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// Road to the West 
// Story: A Walk in the Woods 
// by Chicago Ted 
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At dusk I see the setting of the Sun,
And, knowing my companion’s sense of fun,
Into the Forest Everfree I run.


Fluttershy glanced behind her one last time, at her tree-cut cosy cottage. She sighed, and looked forward again, her face showing conflicting feelings of gloom and fright. And she stepped forward, one hoof in front of the next, upon a beaten trail, leading into the heart of the Everfree Forest – the same forest that bordered upon her home, where the animals took care of themselves. She almost felt useless there.
On any other day, she would have stayed out of the forest, especially at night, when Celestia knows what could go on in the thick of it all. She much preferred at this hour to remain at home, interacting with her myriad of animal friends, with an occasional visit from her equine friends as well. Going out into the Everfree Forest was not something she was willing to do normally, especially not in the evening, knowing that it wouldn’t be long before Celestia’s sky would be replaced by her sister Luna’s.
So why now?
Her friend Rainbow Dash had visited her earlier that day over a wager. The matter was this: How many fish were in all of her ponds, all told? Even though she lived with them, for them their whole lives, it never occurred to her just how many fish there were under her aegis. The agreement was that, if Fluttershy was correct, Rainbow Dash would have to help her clean the ponds for a month; and if Rainbow Dash was correct, Fluttershy would have to spend that night in the Everfree Forest – the same forest that Rainbow Dash could see from her cloud-clad home, where the untamed weather commanded itself. She, too, felt useless there.
Rainbow Dash guessed four hundred fifty-two; Fluttershy, six hundred thirty-three. Then it was up to Discord to help decide. Using a bit of chaotic magic, he divined the precise number to be five hundred twelve. Rainbow Dash’s guess was closer, so she won the wager.
Fluttershy waited until evening approached, then started packing for the trip. She fed her animals for the last time for the day, making sure that they would be satisfied for a long night without their guardian. Then, she stepped out the doorway to the outside, She shut and locked the door – Equestria had a low crime rate, but one could never be too cautious.
Now she was on the trail leading on to parts unknown. Alone, with only her knowledge of animal behaviour to protect her from the wildlife around her. She was stepping with slow, long strides, hoping that she wouldn’t make it too far into the forest by nightfall and still keep up with her end of the bargain. Hopefully not far from her cottage, so that when Celestia’s morning came to grace the skies of Equestria once more, she can return that much more quickly home.
Something snapped. Her eyes darted. It was to her right – dried wood, very thin, like a small stick. It must have been a squirrel, fleeing from her unannounced presence. She moved on all the same, perhaps a bit more alert than before. What turned out to be a squirrel could very easily have been a Manticore.
Her eyes gazed up, to beyond the treetops. Celestia had begun a long labour of bringing down her most prized possession to the horizon below. Doubtlessly her younger sister shall replace it with the moon – but not now. Now, the sky shimmered forth, with gilded sunrays to a fiery red frame around the golden orb – like a flower that blooms only in the precious light. Red sky at night – Equestrian delight.
A buzzing sound caught Fluttershy’s attention. Turning her head towards its direction, she saw a hornet-nest high up in an elm tree. She noted this sight, in relation to the trail – as dangerous and frightening as it appeared, it was also a useful marker in aiding her home. This, of course, assumed that the nest would still be there when morning came, which was a likely bet, but of course, anything could happen during the night. Once more she resumed her journey.
She followed her eyes onto the Sun. Celestia always, as a rule, lowered it in the west. And this was the direction she took – on the road to the west. She looked northward, past the tree-trunks, and noted that nearby Ponyville was still positively thriving. So was the Everfree, without equine intervention.
Celestia, per the ancient tradition, firmly fixed in place long before Fluttershy was born, continued to lower her Sun over the western horizon, unimpeded by any possible obstacle. The golden rays were starting to fade, while the red frame bled out over where the rays were, melting out into orange against a clear blue sky. At least, the weather in the Everfree decided that day to be clear.
Fluttershy came up on a stream. It wasn’t wide, nor deep, nor running very rapidly. There was no bridge nearby, however – and the load that Fluttershy carried upon her back was too heavy to let her fly.
She’ll have to cross it on hoof.
She looked to the right, then to the left, to find a clear, dry path across the stream. None were apparent; she had to get wet a little in its crossing. She took a breath in, and set her front left hoof firmly upon the first large stone in front of her.
After finding that it did not give way under her, she put her front right hoof onto the next stone. This, too, held steadfast against her and the stream, not budging one bit in any direction. The next stepping stone gave way. Much to her surprise, she plunged into the stream, water coming up to her knees. Her burden was safe, though. She trudged slowly, with short, strong strides against the stream’s strength, struggling to keep straight on course. After a moment in the water, she reached the other bank, and climbed out onto terra firma. With that major obstacle out of the way, she pressed onto her trip.
But now there was no trail; she was wondering onto unexplored territory. She hoped that she wouldn’t harm any small creatures beneath her hoofsteps, creatures that may not be found anywhere else in Equestria. O! how her heart would break were she to do that! She loved them all – from sea to air to land, from wild to domestic, no creature was safe from her motherly embrace.
The skyline was beautiful on fire – heavenly, burning out to the world, the pyre of the day’s events, both good and bad. Fluttershy kept her eyes open, glancing up at this beauty – and that was when she saw it: a rainbow arcing overhead. She felt the ground; it was perfectly dry. Why, then, would a rainbow appear out of naught?
She then realised that this was Rainbow Dash’s working.
Rainbow Dash – the mare to whom Fluttershy lost the wager earlier that day – had flown over her head, leaving behind a chromatic trail – as a way of encouraging Fluttershy, reassuring her that, no matter how daunting the task, how long the gauntlet to run, that it was possible, and that she was able to do it.
Fluttershy found herself in a clearing. She decided that this was the perfect place to set up camp. Even though she could see no sign of civilisation in any direction around her, the rainbow reminded her that she was not alone.
She brought no tent with her, choosing instead to sleep outside, under Luna’s stars. This way, if she needed to flee from danger, there would be no tent in her way. All the same, though, for her comfort, she brought a sleeping bag with her. This was easily set up – loosen a few straps, roll it out, and it was ready.
She looked to the west again, just in time to see the last glimmer of light shine from over the horizon. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw a flash of green from the top – and then nothing, the day’s fire having been extinguished come next morn.
Then she saw the Sun’s nocturnal counterpart – Luna’s Moon, a rare-seen beauty. Pity that most ponies sleep through this artistic presentation. Fluttershy took a brief moment to reflect upon this sight, then tucked herself into her sleeping bag.
With a firm zip, she was secure inside. Fluttershy stared up at the innumerable stars in the sky placed there by Princess Luna herself. She then let herself drift off to sleep, letting the Princess of the Night watch over her, keeping her safe both within and without.

O Princess Luna, Goddess of the Moon,
I beg, guide me across your fair night’s noon
So that I see your sister’s Morning soon.