Ponyville Wishes To Remind You That The Everfree Forest Is Not A Pet Shelter
"Be careful now, alright?" Fluttershy cooed affectionately.
She gently used the edges of her wingtips to nudge the small grouping of rabbits along the way of the path toward their doting mother, who tapped a foot for guidance. The fluffy mother smiled at Fluttershy, or at least what certainly approximated one, for her part in helping find a new warren for the small family to settle in, with a few chitters of thanks before she then ushered her little ones with her.
Fluttershy giggled quietly to herself. "You're quite welcome, Miss Petunia, I hope you like your new home!"
She craned her vision up at the rapidly darkening sky as clouds began to loom overhead from a delayed deluge, it was a week overdue in its schedule and there wasn't any stopping it now. She glanced back to the rabbits with a small pout of concern. "But you should probably hurry, the weather looks like it's going to turn soon!"
The mother nodded hastily, speeding her precious kits along to the grassy hill the warren was located in, situated perfectly so rain would run in funnels down around it and not flood the hollow. It used to be home to Geoffrey the Badger, but he'd long-since moved out further into the countryside to get some peace and quiet from noisy families, and the space had been vacant ever since then. It was a nice thought to her that it would once again be a home.
Fluttershy kindly waved them goodbye as she turned back for her humble cottage, spying Angel Bunny looking on from afar with a hint of jealousy on his little snout. She smiled warmly at him as he deftly came bounding over for his own dose of attention, letting him hop up onto her back and nestle into the svelte layering of her mane. She momentarily shifted the weight of her saddlebags around until they were comfortable and set off back home.
Fat droplets of rain splashed into the ground just as she reached her front porch, and she thankfully got inside and shut the door before it started to truly pour it down, reaching a heavy pitch that echoed throughout the house as she shuffled off her pack. Angel hopped out from her lengthy soft-pink mane and bounded off for his little cushy seat in the corner of the front room. Carefully placing her bags onto a hanging rack she went to the kitchen to put on some tea, as it was getting awfully cold now as the winter season progressed. She'd seen to all her animal friends for today so they were all safely situated now, usually they sorted themselves out well enough, but it never hurt to lend a hoof when it started to get dark.
She went about clearing up the roomy cottage while the kettle boiled away, not too hard as she always kept things well in order, and she soon moved on and started to make her and Angel their dinners for tonight, prepping all of the ingredients needed that she'd bought earlier in the day when the Sun was still high in the sky and warming the world.
Halfway through her task of preparation there came a rapt and urgent knocking at the door.
"Oh my, in this weather?" Fluttershy wondered.
She put down the knife she was cutting carrots with and quickly flew over to the door, pulling it inward to see Miss Petunia looking up at her, expectantly tapping her foot with wide alarmed eyes. She was drenched head to toe, her fluffy fur completely soaked through. Fluttershy made to beckon her inside for a moment as she could explain the issue out of the rain, but she fussed and squeaked right there on the doorstep, and Fluttershy gasped at the news.
"Oh no! That's terrible, I'll go right now!" She assured the rabbit, who bounced on her haunches impatiently as Fluttershy hurriedly grabbed her saddlebags and hoisted them on. She went back to Miss Petunia and waved a wing forwards. "Come on, there's no time to waste!"
Miss Petunia led on into the pelting rain, Fluttershy galloped to keep up as the mother hopped down the pathway from her cottage and across the hills. Miss Petunia had been settling her kits into their new home when she'd heard a cry out near the Everfree Forest's outskirts, an animal was in trouble! Fluttershy raced as fast as her hooves would carry her as she was directed on, her breathing slightly heavier when they eventually came to a fairly wild clearing not a few minutes of sprinting later, and she rushed forward through the harsh rainfall to the prone creature in the sodden grass.
It was Harry the Bear, how he had managed to get hurt was completely beyond her as he was rather formidable and there weren't many animals that could exactly go hoof to hoof with a grizzly bear in a proper fight, and while he wasn't violent by his own nature, Harry was quite capable of defending himself; but he was laying on the ground violently shivering and whimpering, utterly afraid and incoherent.
"Harry, what happened?!" She fretted, looking around his bulk but not seeing any injuries. The bear was very much out of it and barely conscious, if she had to hazard a guess she'd say that he'd tripped in a hole and fallen over, possibly bumping his head as there were no external marks that she could see across his shaggy pelt. Perhaps a Manticore sting? They were awfully close to the Everfree, maybe one had gotten annoyed at Harry coming too near its territory. Even then she wasn't certain about that as Harry knew to avoid known Manticore nesting areas, and this would be a highly uncommon spot for them to be. She ran her hooves along his back as he whined and patted him reassuringly. "It's alright, I'm here, I'm here..."
She quickly reached into one of her bags and pulled free an enchanted heavy blanket, thankfully storable from a spell Twilight had placed on her saddlebags to give them far greater packing capabilities, throwing it over the distressed bear in one smooth motion and tucking it around him. It would keep the wet from soaking into him and drive away the cold, for emergencies such as this it was invaluable. She turned her head back to Miss Petunia who was covering from the downpour of rain under a small bush.
