Chapter 4
Fluttershy was still staring in shock at the place where Cres had been standing less than a second before. He was... so fast, the only one faster that she’d ever seen was Rainbow Dash. Twilight was frowning while Applejack gritted her teeth.
“Gosh darnit,” she muttered with a hard edge.
“He moves very fast,” Twilight said as she produced a letter and a quil. “I’m going to write to Celestia and ask her what she thinks we should do.”
“But I thought that Spike and Rarity left to go gem hunting once we left the spa.” Fluttershy replied with a frown.
“Oh, he did. But since I became a Princess I’ve had access to the Royal Message Service Spell.” Twilight answered as she began to write. “It’s very convenient.”
“Well, while you’re working on that, I’m going out to find the little varmint,” Applejack said, making her way out through the door.
“Applejack, wait for me,” Fluttershy said as she walked quickly after the other mare. “I’m coming with you.”
The orange mare glanced at Fluttershy for a moment and nodded her head. “Alright... might as well let you tag along. Going to need your ability to speak to him once... or if I find him.”
“Oh, I hope we do. I don’t want any more of the woodland critters to be killed,” Fluttershy said with a worried expression. “What should we do when we do find him? What if he won’t listen to us again?”
“Then we need to find some way to capture him,” Applejack replied.
“But... he already cut your lasso,” Fluttershy said with a frown.
“Which is why I said we need to find some way to capture him,” the earth pony restated.
“Any ideas?” the pegasus asked. “Ways that wouldn’t hurt him too badly?”
“A few...” Applejack murmured. “Think a pit will hold him?”
“Maybe,” Fluttershy replied. “Though judging by his body type and the leap that he showed us earlier when he escaped, he is very good at jumping,” she added.
“Then we either dig a deep pit, making some sort of cover to block the top, or come up with something else,” AJ replied.
“Alright... I can see that,” Fluttershy agreed. “Do you have any sort of cover like that in the barn?”
“I got lot of spare wood for making fences,” the mare replied with a small pondering frown. “I could makeshift a cover for our pit.”
“Okay,” Fluttershy said. “Let’s go over to the farm and see if your brother will help us dig the pit.”
Applejack nodded her head. “Good thinking there Fluttershy.” Fluttershy smiled under the praise and together they set off towards Sweet Apple Acres.
I sat in the shadows of a large tree, my head between my forelegs. I would not give up, I had decided that much. I would not be abandoned on this world without my Belle. I would find the absolution I was seeking. I was sure of it. I had simply run into several... stumbling blocks.
All around me the forest breathed, the wind flowed through the trees, the Pokemon-like birds who were not Pokemon tweeted and I heard the distinctive pop and crackle of bug Pokemon in the background. Of course, they were not really bug Pokemon; I had seen several already and they were much too small. Several had even tried to suck my blood, or at least I imagine that’s what they were trying to do, yet they could not penetrate my skin nor my fur.
Still, the nuisances had remained, buzzing about me until I had sought out the shelter provided by the old evergreen. I suppose that even on an alien world, the hearty evergreen remained strong. A small sigh escaped from my lips as I remembered one particular evergreen in my mind’s eye.
I sat curled up against its trunk, a hand running down my back, hitting just the right spots to make me sigh in relaxation, my tail jumping right and then left.
I shook my head, now was not the time to remember that memory. No time was a good time. Yet despite that, everywhere I went, I sought out the familiar trunk of an evergreen to lean against. My nest on Mt. Coronet had been beneath one and throughout my travels I had left many empty depressions beneath pine boughs.
In my head I could already here Belle gently ribbing me. You just spent ten minutes thinking about pine trees, Cres. You need a hobby. she’d tell me before giving me a small nuzzle. My eyes shut and I began to doze off lightly, strangely secure beneath my green guardian.
Unfortunately, I did not have long to sleep as a new presence entered into the small clearing. The sound of pine needles crinkling softly woke me and I looked up to find that the... Blitzle-like creature from before had entered the clearing. I tensed, yet she seemed not to hear me, instead simply going about her business and collecting needles from the trees along with sap.
