Settling In

by A Wild Magikarp


Chapter 15

"Remind me why we are doing this again?"

Scootaloo turned and stared at Nyx with an incredulous look on her face.

"What?!" The alicorn asked shrilly as she looked back at her friend, eyes occasionally darting to the left and right, keeping a nervous eye on the forest around them.

"Because," Scootaloo said, "Rainbow Dash needs help! We can't let anypony do this on their own, no matter how awesome they are. She needs somepony to back her up!"

"I understand that. But why are WE doing this? She doesn't really need US, she needs Applejack, or Twilight, or even Pinkie Pie! There is no reason that the crusaders should be doing this! Sweetie, Bloom, tell her!"

Apple Bloom didn't take her eyes off the forest ahead, busying herself divining the least obstructive path through the Everfree for the group, while Sweetie Belle looked between her two arguing friends with a look of apprehension.

"I don't know Scootaloo... I mean, we have done this before, but Nyx is right that her friends are much better prepared for this then we are."

Apple Bloom stopped and looked back to her unicorn companion, eyebrow raised.

"Then why did ya take off with the rest of us when Scoots charged in?"

"...Because it seemed like a smart idea at the time?" Sweetie said sheepishly.

Scootaloo groaned as her team of adventurous heroes began to fall apart. If they all left, she would be the only one there to help Rainbow Dash, and while that would be awesome to be Dash's wingpony, she had to admit that the crusaders worked better as a team. Never split the party when you don't have to.

"Come on girls! It's not like we haven't done this before! Remember that time we faced off against that cockatrice with Fluttershy?"

Sweetie rolled her eyes. "If by 'faced off' you mean running scared till Fluttershy saved us, then yes."

"O-or the time that Apple Bloom chased Zecora through the forest by herself!"

"It ain't like ah was mappin' out new territory or anything. Zecora had already cleared a safe path to travel..." Apple Bloom mumbled.

"And Nyx! You took on ALL the monsters of the Everfree, all by yourself! With a little help from Rainbow Dash, of course."

"I was an adult! And there where a bunch of me!"
"AND APPLEJACK!"

"The POINT is, we can handle this! We've dealt with this kinda stuff before."

"Forgive me if I withhold my enthusiasm." Nyx replied, rolling her eyes.

*snap*

"..."

"Ok, I read about this in a Daring Do book once. Don't move, and they can't see you."

"You dont even know what it is Scoots!"

"Will you both be quiet? I'm tryin' ta listen!"

"C-c-can we get out of here n-now? This was a bad idea."

"That's what I'VE been trying to say!"

"You know if I were a big, dangerous monster, I would have eaten you by now."

The four fillies jumped in surprise at the sound of a new voice, looking around for the source, before a rap on the tree above them drew their eyes upward. There, with a highly unamused look on her face, floated Rainbow Dash. She scowled at the small group of would-be rescuers, before she sighed and hung her head.

"H-hey Rainbow Dash! Hows it going?"

Rainbow looked up with a face that gave the perfect answer to that question. Somewhere between "You cannot imagine how mad I am at you right now'," and "Did you really just ask me that question?" It was enough to cause all the Crusaders to flinch back.

"I REALLY should have seen this coming, shouldn't I? Since when have you four ever listened to instructions?"

The girls looked around at each other with guilty expressions, ears down in embarrassment.

"What am I going to do with you four!? I could leave you with Zecora, but I have no idea how to get to her house from here, and it would take up time Fluttershy doesn't have taking you back to Ponyville. But I can move faster on my own! And the girls have no idea whats going on now! And if there is a fight, now I have to protect you guys! Do you know how much harder this makes things?"

The fillies lowered their heads, eyes big and watering.

"We're sorry Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo said dejectedly.

"Ya, we didn't mean to cause any trouble, honest." Added Sweetie Belle.

The pegasus mare watched them for a moment, before she sighed in resignation. While the fact that they had followed her in rather than listen to her and find help was aggravating, and did indeed make things harder, she found it hard to stay mad at them for long. They where only trying to help, and honestly, it's what she probably would have done in their place. That didn't make the current situation any more desirable though. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she turned and looked deeper into the forest.

"Well I lost Fluttershy's tracks a while ago, but it looked like she was mostly going in a straight line anyways, deeper into the forest. If we keep heading East, we may be able to find her path again."

Scootaloo's eyes shot up towards her idol, sparkling with excitement, all traces of previous sorrow gone. Nyx wondered idly for a moment how adults could fall for the same trick so many times and not catch on. It simply wasn't fair.

"So that means that I-WE, can come with you!?"

