Fluttershy flew through the interdimensional transport, landing flat on her nose. A nose that was fairly larger than she remembered. Fortunately her stance remained quadrupedal, an experience which Twilight had talked at length about while quite blatantly expressing her displeasure at said experience. Feeling a bit odd, a quick glance at herself revealing the toned body of a yellow lioness. Fluttershy had seen such creatures before in books, but never been up close to one. This was rather not the way she'd intended on meeting one.
Zazu exited through a rock wall behind them several moments later, and upon spotting her, quickly darted out of the cavern which contained nothing else except a fairly disoriented looking purple lioness.
"Sir! They're here." He made his way into the sky after that. He was quite fast, for such a small bird, and disappeared from sight not long after that.
"Well. This is… different," Twilight sighed, looking about at Fluttershy.
Fluttershy tried her best to give a comforting smile, but failed rather significantly. "It's not that bad," she said. In truth she rather disliked it, she looked rather frightening and hated the thought of scaring off all the little animals. A rather large lion made his way into the cave they'd been ejected into, and spoke.
"By the looks of you two, you must be Sparkle and Fluttershy." He said.
"Twilight," the former unicorn corrected. "But yes."
"My name is Saxon. I am the acting ruler of this Pride during our King's illness. He summoned for you."
Twilight bowed her head slightly. "Good to meet you, sir."
Saxon rolled his eyes. "Spare the formality. This is serious. Our Pride is in danger. Strange forces threaten our way of life. We have only two males in this Pride, one of which is near death. The hyenas have been gathering in number, and are unusually strong. I fear outside forces are at work."
Twilight nodded. "And you wish me and Fluttershy to help? Why?"
"Your reputation precedes you. You have a fairly impressive success rate."
"I don't know how much I can do without my magic," Twilight said. "Although I've managed before."
"That is what you have the meerkat tribe for. They will assist you in matters of dexterity should you need it, but do not call upon them unless it is truly necessary. They can be... stubborn."
"The two of you need to meet Rayou. Our soothsayer. He has been keeping the King alive and warding off the evil that plagues this land." Saxon said gravely. "He's just outside." With that, he departed for the exit. Fluttershy and Twilight followed slowly out into the cloudy morning, glancing at each other.
"We are going to have a long talk about your animals when we get back," Twilight warned. "I don't know how much of this I feel comfortable with."
Fluttershy gave a weak smile. "Oh come on. Lighten up. What's the worst that could happen? We get to see new critters and make new friends, don't we?"
"Welcome!" A voice said. Fluttershy jumped.
The two were greeted by an eccentric baboon, carrying a long staff. "Hello, hello! Thank you for coming, my friends. Especially in such trying times."
Fluttershy eyed the staff curiously. "What a pretty stick you have," she said kindly.
Rayou gave a toothy grin. "It belonged to my father. He christened several of the Kings which have ruled here in the past.. He taught me everything I know, and passed on not long ago."
Fluttershy didn't seem to be expecting that, and looked at the ground. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.
"Such is the circle of life, my friends. How can I help you?"
Fluttershy spoke up. "I was hoping you could help us. Seen any mysterious or evil creatures around lately?"
"Not that I can think of, no."
"Well, that's all we can do. We tried." Fluttershy tried to leave, heading back for the entrance to the mirror, until Twilight grabbed her by the tail. "Fluttershy! I'm sorry, Rayou. What have you seen, so far?"
The monkey gripped his staff. "I have been occupied casting warding spells to keep out the dark forces trying to harm these creatures. I have used every healing trick I know, and the King still suffers." He sighed. "If what Saxon says is true, I fear we may not be ready for the forces that plague this land."
Rayou shook his head. "In the meantime, you have had a trying journey. Return to your cave momentarily to gather your strength, and soon enough Saxon will have further instructions for you." He gave a warm smile, and hobbled off.
Fluttershy gave Twilight a look, and they gradually made their way towards the cave again.
"What a nice monkey," Fluttershy said.
She curled up on a patch of moss, with Twilight laying nearby. "Don't worry, Fluttershy. We'll figure something out. We have a whole new world to explore. I just wish we had more time to do it."
"I know. It's exciting. It's scary, but it's exciting."
Twilight and Fluttershy each took a turn napping for about an hour, careful not to fall asleep for too long.
Near mid morning, the two rose, having been briefed on the mission, and wandered out of the cave to overlook the scene. Pride Rock rose high and proud into the sky, almost deceiving in how calm it was. Fluttershy looked over at her. What do you want to do first?"
"We're here for a reason. The King is sick, remember? We have to be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. So I think the most sensible option would be to head straight towards the problem itself. We need to meet with the King."