“No Angel, you can’t have that dish, I don’t have the ingredients to make it at the moment but here, have some delicious carrots” I said to him with a smile , I knew it wouldn’t work with him, but I can’t give him everything he wants, it would be unfair with the rest of the animals in my care.
He look me at the eyes, with an unsurprised face then went hopping to the kitchen, completely neglecting the bowl of carrots that I was offering him, with a sight I went to follow him.
“I am sorry angel, but I don’t have the ingredients, now if you eat the bowl I gave you, I promise that I will make it up to you later, please angel, do it for mommy” I said as I enter the kitchen expecting to see angel attacking the fridge, but there was no sight of the bunny.
“Angel? Are you there? Come on Angel I know that you are upset, but please come out” I said hoping the get him out of his hiding place, it’s not the first time he has done that “well angel I will be waiting for you with your lunch” letting him know that even if he could not get what he wanted but still something for lunch was a thing I learn with dealing with animals, no matter how stubborn they are, if you offer them food they will eventually come around.
I turn to leave the kitchen, only to be stopped by the sound of a cabinet opening, then the sound of wood breaking. When I turn around to see what’s happening I came eye to eye with a timberwolf, but this one was different, it was made with the wood of my furniture.
“EEP” I panic as it prepares to attack, when the windows of the kitchen explodes in blinding light and the timberwolf incinerate on green cleansing fire and w with a soul wrenching and tormented howl, the heat coming from it was unbearable and I could hear the logs of wood burning.
Fluttershy woke up to the sound of wood burning, I rubbed my eyes to see the sky that filtered through the canopy of the trees and stared at the starry night. It was far too late I needed to go home soon, the manticores would star hunting by now and I was bleeding. As I get up, I remembered what happened last time I passed out, there was this timberwolf, then just as it was pouncing on me it got hit by a green light and then those big green eyes that were watching me.
“What kind of animal was that and why I am alone again?” Fluttershy thought frustrated, whatever that saved her, sure was happy to leave her by herself, wounded on the middle of the forest, speaking of which her wounds were covered in some kind of solid jelly “it kinds of remind me of the canterlot invasion, with all that stuff that the changeling where using to trap ponies” that particular thought froze her.
“H…he…hello? Anypony there?” she asked looking for anything that moved only to be met by silence
“Okay Fluttershy, you are just here alone, in the middle of the……………………ever scary free forest” her eyes started to tear up, as she realize that no matter if she was alive now, she still got no idea where in the Everfree she was, normally her travels never were this far, specially in the night when most predators were active.
Just as she started to sob, she spotted something on the floor it was more of that slimy substance on her wounds, and there were more leading to her right, maybe it was the trace of whatever saved her.
”but what happen if I am walking right into a trap or even a more scary place or even a scary place with a trap” her fear was growing at an alarming rate, but it stop as shy considered her options.
“Stay and wait for a predator, wander off and hope to find something remotely familiar or follow the track to wherever it leads me to, please angel, behave because mommy may not come back” while trying to suppress the tears, she look into herself for determination a proceeded to follow the track, the farther she got from the camp fire the less slime spots she found, until there were one every ten meters, most of them on trees clearly put there to be easy to spot.
“Following the track was on the most part uneventful save for a wondering parasprite, yet there always was this feeling of being watched, like something watching from very far, my every move” she started to wonder, if she was developing a case of paranoia as she trotted through the forest she heard the distant howl of the Timberwolves.
“Oh no, I need to find shelter or something, no they can smell the blood, but the slime on my wounds is covering that up, at least I hope it does” as she started to run, she spotted a stone castle not far from there.
“The old Princesses’ Castle? That’s mean ponyville it’s not far” with renewed hope she passed the castle only to come face to face with something made of stone.
Gargoyles, they were ancient creatures that roamed in the night sky during the old days, but were wiped out during a series of wars that lasted over a century, yet that didn´t stop the mages of the world to develop an ancient ritual to trap the soul of the gargoyle in a statue and creating golems that guarded the monarchs in their sleep from possible assassins at late transformed into a tradition to put gargoyles on the walls, to inspire fear on the enemies, to give a sense of security to the inhabitants and most importantly to protect the artifacts of their master’s homes, even after that said home has been abandon.
“EEP” Fluttershy stared at the golem in the eyes, only to look up to black empty holes, staring deep into her soul, and waiting for an excuse to rip her apart. Those eyes, those frightening eyes, which tell about times of violence and countless atrocities, which heavy stare make her look away from.
But there was something off, Fluttershy was feeling something very wrong with the statue, when she looked again at the gargoyle it was nowhere to be seen.
“I have no choice but to enter the castle, why I am always drawn to be in frightening places” she thought with resignation, the Timberwolves’s howls where near that she would like, making her to enter the castle “alright Fluttershy, it’s just an old castle, let’s just wait inside for the Timberwolves to go away and then I continue on to ponyville” she murmured trying to reassure herself, hopping that it would be as simple, home was just an hour from the castle.
As she was trotting on the halls of the castle, she saw a shadow on the corner of her eye, just as she turned her head around to see, gargoyle statue speeding towards her, she rolled on the floor to avoid being crushed, she stood up to see the perfectly still statue, incrusted half way into the wall.
“How did it move? Did something throw it at me?” panic and dread were settling on her mind, “There were any other surprise for her on this journey?” One of the many thoughts that were rampaging on her mind.
She casted a glance at the other side of the hall, only to see nothing was there. “So how the statue was flying if nothing tossed….” A cracking noise was heard, snapping Fluttershy out of her thoughts.
She turned her head to the noise only to see that the gargoyle was once again, nowhere to be seen, all that remained was the large gap on the wall, which revealed stairs that went downwards towards the inside of the castle.
Without any other alternative, she decided to enter deep into the darkness of the Everfree castle.