a little stroll through the forest could always turn into more tha you bargained for
Running, it’s something an athlete do to win a medal, something the foals do while playing or to put it simple, something you do when a simple trot it isn’t enough. Like when you are running for your life, and depending on your lifestyle, for how long can you maintain the speed. That was Fluttershy though, when she was running from a timberwolf in the middle of the Everfree forest
Running. Running, it’s something an athlete do to win a medal, something the foals do while playing or to put it simple, something you do when a simple trot it isn’t enough. Like when you are running for your life, and depending on your lifestyle, for how long can you maintain the speed. That was Fluttershy though, when she was running from a timberwolf in the middle of the Everfree forest. She was used on dealing with animals, to the point that even full grown predators accepted her as part of the natural balance in the forest, but the Timberwolves where another thing entirely, magical constructs made of wood, made hundreds of years ago that guarded the powerfull relics hidden on the forest, they stalk their prey waiting for chances to attack, capable of rebuilding themselves once defeated, merging with others to take on the stronger prey and the only known way to dismantle then was destroying their core, some say its a cristal but its very dificult to hit with a spell let alone crush by hoof, making them almost invunerable to blunt attacks.
It a started as a normal day, she waked up checked on the animals just so se that the new duck, that she was caring for was sick, met her friends for lunch and then when to a quick strolling to the forest to speak with Zecora about some medicine for the sick duck, but on the way she was getting the feeling of being watched, at first she just shrugged off, but the feeling persisted like a bas smell,what could be the only predators that thought of her as a trotting meal where Hydras, but they never leave the swamp and she wasn´t that deep into the forest, but the feeling was still there. It was when she heard the crush of a twig that she saw a timberwolf stalking her, she didn’t need a second warning and started running and getting deeper and deeper into the forest.
Fluttershy keep running through the trees and rocks with the Timberwolf in hot pursuit, this has keep on for several minutes and her legs where burning begging for her to stop running, but if she even thought of listening, she knew that the Timberwolf would kill her.
So she keep running, fear and adrenaline fueled her gallop and a beam of hope flashed over her, there was a narrow passage just twenty meters ahead. “Just a little longer, and I am safe” those thoughts were flashing on her mind to keep her running, the passage was approaching and in a leap of faith she pounced to reach it giving an opening to the timberwolf, just as she jumped the wolf lunged at her with her claws made of wood, managing to claw her back, the pain of the wound mad her to roll on her back while bruising one of her wings as she hit the floor, feeling dizzy she opened her eyes watching the Timberwolf.
The Timberwolf, without any expression, approach her slowly as in savoring the moment of a fresh kill, then it readied to pounce on her prey and bite off her throat. “So this is it? I die in the forest? And my friends will find my corpse probably a week from now,heh, and just when twiling was visiting” with this thoughts on her mind, she watched the Timberwolf flying towards her, they were like under the water, she could see every movement, hear every sound,watch every falling leave and even that green light on the corner of her eye that keeps growing towards the Timberwolf.
“Wait, what is that?” she said still dizzy as the estrange beam of green light hit the Timberwolf at the base of the neck, and then watching in shock as the timberwolf broke apart in branches and just as the last branch fell, time and pain returned to the pony in the floor, the burning sensation of her clawed back and the bruised wing made her scream. She sit there sobbing for a time, but then she remembered where she was, so she forced herself to regain her composture and think about what to do. She would had to flee that place, the Timberwolf could be reforming any time now, so she started limping away from the pile of branches, the wound on her back was worrying her and she didn’t have anything on her when she leave ponyville, and most importantly, in which direction was the town she never learned how to tell the cardinal points by the sun not that she could see it with the thick cover of the trees .
So now at a safe distance of the Timberwolf branches she sat, it was still about noon so she weighted her options. “I could wait here for help, but in this state I cannot have another Timberwolf pursuing me again and there is the fact that the other timberwolf could reform and seek me out, but I haven´t heard a howl, or I could try to find ponyville but …” she thought as some frustration was setling in because reality hit her, she may have eluded death, but she was still in the middle of the forest, her right wing hurt too much to fly, she was stranded, didn’t know where ponyville was and of top of all there were these weird green lights in some bushes on the corner of her eye. That stopped her thoughts cold as she watched directly into the lights, they were like green glowing orbs, at a small distance between each other looking almost as a pair of eyes watching her every move.
" EEP" She panicked if it was another Timberwolf, she would be done for, but then why the orbs aren't moving,maybe they are just some glowing rocks with some curiosity stared the orbs trying to guess, if they really where eyes and then they blinked. She did the most normal thing for her and simply passed out.
