Call of the Mild
CHAPTER ONE: Call of the Mild…
Fluttershy made her way cautiously through the underbrush of the Everfree Forest, as she had done numerous times since she first moved into her home on the far South Eastern edge of Ponyville. Usually, these forays into the untamed wild were to rescue some poor critter that was either injured or orphaned by the harsh lifestyle inherent in the uncontrolled wilderness. Those particular expeditions never went any farther into the woods than absolutely necessary to perform the rescue, and considering the fact that she first had to become aware of the need for a critter to be rescued, generally tended to stay close to the nearby edge of the forest.
On rarer occasions, her reason for daring the depths of the Everfree Forest was to rescue a particular white hen. Elisabeak was the main reason her chicken coop had a surrounding fence in the first place. Normally, she'd simply let such a willful hen roam free, but unlike the other free range chickens in the village, Elisabeak did not have the sense not to wander into the forest. Heck, Elisabeak didn't even have enough sense to stay near the edge of the forest. Or go in straight lines, or follow landmarks…
Fluttershy shook her head clear of the unkind thoughts about Elisabeak, drew a deep breath, and bravely continued to exhibit extreme caution as she crept through the underbrush, following the tracks of her errant hen as they went even deeper into the woods, concern for the missing chicken warring with nervous fear. She did manage to take at least some solace that Elisabeak had gone missing during the day, as the Everfree Forest was even spookier when it was dark out.
Then she finally spotted Elisabeak up ahead, sitting on a grey pony near one of the creeks running through the forest.
"Oh, thank you ever so much for looking out for Elisabeak," the butter yellow Pegasus gushed quietly as she trotted towards the unfamiliar mare. "I do hope that Elisabeak wasn't any trou…ble…"
Stone.
The mare Elisabeak was sitting on was made of stone.
She was really quite lovely, with seemingly caught in mid-motion with an expression that suggested puzzled curiosity. Fluttershy wondered for a moment where the statue had come from, before remembering that the ruins were supposed to be somewhere in this direction.
"Look, Elizabeak," the pale yellow Pegasus said as she gathered up the white chicken in her forelimbs. "This must be a statue commemorating some brave hero or daring explorer of the past, set out to inspire those traveling to visit the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. It's a shame no pony goes there anymore - she must be really lonely now with no pony to encourage…"
O O O
Ranma was only vaguely aware of the world around her for the most part. Her thoughts had been sluggish and confused ever since she encountered the lizard-chicken thing, and she had a really hard time focusing her attention on anything.
She couldn't move for whatever reason, although she wasn't sure whether it was because she was drugged, poisoned, or under yet another curse. She felt really stiff, but not in the painful manner of muscle cramps. Just… rigid and unmoving.
Unblinking too, although that apparently didn't cause any more physical discomfort than anything else did at the moment.
Even Ranma's sense of time was kinda trippy. If nothing was going on around her, the sun seemed to speed across the sky, as did the moon and stars during the night.
The cycle of night and day sped by a few more times, getting faster and faster, and then a blurring, continuous streak that suddenly STOPPED!
...As something landed on her back, clucking like a chicken.
Not too long after that, she heard a gentle voice calling out. "Oh, thank you ever so much for looking out for Elisabeak." It took Ranma a moment to figure out what the voice was saying, as it had been a while since she last spoke English. The next sentence was more clearly understood, if incomplete. "I do hope that Elisabeak wasn't any trou…ble…"
A moment later, a pale yellow midget horse with a long flowing pink mane and tail wandered around Ranma and into her limited field of view. Granted, since her visual focus was centered on where the chicken-lizard had been, the pony was sort of doubled up and overlapped with itself, and the entire image was grainy, as if looking through a gritty filter, but it was better than nothing.
Then the visitor spoke again as she left her field of view and presumably took the chicken off of her back. "Look, Elizabeak, this must be a statue commemorating some brave hero or daring explorer of the past, set out to inspire those traveling to visit the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. It's a shame no pony goes there anymore - she must be really lonely now with no pony to encourage…"
And then the voice was gone, and time seemed to speed up once more…
O O O
Two more days zipped by before Ranma became aware of voices approaching once again. It was nice in a way, even if they didn't seem to realize that she wasn't actually a statue.
"Ooh, she is a beauty, Fluttershy!" a cultured feminine voice sang out. Ranma couldn't quite understand the muffled response, but the other voice did sound the same as the one from a few days ago. She must be a real quiet one, Ranma assumed. A shy type, just like her name implied. The next voice was more rough, but still female in nature.
"So this here's the statue y'all found. Sure looks nice enough. Ah kin see why you'd want t' have it in yer front yard."
