//------------------------------// // Fluttershy and #487 // Story: The Magical Creatures // by ShadowFall //------------------------------// "Wow, it's so beautiful out today." Rainbow Dash flipped her mane. "And I guess you have some awesome and cloud kicking pegasus to thank for that?" Applejack rolled her eyes. "I think ya' have enough credit sugar cube." "H-Hey, wait for me! If...that's okay with everypony." The group of best friends stopped to allow their shy companion to catch up. "Oh, so sorry to get ahead of you like that Fluttershy. We just can't wait for our picnic!", Rarity gleamed. Fluttershy brightened up. "Oh, I hope somepony's going to like my spinach stew I spent so much time on." The ponies suddenly looked at each other. They exchanged nervous glances before replying with quick and hasty 'Yeah, yeahs" and "Sure, of course's". They trotted up to a grassy and large hilltop. It was a little hike to reach there, unless you count Rainbow Dash flying and beating her friends there. "Come on! Aren't you slowpokes gonna get up here today?" Her friends giggled and groaned as their boastful friend ranted away at them. After another minute or two, the rest of the Elements of Harmony reached the hill top. They began to talk and laugh as they spread out their blankets (and Rarity's giant parasol) over their spot on the hilltop. "Ah...", sighed Applejack as she spread herself on her blanket,"...feels so good to get away from bucking apples once in a while." "Yeah. I know what you mean Applejack. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually think I can get my mind off of studying." A gurgling noise came from Rainbow dash's belly. "Uh yeah. About the food." Rarity waved her hoof. "Rainbow Dash, darling, please. We just got up here." "Oh, but she said she's hungry. Maybe I should get out my spinach stew. Would you like some Rainbow Dash?" Rainbow Dash's face suddenly went blank. "On second thought, maybe I should wait. After all, we did just get up here." "Oh, okay.", Fluttershy smiled as a gentle breeze worked through her mane. The ponies enjoyed themselves for a bit longer. Then, Rarity's stomach growled angrily. "Oh, goodness! I think it may be time to eat now!" The girls to go their baskets and started unloading the various snacks, the many edibles, and the huge amount of treats. Fluttershy thanked Applejack for making her delicious apple fritters. "Aw, thanks so much Fluttershy." "Oh, now would anypony like to try my spinach stew?" They all looked at each other. Fluttershy waited for a response, with each second leading to more self doubt. "Oh...I'm sorry. I guess I just can't make it good enough." "Oh don't be so down silly! I'll try it first!", Pinkie Pie hopped over to Fluttershy. The timid mare brightened up again as she shook a glop of the green mush on a plate. Pinkie took the plate and downed the stew in one gulp. She smiled and trotted behind her friends, who she used as concealment as she buried her face into Applejack's fritters in desperate to get rid of the taste. Then, one by one, Fluttershy's friends reluctantly ate her stew. She smiled as the ponies put on their best poker faces to hide their true opinion t her stew. "Hey! How about *gag* we try Pinkie Pie's cookies!" Her four other friends nodded as quickly as possible. "Oh, okay! And at the end, I still cooked more stew. It's in the other basket over there." Fluttershy pointed to another basket and the pony's faces turned green. "Y-Yeah! Now, how about those cookies?", Twilight kept Fluttershy busy as she did something that she was not entirely proud of. Twilight quickly and silently teliported Fluttershy's stew basket down away from the hilltop and at the edge of the Everfree Forest, which the hill overlooked. Twilight rubbed her forehoof across her brow and sighed with relief. -- "Whew! I'm stuffed.", Rainbow Dash burped. "Yep! Those fritters really packed me!", Pinkie giggled. The ponies recovered from their stuffing as they began to pack up their belongings and they continued to chat with each other as they did so. As they finished, Fluttershy realised something. "Wait, was my stew just here a minute ago. I was sure it was here...", Fluttershy whispered as she searched around for the missing basket. The other ponies kept their mouth's shut, but Applejack was starting to sweat. She began to open her mouth, but Pinkie desperately shut it. "Oh, I think I see it over by the forest's edge over there. It must have rolled down...I'll just get it and we can have it some other time." Her friends breathed in relief as Fluttershy cheerfully trotted down below. She hummed to herself as she started to approach her basket. A few minutes later, she was standing over it. She gripped it in her teeth and turned back to head up the hill. But, something rustled in the brush behind her. Fluttershy turned around. "H-Hello? Is anypony there?" Her legs became stiff as she could not move from her spot. The brush continued to rustle, but this time, it seemed to be rustling more and more. Then all to quickly, it