//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: A cry for help. // Story: "Trollen Floggen" // by Odsin Ends //------------------------------// Fluttershy was worried, though that was nothing new. Fluttershy was always worried. After all, there were so many things in the world, and it was so big, and many of those things could hurt you, or worse, say mean things to you. But this time was different, as any pony who looked upon her could tell. Her face was screwed in determination, and her hooves were moving fast as they could. This time, Fluttershy was not worried for herself. This time she was worried about an animal who was clearly in pain. It had all started shortly after The elements of harmony had come together for the first time in centuries. Everything had turned out OK, so far as Fluttershy could tell. The princesses were reunited with each other, and even though Luna still scared Fluttershy a little bit, she was happy that it had turned out alright. Pinkie had thrown one of her signature parties and the whole town got involved,....but Fluttershy didn't deal well with crowds. She didn't want to be a bother, so she politely stayed for a while, quietly as she could, and then left and found her way back to her cottage. It wasn't quite night yet, the sun was still a few hours from setting. Angel was waiting as patiently as he could for his owner to arrive home and feed him, which was not patiently at all. The bunny was both equal parts worried and angry that she had been away for so long. As Fluttershy walked over to him, she smiled apologetically. “Oh, Angel bunny, I'm sorry that I made you wait so long, but there was something really, really important that I had to deal wi...” Fluttershy's words were cut off buy a low rumble that shook the very earth, emanating from the ever free forest. Fluttershy immediately grabbed Angel and rocketed into her cottage. The rumble passed but Fluttershy hardly noticed from her place under the couch as she was shaking with nerves, clutching her bunny companion closely for comfort. She would have stayed there for another hour or so, just to be safe, but then another noise replaced sudden unexpected rumble. A noise that started as a low growl, that moved into a long and deep wail. No other noise was able to be heard in the Everfree forest, as the creatures misinterpreted the howl as one of dominance, but to Fluttershy's trained ears, it was a cry of pain. Immediately Fluttershy gasped and stood up. Her mind having been made up the second she heard it. It was a sound she was all to familiar with, a sound that she had spent her lifetime hearing. As she rooted around her cabinet and stuffed her saddlebags with whatever medical supplies she could carry, She quickened when the noise got louder. Angel was at the door, trying to block her exit, but she hardly even noticed as she pushed past him and towards the Everfree forest. That noise she heard was loud, and still going strong. It was the noise of an animal in pain, it was a wail of agony. Fluttershy was not one who would allow a moan like that to exist, not if she could help it. She would find the poor creature that was making that noise and help it however she could. Angel once again jumped in front of her in an attempt to stop her from leaving. Fluttershy's expression softened for a moment as she addressed the bunny. “Angel dear, I have to go and help. If I'm not back before sundown, please go and get Applejack or Rainbow Dash, oh! Or you could get Twilight. You haven't met her yet but she's really nice. She lives in the library.” Angel moved in front of her again angrily and stamped his foot. “Oh, I know, but I can not just sit here and let whoever or whatever it is suffer, and it's still light out. There shouldn't be to much of a problem.” Angel sighed in defeat, and considered his options. He did not want his master wandering around alone in the Forest, but at the same time if he went with her, no one could go and get help. Eventually he turned to the side and allowed her to pass. She gave him a smile that could melt a glacier, and the little bunny remembered why he loved his master so much, even if she was unreasonable sometimes. It had taken Fluttershy a while to find the source of the moaning, and the sun in the sky had become obscured by dark rolling clouds. It had begun to rain, though do to the nature of the Everfree forest, she wasn't sure if it was raining in Ponyville or just out here. The moaning continued resonating through the entire forest, and Fluttershy was slowly losing her nerve. What if it was a dragon? What if it was a Hydra? What if it was a Dragon Hydra hybrid that made fun of her for flight camp? Fluttershy tried to calm down, but she was hyperventilating. She managed, however, when she found herself at the entrance to a cave, the source of the moan slowly exiting, becoming weaker, and more pathetic. Fluttershy gulped down her nerves. Some creature needed her, and she wouldn't let them down. Even though the cave was dark, and the noise was creepy, and it was raining..... Maybe she should go back and get Twilight? She could cast a light spell. Or Rainbow dash, she wouldn't be afraid of the dark. Or Applejack, she probably would have been prepared. Or. Her train of thought was interrupted by a thunder crash overhead. With a meep, Fluttershy lurched forward into the cave. As the butter-yellow Pegasus looked around the cave, she couldn't help but gasp at the innate beauty of it. All around her multicolored crystals vibrated and hummed with an almost distinct tune. As the groan of the injured creature echoed through the cavern, Fluttershy noticed that it was growing louder with each passing second, and the crystals seemed to grow brighter as the sound grew. The crystals were amplifying the sound, she concluded, and the creature could be a lot smaller then she first thought. This gave her a feeling of renewed confidence, all things considered, and she continued down further into the cave. She didn't even know she was lost at first. After all, the cave was big, but she could just backtrack to the entrance if she remembered where she came from right? The problem was that multicolored crystals seemed to be nearly identical, and the creatures moans had been redirected and amplified so thoroughly that she'd been drawn deep into the bowls of the cave. All of a sudden, another low rumble seemed to happen out of nowhere. It grew, and the crystals seemed to magnify it as well. Soon the entire