The quartet of Cutie Mark Crusader and human had continued without further incident other than the usual bickering between the Fillies and this being increased mildly by them each wanting to try on Joe’s helmet. Their consensus was that Joe had a really strange shaped head and Scootaloo had undiplomatically agreed when Joe had commented ‘as well as everything else, eh?’ To his relief there had been nothing as embarrassing as explaining mare-humans and the Cutie Mark Crusaders had got used enough to his equipment to have run out of questions on those. It was turning into quite a pleasant day, at least until there was a roar and Joe regretted thinking this.
Joe whirled to face the threat and hissed under his breath as he saw the Manticore leap out of the bushes onto the trail they were following. The Cutie Mark Crusaders jumped and took a few steps to flee before they realised Joe was not running. The Manticore exposed its teeth in another roar to try to scare its prey into flight, either metaphorical or literal, and into scattering. Though as its eyes moved over this small herd it almost seemed to decide the effort had been wasted as the Fillies looked so unable to defend each other.
“Why ain’t we running?” muttered Apple Bloom.
“I heard a story of a deer,” Joe muttered back, “stood its ground against wolves and they were utterly baffled as their hunting technique was based on chasing prey down and snapping and tearing at its rear and belly.”
“Pfft,” scoffed Scootaloo, “you can’t believe everything they tell people.”
“Wait, deer can…” Joe began, before sighing, “of course deer can talk as well here.”
The Manticore started to circle, almost standing on its huge forelegs as its comparatively small rear moved, and Joe moved to match its movements and keep himself, and his armour and weapons, between it and the Fillies. He jumped slightly as he felt a weight settle on his head before he realised it was his helmet.
“Sorry, I can’t get the strap,” Sweetie Belle apologised, “and I couldn’t see your cap to put that on first.”
“That’s okay, sweetie,” replied Joe, calling her sweet rather than her name.
Then his breath caught in his throat as he noticed some scars along one side of the Manticore’s broad head and neck, and that those were in just the right place to have been inflicted by frantic flailing and stabbing with a knife. He’d thought this beast was dead but it seemed they had both survived. Joe and the Manticore locked eyes and this time when the Manticore roared Joe roared back and gave three quick beats of his spear against the flat of his shield. This surprised the Cutie Mark Crusaders almost as much as it did the Manticore, and especially when Joe repeated the non-verbal challenge.
“I’ll deal with him,” Joe growled, “you three run, but be careful in case it was trying to drive us into an ambush like the Lion it resembles. Not that Lions do much of the hunting compared with the Lionesses.”
“Do you want to hurt this as well?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“As well?” Joe replied, having to move a little as the Manticore shifted back the other way. “I didn’t want to hurt the Crocodile.”
“You’re gonna kill him, aintcha?” said Apple Bloom.
“Yes,” Joe nodded.
“Oh, please,” said Sweetie Belle, “just drive him away. Like you were going to with the Crocodile.”
“You remember my scars?” Joe asked rhetorically. “This is what mauled me to give me them, and man hunters get killed before they hunt again.”
“That would explain ‘no dangerous animals in his country’,” muttered Scootaloo to Apple Bloom, getting a nod back.
“I am sure he would learn its lesson if you just drove it off,” Sweetie Belle persisted.
“I am not,” growled Joe, moving again to match the determined Manticore.
Apple Bloom came to a decision and as she spoke a look of frustration and disbelief came to Joe’s face. He was not surprised Apple Bloom was supporting Sweetie Belle, and from her comment it sounded like Scootaloo would also agree, but it did make him feel as if he was too violent. Joe did not want to be a hero but fighting a predator this size to defend children seemed like it should draw praise rather than concern for the predator.
“Dammit,” Joe hissed, “fine.” Briefly steadying his spear with his left hand he flipped it around so the metal bands and knob of its butt were towards the Manticore rather than the spearhead. “I’ll try to drive him off with the blunt end.”
“Promise you won’t kill him,” demanded Sweetie Belle.
“No,” Joe replied. “I promise I’ll give him a fair chance, but if I have to kill him to save my life or yours then I will.”
“That’s fair,” conceded Scootaloo.
