EQUESTRIA:

The Everfree Forest; a place, a large piece of land. And yes as its name suggests, it was forest land. Unlike most of Equestria, in the Everfree Forest, the plants grow by themselves, the animals care for themselves, and the weather there changes all by itself. By these descriptions, the Everfree Forest would've seemed like a normal place to humans on Earth, yet it was considered unnatural by the ponies of Equestria, especially the ponies who live in Ponyville right next to the forest. So because of its reputation, most ponies don't go there. Well that and it was filled with all kinds of strange creatures; some considered to be monsters. Like for example, the gigantic Cyclops that was chasing a group of ponies through the forest at the moment and disturbing the peacefulness.

Yes, right now a bunch of ponies were running for their lives from a forty foot, one eyed monster, who seemed to really have it out for them at the moment. But then again, in Equestria's recorded history of Cyclopes, they were always viscous beasts that would attack a pony for just about anything, even if it seemed like nothing at all. This Cyclops was proving not to be the exception as he did stomp after the earth ponies and unicorns on the ground while also swatting at the pegasus and Alicorn flying through the air. Two Pegasi however were not flying in the air, but were on the ground running with the unicorns and earth ponies.

One was a little filly named Scootaloo who through this chase was sticking close to her two friends; an earth pony filly named Applebloom and a unicorn filly named Sweetie Belle who altogether made the trio known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

The other Pegasus on the ground running was an adult mare called Fluttershy who was the spiritual representation Kindness, one of the Elements of Harmony. The other five mares fleeing from the Cyclops made up the rest of the Elements. There was Applejack, the Element of Honesty. She was also the older sister of Applebloom. Then there was the unicorn, Rarity, who represented Generosity. She was also the older sister of Sweetie Belle. Also in the fleeing group was Pinkie Pie, who represented Laughter. But right now she wasn't laughing at all or even in the mood for one of her parties she threw at random. She just wanted to escape the Cyclops so she could live to laugh and party another day. Currently flying in the sky was Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty. Usually she would've out ran the Cyclops by now. For you see, she was the fastest flier in Cloudsdale or Ponyville and possibly all of Equestria. But it was different because all her friends were with, also trying to escape from the rampaging monster. And she absolutely refused to leave them behind and instead stay with them until she knew they were okay and out of harms way. She didn't get her Element for nothing.

Then the last of the representations of the Elements of Harmony was the alicorn flying next to Rainbow Dash. One, Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic. It had been a year since she was transformed into an alicorn and coronated as a princess. Before that she was just a unicorn. But a unicorn with great knowledge magic. She was probably just as good at magic as Rainbow Dash was at flying. That among so many other things is what eventually led to Princess Celestia turning Twilight Sparkle into an alicorn and making her a princess. But at the moment, Twilight Sparkle wasn't thinking about any of that, nor did it really matter, as she and her friends were being pursued by the Cyclops. And it looked like it was gaining on them! Yes, it was at this moment that Twilight Sparkle looked back to see that the Cyclops was slowly, but surely inching ever so closer to the group of ponies that were trying to out run it. Applejack had taken that same moment in time to look back. Her eyes went wide with shock and fear when she saw the Cyclops coming closer.

"Run faster, youngins! That monster's gaining on us!" Applejack said as she tried to hurry her little sister Applebloom and her two friends on ahead.

"You heard Applejack, Sweetie Belle. Run!" Rarity said as she tried to run faster as well.

"Oh my gosh, I hope we make it! I hope we make it! I DON'T THINK WE"LL MAKE IT! We're gonna die! But, I don't wanna die! I never learned to play the violin!" Pinkie Pie shouted out as tears started to fall from her eyes.

Hearing Pinkie Pie, the usually cheerful and smiling Pinkie Pie say this made Fluttershy even more afraid then she was before. And with Fluttershy that's really saying something. What to do? What to do? What to do? Twilight Sparkle had been asking herself in her head ever since the chase began. But she didn't really have the chance to do much as she was busy flying away from the rampaging Cyclops. But then Twilight Sparkle looked at her surroundings which made up the Everfree Forest and got an idea. Twilight took as much concentration off of trying to get away from the Cyclops as she could so she could cast a spell. Her horn began to emit a glowing aura around it which began to spread to the branches of the surrounding trees.

