Ghost of the Everfree

by David Silver

2 - Ah Ain't Helpless!

"Ah thought they caught you." While Dry Whisper was quivering behind her, Apple Bloom was glaring at the huge form before them. It was like a bear, if someone got some bee stuck in the genetic vat at the time. A bug bear! The bug bear? Apple Bloom wasn't sure if there was more than one or not of that varmint. "Yer mistake crossin' mah path." She looked almost happy.

That happiness faded a little when the beast slammed down a paw big enough to easily encompass her entire body, roaring at her with such intensity that spittle messed up her fur and had her ribbon fluttering atop her head. "Now that's just rude."

That was a fierce Equestrian varmint! But it was still Equestrian. She grabbed a potion by the neck in her teeth and flipped it up, sending another sailing just a little lower after it. They were in just the right spot as she wheeled around and kicked them both, sending them at the great bear.

Turned out, that bug bear had no idea how alchemists worked, or perhaps he would have put more effort into avoiding those incoming bottles. No, it had been rushing to snap her up, claws outstrettched, when the potions hit it near center of its chest, then exploded. Two spheres of flame grew rapidly, spreading over the bear as its fur ignited, setting the entire thing on fire with new roars, not of dominance, but pain. "Whatcha get." Apple Bloom couldn't look much smugger if she tried.

As it turned out, immolated bug bears were still quite strong, and capable of fighting. A lesson Apple Bloom learned as the world suddenly began flying. It had swatted her aside, knocking her into the air. Dry Whisper's plaintive cry was barely heard as the colt scrambled for a better hiding place.

Dizzy but present, Apple Bloom grabbed another potion and upended it, swallowing the cork right along with chugging the contents. Her aches began to fade quickly, allowing her to hit the ground and bounce to the side, back in the fight. Her little earth pony belly could handle a cork! And it made it so much easier to get a potion in her in a hurry. "Now ya done made me mad!"

Dry Whisper watched on from the safety of a bush as bombs burst and roars bled together in the intense battle that neither seemed to want to back down from. "You are amazing," he whispered to himself, eyes wide as he watched the little filly so calmly face what was so obviously a dire threat. Such bravery was not something he had. Such bravery was... not something he wanted. That filly was nuts... But he could not help but feel enraptured. She was insane, but was it entirely wrong to think she was also kind of amazing?

Electricity crackled, somehow it had been contained in one of her bottles, bursting in a grand display of fitful lightning. The bear, it seemed, had enough, taking to the air and soaring away in search of an easier meal, perhaps. "Yeah, get out of here!" shouted Apple Bloom, shaking a hoof at it and turning away with a snort. "Now where'd he go off ta? Dry? Ya here?"

Dry peeked his head out of the bushes, looking left and right and up and around in fitful sweeps of the area. The monster was gone, and others hadn't rushed to take up its space. "You could have died!"

"But ah didn't." She trotted over to her worried little friend. "Ah can handle a lone bug bear! Woulda been easier if mah friends were here. Ah mean, 'sides you." She pat his closer shoulder. "C'mon, still got a town to show you."

"I thought you said this was a safe place." He emerged from the bushes the rest of the way, still fretfully glancing about. "Not all of us can fight like you just did." A little awe was in his voice, impressed by how Apple Bloom had, still quite insanely, handled the event.

"It's the forest." She waved a hoof about. "More monsters like ta hang out 'round here. The town's safer." They only had monstrous attacks about once a week instead of once a day. Improvement! "There's lotsa friendly ponies that can't wait to meetcha!"

Dry trailed along behind her. However mad she was, she was still a safe place, perhaps even safer, considering she was so eager to wade into battle, giving him so much more time to run away and find a good hiding spot. As friends went, he silently decided, he had found a good one. He just had to be careful for what she considered safe... He nodded to himself, the fear fading from his eyes in simple acceptance.

It was all dangerous. It always was and always would be. He had been silly to think there was variance in that. Just be careful, always. It was the way to be. "Let's see this town of yours." He accelerated a little, eyes darting for trouble, but he was walking at her side instead of behind her.

Apple Bloom decided to take that as a sign that the mood was lifting. She jumped forward with a skip of her hooves. "That's more like it. See, we made it out." They were just emerging from the forest, crossing a small bridge that didn't really need to be there, but it avoided having to jump the small river.

"Oh, hello." Fluttershy was out on her lawn, a few of her animal friends nearby, including her bear friend.

Dry squeaked, hiding behind Apple Bloom, who proceeded without slowing. "Hey, Fluttershy! Ah found a new friend."

Flutter leaned to the side to get a better look at the new pony. "Are they... shy? I know that feeling... Hello there."

Dry peeked out from around Fluttershy. The bear had not attacked, and none of the ponies present seemed worried about it. "Apple Bloom, isn't that another dangerous bear?"

"Who, him?" She pointed at the bear. "He's harmless! Wouldn't hurt a fly. Now if ya were a flounder, then yer in trouble." She snorted with a big smile. "Ain't that right?"

Harry, the bear, nodded in casual agreement and offered a paw. Apple Bloom scampered up into reach of it and a bear hug was the natural result, the bear gently cradling the little filly as she giggled and wriggled around.

Fluttershy giggled herself, joining the mirth. "Harry is a very well behaved bear. That is why he is always welcome to join me. I wouldn't like a mean bear."

