“Twilight it’s time to wake up! You don’t have time to sleep in today!” yelled Spike, the dragon.
When he didn’t hear any reply from the bedroom upstairs, Spike made his way up the stairs to wake Twilight up. Spike had always been Twilight’s number one assistant with her studies, and while he enjoyed helping Twilight, there were times when she could be quite frustrating to deal with. For example, once she goes to bed late, it’s almost impossible for Spike to wake her up; he may as well be attempting to decipher the Pinkie Sense. The only way Spike was ever able to wake her up was to either remind Twilight of an important task; or tell her the Princess was coming in five minutes.
“Twilight, you need to get up and get ready!” Spike pleaded, getting annoyed at Twilight. “You made a promise with the girls that you would have a picnic after you help Fluttershy get supplies for the animals. You also Pinkie Promised… and you know what happens if you break a Pinkie Promise.”
That did the trick. Twilight bolted straight up and began panicking.
“Oh sweet Luna! I forgot about the picnic! I was so caught up with Star Swirl the Bearded’s theory of other worlds that I couldn’t put the book down! Spike, quickly get my things ready while I clean up.”
As quickly as his little dragon legs could go, Spike prepared Twilight’s picnic basket and her saddle pack with some of her favourite books to read. Just as Twilight came down the stairs Spike felt a burning sensation in his stomach. He had experienced this before: The arrival of a letter from the princess. With a small burp, a small scroll appeared before him. Twilight picked up the letter with her magic and began to read it:
Dear Twilight Sparkle
I apologize for the short notice, but I need Spike in Canterlot for a couple of days. The royal ambassador of the dragons is coming and I would like Spike to write down what we discuss to further push our kingdoms towards peace. I would have used a unicorn for this purpose but by having Spike there, I can show a strong message that dragons and ponies can live in harmony together. Please send a reply as soon as you can.
Your Mentor,
Princess Celestia
“Hmhmmm, I can see why the princess would want you there Spike. I see no problem with you going to help. Spike, prepare a letter.”
Spike grabbed a parchment and quill, dipped the quill into the ink and began to write.
Dear Princess Celestia
I am happy to lend you Spike in your time of need. He shall head straight to Canterlot as soon as possible.
From your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
Twilight sealed the letter and gave it to Spike, who engulfed it in his green flame, sending it to Princess Celestia.
“Well I need to head out now Spike.” Twilight said, realizing how late she’s going to be. ”I’ll see you in a couple of days then. Just make sure to tidy up the library before you leave.”
“Will do Twilight! Have fun with your picnic.”
Twilight gave Spike a warm smile and galloped out the library door towards Fluttershy’s cottage.
~
“Hey everypony, I see Twilight!” Rainbow Dash yelled towards the four mares standing below her cloud.
“Well it’s about time! One must never keep a lady and her friends waiting,” huffed Rarity.
“Ah come on Rarity. Ah’m sure Twi must have a reason for bein’ late.” Applejack assured the dressmaker just as Twilight reached the cottage.
Fluttershy hid behind Applejack in fear of Twilight crashing into her.
“Sorry I’m late everpony!”
“Oh it’s no problem Twilight; you didn’t have to run just to help me.” Fluttershy replied from behind Applejack.
“Now that Twilight is here, let’s help Fluttershy and get to our super-special-awesome picnic PARTY!” Pinkie Pie yelled as a spray of confetti erupted behind her.
~
Fluttershy gave each pony a list of what she needed for her animals. It was Twilight’s idea of splitting up the list to complete it faster. As a result, it took just over an hour for the ponies to buy all the food needed. Out of habit Twilight checked all the lists to make sure everything was done. She couldn’t stand leaving a list unchecked before moving on with her next activity. Because of this, Twilight noticed that on Fluttershy’s list one item was missing.
“Fluttershy…”
“Yes Twilight?”
“You missed an item on your list.”
“Oh my…I’m so sorry! I forgot to tell you that you can’t get that at the market place.”
“Oh that’s okay Fluttershy. I was just curious. By the way, I’ve never heard of the Sea Flower?”
“That’s because it’s extremely rare. I came across it while looking for herbs in the forest. There’s a small patch just a little ways into the Everfree forest. I get it for Angel sometimes.”
“Interesting! Why is it called the Sea Flower?”
Um…have you ever been to the beach Twilight?”
“No can’t say I have.”
“Well, you should. It’s a beautiful view of the light shimmering off the water. I went once because some marine animals were hurt and I was recommended to help. The Sea Flower has that same appearance when it’s in the sunlight.”
“I’ll take you word for it Fluttershy. We’ll wait for you at your cottage while you go get. Once you come back we should have everything ready for our picnic.”
“Okay Twilight, it shouldn’t take long.”