Then the branches began to extend out behind the ponies and in front of the Cyclops and tied themselves together. Each branch got entangled with a branch from a tree on the opposite side of the path, effectively cutting the path off. Or so you would think. When Twilight Sparkle looked back, her expression became a mixture of fear and despair as she saw the Cyclops simply ripping through the branches as if they were nothing. But she didn't have time to grieve about it as the Cyclops was still as determined as ever to catch the group of ponies. Twilight Sparkle tried to think of something else she could do. But at the moment the best thing she could think of was to keep trying to runaway alongside her friends.

Unfortunately it seemed as though the chase was about to come to an abrupt end. The group of ponies let out an joint gasp as the ponies on the ground skid to a stop and the two in the air pulled their wings back so they'd stop moving forward. It turns out the path they had chosen to run on led to a dead end which they had now just come across. The path was blocked by several huge boulders, trees, and bushes.

"You said this was the path we originally took, Rainbow Dash!" said Twilight Sparkle.

"I thought it was! Everything in this place looks the same to me! I'm sorry!" Rainbow Dash responded.

Then, everypony looked back when they heard the bellow of the Cyclops coming up behind them.

"What do we do?!What do we do?! What do we do?! WHAT DO WE DO?!" Pinkie Pie asked frantically as she held her front hooves at the sides of her head.

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash could've flown over the heap of forest debris blocking their path and been safe. But neither of them would ever save themselves and leave their friends behind. It would never happen. So they were all stuck there with a giant one eyed monster rampaging near them.

"We got to do something or else we're monster chow!" Scootaloo cried out as she ran around frantically looking for a way out.

"She's right, Twilight. What are we going to do?" Rarity asked.

Everypony looked to Twilight Sparkle for the answer. Before she had always been the leader by default, but that was enforced even more now that she was an alicorn princess. Twilight Sparkle was thinking really hard of what the group's next move should be. As was evident by the panicked expression on her face. But then finally he expression turned hard and serious as she reached a decision.

"We have no choice. ...We have to take a stand and fight the Cyclops."

Everypony let out a gasp of shock at Twilight's decision.

"Are you crazy?! We can't stand against that thing!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

"That monster's gonna run right through us like bowling pins!" Applejack said, almost in anger.

"We don't have any other choice! Now come on, everypony. We've gotten through near impossible tasks before. We can do it again," said Twilight Sparkle.

But even as she made that statement, even she doubted how long they would really last against the Cyclops. But she wasn't about to tell her friends that. Instead she gave instructions for a strategy.

"Rainbow Dash, you and I will fly around the Cyclops' head and distract him, while at the same time, I'll try to hit him with a few attack spells. Rarity, you use your levitation magic to fling boulders at him, while Applejack assists you with her apple bucking skills. Pinkie Pie, you try whatever you can to bring the Cyclops down as long as it works. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, you girls get as far back as you can from the fight, then duck down, and stay down. Fluttershy..."

Twilight Sparkle saw the yellow colored pegasus shivering in fear as she looked at the approaching Cyclops with an equally fear consumed look, almost as if she were actually about to be scared to death. Probably not someone you'd want going into a fight.

"...you'd better hang back with the kids," Twilight finished.

"Everypony clear on what they need to do?"

They all nodded to Twilight Sparkle before taking their positions. Applejack looked back to make sure Applebloom and the others were far back enough to be safe for the time being. But she wasn't satisfied with what she saw.

"Scoot back a little further, youngins. And stay close together now," Applejack instructed.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders did what Applejack said and ran back until they were only a few feet in front of Fluttershy, who had her flank pushed up against the pile that blocked off the ponies' escape path. She wanted to be as far away from the Cyclops as she possibly could, it terrified her so much. But the Cutie Mark Crusaders were with Fluttershy in terms of feeling sheer terror, up to the point where Sweetie Belle began to cry.

"I'm so scared. I don't wanna die and I don't want any of you to die. But I don't know how were going to get out of this alive!" said Sweetie Belle before her sobbing completely took over.

Applebloom walked up and wrapped one of her front legs around Sweetie Belle's shoulders for a hug.

"Don't worry, Sweetie Belle. It's gonna be alright. We have our sisters and their friends here to protect us, and they wont let us down," said Applebloom.

But even as she tried to comfort Sweetie Belle with her words, she couldn't stop herself from shedding a few tears. For she was just as scared as Sweetie Belle was at the moment.

