//------------------------------// // Chapter 1:17 - Strength in Silence // Story: Camaraderie is Sorcery // by FireOfTheNorth //------------------------------// Chapter 1:17 – Strength in Silence Rarity furiously hammered metal at her smithy, shivering against the growing chill as she was forced to step away from the heat of the forge momentarily. She’d taken care of all her outstanding orders before leaving for the Gauntlet, and had let her customers know that she’d be gone for nearly two weeks because of it, but now that she’d returned, the orders had piled on. Rarity had been back in Ponieville for less than a week, and already she was swamped and frighteningly behind. Many orders were due tomorrow, and the only way they could be met would be for the blacksmith to work through the night. That is exactly what she intended to do, for she didn’t want a repeat of the time when she’d been working on the Brave Companions’ gala dresses and had to turn her customers away with apologies of lateness. “Rarity!” a foal’s voice interrupted her work. The mare looked up to see her younger sister, Sweetie Belle, running toward her. The glowing bar of metal she was holding had not been clamped down yet, and she didn’t have anywhere to set it where it wouldn’t fall. With nothing else to do, she threw it into the nearby quench tank, sending up a cloud of steam. Rarity groaned; she would need to heat up the metal again before she could shape it, and her actions may have hurt the quality enough that it would be unfit for its intended purpose. Sweetie Belle leapt at Rarity as she reached her and wrapped her in an embrace, her winter cloak protecting her dress (which Rarity had created) from the soot on the blacksmith’s apron. “Sweetie, how many times have I told you that you can’t just rush me like that when I’m at work in the forge?” Rarity asked as she released the hug, “You could have been hurt.” “Sorry, Rarity. I was just excited to spend some time with you. I haven’t seen you in weeks,” the foal said. “Yes, well, work and the Gauntlet have taken up all my time for a while,” Rarity admitted sheepishly. “Did Rainbow Dash really save you?” a young pegasus nearby asked excitedly, “What was it like?” Rarity had met Scootaloo only once before, but she’d been around for almost three months at this point. After her mother’s death, she’d traveled from the Hill Kingdoms on her own to Ponieville, and had become fast friends with Sweetie Belle almost immediately. After staying for a time in one of Ponieville’s inns, she'd run out of the precious little coin that she’d brought with her, and Sweetie Belle had convinced her and Rarity’s parents to take the foal in temporarily. The young pegasus had an almost fanatical fascination with Rainbow Dash, having heard stories about her from her mother—though why somepony from the Hill Kingdoms had known about a Hunter practically nopony had heard of before the formation of the Brave Companions was a mystery—so her question for Rarity was understandable. “I’m afraid I don’t really have time to talk much now,” Rarity said, trotting over to the forge and stoking it, “I have quite a lot of work to do, and it all needs to be done by tomorrow.” “But … you’ll have time later, right?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I’m afraid not, Sweetie. I’m going to have to work through the night to get all this done.” “Oh … okay,” Sweetie Belle said with disappointment, “I guess Scootaloo and I can find something to do while you’re working.” “Wait, do you mean you’re staying here?” Rarity asked, pausing in her work as the foals started trotting toward her shop/home. “Yeah, mother and father are on their way to Trotstagor, and they didn’t want us home alone,” Sweetie said, “They’ve been planning this trip for months.” “I’ve completely lost track of time with all this work. I had no idea that was today!” Rarity said, aghast. This simply wouldn’t do.She couldn’t leave Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to their own devices in her home, completely unsupervised. There was a reason her mother and father had sent them here instead of leaving them home alone. Shortly after Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had met, they’d also become friends with Applejack’s sister, Apple Bloom, and the three foals had formed a group of “crusaders,” as they called themselves. Since then, they’d been known to engage in some ridiculous and often outright dangerous activities in the pursuit of their cutie-marks. Rarity shuddered to think what damage they could do to her home if she wasn’t there to watch over them. But what could she do? She’d promised herself (and the ponies who counted on her to do her craft) that she wouldn’t repeat the kerfuffle with the gala dresses and complete orders late. She couldn’t look after Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo and also complete all her work. However, she couldn't compromise on either responsibility. She couldn’t risk leaving the foals alone, and she couldn’t abandon her work until her parents returned to take them back off her