//------------------------------// // Stare Master // Story: The Impact of Humans on Ponies // by the koopanater //------------------------------// It was another day in Ponyville and everything seemed great, but Xavier was not exactly relaxed. This was because of the new discovery of another human in Equestria yesterday in Cloudsdale. He decided to take her into his home and question her about what she knows and see what she knows, if anything, with the girls. At the moment, he was pacing around the living room, a large amount of questions and thoughts going through his head. He only stopped when a knock at the door caught his attention. When he answered it, he saw that it was Twilight and Applejack. "Oh, Twilight, Applejack." Xavier said surprised. "What are you doing here?" "We came to check up on you and your guest." Twilight answered on her and Applejack's behalf. "How is she?" "Erm, come on in." Xavier invited them in to talk. The girls got comfortable on the couch while Xavier pulled up a chair for him. "Well, I check her for a bit, and she isn't unconscious, just asleep. There aren't any other injuries on her too, so she is just a mystery on how she got here. I wish I knew who she is, or how she got here..." "Well, I guess we'll find out sooner or later, right?" Applejack reassured, getting a smile out of Xaiver. It was at that moment that they heard a large thump and when they turned around, they saw the girl on the floor. Meanwhile In the bed of Xavier, the mysterious girl was laying in it asleep, but she soon began to stir. As she was waking up, she felt something was off. "Hmm? This doesn't feel like the cloud..." When she finally opened her eyes, she realized that she wasn't on a cloud, but a bed in a room. "Eh? Where am I?! She thought as she jumped out of the bed in shock. Looking around, she saw a work bench with a bunch of parts and tools, a small pet bed, and a rack for storage. After a bit more looking, she spotted the branch that was on her back when she woke up and felt a bit of relief as she went over to it. "Oh thank the skies, it's safe and in one piece." She thought as she strapped it back onto her back. Deciding to not waste time, she went over to the door and left the room, only to stop quickly when she heard voices and hid behind the door. When she looked out, she saw two heads from the couch and Xavier talking, and when she listened closer, she realized that they were talking about her. As she was listening, she felt something tug onto her skirt, scaring her enough to freeze. Slowly turning around, she saw a white fox pulling her, and when the fox realized that she was looking at her, it backed up and yipped at her, causing her to jump back and fall, getting the attention of the others. Present Time "Rune! What are you doing?!" Xavier said as he called her over, to which she came over happily. "I-I'm so sorry, Rune here is learning discipline, though she is quite bad at it. Are you okay?" The girl was shaking quite a bit, though the cause was a bit unknown. Whether it was the scare that Rune gave her, or that she was in a new place, or the multicolored horses that she just heard talking, one of which had a horn, either way she was very afraid. "Erm, hey Twilight, do you think that you can make some tea, and maybe I can calm her down enough to talk to her." Twilight nodded and went to the kitchen while Applejack went over to the couch to give Xavier time to usure the girl over to the couch. After a bit, the girl managed to go over to the chair, though she was still shaking. Twilight made the tea and set it onto the coffee table and poured some into teacups, one of which Xavier passed to the girl, who hesitantly took it. Once the mood settled a bit, Xavier started. "Well now that we are all settled, I'll introduce us." He spoke in a calm voice as to not cause alarm to her. "My name is Xavier, and these are my friends, Twilight and Applejack." He motioned to them, to which they both nodded in response. "What's your name?" "J-Jasmine..." The girl said in a soft voice. She then looked around a bit before speaking again. "W-where am I?" "Well, you're in my house in Ponyville. And before you say anything, I know Ponyville isn't a place that's on earth, that's because we aren't on earth, we're in Equestria, where ponies like Twilight and Applejack are the dominant species, and until now, I was the only human." This explanation left Jasmine in a bit of shock since she just learned that she was one of the only humans here in this world, the other one was in the same room as her. "But don't worry, I can say for sure that the ponies here are very friendly, right girls?" The two nodded in response. Jasmine didn't react, so Xavier decided to change the subject for a while. "So, when we found you, you were on a cloud sleeping, how did you do that?" Jasmine looked at him confused for a bit. "Well, you see, only pegasi can stand on clouds without something to keep them there, so how did you do it?" "W-well, I made that cloud..." The entire room went silent, and it was for a while until Twilight yelled out. "YOU WHAT?!" This not only caused Jasmine to jump in