//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 : All Shapes and Sizes 
// Story: So Many Wonders 
// by MerlosTheMad 
//------------------------------//





Fluttershy groaned and tried to sit up, a slight headache plaguing her. "Ooooh, oh— ow." Wherever she was, it was dark, and she couldn't see anything. Opening her eyes was difficult, there was something pressing down on her back and face, as if she were sandwiched between something. Her legs struggled and fought immediately. There was grass on one side of her face, and something else on the other.

"Hello!?" Her voice was muffled by whatever lay on top off her. Her head and legs began struggling against whatever held her, and her face met the open air with surprising ease. She gasped and took in the fresh air in gulps, still mostly caught under whatever was lying atop her. There was bright sunlight, and she blinked quickly to adjust her vision. She gasped, breathing the fresh air while laying still.

Fluttershy looked around what little she could from where she was trapped. There were trees all around; massive, towering things which she had never seen the likes of before. Each of them had to be the height of a full grown dragon, or larger. 

They reminded Fluttershy of the one Totoro had lived in.

Fluttershy craned her head around on her aching neck to get a look just what exactly was trapping her against the forest floor. 

"Totoro?" Fluttershy blinked at the creature laying on his side, eyes closed. Her legs retook up the struggle to get free; she could feel her left wing cramping. First, her front legs got out. "Uhm, Totoro? Please wake up, you're sleeping on top of me!" 

Fluttershy stared up at him a moment, catching her breath from the struggling. "Totoro?" 

A loud sound came out of the large beast's throat, and for a moment Fluttershy thought he had heard her. Despairingly though, it turned out to be snoring, and he merely raised an arm up to scratch his belly. 

Fluttershy sighed sadly, then began pulling again. Well this is... the oddest morning I've ever had. She grunted, clenching her teeth and pulling. If only I was stronger. Or had some help... Wait, where is Root? She stopped and looked around hurriedly for the little fellow. "Root!?"

There was no answer. 

Fluttershy creased her face in worry, after a moment she began struggling again. "Totoro, please wake- up!" Her wings were free next, flapping frantically now that they were out from under the giant bear-cat. "Oh, that feels so much better." She stretched the frumpled feathery limbs, wincing at the aches covering poor lefty, then steeled herself to finish the job. 

"Mister, you aren't getting tummy rubs for a week!" Fluttershy pushed against Totoro to free the rest of herself, face set in a mild snarl. "O-or maybe just a day or so..." Her back legs dragged out slowly, but more easily than the rest of her had been. She popped out into freedom, feeling very much like she had been trampled. "Phew."

While gaining her bearings, Fluttershy began taking in the sounds of nature all around. Birds, bugs, the swaying of branches and the sound of a river nearby reached her ears. She looked around the clearing, curious, then up at the canopy of leaves overhead. So, another forest, then. Better than another desert. 

There had been some worry from Fluttershy that she might end up someplace even harsher than the desert. If I had dragged poor Totoro and his brothers... or friends? Actually, what are those two? Well, anyway, if I had dragged the Totoros somewhere terrible, I would feel just awful. She frowned sadly around herself at her surroundings. Then again, maybe this place is like an Everfree.

The quiet calls and whistles of birds reached her ears, along with the quiet bubbling of water from somewhere nearby. There was also, of course, Totoro's snoring. This new place certainly didn't seem anything like an Everfree forest to Fluttershy. 

Fluttershy calmed some, while remembering the portal, and began running over what had happened in her head. Okay, after I had entered the silly looking pool of color, I had only been with Totoro...  She remembered that Root and the two smaller companions of her big fuzzy friend had been nowhere to be seen.

Fluttershy decided her first thing to do was to find her missing friends, then possibly nap and try and speak with Luna. No doubt, she would have to speak with the princess again about everything that had happened. 

"Root!?" she called out into the trees, hoping her friend was nearby. There wasn't a response. "Oh dear, I hope he isn't too lost. I get lost on my own so easily, there's no way I could find him." Her wings, though achy, took flight and she began flitting to and fro amidst the trees. "Root!? Uhm, little bear-cats? Anypony?" Fluttershy searched high and low through the trees and branches, but couldn't find any sign of her friends.