"That stance…" the first voice began as the owner started moving around Ranma's unmoving form. "It's as if the sculptor caught her just as she paused to look at something. Such grace and poise, and dare I say confidence?" Ranma could now tell that the speaker was a white midget horse with blue eyes, blue diamond markings on her flanks, a horn on her head, and a styled purple mane and tail. "And that expression! You can just see that she is intrigued by something new and unexpected! Such detail… and yet the artist never etched her cutie mark… This just might be an unfinished masterwork, lost during the move from the old castle."
"Do you really think so, Rarity?" the little horse that Ranma now knew as Fluttershy looked down at the ground and started tracing circles in the dirt with her hooves as her… were those wings? As her wings briefly fluttered nervously. "You don't suppose that they will want it back, do you?"
"Oh, don't you fret now, dear," Rarity assured her friend, "We'll look for an artist's mark once we get it back to your place. If there is one, we'll write a letter to the Chamber of Arts in Canterlot and let them know that we found a lost work. If it does prove to be a lost work of a master sculptor, then I'm sure that the reward for finding it will be enough to commission a picture of it for you to serve in its place."
"Wouldn't they want this here statue, even without a maker's mark?" The owner of the third voice moved into Ranma's field of view, proving herself to be another, slightly larger mini-horse. This one with an orange coat, green eyes, a blonde mane and tail, and a set of three apples depicted on each flank. She was also, for some strange reason, wearing a cowboy hat.
"Possibly, Applejack, but without one there is no proof of origin, and without that could have been made at any time by anypony. If that is the case, then the Royal Historical Society won't touch it, nor would the Chamber of Arts be able to claim it. At the very least, not without having it officially appraised first and then compensating the pony who actually found it for fair value. And that pony is Fluttershy."
"T'aint arguing' that. Ah just wanted to be sure we're on the up an' up is all…"
"I don't want to cause any trouble…"
"Now now, there shouldn't be any trouble at all, but if you are both that worried, then we shall simply check for the artisan's mark before we move it. The most likely places for the mark are the base, if it has one, or if it has no base, then either in or behind an ear, on or under a hoof, or somewhere along the ventral torso."
"The what now?"
"The underside of the main body. Most likely between either the fore or rear legs, although the ears or hooves are more common choices for statues lacking bases."
"Yeah… Why don't we check those areas first. Statue or not, Ah ain't checkin' another filly's nethers if'n Ah don't have to."
"It's unlikely that a mark would have been placed there anyway, but if it makes you that uncomfortable, I'll check that location if there's no mark anywhere else. Now be dears and help me check the hooves to see if any of them are anchored to a base. I don't think they are, given that they line up with the ground so well, but I'd rather not give myself a horn-ache trying to lift it if it happens to be anchored down."
"Oh, yes, of course."
"On it, Sugarcube!"
O O O
Ranma felt vaguely mortified as the three midget horses… or ponies as they seemed to refer to themselves… thoroughly examined her rigid body for a mark that she knew wasn't there for them to find. Not that they weren't making an honest effort to check everywhere else first though, and she appreciated that. In fact, after checking (and digging a little) around her hooves, Ranma had the unique experience of being lifted by nothing, although from what had been said earlier, she suspected that it might have something to do with the glow around Rarity's horn.
Oddly, Ranma felt as if a thick fog was being lifted from her mind, and she realized that she had been experiencing some difficulty even thinking, despite being nominally aware of her situation.
And then she was tilted sideways.
"Quickly now, check the undersides of the hooves. I cannot hold something as heavy as this up indefinitely!"
"Got'cha."
"Okay…"
"Nothin' on these two, 'ceptin' some dirt…"
"I'll just clean that off. Any better?"
"Yeah, but still nothin'."
"There isn't any mark on these hooves either…"
"Then I suppose it falls to me to follow my word and check the last place."
Ranma, now able to feel fully mortified, was righted in mid air and held in place for a moment.
"Well, whoever sculpted her paid an extraordinary amount of attention to detail."
And then Ranma found herself moving toward a cart, which she was gently set down in.
"Ah take it y'found nothin' there either."
"No, I did not. Not that I was really expecting to, considering the sheer amount of attention to detail that was given to the rest of the body. For this level of work, and no base, the mark should have been in or behind one of the ears. But you were right - we had to check."
"Fair'nuff. Mind helpin' me strap 'er down nice 'n' tight like? Be a raht shame t' go through all this trouble just t' have Fluttershy's new statue fall over an' break if'n the cart rolls over a rock or somethin'."
"Here, tell me were you want the ropes to go, and I'll set these pads between the ropes and the statue to prevent accidental wear…"
"Ah'right. Then the first rope should go…"
O O O
Rarity levitated the stone pony out of the cart as Applejack undid the last of the ropes.
