It was a beautiful day in Equestria; the sky was a light blue while the clouds slowly passed over it, and the trees were waving with a slight breeze, making it even better still. Ponies were all outside, either playing one of many numerous parks in Ponyville or chatting and eating lunch in the main square. Fluttershy planned on doing none of these things.
While it may sound selfish, she wanted to savor this day for herself and her favorite pet, Angel. A walk through the forest by her house would be the best it would ever get with this weather, and she wanted to stop and take a look; she had been caught up in Sombra, Discord and Twilight becoming a princess. She had barely gotten any time to herself in that period of hurry so she decided that today would be the day she finally got to relax.
"Come on, Angel. It's gonna be a really nice walk through the woods...no, not the Everfree, the one right by our house where the races take place. Come on, let's go!" Angel stubbornly went to Fluttershy's side as she hung up a sign on her house.
GONE FOR TODAY. COME BACK TOMMOROW.
Satisfied with the short but sweet message, she began to walk towards the forest, with Angel in tow.
* * * * * * *
It was, in fact, beautiful.
The trees and bushes had a slight sway to them due to the breeze, which also felt nice on Fluttershy's fur and skin. The sky was still that bright blue color and the clouds seemed to stay in place. The sun shone brightly over the whole scene, much to the approval of the yellow pegasus. The path they were walking on was clay colored, and a small amount of dust flew up with each step they took.
"It really is beautiful, isn't it Angel?" Fluttershy asked, to which Angel nodded.
"You know, before she died, my mother Posey used to take walks out here everyday for an hour. All the ponies in town thought she was crazy." Fluttershy gave a chuckle at the thought of it.
"Well, they obviously can't beat this. Canterlot may be big and grand, but when it comes to the nature, it's hard to beat the likes of Ponyville." she looked down at Angel, who seemed to be sad. Fluttershy frowned, confused by the look.
"Oh, what's wrong, Angel? Did you step on something-"
Before she could finish, Angel began writing in the dirt. He barely knew how to write anything and what he could do was from observation. He seemed to be struggling but he eventually shrugged. He must have thought that whatever he wrote would convey the message as he promptly stepped back. It said...
PARETS DED
Fluttershy gave a melancholy smile, then nodded.
"My mother vanished one day. Nopony could ever figure out what happened to her, though I don't think she's dead. If you can think I'm shy, she didn't usually leave her house for the sake of not wanting to run into anypony. I think she just couldn't handle everything and went out on her own. As for my dad, we know what happened to him. He was caught in an accident down by the cliff. Where Dashie saved everyone? Yea." Angel looked sorry.
"No, don't be sorry. I've talked about it with the mares, it's fine. You know..." Fluttershy began, this time coming to a complete stop and sitting down on the clay. "Don't tell anypony, but I've always wanted to try and find her. I just would like to know what happened. I dream of it sometimes." Angel nodded but looked like he still regreted asking the question. Fluttershy smiled again.
"It's what we're here for, Angel. Come on, let's walk a bit more."
She took a few steps but immediately halted when she heard a huge crack to her left. She jumped up in fright and quickly looked to her left. She couldn't see anything in the distance, but was still frightened.
"C-Come on, Angel. Must be some-"
There it was again. Still, nothing seemed to be happening to the left of her, as she couldn't hear or detect movement. Now she seemed curious, as she couldn't even guess what it was.
"Stay here, Angel. I should be right back..." As much as she didn't want to, it could be something serious and she didn't want anypony to get hurt.
The grass here was a bright green, which barely showed any dirt. The trees were large, but A pegasi could fly over them with ease. Most of it was covered but specs of light shone through at spots, making for quite a sight. It reminded Fluttershy of that old Buffalo tale, that we're simply under a tent and the stars are merely holes poked through it. That wasn't the matter at hand, however.
The cracking noise would repeat exactly every minute, Fluttershy noticed. Usually, this forest was only used for the Running of the Leaves, and as a result the only noise you are going to hear is hooves beating against the surface, which would explain why this sound hadn't been heard yet.
She was getting very close now. The cracks were getting louder, and it was beginning to frighten her a little more than it should have. She swallowed and continued into the forest. The cracks got louder and louder...and stopped.
