//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: My Little Pony: Companionship is Magic- Fluttershy's Return // by Twinkie Sprinkle //------------------------------// Derpy rubbed her chin curiously, chewing on a bit of a bran muffin. "It sure is boring around here...hmm...well, if the fun won't come to me, I'll go to the fun," Derpy said to herself with a mischievous grin. She walked out the front door of Sugarcube Corner, closed it, then took flight...she felt worried about her relatively poor sense of direction for a moment, but then remembered that Pinkie and Rainbow hadn't traveled far...she could go almost in a complete straight line with minimal difficulty. Smiling to herself, she let her unusually wide field of vision lead the way as she flapped her way out of Ponyville. Thinking hard, Rainbow finally broke the silence. "Anything we can do for you, now that we know you're out here? Anything we can secretly provide or something?" she asked, looking back up at her. She sat down quietly, ready for the next answer. Fluttershy rubbed her chin, thinking to herself, then looked up at Rainbow. "Well...nothing from back where you come from. There's...something I've been meaning to get, but haven't been able to find yet, in this forest, though." "Hey, that should be easy peasy, lemon squeezy for me!" Pinkie Pie cried out with a giggle. "I've got a bit of a sixth sense from being an earth pony and all, so it should be real, real easy to find what you're looking for! Rainbow's super fast and has a great sense of direction, so that's a huge help too!" Pinkie nodded as she finished her sentence, making a toothy grin at Fluttershy. "Hey guys," Derpy suddenly spoke out of nowhere. Pinkie jumped and looked behind her, surprised that she hadn't sensed, or at least heard Derpy coming. Fluttershy just stared in bewilderment, wondering how many friends could possibly be following Dash to this very spot. "Derpy!" Rainbow sounded disapponted. "What is it with ponies sneaking up on me here?" she shook her head. "Oh, well... Fluttershy, this is Ditzy Doo... or Derpy Hooves, that's her nickname." Derpy blushed with an embarrassed smile, looking at Rainbow Dash. "Oopsie doodle. Sorry Dash." She then looked over to Fluttershy, examining her closely, tilting her head from time to time. Fluttershy started sweating a little, worried that this blond newcomer would be terrified of her. "You know, Fluttershy, I really like your look!" Derpy suddenly said with a smile. "...what." Fluttershy said flat, thoroughly confused. "It's got a great punk rock feel to it! It's totally cool, I can see why Dash is hanging out with you," Derpy remarked cheerfully. "...uh...thank you...Derpy," Fluttershy said, staring blankly at Derpy, not sure how to handle the sudden overwhelming positivity the scarred yellow furred pegasus was now facing. "Neat armor, did you make it?" Derpy asked, looking closely at Fluttershy's chest. "Uh...well, a friend did. No, actually...she kinda...conjured it. I guess that counts as making it," Fluttershy stammered out. "Oh neat, it's magic! I think you and me are gonna get along real well!" Derpy said with a smile and an enthusiastic nod. "Hmm...you know, I...think so, too," Fluttershy said as she slowly felt comfortable smiling. "Did you guys know each other back in Cloudsdale?" Rainbow suddenly asked, losing track of the conversation. "It was so long ago, I can't remember if I'd met both of you yet." Derpy chuckled, smiling innocently, rising to her hind legs and shrugging her shoulders. "Sorry Dash, never met her," she said simply. "Actually, I think we've met once before," Fluttershy said as she rose and eyebrow, looking over Derpy curiously. "I ran face first into you in the hallway one time in flight school...the day before...well, I went missing." "Oh that's right! Now I remember, silly me!" Derpy said, another embarrassed smile on her face as she rubbed the back of her head before returning to all fours. "You know...you looked pretty back then...but I think you look even prettier now." "W-hat You can't possibly mean that!" Fluttershy said with such startled astonishment that she wound backing up three steps. Derpy smiled innocently, nodding sincerely. "I do. I like your scars the best...they make you look...special. I bet you're a special person. You seem really nice." Fluttershy started to calm down, even with her jaw dropped. Slowly, she smiled a gentle warm smile, and hugged Derpy close. "Thanks...thanks a lot. You're...you're not so bad yourself." Rainbow simply watched, sitting and thinking to herself. They were going to do something, but she totally forgot. "Uhhh...." she murmured to herself, rubbing her head. Pinkie giggled, whispering into Rainbow's ear. "It's okay, Dashie, I couldn't remember either. But I did one of my little squinks while everypony wasn't looking, and figured it out. We just need to ask Fluttershy what she needs to find in the Everfree, and then we'll be well on our way, hee hee." Rainbow stood up and went over to Fluttershy to ask her the same question. "Hey, Fluttershy... you mentioned something you're looking for...?" Fluttershy looked over to Rainbow as her embrace with Derpy ended, blinking her eyes as she collected her thoughts, then relaxed, speaking with the more confident tone she had been using before the awkward arrival of the blonde maned pegasus. "Right. I'm going to need help finding a patch of 'Poison Joke' flowers. Once we find them, I'm going to need you all to stay back...these plants are known to cause strange mutations. My armor makes me immune, but I can't say the same for the rest of you." Rainbow nodded. "Derpy, you wanna come along?" she turned back over to the grey pegasus, now that she was here she might as well come along if she really wanted to. Derpy smirked playfully, trying to look cool. "Sure, Rainbow Dash, I can't think of anything more fun!" "Let's go!" Rainbow replied to the whole group. "Uhm... where are we going?" Pinkie felt her tail twitch, and point itself towards a group of trees. "Apparently, we're going this way, hee hee," she said with a soft laugh as she looked in the direction her tail was facing. "How d'you know that?" Rainbow looked at her tail. she thought she saw it twitch but didn't know that was a sign. Pinkie smiled and winked at Rainbow excitedly. "Sixth sense, Dashie. Another earth pony thing. I use my squinks to focus my mind, and my Pinkie sense to give me these neat little vague predictions whenever I really need 'em!" "Whatever works for you." Rainbow nodded. She had plenty of time to learn about her extra sensory abilities later. "I'll