Chapter 3: Campfire Chat Continued.
Chapter 3: Campfire Chat Continued!
“An ogre! I can’t believe we’re going to be facing an ogre; this is insane!” Twilight moaned and hollered, cradling her head in her frightened panic, “We’re doomed, doomed I tell you.”
“Now Twilight, there is no need to be so over dramatic about this.” Rarity advised.
“Talk about the pot callin’ the kettle black,” Applejack muttered under her breath, but clearly not quietly enough as she received a stern look from Rarity, “Ah mean, come now sugarcube, it can’t be that bad.”
“Have you even seen an ogre before?” Twilight snapped back with a strained smile, her worries beginning her usual decent into madness, strands of her mane already springing up.
Fluttershy raised a hoof, quietly inputting the answer ‘yes’ into the conversation as Applejack asked in retaliation, “’Ave you?”
“No,” The worrying mare said calmly, relaxing, and then panicking once more, “but I’ve heard about them, Princess Celestia has told me all about them. She would tell me about how they’re strong, brutish and big. They could reach the size of even the largest of whales and their simple minds and tough skins make them resistant to all kinds of magic.”
“Oh, I know what will cheer you up then; Big told me he’s not as big or strong as other ogres.” Fluttershy added, helping to soothe Twilight a little.
“He’s not as big as other ogre’s and he’s called ‘Big’?” Pinkie asked with a grin, already feeling a funny moment coming.
“His parents thought calling him that would help him grow bigger.” Pinkie Pie laughed and fell onto her back at Fluttershy’s explanation.
The shy mare then continued going on to help soothe Twilight some more, “There’s nothing to worry about, he’s nowhere near as big as say… the dragon we saw, at least half its size.”
“Only about half its size huh.” Twilight Sparkle then grabbed a stick telekinetically and began scrawling in the dirt.
“What ya’ writing?”
“The inscription for my headstone.”
“Come now Twilight, I’m sure we’ll figure something out, perhaps Fluttershy knows something about this ogre we can use to our advantage,” Rarity calmly added, waving a hoof toward the current storyteller.
Twilight sighed, rubbed a hoof against her head and conceded, “Maybe you’re right, please continue telling us about your arch-enemy, we need to know all you know about him.”
Fluttershy nodded, ready to continue from where she left off, but stopped upon seeing Pinkie raise a hoof, “Um, Fluttershy, just wondering, is Dashie going to be safe?”
Applejack grimaced and added, “Yeah, Rainbow Dash bein’ captured by an ogre of all thin’s is cause for concern.”
Worry passed through the group’s minds, fears of Rainbow Dash being thrown about by the beastly creature, at its mercy, and in some thoughts, at its hunger.
Fluttershy thought on this for a second, think back to her arch-nemesis, “Well…”
Rainbow Dash looked up at the still, menacing ogre before her with shock, awe and horror. The Ogre’s pure violet eyes stared down at Rainbow Dash, focusing intently on the pegasus. The Ogre gnashed his teeth together, grinding them for a brief moment, as if it were a habit done when thinking. The Ogre ground its teeth, then continued to grind its teeth, then did so louder and louder until…
“Will you stop doing that already!” Rainbow Dash yelled out in aggravation.
“I’m tryin’ to think how ta introduce myself! Wait a bit!” The Ogre yelled back, the sheer force of the yell sending Dash flying into the back of her cage, and losing her footing.
Sitting up, Rainbow rubbed the back of her head, and looked back to the now mumbling Ogre. Due to how loud said Ogre was it was not hard to hear that he was mumbling about his introduction, mentioning things such as making sure he was as scary as possible.
“You could start with your name,” Rainbow Dash suggested, still with aggravation in her voice.
The Ogre looked to Rainbow Dash perplexedly, put a grimy finger to his lips, licked said finger, and then decided that Dash’s suggestion was a good idea, “I am Big Boss!” Big Boss roared, Dash’s cage trembling from the volume and the pegasus had to take flight to avoid being shook about.
“And you,” Big Boss announced, pointing towards Rainbow Dash, “are my prisoner.”
This statement of fact did not sit well with Rainbow Dash, who glared back at Big Boss, and snapped, “Yeah, and why is that?”
“Well you see,” Big Boss began as he dropped down onto his hind, causing the room to once more shake, “I needed you to get to lure my arch-nemesis here.”
Rainbow Dash touched down on the floor of her cage, briefly grimacing at how cold it felt, and then looked to Big with confusion, “Your arch-nemesis?”
“That’s right.”
“What in the hay do I have to do with your arch-nemesis?”
Big Boss’s eyes widened, he leaned in closer to the cage and asked somewhat quieter than before, “You don’t know? Hasn’t she ever told you about me?”
“I don’t even know who you’re talking about and I’ve never heard of you before.” Rainbow Dash retorted.
Big Boss frowned and breathed out heavily. Then he grasped both sides of the cage and began shaking it furiously, all while yelling, “Why didn’t she tell anyone! How could she not tell anybody about my scariness? Why!”
Rainbow Dash ping ponged about the cage; grunts and swears slipping out of her mouth each time she banged against one side of the cage to the next. After a few seconds of this, Big Boss stopped rattling the cage, huffing and puffing, leaving Rainbow Dash to fall down onto the cage floor with her world spinning.
“Wait!” Big Boss blurted out as a thought struck him, “What if she was so terrified of me that she never mentioned it to anyone, for fear they’d be unable to sleep. Yes, that’s it, that’s it.”
“Y-yeah, sure buddy,” Rainbow Dash groaned as she continued to lay on the floor, not even attempting to stand at this point, “Now who are we talking about?”
Big Boss turned towards Dash, and with much dramatic flair answered, “Why, my arch-nemesis is only the most strong, the most scary… Fluttershy!”