There have been many times I have thanked my Dark typing. For example, I believe it is one of the only reasons why a Pokémon with a nearly entirely white body can sit in darkness and not give away his presence.
At least, until the Blitzle came to my tree and gave me a smile.
“Well hello there again,” she said in a friendly tone. “It is nice to see you once more in my domain.”
I frowned at her but then shrugged and nodded back, it wasn’t like I understood what she was saying.
She looked over me with a shrewd eye for a moment, taking in the slight sheen of sweat that I had yet to fully remove from my fur in my flight from the town along with the burrs and small twigs caught in my ruff.
“Though I must say, you appear to have run afoul of those who would rather ruin your day.” she added in a sympathetic voice. I let out a huff and turned my head away from her, not in the mood to listen to some Blitzle pretender’s babble. I spent several minutes looking away before I finally looked back and found that she had taken a seat beside me in the needles.
“There is no need for such rudeness,” she told me, her tone staying friendly. “I hope you’re not offended by my boldness.”
“I can’t understand what you’re saying,” I told her sourly. “Even with this necklace,” I added while using a claw to hold it up for her to see.
The Blitzle frowned down at the necklace for a moment before her eyes widened slightly.
“Ah, you saw my good friend Twilight.” she stated with a smile. “I take it that your visit was ended with your wild flight?”
I shrugged and let the necklace fall once more before settling my head once more between my front paws.
“I see,” she said with a small nod. “I suppose that is why you are huddled beneath this tree.”
I gave her a flat look; I was growing irritated by her constant talking. To my surprise, this just caused her to chuckle.
“I talk too much, do I?” she inquired. Now that I listened, there was something smooth about the way she spoke. I turned my head up to look at her, looking into her dark cyan eyes with my own red ones. “You need not hide it, for it is clear on your face.” She got to her hooves, but not before she reached over to gently stroke my back fur causing me to tense for a moment before she withdrew it. “Well, I will be on my way; have a pleasant day.” she told me before she left the clearing.
For a moment, just a moment, I felt a familiar sense of peace settle over my mind and I shut my eyes once more.
I awoke once more, several hours later judging by the position of the sun through the trees and let out a yawn. My stomach gurgled - I was hungry, so it was time to hunt. I began to go through my routine stretches, and in a short time, I felt limber enough to move at top speed once again. Then, I took the time to groom myself, doing an extensive job until my fur and ruff were spotless once more.
My paws walked silently through the forest, my head on a constant swivel for the sound of prey. Off in the distance I heard something strange.
“Oh Cres, do please come out,” Fluttershy’s voice called. “I’m not mad at you.”
I frowned, did she take me for a fool to believe her so easily?
Still, I was curious, and she was the only one here who could understand me... aside from the Blitzle, who I was beginning to suspect knew a little more than she was letting on. So, cautiously, I walked towards her voice and found Fluttershy standing near the edge of the forest.
I walked out of the eaves of the forest and strode carefully towards her. “Fluttershy?” I asked carefully as I scanned the surroundings. “Why are you standing out here?”
“Well, I couldn’t just let you go out into Everfree by yourself,” she said with a soft smile. “It dangerous.”
My right eyebrow rose. “I have had little trouble so far. Aside from several wooden Mightyena who I sent running,” I told her with a slight shrug.
“Wooden Mightyena? You mean timberwolves?” She asked me, concern in her eyes.
“Is that what they’re called?” I asked her, frowning slightly. “Well, regardless, I taught them who was stronger and I have not been troubled by them since.”
“I... um, I see,” Fluttershy replied. “So, about what we were talking about before you... fled...”
“I simply removed myself from the room before I was forced to defend myself,” I told her neutrally. “Should I be attacked, then I am well within my rights as a free Pokémon to defend myself with lethal force.”
“Oh-oh my!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “But Applejack wouldn’t have tried to hurt you that badly!”
“Strangely, I don’t believe you,” I replied with a small shrug. “However, if I am to fulfil my purpose here and return to my beloved Belle then I must find a way to manage.”
