//------------------------------// // Training in the Everfree // Story: Ponies in a Half-Shell // by MetalJrock //------------------------------// "Are you sure this is the best course of action?" Rarity asked, gagging at the sight of mud on her once clean hoof. Raph rolled his eyes, clearly used to the fashionista's reactions to the slightest speck dust lying on anything she owns, let alone stepping a hoof into dirt or mud. "Yeah, unless ya want Chrome Case to destroy your town and all of Equestria for good." the turtle said bluntly. The six equines stared at him with either wide eyes or a blank stare, as though they were frustrated at this point with his unnerving and very rough attitude. "Wow, Raph. Way to be blunt." Mikey told him in a sarcastic tone. Raph shrugged. "Hey, if it gets 'em to listen, then I can get away with it." Leo looked at his brother. "I hate to admit it, but he's kinda right. They're not gonna go in there unless we convince them." he pointed his thumb at the ponies, noticing that they were in fact very afraid of even stepping foot onto their future training ground. "I still wonder what's in here that's making them so conflicted to go in. Maybe there's paranormal phenomena in there." Donnie wondered, looking ahead at the dark group of trees that make up the entrance to the Everfree forest. Fluttershy gulped, not ready to go in the forest. In fact nearly all of the ponies were hesitant to enter, except Rainbow Dash who hovered over the others, crossing her hooves putting on quite the brave face in front of her friends. "C'mon, girls. We can do this." "Ah don't know, Rainbow. This seems a little too crazy." Applejack told her pegasus friend. Dash sighed. "As much as I don't want to, we need to," Twilight reminded them. "Shredder could come back at any given moment, then what would we do if the turtles aren't there?" the six shared glances at one another before looking at the alicorn. "Very well, Twi." Applejack agreed. "Finally." Raph whispered. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can jump into action." "The purpose of this hike is to find your true self." Leo explained to the girls, who sat quietly in their spots. "In order to do so, you must be one with your environment." "But since we're sitting here then doesn't that mena we are one with the forest?" Pinkie Pie questioned, raising a hoof from her position. Leonardo looked at the pink pony. "And that also includes pure silence." he added, causing Pinkie to lower her hoof. "I like this exercise already." Raph quipped. The mares closed their eyes in meditation. The turtles sat down and did the same. 'Finally. The sooner we can train them, the sooner we can get outta this world.' Raphael thought, inhaling and smelling the fresh air around him. The ponies were deep in thought, focusing their minds on one matter, stopping Shredder. An hour passed, everyone as still as a statue. Everything was silent, until Rainbow Dash groaned. "Can we get on with the good stuff, already?" she asked, hitting her hooves on the ground in annoyance. Leo opened an eye. "Nope," he replied with a smirk. "Just give it time. Sensei trained us like this too." Raph sighed, "Heck, even I got bored. But be quiet and focus, the sooner the better, right?" he tried to shut them up, so he can get some quiet time in this dimension. "Raph's got a point, Dash," Applejack told the impatient pegasus. "Ya aren't gonna get much done by complainin'." "As much as I want be done this also," Rarity began. "We must be at our best, Rainbow." "Ugh. Fine." Dash said in a defeated tone, getting back into position with a angered look on her face before fading into a look of calmness. "Hey, before we can continue. We should explain the four rules that Sensei taught us?" Mikey suggested. "Y'know, just to give them the basics?" "Alright," nodded Leo. "Smart thinking, Mikey." Whispers and murmurs were heard among the turtles, much to the annoyance of the ponies, "Well, don't leave us hangin'! What are they?" Rainbow Dash questioned. Raphael was the first to speak, "We live by the code of martial arts." "Never fight unless someone else starts." Leonardo continued. Donatello held up a hand, "Always stick together no matter what." And fainally, Michaelangelo cracked his knuckles, "And if all else fails, then it's time to kick butt!" "So, that's what Splinter taught ya?" Applejack questioned. "Yep. And we've lived by it for years now," Donatello explained. "Follow that motto, and you're one step closer to being a ninja." "Makes sense." Twilight replied. After that, the gang went back to their meditation. Leo decided to give them one more hour for an assurance. Though, unknown to them, a creature sniffed them down, readying itself for later on when they're caught offguard. Leonardo led his brothers and the ponies across the forest, by then the sun had hid itself and the moon risen. The six that had accompanied the turtles were shaking in their spots, shivering with each step, unsure of what lied ahead or of what's hiding within the dark forest. Rustling was heard behind the group, Fluttershy squeaked. "W-What's that!?" she quietly asked. "Ah, it's probably nothing." Mikey comforted, his voice seemingly calm with no worries. "I-I don't think so..." Fluttershy studdered. Donatello spoke up in their defense, "Well, even if something were to come by here, the odds of it taking us down are slim to none." the turtle analyzed the situation to the best of his ability, easing their nerves. Trying his best to calm them down, but his efforts did not leave an impact among the friends. "I'm with Donnie!" Dash boasted. "I don't even