“Wha…?” Dash mumbled, looking to Big Boss with disbelief… and then bursting out with laughter. “F-Fluttershy is your, is your arch-nemesis!”
“It’s true, it’s true, that magical eyed pony is my arch-nemesis!” Big Boss refuted, believing Rainbow Dash’s laughter to be a sign of disbelief.
Rainbow Dash reigned in her laughter, chuckles still escaping from her lips as she inquired, “So you foalnapped me in order to lure Fluttershy here to…”
“Have my revenge!” Big Boss answered with enthusiasm, stroking his club and laughing heartily, “Foalnapping her coltfriend was the easiest way to get her to come here.”
As Big Boss continued his laughter, Dash sat up and snapped, “Coltfriend! I’m a mare!”
Stopping his laughter, Big Boss stated questionably, “But Fluttershy is also a mare… mares can love mares?”
Rainbow Dash went to blurt out her answer but then paused and instead slowly replied, “Yeah, they can, but what does that have to do with me and Fluttershy?”
“Cause you’re lovers.”
Rainbow Dash blinked. Big Boss’s statement drifted into her ears, floated about her head, and then was processed. Rainbow Dash blushed.
“W-Wha-What?” Rainbow Dash stammered out, her jaw dropping and hanging agape.
“I have a real smart guy working with me and he came up with the idea. The villain captures the damsel and the hero follows to rescue her.” Big Boss said aloud with a grin, ignoring Dash’s stupefied expression. “I’ll be able to have my revenge on Fluttershy and none of those scary princesses or her friends will get in the way.”
“H-Hey, me and Fluttershy aren’t-”
“That reminds me,” Big Boss continued, undisturbed by Rainbow Dash’s attempts to correct him, “I need to talk to Zeb about those friends.”
Big Boss took a few of his heavy ogre steps to the open doorway, started to exit the room and close the giant double doors before him, but then turned around and called back to Dash, “Don’t you go anywhere now.”
The doors were closed, and Rainbow Dash was left trapped in the room once more, “Yeah, no worries about that.”
I stood still, frozen on the spot, and unsure what to do. Before me was the scariest creature I had ever seen. He had big teeth and big hands and big everything. That and he was frowning, his eyes were all menacing, like he was really mad at something.
“Gyahh!” He yelled and began stomping all of a sudden.
I yelped out in fright, hanging onto a nearby tree to stop myself from losing my balance; his stomps seemed to make the whole world shake.
“None of this seems all that encouraging Fluttershy,” Twilight announced, her hooves shaking at the thought of this ogre.
“That wabbit tricked me again!” He bellowed, throwing up his arms into the air, which um, let’s just say he could of done with a bath.
Covering my nostril and mouth as best I could I blurted out, “The rabbits been tricking you too?”
“Well Ah’ll be that was awfully brave of you Fluttershy.” Applejack complimented.
I realised immediately that I had stupidly blurted out my question. The ogre turned towards me, saw me and… screamed. Then I screamed. Then he continued to scream. Then I leaped into a nearby bush and tried to hide. Then he toppled over… and got stuck into the hole again.
I peered out of the bush, terrified of him approaching me, only to see and hear him calling out for help, “Aw, I’m stuck again!”
I stayed in the bush, my fear of him preventing me from coming out, but seeing him flailing his legs and arms, calling out for help, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. I reasoned to myself that he wasn’t that scary. He wasn’t a dragon.
The group looked back to Fluttershy with bulging eyes and slightly gaping mouths. The idea that a pony was scared of dragons: perfectly understandable. The idea that a pony wasn’t scared of an ogre: not quite so understandable.
So I crawled out of the bush and called out to him, “H-hello, d-do you need some help?”
Straining his neck to look past his uh, moderate sized belly, he looked at me with bemused eyes, “A talkin’ animal.”
“Actually, I’m a pony,” I replied as I fidgeted on the spot. “All ponies talk.”
“They do?! Wow!” Big drawled out and whistled before going quiet for several seconds, “Can you get me outta hole pony?”
I nodded, flew up to his outstretched hand, grabbed a hold of it and pulled.
“An you pulled him out of the hole!” Pinkie blurted out, then leaped on over to Twilight and slung a foreleg around her shoulder, “Worry not Twilight, Fluttershy can pick up an ogre. She’ll beat down this guy with her mountain lifting abs of steel.”
“Actually pulling on his hand didn’t help at all.”
Try as I might I couldn’t lift him out of the hole. So I had another idea instead, I’d try and push his feet down to the ground wherein he could push off against it and get out.
“Hold a second here.” Pinkie interrupted as she raised her hoof politely, “If his feet aren’t stuck in the hole… and you said earlier he was flailing his legs and arms… then that would mean…”
Pinkie Pie burst into laughter, “His heiny got stuck in the hole this time!”
“I… um, didn’t really consider that important enough to point out but yes.”
Anyway, I flew on over and began pushing down on his foot. It took a lot effort but I managed to get to touch the ground. He immediately dug into the earth with his toes, the floor cracking as soon as he started to put force into it. I flew out the way as he suddenly lurched up, free from the hole, and fell forth onto his knees.
“Ooh, ma toes hurt,” He said as he turned towards me, “Thank ya pony.”
“Oh, t-that’s okay.”
The ogre then stuck his hand out at me, showed me a large grin and said, “I’m Big.”
I backed away from his hand, looked him up and down through my mane and replied, “Y-yes, you are very, very big.”
The big fellow before me let his jaw hung, his jutting teeth quivered, as he looked around at his body, “No I’m not, I’m small.”
As I only measured up only to the size of his foot and had to look up to see he was as tall as most the trees in the Everfree forest, this confused me. “N-no, I assure you. You’re big.”
“I am Big but I’m small.”
