Lets Start with a Simple Solution
One Pony’s Peculiar Predicament
by Zeg
Chapter II – Lets Start with a Simple Solution
While heading home, Fluttershy considered her options for finding a fix for her little apple problem. Unfortunately, the quick and easy solution of simply not eating any more probably wasn’t going to happen. The urge to feed on the ripe, red fruits had already reached a point that was obviously beyond control, but the devastation of Applejack’s orchards needed to stop, and soon. She could think of only one way to make sure she didn’t end up hanging out in one of Applejack’s apple trees again.
Buy some apples.
If she couldn’t stop the cravings, she could at the very least make sure she didn’t leave her own home when they struck. After stopping by her home just long enough to gather her saddlebags, she left to make her way to Ponyville’s open market. One could find all sorts of items to haggle over at the various waggon stalls at the open market, but Fluttershy had one particular item from one particular stall in mind. She made a beeline through Market Square toward the Sweet Apple Acres stall, arriving just as Big Macintosh was finishing up a sale with another customer. He smiled and gave her a friendly nod when he noticed her approaching.
“Mornin’, Miss Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy put on a bright smile as she stopped next to the stall. “Good Morning, Big Macintosh.”
Big Macintosh walked around to the side of his stall, leaning his shoulder lightly against it. “Can I help you with anything?”
Fluttershy’s eyes flicked toward the veritable bounty of apples that were loaded up in the wicker baskets sitting on and around the stall. “A-actually, I was looking for some apples.”
“Well, we got plenty of those,” Big Macintosh said, quickly nodding his head to the side. “How many are you needin’?”
“I think... two... maybe...,” Fluttershy said slowly, staring wide eyed at all of the apples before her.
“Just two?”
“Bushels!” Fluttershy quickly said, causing Big Macintosh to flinch. She stood there with a rigid smile on her muzzle for a few seconds before clearing her throat. “Uh, two bushels. That isn’t too much, is it?”
“Not at all. I was just a little surprised.” Big Macintosh got to work, quickly gathering together two bushel baskets full of apples and tying them together by their handles with a piece of rope. As he was finishing up, he glanced to the side at Fluttershy, slowly raising an eyebrow when he noticed her intense stare aimed at the apples. “Not that it’s any of my business but, uh, you take in some critters that like apples?”
“Huh?” Fluttershy asked, shaking her head as if she’d just come out of a daze.
“Oh, I thought maybe these were for some of the animals you’re takin’ care of.”
“Oh, um... no,” she said. She sat back and opened the flap on her saddle bag, putting both of her forehooves inside to root around for something. She finally came back up with a pouch of full of bits. “I just really like them,” she said shyly as she offered the pouch to Big Macintosh, which he accepted with a thankful nod and quickly stashed away in a small wooden chest.
“Sorry for pryin’. You gonna need some help gettin’ this back home?” he asked as he turned back to her.
“Uh,” Fluttershy said as she stared at the bushels with her mouth hanging slightly agape. She sucked in a quick breath as her mouth snapped shut, barely stopping the drool before it escaped from the corner of her mouth. “I’m sorry, what?”
Big Macintosh stared at her, his eyes slowly blinking once. “I was askin’ if you’d like some help.”
“Oh, no, I’m fine.” Fluttershy scampered over to the bushels, ducking under the handles that had been tied together until they were settled across her shoulders. She pushed herself up with her hooves, managing to slowly lift the bushels off the ground. Big Macintosh quickly reached a forehoof out to steady her when she wobbled to the side.
“You sure?” he asked as he cautiously drew his hoof back. “It really wouldn’t be a problem—”
“It’s fine. I’m fine,” Fluttershy said quickly, her whispery voice straining as she took a few slow, shaky steps away from the stall.
Big Macintosh furrowed his brow and drew his mouth up into a small thin line as he watched Fluttershy struggle with hauling the bushels away. He scrunched his muzzle sideways and let a quiet huff escape from himself before saying, “Well, alright. Just holler if you change your mind.”
Fluttershy very quickly found that two bushel baskets mounded full of Sweet Apple Acres apples was a bit more than what she was used to lifting on her own. She had only made it a few minutes down the street when she found that she had to stop for a break. She knelt and laid down just off the street, finding a soft patch of grass there to rest on, and let out a long sigh as she relaxed and wiped a foreleg across her brow.
Her eyes drifted to one of the baskets sitting at her side. She stared at the mound of apples and how the sunlight glinted off of their shiny red peels. A cool breeze blew across her, and she couldn’t help but breathe in deeply as she caught the fresh apple scent that it carried. Her eyes fluttered half closed and her body shivered as she let a low moan escape from her. She smacked her lips once, noticing just how parched her mouth already felt from her efforts to haul the apples home. She held her mouth slightly open, breathing in and out heavily as she slowly leaned in toward the bushel basket.