hooves. There was no solution, no way out. “Rarity, are you busy?” Fluttershy asked as she trotted around the shop, “I brought the salve you wanted.” “Fluttershy, you’re a godsend!” Rarity proclaimed, escaping her spiral of worry long enough to greet the druidess, “This will do wonders for my aching neck and shoulders.” As Fluttershy trotted around the low stone wall surrounding the smithy, instead of flapping over it like any other pegasus would’ve and ended up knocking over equipment, an idea came to Rarity. No, that would be too much to ask. Or would it? She’d known of Fluttershy for years, but only since the summer solstice had she really known her personally. Maybe they weren’t the best of friends, but they certainly weren’t strangers either, and their adventures together had led her to trust the druidess. There was also so much work that had to be done … “Fluttershy, I don’t suppose I could trouble you to do me a huge favor?” Rarity ventured after taking the salve from her, “I have so many orders that I have to complete by tomorrow that I’ll have to work through the night, and I was wondering if you could do something in my stead. That is, if you’re free tonight.” “It should be a quiet evening,” Fluttershy said, her ear subconsciously pricking up with curiosity at what Rarity would propose. “Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo here have nopony to look after them while I’m working,” Rarity said, gesturing to the two foals, who stepped away from her bench of smithing tools and feigned innocence as she drew attention to them, “I wouldn’t want to impose, but would you be able to take them for the night?” “Oh,” Fluttershy said with some surprise, but it didn’t take her long to make up her mind, “Of course, Rarity, if it’ll help you. They can’t be too much trouble.” “Hmm, I’m afraid they can be quite a burden, always getting up to mischief,” Rarity replied with a snort, giving the pair a pointed look that made them back away from the tools again, “But, I really need to get all this work done. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have to.” “I know, Rarity, but I’d be happy to help. It’s what friends do,” Fluttershy assured her, “Okay, girls, it looks like you’ll be coming with me for the night.” Fluttershy had barely made it a few paces from the smithy when Scootaloo hopped onto her back unexpectedly. If she hadn’t been so used to woodland creatures doing the same, the druidess surely would’ve bolted. As she turned to look back at her new passenger, Sweetie Belle rushed up alongside, nearly tripping Fluttershy up. Recovering her balance, she trotted on with the two foals in tow, keeping a close eye on their current whereabouts. “So, you were at the Gauntlet too, right?” Scootaloo asked, “Did you see Rainbow Dash’s sonic rainboom?” “Ooh, ooh!” Sweetie Belle piped up before Fluttershy could answer, “Apple Bloom might still be in town! We should find her and see if she can stay with Fluttershy tonight, too!” “Yeah!” Scootaloo yelled, practically in Fluttershy’s ear, and dismounted, “Cutie Mark Crusaders unite!” “Wait,” Fluttershy called as the foals took off down the streets of Ponieville, but they were already out of earshot.Perhaps this was going to be more difficult than she’d realized. *** Fluttershy caught up to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo at the town square, where some of the last crops of the year were being sold. They had found the target of their search, and Apple Bloom was trying to convince Applejack to let her go with her friends. Fluttershy was convincing herself that after dealing with wild creatures and their vast interconnected web of interactions, taking care of three young ponies would be no problem, when she spotted Twilight Sparkle departing Golden Oak’s laboratory. The sorceress was dressed in traveling attire, and her saddlebags were stuffed with tomes. “Hello, Twilight,” Fluttershy waved in greeting, “Are you headed my way?” “Salutations, Fluttershy,” Twilight replied, “That would all depend as to whether or not you are returning home.If so, then yes, I will be passing by on my way to visit Zecor.I have been practicing my Cainhiran Zebrikaanian, and I have some more books in Low Equestrian for her to practice with.” “I see,” Fluttershy replied, not understanding why the sorceress was so long-winded, “You’ll be careful in the Everfree Forest, won’t you?” “Of course, I have taken adequate precautions,” Twilight said, demonstrating that the scarf wrapped around her neck had magical runes stitched on the inside for protection, “Would you like to accompany me, at least as far as your home? I really must get going soon if I wish to return to Ponieville before night sets in. The winter solstice will be here soon, so at least the days will begin to lengthen again after that, but for now we are condemned to early nightfall.” “Oh, I would, but I’m looking after Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom tonight,” Fluttershy said, gesturing to the playing foals, “I’m afraid you might move faster alone.” “I see what you mean,” Twilight replied, watching