Wyld: The Spirit Walker

by Joe Toon

Chapter 1: The Call

Hello? Is anypony there?

Young one.

Eeep! Um, hello?

Young one. What is your name?

Um, sorry?

What is your name?

Um... Fl-Fluttershy.

I beg your pardon?

My name is.... Fluttershy?

Hmm. Shy in name and shy in nature. Strange but a welcome trait from one with great potential.

Great potential?

The call, young Fluttershy. You can hear it, can you not?

Hear? I... I'm not so sure that I do. Nor do I understand what is going on.

You must listen, Fluttershy. A Great call in the air has sung. Be awaken and listen to the call.

Awaken? You mean, this is a dream? Princess Luna, is that you?

I am no Princess, young Fluttershy. If you truly wish to know, listen to the call. It shall lead you to me.

How do I listen? I don't even know what to listen for? Please, tell me. I don't know what to listen for. Please? If you don't mind... I'm not so sure what to listen for... I...

---

"Rise and Shine, Fluttershy!"

"Hhhmm? Rainbow? What are you doing in my home?"

"A better question for you Flutters, Why haven't you gotten up already? It's almost noon!"

Fluttershy; a yellow pegasus mare of Ponyville and Bearer of the Element of Kindness, sat up in shock of her childhood friend's revelation that the hour is late and remembered something very important.

"Oh dear, I have to feed the animals!"

She rushed out of bed faster than Rainbow thought to be usual, made her way to the kitchen and grabbed all sorts of pet food for all her animal friends. Friends that she began to notice were missing from her home as she left her kitchen.

Oh, they're probably starving by now! They probably are disappointed in me! Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to oversleep!

Much to her surprise though, all her animals were lined up, sitting on their haunches outside her cottage.

"Oh my. I am so sorry for making all of you wait for me." The Yellow pegasus bowed her head apologetically.

"Its alright, Fluttershy. We understand."

A lot of things can startle Fluttershy; the dark, public spotlight, her own shadow. This however, raises a lot of questions. While she can understand what animals are saying, she never once heard them speak ponish. "Y-y-you all can talk?"

"What are talking about, Fluttershy?" Angel Bunny stepped forward, paws crossed, "We've always been able to talk. Hay, we've been talking to you for years!"

"That's not what I mean, Angel," Fluttershy answered quickly, "It's just... Well... Never mind." She sighed deeply as hung her head low in surrender.

"Sorry Fluttershy," Harry the bear approached her and gave a nuzzle, "We didn't mean to make you feel sad."

"Oh, its okay Harry," Fluttershy returned the affection with a smile, "I'm not sad. Just, a little confused. If anything, I was worried that you are all upset that I didn't wake up earlier to provide breakfast this morning."

"It's alright Fluttershy," one of the birds landed on her mane, "We didn't want to disturb you today. Especially since you are glowing brightly today."

"Glowing?"

"Flutters, are you alright?"

The yellow pegasus turned to look at her foalhood friend. Rainbow looks different today. I can't put my hoof on why, but she looks different. "No... I mean, I'm alright Rainbow. I was just talking to my animals."

"Ah, the usual then," Rainbow sighed in relief.

"Um Rainbow, did you... could you hear them talking?" Fluttershy asked hesitantly.

"Uh, nope. Why would I?" Rainbow arched an eyebrow.

"Um, no reason. Just wondering," Fluttershy answered almost immediately. The nagging thought continued in Fluttershy's head and for a brief moment she thought she saw a silhouette of a pony behind Rainbow.

Just my imagination. Maybe I'm just hungry, I did wake up pretty late.

---

"May I take your order?"

"Oh, yes please. I'll have a daisy and cucumber sandwich, if you don't mind."

Fluttershy found herself outside the local cafe ordering Brunch. Still puzzled as to what she just experienced this morning, she sat quietly as she tried to clear her mind. Never mind the fact that her animal friends didn't swarm her with their usual disappointment when she forgot breakfast, she heard them all speak in her language.

"Here is your sandwich, Ms Fluttershy."

"Oh, thank you."

Fluttershy stared at her sandwich longingly. Oh my, I'm so hungry I could just eat a giant daisy stalk. She was just about to bite into her meal when out of nowhere...

"HI FLUTTERSHY!!" the Pink Party Pony named Pinkie Pie screeched her usual greeting.

Fluttershy leapt at the pink mare's greeting with an "EEEEP!!" throwing all her thoughts out the window of her proverbial mind.

It was just then, a daisy in her sandwich glowed and burst with a spark of magic as it grew twenty feet high with stalks, roots and more.

"Awa... Ah.... Aaaaah...." Fluttershy was reduced to a babbling mess as she muttered gibberish and gawked at the sight of the enlarged plant.

"Wow!! Where did this magically overgrown daisy come from?"

---

Okay Fluttershy. Don't panic. Just normal Ponyville things. Although, it's not everyday your daisy sandwich grew to an unusual size.

"Hey Fluttershy! Could you give us a hoof for a second?"

