//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 : A Short Flight // Story: So Many Wonders // by MerlosTheMad //------------------------------// The top of the hill revealed a scene unlike any other Fluttershy had ever seen. Firstly, there were more of the two legged strangers, running in every which direction around a forest of tents. Secondly, she was at a loss as to what was transpiring. What are they doing? Fluttershy's face wrinkled in confusion, trying to understand the strange setting that lay before her. When the realization of what she was watching struck her, a state of shock immediately set in. They are fighting one another. Her eyes widened to their fullest in pure disbelief at the violence taking place at the foot of the hill. Fluttershy's ears were still held down against the thunderous noises coming from down the hill, but it did little good. There were cries of pain and the screams of mares bounced around the landscape under the loud bangs and the ring of metal. M-maybe they're just playing? The hopeful thought did a poor job of convincing her with the evidence of the contrary taking place so nearby. Another much closer scream somehow managed to get through to Fluttershy. It was Nausicaa's voice, following it, she became aware of two more strangers sharing the top of the hill with her and Root. To Fluttershy, they looked... unsettling. She watched as they laughed to one another, somehow immune to the chaos and horrors that filled the air and played out so close to them. Those same horrors had her rooted to the spot she stood in. They weren't looking at her, that was all that mattered, they were walking away from her. I- I- What is this? Her mind itself was too confused by the impossible happening all around to feel grateful for being left alone. No creature is capable of all this. Her mane dragged across the ground, her head hung while she took an unknowing step towards the calamity. Fluttershy let out a strangled yelp and shrank to the ground, tears forming in her eyes. Her hooves clasped down around her head. Beside her, Root pulled ferociously at her tail. Nothing got through to her though, she just watched, and watched the scene. Another yelp caught her attention, it came from somepony else, though. Fluttershy became aware of the struggling shape that was being carried down the hill, it was Nausicaa. The strange filly was crying, too. She must also be sad and frightened by all of this. Mud had already formed on Fluttershy's face from her tears mixing with the sand. Despite the bleariness of her vision, she saw Nausicaa beating on the back of the creature that was carrying her, crying out. A little something clicked inside Fluttershy, that overrode the fear that had strangled her breath and kept her limbs frozen to the ground they stood on. The air rushed past Fluttershy's face; she could feel her mane streaming in the wind as her wings beat furiously to achieve a speed that she rarely attempted. On her back, Root was digging his claws into her sides to hold on, but that was okay, her focus was on gulping air. Despite the action she'd lept into, her mind was still in a panicked state. What am I doing, what am I doing!? The filly's expression froze and she quieted upon seeing Fluttershy. I guess I don't know what I'm doing, but this is no place for a child. Fluttershy frowned sadly, then swooped in. Her hooves wrapped around Nausicaa tightly. She had time to add, "Excuse me," before again taking to the sky, hauling Nausicaa along with her. Below herself, Nausicaa seemed to be laughing and cheering. "Domo, Fluttershy, domo!" The filly laughed into the wind and held her skinny arms out to either side of herself. The words the filly said still made no sense to Fluttershy, but she understood her own name. Fluttershy gritted her teeth and concentrated on flying. "Oh, hold still please!" The wind drowned her voice out some, not that the girl she carried in her forelegs could understand her. One last glance behind herself revealed that the two creatures weren't giving chase, they were only standing on the hillside staring after her. Oh good, they can't fly. She hadn't really consider they might be able to, but breathed out in relief all the same. As Fluttershy soared away, it dawned on her how badly her body was shaking. Still, she felt relief from the clean getaway. Amidst the symphony of noise and loud, cracking sounds, a much closer sounding one rang out; Fluttershy thought it came from just behind herself. Her eyes widened, and her body tensed up. The filly in her hold quieted her cheering as well. Curious, and afraid to see what had happened, she craned her head around quickly to look. Both of the creatures on the hill created another series loud noises, matching those that were coming from down the hill. The reverberations could be felt in Fluttershy's bones, even from this far away, and made her jump despite being airborne. She cried out, and instinctively her wings snapped shut. Are those...weapons? Fluttershy thought fearfully, plunging earthward. The word was strange and foreign in her mind, she almost didn't procure it at all. The sand below them began to rush up towards Fluttershy, and the fear she had of falling torqued her mind further. Her resolve was cracked. I c-can't do this! I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry everypony! The thoughts weren't clear about who she was apologizing to. As Fluttershy fell, wind rushing past her mane, she