Flutternapped!

by AstralMouse


Transported

In the hours that followed, I learned a lot about my captors. The five earth ponies were taking me to Ahuizotl's hideout.

The small, pale red stallion who had shot Manny was named Vanguard. As we'd turned to cut through part of the Everfree, he had run ahead to scout while we slowed to a careful crawl. He also had a pet lizard named Mona that he took with him when he went ahead.

The driver of the vehicle, Courser, had a Manehattan accent, and he had apparently been a taxipony for many years. He was lanky and old, and I got the impression that what had stopped him from running taxi carriages was his age.

Machete was a crude pony, but he was very loyal to Caballeron. As his name implied, he did indeed have a machete, and a cutie mark that matched it. The blade wasn't needed so far, but he did like to sharpen it and swing it around a lot. He seemed the merciless type to me.

The only one who hadn't yet spoken was named Oil Slick, and I hadn't been able to figure out just what his role was. He never replied when spoken to, but I assumed he would if Caballeron were to speak to him. He was a light gray stallion with a black mane that seemed to shimmer with subtle rainbow colors in the sunlight.

Then there was Caballeron himself, who I had heard plenty about from Rainbow Dash. He was confident and decisive, but historically unwise and prone to making mistakes. No such errors had been made that I could capitalize on yet, but I did have that little tidbit of information tucked away in the back of my mind. As scared as I was, I promised, for the sake of my friends and animals, that I would do my best to escape if I found a way.

The journey ahead, I also learned, would be a long one. Two days or more, even in the vehicle (called the Landstalker). While I would normally be afraid for my animals, Rainbow Dash was supposed to visit me the next morning, so I was sure that she would notice I was missing and make arrangements for somepony to care for them while my friends all searched for me.

Vanguard had just returned from scouting, so we had an all clear to speed up for a bit. He sat with his back leaning against my cage. I had been cut free from my ropes for a couple hours, so I scooted closer to meet Mona who was nestled in his mane.

She was a big lizard, nearly the length of the stallion's neck in head and body, with her tail almost just as long. Her tongue flicked out of her mouth as she tasted the air. I smiled warmly at her, and her only response was a blink and another tongue flick. With how Vanguard was resting, she was close enough that I could touch her, but I certainly didn't want to anger my captors, so I kept my hooves to myself. This went on for some time, with me flashing her my most disarming smile, and her simply watching me curiously.

Eventually, Vanguard reached a hoof back and grabbed her to hold her in his lap. As she was being removed from his brown mane, I noticed her toenails were far too long, and that she had a rash on the underside of her neck.

"Um, Mister Vanguard?" I said quietly.

"Quiet, prisoner!" he snapped.

"Okay," I squeaked weakly.

We traveled in relative silence except for the rumble of the vehicle as we covered ground quickly.

Eventually, Vanguard told Courser to slow down, and then the stallion was once again galloping ahead with his lizard companion.

The rest of the day continued in much the same manner, but we didn't make it out of the Everfree. Nopony wanted to stay a night there, but when the sky darkened, there was no choice. Machete built a fire that was too far away for me to feel any warmth. The night wasn't very cold anyway, so I didn't mind so much. They gave me a piece of stale bread, and then sat around the fire while they cooked delicious-smelling stew.

I ate the bread and cried quietly, missing my home.

Just as I finished eating, I was surprised to see Mona climb up onto the flatbed and crawl into my cage with me. Vanguard, eating soup as he was, didn't seem to notice she was missing. I reached a hoof out slowly and non-threateningly, and the lizard flicked out her tongue. She apparently decided that I was trustworthy, and she climbed up my foreleg and into my mane just as she had with Vanguard. I giggled softly, feeling happiness for the first time since being captured.

"Hi, Mona," I said softly.

Her claws hurt where she'd stepped, leaving a trail of little pinpricks of pain up along my leg and shoulder. Those nails really needed to be clipped. I had taken care of plenty of lizards, and knew that long claws easily snagged and could make it hard for them to walk. Unfortunately, I didn't have any way to clip her nails. Not unless...