“Now run!” Joe snarled, more of his anger coming into his voice than he realised.
To his satisfaction the Fillies actually obeyed. The Manticore’s eyes shifted to follow that movement and Joe bashed his spear on his shield again to regain its attention. Then he began to advance, eyes alert for any tensing of muscles that could mean it was about to spring. The Manticore growled in its chest and padded forward a little, then dirt swirled around it and Joe had to dodge sideways as the Manticore propelled itself with wings rather than the legs he’d been trying to watch. Frustrated by the lack of human under its claws the Manticore began to turn and roar, only to have this roar interrupted by being clubbed in the side of the muzzle.
Joe retreated a little, turning to bring his shield in line and already regretting his promise as he saw how little effect the hurried blow had had. Regretting it even more as he remembered what happened when Lions had been forced to fight Bears and the latter had easily crushed the former’s skull. So as well as not being able to stab this beast he was going to also have to be careful with how he hit it with the blunt end. Which would be difficult enough even without his experience of this sort of fighting being limited to scripted demonstrations, and those years ago.
==
Eight hooves thundered and four wings beat as Applejack and Rarity galloped along the trail with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flying just above them, the latter finding it far easier than the other two to keep pace with the Earth Pony.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to check ahead?”
“However many times you ask Rainbow, ah’m sure,” Applejack replied.
“Oh my, do you hear growling?”
“Ah do, Fluttershy,” Applejack said, before squinting at a flash of colour partially concealed by a bush, “and ah see a familiar trio,”
Apple Bloom turned at the sound of hooves and waved to her sister. Rainbow Dash put on a small burst of speed to land neatly beside the Cutie Mark Crusaders and noticed Scootaloo seemed more interested in what was going on in the direction of the growling than in that display of flying excellence.
“What’s up squirt?” Rainbow Dash asked, ruffling Scootaloo’s mane with one hoof.
“Joe’s fighting a Manticore,” Scootaloo replied.
“Say what?” Applejack exclaimed as she joined them and pulled her sister into a hug.
“He told us to run,” said Apple Bloom, squirming in the hug to get free to continue watching, “but we couldn’t just leave him, could we?”
“Certainly not,” Rarity said, giving Sweetie Belle a quick kiss on the forehead, just muzzlewards of the horn. “One stands by one’s friends.”
“Oh my,” squeaked Fluttershy, her position still in the air allowing her to see what was happening better than her three friends.
The other mares looked out from the bush and saw a shiny metal figure moving from one hindleg to the other and waving a spear that it was holding upside down in one forepaw. As much as the Manticore was growling it seemed not all of what they had heard was coming from it, some was coming from the biped, though that was interrupted by some strange words and some vehement demands the Manticore get the hint and leave. At least from the context it seemed ‘leave’ was what those words and combinations of words meant.
“Not sure ah recognise some of that language,” Applejack admitted.
“Those are words he said he shouldn’t say in front of Fillies,” her sister informed her.
“And how do you know that?” Applejack asked.
“He apologised for saying them before,” replied Sweetie Belle.
“Well, I don’t want you repeating any of them,” Rarity instructed her, “and I shall have a good talk with him about his language.”
“He doesn’t know we only ran this far,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Maybe not,” Rarity nodded, “but even if he doesn’t know you can hear them now he knew you could hear them before.”
“Ah think we have more urgent troubles,” said Applejack, “though ah agree, no repeating those words.”
The Manticore had lunged slightly with its last paw swipe and its claws had raked across Joe’s shield rather than him drawing back quite far enough. This was not a solid blow, the marks were more scratches to be polished out than grooves to be sanded away, but with how unsteady balancing on only two legs looked the watching ponies were not surprised to see Joe topple. They were surprised though when he twisted and rolled and came back up onto one boot and knee as they’d not realised humans were that agile.
Joe’s instincts played him false as he pointed the butt end of his spear at the Manticore so, realising his mistake, he hurriedly stood, his helmet a little askew with the lack of padding and unbuckled chinstrap, and lurched to one side. The Manticore pulled back rather than continue the pounce it had been tensing for and that would have taken it onto the spearhead if Joe been holding his spear the ‘right’ way around. Joe regained his balance and he and the Manticore went back to circling each other, him managing to dodge another lunge and paw swipe from the latter.