"Applebloom, that's a giant monster! A monster even bigger then an ursa minor! And it's running at us like an out of control freight train! Face it, Rarity and the others have done several amazing things before. But there's no way they can stop that thing! It's just impossible!" Sweetie Belle began to cry even harder then before.

"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have dragged you two along with me into the Everfree Forest. Then, you wouldn't be in danger right now, and Twilight and the others wouldn't have had to come after us and wouldn't have gotten in trouble either. Now we're all gonna be squashed flat!" Scootaloo cried out before she started tearing up along side her fellow fillies.

Fluttershy quit shuddering in fear when she saw the distress the Cutie Mark Crusaders were feeling at the moment. She began to feel more fear for the little fillies then she had been for herself. She was a full grown mare who had been through several of these situations before. But these was an almost completely new experience for these poor little ones, which made it all the more scary for them. I ought to be ashamed of myself for acting the way I have when these poor kids need somepony, Fluttershy thought to herself. She reached out one of her front hooves towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders and began walking towards them as she started to speak in attempt to comfort the frightened young ones.

But her voice turned into a scream when she heard the bellowing of the Cyclops. It was now only fifteen feet in front of them! Fluttershy hurried backwards, pressing her entire back up against one of the trees that blocked the pathway. As the Cyclops closed in on the group of ponies, Rarity looked to see Pinkie Pie trying to pull a huge log out onto the path in front of the Cyclops. Rarity immediately picked up on what Pinkie Pie's plan was and used a levitating spell emitted through her horn to help lift the log and pull it out all the way onto the path.

"Thanks for the assist, Rarity! Remind me to give you big hug and kiss if we survive," said Pinkie Pie before she started to run back to the group. Twilight Sparkle took over the levitation spell and lifted the log a few feet off the ground just as the Cyclops was coming up on it. The result was the Cyclops' leg colliding with the log, which made the Cyclops trip over the log and caused it to start falling forward.

"Scatter!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she started to fly upward.

All the rest of the ponies ran away from the falling monster. The one eyed beast hit the ground with a loud thud and hard impact that shook the ground somewhat. Rarity took advantage of the Cyclops' current state and used her magic to bring some boulders up around her and her friends. Then she used her magic to start launching them at the Cyclops' face. Applejack did as she was instructed to before and came up alongside Rarity and turned her back to the Cyclops to start bucking some of the boulders. The Cyclops was down for long though as it started pushing itself up off the ground and back up to its feet. But before it could get all the way back up, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle began flying around the Cyclops' head. The one eyed giant was taken aback by the little creatures flying past his line of vision so fast that they almost looked like nothing bu streaks of color. And it seemed like they were getting a little faster each time they flew by.

This dazed the Cyclops only for a moment before he shook it off and looked around him to see the ponies weren't just flying past his face, but around his entire head. The Cyclops lifted one of his hands up and started swinging out around him to try and swat Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash away. But he kept missing them. "Whoa!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she stopped her forward momentum just as the Cyclops' hand swung down right in front of her. Rainbow Dash didn't waste any words, instead flying up and over the hand and then continued course around the Cyclops' head.

Surprisingly, Twilight's tactics were more aggressive. Whenever she had the chance, Twilight would launch bolts of magical energy out of her horn and at the swinging hand. Twilight Sparkle had just recently learned these type of attack spells from reading training manuals for unicorn members of the Royal Guard and she was putting them to use. It seemed to be working since every time a bolt of energy made contact with the Cyclops, it would let out a bellow of pain. The spells seemed to do even more harm to the Cyclops then the boulders Rarity and Applejack were continuously launched at the monster.

"Keep it up, Twilight! You're giving him a good whooping! Just don't let up! Ya hear?" Applejack shouted to the flying princess.

The Cyclops let out an annoyed bellow. It was tired of the ponies' assault and wanted to end it no matter what. It let out one more rage bellow before it started swinging both its arms at the air around him. This made even more difficult for Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash to fly then it was before. In fact, all the arm swinging began to cause a bunch of air turbulence that disrupted Twilight and Rainbow Dash's flight pattern and sent them spinning out of control in different directions.

