//------------------------------// // Chapter 26-Fluttershy’s Fears // Story: Transformers: The Requiem // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// “Look,” Fluttershy whispered, nearly flinching when she turned her head to see Optimus Prime kneel down right beside her. She kept her emotions in check, and pointed her hoof over to a bundle of trees. “There’s one now. It’s resting.” Optimus Prime followed her hoof to see a beast of pure imagination resting peacefully by two trees. It had a dark red mane and a heavy yellow coat. The beast sported two massive wings curled up to its sides, their color mirroring its mane. Its tale was very odd to the Prime’s assumptions. Unlike the tails these ponies had, this creature’s tail was pointed at the end. This was a completely new experience to Optimus. From extremely confusing sessions of training with Applejack, to boring excursions with Rainbow Dash on mountain tops, and finally joining Rarity on a trip that was more fun for her than it was for him, it was slightly peaceful being around Fluttershy. So far, Fluttershy hadn’t done anything that either embarrassed or practically destroyed him, and he did thank her for that. Fluttershy never thought she was going to be given this sort of responsibility before, especially with Optimus Prime. Her friend Twilight told her yesterday that she was going to help Optimus remember his kind and forgiving ways once more, something the Pegasus took great interest into. So what better way to help Optimus remember than to take him into the Everfree Forest to tame even the greatest of beasts with kindness? “I’ll go first,” Fluttershy whispered to the giant next to her. “Follow close behind me…if that’s okay with you.” Optimus stared at her for a short moment. He finally got the name “Fluttershy” with how she acts most of the time. But he didn’t just see her as just a shy little pony. Fluttershy has proven to be the kindest of ponies he has met so far, next to Twilight. True, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were nice to him, and Rarity showed great generosity when she spent her money on getting him fixed up. But Fluttershy was different… She acted as though she was trying her hardest to be his friend. Optimus Prime nodded. “Of course it’s okay, Fluttershy,” he told her in that powerful voice Fluttershy had grown accustomed to. Smiling warmly in response, Fluttershy quietly exited out of the bush and approached the sleeping manticore. Her hoof steps were not heard, surprising Optimus. If he was supposed to follow her then he had to stay quiet in order to not wake the creature. Gently stepping over the bush, Optimus Prime took very slow steps, each one as quiet as the next. He looked over to see Fluttershy poking the manticore in the nose. Prime’s optics grew wide. “Fluttershy, what are you doing?!” he whispered in a harsh tone. It wasn’t the fact that Fluttershy was waking up the threatening creature; it was the fact that the creature had razor-sharp claws that Fluttershy stood dangerously close to. The manticore awakened with a loud snort. It looked around until its tired eyes located the yellow pony standing right next to him. The manticore snarled and stood up, raising its right paw in order to swipe at the pony. “Fluttershy! Get back!” Optimus shouted, but was clearly surprised at what happened next. Fluttershy jabbed her right hoof right under the creature’s jaw. And to Optimus’ great surprise, the beast wouldn’t attack her; it wasn’t even hurt with what she did. In fact, it seemed to be enjoying it. Optimus stared at the scene displayed before him. Fluttershy was scratching the manticore right under its chin and speaking to it in a motherly sort of tone. The manticore’s legs gave out, and it flipped over on its back to let Fluttershy rub his belly. As she did so with great pleasure, she smiled up at Optimus and giggled at his expression. “Sometimes it’s better to be kind than to be harmful or assertive. I’ve learned that lesson many times over the years, but I think I truly understood its meaning when you showed it to me, Optimus,” Fluttershy explained while still scratching the drooling manticore’s belly. The last Prime stared at her in silence. He finally spoke in a very confused tone Fluttershy hadn’t heard of. “What are you talking about?” Fluttershy’s ears fell flat against her skull when the realization returned to her once more. Optimus didn’t remember anything, which is why she was out here in the first place teaching him about kindness. She wasn’t as smart as a scientist like Twilight was, but she had a feeling that showing Optimus that he can be assertive and kind without being mean can somehow trigger his memory. That’s what she was trying to accomplish, what her friends were trying to complete. It was not going to be easy. But trying never hurt. Optimus followed Fluttershy’s hoof being pointed right towards him. He listened as she began to speak to him in a friendly…and yet assertive tone. It was compelling. “Optimus, I would like you to come and pet this beast of the Everfree Forest. Prove to him you’re not a threat first, and make your approach slow and steady.” He didn’t have the slightest clue as to why she wanted him to pet the beast. But if it’s what she really wanted to drag him out here for…he might as well get it over with. Optimus bent low and slowly moved his feet forward. Fluttershy stopped rubbing the manticore’s underside and backed away, much to Prime’s dismay. The manticore’s eyes shot open and it rolled over back to its four paws. The beast spotted the massive giant moving towards it. The manticore growled and bent low as if preparing to pounce. Fluttershy’s face grew quickly to fear, and she waved her hoof at Optimus. “Get back! He feels threatened!” she whispered sharply, something she wasn’t keen to do at times. Optimus did as he was told and backed away quickly. Of course, he wasn’t afraid of the creature as he was much bigger and stronger than