follow you." Pinkie giggled and hopped off, stopping from time to time to check where her tail would point next. Derpy, meanwhile, followed behind Rainbow, innocently smiling, totally excited to be going on a trip. Fluttershy, meanwhile, walked beside Derpy, inwardly even more confused than Rainbow was at seeing Pinkie's strange clairvoyance. At least, she assured herself, everything was peaceful for now. Trying to be patient, Rainbow walked with her vision focused squarely on the road ahead, just beyond Pinkie's head. Pinkie suddenly stopped, looking at a patch of dark green bushes that were in front of the group, far down the road, just barely in Pinkie's field of vision. Her nose was twitching furiously. "We're reeeeeeally close. We don't need to make any more turns...it's just a hop, skip, and a jump straight ahead, past those bushy little...uh, bushes." She giggled proudly, her nose still twitching to indicate that the flowers Pinkie had been looking for had been found, looking with a smile towards Rainbow. "That...was surprisingly swift." Fluttershy remarked, blinking in amazement. "Yeah, that's our Pinkie," Derpy said with a chuckle. "Great, I can just..." Rainbow took off into the sky. "...be right back while I scout ahead for them!" she took off, flying over their heads. She flew over to a purpleish-red patch she could see ahead, treating it as though it was a handy landing pad. She trotted around, getting a feel of what she had landed in. "That's weird... it's like ivy..." she moved one hoof through the plants, kicking it gently. Fluttershy's jaw dropped as she watch Rainbow take off, suddenly realizing that the sheer speed of the cyan pegasus was enough to take Rainbow out of speaking distance. "Uh...Fluttershy, is something wrong?" Pinkie asked with a concerned frown. Derpy stared innocently and attentively at Fluttershy as she waited for the yellow pegasus to speak. "Well...these plants have been known to cause...issues if you touch them. Nothing lethal, but...very...very...very inconvenient. I...don't think Rainbow will do that, though, she's just...scouting ahead...I hope." Pinkie smiled nervously. Derpy quickly did the same, figuring that something must be wrong if Pinkie of all people was worried. "Well...things do look scary, but I'm sure Rainbow knows what she's doing. Even if these things make her sick, I'm sure she'll figure a way around it. She just seems like the go getter type." "Go...getter type?" Fluttershy said with a confused eyebrow raise. "Yeah, the sort of gal who think quick on her hooves!" Derpy offered helpfully, calming down and smiling more softly. Pinkie nodded in approval to Derpy as the three mares waited for Rainbow Dash's return. Rainbow trotted back, looking healthy as ever. "Hey guys. I found some ivy up ahead... is that what you were looking for?" Pinkie and Derpy smiled wide, happy to see Rainbow all right. Fluttershy stared in disbelief for a few moments before smiling softly, and walking closer to Rainbow. "Yes, that's exactly it. I'm glad I had you three keeping me company...it would have taken me much longer if I hadn't had a warm smile from Derpy, your speed and skill, and um...whatever Pinkie does," Fluttershy remarked, rubbing her short hair with a hoof as she made an embarrassed smile towards Pinkie. "Hooray, I'm useful!" Pinkie cried out, hopping up and down frantically. "Yeah... why don't I take you to it right now?" Rainbow asked, anxious to keep moving. "That sounds great! Lead the way, I wholeheartedly trust you, Rainbow," Fluttershy cried out excitedly as her scarred face beamed with what was, for Flutterhy, an astonishing amount of joy and hope. Rainbow's path lead straight back to the purple ivy in a matter of moments. "Here it is, I think. I landed in it when I checked it out." she told them as she showed it to them, pointing and touching it with her hoof. Derpy and Pinkie smiled obliviously at Rainbow, while Fluttershy's face suddenly stared in a moment of horror as she saw Rainbow touching the flower, all positive emotion draining from it for a moment, before she slowly managed a small smile again, thinking that perhaps she was worrying too much. "Th...thanks Dash. I'll...um...start gathering them, I guess." As she flew towards the patch of purple ivy, she hoped that Rainbow had some sort of protection that Fluttershy simply didn't know about. "I hope this is safe... what are you gonna do?" Rainbow suddenly asked. "Oh, it's pretty simple. My armor will protect from any ill effects, and I'll carry as much of the plant as I can on by back. I'll need to make return trips, but it shouldn't be difficult to make it back now that you all have shown me the way," Fluttershy explained. "Ill effects...?" Rainbow repeated. "I did land in it." Fluttershy started sweating a bit in fear, suddenly realizing that Rainbow was in fact not immune, and her old friend truly didn't know the dangers of the strange ivy. She managed to calm herself again quickly, however. "I'm sorry...I should have warned you well in advance. We can come back for the plants later...right now I need to get you help, and make up for this. If you have any of the oil on you, my alchemist friends Zecora should be able to remove it. Don't worry you aren't in danger of dying. The oil just causes...very unpredictable changes in body shape. Or so I have heard." "Body changes?" Rainbow now looked horrified. She wasn't looking forward to any weird magical side effects. "How long...?" she began to ask. "How long have I got?" Fluttershy stared blankly in sudden realization as she immediately answered Rainbow's question. "About thirty seconds." Already Rainbow was looking panicked. She didn't know if it was a side effect of the ivy, or her sudden awakening that morning, but she was quickly starting to feel faint. A numb, dull pain crept up her hooves and into her legs like her skin was burning. "Gah!!" She yelped. "Anypony need a lift?" she looked back at the group. Fluttershy, Derpy and herself were pegasi, so flying over the dangerous vines shouldn't be a problem. But she turned her eyes to Pinkie with concern, realizing she couldn't get across on her own. Pinkie stared at Rainbow for a moment, worried, but quickly decided she'd try and remain cheerful for everyone else. She allowed herself to relax, feeling a smile come to her face as a warmth inside her flowed from the center of her body out towards the rest of her, even to the tips of her hooves. She then leaped towards Rainbow, her eyes filled with anticipation. "Sure! I'm ready when you are, Dashie!" "I guess I'm with you then...just follow me and you should