I Am Not Afraid

by FluttersIsAwesome

Rating: everyone
Tags: Romance, Adventure
Length: 18907

Fear can cripple even the best of us. Sometimes fear keeps us from doing what we dream of. However, all it takes is a little bit of courage to do great things.

Everypony has something they're afraid of. Maybe it's heights, maybe it's the dark. Maybe it's expressing your feelings to the one you love. Maybe… it's even yourself. But when you finally learn to conquer your fears, you learn that there's nothing that can stop you anymore. You can rise up to do great things. You can be courageous. Those of you who still want the original, you can go here http://fluttersisawesome.deviantart.com/gallery/33551053

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-03-08 21:14:22 UTC

Chapter 1: The Fire Starter

I Am Not Afraid

Story 2

Chapter 1: The Fire Starter

By: FluttersIsAwesome

I always loved taking walks in the morning. The birds were chirping, the morning mist was just beginning to clear, and the dew shone on the leaves and grass like crystal. These walks were also one of the few times where the forest was genuinely quiet, as most of the animals were either still asleep or just beginning to wake up. I made my way up to Ponyville at a slow, peaceful trot, taking in the fresh morning air. Everything was always so calm, so how could anypony have not have freaked out at the booming voice shouting “He’s coming to visit! He’s coming to visit!”

Before I could even reach the town, Rainbow Dash rushed up to me looking more excited than I’d ever seen her before. “Fluttershy! He’s coming! He’s coming! He’s coming to visit!” She was acting very oddly for so early in the morning; normally she’d still be asleep right now.

“W-who’s coming, Rainbow Dash?”

She let out an energetic squeal. “Nova! My brother, Fluttershy, remember him? I just got a letter from him saying that he’ll be here in Ponyville this afternoon to visit!”

As quickly as my worry had come, it was gone again. I was very fond of Rainbow’s brother, and he was always nice to me. The last time he was here was when he moved down from Cloudsdale with her, but it wasn’t a very happy time for him. See, right now he was a famous racing pegasus, but when I first met him he had a lot of trouble fitting in because of a rather frightening problem he had that made him almost dangerous. However, he was always sweet to me, and even helped me take care of my animals. I felt bad for him back then, I really liked him, but because of his problem he had a lot of trouble making friends.

“What about his, um, issue?”

She smiled and nodded. “He said he even found a way to get that under control as well! It’s gonna be awesome!” Like a flash of lightning, she rushed into the town, shouting “He’s coming to visit!” to everypony she possibly could.

I was actually kind of eager to help spread the news as well, so I quickened my pace and was quickly met by Twilight. “Oh, good morning, Twilight.” (I should mention that this takes place just a little bit before the princess coronation)

Twilight smiled sweetly at me. “Good morning, Fluttershy. Say, do you have any idea why Rainbow Dash is flying around like a lunatic? She’s normally not even awake at this hour.”

It took me a few moments to process the question. My new friend had been here so long that I forgot she hadn’t always lived here. “Oh, yes! Her brother, Nova Dash, is coming to Ponyville for a visit.” I returned her smile, trying to hide my excitement as I let out a small giggle.

She tilted her head a bit. “Isn’t Nova Dash that pegasus that’s been winning a lot of big-time races recently? I didn’t know they were related, I thought the names were just coincidence. Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

That was a question I was really hoping she wouldn’t ask, but, she was my friend and I felt it right to tell her. I motioned for her to follow me as I turned back the way I came. “Well… he doesn’t have that great of a reputation around here.”

“Why? Did he do something wrong?”

Nova wanted to keep his issue secret, but Twilight deserved to know. In fact, I thought she might be able to help since she was so smart. “He used to cause fires.”

Another head tilt. “Excuse me? You said he caused fires?”

“That’s right, Twilight. Almost burned up our orchard once.” Apparently Applejack had already heard the news and us as well, as she walked up and joined our conversation. “At first we all thought it was some kind of bad magic, but we finally began to notice that he was there every time one started. Now, I’m not saying I don’t like him, he’s a really nice guy, but a lot of folks are afraid of him because of this weird thing he does.”

Twilight backed away from both of us just a bit. “Okay, okay, hold on. You two say he started fires without even knowing it?” We both nodded, and she looked up to the sky for a moment. “That’s very strange. I’ve never heard of something like that before. Do you have any idea what triggers them?”

I shook my head. “He should be here in a few hours. Maybe you ought to ask him yourself. I’m sure he’d love the help, seeing as how it has kept him from making a lot of friends.”

She nodded and headed back into town. I had to go down to the river and help the beavers find a new place for their dam, so I said goodbye to Applejack and went off to do so. The river was a decent ways away, but I stayed at the same pace I had been walking anyway. It was kind of disappointing that Twilight had never heard of Nova’s problem before, but I guess it was pretty uncommon. At least he apparently had it under control now, that was good.

* * *

The issue with the beavers took a decent bit to work out. There weren’t many other good places in the river, and we had to move up at least half the forest to find a spot wide enough for their new home. Eventually, though, they got nestled in and were happy once again. It was almost noon, so I decided to make my way back to Ponyville as quick as I could. There was a large crowd gathered around the center of town, and all heads were pointed at the sky.

I found Pinkie Pie in the crowd and tapped her shoulder. “Um, Pinkie, is all this for Nova?”

She began jumping up and down ecstatically. “Yeppie! You bet! Everypony’s super excited to see him again! We even heard that he’s taken care of his special problem now! We’re gonna throw a SUPER party for him! I’m so excited, I can’t stop bouncing!”

At once ponies began chattering and some even shouted. I looked up and there he was: bright orange coat, dark orange stripes, and red, spikey mane and tail with yellow ends that made it look like fire. He looked around for a moment, smiling bashfully as Rainbow Dash sped through the crowd and gave him a big hug.

“Nova! I missed you so much! It’s so great to see you!”

He smiled and put his wings around her. “I missed you too, Bow. Wow, is all this… for me?” He had little nicknames for everypony, even those that didn’t really like him. “This is… amazing. Thank you all for the warm welcome!”

Everypony crowded around him to say their hellos, compliment him on his career success, mention how much bigger he’s gotten, things like that. Some just had to ask about the fires, but he chuckled and tried to get them all to calm down.

“It’s alright, everypony. I can assure you that I’ve found a way to stop those from happening, and it really works.”

Applejack piped up and patted his shoulder. “If that’s the case, then you’re welcome back at the farm anytime.” They hugged for a quick moment before Nova looked up and scanned the crowd.

“Hm… looks like somepony’s missing.” Nova jumped up and landed, striking a pose like a sniffing dog. He sniffed around playfully, making many ponies giggle. “Where is she? I know she’s here somewhere.” The crowd parted for him, and I felt a jolt as he pulled me into a tight hug from behind. “There she is! Were you hiding from me, Flutters?”

I smiled and hugged him back. “Of course not. I just didn’t want to get in anypony’s way is all.”

Rainbow Dash rushed back up to him, tapping his wing. “Come on, bro! Ponyville’s changed a lot since you were last here. Let me show you around!”

He seemed a little startled, but nodded. “Okay, sure.” Before taking off, he turned back to the large crowd of ponies. “I’ll be back later, and we can all catch up! Thank you all again for the nice welcome!” With that, they were off.

“He doesn’t seem very bad.” Twilight watched them fly off with me until they were too far to see.

“Oh no, nobody ever said he was bad. One of the nicest ponies that we know. It’s just, we all know the fires were because of him. As much as I don’t want to admit it, he is at fault for a lot of damage. He’s really not scary, but still ponies are afraid of him.”

She looked back at the sky. “No offense, but that really is saying something if you said you’re not afraid of him, Fluttershy. I’m going to do some research on this, tell Nova to come by the library later.”

“Okay Twilight, and no offense taken. Thank you.” I smiled again, and she turned back to me, returning my smile.

“You really like him, don’t you? It’s really not well-hidden.” She let out a small giggle while awaiting my response.

I felt my face heat up a bit, and I’m sure it was a bit red. “I do, but… please don’t say anything. I’m really too scared for him to know.”

She nodded again and turned toward the library. “Your secret is safe with me.”

I smiled again, heading toward the lake the river emptied into. It was a quiet, open part of the woods that was a good place for me to sit and think. My feelings for Nova had been very strong for some time. He was such a kind and gentle stallion, and sometimes I felt like the only one who actually saw the kindness in him. He was kind of shy and a little jumpy too, but I knew he was brave, too, at least with me. There have been many times where he put himself in danger to help me, like one time when I fell into a chasm picking flowers, he was the first one to rush down and catch me. This other time he led a team of pegasi into a tornado to move it away from town. He did so many courageous things, but he scared easily, too. It was very odd, he could fly into a tornado but freaked out when Pinkie blew a noisemaker behind him one time. In fact, I think that was an instance of one of his fires, as well.

Despite his shyness, slightly bad temper, and of course, his spontaneous combustion issue, he was still very near and dear to my heart. I sighed and stared at my own reflection in the water for a moment, reminiscing all our fun times. Nova always told me I was pretty enough to be a model. Oh, if only he had been there when Photo Finish had forced me into actually being one.

“So, have you taken up modeling yet?” I jumped as Nova’s reflection landed behind mine, turning to face him quickly. It brought a chuckle out of him as he nuzzled his head against mine. “I missed you, Flutters. I missed you a lot.”

He put his wings around me, and I pressed myself closer to him, closing my eyes. “I missed you too, Nova. More than you can imagine. Nothing’s been the same since you left, and it’s wonderful to have you back.” Being held by him made my heart skip a beat, and I would have been content like that forever. Something tells me he would have been as well, but he finally let me go.

“How has your life been? You look great.” He smiled and nuzzled me again.

I felt myself blushing again. “Thank you… I’ve just been taking care of the forest creatures, like we used too. It’s a lot of fun. I’ve heard all about your career; it’s nice to see you succeeding in what you love.”

Suddenly he stretch his wing out and covered my eyes. “Speaking of creatures,” he put his wing down, and I was face-to-face with a small red fox, floating in front of me with beautiful red wings. “You remember Velvet? I had a really powerful unicorn give her wings so we could fly together.”

The fox perched herself on top of my head, lying down and rubbing against me. “Aaaw, she’s gotten big. Hey there, sweetie.” I rubbed under her chin with my hoof, feeling her tail swish my mane back and forth. “Oh! Speaking of unicorns, have you met my friend Twilight Sparkle yet? She said she wanted to talk to you.”

Nova shook his head quickly. “Nope. If I have, then she didn’t give her name.”

I smiled again and pushes him forward. “She should be in her library, follow me.”