“No Angel, you can’t have that dish, I don’t have the ingredients to make it at the moment but here, have some delicious carrots” I said to him with a smile , I knew it wouldn’t work with him, but I can’t give him everything he wants, it would be unfair with the rest of the animals in my care. He look me at the eyes, with an unsurprised face then went hopping to the kitchen, completely neglecting the bowl of carrots that I was offering him, with a sight I went to follow him. “I am sorry angel, but I don’t have the ingredients, now if you eat the bowl I gave you, I promise that I will make it up to you later, please angel, do it for mommy” I said as I enter the kitchen expecting to see angel attacking the fridge, but there was no sight of the bunny. “Angel? Are you there? Come on Angel I know that you are upset, but please come out” I said hoping the get him out of his hiding place, it’s not the first time he has done that “well angel I will be waiting for you with your lunch” letting him know that even if he could not get what he wanted but still something for lunch was a thing I learn with dealing with animals, no matter how stubborn they are, if you offer them food they will eventually come around. I turn to leave the kitchen, only to be stopped by the sound of a cabinet opening, then the sound of wood breaking. When I turn around to see what’s happening I came eye to eye with a timberwolf, but this one was different, it was made with the wood of my furniture. “EEP” I panic as it prepares to attack, when the windows of the kitchen explodes in blinding light and the timberwolf incinerate on green cleansing fire and w with a soul wrenching and tormented howl, the heat coming from it was unbearable and I could hear the logs of wood burning.
Fluttershy woke up to the sound of wood burning, I rubbed my eyes to see the sky that filtered through the canopy of the trees and stared at the starry night. It was far too late I needed to go home soon, the manticores would star hunting by now and I was bleeding. As I get up, I remembered what happened last time I passed out, there was this timberwolf, then just as it was pouncing on me it got hit by a green light and then those big green eyes that were watching me. “What kind of animal was that and why I am alone again?” Fluttershy thought frustrated, whatever that saved her, sure was happy to leave her by herself, wounded on the middle of the forest, speaking of which her wounds were covered in some kind of solid jelly “it kinds of remind me of the canterlot invasion, with all that stuff that the changeling where using to trap ponies” that particular thought froze her. “H…he…hello? Anypony there?” she asked looking for anything that moved only to be met by silence “Okay Fluttershy, you are just here alone, in the middle of the……………………ever scary free forest” her eyes started to tear up, as she realize that no matter if she was alive now, she still got no idea where in the Everfree she was, normally her travels never were this far, specially in the night when most predators were active. Just as she started to sob, she spotted something on the floor it was more of that slimy substance on her wounds, and there were more leading to her right, maybe it was the trace of whatever saved her. ”but what happen if I am walking right into a trap or even a more scary place or even a scary place with a trap” her fear was growing at an alarming rate, but it stop as shy considered her options. “Stay and wait for a predator, wander off and hope to find something remotely familiar or follow the track to wherever it leads me to, please angel, behave because mommy may not come back” while trying to suppress the tears, she look into herself for determination a proceeded to follow the track, the farther she got from the camp fire the less slime spots she found, until there were one every ten meters, most of them on trees clearly put there to be easy to spot. “Following the track was on the most part uneventful save for a wondering parasprite, yet there always was this feeling of being watched, like something watching from very far, my every move” she started to wonder, if she was developing a case of paranoia as she trotted through the forest she heard the distant howl of the Timberwolves. “Oh no, I need to find shelter or something, no they can smell the blood, but the slime on my wounds is covering that up, at least I hope it does” as she started to run, she spotted a stone castle not far from there. “The old Princesses’ Castle? That’s mean ponyville it’s not far” with renewed hope she passed the castle only to come face to face with something made of stone. Gargoyles, they were ancient creatures that roamed in the night sky during the old days, but were wiped out during a series of wars that lasted over a century, yet that didn´t stop the mages of the world to develop an ancient ritual to trap the soul of the gargoyle in a statue and creating golems that guarded the monarchs in their sleep from possible assassins at late transformed into a tradition to put gargoyles on the walls, to inspire fear on the enemies, to give a sense of security to the inhabitants and most importantly to protect the artifacts of their master’s homes, even after that said home has been abandon. “EEP” Fluttershy stared at the golem in the eyes, only to look up to black empty holes, staring deep into her soul, and waiting for an excuse to rip her apart. Those eyes, those frightening eyes, which tell about times of violence and countless atrocities, which heavy stare make her look away from. But there was something off, Fluttershy was feeling something very wrong with the statue, when she looked again at the gargoyle it was nowhere to be seen. “I have no choice but to enter the castle, why I am always drawn to be in frightening places” she thought with resignation, the Timberwolves’s howls where near that she would like, making her to enter the castle “alright Fluttershy, it’s just an old castle, let’s just wait inside for the Timberwolves to go away and then I continue on to ponyville” she murmured trying to reassure herself, hopping that it would be as simple, home was just an hour from the castle. As she was trotting on the halls of the castle, she saw a shadow on the corner of her eye, just as she turned her head around to see, gargoyle statue speeding towards her, she rolled on the floor to avoid being crushed, she stood up to see the perfectly still statue, incrusted half way into the wall. “How did it move? Did something throw it at me?” panic and dread were settling on her mind, “There were any other surprise for her on this journey?” One of the many thoughts that were rampaging on her mind. She casted a glance at the other side of the hall, only to see nothing was there. “So how the statue was flying if nothing tossed….” A cracking noise was heard, snapping Fluttershy out of her thoughts. She turned her head to the noise only to see that the gargoyle was once again, nowhere to be seen, all that remained was the large gap on the wall, which revealed stairs that went downwards towards the inside of the castle. Without any other alternative, she decided to enter deep into the darkness of the Everfree castle.