I tried to work this all out in my head but it wasn’t until I look to his still stretched out hand that I realised what he meant. I put my hoof forth tentatively, “I-I’m Fluttershy.”
“An I’m Big! Hello Fluttershy.” Big the ‘small’ ogre said as he touched my hoof with a finger.
Big pulled back his hand and looked around the forest with fast shaking head. He stopped only to grumble, shake his clenched fist and moan, “Oh, that wabbit got away again.”
“Oh my, are you talking about a mean little rabbit?” I asked.
He turned to me with wide eyes and bellowed out his following question with such force it blew me over, “You know of the mean wittle wabbit?!”
“Um, yes.” I squeaked out, scrambling to my now unsteady feet. “He’s been bullying the animals so I’ve been trying to stop him.”
“He’s been picking on me too.” Big informed me, showing off some small but recent cuts and scratches. “I was just playing with the animals and he started pickin’ one me.”
“Oh you poor thing,” I noted as I saw his injuries, “I’ve got some band-aids back at my house. Would you like me to get you some?”
Big stared blankly at me, slowly opening his mouth. He raised his brow, his open mouth slipping to the side, and he leaned forth like an eager puppy. “You’d… you’d do that for me.”
I nodded. He grinned. Then he leaped up, dancing on the spot giddily.
“Yes please. I’d like that.”
That was how I made my first non-animal friend since Rainbow Dash.
“That is ever so sweet Fluttershy,” Rarity cooed but her happy expression quickly grimaced, “though in hindsight with him becoming your arch-nemesis, maybe not.”
“Yeah, how did ya’ll end up as enemies?” Applejack inquired with bleak eyes and a downcast smile.
Fluttershy mirrored Applejack’s expression, “I’ll… I’ll get to that point in a bit.”
From then on Big and I would often meet, working together to track down the mischievous rabbit. I’d spot the rabbit as usual, picking on a poor defenceless animal and then trying to lure me out of the forest.
Of course I would instead go into the forest and visit Big. I’d often find him in the very spot I first saw him, or around the area. It was a nasty place to be really, filled with all kinds of traps. Yet when the rabbit would pick on Big, this is the place he’d run back to. Surely it was there that the rabbit had his hideout. After discussing where the rabbit had been, as well having to help Big out of any trap he’d fallen into that day, we’d split up and look for clues.
“You went traversing about the Everfree Forest on your own?” Rarity questioned.
“Oh, it was only during the day. The Everfree Forest is slightly less terrifying during the day.”
Sometimes we’d never spot him. He was just one little rabbit, a crafty one who knew all the best places to hide, so spotting him was never easy. An then when one of us did spot him it never went to well.
I noticed him hopping from one bush to the next, poking his head out from time to time and looking about the place with a paw above his eyes. As I slowly and quietly snuck around, he kept on the lookout, even as he snacked on a small carrot. I thought I was doing my best to keep quiet, I thought he hadn’t noticed me, but a carrot hitting me kind of told me otherwise.
He began to run away so I asked, “Please stop, rabbit.”
He didn’t stop. I didn’t think he would have but it would have been nice if he did.
I ended up chasing after him, which was even harder to do far into the Everfree Forest. In comparison to chasing him closer to the edge everything more untamed, darker, and dangerous. I slipped through and around trees, constantly outmanoeuvred by him. I took one wrong turn and ended up walking into many low hanging vines.
“Oh no! Oh dear.” I gasped, trying to pull myself away from the bundle of vines but only getting more and more tangled up in them.
I tried to move out of the vines carefully at first but as they wrapped around my hooves I got more desperate. I began to flail my legs, resulting in the vines binding my legs, hugging against my body tightly… and tighter and-
“Fluttershy!” The shouted at mare snapped her eyes open to audience of ranging emotions.
Pinkie and Rarity smirked, hooves to their lips, whereas Applejack shifted on the spot with her hat over her eyes. Twilight looked back sternly, her eyes narrowed and her hooves remained pressed against Spike’s ears.
As Spike called out for Twilight to stop covering his ears and how he wanted to hear what Fluttershy was saying, the canary yellow pegasus of the group turned a tomato red colour, whispering, “Sorry.”
When I realised there was no way I was getting out on my own I called out to Big for help. I kept calling until, well, until I spotted all the spooky creatures about the place. I thought it would be best to wait in silence for Big to find me, to which thankfully did not take long.
“Bunny Wabbit?”
I sighed, “Bunny rabbit.”
Big reached along and snapped all the vines off the trees they were hanging from. He then lifted me down safely to the ground, where it was easier to start trying to untangle myself.
“Fluttershy?” Big asked as he sat down, nudging any loose vines away from me.
“Yes Big?”
“Why’d you want ta catch da wabbit?” I stopped trying to push the vines away and instead looked up to my wide eyed ogre friend, “Da wabbit is picking on me. That’s why I want ta catch him but he ain’t picking on you.”
I thought on how to explain things to him, I wondered if I even should, but seconds passed and I mumbled, “I… I don’t like bullies, that’s all.”
Big didn’t say much at first. He wedged his finger under one of the vines and tugged, giving me room to squirm out of its bindings.
“I was bullied,” Big mumbled. “It’s not nice.”
I couldn’t imagine anyone as big or as terrifying as Big being picked on, other than the daring bullying rabbit, so I stammered out “You mean… by the rabbit?”
Big shook his head solemnly, “By the ogres back home. They’d always tease me because I’m small.”
I looked my gargantuan friend up and down in disbelief. He seemed to notice this added, “For an ogre.”
I didn’t say anything else as I removed the vines from me. He didn’t either, just sat there in silence, dragging away any vines I got off. Once all the vines were off I looked at him, then looked to my wings, flapping them a couple of times to ease them out of being bound for so long.
