The timid yellow pegasus quietly called out, “Is anyone there? Hello?”
Suddenly, a screeching sound came from around a bend just ahead. Wincing with the noise, she peeked her head around some trees to see what the matter was.
On one side of the path was a brown snake, singing off-key very loudly. The sound was unpleasant to anyone’s hearing, including the snake.
On the other side of the path was a green snake, singing off-tempo even louder. The snake had to pause once in a while as his own head was aching from his efforts.
When the green snake had to stop, the brown snake re-doubled his efforts, causing the green snake to start up again.
Fluttershy trotted up and asked, “Excuse me?” The snakes did not stop. She asked, a little louder, “Um, excuse me. Could you stop for a moment?”
The snakes just began to yowl even louder at each other. The sound was causing the pressure to build up in Fluttershy’s head. The pain was unbearable. She could not take it anymore.
She bellowed powerfully, “SHUT UP!!!” The forest shook as if a massive earthquake had quickly come and gone. Her eyes opened wide as she gave The Stare to the two snakes.
The snakes immediately ceased their little war and gazed fearfully at the yellow pegasus. Her eyes went back to their normal appearance.
She smiled gently and stated, “That’s better. Now each of you take turns and tell me what’s wrong.” Before either could take the initiative, she pointed her hoof at the green snake and ordered, “You start.”
The green snake proudly declared, “I live here. I’m the best singer so I should be heard. This tone-deaf moron keeps drowning me out with his miserable excuse for singing. I will not be outdone!”
The brown snake hissed dangerously and replied, “I also live here! I won’t be bullied by any grass-colored excuse for a snake. I’ll show you who’s the better singer!”
Fluttershy asked, “Why don’t you two both sing together? That way, you could help each other out and be twice as good.”
The snakes glared at her as if she were crazy.
The brown snake acidly said, “Sing together? Why would I buckle under to that waste of scales? He started it and I am not gonna surrender!”
The green snake proudly declared, “That unskilled hack won’t ride on my talent to make himself sound passable! I’ll show him that I’m better than he is!”
The brown snake yelled, “No, I’m better than you!”
The green snake screamed, his eyes bulging out, “No, I’M BETTER THAN YOU!”
Fluttershy ducked her head and trotted off between the two snakes along the path.
She mumbled, “That’s okay…I’ll just leave you alone to settle things.”
She left the two snakes behind her, hearing them start up their dreadful songs again. She galloped away, feeling relief as the volume died away.
As she rounded a bend in the path, she could no longer hear the terrible wailing of the snake.
She sat upon the ground and caught her breath for a moment. She smiled and reveled in the silence.
Suddenly, there was the sound of drumbeats from above her head.
She moaned, “Oh no, not again! Please girls, I just want to find Angel and go home.”
The cloud descended and the Cutie Mark Crusaders began to rap again.
Scootaloo chanted, “Sound, sweet sound, is great to be-hold,
Sing it out loud, you…” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell shouted, “Must be bold!”
Apple Bloom stepped forward and rapped, “Takes no tal-ent to scream and screech,
“So our ‘Shy has no…” Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo shouted, “Right to preach!”
Sweetie Bell rhymed, “This situ-ation was just not fun-ny.
“Could-n’t teach snakes about…” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shouted, “Har-mo-ny!”
As the cloud floated away, the yellow pegasus called up, “Hey, you try getting those snakes to cooperate! They didn’t care the least bit about harmony.”
She sighed and then decided to keep walking. She reasoned that eventually, things have to get better.
The sound of rustling came from the forest in front of her. Quivering at the prospect of coming across a predator, she crept up to the end of the trail. The sight of a large stone cliff came into sight above the trees.
Fluttershy followed the sound of rustling up to the base of the cliff. The cliff ended the expanse of the forest entirely. The cliff itself had been split down the center by some past cataclysmic event. The crack was easily wide enough for a pony to walk through.
Suddenly, she saw Angel at the entrance to the crack. He raced into the crack in the cliff and sped through to the other side. The yellow pegasus ran up to the cliff to follow him.
Out of the corner of her eye, a huge bear leapt from the nearby shrubbery and landed in front of the cliff. He turned to face her and sat down decisively.
Fluttershy felt upset. Here she was, all about to catch up to her pet bunny and this mean bear intentionally blocks her way! How rude.
She felt the urge to fly and tried to flap her wings. Her dress kept her wings pinned to her body. She grunted in aggravation.
The yellow pegasus looked up at the bear and politely asked, “Pardon me, Mister Bear. I’d like to get through, please.”
The bear grunted and turned his head away from her in response.
She insisted, “It’s rude to block my way. Please just move for a moment and then you can go back to sitting there.”
The massive creature growled, “You know what’s really rude? Those two fancy mares!”
Fluttershy’s mind tickled her, signaling that something was important. She asked, “What about them? What did they do?”
The bear snarled, “Those insensitive ponies! They called me fat!!” The bear kept his fierce visage, but a tear rolled down his cheek.
The pegasus’s heart melted at the creature’s pain. She wondered about those high-born mares. There was a problem with them and a problem with the bear. How could she…
A crazy idea formed in her mind. She smiled with satisfaction.
Fluttershy offered, “Well, since you’re so big…and clearly not fat…you could reach up to grab the tea tray on top of the pole. Then you could offer the tea tray and the goodies on it in exchange for a full apology from each mare. That would teach them manners.”
The bear’s eyes shot up in recognition. He began to smile and stand up.
He said, “You know, that’s a great idea. I think I’ll do that.”
Fluttershy encouraged him, “And don’t you give them a crumb until both have apologized fully. You deserve it.”
The bear grinned and then grunted in agreement. He stomped off back along the path.
Proudly, Fluttershy pranced into the crack in the cliff, smiling and humming. She began to feel must better about herself, seeing that a lack of wings was not being crippled.
For no other reason than to be free and random, she began a little rap of her own.
The cloud with the Cutie Mark Crusaders descended from above. The beats were pulsating strongly from the cloud and Fluttershy followed the beat unconsciously.
The fillies rapped along with the yellow pegasus with smiles on their faces.
The green and brown snakes were on the cloud, swaying together to the beat and singing backup lyrics in perfect harmony.
Fluttershy and Scootaloo chanted, “Vic-to-ry, it’s a vic-to-ry,
Now she can leave the…” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell shouted, “Land of tree!”
Both snakes sang together in perfect synch, “That pegasus has got it going on!
“She never ends, she goes on and on!”
Fluttershy and Sweetie Bell stepped forward and rapped, “Walk-ing through the crack, not a-fraid,
“She’s hap-py as if…” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shouted, “She got paid!”
Both snakes sang together in perfect synch, “That pegasus has got it going on!
“She never ends, she goes on and on!”
Fluttershy and Apple Bloom rhymed, “Now to the cas-tle she must trot.
“And face the mas-ter…” Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell shouted, “Ready or not!”