Fluttershy did, however, spot a few birds, which seemed to be watching her. "Oh, hello, uhm, excuse me, but I'm looking for my friends. They're a little, uhm, strange looking squirrel and two cute little munchkins with stubby arms." She tilted her head curiously at the strange, round looking birds. They weren't species that were native to Equestria, certainly. "Have you seen them?"

The birds stared at her a moment, heads tilting left or right to match the pony, then chirped and flew away. 

Fluttershy watched them go, flying away at a relatively quick speed. She felt defeated once again, and floated down to the ground, wings held still. I couldn't understand them, either... It was disparaging; ever since the first place she had been, animals' feelings had been a mystery to her. True, she was an expert with body language, but that only got her so far. Angel Bunny had always been a little difficult to understand, it came in handy when speaking with him. But these little guys... Oh, where is Root? 

Fluttershy's expression sank while glancing around, then the rest of her followed suit, until she landed atop Totoro. "Totoro? Could you wake up, please?" She prodded two hooves against the bear-cat's chest in an attempt to get her friend to stir. "Totorooo." A frown began to work its way onto her face. 

One of Totoro's eyes peeked open to stare up at the pony.

Fluttershy sat back and smirked, tail swishing. "Are you awake now?" Her friend began to yawn in response. "Good. I can't find your friends, or Root." She looked around herself again, frowning again for emphasis. "I'm not sure where this place is, either. Could you help me look?"

Totoro's other eye opened, and he regarded Fluttershy for a moment, leaning up just a hair. Next, he stood up, holding the pony in his claws as he did so.

"Oh, uhm." Fluttershy blinked, wide eyed as she was picked up and set down before her friend. "Thank you." She smiled sheepishly. I think. "Does this mean that you'll help me? I mean, I know you can't really talk," she sighed out, wishing that he could simply speak Equestrian. Or English, as it seemed to be called everywhere she went. "But could you nod or shake your head when I ask a yes or no question?" 

The solution to one of her simplest problems, communication, would have done Twilight proud, Fluttershy was sure of it.

Totoro regarded the pony and the words a moment, then grinned widely, not making another move.

One of Fluttershy's ears lowered, while the other remained standing up, and a slight frown appeared on her muzzle to match. "Oh, close enough." She looked around the area once again. "Totoro, we need to look for our friends. This place could be dangerous and... I'm very sorry for dragging you all here with me." 

Fluttershy stood up on her hind legs and leaned against the giant's side. "You aren't mad at me, are you?" Oh, I hope I don't seem like I'm begging or being pathetic to him. 

Fluttershy waited patiently for her friend's answer, who stood over her, unblinking.

Totoro's grin disappeared, leaving his empty stare blank. Other than that, he only inclined his head a little.  

Fluttershy's pleading look thinned out some. She was pretty sure he wasn't nodding. I need somepony that can understand me to talk to. A pained sigh escaped her and she turn around to search the treeline for Root, hoping he had just wandered of nearby. I should speak with Luna.

Fluttershy sat down hard on the ground, thinking over what to do, and locked eyes with a patch of small flowers. They looked particularly delicious. Blue, white stripes, yellow bobbers hanging out of the center; they made her become aware of a small ache in her stomach. She smelled them, found them to be a little bland, then took a bite, despite this. 

With her mouth full, Fluttershy spoke back to Totoro. No longer expecting an answer; it was more directed at herself. "I think that we'll fly around here, just for a little while." She swallowed the morsel, they weren't quite as bland as they had smelled. "Hopefully we'll find Root and your brothers. After that... well, I'll speak with Princess Luna. Oh, I never told you about the princess. Not that I guess you could understa-"

Fluttershy turned, and looked at the spot where Totoro had been standing, now empty. "Uhm, Totoro?" She craned her head this way and that, then all around. Her newest friend was nowhere to be seen. 

