3. Molly Grooms Fluttershy
A Mighty Demon Slayer Grooms Some Ponies
by D. G. D. Davidson
III. Molly Grooms Fluttershy
Megan had a reputation as a delinquent.
In sixth and seventh grade, she had spent so much time in Ponyland that she had often missed school and had frequently failed to turn in assignments. She had barely passed her classes. She had come home late and had disappeared at odd hours with no explanation. The adults in her life had concluded both that she was up to no good and that she would prove to be an unsavory influence on her younger siblings.
Once the Rainbow Bridge closed, she began attending school regularly and got straight A’s. Now approaching the end of her senior year of high school, she had a scholarship and plans to major in Agribusiness, but her reputation retained its tarnish, largely because of her aloofness.
Megan did not get along well with others. When in a crowd, she would hear about parties, boyfriends, daytime television, and sports. Having discovered a lost civilization, shattered cursed amulets, hunted for magical relics, and banished evil demigods, she found such talk unbearably inane.
She knew she couldn’t bring Ponyland into a conversation, but neither could she find relief by discussing more earthy and sensible topics. Once, while standing in a knot of girls talking about which boys they thought were cutest, she mentioned that she had helped a prize cow give birth the day prior. The other girls had looked at her in blank disgust and quietly walked away.
Except for her brother and sister, Megan had no close friends. In the lunchroom at school, she usually ate by herself with her head bent low and her arm hooked around her tray. Aside from 4-H, she hadn’t joined any clubs, and she didn’t play any sports. She insisted that she had to head straight home after school to tend to the animals.
A year ago at lunch, while Megan was picking at something vaguely resembling beef stroganoff, Clarisse sat down across from her. One of the school’s few Mennonites, Clarisse always wore a long, simple dress and kept her chestnut hair tied up under a cap. She and Megan got along well, which is to say that they could stand each other’s company, though Clarisse had apparently gotten it into her head that Megan was a poor sinner in need of repentance.
She pushed a book across the table. “Read that.”
Megan glanced at it. “What is it?”
“Just read it.”
Megan slid the book into her open backpack. When she got home, she skimmed it. As she had supposed, it was a religious book: it recounted the story of a four-year-old boy who had major surgery and claimed afterwards that he had died and gone to heaven for a few minutes. The boy said that, while he was there, he had met Jesus, and that Jesus had ridden a horse colored like a rainbow.
The next day, when walking between classes, Megan saw Clarisse at her locker. She handed the book back and kept walking.
“Megan!” Clarisse called.
Megan stopped and turned around.
“Did you read it?”
“Most of it.”
“And?”
Megan shrugged.
With a nervous smile, Clarisse stepped close to her. “Doesn’t it seem true? Don’t you just feel sometimes that there has to be another world beyond ours?”
“I’ve been there,” Megan answered. “And yes, the horses are rainbow-colored.” She left Clarisse in the hall and headed toward her next class.
“I can’t do it! I know I can’t! I just can’t!”
While Megan stood over her with her arms crossed, Fluttershy threw herself on the ground, put her hooves over her head, and quaked.
“I’ll trip over my hooves!” Fluttershy cried. “I’ll forget the sequence! I’ll fall over a fence! I don’t know what a lead change is!”
Megan knelt and ran a hand through Fluttershy’s pink mane. “Ambassador, there’s no need to get this upset.”
“But there is! Everypony’s going to be staring at me, and I’m going to mess up, and—”
Megan scratched her behind the ears. “Fluttershy, you don’t have to do the dressage or the jumper or the western classes.”
Fluttershy looked up, her teary face full of hope. “I don’t?”
“There’s also an English pleasure class. You can do that instead.”
Fluttershy squeaked and covered her head again.
“You’ll be told when to walk, trot, and canter, so you don’t have to memorize anything. All you have to do is smile, respond quickly, and look like you’re having a good time. I think you’ll win, too: the judges will probably take into account that a pegasus is likely to be more fun to ride than most horses.”
“I don’t do well in front of crowds.”
Megan laughed. “You know, Rainbow Dash told me you’d say something like that, so she made sure to inform me that you’ve performed in a play in front of a large audience and that you had a brief but successful career as a fashion model. So no excuses. Let’s get you ready.”
Fluttershy rose to her feet and kicked at the ground while Megan curried her coat. All the ponies’ coats were soft, but Fluttershy’s was especially so. It had the texture of velvet. As she brushed, Megan made a mental note to be extra careful not to get any show sheen on her saddle area, or the saddle would surely slip.
“If you hate performing, how in the world did you end up as a model?”
“I was sort of talked into it.”
“Why didn’t you say no?”
Fluttershy ducked her head and toed the ground again. “I was afraid to.”
Now currying Fluttershy’s right haunch, Megan paused. “You weren’t egged into this whole ambassador thing against your will, were you?”
“Oh, no,” said Fluttershy quickly. “All six of us sort of, um, work together, so when Princess Celestia asked Twilight if we would come to Earth, we all said yes.”
“That doesn’t really answer my question. Did you want to come to Earth, and did you want to be in this horse show?”
“I don’t mind coming to Earth. Really, I don’t.”
“Hmm.” Megan continued working, moving around to Fluttershy’s left side. “I don’t know if this is any help to you, but back when I used to visit Ponyland, I often had to do things I didn’t feel ready for. I learned two tricks. Wanna hear them?”
“Oh, yes, please.”
“Okay. The first is, learn to improvise. More than once, I didn’t have a clue what to do, but I acted like I did and came up with something. It usually worked. When some of the ponies had screwed things up by making bad wishes with magic coins, I convinced the troll who owned the coins to set things right by wishing for a friend for him. When one of the ponies lost a bet she made with a talking ostrich in the hopes of winning a magic horseshoe we needed, I just swiped the horseshoe and hightailed it outta there. I once even slowed down a crystalized lava demon by throwing a blanket over his face, which gave the princess ponies time to escape so they could recharge their magic and kill him.”
Fluttershy shuddered. Under Megan’s hands, her muscles twitched as if she were trying to remove flies. “They killed him? Just like that?”
“Yeah. I don’t know how you do things in this Equestria of yours, but back in Dream Valley, we played for keeps. That brings me to my second trick.”
Fluttershy swallowed. “And that is—?”
“Never let them see you bleed. When you’re scared to death, that’s exactly the time to hold your ground, keep calm, and assess your advantages.”