“Fluttershy, Fluttershy, Fluttershy can barely fly.” I muttered, receiving a naturally bewildered look from my friend, “T-that was what, what the bullies would taunt. I-I’m bad at flying… for a pegasus.”
Big smiled, and quickly mentioned with an almost light hearted tone, “Big can’t lift, Big can’t lift.”
I reflected Big’s small smile with a small one of my own and replied, “They’d also call me Klutzershy.”
“Tiny Mouse.”
“Dirt lover.”
“Big can’t lift.”
“Um, you’ve already said that one Big.”
“Ogre’s aren’t good at coming up with words, even insults.”
It was strange. We regaling of our experience of being bullied, telling one another of all the mean words thrown our way, the nasty glares and the cruel pranks. Yet we smiled. We laughed. Letting it all out, telling it all to someone who understood, made the unpleasantness… soothing.
“A pony became friends with an ogre over being bullied. That certainly isn’t something you hear often… or at all.” Twilight remarked.
“It wasn’t just because we had been bullied that we became friends, Big also liked animals.” Fluttershy explained.
“See Twilight, this ogre isn’t so scary. He seems silly, is teeny tiny and likes animals.” Pinkie assured with several hard pats to her friend’s back.
“Yes, yes. The ogre isn’t as scary as I thought.” Twilight admitted, comparing what little she had heard about ogres to what Fluttershy had just been telling them.
“At the time I had never seen him with any animals. He said he kept them safe at his place in the Everfree Forest but had been unable to play with them much since the bunny started picking on him.”
The time of night having been long since set, the youngest awake member of the group felt its passing and a yawn emanated from the dragon. Spike brushed his eyes as drowsiness tried to take him to a land of slumber, shifting in place in order to keep awake.
“I’m assuming it’s pretty late. Perhaps you should get some rest Spike.” Twilight said, casting one eye of concern to Spike and an eye of wonder to the fake night sky above.
“Yes, perhaps we should all think about getting some beauty sleep.” Rarity suggested as she gently brushed her mane with her hoof, pondering how she’d style it in the morning with no comb nor brush in possession.
“Oh come on, can’t I at least listen to the end of the story.”
Spike’s pleas were answered by Fluttershy’s reassuring response, “Well, it shouldn’t take much longer to finish telling it.”
Twilight looked to her grinning assistant, rolled her eyes and relented, “Fine, it it’s almost finished.”
As the owls hooted in the night and howls of wolves could be heard in the distance, Fluttershy continued her tale.
Over the course of a couple months Big and I would continue to meet. From that day onwards it was not just to try and track down the rabbit bully but to also chat as friends. It had been an awful long time since I had a non-animal friend and I was still too scared to talk long with any of the ponies back in Ponyville.
“Yet not to be speaking to an Ogre in the Everfree Forest?” Applejack said with a tinge of amusement, raising light chuckles from everyone in the group.
During that time the injured animal situation was beginning to trouble me more and more. More of the animals were coming to me with their cuts, bruises and even broken bones. They’d literally beg to stay and oh, I couldn’t resist letting them.
I was really beginning to wonder how the bunny was managing to hurt so many creatures. I wouldn’t see the bunny bullying the animals all the time, though I heard from Big that the bunny would lure him into traps more frequently, and I doubt he could have hurt so many of these bigger and more ferocious animals. I came to the conclusion that it must have been the traps he were using, it was how we managing to hurt Big so surely it was how we was managing to hurt the bears, boars and Manticores.
Thankfully though, mine and Big’s efforts of trying to catch the bunny were eventually met with success. I was chasing after him as per usual, though in recent days I had acquired a small cage to trap him in. So far I had been unable to catch him in but that day…
“Stop, Mr. Rabbit!” I cried out, running after the rabbit that dipped and dove around the trees, heading in the direction of my cottage and out of the forest.
It was then that I tripped, the cage I had been carrying flying out of my hooves. He must have heard my fall, as he stopped and turned around to check. Miraculously, the cage that had been flying through the sky landed right on top of the little bully, open door first. The cage rolled about, stunning the animal. So I seized my chance and leaped to the cage, locking its door before the rabbit could get out.
“Ah-hah!” I shouted out as loud as I could with triumph, holding the caged bunny in my hooves. “Look here you mean rabbit, I’ve finally caught you.”
I held the cage down to my face to see the rabbit up close. He didn’t look any different from most rabbits. His fur was a beautiful snow white and he had long perky ears and a cute button like nose. They real difference was the scowl on his face, as he crossed his little paws and ‘huffed’.
“Now then, are you going to behave yourself from now on and stop picking on all the animals around here?” I tried to demand of him but he didn’t respond.
I asked once more and got a response, a small sigh and a slow, nod. He didn’t look at me as he nodded and I could tell he wasn’t putting his heart into it. Luckily I knew just what to do to make him understand how much he’d been hurting everyone.
“Just to be sure I’m going to have you apologise to everyone you’ve been picking on, understand.” Again he didn’t bother to look at me as he nodded.
I strapped the cage to the side of my saddle and set forth deeper into the forest. Shortly after beginning though I heard the cage rattle incessantly. I looked down to my captured rabbit, who raised an eye and pointed back to the direction of my cottage.
“Oh, don’t you worry, I’ll be taking you back to apologise to all the animals you injured soon.” I explained to him as I continued along my current direction, “But I’m also aware that you’ve been bullying a friend of mine in the Everfree Forest and I’m going to have you apologise to him first.”
The confused expression of the rabbit continued, even as I looked away from him. He kicked against the cage some more, grabbing my attention, with his set expression still on his face.
“Oh you know the one, that poor, um, little for his kind, ogre that lives in the forest. We’re going to see him and you’re going to apologise for all the picking on him you’ve done.”
I felt the cage lurch at the moment. The previously irritated but calm rabbit had turned rabid, shaking the cage about as much as possible. I looked back to him to see him looking as alarmed as he was acting, constantly bashing about inside the cage.