"I don't want to impose, but could you please hurry back to my cottage and talk to Angel Bunny?" Fluttershy urged as she took a small umbrella from her other bag, planting it into the muddy ground over Harry to keep the rain off of his head. "I know you two don't get along, but he might be worried that I left so abruptly, and he needs to go to Twilight at the Library, I need her here. I'd ask you, but you have your kits to worry about."
Miss Petunia nodded understandingly and sped off.
Reaching into her bag again, she pulled free a thermal flask of her homemade soup, unscrewing the top and nuzzling Harry as he came around a little. She would always be thankful for her expanded ability to help out in situations such as these due to her saddlebags of holding, as Twilight had coined them. Being this close to the Everfree was rather worrying, the eerie darkness of the looming trees extended far beyond the shadows they projected. It didn't feel natural to her, but it was, and that was incredibly unsettling.
Pouring some warm vegetable soup into Harry's mouth seemed to perk him up a little though, he loved her cooking. Sure enough, his eyes focused a little more as he swallowed the aromatic broth, even managing a sluggish smile.
"Everything's going to be fine." Fluttershy assured him.
She stayed with him as the rain fell and the sky darkened. He was a great deal more coherent by the time Twilight arrived, the rippling ethereal crack of her teleportation heard as Fluttershy's vision distorted around the edges from the magic. She glanced back to see the purple Unicorn approach with concern.
"Fluttershy! I came as fast as I could." Twilight stressed, trotting to Harry's side and literally poking the bear. "It wasn't too hard to figure out you were in trouble, Angel can be very insistent."
The gentle wind carried the faintly mild earthy scent of local fungus and mushrooms across her path as the air travelled, the breeze pushing the long seeds of dandelions across her vision, scattering as the current buffeted them through the hazy evening while Twilight assisted in helping Harry. She took him into her violet corona and lifted with little effort on her part, carrying the giant bear toward the direction of Fluttershy's cozy cottage.
Fluttershy's ears flicked in alarm as she heard another worrying cry, turning at the noise emanating from the treeline behind her with concern, and it was horrendous. It wasn't just Harry that was in trouble, there were others in danger. Before Twilight could stop her she took off towards the Everfree, feeling the magic force of Twilight's field around her tail, but not enough that it stopped her for more than a moment as she bundled through the wet bushes before her, Twilight wouldn't be able to carry Harry and keep her from going at the same time.
"Fluttershy, wait!" Twilight shouted after her, but she was already gone.
She had a frown on her features as she ran on, annoyed at the situation she found herself in, which was a good cover of her upset for the animals that were in a bad way. Who or what would harm them for no reason? Anger bubbled up past her uncertainty of being alone, she was fueled by her sheer determination to find these helpless creatures, the noises had sounded pained and almost tortured, and as if they came from something small.
Fluttershy understood nature preyed on nature, and predators would hunt prey, but this was distress and hurt that went to the realms of malice. She couldn't abide what was seemingly the action of a thinking being, willingly bringing other creatures to harm for no discernable reason. She might have accepted that maybe Harry could have gotten a little irate with something as big as he was, but no predator should torture smaller beings the way she was hearing, that was utterly detestable.
The trees of the ancient forest groaned as she sped along the muddy path she'd taken. It wasn't a clear one as such, but she could see a good enough way through, past fallen trees and clusters of bushes. As she trod deeper, the wind and rain died down considerably, unable to penetrate the thick canopy of the Everfree, until the rain had fallen almost to a light drip and the wind was more like a hushed whisper than a howling scream.
She kept going, forcing her way past a thicket of wild berry bushes that, given different circumstances, she'd have quite liked to pick. She pushed through and galloped over twig-strewn ground, calling out.
"Hello?!" She shouted, looking around warily. "Little friends, are you okay? Where are you?!"
Fluttershy received no sound but the wind and the creaking of the forest in way of a reply, but she determinedly trotted onward. She'd find them. She stopped for a moment hearing Twilight's voice in the distance behind her, calling her back, but she couldn't stop. She moved into a gallop again, not wanting Twilight to catch up with her and drag her back by her tail.
She wasn't sure how long she ran for, ignoring all of the creepy sounds around her and only listening out for the rabbits and mice. She leaped a massive old log using her wings and landed, stopping to listen out and straining her ears.
"Help!"
She gasped and took a step forward, another Pony was in danger somewhere up ahead! A fire in her heart, she soldiered on. Following a path barely illuminated by the waning daylight as it slowly disappeared, she almost tripped on an exposed root as she went. The Everfree had a way of making things hamper creatures that travelled within its confines, and it seemed it was starting to take notice of her intrusion.
The forest was ancient, she'd been taught that as a filly. She'd also been taught that it had a mind of its own, and didn't like creatures that didn't care for its nature. To be afraid of it was to offend it, and she couldn't help but fear the every movement of its trees and bushes, and all the larger predators that lurked within. Every rustle or snap made her feel as if something was close by and waiting to strike.
