Fluttershy was in her peaceful woods, the only place that existed in the whole world, and why should it be any different? There were beautiful flowers, cuddly little animals, and delicious fruit on the trees. Why, she could stay here forever and ever. It was a wonderful and safe place. She had been here as far back as she could remember, and surely always would be, if she could keep her knowlege to the bare minimum. Nothing outside of these woods. Nothing that happened before them, either.
Fluttershy walked to the edge of a river and glanced at her reflection, a pale yellow high school mare's face. She took a drink of water, holding her mane back so that it didn't get wet. As she raised her head, a golden leaf snapped off of a tree high above her, and slowly drifted and fluttered down to land on her nose. She gave a huff and it flew up fast into the air, only to slowly come back down and settle on her nose again. She gave another puff, and the leaf flew up, higher this time, and once again came back down. She gave the hardest huffy puff she could, and it flew up really fast and far, so high up into the sky that she could no longer see it. Fluttershy put her arm over her forehead and looked straight up, but the leaf never came back down. She shrugged and smiled, then gracefully walked among the trees and flowers with her eyes closed, humming a nice tune. She stopped to smell a flower, enchanted with its familiar scent. This was a perfect day really. Why couldn't it always be like this? Wait. What was she asking herself? It WAS always like this!
"Laa la la laa laa." Fluttershy picked an apple off the tree. It was gone in the blink of an eye, yet she was sure she had taken the time to eat all of it, right down to the core, although she couldn't remember what it tasted like. Oh well. Hm? Was that Lucy? The little brown bunny that she had named herself was in the distance, waving to get Fluttershy's attention. She had a stubborn expression on her face, and Fluttershy could tell that she really wanted her to do something important. Fluttershy flew over to her, and she immediately ran away deeper into the woods. "Lucy!" She flew after her, worried that she wouldn't be able to keep up despite how small the bunny was. It took all of her speed to keep Lucy in sight, and when the rabbit disappeared into some thick plants, she landed and followed her. Immediately, she was assaulted by wet vines that stuck to her cheecks and branches that clawed at her, as well as thistles that seemed to grow in number the longer she stood in one place. But she could hear Lucy making noises deeper into the brush, and she had to press on. It took a surprising amount of strength to get through. The plantlife just kept getting thicker and thicker until she felt like she was mining a tunnel that was making a lively attempt at keeping her out, and in fact the holes she made seemed to get filled in behind her right after she got through them.
Finally, Fluttershy made it out. She gasped, and her eyes went wide, for she was no longer in the friendly and safe woods she was used to. She was in the Everfree Forest, where it was dark, and she could hear the monstrous sounds of creatures she'd never encounted and never wanted to coming from directions she couldn't determine, and where the tree branches above were so thick that she could not see the sky. She turned around, but the plantlife she had just gone through was nowhere to be seen, and she repeatedly whirled around in fear, but she could not find Lucy, and every direction looked exactly the same.
"Lucy?" What had meant to be a call came out as barely a whisper, and she was shaking. Why would she lead me here? How am I going to get back home? An owl hooted above her, and even though owl's were relatively safe, normal creatures, she flinched anyway from being so tightly wound. She looked around again, trying to figure out which direction held the least risk for her, when she saw that one of the trees had a door in it. Thank goodness! Any place would be better than here!
Fluttershy immediately ran for the door and went through it. A thick red, velvety curtin was before her, and rather than ask herself why anypony would put a curtin inside of a tree, she pushed her way through it. She came out on a stage in front of hundreds and hundreds of ponies and gave a little gasp. They were all staring at her as if in anticipation, ponies young and old, all either exceptionally beautiful or extremely important looking or both, some with cameras, all eerily staring at her without blinking as though expecting something grand from her. She noticed that she was wearing a dress that looked like ones mares wore hundreds of years ago, yet it had clearly been made recently. With all the ponies staring at her, she felt frozen, and couldn't take a step or open her mouth to say anything. Her lips felt dry, and her tongue felt like it was stuck to the roof.
"I can get through this on my own power."
Fluttershy looked to her left, where behind a curtin on the left was a short stallion that the audience couldn't see. He seemed to be motioning for her to do something, but she just stared blankly.
"Your line. I can get through this on my own power."
Fluttershy turned back to the audience. They were all staring at her, starting to look just a bit upset, waiting for her to say her line. She knew what she had to give them to make them happy, but she was scared from all of those eyes on her. They reminded her of another swarm of eyes which had held a mocking glare. She opened her mouth, but all that came out was a squeak. The audience laughed, an intense blush covered her face, and tears began to grow at the sides of her eyes. She turned around and ran back through the curtin.