I ran my tongue over my front teeth.

Most ponies would find it disgusting, but I had done far worse for the sake of my animals. My only concern was whether I could get clean enough cuts just from bites. The poor girl looked like she needed it badly, so I decided to give it a try.

"Come here, Mona," I said gently, reaching a hoof back to collect her. She recognized the familiar gesture, and latched onto my hoof with her front claws. I slowly pulled her out and cradled her in my forelegs. "There's a good girl."

Since water was not in short supply, I had a bucket of it inside my cage, and used some of it to rinse out my mouth. Then I held her up and used the light of the fire to guide a claw in. Feeling with my tongue, I found about the length it should be (from memory of caring for other such lizards), and very carefully positioned my teeth to bite off the excess. Then, with swiftly-applied pressure, I took off the sharp end.

"Pleh!" I said as I spit it out. She didn't even move, not seeming to care much about what I had just done. That was a good sign, as it meant she hadn't felt any pain. "Good girl. Now, just sit still, and let me do the others."

I repeated the process as I moved on to other claws, rinsing my mouth out with water every so often. It wasn't the best way to do it, but I knew Mona would be happier and safer when it was done.

Just as I was finishing the last claw, I heard a sharp yell. I spit out the sharp piece, seeing Vanguard's head swivel in my direction.

"Mona?!" he shouted. "Hey! Put her down! Now!"

I yelped and set Mona down gently despite my suddenly shaky hooves. I cowered, instinctively trying to make myself as small as possible. Mona sat still in front of me, and her owner stalked over to the edge of the flatbed, a silhouette against the fire. I couldn't see his face, but I could feel his accusing glare burning into me.

"What were you doing with her? Tell me!" he demanded.

"N-nothing! I mean... I was just clipping her claws! Th-they were too long," I said.

He growled. "Mona, come here," he said. The lizard obediently scampered over to her master, and he inspected her, clearly dubious of my claim. "Did she hurt you? Let me see your claws..."

I waited for a few tense moments, worried he would simply decide I had harmed her. Still unable to see his face, I couldn't tell whether he was getting angry or not. I jumped slightly when he spoke.

"Fine," he said, "I guess she looks okay. But don't touch her again."

Vanguard walked back to sit at the fire where the other four sfallions had been watching from. Caballeron was smirking as if he had enjoyed the show. Machete had a hoof on his weapon, prepared to jump into a fight. The other two were tense, but otherwise passive.

"Well?" Vanguard said. "What are you all staring at?"

The mood had been dampened, but they quickly returned to eating and chatting.

As expected, I got no stew.

My eventual sleep was dreamless.


My growling stomach woke me up. The morning sun gave the sky above a dim glow, and it seemed as though I had woken up before anypony else. Their tents were quiet, huddled together in a small cluster next to the cold fire pit. I sighed, then took a long drink from my water bucket. If I was not going to eat, then I could at least fill my belly with water. I needed to stay strong in case Caballeron made a mistake.

I nearly choked on a gulp of water when a voice came from behind me.

"Morning."

I coughed and sputtered as I turned to see Vanguard standing on the other side of the vehicle, smirking at me. Mona was on top of his head. Apparently I had not been the first to wake up.

"So," he continued, "I just got back from scouting, and Mona here did better than usual. She seemed... I don't know... happier? Anyway, maybe you were right about her claws." He reached up and set his pet on the flatbed, then began petting her affectionately. His expression was soft, surprisingly vulnerable for what I had thought was a hardened criminal.

"Um... well, I had to bite them, so it's not as good as it would be with proper clippers, but if you cut them once a month to about that length, it makes it easier for her to run around without getting her feet caught," I said.

"Don't think this means I trust you. You're still just a prisoner."

I lowered my head. "Okay," I said meekly. "I just love animals. I would never hurt her."

He sighed. "Fine, but I still don't want you touching her."

"Okay... but can I suggest something for the rash on her neck?" I asked.

