Are You Ready?

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 2

Dr. Facilier thought he had her under her spell at first sight, but the zebra mare's blank stare was only replaced with a look of pure disdain upon his sight. She narrowed her eyes as she replied in a hostile tone.

"You, who have come across my home,
Should not be here. Go now, and roam..."

Her words practically dripped with venom with each spoken term, as if she knew he would come here and was ready to fight him off if necessary. The witch doctor couldn't let his guise falter, for he even broke Lawrence, a stout toady who doubted him at first, only to seek his services after speaking with his silver tongue. He decided he needed to try harder as he spoke to her again, trying to crush her iron will and make her help him out.

"C'mon, girl, don't be shy~.
Let me talk, I'm a reasonable guy."

Before he could speak more, he was interrupted by mare's next venom-induced verse.

"Your aura is as dark as this forest's soul!
To let you sway me with words, I'd be a foal!"

There she goes again with that hostile tone. While he kept a suave and cool demeanor on his face, on the inside, he was equally agitated with her words. Once again, it was as if she anticipated his arrival from the get-go. He dismissed her harsh words once again as he continued to attempt to win over her trust.

"Don't judge a book by it's cover, missy...
I come seeking guidance. No need to get pissy."

The zebra mare could only snort at his words, knowing that this stallion meant trouble. While she could relate to being judged as a type of witch, she was accepted in the end after showing kindness to her friends. But she could tell that the horned zebra standing in front of her wanted nothing more than to further his dark goals just by using charming banter to lure her under his spell. She could only reply to his next statement with another spiteful verse.

"You shall get nothing from me at all!
Go to the nearest cliff and fall!"

It was at times like this that he missed his shadow, for this verbal onslaught of her's was getting old to the Shadowman (Or in his current case, 'Colt'). She possessed a strong spirit, as if Madam Odie herself somehow made her way into this world and was standing right in front of him. Barring her spirit, it was as if he was forced to deal with this ever since he came here, having to deal with constant verse. Dr. Facilier only rhymes in song and times when he's in a good mood, but not 24/7. Looking past the defensive mare, he caught a glimpse of her hut's interior. He noticed more masks and potions around her room, and stopped his eyes to a bubbling cauldron, his eyes gleaming with temptation. It was a long time since he whipped up a good potion or two, along with some spells. But knowing his predicament, he thought it best to leave her alone, knowing she wasn't moving an inch or even GIVING him an inch further to her home. He thought it would be best to just wrap up his little reverie and ask for directions since she is adamant on wanting him gone.

"Since your not in the bests of moods today,
Do you know of any good places to stay?"

The angry mare couldn't take it anymore as she slammed a hoof on her doorstep with a loud thud, causing Dr. Facilier to flinch and take a step back. her eyes were narrow to slits as she uttered her next words with crushing ferocity.

"You've wasted time, now leave my abode!
Your sight will only make my anger EXLODE!"

She was ready for war, and the witch doctor could only sneer at her explosive anger, but quickly donned a fake smile. He turned and left after giving her one last smile and made his way along the clear path in front of him. After he was a few feet away from the hut, he heard a door slam, knowing she went inside with her more than bad mood. After she went inside, he replaced his smile with a look of dark anger. 'That girl jus' messed with the wrooong guy...If I had all my stuff, she'd be cooked like Louisiana shrimp!' He could only brood about his temporary loss as his thoughts darkened, and at that time that same faint rhythm came back to his ears, only growing in volume with each thought. He stopped and looked around again, wondering if he was hearing things, or if the zebra mare was performing some kind of haunting melody to spite him. He calmed down again to listen, only to have that melody fade once more. He rubbed his temples and wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him, but dismissed it as he continued on, finding a ray of light on the way.

After a good amount of walking, he was able to find himself out of the forest and into a beautiful meadow. He looked around and found the scenery to be remarkable. Almost every artist alive would want nothing more than to paint a picture of what the witch doctor saw: Beautiful skies, the breezing clouds, the bright sun, singing birds, and the blades of grass moving gracefully in the wind. It was as pristine as the clearing he woke up to in the forest. He took in the view, only to notice two things in the distance that lifted his spirits and made him forget about his past troubles.