it was. Still, he wanted to please Fluttershy as she was clearly doing all of this for him. The manticore eyed the Prime up and down. He was still very tense, but eased up once it felt the kind pony’s touch in his mane. Fluttershy gently rubbed her hoof through the manticore’s mane. She looked back at Optimus and waved him forward to her. “Come on…slowly now,” she whispered in that voice of hers that was barely audible. Optimus nodded once and began again. He approached the beast, his right hand outstretched towards it. The manticore didn’t see the hand coming at first, due to its eyes rolling into the back of its skull from the gentle scratches the pony gave him. Soon enough, its deadly eyes shot open, and it strangely did not show any signs of panic. Optimus didn’t know what to feel at this point. Fluttershy was of course helping him, but what would this prove exactly? That he can be gentle with strange monsters in this demented forest? All that Fluttershy mentioned was that he needed to be kind. That…didn’t seem so hard for him. His pointing finger was nearly touching the creature’s nose… The manticore’s ear twitched, its eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks, and a shiver crawled up its spine. Fluttershy expressed a look of pure concern for the creature, something Optimus would’ve never expected. He reared his hand back once the manticore let out a loud roar directed to the left of Fluttershy. Both Prime and Fluttershy watched, clearly surprised, as the manticore took off into the dense foliage of the Everfree Forest. “Oh dear… What was that all about?” Fluttershy meekly questioned, expecting no response but still getting one. “I don’t know,” Prime stated, standing back up to his full height. “It was obviously surprised by something. It would probably be best if we leave this forest at once.” He didn’t hear a reply from the Pegasus. Probably her shyness causing her to remain silent, but Optimus knew that wasn’t the answer. He noticed that Fluttershy was more talkative around him. She truly did feel comfortable in his presence. “Optimus!” Fluttershy said, catching the Prime’s attention. He brought his head down to see Fluttershy’s pink tail sticking out from a bush, the upper half of her body swallowed. She continued with her voice slightly muffled from the bush. “Come here! I can’t believe what I’m seeing…” Optimus had already realized that the Everfree Forest was full of dangerous creatures beyond anypony could ever imagine. Fluttershy was native to this world, and lived close to the forest’s horrors. If she was surprised at something…then they had a problem. The rest of Fluttershy’s body disappeared in the bush, prompting Optimus to follow her just in case she didn’t get lost…or worse. As he stepped over the bush and pushed the tree limbs aside, Optimus Prime and Fluttershy arrived to an area of the forest…they weren’t quite expecting. Fluttershy had mentioned that there are small fields in the Everfree that housed flowers and offered grass for all the species in the forest that were herbivores. That’s where they were. But colorful flowers and tall grass weren’t their only companions in this forbidden forest. Large, mechanized wrecks grazed the open field with scorch marks burning the grass. It instantly reminded Fluttershy of a junk yard she’d seen during her travels to Western Equestria. It instantly reminded Prime of nothing. However, that didn’t stop the two from exploring. Optimus was always on alert, scanning the forest line in case of any unwanted visitors. That left Fluttershy to fully examine the metallic shreds scattered across the field. The sun shined heavily down on the Pegasus, forcing her to squint in order to fully make out what exactly was lying in the grass. She came across a large piece of metal that resembled a carriage, but was far from being one. The thing was ripped in half, large segments of the body scattered around her hooves. Fluttershy got in for a closer look to try and distinguish what it was. It could possibly be related to some sort of Cybertronian technology. However, when Fluttershy did find some sort of logo on the side of one of the wrecks, it was scratched out, as if somepony or something was in quite the hurry to erase every single logo on the pieces of scrap lying around. All she could notice from it was the head of a serpent. It was interesting, but something she wouldn’t be able to figure out on her own. “Fluttershy,” Optimus’ stern tone said, catching her off guard and causing the Pegasus to jump. “I think it would be best if we left this area and told Twilight about it. I don’t have a good feeling about this forest…” Fluttershy turned her head towards Prime and nodded. “Of course… I’m sorry if you feel like this whole day was a waste for you. I never wanted to waste your time…I just…” Her voice began to trail off when she spotted something…different. Optimus shook his head. “Fluttershy, you need to understand that you didn’t waste any of my time. Your company is very enjoyable, and I’m glad I got to spend the morning with you,” he told her. Prime didn’t get a response, which was understandable. But when several seconds past, that’s when he was concerned. A loud gasp caught Prime’s attention. He swirled his head and body around until he noticed Fluttershy standing right next to a massive stone placement at the edge of the open field. Optimus made sure to step over the metal scraps around his feet. As he arrived to Fluttershy’s position…he could never have imagined what she found. It was a pony, or a stallion to be precise, with his back against the stone wall and blood dripping from his mouth. His right hoof clutched his abdomen where Optimus spotted more blood spilling out. Fluttershy was right in front of him, staring at his teary eyes with equally sad ones as well. She placed her hoof on his cheek. The dark blue stallion looked up at the Pegasus and shuddered. His eyes motioned upwards to stare at the massive giant