* * *

After a quick knock on the door, Twilight opened it and smiled at us. “Good afternoon, Fluttershy. Nova Dash.” She bowed courteously at the stallion, and he returned the gesture. She closed the door after we were both in and trotted over to a stack of books. “I know you wanted your… ‘problem’ to stay private, Nova, but Fluttershy told me about it. I decided to do some research on the subject, and I’ve come up with some surprising results.”

Nova looked at her and shook his head. “I appreciate the gesture, but you didn’t need to do that for me, I told everypony I already found a way to stop-“

Before he could finish speaking, Spike threw open the door, causing it to slap into the wall with a loud thud. His loud, excited shouts only added to the volume as well as he carried a jewel-filled bucket through the door.

“AAAAAAAH!” Nova yelled out in fright. To make matters worse, to everypony’s fear, a burst of flame appeared on one of Twilight’s bookshelves. He began to panic as he flew up to it and attempted to put it out. However, two more were now burning nearby by the time he had put the first out. “No no no no no no no no!” he cried, trying to take control of the situation.

Twilight, however, remained calm and used a bit of magic to dispel the flames. “You found a way to stop it, right?” She winked at him in a friendly way, beckoning all of us over as Spike began to apologize.

“Sorry, Nova, I-I didn’t know you scared easy.”

He sighed and turned to the baby dragon. “It’s okay, Scales. You didn’t know, but I’m actually pretty freaked out by loud noises, at least ones I don’t see coming. But, please, none of you say anything. I haven’t had anypony run in fear yet, and I’d kind of like to keep it that way.”

I nuzzled him gently. “It’s okay, we won’t say anything. We promise.”

Twilight nodded in agreement, turning back to her book. “Look here, Nova.” She pointed to a page with a picture of three pony silhouettes. There were two on top, one had two boxes inside of it and had a horn on its head, and the other had wings with no boxes inside. They were both connected by a horizontal line, and a vertical line going down branched off of it and connected to the bottom one: a pony contour with wings, but instead of boxes, there were jumbled arrows pointing in all sorts of directions. “Nova, do you have any unicorns in your family?”

He rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. “Well, my dad is actually one of the first males in the family not to be. His dad was, and his dad was, and his dad was, and so on. However, both my great grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother are all pegasi. Why, exactly?”

She pointed to the unicorn at the top right. “Okay, look here. Think of magic in a unicorn as being stored in two wells. I won’t get into the specifics, but basically that’s what gives a unicorn spell casting abilities. Since their bodies have a place to create and keep magic energy as well as a source to cast spells from, that being the horn, they are the most adept at magic, obviously. Now here,” she put her hoof on the pegasus at the bottom, “is you. You have magic power, but nowhere to keep it. Because of that, the magic is constantly dashing around your body trying to find a way out. By the looks of things, it appears that those fires you cause are actually this power’s way of getting out, and the catalyst that allows the magic to be expelled is your fear. Whenever something scares or startles you, that releases magic in the form of these flames.”

I looked over the page and the next one that explained what she had said. “Wow, Twilight, you really are smart. You seem to have a book for everything.”

Nova furrowed his brow. “Wait, if that’s the case, then how come Bow doesn’t have the same issue?”

Twilight’s eyes lit up like a teacher who had just been given a correct answer. “I’m glad you asked. My theory is that Rainbow Dash, since she’s a female, took more genes from the female side of your tree as opposed to the male, which would also explain why you and her look so different. That being said, since there are three generations of female pegasi before you two, that means the magic line has gotten slightly weaker. Of course, it’s gotten weaker on the male side as well, but just one more generation can make a world of difference. You know that Rainbow Dash got her cutiemark in a race where she performed a Sonic Rainboom, and I believe that this event was her catalyst. The intensity of the Rainboom allowed most, if not all, of her magic power to be expelled. If there’s any remaining, it’s nowhere near enough to be dangerous.”

It was my turn to interject. “But, Twilight, Nova had a similar experience when he stopped a meteor from hitting the flight academy. Go on, tell her.”

She turned to Nova with intense interest. He cleared his throat and recounted the tale.

It was quite some time ago, back when all of us were still young. Rainbow and I were in our second year of flight school, and he was in his third and final year. It was actually during the graduation test that it happened; Nova had just gotten the highest score for the speed track. The acrobatics portion of the test was underway, and Nova wasn’t doing as well. Just as he had gotten the bare minimum score to pass, and he still had half the obstacle course left, a loud rumbling echoed through the sky. All heads turned up as a large meteor was seen headed straight for the school. The entire area erupted in panic and screams. The instructors looked around, waiting for somepony else to do something about it so they wouldn’t have to.

After about six minutes, I shouted to him “Nova, use you power! The one you showed me!” He stood up from the place he had been curled up and hiding at and looked from me to the meteor and back. After a quick nod he took off toward it. The meteor was still far off, but at the speed he was going Nova would reach it rather quickly. I saw him look back down at me for a moment before he began to reach his top speed, and he was still accelerating. Before everyone’s eyes, flames began to burst forth around his body before they finally encased him completely. With a loud, resound bang, he blasted forward with so much force that he shattered the meteor into small, harmless chunks.

He was barely conscious as he fell back toward the track, but luckily the Wonderbolts had been attending, and Thunder Dash, his father, rushed up to catch him. Smiling down at his son, he held him up for everyone to see the red circle with the yellow trail on his flank. The burning comet that was Nova’s cutiemark.

“So there you go, that’s how I got my mark. I don’t know how I did that move, and I know it wasn’t a Sonic Rainboom. I called it the Burning Lance since it was basically a giant flame that came to a point in front of me.” He looked at Twilight inquisitively.

Her ears fell flat a little. “Wow, I’m not really sure. I haven’t come across anything that would explain that. Such a strong release should have surely emptied out your power as well. I’ll get right back to work.”

A sniffle was heard behind as Nova opened the door. “No, that’s fine. I get what you’re saying.”

I turned to him worriedly. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him like this before. “Nova, what are you doing?”

He turned to us for a moment. “I’m just a freak, I guess. No need to worry yourself with studying what’s wrong with me. I’m just a weirdo who was born too different to fit in… I understand if you don’t want me around. Don’t want to have anything else burn down because of me!” He took off before either of us could get to the door.

I felt my eyes tear up at his words. He made it sound like all our friendship was just a ruse, but we all knew it wasn’t. I chased him; of course he was much faster than me, but I couldn’t let him feel like this. “Nova! Wait! We really do like you! We all do! I do!” I paused for a moment, slowing myself down and whispering. “I love you….”

Chapter 2: Confidence

I Am Not Afraid

Story 1

Chapter 2: Confidence

By: FluttersIsAwesome

I knew where he was going. We had a special place when we were upset that we always went to, and I was sure he’d be there. I asked Twilight to continue her research, and she did. It didn’t really help much, but I got off the ground and flew the rest of the way. Just like I thought, he was at the lake we had been at earlier.

He sounded like he was crying, staring at his reflection. “You’re just a freak. Nobody would want to really be your friend! You’re a monster! All you do is hurt others!” His hooves began to strike the water, dispelling his reflection until he finally stopped and lied down. “Not even Fluttershy would genuinely love a guy like you, no matter how strongly you feel. Eventually they’ll all leave you. You’ll be alone again. All alone….” He began to repeat that word. Alone. Alone. Alone. His body began to shake, and suddenly another fire sparked up in the grass. “I don’t want to be alone. I’m not a freak. I can’t be alone… I can’t.” The fire began to grow a little, but I shouted to him before it got any larger.

“Nova! There’s a fire!” I rushed over to him, stomping it out before wrapping him in a tight hug. “Nova, I’m here. I won’t ever abandon you, even if everypony else does. I promise.”

Through sniffles and tears, he turned to me and tried to speak. “Do you mean that?”

I could feel the tears starting to form in my own eyes as I nodded. “Yes, I do. You’re my best friend. I could never leave you alone.”

He managed a weak smile, returning my hug. “Thank you, Flutters. Thank you so much. You know being alone is one of my greatest fears….”

Nova kept me close to him. I could feel his warmth, and it was so comforting. This was the part of him nopony else ever noticed. They couldn’t see through the flames and into his heart, all they saw was the accidents he couldn’t help, but he was sweet and caring. All he wanted was to make friends, and I knew I was one of the few ponies he had to lean on. “I’m here, Nova, and I always will be. Come on, let’s go back to Twilight. I’m sure she’ll have a solution for you.”

After one last sniffle, he nodded again. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go, together.”

* * *

When we finally got back to the library, Spike opened the door for us with a smile. “Glad to see you back already. Great news! Twilight’s found something that explains your certain condition and a way to turn it to your advantage.”

Both my and his ears perked up as we walked in. Twilight eagerly greeted and led us back to her book. “Look right here, Nova. This here describes what I think your situation is. You remember the ‘wells’ I spoke of that unicorns have, correct?” She waited for him to nod before continuing. “Well, it’s quite possible that you may have one and it keeps replenishing your magic. However, since you don’t have a true catalyst to give the magic an outlet. Because of that it’s still fumbling around trying to find a way out.”

He nodded quickly, kind of waving her off. “Yeah, yeah, okay. You said you had a way for me to turn it around?”

She clapped her hooves together eagerly, beckoning us both closer. “I believe that you can control it when you’re doing something brave. I’ve been thinking, since your fear is what triggers the magic, but you can apparently truly use it when doing something courageous, that the two are connected. You know being brave isn’t being fearless, it’s pushing ahead even though you are afraid.”

Nova smiled, but didn’t really seem too cheered up. “That may be, but I’m not really the bravest pony in the world. How in the world am I supposed to be brave just like that?” He tapped his front hooves together quickly while speaking.

Since I had some time to think about it, I decided it was my turn to speak. “Well, maybe it’s like the fire. You might have something that makes you feel braver just like how the fire only comes out when you’re scared.”

Nova and Twilight looked at each other for a moment. “Fluttershy, that’s actually not a bad thought. You may very well be correct. Anyway, I have an idea, come here, Nova.”

He did so, and she tapped his head with her horn. For a moment, a translucent cube surrounded him and then dissipated. “This should keep it from happening again. However, I’d rather us find a way to help you conquer your fears. It would be pointless to try and list all your fears, so I think the best idea would be to help boost your general confidence. Does that sound good?”

A small smile crossed his face. “I guess that would help. Sure, let’s try.”

Twilight clapped again and headed for the door. “Meet me at Sugarcube Corner. I’m going to gather the rest of the girls; seven minds are definitely better than three. I know Pinkie’s already there, Rarity’s probably still working on that new dress design she drew up, Applejack had some business in town, so she shouldn’t be too hard to find. It’s Rainbow Dash that will be the tough one to track down.”