One Word. That have feed the imagination of thousands stories, that keep ponies in fear of the unknown since the beginning of times and that now, it was the only companion to Fluttershy in the tunnels of the Everfree castle. Fluttershy trotted through the halls of the tunnel trying to find a way out from this maze, she didn’t know how much time it has been, since she descended the stairs looking for shelter and the oppressive air of the dungeon was feeding her imagination about the stories of the terror novels on Twilights library, she wouldn’t admit it, but in has been a guilty pleasure of hers, yet she never thought that one day, she would be living the experience.
“and here it is again” that thought was a common occurrence in her mind, ever since she almost got crushed by the Gargoyle statue, she had been seeing it on the far side of some halls, staring, expecting, and as same as before every time she blinked, the statue would just disappear.
“how that can it be, the statues should not be able to move, this darkness is like tendrils trying to rip my sanity apart, maybe I did imagine the first statue and the hole was there to begin with” she was questioning herself, the occurrence of having multiple fears always made her cower but the fear of the unknown and the paranoia of being stalked was taking its toll. “And now, what on Equestria is that sound” she said out loud, the sound has been on for a while, it was rock sliding with dirt and it wasn’t helping Fluttershy in keeping her fears on check, “the darkness was bad enough and now that estrange noise that comes from the wall on my right”.
“Wait… what?” as a knife cutting through butter a gargoyle crushed the walls barely hitting her. Fluttershy decided that she have enough of the Everfree castle to last a life time, with panic she started running, and the adrenaline overrode every pain of her earlier wounds.
After passing several passages, she suspected that she was getting lost, but the sound of rock sliding behind her quickly made her forgot about that, she casted a glance at her back and there was the statue, perfectly still with tracks on the floor behind it as in mocking her, “why did it stopped?” maybe the statue was just preventing her to go somewhere. Gathering all her courage, she decided to approach it “hello? Please I don’t want to cause trouble, I am just looking for an exit” she said hopping to calm the statue, only to look deep into those empty eyes, she couldn’t look anywhere else, it was like a vacuum that trapped her glace every time she look. And at the moment she blinked and like the flash of a thunder, pain exploded from her side. She opened her eyes to see what was wrong, only to watch the statue standing at mere centimeters from her face, and with one of its claws sticking out from her side. Many emotions were running wild on her mind. “Did it attack me? Am I going to die? How did it move? It moved only when I blinked… I must get out of here immediately” Fluttershy galloped like never before, with a speed that putted every participant of the Run of the leaves at shame”, yet she didn’t care, there was only one thing on her mind.
GET OUT, NOW.
Fluttershy had manage to loss the statue somewhere and now was hiding in an old closet near the dungeon’s jail, she didn’t wanted to leave the closet and occasionally she would hear the sound of sliding rock .
“Alright Fluttershy, think there must be a way out from this place, i must find it and…. And “she shook her head, ever since the gargoyle has clawed her, she would feel more and more tired, she checked her wounds, they were not bleeding, but that didn’t change the blood she lost on the way to the closet “maybe poison?” with a rising panic, she remembered that the claws of the gargoyle where strangely purple when the light hit them “oh no” while moving her hooves frantically, one of her hooves scratched some moho from the walls.
“That Moho, I remember that Zecora use some of it to treat a snake bite on one of my bears, she said that it won´t neutralize a venom, but at least will delay it” she applied the moho on her wound, it didn’t matter if she got infected as long as she manage to get medical assistance in Ponyville.
She thanked nature for the small blessing, and with renewed hope she exited the closet, but making the door’s hinge dislodge from the mood and fall to the rock floor with a loud CLINK!!