Her voice barely audible, Fluttershy whispered, “I prefer to hold my ground at home—”
“That’s what it was always about. Home. The Dream Valley ponies had to fight to keep theirs.”
Megan finished currying and took a step back. “There. I must say, you’ve got a beautiful coat. You’re already so well groomed, I’m not going to have to do much here. I’ll go over you with the body brush, and then I can braid your mane.”
“I just want to know one thing,” Fluttershy whispered.
“Yes?”
“Is this the end?”
Megan paused. “Uh, no. I’ve got your mane, tail, hooves—”
“I mean, is this the end of . . . the world?” Fluttershy’s voice rose again to a squeak. She turned her head to face Megan, and her eyes were very wide and moist.
Megan lowered the brush and cautiously rested her hands on her hips. “Fluttershy, I do not know what the hell you’re talking about.”
Fluttershy winced. “Well, it’s just, I mean, they say that, when you were with the ponies, they lived in Paradise.”
“Uh huh. But—”
“And after you disappeared, the ponies forgot about friendship, so the windigoes came. Then everypony had to find a new home.”
“That’s what Princess Sparkle told me, but I don’t really see—”
“And a lot of ponies say that, someday, at the end of the world, Magog will return to lead all the good ponies back to Paradise.”
The brush slipped out of Megan’s hand.
Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut, but tears seeped from between her eyelids. She threw herself on the ground, wrapped her fetlocks around Megan’s legs, and cried, “I’m sorry if I’ve been a bad pony! Please don’t send me to Tartarus!”
After blinking several times in bewilderment, Megan tried to step backwards, but Fluttershy’s forelegs were still around her ankles, so she tumbled to the grass.
Fluttershy, apparently realizing she’d tripped the prophesied chosen one, put her hooves to her mouth and, with an expression of terror on her face, released a strangled, high-pitched squeal.
Crawling backwards until she could gain her feet, Megan rose and walked numbly into the barn. Dry, musty air and the thick smells of hay and manure met her inside. In the darkness, she walked to a wall, placed her hands on it, and several times pounded her forehead against its rough surface.
In his stall, T.J. whinnied.
“I can’t do it, T.J.,” Megan murmured. “I thought maybe I could handle being their folk hero, but I definitely can’t handle this. This Equestria must be crazy.”
A horse’s soft tread sounded behind her. She spun around. “Look, Fluttershy—”
She snapped her mouth shut. It was Twilight.
“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked. “Fluttershy is out here crying.”
“Princess—”
Megan realized her voice sounded shrill, so she paused, gathered herself, and said in a harsh whisper, “What exactly do ponies think happened with us back in Dream Valley?”
Twilight sighed. “Oh, dear. Well—I’m sorry about this—the stories say that, under the benevolent reign of Magog, Danel, and Moloch, the ponies lived in Paradise.” She raised a hoof to her breast. “Personally, I always assumed the stories were metaphorical.”
“And what’s this about me taking ponies back there?”
Twilight laughed. “Back there? Oh, no, no. That’s not it at all. The legend says that, at the end of the world, the Rainbow Bridge will open again and Magog will return to defeat the last of the ponies’ enemies. Then a new Paradise will descend from the sky, and the ponies will no longer need the princesses to raise the sun or moon because Magog herself will light the city forever.”
The barn was silent for almost half a minute as Megan stared. Twilight coughed gently and added, “I, uh, assume that’s metaphorical, too. I mean, clearly, the reopening of the Rainbow Bridge represents friendship growing in ponies’ hearts, the return of Magog represents the end of ill-will between friends, the descent of Paradise symbolizes the harmony that friendship produces, and—”
“But the Rainbow Bridge is open,” said Megan, “and I’m right here.”
“Well, yes. There’s that. Still, I wrote a lengthy paper on this once, and I don’t think we need to let present events get in the way of a good theory.”
“Look, I am not going to destroy your enemies, and I definitely can’t bring some city or building or whatever down out of heaven.”
Twilight smiled. “They say the first Paradise descended from the sky, but I expect that too is a—”
“Actually, it did.”
“Oh.” Twilight rubbed her chin. “I might have to revise my paper—”
“Twilight, I can’t do this. I am a good Methodist, I go to church every Christmas, and I absolutely cannot be your . . .” Megan trailed off and threw up her hands.
Twilight waved a hoof in the air. “These are obviously old mares’ tales. Clearly, you’re not quite the powerful being the stories make you out to be.”
Megan furrowed her brow as she tried to decide whether that was an insult or not.
“I really wouldn’t worry,” said Twilight. “None of this stuff is supposed to take place until after Tartarus breaks open and monsters destroy Equestria. That hasn’t happened.”
A drop of sweat meandered down the middle of Megan’s back. “Wait, what?”
“Monsters,” Twilight said. “You know, the ones you’re supposed to defeat . . .” With a scowl, she paused and rubbed her chin again.
Megan fell back against the wall. “I need to sit down.”
“Yes . . .” Still scowling, Twilight stared at the floor.
Running her tongue across her teeth, Megan suddenly realized her mouth was very dry. “Twilight Sparkle,” she said, “if there’s one thing I learned in Ponyland, it’s that some stuff, like crazy old prophecies, no matter how weird they are, should be taken seriously.”
Twilight nodded. “I just thought of the same thing, actually—”
Molly popped her head in the door of the barn and said cheerily, “Megster, did you make a pony cry?”
Pressing her palms to her eyes, Megan muttered, “Uh huh. She thinks I’m going to send her to hell for her sins.”
“Maybe you should tell her you only do that sort of thing to”—Molly ticked names off on her fingers—“Tirek, Quirt, Grogar, the Smooze, those Raptorians, Lavan—”
“And I would’ve done it to those witches if I’d had the chance. Molly, shouldn’t you be cleaning your saddles?”
“I finished, sis. You’re taking forever over here.”
“And you can go to hell, too, Molly.”
Molly stuck her tongue out. “How about I help you groom the ponies instead?”
“I told you—”
“To clean my tack. Which I did. All of it. Meanwhile, you’re sitting in the barn and whining because an alien civilization thinks you’re Jesus. So how ’bout I help you out and we’ll get this done faster?”
Megan closed her eyes and, struggling to keep her voice controlled, said, “Molly, I think this is something that I, personally, should—”
“Megan.”
Megan opened her eyes. Molly had one eyebrow raised and her hands turned up in that “duh” gesture she used when she thought Megan was doing something stupid.
