A Strange Creature in Ponyville

Stage 2: Close to the Chest

Still in shock over what just happened, Fluttershy could only stand and stare at the animal before her eyes, after a moment she shook it off and began to think about what to do next. It looked quite badly hurt, but not as bad as one might expect having fallen from so far up and so fast. Mainly cuts and bruises, still, there were deep wounds and more than a few broken bones she assumed.

“What did you call yourself?” she asked. “Hugh Mon? That’s a strange name, ok Hugh I’m going to take a look at some of your injuries, is that ok?”

The creature was still out cold, looking like it might be in that state for a while, Fluttershy inched closer. Not wanting to shock the animal in front of her, she carefully placed her front hooves onto one of its hind legs and applied a small amount of pressure.

“Good, that legs not broken.” She whispered

She did the same to the other “Oh my, looks like this leg is, ok let’s check the forelegs” again whispering.

Fluttershy continued to check all over the creature’s body, the damage was fairly severe, the right shoulder was broken, a couple of ribs were fractured, the left foreleg was smashed from the elbow down and it had suffered deep gashes all over. She was just checking the creature’s neck for any signs of spinal injury when she saw something move out of the corner on her eye. A strange white substance was moving up the creature’s body, starting from the misshaped hooves and working its way up. Fluttershy could only look in horror as the, whatever it was enveloped the creature.

“Don’t worry,” whispered a voice “it’ll be ok…”

Fluttershy turned her head to find the animal looking at her smiling and stroking her mane with a bloody “claw”, jumping back she looked on as the fluid rolled across the creature’s body, it had reached its torso and before long only the head wasn’t covered.

“Before I go,” the creature breathed, obviously in pain, “please don’t tell anyone about what you have seen of me, no one must know. Please prom---“

Before it had a chance to finish the creature’s head was devoured by the liquid, now having completely enveloped the creature, the fluid changed colours to a light gray and shattered. Fragments of the creatures “cocoon”, as best Fluttershy could describe, quickly turned to dust and drifted off.

“I…I…I promise.” Fluttershy said as she inched forwards again to where the creature was once laid and saw… something; it looked like a pile of ash, black as night and iridescent.

“What is that?” Fluttershy questioned and moved an inquisitive hoof towards the object.

Like if it was driven by the sound of her voice, the pile moved and let out a soft whimper and started to cry. It wasn’t a pile of ash but a foal, a unicorn foal with its horn broken. Almost without thinking Fluttershy scooped it up.

“Shhh, hush hush now it’s ok.” Holding the foal close to her chest she crooned to it “its ok now, don’t worry.”

“Fltsy, Flusy.” It whimpered over and over again.

“But what happened to that creature?” she thought, but pushed it back instead concentrating on the matter at hoof. The young pony stopped whimpering and fell asleep in her arms and her heart melted at the sight, Fluttershy started to gently fly out of the dust cloud she was in and head back to her friends. As she was leaving there was a flash of purple light and the dust around her quickly disappeared into the air, before her she could see all of her friends standing looking at Princess Celestia apparently locked in an argument with Rainbow Dash with Luna observing the hostilities.

“I don’t care what you think I’m going in there after her and you can’t---” She looked around and saw Fluttershy flying into view.

“I told you she would be alright.” said Celestia “You must always have faith in your friends.”

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow screamed flying over to meet her, but stopped suddenly when she saw that Fluttershy was carrying something “What in Equestria is that?” pointing to the thing she was holding.

“Well... it’s… um a foal” Fluttershy said “well a unicorn foal to be precise.”

Almost instantly, a barrage of questions was launched from all angles at Fluttershy, some asking if she was ok, others asking what happened in there but most asked if she knew how such a young pony managed to crash land in the middle of Ponyville and survive.

“Enough” yelled Fluttershy provoking a soft squeak from the child next to her chest, which quickly subsided. “I…I don’t know anything all I know is that there was s…something in there that needed my help, and then I found this” nodding to the foal. Fluttershy started welling up at having to shout at her friends but it was the only way to get them to stop.

“S…sorry.”

“No, were the ones who should be sorry, bombarding you with so many questions at once” said Applejack “now let’s take a look at that young'un”

Applejack, Twilight and the rest of the group started to walk towards Fluttershy, looking at the bundle in her forelegs.

