Azure Edge

by Leaf Blade

13. Without Reason

Rarity stirred awake slowly. While her first instinct, as a Slayer, was to immediately get to her hooves and survey the surroundings, she found she simply did not have that energy in her.

She wondered why she felt so tired, why her body felt so heavy, then it all came flooding back to her.

The fight with the timberwolves, her rescuing Bubbles, Pinkie rescuing her, then the king timberwolf battle that left Rarity’s body as little more than a shredded ragdoll to be devoured by the beasts of the Everfree.

But the most vivid image in her mind was that of two yellow hooves she had seen right before losing consciousness.

Rarity opened her eyes and found only darkness waiting for her. For an instant, she panicked, but then realized that her lack of vision was only due to night having fallen and the shadowy thicket of trees around her left little room for what faint moonlight there was to trickle in.

She was still in the forest it seemed, though lying on grass instead of snow.

And then Rarity jumped up, nearly making herself dizzy enough to vomit as her mind caught up with the instinctive movement, a movement that was driven by the sudden pang of guilt that came from the realization that she had left Pinkie Pie alone in the woods. Until nightfall.

Was Rarity the most horrible friend one could ever imagine? She certainly felt like it now. No matter how tired she was, how heavy her body felt, how many questions she had unanswered about how in Equestria she even managed to survive those wounds—let alone wake up to find them having vanished—none of that mattered.

She needed to find Pinkie Pie. NOW.

Turns out, she needn’t have been in such a hurry, for as soon as Rarity stood up, frightening a litany of small animals that had gathered around her unconscious body, she saw the pink mare sitting not ten feet from her, speaking with a yellow pegasus who Rarity did not recognize.

Or at least, not at first.

“You’re the pony who saved me,” Rarity spoke with certainty as she approached the sitting mares.

Her usual tact and manners seemed to still be catching up to her dazed mind, otherwise she never would have interrupted what seemed to be a rather lively conversation.

“You’re awake!” Pinkie wasted no time springing to her feet and wrapping her arms around Rarity, and Rarity found no reason to hesitate in returning the gesture, holding Pinkie tightly to her like she was afraid if she let go Pinkie would disappear.

“I’m glad to see you on your hooves, Rarity,” the pegasus said with a serene smile.

“Er, yes,” Rarity was slightly disconcerted with the stranger knowing her name, though it wasn’t a stretch to assume Pinkie had given it to her if they had been talking. “And you are?” Rarity reached out a hand, the other still resting on the head of the pink pony who seemed intent on never letting go of Rarity either, which Rarity was just fine with.

“My name is—” the woman paused.

She recoiled, and bit her lip. Pinkie unattached herself from Rarity and knelt before the pegasus, taking her hand gingerly in her own and offering a warm smile. The woman sighed, and though she seemed to try and resist the smile forming on her own lips, she was wholly unable to do so.

“My name is Fluttershy,” the woman said, looking up at Rarity with her hand still firmly held by Pinkie’s.

“She’s the spirit of the Everfree Forest!” Pinkie excitedly offered, and Rarity couldn’t help but smile at the bashful blush that tinted the ‘spirit’s’ cheeks.

“Oh? And how did you two come to be so familiar?” Rarity asked amusedly.

Whatever answer the two were trying to give didn’t reach Rarity’s ears, as the pair attempted to speak in unison only to talk over one another and bashfully shut their mouths right after, which just resulted in the pair giggling like schoolfillies at each other’s antics.

Rarity was delighted by Pinkie’s newfound friendship, and she was remiss to cut it short, but…

“Pinkie Pie,” she put her hand softly on Pinkie’s shoulder and the way she tensed up, Rarity could tell Pinkie knew what Rarity was about to say, “I think it’s time we leave the Everfree Forest.”

“But, b-but—”

Pinkie’s quivering was cut short by a single graceful finger pressed against her lips.

“Rarity is right, Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy’s words only served to deflate the mare further, her ears drooping down and her lips curling into a pout. “It’s dangerous in the woods at night.

“And besides,” Fluttershy gave an enchanting smile, one that even Rarity was jealous of, “you need to get your rest if you’re going to make, ahem, ‘super-duper amazing wonderfultacular’ cupcakes for me tomorrow.”

“Y-yeah! You’re right!” Pinkie hopped up and pumped her fists in front of her. “Just you wait, Fluttershy! I’m gonna make you the most super-duper-amazing-wonderfultacular cupcakes in the galaxy!”

“I can’t wait,” Fluttershy said with a wistful smile, and if Rarity didn’t know any better she’d swear the mare was smitten. “Now let me guide you both out of the forest.”