Nova let out a slight chuckle and looked at the clock. “It’s one thirteen. She’s either clearing out afternoon clouds or just getting up from a nap so she can start clearing them out. I’d suggest checking just under her cloud home; it was always her favorite resting spot.”

She tilted her head a bit, slightly surprised by his knowledge. “Wow, you two really are related. Alright, I’ll start with that and round up the others after. See you at Sugarcube Corner!” With more speed than she had run with in a long time, she was out the door.

Nova and I walked together the whole way. The more I thought about it, the more I considered finally trying to tell them. I was so wrapped up in thought that I didn’t even realize I had stopped walking until I saw Nova ahead of me. “Um… Nova, can I talk to you for a moment?”

Turning around, he walked back up to me and gave me a quick nuzzle. “Sure, Flutters. What’s on your mind?”

My entire body was shaking, and my face was red and hot. I tried to avoid looking him in the eyes as I opened my mouth. “I… I have something I n-need to say. I’m not sure how to, though…. I don’t think I-“

My face only got hotter as his hoof met my lips. “Don’t worry about it, Flutters. You don’t need to say anything right now.” His smile almost made me melt. I was positive he already knew just by the way I was acting. “It’s alright; you just wait until you’re completely ready.” I thought I was going to faint when he gave me a quick peck on the cheek, but luckily I at least remained conscious.

The rest of the walk was relatively quiet, but of course, with Pinkie working right now, the silence was immediately broken when we entered Sugarcube Corner.

“Hey you two! How are you? Can I get you anything? We have a discount on Mrs. Cake’s specialty red velvet muffins this week! Maybe some chocolate cookies! Ooh, I know! How about my new brownie recipe I worked on today? They’re really good!”

Nova and I laughed a bit before he put his hoof on her head and held her to the ground. “Settle down, Plushie. Two chocolate milkshakes, please.”

He let her go, and she began to bounce again. “Two chocolate shakes coming right up!”

I walked up to the counter and set a few bits on it, but Nova pushed them back to me, setting about twenty on the counter. “Twilight’s brining all your friends, so one for all of them too, including yourself, but wait ‘till they get here. Don’t want ‘em to melt!”

Again, she began to bounce as we sat down at a table. After a few minutes, she came over and set our drinks on the table. “Here ya go! We also have a special today only on free refills! Weee!” She bounced back behind the counter, and we turned to back to each other.

“I honestly find it extremely hard not to smile around her. She just makes everything seem more fun.”

I took a quick sip of my shake, shivering a bit at how cold it was. “Well, making others smile is what Pinkie loves to do.” A small breeze pushed against my face as I tried to drink, and I looked up to see a straw in my face.

“Gotcha!” Nova chuckled as he ruffled my mane teasingly. “So, Flutters, do you have any ideas as to what we can do about my fears?”

Before I could answer, the bell over the door jingled as the other girls came in. Twilight saw us and lead everypony else to our table just as Pinkie brought over five more milkshakes. She nodded politely and turned to Nova with a smile. “I already talked to everyone about what happened, and we’ve all been trying to think of ways to help. Unfortunately, nopony’s had any real breakthroughs.”

“Well, actually, I did come one up with one theory.” Hearing Rarity’s voice was a slight surprise, probably because I hadn’t seen her all day. “Twilight mentioned you needed a general confidence boost, and that got me to thinking. Nova, you don’t really seem to have any fear or nerve issues when racing, yes?”

His ears perked up at her words, making him smile. “You know what, Frufru, you have a point. I don’t really feel afraid of anything when I’m racing despite how dangerous it is.”

Applejack took a sip of her drink and cleared her throat. “Y’know, that might be because you’ve been doing it for such a long time, and you’re so good at it. Maybe if you found other things you were good at, you could build up your confidence and not be so scared of things.”

I looked to the corner of the table, watching Rainbow Dash mess with her straw. Her brow was furrowed, and she had a small frown across her mouth. “Uh, Rainbow Dash, is everything okay?”

As she lifted her head, I was met with a rather frightening glare. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just slightly irritated at my brother being called a coward. None of you know him half as well as I do, so you don’t really any right to say stuff like that about him.”

Clunk. Nova’s hoof hit his sister’s head gently, making it sound like he tapped a piece of wood. “Calm down, Bow. I don’t think you understand what’s going on completely. We’ve figured out that the reason I keep starting all these fires is because this magic in me is using fear as a means to escape, and it takes form as the flames. I’m not legitimately afraid of a whole lot, though. The main things I really do fear are,” he paused for a moment, taking a long swig of his shake before resuming, “being alone, seeing blood, things that most ponies would be afraid of. But there’s one thing that frightens me more than anything….”

Not even Pinkie spoke up as we all waited for him to finish his sentence. We did our best to avoid staring at him and put him under pressure, but the suspense of waiting for him to work up the nerve to tell us was a little difficult to keep hidden. Finally, he took a deep breath and finished his thought. “My biggest fear is that I’ll end up hurting somepony like this. Like I said, startled fear like a loud, unexpected noise is one thing, and I’m sure Twilight’s spell will be enough for those small-scale problems, but these things are nothing to sneeze at. Seeing blood isn’t a big issue, obviously, and I believe Flutters when she says she’ll always be here for me. However, if I don’t get myself under control, I very well could hurt someone without meaning to. I guess what I’m really saying is my greatest fear… is myself.”

It was Pinkie’s turn to speak. She began to bounce again as she spoke while drinking. “Well, if you’re so scared of hurting others, why not just be nice to everypony? I mean, you’re already nice, but if you’re SUPER nice, you won’t even be thinking about accidently setting them on fire. Instead, you’ll be thinking about giving them hugs and making them laugh and smile and have FUN!”

In her excitement, she fell out of her seat and hit the floor with a rather out of place squeak as opposed to a thud. Everypony started laughing except Twilight, whom I noticed was now reading through the book she had brought. “Well, that would work, but I did tell Nova that I had a way to turn this to his favor. The real purpose of boosting his confidence is to help him be braver. See, if fear causes uncontrolled outbursts, I believe that the opposite, courage, will allow him to actually control his magic. Of course, we won’t be able to cast spells or anything, but much like that story you told me, with some help you should be able to actually use it.”

He scratched his chin for a moment. “Okay, that shouldn’t be too hard, I guess. So you think a confidence boost will help me be more courageous all the time as opposed to just crisis situations?”

Twilight quickly nodded. “You’re no different from other fear cases: you most likely have a constant variable that’s been present in each scenario where you came out of your shell and cast your fear aside.”

All heads tilted to their sides. Rainbow was the first to comment, though. “That’s great; can we get that in English this time?”

After a long sigh, Twilight went over her explanation again. “I’m saying that in every situation where Nova acted bravely, there was probably something there that either made him, or at least helped him build up his courage. So, if we can figure out what that constant is, we can use that to begin building confidence. Is everypony ready to hear my plan?”

After all heads finished nodding, Twilight smiled and finished her drink. “Okay, I think the best thing to do, for now, is give Nova a task to do that he may not be particularly comfortable with. If we can find out his ‘courage booster’ soon enough, we can also incorporate that. Anyway, as he does these tasks, with help, of course, and succeeds, he’ll feel less afraid of doing things in general and be more confident and willing to do things. See, it’s kind of like when I finally master a new spell, I sometimes feel like I could try doing ten more. As Nova starts succeeding at doing newer things, he’ll feel like he can do even more since he has proved to himself he could do the task we gave him. Now with that being said, does anypony have something for him to help with?”

It didn’t take long for all of us to start listing ideas, so Twilight settled us down and gave Applejack the floor first. “Well, we could always use extra help gathering apples. And before you write that off as being easy, it’s more challenging than you think.”

“I could use some help delivering these new dresses; the pony that ordered them lives quite a ways away, and the order was quite large. I’d need to make the trip twice if I were to do it myself.” Rarity said as she finished her own shake.

Rainbow’s smile returned as she tapped her brother’s shoulder. “You’ve never actually done any weather work, right? Why don’t you spend a day helping me out? We could get done twice as fast!”

Everypony began listing their tasks in a more organized manner now: Pinkie suggested helping her bake for a day, Twilight offered him an opportunity to sort her books, and of course there was always a way he could help me take care of animals. Once everything was decided, Twilight turned her attention back to Nova. “If we don’t find your constant before all of this is finished, then that will be our next objective. Does that sound good?” After a quick nod from him, she resumed. “I’d also advise asking around the town for ways you can help others. Not only will it boost your morale, but it will also help you get to know them, giving you more opportunities for friend making.”

After everything was decided and agreed on, it was about three in the afternoon. Everypony went their separate ways except for Nova and I, as we decided to take a walk together.

“Flutters, are you sure this is going to work? I mean, it does sound like Twilight put a lot of thought into this, but do you really think this can help me take control of my magic?”

With a smile, I nodded and patted his shoulder. “Of course it will. You’ll see; you’ll be a super brave stallion in no time.”

He pulled me into a tight hug, nuzzling my cheek. “You know, Flutters, with you around, I feel like I can do anything. Thank you.”

Chapter 3: Friends Like Family

I Am Not Afraid

Story 1

Chapter 3: Friends Like Family

By: FluttersIsAwesome

After the meeting, I decided to swing by my cloud home and check my mail. Despite her ordeal the last time she was here, Gilda and I remained friends and wrote to each other, and the last I heard she was doing pretty well in a town called Wellsprings. On my way there, however, I was stopped by Twilight. I actually didn’t get very far before she stopped me.

“Hey, Rainbow, can I speak to you for a minute?”

I nodded and touched back down. “Sure, go for it.”

She looked around before turning her attention back to me. “I’d like to talk about your brother. It’s obvious that the only one that knows more about him than you is himself, and there are some things I think you can answer that he can’t.”

Her questions confused me a bit. She pretty much contradicted herself by coming to me for answers, but I did want to help Nova as much as I could. “Alright, what do you want to know?”

We decided to walk together since she could obviously tell I was in a hurry to get somewhere, but we weren’t really going a fast pace. “Well, you remember about that constant I spoke of? The thing that’s been there every time Nova overpowered his fears?” After a nod from me, she began again. “Well, many times when a pony is in a situation like this, they themselves don’t really notice anything, but others that are around for more than one instance do. So, can you think back to any other brave moments Nova’s had? Do you remember if there were any similarities between them?”