stopped. Fluttershy whimpered and drew closer. "I-Is anypony-" She was suddenly interrupted by a massive black hole ripping through the surface. Fluttershy screamed as the hole grew larger. She tried to flee, but fear kept her frozen in place. She could only stare in horror at the massive hulking black shadow stretched out of the hole. Two red eyes blinked in the shadow, and a huge pair of ragged wings outstretched from the figure's shape. Fluttershy screamed again as the monster started to draw closer. Then, the monster roared. "GIIIRAAAAH!" Then, with a sweep of its wings, the creature pulled in Fluttershy, whose screams were muffled by the wings seemingly made out of shadows, and they disappeared into the hole. Her friends stared wide-eyed at what had happened. -- Fluttershy struggled, shouted, and cried as she was carried by the monster. But, as her eyes were closed, she couldn't see where she was being taken. She opened one eye, and she witnessed a completely distorted and literally twisted world of where platforms of solid dirt and grass floated around aimlessly. She looked down, and there was not a drop, but a seemingly repeating height of never ending air. Now, Fluttershy felt scared out of her mind, and nauseous. "I-I wanna go home! Please don't hurt me!", she squeaked as she was flown deeper into the odd and mind bending world. Then, she mustered the courage to look at what was carrying her. The creature was of serpentine structure, with six spikes protruding from the mid section of its tail. Six long and tenticleish wings made of pure black flailed around. On each wing was a single red claw. Then, she looked at the head and body. The belly of the beast was striped in red and black and six golden rib-like bones protruded from the back. On the head was a golden crest that surrounded its piercing crimson eyes. Fluttershy now got a new fear. "Ahhhh! Please don't eat me!" The creature shook her a bit, as if wanting her to shut it. "Okay. Okay. I'll be quiet." The creature continued to fly her deeper and deeper, dodging flying rocks and upside-down growing trees. "Ohhh...I'm think I'm going to be sick...", Fluttershy whispered to herself as she swallowed. Then, her fears came back to her. "Please...don't hurt me. I didn't do anything wrong...but...maybe that stew I made, I don't think my friends really liked it. I'm so sorry for the bad stew I made! I just wanted to make everypony proud that I could cook something! I'm so sor-" Fluttershy was interrupted when her perpetrator shook her again. "Okay. I'll stop talking." She was carried for a few more minutes, with every one ticking away adding to new horrible ideas of what the monster might do to her. But, the beast started to slow down, as if it were about to land. Fluttershy looked down below at a large dirt platform that the creature was approaching. Fluttershy was let down rather gently as the creature hovered over her. It then pointed its head towards some trees in the platform and it motioned her to follow. "Oh. Okay. If you say so." Fluttershy began to trot after the creature as it flew away and into the small forest that rested on the platform. She struggled to keep up, but decided to rule out speaking against it as she didn't want to infuriate it. She started to slow down to a walk in the forest. No animals were seen in the forest. Not even a single insect. She continued to follow where she think the creature would have gone. "Okay, just have to keep going. I hope that scary creature doesn't hurt me.", she silently spoke to herself. She continued down the forest, until she got to a large clearing. The creature from before was circling over it, and there was something else in the center. It was another one of those yellow, black, and red things. It was lying motionless in the center and suddenly, it growled, causing Fluttershy to yelp and step back. But, the roar didn't sound threatening. It more sounded as if it were in pain... The airborne creature flew down. "Is your friend hurt over there?" The beast nodded. "Oh goodness! I hope it's not too bad." The beast continued to watch Fluttershy. "Um...you brought me down here to help...um...it?", Fluttershy was unsure if it was a boy or a girl. (Sound familiar?) Again, the beast nodded. "How come you didn't just ask me? You would have been much nicer." The beast lowered its head. "Oh, I guess you do seem a little scary. Don't worry! I'll help your friend!" The beast carried Fluttershy down. She hovered off and inspected the wounded one. The wound consisted of large scrapes, three gaping cuts, and burn marks all over the area, each leaking a set amount of blood. Fluttershy began to feel nauseous. "Oh my...how did this happen?" The beast rose its head towards a few dark clouds scattered around the sky bolting off lightning. "Oh. Okay, I'll need some of those really broad and big leaves from the tree over there. Can you go get them please?" The creature flew off and came back with several leaves in its mouth. "Good! Now we have to..." -- "This place give me the creeps.", Rainbow Dash