“I know as much about horses as you do,” Molly said, “and as much about little ponies. Remember?”
Glumly, Megan nodded and half-heartedly waved a hand. “Go groom Fluttershy, then, and I’ll start on the next one.”
A wide grin spread across Molly’s face, and she delivered a thumbs-up. “Thank you. You are still the coolest big sister ever, even when you’re being a stupid-head.” She popped out the door and ran off.
Megan glanced at Twilight. “The problem is that you’ve got it all wrong. I’m not some big hero. If a whole bunch of monsters are about to get unleashed on Equestria, you’re screwed.”
With a loud squeal, Molly tackled Fluttershy, threw her arms around her neck, and began roughly rubbing her coat and kissing her cheek.
“You’ve no idea how much I missed you!” Molly shouted. “Well, I mean, not you specifically, but ponies! It’s been years since I’ve seen a pony! I mean, you know, a real pony. Er, I mean . . . you know what I mean!” She squeezed Fluttershy as hard as she could and shrieked.
Fluttershy, with tears still running down her face, responded only with a faint mumble.
“So how far along were you?” Molly asked.
Fluttershy mumbled again.
Molly let go of Fluttershy’s neck, threw herself on the ground, and put her hands behind her head. Grinning up at the pony, she asked, “Are you nervous?”
Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut and nodded.
“I’m always nervous too before a show,” said Molly, gazing into the sky. “But there’s a trick I’ve learned. Wanna know what it is?”
“N-never let them s-see you bleed?”
Molly blinked. “What? Where did that come from? No, I was gonna tell you to picture the judges in their underwear.”
“But what is—?”
“Never mind. Just relax. I’m gonna be there, Danny’s gonna be there, Megan’s gonna be there, and everything’ll be fine. Believe me, if anyone so much as looks at you wrong, Megan’s gonna kick his butt. In fact, we should prob’ly tie her down instead o’ the horses. Now, was she through with your coat?”
“Um, she said something about a body—”
“Body brush. Got it.” Molly jumped up, grabbed the brush, and made broad strokes across Fluttershy’s coat. “Ooh, this makes me miss Shady. And Baby Sundance. And Baby Cuddles. Oh, wow, I guess they wouldn’t be babies anymore. Oh, wow, I guess they wouldn’t even be alive anymore.” Molly shook her head. “Five thousand years. That’s harsh.”
“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy whispered.
“For what? It’s not your fault.” Molly tossed the body brush aside and grabbed up her hairbrush. “I am so glad Megan’s letting me do this. I’ve wanted to get my hands on you since I first saw you.”
Pink entered Fluttershy’s cheeks. “Why?”
“Are you serious? Your mane’s amazing.” Molly started brushing. “I love combing our horses, but it’s just not the same, you know? And Megan has awesome hair, but she won’t let me touch it. Yours might give me some trouble, though.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying that!” Molly scratched Fluttershy behind the ears as she thought. “It’s just that the English classes require braids, but I’m not quite sure how to do yours since you have such a long forelock. I’ve had horses whose forelocks hung below their eyes, but I’ve never tried to braid a forelock that actually hangs to the ground. Looks like I have to get creative.” She leaned around and grinned widely right in Fluttershy’s face, making the pony cringe. “I love getting creative.”
“You mean improvise?”
“Yeah, sure. Hmm, I’m going to do a continuous French braid along your neck, which will work well with your long hair. Then for your forelock . . . we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Molly spent several minutes brushing. She carefully divided the hair into two sections, which she laid on either side of Fluttershy’s neck. “Okay, here’s the deal. Your mane is really, really thick, so I’m gonna do two braids, one on each side of your crest. Normally, to make sure it’s straight, I’d do this while sitting on your back. You okay with that?”
“I guess so—”
“Open your wings.”
Hesitantly, Fluttershy did. She gasped when Molly threw a leg over her back and climbed on. Molly squirmed a little, adjusting, and looked down to see her toes dangling only a few inches off the ground.
“Yep,” she said, “I’m taller’n I used to be. My days of riding magic ponies might be just about over. Am I too heavy?”
Fluttershy paused for a moment, but then shook her head.
“You’re sure?”
“Well,” Fluttershy whispered, “I sometimes carry some animals on my back, and most of them are smaller, but—”
“Great! Your hair is mine!” Molly mimicked a villainous laugh, took Fluttershy’s mane in hand, and began making a braid down the right side of her neck. “And it’s so nice and long, I’m going to have lots and lots of it to hang down your shoulder here. Oh, you’re going to be gorgeous!” Molly hummed to herself, kicked her feet, and bounced up and down lightly. Fluttershy merely lowered her head and shut her eyes.
Just as she was nearing the end of the braid, Molly let go of Fluttershy’s hair and shouted, “Oh, sugar! Gosh darn it, I can’t believe I forgot! Fudge!”
“W-what’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked.
“Pink! Your hair is pink!”
“I’m sorry—”
“Why? I love pink. I wanted to dye my hair pink, but Megan wouldn’t let me. No, the problem is, your hair’s pink, but my thread isn’t. Hold still a moment. Uh, no, on second thought, could you walk closer to the table there—?”
Fluttershy did as she was told, stepping up to the card table on which Megan had earlier laid supplies. Molly grabbed up a spool of thread, bit off some with her teeth, and tied it around the end of Fluttershy’s braid.
“Okay,” Molly said, hopping to the ground, “don’t move. I’ll be right back!” She spun around and, at top speed, clomped toward the house. She sped through the back door, through the kitchen, and into the hall bathroom where she yanked open a drawer under the counter and rifled around until she pulled out what had formerly been a fruitcake tin, but was now a disorganized sewing kit.
“Pink, pink, pink . . . pink!” She pulled out a spool and held it over her head. “I knew we had pink thread! It’s not the best stuff for this, but it’ll work. Woo! Pony, here I come!”
She launched herself back out the door, ran toward the horse barn, vaulted herself over Fluttershy’s croup, and landed hard on her back, nearly flattening her to the ground.
“Check it out!” she cried, waving the spool of thread in front of Fluttershy’s face. “Pink!”
Fluttershy replied with a weak smile. “That’s . . . nice?”
Molly pulled off the temporary tie she’d made and secured the braid with the pink thread. Then, halfway down Fluttershy’s neck and just behind her ears, she tied loops of thread to keep the braid from sagging. After that, she started in on the second braid.