I stopped walking for a moment, trying to think. There weren’t really many opportunities to be what many considered “brave”, but I could think of a few instances when Nova came out of his shell more. “Well, the only major things I can recall are times when Nova stood up to bullies back in flight camp. I was constantly teased for hanging out with Gilda, and when I made friends with Fluttershy, that only made things worse. Nova was well respected because of his flying ability, so he didn’t really have bullying issues of his own. So him going out of his way to raise his voice at a bully, let alone talk to one or approach one, was uncommon.”

She nodded again and took out a quill and some paper, scribbling down everything I said. “Okay, that’s a second reference. Is there anything else?”

Like I said, I wanted to help as much as I could, so I decided I would tell her everything I could think of. “He didn’t really like drawing attention to himself either, and that reminds me of this one time during a field day when we had a team race. Gilda and I decided to be partners, but Nova didn’t intend to take part until he learned that Fluttershy didn’t have a partner. So, at the last minute, he signed himself up to race with her so she wouldn’t get taken out of it. See, that drew some attention since the field day was meant more for first years, and he was in his second year then.”

A bright smile began to stretch across Twilight’s face. “I think I’m seeing a pattern already. He and Fluttershy are pretty close too, aren’t they?”

A small giggled escaped me when I thought back to those days. “Yeah, they are. When he wasn’t with me, he was almost always doing something with her. They were best friends since day one. Why are you as- oh, I get it. You think Fluttershy is the key to bringing out his braver side?”

She set the paper in quill back in the saddlebag she had been carrying and smiled again. “That is what I think. Listen, don’t tell anypony else, but Fluttershy told me that she feels something stronger than friendship. You know her, she’s far too scared to tell him, and I promised her I would keep it a secret. But in all these situations, Fluttershy hasn’t just been there, she’s been the center of his actions. Even when he told the story of his cutiemark, he said it was Fluttershy calling to him that got him to charge into that meteor. Now, that being said, I think what we need to do is start with something big. You know, something to convince him that his situation isn’t as bad as he thinks it is. After that push, I think it will be a lot easier for our little tasks to boost him up to the point where he can be brave even without Fluttershy around.”

I smiled with her as I lifted myself up, hovering over the ground just a little. “And once he’s there, he can start making new friends with no worries!” We were both so excited we just had to high hoof.

“So,” she looked ahead again as she gathered her thoughts, “Do you have any ideas for something that could give him that push?”

An idea immediately sprang into mind, and the timing couldn’t have been better. “Tell all the girls to meet me at the fountain in an hour, make sure Nova doesn’t come, and if you run into her, tell Ditzy that I have some priority mail that needs to go out ASAP.”

She nodded again and turned towards Sweet Apple Acres. “Will do. See you in an hour!”

I bolted for my place, really hoping that Gilda had written back to me. After checking through my mail, I found a letter from Wellsprings. Sure enough, it was from her.

* * *

Nova was staying with me for however long he planned to stay. It was kind of nice having some company other than the animals, but also it made me a little nervous. He was still asleep when I got back from our meeting, but I really had no way to tell if he followed me and was just faking it or if he was actually asleep. Either way, I shook him awake with a smile.

“Wake up, Nova. You’ve got to go over and help Applejack today, remember?”

After a loud, sleepy groan, he rolled out of bed and hit the floor with a thud. The shock sent him in the air, flapping his wings rather quickly. “What? What? I’m up, I’m up, I’m up! Oh, it’s just you, Flutters. Good morning.”

I smiled and gave him a quick hug. “Good morning, Nova. Are you ready to help Applejack today?”

He nodded, finally landing back on the ground. “Yeah, just give me a minute to stretch.”

While he was stretching, I grabbed a saddlebag and slipped a couple of bits in it. “Well, we have some time before she needs you. Would you like to go get some breakfast?”

Food was always one of Nova’s weaknesses. At the mere mention of it, his ears perked up and a big smiled stretched across his face. “Sure, that sounds great! But Flutters, put your money away, it’s my treat.”

I giggled and walked out the door, waiting for him. “Oh, this isn’t for the breakfast. I have to go out and get some things to feed Angel; I’m running low on some of his favorite foods.”

Again he nodded and walked out the door, closing it behind him. “I get it, so you were expecting me to pay, weren’t you?” He gave me a little wink as a grin formed on his mouth. “Well, I guess it is only right, since the guy is supposed to pay when he takes his girl on a date.”

Suddenly, I felt my face heat up again. “What? N-no, it’s not like that. I just wanted to do something together, a-as friends. Yeah, that’s it….”

He chuckled and put his wing around me as we began to walk. “You’re so fun to tease, Flutters.”

I did my best to regain my composure, putting on a smile as we trotted into town. Our favorite place to eat, aside from Sugarcube Corner, was this little place called Nature’s Bounty. It was a great place for a quick fix like a sandwich or a salad. They also made really good breakfasts subs, and Nova always loved their morning club.*

Nova smiled at me again and picked out a seat for us after I told him what I wanted. He always did like eating outdoors. “Go sit down, Flutters, I’ll go in and order. Be back in a minute.” He trotted in as a I took my seat, looking around.

After a short yawn, I stretched out my front legs behind my head and crossed them for about two minutes.

“There you are, you little dweeb!”

I knew that voice. Before I could even turn around all the way, I was staring down the yellow beak of Gilda Griffon. “Oh… um, h-hello, Gilda.”

She grinned and got closer to me, forcing me out of my seat. “Hey, pipsqueak. What’cha doing, having some breakfast? That’s good, because I was just in the area looking for some breakfast myself. And you know, I never did get to repay you for the last time we met.” She let out a loud, lionish roar, and nearly at the same time I let out the loudest scream I could. She inched closer and closer to me until she had me on the ground. “I am going to enjoy this.” With a loud screech, she opened her beak and brought it close to my neck. Oddly enough, she didn’t bite down, but instead closed it for a moment to speak. “Think he heard that?” After a quick nod from me, she opened her beak again.

I heard a loud slam as the door to the restaurant swung open. “Flutters, what’s wrong?” Nova turned to me and, seeing the griffon with her mouth wide open, rushed to get between me and her. “Gilda! Who the hay do you think you are? Who died and gave you the right to munch on an innocent pony!” Nova pressed a hoof against her chest, pushing her back as he glared into her eyes. “You’d best back off before I beat you into the ground, you hear me? We may have been friends back in school, but nobody, griffon, pony, narwhal, I don’t care, nobody messes with Flutters without going through me first!”

Despite how harsh and loud Nova was being, Gilda didn’t seem the least bit scared. In fact, she began to laugh and put her arms around him. “Great job, Nova!” While she was still hugging him, she looked around and smiled. “Alright, guys, you can come out now.”

I once again smiled as all the other girls walked out from either behind the building or from across the street, all of them patting Nova on the shoulder or back.

“But, what, you, her, and, eat, some, girls, wha… will somepony explain what’s going on?”

Twilight spoke up before anyone else could get the chance. “Don’t you see what you just did, Nova? You weren’t even thinking about the dangers of trying to fight a griffon, were you?”

He shook his head sheepishly, looking back at Gilda. “No… I guess not….”

“If ya ask me, sugarcube, that was might brave of you.” Applejack winked at him, tipping her hat.

Nova jumped up and backed away from the group a little. “Wait, are you saying that was all staged? What was this, some kind of test?”

I walked up to him and nuzzled his cheek. “Does it matter, Nova? You would’ve done the same thing if I had been in real danger, right?”

A small smile began to stretch across his lips. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Twilight took the floor again, stepping out from the group a little. “We planned everything out, and it worked perfectly. Don’t you feel kind of braver in general now that you’ve seen that you really can be brave when you need to be?” She nodded after Nova did, patting his shoulder. “By proving to yourself that fear is an obstacle that can easily be taken care of, you’ve become more confident in your ability to handle other situations.”

It took a moment, but after he had finally processed everything that just happened, he began to laugh and pulled everyone, including Gilda into a hug. “You all are the best! As a thanks for doing this, I think I’ll treat you all to breakfast. I know the perfect place for us to go, too. I’m pretty sure the owner will even serve griffons!”

Pinkie ruffled his mane some. “You don’t have to do that, silly, we’re all just glad to help you!”

He shook his head and booped her nose. “No, Plushie, trust me. You especially will absolutely love this place. The only problem is that it’s up in Richmaned**, a mountain town. Is there any way you all can get there?”

Our apparent leady smiled and trotted toward the library. “That’s fine; those of us that can’t fly can take my hot air balloon. Just lead the way.”

Rainbow Dash had a grin on her face as she used Nova’s head as a resting spot for her chin. “I know where you’re thinking of. It’s that little café with the hybrid guy, right?”

Nova chuckled and waved her off of him. “Bow, be more respectful!”

We all followed Twilight back to her library, and everypony that couldn’t fly got settled in her balloon when it was ready. Even Spike had decided to wake up for some free food. “Okay, we’re all set!” He turned his head up and let out a large burst of flame from his mouth, igniting the flame to inflate it.

Both Dashes harnessed themselves to the balloon while Gilda and I flew beside them. We began to make out way, before Applejack stood up.

“Hold on, y’all, I need to show you something first. Ya think you could do a quick fly-by over the farm?”

Rainbow was the first to comment and they both began to turn. “No problem, what’s wrong?”

Her brother chimed in as the balloon finished its 180. “You sound worried, Jackie, is something happening?”

“Just go, you’ll see. It’s kind of a way to show you why we need help.”

As we made our way over Sweet Apple Acres, the issue that made Applejack seem so worried was plain to see. It was almost frightening to look at, and even Gilda could tell something was wrong.  “Wait, it’s the middle of spring. Why are all of those trees dead?”

Applejack shook her head. “I wish I knew, Gilda. See, we don’t know what’s going on, but that’s why we need some help. Not many trees are dead, but we’re afraid if we don’t find out what’s killing ‘em, it’s gonna spread. So, while we look into it, we also need some extra hooves to help gather apples so we can compensate for the lost trees.”

“Applejack, look,” it was Rarity’s turn to speak, and her keen eye for detail pointed something out that none of us really noticed before, “look around the dead trees. All the grass around them seems to be dead and brown as well. That really is strange….”

Nova tapped his sister, and we began to turn again. “Hey hey hey hey! I know this is kind of a serious situation, but let’s not forget why we’re even in the air. Forward to Richmaned!”

The trip took about 15 minutes with two of Equestria’s fastest fliers leading the way. We touched down in a small valley surrounded by pine trees and beautiful, blue mountains that towered over the buildings. Look at them from how far down it was, it almost felt like the mountains were guardians keepin the town safe. The air smelled quite different from both Ponyville and Cloudsdale; there was a sort of peace about it that made me feel relaxed.

