edge and Over Again: Chapter 2 Hello Beastie The animals scampered to and fro around the small cottage, working their own way between the freshly placed food and their homes. Among the many present, one could hear sparrows, squirrels, rabbits and even robins; each creature living in relative harmony with the others around it. Placing the final bowl of food in the bird house above her head, Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief. She loved looking after the animals in her home, she really did, but feeding them could be exhausting at times. Having the natural ability to fly certainly helped, but sometimes there were just too many. Mating seasons didn't help matters, bringing even more tiny mouths to feed. But it didn't matter. She was done now, and all the animals were happy to get a free meal. Looking around her home, and seeing the content faces on all the animals, she yawned and cracked her wings as she lay on the couch, glad to be free from work Even if it was just for a little while. But it was too early to sleep, and not the type to nap at every chance she got like her friend, she pleased herself by grabbing a nearby book. The more friendly animals proceeded to sit on the couch beside her, some even giving the illusion to be reading along with her, nodding and turning their heads as she did the pages. But she didn't mind, as long as they enjoyed themselves. Their paradise didn't last. Out of the silence, screams and yells emanated from the garden outside. The smaller animals scattered around the cottage, heading for the safety of their homes. The larger creatures simply stood there, suddenly turning their heads towards the noise. Fluttershy did the same. Realising the noise was, in fact, somepony rather than something, she stood on her hind legs and peered out of the window behind her. Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle came careering down the path towards her home, screaming and shouting at her while they did. They started banging on the front door once they reached it. The banging was hectic and fast. “Help us!” “Open the door!” In a small rush of panic, Fluttershy sped to the door, quickly obliging to their request . The foals wasted no time in rushing at her when she did. They were shouting and crying, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't understand a word they were saying. Their coats were dirtied with mud and gravel, and bits of leaves and twigs could be seen sticking out from their manes. Their breathing was ragged and their eyes were red: bloodshot from tears. “Oh dear, wh-” Fluttershy worriedly attempted to get a word in, but they didn't stop. They were still shouting things at her things she couldn’t understand. Their voices were muffled by their crying, and speaking at the same time as each other did nothing but confuse the yellow mare further. “It's alrigh littl-” They started shouting louder in protest, shaking their heads and looking over their shoulders. Their shouting increased, still spewing unintelligible words and sentences. “One at a ti-” They weren't listening to her. There was tears glistening on their cheeks, and their breathing was hard and ragged, which meant they probably weren't even trying to listen either. “ONE AT A TIME!...” She didn't like raising her voice, and was somewhat surprised herself that she had, but at least it gave her the chance to work out what was going on. “...please?” The three crusaders looked up at Fluttershy, blinking and shuffling their feet under her gaze. They just stood there shaking, occasionally looking behind them towards the trees outside. But their crying hadn't stopped, and they looked just as scared as before. “S-sorry...” The all said at the same, sniffing. “It’s okay, I’m sorry too.” Fluttershy looked at them, her usual reassuring smile returning to her face. “What happened?” Applebloom chose to speak up first. “We w-was in the...Everfree forest an'...an’...” “It's okay. Just take your time.” “...An' a monster tried ta’ eat Sweetie Belle!” Fluttershy’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung open. It had tried to eat her? Oh, this was terrible. The poor things. They should have known better not to go near the forest! Fluttershy gave a quick glance towards Sweetie, looking over for injuries. Spare the dirtied coat and mane, and being positively terrified, she seemed to be doing fine. As well as could be expected, anyway. Scootaloo spoke next, nervously stepping towards Fluttershy before she did so. “And...and it was r-really big, and stood on both its back legs like a Diamond Dog. It had h-horrible teeth and long, black claws! A-and it hit a huge Manticore out of a tree without even touching it!” She was barely breathing, and when she did her voice came out as coarse and raspy. “Then it killed the Manticore with a big, big sword, and then it came for us! It had blood on its claws and face, a-and it tried to eat Sweetie Be-he-helle!” The orange Pegasi’s tears began freely streaming from her eyes, and soon after she began openly weeping on the floor. A huge monster?! With huge claws and horrible teeth?! That sounded awful! The poor fillies. No one deserved to be put through that. And they still looked terrified. They needed to be at home. Their families would want to know what had happened. And they would also be able to help them more than Fluttershy could. “Come on now. I'm taking you home.” She gave them a reassuring smile, but they still kept looking beyond the cottage into the forest. “Don't worry, the monster won't come after you. I promise.” Hesitantly, and very, very slowly, they made their way out of the house. The foals didn't bother to wander further than they needed to, and constantly kept to Fluttershy’s side. The forest was just out of sight, beyond their vision, but that simply meant the same could be said for the