//------------------------------// // Chapter 16A: Rescue, Part 1 (H. Fluttershy, G. Gilda, H. Applejack) // Story: On the Fine Art of Giving Yourself Advice // by McPoodle //------------------------------// H. Fluttershy. Dr. Tarbell walked down the streets of Ponyville, a stacked pile of his notes suspended in front of his eyes by his magic. As he walked, the pages would be shuffled, and notes would be added in faint pencil. He was trying to get down everything he had thought of while reading his books before he forgot. And before those books got eaten by the Everfree. Walking in front of him were Rainbow Dash and Gilda, frequently leaning over to whisper to each other. Many of these whisperings would be followed by glances at Dr. Tarbell, followed by loud laughs. And behind Dr. Tarbell walked Fluttershy, fuming. Well, no, that’s not even close to accurate—Fluttershy doesn’t do “fuming”. But she was very disappointed. It was obvious to her that Rainbow and Gilda had invented some reason why the secret of the two humans’ true nature couldn’t be revealed to him. And having classified him as an obstacle, that made him an enemy, and a buffoonish one at that. And that wasn’t fair. Oh, Fluttershy could guess at the reason: the Princess was probably going to engage in a mass brainwashing after this whole mess was resolved, to keep anyone from knowing that the human world existed. And if that was the reason, it made perfect sense to try and spare the doctor. Who cared if he was doing the right thing for the two teens out of selfish reasons? As much as she dearly did not want it to be true, Fluttershy knew that the world was run by selfishness. And you just had to manipulate that selfishness, just like you manipulated cruelty. As long as you had a light touch, as long as you didn’t become so petty as to punish those you redirected with a carefully-thought out word. Make everyone always better. Kindness before all. And so Fluttershy decided she needed to act. The group was passing by a fountain topped by a rearing stone mare, balanced on one hoof on a sphere. “Dr. Tarbell?” she asked at an abnormally loud volume. Dr. Tarbell stopped, surprised as everypony always was, by a reminder that Fluttershy existed. “Yes?” he asked, turning his head to face her. “Could you tell us a story about the Everfree? You must know an awful lot of good stories.” “Um...sure!” Dr. Tarbell sat down on the edge of the fountain. “How about the legend of where timber wolves came from? Let me preface this tale with the disclaimer that there is no evidence of its veracity.” Fluttershy sat down to face him. Rainbow Dash and Gilda sat down next to her, wondering what she was up to. “One thousand years ago, the Everfree Forest, much larger than it is now, entered a state of war. A vast army, fifty thousand strong, moved with wanton rage through the magical woods, devouring everything in their path and leaving a barren and desolate wasteland in their wake. For these warriors were no living creatures, but specters! Dark ponies of shadow with a savage, hateful green-red glow in their eyes. All creatures caught in their path perished, both large and small, and the ponies living around the wood fled in panic.” The doctor’s tale, told with all of the requisite skills of timing and voicing, had already attracted an audience of fillies and foals, who gathered around the sitting storyteller in a semi-circle. One of the fillies, looking over to discover Gilda sitting next to her, squealed. But to Gilda’s immense surprise, it was a cry of delight instead of terror, and she soon found herself in a tight hug. “Hey Filly—” Gilda started to say. The young ponies all turned at one to shush her. Gilda shut up, an incredulous smile on her face. Also, this was a cool story. G. Gilda. “...As the Dark Lord at last released the oppressive grip of his dark magic, there was a great, cataclysmic explosion of light, the sky turning white, bringing an end to the Dark War. Then, the necromancer teleported away, at last surrendering the forest to its new Guardians. “It was too bad that within a hundred years, the timberwolves had turned against their creators. But that is a story for another day.” The crowd, which had been joined by a couple of adults in addition to Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles, pounded the cobblestones with their hooves in appreciation. Dr. Tarbell stood up and bowed. “Thank you all for giving me your time. I’m just a humble researcher who spent many a late night walking up and down your streets during my studies of your fascinating woods. I’m glad I was able to give something back in return.” He stepped down and walked over to Rainbow’s parent-counterparts. “Good story, Doctor,” Bow proclaimed. “It was nothing. Have you procured rooms for the night?” “We have,” Windy reported. “It’s down that street, the only inn in the town.” She made sure that everyone in the party saw where she pointed. “We found a nice place to eat in a couple hours,” said Bow. “That will be an hour after sunset, so try to get to the inn early. Doctor, the inn has a common room where you should be able to continue your work.” Dr. Tarbell smiled warmly. “Excellent! I have no need for sightseeing, so I’ll head over immediately.” Gilda got up and looked over at the filly, who was still sitting and staring at her with eyes that practically sparkled. She sighed, and then put on an expression that was about 5% warmer than neutral. “And what’s your name?” The filly, a pink unicorn with a purple mane, said “Amethyst Star!” in a loud voice. “Is she your guardian?” she asked Rainbow Dash. Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “You know...a guardian from the Everfree? Like the timberwolves were supposed to be in that story. I’ve always thought that not every creature in the Everfree is out to get us. Some of them must be guardians—like you!” Gilda frowned. “I’m not from the Everfree, Amethyst. I’m a griffon, from Griffonstone, way over there.” And she pointed to the east, where the Everfree was west. “The name’s Gilda.” “Oh,” said Amethyst, deflating. “Are you at least ferocious, Gilda the Griffon?” “I can be.” “Awesome!” She looked over at the others. “Where are you heading tomorrow?” “How do you know we’re not moving here?” Rainbow asked with a smirk. “‘Only crazy ponies move to Ponyville,’” Amethyst quoted. “And who said that?” Rainbow asked. “My dad before he left,” Amethyst replied. “Don’t get sad or nothing—he was a creep. And the whole town helped Mom raise me after he left. That’s what’s so great about Ponyville: everypony looks after each other. And we don’t care about strange, because you got to be a little strange to move into a town that gets attacked by monsters every other week.” “Well I’m sorry I can’t be your guardian,” Gilda said, truly touched by the filly’s words. “But at least you have the whole town, like you said.” “Yeah, but having a half-eagle, half-lion guardian of my very own would be so cool!” Amethyst exclaimed. Gilda reached up and mussed Amethyst’s mane. Amethyst squealed and grinned like a madpony. She suddenly looked around her to see that the sun was setting. “I’ve got to go home, right now!” she exclaimed. “My mom’s busy looking for Rarity, so I’m supposed to lock myself at home straight at sunset, or else I’m not allowed to eat the dinner in the fridge!” As she ran away, she cried out over her shoulder, “You ponies are so lucky you get your own griffon guardian!” Gilda shook her head in bemusement. “What would a ‘guardian’ job even include?” “You sit inside the front door all night with your glowing cat eyes,” Rainbow joked, “eagle-shrieking at any intruders.” Gilda let out a quiet shriek right into Rainbow’s ear, causing her to jump ten feet up in the air. The two of them then laughed. As Rainbow Dash laughed, she looked around her, and her eyes settled on the sad expression on Bow Hothoof’s face, which caused her to stop. “So I guess you know the truth now?” she asked. Bow nodded. “I wish I could talk to her—my Rainbow Dash, that is.” Rainbow sighed. “Sorry. Like I told Windy, we switched places.” “Which means that our parents are taking care of them,” Fluttershy added. “Call us Mom and Dad, Rainbow,” Windy insisted. “It’s so close to being true, I’d prefer if we pretended the rest of the way.” “OK,” Rainbow said with a smile. “By the way,” asked Bow, “how old were you, back in your original bodies?” “Fifteen.” Bow looked wistfully over at Windy. “I thought that sudden bout of maturity was too good to be true,” he joked. To Rainbow he said, “Your mom and I are heading back to the inn, to get some rest. Feel free to have fun until it’s time for dinner—Everfree or not, this seems like a safe place to leave you.” Rainbow looked at the resigned expressions on both Bow and Windy. “You know what? I wouldn’t mind walking with you back to the inn. So I know for sure where it is.” “Alright,” said Windy, a little unsure. “And along the way I’ll tell you stories all about my awesomeness, so you have something to remember me by after I’m gone.” The three of them started walking out of the town square. “Seriously?” asked Gilda. “How self-centered can you get?” “No, I think this is exactly what they need,” Fluttershy said. “We should let them have their privacy.” “And what are you going to do, get to know all the animals in town?” Fluttershy made a show of looking around her. “No, these species are pretty much the same as the ones on my world. What doesn’t exist on earth are griffons. What was Griffonstone like?” Gilda paused, suspecting this was a ploy like the earlier story request. Nevertheless, she decided to answer. “Well it was a great place, when the griffons were united as a kingdom, but it’s pretty much a dump now. Everygriff keeps to themselves, dreaming of the past...and of how to get rich.” She sighed deeply. “Fluttershy, do you believe in biological destiny?” “Well that depends on the species,” answered Fluttershy. By this time the two of them had sat back down next to the fountain, the sun setting behind them. “Most creatures live within the circle of possibilities laid down to them from birth, and that circle can be pretty narrow. If genetic variation causes an individual to be born too close to the edge of that circle, they batter themselves uselessly