//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 : A Rude Awakening 
// Story: So Many Wonders 
// by MerlosTheMad 
//------------------------------//

	






"Is there anything new, Luna? Please say I can come home now." The first thing they had spoken about had not been news, as Fluttershy had hoped, but was instead a quiet hello and casual greetings, as well as asking if her friends were still alright. Still, she couldn't help but ask.

The pony princess looked sadly at the Element of Harmony. 

Overhead, the calming sight of stars and celestial lights played throughout the dream quietly. The horizon and sky was not very dark, but more purple, allowing the two ponies plenty of brightness to see one another.

Luna watched her own creation with a strained looked. "I'm sorry Fluttershy, there is no progress as of yet. It is too soon though, but I promise you we will know something before long." 

Fluttershy felt her wings droop to either side of herself, and turned to glance again at the door of her own cottage. She had thought the sight of her home might cheer herself up in Luna's dream world, but it did the opposite. "Alright, I understand. I'm afraid I don't have any clues yet either, not like Pinkie or Rarity..." After a tiny pause, she added, "Will they be home soon?" 

Luna exhaled a breath that sounded strained, even to her. Her subject looked up from the corner of her eye. She had not yet shared the news which she bore from the other two Elements.

"They aren't? Is something wrong, Princess Luna? My friends are still alright, aren't they?" Fluttershy turned her head in a concerned manner and leaned forward, trying to meet the taller pony's gaze.

"Perhaps, Fluttershy, I don't want you to worry though. As I said already, they are fine... There were complications, that is all." Luna turned to regard her canary yellow subject with a warm smile, trying to reassure her despite her own feelings. The night had been trying thus far. Rarity and Pinkie had both told her, in an equally frantic fashion, about what had transpired for them both. Everything about it had been shocking. From the nightmares both of them had suffered right under her nose, to the violence they had faced, to the betrayal Pinkie Pie had suffered. In all, it sounded as though their tale was a difficult one. She had decided it wise to not tell the gentle pony beside her the specifics.

There was also still no word of Twilight, either, and it was now several weeks since the disappearance of the Element of Magic. 

Luna did not want to accept that the worst could have happened, but she couldn't reach the unicorn in her dreams... She did away with the thought and its implications quickly, instead focusing on the oddity of all the nightmares that had begun sprouting up in Equestria and her little ponies. There must be something more to this. I am beginning to doubt very much that these events may not also be connected to these girls. She turned her head from facing Fluttershy quickly, and re-regarded the night sky. Still, it isn't just the girls that have been having nightmares of late. 

"So they aren't home yet, then." Fluttershy nodded to herself in acceptance as a result of Luna's brief response, and subsequent quiet.

Luna shook her head gently, both of them still staring out at the stars. "Neigh, Fluttershy, they are not. My sister works diligently, though it has admittedly been only a few weeks. Designing spells and magic is not easy, even when it is your special talent, and we have several unicorns who do nothing but read dusty tomes all day. They toil without rest to return the three of- the four of you home." 

As Luna had spoken on, her tone became less dreary, and more comforting and sweet, even over her stumble. By the time she had finished, she laid down on the grass beside beside Fluttershy, smiling warmly. As she saw it, was her duty to be there for the lost mares.

"Oh no," Fluttershy looked over at the now eye level pony. "Please don't make them work too hard, Princess. I don't want to be... a bother, b-but I do miss home." 

The Element of Kindness held an unsure hoof up to her muzzle, staring uncertainly at the ground.

The Princess let out a short chime of laughter. "Oh, Fluttershy." She put a wing over the other mare. "Do not fret over others, my subject, they will be perfectly fine. Worry more for your own well-being. Still, I promise you they are not working a moment longer than they want to in order for us to get you all home. That is to say, they are working very diligently indeed. Everypony misses you, and as always, they send their regards and love."

Fluttershy smiled up at the Princess, lines of tiredness at the corners of her eyes. "I'm sure not everypony misses me, Princess. I mean, I don't even know that many ponies. I hardly know everypony in Ponyville, even."

Luna studied the her subject a moment, then turned towards the stars once more. "We couldn't keep your disappearance a secret, Fluttershy, not that we even wanted to. I thought it would be a wise choice, but Celestia chose to put out a public call in order to get all the help we could. Of course, many answered." She looked down at Fluttershy with a smirk. "I fear you will be even more of the celebrity once you return home, dear Fluttershy."