“Oh, I see now, you thought you could just pick on him without worries; always sure you could run away from him and not pay the consequences. Well now you’ll have to face Big and pay for what you’ve done.”
This probably wasn’t the best thing to say as the rabbit still didn’t calm, continuing to hit and scratch and bite at the bars of his cage. I was certain the cage would hold and that the rabbit would soon tire out so I continued onwards undeterred.
I eventually made my way to mine and Big’s usual meeting spot, only to find him not there, “Big. Big, where are you?”
The rabbit stopped rattling his cage to snicker and ensure I heard his relief.
“Now look here mister, I’m not letting you out of this cage until you apologise to Big as well, understand?” I said back to the trapped rabbit.
Continuing to look around and call out for him, I saw no sight of Big. It’s not like I could miss him, ogres tend to be pretty easy to spot. After waiting at the spot for a few more minutes, looking about the area, something caught my eye.
I walked on up a row of tree’s that lead away from the spot and deeper into the Everfree. They were bent and leaning outwards, like a large creature forced its way through them day after day… like an ogre.
“If Big isn’t here then,” I looked around me at the foreboding creepiness of the Everfree Forest and then back to the rugged worn path, “I’ll just have to find him myself.”
It wasn’t difficult to track Big. I just had the follow the most trampled on routes, the tree’s that had regularly been pushed aside and his… distinct smell. I was actually a little worried I was going into some large Everfree monster instead but the smell, thankfully, told me I was going the right way.
All throughout I was happy to hear that the rabbit was no long causing so much noise. He was teething a little as I could hear his little nibbles against the metal bars, but it was nothing to worry about.
Throughout the Everfree Forest I had seen many spooky things. Things that made me want to run back home immediately. I needed to see Big though so I went on, hiding whenever necessary. I was really quiet so nothing seemed to notice me and nothing seemed to approach me, but I had seen many horrifying things. The worst though was when the trail was coming to an end.
I gasped the moment I saw the poor injured lovely little fox. It was limping about, it’s leg clearly injured. I immediately tried to approach but it shied away, frightened. Still it was injured and as such unable to get away. I placed my hooves, sung soft words, all to calm the shaking fox as I did my best to bandage its leg, try to straighten it as best I could.
The moment I finished the fox unsteadily scampered off. I figured it wasn’t anything to be too concerned about, the poor dear may have just gotten into a fight with another animal, but it unnerved me all the same.
I walked onwards a little to find myself in a rather open area. The tree’s had been uprooted and pushed to the side, leaving a lot of space for whatever creature lived in the cave just up ahead of the clearing. Well, rather who, I was sure that this would be where Big lived.
I felt the cage rattle some more, the rabbit getting more frantic, “Now, now. Big may look scary but he really is a sweet thing. I’m sure he won’t be mad once you apologise.”
I started to slowly make my way into the cave. Knowing my friend was sure to be in there kind of relieved me, I wasn’t scared of going in. It also helped that the moss inside the cave was glistening; it was so bright that I could see everything. I could see all the cracks in the walls, the rocks on the ground… and the animals in cages.
“Wait, back up one second. Did ya say animals in cages?” Applejack blurted.
Fluttershy nodded but didn’t speak. Her hooves twiddled around one another and her mouth opened several times but no words followed.
“Yes,” Fluttershy eventually said, having found the choice of words she was looking for. “I found inside the cave numerous animals in cages.”
“Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!” I mumbled, running up to the large cage filled with animals.
The size of the cage, many times bigger than myself, was the only relief to be found. Squirrels and bears, mice and snakes, bats and blue jays, all sorts were within the single cage looking down and miserable. The poor creatures were all scrawny, their coats bleak and lifeless, all signs of their lack of food and time spent within the dark.
“Don’t worry animals, I’ll get you out.” I cried out to them as I pulled my hardest on one of the cages large log bars.
It came out. It came out so easily in fact that it almost fell on top of me, unable to hold up its weight all on my own. Regardless of how easy it was, it didn’t matter to me. What did matter was that the animals could now get out of the cage.
“C’mon little ones, you can get out now.” I ushered to the animals, who one by one, slowly came towards me.
Then from further back in the cave came a large thud. Then more thuds, each one louder and louder. Each thud getting closer and closer.
The animals that had been moving to exit the cage did so, grabbed a hold of the log bar, got back into the cage and put the log back into place.
“Wh-what are you doing? You need to get”- I stopped talking as I heard the thudding noise right up by me. Felt it too as it lifted me off the ground.
“Animals! You aren’t trying to run away again.” I heard a familiar voice yell and looked up to see Big, who looked down to see me. “Fluttershy? You came to visit me?”
I did not know what to say. Of course I had gone to this cave believing Big to be there. I shouldn’t have been surprised to see him. Yet seeing the caged and injured animals, knowing that whoever lived in this cage was most likely responsible… I had just immediately put thought of my friend being in the cave out of my mind at that point. I didn’t want to make the connection.
“Fluttershy, what’s that you got there?” Big’s question snapped me out of my thoughts and brought my attention back to him, “Is that a cage?”
“Um, yes.” I said, remembering the very reason I had come to see him, presenting it before him, “I caught the bullying bunny.”
“Ya caught the wabbit!” Big yelled with joy as he leaped up and down and terrifying the entrapped animals.
Big lowered his hand, one of his four fingers pointing up to the caged animal I held. I could tell what he wanted from the gesture and so reluctantly placed the contained and fuming rabbit into Big’s hand.
“Speaking of catching animals…” I began to say as I looked towards the caged creatures within Big’s cave, “What are all these animals doing in that cage?”
“Oh, those?” Big asked as he held up the rabbit and inspected him closely. “Those are my pets. They keep running away from me so I put them in that cage.”