against it until they die. Or they make a new circle, moving away from everyone they’ve ever known. “But you’re a thinking creature, Gilda. That means you can think your way out of the circle. Humans were supposed to be these miserable field apes, only barely strong enough physically to take down the minimal prey to survive. What we had was creativity, and patience. And we used those traits to learn about our environment, abstract it, devise rules, and then exploit those rules to take control of the situation. And that led humans to face the bigger problems of a wider habitat. So we repeated the process. Again and again until now we control our world. Now we just have to learn how to control ourselves.” Fluttershy’s eyes had been unfocused during most of his explanation, as she pulled together her scattered thoughts on evolution and the rise of humanity. But now she focused on Gilda, and saw her need for an answer. “Humans are a pretty diverse lot,” she said. “Some of us are wonderful, some of us are awful. Some are survivors, some are creators. In every crisis humanity has faced, even those of our own making, sooner or later somebody would find a way through. I don’t see why the griffons should be any different in that regard. And maybe that somebody might be you.” “Thanks, Fluttershy,” said Gilda. Just then a couple of ponies ran by. And then four more, coming from a different direction but running towards the same destination. “What do you suppose is going on?” asked Gilda, getting up to start following. “I don’t know,” said Fluttershy. “At least they don’t look scared.” # # # Gilda and Fluttershy followed the ponies to the train station. Looking northwards up the track, they could see the silhouette of a train engine in the distance. The ponies were running towards it. “Where are your parents?” Fluttershy turned towards the voice, to see a tan earth pony stallion with a spiky brown mane. “Oh!” the stallion exclaimed, on getting a better look at them. “You’re not from Ponyville. That remark was directed at the foals and fillies who should be obeying the curfew instead of gawking at a stalled train. My name is Hooves. Doctor Hooves.” “Nice to meet you, Doctor,” said Fluttershy. Gilda made a noncommittal sound that might have been interpreted as “hi”. She then flew up into the air to get a better look at the train. “There’s a bunch of ponies pulling it,” she told Fluttershy from mid-air. Fluttershy went up herself, and saw that the Ponyville ponies were grabbing onto large ropes tied to the engine, and were pulling it forward with their teeth. “I tried to go out there and lend my services to repair the problem,” Dr. Hooves said with a pout. “But the others decided that I was better off watching the younglings. Hey! Back home with you, little stallion!” Gilda, who had been studying the crowd of train-pullers, finally found what she was looking for. “And there are Rainbow Dash and her parents,” she declared. She and Fluttershy flew over, landing beside them. They began walking to keep pace. Bow Hoothoof tried and failed to say something around the length of rope in his mouth. “He says we’re out of ropes,” said a nearby earth pony. Who was able to speak quite fluently around his own rope. Rainbow Dash spat out her own rope to join them. “We think we found another one of the Six. Do you recognize that filly?” “Yes!” Fluttershy said in surprise. She walked over to the orange and yellow earth pony. “I’m Fluttershy, from Crystal Prep.” “Applejack, from Canterlot High,” the filly said after removing her own rope. The train seemed to appreciably slow down after she stopped pulling. She turned to look around her at the Ponyville pullers. “I have to say, you all are the nicest ponies I’ve met all day! Not a one of those snooty Manehattan or Canterlot ponies would come out to help pull when the train broke down.” She turned back to Rainbow, Fluttershy and Gilda. “We can get better acquainted in the station, including your very interesting-looking friend over there. I’ve got a train to pull.” And with that, she put the rope back in her mouth and started pulling with all her might, causing all of the other ponies to stumble a little before falling in with her gait. H. Applejack. “Mares and gentlecolts,” the conductor said over a megaphone to the passengers who were still sitting in their seats in the motionless train. “The Canterlot Express will be staying in Ponyville overnight for repairs. The Crown will reimburse your expenses for the night, up to a maximum of ten bits. But you can’t just stay in the train!” “I’m sure glad I ran into you folks,” Applejack said to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “I wasn’t even sure it was possible to get home before meeting you.” “You’re free to join us for dinner,” Windy told her. “Thanks, but no thanks,” Applejack replied. “It’s getting dark, and I’ve got a lot of explaining to do to the Apple family. I’ll be by at dawn with my train fare to Canterlot.” “Alright,” said Rainbow Dash. “We can trade stories of our Canterlot on the ride over.” “It was nice meeting you, Applejack,” Fluttershy said. Applejack turned and left, having