surprise, but also Applejack and Xavier due to how loud it was. "HOW!?" "W-well, I think it's this staff..." Jasmine began, pointing at the branch that was still on her back. "I-I don't know h-how, but when I have it, I can do things like make clouds and, this." To elaborate, Jasmine put her hands close and focused, and in them a small tornado was made, not large enough to cause any harm but enough to make a point. The others were amazed at the display as Twilight got up and trotted over to her. "This is incredible! Where did you find this?" "I-it was with me when I woke up..." This got Xavier's attention. "When I woke up, I didn't know where this staff came from or why it was next to me, but I took it, I guess. When I saw that there were towns, I kind of hid away in the clouds, only coming down for things like food. I never stole though, just a few fruits on trees. I wanted to get close, but I was scared. I decided to take a nap and, well, you can guess where that led..." "So you don't have any memories of how you got here either?" Xavier asked. "N-No..." jasmine said, earning a sigh from Xavier. "Well, I guess answers will come later, but for now you don't have to worry about anything. Equestria is more than safe, and the residents are very accepting, just give them time." Xavier paused for a bit and thought. "In fact, if you want to, you could live here in my home." This surprised the group, Jasmine especially. "R-really, you'd allow me to live here?" "I mean, yeah. You'd probably feel safer if you had somewhere to stay without worry about if you would get food or have a warm place to sleep, so I would allow it. Besides, this house is huge, you can have a room all to yourself if you want." As Xavier was talking, Jasmine had a sparkle in her eyes. "So would you like to?" "Y-yeah, if it really means no trouble..." Xavier smiled, knowing that Jasmine may find this place great and peaceful. "Well, now that that's settled, I gotta go." Applejack said as she got up. "I still got some chores on the farm to do, so I'll leave you to get settled." Applejack then left to go back to her home, wishing Jasmine luck in settling in. "I need to go as well; I was planning to pick up some of my favorite tea from Zecora's place." Twilight said as she headed to the door. "Well, be careful, you know the path isn't the safest, so stay safe." Xavier said as he waved Twilight goodbye. With Twilight and Applejack gone, it left the humans alone. "Hey Jasmine, since you're new here, how about a tour around town so you don't end up lost?" Jasmine simply nodded in response. Xavier went and grabbed his gear and, alongside Jasmine, left his home. As Xavier was showing Jasmine around town, many ponies in town were stopped and stared at them, but mostly at the new girl. "Is that-" "Another human?" "But isn't Xavier the only human here?" "Apparently not anymore..." "Where did they come from?" As the town was looking at them, Xavier was worried that Jasmine would feel quite uncomfortable or even scared, but when he turned to her, he was surprised to see that she wasn't bothered by them. In fact, she looked quite distant as she looked up at the sky vacantly. "Um, Jasmine?" She didn't respond, or even react. "Jasmine?" He nudged her shoulder to see if she was okay and was met with a surprised yelp from Jasmine as she turned to him. "Oh, sorry about that, I just wanted to see if you were okay, you weren't responding." "Oh, I-I'm sorry... I get... distracted easily..." Jasmine admitted, looking quite ashamed. "Hey, no need to feel ashamed about that, I was just worried is all." As the two were walking, Xavier saw that they were right in front of Sugar Cube Corner. "Oh, here's one of our stops, Sugar Cube Corner." Jasmine looked at it in awe. "It's like a giant gingerbread house." Jasmine said with wonder in her voice. "It really is, and it's where one of my friends' lives." Xavier then led her inside in hopes of introducing her to Pinkie. "Now I must warn you, my friend here is Pinie Pie, and she is... unpredictable. It would be in your best interest to not question what she's doing and just roll with-" Just as he was about to finish his warning, a large crash could be heard from the kitchen. Wasting no time, Xavier ran in to see if anyone was hurt, and upon entering he saw that Pinkie was on the floor with a mess of batter. "Pinkie?! Are you okay?!" "Yeah, I'm okay. I just tripped on my pet alligator when I was about to put the batter into the cupcake holders." To prove the point, a small alligator walked out from behind her. "You know, normally I would question you about having a gator as a pet, but I've given up on questioning you..." As this interaction was going on, Jasmine peeked her head around to see what was going on, and Pinkie noticed her. With one loud gasp, she bolted out of the kitchen and got right into her face. "Ohmygoshit'sthehumanthatwefoundincloudsdalehowareyouwhoareyouandwheredidyoucomefromohwaitweshouldhaveapartytocelebrateandthen-" She was cut short when Xavier grabbed her and pulled her back, leaving Jasmine very confused. "Pinkie, I know it's hard for you to keep you calm whenever you meet someone