be fine," Fluttershy said calmly. "Whatever you say, fearless punk rock leader!" Derpy said with a confident, cocky smile that reminded Fluttershy of Rainbow a bit, much to the pink maned pegasus' surprise. "Um...yeah. Here we go!" Fluttershy remarked before taking wing, Derpy immediately following behind her. "Hop on!" Rainbow called out to the pink earth pony, the only wingless member of the group. Her wings were spread out and her body poised ready to take flight. "Wheee!!!" Pinkie cried out with joy as she hopped on top of Rainbow's back, clinging tightly to the cyan pegasus' body as she stared excitedly ahead past Rainbow's brightly colored mane. Whether from carrying the earth pony's larger frame or her rising feeling of faintness, Rainbow flew quickly over the Poison Joke plants blocking the road and landed clumsily on the ground, her legs weakly giving way. "Not one of my best landings, heh...!" she chuckled awkwardly. Pinkie chuckled back, winking at Rainbow. "It's all right, I thought it was fun! Thanks for the ride, Rainbow Dash!" She then sensed Rainbow was still feeling not quite well, and gently ran a hoof through her main as she gave her a warm smile. Meanwhile, Fluttershy had landed...with Derpy crashing into her immediately afterwards. "Um..whoops. Sorry, this...happens to me sometimes." Derpy said as she jumped off of Fluttershy, and gave her a nervous smile. "Unnngh..." Fluttershy moaned before rising to her hooves. "It's all right. I know what it's like to make mistakes...we'd be better check on the others, though." Fluttershy began walking in Rainbow and Pinkie's direction, and Derpy, feeling relieved, smiled innocently as she followed her. Sensing the group's attention was on her, Rainbow picked herself up having dropped off her passenger, straightening herself out with a stretch. Before she could take another step though, dizziness took control over her body, making her sway from side to side her light-headedness grew worse. The effects of the Poison Joke had had plenty of time to set in. "F-fluttershy, is it suppose 'ta..." Rainbow mumbled, toppling to the ground and lying there. her eyes were closed and there was a distinct lack of movement. Fluttershy ran up to Rainbow, putting a hoof to her neck, and an ear near her face. "Is she-?" Pinkie stammered out, suddenly worried for Rainbow's life. Derpy simply frowned sadly as she struggled to control her emotions. Fluttershy looked back at the other two ponies with a serious expression, but at the same time, breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay...the good news is, like I'd suspected, she's still breathing, and she still has a pulse. But, well...we're going to all need to take a few steps back. Give her body time to shift into...whatever the toxin is making it into. She'll be fine up here," Fluttershy said as she pointed a hoof at her forehead before setting it down again, "but she's...definitely going to look a lot different. Don't worry, it's easily cured, we just have to make sure we're able to transport her." Pinkie and Derpy then walked back a few steps, keeping their eyes on Rainbow's unconscious body, Fluttershy doing the same. A quite snore came out of Rainbow's mouth. Physically, she looked the same as ever. "Okay, here's the deal. The toxin is acting slower than I thought. That's a good thing. If we play our..." Fluttershy struggled for a moment to think of a proper saying, then finally remembered one. "...cards right, we should be able to get to Zecora and back, and cure Dash before she even wakes up. Pinkie, can you still do that...thing you were doing?" "I sure can!" Pinkie cried out with a giggle. She alternating once again between moving ahead and following the directions her tail pointed her in. Derpy quickly followed, happily floating behind her. Fluttershy gave one last concerned look at Rainbow before flying off after Derpy. As they left, Rainbow snored, and no one saw her stomach rise and fall with each breath as it grew slowly bigger. Pinkie eventually stopped in front of a large tree with, bizarrely enough, a large door carved into it, her nose twitching rapidly, signaling that she had reached her destination. A slightly spooky looking mask hung above the door, and various empty bottles were hung in decoration from its branches. Pinkie silently mused that whoever lived here must drink almost as much soda pop as she did, before looking back at the landing Fluttershy and Derpy. "Well...this is the place. Uh...what do we do now?" Pinkie said simply and curiously." "I'll go ahead and knock...Zecora will recognize my voice." Fluttershy flew in front of the door, rose to her hind legs, raised an arm, and tapped gently on the wooden portal with her hoof, calling out for her friend. "Zecora, it's me, Shy." Slowly the door opened, Fluttershy falling back to all fours as it did. A person with an interesting mohawk mane style walked out, smiling softly, something in her eyes showing a great inner peace, yet a sense of mystery at the same time, a sense that she knew a great deal that others did not...her ears were adorned with golden hoops, and many gold rings were worn around her neck. The woman- Derpy and Pinkie could definitely tell she was female, and she seemed at least a few years older in appearance then everypony else present- looked a lot like an earth pony mare in terms of her general size and build, and even had a cutie mark that looked some sort of unique, stylized star. However, the striped pattern of her gray and white fur was like nothing the pink earth pony or the blonde maned pegasus had seen before. Derpy smiled a wide open grin of awe as she looked upon the new being, but Pinkie remained a bit skeptical, not entirely sure that this "Zecora" lady wasn't something dangerous spawned from the tree itself. "How glad I am to see you, my dear Shy, if my eyes, they do not lie!" Zecora remarked in a deep, mature sounding voice, a bit of a sing song rhythm in her voice as she playfully rhymed her sentence. Pinkie stood there, smiling nervously, while Derpy flew up next to Zecora and hugged her immediately. "I really like your mane, m'aam!" Derpy cried out excitedly. "Um..." Zecora said, as she tried to recover from the surprise embrace. "I am grateful for your kindness, young pegasus!" Zecora calmly stated as she calmed down, and Derpy slowly slid away from her, giggling. Zecora then noticed Pinkie, still standing far away and grinning in an attempt to hide her fear. "Um...she's never seen a Zebra, before, has she, Fluttershy?" Zecora said with a worried look on her face, forgetting to rhyme momentarily. "Sadly, no." Fluttershy