glared around at the multiple platforms that floated around. "For me, it just makes me dizzy.", Twilight swallowed and shuddered as she hopped around on the closest platforms, of which her hops were enlarged by the low gravity . Pinkie was just happily bouncing around on the platforms, while Rarity and Applejack hopped from each to each with care. "I hope Fluttershy is okay. That big ruffian sure didn't look friendly to me!", Rarity fumed. "Yeah! I bet that thing wants to eat her!", Rainbow Dash shouted in anger. The rest of her friends looked at each other. "Oh come on Rainbow Dash, how could ya' make such a...", Applejack trailed off while she began to take in what Rainbow Dash just said. All the ponies did. "Dear Celestia! That thing is going to eat her!", Twilight screamed as she picked up her pace and hopped from platform to platform faster. "Oh! Oh! My Tail's a-twitchin!", Pinkie suddenly rose her tail into the air as it shook around violently. It didn't really take the brightest pony to know what was to happen. Right on cue, a larger platform started to drift towards the platform that Rarity and Applejack were on. It was on a direct collision course with that very platform. "Girls! Look out!", Twilight shouted and waved her hooves. Rarity and Applejack desperately hopped off the platform as the larger chunk of dirt smashed into the smaller one causing them to burst apart. The ponies screamed as they plummeted, but they realized that their rate of descent was a little...slow. Rainbow Dash just hovered down and plucked the two up. "Weird stuff in this place. Huh girls?" Then, a massive shadow zoomed overhead. it was unmistakably that beast that took their friend. "Hey! Isn't that the thing that took Fluttershy?", Pinkie pointed at the disappearing monster. "I think it is Pinkie! Let's follow it and see where it goes!", Twilight suggested. "Right!", the girls said in unison. -- The wounded creature still growled in pain as more blood seeped out of the cracks of the burns and scrapes. "Shhh...It's okay. I'll make you feel all better.", Fluttershy cooed to the yellow, red, and black beast. The other creature came back with more leaves it had picked up. "Oh thank you so much.", she said as she took the leaves in her mouth and slowly wrapped more around the wounded creature, who moaned some more. "Hm...", Fluttershy looked up at the hovering beast. "I never got your name. Do you have one?" The creature looked at the ground and slowly scratched aside some dirt. It then wrote around it some more until it spelled out: "GIRATINA" "Gih-Rah-Ti-Nah?", Fluttershy tried to sound out the name. "Giratina?", she tried again. This time, the creature nodded. "Oh, okay Giratina! Can you get some water from that pond over there?", Fluttershy asked. Immediately, Giratina levitated away and hovered towards the pond. It sucked in some water in its mouth and it looked back. It flew back, but was interrupted by something. "Over there! There's that thing!" "And there's another one! They both have Fluttershy!" Fluttershy looked up and saw her friends. And they all had looks of anger. Apparently, they were getting the wrong idea of Giratina, just like she did earlier. "No! Stop! It doesn't want to hurt me! Giratina's friend is injured!" Her friends had not heard her, due to her silent tone. "Fluttershy! Get away from that thing! It's going to eat you!", Twilight panicked. "What? No! It's hurt!", Fluttershy desperately screamed. "Let me at it!", Rainbow Dash suddenly dove for the injured one. "Stop!", Fluttershy cried. Suddenly, Giratina spat out the water in its mouth and roared upwards. It flexed its spikes and and bared its wings as it stood in the way of Fluttershy and her friends. "Giratina is trying to protect his friend.", Fluttershy took to calling it a "him". Rainbow Dash glared at the dragon-like creature. "Let me through or I'll do the Buccaneer Blaze right through you!", she shouted angrily. Giratina roared back and waved its wings around. "Alright, that's it!" Rainbow Dash shouted with might as she barreled towards Giratina. She outstretched her hoof to deliver one mean punch to the monster that kidnapped her best pegasus friend. Giratina had other plans, however. It opened its mouth, and a bright blue orb started to form in its mouth. Rainbow Dash realized all too late that this was some sort of attack. The orb continued to build up in Giratina's mouth, until, it reached the size of a fully grown griffon. The creature launched the orb with tremendous velocity at the attacking pegasus, who now tried to back up and out fly the homing projectile. "No! Don't hurt my friends!", Fluttershy started to fly off, but Giratina's friend moaned again with pain. "Oh no. I have to help you.", she flew back down and continued to work with the identical beast to Giratina. Rainbow Dash on the other hoof was trying desperately to out fly the incoming missile of energy that screeched through the air as it homed in on her. She then flew directly at a platform and pulled up in time to allow the orb to smash