You are going to FEAR MEby Changeling-DroneChaptersThe Everfree And The BeginningUh-ohQueenThe Everfree And The Beginning“Goodbye, Klutzershy!” Dumb-Bell said mockingly to Fluttershy as he dangled her precariously over the Everfree Forest. His partner, Hoops, tugged at her wings, pretending to tear them out, laughing all the while. She was helpless to stop them from bullying her, and she resigned herself to tears and let the two bullies have their way with her. Suddenly, Dumb-Bell dropped her. She plummeted towards the ground, and her weak flying abilities coupled with her lack of preparation prevented her any chance to try to stop herself. The piercing tree tops grew closer very quickly, and she flailed around, trying desperately to halt her decent. As she failed to do this, she screamed for help. But none came, and still her inevitable doom came closer. Her body came to a stop. Her landing wasn't a crash land into the earth, surprisingly, but instead, she had landed on a mattress of many tiny winged ball-like creatures. The living mattress descended through the forest canopy and onto the ground, where they let her off before surrounding her and chirping at her. Never before had she seen creatures like these, but she also didn't know if they were at all dangerous. Scared, she backed away from those in front of her, only to realize she was approaching the ones behind her. She jumped back to the center, where she cowered and covered her eyes. The creatures stayed put and continued to make noise, quickly driving the poor filly to tears. The noise attracted the attention of a nearby manticore who had been resting. Irritated by the disruption, the manticore stalked over to the disturbance, hiding in a nearby bush. The fluffy creatures picked up the manticore's scent, promptly halting their noise and looking over to where it was. Having been discovered, the manticore crept out of its hiding spot. Fluttershy, meanwhile, continued to have her eyes covered. When the noise about her seized, she continued to cover vision. Curiosity quickly got the best of her, and she unveiled one of her eyes, only to find the manticore's own only a few inches away. She yelped and jumped back, pleading with the creature to not eat her. Still annoyed about having been disturbed, the manticore prepared an extremely loud roar to silence the pony. In the sky above them, a multicolored aura exploded into existence, followed by a earsplitting sonicboom. The unexpected noise frightened everything. Fluttershy once again yelped in fear, the ball creatures scattered, and the manticore fled while whimpering. Surprising herself, Fluttershy calmed herself in only a few seconds and looked up to see her one of her classmates zooming through the sky followed by a long rainbow trail. And now she was alone. Even the creatures of the forest had abandoned her. One one hoof, she was glad to have not been eaten, but on the other hoof, she knew how scared they all must have been. Her compassionate side coming out victorious, she went to comfort the scared animals. “C-Come on out, fluffy critters,” she said shakily. “It was just a-just a sonic rainboom. Th-there's no reason to be sc-scared...” The manitcore stuck its head out of some nearby foliage and looked to Fluttershy both fearfully and questioningly. “Even though I tried to eat you, you want me to come out?” it asked her in a muffled voice. For the third time in the past minute, Fluttershy yelped and covered her mouth. She returned the manticore's expression. “I-I can...you...I can understand you?” Her cutie mark appeared on her thigh then, but she didn't notice or care. All she wanted was to get out of the strange woods, so she got to her hooves and bolted away from the manticore. She ran for many minutes, occasionally stumbling or tripping on upturned roots and the like. Finally, though, the days events bore her down, and, exhausted and lost, she found a large hollow stump to try to rest in. Sleep didn't come easily, though, as the days developments plagued her thoughts. Now matter how hard she tried to suppress her thoughts, she couldn't help but feel abandoned and alone. Everything's alright, she tried to assure herself. By the time I awake, there'll be ponies looking for me, and those bullies will get what they deserved, and everything'll go back to normal. But...what if I don't want things to be normal? What if I don't want to be such a push-over anymore? And what if nopony really will look for me? I mean, nopony stopped them from dropping me, and nopony made to help me when they did. Maybe...maybe I'm just not wanted... The revelation made her heart sink. Not only had the bullies abandoned her, but so had everypony else. Overwhelmed by loneliness, she reverted to something that she had done quite a bit that day already: crying. She was too exhausted to really cry, and instead she whimpered and sobbed. For many minutes she lay as such, before being interrupted by a light tapping on her hoof. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see who had tried getting her attention, finding a small white bunny standing nearby. It cocked its head to the side curiously, inspecting Fluttershy, surprised at her lack of reaction to his presence. Finally, the bunny spoke. “I have an apology to make on behalf of my manticore friend. He wished to apologize, but didn't want to risk spooking you further. I am Angel, and I would also like to personally welcome you to the Everfree Forest.” Angel hopped up Fluttershy's side and nestled into her long mane. “This place isn't nearly as bad as you ponies make it out to be; it's just that none of you can understand us, which makes communication difficult. But anyways, you look tired, and I know I am. Know any good lullabys?” “Um, one,” admitted Fluttershy nervously. Some tapping from the bunny indicated for her to continue, which she did so hesitantly. “Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed,” she sang. The lullaby had done its job, and light snoring could be heard from the rabbit on her head. She continued anyways. “Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to-” she yawned “-bed...” With that and Angel's surprisingly comforting presence, she fell asleep, and this time, not a fitful one. Alas, good things must all come to an end. Angel had woken up some time ago and had gone out in search of some berries and other food for the forest's most recent guest. Upon returning after his collection, however, he found Fluttershy twisting and turning within the log. “Hoops, Dumb-Bell, please...leave me alone,” she complained to a dreamt version of the two ridiculously named ponies. Concerned, Angel put preparing the food on hold to instead wake Fluttershy up and get her out of her dream. Like last time, he