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What Might Have Been
Chapter 7: The Forest For The Trees - Part 1
After the the startling events on the cliffs, Twilight and company felt they all were well deserving of a short rest. None of the six ponies had brought any food, but there was a small trickle of a stream running through the bottom of the gully where they could all take some water. For the two now injured members of the group, this was easier said than done. It took the combined effort of a friend to help both unicorns down what would otherwise have been an easy hop down to the water, but in time it was managed.
When Twilight and Elusive were both slaked of their thirst it became apparent that, while both were willing and eager to see their little quest to completion, they were both for lack of a better term, lame. Applejack was quick to point out this was a problem if they hoped to reach their destination with any haste. Fortunately Butterscotch offered up a solution.
The timid colt gently instructed Rainbow Blitz and Applejack to look around and fetch for him six or seven straight smooth sticks and a small bundle of reeds or vines. Meanwhile he had Berry Bubble help him collect a few hoofulls of a leafy green herb with a reddish flower-head and small purple flowers.
It didn't take longer than ten or fifteen minutes (it was hard to estimate time with the sun hanging stationary in the sky) for the search parties to return with their hauls.
“Mash up those flowers with your hooves and gently rub it into their open wounds” the yellow pegasus instructed, as he began inspecting the sticks with a critical eye.
“Um Butterscotch, what exactly is all this stuff anyway?” Twilight asked, her native curiosity asserting itself.
The confident air of command which Butterscotch had assumed in their time of need evaporated as the shy colt was called to explain. “Oh, um... well, you two are going to have a hard time walking with your legs sprained like that, so... um, I was going to splint them for you with these sticks. If that's ok with you.”
“It's more than fine, I thought I was just going to have to grin and bear it from here on out.” Elusive admitted. “I must say I'm quite impressed by your ability to improvise first aid like this.”
Butterscotch tried to hide a faint blush at the praise. “Oh, its not that hard really. Anypony could do it, I'm really not that special.”
“I wouldn't say that.” Twilight countered. “You really look like you know what you're doing.”
The continued attention was only making the shy colt more uncomfortable. He didn't deserve such praise for something so mundane as first aid. In fact, Butterscotch didn't really think he deserved much praise period. He wasn't able to preform jaw-dropping feats of healing / blood magic, nor did he have the expertise to properly set and treat his friends' wounds. All he could manage was some sticks and vines for splints and a hoofull of raw herbs for poultices. Not very praiseworthy at all.
“Oh, um... thanks... I guess” was all he could manage for a response.
Noticing his friend’s discomfort with the topic at hoof, Twilight let her curiosity take the conversation forward. “What's with this flower, by the way? I don't recognize it at all.”
Free from the approval that made him so uncomfortable, Butterscotch perked up a bit as he explained.
“It's Prunella vulgaris, also known as heals-all. It's a weed that's actually edible and quite common around Ponyville. I like to put it in salads and soups, or sometimes I make a cold tea out of it.
“It also has antiseptic properties that make it a good thing for open cuts, as it helps keep wounds from becoming infected. I've heard that drinking an infusion of the leaves can help with indigestion and diarrhea, and the whole plant is supposed to be good for your liver.
“I've actually used it a lot to help my little animal friends with small injuries because it's so much cheaper than getting disinfectant from the store. Not that the disinfectant isn’t important, but for little things sometimes this is all you really need.”
His detailed exposition came to a sudden halt when Butterscotch realized that all his friends were staring at him. For Applejack and Elusive, that was just about the most words they had ever heard come out of their shy neighbor in one go. Rainbow and Twilight were each impressed with the extent of the yellow colt's knowledge on the subject, and Berry was just impressed.
Who knew such an unassuming plant had so many cool abilities. It was like a superhero plant. Silently helping ponies with cuts and scratches but never revealing its true power. Definitely Berry's new favorite member of the Lamiaceae family.
“Well that's all just common knowledge... nothing too special.” The yellow pegasus added, trying to mitigate any damage he might have done by showing off.