Fluttershy didn’t have to guess to know that the Gargoyle would have heard it and now it was standing at the archway, blocking the only exit to the dungeon’s jail.
She was feeling her eyes were getting dried up, but Fluttershy knew, the moment she blinked she would die.
“So that was it? This is how I die? Maybe I can squeeze between it at the archway, no, it’s too tight and oh, I need to blink!” despair was setting in, she could swear the claws of the statue twitched in anticipation, longing for blood, to feel the flesh of her insides and stain them with the venom dripping from it “wait a minute, why I can see the venom?” two her left there was a tiny window, that let a full moon to be seen, and cast its light on the room.
As In reading her thoughts, while she wasn’t looking it moved at the space between Fluttershy and both possible exits, blocking the archway and it giving Fluttershy not enough time to react, if she decided to use the statue to destroy the window, nothing was going to stop it from the taste of blood, it has been far too long since the last time and the rumbling coming from the floor was not going to deny the Gargoyle.
Her eyes were begging her to close up, the pain was unbearable, both the adrenalin and the natural analgesics of her body were wearing down, the pain of all the wound of that day was hitting her hard.
“Please be quick” Fluttershy resigned herself to fate, and with a long blink expected the final blow of the Gargoyle, the pain she was expecting never came instead came the sound of a shriek while in symphony with the sound of cracking rock, curious about what she would encounter she opened her eyes, to see a sight, that would haunt her for the years to come.
The Gargoyle was not moving, but it was screaming with all its might, while it was being impaled and ripped apart from the inside by a strong green bindweed that ripped through the floor.
When it was finished with the remains of the gargoyle, it threw it to the window, collapsing it, Fluttershy saw her chance and made a dash for the window, only to be grabbed by the plant and suspended by her hind leg.
“Eeeeeeeep……. Please, let me go!” a liana latched itself to all her legs, Fluttershy could feel the pain coming from her joints, the plant was looking forward to dismember her, some vines were looking for her wound in order to rip her apart.
Several green lights in the corner of her eye, as in before with the timberwolf, it came from somewhere at her right where the window ones was, the lights catted the plants holding her burning, and obliterating every vine.
Fluttershy dropped to the floor, and heard one single order.
RUN!!.
Fluttershy dashed trough the remains of the window, and she could swear she saw a black figure with some kind of a glowing green circle with estrange symbols at one of its hooves.
“FLUTTERSHYYYY, Where are you?” the voice of her friends, like a golden road of hope lighting all the despair, and fear she rushed even harder to her friends , she didn’t care if she opened her wounds, she Was Going To Get to her friends.
“Fluttershy!! What happened to you? Are you okay?” her friends distressed by her appearance, bloody, bruised, and one of her wings was covered in some solidified green goo.
Fluttershy just sobbed, all her near death experience, her fears , her pain, she sobbed and then passed out, only to cast one last glance at those green glowing eyes that were watching the group from the distance, before turning away.
There it was again, like somepony calling me from the distance, yet all I see its darkness with a feint light glowing in the distance, and now is this incessant beep that’s keep bothering me, like the buzz of a fly when I am trying to relax, I wonder, why it won’t stop and let me sleep.
“She is waking up, give her some space” waking up? I was just trying to sleep, i feel so tired. Well since they are not going to let me sleep let’s get up then.
Flutter shy opened her eyes only to be merciless blinded by the lights of the room.” Oh girls, what are you doing this early on my bedroom…….. Where am I? Actually, if you don’t mind saying “she said while covering her eyes with her hoof.
“Fluttershy! Weweresoworriedaboutyou, whathappened? andwhatswiththgreengoo-ughhmm” Pinkie’s stream of words was cut off by a hoof before she could rain on Fluttershy all the questions that were begging to be answered.
“Pinkie! Please, let her rest, we brought you to the Ponyville Hospital, I am sorry, but we got to know, why you were on that shape?, when we went looking for you to zecora’s, she said you never made it there” Twilight asked she knew that Fluttershy would be scared about her experience, but from the wounds on her body it was clear that, it was a miracle that she came out alive in the first place. She could not imagine her life with one of her friends missing, not after what happened to him.
“Girls, I can’t remember, I am sorry” Fluttershy hanged her head low, she could only piece fragments, but not any particular helping memory, she hated when she couldn’t help her friends and in their face was clear the sleep deprivation. “How much time has passed?” with concern about her animals.
“About three days, don’t worry, Rainbowdash and Rarity have taken turns in looking after your animals, even Big Mac helped a little” Twilight knew that Fluttershy, would have a heart attack if her animals didn’t received any care during her absence.