What he noticed was a very distant castle hanging over a large mountain, looking every bit as it would in a children's book. Dismissing the childish nature the structure envoked, he was happy to know there was possibly royalty to dupe out of their money and resources were he to hold any useful items, but the second sight made him all the happier. A town! A town meant civilization, and civilization meant opportunity. He could use this moment to get back on his feet and start a whole new business with his profession in the dark arts. With renewed vigor after his long travel in the forest, he galloped ahead, only to stop and notice another landmark in his sights. He came across what appeared to be a peaceful cottage, like the one in 'Goldilocks and the three bears', only it was teeming with animals of different kinds. Most of them were merely small critters. Dr. Facilier wondered if it was a good idea to go over there to knock on the door and not be met with another seething zebra mare who could see through his charismatic ruse with relative ease. Dismissing the thought, he made his way over, only to notice the critters widening their eyes at the sight of the him and scurrying into their respective homes. When he reached the door, he put on his best gentlemen's face and knocked on the door, waiting patiently for whoever lived here. The door opened to reveal a beautiful yellow pony with a flowing pink mane and gentle eyes looking up at Dr. Facilier. This one was the antithesis of his last visit, and this made his attempt all the easier with knowing how timid she sounded when she spoke to him, shaking visibly "U-Um...Can I help you, sir??" She said in an quiet and cute voice. Antithesis indeed! This one didn't even rhyme at all, making Dr. Facilier want to use his signature charm on her to see if he can win her over easily as he flashed a grin towards the pony, then noticed she had wings. It was as if he went to a place where everyone was a horse with a visible gimmick on their bodies and a tattoo on their hindquarters. Dismissing the thought, his suave demeanor took over as he greeted the timid mare.

"Hey there cutie, how ya'll doin'?
You act as if there's trouble brewin'..."

His words made the mare shrink back into her mane, her face red as a cherry "O-Oh my...No, there's n-nothing wrong...I, um...just never saw you here before..." She could only take another step back, causing Dr. Facilier to chuckle at her actions. He spoke again, although he caught a faint glimpse of a pair of small black eyes glaring at him from inside her cottage.

"Don't worry, girl, I won't bite none.
I'm just here to have some fun..."

He paused on his words, thinking he was coming on too strong with his charm as he noticed the mare was all the way inside of her house with the door open. The doctor revised his words with haste.

"I didn't mean it like that, don't get me wrong,
I was just passing through, my trip was long..."

The mare slowly showed some of her face, but was still nervous "A-Are you lost? Because you're near Ponyville, if that's where you wanna go..." She shrunk again "That is, if that's okay with you..." The Shadowcolt could only shake his head and smile at this one, knowing her innocence was as clear as day. He decided to poke more fun by charming the mare with more words before he made his way to the place called 'Ponyville'.

"Your voice is so soft, it makes me wanna fly...
What's your name there, cutie pie?"

Upon the request, she could only utter "Um...I'm Fluttershy..." This caused Dr. Facilier to raise an eyebrow at her and ask again

"You're not speaking loud enough, my dear.
Mind layin' some emphasis onto my ear?"

She spoke again "M...My name is Fluttershy..." This began to agitate the witch doctor, thinking that she was toying with him. He asked once more with what was left of his patience.

"Didn't quite catch that, speak up please.
Try sayin' your name with relative ease..."

He hoped that that would help her speak up, but it only succeeded in making her give off an inaudible squeak at a high pitch. He only paused and stared at how shy this mare can be. Normally, he's used to dealing with fraidy cats or nervous wrecks of all sorts coming to his shop for guidance, but this was just ridiculous. He almost missed the zebra's ire with how this winged mare was talking. He just sighed as he trotted off.

"I'm just gonna go to that there town.
If ya feel like followin', come on down..."

He doubt that she would, given her audience with him, until he heard a "Wait!" causing him to turn to see the yellow mare fluttering into the air from her home, landing next to his side. She kicked at the ground, looking away "I-I'm sorry...I get nervous around new ponies...and you seem like you need help" She turned to Dr. Facilier with a warm smile "My name is Fluttershy...What's yours?" The Shadowcolt paused and stared, only to slowly break into a grin as he thought he found himself a valuable pawn for the first time in a long while. They walked along the trail to Ponyville, trading introductions and small stories on the way.