Implacable

by TCSNxs

1. Legends and Prescriptions

Fluttershy tore along the worn path of the Everfree Forest. As Celestia’s sun meandered along its eternal path, the pegasus was close to setting a personal speed record. With the boughs of the trees hanging like a ceiling everywhere she looked, the pegasus felt as if she were in a tunnel. With no way to leave the ground and no where to go but forward, Fluttershy pressed on. It wasn’t that she was afraid. There wasn’t time. She called for help as loud as her voice would go, but no responses were forthcoming.

The Wearwolf, a legendary and nightmarish cross between a timberwolf and a pony, charged after her. Its great bulk and size belied its agility as it dodged the occasional branches easily enough. Its long equine legs kept pace with the departing pegasus as its stiff bark-like skin seemed to ripple down its body with each stride. Its smoking green eyes never deviated from its prey. Legends spoke of it getting its name because it would wear the guise of its prey, usually careless ponies, before devouring them; a legend the fleeing Fluttershy didn't care to prove. Though it possessed no weapons to speak of, the Wearwolf, 500 pounds of oak and catastrophe, hardly needed them. Its sharp wooden fangs and claws were vicious enough.

Fluttershy ran for a long while. Though she approached the edge of the Everfree and the open fields of Sweet Apple Acres, she could feel her body wearing down. She took a quick glance back to see the Wearwolf still lazily gaining, as if toying with her. As the pegasus turned back around, she spotted a large rock barely a few feet in front of her. Fluttershy quickly moved to dodge, but it wasn't enough. As she nearly cleared the obstacle, a rear hoof painfully clipped the rock.

Fluttershy spun out of her gallop and rolled harshly. After an eternity of tumbling, the pegasus came to a rest as a few feet away from the stone. As she came to, the pegasus looked around for any sign of the predator only, but found none. The pegasus steadily gained her hooves. Perhaps she imagined it? Regardless, the first thought was to get away.

A sharp pain disabused her the latter notion as she buckled, collapsing under the protest of her rear hoof. To her credit, Fluttershy managed to land on her haunch. Before she could find a way out of her predicament, a howl from behind curdled her blood and dismissed any of the former notion. The pegasus slowly turned her head, hoping beyond measure it was a prank.

The Wearwolf stood atop the rock, its head raised releasing a triumphant howl into the sky. It looked back down at the pegasus, a predatory look spread across its face. Its mouth seemed near a smile as it tamped down and sprung into a great leap.

The pegasus watched it all as if in slow motion. There was something poetic about the flight of the predator as it soared, partially blocking out the sun. It landed off to her side, perpendicular with the trail and cutting off any escape. Its eyes refocused on Fluttershy as its breath seemed hot on her face. Both watched the other as Fluttershy fell within herself, trying to bring forth The Stare, which had cowed so many creatures before her.

“Perhaps you should go back home,” the pegasus said steadily as she focused her gaze into the Wearwolf’s eyes, “and we’ll forget this ever happened.”

The Wearwolf smiled at her as if to compliment the attempt. Much as it failed with Discord, there were limits to what The Stare could accomplish. Of course, it didn't help that she was in pain and the Wearwolf thought of her as nothing but a buttery chew toy.

The creature tamped down and made ready to spring. Fluttershy became acutely aware of her own mortality as she hid behind her mane, wanting desperately to be elsewhere at the moment. Where she expected a last growl before the bite of sharp, wooden teeth, she instead heard a loud thump followed by sounds as if two stones were rolling away. Daring to peak out from behind her mane, she saw the ball of orange and brown rolling away on the trail. She opened the other eye just as the two bodies separated.

Applejack rose first and reseated her trademark Stetson back atop her head. She moved in deliberate fashion as she muscles corded beneath her orange fur. The farmer’s normally gentle emerald eyes promised death as she maneuvered herself between the fallen pegasus and predator.

“Go on now,” Applejack bellowed, “Get!”

The Wearwolf gained its paws before looking to the Apple as an acceptable consolation prize. The predator moved about, circling the two as if looking for a weakness in the farmer’s stance. Applejack never took her eyes of the creature as her mind worked a single thought.

“Ah warned ya,” the defiant farmer spat out.