new, but maybe slow down a bit. She's new so I don't want to panic her. So if you could please not get into her face like that and speak clearly I would appreciate it." Xavier explained, earning a salute from Pinkie as she walked over to Jasmine. "Hello there, I'm Pinkie Pie, what's your name?" "J-Jasmine..." She replied, still processing what happened. "I can't believe that you are here! Where did you come from? Oh! we need to plan a party for you!" Pinkie began as she hopped in place. Jasmine simply stood there in confusion. Xavier was about to talk but before he could, he smelled something. "Um, Pinkie? What's that smell?" Sniffing the air, Pinkie realized something. "Ah, the cupcakes!" Pinkie then rushed right back into the kitchen, leaving Jasmine and Xavier. "I think we should leave for now, come on." Xavier said as they duo left the bakery. "She's your friend?" Jasmine asked hesitantly, still processing what happened. "Yeah, she is. I know she is very energetic, but trust me when I say she'll do anything to make you happy." Xavier explained with a shrug. They continued to walk to their next destination when Xavier noticed something hanging in a cloud. "Huh, isn't that?" Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was the tail of a certain friend of his. "It is, Hey Dash, down here!" With a bit of a shake, the head of Rainbow popped out from the cloud. "Huh, oh hey Xavier, hey other human." Rainbow greeted. After a moment of processing, Rainbow jumped up in surprise. "Other human?!" The jump made Rainbow lose her balance and fall of the cloud, causing her to fall onto the ground. "Uh, Rainbow? Are you okay?" Xavier asked. Rainbow responded by flying up close to them. "When did another human get here?!" "Well, she seems to have come a few days ago, but I only discovered her yesterday when you went to hang out with the Wonderbolts." Xavier explained. With the explanation, Rainbow began examining Jasmine by flying around her, making Jasmine quite uncomfortable. "Erm, Rainbow, meet Jasmine. Jasmine, meet my good friend Rainbow Dash, a very good flier and loyal to the end." "Hey, you forgot about being the most awesome pony in Equestria." Rainbow said backing off and giving Xavier a light punch to the shoulder. "Right, forgot about that. But anyway, Jasmine here is going to be staying with me, so you can get to know her more." "Cool, it's nice to meet you, Jasmine." Rainbow said flying upwards. "Sorry I can't chat more, but the weather team needs me soon, so I'll see you later." Rainbow then flew off, leaving the two humans alone again. "S-she seems... interesting." Jasmine said unsure. "Yeah, she is pretty interesting. Anyway, come on. We have more places to be." The duo began walking once again. "Next I think we'll visit Rarity. She's a fashionista and a designer, but she is also very generous, so I'm sure that we can get her to make you some new cloths." Once they got to Carousel Boutique, they noticed a piece of paper on the door. Xavier read it out loud. Due to some recent events, I won't be available for some time. Sorry for any inconvenience "Well that stinks." Xavier sighed. "I guess you won't meet her today." Xavier thought for a bit before looking back at Jasmine. "I think we should head over to my last friend's place." Walking away, Xavier led Jasmine over to Fluttershy's cottage. "My final friend here to take note of is Fluttershy. She's very kind, so don't worry about her not accepting you. She's a bit shy though, so it may take some time for her to get comfortable with you. Don't worry though, she'll accept you in time, she did for me." The duo continued to walk to Fluttershy's and after a while they made it to her cottage. "And here we are, Fluttershy's cottage." "Wow, it looks like it came out of a storybook." Jasmine admired, forgetting about her previous edge about the forest. "Yeah, I guess it is. I haven't been around here much, so I never noticed it." Xavier admitted with a blush. After admiring the small home for a bit, they walked up to the door. When they were close though, they heard something going on inside when Xavier knocked on the door. While they waited, a large impact could be heard, worrying the two. Fortunately, Fluttershy did manage to answer. "Oh, hello Xavier. What brings you here?" Fluttershy asked though a cracked door. "Well, I wanted to introduce you to the other human we found in Cloudsdale the other day, but you seem busy." Xavier explained. "What is going on in there anyway?" "Well..." Fluttershy opened the door, revealing that none other than the Cutie Mark Crusaders were running around Fluttershy's cottage, making quite the mess and noise. Seeing them, Xavier ran in to see what was going on. "Girls? Girls!?" The three stopped and looked over at Xavier. When they saw him, they smiled and went over to him. "Xavier!" The three cheered at once as they happily jumped onto him. "Woah, hey girls." Xavier greeted, happy to see them. "What are you doing here?" "The three are here for a sleepover. It was originally supposed to be at Rarity's, but something happened that made it impossible to watch the girls and finish a project