Storm of My Fury

by Flurryshine

Nickernabby Encounter

It had been over a week or so since they left Ponyville. The herd of heroes were relaxing and restocking in the village of Nickernabby. The village had a certain rustic feel. It was like the setting for an old pony’s tale. A light snow caked the rooftops like rows of gingerbread houses. The village ponies were already dressed in light winter wear. Our heroes soon took time to don their scarves. Springflower had forewarned that light flurries were common in this region.

The snow had already passed by the time they arrived. Periwinkleflight, Springflower, and Pinkie Pie set off to restock on food for the road. The closer to Braying Cliffs they got, these villages became sparser. Sparkleshine saw a few village colts and fillies playing on the road. She looked to Flurryshine excitedly. With a sigh from Flurryshine, she cantered off to join their pony games.
“That is mighty cute of her. She must be a popular little filly back home,” Applejack commented.
“Yes, she has always had a sparkling personality,” Snowbreeze answered. Flurryshine nodded in agreement as she watched Sparkleshine meld effortlessly into the group of playing colts and fillies.
“I’m going to try and find us an inn,” Twilight said before she parted ways with Fluttershy following her.

The others began to mill out among the market stalls and began exploring the village. It was strange for Flurryshine. It had been a very long time since she could just relax with friends. It felt almost awkward to just chill out. As if fate couldn’t let her relax, bam! The moment she let her guard down, a pegasus stallion the size of Big Macintosh crashed right into her. The stallion had been running so fast the impact sent the two sprawling all over each other on the road.
“Hey, you over grown klutz! Ya got four left hooves or something?” Applejack shouted at the messy brown stallion.
“Pfft, took the words right out of my mouth, Applejack,” Flurryshine hissed as she glared at her assailant.

Her glare turned to a look of shock when she locked eyes with the stallion. The messy brown pegasus had the same look on his face. His darker messy brown mane and tail were splattered up against his own body. A scruff of a little beard on his chin quivered a moment. The only real color on him was his bright blue eyes; and a cutie mark with three leaves in green, yellow, and red.
“Bright Leaf?!” Flurryshine exclaimed.
“Flurryshine?!” Bright Leaf said at the exact same time.
“Uh, you know this clumsy pony?” Applejack asked with a quizzical look.

It was almost as if Applejack’s inquiry fell on deaf ears. The two were just staring at each other in shock. They stared like that for a few moments before Bright leaf clamored to his hooves quickly. He hurried to Flurryshine’s other side to assist her up.
“I’m sorry! Let me help you up,’ he said as he tried to nudge Flurryshine to her hooves.
Flurryshine struggled to shrug him off as she got up saying, “Cut it out! I can get up by myself. I said stop it!”

The two stumbled about together until Flurryshine doubled back, reared, and stamped her front hooves directly in front of Bright Leaf’s muzzle. The stallion stumbled back in surprise and fell on his haunches with a whinny. The disheveled pegasus stallion looked up at her in slight fear and shock.
“I told you to stop, you ditz,” Flurryshine said grumpily.

Bright Leaf’s ears flopped low on his large head. It was almost comical to see this large stallion hanging his head like a tiny colt being scolded by his mother. Flurryshine held her glare a moment longer before she snorted and turned to Applejack.
“Yeah, I know him. He is from Braying Cliffs. His thing is medicinal plants. Kind of a doctor of natural medicine in a way,” Flurryshine said in response to her question. Bright Leaf just shuffled his front hooves as he looked at the ground.

Applejack took a second look over the stallion. He was messy all over. His wings were even in disarray. He didn’t look like much as his bright eyes darted about self-consciously. He got to his hooves and batted his wings a bit to get the dust off him. He walked over to Applejack and gave a short nod to the smaller earth pony.
“I’m…I’m Bright Leaf. Pardon my intrusion on…whatever you two were doing,” Bright Leaf said nervously.
“Ain’t nothing to worry about,” Applejack replied.
“Exactly, what are you doing here?” Flurryshine asked coldly.
“Oh, um… Just looking for herbs. My reserves are running low on some of the plants that don’t grow back home,” Bright Leaf explained.
“Fine, but remember…You didn’t see me,” she said as she pushed against him aggressively.
“Okay. Okay! I didn’t see you,” Bright Leaf cowered before her. Flurryshine was barely a hair larger than him, and he was as petrified as if she was a giant cockatrice.

Flurryshine squinted her eyes in a suspicious glare as she backed up to return his personal space. Bright Leaf sighed with a shiver along his spine. She held him in a contempt glare a few more moments more before turning away bored. Bright Leaf almost collapsed with relief.
“I’ll be, you’re one hay of a fierce pony. Did ya have to scare the ever living out of him?” Applejack said as she looked between the two Braying Cliffs ponies.
“If the wrong ponies find out we’re coming, it will take more than an official royal decree from Princess Celestia to get us out safely. Won’t it, Bright Leaf?” Flurryshine explained, hissing toward the pegasus stallion with the last part.
“I…I won’t tell a soul, Flurryshine! No one will know we met. Honest!” Bright Leaf said as he shrank back at her clear threat.

Flurryshine had him trapped in a vicious glare. Bright Leaf looked like he was losing all his color he was becoming so pale caught in her glare. Flurryshine’s concentration broke at the sound of a small neigh. The three looked up to see Sparkleshine sprawled on the road. Her new friends standing frightened around her, a trio of older colts glowering over the group. Flurryshine gave a vicious snort as she began to charge. She stopped short as Applejack intervened.
“Take a look, sugar cube,” Applejack told her as they both turned to watch the small scene play out.