"T-totoro?" She called out. "This isn't funny, where did you go?" The forest clearing was empty, save for her. "D-did you leave?" Her ears wilted, along with the rest of her until she drooped back onto the ground. "O-okay. I guess... that's fine, I mean, I did cause your friends to get stuck here and... I guess I'm alone again."

Fluttershy saw a few droplets of water splash onto the dirt and grass at her hooves. Oh no, it's going to rain. She looked up, and saw only sunny skies. A shuddering breath escaped her; it was then that she realized she was actually crying. 

A quiet sniffle joined its friend, and Fluttershy lowered herself slowly into her forelegs on the ground. "S-stupid... I'm stupid..."

Fluttershy wrapped her wings around herself and shook on the ground. In the back of her mind she realized this was the first time she had really broken down since leaving home, and just because a stranger she had met two days ago had wandered off. I should be crying because Root's missing- No, I shouldn't be crying at all. I'm on my own. I'm the only one that can help me. All I'm doing is wasting time, everypony's time, by being helpless like this, like always. Why am I so scared? This place is harmless. It- Oh...

Fluttershy took in a deep, deep breath, then exhaled it slowly. Twilight had taught it to her, the method she used to calm down. It sort of worked for the yellow mare, too. She lay there, face down, feeling the occasional ray of sun hit her coat of fur then move on, thanks to the shifting branches overhead.

A strange, rattling, clicking kind of noise struck her ears.

Fluttershy tensed up. The noise sounded a bit like an instrument. What was that? She didn't dare to open her eyes to find out. Is- T-Totoro? Did you make a new instrument? She knew her friend couldn't hear her while she thinking to herself, but then again, she knew he couldn't understand her, either.

The wooden clicking sound occurred again. 

Fluttershy gulped, and fought to find her voice. "Hello?" She was surprised when she didn't stammer. Be brave, she told herself. 

There wasn't any answer. 

The clicking noise occurred again, making Fluttershy clench her teeth in response.

It was quiet after that. 

Maybe that was just the wind? Fluttershy opened her eyes and raised her head, convinced the sound wasn't anything to be scared of. 

Instead of Totoro, as Fluttershy had expected, she found several, bizarre looking ghosts standing before her—at least she thought they were ghosts. They seemed to all be staring at the stems of the flowers she had eaten.





Fluttershy felt a scream building deep in her throat, but she lay still, not moving, except for the widening of her eyes. Oh no. Not ghosts. It's not even Nightmare Night! Why ghosts? Please, bring back the humans. Oh no.

They were all standing in a ring, seemingly looking at the ground. Until one of the little things turned and looked over.

Fluttershy thought her heart stopped, and she stared back into the empty, black little eyes of the inexplicably strange thing. "A-are you a friend of T-Totoro's?" She wasn't sure where the idea had come from, and less of how she'd managed to ask the question.

The other little creatures all straightened up at stared at Fluttershy as well after she spoke. None of them made a move after that.

Fluttershy, on the other hoof, straightened and sat up, cringing back from them. She studied the ghost-things carefully. What do they want? Don't ghosts haunt bad ponies? Oh, but I'm not a bad pony! Or am I? Oh no, what did I do!? 

The first little creature took a few steps towards her.

Fluttershy's wings stiffened in fear.

The creature tilted its head to the left.

Fluttershy... felt some of the tension in her leave almost immediately. Oh, well now he looks kind of cute. A weak smile trembled its way onto her muzzle.

Meanwhile, the rest of the little ghosts all tilted their heads too.

Okay, less cute. Creepy now. Still, Fluttershy tried to smile—even though they weren't smiling—as well as speak again. "S-s-so..." she managed.

The creatures, in unison, surprised the mare by clicking their heads all at once, making the noise Fluttershy had heard before.

Fluttershy screamed, and shot up into the air.







The trees were now far below.