The Cyclops spotted Rainbow Dash spinning up in the air and took the opportunity to swing its fist down upon the helpless pony. When the Cyclops' fist hit Rainbow Dash, the force of the blow sent her flying towards the ground. But ten feet before Rainbow Dash could crash into the solid ground, Pinkie Pie jumped up and caught her. The two ponies landed hard and skidded across the ground before coming to a stop. The two ponies moaned for a moment as they slowly started moving their limbs around, trying to see if they could get up or if they could move at all. While neither could summon the strength to get up, it seemed as though nothing was really broken, despite both mares' complete body pain. Despite her aching, Rainbow Dash made the effort to gently drape one of her front legs across Pinkie Pie for as close to a hug as she could do for the moment.

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie. If it weren't for you catching me and preventing the crash, it probably would've killed me," Rainbow Dash said in a very weak voice.

"That's what friends are for," Pinkie Pie replied in an equally weak voice.

But she managed one of her big, old, Pinkie smiles, which gave Rainbow Dash the incentive to smile back.

Meanwhile, as that was going on, Twilight Sparkle had managed to stop her spinning around and tried to recover from the dizziness that came with spinning around several times through the air. But she didn't have time to completely recover, as the shadow of the Cyclops fell over her. Twilight Sparkle turned towards the shadow's source and only had time to gasp in shock and fear when she saw the back of the Cyclops' hand flying down towards her. When the giant hand struck against her body, it sent Twilight hurtling towards the ground. Poor Twilight hit the ground and was sent bouncing back up a little before falling back down and skidding across the ground.

"Twilight!" Applejack screamed as she saw all of what happened to her friend.

"Go see to her, Applejack! I'll keep this horrid monster busy!" Rarity said urgently.

Applejack nodded before she bucked her last boulder at the Cyclops and ran towards the fallen princess. When she got there, Applejack turned Twilight Sparkle over onto her back to examine her.

"Twilight? Twilight, can you hear me? Are you alright, sugarcube? Twilight... Are you going to be okay?"

Applejack began to tear up when she couldn't get a response from her fallen friend. But then Applejack heard low groans being made by Twilight and raised her head a little and ceased crying to look at her moaning friend. A hopeful, yet still somewhat sad smile came across Applejack's face when she saw Twilight Sparkle moving around a little.

"Twilight! Thank Celestia, you're all right!" cheered Applejack.

"Ow... I wouldn't say I'm really all right, but at least I'm still breathing," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Yeah, I'm mighty happy about that too, sugarcube. Do you think you can stand up?" said Applejack.

"I don't know," Twilight Sparkle replied.

She slowly rolled onto her chest and gingerly tried to push herself up straight. She managed to get her front legs up straight, but her lower legs were trembling really bad when Twilight Sparkle tried pushing them up. They were about halfway when they gave out and Twilight Sparkle started to fall. Applejack reached out and caught her before she could fall all the way back to the ground.

"Easy there, Princess Twilight. That was a nasty fall you took," said Applejack as she supported Twilight's body.

"I know, but I can't stay down. All of your lives are still in danger and I'm the only one who has the power to stop the Cyclops," said Twilight Sparkle.

"That may be, but you're hurt right now. Too hurt in fact to fight. Listen here, Twilight, just follow me off to the side. We'll sit you down so you can rest a little while me and Rarity handle the Cyclops," said Applejack.

She started herding Twilight off to the side like she said and got her situated on a rock to sit on.

"But you ponies are gonna need me. Are you sure you and Rarity can keep the Cyclops at bay?"

"Twilight, don't worry. I promise you, we'll hold out until the end."

Applejack started to gallop back to help Rarity.

"Hey, Applejack," Twilight Sparkle called. The orange colored pony looked back and waited for Twilight to finish.

"I have faith in you two. You can do it."

Twilight had a weak, little smile on her face. Applejack looked at Twilight with a smile on her face.

"Thanks, Twi. I really appreciate it."

And with that, Applejack ran up and bucked a boulder at the lower right leg of the Cyclops. In response, the Cyclops swung his hand down to try and squash both Applejack and Rarity. The two ponies saw this and ran away to avoid the falling hand. They may not have had the hand fall on them, but they felt the ground shake from its collision with said ground. Applejack and Rarity stopped running and looked back to see the Cyclops stomp one of its feet forward.

"It doesn't appear that we're slowing it down at all," said Rarity.

"I know Rarity, but we have to keep tryin'. Our sisters and our friends are depending on it," said Applejack.