“So... you won’t hunt any more of the woodland critters?” she asked, a note of hope in her voice.
“I never said that,” I told her. “I will only hunt those who are weak or overly fat, thus removing them from the food chain.”
The note of hope I’d heard in her voice died. “Oh... I see...” she said despondently.
“No, I do not think you do,” I said, a faintly annoyed tone in my voice. “I have to have fresh meat at least twice a day. Otherwise I will become sick. My winter atop Mt. Coronet would have ended with my death if not for contributions from a friendly human who had camped nearby.”
I shook my head pointedly.
“That is not something I ever wish to repeat,” I continued with a harsh glare directed full force at Fluttershy. “So no, I will not give up my fresh meat and I will continue to hunt any creature not specifically owned by someone.”
“Oh... alright,” Fluttershy said with a depressed expression.
“I’m guessing he won’t corporate?” Applejack’s voice spoke from behind me. I tensed; how had she gotten behind me without my knowing? Had I truly allowed my memory of that winter to cloud my senses so?
“No, he doesn’t want to,” Fluttershy said sadly.
“Figures,” the orange mare said with a bit of snort. “Time for plan B.” she said while I heard one of her hooves prodding into the dirt.
I didn’t know the meaning behind the words, but I had spent enough time beside a Rapidash to know what that sound meant. She was going to charge me. So instead of giving her the luxury, I moved first. I took off at a sprint and leapt over Fluttershy. However... when I landed, the dirt gave way and opened into a deep pit.
A shout of surprise rang out from my throat and I was halfway down the pit before I managed to dig my claws into the dirt lined sides and slowed my descent. I arrived at the bottom, roughly ten feet down. The pit itself was maybe six feet wide and as caught my breath I saw that it was a recent addition to the scenery. Before I could do anything, the light overhead was cut off slightly as a gridded wooden grate slammed into place.
“Yeehaw, it worked!” Applejack shouted in celebration.
“Are you okay down there?” Fluttershy called. “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”
I chose not to answer. Instead I eyed the pit and took a deep breath. Then, with practiced movements, I bunched my legs and launched myself at the nearest wall. With graceful agility, I bounced myself from one wall to the other until I reached the grate and heaved myself against it. It budged, but held its ground as it was definitely being weighted down by something.
“Nice try, but there’s not way in Tartarus you’re getting out this pit,” Applejack smugly said. “Not even a Timberwolf can break out of this ‘iron prison’.”
I frowned for a moment before muttering. “It felt like it was made of wood to me,” I murmured. “Fluttershy, do step away from the edge.”
“Please Cres, we just want to help you.” she called down to me.
“And I’m attempting to make sure that you are not hurt,” I replied. “Applejack is welcome to stand directly in the center though.”
“What do you-”
I stopped listening and instead took a deep inhale before pointing my mouth directly at the center of the trap’s door, seeing the outline of a rancher’s hat blotting out the sun slightly.
Then with a great exhale a column of fire leapt from my mouth going straight up. It burned through wood in a matter of seconds, including the front rim of the hat, and I followed it a moment later. I launched myself out of the pit, stopping just long enough to see a look of shock on Fluttershy’s face and a mix look of panic and anger as Applejack tried to put the fire out on her hat.
I was off, but not before I darted past Applejack and slashed my blade lightly down her back, just deep enough to draw blood. I was in the forest a moment later and back in my pine grove not long after that.
Applejack’s eyes widened and a grunted wince passed through gritted teeth as pain rippled across her back. Her body stiffened as she felt blood rolling down her neck and the upper half of her back.
“Ponyfeathers,” she growled in a hard edged tone as her eyes narrowed into the forest. “That vermin just crossed the line.”
“Oh, my goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed as she ran up to Applejack. “Are you okay? You’re bleeding!”
“You don’t say,” the orange earth pony said as she began to take in deep breaths.