by tomorrow. Since I was there, I offered to take them." Fluttershy explained. "Huh, I guess that would explain why Rarity closed her shop when I went to introduce Jasmine." Once Xavier explained all eyes were on her. Fluttershy had a healthy amount of curiosity since she saw her yesterday, but the crusaders were very confused. "Is that another human like you Mr. Xavier?" Applebloom asked. "Yep, she's another human. Everypony, meet Jasmine. Jasmine, meet some of my friends. The adult pegasus is Fluttershy, and the fillies are known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo." Xavier said introducing all parties. Jasmine simply waved at them. "It's nice to meet you, Jasmine." Fluttershy said. "Yeah, it's nice to meet you." Scootaloo added, getting the other two to nod. "Now that introductions are out of the way, I need to talk to Fluttershy for a bit, so stay out of trouble for a bit." Xavier said. "I-I'll watch them if you need me too." Jasmine offered. "That would be great Jasmine, thank you." With Xavier's approval, Jasmine went to watch the three. "Now that we can talk, are you sure that you can handle those three Fluttershy?" "Why wouldn't I? I can take care of animals well, what's the difference with children?" "Well, for one, the girls can be quite troublesome, even more so than other children." "Well I'm sure that I can take care of them. Besides, those little angels couldn't do anything bad." Knowing he was defeated, Xavier sighed. "Alright, I guess I can't change your mind on this, so I'll help out if that's okay with you." Fluttershy didn't have any objections, so she allowed him to. When they turned to see the kids and Jasmine, they were surprised to see Jasmine looking quite dizzy as she sat on the floor. "Jasmine, you okay?" "T-those g-girls are f-fast. Too fast." Jasmine answered wearily as she tried to regain her senses. Meanwhile, the CMC were back to exploring the cottage. "So girls, what do you want to do to get our cutie marks?" Applebloom asked. "Oh, how about we go explore the Everfree Forest?" Scootaloo suggested as she pointed to the forest from the window, getting approval from the other two as they went to the door, only to be stopped by Xavier and Fluttershy. "Oh no! The Everfree forest is much too dangerous." Fluttershy said. "I will have to agree on this one girls, not there. You only go there if you have business in there." Xavier added, much to the disappointment of them and the confusion of Jasmine. "Huh, why's that?" Jasmine asked. "Because that forest is very dangerous. It acts very different from the rest of Equestria and is home to many dangerous creatures like manticores." Xavier explained, scaring Jasmine at the mention of Manticores. "M-manticores!? But I thought they were only in mythology!" "Well maybe back on earth, but here they are more than real, many other creatures as well. Trust me, you never go in unless you have business inside of it." Xavier warned to both Jasmine and the CMC, mostly Jasmine. "But we do have business, we can get our cutie marks there." Scootaloo said. "Well I doubt that you'll earn them in there, so sorry girls." The three whined a bit, but Jasmine was pretty confused. "Umm, what is a cutie mark?" "You see the butterflies on Fluttershy's flank?" Xavier asked, and Jasmine nodded in response. "That's a cutie mark. Around here, a cutie mark represents a pony's talent. Fluttershy's means that she's good with animals." Xavier explained, putting the lesson Twilight gave him to good use. "But a cutie mark only appears when he or she discovers their special talent." "Um, okay...? How do they appear like that?" Xavier hesitated since he didn't know the answer. "Erm, I really don't know. Let's just chalk it up as magic, alright?" Xavier finally responded. Jasmine was about to ask more, but Sweetie belle interjected. "Hey, why don't you and Fluttershy come in with us, Mr. Xavier. We could be, umm... creature catchers!" "YEAH, CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, CREATURE CATCHERS!!!" The three yelled, making Fluttershy flinch, Xavier to be surprised at how loud they could be and startle Jasmine. Before Xavier could say anything though, Applebloom and Scootaloo went and grabbed a carpet, putting it over themselves, making the illusion of a dangerous creature. "Arrrr! I am a dangerous creature from the Everfree Forest! Rrrarr!" Scootaloo roared, prompting Sweetie Belle to respond. "Halt, dangerous creature of the Everfree Forest. I am Sweetie Belle, the creature catcher, and I'm here to catch you!" "You can never catch me! I am far too powerful and dangerous!" "You cannot run from me!" This prompted a chase to ensue around the cottage. As they were running around, they were on the verge of creating a mess, whether it be from ramming into something with the size of the "creature" or from Sweetie Belle jumping around. The three finally did when Sweetie Belle jumped onto the others, sending the trio into a table, breaking it. "Oh no, are you okay girls?" Xavier asked as he rushed over. The three were fine, but they had guilty faces on them. "Sorry, Fluttershy." Sweetie Belle began. "Yeah, sorry." Scootaloo