"Well it's not like I can just leave you hear can I?" Rainbow said grinning slightly, some of the edge in her voice disappearing as her number one fan's enthusiasm began to rub off on her. The other three perked up at this, realizing that their current caretaker was no longer quite so mad that they had followed her in to the dark and deadly forest. She turned and motioned ahead of her, starting off into the forest's depths at a pace the girls could keep up with. The four took the hint and ran to catch up, following the flyer farther into the dark, and hopefully, to Fluttershy.


The group carried on in silence for a several minutes, the only sounds being that of the forest and the hoofsteps of the fillies. Rainbow Dash was surprised the girls could keep quiet for so long, but she did suppose they where deep in the middle of the Everfree, so the lack of conversation was understandable. Still, it was only a matter of time till somepony said something.

"So... what do you think happened to Fluttershy?"

"W-well, we don't really know if anything has happened to anypony yet. Maybe she just got distracted, and hasn't come back yet?"

"Fluttershy got distracted in the middle of the creepy forest that she is absolutely terrified of? Doing what, picking Poison Joke?"

"Maybe she found one of her animal friends in here, and they needed her help? That could be it..."

"Can we not talk about this please?" Rainbow asked the fillies as she tried to focus more on finding her friend, and less on what could have happened to her. Though she wouldn't admit it to the girls, it was starting to worry her that they hadn't found anything yet.

"Hey look!" Applebloom exclaimed, a little to loudly for Rainbow's comfort. "Ah found somthin'!"

Rainbow Dash blinked, taking a moment to register what the little Apple had said.

"What IS this place?" She heard Scootaloo ask as she turned to see for herself. Unfortunately, she didn't have an answer to that question.

Laid out before them was a scar in the forest. A clearing of cracked land and shriveled plants easily three hundred feet across. It was unsettling, like a dragon had burned up a perfect circle of land in the middle of the forest. At its center, a large cave entrance, covered partially by a low wall of rocks. Rainbow realized after listening for a moment that the forest surrounding them was quiet. Not the normal quiet that normally permeated the Everfree, but a complete lack of sound anywhere. No wind, no sounds of small animals in the trees, nothing. It was almost as if the forest around them was in shock. Or perhaps horror. Rainbow felt a shiver run down her spine as she stared at the sight before her, feeling an instinctual fear fill her as thoughts of what could have caused such a thing floated in her head. Apple Bloom voiced what she was thinking.

"W-what in tarnation could have caused this?" She asked, hesitantly touching the ground on the edge of the circle. "T'aint fire that caused this, there's no ash or coals like when lightnin' strikes in the orchard." She kicked the earth this time, and a small cloud of dust and dirt came up. "And this ain't rock, its dirt like everything else. It's had all the nuter... nutrin... the healthy stuff taken outta it. Not even Applejack could get anything to grow here..."

The earth pony suddenly seemed to shrink into herself, doing her best impression of Fluttershy as she nervously eyed the world around her. "I-I don't like this place... its just... dead. Everything here is dead..."

The silence returned as everypony absorbed this information. The Crusaders huddled closer to the adult of the group, who for her part, was attempting to put on a brave face for the fillies. Whatever had caused this, it was quickly rising to the top of Rainbow's 'avoid at all cost' list, passing Fluttershy's brother and approaching Discord's level. A branch somewhere in the forest snapped, causing the pegasus to jump, much like her missing friend might have. Saving face, She quickly straightened herself and turned to the girls.

"W-why don't we keep looking?" Rainbow Dash asked, unable to keep a hint of fear out of her voice. "I don't think this is the kind of place we will be finding Fluttershy in." Looking around, she added quietly, "Or ANYTHING alive for that matter." The others nodded their agreement, and quickly followed their elder as she made a fast retreat from the circle of death to continue their search.

As they fled, the rocks guarding the entrance to the cave shifted, serpentine eyes watching them hungrily.


"What can do something like that?"

"I don't know... I've never read about anything like that before. You think it could be natural?"

"Wasn't anything natural about that place, I can tell you that. That was just wrong, plain and simple. I hope whatever caused it never comes back."

"Wait, comes back? How do you know it was gone? Maybe it was in that cave we saw out in the open."

"Whatever it was," Rainbow Dash said, cutting off the fillies conversation before it continued any longer. She would rather think on that place as little as possible. "It gone now. I could see over the rock pile from the air; there was nothing in there. Not that I think anything could have been hanging out in a place like that since... whatever happened there did anyways. Lets just focus on finding Fluttershy, ok?"

The others nodded, and continued on in a silence that lasted for several minutes as they all did their part to watch the forest around them, looking for any sign of their butterscotch-colored friend. Or any creatures that may try to take them by surprise.