Finding no angle to the apparently shocked Fluttershy, the Wearwolf focused its attention on the farmer’s trailing rear leg. It glanced up back to the farmer's face, only finding a slight expression of pain. The Wearwolf returned its focus on it the dragging hoof, apparently finding an avenue to a easy victory. Fluttershy watched in horror as creature lunged quickly, closing the gap between the it and the farmer.

“Applejack!” the pegasus squeaked.

Though not having the gentle Fluttershy's way with animals, the Apple, having lived near the Everfree all her life, knew how to play upon their instincts. The Wearwolf was oblivious to the fact it was being baited. While the creature lunged, committing itself to its target and course, the farmer pushed off to her side with her forehoofs. A smile creased her face as Wearwolf gave her a large target as she balanced easily on her front limbs. As the creature turned its head to align itself for a riposte, the farmer’s body snapped out.

Where the farmer could drop a tree’s worth of apples with barely an effort, Applejack put all her strength into the shot. Her rear hooves connected with a harsh thud, deeply cracking the bark skin of the Wearwolf and sending it flying. The creature’s binding magic quickly unwound as the last moans were nothing but a whimper of pain. The bundle of wood that was once the legendary Wearwolf fell into a neat pile a few yards up the trail, the last vestiges of the green magic billowing from it.

The farmer quickly surmised that, while the creature wouldn’t bother them for a long while, it would be wise to leave the area in any case. She turned back to the pegasus and trotted towards her.

“Ah heard ya screamin' to the livin' daylights," the farmer said gently as she stopped near the pegasus, "Ya okay?"

“Ye...yes,” Fluttershy managed to say meekly.

“Come on, sugarcube,” the farmer said with gentle encouragement, "We should probably leave."

The pegasus mustered her dignity and tried to rise. Her rear hoof stopped any further attempt as the pain from the limb coursed to her brain. The pegasus gave a visible wince, one that Applejack didn’t miss.

“Sorry...” the pegasus trailed off. The forest still enclosed around her like a metaphor of her day.

“Come on,” Applejack said easily as she laid down next to the pegasus, “Climb up and we’ll get ya outta here.”

It took a bit for the pegasus to find her way onto the farmer’s back, but she managed without much help. The farmer easily hoisted her weight as she rose, moving with a gentle walk to avoid jostling the wounded extremity. The pegasus decided to relax as much as possible, her limbs hanging limply off to either side of the farmer’s torso. Her head bobbed with the farmer's canter while resting it atop her hat.

“What were ya doin’ out here anyway?” the farmer casually asked as they worked their way towards Sweet Apple Acres.

“I needed an herb from Zecora to treat Elizabeak’s cold,” the pegasus said, “I was on my way back when it found me while I...” the pegasus trailed away.

“Come again?” the farmer asked, turning her head to look at the pegasus.

“I got caught going...” the pegasus tried once more.

“Ah can’t hear ya, sugarcube.”

“I got caught going to the bathroom,” the pegasus finally blurted before hiding behind her mane. A red tinge found her yellow cheeks.

“Got got with your skirt down, eh?” the farmer said with a genuine chuckle. Suspecting her friend’s embarrassment, Applejack continued on, “It’s alright sugarcube. It can happen to anypony.”

“But these things always happens to me,” the pegasus said with frustration creeping into her voice, “I mean, I know you have to be careful in the Everfree and I am always am, but I...”

“But ya got surprised?” the farmer said, cutting off Fluttershy’s lament.

“Well...yes, but...”

“It happens,” the farmer said, “Ah tell ya what. Ah won’t tell anypony if you won’t.”

Fluttershy felt some relief a bit despite the throbbing ache in her rear leg. She wrapped her forelegs around her friend’s strong barrel in a hug, which made the farmer smile. The pegasus felt her core grow warm as they reached the open fields of Sweet Apple Acres. Under Celestia’s warm grace, the pegasus finally smiled for the first time that day. Applejack angled their course for a wagon before they'd hit the road proper towards Ponyville.

Ponyville Hospital wasn’t busy that late afternoon. Even then, the shy pegasus still felt as if all the eyes of the staff were on here. The doctor on shift, one Dr. Feelgood, looked over the Fluttershy’s X-rays with a studious eye. Though the pain ebbed greatly, Fluttershy still felt embarrassed by the incident.