Fluttershy’s eyes shot wide open and her mouth clamped shut, and she shook her head furiously as she turned herself away from the apples. She had almost let it happen in broad daylight in the middle of Ponyville! Almost. Her ears splayed back as she peeked out of the corner of her eye at the apples next to her. At this rate she wasn’t going to make it home before something unfortunate happened. She glanced around herself, and then spied a small alleyway only a few steps away. She glanced up and down the street once more just to be sure, and when she didn’t see anyone else looking her way, she quickly stood to lift the bushels again and snuck between the two buildings.
She glanced over her shoulder back down the alleyway before carefully setting the bushels down and ducking out from under them. She huddled in the shadow of the buildings, setting herself in front of one of the bushels as she cautiously watched the alleyway entrance for any signs of someone following her. Once she was satisfied that she was safe, she turned her attention back to the apples, leaning forward until her muzzle was hovering just inches away from them.
She snatched one up in her forehooves, and without any further hesitation, she bit into it causing a muffled crunch to echo through the alleyway. Juice dribbled out around the corners of her mouth and down her chin as she let out a low moan. Her eyes nearly rolled back into her skull as she made a loud slurping noise and swallowed a mouth full of the most delicious apple juice she had ever tasted, at that moment at least.
Just one wasn’t enough. Once she had drained what she could from the first, she discarded the apple and quickly grabbed another, repeating the process again. She soon lost track as she went through apple after apple, not really caring how many she had managed to suck dry in a few minutes, nor did she notice when her body began to involuntarily change. Her ears widened and deepened as the tufts of fur at the tips became more bushy, and the feathers on her wings withdrew to be replaced by the leathery bat-like flaps. No, she didn’t notice or even care, until she heard a loud gasp from the alleyway entrance.
She froze, still hunched over one of the bushels, her teeth deep in an apple as the juice ran out and dripped off her chin. She hoped it had just been her imagination, that her mind was just playing a silly joke on her, but she still slowly turned her fearful eyes to look to the alleyway entrance. Her eyes went wide as her mouth fell open, the apple falling and bouncing down the alleyway until it rolled up against a cyan colored hoof.
Rainbow Dash stood at the alleyway entrance, her shocked stare matching Fluttershy’s almost perfectly. She quickly glanced side to side before carefully stepping into the alleyway. “Easy now, Fluttershy.” She remained very cautious as she got closer, stopping a few steps away and gently holding a hoof out, to which Fluttershy cringed away from slightly. “You remember me, right? I’m your friend, Rainbow Dash. I’m not going to hurt you, so just take it easy.”
Fluttershy drew her forelegs up against her chest, her panting starting to come in rapid breathes. “W-what are doing you here?”
Rainbow blinked and drew in another gasp. “Oh my gosh, you can talk!” she said, sitting herself right before Fluttershy.
“Um, well, yes,” Fluttershy said as she splayed her ears back and crouched down a bit further. “Of course I can.”
“Oh, thank goodness, you’re still you.” Rainbow reached out and put her forelegs on Fluttershy’s shoulders, causing her to flinch just slightly. “Just wait here, I have an idea,” Rainbow said as she turned away and quickly trotted down the alleyway.
Fluttershy stared blankly forward for a second, then quickly shook her head as she looked down the alleyway after her friend. “Um, what?”
Rainbow turned around and cupped a hoof next to her muzzle as she called back in a hushed voice. “Don’t go anywhere! Just stay out of sight.” She then spread her wings and quickly launched herself into the sky out of view.
Fluttershy stared down the alleyway for a moment afterward, her mouth hanging slightly open as her bottom lip quivered. “W-what?” was all she could manage to get out in a small, squeaky voice.
---
Rainbow landed near the center of town, coming to a trot as she looked about for something she could use. She stopped mid stride while passing by the park, her brow raising slowly as she eyed the red and white checkered blanket laid out on the grass.
Perfect.
She quickly trotted over to the blanket, which happened to have two ponies and an entire picnic spread sitting on it, but that wasn’t really important right now. She leaned down and took the edge of the blanket in her teeth, and glanced up when she happened to notice the stallion and mare staring back at her, both seeming a bit confused.
“Uh, I need to bowwow this. Fanks!” She said just as she quickly yanked on the corner and launched herself back up into the sky. The mare and stallion both let out a quick yelp as the blanket slipped out from under them and the picnic laid out upon it. Plates and containers wobbled and clattered before coming to rest on the grass, somehow all managing to stay upright as if it had all been part of some sort of magic trick.
