Opening Up

by Dizzy Daze

Chapter Two

Rarity trotted along the road towards Sweet Apple Acres. Her father had asked her, from behind his newspaper, to go find Sweetie Belle and inform her that she was grounded and was ordered to come home at once. Also, she was banned from using scissors until she was thirty seven. Rarity didn’t try to understand her family sometimes.

The sound of howling suddenly burst from the Everfree Forest along the border of the farm. Rarity smiled. That meant Zap Apples were coming in a few days! She couldn’t wait; her stash from last year was almost out. She always bought just enough jam to last through the entire year. It was just too good to go without for even a week.

Applejack was working the fields just inside the gates to the farm. "Applejack, darling," Rarity called. "Do you happen to know where I might find our sisters?"

Applejack cocked her head in the direction of the clubhouse, then shimmied out of her harness and trotted over to her friend. "Ah think Ah hear them comin' this way now. Sounds like they got some grand new idea for their crusadin'."

As the two mares waited for the fillies' hoofsteps to catch up, Rarity turned her thoughts back to the prospect of jam. "So, Applejack, am I to assume that you can put a few jars of jam aside for one of your very best friends?" She fluttered her eyelashes at the farm pony.

Applejack snorted. "What the hay are you talking about, girl?"

Rarity faltered. "The Zap apples," she explained. "I believe it is that time of year, and the timberwolves are howling today. That is the first sign, is it not?"

Applejack chortled. "Nah, that ain't for another week. Them timberwolves probably got themselves worked up over something else. Happens all the time."

Before Rarity could save face, she was interrupted by a bunny latching himself onto her forehoof. The Cutie Mark Crusaders followed closely behind, panting. Sweetie Belle glared at Angel. "That little cretin made us run all the way here. Did you need us for something?"

Rarity glanced at the bunny in confusion. "Well, yes, but I cannot fathom how Angel knew to bring you here. Sweetie Belle, you're grounded. Don't ask why, as I'm not too sure myself. Father wants you to come home."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders whined in protest. "Aww," Scootaloo complained. "We were going to be Cutie Mark Crusader Necromancers next."

Applejack lifted an eyebrow at her sister. "We were just gonna try one'a the dead trees," Apple Bloom explained hastily. "Nothin' illegal, promise."

Throughout the whole discussion, Angel was tapping his tiny foot against Rarity's leg. Finally frustrated with the little rodent, she snapped, "What do you want?"

He pointed towards the forest, and on cue, a faint scream rose from the treetops. Rarity blanched. "Is F-fluttershy... Is she in there?" she stammered.

Applejack's face drained of color. "She was goin' to bring back that little wolf pup'a hers today, wasn't she?"

The bunny nodded. He jumped off of Rarity's leg and began trying to herd everypony into the forest. Applejack delicately stepped over him and took charge.

"Alright, here's the deal. Scootaloo, I need you to go get Granny from the house. Apple Bloom, can you go out in the fields and get Big Mac? Rarity, can you get Twilight? We'll meet back here in ten minutes."

"What about me?" Sweetie Belle whined.

"You are grounded, young filly," Rarity reminded her. Her sister began to protest but was cut off by a raised hoof. "That means no wild adventures. Now, I'll walk to town with you, but you must go home." Sweetie Belle huffed and grumbled, but obeyed her sister.

The ponies all ran off in various directions, leaving Applejack and Angel behind. The farm pony turned to him and sighed. "Ah hope we can pull this off." Angel huddled against her foreleg, ears back, as if to say, Me too.

---

Nine and a half minutes later, Rarity and Twilight came sprinting past the farm's gates. Assembled in a rough circle were the Apple family and Angel Bunny. "Where's Scootaloo?" Rarity gasped, both from panic and exertion. "You didn't let her go in alone, did you?"

Applejack waved her off with a hoof. "Ah sent her to go get Rainbow Dash and go home. Don't need the little ones gettin' mixed up more'n they need to."