"Now, Fluttershy dear, where did you want-"
"Hi there!" Ranma almost dropped to the ground as a bright pink mini-horse with blue eyes, balloon marks on her flanks, and somewhat darker curly mane and tail practically popped up in middle of the group, obviously startling Rarity and Applejack and sending Fluttershy hiding under the cart with a quiet "eep!"
Next thing Ranma knew, the hyper pink bundle of cheerfulness was bouncing around her and occasionally looking her right in the eyes. "Oooh! Who is this supposed to be? Wait, don't tell me… Chip Stoneheart! No, no… I know! Hmmm… Stoneface McBoulderpony? Nah, too silly… Besides, McBoulderpony was a stallion. So was Chip Stoneheart for that matter… Maybe she's Jacky Appleseed! Is she one of your ancestors, Applejack? Wait, was Jacky Appleseed an Apple?"
Before the orange mare could do more than take a closer look at Ranma and begin to open her mouth, Pinkie was racing off at the mouth again. "Oh! Oh! I got it! Mesa the Explorer! No no no! Wrong hairstyle!"
"Pinkie…" Rarity started.
"Marble Livingstone the Third! I wonder what she was the third of?"
"Pinkie…" Rarity tried again.
"Aha! Coral Loft, Ruin Explorer and Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire! Am I right? I'm right, aren't I? She's got the braided mane and everything!"
"Pinkamina Diane Pie!"
"What? Oh… I got carried away again, didn't I?"
"Yeah, y' kin say that again."
"What? Oh… I got carried away again, didn't I?"
Applejack hoof-palmed her face. "Ah walked raht inta that one…"
"Yes… Yes, you did." Rarity replied dryly as she carefully set the statue down on the walkway leading to the front door to Fluttershy's cottage. "Now, let's see… where best to display this marvelous statue…"
"How 'bout near th' bridge, by th' inside of th' bend in th' path? That way she kin greet Fluttershy first thing when she comes home, or give her a raht proper send off as she leaves."
"Or how about over here, next to the outside bend near the front door? That way she can guard the door at night, and greet Fluttershy as soon as she comes outside!"
"Oh my…" Fluttershy responded in quiet indecisiveness. "I'm not sure… Those both sound like wonderful locations…"
"Hmm…" Rarity pondered. "Aesthetics wise, both locations are pretty good. We could always try it in one spot and then move it again later."
"Maht as well plunk 'er raht here then," Applejack concluded, gesturing with her right fore-hoof.
"Okay, if you really thing that's a good spot…" Fluttershy murmured in quiet agreement.
O O O
Ranma was somewhat bemused to find out that she had become a lawn ornament of sorts. While it was kind of frustrating being unable to move, at least she wasn't alone anymore.
A large portion of time still seemed to zip by, with nights and a good chunk of each day flashing by in moments as far as her hazy awareness could register the world around her. She couldn't even think clearly during those periods, barely forming even a single coherent thought before the next time somepony interacted with her.
In most cases, this pony was Fluttershy.
Each day, after Fluttershy took care of her animal friends (some of which, such as the bear, came as a big surprise to the petrified pony), the shy pony would check to see if she needed cleaning and tell her a bit about herself, or what her hopes and dreams were before heading out for the day, and then tell her about the day after taking care of her animal friends again once she returned to her home.
Ranma came to know Fluttershy rather well. For one, she was very kindhearted, if more than a little shy. She was also very fond of all sorts of animals, relating to them better than she did with most other ponies, who tended to intimidate her whether they meant to or not. She seemed to only have a few friends who came over with any sort of frequency, such as the elegant Rarity and a brash blue mare with a rainbow mane named (oddly enough) Rainbow Dash. Both of whose visits apparently having the admirable goal of getting Fluttershy out of her house more. Other ponies she had more or less friendly working relationships with, such as Dr. Pawheart the veterinarian, and the Apples.
According to various conversations Ranma overheard, Fluttershy had ongoing issues with anxiety, and there were all too many days when she was even afraid of her own shadow. Still, more often than not, she just came across as shy and a bit timid, and even on her worse days, she made sure to take care of her beloved animals and tried to spend some time with Ranma.
It was odd, Ranma decided, to be somepony's inspiration when she couldn't do anything herself. Odd, and yet strangely fulfilling, even if the support she gave the timid yellow Pegasus was largely indirect.
Another pony Ranma became somewhat familiar with was Ditzy Doo, the mail pony. Mostly because the grey Pegasus with yellow eyes, mane, and tail occasionally flew into her while delivering a package of birdseed or animal feed for Fluttershy. The cross-eyed mare would always get back up, apologize for bumping into her, and then start babbling for a few moments before becoming aware that she was talking to a statue.