Not willing to debate the point, Twilight just thanked her timid new medic as he proceeded to splint her leg while not making direct eye contact with anypony. Once Butterscotch was finished with the violet mage he moved on to Elusive and in short order both ponies were on their hooves. Finally the yellow colt made one last check over each of their bodies and announced his verdict.
“You both have probably broken your back leg, but the fractures look like they're just hairline so it will hurt to walk but you should be fine 'till we can get back to Ponyville hospital. What's more severe is the sprained tendons in your legs, that's why I put you each in a splint.
“Try to put as little wight on it as you can because I don't know how long some sticks and vines are going to work as splints. Besides the surface cuts and bruising, I’d say you both have some broken ribs too, probably two each.”
“That would make sense.” Twilight commented. “When I cast my spell, I tried to split the injuries between us fifty-fifty.”
“A fact I can't thank you for enough.” Said Elusive.
“We still need to get you both to a hospital soon though.” The yellow colt continued. “You might have other injuries like internal bruising that we don't know about.”
The violet mage gave a solemn sigh. “We can't turn back now. The longer we wait, the worse the damage to Equestria will be from the continual sunlight, and the more opportunity Solar Flare will have to act against us.”
Butterscotch's demeanor preformed a dizzying 180 from confident to terrified as he asked, “What do you mean 'act against us'? Do you really think she'll come after us?”
“I can't be sure, but I can't rule it out either.” Responded the violet mage. Twilight thought back to what she had seen a split second before the cliff collapsed. It could have been her imagination when she saw that tiny flicker, or it could have been a coincidence. Maybe she was just seeing things. Then again, maybe not.
The purple unicorn slumped with the weight of her ill tidings. She made a brief struggle to stand from her resting place on the ground, and began her limping pace onward down the gully. “Let's get going. We've still got a ways to go before we reach the ruins, and I have a feeling we're still in for a few surprises.”
By now it seemed obvious to Twilight what those surprises were going to be. Unfortunately she also still felt that if she were to spill the beans to these ponies that still only barely knew her, they would see her as crazy and refuse to continue their little quest. As much as the violet mare feared rampaging manticores and disgruntled sea serpents, she feared what would happen to this world if Solar Flare wasn't stopped even more.
There was another grim reality pushing her onward as well; she wasn't doing it just to save this Equestria, but to try and regain her own. Twilight harbored no illisuions regarding her current situation. She knew there was little hope of her ever getting home again on her own.
The purple mage could easily return to the place-between-places with her fancy new spell, but that didn't mean she could find her way back to her own little green gas ball. Lacking the eons of magical knowledge possessed by Celestia and Luna to help her navigate the greater cosmos, Twilight Sparkle was stuck. Her only hope of getting help from either of the two alicorns now rested with the Elements of Harmony, which brought her back to the situation at hoof.
Looking back over the past few hours, the studious mare easily detected the pattern. When they reached the mouth of the gully, there would be a manticore waiting for them, then a cursed forest, and a sorrowful sea serpent after that. The mage felt a little guilty about knowingly leading her new stranger-friends into that kind of danger, but she was confident they could handle it.
Besides, when all the chips were down, saving the world was just the right thing to do. So gathering up her courage Twilight pressed on and, with varying degrees of uneasiness her five companions followed, all of them slowly making their way down the gully.
It wasn't a long walk, even with her and Elusive moving at their limping pace it only took the five colts and one mare a few minutes to reach the valley mouth. As they approached, a flock of birds flushed up from the trees ahead and a guttural roar split the quiet day-lit air. Elusive stumbled and was caught by Butterscotch, Rainbow blitz froze up in shock and crashed into Berry Bubble, and Applejack rammed into the back of Twilight due to her sudden and unexpected stop.
“Right on que.” The violet mare said quietly to herself, she being the only one among them unfazed but the sound.
Applejack however, picked up on the remark. “What in the hay do you mean 'right on que'?” he said, his face filling with a mix of fear, dread, and accusation.
