Welcome To Canterlot High
Short Stories!
5. Some Other Woods Pt.1
[Wednesday Afternoon]
Fluttershy, Henry, and their bird friends Hubert & Reginald arrive at Canterlot Park, walking under the large oak sign above a concrete walkway leading further into the city's vast, gorgeous open space of grass and trees. They were carrying a few picnic baskets and a red and white checkered blanket. Everywhere was green, calm, and peaceful. The sun's warm shine illuminated the greenery all around them, and the grass was cut and laid out stunningly. Small, low trees included oak, beech, Amur maple, magnolia Ann's, and mahogany were planted around or near the pathway's and lawns. Dandelions, daisies, hibiscus, and primroses can also be spotted walking through the park.
The park had many other things to offer. There were baseball, tennis, and basketball courts. Large, wooden or metal gazebos and canopies with picnic benches placed around grass lawns. Along one pathway branching off in a separate direction led to a playground with slides, towers, swing sets, climbing nets, and a large fountain that spurted cool water in the hot summer. Regular park benches were placed along the pathways.
An elderly couple named Pearly Stitch and Mr. Waddle sat on one of these benches. Fluttershy and Henry walked by and politely waved back at the old couple, who were feeding pigeons seeds and crumbs.
Canterlot Park was connected to a large, interspersed woodland forest. The expanse itself extended mildly to a hundred and thirty acres; enough for wildlife to still reside but not vastly thick for people to get lost. Only one pathway led to the forest, which Fluttershy and Henry proceeded to take. Henry could hardly believe his eyes at just how bright and big this place was. It invigorated a similar sense of calm and tranquility he gets when passing through his woods back home. Any forest could put Henry at ease, and even made him forget he was a person momentarily.
Suddenly, wild animals began emerging from the thicket, drawn to Fluttershy's Geode which continuously glowed a bright yellow light. Many different kinds of critters strolled towards them including hedgehogs, raccoons, chipmunks, ducks, turtles, and ferrets. Henry flinched when a deer and bear casually walked beside him. He was scared they might hurt him in some way, but they didn't. Instead they simply gathered around Fluttershy, who was more than overjoyed to see her friends. Seeing her hugging some of these woodland critters made Henry feel calm and less frightened.
"It really is uncanny," He smiled.
Continuing their hike through the forest, with a herd of wild animals now following, the two friends reached their destination in an open space deep within the forest, surrounded by loads of broad oaks and tall pines. Fluttershy knelt down to open her backpack and lets out some of her pets, which included Angel Bunny, a cat, guinea pig and a bird named Constance.
Meanwhile, Hubert & Reginald soared up to a tall tree. After a few exchanges and flying around various other trees, a loud chirping scarred Hubert and Reginald back to Fluttershy, who she gently held when they landed on her palms.
"Is he still giving you two grieve?" Fluttershy asked.
The two birds chirped. Fluttershy then tentatively stepped towards the tall tree where the bird keeping them out stood proud and snide in their nest.
"Eugene?" Fluttershy called. "Why do you keep scaring away the other birdies? They need somewhere to rest their wings to, you know?"
Eugene chirped something only she could understand. Henry simply watched the whole thing unfold.
"W-what do you mean there's a monster tearing down your homes?" She asked, nervously.
Henry gulped. "A M-M-Monster?!"
Fluttershy was scared at first over the thought of there being a monster nearby. But she tried to deny Eugene's claims in order to feel less frightened.
"But… that can't be right," she insisted. "There's no such thing as monsters."
"What if there is a monster, though?" Henry said, nervously. "Didn't your friends face monsters with magic before?"
"Um, in a way."
Eugene chirped something in irritation and a hint of worry, then turned away and held his beak to the air.
"Oh, please come down, Eugene." Fluttershy asked, politely. "You can join us for a picnic. There won't be any monsters to bother you down here."
Eugene looked down then held his beak up in the air again. Fluttershy shrugged. She had an idea to get him down, and the picnic was exactly that.
"Okay. Henry, would you set up the picnic for us please?"
"I'd be happy to!" He said.