realized somepony else was also crying out too. The girl's voice mixed with hers from where she hung in Fluttershy's forelegs. "Nausicaa!? Oh, dear, don't cry!" The wind and noise was too much for her to even hear herself. They fell for just a moment more before the filly's screaming got through to Fluttershy. She wasn't sure how, but her wings were flapping again, as hard as they could. The cracks of noise quickly became quieter. She stared straight ahead into the desert, not really seeing anything, only concentrating on breathing and flying. The sharp pain from little claws in her back was vaguely becoming discernible as she flew further from the noise behind her. Fluttershy kept going, despite not knowing what else to do. She didn't dare look back again. I just have to get away. The trio flew for a time in their random direction, and Fluttershy stayed aloft by distracting herself. I just want to stay in flight, leave everything back there far behind, never face such frightening creatures again, go home to find refuge in my cottage and never come out. Distracting her panicked mind with what it wanted seemed to work. The filly beneath her kept speaking in its strange language, but it sounded like it was having fun of all things, so Fluttershy wasn't concerned, yet. Still, her wings were beginning to lose what little strength they had, and then all she would be able to manage to do is glide. The simple effort of holding them all up in the air was almost too much for her to bare any longer. A couple sand dunes later, and Fluttershy had to set the filly down on the ground, her limit reached. When enough altitude was lost, she gently dropped the little passenger. "Aah, hold on- AAH!" She, however, was unable to slow enough for herself as she attempted her landing. The pegasus plunged into the sand. Fluttershy cried out and was cut off just as quickly, her body pitching forward. She made full contact with the ground; her hooves tripped up, then she rolled to a stop. Together, she and Root tumbled into a pile on the sparsely vegetated hillside. They came to rest on the blistering sand and odd grass after sliding down a meager slope. She made no effort to get up right away. Fluttershy's breathing made ragged noises, and the sensation of her chest rising and falling was so hard that it caused pain in her lungs. Her thoughts sang a different tune, however. We're safe, thank you, Princesses, we're safe. That was all she could think while her aching body absorbed the rest of her attention. Dimly, Fluttershy became aware of the filly kneeling beside her, gently stroking her side and whispering softly. Oh, that feels nice. The thought was accompanied only by her eyes shutting slowly. She released the last bits of tension she'd kept in her body, finally beginning to breath more calmly. After a smidgen of her adrenaline and panic faded, Fluttershy felt she could have laid there forever, even with that burning, horrible sun overhead. The tugging at her mane told her that might not be what was in store for her, though. She looked up quickly when the sounds of angry shouting reached her sand encrusted ears. Together with Root and Nausicaa, Fluttershy looked across the open desert terrain. Two shapes were busy sliding down a far dune, clouds of dust kicked up in their wake. Fluttershy gasped, her expression a mixture of fear and shock. "Oh, no, nono. Who are they!? Why are they doing this?" She looked over at Nausicaa for an answer. The sight of the two-legged filly glaring angrily at them, rather than sharing in her fear, caught her by surprise. Her furrier companion stood with his fur raised and a similar, albeit squirrelier expression of hate. She looked back to the two wicked strangers her companions both glared at. Oh dear. Root began hissing again, but ceased to look up patiently. Fluttershy saw the filly and Root both watching her intently. She realized that she was the one in charge, and that she had initiated this flight from the dangerous, scary creatures. The images alone from the valley had nearly made her faint, she thought, being in charge was just as frightening a concept. Fluttershy began to shake. " I- I can't lead, you two. I- Where's Twilight, Twilight would know what to do. She's always the one with a plan. Or Rainbow, why can't Rainbow Dash be here to 'kick butt'!?" A calming, but scared voice from the filly kept Fluttershy on her hooves. She stilled herself, swallowing hard while her knew friend hugged her neck. We have to reach safety, Fluttershy decided. She spotted something at the edge of her vision, just behind her mane. She turned towards the big forest in the distance. Or, we just have to get away from them, no matter what! The nearby vegetation would have to do for a place to hide, she decided. Fluttershy started forward, and something tugged on her tail again. She was starting to feel like Rainbow Dash whenever Applejack was around. Turning, she found the little girl holding two little bunches of long pink tail in both of her hands, her head shaking side to side furiously. Aside from that, the little girl had produced a very, very bizarre looking mask from somewhere, and placed it on her face. The new head-ware wasn't Fluttershy's immediate concern though. "But we need to get away from these two!" she tried pleading with the girl, even knowing she wouldn't understand the words. Nothing made any sense, but getting away from those other two legged creatures was certainly not