"Oh my." Fluttershy's eyes widened at hearing this, while in her head she thought, Oh no.







	








Fluttershy stretched and yawned, arcing her back, much in the way one of her pet cats would. "Oh, ow." A slight pain panged through her right wing. "What a great sleep," she muttered, smiling, despite the cramp she had attained. Her wing fought to straighten out while she regained her bearings.

Blinking away the sleepiness as she slowly woke up, Fluttershy spotted the impromptu pillow she had used. "Oh, pardon me—" The pony looked down at the fuzzy textured floor which she had woken up on, then recalled she had cuddled up atop Totoro himself the night before. 

"He's still asleep, too. Aaw, he's just a big cutesy kitty bear, isn't he?" Another yawn cracked Fluttershy's jaw after cooing out the words.

The light from the tree grove, which was itself actually the hollow of a massive tree, played in dazzling patterns of shadow across the pony's and creature's bodies. Above them both, Root busied himself with hunting the cornucopia of bugs that infested the area. He hopped to and fro, nibbling up as many grasshoppers as he could. Tumbling along with him were the two smaller creatures that shared some of their larger counterpart's appearance. 

As far as Fluttershy could see, now that they had warmed up to one another they seemed to get along just dandy.

Down below on the ground, she became equally busy running her hoof up and down the sleeping and snoring Totoro's giant tummy. "Good morning. Are you awake?" she said, holding back a giggle. The great beast began to snort, or perhaps laugh in his sleep every few breaths from the treatment.  

Fluttershy suppressed a giggle and stopped, not wanting to disturb him too much. He looked very peaceful after all. "You would be right at home in Ponyville." She sighed, then looked around her pleasant surroundings, tail swishing absently. "Well, I'm still here, and no closer to getting home... I guess I'll— Eep!"

All of a sudden the furry critter she was sitting atop began heaving, the sound of what might just be raucous, out of control laughter making its way out of Totoro. It was difficult to tell at first just what he was doing.

Fluttershy took to the sky, fluttering over him, an understanding of the reaction dawning on her after studying the strange creature for a moment. "Oh— Oh dear, I'm sorry, I was tickling you wasn't I?" 

On the floor of flora, Totoro cracked an eye open to regard Fluttershy, now that he had finished laughing. He opened his mouth next, slowly at first, and then entirely widened it into the great chasm it could somehow manage to become. An air-rumbling yawn escaped him, stirring up a breeze in the grove and whipping the Fluttershy's mane.

Fluttershy giggled from the strange ability, while her mind still hovered around her lack of progress or clues. I wonder, is that magic? The strange cat-bus creature seemed magical, and they are both friends. Despite the comfort she was in and the smile on her muzzle, she clung firmly onto figuring out a way to get home. I would need a way to understand them and talk with them though... and then there's the humans. 

Totoro finished his yawning, and stared up at her placidly from his back with the two enormous eyes he sported. 

Fluttershy sank from the air, flittering down to come to rest once more on Totoro. "Well, I guess you understand me just fine, huh?"

Totoro raised one eyebrow slightly, then slowly closed both eyes while grinning. 

"...I'll take that as a maybe?" Fluttershy sighed. "I wish I were better at this." She craned her neck to look over at the sun, rising slowly in the sky at one corner of the grove. "If I knew magic, or were personable like Rarity and Pinkie, I could have done something by now, but I haven't." 

A sharp, scratchy sensation ran up Fluttershy's back without warning, making her tense up from hoof to tail immediately. "Ah-" She turned, and calmed down again just as quickly from what she found.

Totoro's eyes were flat and simply stared blankly, but one of his long, blunted claws was gently being drug up and down Fluttershy's back. 

The pony smiled sheepishly. "A-At least I've made some good friends though, right Totoro?" She grinned, a little hesitantly from the physical contact, at the strange creature. That feels really nice actually. To her, it was like a back scratch and a massage from the Lotus at the Ponyville spa rolled into one. Now there's a thought Fluttershy, I wonder if Spike could work at the spa one day?

Fluttershy enjoyed the attention and meandered in thought for a time. It was true she was putting off things once more, she realized, but perhaps it wouldn't be so wrong to merely wait to go home. Two hours later, Totoro made to stand up, and a caught off guard Fluttershy hopped into the air and fluttered until her wings caught to hold her aloft.