Twilight wipped her head around, her pupils constricting with the realization that she had been heard. “I uhh...” Was all she managed to say before another savage roar cut through their ears.
In an instant, the path before the six brave ponies erupted into dancing orange light. For a moment it seemed like the Everfree had caught fire, but the sinister glow was not coming from the trees. The twisted boughs were violently pushed aside to let pass a monster the likes of which none of the ponies had ever seen.
Long, razor sharp claws the color of blood scored the ground with its passage. Fibrous muscles, rope tight with anticipation for the kill smoothly coiled and stretched beneath a radiant coat of glowing white. Boney wings strung through not with supple membrane but roiling flame loosely spread into readiness while a great segmented tail, tipped with a wicked poison stinger rose from behind the beast in obvious threat. Finally a full lion's mane of raging fire surrounded the face of a feline predator complete with waiting fangs and patient, crimson eyes.
A manticore that was not at all what it should have been.
A moment passed between the hunter and the six hunted. Eyes growing wide with fear or narrowing in preparation for the kill.
Rainbow Blitz gave voice to the single thought ringing through Twilight's mind. “What in the hay is th-”
An ear splitting roar cut through the small valley, interrupting the chromatic pegasus and sending sharp jolts of adrenaline through all six ponies. Blitz immediately took to the air, dashing out in front of his companions and preparing to meet the beast in a battle charge.
“Everypony, back up the gully NOW!” Shouted Applejack. Elusive turned to comply knowing he was in no condition to put up a fight. He then let out a very emasculating shriek when Berry Bubble ducked his head under the white unicorn's hindquarters...
“In Luna's name what are you doing Berry?!?! Ahhh!!”
...and unceremoniously tossed Elusive atop his back. However Elusive's ride upon the galloping earth pony was not at all helping the condition of his injured ribs.
“You weren't running fast enough so I'm carrying you silly! I know your ribs still hurt but I couldn't just leave you there limping with that monster coming after us.”
“That's hardly the point” Elusive hissed through gritted teeth and the agonizing pain that was rippling through his chest.
Berry immediately dug his hooves in and put the brakes on hard, skidding to a sudden halt, his alabaster charge scrunching up against the back of the pink pony's neck. Berry craned his head around to look Elusive in the eye.
“Well, if you're upset because I had to nuzzle your nethers, I'll be happy to buy you dinner when we get back to Ponyville.” He said with a smoldering gaze and a husky, mischievous voice. “Just to, you know, make it official.”
The alabaster unicorn's jaw droped and his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, pupils shrinking down to pinpricks. Did I just hear what I think I heard? Was the only thought to make it through the locked up gears of his mind. Suddenly the pain in his chest didn't seem quite so important any more.
Berry however, could only hold his face straight for a second before breaking into gales of roaring laughter. The look on Elusive's face was PRICLESS!!! Tears came to Berry's eyes, his sides felt like they were going to split and staying upright was almost impossible, let alone walking.
The white colt stammered through his recovery. “B-Berry! Now's really not the time for that! What were you thinking?!”
“Well it got your ribs to stop hurting didn't it?” the party colt said with a smile and a twinkle of mischief in his eye. Elusive could hardly argue, the shock certainly had done that.
“What 'er y'all still standin' around for, dangit?! I said RUN!” Came Applejack's stern order, reminding the two that they were still very much in the middle of a life or death scenario.
“Okie dokie lokie!” Was Berry's response as he resumed his galloping, his wounded charge able to do little more than hold on for the ride. Meanwhile the orange farm colt had his own hooves full dealing with the manticore.
Rainbow Blitz's initial charge had been a feint to throw the beast off its balance and it had worked, the fiery monstrosity reared up on its hind legs to swat at its attacker. After chastising Berry and Elusive, Applejack saw his chance. The apple farmer raced forward into the fray to deliver unto his foe the full force of his famed buck. Closing with his target he planted his foreleg to pivot and used his centripetal momentum to lend extra power to the blow.