As she twisted Fluttershy’s hair, Molly sighed. “We used to have a Friesian. He was black all over except for a little white star on his forehead. His mane was really thick and really long, and it was wavy. That was the most gorgeous horse we ever had here. I loved braiding his hair.”
“Had? Did he have to leave?”
Molly finished the braid, climbed from Fluttershy’s back, and started in on Fluttershy’s forelock, braiding small sections at a time. “I was out riding him, he caught a foot in a gopher hole, and he fell. I flew clear and landed in some soft dirt, but I’m lucky he didn’t crush me. He broke his leg, though. Messed it up real bad. The bone was sticking right out.”
Fluttershy trembled. “Oh, the poor dear.”
“Yeah. He was an older horse by that time, too, so full recovery just wasn’t gonna happen. I’m crazy, I guess, cuz I was riding again a few days later, but, oh, that Friesian! He was my favorite, but Megan had to put him—”
Molly felt heat run to her face. She closed her mouth, and her hands slipped from Fluttershy’s forelock.
“She had to put him where?” Fluttershy asked.
Molly scrambled to take up the strands of Fluttershy’s hair again. She swallowed, patted Fluttershy’s head, and said, “She put him . . . in a home! Yeah. You know, a home for lame horses. Someplace where he’d be taken good care of.”
A little smile settled on Fluttershy’s mouth. “Well, that’s nice, at least.”
Molly almost dropped Fluttershy’s hair again.
“And I’m sure he’s very happy to have somepony who cares about him so much,” Fluttershy added. “I hope you go see him a lot.”
Molly wiped sweat from her forehead. “Oh, yeah. All the time.”
“Maybe we can visit him after the show? I’m sure he’d like to meet all of us.”
“Uh . . . I dunno.”
“Please? It would mean so much to him.”
Molly wiped her forehead again. “Hey, uh, let’s just focus on this for now, huh? I mean, you’re an ambassador, right? It’s a big day and all.” She finished braiding Fluttershy’s forelock as quickly as she could and stepped back. “Yes. That works even better than I thought it would. You’re gonna wow ‘em. Let’s do your tail.”
Fluttershy ducked her head. “Is that really necessary?”
“Yeah, ’course. Do you want it braided or banged? Please say braided, cuz I’d hate to cut a tail like this one.”
“Um, well, I don’t want you to cut it, but—”
“But what?”
“Are you sure you need to—?”
“Yeah. Rules an’ stuff.”
Fluttershy shrieked when Molly seized her tail and started brushing it out. “Um, I really don’t know if you—”
“Oh, relax. What’s the big deal? It’s not like . . .” Molly paused, running her fingers through the hair. About a third of the way down, she felt a hard knob. “Are you wearing a tail extension?”
Fluttershy closed her eyes, and her cheeks turned pink again.
“That’s okay,” said Molly. “I braid extensions in most of my horses’ tails before shows. This one’s looking a little loose, though, so I’m going to take it out and redo—”
“I’m so embarrassed!” With tears streaking from her eyes, Fluttershy took off at a gallop toward the north pasture.
“Hey, wait!” Molly shouted. “Come back!” Dumbfounded, she watched as Fluttershy shrank in the distance and disappeared behind a rising cloud of dust.
Megan stuck her head out of the barn. “Molly, what just happened?”
“I don’t know! Fluttershy just took off!”
Megan punched the wall. “Son of a bitch! We don’t have time for this! Where’s Rainbow Dash?”
Megan found Rainbow chatting with Rarity and Applejack in the shade behind the barn. Rarity was still complimenting Rainbow’s new style, and Applejack was still snickering at the bow on her tail, which Rainbow had yet to detect.
“Rainbow,” Megan said.
“Yeah?” Rainbow answered.
“Your friend ran off. We’re going after her.”
“Wait, who did what—?”
Without an answer, Megan grabbed Rainbow’s wings, pushed them forward out of her way, and climbed on. “Giddyup,” she said.
Rainbow glared back at her. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
“You can fly, can’t you?”
“Well, yeah—”
Megan reached back and slapped her haunch. “Then do it.”
Rainbow stood still for a moment, her mouth hanging open. But then, with her lips curled in a half-grin, she turned her head, spread her wings, jumped, and shot straight into the air.
Wind blasted into Megan’s eyes and teeth. She sucked in her breath, leaned forward, and wrapped her arms around Rainbow’s neck. She had ridden pegasi bareback before, but even Whizzer hadn’t been this fast. The show sheen was slippery, and Megan could feel her legs sliding backwards toward Rainbow’s haunches.
“Rainbow Dash! Slow down!”
“You said you wanted to fly, didn’t you?” Rainbow shouted.
She spun in a tight corkscrew, lifting Megan off her back. When Rainbow righted herself, Megan slammed down hard and winced. “Rainbow Dash, I swear—!”
Rainbow giggled. “I expected the great hero who beat monsters with a rainbow to be tougher than this!”
“I can think of one Rainbow I’d like to beat right now.”
“Ha!” Rainbow doubled her speed.
“If I have to redo your braids, I will kill you!” Spotting a blot of pink and yellow in the pasture below, Megan pointed. “There she is!”
“I see ’er.” Rainbow dove. Megan clenched her teeth as she felt her stomach shift.
Only a few feet from the ground, Rainbow opened her wings wide, flapped hard, and arrested her descent. She dropped right in front of Fluttershy and hovered, allowing her hindquarters to hang. Megan at last lost her grip and fell to the ground. A sharp rock gouged into her lower back, and she sucked in her breath with a muffled curse. When she struggled to her feet, she had to force her back to straighten out.
“Hey, Fluttershy, what gives?” Rainbow asked.
Grimacing, Megan tried to rub the pain out of her back. “Molly said you ran off. Why?” She paused. “And what the hell did she do to your forelock? Dreadlocks? Seriously? What was she thinking?”
Fluttershy toed the ground. Megan cracked her knuckles and marched toward her, but Rainbow raised a forelimb and blocked her path.
“Lemee handle this,” Rainbow said. She dropped to the ground and put a hoof to Fluttershy’s shoulder. “C’mon, Fluttershy. What’s up?”
“I just can’t tell you, Rainbow Dash.”
Clenching her fists, Megan stepped forward again. “That is not good enough—”
Rainbow jumped into the air and pushed her back. “I said let me handle this.”
“Handle it faster.”