“Don’t worry Fluttershy, we got your back” said Rainbowdash trying to reassure her friend, it wasn’t easy to deal with all her animals, but somehow they manage to get Angel to keep them in check, “poor fellah, that bunny was worried sick about you, but he decided to make sure the other animals were tended and in care before you returned” that statement filled Fluttershy with pride and gratitude for the bunny, sure he may sometimes be a hoofull, but when she wasn’t around he always tried to keep the place clean.
“Thank you Rainbow, Rarity, I am sorry for troubling you with this, I don’t know what I would have done without you” she knew her friends would help her, even if she hated troubling them, yet the gratitude she felt feel her with happiness.
“Don’t worry darling, it wasn’t a problem at all, let’s hope that you recover soon” Rarity said while hugging Fluttershy, just as nurse Redheart entered the room.
“It’s time girls, you must let Fluttershy rest for the night, and you can come back in the morning” the nurse said while checking her pulse and temperature.
“Goodbye girls, and thank you for visiting me” after giving her goodbyes, she then closed her eyes and let the sleep slowly began to overtake her.
The leaves where falling with growls at the distance, the green vines crept through the walls like tendrils urging for blood. Fluttershy was running in a maze while being stalked by the soulless eyes of a stone, strings of light where cutting everything around her while the vines tried to eviscerate her.
She was afraid, “where am I” a thought that was all too familiar “last I remember I was on a hospital bed, why I was on that bed on the first place, why this vines are chasing me, I just don’t understand” she was getting slower, it almost felt like running through water, yet the vines never loose speed, never faltered no matter how many times it was cut by the green strings of light, every sound it maid while crept against the dungeon’s wall was like a predator that has been deprived for food for days, which longed the moment when it could swim in a river of blood, her blood.
Her lungs burned and there was the familiar feeling of a leg starting to cramp, her steps where more and more uncoordinated, in any minute she would fell and her death sentence would be signed.
Then the halls of the dungeon where enveloped in a blinding green light, burning away every vine and shade alike, and at the end of the hall Fluttershy saw a black shape with a circle of strange symbols made of light in its left forehoof, and a totem also made of light with symbols at its right hoof, staring at her with those ever penetrating green glowing eyes.
Fluttershy woke up startled, she was soaked in sweat, and her heart was trying to rip a hole through her ribcage.
“What Happened? Why I never reached Zecora’s hut? Why I spend three days on a hospital’s bed? I can’t remember what happened and why my wing it’s hurting” she asked to herself, while inspecting her bandaged wing “my wing, it was hurt, and covered in some green goo” she thought just as she remembered all the events that led to this moment, the Timberwolf, the Gargoyle, the vines, and the creature of the green glowing eyes, the sickly green she saw on the day of the invasion of Canterlot. “The Changelings” the realization struck her, like an arrow “why was a changeling in the Everfree fore….”.
“What do you mean by changeling on the Everfree Forest?”
“Eeeeeeeep, Twilight? What are you doing here? If you don’t mind saying that is” Fluttershy said, while in a futile attempt to hide her face with her hooves “I remembered what happened in the Forest”.
“Alright let me get our friends first” Twilight said as she went teleported herself, after a minute later, all the elements where on Fluttershy’s room.
Fluttershy breathed in and started telling what happened on her stroll through the woods.
After she finished, the room was enveloped in a deafening silence, Fluttershy tried to shrink herself and burry her head on her shoulders, the looks of horror on her friend’s face was telling a lot, especially when she told on how the vines where planning to finish her.
“You could have been killed!!! Not once but three times?” Rainbowdash and Twilight shouted at the same time, earning a disapproval glare from nurse Redheart “and this Changeling, you only saw its eyes?” twilight asked at more normal voice, but it was clear as crystal that she was upset.
“Well before I found you I could see it more clearly, it was still dark but I could see some kind of light circle on its left hoof, with weird symbols going around it.
“a circle with symbols, sounds a lot like rune magic, but there hasn’t been many records on that type of magic, since there are few ponies that could cast it, but according to them to cast it you would need a surface of some kind and the light beams don’t make any sense” Twilight thought out loud while trying to remember the book in which she read that.
“That’s not important twilight right now, we’re glad that you’re not kickin the bucket” Applejack said while hugging Fluttershy, at these all the elements when to hug her.
“Applejack is right, and I am glad that Fluttershy is here with us, alright I am going to send my notes to the princess, I will be right back” she said as she went to the Postal service.
“Twilight wait!!!” Twilight turned around at the words of Rainbowdash “let me get them to the princesses for you, yesterday one of their mailmares quitted, and I am working on her route as a part-time job” Rainbowdash said a little sad , but Twilight decided that she would ask another time.