a bad idea. "I don't understand, Nausicaa, we have to run! They... they tried to hurt us, to hurt you!" Fluttershy's eyes and expression were fearful and pleading as she tried to reason out things with the filly. The filly looked back with her own uncertainty from beneath the mask's lenses, then at the pair of wrong doers approaching them from behind. She seemed to sigh, confusing the pony further, then looked out along the border of the forest. With only a few more seconds lost, she pointed one of her strange little digits towards what looked like a big rock on the edge of the forest. "We'll go there?" Fluttershy asked, looking from the filly to the enormous rock-thing. Nausicaa studied Fluttershy a moment, then nodded. Together, a relieved Fluttershy and Root followed after her. The three of them slid down the next hillside together, angry voices following behind them. I knew she couldn't have been thinking about staying... but why not go to the forest? Fluttershy didn't understand things fully, but trusted her new friend. Those two creatures behind them, whoever they were, were scary and obviously meant harm. She didn't want anything to do with them. Gargantuan tree roots stood in their way towards the cave; they were almost a forest unto themselves. Still, they ran, tumbled and stumbled through them. Fluttershy scrambled desperately under one particularly gnarled root, her young ward leading the way as they avoided the pursuing strangers. The shout of their odd language cut through the thin foliage. Knowing they were still there made Fluttershy move faster. We're like prey to these horrible creatures! It was a rare thing in nature, but there were predators, creatures that were evil or held no regard for Harmony and living in peace. Their followers were much like timber-wolves, or something just as foul. The creatures after them seemed equally wicked. That made it all the stranger, to Fluttershy, because Nausicaa was the same species as them. So why? Why are they chasing her like this? Why are they so... evil? The question in her thought made no sense. She couldn't come up with an answer. Rainbow Dash... Twilight... Pinkie Pie... anypony, I just wish you were here. I can’t do this by myself. She hopped over a raised copse of plants, and nearly tripped. Her wings beat for a moment to hover, before landing again with an oof. While she paused there, her labored breathing fought to catch up with her pace. Root stopped slightly ahead of her, looking back. Beside the mare, a quiet sniffle drew her attention away from her scared inner dialogue. She glanced at the little girl that had managed to keep up on their pell-mell escape through the forest border. The respirator worn by the young Nausicaa muffled her breathing as they maneuvered across the landscape. "Fluttershy," the girl breathed, taking a few steps towards the pony. She leaned onto Fluttershy's side. Fluttershy looked back towards the sound of the voices. They were coming closer again. "Come on, Nausicaa. We're almost there." She struggled to get her hooves moving again, pushing the filly with her head slightly until again they were races through the brush. Eventually, they came upon the hill they had seen from a distance. Fluttershy continued to pant heavily, her sides heaving as they neared the hiding spot. She hoped that Nausicaa's plan would work. Their destination sort of looked like a giant face, she thought. It was a large, smooth sided lump of solid rock, pockmarked with a couple potential hiding spots and canted to one side. The filly pulled Fluttershy along until they stood next to the thing. It towered over them. Their hands and hooves quickly found purchase on the strange-feeling rocky substance. This world is so wrong, Fluttershy thought as they climbed, shaking her head in despair. She had never really considered anything wrong before. Not even Discord, though she supposed he did fit the description, too. "Nothing like any of this is in Equestria. What have I gotten myself into?" Root looked over at her from hopping up the ledges as she spoke her doubts aloud. One of the small passages, halfway up the hill, became their chosen hiding place. They quickly bolted in, Nausicaa leading the way. They ran to the back of the cave until there was no where else to go. It was a dead end. Fluttershy collapsed into a corner, hoping against hope that they wouldn't be found, that she could rest finally. She hadn't seen the creatures following them as they made it inside. Maybe they would look elsewhere. Nausicaa brought her into a hug. It surprised Fluttershy, to find that she was crying again. She wouldn't have thought that she had the strength to still cry. The girl seemed to be trying to calm her down. Stop it Fluttershy, she chided herself with a short burst of ferocity. You're a grown mare, and we should be quiet... Oh, why do they even want to chase us? Her nose sniffled a couple more times, and she buried her head against her new friend for comfort. Fluttershy thought over why a timber wolf would chase her. To eat her, of course. She hoped that wasn't why they strangers chased her. Why are they chasing us? Her head nuzzled into the filly hugging against her, seeking comfort. While the three waited in their refuge, they were alone with their thoughts. It was completely quiet here, the contrast of the atmosphere was incredible. A moment ago they had all been breathing heavily, and before that the loud crashing of the creature's