“Why don’t you mind your own business?”
“Oh, I’d love to!” Megan shouted. “But, gee, a damn pony landed in my damn well and wanted her damn mane braided!”
“I did not want my mane braided!” Rainbow shouted back. “And I still think it looks stupid!”
“Fine!”
“Fine!”
“Moloch found out I wear tail extensions!” Fluttershy blurted. She put her head to the ground and covered her eyes with her hooves.
Megan and Rainbow both turned and stared at her. They were silent for a minute.
“You wear tail extensions?” Rainbow asked.
Megan rubbed her forehead. Her headaches this day had been coming in waves. “Who cares? Most of my horses wear tail extensions when I show them.”
“No, seriously,” said Rainbow, “you wear tail extensions?” She landed behind Fluttershy and picked up the end of her tail. “It looks so real. I mean, I always thought it was pretty long, but I never—”
“Rainbow Dash!” Megan shouted.
“What?”
Megan sat down in front of Fluttershy, took a deep breath, and said as calmly as she could, “Just answer me one thing, Ambassador. Am I going to have to go through something like this with every single one of you?” Curiosity mixed with her annoyance when she noticed Fluttershy’s forelock again. She reached out and picked at the braided dreadlocks Molly had made. “Look, Molly and I already know, and we don’t especially care. I can adjust the extension right here, and nobody else has to see it. Then I’ll take you back to the barn, Molly can braid your tail, and we will keep this a secret between us. We won’t even tell the other ponies.”
“I still can’t believe you wear an extension,” Rainbow said, now picking through Fluttershy’s tail. “I mean, where is it exactly? It’s so—”
“Rainbow,” Megan hissed, “shut up.”
Fluttershy wiped her face. “I . . . I guess that’s okay,” she whispered. “And the others already know—”
“Wait,” Rainbow said, “the others know? How come—?”
Megan raised a hand. “I don’t care. Discuss it later. Fluttershy, stand up and turn around.”
Slowly, Fluttershy did as she was told. By pulling up half the hair of her tail, Megan exposed the plug and loop on the end of the extension. “I don’t have a hair clip . . . Rainbow, hold this.”
Rainbow Dash obligingly put a hoof against Fluttershy’s tail to hold up the hair. Fluttershy’s shoulders sank.
Megan examined the extension. It was braided in and held in place with a piece of twine wrapped around Fluttershy’s dock. “Yeah, it’s getting loose. I’m gonna undo it and make a fresh braid.” She loosened the knots, pulled Fluttershy’s natural hair free, and moved the extension farther up. “Really, with this in, your tail’s too long for show, so I’ll hike it up a bit. It’ll still be too long, but I assume you wouldn’t like me to cut it.”
She pulled some of Fluttershy’s hair through the loop at the extension’s top and braided it. “It looks like your real hair is kind of thin. Is that—?” Fluttershy began to pull away, so Megan quickly added, “No, no. Never mind. I don’t care. Just let me get this done.” She braided some of Fluttershy’s real hair into the false hair of the extension and then tied the twine again around Fluttershy’s dock.
Megan took the clump of hair Rainbow had been holding and combed it down with her fingers. “That looks good. I can’t see it.” She took a deep breath, let it out, and looked back and forth between the ponies. “Okay. Let’s get you back and we’ll have Molly finish braiding. Rainbow, go on ahead.”
“What? But—”
“Do not argue with me, Rainbow Dash, or I swear—”
“Fine, fine.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, rose into the air, and flew back toward the barn.
Shaking her head, Megan climbed onto Fluttershy’s back. “Walk. And let’s talk.”
Silently, Fluttershy started walking. After a minute, she mumbled, “I used to pull the hair out of my tail when I was a foal, and it never grew back in very thick. I’m sorry I ran off—”
“I’m not mad about that.”
They were quiet for another minute. Fluttershy’s hooves made a steady clopping sound against the sandstone scattered through the field.
Megan sighed. “Fluttershy, I’m not Magog the Mighty. You know that, right? I’m just a girl from Oklahoma. Maybe that sounds like a faraway, mystical place to you, but to me it’s just my home. I only went to Ponyland because ponies kept begging for my help, and I only did what I did there because I had to. I’m not sending any ponies to Tartarus. Clear?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“I’m not a goddess,” Megan said. “I don’t have magic powers, and I’m not looking to fulfill any prophecies. Is that clear?”
“What’s a goddess?”
“Never mind. Just understand that I’m not one.”
“Okay.”
They continued in silence. As they neared the barn, Fluttershy whispered, “I really am sorry. It’s just, Moloch told me about that poor stallion who broke his leg, and then—”
“She told you about Blackie? What was she thinking? And he wasn’t a stallion. He was a . . . never mind. But holy hell, I can’t believe she told you that. No wonder you were upset.”
“I was sad for him at first, but then she told me where you put him, and that made me happy.”
“That made you happy?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Really? I had to shoot him in the head, and you’re happy about that?”
Fluttershy stopped walking, and Megan felt her tremble violently.
“You did what?” Fluttershy whispered.
“Oh,” Megan said. “Oh, dammit.”
“You did what?”
When Megan returned to her senses, she found herself lying flat on her back and staring up into the blue sky. A rock pressed into her left hip and grass tickled the back of her neck. A cloud drifted lazily overhead.
“Eyes,” she mumbled. “Eyes of fire . . .”
Twilight Sparkle’s face hove into view. She wore a look of cautious concern. “Are you okay?”
“What just happened?”
“I think we had a little misunderstanding.”
“So I gathered.”
“Fluttershy was very angry, but she’s calm now. Moloch explained everything to me, and then I explained everything to Fluttershy.”
“And you’re okay with all of this?”
Twilight looked away and raised a hoof to her neck. “Well, I don’t know about okay, but I understand this is a different world, and I understand your animals are different from ours. And I’ve come to accept that you . . . you kill things.”
Megan sat up. A sharp pain shot from the base of her neck to the top of her head. She winced. “We’re running out of time.”
“Fluttershy let Moloch braid her tail, but she didn’t look happy about it. Rainbow Dash and I managed to coax her.”
“And her hooves?”
“Well, Moloch said Fluttershy’s hooves were so well trimmed that all she had to do was pick them. She wasn’t sure about the yellow polish, but in the end, she left it on.”
“So she's done?”
“I guess so.”
Megan rested her hands in her lap. “What exactly just happened?”