But before the two ponies could do anything else, the Cyclops' foot came crashing down in front of them. The ground shook and cracked up from the impact of the monster's mighty foot. This sent the two mares flying away and crashing into the sides of two separate trees. After the collision, Applejack and Rarity slumped to the ground. With Rainbow Dash out and Pinkie Pie looking after her on one side, and Twilight recovering while Applejack and Rarity are down on the other side, there was nothing left to keep the Cyclops from preying upon the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The three little fillies realized this and began to cry and scream for help.

"Help us! Somepony, help us!" Sweetie Belle screamed out.

"Please! Please! Please! We don't wanna die! Help!" Applebloom added on.

"Can anypony hear us?! Heeeeelp!" Scootaloo shouted.

Fluttershy opened her eyes and saw that her friends were all down and the Cyclops was now closing in on Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. All of who were huddled close together as they cried in fear of the one eyed monster. Oh no! The Cyclops has them cornered and it's gonna hurt them if somepony doesn't do something, Fluttershy thought. She looked around again and reaffirmed that all the other ponies were all hurt and couldn't do anything at the moment. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash both tried to get up and help.

But, Fluttershy could tell by how frailly they moved that they wouldn't be able to do anything to help. It has to be me, Fluttershy realized. I'm the only pony still standing. And to that extent, the only pony who can do something to help those poor fillies. Fluttershy took in a few deep breaths and let them back out. Then Fluttershy pulled herself away from the debris pile that kept the ponies boxed in with the Cyclops. She rubbed her right front hoof back against the ground a few times. And then Fluttershy finally started running to aid the Cutie Mark Crusaders just as the Cyclops got down on one knee and lowered its head towards the scared little fillies.

"Hold on, girls, I'm comi-"

Fluttershy was cut off by the Cyclops' hand crashing down several feet in front of her as the Cyclops let out a bellowing roar. Fluttershy skidded to a stop and let out a terrified scream and then dropped down to the ground and put her front hooves over her head as she trembled. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were trembling as well and waited for the Cyclops to bring them their end. The three found that none of them were able to run, for they were paralyzed with fear. But, even if they could run, where would they run to? The Cyclops was completely blocking their only way out. The Cyclops opened its mouth and brought its head down even further, apparently in an attempt to devour the little ponies. The Cutie Mark Crusaders began to scream, as it seemed they were doomed. But they opened their eyes when they thought they heard the Cyclops actually cry out in pain. What they saw was Twilight Sparkle shooting energy bolts from her horn into the side of the Cyclops' head.

"Get back, girls!" Twilight called out to the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Hey, big cyclopsy monster thing!" Pinkie Pie called out from the other side of the Cyclops.

When the one eyed giant looked over, it saw a smiling Pinkie Pie holding her party canon in front of her.

"Here's confetti in your eye!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed before she shot off her canon and sent a bunch of confetti and party streamers flying out.

The Cyclops sprung back up to its feet as it started rubbing the top of its hands into its eye to try and wipe out the party decorations in said eye. Rainbow Dash in the mean time seemed to recover just enough to start flying again. Twilight Sparkle fired off several beams of destructive magic into the Cyclops' legs, making it scream in pain while Rainbow Dash grabbed a giant rock and flew upward. Rainbow Dash strained to keep the rock above her head due to the combined factors of the weight of the rock and her pain from being struck down by the monster earlier. But Rainbow Dash hung in there just long enough to get above the Cyclops' head. Then the straining pegasus let the rock roll out of her hooves and fall onto the top of the Cyclops' cranium.

The collision of stone and head made what sounded like an echoing cracking sound. After the rock rolled off the Cyclops' head, the Cyclops started walking or stumbling around in random directions. It almost reminded Rainbow Dash of how Derpy Hooves would walk or fly around sometimes. Twilight Sparkle tried to keep up the assault by using her magic to pick up a fallen tree. It was hard at first, but then suddenly made easier. Twilight Sparkle found out why when Rarity walked up next to her, horn glowing as bright as Twilight's. The two mares gave each other confident smiles before they proceeded to use their magic and lift the tree up above the Cyclops' head.

"One, two, three!" Rarity and Twilight Sparkle counted together before cutting off their magic and letting the tree fall and break over the Cyclops' head.

This time, the Cyclops didn't stumble around. He just began to fall forward.

"Timber!" Rainbow Dash called out.

