Author's Note

Written by Corah!

The Search For Hawk Tuah!

“You’re looking for… What now?”

“Um, I believe it’s called a Hawk Tuah.” Fluttershy paced nervously as Twilight stared her down.

Closing the book on Advanced Magimathical Theory she had been reading for fun, Twilight arched an eyebrow incredulously. “And you said it's some kind of bird?”

Fluttershy nodded. “I heard Rainbow Dash mention it, and I couldn’t believe there was a species of bird I’d never heard of!”

She removed a massive scroll from her saddlebag and unfurled it. Twilight watched the parchment trail off down the library stairs and dislodge the books she had been alphabetizing with a clatter.

“See, I’ve cataloged every bird in Equestria from Albatross to Zebrican Swallow,” Fluttershy said as she frantically searched the list. “But look! Harlequin duck, harpy eagle, hawfinch…” Her hoof ran along the list before settling on hazel grouse. “But no Hawk Tuah!”

“Uh-huh. I see.” Twilight pressed her lips into a thin line. “You’re really worked up about this, huh?”

“Because if I don’t know about it, who will take care of it?” Fluttershy whimpered, crushing the scroll to her chest as her eyes brimmed with tears. “What if they’re endangered?! What if there’s only one left?! What if there’s a poor baby Hawk Tuah out there starving because nopony was there to feed it?!”

“Well, most animals can fend for themselves, Fluttershy.”

She sniffled. “Most?”

“Oh jeez,” Twilight exhaled a huff as she retreated to a nearby bookshelf. Scanning the titles, she pulled a thick tome bound in red leather from the stacks and slammed it in front of Fluttershy with a crash. The pegasus flitted into the air as she jumped in shock.

Twilight gave the book's cover a gentle pat. “Wing, Beak, and Talon: A Field Guide to the Birds of Equestria and Beyond. If this doesn’t tell you where to find that Hawk, nothing will.”

“And you’ll let me borrow it?” Fluttershy brightened slightly. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ll take extra special care of it, I promise!”

She crushed Twilight in a hug, then attempted to move the titanic field guide off the floor. It didn’t budge. Fluttershy smiled sheepishly and tapped her hooves together.

“Um, Twilight? I hate to be a bother, but could you perhaps help me get this to my house, please?” She puffed a stray strand of hair from her eyes. “If its not too much to ask?”

Twilight’s horn burned crimson and the book vanished in a puff.

“Thanks.”

*****

Fluttershy spent the better part of her day pouring over Twilight’s book, to no avail. There were hamerkops and house finches and harriers and hoatzins and huias and Humboldt penguins but not a single word devoted to her elusive Hawk Tuah. There were hawks, sure. Plenty of them in fact. But not the one Fluttershy sought.

Desperate times called for deeper research, as Twilight always said. Fluttershy flipped through the appendices of the tome and found the Areas Surveyed Table. Just like Twilight had said, the information had been sourced from all over the world, from the icy peaks of Yakistan to the deserts of Saddle Arabia. But there was one tiny speck of the map that had been greyed out due to “insufficient data”. It sat smack in the middle of Equestria, right outside of Ponyville.

The Everfree Forest.

Fluttershy’s skin was chilled with goosebumps at the name alone. Her hooves trembled as she closed the cover.

Marching through Ponyville, Fluttershy steeled herself for what she knew she had to do. The Hawk Tuah was out there! Wherever it was, it was counting on her! Who knew how much it had already suffered due to her ignorance and neglect? She needed to make things right, no matter the cost.

“I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.” Fluttershy repeated her mantra like a protective ward as the emerald boughs of the Everfree came into view. Her heart raced like a locomotive engine and frigid sweat soaked her fur. “I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I can’t do this.”

The trees of the Everfree loomed ahead of her like verdant titans. Creepers swayed from branches like the beckoning tendrils of some eldritch monster. Every atom of Fluttershy’s being quivered like gelatine.

But she couldn’t give up now! Not when the Hawk Tuah was counting on her. Knitting her eyebrows together and biting her lip, Fluttershy took her first tentative step into the Everfree.

It was the last time anypony saw her.

*****

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Months turned into three months, and still, nopony had seen Fluttershy. Search parties were dispatched too late, the Everfree was searched, but nothing was discovered. Fluttershy was quickly given up on and presumed dead. After all, she could barely manage to order take out, much less survive in the wilderness.

