Feral

by wellthen93

Ch. 3

Fluttershy had never been a particularly athletic pony. Yet even so, she ran the fastest she had ever done in her life. Her lungs were on fire and her legs were fairing no better. Yet in spite of this, she ran and she ran and she ran..

Her mind couldn't focus on the physical exertion she was putting her body through at the time. She was incapable of acknowledging it. She set her sole sights on getting to the Apple Barn. She needed her librarian friend and that's all that mattered.

In a fluid motion Fluttershy hopped the fence of Sweet Apple Acres and raced up to the barn entrance, pulling her body weight back and pushing her hooves out in front into the dirt to brake herself before she slammed face first into the door.

There she stopped, and she breathed out at the door trying to form words but can't as her lungs caught up with her. She stood there at the barn entrance gasping and gulping for breathe waiting for the burning in her chest to subside before trying again.

Unfortunately for her after two minutes had passed and she caught her wind again, she completely lost all composure as she reared up on her hind legs and slammed her fore hooves into the door.

“TWILIIIIIIIGHT! TWILIIIIIIIGHT *gasp* TWILIGHIGHIGHIIIeeeeet....”

“OPEN UP! OPEN UP PLEASE! LET ME IN!,” the frightened mare bellowed between sobs and gasps for breathe.

The top left door of the barn opened to a purple mare looking out and confused.

“What.. Fluttershy? What're yoOOF,” the mare was suddenly cut off and Fluttershy tackled her into the ground still shaken and belligerent.

“I WAS SO SCARHAREHARRREED!,” the mare bawled as she squeezed Twilight closely and buried her face into her chest.

“Fluttershy what... what happened?” the mare inquired, only to be met with more sobs and squeals as the pegasus attempted to bury her face further into the lavender unicorns chest.

The barn door suddenly flew open revealing Applejack with a worn out look strewn on her face.

“Just what in the hay is goin' on here?” The farm pony questioned looking down at the pinned down unicorn and the distraught pegasus clinging to her.

Twilight let out a sigh, “yea... I'd like to know too.”

---

A good twenty minutes had passed since the sudden intrusion into the Apple Barn as Applejack and Twilight continued to console the frightened pegasus.

Applejack turned her face toward open doors of the barn looking up at the moon, noting it was still very early in the morning. With a sigh, she made her way back to house.

“'Ahm gonnah make us some coffee,” she stated as she turned and walked away.

With a frown, Twilight looked at her yellow friend. Fluttershy was sitting back on her haunches, still whimpering to herself and rubbing her eyes.

“So uhmmm...” Twlight began. “What was that all about? What happened?

Fluttershy stopped for a moment to look at her lavender friend. Eyes red and puffy and the fur on her face stained with tears she began recalling the events.

“W..well...” she began, now averting her eyes to look down at the floor. “It was the... the...the coop, the chickens... they got out and it was early and and and and..... something was in the coop... scaring them... they were running around and one of them was missing and... so I checked to see if she was still in the coop and...”

“Wait wait...” Twilight interrupted. “What was in the coop? Did something get in? I thought you built a fence.”

“I did! But that's just it!” Fluttershy explained looking back at her friend. “Nothing should've been able to get in, no predators that I can think of anyway. But there was something in there Twilight I swear!”

“So then, what was it?” The lavender mare inquired with a frown, already knowing where this conversation was headed.

“I don't know! I got up to the entrance to look inside but it was so dark and I couldn't see anything... When I tried to call to it all it did was scream at me... I tried to talk to it but it just screamed more before throwing my missing chicken at me... When I looked at it... it was all... chewed up... and broken...” Fluttershy went quiet, looking down at the dirt floor beneath her lightly strewn with hay letting her eyes rest on a solitary track in the dust.

“Twilight? What... what is this?” Fluttershy spoke while directing the unicorn's attention to just below her hoof.

The lavender mare trotted up for an inspection of the dust. Sure enough amongst the mess of hoof prints dotted about the barn a single track in the dirt could be made out. She lifts a hoof to her chin as she goes through her mental library of possibilities as to what it could have possibly come from. She thinks for a hard minute processing and debating only to come up short.