"I'm sorry," she whispered as she ran. "I'm so stupid."
The door she had come in through was gone, but there was another door behind the stage and to the right. She ran to it and turned its shiny bronze handle. A big crowd of ponies was in the next room, but they weren't all staring at her. They were standing around and talking amongst themselves or walking about, and were all wearing fancy outfits that made them look rather important. Fluttershy entered the formal party, but felt like she was probably intruding, and wondered if she ought to go back behind the stage. But a couple of waiters with hors d'oeuvres were walking towards her, and she had to get out of their way. Though she thought she was being careful, she bumped into another pony, who told her to watch it. In trying to get out of her way, Fluttershy bumped into somepony else, who also got very angry.
As Fluttershy tried to get through the crowd, she kept bumping into more and more ponies, as hard as she tried to avoid it. She didn't want them to notice her at all, but no matter what she kept getting in their way. She bumped into a young filly to fell to the ground and started crying.
"Stop that!"
"Get away!"
"Get out of here!"
That was exactly what Fluttershy was trying to do. She didn't want to bother anypony, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to get out of the crowd of ponies that kept getting angrier and yelling louder. Finally, she fell down on her flank and a large stallion with a voice strangely like her father's screamed at her, "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Fluttershy stood and ran, forcing herself through the crowd, tears streaming down her face, and went through the first door that she found.
Fluttershy was back in the Everfree Forest, tears blurring her vision. She reached a shaky hoof behind her, too terrified to turn around and look, and as she feared, the door she had just come through was no longer there. The atmosphere of the forest was terribly opressive. Every branch looked as though it reached out to grab and strangle her, the wind was like the icy breath of a deadly maw on the back of her neck, and neither moon nor stars could be seen though the thick leering branches overhead. Fluttershy crumpled up and laid her head in her hooves. "I need help. I can't get out of this alone."
She was unsure of how long she laid like that, but after some time she felt a hoof poke the top of her head, and she looked up in shock.
Rainbow Dash was standing there with a questioning gaze. "Uh, Fluttershy, what are you doing out here?"
"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy stood up and resisted the urge to hug Rainbow, knowing that she wasn't the huggy type. "I somehow got lost in the Everfree Forest! I don't know what to do."
Dash shrugged. "So? Just get out. I can get in and out of the Everfree lickedy split, just like that. What's stopping you?"
"B-but," stammered Fluttershy. I would've thought anypony would need help. But I guess not Rainbow Dash. Maybe not most ponies. Have I been more scared than I ought to be? "I can't get out alone, though. Please, could you help me?"
"Hmph." Rainbow raised an eye and turned, beginning to pace in front of her. "So. You need my help, AGAIN. Once again, you need me to help you out of a jam because you're too weak and pitiful to get through this yourself. All through high school, you've had me give you flying lessons so that you can just barely squeak by come graduation. And now you want me to help you get out of the Everfree Forest." She stopped, and looked Fluttershy in the eye. "What's in it for me?"
"Well," said Fluttershy. "I-I would do anything."
Rainbow grinned, a boyish, self-pleasing grin. "Bow to me."
"I... yes." Fluttershy bowed low, hoping to show as much as respect as possible.
"Lower." She complied. "Now, tell me that you're not as good as me."
"I am not as good as you are," said Fluttershy. There was a massive urge inside her not to say this, but she fought against it.
Rainbow laughed, grabbed her hoof, and yanked her to her feet. "Okay, let's go." She led Fluttershy through the forest, over streams and up ridges, and eventually to a black hole in the ground about four feet in diamater. Rainbow stopped, and Fluttershy looked into it. She couldn't see the bottom, and rather wished that they hadn't stopped here.
"Alright," said Rainbow Dash. "Jump into the hole."
"B-but," stammered Fluttershy.
"Come on! Worst case scenario, you can use your wings to get out, right?"
Fluttershy looked into the hole again. She felt a massive fear grip her heart, and felt like the second she jumped, she would never be able to get out. She didn't like it much here at all in the Everfree, but things could always get worse, and she thought she'd rather stay here than take a chance in hole which she could not see to the end of. Oh, how she wished she was back in the woods with her forest critters to take care of! That was a place she could have stayed forever without fear, or worry for the future.
"Jump!"