I pressed my lips tightly closed and waited, fearing the worst. His eyes narrowed, and for a second, I was sure he was going to yell at me, accuse me of lying, make some kind of fuss. His tongue flicked out to wet his lips as he parted them. He said nothing, and then his expression softened a bit. There was a pause of consideration.

"Fine. But if it hurts her, I swear I'll make this trip the worst two days of your life," he said.

"O-of course it won't hurt her," I said in an attempt to reassure him. It didn't do much, as he simply kept staring impatiently. "Um, I mean... you just need to find a red flower with long, thin petals. They're pretty small, but they should be all over the forest. You just take that and crush the petals with a few drops of water, and rub it on her rash. It should go away in a few hours."

Vanguard seemed skeptical, and I could tell he was carefully watching for any tells that I was lying. I was glad I wasn't, because I have always been a terrible liar.

"Okay," he said. "Yeah, I've seen that flower around. In fact, I'll go get one right now."

I simply nodded and broke eye contact. He trotted away, and I was left alone with my thoughts. I thought over the conversation. The stallion hadn't seemed so bad. He really cared about Mona, I could tell. And she loved him as well. It was beyond a professional relationship of hunter and trained animal; there was certainly something genuine about it.

As my thoughts wandered, I missed my friends more and more. Accompanied by nothing but the silent morning air, my loneliness grew, weighing on my heart. The hardest sting came when I thought of Rainbow Dash. We were supposed to spend the morning flying together. We were going to have a picnic on a cloud. Lunch with a view. I wouldn't have been looking at the landscape below, however. I still found myself lost in her eyes when we were alone together. Those deep red confident eyes. I closed my own eyes and imagined hers, saw them in my mind, convinced myself that they were right there in front of me. They flicked away from me above a phantom smile, rolled back and to the right like they always did when I flustered her by just staring. I could almost hear her saying "Aw, Fluttershy, you're so mushy."

Almost...

But not quite.

Tears leaked from between my eyelids and rolled down my face, and some of the salty fluid ran into my mouth. Tasting it brought me back to the present moment. I missed her, but I still had to stay strong for her. I swallowed my sadness and took a calming breath before rinsing my face. She wouldn't want me to be sad. She would want me to stay hopeful and trust her.

A smile found its way onto my face.

It wasn't long after that Vanguard returned with the flower. He asked me if he had the right one, and he did, so he crushed it there on the flatbed, using his hoof. Once it was ground into a pulp, he rubbed it onto Mona's neck. I could hear her purring as the flower soothed her, and then we talked while we waited for the other stallions to wake up.

The conversation eventually turned to Manny.

"You pulled a thorn from his paw? And that was enough to... befriend him?" he asked.

I nodded. "Mm-hmm! He's really sweet once you get to know him."

"Well, that's the closest I've ever been to a manticore, and I'm not exactly itching to be again."

"I know they can be scary, but deep down he's a real softie."

"I'll just take your word for it."

"Thank you, by the way. For, you know, telling me he wasn't... dead," I said, frowning at the very implication.

"We were just hired to capture you, not torment you. Machete is... well, I'll just say he has his quirks."

"Well, I know you didn't have to tell me, but you did even though he's your friend, and–"

"Whoa, stop right there. I just work with him. We are not friends," he said.

"Oh... okay."

He shook his head. "Anyway, they're about to wake up, and I don't want them seeing me being friendly with the prisoner, so I'm gonna head back out."

"Good luck with Mona," I said with a small smile and wave.

He turned away and mumbled something under his breath before walking off.

As predicted, the other stallions were soon awake, and I could hear them moving around in their tents. The first to emerge was Caballeron himself, his muzzle darkened by black stubble.

"Machete!" he yelled.

"Sir!" Machete shouted from inside his tent.

"The prisoner's awake! Get her her breakfast!"

"Sir!"

Machete burst from his tent, short green mane mildly unkempt, and he hurried over to a storage compartment on the side of the vehicle to retrieve more stale bread for me. My stomach felt so empty that when he hastily pushed the bread through the bars, I was actually grateful. It wasn't moldy, but it was hard and unpleasant. I didn't care much, however, as it was edible, and I needed to eat. I washed it down with plenty of water.