said, rubbing her hair in slight embarrassment. Zecora walked up to Pinkie, smiling and placing a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder, and began to try and comfort the earth pony. "Young lady, you have nothing to fear from me...I am as harmless as can be. To be a zebra is my lot...I am at once a pony and not." Pinkie seemed to snap out of her trance immediately as Zecora finished talking. "Oh, okay...so you're not a tree monster. Gotcha!" "...tree monster?" Zecora said in confusion as she backed away from Pinkie a little. She was, at least, glad that the pink pony was no longer afraid of her. "My name's Pinkie Pie! And my friend is Ditzy Doo, though people tend to call her Derpy Hooves!" Pinkie said with a grin, hopping in place cheerfully. "Hmm...well, a friend of Shy's is a friend of mine as well, you two are pure of heart, I can tell." Zecora said with a gentle grin, walking back towards her house. Once Pinkie, Derpy, and Fluttershy were all gathered around her door, and Zecora was standing right beside it again, Shy began describing the situation. "A friend of ours touched the Poison Joke...do you think you'll be able to make an antidote if we provide you with what you need?" Zecora thought for a moment, closing her eyes, deep in thought, before opening them with a smile. "A single flower is all you must bring, when ground in a hot bath, it shall make your friend's heart sing. Run along now on your quest...I wish you all the best." The trio nodded to Zecora, and flew- or in Pinkie's case, bounced- back to Rainbow's location, and the patch of purple ivy. Rainbow woke with a start. She remembered her condition, remembering the panic and fear that set in when she found out something was supposed to happen to her after being exposed to the Poison Joke plant. She checked around, looking back at herself and breathing a sigh of relief. Whatever this Poison Joke was, it hadn't done anything as bad as she might have thought, given enough time to imagine the consequences. As she lifted herself up, she felt heavy somehow. Like she had eaten something bad, or eaten too much of something recently. Struggling to right herself, she walked a few paces before her tummy growled, worrying her. 'What's wrong with me? Am I sick?' she asked herself. She felt something strange and odd about her condition, especially around her waistline. She stood up on two legs to try and see what the problem was, and that was when she saw it. "Aaaaaaaaaaghhh!" she yelped, a noise loud enough to be heard by the ponies and Zebra not far away. Rainbow fell over backwards, sitting in the dirt with her tummy exposed. It was bigger and rounder than ever before, and her limbs seemed thicker and fatter as well. She rubbed it with her hooves protectively, before standing up and looking for a direction, any direction to take in order to find her friends. She hoped they were still searching for Fluttershy's forest friend, and took off beyond the Poison Joke plants and into the forest. She didn't know it, but she was heading the wrong way, and getting further and further from her friends. But the panicked pegasus wasn't giving it much thought. Zecora stared into space anxiously as she heard the scream rustling through the leaves. She walked inside her treehouse and tried to brace herself, fearing that things would only become much more awkward in the near future. Fluttershy and Derpy suddenly landed as they heard Rainbow's voice, Pinkie's jaw dropping in a panic as they did. "What do we do now?" Pinkie cried out. "We'd better get back to the patch!" Fluttershy said as she took wing, zooming towards the Poison Joke plants as Derpy and Pinkie struggled to keep up with her, flying and bouncing as fast as they could. "She's...not here!" Fluttershy screamed as she landed in front of the plants, completely confused. As Derpy landed, she suddenly had an idea. She realized it was strange idea,but in a moment like this, it seemed crazy enough to work. "Pinkie, how good is your sense of smell?" Derpy asked urgently. "Uh...I've been told it's better than most dogs!" Pinkie spat out quickly. "Sniff out Rainbow Dash, and lead the way!" Derpy shouted. Pinkie nodded with determination, sniffing the air as she ran off in the direction her nose took her, the two pegasi flying behind her. Rainbow took to the air, flying in the air. But her new weight started draining her strength, and she landed on the ground, running briskly in search of her friends. "Darnit..." she muttered to herself. "How can I fly while I'm like this?" she panted, looking around. She was starting to feel lost. Suddenly, something large crashed into Rainbow from behind. "Ack, owies," it cried out in a cutesy, high pitched voice, not unlike a certain curly maned pink pony. "Ow! Ow ow ow... my head!" Rainbow complained. As she rubbed it, she looked up at what she crashed into. "Pinkie Pie...?" "...Dashie?" She looked below her, noticing something different about Rainbow that she couldn't seem to fully comprehend yet. She quickly smile wide. "Boy, am I ever glad to see you!" Fluttershy and Derpy landed behind the cyan and pink ponies, slowly walking closer to them to investigate the situation further. Rainbow took a few steps back, not looking behind her. "Pinkie... do I look normal to you?" Pinkie tilted her head, examining Rainbow closely. "Hmm...you look mostly normal, but you look...bigger somehow. Like...more around my size." "I thought so..." Rainbow sighed unhappily, still walking slowly backwards. "That plant made me... I mean I'm... I'm fat!!" she wailed, sitting on the edge of a ravine and tumbling backwards with a gasp, landing in a heap a meter or so below. She climbed back up, shaken and bruised. "Is there anything you can do to help me?" Derpy walked closer to Rainbow, looking worried. Pinkie nuzzled Rainbow's bruises softly, hoping to help her feel better. Fluttershy shifted her eyes awkwardly for a few moments, then managed to find the courage to speak. "We should be able to cure you by taking one of the plants to Zecora. She told me that was all she needed for an antidote." "Won't that affect you if you touch them?" Rainbow asked. She liked the plan, but couldn't see how it would work just yet. "No. It's no trouble for me...my armor's magic makes collecting the plants a simple matter," Fluttershy said, smiling confidently. "you sound like a unicorn." Rainbow noticed, looking at her with curiosity. She got up and prepared to follow her out. "I hope you're right about this." "Huh...I suppose I do," Fluttershy said, placing a hoof to her bottom lip, surprised at the