Sparkleshine got back on her hooves and glared at the trio. The tiny unicorn was easily the smallest there. She lowered her head to brandish her horn. Her nostrils flared as she stamped her front hoof aggressively.
“You better apologize and get lost! I don’t want to mess up my coat smacking around losers like you,” Sparkleshine threatened in her tiny voice.

The trio busted out laughing. They too lowered their heads and stamped their hooves. They weren’t afraid of a tiny unicorn. The head earth pony colt charged her only to trip when she dodged. With his haunches high in the air, Sparkleshine jabbed him hard with her horn. He squealed in pain as he leaped up. His companions double teamed her in retaliation. She couldn’t dodge them both, and whinnied as she was hit in her side. Sparkleshine thought she was done for as the ring leader came to join in. But, all she heard was the panicked whinnies of the trio as she braced herself. She looked around to see her new friends had begun to strike back. Overwhelmed by the combined power of all the younger fillies and colts, the trio fled the scene quickly. The group of fillies and colts then came back to help Sparkleshine to her hooves. They laughed and nuzzled each other before they returned to their games.
“Way to go, Sparkleshine,” Flurryshine said quietly as she watched them all run off in awe.
“That little filly is braver than most ponies. She’ll be a mighty fine leader when she is grown the way she inspired them fillies and colts to stand up for themselves,” Applejack said as she too watched them run off with pride in her eyes.
“Um, pardon my intrusion, but why do you care about that little unicorn, Flurryshine?” Bright Leaf asked, showing how little he knew from living strictly in the pegasi district of Braying Cliffs.
“She is my little cousin,” Flurryshine said flatly.
“Well, that explains her attitude! A pony would have to be related to you to be that fierce!” Bright Leaf exclaimed and laughed at what he thought was hilarious. He soon stopped when he saw Flurryshine’s less than amused look.

Applejack and Flurryshine looked to each other with matching not amused looks. They both slowly cracked smiles before bursting out laughing. Bright Leaf looked at them before he too joined in nervously. It all soon blended together into a mirthful scene of laughter. It almost took Bright Leaf by surprise when Flurryshine threw one of her forelegs over his shoulders and leaned against him coolly.
“Aw, you know I was just messing. Not like I’m not aware how scary I get sometimes,” she said offhandedly.
Bright Leaf shuffled his front hooves as he stammered out,” Oh…Y-yeah. It’s not a p-problem, F-Flurryshine.”
Flurryshine leaned her muzzle in close to his ear and whispered, “Hey, relax. You’re shaking like…well, a leaf!”

Bright Leaf gave her a reproachful look at her teasing. He made a sidelong glance at the ground as he felt his face flush. Flurryshine snickered at her success at unnerving the young stallion. She released her hold on him and turned to leave. Flurryshine purposely flicked the tip of her tail against his muzzle. Bright Leaf flinched and looked to her as she walked away.
“Come on, Applejack. Let’s check up on Twilight and Fluttershy,” Flurryshine said as she walked away.
“Right. Been nice meetin’ ya, Bright Leaf,” Applejack replied as she tipped her hat in farewell and left with Flurryshine.

Bright Leaf watched them leave without a word. He just stood there dumbfounded until they turned the corner along the road. Once they were out of sight, his tongue lolled out of his muzzle with a goofy look on his face. At the same time, his wings flopped down to the ground as his legs slumped a bit. It was almost as if Cupid had hit him right in the haunches as he drooled in a daze while staring where they disappeared around the corner.

Elsewhere, Flurryshine and Applejack were traveling towards an inn along the road they turned on. Both had a smile on their faces. Applejack’s smile was her usual honest and sweet one. Flurryshine’s looked more like a psychopath crossed with a creeper. Applejack looked over at her and gave her a weird look at the face she was making. Flurryshine noticed it and looked back confused.
“What?” Flurryshine asked.
“Nothing, but since were talkin’, you gotta interesting taste in stallions,” Applejack replied, with a bemused smile on her face.
“Huh?!” Flurryshine exclaimed in surprise.
“Bright Leaf! It’s not like you were being secretive with that flirtin’,”Applejack said with her smile pulling almost a full on Cheshire.
“What? No, no, no! I was just messing with his head. I do that to him all the time,” Flurryshine responded in shock.
“Nobody likes a flirty filly,” Applejack said flatly.
“Oh come on! It’s not like I do that to every stallion. I only torment Bright Leaf that way. The klutzy stallion has been mending every cut and gash I have had since we were foals. It’s a game,” Flurryshine tried to explain while being slightly embarrassed.
“I don’t think he thinks it’s a game, darlin’. He looked more nervous as a brown hare in a snow bank, and as red as a red delicious ripe for pickin’,” Applejack replied.
“…Spoil my fun why don’t ya,” Flurryshine pouted. Applejack only laughed at her childish pout.

The two approached the inn to find it was the one Twilight had picked. Snowbreeze had already fronted the money for the Braying Cliffs group and everyone was relaxing in the inn’s dining area. Flurryshine and Applejack gratefully milled in with their relaxing friends for dinner. Sparkleshine wasn’t far behind them as she cantered in panting heavily. She had taking full advantage of her chance to play for once. They all spent the night laughing, talking, and enjoying each other’s company before heading to bed.

Comments

[Swokk]

Liking this so far.