tapped her hoof with his foot. Unlike last time, she panicked, awaking instantly and shooting up. “No, no, I'm up. Just don't tear out my feathers-” she screamed, smashing her head against the top of the hollow log before finishing. “-again...” she finished, slowly realizing that she was no longer dreaming. She looked down to Angel sheepishly. “Um...sorry.” Angel was no stranger to the pain of having feathers torn out. He had never experienced it himself due to his lack of feathers, but he had seen other winged creatures loose their good feathers and had seen the pain they were left in. He put a paw on Fluttershy's hoof and rubbed it comfortingly, pointing to the meal he had prepared for her as well. “Oh, um, thank you,” she said, having not realized how hungry she was until seeing the food. Her stomach rumbled greedily, and she shied away bashfully. “Sorry,” she apologized again, causing Angel to face palm. He pushed it aside, however, and put the meal of berries and other edible plant closer to Fluttershy. She gratefully partook. As she ate, Angel put his paw to his lips and gave a loud whistle. Within a few moments, a falcon burst through the forest canopy and perched itself on the ledge of the log the Fluttershy occupied. “This pegasus got a little messy while running through here yesterday,” Angel told the bird. It's been a day already! “Her wings look like they could use some care. Could you preen them for her?” “Oh, no, that's not-” Fluttershy tried to oppose, but the bird had already begun, carefully searching through her wings and pulling out any broken or mangled feathers. Undeniably, it felt nice. “The Forest as a whole owes you an apology,” elaborated Angel. “And it sounds like a couple of other pegusi do as well. A 'Hoops' and a 'Dumb-Bell'?” “Oh, was I sleep-talking?” she inquired, curious as to how the rabbit had found out. Angel nodded in confirmation, causing Fluttershy to blush and smile sheepishly. “Uh, um, well, you see...” she started, but couldn't seem to form a more coherent thought; the treatment to her wings just felt too nice. After another minute, the falcon had finished its job, giving Angel a salute before flying away. No longer distracted, Fluttershy recalled her stories about the bullies, including their most recent act of dropping her in the Forest, as well as recounting what had transpired since landing. Uh-ohHoops and Dumb-Bell looked down at the top of the Everfree Forest hundreds of feet below them, from the spot where they had dropped Fluttershy from the day before. “She's been down there a long time,” Hoops worriedly mused to his accomplice. “Whadd'ya think happened to her?” Dumb-Bell asked. “Ya think she may have...” “No!” snapped Hoops. “No, I don't think that happened, but...” he gulped, “it...it may have.” Deep in thought, Dumb-Bell stared at the trees below, hoping that Fluttershy wasn't speared on the top of one. “What happens if she is?” he finally asked. It was Hoops's turn to think. After a few seconds, he nervously started. “Well, expulsion from Flight Camp for sure, and life in prison at best should Princess Celestia catch word. We should do our best to not be caught.” “Hoops, soon as somepony notices that Fluttershy's gone, we're gonna be the first ones ponies point at,” Dumb-Bell observed. “Everypony knows that we pick on her pretty much daily.” “It's a good thing, then,” Hoops began to counter, “that nopony really cares for or notices Fluttershy. Thing'll be no different with her gone, if she is...gone.” “Rainbow Dash'll prob'ly notice,” lamented Dumb-Bell. “She's stuck up for her a couple'a times before, so she'll prob'ly say something after a few days. Ya think that maybe we should look for her? Even if she ain't dead, she could still be to hurt to fly.” “Wait, wait, wait,” Hoops reeled, surprised. “You want to go down there? To the Everfree? To look for a scared filly who should have been able to help herself in the first place?” He then scoffed. “Have you lost your mind?” With a defeated sigh, Dumb-Bell relented. “Well, I'm not goin' in there alone, and if you're not gonna go with me, then it looks like she's on her own.” “Not that that's anything new for her,” Hoops scoffed. “C'mon, lets go, or we'll be late for camp and ponies'll think we're plotting something.” Downtrodden and a little bit fearful of the days to come, the two bullies flew off to their Flight Camp. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It had been a peaceful night of sleep for Fluttershy, in part to having been weary from the previous day's trials and in part to Angel Bunny's comforting presence. Still in the hollow log that she had taken residence in the day prior, she awoke to the gentle sounds of the forest. Her eyes fluttered open and she let out a long yawn before stretching and attempting to stand, only to hit her head on the wood above her. Clearly she'd need a new place to rest. Angel, it would seem, had already woken up and gotten out of her mane, which the rodent had used as a mattress and pillow, and was currently working on something, though his back was to her, concealing his actions. He didn't seem any bit startled from the noise Fluttershy made when she hit he head, though it did alert him to her being awake. “Good morning, pony. How did you sleep?” he asked. “Oh, um...good, I guess,” Fluttershy answered, crawling out of log before finally standing completely upright. Immediately she noticed that, standing a few feet away from Angel, watching what he was doing with a sorrowful look, was a squirrel. “What are you doing, Angel?” she asked, approaching the bunny. “Making you breakfast,” he replied. And indeed he was, making a simple salad with lettuce, apple slices, and nuts, the first two of which seemed to be odd plants to come across in a forest. “Where did you get lettuce and apples?” Fluttershy asked him, suspicious. “From a nearby pony settlement. Some foolish farmers put their orchard right next to the forest, so their fruits are easy to get your paws on.” That was what Fluttershy didn't want to hear. “You stole them? That's not right, you know; that food wasn't yours to take,” she scolded. To that, Angel merely rolled his eyes. “We're animals here, Fluttershy, not ponies; your way of doing things isn't exactly applicable here. Rule number one of the forest: if you take it, it's yours, unless someone else takes it from you.” “And I suppose you stole those nuts, too?” “Nope,” responded Angel. “Mr. Cheeks, here,” he gestured to the nearby squirrel, “generously offered them for your breakfast.” Fluttershy looked to the squirrel, who was in turn continuing to stare longingly at the various nuts sitting beside the crude wooden bowl which contained the salad Angel was preparing. “I know you ponies don't usually eat nuts