Apple Bloom opened her mouth to protest being called little, then considered the situation and thought better of it.

Applejack continued. "Now, Ah'm gonna head into the forest with Angel. We'll search the west side. Big Mac, you'll take east."

The stallion nodded. "Eeyup."

Applejack straightened her hat nervously. "Twilight, before we go, is there anything you know about timberwolves that we should know about?"

The alicorn considered this for a moment. "Watch out for their teeth. They're extremely sharp, but that's not the worst of it. They excrete a poisonous sap that can leave you incapacitated for weeks. It's a slight sedative, as well."

Brother and sister looked at each other in concern. Big Mac spoke up. "Is there an antidote?"

Twilight looked down at Apple Bloom, who blushed. "Well, actually, that's one of the things your sister's been working on during Twilight Time."

Apple Bloom looked at her hooves. "It's not done yet, though. Ah cain't get it right. Maybe if Twilight could help me..." She trailed off.

Twilight nodded and readied her horn. "I'll get her things and be right back," she promised, before disappearing in a flash of light.

Granny Smith offered her hoof in the air. "What can Ah do?" She stood straight, ready to help as best as her old bones would allow.

Applejack turned to the old mare. "Granny, you've dealt with invasions before, haven't you?" she asked. "Ah need you to get ready for us when we bring Fluttershy back. She's probably gonna be hurt. Get doctors, medicine, whatever ya need. Can you do that?"

Rarity stepped from the shadows, almost forgotten. "I suppose I am to help her?"

AJ shook her head. "Ah need you to let Rainbow Dash know we've already left when she comes. Tell her to fly over the forest. We could do with an overhead search."

Rarity nodded and sat down daintily in the grass. As their hastily assembled crew set to their tasks, Applejack looked at her big brother. "You be careful now, you hear?" she whispered to him.

He smiled reassuringly at her. "We'll be fine. Just keep your head on you and holler when you find her."

With that, the two Apples took a deep breath and plunged into the forest.

---

Fluttershy was so tired. Her hooves were sore and bleeding, her wings torn and bitten, and a trail of downy feathers and blood followed her as she ran, then limped away from the wolves. As the last of the howls faded away, she collapsed to the ground, all energy gone. She shivered as she lay on the ground, breathing shallowly. Against all odds, her mane had stayed pulled back in the little ribbon, its cheerful color deceptive against the dark forest. She slowly raised a hoof and untied it, her hair tumbling out and covering her like a blanket.

She coughed weakly and tried to drag herself forward by her front hooves, but she was just too tired. Suddenly, a rustling sounded from her left, and a twig snapped. She froze. They had found her again.

Too tired to fight, Fluttershy simply lay there, accepting her fate. The bushes parted, and her breathing slowed, her vision becoming blurry. Maybe she could make herself pass out. Then she would be able to drift off slowly, rather than being ripped suddenly from life while she was awake.

But wait, those weren't the slow, measured steps of a beast stalking his prey, nor the howling, snarling mob of a hunting party. They were... hoofsteps? Fluttershy raised her head a fraction of an inch, but she couldn't see much past the fallen branch that was scarcely a foot from her face. She cried out in a thin voice, "Help me, please."

The hoofsteps came closer, until they were right next to her. She lifted her head to greet her savior, but the movement was too much. She caught sight of a pair of concerned green eyes. A voice called out, but the words came to her as though muffled through fabric, and she couldn't make them out. Then, her world faded into black.

Author's Note:

Thanks to not the real VAV for proofreading this chapter!

Comments

[BobtheLurker]

aha, nice cliffhanger. We don't know which pair of green eyes it could be!

[TwilightFox]

hmmm....

not the real VAV proofread this chapter.... and a recent chapter of his fic included Mac having a nightmare where Shy was killed by Timberwolves..... coincidence?

Probably....

[Dizzy Daze]

4298522
I haven't actually gotten to that chapter yet, so yeah, coincidence!