Brave to the Soul

by Allen H

Chapter two- Baaaad dreams

A hazy world of black was all about; echoes of fighting could be heard from every direction. The usual experience Bo was used to when sleeping wasn’t an option. Her dream didn’t feel right, it was out of control. The tranquil green hills she had always visited to clear her mind of her daily chores and to train, was now a dark, chaotic landscape before her. A foggy scene was playing in Bo’s mind. None of it seemed to make sense; it just felt so obscure to her.

“Get out of the way Hansel, that’s not Ginger.” Bo yelled as she struggled with a large wolf monster before her; its sharp teeth dripping with hot, sticky salvia. Bo’s two ram blades were gripped tightly in its mouth, preventing her from moving her friend away as she held tight to the blade’s chains.

Beside the wolf, stood a girl in a black Gothic dress; her two blond pony-tails hanging carelessly from the sides of her head. A gnarled lollipop lance held menacingly in her right hand, poised to strike.

“No.” said Gingerman Hansel as he stood in front of Bo. “Can’t you see that-”

“It’s not the Princess. Get out of here, I don’t want you to get-.”

The world went red as the candy lance in the girl’s hand pierced Bo’s body, causing her to go limp as everything slowly faded to nothingness. The girl gave a wicked grin as she melted into the surrounding darkness. Her face revealed some new details; piercing red eyes and jagged teeth.

As the she pulled the candy lance from Bo’s body, she spoke in a deep, cracking voice. “You are done for, little lamb.”

------

A loud yell of fright filled Fluttershy’s small cottage. The abrupt shout had caused the timid pegasus to dash for and hide under a nearby couch. Fluttershy hadn’t expected such a loud yell to come from the lamb. In fact she wasn’t sure if it was a lamb due to its body shape. Its hind legs were longer than its forelimbs and would bend in the wrong direction; this would make it difficult for it to walk on all four limbs. Pinkie Pie’s pinkie sense had spoken true.

“Gahhh, WHERE’S MY CLOTHES??” The black lamb cried out. “This is so embarrassing…just what the fudge happened while I was asleep? …Oh, this must be the inside of that cottage. I wonder where the owner is...”

This was her cue to say something. Fluttershy remained under the table across from the Black lamb. She spoke in a rather low whisper.
“I took your clothes off…please don’t be angry at me. Your clothes were in such bad condition and covered in blood…I thought you were wounded….”

“Who said that, where are you?” The lamb scanned the room, searching for the person that spoke.

“I-I’m down here.” Fluttershy motioned while poking her head over the other side of the table in front of Bo. She saw the black lamb blush as she clenched the blanket close to her chest.
“I-I can bring your clothes back to you when they are d-dry. I cleaned them for you because they were so dirty…if that’s ok with you.” Fluttershy was still looking over at the lamb with her eyes leveled to the table’s surface. “A-and my name is Fluttershy.”

“Oh…I’m not angry…it just caught me off guard, at least you didn’t try taking off my underwear…then there would have been problems.” The lamb said as she tried to cover herself up as best it could. “Well since your intentions were good, and you were friendly enough to take me in, I have nothing against you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Bo, and I am a Brave Heart of Harmonia, though I doubt I’m anywhere near there.”

Bo was a touch surprised to see the pegasus before her, she had thought they were only a creation of human imagination. But thinking back to the manticore, she had a feeling she would see many more surprises.

“Brave Heart? Harmonia? I’ve never heard of those before.” Fluttershy said while raising herself from the ground. “Though I bet Twilight might know, she’s quite knowledgeable with all those books at her place.”

“I fear that from your lack of knowledge of Harmonia, that I may no longer even be anywhere near there. I don’t think your friend would know about anything from Harmonia either.” This had put Bo in a rather distressed state. “And the fact that I didn’t go to the Dream Palace when I slept could be further proof.” Just what was that dream I had about anyway?

The Dream Palace was a place to provide all creatures young and old with soothing sleep. It is a realm older than time and imagination. To the people of Harmonia, it is more important than a place for more than soothing sleep; it is a place for their minds to go relax and lift the fatigue of their daily work and where they could meet with friends if they were thinking of each other. For Bo, not being able to reach the palace while she had slept had to mean that her connection was somehow blocked.

“Bad dream?” Fluttershy asked. She thought about asking about the palace, but then thought it best to just leave that subject alone. Many of the words Bo was using were so foreign to her.

“Yes, but it was more than that, it felt so real. The weird thing is that that blood spot you saw on my white shirt,” Fluttershy nodded to what Bo mentioned, “I was stabbed in my dream in the same place. And it felt more like memories then some random thought, but I have no recollection of it. Though I do feel like I’ve lost some of my memories since I woke up in that forest.” She said.