the three fillies galivant around and get chased away by a shopkeeper, “With those three together, you may have your hooves full.” From Applejack and Rarity, Twilight had heard plenty of complaints about the trouble these “Cutie Mark Crusaders” could get into, and Fluttershy didn’t seem to be the most formidable pony. However, she had faced down a dragon, so there was some strength in her that her silence masked. “I’m sure everything will be fine,” Fluttershy said, “How much of a problem could they possibly be?” *** Fluttershy’s home was not a house in the traditional sense, but it was perfect for the druidess. A small hillock in the countryside east of Ponieville jutted up above the surrounding landscape, atop of which grew an ancient tree with spreading branches devoid now of any leaves. Within the hillock, Fluttershy had dug her home, clearing space around the tree’s roots system and making holes in the hill for a door and windows. The roots had grown in such a pattern that it had been easy for the druidess to fill in the gaps with branches and divide the cavern under the hill into rooms. In essence, her home was a hole, but it was a far cry from her dwelling during that first year after she’d fallen from Cloudsdale. It was not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, for the druidess took meticulous care to keep her dwelling clean and dry. Abundant rushes were strewn on the ground to keep the residence fresh-smelling, and different herbs and fragrant plants grew on the walls. Fluttershy did not live in squalor, as some druids chose to do, so her home was well furnished. Furniture made from scavenged materials adorned the rooms, and there was a small fireplace and chimney of stone to allow her to cook inside without harming the tree. The various creatures she’d taken in all scampered for a hiding place as her guests burst in with a tempest of foalish energy. They tore through the home, examining everything, and Fluttershy heard things tumbling over in other rooms before she even managed to step through the door. Fortunately, there was nothing here that couldn’t be replaced, but she still needed to reign them in. They were understandably excited to be all together in a new place, but Fluttershy couldn’t handle this much excitement for long. “Look at this place!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed as she galloped back into the main room, throwing off her cloak. “Girls, we need to quiet down now,” Fluttershy said as she retrieved the cloak from where it’d fallen over the fireplace before it burst into flames. “Cool! Watch this!” Scootaloo exclaimed as she emerged from a passage near the room’s ceiling and jumped to the floor, her tiny wings doing little to slow her fall. “Girls, really you need to settle down and stop rushing around,” Fluttershy said as she used her robes and tail to cushion Scootaloo’s fall, but the young pegasus took off immediately after landing. “Maybe we c’n get our cutie-marks in potion-makin’!” Apple Bloom said as she knocked several jars and bottles down from the shelves. “Oh, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Fluttershy said as she cleaned up the mess, taking the mixtures from the foal and placing them out of reach. “Okay, then what about taking care of animals?” Sweetie Belle suggested, looking around for the creatures that had all found a hiding place by now. “I think it would be better to do something calm and quiet before bed,” Fluttershy said tranquilly as the foals assembled in front of her. “Ooh, ooh!” Scootaloo said, hopping up and down excitedly, “Do you have any stories about Rainbow Dash!” “As a matter of fact, I do,” Fluttershy said with relief that she was finally reigning them in, “I actually grew up with her as fillies, so I can tell you quite a few stories.” “You c’n hear stories aboot Rainbow anytime, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom complained before Fluttershy could go on, “We’re all t’gether now, an’ we need t’ use this time t’ crusade for our cutie-marks!” “Crusade?” Fluttershy asked, having never heard it put that way before. “Yeah, we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Sweetie Belle said proudly, “And it is our holy quest to get our cutie-marks, no matter what trials we must face.” “I have an idea!” Scootaloo exclaimed, “We should explore the Everfree Forest!” Fluttershy’s home was perfect for her, except for a small issue with its location. The hillock and tree were practically right next to the Everfree Forest. The treeline was easily visible from any of the eastern windows, standing ominously in the middle distance. She was no stranger to venturing into the cursed woods, doing the same duties there as in the copses around Ponieville, but the trees outside her home were not the same as the ones she’d landed among when she’d fallen from Cloudsdale all those years ago. This stretch of the forest had a malevolent will that nothing she did could seem to purge. Not only was the very forest against anypony who ventured in, but the monsters here seemed more vicious and aggressive, as