realization. She smirked playfully at Rainbow as she began to walk off, Pinkie and Derpy preparing to follow her just as Rainbow had. "Zecora's never failed me. It's all right...you're in good hooves, Dash," Fluttershy said, keeping the cocky, friendly look on her face before looking forward once more to make sure she could see where she was going. As she walked, Rainbow looked down at her belly, wondering if it would be possible to give somepony a cuddle before getting cured, and why the feeling was so nice to imagine. Pinkie began walking closer to Rainbow, noticing the direction of the pegasus' gaze, becoming very curious. "Something on your mind, Dashie?" Rainbow's gaze turned to her slowly, blushing. "N-nothing..." she stammered. Pinkie smiled gently and nodded, seeing the blush on Rainbow's face. She knew that Rainbow was hiding something, but knew better than to pry further...whatever exciting feelings Rainbow was exploring within herself would blossom on their own sooner or later. Pinkie continued following Derpy who was a little ways in front of her, and Fluttershy, who was even further ahead, leading the way, but kept close to Rainbow Dash, secretly admiring the pegasus' changed form from time to time, finding a certain beauty in it that reminded her of herself. Rainbow looked at her, thinking hard about what she wanted to say. She finally whispered in her ear. "Pinkie.... this feels kinda nice." she revealed, looking away with embarrassment. Pinkie felt like giggling, but managed to keep from doing so, whispering back in Rainbow's ear. "I'm real glad you think so, Dashie, but I understand why you wouldn't want to admit it. Most ponies wouldn't. But maybe...those plants aren't so bad after all, in a way at least. Maybe they don't so much curse people as show them things about themselves they wouldn't normally see." "Maybe..." Rainbow admitted in a soft, husky voice. "But what do I do? I don't want it to affect my flying. The sooner this is over the better. But... it's starting to give me a new appreciation for your..." tactfully she whispered what she hoped were the right words. "...body type." "I think it's better you go back to normal for now," Pinkie whispered gently in a happy go lucky tone. "If you ever get curious about it again, you'll know how to change back and forth from being like that in the future." Pinkie then thought a bit about Rainbow's final statement, and nuzzled her softly. "And if nothing else, I'm really, really glad you know a bit more about why it's so fun to be me, Dashie." Suddenly, Rainbow nuzzled her cheek against Pinkie's. She saw an opportunity to continue this discussion later, but now wasn't the time. "Let's talk about this later, okay?" she smiled and winked. Pinkie smiled wider than she had been, nuzzling back at Rainbow's soft, pudgy, fuzzy cheek, winking back happily. "You bet." When Rainbow looked up, she saw a strange looking tree, with a doorway carved into it. "Are we here?" she asked. "This is the place, " Fluttershy said, knocking on the door once more. Derpy flew close to the door, happy at the chance to see Zecora again, and Pinkie remained by Rainbow's side. "We're back, Zecora," Fluttershy said calmly. Zecora opened the door, smiling at Fluttershy, and then Derpy, then looked at Pinkie and Rainbow, her cheerful face turning to one of curiosity, walking closer to them slowly. Noticing the strange striped pony's appearance, Rainbow looked at her quietly with stunned amazement. After examining Rainbow closely for a few moments, Zecora smiled cheerfully...having no idea what was wrong with Rainbow, since she had no preconceived notion of Rainbow Dash's appearance. Nonetheless, she set about questioning the pegasus to find out what effect the plants had had on her. "Greetings, noble pony with fur of blue, what may this humble Zebra do for you?" "I've come about a... weight loss problem." the blue pony smiled uncomfortably in response. "Side effect of the poison joke." Zecora stared in surprise for a moment, but quickly calmed herself and smiled softly. "Not to worry my friend, your troubles are almost at an end." Walking back to her door, she saw Fluttershy offer a single purple flower in her mouth to her, which Zecora gladly accepted in her own mouth...with Derpy and Pinkie suddenly realizing that something must be magic about Zecora's jewelry for Fluttershy to be giving the plant to Zecora without worry. Walking inside her house once more, shutting her door behind her, Zecora took to grinding and cooking the plant, crushing and bubbling sounds loudly escaping the confines of the tree house. Rainbow looked around the room, thinking hard. Eventually she looked at Pinkie. "Hey, Pinkie, come with me." she looked back at the other two as she was about to leave. "We... forgot something, we'll be right back." Pinkie nodded gently to Rainbow, smiling to Derpy and Fluttershy briefly before following her cyan friend. Rainbow trotted outside slowly, watching to see if Pinkie was following as she lead her out. Pinkie bounced along behind Rainbow, looking really excited, wondering what Rainbow could be looking for. Rainbow lead her out into a private part of the forest, hidden from the treehouse that Zecora lived in, and stopped, sitting on a fallen log. She looked at her stomach sadly. Pinkie slowly walked up to the log, at on it, and looked over at Rainbow with concern. "Are you all right?," she asked gently. "I don't know if I'm ready to get cured yet. I wanted to try something first." she stood up on two legs, letting her chubbiness hang out in the air. She held her arms out, offering Pinkie her embrace. "Mind if you hug me?" Pinkie rose up to two legs excitedly, cheering up rapidly, admiring Rainbows body for a moment before stretching her arms out as well. "I'd love to, Dashie." She tend hugged Rainbow slowly, but tightly and warmly. The chubby pegasus felt Pinkie's touch against her belly, savouring the moment happily. Eventually, she let go. "I'm glad I found out what that felt like." she sighed. "Glad to be of service," Pinkie said cheerfully, giving a big toothy grin to Rainbow. Meanwhile, in her tree house, Zecora was nearly finished with her alchemical potion, smiling upon the boiling pot her handiwork resided in. Rainbow walked into the room, looking for sign of Zecora. Zecora stood in the center of the room, standing over a bubbling, steaming cauldron, smiling down into it as she watched and listened to it, preparing to collect some of it in a cup within mere minutes. "Ooh, is it ready yet?" came Rainbow's enthusiastic voice as she entered. Zecora rose to two legs, grabbed