Fluttershy held both of her hooves against her chest, barrel heaving, until she had calmed down, a little. A final, huge breath of air whooshed out of her, and she began regaining her bearings. "Oh Fluttershy. You big scaredy cat." She winced and peered back at the clearing she had left behind. It was now she realized that she had flown away from somepony else, probably just because they were different. I guess, they could have been ghosts, though. Not that she had ever seen a real ghost before. Maybe they were friendly ghosts?

Fluttershy looked sourly down at the greenery below herself. I need to pony up. I'm on my own again, after all. She turned her head up towards the horizon. Sure enough, an unfamiliar sun hung there. Definitely not Equestria. Weighing her options, she narrowed them down where hovered in the sky.

I can either try and talk to Luna, or find my friends, first. Fluttershy set her face sternly. I'm coming, Root. She gave the clearing beneath her one last look, wondered if she should try to go back and apologize, or look for Totoro, then decided against it. It wasn't avoiding possible friends, something she had done frequently in her fillyhood, and was a little mean... But it was avoiding possible danger.

As for Totoro, Fluttershy recalled all too well the manner in which big cat-bear came and went without speaking of where he was going. She had also witnessed first hand the way he could turn invisible. Most of her hoped that he had merely been frightened by the ghosts like she had, and not simply... left.

I won't go far. I'll stay in the trees, search the area methodically. Yeah, Applejack would say that. Then, if I can't find them... I'll... I'll find a tree to sleep in, and contact the princess. She'll know what to do.

Fluttershy gasped and held a hoof to her mouth, realizing something. "Oh dear. I'm leading, aren't I?" 

A short, demure giggle escaped her, far removed from the panic she had felt a moment ago. "Oh, I bet the girls would be so proud of me." Her hooves kicked in the air slightly. Despite thinking about the girls, she kept her new smile, flying in a direction just a bit to the right of the sun. It wouldn't be right to let herself get down, staying in bright spirits was important. She felt that the sun itself offered protection, a little, even if it wasn't Celestia's.

I wonder who raises the sun here? Fluttershy wondered; the last two worlds had been mysteries, as well. 

Her wings dipped to the right and she circled up higher into the sky, hoping to see a city or a town somewhere in the forest. They might be able to offer help, human or not. It was possible this world would have ponies in it, too, she hoped. Another race she was more familiar with would be fine, too, even a gryphon. I would much prefer that they're a nice gryphon, though. She shuddered, recalling painfully the only gryphon she had ever encountered, and more than once.

Fluttershy put that out of mind and refocused. She decided there was the chance that all three of the worlds she had skipped through had in fact been the same one. That would mean they would all lack ponies, just like the place Rarity and Pinkie had ended up. The Princess had suggested that, but Fluttershy held out hope that such wasn't the case. She also held out hope that she would come across her two friends somehow, that they all maybe shared the same world. 

Even in the same world though, she knew they would probably never find one another, not by chance. While she flew, hoping for the impossible, she decided to hold out hope that another portal would perhaps lead back home. It was wishful thinking, but she didn't care.

As Fluttershy flew, she concentrated hard on scanning the ground around herself. The trees were too thick to see anything except more trees though, for the most part. There was a plain far out to the west, as well as a few more clearings, but those were all really far away. She circled her original clearing again, flapping her wings slowly in time with her breathing.

Rainbow had taught her that, it had helped with her stamina and flying ability in general.

The clouds overhead were still too high up, she noticed absently.  What bothered her more, were the surroundings on the ground. For miles and miles the forest stretched in every direction, along with mountains intermingling with them every so often.

Fluttershy's mouth fell open slightly in wonderment, realizing the scope of the obstacle that may be before her. There's no way I could ever find them in this. Not alone... The thought surprised her, but it sounded true. "Well, what are you going to do now, Fluttershy?" She had to raise her voice a lot to hear herself over the wind. After a moment of resolute thinking, she decided. 







Fluttershy watched, shaking a little, hidden in the leaves a tall bush. Nearby, the sounds of humans talking filled the air around their makeshift camp of tents and blankets. She had found them camping, just moments ago, spotting the smoke from a small bonfire they had made. Their campsite was a bit odd looking, but so was most of anything to do with humans.