I looked to the miserable and hurt animals, whose eyes begged for freedom, were begging me for it, “Um, an where did all those injuries come from.”
“Ah said, they kept running away.” Big explained as he placed the rabbit down onto the floor, to whom was still gnawing at his cage. “So I catch them, sometimes ah have wrestle with them. They bite back so I have ta scold as da ogres would back home.”
I kept looking at the animals, conspiring how Big’s methods, even if were a mere slap, would be terrifying for any of these animals, “Big, I really don’t think you should-What are you doing!”
I couldn’t help but scream as I saw Big raise his giant foot high above the bunnies cage. I never had sprung forth so fast in my life, flapping my wings for acceleration, grasping the cage and sliding out of the way of Big’s heavy stomp. I held the bunnies cage close to my chest, panting for the suddenness of the action.
“Fluttershy! You have to be careful, ah almost squashed you.”
I pulled myself off the ground, flew up to talk to Big face to face and snapped, “Big, what were you trying to do?”
“Squish the bunny.” Big said in such way as you’d say you were having breakfast or going for a walk.
This just… that just made me mad. I… I couldn’t help myself but the way he said it and he tried to do just made me so very mad.
“Why would you squish him?” I asked him.
I’m sure Big could tell I was upset, his voice seemed to soften but his expression was of confusion, “Cause he’s been picking on me. I squash him and he won’t pick on me no more.”
“You-you can’t do that! It’s not right.” I yelled back, my throat already feeling hoarse from how much I had been yelling.
“Not right? It is right!” Big shouted out loud, stomping his foot down this time in frustration, “I was happy just playin with my animals when they just kept on disappearing. I tried lookin for them but when I did the wabbit started attacking me. He stopped me finding ma animals!”
Something Big has said struck me, something that sounded familiar and to which I thought upon as he continued to say, “Now that I’ve got the wabbit I’m gonna squish him. Then I can go find where he hid ma animals and put them back where they belong.”
I looked to the caged animals. The bruised animals, the beaten animals, the animals that now feared to run away… the animals with injuries that couldn’t have been caused by something as small as a rabbit, only by something as big as an ogre.
“Big, did you… did you scold these animals?” I asked quieter than normally, even for me, and it was only thanks to Big’s big ogre ears that he heard me.
“Ya, I have to do that with a lot of the animals. They don’t listen to you at first until you give em a whack, just like an ogre.” Big answered and then of all the things he could he laughed.
It may be he was laughing at something back home, something to do with the ogres who have a disciplinary method I don’t at all agree with, but at the time I could not help but link that laughter to the hurt of animals. Each bellow of laughter seemed to come with the thought of an animal being slapped about by a large, green, ogre hand.
“Sometimes they’re really quick and, and small. This morning I had a fox in the cage but he escaped. I hit him but he still got to the trees and through the plants and I just couldn’t find him after that. With that wabbit no longer able to hide em I’m sure I’ll… are, are you crying Fluttershy?” Big stopped his regaling once I had started to tear up.
“N-no,” I managed to say as my eyes watered, “No I’m not all right.”
“H-how come? Are you hurt? Hungry? I suppose I could let you eat one of the mice if you need to-
“No!” I remember screaming out, “I’m not all right because I’ve found out that my friend is a big, mean, bully!”
Big gasped, reeling back at my words, “I-I am not a bully.”
“Yes you are.” I cried out, pointing a hoof towards ‘his pets’, “You’ve been taking these poor animals from their homes, locking them up in cages and beating them!”
“I already told ya why I do that!” Big shouted back. “The real bully here is that wabbit. He’s been hidin ma animals.”
“No he hasn’t. I have!”
Big didn’t respond to that. I couldn’t tell what expression he had on his face. I was looking down to the ground, trying to wipe the tears out of my eyes. As I did so I heard no sound from him, not until I looked back to him at least.
“Wha-Why would ya”-
“The animals, they came to me.” I rudely interrupted him to say, “They came to me injured. I help them out, helped nurse their wounds and since then they’ve refused to leave my cottage.”
Big’s jaw trembled, his two jutting fangs bobbing up and down as he smoothly suggested, “Th-then, you can give em’ back right?”
I looked him in the eyes and said “No Big. I… I won’t give them back to you if you’re going to treat them like this.”
“B-but…” Big started to babble before flailing his arms in the air, jumping up and down in a tantrum. “But they’re mine. Ah caught them, I beat them so they’re mine.”
“Which is exactly why I can’t let you have them. You’re bigger and stronger than them and so hurt them very easily. You can’t just boss them around like that.” I tried to tell him but it was hard to even hear myself over his jumping.
“I’m the biggest and strongest around here. That means I’m the boss. It was the same back home and it is the same here!” Big hollered as slowly stopped jumping, huffing and puffing. “Now I’m telling you, give me back my animals.”
“No!”
I was filled with confidence at that point. Then Big roared. That dampened my confidence. Then he raised his large arms high up. That unnerved me. Then he swung them down. That blew me away, as in literally blew me away.
I was blown backwards to the ground around the same time as his fists hit the ground, the earth flying up from the heavy impact. I was dazed by the sudden fall and with the small quake making everything in the cave shaky, unable to get up onto my hooves. I could see though Big approaching me, the before friendly ogre making me as scared of him as when I first saw him.
“Give me the animals back Fluttershy!” He demanded, his hot breath slipping through his teeth.
I shook my head. Then Big roared again, sending shivers down my spine.
All of a sudden though Big stopped roaring. The noise of the angry ogre ceased and instead I heard a single clanging sound, that of something metallic hitting the ground.
Big turned around, his foot kicking aside the small cage I had been carrying and what I assumed had just been thrown towards Big. Looking past Big though I spotted the previous captive of the cage, the rabbit bully, by the entrance of the cave. He smirked, blew a raspberry and ran off.