a tall stone drinking mug from a nearby table, grasped the handle in a hoof, then scooped a large sample of the potion into it. "Yes Rainbow, it is just as you think, your remedy is now fit to drink!" She walked over to Rainbow, still on her back limbs, her usual calm smile on her face, gently reaching her arm out to offer the hot, steamy mug to the pegasus. "This shall help a lot, but be careful, for it is very hot!" Rainbow took it and blew on it gently, watching the steam rising from it. She seemed to space out, wondering about what to do when this was over. Zecora chuckled softly, returning to all fours. "The potion is incredibly fast acting, for potency it is not lacking." "Cool." Rainbow sipped, feeling the hot liquid burn her lips and licking at it. Eventually, after a few blows it cooled down and she started drinking until the mug was empty. As soon as she did, she felt herself shrink and struggled to keep her balance. She sat on the floor and admired her physique. "I'm cured!" Zecora looked over Rainbow in awe, amazed how how slim the pegasus had become. "Rainbow, now that your treatment is complete, I see that you are quite the athlete. "You bet!" Rainbow stood up. "I'm learning magic thanks to Princess Celestia, but maybe one day I'll do it for a living, in the Wonderbolts or something like that!" she exclaimed. "Or just kick clouds in Ponyville and look for adventures to come up. Whatever I decide to do." "You have much fire in your eyes, I hope that your dreams will soar to the skies," Zecora said with a wide smile and a nod. Just then Pinkie was behind Zecora. "Hi" said Pinkie in a surprisingly calm voice. Zecora turned around in shock. "Oh my, how did...oh." Zecora then slowly smiled in realization. "You used an earth pony trick to be silly, did you not, Ms. Filly?" Pinkie giggled and nodded to Zecora cheerfully. "Thanks for your help, um.... what was your name?" Rainbow asked. She looked anxious to get out the door, like she wanted to do something urgently, or was just being impatient. "Zecora, dear," the alchemist Zebra said gently to Rainbow as Pinkie hopped up and down around the room. "Feel free to come back when you need something...I am a seasoned expert with mixing. Go in peace." "Oh, right... sure." Rainbow nodded and headed out the door. "You guys coming?" Pinkie hopped out the door right behind Rainbow, immediately noticing Derpy preening Fluttershy's feathers, and Fluttershy having a confused look on her face as if she felt comfortable but didn't want to show it. "Um...sure Dash. Glad to have to back to your old self," Fluttershy said simply as Derpy continued nibbling at Fluttershy's wings. Rainbow simple trotted forward briskly, forgetting she was meant to be followed. Pinkie continued hopping behind Rainbow, as Derpy finished preening Fluttershy, and floated near Pinkie, walking alongside the earth pony as she landed. Fluttershy followed suit and flew forward a bit until she landed on the other side of Pinkie. "So, where to now, everypony?" Pinkie said with a giggle. Fluttershy struggled to think of an answer, while Derpy calmly walked along with a smile, waiting to hear suggestions from the others. "I need a nap." Rainbow yawned. She looked at Fluttershy for a moment thinking. "Have you thought about whether to come with us to Ponyville?" Fluttershy rubbed her chin for a moment, thinking hard. It would be nice to spend some time in civilization for a while, now that she had somepony available to keep her company, with one of her old friends among the group. She decided to accept the offer, but also to be cautious. "I think...I'll go ahead and come for a visit. Thanks to you all, and Zecora, my armor's charged up with enough potion to keep me disguised for a good week, but after that, I'll need to gather more plants so people won't know I...well, look like this" Fluttershy explained with a slight bit of nervousness, while still being able to remain calm for the most part. "Okay, cool. Pinkie, you want to have a party for her tonight?" Rainbow then asked. "DO I EVER!" Pinkie shrieked while doing a somersault forward, landing perfectly on her hind legs. "Woohoo, we're gonna have a great time tonight!" Derpy said, rising to her back legs as well, hopping forward, and landing behind Pinkie, whose current bipedal stance made it easy for the gray pegasus to hug her from behind and give her a quick belly rub. "W-wait, a party? Is...is anypony going to be there besides us? A-are there...going to...be...lots of people...watching me?" Fluttershy stammered out, staring blankly in horror at the rest of the group. "Oh. What do you think, Pinkie?" Asked Rainbow. "Think it could just be four of us?" "Oh, a smaller party would be just fine! What matters is that Shy will be having fun!" Pinkie exclaimed with a giggle, as she and Derpy returned to all fours. "Okay! Better prepare for it, y'know how tired I get at night if I don't have my beauty sleep." Rainbow told Pinkie. Pinkie winked and nodded to Rainbow, grinning widely, with Derpy chuckling herself, awaiting the future party. Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she wouldn't have to meet so many new people so fast, or walk into a huge crowd. Before long, Rainbow was tucked up in Pinkie's bed at Sugarcube Corner. While Pinkie and Derpy made ready for the party, Fluttershy walked silently up to Pinkie's bed, looking down at Rainbow. "Um...uh...Dash...if you're not too busy right now...I was wondering...I think I might...need a nap, and...I'm not sure where I should sleep. Uh...sorry if...you are busy now...though" Fluttershy realized that it had been years since she'd felt this out of place...it was oddly nostalgic in a way. Rainbow snored. She was long gone, and had left her sleeping body on the bed while her mind wandered off to distant places. Under the night sky, Fluttershy looked down into the lake at her new haircut, not quite sure what to make of it yet. While Gilda had cut through the pegasus' mane with her claws carefully, Flutteshy saw that the end result was still a mass of short, pink hair that was jagged and uneven at the edges...the realization caused Fluttershy to see that her form as a whole now seemed just as jagged and uneven as the way her hair had been cut. She wasn't sure whether to feel awe at this latest turn of events, or fear at the sight of her own reflection. Fluttershy suddenly felt something on her shoulder, and immediately turned to see what it was, startled. It turned out to be Gilda's familiar front paw, with it's usual odd mix of avian and feline anatomy. "...Hey," Gilda said while smiling sincerely, if somewhat