whole like squirrels do,” Angel continued, “so I was thinking of instead crushing them up and sprinkling the powder on top, which should add a bit of flavor and additional nutrition.” “Angel, give the nuts back,” she said, continuing to watch Mr. Cheeks, who perked up and looked at her with a hopeful expression upon hearing her statement. Angel, on the other hand, looked at her dumbfounded. “I'm sorry, pony, I think I misheard you. What?” Glaring now at Angel, she repeated, “I said: 'give Mr. Cheeks his nuts back'.” “He's offering you free food, you know. Free. F-r-e-e. You're really gonna turn that down?” “Yes,” Fluttershy answered confidently. “It's obvious that he wants them more that I do, and he probably needs them more, too so he should have them back.” “Pony things,” Angel muttered, rolling his eyes. “Well, the pony doesn't want them, so take them back, I guess,” he said to Mr. Cheeks. Said squirrel ran over to Fluttershy and hugged her leg before collecting his nuts and retreating, chirping happily all the while. “You're kind, Fluttershy. Maybe too kind; it's not going to help you last in here.” She cocked her brow at him, saying, “I'm not planning on staying here, Angel. What would make you think that I was?” “If you weren't going to stay, then why haven't you flown off yet?” “Um...” Fluttershy tried to start, but Angel interrupted. “Based on what you told me yesterday, it seems that you'd me missed here more than you'd be missed in your little pony place.” “That's not true!” she defended. “There are plenty of ponies who'd miss me up in Cloudsdale!” “Including...” Angel prompted. “Um, let's see...” she began, pausing to consider her own point. “Well, there's Hoops and Dumb-Bell-” Again, Angel was dumbfounded. “Aren't those two the bullies that dropped you here? Why would they miss you?” “Because, um, well, I'm the only one they pick on., unless Rainbow Dash gets in the way. She'd miss me, too, because she likes to use standing up for me as an excuse to beat Hoops and Dumb-Bell in a race.” “Anyone else?” “Of course! There's, um...” She stood there for several second trying to think of someone who would miss her if she were to not return. But, despite her efforts, no names came to mind. After about a half-minute, Angel spoke up again. “Note how the three names you said wouldn't miss you for reasons pertaining to actually liking you. Ponies would miss you for their own selfish reasons; because they would no longer be able to take advantage of you. Now, consider here: you've already made two friends here in the forest; that's two more than you purport to have made in your entire time in...what'd you call it? Cloudsdale? Mr. Cheeks and I would both greatly miss you if you were to go.” “That's...that's true, I guess,” Fluttershy agreed, bringing her head down in shame. “But still, I don't belong here; a forest, let alone Everfree, is no place for a pony.” “One day,” Angel proclaimed. “Give me one day to convince you that this is the place for you, and if I can't, then go, with no hard feelings from me.” She considered the proposition. i]I really should be going...but considering all he's done for me so far, it'd be vary rude to say no. I can grant him this favor; it's only one day; one day won't hurt. “Sure; I can give you a day of my time,” Fluttershy consented with a smile. “Wonderful! Now,” Angel pushed the bowl of salad towards Fluttershy, “you might want to eat up; today might be a long day.” QueenFluttershy looked to Angel with an uncertain look and gave an audible gulp. “Y-you want me t-to go in th-there? In that...big, dark, sp-spooky cave?” It had been about fifteen minutes since Fluttershy had finished eating the food that Angel had prepared for her. She wouldn't deny that it had tasted good, but there was some residual guilt from having knowingly eaten stolen goods. Angel hadn't given her time to dwell on that, though, since as soon as she had finished, Angel had ferociously insisted on moving out and to the cave they now stood in front of. The mouth of the cave was massive, and Fluttershy could have sworn that a full-grown dragon could enter and still have a good amount of space between them and the ceiling to spare. Like most ponies, Fluttershy was terrified of dragons, and knowing that one could easily be lurking in this cave made her that much more reluctant to enter. “You're three times my height, pony, and I don't find this cave big,” angel retorted. “There's nothing dangerous in there, so pony up and get going.” Of course Angel isn't scared; he lives here an knows what's in there, Fluttershy mused. “Could you just...tell me what's in there?” “I could, but...” Angel started, thinking up a mischievous plan, but decided instead to just cooperated. “Yes, I could,” he sighed. “Firefly, lights please!” Angel suddenly shouted into the cave. In response, a deep yawning sound reverberated from within the cave, followed by several short grunts. Then, without warning, a pillar of fire shot out, scorching one side of the cave wall and billowing only a few feet above the pony and rabbit, who each ducked as close to the ground as possible to escape as much of the heat as they could. It was over in a second, though, and when Fluttershy looked back into the cave, and she saw that several crude torches mounted on the the wall, now lit thanks to the fireball, illuminated the space. And laying in the middle of the shallow cave was a blood red dragon. Terrified, Fluttershy leapt behind Angel and tried her best to cower behind the ridiculously undersized piece of cover. “No need to fret, pony; she won't harm you,” Angel assured as he strolled into the cave. “This is my friend, Firefly.” “I'm curious as to why you're with a pony, Angel, and more importantly, why you've brought said pony to my cave,” Firefly said. Her voice was powerful despite its controlled volume, but even so, it still carried a soothing tone to it. In the absence of Angel to shield her from the dragon, Fluttershy had covered her eyes with her forehooves and trembled in fear. At the sound of the dragon's voice, though, she chanced a quick peek at her. Firefly's primary scale color was a deep shade of crimson, while her underside was an orange color. The spines running down Firefly's long neck and back were an even darker shade of red than the scales around them, reaching an almost black color. To Fluttershy, though, the dragon's most interesting characteristic was her size. Clearly small for a dragon, Firefly was only about double Fluttershy's entire size. Both Angel and Firefly watched with with expectant expressions as they waited for Fluttershy to finish sizing Firefly up and actually enter the cave. It was another half-minute before Fluttershy was confident enough to just stand. The process was