Twilight gave a forced laugh. “Uh, Fluttershy has this thing—”
“Hypnotism, by any chance?”
“I suppose you could call it that. She doesn’t seem to be able to control it.”
Megan nodded wearily. “I’ve had worse.” Unsteadily, she climbed to her feet and brushed off the seat of her pants. “Ordinarily, grooming is relaxing. It’s something I look forward to.” She shook her head. “This is the most pain I’ve ever endured from brushing ponies.”
When she took a step toward Twilight, Twilight skittered backwards.
Megan’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure you’re okay with all of this?”
Twilight opened her mouth, but shut it again and scowled. She rubbed her chin for a moment. Then she said, “I told you, I understand. You’re the one who protected the Valley of Dreams. Maybe you can’t accept it, but you are Magog the Mighty.” Her face took on a pained expression, as if she feared how Megan might react to her next words. “Magog the Mighty is a killer. I already knew that. We all did.”
Twilight turned and walked back toward the barn. Megan stood still and watched her go. It was several minutes before she followed.
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"Gain her feat" should probably be "gain her feet".
Great as always
Ouch, a point blank Stare Attack. I'm surprised that she could make a coherent sentence.
1955466
Whoops. No matter how many times I read over the thing, eh? It's fixed now.
1955507
Yes, true. But the biggest bad-awesome in two worlds probably has an unusually quick recovery time.
1955502
Thanks. And thanks again for your help.
What's going to be funny is them trying to groom Pinkie.
1955538
I have plans for Pinkie.
1955546
With her mess of a main probably requires solid steel combs, heavy duty brushes, straps that would keep a draft horse still, enough seditives to knock out a blue whale, and an industrial strength can of hair spray.
1955527
Yup. There's certainly no shame in missing the occasional word, especially when it's one the spellchecker won't catch. You should see my notes on some of the people I proof for
I'm quite enjoying the story so far -- the research you've put into it is adding a nice air of authenticity, and I'm enjoying the Megan/Magog dichotomy you've got going on. Keep up the good work!
Dude, G1 sounds hardcore. I outta watch it sometime.
1955755
I'll, um, take that as a compliment?
1955581
What are you talking about? Pinkie just needs to go crazy, and her mane will be perfectly straight
. With all the DRAMA in this story, there is no way that she won't go crazy or sad.
edit: Added youtube video
Wow. So that's how you made this chapter dramatic. Heavy stuff, but very well-executed. I think the funny/serious balance was a little bit off in this chapter as compared with the previous one, but not jarringly so. I laughed quite a bit at Molly's adorable antics. I'd love to see more of her, though I don't know if that's what you have planned.
Interesting turn you've taken with setting up "Magog" as the ponies' returning savior. This story seems to be going in a very different direction than I'd expected, but now you've got me hooked.
1955973
The idea that G1 is G4's ancient history that has been mythologized over time is one I've been working on for a while, and I predict I'll recycle it in a bajillion different ways in other stories. It is partially inspired by The Elements of Harmony and the Savior of Worlds, but I have slight dissatisfaction with that story and wanted to take things in a different direction. I don't know why, but since I first decided that G1 should be G4's ancient history, I have envisioned Megan as growing into an angry, violence-prone, foul-mouthed teenager with daddy issues.
Thank you for the compliments and encouragement. You are by no means obligated, of course, but I wonder if you could elaborate on what is off in this chapter's humor/drama balance.
1956003 In chapter two, the humor and drama both stemmed from one source of conflict, whereas in this chapter, there are several sources (Fluttershy's spiritual insecurity, Fluttershy's tail extensions, Megan's dismay at finding out she's the ponies' messiah, etc.). The way the focus moved from back and forth between them was a little choppy, and made transitioning from one mood to the next more difficult. That said, I doubt I would've seen it that way had the "Megan Grooms Rainbow Dash" not been so straightforward.
At any rate, I'm glad you've found my comments encouraging. Do keep up the good work!
I thought grooming sapient equinoids would be easier than real equinoids because you can reason with them and tell them to do [blank].
I guess not.
------------
My guess is that Rarity will be be a huge pain to groom because she'll be extremely demanding. She'll want things that aren't horse show legal, are impractical, cannot be acquired on Earth, are above Megan's skills or all of the above.
1956097
However, she's also probably scheming right now to sell show sheen to Equestrian ponies.
1956166
I realize the premise is stupid. I make no apologies for that. I'm enjoying trying to drag as much drama as I can, kicking and screaming, out of the stupid premise.
In my defense, I think if we look at the way the ponies actually behave in the show, this method of contacting Earth might not be so implausible. Whatever they did, it would probably be silly, at least.
1956097
Either that or she'd have already done it herself. Cause she is a fashonista.
1956336
Rarity's chapter will be two sentences, of course.
1956354 Ah but that means you'll have more time for Character Development and Plot points.
I just watched "Rescue at Midnight Castle" to get some context for this story. It turns out my older sister watched this episode when I was younger, and, as weird as it is to say this, the sound of thunder during Scorpan's invasion was nostalgic. Thats right, the sound of thunder. How does that work?
You used the word inane. That is one of my favorite words.
In Equestria ponies wear saddles for fashion, but there is no one around to ride in them. Do ponies even know that saddles are intended to seat a horse rider? After all, Rainbow was confused when Megan wanted to fly. Will Rarity be revolted by the idea of someone sitting in her beautiful saddle? Will Rarity's chapter consist entirely of Megan convincing Rarity to allow a human to debase her designer saddle with a human buttocks? Will Rarity's chapter be next? Will the ponies groom Magag the Mighty? Will I stop asking for spoilers?
Anyway, thanks for another entertaining chapter of pulling drama and developed characters from a stupid idea. This super power of yours has impressed me both here and in Brony Steve Makes Out With Fluttershy. I eagerly await the next chapter.
1956550
Don't stop asking for spoilers, please, because you're giving me some hilarious ideas.
Incidentally, I'm gratified to hear you say I'm successfully pulling drama and developed characters out of a stupid idea. That is one of my favorite things in the world, which is why I'm a permanent fan of things such as Bone and Duck Tales, and that's probably the reason I got into ponies, too, since writers have been pulling interesting stories out of Hasbro's line of brushable plastic horse toys since 1984. I love complex stories based on deceptively simple and especially cartoonish things.
