The forest was darker than Fluttershy remembered. Wild vines and branches creaked, and Fluttershy had the creeping sensation she was being watched. More than once she turned around, only to find that she was alone.

Fluttershy soon reached Zecoras. She was relieved, but when she knocked, no response came.

“Zecora!” Fluttershy called softly. “Are you in there?”

The lack of a reply told her everything she needed to know.

Fluttershy continued forwards, on the one path that led further than Zecoras. It was covered in weeds and vines. Fluttershy suddenly tripped over a vine. She hit the ground.

“Oof!” she said getting up.

She glanced back at the vine. It was black–and coiling for a second strike.

Fluttershy dodged, as the thick black vine slammed down next to her. She stumbled, and the vine wrapped around her neck.

Fluttershy desperately tried to get free but it was no use. She was getting strangled.

The vine suddenly released Fluttershy, and she scampered away, before spinning around. There was nopony there, but she heard what sounded like hoofsteps coming towards her.

She ducked behind a tree.

As the sound loudened though, she realized that they were too dispersed to be hoofsteps.

Then someone spoke.

“Have you seen a cockatrice around?” asked Discord.

Fluttershy held her breath.

Discord humphed, before turning around. “I guess it left.”

Fluttershy released her breath, and snuck away from the deadly vine. Thankfully, It appeared to be the only murderous vine around.

Fluttershy considered what Discord had said. Sure, the cockatrice might have left, but it seemed more likely that it was still in the forest. Once you entered Everfree, straying from the path was essentially a death sentence. Apart from the occasional plant that tried to murder you, there were timberwolves, huge wolves made out of logs and sticks. They would easily enjoy a cockatrice as a midnight snack. Even if the cockatrice had managed to petrify one or two wolves, timberwolves moved in packs, so the cockatrice was doomed if it ran into them. That meant that the cockatrice had not strayed from the path, and as Fluttershy hadn’t run into the cockatrice, it was still in the forest.

There was a sudden loud caw.

Fluttershy stopped dead.

The cockatrice strutted out from behind a tree.

Fluttershy had been right: the cockatrice had been in the forest. It was also looking straight at her.

Fluttershy felt herself losing sensation in her hindquarters.

“You! Just who do you think you are, going around turning others into stone?” Fluttershy’s words seemed to distract the cockatrice, which gave a dismayed squawk.

Fluttershy pressed her advantage. “You should be ashamed of yourself! I have a mind to find your mother and tell her what you've been up to, young man! Now you go over there and turn my friends back to normal, and don't ever let me catch you doing this again! Do you understand me?”

The cockatrice gave another dismayed squawk, then nodded, and ran deeper into the Everfree forest.

Then Fluttershy felt herself start to glow with a purple aura.

She smiled, before the teleportation spell finished, and she was gone.

Author's Note

Yes I coppied some text from the transcript.

Sorry about that, hope it didn't detract much overall.

ps: I might get a few more chapters today, as I have a few ideas.