“Don’t move,” Fluttershy said sternly before she walked around to Applejack’s side and began to examine the wound. “Oh good. It’s very shallow. He barely broke the skin,” she informed her. “You’ll be fine, though I would suggest you get it washed out.”
“I will... not my first time getting all scratched up,” she murmured. “Still... he’s more dangerous than we thought...” she said with a deep frown.
“I know... how does he breathe fire?” Fluttershy asked with a frown of her own. “His body doesn’t look to have natural fire bladders like a dragon’s does.”
“How in Equestria should I know?” Applejack stated. “Though I do know we definitely need more help in capturing him... I hope Princess Celestia’s reply came back.”
“Yes... so do I,” Fluttershy said softly with a sigh. “The poor thing, he’s just so confused.”
“I doubt it,” the earth pony muttered. “Else you think he’d actually listen to you.”
“I guess so,” Fluttershy murmured. “Though... I know he’s not crazy... otherwise you and I wouldn’t be talking,” she whispered soberly, looking into Applejack’s eyes. “At the very least, he could have cut through your spinal cord if not somewhere worse. You’re only alive because he didn’t want to kill you.”
The orange mare remained quiet, before letting out a small snort. “You’ll head back to Twilight, I’ll head back home and get this patched up,” she said, gesturing her head to her back. “I’ll meet you in Library, once I’m done.”
“Alright,” Fluttershy said with a small nod. “Be careful not to strain yourself, Applejack,” she added, giving her friend a soft nuzzle.
“I won’t,” Applejack replied with a short nod before picking her scorched hat up, placing it on her head, and began to head back home at a slow, but methodical trot.
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Go absol!
... I wonder if apricorns grow in alternate universes?
That rubs me the wrong way
Awesome.
3959953
crap, that was from the first draft... forgot about that one, one moment
Jesse and James's uniforms, not the total black one.
Wait until they see that absol can use lighting and ice attacks
This is a great story so far! Can't wait for more.
Wait till he uses Sucker Punch or Psycho Cut on the ponies...
You'd think that after AJ got hurt, Fluttershy would put her hoof down and say no more trying to catch him.
Also, Fluttershy would try to get Absol to follow her so she could explain while showing him landmarks. "From this tree, to this rock, to this stream and my cottage, to this road, is a safe zone I've set up so creatures can come for medical assistance and care. Because of this, I've are arranged with the other predators in the area to avoid hunting in this area. You have the rest of the forest to find prey in, so could you please agree to leave creatures in this area alone?"
3960052 That actually would be how Fluttershy would do it.
Did she try the stare at all?
3960052
Well I wish I'd thought of that *sigh* oh well. Wasted opportunity.
3960119
She tried when they first met but (it being told from Cres's POV so he didn't understand the significance of it) and it didn't work because of his Dark typing.
i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/429/926/0e9.png
–with Jesse's hair.
You'd think that Fluttershy might be okay with him only killing the weak, thus making the species as a whole stronger, like how it actually works in nature. However, I think we've already seen enough of this 'Shy to know that she's not exactly logical in regards to nature.
Is it wrong that I laughed when he said that AJ was welcome to stand right in the middle of the cover?
Write on,
Legion
The ponies seem to be acting a bit thick... maybe Zecora can remind them about why being a bigot is a bad idea?
3960042 How about Perish Song if he was to ever face one of the princesses?
It would KO him as well but at least he'll be able to say "hey, I took down one of your almighty Rapidash! What's next?".
or mega evolution, as unlikely as that may be. Absol so strong. o.o
3959971
Oh, so it is a forgotten concept? Glad to hear that, it was such a red flag. That I chose to continue without comments shows how good of shape this story starts taking.
As for this
3960134
I assume you have too much planned ahead to change it? It would be so much better. Oh well, if you call it wasted... though you could try and incorporate that talk about a safe zone after they finally decide to approach him as a fellow sapient, not as a rabid animal. That would be the best way to accomplish things.
3960634
Actually yeah, that is a part of a later chapter now that you mention it so it's not quite wasted.
3960666
Yay update!
Boo Fluttershy's lack of intelligence.