monster. Once they were down the path leading to the cottage, the children increased their pace, almost rushing towards their homes. Closing in on Ponyville, Fluttershy looked over her shoulder towards the trees in the distance. She had lived in her cottage for years, but never once encountered a creature she couldn't deal with. Or one that sounded so...beastly. “Come on, little ones. Hurry along,” she said as her voice shook and wavered, “Your families are probably worried about you...” - - - - The small horses may have gotten loose of his senses, but their tracks hadn't. The ground was moist and fresh, leaving a clearly etched trail of prints in the forest floor. But the path was everything but simple. Whether they had just taken a complicated route from the start, or simply had gotten lost, Barbossa didn't know. Frankly he didn't care. He would just be relieved to be free of this God forsaken forest. The thick layers of greenery took time to get through, giving him opportunity to think over the events that had transpired, and the consequences they brought. Only he had failed to reach the Locker. Out of all the worthless cockroaches aboard that ship, out of all the useless men, all the dispensable men, he was the one who was lost among an unknown world. “Not that it matters!” Slashing at the foliage in long, hard swipes with his sword, he pushed forward, almost roaring to himself at the world itself as he did. He hadn't the map upon his arrival, meaning they likely had it in theirs. He never carried his piece of eight on his person. Ragetti had it on his. They had everything of his they needed to free Calypso, and he was stuck here! "Arrrggghh!" Continuously slashing at the trees, and pushing whatever was left to the side, he stormed through the landscape. Despite his nerves being tempered and his ego being frayed, he was dealing with it. There was a way to and from Jones’ Locker, so that logic must also apply here. It had to. He had arrived under the same circumstances, so he would be able to leave by them as well. Still moving forward, his barrage against the forest paid in his favour, eventually leading him out onto to an open path. It consisted of dirt and gravel, but was obviously unnatural. It was distinct and clear, and unlike most of what he had seen so far, held nothing in the way of plant life. It was barren and empty. Something the pirate captain did not complain about. “How in God’s name did the horses do it?” His frustration came out as tired and gravelly but he honestly didn't care. He was free of the forest. God knows how they got through without cutting their way out. Their tracks continued on to the path he had found, but were of no use now anyway. He had the path itself to go by. Finally stepping out onto it, he took a gander down each way the path could lead. Looking around the path itself, it didn't seem to stretch that far ahead in either direction. On his left it continued on, only to apparently lead deeper into the forest. His right, on the other hand, lead on to what he hoped to be a way out; rays of light were visible in the distance. The dirt track also had little hoof prints leading that way too, leaving Barbossa with little doubt as to which way to go.. “Best be seeing what this world has te offer.” Rather more confident now that he had some bearings, he stowed away his sword and ventured on towards the end of the path. He also refilled his pistol, finally having a decent chance to do so. Once outside the forest, everything that was once over growing simply seemed to stop, as if the land on the outside refused to let it go on any further. The dank, mustiness of the forest gave way to fresh air and sunlight. And the terrible creatures squealing in the shadows were replaced by the sound of running water. Finally free of the accursed place, Barbossa basked in the sunlight, glad to see it back in full force. Heading towards the sound in front of him, he took a hearty drink of the fresh, streaming water, having had nothing since long before the ship even went down. “Right...” the pirate said as he gave his old bones crack of relief, flexing his back and shoulders, “Now what?” He spoke to no one in particular, feeling doing so would stave of the boredom and insanity. Moving along his new found path of choice, a small building caught the corner of his eye, his route more or less leading right up to it. Continuing onward, the captain once again took notice of the prints at his feet. “Ah...” He hadn't planned on discovering where the small animals had gone, but saw no reason not to after coming this far. They were the only link he had in this world, if he could even call them that. “There be nothin' else worth doin'...” Letting a weary laugh escape him, he ploughed onwards. The search for a way back to his world had to start somewhere, “Can't let ye have all the fun now, can 'a Jack.” But for now, there was the present issue at hand. The horses would no doubt have informed someone of him, and judging by the way in which they left his favourable company, it would likely have not been a good impression they shared. However, nothing could be accomplished without first reaching a destination, and seeing as the small building was the only one he knew of, it would have to suffice. Unfortunately, arriving at the cottage had brought forward something new to consider. “I'm not likely te be enjoyin' me stay here...” There were so many animals. Birds. Squirrels and rabbits. And enough burrows and bird houses to hold all of them and more. The scent of flowers was heavy in the air, and it was easy to see why. The roof was adorned with many of them, and a flotilla of butterflies and coloured insects decorated the flowers themselves. Even the animals themselves seemed overly happy, each one having bright eyes and wide smiles gracing their faces. Water