added. "I guess we aren't creature catchers." Applebloom ended. Fluttershy being the kind pony she was, wasn't mad. "Oh, girls, it's okay. I-" "I know! We could be Cutie Mark Crusader carpenters!" Applebloom interrupted. The three went to get tools, but Xavier stopped them. "Um, sorry girls, but I don't think you can do that yet." "Aw, why not?!" The three said in unison, though Xavier didn't change his opinion. "Because you three are still young, so I don't want you three to handle broken wood or sharp and/or heavy objects. I'll take care of it." "You can rebuild that?" Jasmine asked, not exactly believing he could. "Well it's a lot less complicated than most machinery and electronics, so I think I can manage. In the meantime, do you and Fluttershy think you can distract the girls for a while?" "I think we can." Fluttershy answered, with Jasmine nodding. With that, Xavier went to get some tools from his house while the two girls went to distract the kids. "Alright girls, how about we play a game?" "A game?" Applebloom asked as she and her fellow crusaders sat on a couch, pretty disappointed that Xavier trust them to rebuild the table. "It's called, 'Shhh!'" Fluttershy said "What's that?" Scootaloo asked. "Well, it's a game about who can be quiet the longest. Sound fun?" Fluttershy explained, leaving the girls less than impressed. "I'm the world champ, you know. I bet you can't beat me!" Fluttershy took in a deep breath after a big smile. It was quiet for a bit before the girls got bored. "I lose!" Scootaloo immediately shouted out. "Me too!" Sweetie Belle added. "Me three!" Apple Bloom finished. As each filly said they lost, they rushed off the couch and began to jump around again, leaving Fluttershy to sigh at this. "Okay, now what can we do?" Apple Bloom asked her friends. "Oooh! How about Cutie Mark Crusader coal miners?" "YEAH!" "NO!" Fluttershy announced. "Awww!" The three sighed, sad they wouldn't be able to try that out. "I mean, it's time for bed, don't you think?" Fluttershy said, trying to get the girls to stay calm and encourage them to do something less dangerous or overbearing. "Aren't you excited to get all toasty and warm in your snuggly-wuggly widdle beds?" "Snuggly-wuggly? But we have more crusading to do!" Apple Bloom replied. "We've got plans!" Scootaloo added. "And capes!" Sweetie Belle replied, showing some capes that were in her saddlebag, the capes having a golden glow. "Well, maybe you can pick it up tomorrow?" Jasmine said, backing Fluttershy up. "It's getting late, and sleep is important for kids like you." As much as the crusaders wanted to argue, they knew that they were beat and headed up to bed. Once they were in bed, they tried again. "How are we gonna find our special talent in our sleep?" Apple Bloom asked. "Maybe you'll have a lovely little dream about getting your Cutie-Marks?" Fluttershy replied as she blew out some candles and Jasmine tucked them in. "But we're not even tired!" Scootaloo complained. "W-well, maybe if I sing you a lullaby?" Jasmine asked. The three gave their approval as Jasmine began to sing. Hush now, quiet now It's time to lay your sleepy head Hush now, quiet now It's time to go to bed Jasmine sung with a voice like silk. Her voice was clear and melodic alongside a soft tone. As she sung, the crusaders were beginning to get lulled to sleep and Fluttershy listened in quiet awe. As Jasmine finished the first verse, she spoke up. "Wow Jasmine, that was beautiful." Jasmine froze up a bit. "I-It was?" "Yes, it was amazing." Fluttershy said with a warm smile. Jasmine simply blushed in response. As the three crusaders were about to fall asleep, Sweetie Belle's eyes shot opened. "I know this one!" She said excitedly. "Really? Well, maybe you can sing it as well." Jasmine encouraged. When she did, she noticed that Applebloom and Scootaloo covered their ears as Sweetie Belle cleared her throat. Jasmine was about to ask why when- Hush now! Quiet now! It's time to lay your sleepy head! Said hush now! Quiet now! It's time to go to bed! Sweetie Belle began to sing very loud, albeit it was very good. Jasmine and Fluttershy were startled by the outburst as the room itself began to shake. She didn't let up though. Driftin' off to sleep! Exciting day behind you! Driftin' off to sleep! Let the joy of dream land find you! As she sung, things began to fall off of shelves and tables in the room. Jasmine and Fluttershy tried to calm her down, but to no avail. Hush now! Quiet now! Lay your sleepy head! Said hush now! Quiet now! It's time to go to bed! OOWWWWWW With the loud exclamation at the end, things calmed down, but only because another noise could be heard by the crusaders outside. As Jasmine and Fluttershy were putting the things that fell back onto their respective places, they noticed that the girls were gone and the window open. When they looked out of it, they saw that the crusaders were outside and that Fluttershy's chickens were running loose in the pen. "Fluttershy, your chickens are on the loose!" Applebloom said. "I wonder what could have caused that..." Sweetie Belle thought out loud, earning deadpan expressions from the