Suddenly there was a blur of pale yellow and pink. “Don’t hurt him!” Fluttershy cried, placing herself between them. But then she twirled in the air to turn her back on the Manticore. That and her next words confirmed to Joe that she was talking to him. “He’s only a baby!”
For a moment Joe was surprised by this, not that Fluttershy had been telling him to not hurt the Manticore but that it was a cub. Then he realised that did make sense. If this beast was adult and had a full mane then the wounds to its neck would be hidden by that, if it was still growing then it would have been smaller when he’d managed to fend it off with a knife, and if it was ‘only a baby’ then its hunting skills might still be developing. So he’d been ‘heroically’ fighting a clumsy kitten.
“I could have killed him,” Joe said, declining to comment on the age of the Manticore and flipping his spear back to the right way up. “I would have killed him,” he added, edging Fluttershy’s frown towards becoming ‘the stare’, “but there was a touch of blackmail.”
After glowering at Joe a little more Fluttershy twirled again to start crooning to the Manticore. “Yes, I know,” she said, reaching out one hoof, “you’ve got some nasty bruises… did he hurt you did he?” Then she squeaked and turned as she landed so she was facing Joe again. “Oh! You scarred him!”
“And he scarred me, when he tried to eat me before,” Joe replied.
“It’s gross,” commented Scootaloo, coming out from behind the bush, “all up his arm, one of his upper legs.”
“And some on my chest and side,” Joe said, nodding to the other Ponies as they also emerged, “a lot of what this shield protects.” He smiled ruefully. “Which would explain why I’ve got a shield now.”
Applejack frowned down at her sister. “Apple Bloom,” she said, “what does Joe mean by blackmail? Ah recall you three being Gabby Gums.”
“We weren’t doing nothing like thaaaat,” protested Apple Bloom as Fluttershy turned back to consoling the Manticore.
“Then what were you doing?”
“They’d promised to not mention my equipment,” answered Joe, glancing at Fluttershy and deciding it was safe enough to take his helmet off rather than just straighten it. “But I had to agree with your sister that this could be considered dishonest, so I released them from that promise.”
“We reassured him about Twilight and also wanting to keep things hidden,” Scootaloo added. “When she didn’t want to show off with her magic.”
“But,” confessed Apple Bloom, as Joe managed to get his helmet off with his left hand despite the shield on that arm, “ah said I’d still keep it quiet, if he tried to just drive the Manticore off. If he killed it then we’d tell everypony how brave he’d been…”
“Brave, hmph,” Fluttershy echoed, her hooves working to stroke down the Manticore’s ruffled fur.
“And naturally if anypony asked how he’d managed to kill a Manticore,” continued Apple Bloom, “even a baby one, then we’d have needed to be honest and say about his stuff.”
“Ahm sorry Fluttershy,” Applejack said, nodding to herself in decision, “but iffen a Manticore, of whatever age, wants ta eat mah baby sister then ahm not inclined ta sympathise with it.”
“Indeed not,” agreed Rarity, making Sweetie Belle protest as she was given another hug.
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said, “no eating the squirts.”
Fluttershy looked back over her shoulder at them and nodded before turning back to the Manticore. “It’s okay,” she said soothingly, giving it a few more strokes, “I know. You only wanted to eat the human. You didn’t want to eat the ponies.”
Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash exchanged dubious looks about if the Fillies really had been safe and Joe’s expression suggested that he didn’t think ‘only’ wanting to eat the human was much defence. He leaned his spear against a bush and occupied himself with feeding one end of his helmet chinstrap under his belt and buckling it closed to hang his helmet there again.
“No,” Fluttershy said firmly, “for purposes of hunting human counts as Pony, even if he is not with ponies.” The Manticore seemed to understand this as it gave her an appealing look and made a little mrow noise. “No,” she repeated, “no hunting humans.”