“Oh my, I’m happy you didn’t get hurt while you in the EverFree Forest. That place is full of dangerous creatures!” Fluttershy gave Bo a concerned look, she noticed that the lamb wore a look that bothered her. “You didn’t harm any animals while you were in the EverFree forest did you?” She had been thinking about the blood she had washed out of Bo’s green jacket.

“It is quite harsh in there;” Bo said with a sigh. “but no,I didn’t harm any animals or beasts in that wild place. Although I did almost walk up to a manticore, thinking it was one of my friends.” Bo looked at the light yellow Pegasus across the small coffee table questionably. “Is this about the blood on my uniform?”

“Y-yes.” Fluttershy said, as she shrunk back under the table. “It just worried me that there could be an injured animal in the forest, and since you had no wounds…I thought that you c-could have d-done something….”

Bo was rather shocked at what Fluttershy had just said, but she couldn’t blame the pegasus.
“I am quite able to protect myself from harm, but I would never needlessly injure an innocent being.” Bo hoped that this would ease the timid Fluttershy a touch. “It is part of my teachings as a BraveHeart to never do so.”

“To tell the truth,” Bo said as she lifted the blanket up; just enough take a small peek at the small patch of matted wool. “I think the blood was mine, but how it got there is beyond me.”

It had taken longer for Bo’s words to sink in, but Fluttershy finally rose back up from under the small table. She was also happy, as the blood had not come from any animal being harmed.
“Oh, where is the bell that was around my neck?” Bo noticed that she wasn’t wearing it anymore, she scanned the room around her.

“Oh, I left it on the table on the other side of the couch. It’s quite pretty”

”Oh thank sweet lollipop. I Almost thought I lost it when I fell asleep.” Bo thought.

Bo crawled across the couch to reach the small table Fluttershy had pointed out, grabbed the bell by the ribbon, and gave it a ring. In the air in front of Bo, a brown poncho materialized. As Bo wrapped the poncho around her body, she noticed that Fluttershy’s eyes and mouth were both hanging wide open.
“Are you ok, Fluttershy?”

“How did you do that?…can you use magic?” Fluttershy was in a state of awe.

Hanging the bell back around her neck, Bo thought about Fluttershy’s question.
“Well, I wouldn’t call it magic... I learned how to use my bell like that during my time at Courage Campus, where I became a Brave Heart.”

Fluttershy understood the basics of what Bo had said, but it seemed that the more she spoke of her ‘Brave Heart’, the more confused she became.

“Oh, there was something I wanted to ask you Bo.” Fluttershy said while trotting over to the couch to lay next to Bo. She wanted to be comfortable before she asked her question. “Why did you act so embarrassed about not wearing clothes…you don’t have to answer if it bothers you….”

Bo’s cheeks went red with embarrassment, as she struggled with how to explain it.
“Where I come from, everyone wears clothes. It is just a basic thing we do to be civil. A-and I just feel weird without any clothes….”

Fluttershy was taken aback by this information.
“O-oh, well we wear clothes mostly for special events, or if a pony just wants to look nice.”

Bo felt like she had insulted Fluttershy.
“I’m sorry if I made you f-”

Bo was interrupted as a new arrival appearing in the open doorway of the cottage. A loud bang resulted from the large amount of force used on it.
“Sorry that I left so suddenly, Fluttershy. I almost forgot that I had to supply a rain shower for Sweet Apple Acres.” A cyan pegasus with the rainbow mane entered the room. The cyan pegasus stopped when she saw Bo sitting up on the couch. “I see that the weird lamb is awake. It didn’t try to do anything strange when it woke, did it?”

“Hey, who you calling weird?” Bo said in protest, giving the cyan pegasus a shock.

“Well for one, you don’t look like any any kind of lamb I’ve seen before…” The cyan pegasus now gave Bo a glare as she hovered right into her face. “You better not be here for any funny business. I don’t trust you, you just seem suspicious to me.”
“Now now Rainbow Dash, be nice to Bo…if you could please…” Fluttershy asked the cyan pegasus.

“Your name is Bo?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yes, why do you ask?” Bo replied. Rainbow Dash fell on the floor laughing

“Bwahahaha, that name is just so uncool!

Bo didn’t understand what was so funny about her name. It was a rather normal name to her.

“Anyways Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash started, recovering from her laughing fit. “Rarity asked me on my way back over to remind you about your guys’ spa date.” Rainbow Dash said with distaste.

“Oh, oh my!” Fluttershy’s eyes lit up. “I almost forgot the time!” Her eyes became sad when a thought occurred to her. “Could you go tell Rarity that I will be bringing company? I just can’t leave Bo all alone. I know your clothes are not dry yet Bo, but going to the spa could calm and clear your mind.”