going to take a while. Losing patience, Angel finally hopped out of the cave and behind Fluttershy, then ferociously rapped his foot against the back of Fluttershy's leg. It didn't hurt, but it was enough to prod Fluttershy forward a little bit, however reluctantly. Finally, though, Angel had manager to shepherd Fluttershy into the center of the cave. Scattered around the perimeter, not visible from the mouth of the cave, was a large collection of various jewels of every color of the rainbow. Firefly's horde, no doubt. And a collection that large resulted in a dragon only twice Fluttershy's size, she shuddered at the thought of the size of a big dragon's horde, and what kind of trouble one would have to have stirred to accumulate so much. “Pony,” Angel called from her side, immediately garnering her attention. “This is my friend, Firefly,” he introduced, pointing to the dragon, “the only dragon here in Everfree. She can mean the difference between life and death here in the forest, so if you're staying, Firefly is definitely someone whose good side you want to be on.” “Not many of your kind venture here, pony,” Firefly stated. “What is your name?” Fluttershy was still for several second, staring up at the lumbering dragon, before finally mustering up the courage to whimper, “Fl-Fluttershy.” “And why does Angel bring you to me, Fluttershy?” “That would be because,” Angel began, “I believe Fluttershy here is the foretold one.” “Really?” Firefly asked, snaking her head down so that she was eye-level with Fluttershy. For every pace closer Firefly got, Fluttershy would scramble back two. “However adorable she is, Angel,” she said, disappointment clear in her tone, “this one is not queen material.” Angel nodded in agreement. “Right now, no, she's not. But she can learn. The signs are there that Fluttershy is to take up the mantle of the ancient Queen Butterfly, though. Like the ancient Queen, this pony can converse with the animals.” Fluttershy's confusion quickly replaced her fear. This sudden talk of foretold ones and ancient queens was so sudden and demanded explanation. “Um...I-I'm a bit lost here; would you c-care to explain, please?” “There is a prophesy in these woods, Fluttershy,” Angel began, “a prophecy that foretells the coming of a pony who will rule the forest as Queen Butterfly had many hundreds of years ago, and this new queen will be destined to root out the evil sister when she returns from her thousand year banishment.” “That's right,” Firefly agreed. “Two thousand years ago, the reign of the spirit Discord had been ended by your Princesses, and they established the land of Equestria. A forest grew here after that; not a twisted , evil one like the Everfree, but a normal prosperous one. However, soon after, your Princesses decided to construct a castle in the middle of this forest. To make room, they had to annihilate a good portion of the forest.” Firefly paused to grab a gem from her horde and began to idly twiddle it around her claw. “The Princesses faced resistance, though, through Queen Butterfly, a pony who could communicate with the animals. She rallied them together to oppose the castle's construction, but ultimately failed. She was outcast from pony society for opposing her rules and forced into exile in the forest, where she spent her reign maintaining balance in the forest as the other ponies invaded. “There wasn't much left of the forest after the ponies had had their way with it.” She popped the gem into her mouth and began crunching on it. The dragon swallowed before resuming her story. “Not long after that, the night Princess Luna betrayed her sister, and the two fought, leaving tremendous wreckage in their wake. Their full skirmish destroyed nearly all of what was left of the forest, and unfortunately Queen Butterfly has been fatally injured as some of the collateral damage. “It was then that the sun Princess Celestia banished her sister to the moon and abandoned her castle. But her corrupt sister's vile influence changed the forest as it grew back, turning it into the Everfree that you ponies rightfully fear today. The only way to cleanse the forest of its corruption is for the forest to get its revenge on the evil sister upon her return from her banishment. For that, though, we need a leader; a true Queen of the forest to lead us against this powerful foe and against the influence of all outsiders who hope to ruin these woods.” “And I believe that leader to be you, Fluttershy,” Angel concluded. Firefly, however, shook her head in disagreement. “I'm not convinced.” “What, exactly, do you want me to do?” Fluttershy asked, much more relaxed than before, but still ready to bolt away at any sudden move from the dragon. “Stay here and learn the ways of the forest,” answered Angel. “Your fellow ponies don't appreciate you for your great destiny, but the forest is here for your taking.” Queen. They wanted her to become their queen; their ruler and their idol. They wanted her to abandon everything she had once known to become one from the forest. The allure of power was tempting, but asked a steep price. For this opportunity, she'd have to surrender... Nothing. There was nothing for her among her fellow ponies. More hassle came from having her around than anything positive. She had no friends, and the only ones to ever bother approaching her came to mock her or otherwise take advantage of how pathetic she was for their own benefit. There was nothing for her among her fellow ponies. Her answer, then, came quickly and without hesitation. “I can...try.” Angel beamed at her while Firefly looked away with disinterest. “I can't thank you enough,” Angel said with gratitude. “Like I said,” Firefly cut in, “I'm unconvinced. I'm open to the idea of you becoming the Queen Butterfly of Everfree, but you'll have to prove yourself to me before I'll accept your rule. But I like you; you're cute, for a pony. So I'll let you and Angel share my cave for as long as you don't have a shelter of your own.” Angel was admittedly surprised to hear Firefly's gracious offer, considering how against Fluttershy she had been sounding. “Thank you very much, Firefly. I have this feeling you won't be disappointed with Fluttershy.” “I hope not, 'cause I don't want the evil sister coming back before we're ready with a queen of our own.” She then looked down to Fluttershy with a light smirk. “I said I'd house you, but I'm not feeding you. If you're going to be our queen, you best learn to forage for yourself.” “Yes, that's a good idea,” agreed Angel, already making his way to the cave exit. “Come along, Fluttershy. I'll help you learn your way around what's edible and what's not around here. Consider this your first true lesson of the forest.” Fluttershy didn't argue, quickly getting up and leaving the cave with Angel by her side.