“Alright, thanks a lot rainbow dash for your help, I will see you when you get back” Twilight said as she watched rainbow flying towards canterlot.
“Angel, i am home” Fluttershy opened the door to find her animals coming to greet her, the living room was decorated to the top with confetti, there were different bowls of food on the kitchen table and on the ceiling there was a banner with a crude image of Fluttershy drawn on it.
“I offered my help, but angel made it pretty clear, he wanted to give you, your welcome-back-i-hope-you-are-okay—party” pinkie pie said startling Fluttershy, yet she was happy, she always knew how much angel cared for her, even if he was a hoofull at a times.
“Eeeeeeeep…pinkie what are you doing here? I mean if you okay with saying” sometimes Pinkie terrified her, especially since nopony could actually figure out anything about her.
“To prepare you a party, what else silly, though I only helped angel with this one the other are on their way” she said as she looked in the bunny’s direction.
"Thank you, for all of this angel, you really didn’t have to do it “she said hugging the bunny.
“Anyway twilight asked me to tell you, that we are going back to the Everfree tomorrow, we might find that changeling, and I will set him a party that it will never forget” she said while rubbing her hooves together, yet again her mind was a mystery, but going back to the Everfree?.
“Pinkie, do we really must go to that place again? I am still a little sore on my wing after the last time” Pinkie’s mane seemed to deflate a little.
“Fluttershy, if your story is right then that changeling saved you, even if Twilight is my friend or this is just a part of the changeling’s plan, I at least want to thank it properly for saving you, the others, may not see it like this, especially after spike’s exile three years ago, but if that changeling didn’t do anything then you would have di…died and we wouldn’t be ha….having this conversation” pinkie said while failing to hold the tears “I don’t want to lose another friend, Fluttershy, would you come with us to the Everfree?” this was odd with pinkie, she always was optimistic, even when spike’s, but what happened if she stayed, and then her friends never came back?.
“……………….. Pinkie I don’t like this, but you are right, I could not forgive myself if something happened to all of you while I stayed behind, let me tell Discord about this after the party” Fluttershy said while hugging Pinkie pie “it’s alright pinkie just lets party with angel and our friends” she said while comforting Pinkie as their friends arrived.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- that night ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the party they shared a collective hug, and each went on their merry way and Fluttershy went to speak with discord, ever since reformed have helped Fluttershy, although he still like to play small pranks on her, but he is starting to act weird out of his playful demeanor, other times when he think he is alone, he sits and watch at her fireplace, just staring at the dance of the flames while mussing a tone.
Discord was nowhere to be found in the interior, so she went to her backyard and there he was.
“I don’t want them anywhere near the tree, do you understand?” Discord said in a clear serious tone, whatever it was happening, got him agitated.
Discord was standing while talking we three red cloaked figures, she couldn’t make out anything, neither species, nor gender, except for a tail covered with leather and a metal blade on the tail’s tip of the middle figure, whose cloak also had some kind of white eight pointed star with arrowed tips on its back.
The three red cloaked figures nodded at once, then they slipped through the floor as if they were floating down, leaving no trace of that they have ever been there.
“Discord? Who were they? “At this Discord startled clearly not expecting her to be there. “Fluttershy, my dear, what are you doing up at this time of the night?” he nervously said “oh them? They were just some old friends, asking for directions” he said, but it was clear as day that he was lying.
“Discord, I why are you lying to me?” she was disappointed, and make sure to show it, she has long ago gotten used to the draconecus and his mannerism.
“Fluttershy, look I can’t tell you why, but I need you to trust me on this, please, you will know on the due time” all the earlier nervousness disappeared, he was completely serious.
“alright, I trust you, but someday you will have to tell me what’s bothering you, I want to help and you have been acting weird for some time now, but only tell me if you don’t mind that is, anyway me and the girls are going tomorrow to the Everfree to investigate the old Princesses’ castle” these has been happening for a while, but the visit of those cloaked figures, that was something new.
“Alright, but be sure to comeback, I don’t want you to repeat another hospital stay, okay?” he said with a sincere smile “alright let go to bed, you got a long day ahead of you” he said as he teleported her to her bed and tuck her in, and leave.
Fluttershy took a moment to realize what happened, he has done it before but it didn’t lose any surprise since the first time, she sighted and let the sleep overtake her.
Fluttershy worked up and went to the kitchen, then she remembered the whole reason that lead her to her little adventure on the woods, “the duck!!” she went to her backyard and there it was, sleeping healthy as ever,” how?” she asked to no one on particular.