The group hastily ate cold beans directly from cans, and Vanguard soon showed up with more scouting information. The path ahead was clear. Courser hopped into the cab to start the Landstalker, but it was soon apparent that there was a problem.

"Not workin', boss," he said.

Caballeron growled. "Every morning! Stupid piece of junk! Oil Slick!" he yelled.

"Already on it," Oil Slick said. It was the first time I had heard him speak, but there was nothing particularly striking about his voice. He was probably just the silent type.

He grabbed a bag of tools from the storage compartment, then walked around the machine, checking it for problems. Opening hatches, crawling under it, and giving it some testing smacks with a wrench, he worked while we all waited. Caballeron seemed impatient, but restrained himself. It seemed Oil Slick's job was one only he could do, and Caballeron just had to deal with the wait. It wasn't long, however, before Oil Slick fixed the problem.

After the machine was working again, the day began to go just as the previous one had, with speedy bursts through areas Vanguard scouted, followed by careful and slow crawls while he searched ahead.

One particularly swampy bit was giving us some trouble, however. As the Landstalker drove through shallow water, smoke billowed up from under it, and it shut down. I was terrified, but nopony else seemed worried, merely annoyed, so I quickly calmed down. Oil Slick reached a hammer blindly under the water, and, with a metallic thud, the vehicle started right back up.

It only took a couple hours to get out of the Everfree, and then we could finally afford to travel fast. The wind whipped through my mane, and the cool air in the warm sun made for a fairly comfortable combination. Several hours of fast travel over flat plains and gentle grassy hills brought us to another forested area, but this one had much different trees than I was used to seeing. It didn't take long for me to realize we were nearing the Amarezon Rainforest. I had heard plenty about it, and had wanted to visit it some day, but hadn't ever had a chance to.

We skirted the edges for a bit before finding an entry road that was apparently familiar to them. They didn't even bother sending Vanguard ahead to scout, so they clearly felt confident travelling here. When I looked over at him, I noticed that Mona's rash had healed.

Listening to all the unfamiliar birds and seeing all the new life made me almost forget about my situation. I wanted to stop and explore, but we just kept rolling deeper into the lush forest. It was so fascinating, being surrounded by exotic creatures, but also disappointing that I couldn't meet them. I made a game of listening to birdcalls and trying to see how many different ones I could pick out, and got lost in their song. There were so many, I couldn't even keep track of them all, which I couldn't recall ever happening with bird songs before.

The sky eventually darkened, and below the canopy of leaves as we were, light was already quite dim. Caballeron decided to make camp early, since we still needed about a half a day to make it to Ahuizotl's hideout. Vanguard left to scout the immediate area, and the others built a fire and prepared to make dinner.

Not long after, there was a sudden cry off in the brush. I immediately knew it was Vanguard, and everypony immediately stood up, attentive. Distant and quiet at first, there was the swishing and cracking of bushes being charged through and branches breaking underhoof. The noise grew louder, and the tension thickened by the second. Machete had his blade in his mouth.

Vanguard stumbled into the clearing, and my first thought was relief that Mona was still clinging to his neck. There was still something large crashing through the bushes, and for a half of a second that felt far longer, he inhaled before speaking.

"Mapinguari!" he yelled.

Everypony immediately burst into action, and the fear on their faces was infectious. The name Vanguard had said sounded vaguely familiar to me, but I couldn't remember what it was or where I'd heard it.

The crashing of bushes grew louder, and I knew that, whatever it was, it was big. Very big.

"Courser! Get us out of here!" Caballeron yelled.

Courser leaped into the cab and the Landstalker rumbled to life. Some gear was left abandoned as everypony climbed onto the flatbed and held on.

"Go! Now!" Caballeron called, and with a violent jerk, we were off just as an enormous creature heaved its mass into the campsite behind us.