She heard it again.
"Help me!"
But wait... that didn't sound right...
That didn't sound like just anypony, it sounded like...
"Twilight?" Fluttershy whispered, slowing to a trot.
That couldn't be right. Twilight was far behind her, helping Harry. There was no way her friend had gotten ahead of her unless she'd teleported to try and stop Fluttershy from going further into the Everfree. Unless... Unless Fluttershy had gotten herself turned around?
The Everfree was said to do that as well. Subliminally mess with a creature's sense of direction, slightly shift its paths and move around to disorient and confuse. She couldn't get lost, not now! She took off again in a sprint, heading towards the voice. She certainly didn't think she'd gotten her direction messed up, no matter how much influence the Everfree could exert, she felt it more likely that Twilight had accidentally teleported too far in order to help, Twilight was still perfecting her teleportation after all, and seeing as she'd already done it to get to her, doing it again so quickly was no easy feat.
"I'm coming, Twilight!" She shouted, running again. Maybe Twilight was with the smaller animals and she could meet with all of them together. She had to know, she couldn't just ignore a cry for help. "Hold on!"
A branch snagged at her wing as she crashed through a bush that refused to get out of her way, ignoring it as the feathers ached. The ancient forest was closing in now, she felt fear spike rapidly in the back of her mind as it seemed the trees were bending down and spreading their spindly branches out, but she knew it was a trick of the ever-fleeting daylight. It wasn't pitch black, but it was getting extremely dark now, and she wasn't sure she could see a clear path forwards without managing to trip over something and go sprawling in the sodden dirt.
Her hooves were positively caked in mud, and she did her best not to slip up while she ran, although it was hard going, her saddlebags helped her to keep even with the weight. She had to slow to catch her breath, but she couldn't stop, otherwise the Everfree would take a chance to confound her even further. As it was she couldn't see the path anymore, the canopy overhead was clustered and not allowing much light through. She was now having to rely on her vision adjusting, and it was taking a measure of time.
"Oh dear..." She whispered under her breath as she trudged through the muddy leaves. She suppressed a squeak as she trod on a large twig in the eerie silence of the forest, the loud snap of something that should have been soggy making her lightly jump. She did her best to ignore just how quiet it was and partially began to sneak instead of run. She knew the trees were aware of her, the Everfree was actively antagonising her and she had to do her best to not anger it any further.
Where are you?!
Oh no, Twilight!
She sounded afraid, but not too far away! Fluttershy squashed the fear that was blossoming in her chest and tried to keep the fire going, keeping along at a slower pace, but heading in the direction of Twilight's voice. She was only a little bit afraid as the forest began to grow denser before her. With every step, something brushed against her coat or snagged her bags.
Going at a careful step, she eventually forced herself into a sparser area that widened out into a narrow stretch, and into a clearing, as best she could tell there wasn't much here, but as her eyes adjusted she saw something in the very centre. She ignored the snapping of numerous twigs underhoof as she approached, soon making out that it was an old water well from a small amount of light filtered through the canopy to illuminate it.
It must have been as old as Ponyville itself as the stone bricks that made up its circular walling were massive and grey -at least they looked it in this lighting- and she knew of a small storage bunker on the outskirts of Ponyville's far end made of similar brickwork that allegedly predated the town. The littering of twigs grew in number as she approached, and she felt an increasing sense of dread. She told herself she was just being silly, but she couldn't shake the feeling of something being immensely wrong.
She didn't hear anything, she didn't hear Twilight either.
But then she froze.
Within the well, there came a low wail, and a deep scraping.
Her ears flattened back to a degree as her fear arose anew, and she quickly backpedalled away from the old structure, finding herself tripping up over a small rock that sent her to her rump, landing in a small crunch. She backed up as much as she could, her heart sinking and beginning to hyperventilate as she realised with horror that what surrounded her weren't twigs and stones.
They were tiny bones and skulls. So many hundreds of them.
She couldn't tear her eyes away from the well as the scraping increased and a throaty ethereal whine emitted from its depths, before something dark, inky, and hoof-shaped gradually emerged from the darkness, illuminated by the light creeping in from the canopy, until it rested on the lip of the well. It was followed by another inky black hoof.
Fluttershy felt her heart might stop as she saw the tips of ears, a maneless head, and then staring wide red eyes. They glowed in the choking darkness of the forest, and pierced her soul on a deep level she couldn't fathom. The light seemed to focus on the thing as it pulled itself free of the well's confines, and still she couldn't move, utterly frozen by its presence as an open snout appeared, and out lolled a thick fleshy tongue, long and disturbing.
It stared and stared, a low echoing drone coming from its throat as its tongue dripped with ichor. She thought it might be some kind of Changeling, but she'd never seen anything like it. She'd learned of so many animals and creatures, and this was beyond anything she'd learnt about.