However the precious few seconds Applejack had spent concerned for the pink and white ponies gave the manticore time to realize what was coming. With a mighty crash, the beast brought it's forelegs down right in the path of the farm colt's arc. Only halfway through his swing, Applejack's gut connected squarely with the manticore's front knee.
With an audible whoosh of escaping air the orange farmer spun away from the fight gasping for breath.
“Applejack!” Twilight called in concern. Fortunately though, the farm colt was winded but otherwise unharmed and was quickly regaining his hooves, voicelessly waving for the mage to flee to safety further up the gully.
Blitz was faring better in his attempts to distract the manticore from his wounded and weaker friends. Harrying the larger creature from the air allowed him to exploit his trademark agility and speed. Unfortunately due to the roaring fire that covered the beast's wings and mane, the rainbow pegasus was having difficulty scoring more than a glancing blow. When he saw Applejack rebound off the manticore's leg, he desperately stepped up his attempts to draw his foe's attention away from his companions, taking more risks and daring to get closer to the flames.
The smell of burning hair on his hooves and the tingle of low degree burns rewarded Rainbow Blitz as he cut closer and closer to the creature, but his efforts were far from ineffectual. In the face of the greater onslaught from above, the fiery manticore turned its attention back to the whizzing blue annoyance.
This time the beast spared no patience for Blitz's antics and reared up again, spreading its fiery wings and flapping them with wide powerful strokes. The air moved by the magically burning appendages twisted and filled with soaring flame, lashing out and indiscriminately scorching everything nearby.
Luckily that meant that the only valid target for this assault was Rainbow Blitz himself, who was forced into an out-of-control turn to avoid flying right through the billowing fire. The cerulean pegasus spun and veered trying to right himself, but before he could bring his wings to bear he tumbled into a bushy tree with a leafy crash.
Free of its attackers for the moment, the burning manticore began to advance on Twilight and Butterscotch's position. The purple mare began to back peddle as best she could with her wounded leg, unwilling to break eye contact with the creature. Frenzied reasoning was chasing itself around and around inside her mind, trying to understand what she was seeing.
I've never seen a manticore look like that. Why is it burning? Manticores aren't supposed to be on fire like that. This wasn't part of the plan. How can you plan for manticores on fire at all?!? Oh, what do I do? What do I do?
Twilight frantically cast her mind about to whichever fact of knowledge or observation of her surroundings that could offer her inspiration or guidance, but try as she might her vast and deep reservoirs of learning held no ready advice for dealing with a manticore on fire. Then in the heat of her searching her eyes came to rest on Butterscotch.
The gears in her head snapped into alignment and the solution was made clear. This was Butterscotch's time to shine and indeed, the yellow colt was not backing away from the advancing monster but determinedly standing his ground. Relief flooded Twilight with the realization that this encounter was going to go just like it had her first time around.
Just like that fall on the cliff? Asked a traitorous thought from the depths of her mind. This wasn't exactly like the first time. This manticore was very different from the one she had met then, and she had no assurances that its problem was a thorn in its paw.
No. This world was different but it wasn't that different. Even if something more was going on than just a thorn, the Fluttershy she knew back home would be kind, brave and caring enough make it better. Despite him being a colt and this being a completely different universe, Twilight just knew that this yellow pegasus had the same hidden reservoir of courage and compassion. She had faith he could do it.
However her unstoppable logical mind would not let the matter rest and forced her to continue analyzing the scene, urgently searching for that niggling little detail that set her ill at ease. She watched as the flaming monstrosity advanced with the easy power of a top tier predator, taking its time, its eyes never leaving Butterscotch who waited patiently for it to approach.
Behind them, Applejack managed to catch his breath and Rainbow Blitz dug his way out of the tree. Both ponies could only stop and stare, dumbfounded by the sight of their easily frightened friend displaying such bravery. Berry Bubble and Elusive also halted their retreat up the valley to watch the showdown, and Twilight Sparkle just couldn't look away.
