Fluttershy cowered beneath the staring, solid blue eyes of the changelings who had captured her. They bared their fangs at her and made hissing noises. She had her face covered with her hooves, for some reason hoping that if she couldn't see the creatures they wouldn't harm her.
She was dead wrong.
She felt fangs pierce the skin on her shoulder and the warm trickle of blood ran through her yellow fur. She began crying as more changelings bit her, covering her with bite marks and blood. The pain was unbearable, and she was helpless. She peeked out from her behind her hooves and saw the changelings all had her blood dripping from their fangs.
She squeaked with fear and tried to run, but one changeling bit her ankle before she could move. He bit down hard on her ankle, not letting go. Fluttershy cried loudly as the pain got worse and worse. However, the pain subsided when the changeling let go a moment later. Fluttershy looked up to see all the changelings had stopped moving. She shivered with fear when she saw why.
There was Queen Chrysalis, staring down at her with hatred in her eyes. "Don't torture the poor thing." the queen told her subjects.
Fluttershy let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Why don't you just finish her off right now?"
Fluttershy's eyes widened even more as every changeling lunged for her throat. The pain of at least 40 fangs total lodged in her throat was indescribable. Though she didn't have to suffer the pain for very long. As the blood from her neck spilled all over, the glow of life faded from her eyes. The changelings let go of her throat and she fell to the ground, dead.
Fluttershy bolted upright, panting heavily. She quickly scanned her eyes around. She was safe in her room, wrapped in her blankets on her bed. She sighed with relief when she looked at herself and saw no blood or bite marks. "It was a nightmare, Fluttershy, that's all." she assured herself.
The pegasus felt something tugging on her wing, and she flipped around, startled. But instead of a mean, bloodthirsty monster, she found Angel Bunny. He was wearing small, striped pjs that Rarity had given to him as a gift. Fluttershy though he looked adorable in them, like a tiny, upright-standing pony.
Angel hopped closer to Fluttershy and hugged her. Or at least tried to. His tiny arms couldn't reach very far around the pony, but Fluttershy appreciated the gesture. Angel could tell when she had nightmares, and always came to comfort her. He could be a pickypants sometimes, but he was a good bunny and friend when it counted.
"Thanks, Angel." Fluttershy said, picking up the rabbit and setting him down in his small bed next to Fluttershy's. "You're a good friend."
The pegasus laid back down in her bed, and after a bit of tossing and turning, she eventually fell back asleep. Angel watched her for a bit to make sure she wasn't having another nightmare, then he went to sleep as well.
~~~~~~
The next morning, Fluttershy sat in the center of her house. All around her were animals, scampering about and eating their breakfast. Fluttershy was noticing something she had never noticed before; her house was so loud! All the squeaks, scuffling, hoots, clucks, and a thousand other animal noises seemed so loud now. She had never noticed before. But now, the noise made her want to go out for a walk more than anything.
As the thought came to her, she realized what a good idea it was. She could collecting herbs in the nice, quiet morning all by herself. "I'm going out herbs collecting, friends." Fluttershy said, knowing all of her animal friends would hear her. When she turned around to walk out the door, she saw Angel Bunny, a few squirrels, and two mice run over to her. "No, no, little friends." Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm going alone today."
Looking confused, the squirrels and mice turned around and went back to their breakfast. But Angel Bunny stayed. He always went with Fluttershy when she was herb collecting; he had learned all the herbs she got regularly and helped her find them. But to his surprise, Fluttershy nudged him away.
"I'm going alone, Angel Bunny." the pegasus told him. "But don't worry; I'll be back soon."
Fluttershy trotted out the door, grabbing her saddlebags on the way. Most of the animals had stopped what they were doing to stare at either Angel or the door Fluttershy had just walked out of. Fluttershy had just refused to have fun with not only her animal friends, Angel Bunny. He was her number one pet! She never stopped him from doing anything!
Angel felt like something was wrong. This wasn't like Fluttershy at all. It seemed like she had a different aura about her or something. He shook his head, ignoring it, and went back to eating his salad. It was only one time; maybe Fluttershy was just stressed about her nightmare.
~~~~~~
Fluttershy trotted happily along as she spotted a familiar flower. It was Heart's Desire, a rare flower that grows far away. Zecora needed it in her potions frequently, but few other ponies had permission to use it. Everypony has to have a license to use Heart's Desire, because if everypony could use it who knows what would happen. Probably something along the lines of the entire town falling in love with each other, as many ponies' hearts desire the love of somepony else.
But the reason Fluttershy was happy to see it was because she had seen Zecora earlier. The zebra was unhappy because she was out of Heart's Desire and no more stores had it. She needed it for a potion she was making, but couldn't get it until the next stock of Heart's Desire came next month. But now Fluttershy had found some Heart's Desire, and she could give it to Zecora.
She reached over to it and carefully bit the stem, tilting her head sideways so to keep the flower upright. There were small, heart-shaped petals inside the Heart's Desire, the fewer that spilled out the better. Fluttershy opened her saddlebag with her wing and set the flower in, making sure not to harm it. Heart's Desire were rare, and when you do find some in stores they aren't cheap.