“I... honestly don't know what to tell you Fluttershy, I would figure you of all ponies would know this better than I but I'm quite frankly... stumped. I've never seen a track like this before, not from any animal I can think of anyway.”

“Coffee's 'bout ready if ya'll is, now what's this I hearin' 'bout a track in the barn?” Applejack asked as she pushed through the door to meet the pair.

---

The three mares sat along the Apple family table in relative silence as they sipped away at the steaming and bitter brown liquid.

“So uh... what ya'll are sayin' is...” Applejack started, “is ya'll suspect something, not somepony broke into the barn.”

“Well yea, basically,” Twilight replied. To her right Fluttershy simply stirred the contents of her cup.

“And.... you don't know what it is... am ah hearing this right?” Applejack inquired.

“Well.... yea more or less... I'm sure the library has some reference material on the subject and I can look through but as far as Fluttershy and myself are concerned... we've never seen a track like it before,” Twilight explained.

“So then... that aside... what about you sugarcube? How you holdin' up?” Applejack asked, directing her attention to the yellow pegasus who was still stirring the brown liquid in her cup.

“Oh I um... I... don't know,” Fluttershy stated, “I'm a little afraid to go back but I do need to check back up on the other chickens.”

“Would you like me to walk you home then?” Twilight inquired of her friend.

“Oh that'd be wonderful and I'd be ever so grateful...um.. I mean if that's okay with you...” the pegasus replied.

“Not at all!” Twilight chirped back

“Well ya'll get some rest there then an' be safe getting back,” Applejack butted in. “I'll be getting' in touch with you Twi' after ahm done with the chores, I'll just drop by the library if that's okay an' all.”

Twilight gave the farmer pony a smile and a nod as she got up from her seat.

“I'll be expecting you!”

---

By the time the pair or mares got to Fluttershy's cottage the chickens had managed themselves into a neat pile of clucking and scratching at one corner of the fenced in coop. Fluttershy flew over the wire fence and opened up the door to let her lavender friend in. From there they made their way to the tiny structure only for Fluttershy to notice a small red dried spot in the dust where her sixteenth chicken should have been.

“Do you... do you think maybe it took her with it?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight only responded with a light hum as she ascended the ramp to the coop lighting up her horn and ducking her head in to look around the interior. The coop was small, cramped and unoocupied as far as she could tell.

“Well, whatever it is, it's gone now,” Twilight stated as she turned around to address her friend. “However, I think you'll want to see this,” she continued as she pointed her hoof at the base of the ramp. “I noticed these as I walked up to the coop. They lead straight to the fence and just stop.”

Fluttershy walked over to where her friend was standing to see what she was talking about. As the approached scanning the ground in front her she suddenly stopped and stared in disbelief.

“Whatever this is, I think it's the same creature that's been raiding Applejack's barn,” Twilight stated.

Author's Note:

Sort of funny how things just sort of come up when I'm trying to work on something. I'd meant to have this up earlier in the day but a bunch of stuff suddenly got in the way. ugh.

Comments

[Fugly Duckling]

i'm going to fave this for now and judge wether or not to like or dislike it when the next chapter is released

[Ianthinarum]

Two things:

1) Always make the capters a 1,000 words or longer.
2) Post a finished chapter or post nothing.

Not much to add.

[Sandman]

Never.
Ever.
EVER.
Post incomplete chapters.
Makes you look needy and hurts the story.
Also, unless doing one-shots, try and have chapters longer.
At least 1-2k words minimum.

[wellthen93]

2487732 2486623

Noted.

In anycase, the full things is up now.

[LRM300]

I like where this is going. No glaring issues that I can really give you feedback on; it reads well and retains interest. The descriptions are good and I can follow the flow of events easily.

[Ninja Locust]

to quote the medic,: well that looks good. i'd like to see more of this

[zombaslaya]

I like the suspense, that much is certain. Aside from what has already been pointed out (Post at least 1,000 words etc) this is turning out to be a good story.

Please continue

[BurningRockBaka]

good