At first, she'd been happy to find somepony else, regardless of who it was. Now, she wasn't so sure.

Her eyes were locked onto a particular spot of the campsite, a little cage that sat at the edge. Inside, sat a furiously hissing little creature. Fluttershy watched Root swipe his paw out of the cage, pushing against the little wooden bars with his hind legs as hard as he could. He would stop, sprint in a tight circle, then begin again.

Fluttershy let out a quiet, disappointed breath. Oh... He'll tire himself out like that. She could see the writing on the wall, that the humans were keeping him imprisoned against his will. That was an absolutely horrible thing. Why are they doing it? She sat back on her haunches, biting her lip. D-did he do something? I- 

A few images of what she had seen humans do from before, and to one another, played through her mind's eye. She imagined she didn't know what to think of this situation, because the humans made no sense to her at all. 

Fluttershy took in a deep breath and stilled her shivering. She did know one thing; that her friend was in trouble, and she needed to rescue him. Her face drew down into a really serious look, the shadows from the campfire dancing across her butter yellow coat in the looming twilight hours. 

"Don't worry Root." Fluttershy breathed out confidently. "I'll get you, if I have to... have to smash that cage myself."

A voice that wasn't Fluttershy's spoke up from nearby. "Oyasumi nasai?"

Fluttershy went rigid, which also made her accidentally stand straight up. The voice had come from the tent's direction. She clenched her teeth, fear building as she realized that her wings and head had just ruffled her entire bushy hiding spot. Oh no! She tried to sit still, or stand as was now the case, rather than flee and give herself away. Her eyes searched for who the voice had come from. She heard hoofsteps approaching—or whatever it was humans had in their shoes.

Please don't put me in a cage. Please don't put me in a cage. I just want my friend! Fluttershy held her eyes shut, slowly sinking to the ground in an effort to hide better. Don't worry Fluttershy, everything will be fine. A choked sob escaped her, and then another as she tried to quiet the first one. She slapped a hoof over her mouth to stop the accidental noises she was making.

The hoofsteps stopped, they were right outside of the bush.

"Oyasumi nasai?" The voice asked again in the foreign language. "Konichi-?" 

Fluttershy thought the voice had sounded as though it ended abruptly, and peeked up, fearing the worst—that she had been found. 

There was a small silhouette standing outside of the bushes; with a small set of eyes looking at the pony through the leaves. 

Fluttershy's expression drew down some in horror; she felt too scared to move, and sat still. Oh no. A complete jumble of thoughts ran through her head, that perhaps she had not yet been seen, or that she was hiding for nothing, perhaps Root had bitten somepony again and was being given a 'time out'. There were dozens of them, explanations both hopeful and worrying.

What happened, Fluttershy had not expected.

A short giggle sounded from outside the bushes, and little human digits reached into the shrubbery to touch Fluttershy's face. She was so shocked she didn't even move, just sat there, feeling the smoothing of her fur and mane. She thought a tear was wiped off her face; that her eyes had even been crying came as a surprise.

After a minute of this, maybe longer, or shorter, the human sat back in a strange way, legs tucked under themselves. It was difficult to see their face, as the fire was at their back, but Fluttershy could tell now that it was a child, and a filly. Humans' ages weren't clear just yet, but this girl seemed as though she were older than Nausicaa had been. 

Whether that meant she was a teenager or as young as say, Apple Bloom, Fluttershy wasn't sure. 

The two stared at one another a long time, in quiet, just watching each other's slightest of movements. The filly's smile never wavered.

Fluttershy finally worked up the courage to swallow hard and try to speak. Her head was still upright from going rigid, she noticed, so she ducked her face down behind her mane some. The shy act wasn't something she could really help, but she had gotten better at sounding confident, and speaking at a normal volume when meetings ponies. Her friends had helped a lot with that. 

However, this wasn't a pony.