“Wabbit!” Big hollered out, falling down to all fours and charging at the escaping bunny rabbit like a bull seeing red.
The sound of Big’s rampage grew fainter and fainter as he chased the rabbit further and further away. The absent of the sound and the anger within the air made everything feel a little better, more soothing. The atmosphere helped me to stand up in a way, made me feel that I wouldn’t be falling down again anytime soon.
I made my way to the log cage and removed one of its bars once again. The animals, although nervous, smiled to me. I didn’t need to usher them out of the cage. I simply smile backed and they came out, one by one exiting the cage and one by one exiting the cave.
I let out a sigh. I had no idea what to do. Earlier I had just done things in the heat of the moment, argued back because that was what came to me. Then though, in a sudden calm moment where I had time to think of what to do, I had no idea. I looked down to the small cage, the cage to which I had used to trap the bully rabbit. It got me thinking, if the rabbit was not responsible for all the injured animals then why had I seen him picking on them? I thought back to the events involving the rabbit. How he’d wait for me to see him, how he’d lure me away from the forest, how he’d been picking on Big and then it all clicked. I understood now what had been going on.
I heard a crash. That of tree’s being flung aside and knew that in the distance Big was still chasing the rabbit. Of course I had no idea what to do still. There was no way I could help after all. But in thinking on all that the rabbit had done for me; how he’d been stopping Big from finding out where all the animals had been going, how he tried to stop me from entering the forest and encountering Big, I knew I had to do something.
I flew out of the cave and headed straight for the sky. Then I looked down below, witnessing the carnage that had been wrought and following where said carnage was continuing to go. A little ways ahead I saw a patch of the Everfree Forest where the rocks rose up higher than most of the trees. It was towards this area that more and more trees began to tumble down and bellows of anger could be heard.
“Okay Fluttershy, you can do this.” I reassured myself as I flapped my wings as hard as I could and sped off in the direction of the rabbit and ogre.
By the time I could see Big, cornering the rabbit up against the rocks, I was exhausted. My lungs hurt, my wings hurt, yet I only flew faster. Faster as Big laughed and faster then as Big raised his arm.
“Wabbit goes squish now!” Big bellowed, while I flew under his legs and landed in front of the rabbit.
Big’s descending fist stopped and he moaned, “Fluttershy! Stop getting in ma way!”
“No, Big.” I replied back as I felt myself growing more and more determined, once more flying up to meet him face to face, eye to eye, “You stop.”
“Wha?” I heard Big mutter as I opened my eyes… and then I heard him yelp with fright.
“You listen to me right now!” I guess this was when I first learnt how to use the Stare. It must have been as the large and terrifying ogre before me stumbled backwards and fell over, his whole body shaking. “You have been a bad ogre.”
“But”-
“No but’s mister. You have been picking on animals, using your size and strength to bully them around, to hurt them. An worse of all you don’t think there is anything wrong with that.” I scolded him as his eyes diluted, unable to pull away from my stare, “To top it all off you made me think you loved animals. You made me think that a bunny rabbit was picking on an innocent ogre. You made me think we were friends.”
Big started to sit up, his jaw opening ever so slightly as he tried to say, “We are fr”-
“No Big! You hurt all these poor animals. Now either say you’re sorry and promise to never hurt or order these animals around again…” I started to demand of him, my stare unflinching, “or leave and never come back!”
I couldn’t hear much of anything after that. The forest was silent. There was no wind, no animal noises, no monstrous sounds that had no explanation. I only heard my thudding heart and deep breaths.
I could only see Big before me. His soft terrified expression trying to frown. I saw his try to bare his teeth, to push his head forward and scowl. But fear would take over. No matter how much he tried he couldn't bring himself to roar back, to retaliate fear with fear... he was terrified.
I then watched as Big scrambled to his feet, kicking up huge heaps of dirt. He turned his back to me and then ran. Without a word, nor a roar nor a yelp he ran away. It seemed like he ran on forever, or rather I watched him run on forever. I flew on the spot and watched as my 2nd non-animal friend left.
I dropped down to the ground, disheartened by it all. I had just lost a friend, even if I found out he was a meanie, it hurt all the same.
I didn’t want to dwell on it any longer. I turned my attention instead to someone who needed my help there and then, “Um, bunny rabbit.”
I was startled to see the rabbit lying down on the ground, unmoving. Rushing up over to him I was relieved to see his chest rising ever so slightly.
“Poor guy, he must be exhausted.” I said to myself as I picked up the rabbit and headed on home.
I thought to myself about all he had done. Tricking me to think he was the bully so I wouldn’t track down the real culprit, leading me away from the Everfree Forest, protecting me. I couldn’t help but the pure white rabbit was like a guardian angel. It was at that moment I thought up the perfect name for him. A name fitting for a beautiful rabbit that worked hard to protect me and the animals.
I named him Angel Bunny.
While nightlife began to make some noise throughout the rest of the forest, it was quiet where the ponies sat. Fluttershy finished her tale but no one decided to speak, instead allowing themselves the time to take all of the information and think it over.
The fire flared up once or twice, a small spark and crackle sound coming forth. Light mumbles within her sleep came from Parapony and Fluttershy looked left and right to each of her contemplating friends. While her friends continued thinking Fluttershy decided to remove the now asleep Angel Bunny from her head, placing him carefully on the ground. Fluttershy then unfurled her wing and rolled her pet closer to her side, who even whilst asleep, instinctively rested his head against her.
Turning back to her friends Fluttershy was unnerved that they had still not spoken, “Oh, I don’t like this silence at all. Please could somepony say something.”
“Ta think that an ogre was why all them pests invaded Ponyville.” Applejack mused, her interjection of conversation into the uncomfortable atmosphere allowing Fluttershy a sigh of relief.