Nova and Rainbow unharnessed themselves as Twilight dimmed the flame and let the balloon descend to the ground. “Here we are.”

Rarity jumped out of the balloon, looking around and taking in the scenery. “My, my, talk about natural beauty! Who would’ve thought that some of the most beautiful sights could come from the outdoors?”

A small chuckle came from Nova as he led us down the cobblestone road. He stopped us in front of a quaint little building with outdoor tables. The glare in the windows made it difficult to see from the inside, but when Nova opened the door, everything changed. The smell of fresh baked goods, sweet maple syrup, and many different kinds of teas filled the air. Some of the locals were already there enjoying friendly conversation and delicious treats. I liked this place already; it seemed very homey and welcoming.

“Nova! Long time no see! I see you brought friends, too. I welcome all of you to the Mountain Pine Café, where you’ll find better treats than any big company could ever hope to offer!” The warm greeting came from the pony behind the counter. His coat was a bright grassy green, and his long mane was as dark green as the needles on the pine trees surrounding his restaurant. His alluring yellow eyes complemented all the green on his body, and on his flank he bore the image of a pale green tea leaf. His tail came to a point, was rather shiny, and was perfectly straight save for one spot that was a near perfect inward curve, almost like somepony took a circular cookie cutter and sliced right through it. “Find a seat anywhere. Menus are at the side of each booth and in the center of the outdoor tables. When you’re ready to order, just let me know!”

We all bowed to him politely and chose our seats. The tables outside looked like they seated four, so we split up in half and got two tables next to each other. Everypony grabbed a menu, picking out what they wanted. There were a lot of various cakes, cookies, brownies, soufflés, pies, muffins, and dozens of other baked treats to choose from, as well as a wide assortment of different teas, milkshakes, and coffees. When we were ready Nova tapped on the wall, since there wasn’t actually a door between here and the café itself. “Evergreen, I think we’re all ready to order!”

He smiled and walked up to us, bringing with him a pad of paper and a pen. It was kind of cool to see him clip the pen to his tail and write, and when we were finished he recited everything to make sure he was right. “Okay, we’ve got two cherry teas for Miss Twilight and Miss Rarity, three chocolate scones for Miss Pinkie, a medium blueberry pie for Miss Gilda, a large regular brownie with whipped cream for Miss Applejack, an iced coffee with a blueberry muffin for Little Dash, a mint tea for you, and you and Miss Fluttershy are sharing a medium strawberry shortcake, right?” We all confirmed our orders and he nodded. “You know, strawberry shortcake is my specialty. It was the first thing I ever baked.” He tossed the pad in the air, whacking it with his tail and sending it inside. The pad hit the small bell on the counter and landed perfectly. “Two points! I’ll be back with your orders in a moment! When both me and my friend Sweet Treat work together, we pump out food faster than any machine!”

He was right. It only took about twelve minutes before Evergreen came out, carrying all of our orders on two trays. “Here you are, I hope you enjoy.”

Before any of us had even taken a bite of our food, Pinkie had already finished one of her scones. “You don’t have to tell me twice! I work at a bakery, and this stuff is good, even by my standards! Wowie, wow you’re good!”

After a quick chuckle, he pulled up a chair and sat down with us. “Thank you kindly. So, what brings you all here today? It’s not often I get visitors from other towns.”

We each took turns telling him about the morning’s events, and when we were done he let out a hearty laugh. “I could’ve told you that! Nova’s plenty brave. Remember that time when you stopped that thief who stole from my cash register?”

Nova grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, I do. But that’s not really brave; I was just doing the right thing.”

Twilight took a sip of her tea and giggled. “See, Nova, you’re more courageous than you think. It’s all a matter of believing in yourself.”

Everyone smiled and nodded in agreement, and I could almost feel Nova’s embarrassment. “Thank you all. I really am lucky to have friends like you.”

*Before you say anything about meat in the MLP universe, I would like to point out than horses WILL eat meat if it’s mixed with their normal diet. I have a friend whose dad chops up venison into small bits and mixes it into his horse feed for extra protein.

**The Equestria equivalent of Richmond, capital of Virginia, the state I live in :D

Chapter 4: Time to Go

I Am Not Afraid

Story 1

Chapter 4: Time to Go

By: FluttersIsAwesome

After we had all eaten our fill, we said goodbye to Evergreen and made our way back to Ponyville. By the time we got back, it was about nine thirty. We all agreed that Nova would be helping me today, so he said goodbye to the others and headed towards Sweet Apple Acres. “Buckin’ apples isn’t that hard, despite how I made it sound. I was just trying to point out that it ain’t as easy as you may think either. I’ll show you how it’s done, and then you can give it a go, that sound good?”

Nova jumped off the ground, hovering over me as we, well I, walked. “Totally. In fact, I’m way pumped to get to work. I feel like I can take on anything after what happened this morning, even if it was an act!”

I couldn’t help but smile as he flew circles over me. “That’s great! That’s exactly the kind of effect Twilight was saying it would have on you. And if she’s right, helping everypony out will only make that even better.”

After a few minutes without a response, I looked around and notice Nova wasn’t even near me anymore. Rather, he was over by one of our dead trees, tapping it with his hoof. “Jackie, there has to be something wrong here. This one died while we were gone. We both/i] know a perfectly healthy tree couldn’t die in just an hour or two. Is there anypony we can talk to about this?”

I had to admit, having so many of my apple trees die so quickly did put me on edge. “I know just the one. Okay Nova, I’ll show you how it’s done, and you can work on getting some apples while I got visit her, is that alright?”

He nodded quickly, moving to one of these trees that was actually bearing fruit. “Go ahead, Teacher.” He let out a small snicker at his little joke.

Applebloom came out after I called her name, carrying the bucket we usually catch the apples in. “It’s not that hard once you do it a few times. All you gotta do is,” I turned around so my hind legs were facing the tree, and with all my strength I slammed both my legs into the trunk, causing every apple the tree had to fall. Applebloom ran circles around it, catching all but two apples in the bucket. “There ain’t nothin’ to it. Now you try.”

He looked at another tree, turning around and stretching his legs. “I’m not really sure this will work. You know pegasi aren’t as strong as Earth Ponies.”

I patted his shoulder and gave him a little wink. “I don’t appreciate that kind of negativity. Go on, try it some, and I’ll be back with some help.”

I trotted off in the direction of a certain zebra I know could help. Turning around, I saw Nova attempt to buck the tree, but he only got about two apples. He and Applebloom simply laughed about it and tried again. It was nice seeing him so happy; he kind of didn’t seem like the same pony anymore. I always remembered him being a bit more withdrawn and shy. Those fires he was responsible for may have been forgiven, but ponies still avoided him like the plague. It made me feel a might bad for him, so seeing him like this was a welcome change.

“Oof!” I was so wrapped up in thoughts that I didn’t even realize that the very girl I was looking for was right in front of me at the edge of the Everfree Forest. I helped her up and apologized for bumping her. “Hey Zecora, I was just looking for ya.”

Her voice seemed kind of weak and hoarse when she spoke. “What for?”

I tilted my head a little, one brow lowered. “Zecora, is everything alright?”

She nodded slowly. “A fail potion, simple as that. I mean not to be rude, but I wish to avoid chat.” Her hoof met her mouth as she let out a loud cough, “But if you need help, please don’t be shy. Simply ask me; you know I will try.”

The farm was almost the exact opposite way I came, so I had to turn around just to point to it. “My apple trees are all up and dying. We both know it’s way too early for this to be happening.”

Zecora scratched her chin and looked in the direction I was pointing. “Show me where, there is no time to spare.” We both took off for the farm as fast as we could, and as we got close, I began to smell smoke. That could only have meant one thing.

“Jackie!” Nova was up in the air, dumping a bucket of water on a tree that was consumed by flames. He and Applebloom were going through a cycle of dumping water and filling a bucket back up, since there were three buckets.

“What the hay happened, Nova!”

Panicking, he spoke between pouring buckets. “This one here just died in front of me, and I freaked! I-I’m sorry, Jackie, I really didn’t mean it!” He looked around for a moment, bolting away and returned with a dark grey cloud. The rain that fell when he stomped on it was enough to put out the fire, but he kept the rain going for a little bit to make sure it wouldn’t start back up. When all was said and done, he landed in front of me, his ears lowered. “I’m sorry, Jackie….”

As upset as I was, I couldn’t be too angry at him. None of this was his fault, but I knew him sticking around wasn’t a great idea. “Nova, I think you should go. I’m not upset, I just think it will be a bit safer without you around.”

“But I-“

“Nova.”

“But Jackie, I-“

I stomped my hoof on the ground to quiet him. “Nova, I said I wasn’t upset, but I’m starting to get there. Please just go.”

He hung his head as he turned to leave. “I understand. I’m sorry….”

After a long sigh, I turned to Zecora who was already looking at one of the other dead trees. She scratched some of its bark off and took a sniff of it. After that, she asked me to help her clear a small patch in the dead grass so she could look at the soil. When we had, we saw that the earth itself was dry and gray as opposed to its usual soft, brown.

Zecora looked at me with one of the most somber expressions I think I’ve ever seen. “It is not simply your plants that are dead, but the very earth they stand on. If we do not act quickly, soon all your trees will be gone.”

I wish she knew how appreciative I was of her help despite her apparent sore throat. “So what can we do?”

The zebra looked up to the sky for a moment. She pointed out a solitary black cloud in the distance. “An evil power is consuming all. Stop it, you must, or everything shall fall.”

After she spoke, I turned tail and bolted for Twilight’s place, with Zecora following me. I guess Nova was headed for the same place, because we caught up with him on the way there. “Nova, come on! I know what’s been killing my trees!”

Immediately he brought his head back up and jumped in the air, speeding towards the library with us. “What’s the problem?”

“Zecora said it was something evil, and if we didn’t stop it soon it would take over everything!”

When we got to the library we didn’t even bother knocking, but we probably should have; poor Twilight looked like she was about to have a heart attack when we came in. “Twilight! We need to send a letter to the princess as fast as possible!”

She jumped up a little, slightly panicked now. “Why? What’s wrong? Spike! Come down here please!”

As Spike walked down the stairs, I pointed out the window at that black cloud Zecora had shown me. “See that? Zecora said that’s some kind of evil power, and that’s what’s been killing my trees! If we don’t stop it soon, it’ll take over everything!”

She turned to Spike, who was already writing. “Did you get all of that, Spike?” He nodded, and she began circling around him. “Tell her that we would like to request that she send a few soldiers to check this out. If this really is something dangerous, we need act quickly. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.”