I just love this. I'm a old school fan and have been wanting to write some G1/G4 crossovers myself, but I think I'll sit back and let a pro do it instead. I do like the mythological/apocalypse direction you've taken in in, but I'm curious as to your justification that ponies are unaware of gods/goddesses as a potential myth type. No religion at all even in other species? This is perhaps the first time I've really seen this implied, especially since a lot of writers like to refer to the Princesses as goddesses.
And wow, that comic magic mirror bit? I gotta say that's a piece of trivia even I hadn't heard of!
1956735
Good question on the "goddess" thing. This is some bleed-over from an HiE novel (un-posted) that I'm working on, in which the normal form of government in the world of Faerie (i.e., "Ponyland" in the present story) is literal theocracy, that is, rule by deity. The actual words god or goddess are unknown, since whoever's in charge, the princess or king or whatever, is the deity they recognize, and there is no religious cult distinguishable from the honors paid to the monarch.
In canon, the ponies swear by Celestia as if they recognize her as a goddess, but they only call her a princess, so I presume here and in my other works that the word goddess is unknown to them.
1956570
Some less inspired questions/ideas...
Stirrups seem to be absent from pony "dresses." They will probably feel weird, especially to Rarity.
Saddles will probably need to be worn much tighter to hold a rider than the ponies are used to. New idea: Human saddles are Pony Corsets.
Do horses wear blinders during a 4-H show? Might be good for Fluttershy's fear of crowds.
Do riders wear spurs at a 4-H show?
Rainbow Dash will despise reins.
Bits cannot be comfortable or tasty. Will Twilight magic something up to help? Will Rarity fahionista something up to help?
You can't turn this story into a slave trade, but what will the ponies think about studs?
Will Molly look a gift horse in the mouth?
Could Mister Ed really talk and was he actually a pony from Equestria.
Will ponies get sick on Earth? Equestria seems mostly disease free, so the ponies probably have weaker immune systems.
How do I know all these horse terms off the top of my head? Last time I rode a horse I was like 5.
And I'm out of ideas. Till next chapter.
1956882
You know, the Mister Ed/MLP/BraveStarr crossover has been a long time in coming.
Who says I can't turn this into a slave trade?
Oh, studs . . . well, I personally would think the ponies would think the same thing about Earth horse mating habits that humans think about the mating habits of chimps, which is to say, not much, unless they're anthropologists who like to draw invalid analogies (and I have an anthropology degree, so I get to say that).
1956771
Okay,. I suppose that makes sense. I've encountered stories where the gender versions of God/Goddess weren't used either because of an assumption of an all single gender diety, for example.
Also, while I'm here, the Biblical choices for Megan & Molly's Equestian names amuse me.
1956921
The names aren't especially symbolic. They're just the only biblical names I could come up with that resemble the names of the characters. "Moloch" is somewhat unfortunate.
Beautiful
What I really want to read is the grooming of Applejack and Twilight
1956947
They're a-comin'!
1956918
Never heard of BraveStarr before. Is it like an animated The Lone Ranger in space?
I thought the EQD pre-readers told you not to turn this into a slave trade, but upon re-reading your blog post I see that that is not what they said.
For some reason I keep assuming that the ponies don't realize that Earth horses are different. I don't recall if this has been brought up in your story.
Perhaps Mister Ed could not talk, but, much like the aliens in Galaxy Quest, Equestrian ponies watch Mister Ed broadcasts and think that it's a documentary about a lost pony from Equestria.
1957122
That sounds like another good idea for a fan fic right there.
BraveStarr is another 80s cartoon, this one a space Western predating Firefly or Cowboy Bebop and including among its cast a beefy, talking anthropomorphic horse with a gigantic laser rifle. Saw a few episodes as a kid. Thought it was boring. Can't tell you much else about it. I think it lasted one season.
I haven't addressed the horses so far, have I? Firefly didn't seem at all appalled by or otherwise concerned about T.J. when she saw him in Rescue at Midnight Castle, so maybe ponies don't find Earth horses disturbing, anymore than we find monkeys and apes disturbing.
1957148
Unfortunately I despise writing writing in any form, including these comments, so I will never write a fan fic. The most I will ever do is leave an idea somewhere public and hope someone else likes it and steals it. I wish I could contribute more to the community.
I'm reminded of a certain other story that's posted here, and over in SB. This is like "Okay, this is how that story, and Megan's life, could wonderfully, gloriously... wrong." Hehehe...
I wonder if/when she's going to reach the point of literally hammering her head on the nearest wall.
1957122
Here's the Wiki entry for BraveStarr. Copies of the videos are floating around the net.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BraveStarr
Here's a pic...
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bd/Bravestarr3030.jpg
Hilarious, ain't it. ^_^
When I saw that molly would be the one to handle Fluttershy I wondered if Shadey would be mentioned, especially with Fluttershy's concerns that she would do badly. It was also interesting the bit about Paradise Estate (Well they did live in Paradise Estate....Come to think of it I wonder if the meant Paradise's name was on the lease....)
But I do wonder how time became re-synchronised between our world and that of the Ponies (At least I presume it has, other wise when they get back after the show they'll have been gone for the better part of three years). Though I wonder if Megan knows or will find out about some of the cases where the Ponies were able to rescue themselves, such as the picture book where Glory and a Human Prince work together to recover her horn after it was stolen by an evil wizard, or when Applejack rescued several blind mine slave Ponies, killed the....other evil wizard (Evil Wizards, Evil Wizards Everywhere!) and gave them....permanent crystal contact lenses, by being clutzy.
Either way it should be interesting to see the others being groomed; I imagine Megan and Twilight's exchange will be interesting, not to mention the reaction to finding out that all Unicorns are now able to levitate objects since in Ye Olde G1, Buttons was the only Pony would could do that and of course the fact that Twilight could remind her of either Wind Whistler or the other Twilight Unicorn. Pinkie I can't even imagine how they will manage to tame her hair and of course there's the possibility of 4th wall breaking related jokes. The exchange between Megan and Applejack should also be interesting, not just because of the other Applejack, but also because they both have so much in common (especially in this particular story) and I can see the two of them working through many of their issues with holding onto responsibilities and guilt over failing to meet them even when there is nothing they can do and having to cope with their complicated family situations (actually, I remember reading a bit of speculation about G4's Applejack being based off of Megan in terms of personality). And of course Rarity has all sorts of reference potential since she was based off of Sparkler but has Glory's colour scheme, though her personality (And Accent) are so similar to Heart Throb's (And of course the famed "I vant to be alone" line that they both shared), I can also imagine that preparing her for the show could either go very smoothly with Rarity allowing Megan to do her job and enjoying having her hair and coat treated or not go as smoothly with Rarity being reluctant to allow her beloved mane and tail to be tampered with and tied into something so simple.