Fluttershy began to count. Two minutes had gone past without a result. She waited another minute, to no avail. She shrugged and began to walk back when the loudest thing she ever heard pulsed through her ears.
It was what she wanted to hear, but not this close. It was like a storm itself was raging through her ears. She quickly clenched her ears in pain only to notice something else; she couldn't even feel her hooves.
It was as if acid was pouring down her body, slowly, leaving nothing left. As this wave ran down, she lost the feeling in her front hooves and head, which ran down to her back legs. Not being able to feel anything, she slowly tipped over and hit the hard ground with the noise still in her ears.
After about a minute of this horrible sensation, she blacked out.
* * * * * * *
Fluttershy slowly awoke. She realized she could move everything, which was good, and she could hear fine as far as she could tell meaning the the large sound had not, in fact, made her deaf. She slowly opened her eyes...to find a sight beyond anything she had ever seen.
She was in a vast field of green. The sky was a dark grey, signifying an upcoming thunderstorm. In the distance, she saw tall trees, taller than any building or tree in Equestria. Lightining flickered down here and there, meaning the storm had already started in the distance. It was quite a sight to see, if you didn't think about the oncoming storm. Fluttershy was still staring at this strange land when she heard a growl from behind her. Fluttershy whipped around.
It was a large feline animal, Fluttershy knew that much. It looked like a female lion, save for one not-so-small detail; it had two huge, long and sharp teeth protruding from it's mouth. It reminded Fluttershy of the sabers the royal guards carried in Canterlot and the Crystal Empire. Unlike the guards at Canterlot and the Crystal Empire, this cat didn't look too friendly as it continued to growl.
Fluttershy slowly held out one hoof while backing away at a slower pace. All she had to do was talk to it; it was her destiny and given talent, of course. she stared it right in the eye, breathing heavily.
"I'm not here to hurt you. We can be friends. Just stop right there, um...Sabre-Cat, and I'm sure we can work this out."
The Cat didn't exactly look like it heeded Fluttershy's warnings, continuously coming closer.
"Come on, big guy..." Fluttershy said, half talking to the Cat and half talking to herself in hoping it doesn't devour her whole. "I won't hurt you. Just stay there. It'll all be okay."
Under normal circumstances, Fluttershy could always stop a meat-eating creature from devouring her. Some animals, however, like the Timberwolves, would not listen to her (or anypony else) and would always attack anything on sight. She came to the conclusion that this was one of those animals. Nothing she could do.
It came closer, with a louder growl. Fluttershy backed up a little more.
She was in an open field, which meant she had nothing around her that could help her. On the other hoof, cats were always, always fast, which meant she couldn't outrun it either. In other words, she was dead.
She kneeled down, staring the creature in the eyes the entire way, as if to try and pacify it. The creature growled and got into a pouncing stance. A tear dropped from Fluttershy's eye as she stared at the Cat, ready for the pounce that would end her life. She thought of her friends and those who helped her through her short life.
"Thanks, everypony." She said, still staring into the eyes of the beast.
In a blinding flash, Lightning struck upon the very spot the Cat had been seconds ago. Fluttershy was tossed backwards about twenty feet and landed with a hard thud. Some of her skin had come off due her grinding the surface during impact, leaving some red all along her body. She groaned and got up, looking towards the spot she was seconds before.
The cat, or what was left of it, was scattered in pieces around the blast site. Fluttershy slowly walked up to the scene, her eyes wide in amazement. she turned around to see the sun rising above this strange new world as the storm had just rolled over. She hadn't notice before, but it had been raining. She stared at it for a while.
"...Where am I?
Fluttershy began to walk towards the trees in the distance; If anything like that happened again, she didn't think she would be so lucky. She needed a place with hiding spots and environmental objects that could be found and used along the way.
She had fastened a utility belt from the Sabre-Cat's fur (what was left of it, anyways) and she had found both of the Cat's two teeth, which would make a good weapon if she needed it again. She had also left a message for anyone who might see it if the same thing happened to them; she knew her friends would look for her, and that they might stumble upon the same...whatever.
Fluttershy wasn't entirely sure she could get home, and it was stuck on her mind. If she was stuck here forever she might as well make the best of it; she sang a song to comfort her.
"You tell me that you've got everything you want
And your bird can sing
But you don't get me, you don't get me"
It was her favorite.