After giving Joe a look the Manticore turned away and, with a flick of its tail in Joe’s direction, padded away. Joe watched it go for the few moments until the underbrush concealed it and then picked his spear up again. Fluttershy walked back to them, her expression giving the other mares concern that ‘New Fluttershy’, the over-aggressive side of their friend that Iron Will’s assertiveness training had brought out, was going to return. She didn’t make any more comments or complaints though and nobody else broke the silence for a while as they began walking back towards Sweet Apple Acres.
“Apple Bloom, ahm a bit upset with you,” Applejack finally said, “ah did say ah wanted you to find a responsible adult…”
“Ouch,” commented Joe mildly, “Element of brutal Honesty.”
“That wasn’t quite what ah meant…”
“Oh no, you’re right, I screwed up twice rather than being ‘responsible’,” said Joe, interrupting again. “nearly hurt something I didn’t have to and then took a stupid risk as much to compensate for that as because of what your sister threatened.” He looked at the scratches on his shield. “Maybe thrice, I could have taken them to part of the Everfree where I’ve been before and not been attacked.”
“Or maybe four times,” Rarity added, “since there is also the mistake of bringing them here at all.”
“I can’t deny that.”
“You were lucky we arrived when we did,” Rainbow Dash said, taking to the air to look Joe in the eye before she landed again, “looked like that small Manticore was getting to know your moves.”
“I can’t deny that either,” admitted Joe, “though was also lucky because Fluttershy is angry enough as it is. If you’d been a little later you’d have arrived to me having started to use the pointy end, it was getting too dangerous, though at least I’d already delayed it from chasing the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
“Hmph!” Fluttershy commented.
“You realise they were hiding behind that bush and watching?” Applejack asked, looking up at Joe past the rim of her hat.
“What?” said Joe, glancing back at her. Then he shook his head. “When I said run, I meant a lot further than that.”
“We’re sorry,” Apple Bloom replied, taking the chance as Joe looked down to give him the big-eyes. “We were worried about you.”
“And I appreciate that, but sometimes you have to worry about yourself or you’ll waste someone else’s efforts.”
“And sometimes you have to worry about yourself rather than about what was wanting to eat you,” Applejack added.
“The Manticore didn’t want to eat them,” protested Fluttershy.
“That Giant Crocodile did though,” Scootaloo commented.
“Giant… Crocodile?” repeated Rarity in disbelief, Sweetie Belle quickly dodging out of grabbing and hugging range before her sister could react.
“That was what I nearly hurt when I didn’t need to,” Joe said, “and was not that large.”
“It was immense!” contradicted Scootaloo, either not realising or not caring that Joe was trying to downplay things. “And he was willing to fight it to let us get away.”
“And because he was more scared of you four,” Apple Bloom added.
“He was scared of what Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and my sister would do if he didn’t get us out of danger,” said Sweetie Belle, correcting her friend, “and that outweighed how scared he was of the Crocodile and of Fluttershy’s reaction if he hurt it.”
“If you didn’t hurt it,” Fluttershy asked, sounding unamused and as assertive as she always was when animals were endangered, “then how did you get away?”
“Your sister deserves a lot of praise,” replied Joe, looking to Rarity rather than the still annoyed Pegasus, “she was able to use her magic to wrap a rope around its snout to keep its jaws shut and over its eyes to blindfold it. Then we ran and managed to reach better safety before it finished getting the rope off.”
“Thinking of run, that sounds good,” Applejack said, “you think you can move a little faster Joe?”
Joe nodded back to her and broke into a jog, gradually speeding up to what felt comfortable and the ponies easily keeping pace. After a few minutes silence Rainbow Dash took off again to bring herself back up to Joe’s eye level, her flying skill allowing her to hold position so her wing was flapping behind Joe’s back rather than her needing to be further clear of him.
“So…” Rainbow Dash said, “I’m scarier than a Giant Crocodile?”
“Oh definitely. I can’t hide up a tree from you and can’t out run you, even if you decided to run rather than fly.”
“That’s true,” Rainbow Dash agreed in satisfaction. Then another thought struck her. “How would you have hurt a Giant Crocodile anyway?”
Joe chuckled. “Are you trying to get me in even worse blood with Fluttershy?”