if possessed by an evil will. They did not fear the ponies of the surrounding countryside, and would often leave the forest to wreak havoc until cut down or forced back into the Everfree by a Hunter (usually Rainbow Dash). “No,” Fluttershy said firmly as she stood in front of the door to keep the foals (who were pulling their cloaks back on) from leaving, “The Everfree Forest is far too dangerous, especially for ponies as small as you. There are many monsters that would eat you before you could scream for help.” “But you go into the Everfree Forest all the time, so if you’re with us, it should be fine,” Sweetie Belle pointed out. “Yeah, and all of us together should be able to take a monster down,” Scootaloo said, “We could be mighty monster hunters!” “Like Rainbow Dash?” Apple Bloom asked tiredly, obviously unamused by the pegasus’s constant obsession with the Hunter. “Yeah, we could be Hunters!” Scootaloo said, not noticing. “Becoming a Hunter requires long and difficult training, as well as … other things,” Fluttershy lectured, “You can’t just become one by chasing down monsters. Now, I could tell you some stories about the time I trained with Rainbow Dash to become a Hunter; would you like that?” “Maybe we can’t become Hunters with a capital ‘H,’” Sweetie Belle interjected before Scootaloo was drawn in by Fluttershy’s plan to keep them inside, “We could still capture the monsters, though. Fluttershy, you could help us avoid the really dangerous ones and find a monster we can capture and bring back to town.” “No, I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Fluttershy protested, but the foals weren’t listening. Scootaloo had climbed onto Apple Bloom’s shoulders and they’d wrapped themselves in a blanket from one of Fluttershy’s chairs. Scootaloo proceeded to take a pair of branches from the stack of firewood and hold them against her head as horns.Sweetie Belle gave her two friends a perplexed look as they stumbled unsteadily toward her. “Behold, I am the great monster of the Everfree Forest,” Scootaloo proclaimed, trying to make her voice sound sinister, “One day I shall leave the forest to burn your crops and eat your children!” “Oh …” Sweetie Belle said as she caught on, and shifted into a confrontational stance to play along, “Halt, fiend. You will do none of that if I capture you. Then, I shall parade you though town as my prisoner, and my fame shall spread far and wide.” The foals began to chase each other around the room, Sweetie attempting to tackle the others from time to time. Fluttershy was still anxious, especially with Scootaloo nearly falling in the fireplace several times as they passed it, but at least they weren’t trying to leave anymore. This was not as easy as she’d hoped, and she doubted it would get any easier. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were very energetic and headstrong foals, and Fluttershy would have to bring all her confidence to bear in order to manage them. When Sweetie Belle finally managed to tackle the others, she sent the stack toppling over. Scootaloo crashed through a wall, the interwoven branches and twigs giving way to the impact, and Fluttershy rushed into the other room to make sure she was all right. “Are you okay, Scootaloo?” she asked with concern as she helped the young pegasus up off the floor. It was fortunate that she’d been wearing her cloak in preparation to head out, for it had taken the brunt of the impact, and was now tattered and torn, but Scootaloo was mostly unharmed. “Yeah, sorry, Fluttershy,” she apologized as she looked at the hole in the wall. “I think we should settle down now,” Fluttershy said as she walked back into the main room with Scootaloo, breathing a sigh of relief that the foals seemed more subdued after the incident, “I’ll make you some food, and tell you some stories before bed.” “Stories about Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo asked, having bounced back from her fall already. “Of course,” Fluttershy said, grateful that at least she had no trouble manipulating Scootaloo. *** Fortunately for Fluttershy’s sanity, the Cutie Mark Crusaders weren’t much of a nuisance for the rest of the evening. There was talk still of crusading activities, but nothing came of them as the druidess insisted on help with the cooking, consuming the meal, and sitting quietly while she told them stories. As Scootaloo had requested multiple times, there were tales about Rainbow Dash, but that alone would obviously not satisfy the other two, so Fluttershy also told stories of the Brave Companions’ exploits. Of course, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had already heard much of these stories from their siblings, but there were some things they hadn’t been told, and they pointed these out as Fluttershy related the tales. After food and stories, she had followed through with her plan to send them to bed. There had been some protest, but the druidess had put her hoof down, and they were all now tucked in and ready for slumber. There was no real bed in her home, but she had plenty of bedding and blankets