“How’d you say this happened?” the doctor turned the pegasus, who was purposely hiding behind her purple mane.

"Well...you see...I..I..” the pegasus start to stutter.

“She got jumped by a pack of timberwolves while looking for some flowers for one of her animals,” the farmer cut off her friend, “She did well to get away from most of them.”

“Mmm hmm,” the doctor said, returning to the X-rays. The pegasus looked to the farmer with a thankful smile as Dr. Feelgood finally finished studying the pictures, “Well, thank goodness nothing is broken. However, your ankle is twisted pretty badly. You’ll need to keep off of it for a while, but otherwise, it will heal on its own.”

“How..how long?” the startled pegasus asked. The normally earth-bound pegasus continued, “I have to take care of my animals and who will feed Angel Bunny and...”

“A week, perhaps less,” the doctor said with a shrug, trying to placate the pegasus. His horn flared as he seized a bandage from the instrument tray and began wrapping the extremity.

“But I can’t be off my hoofs that long!” Fluttershy was near pleading with the doctor, but found no compromise forthcoming.

“Ah help ya ‘shy,” the farmer interjected while relaxing near a wall. A hoof flicked up her Stetson to reveal her smile.

“But what about...”

“No buts,” the farmer finished. Somehow, that put Fluttershy at ease, "You'd do the same for me."

“Now,” the doctor grabbed a pad of paper with his magic and began scribbling a note, “Here’s something for any pain. Now I reiterate, relax!”

Fluttershy fluttered off the examination table, her wings flapping gently. Taking the prescription from the waiting doctor’s magical grasp, Applejack pushed the pegasus out of the sterile Emergency Room. The doctor followed into the hallway shortly after the two moved around a corner. As he moved to the next appointment, he wondered if perhaps the dosage of the pain reliever was a bit much. The irony of his name and his propensity for higher-than-needed dosages wasn’t lost on him, but it hardly mattered. He seized the charts for the next patient and quickly looked them over before pushing into the examination room.

“Now, Mr. Snowflake?” the doctor greeted.

“YYYEEEAAAHHHH!” came a bellow from the room.

Around towns the size of Ponyville, news always tended to travel fast. However, being a mare dominated town and sometimes a hot bed of intrigue, Ponyville’s social networks had even clued in ponies with the day off to the fact Fluttershy was hurt. As the farmer towed the injured pegasus in her cart, the shy caretaker wanted nothing more than to be back in her cottage at the moment. Though the town wasn't overly full of bustle, Fluttershy did her best to hide away in the wagon.

Her friends all came around to check up on her. Rarity promised to decorate and gem-stud the wrapped hoof while Rainbow and Twilight each promised a plethora of books. Pinkie, while lovingly stroking her party cannon she named "Vera", promised both a pre- and post-Get Well party. All of them asked what had happened, to which the farmer replied the cover story she concocted on the fly. Though a few little details varied, she kept it as consistent as possible.

As the sun began to wane while a front of clouds began to threaten an evening of rain, the two finally managed to get on their way out of Ponyville towards Fluttershy’s cottage. The journey was peaceful enough as the birds sang their songs. Fluttershy, already taking part of the prescription as they left the town proper, was managing to see a brighter side to the day. It took a bit for the world around the Element of Kindness to seem less menacing (if not a bit more surreal). Applejack directed them around the bend on the last stretch to Fluttershy’s cottage, the pegasus was humming absently to herself.

“Ya alright back there?” the farmer asked as they moved over the bridge crossing the small creek.

“Hmm? Oh,” the blithe Fluttershy remarked slowly as she simply stared up at the sky, “Oh yes.”

“Ah can tell,” Applejack replied followed by a chuckle.

“How so?” Fluttershy said, rising up from the wagon and looking to the farmer.

“Ya were hummin’ that ‘Evil Enchantress’ song.”

“Well...well it’s a catchy tune!” the pegasus said, crossing her forelegs over her chest while her purple mane flapped as a gust of wind came up.

“Ya were doin’ it baritone,” the farmer dryly replied.