“If you were defending Fillies, then I suppose you’re allowed to be violent,” Fluttershy said unhappily, adding as she remembered what she knew about Joe’s teeth and digestion from helping figure out what he needed to eat, “and that is your nature as a predator.”
“You may be right,” replied Joe, after a slight pause.
“No, she isn’t,” disagreed Rainbow Dash. “Buffalo can be quite aggressive, and they are herbivores. We had to run, but Rarity threatened those Dragons when they threatened Spike. And…” Rainbow Dash dropped her voice for the next few words. “…after I kicked it in the face… Fluttershy was quite fierce defending us against that much larger Dragon.”
“She’s got you there honey-bun,” Applejack said, giving Fluttershy a smile and showing her teeth went all the way back. “And we weren’t exactly just talking over our differences with the Changelings rather than introducing our hooves to their softer spots.”
“I was trying to avoid the argument,” sighed Joe, considering picking up the pace to where he couldn’t jog and talk at the same time. Or pretending he was already jogging that fast.
“If Joe’s a predator,” Rainbow Dash said, continuing her theme, “then what’s he preyed on?” She gave Joe a shove in the shoulder with one hoof. “Eh?”
“I did eat meat, so animals were killed on my behalf,” admitted Joe, “I was part of the demand being supplied.”
“But what did you kill yourself?” Rainbow Dash pressed.
“I am still guilty by proxy, but… swatted a few insects, felt guilty when I’ve trodden on a snail or slug, and turns out I’ve not killed anything since I arrived here. Though I’d thought I had until I saw that Manticore was still alive.”
“Do you think you should be praised for that?” Fluttershy asked disdainfully. “For not killing?”
“No,” said Joe simply. “I think I could have gone hunting, but that would have been something to condemn rather than not doing it being something to praise. You are herbivores so, as a stranger here, it only seemed right I should go vegetarian.”
“So…” Rainbow Dash said, after a few minutes more silence, “you’ve not answered my question. How would you have hurt a Giant Crocodile? Your spear is not that big and you are not that fast, not compared with me at least.”
“True, you are very fast,” agreed Joe politely, trying to avoid the question a little.
“Those sticks in the bag on his back are called ‘arrows’!” Scootaloo piped up, glad of a chance to show off her knowledge for Rainbow Dash. “And the bigger stick is called a ‘bow’ and it makes them fly fast.”
“Not that fast,” said Joe, echoing Rainbow Dash a little, “not compared with Rainbow Dash at least, an eighth her speed at most, but that’s fast enough to make them stick in things.”
Rainbow Dash did a little swoop up and down and Joe felt a slight tug. Glancing to his side he saw that she’d somehow managed to pluck an arrow from his quiver and was cradling it in her hooves as she peered at it. “Doesn’t look like it would hurt a Crocodile.”
“I’d have used one with a more needle like tip.”
“And he’d have had to aim for the eyes!” Scootaloo piped up again.
“Ugh!” commented Rarity, echoed by a slight squeak of disgust from Fluttershy.
“And your other bit of wood makes it fly, slower than my awesomeness, how?” Rainbow Dash frowned to Joe.
“A string between the two ends of it,” said Joe, “then the arrow is placed on the string and as the string is pulled back the bow bends, it bows…”
“Like pulling back a whippy branch so it comes back to smack something?” Applejack asked, remembering doing that to Timber Wolves. And Rainbow Dash doing that to her.
“No way can that make this go even an eighth as fast as me,” scoffed Rainbow Dash, swooping up and sideways again to pop the arrow back in the quiver before she looked into Joe’s face. “Prove it!”
“I can loose a few when we get back.”
“Aha, so that’s what that target is for at your hut!” exclaimed Applejack, pleased at a puzzle being solved.
“When did you see that?”
“Ah was checking the netting around your vegetable patch, we’d had a mite of trouble with some varmints so ah stopped by one day.”
“Sorry to have missed you that day then, and thanks for checking.”
“No trouble.”
“We should get the Cutie Mark Crusaders home,” Fluttershy said quietly, her shyness returning as they got closer to leaving the Everfree and the threat to her animals from Joe also receded.