She still sang as she walked closer to the jungle, which seemed more daunting now. Fluttershy attempted to recollect everything she knew so far about this place.
Obviously, the weather makes itself. Well, where she was anyways. She still hadn't seen a pony yet, and as far as she was concerned there wasn't any. The first animal she encountered was a ravenous cat that seemed to want nothing more then to tear her to shreds. She didn't know if the other animals were like this, but she had to watch out in the event that they were. Everything was taller and more luscious then Equestria as well; the whole thing was beautiful.
She was also moderately hungry and thirsty. Hunger wouldn't be a problem, as there was plenty of grass around (at that thought, she began to eat the grass around her) however, she didn't know how much drinkable water was in this strange place, so that would be the first priority.
She entered the jungle, at long last. It didn't have a lot of clearings for her to use, but she managed to painstakingly make a few of them. She stopped to eat a little more at one spot and looked upwards to see a giant freshwater lake.
It was absolutely huge. It had to be twice as big as Ponyville Lake which was one of the largest lakes in Equestria. It spanned out wide and the sun glimmered off of it's surface. It looked spectacular, as the rest of the planet did; Fluttershy was now fully convinced this couldn't be on her home world. It was perfect, except for one thing.
Eerily, nothing surrounded the lake.
No life, besides the plants, were within sight around the water. The green trees and grass around it made for a nice scene, as everything here did, but the whole thing was devoid of animal life. It was something she found quite strange, and yet the lake looked so enticing...she needed a drink and she needed to cool off, as the sun was hot. She needed to take some chances as she had to find a comfortable shelter.
She began to take sips from the lake. Slowly watching the surface for anything that may appear on the surface, she continued to drink cautiously. After noticing that nothing seemed to come up she deemed the lake safe and began to drink mouthfuls.
When she was about done, she noticed a rather alarming snake-like creature arch the surface of the water to slowly sink back down. She backed away in alarm, waiting to see if the creature would fully surface. She was momentarily distracted, however, by a rather large pair of jaws launching at her face.
She didn't know how, but she managed to get out of the way at the last second. It was always said that Pegasi had faster reflexes then the other types of pony but she had always believed her to be an exception, considering her ineptness at even being a pegasi. She turned to her right to see that the animal which attacked her was rather familiar.
It was an alligator, nothing different about it. It was a big one as well. She had only one experience with an alligator, back in Equestria. It took a while, but she managed to talk it down. This shouldn't be different, if she played it out the right way. If she could talk it down it would be proof that her way with animals was still relevant in some way.
"Hey there, big guy..." Fluttershy said, mimicking the tactics she used against the cat.
The Alligator, unlike the cat, had no time for stalking and waiting. It lunged at Fluttershy, who once again got out of the way. This time, she used her mouth to grab one of the teeth from her makeshift belt. As the Alligator lurched once again, Fluttershy planted the tooth in the Alligator's snout.
The Alligator wasn't amused, and was primed for another attack. Fluttershy grabbed the remaining tooth and was about to use it when the Alligator pounced on her, finally knocking her down.
Fluttershy understood the dangers here. Although she was frightened and scared to the maximum, being calm and collective here was the main factor that would keep her alive. Waiting for the moment the Alligator shed a little part of it's head, Fluttershy jammed the fang into it's head area. It was the first animal Fluttershy had killed.
Once she got the Alligator off her and removed the two fangs, she looked over the dead creature and put a hoof on it. She shed a few tears.
"I'm so sorry for doing this to you..." she said, before getting up and walking away.
The reason no animals surrounded the lake was because it had to have been full of Alligators and...whatever that serpent like thing was. Any prey that came to drink or swim in the lake was instantly devoured. If that hypothesis was correct then there was plenty more where that came from.
More importantly, her ways with animals had failed. They no longer responded to her, which she found quite upsetting. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she wasn't on her home world anymore. None the less, she was here now, and had to deal with it before help arrived.
She climbed in a nearby tree and fastened herself to it with her belt. She needed sleep for the night and she didn't want to travel any further for now. Closing her eyes, she wondered if she would ever see her friends again or get back to Equestria before she slowly drifted to sleep.
Fluttershy slowly awoke to sound of horrible cries and screams from a variety of meat eating animals.