All the ponies on the ground scattered so as not to be squashed by the collapsing bulk that was the Cyclops. The ground shook aggressively from the impact made when Cyclops met ground. It was made very hard for the ponies to stay on their hooves throughout the makeshift earthquake. But when it was over, all the ponies gathered themselves together and examined the fallen monster. that is, until Rainbow Dash interjected.

"Well, don't just stand there looking at it like a museum statue! Run for it!"

Rarity picked up Sweetie Belle onto her back, while a mostly recovered Applejack did the same with Applebloom, and finally, Rainbow Dash did the same with Scootaloo. Everypony started running past the fallen form of the Cyclops to get away. That is, everypony except for Twilight Sparkle when she realized they were a pony short. She looked back to see that Fluttershy was still huddled down to the ground with her front hooves over her head, and still trembling. Twilight Sparkle ran back towards her frightened friend and placed a hoof on her shoulder. Fluttershy let out a tiny squeak of surprise and fear. But then she saw that the Cyclops had fallen.

"It's okay, Fluttershy. The Cyclops has been beaten and everypony else is getting away just fine. Now let's hurry and catch up to them," Twilight said in a somewhat motherly tone.

Fluttershy stared at the Cyclops for a little bit before she looked at Twilight, nodded her head, and said, "O- okay, Twilight."

"Great, let's go," said Twilight before she started flying after the other ponies.

Fluttershy started to fly after her, only the way she was flying, it seemed like she wasn't in any rush. But that was usually how she flew when she decided to fly at all. Gentle and careful. Nothing at all like how Rainbow Dash would fly. She did speed up a little though when she heard the Cyclops start to moan a little as she passed by it. Fluttershy saw the others way out in front of her, hurrying to get out of the Everfree Forest and as far from the Cyclops as possible. But she was in no rush to catch up with them. She didn't want them to see the guilty and sorrowful look on her face.

I can't believe what I just let happen back there. Those poor girls needed my help and what do I do? I let my fear stop me from even attempting to lift a hoof to help anypony at all. The girls could've been killed because I let my fear get the best of me. Some help I turned out to be. The thoughts running through Fluttershy's head brought tears to her eyes. Something else she didn't want the other ponies to see. So she hung back from the group until the point where they finally found the right path out of the Everfree Forest and back to their hometown, Ponyville.

Once all the ponies were finally out of the Everfree Forest and just on the outskirts of Ponyville, everypony took a moment to stop and catch their breath. Up to this point, they hadn't stopped running. Once they had taken the Cyclops down, they hauled flank as fast as they could to get away from the monster, and get out of the forest before they could run into anymore.

"We... We made it! ...I can't believe we actually got away from that thing," said Applebloom in between breaths.

"I know, right. I was so scared. I thought we were going to die. But we didn't die. We beat that one eyed, monster , thingy. And we got away! Now we'll live to party and play another day! Woo!" Pinkie Pie babbled.

"Uh...yeah. What was that thing?" said Scootaloo.

"It was a Cyclops," said Twilight Sparkle.

"I thought Cyclopes were extinct," said Applejack.

"Apparently not, seeing as how we were just chased and almost killed by one!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Chill out, Rarity. We got away, didn't we?" said Rainbow Dash.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Rarity replied.

"Yeah, so don't worry. Nothing to fuss about," said Rainbow Dash.

"Actually, Rainbow Dash, it kind of is," said Twilight Sparkle.

"What do you mean, Twilight?" Rarity inquired.

"Well, it was believed for decades that all Cyclopes had vanished from Equestria; that they were all dead. But finding one alive! Do you know what this means? A whole species, once thought gone, its revealed continued existence into the modern world leaving us to wonder several possibilities! Is it the only one of its kind still alive, or are there more waiting to reveal themselves? Are they all like that first one, or do they all have different personalities? Does this mean other species believed to be extinct could still be around? Oh, I just have to make a report of this for Princess Celestia!" Twilight exclaimed loudly.

"Uh, you mean, after we get ourselves checked out at the hospital, right? Don't get me wrong, Twi, everything you said sounds amazing and all. But returning species or not, that Cyclops whooped us, but good," said Applejack.

"Applejack is right, Twilight. Even if we feel all right; after an encounter such as we had with that one eyed monster, we really should be looked at by a medical professional," Rarity added.

Twilight nodded her head as she said, "You're right. I- We should all get looked at by a doctor."