other crusaders. "Don't worry, Fluttershy, the Cutie Mark Crusaders will handle this!" Scootaloo exclaimed, prompting the three to yell out, "Cutie Mark Crusader chicken herders! Yay!", as the three began to chase the chickens. By the time that Jasmine and Fluttershy made it down, there was more chaos than before with the crusaders chasing the chickens, making them scatter more and more. Before Fluttershy could say anything, Jasmine reacted faster. She created a small tornado once again, but this time she held it and ran into the center of the pen. Once in the center, Jasmine took the tornado and slammed it onto the ground, sending a gust of wind outwards from her position. This wind wasn't too strong, only enough to blow around hair, but it was enough to get the attention of everyone in the pen. Once everyone was looking at Jasmine, Fluttershy approached. "What was that Jasmine?" "M-magic, I-I think." Jasmine responded. "I-I can tell you more about it later, but I just acted on instinct. I just wanted to calm everyone down." "Well, thank you Jasmine. I'll take care of the chickens; can you get the girls." Fluttershy asked. Nodding in response, Jasmine went to get the girls while Fluttershy went to get the chickens back into the coop. "Okay girls, I think it's time to head to bed this time." Jasmine said to the crusaders. "But-" "I don't think buts are going to persuade me or Fluttershy. Besides, it's late now, so please?" The crusaders once again knew they were beat, so they conceded. Unbeknownst to them, Fluttershy was using a special technique that would come in use later. "So, no more crusading for tonight, all right?" Once back inside, the crusaders were put back into bed with Fluttershy and Jasmine looking over them. "Yes, Fluttershy!" Scootaloo said closing her eyes. "We promise, Fluttershy!" Sweetie Belle continued, closing her eyes as well. "Good night, Fluttershy!" Applebloom finished, closing her eyes. "Okay, good night." Fluttershy said as her and Jasmine left the room. Once they made it down, Fluttershy went to her couch and Jasmine went to a chair. Once they got comfortable, Fluttershy started to talk to herself. "It really wasn't that hard ... I mean, all I needed to do was just show them who's in charge. Nothing's gonna get past Fluttershy! Good with animals, good with kids." "They are pretty energetic though. I'm just happy they are in bed now." Jasmine said tiredly. As things were quiet, the cottage door opened, revealing Xavier at the door with his toolbox. "Hey girls, I'm back. What did I miss?" He asked as he put his toolbox next to the broken table. "Nothing much, the crusaders are in bed, and we were about to rest." Fluttershy replied. "Really? Hmm..." Xavier began to think for a bit. "Something doesn't feel right." After a quick decision, he told the girls. "Well, I'm going to check on them, be right back." Xavier then went upstairs to see them. Fluttershy took this as an opportunity to ask Jasmine about her power. "Hey Jasmine, how do you have magic?" Caught off guard, Jasmine decided to explain. "Well, I think it's this staff that gives me it. Whenever I have it, I am able to make those small tornados and clouds, alongside stand on those clouds. I don't know why I have it, but it seems important." Before Fluttershy or Jasmine could continue their conversation, Xavier ran down the stairs frantically. "They're not their!" He said. "What?!" "When I went up to see them, they weren't in the bed. I looked around for a bit, but they weren't anywhere. Then I saw that the window was open." Hearing that, the three went outside to try and find them. While looking around, Xaveir saw something. "Hey girls, I think I found something!" Coming over, the girls saw that there were footprints of a chicken leading out of the coop. When Fluttershy looked inside, she noticed something. "Elizabeak! She's missing!" She said worried. Realizing something, Xavier followed the tracks to the fence that surrounds Fluttershy's property. When he made it, he saw that a bit of the crusader's cape ripped off and ended up on the fence. "I found a piece of cloth girls!" When Jasmine saw it, she knew what it was. "That's the cloth that the crusader's capes were made out of!" When she said that, they all drew the same conclusion. "They must have gone into the Everfree forest to find the missing chicken." Xavier said to confirm their thoughts. "We have to go after them." "What?! B-But you said that place was dangerous!" Jasmine said fearfully "Yes, but the kids are in there. If they stay there, they are in grave danger. Don't worry though," Xavier pulled out and extended his sword. "I can protect you." Seeing as leaving the crusaders in the forest could lead to disaster, Fluttershy and Jasmine swallowed their fear and followed Xavier into the forest. As the three entered the forest, the three's reactions were very different. Fluttershy was predictably afraid, Xavier wasn't afraid due to having previous experience in the forest, but Jasmine a mix between them, knowing that getting the girls out was priority one, but she was still afraid. "Girls?! Come on out!" Xavier called out. "You know