The mare blinked and looked off in the direction that Rainbow had left in, then turn a glare back at the stallion. The stallion shook his head as he slowly lifted his forehooves and shrugged his shoulders, seeming lost for words.
---
Since Rainbow had left her there, Fluttershy had slowly slipped into a state of panic. The only thing keeping her even remotely calm was the apple she held clamped in her teeth as she sat there rocking back and forth on her haunches.
Her friend had seen her. That fact kept playing over and over again in her mind. And her friend was going to tell her other friends, and then others would find out who would tell others until, eventually, the entire world would think that she was some sort of apple devouring monster, but that wasn’t really true because it wasn’t what it looked like!
She hated misunderstandings.
Fluttershy let out a quiet whine, barely blinking back tears as she continued to rock herself back and forth. She wished Rainbow had given her a chance to explain at least, but now it was too late.
A loud thump caused Fluttershy to let go of her apple and yelp. She scampered back against the wall of the alley, her chest heaving heavily as she stared wide eyed down the alleyway. She relaxed slightly when she realized it was only Rainbow landing nearby. Maybe she would get her chance to explain after all, though she had no idea how she was going to go about explaining it. Before she could get much further on that thought, Rainbow quickly trotted up to her dragging a checkered blanket along with her, and then with a quick flick of her neck, she spread the blanket out over Fluttershy to cover her.
“It’s alright, I got something to help,” Rainbow said as she reached out and adjusted the blanket so it was fully covering Fluttershy from head to hoof.
Fluttershy cautiously lifted a corner with her hoof and peered out from underneath. “What’s this for?”
Rainbow quickly pushed the corner of the blanket back down. “Just stay covered and let me take care of the rest.” After that, Fluttershy felt her friend coaxing her to stand up, and felt Rainbow at her side and Rainbow’s wing over her back as she was led out of the alleway. They stopped at the edge of the street for a few seconds before Rainbow quietly said, “Come on, lets go,” and urged Fluttershy forward.
“Where are we going?” Fluttershy asked back just as quietly.
“Shh!” Rainbow continued to lead Fluttershy somewhere, though she could only guess where. She could see the dirt street beneath her hooves, and she could make out a few hushed voices around her, but otherwise had no idea what her friend was getting her into. “Move along, nothing to see,” Rainbow suddenly said, which caused Fluttershy to flinch under the blanket. Rainbow stayed close at her side, steadily leading her to wherever their destination would be. They then stopped for just a second as Rainbow loudly said, “Hey, do you want to take a picture so it’ll last longer? Beat it.” After that, Fluttershy was sure she heard a set of hooves scurrying off quickly before they set on their way again.
Finally, the scenery around her hooves changed from dirt street to a wooden platform. They stopped there for only a second, and then Fluttershy heard the sound of a doorway opening in front of them before she felt Rainbow urging her forward to step inside. As soon as they stepped through the doorway she heard it quickly close behind them and something wooden slide in place with a loud clack. “I’ll get the blinds, just give me a sec,” Rainbow said before Fluttershy heard the sounds of Rainbow’s hooves quickly cantering over a wooden floor. The sounds of what she assumed must have been blinds and shutters closing made it to her ears. Wondering where she had ended up, Fluttershy cautiously lifted the corner of the blanket, lowering her head to peek out from under it. She lifted her head and the blanket a little further when she recognized the interior of Ponyville’s library.
“What’s going on?” Fluttershy quickly looked up toward the stairs that led to the library’s loft when she heard Twilight’s voice, finding her standing at the top with a very confused look on her face.
Rainbow cantered over to another window and reached up to slam the shutters closed. “I’m closing the blinds!”
There was a short pause, and then Twilight began to descend the stairs as she asked, “Why?”
“I don’t want Fluttershy to get burned,” Rainbow explained as she looked around hunting for other windows.
“Burned?” Fluttershy asked. The question drew Rainbow’s attention to her. With a quick flap of her wings, Rainbow cleared the distance between herself and Fluttershy.
“Stay under! I’m not done yet,” Rainbow said as she quickly pulled the blanket’s corner back down.
“Rainbow, stop.” Rainbow reluctantly let go of the blanket’s edge, allowing Fluttershy to peer out from under it. “What do you mean by burned?”
“Your skin might get burned if sunlight touches it,” Rainbow said as she pointed a hoof up at an uncovered window.
Twilight descended the last few stair steps and walked up next to them. “Okay, Rainbow, what’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing! It’s what’s gotten into Fluttershy. Look!” Rainbow lifted the edge of the blanket high enough to reveal Fluttershy’s ears and wings. Fluttershy crouched down, letting out a muffled squeak before she quickly reached up and grasped the blanket to pull it down around her body so only her eyes and muzzle were visible.