"We should count our blessings. You know, as bad as that showdown with the Cyclops could've gone, we should really count our blessings. I mean it, that could've been worse, guys," said Rainbow Dash.

Then she added, "A lot worse."

"You said it, Rainbow Dash. I was so scared," said Applebloom.

"Yeah, I really thought our number was up," said Scootaloo.

"But thanks to all of you, we're safe," said Sweetie Belle.

"Seriously, if it wasn't for you..." Scootaloo started.

"We'd be history!" Applebloom finished.

"Thanks for saving us, everypony," said Sweetie Belle to the mane six.

"Yeah, thanks y'all!" Applebloom added on.

"Thank you all so, so, so, so much!" Scootaloo finished.

"Well of course we saved you, youngins. That's what the six of us as the Elements of Harmony and two..."

Applejack stopped and looked over at Rainbow Dash.

"I mean, three of us as your big sisters do. We're always gonna be there to help you out in a jam."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders all smiled up at Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, all of who stood directly in front of them. But their smiles faded when they saw looks of anger spread across their older sisters' faces.

"But, maybe you wanna tell us just why the hay we had to go chasing after your little flanks through the Everfree Forest to save you this time?!' exclaimed Applejack.

"Really, Sweetie Belle, what were you thinking?! You could have been killed! If not by the Cyclops, then sure enough by one of the other horrible monsters lurking within the Everfree Forest!" Rarity scolded.

"What in tarnation could've possibly of gotten into your little filly heads to get you to go into the forest?!" asked Applejack.

The three little ponies looked away in shame, unable to face their sisters. It was Scootaloo who looked back to the three mares and finally stepped forward to spill the beans and face the music.

"It was my fault we went into the forest and ran into trouble, Applejack. It was my idea to go and I talked Applebloom and Sweetie Belle into it," said Scootaloo.

"Scootaloo, why would you do all that?!" asked Rainbow Dash scoldingly.

Scootaloo looked away to hide the tears coming out of her eyes.

"Well... I... I... I was trying to get us our-"

"Your cutie marks," said Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity all at the same time.

"Your cutie marks in what? Suicide?!" asked Rainbow Dash.

"We were trying to get...explorer cutie marks. Like Daring Do," said Scootaloo.

"First of all, Daring Do is a fictional character. She's not real," said Rarity.

"Secondly, you ought to know by now that the Everfree Forest is no place for youngins! It is the most dangerous place in Equestia with the most dangerous of creatures!" said Applejack.

"Indeed, you will never find a monster more dangerous than those in the EverFree Forest. I can't believe you'd put your lives on the line just for cutie marks. I must say, I'm very upset with the three of you. Especially you, Sweetie Belle," said Rarity.

"We're sorry," the three fillies said as they looked up at the adult ponies.

"Not as sorry as you're going to be when I tell Granny Smith about this, Applebloom," said Applejack.

"The same goes for you when I tell Mother and Father about this, Sweetie Belle," said Rarity.

"Aaaawwww," said Applebloom and Sweetie Belle at the same time.

"Twilight, did you want to add anything?" asked Applejack as she looked to the alicorn princess. But she shook her head in response.

"No, this is something that should be discussed amongst their family superiors," said Twilight Sparkle.

"If you say so. Pinkie Pie, how about you?" asked Rarity.

"If there are things with only one eye, do you think there are any with only one leg, or one arm, or maybe even one nostril?" asked Pinkie Pie.

She didn't wait for a reply. She just walked off and started discussing the possibility amongst herself.

"Ooooookay. On that note, I reckon we'd better get back home. Come on now, Applebloom," said Applejack.

The young pony did as her big sister said and trotted up alongside her. As they walked away, they could still hear Applejack chewing her little sister out.

"Don't forget to drop by the hospital later, Applejack!" Twilight called to the orange mare.

"I wont! See ya soon, Twilight!" Applejack called back.

"I hope you remember to do the same, Rarity. I want you to be absolutely sure that you're okay," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Don't worry, Twilight. I have every intention of making sure I'm completely healthy. We'd better start along back home too, Sweetie Belle. We have much to discuss with Mommy and Daddy. Come along," said Rarity.

Sweetie Belle trotted up to her sister's side with her head hung in shame. As the two unicorns walked away, Rarity could still be heard scolding her sister just like Applejack had been doing to Applebloom. Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow Dash, who has a stern look on her face.