cavern was shaking, and Fluttershy looked around frantically, and ran down a side passage. She had time to let out a piercing shriek of pain and fear as the cavern collapsed on top of her before darkness invaded her vision and she blacked out. Fluttershy didn't know how long she was out, and the only thought that came to her was that she shouldn't have come into this forest alone. It was dark around her, illuminated slightly by the soft glow of the crystals. She tried to move her legs, and found that only her fore hooves had any range of motion right now. She tried again, and realized something scary. She couldn't feel her back legs. All she could feel was cold. Fluttershy was frantic now, and tried to move her legs as swiftly as possible. But she couldn't. Her legs weren't responding to her commands. Finally Fluttershy calmed herself. She didn't know how long she had been here, Angel had probably went to get help already. And they'd find her and help her and everything would be just fine. ...but if that was true why did she feel like even if they did find her, she would never walk again? Her train of thought was interrupted by a sudden realization that the sound she was hearing was not in fact her own breathing. It was something else. Something else was breathing. Two round orbs of yellow stared at her from the darkness. The rhythmic breathing became louder, more strained, and the yellow orbs moved forward with vigor. “U-um, he-hello,” Fluttershy managed to squeak out to this new creature. It was obviously the thing that was in pain. “I came here to-to...” A clawed hand stretched out from the darkness and grasped a rock. The arm was covered in rusty red fur and dripping a silver liquid that smelled like blood. The arm was also the size of a gorilla's. The creature pulled itself into the light, and Fluttershy was face to face with a wild animal. It's ears were long and like bat wings. It's eye's had no pupils, only orbs of yellow light. Staring hungrily at the wrecked form of Fluttershy. It's chest was pink and bare of fur, much like it's face. Atop it's head sat two small nubs, which Fluttershy identified as horns, and it's mouth was open, drool falling from long sharp teeth. In fact it's teeth were all long and sharp. All canines. Fluttershy knew this creature was designed for eating only meat. “M-my name is Fluttershy...” She was speaking quietly, barely a whisper. The creature's eye's seemed to move to her, and it's nose sniffed the air repeatedly. It's mouth formed a sickening grin. “I-I just sort of came to help you out, if you don't mind....” The creature didn't seem to be listening to her. It was crawling towards her now, pulling itself forward with it's clawed hands. As the back of the creature came into the light, Fluttershy gasped at the creatures legs, or rather the broken jagged stumps of bone that were where it's leg should be. The silver blood that on it's arms was flowing freely from the stumps, creating a line of silver behind it. The creature was also wearing red shorts, which was odd, but even odder was it's striped tail. But the Oddest part of all was that it's legs were changing as it crawled. It's muscle and bone were reforming, it was healing itself. By the time it was in front of her, the creature was standing on it's newly formed hind legs instead of crawling, and it towered over her, it must have been at least ten feet tall. “I just wanted to help....” Her speech was interrupted as the creature's stomach let out a groan. It's eye's lit up, and its smile seemed to grow. Fluttershy was familiar with animal behavior, but even if she wasn't it didn't take a genius to realize that this creature was hungry and a carnivore, and she was a source of meat. “Please,...please don't” The creature seemed to let out a low chuckle as it raised it's hands, as if her fear had done something to excite it. Fluttershy closed her eye's and shivered for a moment. She was going to die here, because she'd gone alone. She was going to die and never see her animals or Angel or Rainbow Dash or Applejack Or Twilight or... “No...” She whispered fiercely as she opened her eyes and looked at the creatures torso. “NO!” Locking eyes with the monster, she imposed her will, and started to stare him down. The creature blinked slightly and paused. “You big jerk! I come here to help you and you try to eat me? Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners? Did you even stop to think if I had a family? If I had any friends? I have to many people who depend on me, to many people who love me, and you won't take me away from them !” The creature seemed to be stunned into silence, as it blinked and began to shake. It shook it's head for a few moments and grasped the bridge of it's nose. Fluttershy was surprised when the being's eyes began to change, from glowing yellow to a pair of regular ocular orbs, though they looked a lot more like a dragons slitted eyes than that of a ponies. They were vibrant green now that they weren't glowing. The creature then turned back to Fluttershy, looking less hungry and more quizzical. It lowered it's head to her mane and sniffed her deeply and a look of contemplation came onto it's face. Fluttershy's face was still stern, but softened as the creature seemed to be making odd noises, like grunts or groans. After a few seconds Fluttershy realized that it was trying to communicate. “Oh, I'm sorry, I don't understand.” She said calmly. The creature gained a look of surprise at her voice, and then reached a hand over to her. Fluttershy shuddered in fear as the hand passed over her head and moved towards her back. She could feel it touch her, and squeaked as she felt a slight pinch on her back before the hand was withdrawn, covered in a red sticky substance that she recognized as her blood. The creature took the blood to it's mouth, sniffed it, and then licked it's finger clean. Oh my gosh, it doesn't matter! Fluttershy thought frantically. He's still going to eat me, and there's nothing I can do! Fluttershy closed her eye's and awaited the inevitable, shivering in fear. But the feeling of claws closing around her throat never came. After a few uncomfortable seconds, she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. She peeked up tentatively at the creature who had it's hands raised in a nonthreatening gesture, and he gazed back down at her sheepishly. “ Um, hallo,” The creature said slowly, in what the reader may know as a Russian accent. “Cun you understand me?”