Transfixed by its eyes, ice travelled down her spine as she felt herself grow tired, and she knew it must be this creature's way of hunting. She realised now that it hadn't been Twilight calling her, and there likely hadn't been any critters to rescue, she saw no little furry bodies here. Whatever this thing was, it had heard them at the edge of the Everfree and mimicked her friend's voice to pull her into its lair. How it had known that she didn't have the luxury of guessing, her limbs were growing leaden as she couldn't tear her gaze away from those glowing orbs, she couldn't even bring herself into a mind to use The Stare to combat the feeling like she was being submerged into an ice bath.
And then, she jerked back, completely released.
She scrambled away across the ground as quickly as she could as the icy chill abated, flapping her wings in haste, the thing pushing back itself and tilting its head to one side as it regarded her movements, its tongue drooping down.
It had stopped trying to control her.
Through her fear, she could only wonder... why?
The seconds dragged on, the moon now in the sky and pouring through the trees, bathing the clearing in cold light that made the thing's inky coat almost shiny looking. It didn't look like chitin, but it didn't look like fur. Still, the thing didn't leave its well, it simply held itself there motionless and stared those bright wide eyes at her.
Interestingly, as Fluttershy sharply got to her hooves, the thing's gaze went wider, its ears flicking, and it shrank back into the well, its eyes peeking out over the well's lip as its hooves grasped the cusp of it.
As if it was afraid of her.
She waited for her nerves to settle, breathing in and out a couple of times, before she took a step towards the creature. It sank a little lower into the well, and now Fluttershy's mind was kicking into overdrive as it did a one-eighty. She lessened her stance and relaxed her posture, the instinctual fear she felt looking at the thing pushed down as she softened her expression and took another step.
It was surrounded by the remains of smaller creatures, so it was a predator, but it had stopped trying to lull her, as she wasn't like all the animals it usually hunted, and it had stopped. It was intelligent.
"H-hello there, um, friend?" She ventured, keeping her head low as her ears gently perked. "Do you... have a name?"
The creature didn't speak back, but after a second it did make a noise that could be compared to an odd breathing out, akin to a wail, the sound feeling as if it wanted to slide into her ears like cold water. It gently lifted itself up again, until she could see part of its body, and it was widely staring at her again with those incredibly large glowing eyes. It tilted its head, regarding her with curiosity.
Apparently she was as alien to it as it was to her.
Before she could say anything else, the creature opened its mouth again, and what disturbingly felt like the gentle brush of a hoof stroked its way in the back of her mind, icy as it travelled down her spine, followed by an otherworldly voice whispering inside her head.
But whatever it had said, was beyond her.
She forcefully blinked, and shivered as the presence left her head, the creature's eyes never leaving hers. Creepiness aside, it didn't look as if it wanted to hurt her at all. Even so she was careful, and used a wing to lift the flap on one of her bags, reaching in and pulling free an oat bar. She had no idea if the creature's diet consisted of more than meat, but she'd known very few critters that didn't enjoy syrup and oats.
She unwrapped it and placed it on the ground amidst the bones, backing up a few steps and waiting to see what would happen.
For the moment the creature didn't break its gaze from her, but after an uncomfortable amount of time where it seemed like it was looking into her mind to guess her intentions, it set its sight on the oat bar.
Slowly, very slowly, it edged its way up from the well.
Fluttershy saw a lithe body emerge beyond the front legs, followed by a slender midsection as a long inky leg worked its way down to the forest floor. It suddenly froze mid-step and fixed its imposing leer back at her as she shifted, halting all of its movement incredibly quickly as a sharp whine issued from its throat as she'd moved during its venture. She blushed and apologised, keeping her posture relaxed as she took another step back. She sat down as she decided that might appear less threatening, and waited.
It worked up to moving again, the dark hoof descending and meeting the ground, and she saw the torso flared out into wide hips, seeing powerful thighs as a shaped hindleg lifted, and stood a back hoof on the wells lip before the creature left the darkness of its well completely, slinking incredibly low to the mossy ground in a single lightning fast movement.
It's inky body looked a great deal shinier as the moon streamed overhead, making its lack of mane and tail even more apparent, but it still had a thick tail dock, hairless as it was. With its sleek barrel and shapely appearance she thought it had a rather feminine form, but she couldn't confirm anything. It's pronounced tail nub twitched as the creature slunk closer to the bar, it's long fleshy tongue snaking out of its mouth, probing at the air as ichor dripped from the appendage.
In a flash and the space of what seemed a second, its tongue lashed and ensnared the oat bar and the creature shot back, twisting in a hazy blur of movement her eyes could hardly register. By the time she'd finished blinking, it had managed to retreat back into the safety of its secure stone well. She could hear the messy crunch it made as it snacked on the oat bar. Amusingly it was back to hanging on the cusp of the well's edge, it's extremely wide eyes boring holes into her again as it chewed.
When she reached into her saddlebag again to pull free another oat bar, she smiled and giggled as its ears perked to the sound. It was very curious now.
Unwrapping the second bar, she watched the creature's head raise with its interest as its ears perked higher. She experimentally threw it into the air towards the well, and again in an instant the creature lunged in a quick flash, its tongue snatching the bar out of the air as it lurched back, her eyes barely registering the motions.