from the river flowed beneath the bridge to the house; lilly pads floating freely with the flow of the water. Everything was so alive. Everything was...so... “Sickly sweet...” he muttered to himself. Everything was too bright. Too happy. Too colourful. Nothing like the forest. Even Barbossa himself felt out of place given his current surroundings; the dark blues and greys of his clothes and body contrasting with the greens and bright hues of the landscape. Everything just felt...wrong. The utter audacity of the world, its vibrancy, just made him want to repel it. Push it away. Even the grass at his feet made him feel uneasy. But if he backed away from everything that was presented to him, what had his life taught him? This house was a start, and he'd be better off staying than leaving. The animals surrounding him were apparently inclined to disagree. They had all stopped to look at him, seemingly displeased with his presence. Many even looked...angry. Not one to be threatened by fluffy creatures and butterflies, Barbossa continued his way towards the door. A lone white rabbit stood on the porch with its arms crossed, apparently trying to dissuade him from going further. “Anybody home!” No reply. “I mean ye no harm!” Spare some birds fleeing from his voice, there was still no response emanating from the house. The pirate wasn't exactly lying, feeling it best to assure his noble intentions, assuming his image in this world had already been tarnished by the children. He gave a quick shrug towards the rabbit. “At least ye can't say I failed to attempt an accord.” He gave a crooked and smile and headed for the door regardless. If there was no one inside, that meant it was free pickings for a good look around. There should be books, or at least some form of information to be had inside that could prove useful to his cause. If there were...living things inside, he could attempt to strike up a deal of sorts. However, the small white rabbit once again stood in his way, it's tiny arms spread across the door and it's face defiant. It was almost comical given its less than threatening appearance. But the pirate had decided to take this world with a pinch of salt. “Go on!” Moving his hands in a motion to shoo it away, he approached the small animal. “Be gone! Away with ye.” The rabbit stood his ground, body unmoved despite Barbossa's protests. With the age old act of shooing the animal away failing to work, he rolled his eyes and pulled out his pistol. “I'll ask ye again. Away.” The creature looked up at the item pointing towards him, and despite its evident confusion, could at least tell the item posed a threat. But the small rabbit still refused to move. Its façade of bravado and composure had faded, yet it still stood its ground. He grinned sarcastically. “A brave doorman to be sure, and a' commend ye for yer duties.” Firing his pistol in the air, he gave a deep cackle as the small rabbit, as well as every other animal in the vicinity, scampered and fled the flash and bang of his flintlock. “But ye have yer priorities, and I have mine.” It had never been his goal to harm the animal, given he didn't rightly know what it was in this world. For all he knew it was some sort of small child. He may have been a pirate, but he wasn't an idiot. Scaring it away solved both issues, and without the need for blame to be put on his record. His intentions were strictly honourable as far as he was concerned, and there was no reason in creating quarrels were there weren't needed. Honourable or not, the house in front him most likely had something of use to his cause. Even a confirmation of where he was would be useful at this point. While exploration would be certainly be more fruitful, he'd rather not stick out unaided in a world that was potential populated by talking animals, and judging from the horses reaction to him, they were likely the sole population. The inside of the building encouraged a sigh from Barbossa. While it was certainly less...flamboyant than the outside world, it was still rather too picturesque. Much of the furniture consisted bird houses, with the rest being overcome with small foot walks and holes. Pellets and bowls lay across the floor, many up turned in what he assumed was the panic he had just caused. Despite the number of lodgings present for animals, there was no smell, which he assumed would be the main issue with housing as many of them as he could see. Perhaps they were trained. He then noticed something else that caught his attention, rather surprised it hadn't been the first thing noticed. Everything was...rather small. Not so much that he would struggle to accommodate, but not fit to his scale anyway. “Figures. The young ones weren't up te me shins. A grown one wouldn't get much bigger.” At least he hoped not. They were smaller than foals he had seen before, but if the grown ones were the size of the horses he knew, they would have no issue harming him in groups. Even with a pistol and sword. Laughing nervously, he rubbed the back of his head. “It needn't come te that.” Not if he was careful enough. To the right of the entrance was a door that led into what he assumed was a kitchen. It was basic, having nothing more than what he would expect to find. While food would be welcome, the pantry contained nothing but flowers, nuts and some hay. The nuts were not to his liking, and the rest was downright inedible. Moving instead to the room almost directly opposite, there was nothing of obvious value spare for a book left casually on the couch. Its navy blue cover was none to exciting, being empty spare a picture of a cowering horse among some black shadows. Wondering about its usefulness, he picked it up and read the title. “The Silence in the Library by Ink Slinger?” Must be a pseudonym, he thought to himself. It was an romance novel, but having no use for