"H-hello." Fluttershy mumbled out. The nearby sounds of the happiness by the campfires nearly drowned her out, but she kept going, eagerly speaking her thoughts. "Y-you have my friend captive uhm, Ms. I want him back, if you don't mind." She reached up and pointed a hoof towards Root's cage. He wasn't very far away, a few meters perhaps, sitting beside one of the larger tents and hissing like mad. "Or, actually," Fluttershy corrected herself. "Even if you do mind, please let him go. He doesn't deserve that, and, nopony deserves to be locked up like that.... unless... well..."

Fluttershy struggled to find the right words, the right logic. When is it alright to lock somepony up!? Oh, I don't know. I'm terrible with this stuff. She realized she was stumbling in what she was saying, and was going to lose her confidence and her point if she stalled. This is just like school all over again. I hate class speeches...

Fluttershy took a deep breath, ruffled her wings slightly—to which the human gasped—then pressed on. "What I mean to say is, please let him go. Oh, and my name, is Fluttershy." She held her hoof out again to shake, something that took a lot of effort to do, but she wanted to make this good impression.

The human, oddly enough, to Fluttershy, oooed for a couple of seconds, holding a hand over their mouth. The pony wondered if she had done something wrong. Then, the human began speaking again, and in a language she couldn't understand. It was undeniably the same one that Yupa had spoken.

Fluttershy's expression melted from friendly into embarrassed and ashamed in a second. Oh, how could you forget they speak a different language!? Fluttershy, you big, dumby... dumb-dumb. Ooooh. Resisting the urge to face-hoof, she kept her hoof out, and pointed to herself with the other, in an effort to make a recovery of the situation.

"Fluttershy." Then, she pointed to the human girl.

The human made a small frown and folded her arms. "Cho," it repeated again, a word it had said already. It left out the rest of the strange Neighnese words that Fluttershy couldn't understand. She smiled broadly, nodding up and down.

"Cho," Fluttershy repeated, pointing her outstretched hoof at the girl. 

The human filly nodded again, grinning. She then pointed a digit at the mare. "Floo-tter-shy."

Fluttershy relaxed some and sat back again, breathing out in relief. "Close enough." She grinned. A giggle escaped her too. The human seemed to like that, and joined her. Getting serious again, Fluttershy coughed and looked at Root's cage pointedly, intent on getting him freed.

"I know you can't understand me, but my friend." Fluttershy pointed at Root with her hoof again, looking at him, then to the filly. "Can. You. Bring him to me?" She made simple gestures with her forelegs, hoping desperately that this would work.

The filly looked at Root, then Fluttershy, and the pony could tell the moment realization dawned on the young girl's face. She aahed in an understanding way, then nodded. Her face looked conflicted, Fluttershy thought, as the girl stood up and began to walk towards Root.

Still, Fluttershy could barely contain her grin, and she whispered a phrase after the girl, one which she had remembered from Nausicaa. "Domo, Cho, domo."

The girl turned around while walking, the biggest smile yet on her face, then faced forward again to approach the cage that held Root. She walked over to the cage, crossing the campsite as she did.

Fluttershy, meanwhile, relaxed for the first time since finding the humans, and miraculously, her friend, Root. Now, I just need to find where Totoro went, assuming he wants to be found... I hope he isn't angry at me. Maybe that's why he left? Oh dear. She dispelled the worries for now, her attention caught sight of some sort of development.

Cho had been stopped.

Fluttershy stood straighter, trying to get the best view she could of what was happening.

Cho was standing beside Root's cage, gesturing weakly from the cage, to around herself, and speaking very shyly. The human facing her, a male, and a very big one, was speaking in a deep, gruff voice that made Fluttershy's ears quiver just from the fierceness of it. That human sounded angry at Cho after only a few words were said between them. 

The girl gestured once towards Fluttershy's hiding spot, and the pony thought immediately that her presence had been revealed. The stallions voice deepened, and he grabbed the filly's wrist, jabbing another finger instead at the cage.