"You're not so bad, are you?" Fluttershy said to it as it munched away noisily, the sounds being increased from their echoing around the well. "I'll have to talk with Harry when he recovers, I don't think he would have come anywhere near you, and you seem to not want to mess with anything that's bigger than yourself. Were you just curious about what I was?"
She was thinking aloud more than anything else, but she may as well seeing as the creature wasn't going to talk with her, at least, not in any language she knew. She didn't think she was in any danger now, other than the looming threat of the Everfree around her, but she had to note that since meeting with the creature, it had waned and pulled back.
She didn't seem afraid of the creature now, so maybe that was it.
Putting the flap down and securing her saddlebag -and making sure not to litter- she glanced back the way she came. Another look at the creature and she smiled at it.
"Well... have a nice night." Fluttershy told it, with a quick dip of her head.
She turned back and trotted away, feeling the creature's eyes on her back as she went. She pushed past the dense brush she'd forced her way through to get into the clearing, making sure her bags didn't snag or tear, and looked around. The moonlight was still mostly overhead and piercing through the thick canopy rather well, so she saw a good path forwards now.
Taking it, she didn't get very far before a cold chill travelled up her back. She shivered as a keening wail issued behind her somewhere, the hoof brushing at the back of her mind as she looked back over her shoulder.
In the bushes, a pair of wide glowing red eyes staring intently at her.
Had she not known the source, she'd probably be incredibly terrified, but with context it actually highly amused her. Apparently she'd made an odd new friend and tagalong. She smiled at the leering eyes and kept moving back towards the direction she'd come from. With any luck she'd come out exactly where she'd come in, not far from her cottage.
As she trotted along, it was with a gentle smile that she noted every now and then when she looked back from the feeling of being watched, that she'd spot the glowing eyes peeking out from behind a tree, from a bush, or over a fallen log. And each time she turned back to her path that feeling of being watched would loom over her even more, although unless the creature made any sounds she wouldn't feel the icy chill.
After travelling a time with the Everfree deigning to let her go unmolested from its usual demeanour, she saw light up ahead. It was the lights of Ponyville, which meant she wasn't far from the outskirts and her cottage. She was glad to have been going in the right direction, getting lost would have been a pain.
As she neared the edge of the forest, that ethereal whine came from behind her again that shot cold down the back of her neck, and she glanced back over her shoulder as she came to stop just outside the Everfree, noting the creature hadn't moved from it's spot between two trees, its eyes peering over the part where they crossed into a V shape.
"What is it?" Fluttershy asked the creature, but it remained completely still as she stood there looking at it, slightly shivering as she was now standing in the rain. It wasn't as heavy as before, but it had increased again as she'd left the thick canopy from the deeper parts of the forest. "I really need to get back home, so I'll see you again, maybe."
She took a step before there was another rippling crack of creepy energy, ignoring the flicker of her vision as Twilight appeared next to her.
"Fluttershy! You're alright!" Twilight breathed out, leaping forwards and wrapping her up in a hug. "Oh thank Celestia you're not hurt."
"Oh, yes, it turns out-" She began, before Twilight tensed up.
"AAAH!" She cried out, before Fluttershy felt extremely unwell and her vision danced, a pressure building inside her head as another whipping crack in the air occurred that made her ears almost ring, the pressure subsided and her eyes stopped distorting as she looked around to find herself inside Twilight's library, upstairs near the giant window that looked across the town and out towards the Everfree. Twilight blushed lightly with her ears flicking out to the sides. "Sorry, I panicked a little, there were... I thought I saw a pair of glowing eyes."
"Oh, you did." She nodded, looking out the window at where she'd come out from. Spotting the glowing red eyes when she looked around long enough, they were looking right at her. She tapped Twilight and pointed them out. "See there?"
"Was that what you were chasing?" Twilight wondered, looking with a sense of unease at the staring eyes that focused up at the window. "What is it?"
"I don't know. But right now I'm a little more concerned about Harry." Fluttershy said, looking across the way towards the other side of the upper levels and down at the library's main floor, not seeing him. "Where is he?"
"I took him to the Animal Clinic as you were unavailable." Twilight commented, still side-glancing at the eyes. "He was awake by the time I brought him there but I still checked him in just in case."
"That's good, did they find what was wrong?" She asked.
"Apparently he might have had a concussion of some kind, but they weren't sure at a glance. I didn't stick around as I was more concerned about your safety." Twilight said, giving Fluttershy a once over. "Other than being soaked, you don't seem to be hurt, but what was following you then?"
"That's what I'm curious about." She wondered, looking to the eyes outside before meeting Twilight's own again. "I was hoping you might have a book on old Ponyville myths or tales, as I think where it was living dates back to before the town was established."
"Ooh! I have several books on the subject!" Twilight's eyes lit up, and she sped off to one of the shelves to the right side of the upper floor. "Section nine; Equestrian History, fourth row; Town Myths and Legends. Where are we... aha, here we go, Ponyville!"
