She shuddered as they trekked through the entrance of the everfree forest, strapped with a satchel on her flank as a sudden chill hit her coat. The mare wasn’t sure what it was exactly that made her uneasy in the forest but it just…..gave her a bad feeling. Still, Applejack was determined to keep her word and accompany her friend to her destination.
“So uh, tell me again exactly where it is we’re going, Flutter shy.”
The mare in question was trotting upwind of her, merrily being led by a beautiful butterfly that rested on the tip of her snout.
“We’re going to beyond the borders of the everfree forest and into the mountains. My butterfly friend here has told me that there’s a cave there that has what we need.”
Applejack swallowed thickly as her eyes darted around. Looking at her friend up ahead she was a complete contrast to the dark and ominous surroundings, bright and unrelentingly cheerful. Gentle even to the foreboding plant and animal life of the everfree forest.
“And uh, what was it we need to get again?”
“Oh! In that cave are Pyro flies, bugs that are literally burning and are considered a treat for phoenix birds! I promised princess Celestia that I’d gather some for Philomena. She’s been extremely lately and hasn’t had the time to go out and gather them herself, you see.”
“Isn’t she always busy though? Running a kingdom’ll do that to a mare.”
Applejack chuckled nervously.
“Mm-hm. That’s why I volunteered to do it for her! Oh! But I really appreciate you coming with me Applejack. It’ll go a lot faster with the two of us working together. I’m not sure I could do it all by myself.”
Fluttershy then turned around and pressed her cheek to Applejack’s in an appreciative gesture. Applejack smiled at her friend and pressed back, her uneasiness lifting somewhat.
“Aw, shucks, Fluttershy! You know I’d help you out anytime!”
Her determination renewed, Applejack walked alongside Fluttershy as they made their way out of the everfree forest and entered the mountainous region. Applejack watched as Fluttershy whispered to the butterfly. The multicolored insect seemed to be communicating with her, seeing as Fluttershy to tilt her ear and lean in as her tiny friend whispered back. It never ceased to amaze her at Fluttershy’s expert handling of animals, great or small.
“She says it’s not very far from here! The entrance should be past that formation over there!”
Fluttershy pointed to the northeastern direction. Applejack looked about and nodded at her. The fair furred mare thanked her guide and watched as the butterfly flew away to go back to its family.
“So how do we know what the entrance looks like anyway?” Applejack asked as they continued on.
“She said it would look like a huge crag on a rock face, sort of like a very narrow entryway. Also, the rock itself is an unusual color, so it shouldn’t be hard to spot.”
“’Narrow’, huh?”
Applejack rolled her shoulders and sized herself, scrunching her muzzle slightly as she became aware of her broad stature. Fluttershy giggled knowingly.
“All you have to do is hold the container open for me when I catch them.”
As if to reassure her friend Fluttershy reached into her own satchel and showed her net to Applejack. They shared a good laugh and walked on. They fell into an easy silence, with nothing but their hooves clicking against the rocky ground being heard. Applejack wished she had brought a wheat stalk or two to chew on but decided against it, in favor of the two round containers she was carrying.
A beat of wind blew by them, sending the days warmth to wash over their coats. It was bright out today with no clouds in sight, a perfect day to picnic actually. A second beat blew by but something seemed…off about the current. As subtle as it was, the change in the air made them both stop in their tracks.
Everything was as quiet as the stones themselves.
“Applejack…”
“I know. Something’s here.”
The Clydesdale shook off her satchel and twitched her ears around, trying to catch any subtle sounds. Fluttershy tried to listen as well but she seemed anxious, almost spooked. A slight shift of rocks to her right caught Applejack’s attention and she cocked her head in that direction.
“Stay here. I’ll take a look around.”
Fluttershy nodded and watched as Applejack disappeared behind a few boulders. Her wings twitched nervously at her back as she waited for Applejack. Time seemed to stretch from seconds to hours as she waited.
Her animal instincts kicked in as she felt a concentrated puff of hot air brush over her crest, making her fur stand on end and a sharp chill race down her spine. Fluttershy slowly turned around was met with the cruel looking muzzle.