it, and having looked over everything else he deemed worthy, he moved to the stairs. The steps were slightly awkward, given his size, but it was not something he needed to get used to. The single room atop the stairs was apparently a bedroom. There was a single bed, as well as an assortment of different pieces of furniture. Flowers and various feminine decorations were situated around the walls, as well as on the small fireplace to his side. Among the ceiling's beams were more bird houses and actual nests, although all were empty. The open window gave him a good idea of where the birds had gone. More importantly, there was a chest at the bottom of the bed and a bookshelf come desk to the left, just beyond the fireplace.. “This should do.” he exclaimed as a smile of intrigue crept onto the man’s face, excited with the thought of actually finding something worth his breaking and entering. Walking up to the bed and opening the chest, his excitement soon shattered when the treasure revealed itself to be an assortment of hats, socks and shoes. Barbossa wasn't exactly expecting gold doubloons, but something more worth his while than clothes. The hats were somewhat gaudy, but otherwise not too undesirable. Maybe a bit too feminine for the good captains tastes. “What swine keeps hats in a chest!” With a slight air of frustration and a scowl on his face, he slammed the chest shut. There were probably many who kept clothes in chests, but that didn't stop him complaining about it. The house thus far had supplied nothing of use and it was beginning to get irritating. Believing the bookshelf would be more likely to hold information, he moved on to it, groaning as he stood up. The desk itself contained little apart from common writing materials, but it was obviously the bookshelf itself that most interested Barbossa. There was probably no more than a dozen or so books on the shelves, but hopefully at least one would hold some useful information. The shelf was less a library of knowledge and more a collection of love stories. He pulled out book after book, each ones blurb telling the tale of love, lies and loss. The newest one earning a special response from the old pirate. “Boundaries by Tiger Lilly: Mare love transcending the limits of gender and friendship.” Quickly widening his eyes in surprise, he cocked a smile after letting his breath get away from him, Barbossa tossed the book on the floor with the rest. He didn't know whether to be amused or curious, given this was clearly a women's house. Continuing his apparently fruitless search of the bookshelf love built, and the collection of books rapidly depleting, something finally caught his eye. It was a small book, old too, but it seemed to one of the two only non-fiction books present. The other being a guide to animal health. “Field Guide: Ponyville Edition” was all that was written on the dulled, dark red cover, an image of what appeared to be animals jumping accompanying it. It was fairly worn, and the pages were dirties with long hours of use. Opening it up, the book was marked all over with ink and pencil. The random pages he found having ticks and notes next to impressively clear images of animals. Among the many notes present on the pages were things like “likes cherries” and “so very fluffy.” “Ponyville?” Barbossa struggled to stifle a laugh. “Now I've heard everythin'.” Quickly flicking through the rest of the book, searching for some form of map, he smiled at finally finding a somewhat complete one at the back. It was not as detailed as he would have liked, with the woodland outside “Ponyville” being the main point of interest. However, the addition of different segmented maps for other areas seemed to make up for this. “It'll have te do.” While not what he wanted, it was far from useless. A small heart and “My House” marking what he assumed was his current position on different maps throughout the book. Although he had hoped for information on the world itself, an extract on a small town was a good place to start. But everything was surprisingly well done for a common guide; the text was crisp and the pictures were all of a very high quality, like no book or map Barbossa had had the pleasure to see. Pleased with his new found bounty, he gave the area around him a quick glance over, confirming he had not missed anything of importance, and headed towards the stairs. Half suspecting someone to have arrived home in his search, he slowly looked around the interior before making his way down. Surprised his venture into the home had gone so smoothly, he confidently went through the door into the garden outside, not wishing to tempt fate. Finally outside, and with a guide to the area in his possession, he walked back down the path he came. Taking the book out of his jacket, he opened it on the various pages at the back that contained the segmented maps. Many focused on areas such as forests and fields, but there were a few that focused on the nearby town. “Now...where be me next port a' call?” Looking over the map he deemed the most useful, he moved his finger over the various named areas nearby. Not many places spoke out to him; the town hall and boutique not being among locations he really had any interest in or need for. “Hey!” The sudden breaking of the silence was enough to coax Barbossa out of his new found book. Not far to his right were two horses; one yellow with wings and the other a violet purple one with a horn. They were standing on what he believed was the path leading up to Ponyville. He suddenly regretted slowing to read the book rather than actually leaving. But next to the yellow one, he saw something that irked him more. A little white rabbit was stood there waving at him, a smug little smile spread across his face. No words were spoken, yet the pirate still knew what it had done. “Little bastard.”