A loud hiss from behind stopped the party in their tracks. A moment passed when none of them dared turn around, but Rainbow was the first to actually do so. She felt her hackles rise slightly at the sight that greeted her. She had encountered many of the creatures of the Everfree in her time living on its border. But this was something different.

Stalking almost silently through the trees was a large beast, ten feet tall and perhaps fifty feet long by Rainbows guess. It looked like a cross between a dragon and a cragodile, its hide rough despite the quite, fluid manner that it maneuvered its way through the forest, and a foul looking gas leaking from the corners of its mouth in time with its breathing. As it moved its way around them, it watched closely, seeming to size them up as it slowly closed the circle.

Only when the creature decided that it had done enough watching them and made a b-line for the fillies did Rainbow Dash responded.

Muscles tensed and eyes narrowed as Rainbow readied herself. Her wings flared as electricity shot through her spine, and she charged the beast. The creature noticed her moments before she struck it across the jaw, snapping its head to the side and losing little momentum as she continued past and turned to make another run. The creature proved only momentarily stunned however, as it quickly shook off the hit and turned to face the opponent, the PREY, that dare strike against it. The prismatic pegasus proved to be quick though as she struck it again, diving into its shoulder with her back legs.

The creature hissed its pain and displeasure as Rainbow used it as a springboard, cancelling her momentum and kicking off, flying high above the reach of the beast's jaws and circling it's head. She knew she had no hope fighting this thing alone, the fight with the dragon all those months ago told her that. But now she had its attention.

"Girls! Get out of here! I'll distract it till you get clear!"

The crusaders looked on in awe and terror as she dodged a swipe from the monster's tail, another growl escaping it as its prey continued to evade it.

Rainbow let out a growl of her own, and turned to see the girls ignoring her instructions once again. "GO!" She shouted before she dived once again, this time hitting its soft stomach as she flew beneath it.

Apple Bloom shook her head clear and turned to run. Making her way to a distant bush, close enough that she could still see the fight but far enough away to be out of view, she looked back to see that her friends were not following, still captivated by the scene before them. She considered yelling at them to hurry, but then the beast struck out again, drawing her attention away as well.

Now thoroughly enraged by the mare flying around it like an annoying fly, the creature opened its maw and bellowed, releasing the green gas within as it did so. Rainbow quickly moved out of the way of the cloud, well aware that it was likely not in her best interest to breathe it in. She watched the heavy fog as it settled to the forest floor, which it proceeded to make short work of.

Everything it touched shriveled. Grass, bushes, and vines curled in on themselves, losing their colors. Even the trees that where unfortunate enough to have roots in the malicious gases' reach turned a sickly hue almost instantly. Its very breath was poison! The sight of such a display turned Rainbow Dash's stomach, and she looked in horror at the creature that had caused it.

The creature stared back at her with intensity, but did not move to attack. It simply stared, locking eyes with the pegasus for the time. For a moment Rainbow wondered why. What reason did it have to hold back? It had shown no such reservations just moments before!

Her answer came in a flash of light as the creatures eyes blazed an unholy red. Rainbow felt an overwhelming terror come over her as her wings suddenly snapped to her sides and her ears lay flat against her head. Finding her flight suddenly no longer supported, gravity did its work as Rainbow fell to the ground, unable to even move to soften the impact, eyes still glued to the creature's red orbs, body rigid.

Rainbow Dash hit the ground with her shoulder, saving her from landing head first, but not from the consequences of such an impact. White hot pain shot through her body as she was pretty sure she felt her leg twist a way it was never meant to, and the familiar sensation of a dislocated wing was soon to follow. A blow to her head blurred her vision, and the monster faded from sight momentarily. This seemed to break its control over her body, as she found herself able to open her mouth, screaming in pain. Closing her eyes she felt tears well up as she fought to bring herself under control. A loud thud drew her attention as she opened one eye.

The dragon-cragodile was standing over her, its eyes no longer glowing in a physical sense, but the anger at the creature that had hurt it was still there. This time, natural fear overtook Rainbow as she realized she was now at its mercy.

It opened its jaws, and the gas once again poured out, covering the crippled pegasus. Unable to control her breath through the physical pain, Rainbow breathed in a lungful of the noxious fums and felt her muscles go limp, her eyes heavy.

So... She thought, suddenly uncaring about the world of pain or even her immanent death. This is how it end huh? At least it was fighting, and not something embarrassing like falling down a flight of stairs or whatever. I would never be able to live... that... down...