The first few times Ditzy Doo did this, she ended up giggling awkwardly, apologizing again before laughing at herself and then going on her way. After that, apparently having heard somewhere that Fluttershy spoke to the statue in her yard for inspiration, she started doing so herself deliberately whenever she came by. Never staying long, but always saying something either about herself, her daughter (Dinky Doo - a unicorn filly), how her day was going, what plans she might have, and on rare occasion, her troubles as well.
No, not many ponies came to this sparsely populated neighborhood on the Southeast corner of Ponyville, and other than those few times whenever Rarity came by and did whatever it was her horn did to clean her off, Ranma's thoughts remained cloudy and muddled most of the time. While not exactly happy with her situation, Ranma had difficulty bringing herself to be more than sort of frustrated about it either.
The snows came and went twice, and had returned again by the time the next big event in what passed as Ranma's life happened.
The winter had apparently been unusually harsh this year, in part due to the wild weather resonating from the Everfree Forest. Most of Fluttershy's animal friends were now hibernating or otherwise gone until spring returned, and the shy pony was all bundled up muzzle to tail as she tried to clear the path from the cottage door to the nearby road.
The winter was apparently very bad in the forest itself this year, as fear spiked in Ranma's stone heart.
The bat-cat had had become hungry enough to leave its territory in the woods in hopes of better hunting.
If Fluttershy spotted it now, she'd be able to make it to the safety of her cottage in time.
But the bundled up Pegasus couldn't hear it as she continued to shovel the path clear.
Maybe it wouldn't notice her friend...
Fear became terror as the bat-cat paused and looked towards Ranma, and therefore Fluttershy as well.
Ranma tried in vain to warn her friend somehow. ‘Fluttershy, run! Run now! Get to the cottage! Get to safety!’
But, of course, her voice didn't work.
Terror mounted as the bat-cat silently stalked closer…
*crrk* a hairline crack formed along the left foreleg of the stone pony.
Terror mixed with anger as Ranma realized that her friend's life was in danger and there…
…was…
*crk-crack* a stone chip fell from Ranma's right shoulder. Anger became rage as the hungry beast drew ever closer.
…absolutely nothing…
*crack-crrk-crumble* cracks rapidly spread all across the petrified pony. Rage became helpless fury as death stalked the kindest, gentlest being Ranma ever knew.
…she could do about it!
*KA-BOOOOM!* Stone shards and granite dust flew everywhere as a shadowy silhouette crouched menacingly within and hissed territorially.
Little Mother was in danger. The intruder had to either be driven off…
…or die.
Twin roars echoed over Ponyville as Ranma and the manticore leapt at each other with death in their eyes…
END CHAPTER ONE...
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This is really good for a rainmaker crossover. I have high hopes for this
Good luck!
I am loving this!
Please keep going!
Ah, cool. A ranma 1/3 crossover. haven't seen one of these before. Will read later
3860682
Rainmaker? Im pretty sure it's a Ranma 1/2 cross over
3860751 I was pretty sure I was writing a Ranma 1/2 crossover too. I just don't know what went wrong...
3860802
I know right? I mean, even from the title, and the art, and the name, makes it pretty damn obvious. Besides, If it was anything other than a Ranma crossover, then I'd have to say that you didn't credit the right people. Also No idea what rainmaker is. I will look it up in a min.
I like this. I look forward to future chapters.
I bet on Ranma hooves down.
When Ranma is protecting someone Ranma never looses! 
Considering how long Ranma has been affected by the poison joke I cannot help but wonder if it is permanent.
I mean that long of a time frame plus the whole lawn ornament thing....
At the very least I would expect the normal cure to be ineffectual.
I don't expect an answer of course
just brainstorming
Obviously, because a manticore is only, like, a third feline, then Ranma should only be a third as scared as normal. That's how it works, right?
Little Mother, huh?
Well, we know who Ranma will be going to to snap him out of Cat Fist Madness!
So he was trapped for at least three years?
Also I liked Fluttershy's nickname, little mother is very fitting.
Good work.
I love this story so far, but here's a bug i caught "This one with an orange coat, blue eyes, a blonde mane and tail" when AJ wanders into Rama field of vision, she have Green eyes after all
6923462
I had thought I caught all instances of Applejack's blue eyed imposter.
Fixed!
All Applejacks now have plaid eyes! Exactly like they should!
Pinky! Stop "helping!"
Dame.... That was an even better chapter than last one. You are good. I tip my hat to you good sir.
Wow. This whole thing was executed perfectly. It still feels like a story, but the most "real" story I've seen in a long time.
Of course, there are other stories that remain my favorite. I'm just describing a quality I find rare, and valuable.