Henry didn't know this was part of her plan and was confused over why she stopped persisting Eugene. Regardless, he was happy to help. So, he laid down the picnic blanket next to the tree Eugene was nestled in. The animals sat by the picnic area when Fluttershy started unpacking her baskets.
"Good thing we stopped by my house first to pick up food. We should have more than enough treats to share with everyone." She then called to her animal friends in a singsong voice. "Feeding time!"
When the picnic area was set with bowls, plates, and bags full of food, everyone began eating. Eugene gingerly looked to see Fluttershy and her friends eating away. He secretly wanted to join but knew this meant leaving his nest.
Fluttershy hands Henry a sandwich. As he goes to hesitantly eat it, not knowing how his first experience eating will feel like, a large bear sat beside Henry and cuddled up next to him. Then some chipmunks, hedgehogs, squirrels, and a few jays flew over and rested on top his head. Henry froze, very confused and nervous. Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle from seeing her woodland friends resting all over Henry.
"I think they like you."
"Oh? R-really?"
Finally, Eugene couldn't keep his ground anymore and flew down to join the rest. He landed on the blanket and looked at Fluttershy, who politely offered him a piece of her sandwich, which he happily pecked at. It was from seeing Eugene up close that Henry noticed something familiar about him.
"Oh!" He said. "I didn't know this place had warblers."
"Do you have warblers on Sodor too?"
"Yes. But, they're a very rare type of bird. Some visitors travel to our Railway just so they can spot them."
Fluttershy was intrigued. "Hmm. Now that you mentioned it, I don't think I've seen any yellow birds like him around the Park. Maybe he's just as rare to spot in our forest too."
"I'm surprised nobody's noticed. His home should be well protected from endangerment."
"Well, not a lot of people come to the forest anymore," She said, a little dismayed.
"Why not? It's such a peaceful place. I already feel very happy just sitting here."
"Most people prefer the city. I like it too, but it's not the same as escaping out into the forest. The animals make such good company. They don't judge you, or boss you around, or make you feel bad."
She looks to Angel glaring at her while chewing his carrot.
"Well, most times anyway," She giggled.
"What about your, uh, people, friends?" Henry asked, struggling with an appropriate phrasing. "Aren't they just as special?"
"Definitely. I love all my friends, but animals are just as special in a different kind of way."
"I see what you mean," He said noting all the animals resting on him, and growing comfortable with their presence. "It is nice being around company that's not judging you for once."
"Oh my. I hope that's not how your friends treat you."
He shook his head. Admittedly they did, but Henry didn't want her to know this, mostly because he himself didn't want it to.
"People may not hike through the forest anymore," Fluttershy picks up her cat and begins cuddling it, "But so long as I still get to visit my friends, I have no worries about anything."
The two friends sat and ate treats for a while. Henry saw a bag of bird seed and reached over to grab a hand full. He lays them close to Eugene at first hopping back as he does so. Seeing it was only bird seed, Eugene hops over to the pile and pecks at it, along with Hubert, Reginald, and Constance.
"So, Eugene was only hogging trees to keep the monster from getting them?" Henry asked Fluttershy.
"I think so. Only I don't know why he had to keep the other birdies out. If he really wanted to protect his home, he could've asked them for help."
"What do you think Eugene meant when he said there's a monster in the park?"
Fluttershy arched down to meet Eugene, "Eugene, could you tell us what this monster you saw looked like?"
After a few pecks at the seed pile, Eugene explained to Fluttershy what this monster was.
"Oh, no!" She said. "Apparently there are several monsters!"
Henry gulped. "W-what kind?"
She described what each looked like as Eugene continued chirping.
"They're all made of metal. One has a giant arm with sharp teeth. Another has caterpillar legs and a flat shield that can knock down anything." Fluttershy raised a brow, "Wait. Don't those sound like,"
Suddenly, the sound of a shaking spray canister alerted the two over to the tall pine tree Eugene was on. A man with a hard hat was marking a white X on the berk. A bunch of animals quickly ran and flew away when they heard a loud beeping and engines revving. The 'monsters' had arrived, in the form of Bulldozers and Excavators, parking just across the open woodland.