"Totoro?" Fluttershy quirked an eye at the bear-cat, then looked confusedly at Root and the two other little guys as they all hopped atop Totoro's shoulders. "Oh, hum, are we going somewhere?" she questioned him quietly.

In return, Totoro looked down at her and grinned. It seemed more and more that he only had two expressions; grinning big enough to make a Dragon's mouth look small, and blank. Once his expression relaxed again, he pulled out and his odd little umbrella from the first night the two had met, and a strange bauble. 

Fluttershy turned her head looking at the second article in confusion. "I don't understa—"

While speaking Totoro deftly spun, while growling, and the odd item was thrown onto the ground, spinning just as he had. It hummed audibly, and then Fluttershy realized what it was. Before she could get a word in though, the giant creature hopped on top, and in a rush of wind, he was gone.

Fluttershy shielded her face with her forelegs from the gale left in his wake. The sound of his excited roar echoed around her after his leaving. Once she could open them, her eyes followed his path, which lead straight up through the trees branches. Her mouth opened wonderingly, bits of tree and leaves falling down around her.

"W-wait for me please!" Her wings flapped wildly trying to catch up.





Fluttershy was sweating and panting while she chased after Totoro, who sped through the air in the most bizarre of fashions. He roared every now and again, shifting whole groves of trees in the wind he made. His strange vessel, the little top he balanced on, bobbed around chaotically through the air as he hovered at a speed the pony was hard pressed to match. 

Squinting, Fluttershy could just barely make out the small thing that seemed to let him fly well enough to rival any pegasus. Why can't these worlds be normal, like home? Her breath panted out of her all the while she entertained the ragged thought.

Above the treeline, it was an incredibly hot summer day. To Fluttershy, it felt as though she were flying above the sands in Appleloosa, or the badlands. Luckily, she spotted Totoro up ahead, where it seemed he had stopped, along with the others.

"Oh thank goodness." Fluttershy's eyes rolled in exhaustion from the several kilometer long flight. My wings have gotten a bigger work out the last week than training for weather duty! Oh dear, now what? A peculiar sight awaited her on the ground.

Fluttershy did not so much alight gently on the ground, as was usual, as she did tumble, her legs giving out from under her from pedaling so much to catch her friend. She rolled twice, before bumping into something soft that broke her fall. "Ouch." Slowly, she fell over, then stood up, finding that it had been Totoro's big, poofy tail that had stopped her. "Sorry about that, Totoro." After a moment, she furrowed her brow. "Totoro?"

The creature in question was facing away from her, and seemed to be...dancing, or something to that effect.

Fluttershy tilted her head, and winced from a slight pain she got from doing so. Perhaps she had been doing it too much that day already. Massaging her long neck, she trotted up beside the bear-cat, who was kneeling low to the ground, then stand up straight, arms raised to the sky over and over. He was also grunting, as though exerting a great amount of focus on some task.

"Root? What- You too?" Fluttershy studied her friend, then her newer friends slowly. They all seemed to be doing the same thing, while staring at the ground with a determined look each. Well this is certainly strange... She sat down in the grass, content to watch for now.

Next, the most peculiar thing happened, right before Fluttershy's eyes. She did a double take, unsure that what had happened, had in fact actually happened. Out from the dirt, sprouted several miniature stalks, popping up into the open air, as if by magic. It happened so quickly, so suddenly, that she almost didn't believe her own eyes, even the second time. Her hooves rubbed at her face and she looked a third time, just to make sure she wasn't mistaken. Sure enough, they were still there, only now, they were even bigger. 

Inch by inch as the pony stared, the strange dance that her furry friends did seemed to increase the size of the plants, growing them from little sprouts, and into saplings. A loud grunt from the left made her look over, the taller of them, Totoro, was staring down at her while he went on. He seemed to be beckoning her to join with his eager gaze. 

"Oh, y-you want me to help?" Fluttershy stammered out. 

Totoro did his usually method of communicating, staring and grinning bigger as if to say 'sure', and Fluttershy laughed gayly in response. She looked back towards the plants, still not believing what she saw. "Alright then." Surprising herself, her voice wasn't in the least bit hesitant, or worried...it sounded a little excited.