“Stop,” Commanded Celestia, making everypony freeze in place. “Could you let me have a look at it first?”

“Y…yes of course princess”

Celestia’s horn started to glow and she very carefully began to levitate the small unicorn into the air, making sure not to wake it. Slowly examining and studying it for what seemed like hours Celestia let out a small sigh.

Fluttershy was the first to speak “What, what’s wrong? Is something wrong with---?”

“No, that’s the problem.” said Celestia

“How can that be a problem?” asked Twilight

“I can’t find anything wrong with a foal that fell from such a height up in the sky and was travelling at a fast enough speed to leave such a massive wake of destruction.” She pointed towards the damage “Don’t you think that’s a bit strange that he should escape with nothing more than a broken horn?”

“He?” Squeaked Fluttershy

“Yes, it’s a little colt, but please Fluttershy, did you happen to see anything else?”

After being asked that question, Fluttershy could only remember what had happened with ‘Hugh’ being covered in a cocoon like substance and then apparently disintegrating… The realisation hit her like a train, the creature hadn’t disintegrated but had transformed, into the foal she held in her arms and now was hovering in the air, suspended by the princess’s magic. “What do I tell them?” she thought to herself “He asked me not to say but… I… I---”

“Fluttershy, are you bleeding?” asked Luna

“W… what?” Looking down she could see a bloodstain that was slowly spreading on her chest where she was holding the foal, his horn must have cut her, “Oh, my... i’m sorry.”

“For what, it’s not your fault.” Said Rainbow “I think it would be best if we took Fluttershy to the doctors to have that treated”
“Very well, then I will take this young colt back with me to Canterlot.” Said Celestia “Canterlot has better medical facilities and this way I will be able to—“

“No…” said a barely audible voice “I…want…flutsy”

“What was that?”

Only Fluttershy new whose voice that was, after all she was the only one who had heard it before. She knew who it was but was frozen, unable to talk “w…why is it asking for me? Is it because I found him? Helped him?” she asked herself

“I WANT FLUTTERSHY!”

With this screech what was left of the little unicorn’s horn started to glow and almost instantaneously he started to fall, having nullified the princess’s magic. Everypony was frozen on the spot gawking at what just happened except for Fluttershy, she moved faster than she ever thought she could and caught him a split second before he hit the ground. Whatever the little creature had done obviously used up what little energy it had left and slumped into Fluttershy’s forelegs. At first she thought he had died, using its last bit of energy in an attempt to get back to her, the sound of an animal whimpering in pain had never filled Fluttershy with such relief before.

“Well looks like I better leave him with you then, I don’t want to risk that again.” Said Celestia

“Huh?” asked Fluttershy looking up at her “A… are you sure?”

“Yes I am, he asked for you and you responded. I think that makes you the perfect protector.”

“Yeah Fluttershy, you’re like the most responsible pony I know” said Rainbow

“I would have to agree,” added Twilight “now let’s get someone to take a look at that cut of yours.”

“And get this little guy checked out.” Said Fluttershy

“Of course!” began Pinkie “Then we can throw a WELCOME PARTY!!!”

Laughing, Fluttershy, with the little bundle in hoof, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Spike left to pay a visit to Horse MD. Once they were out of earshot Princess Celestia tuned to her younger sister.

“Luna, why did you stop me from questioning her?”

“Because she didn’t know how to answer, she saw something but doesn’t want to tell any of us.”

Luna was now by the crater looking inquisitively at something; slowly she started to levitate it out of the wreckage of what was once a street. It looked like a blackened lump of charcoal but as she picked it up it began to glow slightly, a dim purple light.

“What’s that?” asked Celesta “Let me see it.”

“First tell me what you found on that foal.” Luna said moving the light behind her back “I know you found something, you can’t be my sister without me picking up a tell or two."

“OK, look that foal isn’t just a unicorn, it’s an Alicorn. Now hoof over that lump!”

“What? Ok here is, but an Alicorn? Are you sure, it didn’t look like it had wings!”

“There’s no doubt, its wings have been “clipped” as it were; Easy to miss, if you weren’t looking for them or anything strange.”

Taking the lump of strange light from her sister’s telekinesis spell into her own, both Luna and Celestia made off for Canterlot in an effort to understand what happened that day.