“Truly surprising, I wouldn’t have even dreamed that was the cause.” Rarity added with a huff, “The damage those rats caused to my Boutique. I’ll be sure to have a word with this arch-nemesis of yours when this whole trouble is sorted out.”
Fluttershy looked to and fro with worried eyes and proceed to say hesitantly, “S-so you’re… you’re not mad at me?”
All the ponies present looked to one another in confusion before Pinkie asked, “Now why would we be mad at you?”
Fluttershy fiddled her hooves and hung her head as she mumbled out, “Well I… I kind of made Big my arch-nemesis when I made him leave the Everfree Forest and now… now he’s foalnapped Rainbow Dash and I’ve gotten you all involved…”
“Fluttershy, there’s no way we’d be mad at you for that.” Twilight said with a small smile growing on her face. “You did the right thing back then and none of us here blame you for anything happening now.”
“Yeah, you can’t help it if you found out some ogre was a meanie, told him off, and then he decided to be a big jerk about it, become your arch-nemesis and foalnap Dashie.” Pinkie explained with several hoof motions and facial expressions, just to emphasise her point.
Fluttershy smiled and nodded and this smile of gratitude spread to the rest of her friends. Soon a silent feeling of merriment spread to the circle of ponies, whom all enjoyed the happy moment.
Then Spike yawned. The young dragon fell down onto to his belly as he tried hard to keep his eyes open.
“Spike, I’m really sure it’s time you get some rest.” Twilight instructed her non-objecting assistant and then turned towards the others to say, “In fact, I think we could all do with some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us.”
“That seems like the sensible thing ta do. Nighty-night ya’ll.” Applejack announced as she hoofed up some dirt.
The other ponies scrambled to get themselves and their already sleeping companions underneath their small Diy shelter comprised of gathered sticks, stones and draped foliage. Wrapping themselves up in blankets fashioned from the least prickly foliage they could find, the others bid Applejack goodnight. That being her signal, Applejack threw the dirt over the fire. The flames and its accompanying light were snuffed out, leaving the ponies in the dark.
An leaving Applejack to try to find her way back into the shelter. Whilst trying to avoid stepping on the ponies already within the shelter.
“Ow! Not my face, not my face!”
She wasn’t successful at this part.
One day, when the Shy Princess was playing on her own in the gardens, two mean bunnies came along and began to pick on her.
“Neh-neh, neh-neh, cry-baby princess! The two bullies, Bell and Hops, would sneer as they pushed and shoved the Shy Princess.
“P-please, please stop!” The Shy Princess would say but Bell and Hops continued.
It was then, out of nowhere, that a bunny with rainbow hair appeared.
The Rainbow Knight and the Shy Princess, by Fluttershy: Page 3.
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That... was.... awesome! Really good and creative backstory! This is brilliant! ME LIKEY!
Well, I should've known that Fluttershy and Big wouldn't become enemies right at the start. Still, something tells me their friendship isn't lost forever. I mean, if Fluttershy could befriend Discord, then there's still hope. I knew who that rabbit was, but I'm surprised that the others didn't act surprised by the revelation.
Thanks for the update. In contrast to her friends, I think that FlutterShy made an error. She left Big no real chose and no room for a compromise.
If I’m allowed, here are some little errors I found while reading:
“The group looked back to Fluttershy”: Too much italic here.
“An I’m Big! Hello Fluttershy.”: An -> And
“s never easy. An then when”: An -> And
“Pinkie and Rarity smirked, hooves”: Too much italic here
“Fine, it it’s almost finished”: it -> if
“An leaving Applejack to try”: An -> And
The thing with the vines was amusing, I think the others thought things were about to get a little hentai.
The Ogre yelled back, the sheer force of the yell sending Dash flying into the back of her cage, and losing her footing.
I'm trying to figure out how "sending Dash flying into the back of her cage" and "losing her footing" go together, and I'm drawing a blank.
Rainbow Dash reigned in her laughter, chuckles still escaping from her lips
It always amazes me how many people confuse rein and reign. The same holds true of peak and pique, as well
Covering my nostril and mouth as best I could I blurted out, “The rabbits been tricking you too?”
Fluttershy has one nostril? :P
The group looked back to Fluttershy with bulging eyes and slightly gaping mouths. The idea that a pony was scared of dragons: perfectly understandable. The idea that a pony wasn’t scared of an ogre: not quite so understandable.
why is this paragraph italicized?
Fluttershy!” The shouted at mare snapped her eyes open to audience of ranging emotions.
Pinkie and Rarity smirked, hooves to their lips, whereas Applejack shifted on the spot with her hat over her eyes. Twilight looked back sternly, her eyes narrowed and her hooves remained pressed against Spike’s ears.
As Spike called out for Twilight to stop covering his ears and how he wanted to hear what Fluttershy was saying, the canary yellow pegasus of the group turned a tomato red colour, whispering, “Sorry.”
And why are these paragraphs italicized?
“Fine, it it’s almost finished.”
It it's?
traps he were using
traps he was using, perhaps?
tree’s that had regularly been pushed aside and his…
trees should be plural not possessive
The absent of the sound and the anger within the air made everything feel a little better, more soothing.
absence, you mean?
No but’s mister
should be plural, not possessive
Damn, this whole segment with Big was... Unexpected
Seems legit to me bro can't wait for more.
Amazing chapter. There are so many ways this story could swing. I like how you continue to add that bit of Dash to the story.
I have no idea why less people are following this one compared to your older story. But I assure you, this one is better, crazier, and more epic than the first in the series.
I can understand if you don't want to use this style again if it was so difficult and time-consuming, but I have to say... that was pretty darn great. Really clever storyline.
i.imgur.com/NMDnSYk.png
"Artist"'s representation of the antagonist.