Totoro, still not stopping in his strange ritual, continued the odd little arm gestures and dance.

Fluttershy wasn't sure what was going on, or what she was doing, but the beautiful afternoon sun, the friendliness of the strangers, all made the air feel magical, whimsical, as if nothing bad could happen. She was enjoying a rare moment, when she wasn't feeling very shy or hesitant. 

The enthusiastic sounds from the cat-bears frantically trying to grow the plants bigger were joined by her one as she stood up on her hind legs, and balancing herself with her wings, began to add her own efforts. Mimicking their moves, she crouched down, a little shakily the first time, them straightened up to standing, throwing her hooves above her head.

A seed popped up above the soil in response.

Fluttershy gasped, and almost stopped, staring in disbelief once again. "D-Did I do that?" 

A growling laugh came from beside the pony, and after her slight hesitation she rejoined the efforts. More and more the plants sprouted, while Fluttershy threw her back into it. She grinned and watched as the trees became thicker and taller, until finally in a burst of motion and energy, they rocketed into the sky. The pony fell back on her rump to sit on the grass, an oof escaping her as she did. Beside her, the strange cat-bears cheered at the sight before them.

"I've never seen anything like this!" Still seated, Fluttershy exclaimed and stared wonderingly up at the sprouts that had magically, instantly grown together into one, massive tree. It stretched higher into the sky slowly, apparently not yet finished, even as she watched. Not even Earth Ponies can grow something this fast, I don't think it— I don't even think magic could do something like this! It occurred to her that this might not be magic at all, but the question then remained over what it actually was.

It didn't make sense, but it all happened so fast Fluttershy only had time to have fun with it. She grinned and looked over at her friends, Root running in circles wildly, and the others doing a loud dance in a circle of their own, possibly imitating the fox-squirrel.

Fluttershy's expression softened the longer she watched them.







The tallest branches of the strange, enormous tree of Totoro's world swayed quietly in the wind, the leaves rustling steadily.

Fluttershy was reclined on her back atop Totoro's stomach once more, it was fast becoming one of her favorite things in the world, that is, this one or Equestria. Her wings spread lazily to either side of herself. Comfortable and despite things, happy in a way, she studied the sunset before her quietly. In all, her day had not been terribly productive, but that was alright she decided. One more day of getting her bearings couldn't hurt.

Root was nestled up against her side, along with the two smaller 'Totoro's' as Fluttershy referred to them. 

The three little ones were all sound asleep, while the large cat-bear and the pegasus were content to lay idly and enjoy the soft, ocean breezes. 

The light was disappearing slowly behind the trees, water, and human buildings, and painted a gorgeous sunset. Oddly, the colors ranged further than just reds and oranges, all the way to green, purple and even pink. The girls would love these colors, I wonder why Celestia doesn't use them? She smiled wanly at the cavalcade of shades again after thinking of her friends once more, of what Rainbow might say about Totoro, or Twilight about the strange cat bus.

Fluttershy was at ease, even being away from her friends and despite what she had seen since getting lost. If she had to wait for years, she would. The thoughts had entered her mind periodically over the days, frightening as they were. I'll get home girls. Somehow, someway, I will. 

Around the pegasus and her friends the wind stirred quietly, leaves and twigs caught in the breeze.


...



Fluttershy sat up and looked around herself. Underneath her, Totoro grunted and raised his head as well.

The wind wasn't actually stirring quietly, it was picking up in intensity. The twigs and leaves from the trees were actually becoming airborne debris, ripped from their homes. 

A moment later, and Fluttershy saw it. Not that far away and hanging in the air was the dreaded circle of light that had appeared before her with Nausicaa. It tore a new hole in the sky above her as she looked up, eyes widened with terror. No— Not again!

The pool of colors churned through the entire spectrum of a rainbow, and almost mimicked the sunset just beyond it, all the while seemingly calling to the pony beneath it.







Fluttershy flipped over and held onto Totoro's fur coat, crying out as the wind built more and more. It was less a stubborn pulling now, and more akin to the overpowering wind tunnel that had led her away from Equestria. She couldn't manage to do anything but scream shrilly in panic. On her back, her wings flapped, but it was obvious to her they couldn't find any purchase in the magical embrace of such a violent storm. She didn't dare risk trying to fight against it on her own. Instead, she held on tightly and cringed down, hiding from the wind.