Fluttershy thought to protest but the rest of her thoughts were lost to the wind as the two found their way to the cottage in short order. It seemed all of the animals under Fluttershy’s care (and some that weren’t) rushed to meet the injured pegasus. The farmer managed to part the sea of creatures slowly while Fluttershy greeted everyone of them. As she hovered out the wagon while still humming, Applejack worked herself free of the harness.

Fluttershy opened the door and was promptly mobbed by a frantic Angel Bunny. The hyper intelligent rabbit covered a few yards in a single leap, landed on the caretaker's face, and was burying it in a great (for a bunny) hug.

“I missed you to Angel Bunny,” Fluttershy said as she cuddled her pet. It was then Angel spotted the farmer walking towards them after freeing herself of the harness. It quickly squirmed loose and fell on his paws. He gave Applejack a stern look while giving her something of an obscene gesture.

“Ah’ll get Winona,” the farmer warned.

To his credit, the defiant rabbit held the pose for few more seconds before stomping on the ground and moving back inside. Being the subject of the dog’s attentions time and again had born a certain amount of loathing in the rabbit towards the Apple family. Normally Fluttershy would have given Applejack a terse look, but it didn’t seem important at the moment. Instead, Fluttershy hovered over to the couch in her living room, still feeling blissful. She parked herself as Applejack smiled softly at the Element of Kindness.

“Ah’m goin’ to make ya some tea,” the farmer said as she moved towards the kitchen, “Do ya care what kind?”

“Umm...,” the pegasus thought for a moment, “Oh! Jasmine Cedar...if that’s alright?” Fluttershy put her together, her face wearing a hopeful expression.

The farmer chuckled as she went into the kitchen and set to work. The raccoons, beavers, and every other tenant within the cottage rushed to converse with their caretaker. For her part, the normally shy pegasus found it easy to multitask the conversations as she went on about her day and how the brave farmer rescued her.

“Why yes,” Fluttershy was conversing with a deer that peaked through the window, “She came right up and tackled it without fear. It was so..so cool!" Fluttershy finished with a curt nod, as if she used the word correctly for the first time.

“Ah wouldn’t say that,” Applejack said, her voice slightly muffled by the tray she held in her mouth. She set it in on the table in front of the unusually talkative pegasus. Angel Bunny glanced out of his small domicile in the corner of the living room, checking to see if the farmer had left yet. Fluttershy was still conversing with the deer, unintentionally ignoring the farmer.

“Ah need to gather some things from the farm, then Ah’ll be back," Applejack asked after finally lull in Fluttershy's rapid-fire storytelling, "Ya gonna be alright?”

Fluttershy propped her hoof on the table while she sat chatting with her animal friends. She leaned over, pouring the steaming water from the teapot over the leaves preset in the cup. After setting the teapot back on the tray, she leaned back and continued going on with the deer and raccoons. The farmer simply shook her head as she departed. Angel Bunny tossed few choice gestures to the departing farmer as she shut the door.

It was a few hours before Applejack returned, her cart and saddlebags full of items she believed she needed. Even despite her wings, the pegasus would be laid up for a while and the farmer figured it would be best if she managed things around Fluttershy’s cottage. Mac and Apple Bloom offered to pick up the slack around the farm while Applejack tended to her friend.

Applejack unhitched the wagon full of grains and fruits as Rainbow Dash came out of the cottage.

“Well hey, R.D.,” the farmer greeted the audacious pegasus.

“Hey AJ,” Rainbow flew towards her friend, “I was just dropping off some old Daring Do books. Is Fluttershy going to be okay?”

“Yeah, she just twisted her ankle pretty bad. Doc gave her some stuff for pain and told her to rest up. Why? Somethin’ up?”

“Well...,” the cyan pegasus thought for a moment before moving back to the door. She opened it slowly and motioned for the farmer to move inside. Applejack moved in as quietly as she could. Where she half-expected Fluttershy to be writhing in agony, Applejack instead found the pegasus was snoring contentedly, her wrapped hoof still perched on the table next to a half empty mug of tea that had long gone cold.

“What did they give her anyway?” Rainbow asked as she hovered behind the farmer.

“Just some aspirin, why?”

“You know AJ, I really do think she’s a lightweight.”

“Ya don’t say,” the farmer deadpanned. Fluttershy’s wings flitted a bit as she continued to snore away the afternoon with a serene smile on her face.