to create an adequate sleeping situation for the foals in the room Scootaloo had crashed into. Fluttershy herself would sleep in the main room tonight, in case the foals decided to try to sneak out and explore anyway. “What now?” Scootaloo whispered to her cohorts after lying awake staring at the ceiling in the dark for a few minutes. “We have t’ do some crusadin’,” Apple Bloom whispered back as she extricated herself from the blankets Fluttershy had wrapped her in. “What can we do from inside this room, though?” Sweetie Belle asked as she looked around, “Besides try to get our cutie-marks in twig-counting.” “Is that something you can get a cutie-mark in?” Scootaloo asked as she trotted over to the window. “If it was, would you want one?” Sweetie Belle asked, and Scootaloo grunted in reply as she pulled back the heavy curtain over the window. The single window in this room (which usually served as Fluttershy’s bedchamber) had been dug out of the hill between two large roots. Scootaloo crawled up into the short tunnel and pressed her face against the crisscrossed branches in order to peer outside. The countryside was tranquil beneath the rolling clouds that would bring the first snow any day now. As the moon appeared with its unfamiliar pattern ponies everywhere were still getting accustomed to, the landscape was illuminated, and Scootaloo spotted movement. There was a farm not far from Fluttershy’s home, and the chickens from it were all wandering away in a line toward the Everfree Forest, as if entranced. “Come look at this,” Scootaloo called, and Sweetie Belle crawled up into the windowsill with her, making things quite cramped, “The chickens are wandering into the Everfree Forest.” “We have to save them,” Sweetie Belle gasped, “Before any of the monsters get to them.” “But how’re we g’n t’ get out there t’ do it?” Apple Bloom asked as she watched Fluttershy through the hole in the wall, “Fluttershy won’t let us leave, an’ we can’t get past her.” “Maybe we can,” Sweetie Belle said deviously, “Apple Bloom, keep an eye on her.” While the farm-pony kept watch on the druidess while she relaxed in the main room, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo began to dig around in the windowsill, loosening enough of the cross-branches to make a hole to escape through. Once Scootaloo had passed through herself, tearing her cloak even more, Sweetie called Apple Bloom up, and soon all three of them were outside. After dusting themselves off, the three fillies took off toward the Everfree Forest, to seek their destinies or their doom. *** Fluttershy remained blissfully unaware that her charges had escaped for some time. After resting a bit to recover some energy, she got to work cleaning up the remains of the meal she’d prepared. Her home, though humble, also needed some tidying up, and she set to work doing so before going to sleep herself. Padding a bench with cushions and wrapping herself in blankets, Fluttershy laid down for the night. However, she had difficulty sleeping. She was used to the small noises of the night emanating from the woodland creatures all around her, and things were extremely quiet now that they’d fled the Cutie Mark Crusaders. In fact, it was almost too quiet. The druidess’s hearing, though not as sensitive as a Hunter like Rainbow Dash’s, should have been able to pick up the sound of the fillies breathing, especially with the hole Scootaloo had knocked in the wall, but she heard nothing. Bolting up from her makeshift bed, Fluttershy rushed into the bedchamber to find it empty. How did they sneak past me?Unless… Fluttershy rushed to the window and pulled back the curtain, revealing the mangled crossbars. Pieces of cloth matching the cloaks each of the fillies had worn were hanging from the branches, telling a clear story of how they’d escaped. Oh no! What am I going to do! They must’ve gone into the Everfree Forest, in which case they’re already more than likely dead. I thought I could handle this, but I was wrong! How could I ever break the news to Rarity or Applejack if something happened to their sisters—I’m not sure exactly who would be responsible for Scootaloo, but surely somepony will miss her. This is terrible! Awful! Dreadful! Horrid! I was supposed to be looking after them, and they’ve slipped right past me. Why can’t ponies be as simple as wild animals? At least I understand them. No, I can’t let terror take me. I have to be brave, I have to be strong, for those fillies’ sakes. If I don’t save them, then who will? Even if it means going into the Everfree Forest, going under those trees that so clearly want me dead, I have to do so, to save them. I can panic later; right now, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle need me. Infused with new confidence and a sense of purpose, Fluttershy pulled on thicker robes to protect against the night’s cold and departed her home. A crawling sensation traveled up her back as she neared the foreboding tree line and paused in its shadow. The trees stretched out their gnarled limbs over her, as if reaching out to snatch her home. She