strange tools was deafening. Now, there was nothing... except Root's breathing, he seemed to be having trouble calming down. Fluttershy brought the poor dear closer and wrapped him up in her wing. I’m not strong... But I have to be strong. If not for me, then for them. Nausicaa’s just a little filly. Why would anypony do this to a little girl? And Root's so small, he's helpless, too. Fluttershy looked over sadly at the huddled figures she supposed she now protected. Those other ones make even that wicked Chrysalis actually seem nice... this is just horrible. “Otōsan...” The little filly mumbled through her gas mask, her eyes watching the mouth of the cave. A menacing form filled up the cave entrance completely, cutting off the light of the sun. The dark shadow the shape cast promised nothing good for the mare and little girl cowering in its depths. A quiet laughter picked up from a soft chuckle, to a satisfied cheer. The creature began calling out loudly behind himself. The strange object with the tube—which had been used earlier—raised up in the creature's arms as he pointed it at Fluttershy. Nausicaa flinched in her hug and cried out towards the new presence. Fluttershy couldn't understand her, but it sounded a bit like the girl was yelling at them to leave. I wish they would just go. The lone thought was all she could come up with to think, trapped now as they were. Time seemed to crawl as the creature slowly advanced upon their trembling forms. The tension reached its climax with an ominous click of the metal stick he held. The form said a few words down to Fluttershy and pressed the tube against her. Root hissed weakly, much of his earlier ferocity mysteriously vanished, while Nausicaa lept up. She cried and fought to attack the stranger from Fluttershy's hooves, but was held back by the mare. "No, Nausicaa!" Fluttershy yelled. Outside, a pop of noise grabbed the four's attention, and the tallest creature halted his advance. He flinched, and looked behind himself slowly, calling out, likely to get an answer from his partner. The world exploded into noise around them as an earth-shattering roar replaced the silence of nature. The sound evoked confusion in the entire cave, more so when the ground itself began shifting and rumbling. The creature's face beneath its mask lost the glee it had just possessed. He grew pale and stumbled about, before turning to run as quickly as he could. He even dropped his metal stick. Screams of terror were heard from outside as the creature left them alone and the cave continued to rumble. Fluttershy didn't feel relief though, as rocks and dust were filling their impromptu hiding spot and the sudden noise was just as frightening as the stranger. The ground moved more, causing them to slide around like candies in a pinata. Without thinking, she followed after the wicked creature, desperate once again to find safety and get outside. The filly followed her, along with Root. “What’s happening!?” Even if there was somepony present to understand her, she doubted there was an explanation that she would understand. Outside, there was no sign of the creature that had been chasing them all. What Fluttershy saw instead made her scream, not that it could be heard over the roaring landscape. Fourteen beacons of red light came to life from beside their cave. The sound cut off briefly, creating the most stunning quiet that Fluttershy had ever experienced. She realized the beacons weren't merely lights, they were eyes; and they belonged to a monster. “...Ohm...” Mumbled a horrified Nausicaa beside her. “What-” Fluttershy began to ask, before another lurch of the hill sent them across the ground and towards the nearby slope. She let out an undignified squeal as they flew out the entrance of the cave. Had she not grabbed onto a small crag, she would have fallen down the steep incline. There, they bore witness to the chaos within the canopy of odd trees. Flashes lit up the landscape with loud bangs as creatures who weren’t scrambling about seemed to try and attack the behemoth that stirred nearby. Beside the hill, the red lights moved. They all curved around the front of what looked like a massive, carapaced bug. It began lumbering past their little hill towards the flashes and noise. Its body was nothing short of enormous, easily as large or larger than even a dragon. A small crowd of the two legged creatures ran before the bug and out of the sparse vegetation into the desert. Fluttershy climbed up from her hoof-hold and steadied herself on the cliff. She looked again to her right at the multitude of huge, glassy orbs, each burning a deep crimson. Those must be the monster's eyes, she decided. So many eyes... and I can’t even see them all. How big is this animal!? The creature seemed to be dragging itself along the ground through the use of dozens of thick legs at its front. The whole thing together was shaped a bit like a loaf of bread. Slowly, it seemed to gain speed after the ant-like creatures running from it. Nausicaa was hugging the mouth of their cave fiercely, and holding Root in one arm. Fluttershy went to her now that the rumbling was dying. "Nausicaa! Are you okay?" The filly looked up at her, spoke again in that strange language, but that was all. Not sure why I expected an answer... Fluttershy sighed and sank to her haunches, exhausted. “HIME!” A shout came from just behind Fluttershy, making her stiffen right up and fall onto the rocky wall