"Uhm..." Fluttershy furrowed her brow worriedly. She- What is going on? She thought perhaps the girl had tried to explain that she was there for her friend. Whether that would be fine or not, wasn't clear. Humans had seemed violent to her at times, with the exception of Yupa-Sama, the stallions all had. Avoiding direct contact just seemed like a good idea, and she was sure that wasn't just her shyness talking.

The argument continued between the two, the filly shouting back, if less angrily. The stallion seemed to sigh in exasperation, then walked a couple steps away, throwing his hands up into the air, before then cupping his forehead. He muttered a few more words, then pointed again at the campfire. There was a small crowd of several other humans now, watching. 

That made the scene even more worrying.

Fluttershy's face saddened when a familiar sound met her now drooping, fuzzy ears; that the filly had begun crying. She swallowed, and continued to watch the scene unfold before her. What did she tell him? I don't understand. She couldn't decide why they would want Root in a cage to begin with, still.

Something else happened that came as a surprise. The filly stood up, her hands balled up into little fists, and she began hitting the stallion's back, shouting.

Fluttershy's jaw dropped open. Please don't fight! She mouthed the words, then said it aloud when the stallion turned about to face the filly. "...Please don't fight!"

The stallion followed through with what Fluttershy had been afraid would happen, and raised a hand back.

"Please! Don't fight!" Fluttershy stared around at all of the eyes on her.

The campsite was quiet except for the smoldering and crackling of the nearby fires, and the quiet sobbing of the filly; she was on her knees beside the stallion now, who gripped her arm. The filly said a few words through her sobbing, maybe to Fluttershy.

Everything happened in a flash of movement.

There were shouts and humans jostling one another in every direction.

Fluttershy took a few frightened steps back at first, then tried to calm them as she realized they were running away from her. Her words had not even formed yet, when they returned, charging towards her again, but this time holding things. 

A tent collapsed, pots rolled and clanged, Fluttershy spotted the filly collapsed besides Root's cage, and noise filled the air. 

Fluttershy wasn't sure what was happening at all, but she didn't like it. "I'm sorry Root!" She called out behind herself, legs pumping as she pushed upwards into the air above the camp. The human were swinging in her direction with things, and holding strange looking... musical instruments perhaps. She couldn't tell what the curved wooden things with string were in the relative darkness. The pointed metal things were familiar, though, those were swords.

Fluttershy wasn't sure why, but it seemed that they were afraid of her. She remembered that humans couldn't fly, and beat her wings hard. "I'll come back for you!" She circled around the camp, just above the strange tents' tops, yelling down to her friend. She could see he was watching her, no longer fiercely swiping at the air and his cage. 

Fluttershy tried to smile while she escaped. "Somehow, I'll-" She cut off, surprised, as something jerked her downward. "Ah-!" Her wings beat harder, and she looked down. Something had caught her leg. A human stood beneath her, yelling enthusiastically while others cheered. The device was a long pole, tipped with rope. 

"That hurts! Please, stop it-!" Fluttershy winced and tried to pull harder, it hurt her leg, but she was too scared to care much.

The human let out a yelp of surprise, beginning to rise up into the air along with the pony.

"Please let go!" Fluttershy gritted her teeth and pumped her wings fiercely. Her breath was becoming ragged from the exertion. "I'm- Not sure I can fly with you holding onto-" 

Beneath her, more humans grabbed onto and held the legs of the stallion attached to Fluttershy.

"No-!" Fluttershy felt herself sinking, then in one fierce jerk, lost her balance. She careened towards the earth, smashing into what felt and sounded like a wooden crate. 

The world became deathly quiet for a few seconds, until flickering firelight and more happy cheering filled Fluttershy's hearing. She tried to speak, but her mouth felt as though it were filled with cotton, her tongue a heavy weight. She twitched her head to the side and tried to get up, but couldn't move her legs. She knew she was dazed, but tried anyway.

There was one loud hoofstep beside Fluttershy's ear; it made her go limp. She waited for something else to happen, like an evil speech. Instead, her eyes slowly got dimmer.

Princess...