know why we're still afraid of this place, we can handle anything in here at this point!" she bragged, trying to prove that they were in fact not weak. "We've run into everything this forest could possible throw at us!" "That's because we have no darn clue as to what's in here, Dash!" Applejack shouted, the earth pony stamping a hoof on the dirt ground beneath her. "Everytime we come in 'ere, there's always some crazy monster trying to kill us!" the earth pony shouted, glaring at Rainbow Dash. "Calm down girls," Leo tried to mediate while walking, pushing both bickering ponies farther away from each other before they could start a scuffle amonst one another. "We're here to train yourselves, we could stop doing this right now and we could just head home!" he shouted. "Ya better listen to Leo on this one, girls," Raph, to everyone's surprise, agreed. "He ain't one for bickering. Hell, he hates it when we do it to him or each other." Applejack and Rainbow Dash gave each other one last mean glare before turning away from each other, "Now I don't know what's gotten into you, but this has got to stop. Why are you so afraid of this forest? It looks no different than anything we've seen." "The Everfree Forest is the home to a bunch of strange creatures, Hydras, Timberwolves, Cockatrice... And Celestia knows what else is in here." Twilight explained. "We can handle anything here! After all, we fight Shredder's ugly dome almost all the time!" Michaelangelo bragged, putting his arms behind his head with a smile. "Um... Are you sure?" Fluttershy inquired. "Yeah. Don't worry, you guys." Donnie insisted, trying to calm their nerves once again. "We got this." As if fate had been cruel, a large wooden creature hopped down, it appeared to be a wolf, but much bigger than the ones the turtles were used to. Minus the mutants they faced regularly back in their own world thanks to Shredder. "What is that?" Leonardo asked in surprise. "That's a timberwolf!" Twilight revealed. "The six of you stay back! We'll tell ya when it's safe!" Raphael warned the ponies, who nodded. The timberwolf howled, opening its mouth to devour the turtles and ponies, but as it closed its mouth, Leo held it up with a swrod, the tip of his blade protruding through the wooden monster's snout. With a grunt, the turtle pressed his other blade through the snout, harming the timberwolf greatly. Releasing his grasp on the timberwolf, Leonardo sliced through a part of its body, causing the monster to screech in pain. Michaelangelo noticed that it was about to bite Leo and jumped in, smacking the timberwolf's snout with his hunchucks. The wooden creature's head snapped to the side, feeling the force of Mikey's weapon, but it turned its focus onto Mikey, who gulped. The turtle spun his nunchucks in his arms ready to face the monster. "Catch me if ya can!" Mikey taunted. Mikey jumped, flipping onto the timberwolf's back, and jumping off of it, forcing his foot down on it, splintering the monster's backside. He fell onto the grass, waiting for an opening. The timberwolf snarled, turning to face Michaelangelo. As the timberwolf charged at Mikey, the creature took a foot to its face, thanks to Donatello. Donnie held up his staff, and slammed it down on the stunned timberwolf's head, nearly splitting his own weapon into two in the process. Donnie paused briefly to make sure his staff could survive the fight. Realizing that lives were stake, Donatello held his staff with one hand. The timberwolf closed its mouth once more, but Donatello kept the mouth open with his staff, while trying to break the wooden stick apart, the turtle punched the monster, causing it to spit out his trusty staff. Donnie grabbed his weapon and once more smacked it onto the timberwolf's body, breaking apart more of its surprisingly fragile body, which surprised Donnie. Finally, Raph stepped in, stabbing his sai throught the timberwolf's nostril, and breaking apart its nose. "Alright, tough guy! I'll take you down!" he snarled. Raph ducked underneath the monster's mouth, agoiding being eaten. The turtle leaped as did Leonardo, "You ready for this bro?" he asked the leader. "Yeah, guys! Slice him down!" Leo ordered. Leo and Raph landed on the timberwolf's back, stabbing their weapons through its body, causing it to scream in agonizing pain. Donnie and Mikey smacked its limbs, each time breaking apart more of its wooden body. Eventually, the two grounded turtles broke one of their legs, causing it to fall. Leo and Raph jumped off the body once they felt the timberwolf shake. Once it made contact with the ground, the timberwolf shattered into a bunch of pieces. "Alright girls, everything is all right." Leonardo told the six. "Ha! It had no idea what was comin'!" Rainbow Dash shouted in a pleased tone. "Um, Leo. Ah don't think it's done yet." Applejack gulped. "Ah, c'mon. We tore that thing to pieces. There's no way that it can recover from that." Mikey assured. Donnie knelt down, observing the remains of the timberwolf that they had just fought. "Yeah, there's no way that this creature can recover from what we did to it. At least, not for a long while. And by the we'd be out of here." he observed while picking up a piece of the leg. Donatello noticed that the piece he was holding started to shake as was the rest of the body. The turtle got up and stood next to his brothers, prepared to fight. The timberwolf managed to somehow pieced itself back together after being torn to shreds. The pieces regenerated back into their original spots, giving the monster life once more. Holding out his swords, Leo sighed, "Girls. You wanna train? This is it."