itself into the platform. Twilight teliported herself and her friends into the forsest and ran for Fluttershy. "Get away from that thing! It's going to eat you!" "H-He's not going to-" Fluttershy was once again interrupted by Giratina swooping down and blocking the way towards its injured friend. Giratina roared as a massive flame started to build up in its mouth. It released a massive jet of fire that set ablaze a wall of incineration that acted as a barricade. "He isn't trying to hurt my friends...", Fluttershy stared at Giratina. Giratina roared as the mares stopped at the edge of the fire. "Ugh! This heat! Don't you know that it'll do horrors to my skin?!", Rarity scolded Giratina. Instead, Giratina's wings suddenly were coated in complete black energy and they crackled with the air as Giratina shot down below at her friends. "Oh no you don't!" Rainbow dash suddenly appeared out of nowhere and delivered a very powerful buck to Giratina's back. From the speed and force, Giratina's attack disappeared and it sent it crashed into the ground below. "No! Stop! You're hurting him!", Fluttershy pleaded for her friends to stop. As Giratina was on the ground, Pinkie Pie hopped over the wall of fire and stood on top of Giratina. "That's enough from you, mister! We're gonna leave with Fluttershy whether you like it or not!" Suddenly, Giratina vanished instantly. Pinkie Pie fell to the ground and everypony looked around to where Giratina might have gone off to. Fluttershy looked as well for her missing friend, and found him slowly forming behind her friends. "Giratina! Don't hurt them!" Giratina molded out of the air and sent another blue sphere at the ponies on the ground. It burst apart at their feet and it sent them sailing through the air. They all landed and struggled to get up. While Rainbow Dash was distracted, Giratina vanished again. The cyan pegasus looked around for the creature, only to find it materializing behind her. "Hey-" Giratina bashed Rainbow Dash down and she spiraled into the ground, throwing up dust and creating a large crater. In it, Rainbow Dash's pupils were swirling around as she grew dizzy. Giratina roared once again, hovering in the way to its injured friend. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie recovered from before and wiped out a massive piece of artillery from literally nowhere. She loaded her party cannon as Giratina took this as another threat to its friend. "I won't let you eat Fluttershy you big meanie!" "No! He isn't trying to-" Pinkie Pie fired off a large cake from the cannon, which Giratina easily avoided by turning invisible again. The cake sailed onward and splattered on a large rock, covering it in white frosting and vanilla pieces. Pinkie looked around for Giratina, who was just materializing behind her. She whirled around and blasted Giratina's face full of chocolate cake. It recoiled backwards and shook its head to get the frosting out of its eyes, only to witness a bolt of magic fired by Twilight sailing towards Giratina. It impacted on its face and Giratina was blinded by an explosion of white light. It shook its head as everything it saw swirled around in circles. The only thing that actually got closer and became more clear was Applejack jumping upwards, making use of the low gravity, and giving Giratina a huge smash to the face with her hind legs. Fluttershy wanted her friends to stop, but they just wouldn't listen to her...and she was just too quiet. "Please...stop...", tears started to stream in her eyes. As Giratina sailed backwards from the force of Applejack's buck, it was sent forward again by a bash from Rainbow Dash. Rarity took a large sheet of thick fabric with her magic and wrapped it around Giratina as it spiraled downwards to keep it from recovering. It smashed right through the forest platform and impacted on another down below. "Giratina...", Fluttershy gasped. Then, her friends came for the injured one. "There's the other one! It's going to eat her!" "Let's get it!" Her friends galloped and flew right on a collision course with the injured creature. Fluttershy looked back and stamped her hoof on the ground. "Wait...stop...", she whispered. "Fluttershy! Get away from that thing!", Twilight shouted as she galloped faster. "No...its not going to..." "Here I come Fluttershy!", Rainbow Dash outstretched her hoof for an attack. "Nononono..." "Stay there! We'll get that monster for you!", Applejack glared at the beast as she ran for it. Fluttershy could take no more. *Deep Breath* "STOP!" *Stop Music* Her voice shook the very foundations of the world the ponies were in. Giratina looked up from its platform, and even the injured one turned its head. "Giratina was not going to eat me! He just took me down here to help his injured friend! He's a really nice guy, but you all frightened him! He thought that you were going to hurt his friend, so he defended him...or her..." Her friends slowly started to back up as Fluttershy's voice became louder and stronger. Her eyes emitted the strange and frightening energy that was