could’ve sworn she heard groans as the branches moved, but it may have been her imagination. Steeling herself for what lay ahead, the druidess plunged into the dark forest, determined to keep herself from panic, at least until she’d found the Cutie Mark Crusaders and returned them to safety. *** Not surprisingly, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had become lost almost immediately after entering the Everfree Forest. Scootaloo tried to fly up and get a look over the trees to establish their position, but her wings weren’t strong enough yet to lift her very far, and none of the branches wanted to help a pony to climb. So, they were stuck on the ground, wandering long-abandoned paths, and searching for chickens that they’d lost sight of before even entering the forest. Most ponies would consider this a good time to give up and try to return home, but foalish optimism and reckless ignorance to danger kept them going. At least they had the sense to all stay together instead of splitting up, but that was more out of a desire for safety and comfort than any logical decision. “Chicken! Here chick-chick-chick-chick-chick!” Apple Bloom called into the dark. “What’re you doing?” Scootaloo asked, perplexed. “Calling for th’ chick’ns,” Apple Bloom answered, “Here chick-chick-chick-chick-chick!” “Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to work,” Scootaloo said, trotting on ahead. “How d’ you know?” Apple Bloom asked, “It works f’r th’ chick’ns on m’ farm.” “We’re not on your farm,” Scootaloo replied, “I don’t think these chickens’ll listen to you.” “You don’t know that!” Apple Bloom shot back, “What if their farmer called ‘em th’ same way?” “Girls!” Sweetie Belle drew the others’ attention, “We’re not going to find the chickens or get our cutie-marks by arguing. Also, we probably shouldn’t be making too much noise. Just in case.” The brief silence allowed them to hear the noises coming from the forest around them, and the amount of movement going on was disturbing. Not only that, but the creatures moving in the dark were clearly not the same animals Fluttershy and the other druids cared for; these were monsters. Somewhere in the distance, something large toppled a tree, and the fillies suddenly felt very small and insignificant. Something screamed as its flesh was torn from its bones by another monster, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders edged away from that noise. In the other direction, a squawk sounded and was cut off. “A chicken!” Apple Bloom proclaimed, forgetting her fear momentarily before dropping her voice to a whisper, “They’re that way.” “Okay, Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Sweetie Belle said, “We have to move quietly, save whatever chickens we can, and get out of here.” The others nodded, and the three foals wrapped their cloaks tighter around themselves before sneaking off toward the sound of the dying chicken. From the shadows, several monsters watched, wondering who among them would be the first to strike, and if they could do so without being in turn cut down by the rest. Even though they thought they were being sneaky, the fillies were far from safe. *** Fluttershy was all too aware of how much danger she was in, nearly jumping out of her skin at every sound. The forest knew her and pressed in around her, but she continued to put one hoof in front of the other and forge on, rejecting the paths that the trees tried to send her down. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo were in here somewhere, and she had to find them before something wretched happened to them. Of course, it was just as likely that something would happen to Fluttershy in these woods that were unfriendly even to druids. “Get ahold of yourself, Fluttershy,” the druidess reprimanded herself aloud after almost bolting when an owl landed on a nearby branch, “You’ve been in the Everfree Forest many times.” Of course, she’d only been in an unfriendly section at night once before, and she’d been with the other Brave Companions. Right now, she was all alone. The only thing that kept her going was her goal. She may have been vulnerable to the monsters of the Everfree herself, but at least she could fly out of reach in an emergency (provided that her wings cooperated). The three fillies in her care would have no such advantage, and could easily be boxed in on the ground and eaten. She tried not to think about the horrors they could succumb to as she pressed on, searching for any traces of the youngsters. If only she had Rainbow Dash’s tracking skills, then hunting them down would’ve been a breeze, but so would killing the monsters before they got to them. “Apple Bloom? Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo? Who goes there?” Fluttershy called out as she froze upon spotting a vaguely pony-shaped figure in the gloom ahead, “Twilight Sparkle?” As she got closer, the druidess was able to make out that the figure ahead of her was definitely a unicorn, and the robes she was wearing made it likely that it was her friend Twilight. She also had the saddlebags bulging with books that Fluttershy had seen her with earlier that day. “Oh, Twilight, am I glad to see you!” Fluttershy said after confirming that it was the sorceress, “Your time with Zecora must’ve gone late, but I’m almost glad it did because I need your help.” Speech failed the druidess as she got close enough to get a really good look at her friend. She’d found it odd that Twilight hadn’t moved since she’d called out to her, but had been too distressed over the situation she was in to give it much thought. Now that she was up close, she saw the reason for Twilight’s inactivity; she and her belongings had been turned to stone. Though she’d tried to block out her Hunter training, a few things still remained with her, mostly lessons going through the bestiary, so Fluttershy instantly recognized that this was the work of a cockatrice. Fortunately, the fact that Twilight’s clothes and books had been turned to stone too meant that there was still hope, since the breed that had gotten the sorceress had been the kind that didn’t truly turn its prey into stone, merely coating it in a thin layer and paralyzing it to eat later. That knowledge wouldn’t help Twilight much unless the cockatrice had a change of heart and unfroze her or Rainbow Dash had the skill to undo it, but it did help Fluttershy to know at least one of the things she was up against out here. She didn’t want to leave Twilight alone (and possibly lose her), but Fluttershy also knew that finding the fillies was still the top priority. Leaving the petrified sorceress, the druidess set off back into the forest, moving carefully as she spotted the cockatrice’s messy nest shortly after leaving. She froze up as movement caused the brush ahead of her to stir. What now?It’s too small to be a cockatrice. Fluttershy spread her wings and prepared to take off if something emerged from the undergrowth that she needed to escape from. “Gotcha!” Scootaloo proclaimed as she pounced out of the brush, nearly giving the druidess a heart attack, “Fluttershy?” “Girls!” Fluttershy exclaimed with relief as the other two fillies emerged as well, “I’m so glad I found you! We have to get out of here now.” “We can’t, Fluttershy,” Sweetie Belle complained, “We saw your neighbor’s chickens wander off into the forest, and we have to find them before they get eaten.” “No time for that. We have to get out of here before we’re eaten, or worse!” Fluttershy said as she tried to herd the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the direction she thought led out of the Everfree, “There’s a cockatrice out here somewhere, and we need to leave before it finds us.” “A cockatrice! Cool!” Scootaloo said excitedly as she pushed past Fluttershy and trotted toward the beast’s nest, “Can they really turn ponies to stone?” “Some can, but that’s not important right now,” Fluttershy said desperately, “What matters is we get out of here immediately.” “Look, a chicken!” Apple Bloom exclaimed as she spotted one of the fowl wandering around between two trees. “Girls! No! Stop!” Fluttershy called as the Cutie Mark Crusaders rushed off toward the chicken, headed in the direction of the petrified Twilight. “Gotcha!” Scootaloo proclaimed again as she tried to tackle the chicken, but missed and fell on her face. When she looked up, she was staring at the same thing that had transfixed her friends when they’d caught up to her. Twilight Sparkle loomed over her, her face frozen in surprise and fear as she hadn’t been able to cast a spell in time to stop the cockatrice from petrifying her. Scootaloo backed away as she stood, nearly bumping into an increasingly anxious Fluttershy. “See, we need to get out of here!” Fluttershy said, horrified again at the sight of her friend. “But, the chicken …” Sweetie Belle said weakly, pointing at the nearby bird as it wandered toward a rustling bush. A set of talons suddenly shot out from the bush, and all four ponies screamed as they pierced the chicken and swiftly pulled it out of sight. Frantic squawking soon came to an end, leaving only the sound of crunching bones and tearing flesh hanging in the air. A low warble came from the bush, and the cockatrice reared up, revealing itself to the ponies. Twice the size of an adult pony, the cockatrice looked very much like a rooster with a mix of scales and feathers covering its body. It also had a long scaly snake’s tail, covered in spines, which it whipped around, gouging marks in the nearby trees as it stepped out toward the ponies. Blood and feathers covered its beak and wattle, the remains of the chickens it’d lured into the Everfree Forest to feast on. “Girls, get behind me,” Fluttershy said in a voice broking no argument, and the three fillies hurried to obey, “If I say so, be prepared to run. Follow the moon.” The cockatrice plodded toward the druidess, glancing hungrily at Twilight as it passed her. When it had caught the sorceress on her way back to Ponieville, it had been pleasantly surprised, and had anticipated making a meal of the pony after starting with some chickens. Now, this was even better. Four more ponies to