And so the ponies of Ponyville gathered at Sweet Apple Acres to lay Fluttershy to rest in effigy. Spike had been given a pink wig and laid limply in a padded coffin with his claws folded over his chest peacefully. When a mare burst into tears alongside him, he dug into the depths of the casket and passed her a tissue.

“Thank you, dead Fluttershy.” She sniffled.

“Don’t mention it.” Spike laid back down and closed his eyes.

As ponies began to fill the folding chairs they had arrayed in front of the barn, Twilight took to the stage. She cleared her throat into the microphone and swallowed hard.

“My little ponies,” She began her voice heavy with sorrow. “We’re gathered here today to bid farewell to Fluttershy, our dearly beloved. In life she was gentle, sweet, and a paragon of kindness. The Element of Kindness, in fact.”

Spike gave her a thumbs up from his casket. “Doin’ great, Twi!”

“Spike! You’re supposed to be dead!” Twilight tried to whisper, but the mic still picked it up. “Sorry. I’m sure everypony would like to say a few words of their own, so I’m going to open the mic to—”

Twilight was suddenly levitated into the air and thrown aside to bounce on a trampoline that hadn’t been there before. The Draconequus Discord twisted through fivespace to take over the stage, his eyes streaming tears as he grabbed the microphone.

“I’d just like to say a few words about—” He choked back a sob. “About Fluttershy. I’ll just be a few minutes…”

Discord conjured a sheet of paper to his claw and unfolded it.

And kept unfolding it.

The page went from being the size of a hoof to the size of the stage in only a few folds. He cleared his throat and began. “It’s best to begin at the beginning. In the beginning, before there was time or matter, there was Discord. Now, I could bore you all with the details of how the world came to be and how I found my place in it, and I will! You see, Equestria was once—”

In the very back row, Rainbow Dash groaned. She already didn’t want to be stuck here at this boring funeral. Fluttershy was fine! Everypony was just overreacting! Rolling her eyes as Discord launched into a long-winded explanation of how he had created life as an elaborate prank, Dash reached into her saddlebag and grabbed her iPod. Thankfully, she had come prepared. Just before leaving for the funeral, she had downloaded the latest episode of Talk Tuah, starring Hawk Tuah Girl. Discreetly slipping her headphones in, she tuned out Fluttershy’s funeral for something more important.

“Hey there and welcome to episode six of Talk Tuah! I’m Hawk Tuah Girl and today we’ve got a very special guest in the studio!” Rainbow Dash kicked her hooves up against the back of Rarity’s seat.

“Darling, be a dear and keep your hooves on the floor.” Rarity glared over her chair with a knife-edged smile.

Dash gestured to her headphones and shrugged nonchalantly. Bracing her hooves, she pushed the chair back on its hind legs and rocked casually.

“Today our guest on Talk Tuah is a lovely guest from the land of Equestria! Everypony give a warm welcome to Fluttershy!”

The entire funeral party jumped half an inch as Rainbow Dash yelped and toppled out of her chair.

“Rainbow! We’re hosting a funeral!” Twilight yelled, stomping her hoof. “Can you please show some respect for the dead?”

“Yeah!” Spike’s wigged head bobbed above the edge of the casket. “Keep it down! I’m trying to rest in peace here!”

“She’s alive!” Dash lifted off the ground with a flap of her wings. “Fluttershy is alive!”

“What?!”

Everypony (and Discord) was on their hooves and crowding around Rainbow as she unplugged her headphones. Cranking the volume to max, her podcast crackled through the cheap speakers.

“You give it a lil’ Hawk Tuah! Spit on that thang! Y’see?”

“Oh… Oh my…”

*****

“Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight inked her quill and began to write. “Today I learned that sometimes, you shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Always look before you leap, and double check your—”

A knock at the door downstairs interrupted her thought.

“Now what?” Twilight lit up her horn like a nightlight and descended the stairs, her fuzzy owl slippers squeaking with every step. Another series of frantic knocks echoed through the dark. “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

She threw open the door to find Fluttershy standing on the porch in a state of absolute dismay.

“Fluttershy? What are you doing here? It's after midnight!”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Twilight! But I just can’t sleep!” Fluttershy entered, her hooves worrying the fabric of her minty bathrobe. “There’s another poor bird out there I haven’t cataloged!”

Twilight’s eyelids lowered as she blew a sigh through her lips. “Lemme guess? Rainbow Dash told you about it?”

“Oh yes.” Fluttershy nodded emphatically. “Twilight, do you have any books about the Mike Hawk? Rainbow Dash says it’s ginormous!”

Twilight made a mental note to ensure the next funeral she attended was Rainbow’s.