"I can't." Fluttershy shook her head.
"Well," said Rainbow with a stern, set expression. "It's a good thing I'm here then, isn't it?" She shoved Fluttershy into the pit, who fell with a scream and a frantic waving of her limbs. She landed on solid ground, and though she wasn't hurt, it sent a sinking feeling into the depths of her stomach. It was too dark to see, wherever she was, but within a few moments, a bright light came on from above. Rainbow Dash had control of a spotlight, and aimed it down on her. Fluttershy was on what appeared to be another stage, this one small and round, surrounded by a modest crowd of ponies. She looked behind her and gasped. Her shadow had eyes, angry red eyes that glared at her, and when her mouth opened in fear, it's mouth opened to show a grin full of sharp teeth.
"What's the matter, Fluttershy!?" called Rainbow Dash from above. "Scared of your own shadow!? You know, that's no excuse not to contribute something to these other ponies here. Do something to make them happy. Catch my drift?"
Fluttershy, after having made what she knew full well was going to be a foolish attempt at getting away from her shadow, gazed around at the crowd of ponies watching her. "What should I do for them?" she asked Rainbow, high above.
"I dunno. Anything!"
Fluttershy swallowed, and tried to begin prancing about, hoping to look somewhat interesting if nothing else, but her shadow grabbed her by the knees and tripped her up, causing her to fall on her face. The crowd laughed at her, and she pulled herself up slowly, scared of what her shadow would do next. She very slowly tried to take a step forward, but her shadow shoved her down from the side, knocking her onto her back. Every time she made a move, her shadow made her look more silly and more clumsy, until the crowd was in an uproar of snideful laughter.
"Stop!" yelled Fluttershy. "It's not my fault! I can't control it! I can't help but look pathetic and foolish even if I try, so just leave me alone already!"
Rainbow Dash snorted. "Yeah right, Fluttershy! I don't believe that for a second! You just want us all to pity you! You ever stop and think that there's a reason why I'm your only friend!?"
"NO! Please, it's my shadow!" Fluttershy turned around, but her shadow looked perfectly normal. No red eyes or evil grin. "But-" She tried to take a step forward, but her panic made her flustered and clumsy, and she tripped and landed on her face just like she had the first time her shadow had grabbed her. The crowd laughed yet again, and Fluttershy wrapped her head in her arms. "I just want to be alone! Where no one can make fun of me!"
"What's that?" Dash flew down to the stage and lifted Fluttershy's head up by her mane. "You want to be alone?" Fluttershy nodded with vigor. "You don't want to stay here with the other ponies?" She shook her head. "Fine!" Rainbow lifted her up with one hoof and reared back. "Then be alone!" She chucked Fluttershy, who was thrown through the air so fast that Rainbow Dash was out of sight within moments. The velocity at which she flew was frightening, worse than any carnival ride, and she thought her heart was going to explode. She closed her eyes.
Fluttershy landed on soft grass, and when she opened her eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief, for she was back in the woods that she loved so dearly. She could live here forever. Although, when she looked around, she did notice that something was different. There were no leaves on the trees, the grass was frosty and it was quite cold. It was wintertime. A cold raindrop landed from the sky onto her back, and Fluttershy looked up. The rain came down fast and hard, causing her to shiver uncontrollably. It was freezing! She got under a tree, and that helped a little, but she wished that the branches still had leaves on them.
"Hey!" Fluttershy looked up, and saw that Rainbow Dash was calling to her from up in the sky. "Sorry to bother you! I'll get right on leaving you alone forever here in a second! Just wanted to set up the weather real nice for ya! I don't know what you're gonna do for food though! It's winter, so all the fruit on the trees is gone! I guess you could snap the neck of one of your little animal friends and cook it over a fire, if anypony else has ever taught you how to build a fire, that is!"
"I need to build a house!" yelled Fluttershy, shaking in the cold. It began hailing, and pieces of ice began rapping against her body painfully.
"No kidding! Guess you'll need some building materials from Ponyvil- oh wait, right, that has ponies in it! Guess you'll make do with some branches, right!? You're so good at taking care of yourself! At least, I hope so, cause if you can't handle being around other ponies OR being alone, you might as well just die! Am I right!?"
A lightning bolt struck a tree not too far away from where Fluttershy was standing, causing her to scream, and she watched it go down in a blaze of fire.
"Well, see you later!"
