//------------------------------// // Ssssssstupid sssssship! // Story: A Flowery Affair // by Voltsthevoltvolts //------------------------------// "Ssssss!" The Floran hissed as she beamed back onto her ship, the lights were flicking on and off and the storage locker was locked shut. "Ssssstupid sssssship!" The Floran remarked as she headed over to the ships AI system. After a brief inspection of the control panel the Floran kicked the base of the panel. The ship flickered back to life as power was restored. "Heheheheh! Back online!" The ship's AI remarked. "Systems check... Heheheheheh! Engines broken... FTL drive... Broken..." The AI started. "No repair stations within reach heheheheh! Brief scans show that the planet below has large amounts of lifeforms." "Ssss?" The Floran puzzled. "Floran mussssst go to planet." The Floran stated. "Floran musssssssst repair sssssssship!" "Yes! Heheheh! I have opened the storage locker, go get your basic equipment while I fire up the three-d printer." The AI instructed. The Floran moved over to the storage locker and pressed a few buttons. The panel opened and the Floran removed a few torches, a broken sword and a blue flashlight. "Alright, get back here. I can print you a matter modulator." "Yesssss..." The Floran sighed, she didn't take kindly to the AI's bossy interface. "Alright, just printing off now..." The panel buzzed to life and a yellow tool appeared in a dispenser by the panel. "There you go! Heheheheh! Now go! I have fired up the teleporter! Fly my little bird! Fly!" The Floran huffed and moved through the ship towards a glowing white panel that was elevated on the floor, upon stepping on the panel the Floran was covered in bright white light and vanished. "Heheheheheh!" "Alright, say that again. Just slowly." Twilight firmly said to Derpy the mailmare, who had apparently seen something at the edge of Everfree forest. "It was big, stood on two legs..." Derpy started. "It was carrying some sort of broken sword... Which it was using to fight off timberwolves." "Alright... Now where did you see this creature?" Twilight asked. "I-It was on the edge of Everfree... I had just delivered the mail and I saw it! It looked like plant..." Derpy rubbed her head. "So let me check... You saw a two legged plant fight off timberwolves in the Everfree forest with a broken sword." Twilight flatly said, out of all the ridiculous things she had heard this was by far the most outrageous. More so then when Lyra was asking her to drag humans back from Canterlot high. "Alright... I would recommend getting some sleep..." "Why won't anypony believe me? The town is in danger if that monster attacks!" Derpy shouted. "I'm not crazy!" "No, I never said you were. You just might be tired." Twilight reassured. "Get some rest and come back later, then we can go over it in detail." Twilight made a brief note in her mind to expect Derpy later on in the day. "Alright... That's Twilight." Derpy happily said before leaving Twilight. Twilight sighed and headed outside. It was a pleasant day in Ponyville, the sun was high in the sky and a cool wind prevented ponies from overheating, there were no clouds in the sky and the rainfall was not scheduled until the evening. Twilight happily strolled through town, the odd townspony wishing her a good day and a few stalls offering free samples for Equestria's newest princess. Twilight's trip was uneventful until she bumped into Lyra, who was inquiring about a pith helmet and machete at a nearby stall. "Oh hey Princess! Did you hear, there's a plant-human in the forest!" Lyra excitedly said. "It may not be..." "Lyra." Twilight flatly said. "There are no plant people in the forest. Even though we haven't explored the whole of the forest I'm sure that if there was a group of plant people they would make themselves known." "But think about it, if it was fighting timberwolves maybe it had been driven out of hiding! I mean, plant-people would be able to hide well from predators such as timberwolves! I think this one got caught out and had to defend itself." Lyra happily explained. "Now if I could get a permit to take a group of explores into the forest..." The ponies n the market began to quietly murmur about what was happening, a few snicking about Lyra's request and a few sighing and tutting. "No Lyra, if something like that did live in forest the last thing we would want to do is try and disturb them." Twilight said. "And besides the only evidence we have is one sighting by a tired mailmare early in the morning." Twilight coldly stated. "As much as I want something like that to exist I know it won't..." The talking crowds stopped and a eerier silence fell in the marketplace. Lyra's jaw dropped and Twilight looked confused. "Was it something I said?" Twilight puzzled. "N-No..! Its just.. Right over there!" Lyra excitedly said pointing behind Twilight. "The plant person! It's by those stalls!" Twilight slowly turned around and sure enough, the plant-person was hiding behind a few stalls in the distance, the ponies at the stalls ran off and the plant-person stepped out. Its skin was a dark red color and it appeared to have a collection of light pink leaves for hair. The plant-person was wearing torn clothes, had several small bite marks on its arms and large scraps of its clothing wrapped around what appeared to be larger wounds. "It looks hurt..." Lyra said after examining the plant-person. "Ssssss..." The plant-person growled threateningly, even though it was a good few meters from the ponies it looked ready to charge. The ponies herded behind Twilight as she prepared herself for a fight. The plant-person had a broken green sword that it was holding in one hand however the sword itself was too large to be swung with a single hand. The plant-person took a few deep breaths before sheathing its sword and smiling weakly. "Floran isssss happy to sssssee friendly facesssss..." The Floran stated before collapsing in a heap on the ground.