Another man standing by noticed the picnic set up and walked over to them. Unlike the man marking the trees, this one was dressed in a business suit. He wore a gold belt, a broach with three bags of money, and a red neck tie with a dollar sign stitched on the front.
"Sorry, kiddies, but this here picnic's gonna have to be cut short."
"Filthy Rich?" Fluttershy exclaimed.
Mr. Rich glared at her. "Well, if it ain't one of the campers who saved Camp Everfree."
"Why are you marking those trees?" She gasped in realization. "You're not doing what I think you're doing, are you?!"
"Since I can't set up my spa resort at Camp Everfree thanks to you and your little friends, I've had to arrange my establishments elsewhere, and what better place than this hunk of land smack dab in the middle of town."
"But you can't do that," Henry imputed. "What about all the animals that live in these woods?"
"You ever heard of migration, son?"
"This park is their home," Fluttershy protested. "You can't force them to leave."
"And what are you gonna do about it, little missy?" Mr. Rich threatened. "Get your friends to sing a song and convince everyone to pretend like they care about a coupla trees and animals in favor of somewhere they can release stress and worry from their day to day lives?"
She hung her head and sheepishly hugged her arms.
"'Case you've forgotten: trees don't bring in the money, and neither will they bring in folks to the park like the old days. Nobody will miss this forsaken land once my relaxation center's up and runnin'."
"Pack it up, you two," said a man in a hard hat. "We need this space to set up construction."
"No!" Henry yelled. "You can't do this."
"Think of the animals!" Fluttershy imputed.
Filthy Rich gripped his jacket. "The only thing I'm thinkin' of is the mount of money that'll be fillin' my pockets soon."
"I won't be asking again," the hard hat man demanded.
Henry and Fluttershy grudgingly packed up their things. And with frowns on their faces, the two left the forest, hearing the construction men spray paint more marks on the trees. They look back at their picnic area, now being closed off by a board sign with orange and white striped planks that read 'area closed for construction'.
Fluttershy took Henry to the Animal Rescue Center where she works. They lounged around the main office corridors, with Fluttershy sitting behind the desk and Henry on one of the waiting seats. A few animals roamed around the space, including Fluttershy's pets, some turtles, parrots, cats, dogs, and a rat. There were cages for cats, dogs, birds, and a large hamster habitat inside a glass room placed off to the side. Both Henry and Fluttershy were deep in thought, wondering what will become of the forest, and the animals that lived there. What could they do to stop Filthy Rich from tearing down the woods?
Not even playing with her pets cheered Fluttershy up. She thought about her animal friends and wondered how they'll manage with their home being demolished.
"Is there no way we can convince him to move somewhere else?" Henry asked, finally.
Fluttershy shook her head. "This isn't the first time I've had to stop him from tearing down a forest. He'll make sure to not let us convince him otherwise"
"Right. He said something about saving a camp."
"Since he couldn't tear down Camp Everfree, now he wants to tear down half of Canterlot's forest," Fluttershy really didn't like talking about this subject. "Those poor animals. Why didn't they have a say in anything."
"I think, because, people can't talk back to them. Only you can, Fluttershy."
She sighed dejectedly, examining her Geode Crystal hung around her neck. Henry looked around at all the animals casually roaming the room.
"I know!" Henry said. "Why don't we bring the animals to the Center?! It's safe and warm, and the people here could find new homes for them."
Fluttershy was excited at first but then became dismayed again when she thought about that idea carefully.
"Wild animals shouldn't be locked up. Besides, the shelter can't house that many."
But Henry didn't want to give up.
"Is there anyway we can change that?"
"We could set up a fundraiser," Fluttershy sighed again. "But, it's like Filthy Rich said; nobody's gonna care about the forest or its animals. We'll barely raise enough to expand the center."
She sets down her cat, gets up and walks to another door. On her way, Fluttershy removed her Geode necklace and puts it into her school backpack.
"Where are you going, Fluttershy?" Henry asked raising his head.
"Maybe cleaning some rooms will take my mind off things. You don't mind, do you?"