The Everfree And The Beginning“Goodbye, Klutzershy!” Dumb-Bell said mockingly to Fluttershy as he dangled her precariously over the Everfree Forest. His partner, Hoops, tugged at her wings, pretending to tear them out, laughing all the while. She was helpless to stop them from bullying her, and she resigned herself to tears and let the two bullies have their way with her. Suddenly, Dumb-Bell dropped her. She plummeted towards the ground, and her weak flying abilities coupled with her lack of preparation prevented her any chance to try to stop herself. The piercing tree tops grew closer very quickly, and she flailed around, trying desperately to halt her decent. As she failed to do this, she screamed for help. But none came, and still her inevitable doom came closer. Her body came to a stop. Her landing wasn't a crash land into the earth, surprisingly, but instead, she had landed on a mattress of many tiny winged ball-like creatures. The living mattress descended through the forest canopy and onto the ground, where they let her off before surrounding her and chirping at her. Never before had she seen creatures like these, but she also didn't know if they were at all dangerous. Scared, she backed away from those in front of her, only to realize she was approaching the ones behind her. She jumped back to the center, where she cowered and covered her eyes. The creatures stayed put and continued to make noise, quickly driving the poor filly to tears. The noise attracted the attention of a nearby manticore who had been resting. Irritated by the disruption, the manticore stalked over to the disturbance, hiding in a nearby bush. The fluffy creatures picked up the manticore's scent, promptly halting their noise and looking over to where it was. Having been discovered, the manticore crept out of its hiding spot. Fluttershy, meanwhile, continued to have her eyes covered. When the noise about her seized, she continued to cover vision. Curiosity quickly got the best of her, and she unveiled one of her eyes, only to find the manticore's own only a few inches away. She yelped and jumped back, pleading with the creature to not eat her. Still annoyed about having been disturbed, the manticore prepared an extremely loud roar to silence the pony. In the sky above them, a multicolored aura exploded into existence, followed by a earsplitting sonicboom. The unexpected noise frightened everything. Fluttershy once again yelped in fear, the ball creatures scattered, and the manticore fled while whimpering. Surprising herself, Fluttershy calmed herself in only a few seconds and looked up to see her one of her classmates zooming through the sky followed by a long rainbow trail. And now she was alone. Even the creatures of the forest had abandoned her. One one hoof, she was glad to have not been eaten, but on the other hoof, she knew how scared they all must have been. Her compassionate side coming out victorious, she went to comfort the scared animals. “C-Come on out, fluffy critters,” she said shakily. “It was just a-just a sonic rainboom. Th-there's no reason to be sc-scared...” The manitcore stuck its head out of some nearby foliage and looked to Fluttershy both fearfully and questioningly. “Even though I tried to eat you, you want me to come out?” it asked her in a muffled voice. For the third time in the past minute, Fluttershy yelped and covered her mouth. She returned the manticore's expression. “I-I can...you...I can understand you?” Her cutie mark appeared on her thigh then, but she didn't notice or care. All she wanted was to get out of the strange woods, so she got to her hooves and bolted away from the manticore. She ran for many minutes, occasionally stumbling or tripping on upturned roots and the like. Finally, though, the days events bore her down, and, exhausted and lost, she found a large hollow stump to try to rest in. Sleep didn't come easily, though, as the days developments plagued her thoughts. Now matter how hard she tried to suppress her thoughts, she couldn't help but feel abandoned and alone. Everything's alright, she tried to assure herself. By the time I awake, there'll be ponies looking for me, and those bullies will get what they deserved, and everything'll go back to normal. But...what if I don't want things to be normal? What if I don't want to be such a push-over anymore? And what if nopony really will look for me? I mean, nopony stopped them from dropping me, and nopony made to help me when they did. Maybe...maybe I'm just not wanted... The revelation made her heart sink. Not only had the bullies abandoned her, but so had everypony else. Overwhelmed by loneliness, she reverted to something that she had done quite a bit that day already: crying. She was too exhausted to really cry, and instead she whimpered and sobbed. For many minutes she lay as such, before being interrupted by a light tapping on her hoof. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see who had tried getting her attention, finding a small white bunny standing nearby. It cocked its head to the side curiously, inspecting Fluttershy, surprised at her lack of reaction to his presence. Finally, the bunny spoke. “I have an apology to make on behalf of my manticore friend. He wished to apologize, but didn't want to risk spooking you further. I am Angel, and I would also like to personally welcome you to the Everfree Forest.” Angel hopped up Fluttershy's side and nestled into her long mane. “This place isn't nearly as bad as you ponies make it out to be; it's just that none of you can understand us, which makes communication difficult. But anyways, you look tired, and I know I am. Know any good lullabys?” “Um, one,” admitted Fluttershy nervously. Some tapping from the bunny indicated for her to continue, which she did so hesitantly. “Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed,” she sang. The lullaby had done its job, and light snoring could be heard from the rabbit on her head. She continued anyways. “Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to-” she yawned “-bed...” With that and Angel's surprisingly comforting presence, she fell asleep, and this time, not a fitful one. Alas, good things must all come to an end. Angel had woken up some time ago and had gone out in search of some berries and other food for the forest's most recent guest. Upon returning after his collection, however, he found Fluttershy twisting and turning within the log. “Hoops, Dumb-Bell, please...leave me alone,” she complained to a dreamt version of the two ridiculously named ponies. Concerned, Angel put preparing the food on hold to instead wake Fluttershy up and get her out of her dream. Like last time, he tapped her hoof with his foot. Unlike last