So he knows flamethrower. Huh...
If only pokemon could mega-evolve without a trainers help. It would be great to see Cres mega-evolve at some point, if only to spite flutteryshy with his enhanced stats. I mean seriously, fluttershy is an idiot in this story. How long does it take to explain that the no-hunting zone doesn't extend to the entire forest? Right now Cres probably thinks that fluttershy doesn't want him hunting anywhere in the forest, which is why he's just ignoring her.
3959976
Prepare for harmony!
Make it... uh... what the heck rhymes with harmony?
I suck at rhyming
It is not within reason
for me to perform
Something tells me this is about to devolve into a roadrunner/coyote cartoon. Great chapter, keep goin and stay golden^^
are you going by game rules of only 4 moves? or does he have more? you could list them if you want to, if not... well it'll be a very good surprise.
3961765
you fail at rhyming?
you bring shame to family
commit seppuku
3959953 Tell me about it.
3959971 err I actually liked that line and hoped it would be explored
Absol is best pony... Rapidash?
I wonder is Cres will come across Absolite. MEGA EVOLUTIONS HO!
Well Applejack, it seems that you are *puts on sunglasses* ABSOLutely CUT up. YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAH!
3959953 Make that two of us.
3960170 Are you saying that "the stare" is a psychic move? Yeah, I can see that.
IT'S SUPER EFFECTIVE!
Fluttershy, use stare!
very nice
3963061
If only you had managed to use the stereotypical "r" in place of the "l" voice. I would be gasping for air instead of rolling on the floor. It still made me laugh at least,
I do love this story. Truly, I do. Absol is my favorite pokemon. I just dont like how you are portraying Applejack, my fave pony. I feel as if she is out of character.
I do love this story. Truly, I do. Absol is my favorite pokemon. I just dont like how you are portraying Applejack, my fave pony. I feel as if she is out of character.
3966785
She would be... but ther is a reason behind it. That will be explored more later.
3964799 *claps at pun*
3966920
Great story so far. My only gripe with it is instead of "Prench" you should have it as whatever the pony version of Japanese is. (I think it's Neghponese? ... Neighponese?) You know... 'cause pokemon is a Japanese anime... but it's really just a minor thing...
3968080
I'm pretty sure, because I can't remember if the story says it or not, that Cres is from the Kalos region and that region was based on France. So it makes perfect sense that he would have the pony version of a French accent instead of a Japanese accent.
Ok as long as shes not being a bitch for the sake of being a bitch
3968444
The fuck is the Kalos Region?
3968494
It's the region in Pokemon X and Y
Woo yeah Absol!
applejack Absol is called the pokemon of natural disasters for a reason. cause he made a natural disaster to your face
James: Sixteen years of experience have taught me that a pit trap never works, I would suggest trying something else.
3961765
Larceny does!
It doesn't really go with "And make it ___", but it fits pretty much everything else about Team Rocket.
Honestly, the one thing that kind of rubs me the wrong way about this anime is Fluttershy, of all ponies I would think that she completely understands that EVERY animal needs to eat, no matter what kind, because at least from what T am seeing she is pretty much asking Cres to starve and die because she doesn't want any animals under 'her domain' to be eaten. . . That or I am misinterpreting the situation.
3961765
Applejack
Prepare for trouble
Rainow Dash
Make it double
Applejack
To protect the world from discorstaion
Rainbow Dash
To unite harmony to each nation
Applejack
To lasso evil and use the power of love
Rainbow Dash
To extend our reach to Luna's stars above
Applejack
Apples!
Rainbow Dash
Rainbow!
Applejack
Team Equestria, Bucking at the speed of sound
Rainbow Dash
Get in the pit, or prepare fight
Wionna
WOOF WOOF
4084673 I see that you make a fair point, and I also believe that the story is meaning that she wants to provide a safe sanctuary around her home where animals need not fear being eaten. It's not that she is telling him not to eat meat, just to do it further from her home so that the creatures she is taking care of aren't scared of dying just after recovering from injury or sickness