Why she hadn't thought of this before she went to sleep, she didn't know, but many carnivorous animals had gathered around the tree she had fallen asleep at and began to shriek and yell. She covered her ears and looked down at all of them, varying in sizes and shapes, calls and behavior. Different as they were, it seems that they had one thing in common.
Animals of all shapes and sizes appeared below her. Most of them appeared to be mammals, with that Sabre-Cat making an appearance once more. There were about 7, but Fluttershy didn't take care to notice any of them; she was just concerned with getting out of the situation.
She could Fly, but not for long. She didn't know exactly how fast these animals were but she could guarantee one of them would catch up to her. She couldn't hide due to the chance that they could smell her, so that was out of the question. The more she thought of possible solutions the more dead ends she arrived to until she looked upwards.
The trees.
She could walk the trees to temporary safe location, one where these animals couldn't follow her. Surely they would follow her the best they could, but if she could get to an inaccessible area she could probably lay down and rest for once. She couldn't stray to far off, because if her friends came they would need to find her somehow. She couldn't leave a message for them so she quickly began to fly to the highest stable branch.
She could use her wings to keep balance well. She slowly walked as she noticed the animals eerily match her pace with deadly efficiency. They were created to perfection, perfect killing machines without fail. The thought of that horrified and fascinated Fluttershy at the same time. As a test, she stopped momentarily. They did as well.
This time she hurried up, moving quickly across the trees. Up ahead, she saw a the point where these trees merged with some others up ahead. She tried the best she could to get over that area, and after a while of thought she was able to manage it. The animals growled and whined as Fluttershy passed over the trees.
Fluttershy gave a sigh of relief and fluttered down to a grassy area and started to eat. Ponies of Equestria usually tended to avoid grass due to it tasting like absolutely nothing but when you had no alternative it was an easy way to feed. After she was full she began to sing again, this time an Equestrian folk song.
"When the sun goes down, we come back around
to play beneath the shade
to look upon fair Luna's night
and the wonderful world she made
When night is day we'll all go play
and dance for we are all young
to look upon the clear blue sky
and bask in Celestia's sun"
She never knew why, but singing always calmed her nerves. She never did it in front of anypony, of course, but it always helped. She continued to sing when a small squirrel began to come up to her. It looked at her with curiosity. Fluttershy was amazed for one reason and one reason only.
There weren't any other ponies on this world, that she knew just by looking at this little squirrel. The rodents tended to run during interaction from ponies and other beings (she didn't count) but this one walked up to her like it was nothing. IT had never seen one of her kind before and as a result wasn't scared of her. Truly amazing. This planet doesn't have any advanced life. No buildings or pollution. This was a young world. It was truly a wonderful moment in the anarchy.
Of course, it was until a bird came down and swiped the squirrel off of the ground.
Fluttershy had no mirror, but she knew her countenance looked extraordinarily horrified. It was part of the food chain but Fluttershy took that as a sign things wouldn't get any better. She took a deep breath before she finally got a good look at her surroundings.
she was in a small clearing. It was a circle surrounded by trees, that went about 20 feet out. She smiled, because she was in a perfect spot to camp and wait for her friends.
They had to be coming. Angel would have alerted somepony, one of her friends, and they would investigate and have the same thing happen to them. Then they would come to this planet and read her message, and they would come towards this location. Maybe they were already here! Should she yell for them, just in case? No, that would attract more animals to her location, and she would bet some of them would be willing to devour her.
It was up to them. They had to find her somehow, they just had to. What had she done to deserve this? What was it? Was it an act of Celestia that had brought her here? She shook that out of her head fast. Whatever had brought her here intended for her to stay, she knew that much. She couldn't help but try and come back to the thoughts.
When night approached, she attempted to find two good sized sticks. When she did, she began attempts to make a fire. It took a while, but she eventually pulled it off. Whether it would attract animals or not was beyond Fluttershy but she was glad to get some warmth. She laid down by the fire and closed her eyes.
She realized there was no water here and that she would eventually have to go find some. She pushed that away from her mind as she decided that she would cross that bridge when she got there. Fluttershy smiled. She could finally rest without danger, and she would get some good sleep for the night. She would make the best out of the situation and wait for their friends to come.
She was sure they would.