time, she panicked, awaking instantly and shooting up. “No, no, I'm up. Just don't tear out my feathers-” she screamed, smashing her head against the top of the hollow log before finishing. “-again...” she finished, slowly realizing that she was no longer dreaming. She looked down to Angel sheepishly. “Um...sorry.” Angel was no stranger to the pain of having feathers torn out. He had never experienced it himself due to his lack of feathers, but he had seen other winged creatures loose their good feathers and had seen the pain they were left in. He put a paw on Fluttershy's hoof and rubbed it comfortingly, pointing to the meal he had prepared for her as well. “Oh, um, thank you,” she said, having not realized how hungry she was until seeing the food. Her stomach rumbled greedily, and she shied away bashfully. “Sorry,” she apologized again, causing Angel to face palm. He pushed it aside, however, and put the meal of berries and other edible plant closer to Fluttershy. She gratefully partook. As she ate, Angel put his paw to his lips and gave a loud whistle. Within a few moments, a falcon burst through the forest canopy and perched itself on the ledge of the log the Fluttershy occupied. “This pegasus got a little messy while running through here yesterday,” Angel told the bird. It's been a day already! “Her wings look like they could use some care. Could you preen them for her?” “Oh, no, that's not-” Fluttershy tried to oppose, but the bird had already begun, carefully searching through her wings and pulling out any broken or mangled feathers. Undeniably, it felt nice. “The Forest as a whole owes you an apology,” elaborated Angel. “And it sounds like a couple of other pegusi do as well. A 'Hoops' and a 'Dumb-Bell'?” “Oh, was I sleep-talking?” she inquired, curious as to how the rabbit had found out. Angel nodded in confirmation, causing Fluttershy to blush and smile sheepishly. “Uh, um, well, you see...” she started, but couldn't seem to form a more coherent thought; the treatment to her wings just felt too nice. After another minute, the falcon had finished its job, giving Angel a salute before flying away. No longer distracted, Fluttershy recalled her stories about the bullies, including their most recent act of dropping her in the Forest, as well as recounting what had transpired since landing.
Uh-ohHoops and Dumb-Bell looked down at the top of the Everfree Forest hundreds of feet below them, from the spot where they had dropped Fluttershy from the day before. “She's been down there a long time,” Hoops worriedly mused to his accomplice. “Whadd'ya think happened to her?” Dumb-Bell asked. “Ya think she may have...” “No!” snapped Hoops. “No, I don't think that happened, but...” he gulped, “it...it may have.” Deep in thought, Dumb-Bell stared at the trees below, hoping that Fluttershy wasn't speared on the top of one. “What happens if she is?” he finally asked. It was Hoops's turn to think. After a few seconds, he nervously started. “Well, expulsion from Flight Camp for sure, and life in prison at best should Princess Celestia catch word. We should do our best to not be caught.” “Hoops, soon as somepony notices that Fluttershy's gone, we're gonna be the first ones ponies point at,” Dumb-Bell observed. “Everypony knows that we pick on her pretty much daily.” “It's a good thing, then,” Hoops began to counter, “that nopony really cares for or notices Fluttershy. Thing'll be no different with her gone, if she is...gone.” “Rainbow Dash'll prob'ly notice,” lamented Dumb-Bell. “She's stuck up for her a couple'a times before, so she'll prob'ly say something after a few days. Ya think that maybe we should look for her? Even if she ain't dead, she could still be to hurt to fly.” “Wait, wait, wait,” Hoops reeled, surprised. “You want to go down there? To the Everfree? To look for a scared filly who should have been able to help herself in the first place?” He then scoffed. “Have you lost your mind?” With a defeated sigh, Dumb-Bell relented. “Well, I'm not goin' in there alone, and if you're not gonna go with me, then it looks like she's on her own.” “Not that that's anything new for her,” Hoops scoffed. “C'mon, lets go, or we'll be late for camp and ponies'll think we're plotting something.” Downtrodden and a little bit fearful of the days to come, the two bullies flew off to their Flight Camp. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It had been a peaceful night of sleep for Fluttershy, in part to having been weary from the previous day's trials and in part to Angel Bunny's comforting presence. Still in the hollow log that she had taken residence in the day prior, she awoke to the gentle sounds of the forest. Her eyes fluttered open and she let out a long yawn before stretching and attempting to stand, only to hit her head on the wood above her. Clearly she'd need a new place to rest. Angel, it would seem, had already woken up and gotten out of her mane, which the rodent had used as a mattress and pillow, and was currently working on something, though his back was to her, concealing his actions. He didn't seem any bit startled from the noise Fluttershy made when she hit he head, though it did alert him to her being awake. “Good morning, pony. How did you sleep?” he asked. “Oh, um...good, I guess,” Fluttershy answered, crawling out of log before finally standing completely upright. Immediately she noticed that, standing a few feet away from Angel, watching what he was doing with a sorrowful look, was a squirrel. “What are you doing, Angel?” she asked, approaching the bunny. “Making you breakfast,” he replied. And indeed he was, making a simple salad with lettuce, apple slices, and nuts, the first two of which seemed to be odd plants to come across in a forest. “Where did you get lettuce and apples?” Fluttershy asked him, suspicious. “From a nearby pony settlement. Some foolish farmers put their orchard right next to the forest, so their fruits are easy to get your paws on.” That was what Fluttershy didn't want to hear. “You stole them? That's not right, you know; that food wasn't yours to take,” she scolded. To that, Angel merely rolled his eyes. “We're animals here, Fluttershy, not ponies; your way of doing things isn't exactly applicable here. Rule number one of the forest: if you take it, it's yours, unless someone else takes it from you.” “And I suppose you stole those nuts, too?” “Nope,” responded Angel. “Mr. Cheeks, here,” he gestured to the nearby squirrel, “generously offered them for your breakfast.” Fluttershy looked to the squirrel, who was in turn continuing to stare longingly at the various nuts sitting beside the crude wooden bowl which contained the salad Angel was preparing. “I know you ponies don't usually eat nuts whole like squirrels do,” Angel continued, “so