1957148 Filmation had some great cartoons didn't they? I want to see what could be done with their Ghostbusters, myself.
I'm just curious about one thing: Is Oklahoma Megan's canon residence in the series?
while reading this i got the mental image of some monster from Tartarus interrupting the show and messing up the ponies manes. then suddenly the monster is on the ground bleeding profusely with Megan on top beating the thing.
"Do you have any idea how long it took me to get them ready for this show? do you know how big of a headache I've got from having to deal with those crazy ponies? I'm going to kick you all the way back to Tartarus then Cerberus is going to use you as a chew toy and that is going to feel like a pleasant massage when I'm done with you!"
I really felt for Megan here. She is having to face up to the fact that, to the Ponies, she's this mystical force of justice and death that rains fire down on the wicked. I'm pretty sure that, on a certain level, Fluttershy is convinced that she's a bad pony; that's why she's always apologising even when there's nothing for which to apologise. Facing their theology's equivalent of Azrael the Destroyer must be like a waking nightmare to her. It's all the more ironic that Megan, for all her grumpiness, is only ever motivated by Fluttershy's element - Kindness. As much as it would hurt her to make the decision, Fluttershy would not ask for one of her animal friends to endure an agonising and irreparable injury either.
I can honestly see Twilight catching Megan crying her eyes out that the ponies are afraid of her, that's she's remembered as a killing machine and that everything good she remembers has been forgotten. Maybe it will be up to the ponies to save Megan this time - from her own broken heart. Consider it payback for so much selfless courage in the past.
I also suspect that Megan and Rainbow are going to end up being good friends. They both have a wild edge to their personalities and really don't do grace and deportment very well. Their interactions are already starting to remind me of Rainbow's interactions with Applejack.
Interesting that Fluttershy's Stare only knocks humans out rather than influences us to do stuff.
1956003
I think that the key difference between this story and EoHMtSoW is that Megan is much younger here and hasn't had the opportunity to get over the undeniable trauma of her experiences in G1. The EoHMtSoW Megan is older and has had the opportunity to come to terms with her experiences. She has matured, married and had children of her own and become a moderately successful adult. Your Megan is still an angsty teen who hasn't had the chance or the support structure to heal her emotional wounds and they are still pretty raw. I wouldn't be surprised if the EoHMtSoW Megan also went through a bad patch where she blamed the Ponies for ruining her life and, subconsciously at least, found herself double-guessing her every decision.
1957864
As far as I am aware, the location of Megan's home, and her last name, is not given in the series. I went hunting for information on that, and I found one fan author who placed it in Indiana, another in Oklahoma. I've spent some time in Oklahoma, so I figured that was as good a place as any. They have some large mustang ranches there. More on that later.
That feeling when you find out that you are the central figure in the pony book of Revelations.
Wow, and now they are Methodists from Oklahoma? Closer and closer to home.
Nice job with the stare incident, that was hilarious.
I remember Applebloom suggesting putting Fluttershy's table out of its misery, so they should understand the notion...
*laughs* Oh christ. This just gets better and better. My only critique was the idea of her shooting him in the head. Surely there'd be more humane things available even without an on call vet? Though I suppose if you make sure to hit the brainstem dead on it would be fairly painless. I kinda hope AJ or Rarity is next jsut because I can see some hilarious stuff going on.
Also any artist folks reading this should do some research and show the mane 3 all dolled up.
1960826
This is arguably anachronistic, as today they'd probably get a vet out there to pronounce if the cause was really lost, and then the means used to put the animal down would likely be less rough and ready. However, I could easily see Megan doing things the old-fashioned way if she were absolutely certain the horse was a goner. I tried to emphasize that here, but a real horseman might raise his eyebrows at the scenario.
And I would be happy and thrilled to see any fan art based on this, depicting the Mane Six as dressage horses.
1960576
Ha! Good point. That admittedly didn't cross my mind while I was composing. Of course, the ponies sometimes use colloquial expressions that make more sense in our world than theirs. Rainbow Dash is most frequently the guilty party, uttering expressions like "For Pete's sake" and "Oh my gosh," which in Equestria ought to be nonsensical. She also says she wants a pet "fast as a bullet," yet the only weapons we see the royal guards carrying are spears. Arguably, we can fansave that one, since as I understand it a bullet in its broadest definition is any projectile, not necessarily from a small arm, and the ponies must have cannons stored away somewhere, since Pinkie has a modified non-deadly version. But then Rainbow goes and names her tortoise Tank.
Still have a hard time picturing Fluttershy killing a wounded animal or approving the same, especially since their animals appear to be rational or halfway so, after the manner of cartoon animals. I think she'd be more likely to continue doctoring it until its last breath and maybe even after.
1960877 *nods* That was basically what I thought too. Sure most folks would squirm at the thought but most horse folks are fairly pragmatic about such things and a few I knew of even kept a small supply of tranquilizer for if the worst happened. They were practically registered vets to be fair and always did their best to save the animal, death was always a last resort and a much regretted path. (Saw at least one fight on the subject so I always feel the need to speak in their defense.)
Also hmm...plotting shall commence! *rubs hooves together*
1960958
With your first-hand experience in mind, I might make a few little alterations to Molly's dialogue. Will probably keep the anachronistic outcome, though, justified by artistic license, as it's truer to the story's tone and in a certain sense "classic": the cowboy pulling the rifle out of the saddle holster and doing the only thing he can has become an iconic image in its own small way.
1960982 *blushes* Well not too much first hand, just my own horse experience and talking to plenty of folks. Honestly it'd be more likely that she'd have a shotgun to deal with animals. Mostly it'd be probably used to deal with coyotes and small game but bears can often be a threat too. She'd likely have it locked in a cabinet unless there's been bear sighting or anything then she'd carry it with her. Toss me a pm if you want and I can explain more, a lot of it depends on the land they live on. How much woodland is about etc. (It's been a dog's age since I watched any of the old stuff so my memory is hazy at best.)
I definitely agree on that idea but a pistol is unlikely.
In Blackie's case that would likely be the only option. As well it's unlikely Molly would've done it, she'd have gone to get Megan