only known as "The Stare". Her friends' hooves were suddenly glued to the ground, eyes widened. "Honestly! How could any of you think that he was going to eat me without proof of that?! Who gave you that idea anyways?!" The mares pointed to the other pegasus. "Uh...sorry?" Fluttershy sighed. "Rainbow Dash, Giratina wasn't going to eat me. Don't scare your friends like that. Remember that Manticore? I took care of it and I knew what it really needed." "Yeah...I'm sorry Flutters." "I guess its okay-" Giratina suddenly materialized out of thin air again, this time over the group. Another blue sphere appeared in its mouth as it charged up another attack. "And you!", Fluttershy flew up to Giratina, who's attack disappeared,"You are no better! I know your friend is injured, but you could have let me speak with them. But you just attacked my friends! Would you think that would improve your chances of my friends thinking that you wouldn't 'eat me'?", Fluttershy scolded. Giratina looked down and nodded. It flew down to her friends and closely looked at each, who were staring at it, as if they were anticipating another attack. Giratina lashed its tail out at Applejack, who braced for impact, but the tail stopped within a feet of her face. It waved up and down, as if asking for some sort of hoof shake. Applejack nervously took the hoof. "Um...nice ta' meet ya'...Fluttershy, what was the name of this fellow again?" "Giratina. He's really nice once you know him." "Well, nice ta' meet ya' Giratina! I'm Applejack! Hardworken' pony and any friend of Fluttershy's!" Twilight came forward. "Hello. I'm Twilight Sparkle. Wow! I just wonder what kind of creature you are! And what a...nice place you live in...", Twilight stepped back to avoid further awkward conversation. Immediately, the pink party pony bounded over Twilight and took a hold of Giratina's tail. "Hiya! I'm Pinkie Pie! And I've been thinking...would you like a party? I always throw a party for anypony I meet! Well, I guess you aren't a pony...but anyways, nicetameetcha!" Rarity trotted forward. "Hello there! My name is Rarity and I absolutely loved how your world looks!" The ponies looked at each other with confused and puzzled looks. Even Giratina seemed a little offset. "I mean, it's brilliant! So much abstract and obtuse objects, it's just marvelous! I could probably design a garment to suit this place! Again, so nice to meet you Giratina." Giratina closed its eyes and made a shape with its mouth that seemed to be a little smile. Then, it looked behind everypony else and found Rainbow Dash. "Oh, um...", she nervously scratched her mane. Giratina flew over and outstretched its tail, which Rainbow Dash sheepishly took. "Yeah. Sorry about making my friends think that you were going to eat Fluttershy. I'm really sorry, and you know what? You're pretty cool! I mean, shooting out that blue ball that explodes, fire breath, and turning invisible?! Do you know how awesome that sounds?!" The other ponies cleared their throats. "Oh. Yeah, well my name is Rainbow Dash! Any friend of Fluttershy's is mine!", she brohoofed Giratina's tail, which it looked at oddly. Then, a roar came from behind everypony. Giratina's friend shouted again as it slowly rose up and flailed its wings. It came upwards and nuzzled Fluttershy, who blushed. "Aw...you're welcome..." The other creature came back to Giratina, who spoke in a mix of roars and hisses. It flew off and Giratina started to fly off with it. Then, it turned around and waved one of its wings back to Fluttershy and her friends. "Wait! How do we get back to Ponyville?", Twilight waved her hooves. Giratina flew back and hovered in front of them. It stretched its wings and another black hole opened up in the platform. Giratina motioned with its head to go through the portal. "Oh. wait, before we go, Twilight, may I please have a piece of paper?" "Oh yeah. What do you want to do Fluttershy?" "I want to write a letter to Princess Celestia about our new friend and what I learned today." "Oh, of course!" Dear Princess Celestia, Today, I learned that sometimes, you make a new friend, who may seem a little odd or unsettling in a way to your other friends. But, if your friends got to know him or her better, then they don't seem all that scary after all. Everypony would get along better of they knew everypony a little better. And you should never start rumors about that pony. Things will only turn out for the worse. Your kind and caring friend, Fluttershy "That's great Fluttershy!", Twilight beamed. "Everypony, I best we should get goin' now.", Applejack pointed at Giratina, who was still struggling to keep the portal open. "Oh, I'm sorry Giratina. I guess this is goodbye. Can I come and see you and your friend again?" Giratina made a faint nod. "Wow! A new friend! Well...goodbye Giratina." "Girraaaaahhh...", Giratina growled softly. Fluttershy was the last to step through the portal. "Now, how about I make some more spinach stew. Maybe this time I'll get it right." Everypony burst out laughing as the portal closed.