"You're very well organised." She smiled as Twilight floated out a few books within her purple corona, coming back over.
"It's my job." Twilight grinned as she spread the books out. "Let's start with this: The Dark Past of Ponyville."
"That sounds more like it would list crimes than myths?" She wondered with a tilt of her head.
"It's likely, but listed under Town Myths and Legends it's going to have something to do with what we're after." Twilight shrugged, flicking through faster than Fluttershy could follow. "Hmm, mostly to do with myths about old murders, very little on creatures, but it's good to be thorough."
Twilight grabbed the second book and smiled. "This is more likely: Horrors of the Everfree Forest. Probably should have started with that."
Fluttershy giggled as Twilight opened it up. She went through the pages a little slower this time, flicking the page after a second longer, and they made it through half the book or so before they both spotted it at the same time.
"There!" Fluttershy pointed, tapping a hoof on the page as Twilight studied the paper with intent, her eyes going over the illustration and stopping on the key feature.
The glowing red eyes.
"Brønd Hesteånd, or uh, in Equish that's Well Pony Spirit." Twilight read back to Fluttershy. "I know quite a bit of Old-Ponish so I'll translate as best I can." She cleared her throat and continued. "Let's see, 'A dark and bizarre beast of ill repute, the Well Spirit has terrorised the peaceful hamlet of Hoof's Edge' -I'm sure that's a small abode that existed not far from Ponyville's location on the other side of the Everfree, before it became Dodge City- 'by sending the spirits of animals into Ponies homes to make then fall ill. She appears'- She?"
"Well, it did look like a mare to me." Fluttershy nodded.
"Huh, the drawings make it look kind of gangly." Twilight said, glancing over the pictures. "Hm. Well, continuing on. 'She appears to be devoid of fur and mane, what has been seen is little much a gale.' -I don't think I'm translating that correctly, what she's seen as is... something quick, it might mean they've barely seen her at all."
"That makes sense, she moved very fast when she left her well, and got back inside it just as fast, I could barely see her, she was so quick." Fluttershy explained to Twilight, smiling at the thought. "I wonder if she's faster than Rainbow Dash."
"Don't tell Dash that." Twilight giggled, looking back to the page. "Hmm. So she's as fast as the wind. So... 'The attempts to banish the beast with coin do not bear fruit and she continues to skulk in the trees, the town cannot get water anymore, so the people have burned' Oh, burned, wow. 'burned the treeline further back, so to fend off the beast as it approaches and clear a path to the well, and the action seems to have worked, she has gone away for some time. Beware and understand; seeing the beast can harm the beholder, she will cause great harm to the mind and bring the snow upon the innocent.' Bring the snow? Maybe that's 'chill'."
"When she... well, I think she was speaking, but when she tried to... communicate, it sort of felt, uh, icy?" Fluttershy tried to detail what she'd experienced. "It felt like I was having cold water poured down my back, and like... brain-freeze when you eat too much ice-cream, but at the back of my head rather than the front. She wasn't trying to hurt me though, I could tell it was just... how she was."
"So she tries to talk but it doesn't come across, or she can only make others feel cold." Twilight wondered, tapping the page. "It says 'She screams in the voice of loved ones, and of pets that are cared for, many have gone to put a stop to it and failed. The magic wards could not keep her at bay, she ignores them with ample ease and moves between the shadows.' More about her being very quick, and she's resistant to magic, or at least protection spells. I wonder if she can breach shield spells? Uh, sorry, thinking aloud. 'The town cannot truly be rid of her beyond warning others not to go into the forest. To be sure she does not sneak into the town, the trees are burned back during the day as she does not appear as often, and water can be gathered from the well, but the beast still makes the town fall ill before long.' Seems like she was actively antagonising them to me."
"Oh, no, I don't get that feeling at all, Twilight." Fluttershy shook her head, a sad smile on her muzzle. "She came across as very curious. I think she was very confused about what I was, or at least she was just pretty content to, uh, stare. She stared a lot."
"Well that's odd." Twilight commented. "Continuing. 'The most dangerous aspect is the beast's red eyes, staring into them will strike the organ.' I'd wager that it's heart actually, not organ. 'She causes people to fall into a deep sleep, and they cannot be woken by any means.' Oh dear, and she stared at you a lot?"
"She... did start to do that to me, the sleepiness." Fluttershy nodded, but quickly added. "But she did stop when she realised I wasn't something to eat, though! I didn't realise that if she kept doing that... that I wouldn't wake up."
"But she stopped?" Twilight confirmed.
"Yes. I'd think it's a clever way of hunting, bringing in prey by mimicking sounds." Fluttershy quickly nodded. "I only went into the forest because I thought I heard animals in trouble, and... I kept going because I thought I heard you."
"What?" Twilight frowned, raising an eyebrow. "But I was taking Harry to the clinic, how would I have been in the Everfree?"