Fluttershy looked up to see Rainbow Dash, her pegasus friend, on a cloud with several other members of the weather factory. "Oh, hi Rainbow Dash," she smiled nervously, "What do you need help with?"

"Nothing too big, Flutters," the cyan pegasus replied with a shrug, "We're just stress-testing these new clouds from the weather factory. I just need you to give it a tap, just to see its lowest setting."

"S-sure, I suppose." Reluctantly, Fluttershy flew up on the cloud and readied herself. A light tap. Just a light tap, how bad could that be?

As she gave the cloud a soft pat, the yellow pegasus felt a powerful surge of magic from within her pulsed and released into the cloud, causing it to fire a powerful bolt of lightning that incinerated a tree directly below her with a deafening thunder.

"I.... I..... I'M SORRY!!" Fluttershy fled the scene, leaving a disoriented team of weather ponies.

"Send a note to the weather factory. Tell them their new clouds has too much punch."

---

"Twilight, something is happening to me."

Fluttershy found herself in Twilight's Castle of Friendship, twitching nervously as she turns her gaze to one end of the map room to another.

"I've been hearing things Twilight," the soft spoken mare continued, "It started with this weird dream I had, then I heard the animals started talking (in ponish I mean), then I'm seeing strange silhouettes behind our friends (and you). And there was the giant daisy that sprouted from my sandwich, I fired a lightning bolt just by tapping a storm cloud; I don't know what is going on." Fluttershy whimpered as she covered her face with her forehooves.

Twilight took a sip from her tea and levitated the cup on the table before speaking calmly, "Fluttershy, I know you are concerned about all these things happening around you, but are you quite sure aren't just natural for you or just a string of odd coincidences? I've checked you for Thaumaturgical fluctuations and found none over the usual influences of being the Bearer of the Element of Kindness. Maybe you being able to hear your animals talk in Ponish is just a leftover surge of power from that incident with Cozy Glow's attempt to rid of magic? Maybe it was Discord pulling a prank with that daisy sandwich of yours? Maybe that storm cloud Dash asked you to test was just too sensitive or too strong? I'm sorry I can't provide much help in a way that you are hoping, but I really can't see what is wrong without finding anything unusual."

Just then, the doors to the map room burst open as Zecora the zebra entered panting with a ghastly look on her face, "Princess Twilight, I am need of your aid! Something is happening to me, I am very afraid!"

The purple alicorn lept off her throne and approached the terrified zebra, "Slow down there Zecora, what happened?"

Zecora took a moment to catch her breath and then continued, "This morning while I was making my brew, I felt a surge of magic come through. My tree hut grew taller than before, and I heard a voice within me call evermore. The voice I tried to ignore, but more magic flowed through me as it implore. I heard the animals speak and plants bend to me, I see far beyond trees as I rush at a faster pace across the Everfree."

"That sounds similar to what I've experienced," Fluttershy trotted towards the frantic zebra and gave her a pat on her shoulder with her wing, "I heard my animals talk in Ponish, I see strange yet colourful silhouettes around my friends, a giant stalk grew out of my daisy sandwich and I fired a lightning bolt by just touching a storm cloud."

"Hold on a minute," Twilight stood before them trying to process the information, "are you telling me that the two of you somehow managed to cast magic?"

They both nodded hesitantly.

Twilight took a deep breath and stared at them with anticipation, "Can either of you demonstrate what you can do?"

Zecora closed her eyes, held out a hoof and pointed it at Twilight's teacup. Suddenly, out sprouts Chamomile from the teacup and blossomed. Fluttershy tried something similar but ended up teleporting next to the teacup instead. "H-how... How did I do that?"

While the yellow mare was still trying to process what she had just achieved, Twilight went maniacal, "That is amazing!!!! How is that possible? I didn't sense any Thaumaturgical fluctuations when you both did that!! Could it be that both of you are using a different means of casting magic? Oh, imagine if we could tap into this method of magic casting, then both Earth Ponies and Pegasi could achieve the same kind of spellcasting as Unicorns! Think of how this could revolutionise spellcraft!!!"

"Twilight, I appreciate your enthusiastic nature," Zecora stops the alicorn on her tracks, "but should we not find out how we came by this power?"

You have done well, young Fluttershy.

Fluttershy's ears perked up as she heard the voice from her dream, "A-are you... Are you actually real?" she whispered.

You and your friend's power will only continue to grow stronger. If you truly wish find out the source, touch the map before you.

As Twilight and Zecora were still discussing the possibilities of how they came upon this power, Fluttershy held out a forehoof to the map table and touched. The map glowed a bright turquois blue as a symbol of a crystal stood above the Everfree Forest. Twilight and Zecora stopped immediately as they looked at the pegasus, "Fluttershy, what did you do?"

"The voice from my dream told me to touch the map," came her timid reply, "She said if we want to learn more, we must find her here."

Author's Note:

G'day all.
This chapter took a while but it needs to be done because it is long overdue. Any suggestions and critiques is encouraged to help improve this series as it progresses.

Also do let me know what you guys think so far, your comments will help encourage me to improve.