“Zecora prepared the medicine and gave it to the duck while the other were looking for you” she heard behind her, only to find Discord, with a chef hat “can you be a dear, and pick up the correspondence while I make the breakfast?” she sighted in relief that the duck has gotten its medicine.
“Alright, thanks Discord” she went to the mailbox, only to find Raindrops as a mailmare putting some correspondence on her box. “Hello Fluttershy” Raindrops said as she closed the box, “well, have a nice day” she proceed to take of only to be stopped.
“Wait!! Oh, hello Rainsdrop, I don’t want to be rude, but what happened to Ditzy? She was my regular and…it you don’t mind saying that is” she said with concern.
“ I don’t mind, I am covering her route the thing is, I truly don’t know, six days ago I give her a letter, it must been bad news because just after she read it, she bucked the wall of an store breaking the wood then flew away, later I found out she quitted and apart of her playing a flute in the market’s plaza, I have not heard nor see any sing of her, it’s almost like she isn’t in Ponyville anymore” She said with worry on her voice “at least, her filly is on Canterlot” so much has changed, while she was on the forest it seems.
“Let’s hope that whatever happened, its turn out for the best” said Fluttershy to reassure Raindrops.
“Good bye Fluttershy, I will see you tomorrow” Raindrops took off, Fluttershy watched how she flew on her route and then went to Sugarcube Corner, there were all the girls, with saddlebags and they were arguing about something.
“Are you alright Sugarcube? “ Asked Applejack to Rainbowdash.
“I am fine, it’s just with ditzy gone it feels like we are losing more Ponies, Fist Spi……….” Pinkie Pie put a hoof on Rainbow’s mouth.
“Dash, don’t worry I know she will be alright, Twilight when do we go?” pinkie said trying to change the subject before it went there.
“Wait, What?” Twilight was lost in thought for a moment before snapping out of it “oh right, we are ready to go, so Fluttershy lets go to the castle and then from that area we search for the changeling”.
With that they went to forest, not ready for the things that await them.
A fear with no real cause, just at the possibility of what might happen, a fear that makes your subconscious scream at you about every noise, every shadow, every figure with a minimal resemblance to a threat, a fear that kicks your rational thinking in the gut and forbid it to think about what you are doing.
That’s the fear that Fluttershy, even at the company of her friends, felt constantly this deep in the forest, especially after her recent near death experiences.
Her friends were here for different motives, Twilight, Rarity and Applejack, wanted to make sure that this possibly changeling wasn’t a threat, Rainbowdash wanted to keep Fluttershy and the rest safe, and Pinkie Pie….. Well let’s just say, that her motives are never easy to guess.
The Everfree forest is a place where the laws of nature apply different than on the rest of Equestria, its full of predators and other dangers, that have made a reputation for itself, of being a “one way trip” place for travelers, especially at the heart, where the old Sisters Castle made an imaginary line, where the more dangerous predators could be find, a point of no return.
“…. It’s possible that this deep, is where the changeling is hiding” Twilight words interrupted Fluttershy train of thoughts as they reached the gates of the castle.
“W-What?” her fears kept her off the real world again “I am sorry, Twilight, I didn’t mean to doze off like that, what were you saying? If you don’t mind repeating that is” Fluttershy said.
“ as I was saying, nopony ever come this deep into the Everfree Forest, so if a changeling is trying to go unnoticed, then it’s probable that it is hiding somewhere over here” this did nothing to alleviate any of Fluttershy’s fears “Fluttershy, do you remember where was the campfire, where you woke up?”.
“Yes, while following the tracks of slime, I got a clear view of the moon, so after we reach the Princesses Castle, we should head south east” she answered without thinking, “Twilight, are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked with the face of the gargoyle still fresh on her mind.
“Yes, I am sure, we need to check this out, to be sure that there is not a changeling threat again” Twilight responded in deep thought. “Sugarcube, I think Fluttershy is right, this dam place is givi’n me the creeps” applejack said, while she would never admit it in front of Rainbowdash, the Everfree Castle always got on her nerves.
“Girls, don’t worry we have done more dangerous things in the past, everything is going to be fine” she said trying to reassure the group with a smile “it’s better if we split in two groups to cover more ground, rarity do you know the flare spell?”.
“of course darling, you spend quite some time teaching it to me” rarity said while remembering the memories, twilight might be a great student, but when it comes to teaching, let’s just said the she is very easy to panic.
“Alright, Rainbow, Fluttershy and Rarity, go towards the camp, while me, Pinkie and Applejack stray a little north from there, if anything happens, signal a flare and we will come for you.