eat, and three of them still young and tender; it was almost too much to ask for. Fluttershy was visibly trembling by the time the monster was directly in front of her, practically close enough to touch. She couldn’t run, not without exposing the fillies behind her to likely death. She had to stand firm. She had to do something. It was a long shot, but if she could communicate with woodland creatures and with a manticore, then maybe she could do this, too. She doubted she’d be able to just talk things out with the cockatrice, though; this situation would require something more. The cockatrice’s eyes, until now a milky white, turned a blazing red as it opened its inner set of eyelids. “Now you just stop right there!” Fluttershy demanded, her voice reverberating oddly in the air as it did whenever she spoke directly to animals, “Just what do you think you’re doing?” Flakes of stone had begun to form across the druidess’s form almost immediately after the cockatrice had locked eyes with her, but her words had paused the progress of it spreading somehow. Fluttershy didn’t know it, but she was using the magic within her that had first appeared twelve years ago when she’d fallen from Cloudsdale. If Twilight had been conscious of what was going on around her, she might’ve recognized the oddity of Fluttershy’s ability to speak to animals and maybe even thought to probe deeper and discover what she’d missed in Pinkamena, but, alas for her, she was currently a statue. Fluttershy’s uncanny ability to speak to animals also manifested itself in extreme cases as an uncanny persuasion, and the cockatrice was having a hard time discarding the reprimand its prey had just given it. Shaking its head to clear its mind, the cockatrice locked eyes with the druidess again and leveraged its own supernatural abilities. “Do you know what’ll happen if you start killing ponies?” Fluttershy continued on, blinking dust from her eyes as the stone began to spread over her body, “They’ll call in Hunters, and you’ll stand no chance against them. They’ll burn you out and kill you. But, before they kill you, they’ll chop off parts of your body to take as trophies. They might not even kill you, just put out your eyes and leave you to be torn apart by your fellow monsters.” With every moment, Fluttershy grew closer and closer to becoming petrified (she was talking as much to fight her way out as to keep her jaw from seizing up at this point), but with every word, the cockatrice’s mind grew closer to caving. Its inner set of eyelids began to droop—what this prey was saying made great sense, and the consequences of eating these ponies sounded terrible—and the progress of stone on Fluttershy’s body slowed. “Now, you’re going to unfreeze Twilight, and then go deep, deep into the Everfree Forest, where you won’t bother anypony ever again, and I might consider not calling Hunters in on you anyway!” Fluttershy gasped out as the stone around her lungs constricted her breathing, “Do I make myself clear?” The cockatrice hesitated, but there was no stopping the inevitable anymore; it was completely under Fluttershy’s sway. It closed its inner eyelids and backed away from the half-petrified druidess. Making sickening noises, it coughed up spit that coated Fluttershy (and splashed onto the Cutie Mark Crusaders), dissolving the stone. “Whoa, that was amazing!” Scootaloo exclaimed as the cockatrice repeated the process on Twilight. “Yeah, how’d y’ do that?” Apple Bloom asked. “Dealing with creatures is my destiny, and I have to be able to speak to them to deal with them. It’s what I got my cutie-mark for,” Fluttershy said as she tried to expunge the slime from her druidess robes, “Thankfully for us, I also have the talent to persuade them to do what is best.” If only I could do the same with ponies. “You’re amazing, Fluttershy. We … we should’ve listened to you and not gone looking for trouble. We’re sorry,” Sweetie Belle apologized for the group. “What … what happened?” Twilight Sparkle asked in a daze as she stumbled toward the group, soaked in cockatrice spit, with the cockatrice long gone. “Fluttershy saved you!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “Fluttershy did?” the sorceress asked, looking in surprise at the druidess, “I must know how.” “I’d love to tell it, but somewhere safer, perhaps with a change of clothes,” Fluttershy said, looking around at the terrifying woods around them. The monsters watching, however, had lost their appetite after seeing Fluttershy turn the cockatrice away and the return of Twilight’s magic to the area once she was no longer petrified. They preferred a tamer prey, and this druidess was not as tame as she seemed. First impressions were often wrong, and it was especially true in this case. Fluttershy appeared frail and defenseless, but when she was pressed or had to defend others, she stood up firmer and bolder than anypony else, and revealed a strength and will unmatched by others. Twilight Sparkle had known the druidess for less than half a year, and was still learning just how much strength was hidden behind her silence.