Strange Hooves

Okay. Item #2 to the list of reasons *not to anger Fluttershy*. I remember that time when I learned the first reason. Such unhinged anger. I must be too important to her to just simply let go, even for a little while. Thankfully, I know how to climb a tree.

Mike holds his breath, perched in a nook of the sanctuary that he took up, hood up, as Fluttershy gallops by with searching eyes with the hunger of a hawk. After she was out of earshot, he drops down, recoiling in pain as his tired legs impacted the ground.

Okay.

Stepping cautiously in the silent, dark, and dangerous woods, Mike makes his way through the forest, stopping every once in a while to rest, or to listen to the silent, afternoon air. After a while—actually, the passage of time was forgotten and minutes or hours could’ve passed. He comes to a creek, flowing downhill on its tireless journey to the sea, wherever that was. He looks for a tree in particular. Spotting it, he runs over, and crouches to look through the roots.

There you are.

“THERE YOU ARE!”

Oh. My. *Stars*.

Turning around, Mike sees the terrifying form of an impossibly angry Fluttershy, wings spread and ready to pounce.

“I’VE BEEN WORRYING MYSELF SICK FINDING YOU! YOU RAN OFF WHILE YOU STILL NEEDED TO REST FROM YOUR INJURIES! I—I…”

It seems that Fluttershy quickly goes from the attitude of a bear to that of a small foal. Her wings and head droop down as she starts to sob softly.

WHAT HAVE I DONE WHAT HAVE I DONE WHAT HAVE I DONE WHAT HAVE I DONE

“I—I’ve done so much to help you. I don’t want to see you hurt any more than you already have. You lost so much b-blood that I—I thought I would lose you. I don’t try to lose any of my friends, and I mourn every single animal friend that passes on, but… you.”

She raises her head to meet Mikes eyes, also filled with tears.

“I’ve never met anything like you, and I was reminded of a time when I thought I lost Philomena, the Phoenix. It would be terrible for somepony like you to …d-die, because I might not see anything like you again.”

“I’m so sorry, Fluttershy. I want to make it up to you anyway I can. I just need to make sure something of mine is safe.”

“*Sniff* Hmm?”

Mike pulls his worn and torn backpack from the root of the tree, and examines it. Green with black straps, this thing has been with Mike for most of his recent life, and the evidence has worn and stained itself into the fabric of the well-used backpack. He looked at it, and pulled at a strange tab that somehow opened the pack without use of buttons or straps, with a strange ripping sound.

He looked at the contents, and smiled.

It’s all here. Everything I needed to survive, and then some. I might be advancing the cause of progress here by several thousand years. Is this good… or bad?

Somehow closing the pouch with another rip from the tab, Mike looks back at Fluttershy and the corners of their mouths go up in warm smiles.

“You got your things, Mike?”

“Mmhm.”

“We might want to get back before dark, because of the monsters.”

A nod from the human as he noticed his surroundings and the dimming sunlight as the sun began to set.

They move through the Everfree forest as it shifts into its daytime almost pleasantness into a horrible nighttime nightmare. The pack now is resting on Mike’s back as he casts knowing eyes to the trees and quickens his pace. Mike remembers something in this forest that actually attacked him not too long ago.

“I hate them.”

“T-them?”

“Well, I don’t know what to call them, the weird things.”

“What are they?”

“These things seem to be mini-bears that hunt in packs. They’re slimmer than bears, and more agile. Best be careful.”

Fluttershy has heard of these monsters. She spoke it as she thought it.

“They’re called Beogs. Somepony long ago tried to breed dogs and bears with experimental magic, trying to create a war animal.”

“That’s terrible. Why?”

“He thought there should be no more soldiers, no more Guardsponies, but these animals tend to be a bit…”

“Violent?”

“*Squeak* Yes. They were deported to the Everfree forest, and they were expected to simply die out, ever since several broke out and killed a poor pony.”

“Who-who was that?”

“The one who started the whole thing.”

“Oh dear.”

“Yes. Everypony thinks that they died off, but, y-you actually saw one?”

“I have fought a few, yes. Maybe killed one, I don’t know.”

Fluttershy wanders closer to Mike, looking more scared because of this new revelation.

“So you actually killed one of them? That i-is hard to do, considering they were being bred for b-b-battle.”

“Hm.”

They walked in silence, the occasional wind breaking through the leaves of the trees. Mike and Fluttershy scanned the wilderness  around them for any sign of movement for any sign of the foul beasts. Mike stops, hands reaching for something behind him with his head on a swivel. Fluttershy wonders what could be wrong, but she hears it, too. She turns her head to look at the undergrowth and sees one.

It has the general shape of a dog, but the size was slightly larger, slightly bigger than a pony, actually, and the jaws and paws were shaped like a bear’s. Brown-stained black fur covered the animal as it readies for a pounce. Fluttershy opens her mouth to warn Mike, but it is already in the air, its mouth generating an un-natural howl as it reaches for Mike and Fluttershy.

