MLP FiM: A New Generation & Other Stories

by ThatBronyWithTheClipOns

Chapter 5: A Discovery Near Fluttershy's Cottage

It was a day like any other at the cottage of Ponyville's resident animal caregiver. Fluttershy was up to her usual morning routine of feeding her animals, and tending to her garden. Her loving husband, Snowflake, was at work as the physical education teacher, so it was just her and her animals. Suddenly, her favorite pet, the stubborn bunny Angel, came hopping towards her, tapping her hoof to get her attention.

"What's the matter, Angel bunny?" she asked with usual concern.

Angel pointed to his nose then motioned her towards the Everfree Forest.

"You smell something?" she asked. "That's nothing unusual. The Everfree Forest is full of all kinds of things."

Angel got an annoyed look on his face and began to tug on Fluttershy's mane.

"Alright, alright, I'll go with you to see what you're smelling."

The butter colored mare and her bunny companion walked into the woods. Under normal circumstances she wouldn't dare go in there on her own, but she knew not to argue with Angel's concerns.

"I'm glad it's at least day time, this place is even spookier at nighttime. I hope you're not taking us too deep into the woods, Angel, we could easily get looooooost!"

Fluttershy suddenly fell through a hole in the ground and rolled to the bottom, letting out a loud shriek. Angel had managed to jump over the hole and figured Fluttershy would notice. Seeing that she didn't he merely rolled his eyes, shook his head, and gave himself a face palm. Down in the hole, Fluttershy got herself up, shook her head to get herself reoriented.

"Oh dear! Angel!? Are you still up there!?"

Angel then came hopping into the hole to join his pegasus companion.

"Why did you jump down here!? How are we supposed to get back up!?"

Angel arched an eyebrow and pointed to the surface, showing that it wasn't very steep, Fluttershy had just been clumsy.

"Oh...um...right..." she began to blush brightly.

Angel once again motioned to Fluttershy, indicating that this is where he wanted to go.

"Further in!? What if there's some big creature down here!?"

Angel shook his head and gave motions to indicate he'd been down here before and saw nothing of the sort.

"O...ok..."

Fluttershy followed her favorite bunny a bit farther down the hole, leading into a larger area, till he finally pointed to what he'd discovered.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed, going wide eyed in amazement.

At the Golden Oaks Library, Spike was taking care of the twins while Twilight Slept; Big Macintosh was at Sweet Apple Acres till early evening. The number one assistant was very close to getting Lil Macintosh to sleep, when there came a sudden knock at the door, causing him and Shimmer to cry.

"Aw, come on!" he groaned. "I was so close!"

Spike got up from the rocking chair, still holding Lil Macintosh and rubbing the bridge of his nose. He picked up Shimmer from her sleep pen and made his way to the door, still being knocked on rapidly.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" he shouted, finally opening the door. "What do you want!? Oh...hi Fluttershy...Angel..."

"H-hi Spike," began Fluttershy. "S-s-sorry to bother you. But, Angel and I came across something very peculiar, and thought Twilight should have a look at it."

Angel motioned Spike to a cart, which had a blanket over it. Spike looked at it with no real enthusiasm and then motioned the two to come inside.

"The baby's sure are getting bigger," commented Fluttershy. "They certainly are adorable."

"Oh yeah, they're really wonderful," groaned Spike. "Been walking since hours after birth but still insist on being carried everywhere...HEY TWILIGHT! WE GOT COMPANY!"

"I'M TRYING TO SLEEP, SPIKE!" the unicorn mare shouted from her room.

"NO DUH!" Spike shouted back. "BUT FLUTTERSHY AND ANGEL ARE HERE WITH SOMETHING WEIRD THEY THOUGHT YOU'D BE INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT!"

"A DISCOVERY!?" Twilight replied back, this time with more enthusiasm in her voice. "I'LL BE RIGHT DOWN!"

Within seconds, the purple unicorn ran rapidly down the stares, tripping and tumbling down halfway. This antic caused her foals to burst with laughter.