~
Fluttershy headed straight into the forest once the mane six arrived at her house. She knew the path to the Sea Flower by heart, so it didn’t take long for her to arrive at her destination; a small clearing in the forest, where a patch of Sea Flowers blossomed. She delicately plucked a flower and placed it in the pot she brought along.
It was then that Fluttershy noticed the wind was picking up around her, but the skies were clear. This wasn’t unnatural for the Everfree forest; but being her timid self, Fluttershy ran back into the forest for cover.
Then as fast as a sonic rainboom, the wind stopped and everything was silent; that is, until Fluttershy heard something hit a tree on the other side of the clearing. She heard pained groans, so her first thought was that one of her woodland friends was hurt. Being the Element of Kindness, Fluttershy came out from hiding behind the tree to go and help the injured creature.
Fluttershy couldn’t clearly make out what it was. She needed to go closer to see what it was and how injured it was. As she approached the animal, she began to realize that it wasn’t any animal she knew. It was nothing she has ever seen before. It had short black hair on its head, but nowhere else. The strange creature seemed to be bipedal, and its upper limbs were designed to grab objects, just like Spike. But the creature’s limbs were far longer than those of the little dragon.
Fluttershy stopped walking towards the creature, terrified of the new being in front of her. She tried to scream but her voice was lost to fear. Noticing the creature was still conscious and was looking around, her voice returned. Fluttershy lay flat on the ground and screamed with all her might.
~
While waiting for Fluttershy, the rest of the group were gossiping amongst themselves. Rarity was just telling the other girls the latest gossip she has received.
“So I heard that Derpy- I’m sorry. I mean Ditzy Doo, our own famous mail mare, has been seen with a stallion.”
“Are you being serious Rarity?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with disbelief.
“Darling I am always serious when it comes to romance, gems, friends, and fashion. The stallion in question has a brown coat with an hourglass as a cutie mark.”
“I’ve seen him around town and at the library,” Twilight remarked. “Apparently his name is The Doctor, or Doctor Whooves. If you ask me he is a little…..”
But Twilight’s opinion about The Doctor was cut short when she noticed the wind picking up.
“Hey, what gives? There aren’t supposed to be any strong winds scheduled for today!” Rainbow Dash exclaims in annoyance.
As quickly as it started, the wind died down, and everything became quite once again.
“That was mighty strange.” Applejack spoke up, breaking the silence.
That’s when they all heard Fluttershy’s scream coming from the forest. Without a moment’s hesitation, they all galloped towards the scream.
~
As the five mares entered the clearing, they saw Fluttershy off to one side, shaking like a leaf.
“FLUTTERSHY!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she flew towards her friend, “Are you okay?”
Rarity arrived next, stopping alongside Rainbow Dash. “Fluttershy, what’s the matter?”
Fluttershy slowly raised a trembling hoof. “I w-was scared be-because of t-the strange cr-creature. It s-sounded hurt and I th-thought it was one of my animal f-friends. I don’t k-know what it is!”
They all turned to get a better look of the strange creature Fluttershy was scared of.
“Never seen a critter like that before!” remarked Applejack, as she trotted closer to it.
“A new animal! You know what means! We get to celebrate this discovery with a PARTY!” Pinkie Pie yelled.
“Not now Pinkie!” Twilight told the pink mare. “We need to do something about this creature. It seems to be in pain, and it could be dangerous. We can bring it back to Fluttershy’s cottage, where she can treat its wounds. Just to be safe, if it wakes up and starts to attack, Rainbow Dash and Applejack can take it down. Now let’s bring it back!”
~
Despite the new discovery in the forest, the trip back to Fluttershy’s cottage was uneventful. Once the ponies placed the creature on her couch, Fluttershy began checking its body for any major injuries. Because the ponies were unfamiliar with the creature, Twilight quickly teleported back to her library to grab some books, and see if she can figure out what exactly it was.
“No, no, no…argh!” Twilight cried in frustration, sending at least a dozen books thudding onto the ground. “I can’t find this creature in any of my books!”
“I’m more interested in what this thing is wearing.” Rarity said, her eyes never leaving the creature’s attire. “I’ve never seen such a design before.”
“How’s the treatment coming along Shy?” asked Applejack.
“Nothing seems to be broken. It’s just unconscious at the moment,” answered Fluttershy.
At that moment, the creature made a soft moan. The mane six quickly turned their heads towards the thing. It slowly started to sit up, rubbing its head with its hands.
“Not anymore.” stated Rainbow Dash.
~Author's Note~
Yay another chapter! Sorry it took so long, I was busy for most of the time and I wanted it to be good (Hopefully) for you guys. Thank you MC BRON3 for editing, I thought you did a fantastic job. The next chapter will be coming soon its already underway. Enjoy the chapter!