"W-well I thought maybe you'd done it fast and teleported ahead." Fluttershy blushed in embarrassment. "I also think... I think she gets into your head, because I know you can defend yourself but, I heard you scream for help and I was... driven to run to you."
"She's sounding more and more dangerous than harmful." Twilight frowned again. "This book's been spot on so far with you confirming everything."
"Oh, I'm sure she's just protecting herself!" Fluttershy reasoned, pointing a hoof at the book. "They said they tried to burn the Everfree to get rid of her, she must have been so afraid!"
"Of course you'd jump to defend an apex predator." Twilight smirked, rolling her eyes. "Just like you and the Manticore, or the Hydra, or the Basilisk, or the-"
"And each time, they were just misunderstood and hurt." Fluttershy nodded at Twilight.
"Just making an observation." Twilight shrugged, glancing back. "It finishes up on the second page after a few drawings. 'The town has decided to relocate' -Yep, Hoof's Edge became Dodge City at that point, not far from Appleloosa- 'and build a new well, as the beast causes more suffering than can be bore, and it is only hoped that others do not settle near the forest.' Then there's another drawing or two. They really liked to depict her with long fangs."
"I didn't see any fangs." Fluttershy said.
"She also looks very much like the old drawings that depict ancient Changelings." Twilight noted, scanning the illustrations. "Thin, almost wicked looking. Then again old Pony drawings have never been the best indicator of how a creature appears other than the basics."
"Oh no, these drawings aren't much like her, other than the dark coat and red eyes. She doesn't have a mane like it's drawn all wispy there." Fluttershy tilted her head at the picture. "They really did want to make her look like a Changeling didn't they?"
Twilight nodded in thought. "So, what happens now?"
"Well clearly she just needs a friend!" Fluttershy beamed, unfolding her wings and gliding down to the lower level. "I'm going to go see if she'll follow me to my cottage. She should know it's a safe place."
"Won't your other animals be afraid?" Twilight questioned from above.
"I'll have to explain to her not to try eating any smaller creatures around the cottage maybe, but I'm certain she'd prefer to stay in her well." Fluttershy said, tapping a hoof. "If she comes to want to stick around like Harry did, then I might be able to convince her to only eat fish. But that was a different circumstance, Harry was an orphan so I kind of helped to raise him and taught him that smaller animals were friends. I wouldn't want her to stop being what she is by keeping her with me and making her change."
"That's understandable." Twilight agreed, glancing at her bed. "Well, I think I'm going to go to bed, this has been a very eventful day and I'm rather tired. But don't hesitate to wake me if you need help."
"Oh, thank you, but I'm sure it'll be alright now." Fluttershy smiled gently. "Have a nice night, Twilight."
"You too." Twilight returned, before turning back to the bed.
Fluttershy noted the rain had let up more as she exited the giant tree, quickly trotting around to the direction of her cottage and going out towards the Everfree again.
It didn't take her long to see those glowing eyes.
She smiled as they peeked out from a dense grouping of bushes, shifting around slightly but not blinking. She wondered if the Well Spirit could blink, after all she was certain it had eyelids. She briefly considered seeing if she could win a staring contest with the Well Spirit, but she might have to utilise The Stare to do that, and the Well Spirit might take that as a threat.
"Hello again, my friend was just finding out about you." Fluttershy spoke with it, unsure if the Well Spirit could properly understand her. She was sure the Spirit got the general gist that she was trying to communicate, but likely just not understanding what she was trying to tell it. "You've been alone for a long time, haven't you? Nopony in Ponyville has ever mentioned anything like you, and it's been hundreds of years since it was founded."
The Well Spirit didn't reply beyond its staring, but shifted again and moved a little closer. Slower than it had before, she saw the inky body in the moonlight as it crawled into a different bush to be nearer to her.
"You can come to my cottage if you like. But no eating my little forest friends, alright?" Fluttershy warned with a slight edge to her voice. The Well Spirit didn't flinch at the raised voice but tilted its head. "I hope you understand that, I have food you can eat, but they're off-limits."
It continued to slink closer silently, it's dark hooves not making a sound as it trod along the ground. Maybe it was a trick of the night time but with each step it took, the grass around its hooves darkened. Soon it was almost right next to her, its head leaning closer. It's mouth opened and that long fleshy tongue probed out towards her saddlebags.
"Oh, you want another oat bar?" Fluttershy giggled, a wing lifting a flap on her saddlebag and taking another out. She didn't unwrap it yet though, but she held it in a wing. "Follow me, alright?"
She lightly trotted towards her cottage while holding the oat bar out, and could feel the Well Spirit's eyes on her back as she went. She heard the barest rustle of it travelling along with her, glancing back again she spotted it lurking in odd places it deemed safe. When she reached the small bridge outside her home she unwrapped and placed the oat bar down at the centre of it, moving to her front door with a smile and a gesture at the bar.
Before the Well Spirit could advance, her front door burst open and Angel Bunny shot out, grabbing Fluttershy by the mane and tugging her inside.