you can't be in here." A quiet wind blew around them, causing Fluttershy to whimper loud enough for the others to hear. "Fluttershy, there is no need to be afraid. We'll get the girls and get out before anything bad happens." "I-I know..." Fluttershy whimpered. "It's still worrying to me and-" A crack could be heard. When Xavier looked, he saw that Jasmine just stepped onto a dry twig. Unfortunately, Fluttershy didn't know that and instantly went on edge. "Ahh! What was that?" She said fearfully as she backed up. She only stopped when she bumped into a tree. This made Fluttershy even more afraid as she bolted. "Wait, Fluttershy! It was just a tree!" Xavier yelled out to her as he and Jasmine followed her. After a bit of running, they managed to catch up to Fluttershy, but she wasn't alone as there was another figure with her and she was talking to them. Getting closer, Xavier knew who it was. "Twilight? What are you doing here? I thought you would have-" He was cut off by a short yelp from Jasmine. When he was about to ask why, the moonlight began to shine brighter, revealing that Twilight was a stone statue. "What the-" "W-W-What happened to her?!" Jasmine asked panicked as Xavier looked in worry and confusion. Fluttershy however knew what it was. "We need to find the girls!" She exclaimed as she ran off. Seeing her panic and worry, the humans followed along. As they were running, they heard some talking nearby, so they followed it and found the crusaders. "Girls!" "Fluttershy? Xavier? Jasmine?" Applebloom asked. "Oh thank the skies we found you." Jasmine said relieved. "I think we can get out of here now, right?" "But we haven't found the chicken yet." Sweetie Belle said. "There's no time for that. There's a cockatrice on the loose!" Fluttershy said panicked. When Fluttershy finished, Jasmine and Xavier were fearful. "A cockatrice! Oh yeah we need to leave now!" Xavier yelled out. The crusaders were more confused then scared. "A cocka-what now?" Applebloom asked. "It's a terrifying creature with the head of a chicken and the body of a snake. Now, come on, I don't want to be here anymore!" Jasmine whined. The crusaders weren't convinced however and continued forward. "The head of a chicken and the body of a snake? That doesn't sound scary, that sounds silly!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "Why, if I ever saw one of them cockathingies face-to-face, I'd laugh at how silly it was." Applebloom dared. Fluttershy got in their way before they could get farther. "No! Never look one in the eye!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "If you look a cockatrice in the eye-" At that moment, the lost chicken ran behind her. "The chicken!" Applebloom said, getting the crusaders to chase after it. This prompted Jasmine and Xavier to run after them. "Wait, no, girls!" Xavier said as he and Jasmine ran after them. When they caught up to them, they saw the crusaders looking at two chicken heads in the bushes, though one seemed off to the crusaders, though they still went to grab them both. It didn't to Xavier and Jasmine as they knew exactly what it was, but they were too late to warn them as the head sunk back into the bushes. After a brief moment, the 'chicken' rose out, though it was followed by a long, scaly body. It had wings like a dragon and talons like an eagle. This was the cockatrice, and it soon set its sights on the scared and helpless chicken. It slithered over to it and looked it in the eyes, and in only a moment the chicken was encased in stone, leaving it to fall over. The crusaders and the humans looked at this display, and when the cockatrice looked over to them, they ran away fast. As they were running, Fluttershy was going to meet up with them, and as she came into sight, Xavier grabbed her and ran with her. After a bit of running, they all collided with something. When they all looked, they saw that they collided with the statue of Twilight. Once the crusaders looked at it, they screamed in fear. Xavier was about to try and calm them down, but he soon heard the roar of the cockatrice closing in. In that moment, his instincts kicked in and began to prepare to do what he does when somepony is threatened. "GIRLS!" The crusaders stopped their screaming. "Behind Fluttershy, NOW!" The trio complied quickly and did just that. As they did that, the cockatrice came into view, and Xavier pulled out his sword to defend himself. The cockatrice wasted no time and lunged at him, but Xavier was ready this time thanks to training sessions with Rainbow. He dodged to the left, swinging the blunt edge of the sword up into the chest of the beast. His intention wasn't to kill it, but to hopefully chase it off or to have it take too much and faint, so the hit was enough to cause bruising in many. The cockatrice was stunned at this and held back for a second to recover, but Xavier wasted no time and ran at it, preforming a slide right at its feet. As he hit, the cockatrice was sent right onto its face. Xavier went in for another blow, but the cockatrice was ready as it used its tail to grab Xavier's neck. Xavier didn't see it coming and was grabbed, sending him