When she was done, Spike set his quill on a table and set the scroll ablaze. I don’t even think two minutes had passed before he belched up another scroll in a burst of green flame. “My faithful student, I would like for you and your friends to look into this matter yourselves, I’m quite sure you all can handle this. Also, if Nova Dash is still with you, allow him to accompany you. I believe he will be of assistance as well. Wishing you the best of luck, Princess Celestia.”

Twilight raised a brow after Spike finished reciting the letter. “I can understand her tasking us with this, but… why would having you a long make a difference, Nova?”

Shrugging was easy since he was still in the air. “Maybe she thinks this will help me build some confidence?”

Before the two could say anything else, I nudged Twilight and motioned my head towards Nova. “Hey Nova, do you think you can round up the others for us?”

He nodded and took off out the door. “Start a timer; I’ll be back here in less than five minutes!”

I chuckled at his joke and turned back to my friend. “Do you know he almost torched our entire farm?”

Her eyes widened and she shook her head quickly. “Are you sure? I know for a fact I put a spell on him to prevent any more accidents. How could that have happened?”

All I could do is shake my head in response. “I don’t know, Twilight. Maybe that magic is just… stronger than you thought? I mean, none of us really know what exactly is going on with him.”

Twilight opened her mouth, but was interrupted by the door slamming open again. “Okay, this is everypony. How long did I take?”

Disregarding Nova’s question, Twilight motioned to the cloud. “Okay girls, we have a problem. See that cloud over there? Zecora believes that an evil power is centered there, and that evil power is what’s been killing Applejack’s trees. Apparently if we don’t get rid of it, it will consume everything. Princess Celestia has asked us to go check it out.”

Rarity took a good look at it before turning back to Twilight. “Do we even know where to go? Or how far away it is? It could take us days to get over there!”

Everypony started putting their two cents in, and as I looked around I noticed Nova was gone. “Hey, did anyone see where Nova went?”

The minute I said something, everything got quiet as we all looked around. He was nowhere to be found. Spike even checked upstairs; there was no sign of him. We took a quick peek outside, but we still couldn’t spot him. Rainbow started to fly up to see if she could spot him, but he himself was just starting to descend from the sky.

When he landed, his expression looked like what one might look like when their mother was insulted out of the blue. “Girls, that’s no cloud. It’s a hurricane. It’s strange, though,” he turned toward it again, his mouth forming sort of a half-frown, “It’s not moving like storms usually do. There is definitely something up with this.”

Rainbow touched back down, tilting her head until a quiet popping was heard. “Could you tell how far away it was?”

He rested his eyes on all six of us for a few seconds each. “Pack your bags. From the looks of it, I’d say it could take at least four days if we make nightly stops for sleep and food. Twilight, if you have any maps you think would be useful, bring them too. We’ll need at least two compasses in case we lose one, at least one container for keeping water, enough food to last us the trip and back. Pack enough food for every day even if you think you can go a day without it, or at least bring the necessities to make some. You never know when your body will decide to make a liar out of you. When we’re all ready, we’ll meet back at the town square.” He then turned his attention to Spike, who stared at him wide-eyed. “Spike, write a letter to the Princess and let her know we’re on our way to check this out. Twilight, if it’s okay with you, I’d like Spike to join us so we can have constant access to Canterlot should we need it. Alright, let’s try to be back here in at least an hour.”

When he was finally done, he was almost panting. I don’t even think I heard him take a breath throughout that whole little spiel. Most of us were simply speechless, but his sister jumped up and got in his face. “Wait a second, since when were *you the leader, scaredey cat?”*

He chuckled and ruffled his sister’s mane. “Since I was the older brother. Now come on, we have packing to do.”

Everypony except me walked off in the direction of their home, while I turned to Twilight. “Did that really just happen?”

All she could manage was a shrug.

-------

As we walked back to my cottage, I couldn't help but think about what just happened. “Wow Nova, that was impressive.”

After a nervous chuckle, he scratched the back of his head. “Yeah… I guess it was.” His pace slowed a little bit after a moment of thinking. “Oh no, what have I done?” His eyes were wide, and he was staring at the ground. “I don’t know if I can do this or not, I don’t even know if I was *thinking when I said all that stuff. Who know what could happen out there? Who knows what we’ll find when we finally get there?”*

As he spoke, I could feel the ground under me begin to heat up. I jumped back, and before I knew it a small fire had started where I had been standing. My entire body was shaking, and the only thought in my head was to go and hide. “Nova, stop!”

He was still chattering to himself, but stopped immediately when I called out to him, stomping out the fire. “I’m sorry, Flutters. I’m just… really freaked out about doing this, despite how I sounded earlier. I guess the only thing I was thinking about was the fact that something had to be done, and I’m just now thinking of how dangerous it could be.”

I lowered my ears, starting to think about that myself. “Yeah… there could be dragons, we could get lost, we co-“ I would have continued, but talking isn’t easy with a hoof on your mouth.

“Let’s not get started again. The last thing we should be thinking about is what could scare us, that’s what got me freaking out in the first place.”

I nodded, and we continued quietly back to my cottage. We both grabbed canteens and put enough food for five days in our saddlebags, just in case we were out there longer than we expected to be. We both agreed that carrying *too much might be an issue, so we decided that I would carry a pillow, Nova would carry a blanket, and we would simply share. He still looked quite somber as we made our way to the town square to wait for the others, so I patted his shoulder.*

My friend stopped walking and stood there for a moment. The sky was gray and the air still. It may sound odd, but right now I would have preferred a roaring dragon to this piercing silence. Finally, he lifted his head to me. “Why me, Flutters? Why does all this have to be happening to me?”

He knew I couldn’t answer that question. He knew probably the only ones that could answer would be one of the princesses. However, I had a strange feeling, and something told me I should share it with Nova. “I… maybe you’re special. Maybe you’re meant to do big things. Maybe this evil springing up right when you came to visit isn’t a coincidence. I don’t know why… that just the feeling I get.”

His gaze shifted down again as we resumed walking. “Unless an unbroken streak of five major cup wins is qualification of being some hero, I’m nothing special.”

Ever since he had started talking, my head was filled with memories of all the things he’d done. Finally, I stepped in front of him, my own head down, forcing him to stop. “Nova, you know me. One of the few things I’m not afraid to do is admit that I’m afraid of everything. You claim to be a coward because you’re afraid of yourself, but I’ve seen the real you. Whether you know it or not, you’re a very brave pony, and you’ve taken action in situations where most would have run away. You *can do great things if you believe in yourself. You may not be Equestria’s bravest hero, but you’re my hero.”*

I didn’t even realize it, but at this point I was nuzzled under his neck, and he was smiling. “Thank you, Flutters. You have absolutely no idea how it feels to know somepony actually has some faith in me.”

My face had gotten hot again and I was shuddering slightly. Being with him like the made me feel almost exactly like I had when we embraced yesterday. It made me feel… just a little more able to go on this little quest.

“Let’s get moving, the others are probably waiting on us now.” He smiled again and let me go. We walked side by side the rest of the way to the square, where the other girls were all waiting for us.

Everypony was packed and ready to go, so when we got there, Twilight stood to face the group. “Alright, everypony, are we ready to do this?” After a quick nod from the group, she responded with her own. “Okay, let’s get moving.”

As we all started to move, we noticed Nova sitting still with one of his hooves out. He was smiling at us and waving it slightly, waiting for at least one of us to take the hint. Applejack finally caught on and put her hoof against his, followed by me, Rainbow, Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity.

We all lowered them a little before throwing them up and shouting, or in my case, whispering loudly, in unison. “Let’s do it!”

Chapter 5: You Did It

I Am Not Afraid

Story 1

Chapter 5: You Did It

By: FluttersIsAwesome

The Dash siblings stayed in the air to act as our guides as we walked. The most direct path to that black cloud took us right past Fluttershy’s cottage and into the Everfree forest. As we walked, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Rarity looking at my saddlebag.

“Twilight, your bag looks a little heavy. Are you carrying something extra?”

I nodded an opened it so she could see. “I brought the Elements of Harmony with us, just in case we need them. I figured that they might be necessary since the Princess saw fit to send us.”

“Hey, I see something!” Nova shouted down to us, causing all heads to look up. Indeed, a small figure could be seen in the distance flying in our direction. We all stopped and prepared ourselves in the case that it was hostile, but as it got closer, we could see the left arm was waving and the figure eventually became Gilda the griffon.

With her identity now discovered, we felt safe moving forward. Eventually she joined us, but Rainbow Dash took away anypony else’s chance to talk to her.

“Gilda, what are you doing here?”

I guess it didn’t really matter; I’m sure that would have been the first question she was asked, no matter who it was that did the asking. “Well, you know how I’ve been working as a guard in Wellsprings? Well, they transferred me to this big city called Luvenhëgen. From what I hear, it should be the answer to my complaints about Wellsprings being too quiet. Anyway, I was on my way there, and then I saw that nasty looking cloud, so I went over to check it out. It’s actually… kind of frightening; that cloud is right over where my former tribe’s settlement is.”

Fluttershy looked up at our new companion, then to the cloud. “Oh goodness. I hope they’re not in any danger.”

“Wait!” Rainbow hovered in front of her, keeping her from moving. “Won’t they kill you if you go over there?”

The griffon shrugged nonchalantly, letting out a quiet yawn. “I figure they’ve got bigger worries than me if something’s going down over there. Besides, you all are gonna need my help if you’re really hoping to survive out here. Whether you like it or not, I’m coming with you.”

They both got in each other faces, with Rainbow gritting her teeth as she spoke. “I’m not letting you go in there just to get killed.”

Gilda growled and pushed against her. “You need my help! You know I can hold my own in a fight, so I’m your only hope if you get attacked by something out here!”

They argued and argued for what felt like hours until Nova finally pushed himself between the two. “Hey! Both of you knock it off!” He glared at his sister, turning away from Gilda completely. “Bow, having Gilda here will help us a lot. She’s made it obvious that she’s not afraid of what might happen.” After he said this, he turned back to Gilda with his ears lowered. “I wish I could be more like that.”

The griffon raised a brow at him. “What, you mean not being afraid of anything? Ha, it’s easy when you’re as tough as me.”

Rainbow hit her in the shoulder with a smile. “Where’d that come from? You weren’t always like this in flight camp!”

Gilda, in return, flicked her nose and laughed. “That’s more than you can say! If I recall correctly, you were the one always hiding behind me!”

They laughed and joked with other for a time, while Nova touched down and walked with the rest of us. Fluttershy patted his back, trying to cheer him up. “Come on, Nova. It’s not as bad as you think. Being scared isn’t always a bad thing.”