"Yes...I'm sure seeing mommy get hurt is very hilarious," she groaned as she got back up. "So, Fluttershy, you say you found something?"

"Um...yes," Fluttershy began. "Angel found something in a hole in the Everfree Forest and wanted me to see. So I did and I figured this was something you'd want to see. Plus, I wasn't sure what to make of it."

Fluttershy then motioned Twilight to her cart with the blanket over it.

"What's with the blanket?" asked Spike.

"Well...um...we weren't sure how everypony in town would react..." Fluttershy replied in her usual shy tone.

Spike placed the twins in their playpen and pulled the blanket off the cart. Both he and Twilight sighed in amazement. It was a dark green egg, about twice of the size of Angel.

"WHOA!" Spike exclaimed.

"It certainly seems like a warranted response," said Twilight. "And I see why Angel needed your help getting it out of that hole."

"It was quite the surprise," said Fluttershy.

"And there was nopony there?" asked Twilight.

"When we found it, it was partly covered in dirt and dust," said Fluttershy. "Almost like it had been there for a long time. But...when I put my ear close to it..." she trailed off, as if her friends weren't going to believe her.

Twilight took this as a signal to put her ear to it herself. She leaned in slowly, she wasn't sure at first, but was certain she could hear some kind of faint heartbeat.

"This can't be possible!" she exclaimed. "If it's been there long enough to gather dirt and dust then it shouldn't be alive!"

"What kind of egg is it?" asked Spike.

"I have no idea," replied Twilight. "I've never seen any kind of egg like this in my life. Spike, find me as many books on eggs as you can."

Spike immediately went to work, finding as many books on the subjects as possible.

"Would you mind if I got Bookworm to come over and see this?" she asked.

"Oh...um...no," replied Fluttershy. "I don't see that as a problem.

Spike went out to get Bookworm, who thankfully wasn't far from the library. They returned a few minutes later, along with Rainbow Dash, now five months along in her pregnancy and definitely showing.

"Pleasure to see you, Twilight," said Bookworm as he entered the library. "Rainbow Dash insisted on coming along."

"I may not be able to fly, but I can still walk around," Dash said defensively. "I can't stay inside all the time! I'd go crazy!"

"Fair enough," said Twilight. "I certainly remember those days well enough."

"So, Spike says Fluttershy made quite the discovery," said Bookworm.

"See for yourself," Twilight retorted.

Bookworm and Rainbow Dash saw the egg, both quite surprised.

"What the buck is it?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow! Watch your language," exclaimed Twilight. "There are foals in the room!"

"What!? They can't understand me," said Rainbow Dash. "Are they even talking yet?"

"That's not the point," replied Twilight.

"It appears to be an egg," Bookworm chimed in.

"Never seen a green egg before," said Rainbow Dash.

"I concur," said Bookworm. "This is quite an oddity."

"That's why I figured I'd bring you in on this," replied Twilight. "Spike gathered as many books dealing with eggs as we have, and you're among the most well read ponies I know. Also...we're fairly certain there was a heartbeat."

"Oh my," said Bookworm. "But no parent in the area?"

"No...it was covered in dust and dirt," said Fluttershy. "Looked like it had been there for some time."

Bookworm took a closer look at the egg, eyeing it very thoroughly. He levitated a bit of dirt that was on it for a few moments.

"I need a microscope," he said.

Spike went to the basement of the library to retrieve one from Twilight's lab. The grey unicorn carefully placed the specimen in the proper position and looked through.

"Hmmm," he began. "Interesting..."

"What is it, Bookie?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"If I'm looking at this correctly," began Bookworm. "This dirt is centuries old."

"Well, yeah, but isn't most dirt super old?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Yes, Dashie, but it's not usually stationary for this long," replied Bookworm. "It's almost as if it's been in some sort of suspended animation in one particular spot for some time."

"Fascinating!" exclaimed Twilight. "Fluttershy, show us the spot where you found this egg!"

"What about the foals?" asked Spike. "I wanna see this location too!"