weakly, her rows of feline teeth shimmering beneath her bright yellow beak. "...Hey." Fluttershy said, slowly managing a smile of her own. Removing her paw and placing it at the back of her head, Gilda's expression turned to one of concern, and slight embarrassment. After a few moments, she managed to make words once more, placing her paw to the ground as she tried to speak as gently as she could manage. "So...how you feelin'?" Fluttershy paused for what seemed like hours to her, looking into Gilda's eyes, before sighing deeply and beginning her answer. "It's...it's a good mane style, Gilda. I mean...it fits the way I look, I just...don't...know how to feel about...how I look. I don't even recognize myself with all these...whatever these are," Fluttershy finished weakly as she place a hoof one of her facial scars. Gilda shifted her eyes uncomfortably for a moment, before giving a small, playfully smirk and patting Shy's head softly. "You don't have to worry 'bout it yet. Just...wait til we've eaten. I already got us some grub ready, anyways." In spite of everything, Fluttershy began to feel much better, listening to Gilda's words, and laughed softly as she hugged her closest friend. Gilda's jaw dropped, not having expected Shy to be quite so...enthusiastic, but nonetheless, she found herself to content to return the embrace. Within a half hour, the duo had prepared a campfire. Gilda had killed a Timberwolf, a strange, half plant, half animal canine, with ease, just shortly before reuniting with Fluttershy. Timberwolves were the first species that Gilda had taught Fluttershy to feed upon...the yellow pegasus had been, and remained, adamant that if she must consume meat, she would only consume that of predatory animals. Gilda had been fortunate enough to stumble upon one that, for whatever unknown reason, was partly made up of tree matter. At first, the creatures were a rare find, with Gilda and Fluttershy having to rely on smaller kills to get by, but as time passed, they learned to pick up on the scent of the Timberwolves, and follow their pawprints. After that, the two were able to hunt the creatures instead of simply waiting for them to appear, and they became the primary food source of the friends. Fluttershy had always had a harder time taking the wolves down, but with time, a bit of careful dodging an several dozen rapid, hard punches to the skull proved to be almost as effective the single slash to the neck that Gilda employed. Tonight, however, Gilda had made things easy for Shy, as a peace offering. The two sat on opposite sides of a campfire as they began their meal...the wolf had long since been stripped of all its meat, thanks to Gilda's claws and the usual sharp torn off strip of tree bark that Fluttershy had been taught to use, save the flesh of the head and lower legs, which had been tossed with the bones and most of the organs for other creatures to devour. Nothing ever seemed to go to waste in the Everfree, for better or worse. Fluttershy watched hungrily as she held a tree branch in a hoof, watching the meat roast quickly, alongside Gilda's own roasting chunk. She wondered momentarily why she and her friend didn't just eat the leaves on the branch, but quickly remembered that the leaves of the trees in this bizarre forest happened to be nearly as hard as stone. The surprises in this place had been beyond frustrating, but Shy was glad that she didn't have to bare them alone anymore. After several minutes of cooking and chewing, the duo had finally eaten most of the meat they had acquired. All that was left was their traditional "dessert"...the one internal organ that Gilda had always told Fluttershy was worth keeping, the animal's brain. Gilda picked it up, and, as was the custom between them, cut it in half and gave one half to Fluttershy. Shy savored the flavor as she always did, feeling the strange creaminess in her mouth, as if she were gobbling a chunk of butter. "Mmph. Just...like old times, huh?" Fluttershy remarked with a soft blush and a smile, licking her lips. "Has it really been that long?" Gilda replied with a smirk, between bites. After much more biting and chewing, the meal came to an end. Fluttershy walked over to the lake, sucked some of the water into her mouth, then walked back to the fire and doused it, putting it out. She thought to herself for a moment, staring at the ground, feeling like she was forgetting something, then, as she stood, looked into the eyes of the still sitting Gilda. "Gilda...um...I just...wanted to...say I'm sorry for-" Gilda smiled awkwardly, waving a paw in the air dismissively. "Shy, I'm sorry too, it's no biggie." "But still, I started it, and...I...well." Fluttershy quivered a little, looking as if she might cry. Gilda rose to her back legs, walked over to Fluttershy, and looked down into her eyes, frowning sadly, but seeming somehow calm and confident. "Shy...I...honestly think we're even. We'd both be dead if we hadn't met each other...and even if it wasn't that crazy freaking storm, I...I don't think I would have had any friends if it weren't for you. Or maybe I'd have some, but...I don't think I would've been able to keep any of them." Fluttershy stared in disbelief as she looked at Gilda's face, seeing a softness in it that she'd never quite seen before. She rose to her hind legs, walked to Gilda, and stood face to face with her. "You...really think that highly of me, Gilda?" "Yeah." Gilda said simply, looking away for a moment, still having a hard time fully letting out the emotions she'd kept long hidden, even after all that had happened. Looking back to Fluttershy, she managed another smile. "Look, Shy...you've kinda...you've totally...you've taught me something. I guess...I can't completely quit bein' kind of a monster, you know? But I don't have to....I ain't gonna keep on acting like I don't know what l...l...what's the word I'm looking for? I'm bad at this. Sorry." Gilda rubbed the back of her head nervously once more. "Love?" Fluttershy said with a smirk. "Y-yeah. What love is. I don't...really mind bein' nice after how nice you've been to me...I always...I always wanted to be nice, ya know, I just...didn't think I could do it. That I was allowed to do it. You...made me realize I don't have to hate myself. And 'cause of that, I want you to know...the guilt from eatin' these critters...these people...I know it hasn't gone away for you. You've started to enjoy hunting. We've enjoyed the taste of so many animals from this forest together...but the pain doesn't go away, does it? Maybe someday it will...but I know...it'll take a long time. 