Fluttershy, feeling that now was a better time than any to give Zecora the flower, trotted towards the Everfree Forest. For some reason, she didn't feel the fear she usually did when she entered the dark, scary forest. In fact, she felt perfectly safe. More than just safe, she felt positively cheerful. It seemed like, somehow, today was a good day to be in the Everfree Forest.
Avoiding a patch of Posion Joke, Fluttershy spotted Zecora's hut up ahead. As she got closer, loudnoises made her want to cover her ears. The noises were animal noises, deafening around Zecora's hut. Why are the animals so loud all of a sudden? Fluttershy wondered. Sometimes, I wish I was away. Someplace without the loud noises of animals. Fluttershy internally smacked herself for even thinking that. Why would i even think something like that? I love my animal friends!
Deciding to ignore the noises, Fluttershy trotted up to Zecora's hut and knocked on the door. There was the sound of hoofsteps and the door was opened, revealing the zebra who lived in the hut. "Oh, hello Fluttershy. Do you have a reason for dropping by?"
"Why, yes, Zecora." Fluttershy nodded. "I found some Heart's Desire."
"Yes, some Heart's Desire." Zecora smiled at the sight of the flower that was poking out from Fluttershy's saddlebags. "For my next potion, that's what I require."
Zecora gestured towards a pot brewing in the middle of the room. Fluttershy nodded. "That's why I brought it to you; I remembered you saying you needed it."
Zecora nodded and stepped back, letting Fluttershy into the hut. "Thank you, young mare. If you want, you can some in and sit in that chair." She pointed towards a chair that was facing a wall covered in different types of potions. Fluttershy nodded, trotting into the room and sitting in the chair. She observed the different potions, wondering what all were.
But then one bright green one caught her eyes. It was the same color as the pretty moss she used in building dens for her animal friends. "Oh, Zecora, what's this one?" Fluttershy asked, pointing. then she added, "I mean.. if you don't mind me asking."
"That is a luck potion." Zecora explained. "To make, it takes much devotion."
"That's... nice." Fluttershy leaned over the luck potion to get a closer look at the one behind it, which seemed to a sparkling purple substance. Unnoticed to either her or Zecora, one petal from the Heart's Desire that was still poking out of Fluttershy's saddlebag fell into the green potion, turning it a slightly darker shade.
Fluttershy gazed at the purple potion for about thirty seconds before stepping back and taking the flower out of her saddlebag. She grave it to Zecora, who set it on a counter. "I'd better be going." Fluttershy said. She turned to walk out of the hut, but gave one last look to the luck potion. Zecora saw this, and smiled.
"A little bit would you like to test? This potion will not give you good luck, it will give you the best."
"Oh, I would love to. I mean, if you wouldn't mind." Fluttershy said.
Zecora grabbed the potion and poured a very small amount into a glass. She didn't want to waste the potion; it was pretty hard to make. "No, I wouldn't mind a bip. Come on now, take a sip."
Fluttershy nodded. She took the small glass and sipped the potion. She waited a few seconds, but the potion didn't appear to have an immediate effect. She looked at the green contents of the potion bottle now sitting on the counter. She was about to tell Zecora that the potion didn't seem to be working, when she saw the clock hanging on the wall. She had been out for nearly five hours!
"I'm sorry, I have to get back home!" Fluttershy said. She set the glass down on the counter and raced out of the hut, in the direction of her cottage.
~~~~~~
Fluttershy emerged from the Everfree Forest as one pm hit. The animals will be so angry that I missed their lunch time! They'll be hungry, too. She spread her wings and flew towards her cottage. However, once she was high enough in the air, something caught her eye. She stopped, hovering in the air, and turned to look a the white and red butterfly that was flying towards the Everfree Forest. This butterfly was amazing; it was white with little red swirls all over its wings.
"Oh, I've never seen you before." Fluttershy said. However, when she spoke, the butterfly flew faster towards the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy, curious, followed it. It flew over the forest for about a full minutes, then dived. Fluttershy dived after it. They both broke through the canopy, and found themselves at an empty riverbed. Fluttershy looked around to see where the butterfly had gone, and spotted it flying through a small hole in the riverbed.
"Wait up, friend!" Fluttershy called, following it. She wasn't entirely sure why she wanted to see where this butterfly was going so bad, but kept going. She landed and tucked her wings in, wiggling into the hole. It wasn't like a long tunnel, but it was a narrow one. Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, Fluttershy wiggled back out of the hole.
"Maybe I'll see that butterfly later..." Fluttershy sighed, then she spread wings like she was about to take off. Then she saw the butterfly, who had stopped in the short tunnel and seemed to be hovering, waiting for her. The pegasus inched closer to the hole. "Do you want me to follow you, friend? Is that what you want?"
The butterfly turned around and flew down the tunnel and out the other side. Fluttershy gathered her courage and slipped into the tunnel. She ignored her fears as she wiggled through, emerging on the other side. She opened her eyes wide and looked around. She was... in another dried riverbed?
The butterfly was flying up by the bank, waiting for Fluttershy. The pegasus spread her wings and flew up to meet it. "What is this, little butterfly?" she asked. Then she saw it. Behind the butterfly was the most beautiful forest she'd ever seen. "A hidden forest? This doesn't look like part of the Everfree..."
To be continued...