Henry shook his head.
"Thank you for trying to help, Henry," she said, appreciatively. "It means a lot that you really do care about animals. Feel free to spend as much time with the pets as you want. They love playing with visitors."
He smiled back as she exits the main room. Some of her animals approached Henry and looked at him curiously. Henry wanted to play but was too upset. Canterlot's forest was such a beautiful looking place to him. How could they tear down a wonderous land just like that? His chin rested on his hands.
"I wish there was something I could do," He said mostly to himself. "Fluttershy really loves her forest friends, and her forest is just as beautiful as home's. Now they're both being taken away. If only there was a way to save all the animals from becoming homeless."
Meanwhile, Angel Bunny hoped onto the office counter and stood next to where Fluttershy left her school backpack. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Henry.
"This is just like my forest all over again. Only instead of a huge storm, it'll be torn down by construction vehicles."
Suddenly, Fluttershy's yellow backpack began glowing from within. Angel Bunny was curious and went to peak inside. Diving deeper, Angel then fell off the counter and landed on the ground, taking Flutterhsy's backpack with him.
Henry got up immediately and went over to see if he was okay, kneeling in front of the bag as Angel emerged from the pack. Henry goes to clean up and store her stuff until noticing what Angel was holding. It was her Geode Crystal, glowing a very bright light. Henry reached over and gently takes it from Angel, shielding his eyes from the fading glare.
While Henry examined Fluttershy's Geode, wondering why it's glowing all of a sudden, Angel squeaked something to him.
"I'm not sure why it's glowing, Angel," Henry replied. "It is awfully strange, though."
Angel squeaked something to him again.
"You're right. Maybe Fluttershy knows what this means. I should…"
Henry froze. He stared back at Angel.
"Wait… What did you just say?"
Angel shrugged then squeaked again. Henry's eyes widened and his jaw hanged. Fluttershy's Geode necklace slips out from his hands. He slowly stood up then backed away from Angel, gesturing his arms out and palms open while stuttering through his tense breathing.
"Wha… How… I…. You!"
A confused Angel hopped forward and squeaked again to a frantic Henry.
"I… I… I can understand what you're saying!"
Freaking out even more, Henry's back pressed against the glass window of the hamster enclosure. Shaking from head to toe, lips quivering, and pupils small as can be, Henry's head jitters as he looks inside the hamster habitat. All the hamsters from inside their tubes were squeaking all at once. Turning and yelling, Henry fell onto his bottom and crawled away backwards until he hits the desk, breathing rapidly while looking around the room.
He saw a barking dog, then screamed. He saw at a hissing rat and screamed again. He looked at a parrot, asking if pally wants cracker, and screamed even more. Finally, as he sat pressed against the office desk whimpering on the brink of a total meltdown, Henry's pupils shrunk when a small kitty cat walked up and meowed a soft hello.
Henry stood and screamed at the top of his lungs while covering his ears. Just as Fluttershy barged through the doors, alerted by his shouting, Henry sprinted through the main exit doors and fled the Animal Center. Fluttershy held the swinging door in place.
"Henry?!" She called. "Come back! Where are you going?!"
He didn't respond and continued running away down the sidewalks while shrieking. Fluttershy was beyond confused, but more worried for him.
Henry ran down the sidewalk in a suburban neighbourhood. Along the way, two birds flying not far away were chirping to each other. A whimpering Henry covered his ears, tying to drown out their conversation. A trash canister tumbles over and out came a raccoon holding a quarter empty peanut butter bottle. The raccoon sees Henry running towards him and held out the bottle to share.
"No! Stop! Don't talk back!"
He sprints past the raccoon without laying another eye on them. The raccoon shrugged then dipped his head inside the peanut butter bottle.
A man wearing a green fedora was walking his dog down the sidewalk. He had a black fohawk, red eyes, and grey skin. The Stranger saw Henry approaching him and his dog. This particular man smiled a devious grin. He wanted to play a little trick on him. As Henry neared him, he looked down at the blue dog.
"Bark, Bark. Hi, Henry!" The Dog said.