ground. "Hime!" "Yupa-sama!?" Nausicaa's jubilant tone of voice reached Fluttershy after the softer repetition of the unfamiliar word. She looked up and saw another one of the two legged creatures that had looked so dangerous in the valley. This one also had one of the noise making sticks...but it was hugging Nausicaa fiercely. Fluttershy got to her hooves slowly, but remained crouching. She backed a little ways into the cave as well. In front of her, Nausicaa began jumping happily and pointing at her, which made her sink lower to the ground. Finally, she was again laying down when the new stranger turned to look at her. They audibly gasped when they did. "H-hello...I don't suppose you understand me?" The stranger looked shocked underneath his mask when Fluttershy spoke to him. He spoke more words to her, but when she didn't give an answer he looked down to again speak to Nausicaa. Hearing the language again pulled at Fluttershy's memory as it had before, and then she had an epiphany. She realized where she recognized it from. That's Neighponese! I've heard of that before. Her eyes widened as she came to a hopeful thought. Is that where I am? If this was Neighpon...no, nothing here feels like Equestria at all. The thoughts left her with less than she'd begun them with. Whatever was being exchanged between them was lost as more explosions came from nearby, again making Fluttershy squeak. Everyone's attention was again on the bug and those it chased. Nausicaa shouted out across the open area, hands cupped in the direction of the noise. The one she had called 'Yupa' sighed and shook his head sadly, a hand of his own went up to his eyes. On the open field, each lash of the strange bug's whip-like legs crushed into the powdered loam of the forest floor. Each such thrash of its chitinous body saw another of the poor fleeing creatures trampled by it. Fluttershy knew that even if they were incredibly lucky, that none of them would make it after that happened to them. It seemed to her as though they had angered the guardian of a forest, and in its fury, it had decided it would hurt everypony responsible. Oh, oh dear. This is too much. Fluttershy had been able to take back to the air, the extra height from being high up already had been enough. I can't believe how violent this place is. Her wings pushed against the air as she sped after the big bug, and what she guessed were the ones that had chased her earlier. It has to stop, this isn't how you settle your differences! The bug was just below her in no time, she gritted her teeth and dove downwards. It was close to overtaking more of the creatures she had met. "Excuse me!?" Fluttershy pulled up at the last moment and began flying along sighed the red-eyed behemoth. "Excuse me, mister bug!? I think I understand that you're angry right now!" An air trembling roar from the creature seemed to answer her. "But this isn't right, you're hurting them!" She looked ahead again, another creature was stumbling over a dune not far away. They won't make it. "You!" The monster's face was unreadable, but Fluttershy pulled in front of it and began to do what she did with every other unruly creature, expression to read or no. "What you're doing, is wrong. Hurting others is not how you solve your problems! Now, you might be upset right now, or maybe they wronged you in someway, but if you don't stop this right now and try to settle this nicely, then you'll be no better than them! Is that what you want? To be nothing more than a big, cruel hearted BULLY!?" She gestured her hooves wildly while flapping backwards as best she could; the bug was fast. By the end of her tirade though, her stare had never wavered once. The bug continued on with its stampede, but it slowed. Fluttershy concentrated on staring deep into the nearest red eye, glaring as best she could. "Stop! Now!" she tried commanding once more. "Please." Her glare faltered into a sad look. Strangely, or perhaps not so strangely, the massive behemoth's eyes turned from red to purple, then to blue slowly. Its multitudes of legs slowed their assault on the ground before stopping altogether. The rumbling quieted as its body ground slowly to a halt. Fluttershy began to fly ahead of the monumental bug, still moving as fast as she could. She stopped her backward flight and circled around the bug instead. "Oh thank goodness." Fluttershy smiled weakly from up in the sky. "I really hope this is over, I can't... keep this up." A tired breath escaped her lungs as the rest of her body wilted, wings still flapping, but tiredly. She spotted Nausicaa some ways away, and half glided, half limped back towards the filly. Fluttershy was aware of the massive creature behind her moving again. She gave it a glance; this time, it was turning away, leaving the skittering dots of the two legged creatures that had been running from its wake. Fluttershy watched as it began to return to the strange forest it had emerged from. I wonder what is going on around here... I wish there were somepony who could tell me. She winced as her wings twinged in agony from over exertion. But for now, I need a good, long nap... Her hooves clambered down onto the rocky earth to the sound of clapping from Yupa-sama and cheering from Nausicaa. "Fluttershy!" The filly threw her arms around the exhausted pony. Fluttershy sagged in the girl's embrace, listening to the two creature's voices getting quieter and quieter. Oh, I'm so glad that this is... I t-think this is over now.