Twilight let out a quick gasp. “Oh no, it’s happening again? Is this a relapse? I was sure I fixed this.” She approached Fluttershy as she carefully placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Oh, hang on, Fluttershy. I’ll find a way to get you back to yourself.” Twilight leaned her head a bit closer as her horn began to glow, closing her eyes to concentrate on her spell. A similar glow covered Fluttershy as she remained there huddled under the blanket. Twilight’s brow slowly furrowed more and more as she worked at the spell, and finally after the moment passed, she let the spell lapse and opened her eyes. “Huh,” was all she said, seeming a bit confused as she sat back on her haunches.
“Huh?” both Fluttershy and Rainbow said in union right before glancing at each other.
“There’s... no lingering magic,” Twilight said, shrugging her shoulders.
Rainbow looked back and forth between Fluttershy and Twilight, a low hum coming from her before she asked, “What’s that mean?”
“It means I did remove the spell properly. But, she’s still turning into a fruit bat.” Twilight tapped a forehoof under her chin as she frowned deeply. “This doesn’t make any sense at all.” She stood and began walking toward the library’s doorway as she said, “This could be something really serious. I think we should get her to the emergency room just to be safe.”
“I-it’s not that serious!” Fluttershy squeaked. She scooched on her haunches away from her friends as she huddled down under the blanket.
“Fluttershy,” Twilight said as she approached her and knelt down next to her. She reached a hoof out and gently laid it across Fluttershy’s shoulders as she said, “You’re turning into a fruit bat and I don’t know why. We really should have somepony else look into this.”
“Um.” Fluttershy looked down at her shaking hooves. She knew that it wasn’t true, that her friends had the wrong idea, and she didn’t want there to be any misunderstandings. She slowly sat up, allowing the blanket to slide down her back to the floor. “Actually, I’m not turning into a fruit bat.”
“Well yeah, because that’s just silly,” Rainbow said as she sat down next to Fluttershy, her comment garnering a quick glare from Twilight. “You’re turning into a vampony.”
“No, and it’s not nice to say that,” Fluttershy said as her ears splayed back. She looked between her two friends that were sitting on either side of her, seeing the worried looks on their faces. She drew in a deep breath and slowly let it back out, and after a few seconds of hesitation, she managed to say, “I’ve always been able to look like this.”
Twilight and Rainbow’s looks went from worried to somewhat confused. Rainbow tilted her head to the side as she asked, “You have?”
Fluttershy closed her eyes and nodded. “I’m... half thestral.”
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I have loved your other stories. I have to check this out.
Fluttershy closed her eyes and nodded. “I’m... half threshal.”
Suddenly, faved.
Hmmm.. not sure what threshhal is but not a bad story...
5064950
It's a sub species name for the bat ponies, though it isn't anything that's official. I've seen it used a few times in other fan fiction, and I like the sound of it more than just saying 'bat pony'.
5065002 Oh; I'm ok with that.. I never read any of those fanfics so I didn't know about it and it makes sense that the batponys would have their own name too.. earth, pegi, unilcorn, alicorn and now Theshhal.. thank you for the info.. It's always good to see what other stories have a common thread.. Even if is fan made name I now can consider it to be it's own canon..
5065002
*Nocturne.
I've also seen Moori.
They're both better fits than thestral.
This is a thestral.
5065002 I think you mean "Thestral" not "Threshal."
5065519
Those are creepy as hell. In an awesome way.
5065602
Hm, I could have sworn I read it somewhere spelled the other way (and a google search for 'mlp threshal' took me to the mlp wiki page for Royal Guards, which is why I thought I had it right), but I think you're right, I've got the spelling wrong.
Ah well, easy enough to fix that.
5065519
5065884
That's like... nightmare level stuff there.
5066559
That's a thestral. Which is not a bat pony.
5065519 Nocturne and Moori; hmm..Yeah after thinking about it I got admit those are better fits and when I looked at that pic they fitted even more.. Nocturne is obvious ref to their nightly duties and perhaps their night lifestyle but Moori was a bit of puzzle,,, Not that it wasn't a good word to describe them but found no real connection other than it looks like the word Moon..
5085027
It's from a "Rainbow Dash is a changeling" story.
5085319 Ok! Thanks for the clear up... Always helps when I know what other writers are writing about.. It's one of things that always inspire me..
My brain hurts.
Flutters is half thestral... Yes.
Oh Dashie.
5340141
I always just assumed that Fluttershy had thestral lineage. I mean, how else would that sort of magic affect her so much? It was just the craving for apples that Twilight bestowed on her, not necessarily bat wings or fangs.
5065519
Picture of a Moori please?