Rarity dutifully followed the ‘Everfree Spirit’ and Pinkie Pie around the woods, Rarity making sure to graciously thank Fluttershy not only for healing her wounds, but also for acquiescing to her request for a few minor detours, so Rarity could collect her equipment that found itself scattered throughout the forest.

With her items all in hand and more than an earful of Pinkie’s voice—the young mare filling the entire trek back to Ponyville with the sound of her mostly one-sided conversation with the spirit, not that the spirit seemed to mind even a little that Pinkie did most of the talking—the three women found themselves at the edge of the Everfree.

“Well, this is our stop,” Rarity said. She turned back once more to look at the curious pegasus who lived in the Everfree, and was surprised to see her looking rather somber. “Something the matter, miss Fluttershy?”

“Can you answer me one question?” Fluttershy stared right at Rarity—right through her, it felt like—and Rarity swallowed a lump of sudden anxiety.

“Uh, of course, dear,” Rarity chuckled awkwardly. “It only seems fair, considering how many questions you’ve answered this evening.”

Pinkie was bouncing in place as she awaited the spirit’s question, and Rarity wished she could share in Pinkie’s excitement but the only sensation she could feel was that she was about to be hit by an oncoming train.

“Why did you kill the timberwolves?”

“I’m… sorry?” Rarity took a step back and blinked helplessly. Of all the questions she might have expected the spirit to ask, that was certainly not among them.

“Why did you kill the timberwolves?” the spirit repeated, her teeth grinding against each other as she spoke the emphasized word.

Rarity took a deep breath and collected herself. She had no idea why this woman would be angry about what Rarity had done, and she had no regrets about it either. She simply did what needed to be done.

“I did so because they were attacking the ponies of Ponyville,” Rarity answered sternly. “I am a Slayer, and when monsters attack Equestria’s ponies, it is my job to destroy them so ponies don’t get hurt.”

“You know that timberwolves are magical creatures,” Fluttershy said, undaunted by Rarity’s confidence, which was starting to wane as the spirit’s brightly glowing teal eyes bore into her, “correct?”

Rarity simply nodded her reply.

“They are created from the magic of the Everfree Forest,” the spirit explained, “my magic, to protect the forest when ponies venture too deep into it and take what doesn’t belong to them.”

“What do you mean?” Rarity felt her fingertips glance across the hilt of her axe by instinct.

“The forest is generous,” Fluttershy said calmly; a little too calmly for Rarity’s liking, and she noticed that even Pinkie Pie was standing behind Rarity now, “it gives of its branches so that the ponies who live around it can survive. But when they take that which is not freely given, it hurts the forest.”

Fluttershy’s ghostly eyes stared right into Rarity’s and a chill went down her spine.

“I will not let the forest suffer and die for the greed of ponies,” Fluttershy said sternly. She took a deep breath and collected herself, holding her hands gracefully in front of her. “Please tell the ponies of Ponyville that they may freely take the trees on the edges of the forest to do with what they need, but to leave the trees that resist their axes alone.

“They won’t receive another gentle warning.”

With that, the spirit turned her back on Rarity and nearly disappeared into the forest before Rarity called her name and the spirit paused, though she did not turn back to look at Rarity.

“I always thought that—” Rarity paused to grit her teeth.

Of all the emotions to be feeling right now, embarrassment seemed like an odd one to Rarity, yet how else could she feel about what she had to say after hearing Fluttershy’s rather impassioned speech?

“I was under the impression that timberwolves were just mindless beasts,” Rarity admitted, “lashing out at ponies simply because they could.”

“No creature acts without reason,” Fluttershy turned to Rarity with a seemingly genuine smile, though that somehow only made Rarity’s stomach sink further.

And those were the last words the spirit spoke before she returned to the shadowy forest, which somehow felt to Rarity to be both safer and yet more dangerous than she had realized.

Rarity sighed, not even realizing that her breath was being held until Fluttershy had vanished into the darkness of the forest. She looked behind her at Pinkie Pie, expecting her to still be trembling, but instead she found her friend had a huge smile on her face and her cheeks were red as a ruby necklace.

Pinkie must have noticed Rarity’s staring, because she turned to the unicorn and beamed.

“I really like her!”

“I—” Rarity hesitated before letting out a very, very tired sigh.

“Everypony in this town is crazy. Including me.”

Author's Note:

flootersnoot

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!

Comments

[Legatus]

“Everypony in this town is crazy. Including me.”

sOMEBODY STOLE tWILIGHT'S LINE.

[ShadowLDrago]

“Everypony in this town is crazy. Including me.”

The fun one are ALWAYS crazy.

[Timuri]

So someone ventured deep into the forest and took a heartwood or something similar. And Fluttershy created the Timberwolves in response to keep them from venturing deep into the forest again.

And I find myself thinking there is more to Bubbles than she is letting on.