In front of her was a dragon, with scales as pitch black as King Sombra’s mane and eyes as red as Philomena’s feathers. It had jagged amethyst horns and silver scales mounted on its brow. Its teeth gleamed a brilliant platinum and the fire that crackled in its mouth was a fierce white hot color.
But what was more daunting were its wings. They seemed….unnatural, as if it was forced to have them. They were the same pitch black as the rest of its body but they were mismatched, elegant feathers on the right of it and a torn leather hide on its left. Its claws were jagged and the same amethyst as its horns, with spines on its back and shoulders.
It let out a snort of hot air and slowly advanced on Fluttershy. It wasn’t as big as when Spike became a whole dragon but it towered her shaking frame nonetheless.
It let out a hissing growl and snapped its teeth in her face. She was frozen, standing stock still as her legs quaked beneath her.
“You….are trespassing.”
Its voice was seething and gravelly, with an intimidating timber that left no room for rebuttal. Fluttershy couldn’t speak, couldn’t scream out for Applejack, and couldn’t even fly away. She was frozen entirely with eyes wide as saucers in sheer fright. Panicked tears streamed down her face as the dragon reared its head and opened its maw to belt out its flame.
But a fierce tackle to its side knocked it hard into the mountain wall. Fluttershy snapped back into reality as she saw Applejack come between her and the dragon. She then nudged her frightened friend towards the boulders she had come from in an attempt to get her to safety.
“MOVE OUTTA THE WAY!! GET AWAY FROM- AGHH!!!”
As Applejack tried to push Fluttershy onward, a stream of white fire erupted and singed Applejack’s left flank. She stumbled slightly more from the shock then the pain. Fluttershy let out a cry of alarm as she heard her friend get hurt. Applejack shook her leg to put out the flame.
With an angered snort Applejack kicked out her hind legs in a fierce buck. She hit it squarely and broke off its right horn, making it shriek out violently as pain tore through it. With a beat of its horrid wings the dragon flew off in retreat, clutching its wound.
“Th-THAT’S RIGHT!! GIT OUTTA HERE YA OVERGROWN GECKO!!”
Breathing heavily, Applejack looked around for Fluttershy. She took one step and nearly fell over herself.
“Shoot!”
That buck to the dragons’ horn must’ve nicked her hoof or something; it hurt something fierce now and made it hard to walk. Still, the Clydesdale limped on in search of her friend.
She found her huddled beneath the boulders with her wings tightly folded and her front legs covering her head. Applejack slowly approached her.
“Whoo! I don’t know what that was about but I’m glad it’s over. You okay there Fluttershy?”
Applejack came over to her and saw that she was shaking violently out of fright and had her eyes shut tight. Her frantic breaths and high pitched whimpers made Applejack’s heart wrench and she came to stand over her frightened friend.
“Hey now, you’re quakin’ like a rattler in winter, sugar cube. It’s gone now. I’m here to protect you.”
She leaned her head down to nuzzle the top of Fluttershy’s head with her muzzle to try and calm her down. The response was a positive one as her trembling eased slightly and her whimpering stopped. She knew of Fluttershy’s uneasiness when facing dragons (at least ones she wasn’t familiar with), and that encounter was definitely an unpleasant one.
A distant roar could be heard by the two mares and Applejack shifted into a more protective stance at seeing Fluttershy’s visible flinch. Fluttershy latched her hoof onto Applejack’s in fear of her leaving her.
“Wait!” she wheezed out.
Applejack looked down and saw one of Fluttershy’s eyes open, looking up at her despairingly.
“Don’t leave me!”
The young Pegasus' voice was a harsh and pleading whisper, with her teeth clacking as her nerves were shook.
Applejack nuzzled her head again in a silent promise to protect her, keeping her eyes peeled for any other threat that might spring up. She felt Fluttershy hold onto her hoof like she was holding for dear life. It was then that Applejack decided to become her defender. Her shield. Her protector.
-End
Author's Note
Writing prompt done for Earthsong9405's "Protective" theme. Cover art by Earthsong9405 of DA.