Had she been able to, she would have laughed at the irony of that thought before her eyelids closed fully, and was dead to the world.

Meanwhile, four fillies watched dumbstruck as the fastest flyer in Equestria, the Element of Loyalty, and one of their friend was enveloped in a vile green fog, and stopped breathing. The truth of what had just happened did not set in for a few moments, before reality came crashing back in for a small orange pegasus.

"No! NONONONOOO! RAINBOW DASH!"

Scootaloo ran to her fallen hero, disregarding the thick gas still dissipating around her. Her legs grew heavy and her breathing labored as she looked over the older pegasus, pushing and pulling at her in an attempt to draw some sort of reaction.

"Wake up! P-please wake up Rainbow Dash. You... Y-you c... can't... Die... Please..."

A yawn escaped the filly as her eyelids began to droop. Looking around, she saw the thinning green mist. Realization struck her, about the same time she realized that she could no longer control her legs. They gave out from underneath her, and she could only lay there, breathing in the same poison that had claimed her idol moments before. She watched as the beast made its way over to the two friends she had left behind, huddling together in fear of the colossal creature. It quickly let go a repulsive breath, putting down the last two members of its latest catch. That last sight in minds, the lingering fumes finally did their foul work, and she was gone.


It could still smell the fear.

Perhaps not the feeling itself, but the signs of it. The sweat, the pheromones still lingered in the air. It was fresh, and not just coming from its fallen prey.

Lifting its head, it tasted at the air, following the trail to a nearby bush, and leading into the forest beyond. It did not know the path, nor the area to which the creature traveled towards. But one of them had escaped. Its PREY had escaped its grasp.

One of them had gotten away.

The beast looked to the result of its latest hunt. These creatures where strange to it, but not unwelcome. They where small, and with the exception of one of them, too weak to hurt it. They had no survival skills, loud and bright and with no regard for stealth, from how easy it had been to follow the.

But one had gotten away.

It could survive off of what it had caught so far for a month, easily. It still hadn't started on its previous catch either. There was no reason its should put forth the effort to chase one more, especially if it could just hunt down more such creatures with ease at a later time.

The runt had evaded it.

A low hiss escaped the monster as it gathered the fallen ponies in its long tail and made for its cave. The captured would be returned to its territory for safe keeping. Then it would find the one that escaped.


Sky sighed happily as he sat out in front of his new home, content with the world.

Following Applejack's visit, and the delicious meal he had made out of her gift, he had taken a moment to gather himself before getting to work. The Princess' delivery last night gave him no shortage of supplies to sort, books to organize, and the like. He had worked all the way through to lunch, and just finished the last of the apple pie that he had managed to keep himself from devouring all of this morning. He would have to make a trip to town for dinner later, but for now, he was happy to take a quick break from unpacking to just enjoy the moment.

Closing his eyes, Sky considered taking a nap, before he reminded himself that there was still work to be done before the day was out, and decided to get up before he should fall asleep by mistake. Standing, he stretched his back out not unlike his feline companion, eliciting a series of pleasant pops and cracks. Grinning to himself, Sky turned to walk back inside when something caught his eye.

Coming out of the forest on the left side of the observatory was a familiar yellow filly. Apple Bloom burst forth from a bush on the edge, losing her balance and falling flat on her face. Not a moment was wasted however, as she got back to her hooves almost as soon as she fell, and was back to running from the forest as fast as her little legs would carry her. She did not look back, abject terror in her eyes as she made her way closer to his abode. Loose sticks, sap, and dirt covered her body, and several cuts could be seen across her legs and face. They were not deep, but made it clear that there had been little care in how she left the woods, only how fast.

It was about this time the filly realized she was being watched. Seeing Sky, her eyes widened even farther and she changed course for him, not stopping until she hit him at near max speed. Sky grunted at the impact, looking at her in surprise. Her breathing was hard and ragged as she buried her head in his right foreleg, shuddering.

"Apple Bloom?!" No response came from the filly, and Sky felt himself begin to panic. "Apple Bloom? Whats wrong filly? Are you alright? What where you doing alone in the forest?"

At his last question, Sky could feel the foal stop breathing, holding her breath as all shuddering stopped. A second passed, and she began to shake. This was followed by sobs, that slowly grew in volume until it was uncontrolled crying. Sky stood there, stunned, unsure of what to do next. Putting a careful hoof on Apple Blooms head, he lowered his voice.

"Apple Bloom? What happened?"

Apple Bloom looked up at him with a pained look in her eyes, tears flowing.

"Their dead! Their all dead, and Ah couldn't do nothin' to stop it! My friends are all dead, and its MY FAULT!!"