Screeching on his heels to a halt, Henry screamed at the talking blue dog all while the Stranger smirked with amusement. Henry then veered off into the streets, not paying attention to an on coming car driving towards him. The car swerved and screeched to a stop. Henry safely made it across the street. But as this car came to a stop, another crashed into him. Then another swerved and crashed into a fire hydrant, and another crashed into them, causing car alarms to blare off.
The Stranger snickered to himself before teleporting away in a flashing light.
Meanwhile, driving her purple mini cooper, Fluttershy was searching for Henry all throughout the neighborhood until she finally spots him still sprinting down the sidewalk. She drove up and rolled down her window.
"Henry?! What's the matter? Why are you running away?"
Henry spotted Angel peaking out from her window and squeaking to him. He ran faster away from Fluttershy and Angel, continuing to scream and cover his ears. Fluttershy was still baffled, especial when her Geode started glowing a bright yellow light.
Meanwhile at Canterlot High, Rainbow Dash and Gordon were exiting the soccer pitch and walked down the school parking lot. They had just finished up their training for the day with mildly unsuccessful results.
"Well, that could've worked out better," Rainbow Dash said, hunched over in enervation.
Gordon scoffed. "Nonsense. I can feel myself getting faster already. Soon I'll be ready to beat you in just about any race."
Rainbow Dash lost patience.
"You weren't even listening to half of my instructions! If this is going to work out, you need to start showing some actual improvements, Gordon. And stop pretending like being a person is so easy all of a sudden. You can barely run a mile without eating dirt."
"I can't help being the fastest, Rainbow Dash," He said proudly. "There's nothing for me to complain about because I'm perfectly capable running as a person."
Rainbow Dash glared daggers, causing Gordon to cave and groan with impatience.
"Very well. I will listen to your silly instructions next time. Even though I don't really need them."
"Trust me, yah do."
"I don't' see what you're so fussy about. I'm adapting to your silly world just fine. You don't hear the other engines freaking out over nothing."
"AHHHHHH!"
Henry emerged from some bushes and sprinted across the parking lot. Gordon and Rainbow Dash stopped and froze in shock, watching Henry run straight past the two teens.
"Henry!" Gordon called, irritably. "What on earth has gotten into you?"
"They can talk!" Was all Henry screamed, before running back to the soccer pitch.
Gordon and Rainbow Dash shared a confused glance. Fluttershy rolls up in her car and gets out to meet the two still trying to figure out Henry's problem.
"Have any of you seen Henry?"
"He literally just ran past us," Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her neck. "What's gotten into him?"
"The silly engine," Gordon teased. "Probably got scared of seeing his own shadow."
"It's not funny, Gordon," Fluttershy glared. "Henry is really upset."
"Over what?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I don't know. I'm going to find out what's wrong."
Rainbow Dash pointed to where Henry went. Fluttershy, holding Angel Bunny, ran to the soccer field.
They looked everywhere for Henry but he was no were to be seen. Hearing a quiet whimpering, Angel Bunny jumped out of her arms and hopped towards the bleachers. She followed Angel until he paused every so often and beckon her to keep up. Reaching the bleachers, Fluttershy found Angel Bunny stopping by and staring under the seats. Fluttershy caught up and peaked beneath the bleachers to find Henry sitting in a fetal position.
"Henry?"
Henry noticed Fluttershy and Angel standing over him. He wanted to run away again but was too tired.
"What's the matter? Why did you run away from us?"
Catching her by surprise, Henry leaped forward and grabbed both her arms and began shaking them.
"They're talking back to me, Fluttershy!" He said, anxiously. "I can hear them in my head!"
Two students walking by over heard this. Fluttershy smiled sheepishly, but they backed away slowly in the direction they came. Fluttershy took Henry's arms and gently removes.
"Who's talking back? Was it Angel? He told me you could understand him and the others back at the center. Is this true, Henry?"
Henry nodded. He then explained what had happened at the Animal Center. Fluttershy couldn't believe it. Was Henry actually speaking to animals through her Geode Crystal? Someone she knew can now talk to animals as well. She almost couldn't help but feel excited for him, but knew very well that now wasn't the time, and Henry was more distraught over this revelation than excited. Her Geode necklace began glowing again.