down onto the ground. As Xavier was struggling to get it off, the beast reared its head to turn him to stone until... "Just who do you think you are, going around turning others into stone?" Xavier looked and saw that Fluttershy was right in the face of the cockatrice, looking it directly in the eyes, the beast having a face of slight fear in it. It didn't let that stop it as it began to use its powers, slowly turning her to stone. "You should be ashamed of yourself. I have a mind to find your mother and tell her what you've been up to, young man. Now you go over there and turn Elizabeak and my friend Twilight back to normal, and don't ever let me catch you doing this again. Do you understand me?" As Fluttershy was scolding the beast, it became more and more afraid until it couldn't keep it up and the stone that Fluttershy was being encased in shattered and the grip around Xavier was released, allowing him to sit up. Once he did, the cockatrice ran off. "Are you okay, Xavier?" Fluttershy asked. "Yeah, but that thing has quite the grip." As he was recovering, he saw that Jasmine had this look in her eyes. Not one of fear, not one of relief, but one of amazement. As he was wondering, Jasmine ran over surprisingly fast, startling the two. "OMG, DID THAT JUST HAPPEN!?" Jasmine said in excited glee. "You two were incredible! You both didn't hesitate and went right up to that thing with no fear! You guys are amazing!" As Jasmine was gushing over them, the crusaders walked over. "Yeah, you two are awesome!" Scootaloo said, backing up Jasmine. "Xavier, you are like a knight with those skills." Applebloom said. "And Fluttershy, you're like the queen of stares." Sweetie Belle said. "You're the..." "Stare master." The three crusaders said together. "We’re sorry we snuck out of the house and into the forest.” Sweetie apologized. “Yeah, we should’ve listened to you.” Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. “We promise that we won’t disobey you for now on.” Scootaloo assured with a soft smile. “Oh, you do, do you? Well, you better, or I’ll give you… the stare.” After a moment, the six of them found the situation funny and couldn't help but laugh. As they were laughing, Twilight, who was just reawaken, walked over confused. "W-what happened?" The Next Morning After the events in Everfree, the group got out of the forest and decided to settle down for the night. Once they awoke, the group were outside, the crusaders playing and the others talking about the events. "...And that's when it brought you back from stone." Fluttershy ended. “This is gonna make quite a letter to the princess.” Twilight said, smiling happily after she was done writing her letter. “I’m glad things turned out well, and I can’t wait for her to know about you Jasmine." "I just she accepts me here to Equestria." She admitted. "Don't worry, Jasmine, she will. I mean, she accepted me." Xavier comforted. "Yeah, but you're so cool and heroic, so she just had to." Jasmine complimented; leaving Xavier flustered. “Yeah, but it was partly my fault, I suppose.” Fluttershy said sadly. “I assumed I’d be just as good with kids as I am with animals and boy was I wrong! I really learned the hard way about biting off more than I can chew.” “You and Rarity both.” Twilight agreed. "And speak of the devil." Xavier said as he saw the unicorn in question walking over. "Hey Rarity." "Good morning, darlings. I hope I'm not too late." Rarity said. "No, you're good." Xavier said. "Did you finish all those capes?" Fluttershy asked. "Yes, it was difficult, but I did." Rarity said. "That's great." Xavier said. "Oh, right. Rarity, I want you to meet Jasmine. Jasmine, this is Rarity." "Hello there." Jasmine waved. "Hello darling, it's wonderful to meet you. I would love to stay around, but I have some things to do, Girls, pack your things, it’s time to go." Rarity spoke, but she soon realized that the crusaders weren't listening. The others smirked as Fluttershy went over to her. "Allow me." She said. "Girls?" the three fillies stopped and went over to her quickly. “Yes Fluttershy? Apple Bloom responded. “You called?” Scootaloo asked. "Go and get your things. Rarity is here to see you home." "Of course, Fluttershy, right away!" Sweetie Belle said as they ran off to do just that. As they ran off, Rarity was left in a state of shock and confusion. “H-how d-d-d…How did you do that?!” "I guess I'm just as good with kids as I am with animals." Fluttershy said as she winked at the others. At that moment, the crusaders ran past them and were heading home. “Uh, speaking of which,” Rarity spoke up. “I could use your help with Opal.” “Of course! How about later today?” Fluttershy said, but a loud hiss could be heard. Looking at Rarity, she revealed that a cat, presumably Opal, was slinging onto Rarity with her claws, looking quite aggressive. “How about…now?" Rarity said, strained. Seeing the scene, Fluttershy, Twilight, and the humans began to laugh at the absurdity of the scene as Fluttershy went to get Opal. As she was, Jasmine was thinking of something. "These people- er, ponies- are so nice. I hope I can repay their kindness they've shone to me.