Author's Note

The following story is a final attempt at writing. It might not be polished just yet, but hopefully, all will go as planned.

As always, I can take criticism of the constructive kind. Please don't be a douche.
And if you like it, go ahead and follow me and stay tuned for more.

Chapter One

Her heart pounded in her chest as they advanced. "This is it." She thought. "This is how I go out." She clamped her eyes shut, her doom upon her.

Tending to her animal friends was always Fluttershy's passion. In fact, that how she got her cutie mark. Whenever her friends stopped by for a visit or to bring her supplies, she could always be seen tending to an injured animal, or feeding her chickens. If there was one thing she loved more than her animal friends, it was her friends. Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash.

One particularly sunny day, she decided to go to Zecora's for some much needed ointment. Fluttershy had a reputation for being not so brave. But, she knew if she stuck to the main paths, avoiding the poison joke patch, she would be there in one piece.

So, she packed up a saddlebag and struck out for the Everfree forest.

Fluttershy always looked around for danger. She had a nervous habit of twitching and flexing her wings. She may not have been the best flier back in Flight School, but it was the best way to hot hoof it out of danger's path.

Something felt different on the air as she trekked father and deeper into the woods. Every instinct told her to turn back and hide in the safety of her cottage, but Fluttershy needed Zecora's ointment for treating injured animals. "It's ok Fluttershy." She said aloud. "You stared down a cockatrice and survived, you can walk a path in a... dangerous... forest..."

Fluttershy tensed up. The hair along her spine stood up on end. Her ears twitched back and forth. Something was following her.

Her head whipped from side to side. Yellow eyes shown from either side of the path. She ran for her life towards Zecora's hut. She looked behind her and saw those eyes chasing her. She ran faster, her hooves pounding the ground in fierce desperation.

Suddenly, something jumped out of the brush. "Oh no, Timberwolves!" She diverted her course, which took her away from her intended path.

Fluttershy kept running as fast as she could. Her saddlebags came loose and fell off. She tried to turn back, but her pursuers kept coming. It wasn't worth it, so she kept running.

Just then, a timberwolf tried to jump her but failed. Fluttershy yelped as she tripped over an exposed root. She tumbled into a tree and hit it. She heard a snap, followed by blinding pain. Her right wing was broken. She sat up, trying to look at the injured wing. Her coat was a mangled mess of sap, sticks, and scratches from dodging brambles.

Then, the wolves jumped out of the bush and slowly stalked up to her, fangs bared. Her heart pounded in her chest as they advanced. "This is it." She thought. "This is how I go out." She clamped her eyes shut, her doom upon her. Just as the wolves were about to pounce, something jumped out of the tree and landed in front of the injured mare. It was a tall creature, covered in a brown cloak. The being turned to Fluttershy. The eyes of the creature were the only thing she saw. Blue eyes... what creature has blue eyes, she wondered before a surge of pain shot up her wing and back.

The cloaked creature turned back to the wolves. They snarled and barked at the figure. A staff appeared in the creature's... hand?

Fluttershy knew Lyra Heartstring's obsession with these creatures called humans. Lyra always had a deep fascination with these appendages that were known as hands. Was this creature a human?

Fluttershy's train of thought was interrupted by a yelp as one of the wolves hit a tree. The hooded figure had batted an attack aside. Two wolves charged the creature, but he shunted them both away. Another jumped him from behind and sunk it's jaws into the figure's shoulder. The hooded figure let out a grunt. It was a low, male grunt. So this creature is a male.

The male hood then snapped the wolf's jaw and tossed the body back into the pack. Seeing their pack mates being mangled was enough for the rest of them to run away, yelping and howling as they went. The hood looked around to see if any stayed behind. Once the danger was gone, it turned back to Fluttershy. She began to shake in fear. She let out a squeak. "P-p-please don't eat me..." Tears ran down her face. But then, she felt a warm sensation on her face. The creature wiped her tears away. "Relax." It said in a low, gravelly voice. "The wolves are gone, you're safe now."

Fluttershy opened one eye. The creature pulled the hood back to reveal a face that was not pony-like, but rather human-like. His hair was a dark color, the length reaching his scruffy, bearded jawline. He smiled at the mare as he wiped her tears. "S-s-so, y-you're not gonna eat me?" She said in a harsh whisper. He chuckled. "No little pony. I'm not gonna eat you." He noticed her wing. "You're hurt." She nodded. "M-my wing, I think it's broken." She tried to move it, but yelped instead. "What is your name?" The human asked.

"F-Fluttershy..." She said. "James. James McMillan. Listen to me Ms. Fluttershy, I have to reset the bone." He reached out and grabbed some sticks and a roll of tape. He pulled out Fluttershy's saddlebags. "I found this shortly after you rushed past me." He smiled as he set his calloused and scarred hands on the bone. She tensed up. "Alright, I'm gonna reset the bone ok?" He looked into her eyes, and a feeling of relief washed over her. "W-will this hurt?" She asked. He nodded in response. "Alright. We'll do it on the count of four, ok?" He said. She nodded and readied herself.

"See, when you get a break in the bone like this, you have to do something that is called reducing it by- FOUR!" HE quickly reset the bones and used the sticks he found as a splint. She cried out in pain as she kicked out. "Celestia! That hurts!" She kept kicking and screaming as the pain hit it's crescendo and atrophied. She looked at the stranger through tear-clouded eyes. He smiled. "I reset the break, but Zecora will have to do the rest." He gently picked her up in his arms, saddlebag slung over his shoulder, and set out for the hut.

"Y-you know Zecora?" She asked in utter disbelief. He nodded and kept walking. So many thoughts ran through Fluttershy's mind like one of Rainbow's Buccaneer Blitz moves. She looked around and knew where she was. She then settled into the stranger's arm as they made their way to Zecora's hut at last.

-To Be Continued-