“Alright Sugarcube, let’s hope that vermin doesn’t give us any trouble, the last thing we need it’s another one of those changeling, tryi’n to deceive us” she said as the party started to move, the methods even after the years, the methods of Chrysalis were still fresh in their minds, even if until now there hasn’t been any changeling found. “With any luck we will find the changeling, and interrogate it soon” twilight responded to her as they passed a big boulder near the road.
“And there one thing that is botheri’n me, why did the Changeling treated Fluttershy’s wounds” they were in that slime, and the nurse said they were heali’n properly” applejack said “would a changeling care about her injuries?” she was glad that her friend hadn’t died, that why the changeling would do that?
“That is bothering me to, in Fluttershy’s story it sound as the changeling was following her, and trying to keep her alive, but for what purpose?” she has been thinking about this since Fluttershy told them what happened.
“Don’t worry girls, I am sure that the changeling won’t be a meannie, after all it helped Fluttershy, right?” Pinkie Pie cheerfully said “and my Pinkie sense hasn’t gone of………. Itch mane, pinchy knee, girls something scary it’s about to fall of near us” as she said the big boulder they passed, crashed in front on them, then it started to crack and brake, finally forming some kind of golem.
“Oh no! Girls get back, that is a battle golem” twilight shouted alarmed “it’s a magical construct, we need to get out of here before it attack us!” she said while changing her horn for a teleport spell.
The Golem crashed its fist on the ground while activating some runes along its body, it produces some kind of shockwave, when the shock wave reached twilight, her magic field exploded, then the golem charged at them.
Applejack manage to pull all of them out of the way using her lasso on a nearby tree “are you alright, twilight?” her fried was dizzy and confuse, while Pinkie was getting up.
“Those runes are for battling magic users, only the golems on the Everfree Castle got those, but they should have been deactivated, what is this one doing here?” Twilight said in disbelief, those golems were from an ancient time, when on Equestria, the wars raged for years.
“It’s there a way to beat the dam thing?” Applejack nervous said as the golem approached.
“The only way, it’s to hit its core, it should be at the base of the neck, but it’s covered by the head, otherwise it will heal itself indefinitely” she stop to shake the dizziness off “Pinkie distract it, and applejack try to buck the back of it legs, I got a plan” she said and the others started to move.
The golem, approached the three only to find Pinkie mounted on its head “hello mister golem, are you going to stop being a Meannie if I make you a party? It would be like a Thank-you-for-not-being-a-Meannie-golem-party-it-would-have-cake-and-games, do you golems play gam…” the golem tried to crush her with its arm, only to crush its head instead.
Applejack used that chance to buck the golem at the back of its knees, and take the construct to the floor all while twilight charged a beam spell, she took the shot aiming for the exposed core.
Only for the beam be absorbed by a nearby rune, the golem used Twilight’s magic to restore itself Applejack realized what happened and try to buck the core of the golem, but instead of crushing the core, she sprained one of her hind legs, pinkie grabbed her friend it time to dodge one of the golem’s swings, the golem raised to its newly restored feet’s.
“What do we do now twilight?” Pinkie asked with frustration.
“The core it’s still expose but the runes are protecting it from magic, maybe I can throw a rock at it” the said while grabbing a boulder the size of her head with her telekinesis.
“Wait twilight you can’t throw it fast enough, I got an idea” Pinkie said while appearing her cannon” quick! Put the boulder on the back” she did that, as Pinkie procured some bags, with X marked on the side, out of her mane and putted some on the back, with a fuse.
“Pinkie, what are those?” Twilight said as pinkie aimed the cannon and procured a match.
“They are my special surprise bags for emergencies, if you value your life and all the ones around you, you will keep them away from fire!” she said with a surprising serious mod.
“Sugarcube you are usi’n fire right now” Applejack said while staring at them.
“Don’t worry, I am qualified, now FIRE!” as she set off the match on the fuse on top of the cannon, there was a loud roar at the explosive liberated their energy, they propelled the boulder at breakneck speed.
The boulder collided with the remains of the head and obliterate them with little effort, producing a cloud of smoke that made the ponies cough, the smoke cleared leaving the ponies to see what happened to the Golem.
They were speechless at the beheaded Golem, but then despair set in as they watched the still very intact core.
“We missed, the dam thing is still intact” Applejack said as the Golem decomposed its arm, and threw the rocks at the cannon, the canon was destroyed and the subsequent explosion knocked out Pinkie Pie. Then it charged the group, and twilight jumped between her friends, and aimed a desperate beam to the Construct, only to be redirected at her with one of the runes launching her to a tree, the golem before Applejack, ready to crush her.
Applejack watched as the arm of the golem approached her, the core was beaming with light, as the time slowed she could appreciate the complexity of the golem’s runes, the roads that connected the arm to the core, and as she was about to leave this world, the core exploded in green light.