I was thinking of instead crushing them up and sprinkling the powder on top, which should add a bit of flavor and additional nutrition.” “Angel, give the nuts back,” she said, continuing to watch Mr. Cheeks, who perked up and looked at her with a hopeful expression upon hearing her statement. Angel, on the other hand, looked at her dumbfounded. “I'm sorry, pony, I think I misheard you. What?” Glaring now at Angel, she repeated, “I said: 'give Mr. Cheeks his nuts back'.” “He's offering you free food, you know. Free. F-r-e-e. You're really gonna turn that down?” “Yes,” Fluttershy answered confidently. “It's obvious that he wants them more that I do, and he probably needs them more, too so he should have them back.” “Pony things,” Angel muttered, rolling his eyes. “Well, the pony doesn't want them, so take them back, I guess,” he said to Mr. Cheeks. Said squirrel ran over to Fluttershy and hugged her leg before collecting his nuts and retreating, chirping happily all the while. “You're kind, Fluttershy. Maybe too kind; it's not going to help you last in here.” She cocked her brow at him, saying, “I'm not planning on staying here, Angel. What would make you think that I was?” “If you weren't going to stay, then why haven't you flown off yet?” “Um...” Fluttershy tried to start, but Angel interrupted. “Based on what you told me yesterday, it seems that you'd me missed here more than you'd be missed in your little pony place.” “That's not true!” she defended. “There are plenty of ponies who'd miss me up in Cloudsdale!” “Including...” Angel prompted. “Um, let's see...” she began, pausing to consider her own point. “Well, there's Hoops and Dumb-Bell-” Again, Angel was dumbfounded. “Aren't those two the bullies that dropped you here? Why would they miss you?” “Because, um, well, I'm the only one they pick on., unless Rainbow Dash gets in the way. She'd miss me, too, because she likes to use standing up for me as an excuse to beat Hoops and Dumb-Bell in a race.” “Anyone else?” “Of course! There's, um...” She stood there for several second trying to think of someone who would miss her if she were to not return. But, despite her efforts, no names came to mind. After about a half-minute, Angel spoke up again. “Note how the three names you said wouldn't miss you for reasons pertaining to actually liking you. Ponies would miss you for their own selfish reasons; because they would no longer be able to take advantage of you. Now, consider here: you've already made two friends here in the forest; that's two more than you purport to have made in your entire time in...what'd you call it? Cloudsdale? Mr. Cheeks and I would both greatly miss you if you were to go.” “That's...that's true, I guess,” Fluttershy agreed, bringing her head down in shame. “But still, I don't belong here; a forest, let alone Everfree, is no place for a pony.” “One day,” Angel proclaimed. “Give me one day to convince you that this is the place for you, and if I can't, then go, with no hard feelings from me.” She considered the proposition. i]I really should be going...but considering all he's done for me so far, it'd be vary rude to say no. I can grant him this favor; it's only one day; one day won't hurt. “Sure; I can give you a day of my time,” Fluttershy consented with a smile. “Wonderful! Now,” Angel pushed the bowl of salad towards Fluttershy, “you might want to eat up; today might be a long day.”
QueenFluttershy looked to Angel with an uncertain look and gave an audible gulp. “Y-you want me t-to go in th-there? In that...big, dark, sp-spooky cave?” It had been about fifteen minutes since Fluttershy had finished eating the food that Angel had prepared for her. She wouldn't deny that it had tasted good, but there was some residual guilt from having knowingly eaten stolen goods. Angel hadn't given her time to dwell on that, though, since as soon as she had finished, Angel had ferociously insisted on moving out and to the cave they now stood in front of. The mouth of the cave was massive, and Fluttershy could have sworn that a full-grown dragon could enter and still have a good amount of space between them and the ceiling to spare. Like most ponies, Fluttershy was terrified of dragons, and knowing that one could easily be lurking in this cave made her that much more reluctant to enter. “You're three times my height, pony, and I don't find this cave big,” angel retorted. “There's nothing dangerous in there, so pony up and get going.” Of course Angel isn't scared; he lives here an knows what's in there, Fluttershy mused. “Could you just...tell me what's in there?” “I could, but...” Angel started, thinking up a mischievous plan, but decided instead to just cooperated. “Yes, I could,” he sighed. “Firefly, lights please!” Angel suddenly shouted into the cave. In response, a deep yawning sound reverberated from within the cave, followed by several short grunts. Then, without warning, a pillar of fire shot out, scorching one side of the cave wall and billowing only a few feet above the pony and rabbit, who each ducked as close to the ground as possible to escape as much of the heat as they could. It was over in a second, though, and when Fluttershy looked back into the cave, and she saw that several crude torches mounted on the the wall, now lit thanks to the fireball, illuminated the space. And laying in the middle of the shallow cave was a blood red dragon. Terrified, Fluttershy leapt behind Angel and tried her best to cower behind the ridiculously undersized piece of cover. “No need to fret, pony; she won't harm you,” Angel assured as he strolled into the cave. “This is my friend, Firefly.” “I'm curious as to why you're with a pony, Angel, and more importantly, why you've brought said pony to my cave,” Firefly said. Her voice was powerful despite its controlled volume, but even so, it still carried a soothing tone to it. In the absence of Angel to shield her from the dragon, Fluttershy had covered her eyes with her forehooves and trembled in fear. At the sound of the dragon's voice, though, she chanced a quick peek at her. Firefly's primary scale color was a deep shade of crimson, while her underside was an orange color. The spines running down Firefly's long neck and back were an even darker shade of red than the scales around them, reaching an almost black color. To Fluttershy, though, the dragon's most interesting characteristic was her size. Clearly small for a dragon, Firefly was only about double Fluttershy's entire size. Both Angel and Firefly watched with with expectant expressions as they waited for Fluttershy to finish sizing Firefly up and actually enter the cave. It was another half-minute before Fluttershy was confident enough to just stand. The process was going to take a while. Losing patience, Angel