He sighed, hanging his head. “It is when you’re dangerous like me. Every time I even talk to somepony, there’s a chance I could light them on fire.”

I stopped walking and turned to him. After thinking about it, I noticed that everything he had said about his situation had a definite key point. “Nova, let me ask you something. Next time we run into something dangerous, I want you to go out in front, and do your best not to think about what kinds of things can go wrong. Do you think you can do that for me?”

He looked up at me with a simple shrug. “I guess I could try. I don’t see what good it would… do…. Hey, I see what you’re saying.”

Fluttershy quickened her pace to get beside him again, smiling. “Remember earlier when you jumped up and started giving orders? You told me that you weren’t even thinking about how dangerous the trip could be, you just knew we had to do something.”

Pinkie bounced up along his other side, doing a spin. “Yeah! You should be more like me! I never think of sad stuff, and that’s why I’m always happy! And guess what, it works!”

As he looked up at the sky, I saw a smile start to form on Nova’s face. “Yeah, you’re all right. That’s what I’ll do from now on. No more thinking of scary stuff!”

There wasn’t really much to talk about after that conversation, so we did our best to occupy ourselves by singing and making up little games. By the time the sun started going down, we were at the edge of the Everfree Forest and were headed towards the Goldpine Mountains. Gilda stopped us when she saw the mountains and blocked the way forward.

“We need to stop here. It will take an entire day just to cross those mountains, so we need to rest. We should separate in half, with one half looking for firewood and the other half setting up. Hop to it!”

Nopony really said anything back, seeing as how Gilda did have the most experience with outdoor survival. The Dash siblings, Applejack, and Gilda were the four that went out, leaving Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and myself to set up. Luckily, we had Spike along, so I had him carry a tent large enough for all of us in a backpack. It wasn’t that heavy on its own, and I was carrying everything else I wanted to bring, so it also wasn’t too much of a strain for the little guy.

He handed it to me, but tugged on my tail before I walked off. “Twilight, are we really doing this?”

“What do you mean, Spike?”

He shrugged. “Well, we just crossed the Everfree Forest, tomorrow we’re going through Goldpine Valley, and who knows what else all because of some storm. Not only was it super sudden, but doesn’t it seem just a little… ridiculous?”

Spike had a point, but at the same time I knew that whatever that hurricane was, it wasn’t natural. “You are kind of right, Spike, but if Princess Celestia believes that this is a problem worthy of concern, then we should trust her judgment and do as we’re asked.”

“I guess you’re right, Twilight. It just seems weird. Kinda like the princess knows something we don’t.”

“Well, Spike, if there’s something she isn’t telling us, I’m sure she has a good reason for it.”

We set up the tent without much conversation, and we all went in to make sure we had enough room. As we were setting up our sleeping bags, I felt another tug on my tail, this time from a rather concerned looking Rarity.

Her lower lip was curled and her brows were sloped up, an uncommon expression for most, an almost everyday thing for her. “Twilight, I’ve been thinking. Are you really sure it’s a good idea to have Nova along with us? I mean no ill will towards him, but, don’t you think he’s a tad dangerous to be tagging along?”

Her concern wasn’t unwarranted, but I did feel a little bad since she was basically saying she didn’t have faith in him. “I don’t, Rarity. I think with our help, he can learn to be quite the brave soul. In fact, I’ll be his partner for tonight’s watch shift and I have a plan. Don’t worry; I’m positive things will work out. Besides,” looking to the cloud, I finally decided to bring up something that I had been thinking about for a while, “I don’t know why, but I feel like Princess Celestia had a special reason for asking him to along. Don’t ask me what I think that reason could be, because I don’t have the foggiest idea. I just feel that she has one.”

“We’re back, y’all!” Applejack shouted to us as the rest of our group came out of the woods. Applejack was carrying a load of wood on her back, while the other three had the luxury of flying and carrying wood in their arms. They stacked it inside the circle of stones we made, and I lit it with a quick fire spell.

Looking around at all of us, Gilda cleared her throat. “If anyone brought food, now is the time to prepare it.”

Ironically, most of us had started eating before she said anything.

* * *

As strange as it sounds, the night seemed almost peaceful despite us being in the Everfree Forest. We all agreed on two hour shifts, with two of us taking shifts together, in case one fell asleep. Nova and I had the first shift, and I was very glad he agreed to take it with me. He didn’t know it, but ever since he first came to me explaining his problem, I’ve been writing up various theories and plans for ways to help him.

While his back was turned, I quick snuffed out the fire, causing him to jump. “Twilight! What just happened?”

I could tell he was frightened by the stuttering in his speech, and that’s what I wanted. “Calm down, Nova. I want to try a few exercises with you that I believe will help you with your fear issue. I realize you’re scared right now, but remember what we talked about. Focus on something else. It could be anything, just not how frightening being here without light is.”

The log we were sitting on began to vibrate slightly; he was probably shivering now. “O-Okay, I’ll try….”

It wasn’t easy, but I could manage to see with what little light the moon provided through the canopy of the trees. Nova closed his eyes, and after a moment I felt the log stop shaking. I reached out to pat his shoulder, but when I touched him, he jumped back and a small fire sparked up on the log. Luckily I stomped it out quickly enough to prevent any major mishaps. “That was good, Nova, but I want to go further with this. I want you to try and relight the fire.”

I could almost feel his confused gaze. “How? You said yourself that I can’t control it.”

“Well no, I didn’t exactly say that. You’ve proven that you can calm yourself, at least for a moment, and that’s the key to keeping your magic from escaping without you wanting to. What I said was that you couldn’t cast spells without a catalyst such as horn to actually expel the magic. I doubt any other kind of catalyst would provide spell casting abilities, but I do believe if you had something else, then you could at least use your magic to some extent.”

He simply shrugged. “What else would I use? I high doubt my wings could handle some kind of magical discharge.”

He was right. I’d never actually seen a condition like his before, so it was hard to come up with any ideas. However, after looking around for a moment, my eyes came to rest on the tent and my thoughts drifted to who had been carrying it.

I jumped up and turned to Nova quickly. “I have an idea! Your mouth! You could use your mouth as a catalyst to expel magic just like a dragon does to breathe fire!”

“SSSHHHH! The others are sleeping, remember?” I clasped my hooves to my mouth and nodded, almost forgetting. Nova turned his attention to the stack of charcoal as I set a few more stick in it. “So what am I supposed to do, think happy thoughts with my mouth open? I’m sorry Twilight, but I have serious doubts about this.”

Shaking my head, I pointed at the fire pit. “Not exactly. I like I said, thinking ‘happy thoughts’ is only the key to calming yourself down. What you need to do is imagine a situation that would replicate the feeling of that meteor. You were brave enough to fly into it headfirst. If you can recreate that feeling, then picture the magic coming out of your mouth like fire. If I’m right, it will use that as a means of escape, and you’ll breathe flames. That is, if I’m right. I guess we’ll see.”

After a long sigh, he looked to the fire pit as well. “If you say so.” Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and sat there. I looked from him to the fire pit and back again about three times before he thrust his head forward and opened his mouth. The sound of him exhaling was audible enough, but no flames.

“Try it again. Think of something more intense than what you were last time. Come on Nova, I’m sure this will work.”

After his second attempt yielding the same results, I decided it was time for a little push. “Try harder. Nova, whatever is going to be at the end of this journey is powerful enough to kill nature. If we don’t stop it, all the plant life in the world will die, and eventually we’ll all starve. If we want to have any hope of victory, we need your power to help us. Think of your sister. Think of Fluttershy. Think of all the ponies that are counting us. Think of-“

I was certain every living creature within half a mile was awake now. The flames were large and bright, and his scream was deafening as he clasps his hooves to his mouth.

“HOT HOT HOT HOT THAT’S HOT!” He let his tongue hang out of his mouth, and it was rather red. However, I believe he thought it was worth it after seeing the look on his face when he saw the blazing campfire he had just reignited.

All the others, including Gilda, came rushing toward us. There was no doubt in my mind that they all wanted to speak, but Rainbow beat them to the punch.

“Nova! Did… you do that?”

His speech was slightly slurred by the tongue still hanging out of his mouth as he turned to his sister. “No, Bow, ny tongue ith red becauth I thried to lick the fire!”

Everyone crowded around him, congratulating him on what he had done and patting his back. Fluttershy managed to take care of the “burns” on his tongue and lips, but his tongue was still kind of red. Watching him, I felt like I had figured out why the Princess wanted us to bring him along.

“Nova, we’re going to need to keep doing this so you can get used to it. Do you think you can?”

He gave a quick nod, but Fluttershy stood up and looked around his mouth. “Are you sure? You’re not super hurt or anything, are you? Maybe it’s a tad dangerous for you to keep doing this, Nova.”

He smiled and gave her a hug. “Don’t worry, Flutters, I’m fine. Besides, this is something I need to learn how to do if I’m going to be of any help to you all when we get to… whatever it is that we’re going to. You don’t need to be afraid.”

She nuzzled herself under his chin while I tried to calm everyone down. “Alright, girls, remember that we still have about three days of traveling before we reach that storm. Go back to bed, and we’ll wake you when it’s time for your shift.”

The excitement finally died down, and everyone was sound asleep again. I turned to Nova an received a massive hug from the smiling stallion.

“Thank you, Twilight. Thank you for never giving up on me. I feel like I could do anything right about now.”

I smiled and returned his hug. “I’m glad you feel that way. Now, how about some more practice?”

Chapter 6: The Beast

I Am Not Afraid

Story 1

Chapter 6: The Beast

By: FluttersIsAwesome

From what Twilight told me, Nova managed to pull off his new fire breathing trick five more times before their shift ended, and each one lasted a little bit longer than the last. I still didn’t like the idea of Nova having fire come out of his mouth, but I figured it was for the best that he learned to control this new power. The next leg of our journey took us through Goldpine Pass, the only valley in the Goldpine Mountains low enough to actually travel through. Gilda warned us that this would probably be the most dangerous part of the journey seeing as how many indigenous predators make their home here. Of course I was scared, but with all my friends and Nova at my side I knew I could get through it.

The mountains themselves certainly lived up to their name. It didn’t matter what angle you were looking at them from; the way the sun shone on the trees and the mountain face itself made it look like a tower of gleaming gold. This made the valley seem a little less scary even though it was an almost exact opposite: dark, cold, and ominous. It only took about ten minutes of walking to get to the foot of the mountains, and from there we began the slow, uphill walk into the valley itself.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was best for us to actually know what we were going to be facing. Despite this, I was still very reluctant to ask Gilda, and I let out a sigh of relief when Applejack spoke for me.