Butterscotch relaxed his posture and extended his hoof in a non-threatening way, showing the manticore a soft smile. The beast halted barely more than a meter away from the pegasus and silently appraised the offer of friendship, its eyes never leaving the yellow colt.
Twilight sucked in a breath of realization. Its eyes! She had seen those eyes before, and their presence here resolved her doubt into understanding. The manticore she had encountered on her first trip through this forest had eyes with round pupils and wild green irises, but this beast was different. Its pupils were dragon-like slits and the crimson irises blazed with a furious light, the light of an angry goddess. This manticore wasn't enraged, it was possessed, and Butterscotch was in terrible danger.
In that critical moment of enlightenment the violet mare shouted out a warning. “Butterscotch, watch out!” The yellow colt turned his head just in time for the razor claws of the flaming monster to give him a rather close haircut.
“Butters!” Rainbow called in alarm as he launched himself from the tree and toward his friend. Now realizing the peril he was in, the yellow colt cowered down in fear just as a blue and rainbow blur collided with him and sent both ponies tumbling away from the threat. The manticore reacted too, opening its mouth and sending a blast of fire after its lost quarry.
Applejack sprung into action lining up another powerful buck, this time to the creature's side while Twilight gathered her mana and launched a crackling bolt of magic. The two shots, one physical the other ethereal, connected squarely with their target and knocked the beast down and back.
The orange apple farmer then raced to assist Butterscotch and Rainbow while Twilight looked around for shelter. Noticing a small spur canyon she pointed and called out. “Everypony into that gully, we've got to get away from it!”
Her companions leapt into action and made for the small ravine, making the most of the time it took for the manticore to recover . Elusive and Berry made it in first, followed by Twilight, who stopped to watch for Applejack, Butterscotch, and Rainbow Blitz. Thankfully the yellow pegasus was none the worse for wear, having been shielded from the fire by his companion. The blue speedster however, had lost most of his trademark mane and tail to the heat, but he too showed no signs of lasting harm.
Applejack urged them on, galloping behind his friends and looking over his shoulder as the manticore regained its feet and shook itself off. To hasten their escape Rainbow lept into the air shouting. “Come on, we’re almost th-” He was interrupted by a sudden face-plant into the ground.
Quickly righting himself and looking back at his own wings, the colt saw that large swaths of his primary feathers were charred and burned away. His eyes widened as the implication of this damage dawned on him. Until his feathers molted and grew back, he was grounded.
Behind them the beast roared and gave chase. Applejack headbutted his blue friend in the behind and began to push the stunned colt along. “Come on Blitz, we've gotta MOVE!” Snapping out of his stupor the daring pegasus bolted for his companions in the ravine. As her last two friends passed, Twilight also turned up the small gully and regrouped with the others.
“Alright, now what?” asked the orange farmer, unknowingly voicing the question that Twilight had been frantically pondering. How could a mere mortal mage like herself defeat and angry goddess who was intent on murdering her and her friends with the possessed body of a beast.
“I believe we'll have to stand and fight.” Elusive said as he clambered down from Berry's back. “The top of this gully is choked with thorns and brambles, I don't think we'll be able to escape.”
Well that's not good. Twilight thought to herself. Ok, how can I stop a magically enhanced, fire breathing manticore? Come on Twilight, think! Think!
“Maybe if we throw water on that monster, it'll go out.” Berry suggested. “You know, like a campfire”
“Berry this is no time for jokes.” Scolded the tailor. “We're in serious danger here!” Twilight suddenly knew what she had to do, but she would have to act quickly if it was to work. Quickly she readied the first of many spells she would need to fulfill her plan. As if to emphasize Elusive's point, an earsplitting roar cut through the small ravine as the flaming monstrosity stalked into view.
Though he was without flight, Rainbow Blitz was not without attitude. With fire in his eyes he turned to meet the oncoming beast, his every movement radiating confidence. With his friends at his back he shouted encouragement to the other five ponies. “Don't worry guys. As long as we all have each other, I just know we'll pull through this!”
Then with a flash and a pop, Twilight Sparkle teleported and was gone.