"Ow! Angel, stop! I'm alright, I'm fine!" She sharply imparted, until he let up and glanced around her, pointing out at the trees. "Yes, yes I know, she's not going to hurt me, alright?"
He squeaked in protest.
"I know you don't like new creatures, but don't scare her off." She said to the small bunny. "She doesn't have any friends and I'm helping her."
He frowned, stamping a foot, but relenting and going back inside to his comfortable bed, but he remained alert and ready to jump into action.
She turned back, noting the glowing eyes hadn't moved from where they'd been. She gestured at the oat bar with a kind smile and waited, sitting down again in the doorway, the overhead canopy of the trees growing over her home provided a small amount of cover from the lightly falling rain.
Carefully, the Well Spirit inched out from its position. Close to the ground as it covered the distance in barely a second, as Fluttershy had thought it might. Although this time, as the Well Spirit snagged the oat bar with its tongue, it didn't disappear in a blur, but simply closed in on itself and munched away at the treat while keeping low in the middle of the bridge. It seemed rather indifferent to the rain as it soaked its coat and almost formed a puddle.
Fluttershy noted that the Well Spirit's hooves were still darkening even the stone it was crouched on, but had left no trail as best that her eyes could pick up, so maybe it was some strange magic innate to the Well Spirit she didn't understand. It didn't seem to affect anything permanently.
"Would... would you like to come in?" Fluttershy asked the Well Spirit, who looked up after finishing its oat bar. "I have some fish left over from feeding the other animals today, so you'd be welcome to it."
The Well Spirit's ears perked curiously, and after a moment it warily snuck forward to her. Fluttershy slowly got to her hooves and stepped back into her cottage, beckoning the Well Spirit inside. Although, when its inky hoof touched the carpet, it froze at the feeling. The carpet began to discolour, and in this light Fluttershy could see strange black marks begin to expand from the Well Spirit's hoof.
With a modicum of alarm, Fluttershy urged the Well Spirit inside, but grabbed an old blanket from her washing pile and threw it down. The Well Spirit stepped onto it after giving it a cautious poke with its tongue, but seemed content to stand there for the moment. With a sigh of relief, Fluttershy saw the bizarre discolouration and webbing from the Well Spirit's hooves had already started to fade into nothing.
"Feel free to, um, make yourself comfortable." Fluttershy smiled sweetly as the Well Spirit took in its surroundings, perhaps rather interested in how different her cottage was to its well. She moved around and closed the door behind the Well Spirit, with it giving her a curious tilt of its head, before she went back to the centre of the room. "I'll go get some fish."
She went off to grab some chilled fish from her fridge, moving a few things and opening the lower drawers to retrieve some, coming back to find the Well Spirit had settled down onto the blanket much like it was bedding. It raised its head immediately, its tongue snaking out to no doubt the taste of fresh fish hanging in the air. This time instead of putting it down, Fluttershy held the morsels out in her outstretched hoof, they weren't very large as they were the leftovers, but they'd do for now.
She was pleasantly surprised as the Well Spirit didn't immediately snatch the fish from her hoof. The fleshy tongue reached out, the ichor trailing as it quite gently laid onto them, before then taking them from her hoof a little quicker than she'd expected. It only startled her a little, but she giggled as the Well Spirit closed in on itself again and tucked into the meal.
Angel shot the Well Spirit a stink eye but otherwise didn't do anything as he lounged in his expansive bed. He was always so slow to trust or warm up to other animals, but she knew he'd come around eventually.
Fluttershy was sure that she could leave the Well Spirit be and it wouldn't do anything bad. Angel was the only small creature that lived inside with her and she was certain the Well Spirit had understood her to some degree about not trying to harm other critters.
"I'm going to go to bed. It's very late, in fact it's early morning." Fluttershy said, glancing at the cuckoo clock on her wall. "Goodnight, Angel, would you keep an eye on our guest, please?"
The tiny rabbit grunted at her, but nodded, squeaking.
"Love you too, sweet dreams." She smiled kindly at him, then looked at the Well Spirit. "Goodnight to you as well, friend. I'll have to think of something to refer to you as other than that tomorrow."
The Well Spirit just stared widely at her.
"Yes, well... goodnight." She nodded at it, before fluttering upstairs to go to bed. As Twilight had noted, it had been a very eventful day and she was absolutely drained, the feeling catching up with her rather fast as she slipped into bed and snuggled herself under her duvet.
She was happy to have made a new friend from an initially daunting situation she'd been fearful of. Tomorrow she'd go to the clinic and find out what had happened to Harry, and then everything would be cleared up. She found herself feeling excited to introduce the Well Spirit to all her other animal friends, as the Spirit needed more company. She would like to count herself as its friend, most certainly. She wondered if it grasped that concept at all?
Those were questions for tomorrow though. She got comfortable and soon found herself dozing off into Luna's embrace.
Author's Note
Just an idea I had based off a picture I drew years ago.
Initially that picture was based off the concept of a Brøndmand from Danish folklore. I just decided to put a story to the cover art I made when I revisited the idea.
So now we have a Well Mare.