Eeep

She closes her eyes and covers her head with her hooves, hitting the dirt belly-down as she readies for the end. Mike yells, then a sickening sound can be heard. A thud is heard as a body hits the ground, as howls of pain courses through the air. It stops as another sickening sound of bone snapping is heard, then Fluttershy uncovers her face, wet from terrified tears to see Mike standing over her with a concerned look on his face, and something wet in his right hand. Fluttershy adjusts her head a bit to take a look at it.

It looks somewhat like the object Mike used in his escape attempt from Rainbow Dash and Applejack. It’s longer and broader, though, but it’s not straight at all. The elongated weapon curves inward at the end, somewhat giving the weapon a boomerang look, but she doubts that’s what it was used for, given the red that’s dripping from it. Fluttershy doesn’t hear Mike the first time he spoke, given how loudly her heart was pounding. She looks back up to his face, and he repeats his question.

“You okay? We need to move. Now.”

Fluttershy is hoisted by her midsection by Mike, who is now running. Howls and roars are heard thoughout the forest, as Mike races to get away, Fluttershy whimpering softly in his arms.

This is like the second time I’m in this crap, saving ponies from monsters. At least I won’t get swallowed whole again.

Ohmygoodnessohmygoodnessohmygoodness

The Beogs jump out of the bushes in order to get back at their losses, recent ones and earlier. Mike ducks, weaves, or attacks all those who stand in his way of escape. One even stands in the road, blocking the way. Mike stomps on its face, which causes it to scamper off, whimpering and shaking its snout. After some attacks dodged, divereted, ducked, or retaliated, the chase abruptly ends with the attacks. The howls silence themselves, and no more Beogs can be seen.

“Let’s get the Darwin outta here.”

Twilight Sparkle stirs restlessly on the couch, back at Fluttershy’s cottage, and has a few thoughts.

What happened to Mike and Fluttershy? Are they okay? It’s long after dark.

She scans the room.

Where’s Spike? …He must be trying to win over Rarity again. Or… he could be doing his chores with Owlicious like a good little assistant.

She doesn’t like to shift her weight or make sudden movements because her injuries were enough that she wasn’t going anywhere, not that that mattered.

The door opens, permitting a frightened Fluttershy and Mike in. Mike seems to be wearing a strange Pouch on his back, and they sit down on the couch next to Twilight and caught their individual breaths, Mike sneaking glances out of the windows every so often.

“What happened?”

“Sorry I’ve been so long, Twilight. There was these Beogs that attacked me and Mike. Mike was able to fight them off, though. “

Twilight looked first at Fluttershy, and then to Mike, who was actively looking out the window, searching for something in the far distance.

Twilight had researched intensely (she researches everything intensely) about Beogs for a while, curious as to what the possibilities are with biological manipulation spells, but they were far too dangerous to try to replicate.

“Beogs? That must’ve been a wild chase.” She tries to lighten the mood, but things were not as quite as they perhaps should be.

“Hah. The score is now Me: three, and baddies: zero.” Mike adopts a grin that would normally be a happy one, but his eyes betray the combat love that he was forced to adapt to.

“Would you two like something to eat?” Fluttershy, cheering up from recent events due to the opportunity to help, goes out of the room to prepare something.

“That would be nice, Fluttershy. Thanks!” Mike turns his head back to the window, as if he’s expecting something.

“What are you looking for?” Asks Twilight.

“I’m hoping none of these so-called Beogs followed us.”

“Animal attacks in Ponyville are rare, so I don’t think so.”

With silence, Mike turns around and faces Twilight again, on the same couch.

“Do you have any questions for me?”

Her face lit up with excitement as she pestered him with questions that he mostly found the answers to. It was a pleasant conversation until Fluttershy came in with a smile on her face.

“Anypony hungry?”

Mike carries Twilight to the dining table where there was an assortment of salads and some breads.

Mike seems to enjoy this meal, as he seems to have not eaten like this for a very long time.

After they finish, Mike carries Twilight back onto the couch with Fluttershy. They converse for a while into the night, sleep being forgotten in favor of chatting with their new-found friend. Mike seems to forget about his worries that have kept one of his eyes out the window, scanning the area for danger.

“So what’s in that backpack anyway, Mike?” Twilight gestures with a hoof to the pack on the floor.

“Oh, this?”

He opens it and takes out something that makes Twilight go nuts.

A book.

It is jerked from his hands and it is opened and laid in front of Twilight, seeing what creatures like him could write. There is one problem, though.

The letters are unrecognizable, and the strange markings don’t translate into Equestrian right off the bat.

“You can’t read that, can’t you? That’s written in English.” Mike used the English word for English because there is no word for English in Equestrian.

“It is? Oooh. Can you read it to me?”  Twilight seems to be bursting from excitement.

“I don’t know if you’ll like it very much. It’s a wilderness survival manual.”

The book turns itself over and a picture of a human in some sort of uniform with pictures of a mountain wilderness behind him is printed into the front of it, accompanied by what can only be more English words.

“Can you tell me what the book’s called?!”

“It’s called the Boy Scout Handbook.”

“What’s a Boy Scout?!”

“He’s someone who learns a lot of things in groups with adult leaders, and—“

He’s cut off by sounds of howling and roaring in the distance.