finally hopped out of the cave and behind Fluttershy, then ferociously rapped his foot against the back of Fluttershy's leg. It didn't hurt, but it was enough to prod Fluttershy forward a little bit, however reluctantly. Finally, though, Angel had manager to shepherd Fluttershy into the center of the cave. Scattered around the perimeter, not visible from the mouth of the cave, was a large collection of various jewels of every color of the rainbow. Firefly's horde, no doubt. And a collection that large resulted in a dragon only twice Fluttershy's size, she shuddered at the thought of the size of a big dragon's horde, and what kind of trouble one would have to have stirred to accumulate so much. “Pony,” Angel called from her side, immediately garnering her attention. “This is my friend, Firefly,” he introduced, pointing to the dragon, “the only dragon here in Everfree. She can mean the difference between life and death here in the forest, so if you're staying, Firefly is definitely someone whose good side you want to be on.” “Not many of your kind venture here, pony,” Firefly stated. “What is your name?” Fluttershy was still for several second, staring up at the lumbering dragon, before finally mustering up the courage to whimper, “Fl-Fluttershy.” “And why does Angel bring you to me, Fluttershy?” “That would be because,” Angel began, “I believe Fluttershy here is the foretold one.” “Really?” Firefly asked, snaking her head down so that she was eye-level with Fluttershy. For every pace closer Firefly got, Fluttershy would scramble back two. “However adorable she is, Angel,” she said, disappointment clear in her tone, “this one is not queen material.” Angel nodded in agreement. “Right now, no, she's not. But she can learn. The signs are there that Fluttershy is to take up the mantle of the ancient Queen Butterfly, though. Like the ancient Queen, this pony can converse with the animals.” Fluttershy's confusion quickly replaced her fear. This sudden talk of foretold ones and ancient queens was so sudden and demanded explanation. “Um...I-I'm a bit lost here; would you c-care to explain, please?” “There is a prophesy in these woods, Fluttershy,” Angel began, “a prophecy that foretells the coming of a pony who will rule the forest as Queen Butterfly had many hundreds of years ago, and this new queen will be destined to root out the evil sister when she returns from her thousand year banishment.” “That's right,” Firefly agreed. “Two thousand years ago, the reign of the spirit Discord had been ended by your Princesses, and they established the land of Equestria. A forest grew here after that; not a twisted , evil one like the Everfree, but a normal prosperous one. However, soon after, your Princesses decided to construct a castle in the middle of this forest. To make room, they had to annihilate a good portion of the forest.” Firefly paused to grab a gem from her horde and began to idly twiddle it around her claw. “The Princesses faced resistance, though, through Queen Butterfly, a pony who could communicate with the animals. She rallied them together to oppose the castle's construction, but ultimately failed. She was outcast from pony society for opposing her rules and forced into exile in the forest, where she spent her reign maintaining balance in the forest as the other ponies invaded. “There wasn't much left of the forest after the ponies had had their way with it.” She popped the gem into her mouth and began crunching on it. The dragon swallowed before resuming her story. “Not long after that, the night Princess Luna betrayed her sister, and the two fought, leaving tremendous wreckage in their wake. Their full skirmish destroyed nearly all of what was left of the forest, and unfortunately Queen Butterfly has been fatally injured as some of the collateral damage. “It was then that the sun Princess Celestia banished her sister to the moon and abandoned her castle. But her corrupt sister's vile influence changed the forest as it grew back, turning it into the Everfree that you ponies rightfully fear today. The only way to cleanse the forest of its corruption is for the forest to get its revenge on the evil sister upon her return from her banishment. For that, though, we need a leader; a true Queen of the forest to lead us against this powerful foe and against the influence of all outsiders who hope to ruin these woods.” “And I believe that leader to be you, Fluttershy,” Angel concluded. Firefly, however, shook her head in disagreement. “I'm not convinced.” “What, exactly, do you want me to do?” Fluttershy asked, much more relaxed than before, but still ready to bolt away at any sudden move from the dragon. “Stay here and learn the ways of the forest,” answered Angel. “Your fellow ponies don't appreciate you for your great destiny, but the forest is here for your taking.” Queen. They wanted her to become their queen; their ruler and their idol. They wanted her to abandon everything she had once known to become one from the forest. The allure of power was tempting, but asked a steep price. For this opportunity, she'd have to surrender... Nothing. There was nothing for her among her fellow ponies. More hassle came from having her around than anything positive. She had no friends, and the only ones to ever bother approaching her came to mock her or otherwise take advantage of how pathetic she was for their own benefit. There was nothing for her among her fellow ponies. Her answer, then, came quickly and without hesitation. “I can...try.” Angel beamed at her while Firefly looked away with disinterest. “I can't thank you enough,” Angel said with gratitude. “Like I said,” Firefly cut in, “I'm unconvinced. I'm open to the idea of you becoming the Queen Butterfly of Everfree, but you'll have to prove yourself to me before I'll accept your rule. But I like you; you're cute, for a pony. So I'll let you and Angel share my cave for as long as you don't have a shelter of your own.” Angel was admittedly surprised to hear Firefly's gracious offer, considering how against Fluttershy she had been sounding. “Thank you very much, Firefly. I have this feeling you won't be disappointed with Fluttershy.” “I hope not, 'cause I don't want the evil sister coming back before we're ready with a queen of our own.” She then looked down to Fluttershy with a light smirk. “I said I'd house you, but I'm not feeding you. If you're going to be our queen, you best learn to forage for yourself.” “Yes, that's a good idea,” agreed Angel, already making his way to the cave exit. “Come along, Fluttershy. I'll help you learn your way around what's edible and what's not around here. Consider this your first true lesson of the forest.” Fluttershy didn't argue, quickly getting up and leaving the cave with Angel by her side.