"We have harnesses and a cart, Spike," replied Twilight. "The twin's first scientific exploration! How exciting!"

The group made their way to the hole in the Everfree Forest where Angel and Fluttershy discovered the egg.

"Now, everypony be careful," began Fluttershy, leading the way. "The hole can come a bit out of nowheeeeeere!"

Angel once again face palmed.

"Are you ok, Fluttershy!?" exclaimed Twilight.

"I'm ok," she replied weakly, most likely from her general disposition and not the fall.

"I don't know if you should be climbing down holes, Dashie," Bookworm said with concern.

"Aw, come on, Bookie!" his wife exclaimed. "I'm not a foal! If you're so concerned, just envelope me in magic or something."

Bookworm let out a sigh, knowing he couldn't talk Rainbow Dash out of this. Twilight secured Shimmer to her harness around herself, while Spike secured Lil Macintosh his harness around himself. The party made it's way down the hole, through the tunnel, and into the larger area the egg had been found. Twilight and Bookworm provided light with their horns, bringing out more details on the walls. Crude drawings adorned it, pony like figures but with a slightly different shape to them.

"Very strange," said Twilight. "They certainly appear to be ponies. But, something is off about them."

"What do you mean?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Most cave drawings, while crude, still were very clear about pegasus wings and unicorn horns," began Bookworm. "But, the wings on these ponies, appear more angular, and the horns stubbier. Definitely old, easily thousands so."

"Ok, but how could this egg be so well preserved?" asked Spike.

"I'm sensing some residual magic in the air," said Twilight. "A protective barrier left here who knows how long ago."

"They can last that long?" asked Fluttershy.

"If nopony has been disturbing the grounds, then yes," said Bookworm. "It would appear that this cave hadn't been disturbed for quite some time. Something must've disturbed this area recently, causing the barrier to eventually short out."

"You think whoever made this barrier intended it to stay up so long?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Highly unlikely," Bookworm answered. "Most likely, it was meant to be a temporary protection from danger, but...circumstances changed that."

"Oh dear," said Fluttershy. "So whatever's in the egg, the poor thing doesn't have any family?"

"That would be the likely assumption," replied Bookworm.

"So, what do we do with it?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Somepony needs to look after it," said Spike.

"But who?" asked Twilight.

"I will," Fluttershy chimed in, albeit with her usual tone.

"We don't even know what this is," retorted Rainbow Dash. "When this thing hatches, it could be some horrible spawn of some evil thing!"

"I don't care," replied Fluttershy, with a bit more conviction in her voice. "This egg has no home, nopony to look after it. I'm not going to just leave it unsafe and cold. Twilight has her foals to look after, and you have a foal coming in six months. I take care of animals all the time, so I'm the best candidate to keep it safe."

"She has a good point," said Twilight.

"You all can't be serious!?" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"Something is alive in there, Dashie," replied Bookworm. "If whatever comes out turns out to be something dangerous, it'll be young enough to immobilize and place somewhere out of danger of the town."

"I guess so," Rainbow Dash reluctantly agreed. "How long do you think it'll be before it hatches?"

"Hard to say," replied Twilight. "Given we don't know what kind of egg it is, plus the unknown amount of time it's been down here. Could be literally anytime."

"I'll watch after it for as long as I need to," said Fluttershy. Her friends knew they weren't talking her out of this one.

Author's Note:

Longest chapter in this story yet! I hope you all enjoy!

Comments

[Viper Pit]

nice explanation for the odd pony out

[Starlight Nova]

If the main OCs in this story were voiced, what would they sound like?

[ThatBronyWithTheClipOns]

8671967
I don’t find Golden Orange that odd looking...but ok...

[ThatBronyWithTheClipOns]

8672036
Good question. I’ll have to think about it. The Apple twins won’t really grow up on the farm so I don’t think they’ll have much of an accent.

Bookworm I picture sounding kind of like Double D from Ed, Edd, n Eddy but not as high pitched. Mal like Nathan Fillian in Firefly.