Rainbow Dash soared off. Fluttershy called after her, but it was no good. She was gone, and Fluttershy was alone forever. The hail was getting bigger, hurting her worse, and the lightning was becoming more common, stricking down trees across the field. It could strike the tree she was under at any moment. She looked around in a complete panic, screaming in pain as a golf ball size piece of hail struck her on the top of her head. If only there was some form of shelter. She kept looking around, and her eyes widened as she saw a small house far into the distance. She began flying for it immediately, soaked, in pain, and terrified. It was a small, wodden, run down building that clearly held no inhabitants.
Fluttershy yanked open the door and flew inside. It was pitch black in the house, and she could no longer hear the rain or the hail. She felt along the wall for a lightswitch, and when she came across it, she flipped it up. The room did not have a single lightbulb in it, yet light came on anyway. The walls were white and completely bare, and in fact the door she had come inside through was not there, nor was the lightswitch she had just turned on. The floor, too, was white and bare, and when she looked up, so was the cieling, which was so high up that it made her feel dizzy to look up at it.
Fluttershy shivered, water dripping from her coat, and though at first she was relieved just to be out of the awful weather, soon a new kind of terror filled her. There was absolutely no way out of this room. She turned around, looking at the plain white wall several feet in front of her, then turned around again, at that wall, which held no markings or handles or anything that one could grab hold of, just like the others. She turned around once again, and could swear that the wall opposite her was closer than it had been last time she looked. Growing more panicked by the second, she kept whirling around, barely able to breathe, her heart hammering in her chest. Every time she turned to look at one of the walls it was closer to her than it had been before until finally when she turned around the wall she looked at was right in front of her face.
Fluttershy stopped moving, barely able to breathe, shaking horribly, small pupils vibrating. Without turning her head, she lifted both of her arms slowly, and reached to the left and right of her. Her arms met wall before they had even been fully extented. Then, without breathing at all, she reached behind her, with the same result. She let her arms fall back at her sides, standing in a two foot square room of nothingness.
Fluttershy crumpled and sobbed into her arms, crying harder than she ever had before. "Please! Please, somepony, anypony, help me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry for every thing that I've ever done wrong! Celestia! Rainbow Dash! Anypony! I can't get out of here on my own! There isn't anything here I can use! And there isn't anypony to help me either! Why!? Why!? I can't do this on my own! I can't get out of here on my own! I can't use anything! I don't have anything! Why is this happening to me!?" She sobbed for a very long time, hopelessness dragging out every tear she had inside of her, until there were none. Finally, she just sat with her head in her arms, breathing slowly. "Okay," was all she said. "Okay."
She looked up, and stared at the wall in front of her. She raised a hoof and pushed against it. Pushed hard against it. And she could swear that it shifted the tiniest bit. Eyes widening, a glimmer of hope inside her, Fluttershy stood and pressed both her hooves againt the wall. Though it did feel like the wall could move, it wouldn't, even though she pushed against it really hard. She stopped for a moment, and the thought that it was impossible to do this crossed her mind, but she angrily threw that thought away. Nothing could be worse than being trapped in her alone forever. She shoved againt the wall with all her might, and slowly, very slowly, it moved. It took all of her strength to keep the wall moving, but she did not stop. She kept both arms on the wall, and took tiny steps forward as she kept the wall sliding forward farther and farther. It took forever, and soon her muscles felt aflame, but she did not stop. She would not stop no matter how long it took, or how hard she had to push. Finally, she pushed the wall farther than it had been originally, and it fell downward into a black void, just as dark as the hole she had been shoved into earlier.
Fluttershy stared out into the intimidating void, which stabbed at her heart with fear. She knew not what about the void casued her to feel fear, but that somehow only made it worse. She did not see how there could possibly be anything out there for her, how she could not be just as trapped out there as she was in here. But there WAS something out there. In the middle of the darkness, there were six little lights in the shape of ponies One of them was a soft yellow, just like her coat, and another had a rainbow striping that reminded her of Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy found that there was something remarkably endearing about the six of them together, and a golden stream of light formed around them, filling her heart with a hope and a want she had never felt before. Getting to that light was only a matter of facing her fear and crossing the void. Her determination and effort had led her this far. All it took was a little more. Fluttershy took a deep breath and a few steps back, then ran and leapt.
She woke up, in her own bed, in her own room, in her house. Above her bed was a window, which a golden light shined through. She sat up, looked out the window, and pushed against it. It opened. She flew out.
Author's Note
My third fanfiction. Thank you for reading.