A comforting, enormous paw laid over Fluttershy's back, stilling her wings. 

The pony looked up at Totoro, tears dampening her face. Oh, thank Celestia. She smiled in unending gratitude up at the friend she'd made so far from home. Though her voice tried to overcome the roar that was still building, she couldn't even hear herself shouting 'thank you'.

Still, Totoro grinned at her slowly, cheeks stretching to accommodate his gargantuan expression.

Fluttershy dared to look behind herself at the otherworldly phenomena. It seemed to hang there stubbornly, knowing it didn't belong, and growing angrier by the second. Why is it so different every time? I don't— Wait, where's Root? Her eyes searched high and low immediately for her other friend, and found him. "Root, ROOT!"

The fox-squirrel clung to a branch nearby, along with the other two strange little cat-bears. 

Fluttershy stared in horror for a split second longer, then thumped on Totoro's chest with a hoof and pointed to them. "We need to get them!" 

The wind tore at her fur and ears, entirely drowning the pony out as she pleaded up at the creature holding onto her.

Totoro looked from Fluttershy, and over to the three creatures dangling in the air, all holding onto one another. His eyes seemed to widen even further.

Fluttershy turned again to look at her other friends, her guardian taking slow steps towards them, his other arm beginning to reach out. She could feel that even he was having difficulty clinging to the tree. Beyond them, the roaring gash in the sky hung, and the wind strengthened.

Almost there. Fluttershy reached a hoof out too, despite being too far. Hold on Root! Why is it so much stronger this time? Is it stronger? I don't know!

Time slowed down for a moment, Fluttershy's eyes stayed glued to the fox-squirrel, and two bear-cats. In one, flash of movement, almost to fast to track with the eye, the branch they had clung to snapped, and flung away, just out of their reach. 

The three tumbled through the air for only a split second, before being engulfed by the swirl of color and disappearing.

Fluttershy stared in disbelief, until reacting seconds later. "No!" she cried out in despair. "Oh dear, oh no, no!" Her hooves pushed against the clawed arm holding her down, but she didn't go so far as to wriggle free. She instead, began to cry. Should I go into the— that thing after them? I don't know! But... Root. A lump grew in her throat out of fear.

The wind began to calm down all around, while the portal itself began to shrink.

Fluttershy's breath caught. It's— It's closing. The confusing, heart wrenching situation for her now had a very small window of decision. For the pony, the decision was an easy one. Wiping her face, she turned and looked up at Totoro.

"Totoro!" Fluttershy screamed as loud as she could. She jumped, surprised at how loud her voice had been.

The largest of the strange creatures she had met looked down at her, his flat expression still present. It was odd, but to Fluttershy, it did look as though there may be deeper meaning below it that could just barely be seen.

Fluttershy jabbed a hoof after her friends, and towards the closing portal. "I need to go after them, Totoro! They'll be all alone if I don't. I-I don't know if I'll get your uhm... friends home, back to you. But I have to go after Root." She briefly wondered why Totoro himself hadn't reacted yet. Her voice had quieted entirely towards the end of her explanation, the wind now gone. She twisted again and looked at the portal, it was getting close to shutting, she wouldn't even have time to get there now, it was going too quickly. "No!" I waited too long, I just wanted to say goodbye! Her eyes watered a little more.

A roar of wind surged behind Fluttershy's head all of a sudden, blowing her mane around her head and drying her tears instantly. She turned to face the source, Totoro; the deafening noise he'd made had caught her by complete surprise. Her forelegs reached up and planted themselves over her sensitive ears at the same, and shut her eyes on reflex. Once she had opened them again, she realized she was soaring through the air once more.

"Oh! Oh no!" Fluttershy looked up in shock, which quickly switched to surprise. Above her, was Totoro, grinning stupidly and waving, his eyes looking distantly back towards the tree they had apparently both just lept from. 

Fluttershy had time to look back, just in time to see the odd cat bus waving back from its haunches, looking at them with an equally wide, silly grin. It was then she realized that Totoro had leaped from the tree and towards the portal, still carrying her along for the ride.

Fluttershy had time for one last incredulous outcry. "But— Totoro—!!"

A wave of color splashed over Fluttershy's vision a second later as the two entered the portal together.