not heard her. “Excuse me, Mister,” she said to a passing stallion, “do you know the way to Sweet Apple Acres?” “Applejack, you haven’t been away that long, have you?” the stallion asked. “Well, maybe I want to be sure.” With an indulgent smile, the stallion gave her directions. # # # Several minutes later, Applejack topped a hill to look down on the Acres. She sighed with appreciation. “Now this is a proper orchard!” she exclaimed to herself. “Ma! Pa! I’m home!” she cried out. She was answered by a baby’s cry. The Canterlot-bound party had just received a late dinner at the outdoor cafe. A crowd of ponies were listening to Gilda tell stories about her past, including several foals and fillies who were sneaking around trying not to get caught. The cook was out comparing stories of Gustave le Grand’s youth in Griffonstone with his later years in Canterlot. The odds were 50/50 that his latest restaurant would go belly-up before the end of the year. Rainbow was puzzled by how tense Gilda seemed to be, and how desperate she was to change the subject. Gilda’s latest story was interrupted when she heard Applejack running and screaming her way towards them. “Help! Help! Something awful has happened!” The filly was soon surrounded by Gilda’s former audience. Rainbow Dash pushed forward. She saw that Applejack had somehow been able to hold a scared foal in one arm and still run the whole way into town. “What is it, Applejack?” asked a stately tan mare with a flowing gray mane. “Sweet Apple Acres was attacked!” Applejack reported. “A tree was pushed onto Big Mac and knocked him out. I wasn’t able to lift it. And Apple Bloom was left alone in the house. Everybody else was gone!” The mare turned to the other ponies. “I need two ponies to run over to the clinic and bring one of the carts and Doctor Horse to the Acres. The rest of us will meet you there.” “What, all of us?” asked Dr. Hooves. “Who will stay and protect the children, Mayor Mare?” “You bring up a good point, Hooves,” the mayor said. “You stay and look after the town.” The Doctor suddenly looked regretful for getting himself roped into another sideline job. “Very well. I hope I don’t catch any fillies or foals lurking about after curfew, or no sugar on their cereal tomorrow!” There was a scurrying of hooves as the young ones scattered to their homes. Applejack looked down at Apple Bloom. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to leave you with this Hooves pony,” she explained. The moment she handed her over, Apple Bloom started crying. “There, there,” said Dr. Hooves, soothing the foal. “Your big sister Applejack is going to make everything OK.” # # # Applejack quickly led the group of ponies over to the fallen tree at the edge of the Everfree. Big Mac by that point was awake, but the position he was pinned in made it impossible for him to free himself. It took four other ponies to push the tree aside. Applejack saw a tiny little brown and white puppy dancing around them the whole time, barking its encouragement. She noticed that several members of the crowd were looking nervously between the dog and herself for some reason. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was looking over the same crowd, comparing them mentally with the much larger party that had gone in pursuit of Rarity. It was clear that they had only the physically weakest mares and stallions of Ponyville to handle this crisis. “A...Applejack? Is that you?” Big Mac asked weakly. He tried to rise to his hooves, but immediately fell over. “Don’t get up,” Applejack told him. She stared into his slowly rolling eyes. “I think you have a concussion.” “Can you tell us what happened?” the Mayor asked. “It was the wolves!” Big Mac cried out. He tried to stand up, but again toppled over. Applejack grabbed onto her brother, holding him down as she looked into his eyes. “Tell us what the wolves did, McIntosh,” she said gently. “They uh...” he panted a bit, blinking hard. “They attacked Granny. Chased her...chased her into the Everfree.” Applejack froze in shock. The two stallions sent to bring the medical cart arrived, accompanied by Doctor Horse. “Bring me a candle,” Doctor Horse declared. He put the strap attached to a round reflector around his head, and lowered it so it was covering his face, his eye peering out of the hole in the center. A mare, who had just returned from the Apple house, held forward a candle. Doctor Tarbell used his magic to ignite the wick. The medical doctor used his own unicorn magic to pick up the candle and hold it close to Big Mac’s head. The reflector bounced and focused that light, allowing Dr. Horse to examine his patient’s irregularly-blinking eyes. “Concussion,” he concluded. “Get this stallion onto the cart.” “N...no!” Big Mac cried out, fighting in vain against Applejack’s strength. “I have to go in there. I have to save her!” “We’ll save her, Big Mac,” Applejack said, after coming down from her trance. “We’ll make this right, don’t you worry.” Big Mac looked around at the other ponies, settling on Mayor Mare. “You can’t let her go!” he pleaded. “It was them! Those wolves! The same ones that killed our parents!”