“That does seem more urgent than one of Rainbow’s dares,” agreed Rarity.
“As you wish,” Joe replied. “Though Fluttershy…”
“Yes?” Fluttershy almost squeaked.
Joe blinked at how her voice was fading, it took a moment for him to repress a protest that he was not that scary and say what he’d intended instead. “Please don’t doubt I am grateful that you arrived,” he said, making an effort to speak smoothly and calmly, “even with the scars it gave me I am glad to have not needed to kill that Manticore.”
“Ah thought you said you took a stupid risk in not stabbing at it?” Applejack said unhelpfully.
“It was a stupid risk to try to drive it away by clubbing at it,” nodded Joe, “but that doesn’t change that I am glad I didn’t need to stab at it.”
“I believe you,” Fluttershy said, peeking through her mane at Joe, “and…” She squeaked slightly before she could continue, Rarity noticing and frowning slightly at this. “And I am sorry about the predator comment.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Joe reassured her. “Enough truth in it I can’t be offended, it’s not like I am a Jain.”
“As that’s a female name I certainly hope you aren’t,” commented Rarity.
“A different spelling,” Joe chuckled. “A group of people who try to avoid harming even the tiniest of creatures.”
The conversation and pauses had taken long enough that they were almost out of the Everfree. Joe was embarrassed and surprised, embarrassed as he was sure the ponies could have gone faster and surprised as it felt like he could have done so as well. His breath was still coming easily so he gradually picked up the pace to not delay them too much more. As expected even the Fillies seemed to have no trouble with this and they were soon approaching Joe’s hut.
“I’d better get changed into my normal clothes,” Joe said. “It was nice to have seen you all, even under these circumstances.”
“Arrows,” demanded Rainbow Dash, overtaking Joe and flying backwards for a little way as she made the demand.
“We should get the Cutie Mark Crusaders home,” Fluttershy repeated.
“How long will it take you to show me?” asked Rainbow Dash, from where she had returned to flying beside Joe.
“If I just string the bow and loose a couple, then a few minutes,” Joe replied.
“You can start getting the squirt home Fluttershy,” suggested Rainbow Dash, banking to one side and landing as they reached Joe’s hut and slowed to a stop. “I can catch up with you.”
“If Rainbow Dash is staying then so am I,” Scootaloo protested.
“An’ if Scootaloo’s staying then ah want to as well,” said Apple Bloom.
“Me too,” Sweetie Belle added.
“See what you started?” Applejack said, giving Rainbow Dash and Joe a mock glower.
“Pleeeeaaaasseeeeee!” the Cutie Mark Crusaders said in unison, taking advantage of the fact they were no longer running to cluster together and unite the force of their appealing eyes.
“You can see why I ended up in the Everfree when they asked,” chuckled Joe. He sighed and thought. “I do have some buns,” he suggested, “so I can offer you those and some tea for while you wait?”
Rarity looked at Fluttershy and seeing how reluctant her friend looked decided to take action. “That sounds lovely,” she said firmly, “it would be good to rest my hooves before returning to Ponyville, but let me deal with the refreshments while you deal with this loosing?”
“That would be kind of you,” Joe replied politely, “thank you.”
“I want to see the loosing,” said Sweetie Belle, protesting in case her sister expected her to stay with her.
“I am sure Applejack and Rainbow can provide enough escort,” Rarity smiled.
“Ah ain’t so sure,” said Applejack, looking over the Cutie Mark Crusaders and recalling their past deeds, “but we’ll give it a go.”
“Erm,” Fluttershy said, noticing what Rarity seemed to intend. Joe looked at her and tried to nod and smile reassuringly, but that just made her squeak and Rarity be firmer in her decision. “I’ll stay here, if that’s okay?”
“I’ll look forward to returning then,” smiled Joe, again.
“Before you can return you’ve got to leave,” Rainbow Dash called, doing a lazy loop between where Applejack was leading the Cutie Mark Crusaders towards the target and where Joe was still lingering on his porch. “So come along slowpoke.”