It was a huge slothlike animal, with thick reddish brown fur covering its large, muscular body. It sat back on its haunches, a short and thick furred tail trailing behind it, helping to prop it up as it sat back. Its forelegs each ended in three long, sharp claws. Its head, somewhat similar to a beaver's, bobbed up and down as it sniffed the air. Then it saw us. It growled, and the growl became a deep roar.

The mapinguari loped after us, reminding me of how Harry the bear runs. It was surprisingly fast, and kept up with us as we sped over bumpy terrain, the tracks doing their job quite well. It wasn't quite catching up, but it seemed our best hope was to wear it out.

"River!" Courser called from the front.

"Go through it!" Caballeron ordered.

I wanted to close my eyes. I wanted the big, scary, could-eat-a-pony-in-a-single-bite creature to disappear. I couldn't, though. Besides being frozen in fear, I also found myself fascinated by it. I wanted to understand it, show it love. But the thing about animals is, some of them just don't care about love, and no matter how much I wanted to hug a hydra or a bugbear or an ursa major, I knew it would be foolish and suicidal. I had no idea if this creature had a similar mindset.

The tracks splashed into the river, and we slowed down a bit, but had enough distance that we would be fine as long as–

The rumble of the engine became a sputter, and then went silent, and we stopped. White smoke rose up from underneath us. My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach as I watched what I was sure would be the end of all of us approach at a steady loping jog.

"Oil Slick!" Caballeron shouted shrilly.

Oil Slick, who had been frozen, suddenly sprang into action, hopping off and fumbling with the storage compartment door.

He was too slow. The mapinguari was splashing through the river, and already nearly upon us. Machete stood at the back, weapon ready. He had no chance of beating it in a fight, I knew. The creature growl-roared once more as it came closer. It stopped short and again sat up, likely as a threatening display, as its roar stretched on, clawed forelegs held out to make it appear bigger. Then it charged forward.

The mapinguari rammed the vehicle just as Machete swung his blade. He was knocked off balance, and struck the beast with a glancing blow, only shaving off a bit of its fur. Then he screamed as he tumbled forward, right toward its gaping maw. Large yellow rodent-like teeth threatened to bite deep into whatever part of the stallion fell between them. There was a blur of red as Vanguard charged into Machete from his side, knocking him instead into the river at the creature's feet. Vanguard himself fell into the knee-deep water too, and I couldn't see either of them as the mapinguari paused to look down. It reached its clawed arms down and picked up Vanguard. He struggled in its tight grip, but it was useless. It opened its mouth.

Time seemed to freeze, then, for me. This pony was about to die in front of me. A caring and loving owner of a sweet lizard who would surely miss him. Fear melted away as something snapped inside me, an automatic response to the horrible scene in front of me. My heart hammered, but it was ignored as this instinct to protect bubbled up inside me and came out as a single word.

"Hey!" I yelled.

The mapinguari, with a bestial smirk as it prepared to bite Vanguard, suddenly stopped. It blinked. It slowly turned its head to me, as if it couldn't believe it had just heard what I'd said.

"Yes, you!" I continued. "Put him down. Right. Now!"

The creature defied me by remaining still, which only fueled my burning rage.

"I said... put him down," I said, quiet but with a razor-sharp edge to my tone.

It continued staring at me, and I decided that enough was enough. I twisted my face into one of pure disapproval, as if beaming shame directly into the mapinguari. It was a technique my friends simply called The Stare. I had no way of knowing whether it would work, but I had to try.

The mapinguari met my stare with its own.

I leaned forward.

Small droplets of sweat formed on its forehead. Its grip on Vanguard loosened, and the pony fell into the water with a small splash. Its expression broke into a frown, and it turned to flee, unable to face me.

"And don't you dare come back!" I called after it.

Then my glare ceased. I was shaking. Panting. On the verge of crying. But then I saw Mona was there, in my cage with me, pressed up against me, and I immediately began to feel better.