Dry inclined his head left and right. A well behaved bear? That was a thing?! "Oh..." He fixed his eyes on Fluttershy, considering her. "You are a pegasus. I heard of those, but never saw one." Curiosity began to get the better of him as he trotted forward to get a better look at her. "Can you really control the weather?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "Oh, my... Some of us can. Some of us are really good at it." She pointed up in the far distance where some weather ponies were busy pushing clouds about. "One of my best friends, Rainbow Dash, is really good at it!" She turned a hoof on herself. "I prefer to help animals. I only help if they really need me."

Dry clopped his hooves. "Keep practicing! Druids can do both of those if they're good enough."

Fluttershy's ears pricked. "I'm not one of those..." That was when she took a closer look at the colt before her. He had a number of odd things going for him, like his whispy mane and tail, and his almost colorless eyes. "You're not from around here, are you?"

Apple Bloom leaped from Harry's arm, rejoining the conversation. "Ah think he's from Everglow."

"Oh..." Fluttershy shrank a bit with obvious fear.

Dry set a hoof on her side. He had found a friend! Finally, a pony that knew that fear was a natural response. "I'm good, I promise!" Then it hit him. "Oh, that's what a bad pony would say..."

Fluttershy's fear abated a little, turning instead into a little giggle. "I believe you. The things that were... unkind... to me were not ponies at all, you just reminded me of them, is all... I..." She rubbed behind her head. "I don't want to talk about that. Welcome, uh..."

"Dry Whisper."

"I like that name." She bobbed her head softly. "It feels soft."

Dry sat back. "Names can be soft?"

Fluttershy considered that a moment. "Rainbow Dash implies... It's energetic. It's not soft. Fluttershy is... soft."

Apple Bloom burst into giggles. "Fluttershy is one of the softest ponies ah know! No offense or nothin'."

Fluttershy set a hoof right on Apple Bloom's head. "Apple Bloom is a nice name. It feels welcoming and warm."

"Gonna have ta thank m'mom fer it." Not that that was... possible. "Never really thought ah how names, ya know, felt."

"Me neither!" chimed Dry with a smile. "That's an interesting thing. Thank you for sharing it with me."

"You're very welcome. What a polite colt you are." Fluttershy had clearly decided Dry fell in the 'good colt' bucket.

Dry looked to Harry, less certain. A friendly bear. Who knew such a thing could be? "You have shown me a few things."

"C'mon!" Apple Bloom hopped towards the town that was in sight a short distance away. "Still got so many more ponies to introduce ya to!"

"Have fun!" Fluttershy waved as the two foals ambled away. "I should probably tell Twilight about this..." Everglow things were usually a sign that things were going to take a turn, if they hadn't already.

---

A high pitched gasp rang out as a pink mare charged at them from down the road. "Who. Is. That?!" she demanded with a huge grin, practically bouncing in place, her hooves trembling with... excitement.

Dry had fled into Apple Bloom's shadow, half under the filly.

Apple Bloom raised a leg to reveal more of Dry. "This here's Dry Whisper. He's real shy."

"I'm not shy," squeaked the colt. "Just... cautious." He peeked up at the pink pony that was gazing at him with intense scrutiny. "Is she friendly?"

"Is she friendly?" repeated Apple Bloom in a deadpan. "She is, literally, the most friendly pony in the entire town!" She threw one hoof wide. "Yer lookin' at the master of friendship, overlord of parties, bringer of smiles, Pinkie Pie!"

Pinkie reared up just so she could bow dramatically. "Aw, yer makin' me blush." She was not blushing. "Hi there! Dry Whisper, huh? You look kinda funny, but a good funny, like ha ha, not a bad funny, like ho ho." The difference, only she knew entirely. "Welcome to Ponyville! I have a few questions if you have a moment?"

Dry sat up on his haunches, Apple Bloom having stepped off of him entirely. "Oh. What are your questions?" A question could not hurt him, so far he knew.

"What's your favorite color, cake flavor, soda flavor, and food?" She brought her hooves together almost touching. "Do you prefer small parties." The hooves flew apart. "Or big parties?!" She moved one hoof beside her snout to stage whisper, "The big parties are way more fun."

Dry was quiet a moment, his hooves wobbling a little before coming together in a silent meeting. "My favorite color is a dark blue. What is a cake?" Perhaps surprisingly, he knew the next one. "Fizzy orange. My favorite food..." He licked his lips. "I have not had a green casserole in too long." The hooves split just barely. "I prefer small events with people I know well." He turned one of those hooves on Apple Bloom. "She would be welcome, were I to attempt it."

Apple Bloom threw a leg over him, drawing him close by the withers. "Aw! Thanks. By the way, she's already plannin' the party."

"But we're..." They were not talking. Pinkie was gone. A cloud in her shape was dispersing. "Oh..."

Author's Note:

Tuesdays got busy! Got another update to do, ruuuuun!

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Comments

[Booster Spice]

Its Ponyville in tuesday.

Beware the Pinkie.

[badninja]

Well we got Pinkie met. I wonder how long it will take Pinkie to realize Dry is from Everglow and to help get him back to his mother.

[Auram Potentia]

What I want to know is what dry is. Also I like the name thing It'd neat

[Spiritus Arcane]

10811403
He's a Ghost Pony, a pony tribe from Everglow that mostly live on the Etherial plane.

[howard035]

Depending on the timeline in the Silver cinematic universe, is that actually mirror clone Pinkie pretending to be the original?

[ABitterPill]

I thought Pinkie Pie was in Everglow making sure Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara didn't die?