Bo clenched the side of her brown poncho, the only thing that was keeping her covered at the moment.
“I-I guess I could. The experience could help me cleanse my mind enough to focus on my missing memories.”

“Alright…I’ll pass the message off to Rarity…” Rainbow Dash said with a sigh. As she flew out the cottage, both Fluttershy and Bo could hear her saying “Bo! Bawhaha, who in their right mind named her that?”

“Oh Bo, would you like to clean yourself up a bit before we go? I was only able to clean your clothes.” Fluttershy asked after Rainbow Dash could had left.

Bo looked at herself, and saw that she looked completely dirty. There was dirt coating her hooves, and patches of her legs and arms. Never mind the fact she still had a patch of now dry blood in her wool. She looked as if she had run through an untamed wilderness, which in truth she did.

“Yes please,” Bo accepted gladly, but now feeling the empty pit of her stomach. "A-and you don't have any food to spare do you? A fruit perhaps?"

-------

Rarity had been waiting in front of the Day Spa for what felt like forever for Fluttershy.
“Honestly, what could be keeping her, and who could she be bringing with her?” Rarity had thought on that question after Rainbow Dash had come to tell her Fluttershy’s message. For all Rarity knew, both Twilight and Applejack were too busy to do anything today. Twilight was in one of her studying moods, and Applejack was preoccupied with her farm work. Pinkie Pie was also surprisingly busy, due to Mr. and Mrs. Cake needing her help caring for the twins for the day.

“Did dear Fluttershy make a new friend? She hasn’t mentioned anything as such.” Rarity became happy when a thought struck her. “Has she found a coltfriend?” She chuckled at the idea.

Rarity was becoming impatient, even though she loved going to the spa with Fluttershy, she didn’t want to miss out on her weekly visit. She was about to go on ahead without Fluttershy, thinking she couldn’t make it after all.

Just when she was trying to make up her mind on what to do, Rarity spotted Fluttershy trotting towards her. Rarity was taken back when she noticed a black lamb walking beside Fluttershy on two legs, wearing a horrid brown cloth.

“Fluttershy, just who is this, eh, dressed thing next to you?.”

“Oh, this is Bo.I found her unconscious by my cottage this morning. She was in rather bad condition when Rainbow Dash and me found her.”

“Ok darling, but the spa doesn’t have any treatments for lambs I believe. Plus I think I have never seen one come to the spa ever.”

The black lamb looked at Rarity with an angry scowl and to her surprise spoke. “who you calling a thing. And please stop giving me that look of distaste, I know this poncho looks unattractive and sticks out like a thorn, but my real clothes are hanging out to dry at Fluttershy’s cottage.” Bo hadn’t meant to snap like that, but her feeling of being “exposed” had made her too embarrassed to think about what she was reacting to.

Fluttershy had cowered behind Rarity when Bo had started yelling, and Rarity was dumbfounded by what had just happened.

“How did-who is- what just…” Rarity stuttered

Fluttershy just looked calmly to her friend, then Bo “I think you could explain yourself to Rarity once we're inside the spa.” Bo agreed to that statement as the three walked into the spa.

Comments

[501st Party Brigade]

You wanna know how happy I feel reading this?
i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/314/436/cb6.jpg i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/314/436/cb6.jpg i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/314/436/cb6.jpg i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/314/436/cb6.jpg
That happy.

[shirotora]

795289 wow... creepy

[nightmaster0]

So Bo meet's three of the elements. How will her meeting the rest go? Who is the intruder the changeling was talking about?

[Tom2rules]

Man, Bo is not having that good of luck so far. RainBow Dash making fun of her name and Rarity makes comments about her clothes. If things don't get better for her then those ponies better watch out...she has some dangerous weapons in that bell of hers...

Oh...man it seems that Bo wasn't the only one to be transported here...do the channgelings need to be afraid of a certain Big Bad Wolf?

[Allen H]

796368
well i don't want to spoil to much, but Bo might be the only one from Sugar bits in the story... been debating to my self about it.

[Tom2rules]

796574

Ah, well that makes it more interesting...and honestly, seeing Bo go against the wolf again may not be the best idea anyway (it didn't end that well for her last time...)

[Allen H]

796738
i couldn't use the BBW anyways, it's attached to Red Riding Hood...and she is still in Ever After.

[ThunderDash]

You are making a great work here

[Allen H]

I should be able to make longer chapters as the story starts running smoother, i should be able to have a new chapter up at least every week end. this is just a guess though.

[Allen H]

I know that I said i can maybe post a chapter every week, but ater some thought, i have come to say i will post them them when ever i have fully completed a chapter. I don't want to rush on a story, becuase that would only make it a bad on.

[501st Party Brigade]

795441 Annnnd?

[Multiversity]

Sorry, but didn't one of the first episodes show that sheep could talk in Equestria, just like cows and donkeys?