'Cause it ain't...gone away for me yet. But...I can help ya out...I can help you have some fun bein' a monster Shy. Even if it ain't what you'd like to be. I've...got something I wanna show you in the morning, 'kay? Just remember, whatever we look like...we're still pals...and we're still...ponies. And...we're just kids, still. Things can get better for us." Gilda stared at Fluttershy long and hard, feeling a little like she'd lost her mind, but then realized...that what she was feeling didn't feel wrong...that the young griffon was feeling closer Fluttershy than she ever had been. Shy embraced her, and wept deeply...but the tears falling into the fur and feathers of the griffon's torso were shed in joy. The following morning, Fluttershy and Gilda were sitting across from each other under the light of the sun, struggling to find words. Fluttershy was the first to speak up. "So...you'll be gone for a few years." "Yeah Shy." "But...you have...ways of making it feel almost like you never left." "...Yeah. I know it sounds crazy, but...there's one small thing I wanna give ya, and one really big thing." "...Okay," Fluttershy said simply. Reaching to one of her wings, Gilda shivered a bit as she plucked out a brown feather. She then rose to her hind legs, walked beside Fluttershy, and began tying the feather into Fluttershy's hair, tying the pink locks into a tight braid, the feather hanging from the end of it. Fluttershy chuckled softly. "A memento, huh?" "Heh, yeah...sappy, but it works," Gilda remarked. She then closed her eyes, and concentrated, and with a flash of blinding golden light, a small, yet sturdy looking metallic vest was now held in her paws, a red gem depicting a griffon's face in its center. "Wh-what is-?" Fluttershy stammered out. "When I turned around to come back to you after our...disagreement...this showed up. Out of nowhere. It was like...something was rewarding me for an epiph...epipha...a realization or somethin.' I hid it away, somehow, like I was some kinda unicorn...and now it's here again. 'Cause I want you to have it. Because as long as you're wearing this, you'll be stronger. You'll kill those wolves with one shot instead of twelve, and no hydra will ever tangle with you and live. And you'll always have a very real part of me wrapped around you. All the time." Gilda walked around to the back of Fluttershy, fastening the armor in place. It was like nothing Fluttershy had ever felt before...it was if a piece of Gilda's soul was warming her, empowering her. "Gilda, I...I don't know what to say." Fluttershy said, rising to her hindlegs, and making eye contact with her friend. "Well...I know that feeling. It's...hard for me to do this mushy stuff. I'm...out of practice. But it's worth it for you." Fluttershy walked to the lake, looking over herself. She still felt ugly, but she also felt...special, somehow. The scars, her hair, and Gilda's gift...As much as she wished her life had gone differently, something about her felt overjoyed that she was now shouldering the same burdens as Gilda...and gaining the same strengths. Fluttershy turned back to Gilda and smiled softly. "I understand...everything about you now Gilda. Your hopes, your dreams, your pain, your fears...I...I truly love you, my friend." "S-Shy, I" Gilda stammered, not sure what to say at all, and hoping Fluttershy wouldn't notice the happy tears in the griffons eyes. Just then, a flash appeared on Fluttershy's flank, startling her and causing her to drop to all fours once more. Gilda followed suit, all four of her limbs running to Fluttershy's side. "Huh...butterflies. Fits ya. You've gone through a lot of changing...maybe you've got more ta do." "Maybe I do," Fluttershy said a with a chuckle, admiring her new cutie mark. "Well...stay safe. I know you will anyway, buddy...You're the warrior of the Everfree now." Before Gilda knew it, she was hugging Fluttershy tight, amazed how quickly and easily the action had come to her. "I'll do everything to make you proud Gilda." Fluttershy rubbed her nose against Gilda's beak, and smiled at her. Gilda smiled back, no longer able to control her tears. "I'll...see you soon enough pal." Gilda zoomed off, leaving her best friend behind for a largely unknown future. As she watched Gilda soar into the sunny sky, Fluttershy sung the lullaby she'd sung to her friend so many times before, when Gilda had been far too deep into sleep to hear. "...Fly over me, evil angel..." Fluttershy's eyes popped open, staring at the ceiling. She'd been remembering so much...she wondered how long she had been out. The night of the party rolled around in only a few hours, after Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash scrambled around setting things up and deterring politely any curious ponies wondering why Pinkie was throwing a private party all of a sudden. Fluttershy smiled softly, watching Pinkie and Derpy trying to sing a duet together. The pizza wasn't bad either, though she wasn't sure if she thought it tasted better than Timberwolf. Rainbow held a fizzy drink, sipping occasionally as she watched Fluttershy, wondering what she was thinking. "Penny for your thoughts?" Rainbow sided up to her, smiling politely. "Come on now, try and understand, the way I feel under your command! They can't hurt you now, can't hurt you now" Pinkie cried out, doing a twirl on her back legs before dropping to her head and spinning on it. "Because the night belongs to lovers, because the night belongs to us!" Derpy sang happily, doing a figure eight in the air just above Pinkie. Fluttershy looked over to Rainbow, smiling reflexively as she noticed her old friend's face, glad that her disguise was working for the time being. "I'm really happy to have such friendly company...you guys are so generous." "Hmm... I wonder who that Zecora was, and what her story is. I guess we'll find out. At least she seems friendly." Rainbow replied. Fluttershy chuckled softly. "Yeah. She may keep a lot of things to herself, but she's really easy to work with." Rainbow looked out the window at the ponyville's distinctively purple night sky. "I wonder what Twilight would have to say right now.... my friend, back in Canterlot. We used to read a lot together." "You must miss her terribly," Fluttershy remarked gently, looking at the sky as well, noticing the strange markings on the moon, like that of a face. Rainbow nodded. She was already thinking of her adventures and the things they read together. She stared out at the sky, looking at the strange equine face on the moon. "Yeah, but maybe one day we'll all be together in one place. My very own circle of friends."