"Goodness. My Geode's glowing again." She gasped, "It's true! My Geode's giving you the same ability I have. But I thought only I could use it's magic?"
Henry nervously stared at her Geode before hiding his face beneath his arms.
"I don't care. Just keep it away from me."
"It's okay, Henry," She said, kneeling down to gently pat his arm. "There's nothing to be worried about."
He re-emerged. "Yes, there is. I can talk to animals."
"And what's wrong with that."
"I-I don't know. I could never do that before."
Fluttershy was worried for him and wanted to help Henry anyway she can. She took off her necklace and hid it away in her backpack, hoping that would settle him down a little.
"I understand what you're going through. I remember how weird it felt when my friends and I first discovered our magical abilities."
"You do?"
She nodded. "Eventually, we learned how to use our powers and saved everyone at Camp Everfree. I already talk to animals anyway, only now they can talk back. So, it wasn't that hard for me to adjust at all."
He couldn't explain it, but Henry felt a small relief for some reason. He tried mustering a smile in return.
"Maybe Twilight and Sunset can explain what this means," Fluttershy pondered. "They were able to show us how to use them before,"
"No!" Henry shouted abruptly, cutting off a surprised Fluttershy.
He then composed himself. "We can't tell anyone! They'll all laugh and make fun of me."
"You mean your Sodor friends? Shouldn't they be supportive of you?"
"Can we please, please not tell anyone? I just want this to go away and pretend it never happened."
"But it can't go away, Henry. Not as long as you're near my crystal. What if I just told Twilight or Sunset? Your friends won't even have to know at all."
He shook his head. Fluttershy didn't know what to do. He shouldn't be keeping to himself. But Fluttershy didn't want to trouble Henry either by bringing this up to her friends, and decided to comply with his request.
"Um, well, okay," She agreed, reluctantly. "But, if you're connected to my Geode Crystal somehow, then this is something very important our friends should know about."
"You don't mind keeping it away for a while, do you?" Henry asked.
Fluttershy was almost shocked. The question nearly caught her off guard.
"…I can't hide it from you all the time. I like talking to my friends. Plus, I may need it in case of an emergency."
Hanging his head and sighing, Henry wearily got back on his feet. Fluttershy could sense he was about to ask her something, so she went along and assumed for him.
"Henry?" She asked, worrisome. "You're not gonna stop talking to me, are you?"
"Of course not, Fluttershy. I like being with you. But I don't like that your rock can make me talk to animals."
"It's really not as bad as you make it sound."
"Still," he said, timidly.
Fluttershy sighed, then came up with an idea.
"I'll hide my necklace around you under one condition."
Henry tilted his head.
"You have to tell your friends about my Geode. Friends are supposed to be the few people you can talk about anything with. They deserve to know what's really going on."
"What? B-but I can't,"
Fluttershy crossed her arms and glared at him. Henry whimpered the more he stared into her piercing eyes until finally caving in.
"Okay!" He moaned, then slouched. "I'll try."
"That's all I ask," she beamed, hanging her backpack over her shoulders.
Henry smiled back, relieved that this conversation was finally over, but not overly thrilled about his promise.
Now Henry has to confess to his Sodor friends that Fluttershy's Geode grants him the ability to speak with animals. He couldn't see anyway out of it, and knowing fully what a good friend Fluttershy was, Henry knew he had to keep his promise, which meant figuring out a way to tell the other engines about his predicament. But he was too afraid of what they'd think.
"I've been giving the fundraiser a second thought," Fluttershy said. "Let's give it a try anyway. It's the least we can do to show our support for all the poor critters."
"I agree," Henry encouraged. "If we're the only ones who can do anything for Canterlot's forest, then we must try something, if anything."
Fluttershy happily agreed. The two friends set off and left the soccer pitch to head back to the Animal Rescue Center where they would begin planning a fundraiser for the rest of the evening.
To Be Continued.
PS; Thank you to The Red Werewolf for editing most of this short. I appreciate your help a lot!