behind her. He didn’t even look mildly surprised, if anything he was too concerned for his own health than to care for the Autobot leader standing behind the Element of Kindness. “Sir, are you okay?” Fluttershy asked, her concern deep. “We can take you to the hospital right away!” The stallion weakly raised his hoof and placed it over his lips. He shushed Fluttershy, but it was already too late. A low hum presented itself from the massive rock behind him. Fluttershy and Prime both brought their heads up when the sound caught their attention. He tried to speak…to warn her. Fluttershy quickly brought her eyes to the stallion once more. He spoke. “…Run.” Through a large crack across two great stones stacked against each other, a glowing red light appeared in the darkness within. “Fluttershy, get back!” Optimus shouted. Fluttershy’s jaw dropped. Her ears flattened against her skull. Her wings quickly snapped shut. Her eyes popped out. A large beast erupted from the structure, sending large portions of stone and rock across the field. It roared in clear anger, challenging those who dared to infiltrate its land. Fluttershy’s screams were heard throughout the forest as she was shot back from the force of the eruption. Just before she could hit the ground, she was gently captured in Prime’s hand, who tumbled across the grass in an effort to catch her. All of this happened in three seconds. Once he stopped tumbling in the dirt, Optimus opened his palm and noted that Fluttershy was safe. She still looked terrified, looks of pure fear stricken across her face. He heard the beast roar once again. Optimus quickly got back to his feet, placed his hand over his other to protect Fluttershy, and ran. All she could see was the darkness inside Prime’s hands clasped over her. Still, she could hear and feel everything, creating vivid imagery in her mind. The sound of monstrous roars and running footsteps was all she heard. She tumbled quite a bit inside Optimus’ hand, which was understandable considering Optimus was currently trying his hardest to get them to safety. She didn’t have time to think of the outcome of the situation, for a bright light spilled down on her. The beast bit down on Prime’s shoulder with its massive jaws. It ripped him away from Fluttershy, sending the Pegasus to the grass below her. Optimus was sent into a group of trees, practically bringing down a portion of the tree lines when he crashed. The red eyes turned back to the Pegasus below it. Fluttershy, gasping for air once she hit the ground, felt the sun go away and massive shadow stand over her. She spun around to lie on her back. Just the sight of the beast’s red eyes glaring down at her caused the pony to scream. But even with the feeling of pure unfathomable fear tearing at her heart, a new feeling arrived when her terrified teal irises fully observed the beast standing over her. It was a feeling of déjà vu. She had seen this monster before… Her moment of realization was interrupted when the beast lunged for her, its razor sharp teeth inches away from Fluttershy’s face. She screamed and curled up in a ball, preparing for the worst to come. She felt no pain, and opened one of her eyes to see Optimus Prime come to the rescue once again. He rammed the side of the beast’s head with his shoulder, receiving a roar in response. Optimus didn’t stop and continued to push against the beast. He reached his hands around its head and gripped the upper jaw. Using his weight and speed to his advantage, Optimus forced the beast’s head down, eventually bringing down the whole creature’s body. Dirt and grass flew literally everywhere. The monster found trouble in finding the ground in order to stand back up. This gave Optimus enough time to get back to Fluttershy. She yelped in surprise when Optimus wrapped his hand around her body and picked her off the ground quite gently once again. She didn’t pay attention to where Prime was taking her, presumably into the forest to lose the beast. Fluttershy was far too occupied with the monster. It got back up rather fast considering its massive size. The red eyes once again locked with hers, and it roared in anger Fluttershy could clearly distinguish. She knew how animals could feel, and even though she knew it wasn’t an animal…its roars tore at her heart and soul. If anything…it felt scared and was just defending itself and its territory. Optimus was fast, sure, but the beast was faster, and it was catching up to them. Fluttershy’s wide eyes never broke contact with the monster chasing them. But they eventually had to when the sun disappeared and the trees appeared in the outskirts of her vision. The beast rammed its head into the trees, but it couldn’t get through. Instead, it jerked its massive head backwards and released a terrifying roar that made Fluttershy’s bones shake. Fluttershy watched as the birds in the trees took off into the skies, clearly terrified. Optimus stopped running for a few seconds and turned around to stare at the beast. It glared hatefully at them, its glowing red eyes seen through the darkness of the Everfree. The creature was something of a nightmare to the Pegasus, causing her to shiver in Prime’s hand. It snorted, sending hot steam through the trees. Sending one final glare towards their way, it turned around and left, its tail smacking against the shattered trees. Optimus looked down at his right fist. Fluttershy was safe. “Let’s get you out of here,” he quietly told her, his grip tightening ever so softly around her waist. He took off running back where they came from, the journey much more silent than it had been earlier when they arrived in the forest. Fluttershy remained speechless. The cool, forest air flowed through her long mane, but Fluttershy still did not enjoy the feeling. Her heart was too frozen, too terrified to even thank Optimus for saving her from the monster. It wasn’t a monster. She knew the beast. She knew that thing that tried to kill her. It was Grimlock.