Vanguard pulled a sputtering Machete up from the water, who had apparently been knocked unconscious and had nearly drowned. Caballeron and Oil Slick stood with their jaws slack at what they had just seen. The latter, standing in the water with a wrench in hoof, found the presence of mind to give the underside of the machine a smack, and it started back up.

"Let's get some more distance before it decides to come back," Caballeron said, eyes still wide. He shook his head. "Courser! Get us out of here!"

We crossed the river without incident, then spent an hour moving slowly through dark jungle while Vanguard led the way with a lantern. Luckily, not all of the supplies had been lost. Some food and a cooking pot were gone, as well as one tent. Nothing else had been unpacked, and careful preparation had left plenty to get by with. Vanguard scouted around the site as he had before, and the others quickly built a fire for warmth and light. I noticed they even built it a little closer to me, and I could feel some of its warmth if the breeze blew just right.

Nopony had really talked to me about what happened. Most of them seemed conflicted, and avoided eye contact with me. Machete gave me my dinner bread wordlessly, and when Vanguard returned, they all ate cooked carrots and turnips.

Because of the missing tent, Courser and Oil Slick slept together. I curled up into a ball and tried to ignore my hunger, eventually falling into a miserable sleep.

Again, I didn't dream.


Clink. Clink. Creeeaaak.

My eyes opened, mind still foggy. As I readjusted to reality, the sight before me challenged the notion that I was actually experiencing it. My cage door stood wide open, lit by very dim lamplight coming from a lantern held by... Vanguard.

"Wha...?" I asked blearily. I blinked. Blinked again. What I was seeing remained the same.

"Go," he said simply.

I didn't move.

"Go," he repeated, slightly more urgent. "Go, before somepony wakes up."

"Go?" I asked. The concept itself made sense, but I was really asking why. He didn't seem to catch onto that.

"Yes, hurry."

Slightly more present, I rephrased my question. "Why?"

"Do you really need to know why? Just get going! Fly up above the trees and go northwest."

Finally, my concerns took form, and I was able to say what I really meant. "Won't you get in trouble?"

He shook his head, not in answer, but in disbelief. "What? Why would you care if... look, just go, damn it! Don't be stupid."

I shifted and stood up quietly, then stepped forward to the cage door. Vanguard stepped aside to let me walk out. Instead, I grabbed the door and shut it, still inside.

"What are you doing?" he whispered frantically. He started to put the key in the lock again.

"No. They'd know that it was you, and they wouldn't go easy on you. I miss my friends and my marefriend, but I won't leave if it means hurting somepony else." I set my face into a determined scowl to show him that I was serious.

"I'll be fine. I'll be long gone by the time they wake up. Just get outta here."

"And what if you run into the mapinguari again? No. Why are you so set on freeing me, anyways?" I asked.

He stopped fiddling with the cage door and sighed. "You saved my life, and I owe it to you to save yours. It's just... how I was raised." There seemed to be more to the story, but I didn't want to press him.

"But losing your life in the process would kind of defeat the whole purpose, wouldn't it?" I asked rhetorically. He hung his head. "If you want to help me, find a way to get a message out to my friends. If they know where I am, then nothing will stop them from saving me."

"We can't exactly mail letters," he said.

"No, but... I think I have an idea. I noticed I haven't been dreaming while sleeping here, but I usually dream almost every night. If this cage is what's causing it..." I said. He nodded, expression brightening up.

"It is! It's so that you can't contact Princess Luna. I could tell her myself!" he said excitedly.

"You're sure you're okay with doing that? I mean, your friends–"

"I told you before," he said, cutting me off, "they are not my friends. My loyalty to Caballeron extends as far as he can pay me. You just paid me more than he ever could. Anyway, I'm tired of working for him. And Ahuizotl makes me... uneasy."

I nodded. "Thank you, Vanguard. Careful that you don't get caught."

He nodded in reply and smirked. "I think I'll get some more sleep now."

I smiled warmly then watched him as he crept back to his tent, visible as a floating dot of dim light that disappeared as he climbed inside.

Now, my friends would surely be on their way.