Joe shrugged to Rarity and Fluttershy, unlocked his door, and then turned and jogged after the four walking Ponies with Rainbow Dash not bothering to flap and overtaking them in a glide. Rarity watched the departing group for a few moments and then turned to Fluttershy with a look of relish in her eyes. “Let’s snoop!” she said.
“I… I am not sure…” Fluttershy squeaked.
“Nonsense,” said Rarity, leading the way through the disproportionately tall door. She looked around the hut and noticed the one set of weights on the bed and the others in the corner. Crossing to the latter as Fluttershy began finding wood for the stove and a kettle Rarity concentrated and lifted the short bar and weights with a matching blue glow around that and her horn. “Rather light,” she commented, “though I am sure he doesn’t just lift them once, or a few times.”
“Maybe,” Fluttershy said quietly, filling the kettle from a large barrel with a tap on the side.
“Hmm,” mused Rarity, beginning to happily poke around in wardrobes and drawers. “Look at this.”
“It’s a belt,” Fluttershy observed, glancing at what Rarity had floated out for consideration.
“Yes, but look here,” said Rarity, “an extra hole punched in it, he must have lost some of that wobble around the middle.”
“Please stop,” Fluttershy pleaded as Rarity returned the belt and returned to her snooping.
“You are frightened of Joe, aren’t you?” sighed Rarity, turning back towards Fluttershy, her concerns borne out by her friend’s reactions.
“I… yes.”
“Oh, my dear, I’d hoped I was wrong,” said Rarity, “but I thought I should take this chance to check. Why ever are you scared of him though?”
Fluttershy put the kettle on the stove and took the excuse of that and lighting the kindling to give herself some time to reply. “I knew from his teeth he was an omnivore,” she said finally, “and Twilight had mentioned potions and magic to help Joe adjust to not eating meat, but…”
“But you had been misjudging him like the rest of us?” Rarity smiled. “You thought he was a… a… oh bother, what are those bears with the dramatic markings? That are still bears but only eat plants?”
“You mean Pandas?”
“Those are the ones. By repute they sit around not doing much other than chewing their food.”
“Only because their teeth and tummies aren’t good at dealing with bamboo,” said Fluttershy, defending the Panda’s habits.
“Exactly,” Rarity nodded, “and you thought Joe was like them in ‘teeth and tummy’ not reflecting his diet. But now you’ve found he is a big roaring Grizzly.”
“A lot of a Grizzly’s diet isn’t meat,” murmured Fluttershy, “and I’m not scared of them.”
“And there is no need to be scared of Joe,” Rarity said firmly.
“I’m not so sure,” squeaked Fluttershy.
“Well I am,” Rarity replied with a smile. “How can you be frightened of any male who is quite so easy to wrap around your hoof?” Seeing that Fluttershy did not seem convinced she went on. “Look at it this way, darling, first he was persuaded by our three young Fillies to help them, despite what seems his reluctance to not continue to appear a Panda. Then they persuade him when faced with a Manticore, that apparently tried to eat him before, to try to only drive it away.”
“He still hurt him,” said Fluttershy, her voice strengthening now they were talking about harm to animals.
“And you know how much worse he’d have hurt it if, as Joe put it, he’d used the ‘pointy end’,” Rarity pointed out. “So he was risking his life to protect the Fillies and risking it worse by holding back because they’d asked him.”
“He still hurt him,” repeated Fluttershy stubbornly.
“Would you rather have a stallion that defended the herd, or one that failed to do so?” Rarity asked, matching her friend’s stubbornness.
“He’s not a stallion,” Fluttershy frowned.
“I agree he is not, and he is a little grotesque,” said Rarity, “but he seems enough of one to be susceptible to charm. He agreed to loose a few arrows for Rainbow Dash, melted, again, for them when the CMC said ‘please’ about watching this, and he’d taken the time to try to reassure you.”
Fluttershy reluctantly nodded, and then looked at the kettle rather than Rarity. The white Unicorn rolled her eyes, admitting to herself that despite the first part of her friend’s name she was less inclined to use the power of the eyelashes. But Rarity decided, finding the buns and some plates, it had still been a good and truthful argument. Enough charm worked on anything.