“So Gilda, what kinds of stuff should we expect to run into here?”

The griffon shrugged nonchalantly. “Honestly, forget anything you’ve heard about this place. While there are a lot of dangerous creatures here, most of them are the kind that won’t attack unless provoked. There are a few aggressive predators here, but the thing you need to be keeping an eye out for is what’s known as the Terra Rover. It’s been protecting these lands for as long as I can remember, but recently it’s been attacking and tearing up everything that comes through here to shreds, good, bad, or indifferent. To be totally honest, I don’t even know if there’s anything that can take it down, so if we spot it, we just need to get away as fast as we can.”

As we began to reach the valley, the morning fog began to clear away, and we saw that the valley was actually much wider than it looked. Many trees dotted the path, and it looked like there was even a small lake on the left side. It was hard to believe that somewhere so beautiful could also be so dangerous. I made sure to stay close to the group seeing as how I probably wouldn’t even be able to handle the less aggressive creatures by myself, let alone this terra Rover. “So, do you have any idea how long it will take us to get through here?”

Gilda opened her mouth to speak, but Nova interjected. “This area is the reason why I said four days. These mountains are fairly large, and this is one of the few ranges that have more than one row of them. Goldpine Pass isn’t just one valley, it’s the combined path formed by two full-length valleys. Getting through here without any trouble should take the greater part of a whole day.”

“Emphasis on without any trouble.” the griffin snickered.

The walk was relatively peaceful and quiet, and there were even small animals and birds roaming around. It was hard to believe that anything bad could happen here, and yet knowing such frightening monsters lurked here too made it so that all I could think about was getting out.

I wasn’t the only one on edge, either. Our entire group jumped at every rustle of leaves or snapping of a twig. After about an hour or so of walking, I started noticing dead trees and grass in very specific lines, almost as if something sprayed something in just that specific line to kill them. That wasn’t all, either; I started feeling as if the mountains we getting closer together, narrowing our path. Eventually we came to a large, open area where erosion had taken a large chunk out of the sides of both mountains. However, as we continued to move forward, a large stone wall sprang up from the ground, blocking our way forward. A similar wall sealed off our way back as well, leaving us completely trapped.

“Proceed no further.” All heads turned up over the barricade behind us; atop it stood a large, fearsome beast. It most definitely wasn’t just any animal, it had definitive traits of many animals, and some I didn’t even recognize. The contour of its head, legs, and torso appeared to be that of a wolf, but that’s where the similarities ended. Two horns extended out of the back of its head and came down until they met, forming a thick U shape between its eyes. The dark green fur was quite long, hanging off of it like a sheep dog, but only on its legs and body. Two long, thin tails resembling whips swayed behind it, and an almost cloudlike mane flowed behind it, the hair extending from the top of its head to its shoulders. To complete the image of utter terror, two glistening, pearly-white fangs protruded down from behind the monster’s top lip, and it stared us down with glowing yellow eyes.

“I say again: proceed no further or be exterminated. His Majesty does not abide trespassers.”

Twilight turned to Gilda hurriedly. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance that this isn’t the Terra Rover you were taking about?”

She shook her head, staring at the beast. “Unfortunately, no. This is definitely it.”

Rainbow piped up, puffing out her chest. “This guy? He doesn’t look so tough! Come on, I’ll take you on myself!”

The two tails coiled around her as she charged forward, slamming her into the canyon walls. Both Nova and Gilda rushed forward to her aid while Twilight attempted to hit it with magic. However, every time she sent a spell at it, it either moved out of the way or deflected it with its own magic.

Just as quickly as it had appeared it was gone. That is, until it landed right in the middle of our group and scattered us, brandishing its tails wildly in an attempt to drive us off. “So you choose extermination. Very well, then.” The beast made wide swipes at each of us, lunging from one pony to the other with very little time for us to react. Eventually Rainbow regained her senses, but the Rover was already charging them. Gilda and Rainbow managed to dive out of the way, but Nova stood there paralyzed.

“Nova! Move!” He would have become a pancake had his sister not pushed him away. Now that I was directly behind him, I noticed that there was a trail of dead grass following the line he had been moving in. There was no doubt that this Terra Rover was killing the plant life.

After barely missing Nova, Rover was slightly dazed from his head-on collision with the canyon wall, and Twilight too the chance to hold him down with a powerful spell. “Wait… is this? Girls! Quick! Grab your Elements! I know this thing, we have to-“

A whip to the face is a good way of cutting off a sentence. This thing was smarter than it looked; it waited until we were all close to Twilight before breaking out of her spell with ease and slamming us all in different directions as well as scattering the Elements on the ground. Nova and Gilda were the only two currently standing, so it jumped in the air and attempted to dive on them.

Nova stayed still again. He was shaking and had his eyes closed, but I saw him thrust his head forward, looking as if he was blowing bubbles. The griffon grabbed him and pulled him away, slapping him in the face to “wake him up”.

“Nova, what are you doing!” She dived away from another attack with Nova in her arms. My friend simply looked down in shame.

“I can’t do it. I can’t pull this off when I really need to, I’m too scared.”

I was surprised that she was able to balance speaking and jumping around for her life. “Well if you don’t start helping us out, we’re all gonna get killed!”

The rest of us were just starting to get up, searching for our scattered Elements. Unfortunately, my Element of Kindness was merely a few feet behind him. I guess he saw me inching toward it, as he began charging me. All I could do was brace myself and stand there with my eyes shut tightly. I waited, but nothing came. As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw that Nova, with Gilda’s help, had the Rover pinned to the ground. It only took a few seconds for them to get kicked off, but it was enough for me to grab my Element. However, he saw me again and attempted to claw at me, but Nova rushed in and pulled me away.

“I’ve got you, Flutters, don’t worry.”

I couldn’t help but smile at him. “You did it, Nova.”

The pegasus merely shook his head. “All I did was hit it… I couldn’t breathe fire again to save my life.”

“Yes you can, Nova, I beli-“

Apparently today was National Interruption Day; Rover apparently didn’t care if someone was talking. I looked at Nova again, as he was still holding me, trying to hug him. “You can, Nova, just try. Think of your friends, think of your sister… think of me.” I’ll be honest, I said the things I did more because I knew they would inspire Nova to at least try again, I honestly had no idea if it would truly work or not.

At least we had time to regain our bearings; Gilda was grappling with the beast, putting all the strength she could muster into keeping it immobile. The others clambered for their Elements, but Gilda was pushed away before all of them could be retrieved, and again the Rover tried to pounce on us. Nova was fast enough to strafe out of the way, but not fast enough to dodge the rush that came after it. I shut my eyes again, but opened them quickly as I felt a sudden burst of heat coupled with a loud, pained howl. The Rover was backing away, the left side of its face terribly burnt.

Everyone, including our foe, froze for a moment. Nova locked eyes with it, but in jumped away, landing atop one of the stone walls it had formed. “A savvy warrior uses all of his tools.” He let out a loud howl, causing the crest on his head to become encased in what looked like hard obsidian, also adding a third horn in the middle. He rushed at Nova who dove out of the way, and the two continued this back and forth pattern until the Rover finally made contact, butting heads with the pegasus. How he wasn’t knocked out by getting hit in the head by such a strong force, I don’t even think he knows. Gilda jumped in behind Nova, grabbing the horns and pushing with him. Their struggle gave us enough time to gather our Elements, and I began to notice little sparks forming around Nova in a way similar to the first time he did that Burning Lance thing. Luckily, such force was no longer needed.

“Send him our way!” Twilight shouted to the pair after all of us were prepared. We all lined up in a semicircle around Rover, and after Nova and Gilda pushed him in our direction, Twilight let loose with a powerful spell that drew power in from all of us. However, it wasn’t just our Elements we saw it taking power from, there was visible magic from Nova drawing toward it too. The light smashed into it head-first, shattering the black stone on its head and sending it backwards.

“Come on, girls, keep it up!” It appeared as if there was some kind of black smoke rising from the Rover’s body, and with each passing second, it grew thicker. Finally it stopped and seemed to dissipate into the air, leaving behind the gleaming, emerald-green body of the Terra Rover. The burn it got from Nova was fully healed, its eyes were now a soft baby blue, and its fur seemed about twenty shades lighter than it was before.

She ran up to the beast and attempted to help him up. “I was right! Kirava, it is you!” We all got ready to run up to her, but she put her hoof up. “Guys, it’s okay. This is Kirava, one of Princess Celestia’s Guardian Beasts.”

Applejack glared at the beast, not blinking for several minutes. “Twilight, are you sure you ain’t gone crazy? A few minutes ago that thing was trying to kill us, and I ain’t never heard of no Guardian Beast things.”

“No, it’s not what you-“

A loud grunt drowned out the unicorn as the beast finally managed to stand itself up. There was something powerful about its voice as it spoke, causing everyone else to fall silent. “Twilight Sparkle? Where… where was I? Why are you here?”

Twilight proceeded to recount the entire story explaining why we were here, where we were going, and what Kirava had done. I noticed now that whenever he stepped on a patch of dead grass, it instantly sprang back to life again. When she was finished, he looked towards the dark storm we had been chasing. “I recognize this power. It is the same that took control of my consciousness. If you are on a quest to stop it, you must hurry; time is not a luxury you can afford.”

Our griffon companion stood and looked him in the eye. “Okay, what do you want us to do? In case you haven’t noticed, not all of us can just jump up and fly there!”

Kirava looked at our group for a moment then shifted his gaze back to the hurricane. “I must go and undo the damage I have cause to the flora. However, to continue alone would be foolish,” he jumped on top of the stone wall that was blocking the path we had come through, and at the same time the wall blocking our way forward began to crumble, “Help me!” He let out a loud how, causing a massive eagle that looked to be made out of trees and grass to fly down and land before us. “This will get you to your destination in a day’s time. Do not doubt it for it is much sturdier than it may look.”

The bird lowered itself to a level that allowed us all to climb on top of its back, but Kirava stopped Twilight and Nova before they could get on. “You must destroy this power before it destroys us,” his gaze shifted to the pegasus, “You hold the power of cleansing flame. That power combined with Twilight’s magic should be enough to expel whatever power is causing this disaster. My friend, I sensed your fear when we first locked eyes as well as sensing it fade away the moment you struck me. Remember this: fear can only stop you if you allow it. If you fill yourself with courage, there will be no place for fear to take root. Go now, and conquer this evil!”

He allowed the two onto the bird and it took off, flying straight into the dark clouds ahead.