"Well, Rainbow Dash...are you going to chew me out like Applejack and Rarity did to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle?" asked the orange filly.

"No. That's a job for your mother and your father, neither of which I am. So no, I wont give you a long winded talking to like I'm some sort of authority figure. All I will say is that you did something no pony's ever been able to really do," said Rainbow Dash.

"Huh? What's that?" asked Scootaloo.

"You scared me," said Rainbow Dash.

"Huh? Wha...? I scared you? How?" asked Scootaloo.

"By going into the forest. I was scared today because with all the dangers in the Everfree Forest I was afraid...I was gonna lose my little sister," said Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo's eyes widened as tears began to form.

"I thought I might lose you, Scoots. ...And I just got you as my new little sister," said Rainbow Dash as she reached out one of her wings and pulled Scootaloo closer to her.

"I don't wanna lose you as soon as I got you, Scootaloo. And I hope I never do. Ever," said Rainbow Dash as she smiled down at the orange filly.

Scootaloo wiped a tear away as she looked up at her surrogate big sister, Rainbow Dash and smiled back.

"I hope I never lose you too, Rainbow Dash. I... I love you," said Scootaloo.

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened with shock. She was not expecting that and was taken aback by it. But she quickly came to her senses and her smile returned.

"I love you too, Scoots."

The two pegasi embraced in a sisterly hug while Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy watched from the side with smiles on their faces.

"Come on. I'll walk you home before I have to go to the hospital," said Rainbow Dash.

"Okay, sis," said Scootaloo. And with that, the two walked away.

"Well, I'm off to the hospital. I'll see you all later. Goodbye," said Twilight.

"Wait a minute, I'm heading that way too. I'll walk with ya," said Pinkie Pie.

She then hopped up alongside Twilight. "Okay, Pinkie Pie, glad to have a pal like you tag along," said Twilight.

"Yeah, same to you too, Twilight. And once we're done at the hospital, we can head over to my place for my party!" said Pinkie Pie excitedly.

Twilight looked at her friend in confusion.

"You're throwing a party?"

"Yeah, to celebrate our not being eaten by the big, cyclopsey monster!"

Twilight Sparkle just shook her head in amusement with a smile on her face.

"Oh, Pinkie. You're such a party animal. But that's one of the reasons I love you. You're always looking for a reason to have a good time and throw a party."

"Between you and me; sometimes I don't even have a reason. I just throw a party!"

The two friends shared a laugh. But Twilight's was cut short when she noticed that Fluttershy hadn't moved from her place. She then realized that Fluttershy had not interacted with, or spoke to any of the other ponies since they got back from the Everfree Forest. Twilight also saw the sad look on Fluttershy's face. It also seemed like she was about to bust out in tears.

"You go on ahead, Pinkie Pie. I'll catch up with you," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Okey dokey lokey!" said Pinkie Pie as she saluted.

Then she walked away while Twilight Sparkle approached her troubled pegasus friend.

"Hey, Fluttershy, are you okay?"

Twilight's words startled Fluttershy and snapped her back to reality, letting out a small squeak.

"What? What? ...Oh, hi, Twilight," said Fluttershy.

"Hi. Say, are you alright, Fluttershy?" asked Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh... Um... Of course I'm alright, Twilight. W-w-why do you ask?" said Fluttershy.

"Well, you've been so quiet ever since we got back. I was starting to get a little concerned," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh, you have no need to be concerned, Twilight Sparkle. Though it is appreciated. All I need now is to just go home and rest. A big chase will do that, you know," said Fluttershy.

Though she had a smile on her face, Twilight could tell it was fake. But she could also tell that Fluttershy didn't really want to talk about what was bothering her. So Twilight Sparkle decided to leave it at that and let Fluttershy be on her way.

"Okay, but remember, if you need to talk about anything, just come to me," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Okay. Thank you, Twilight. Bye, bye now," said Fluttershy.

"Goodbye, Fluttershy," said Twilight Sparkle before she walked away to catch up with Pinkie Pie.

Fluttershy waved to Twilight as she walked away, still with the phony smile on her face until the purple alicorn was out of sight. Then Fluttershy's face turned into a sad frown as she let out a sigh. As she began walking towards the cottage where she lived, Fluttershy couldn't help but think of how she reacted when Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were in trouble and needed her help against the Cyclops. And the more she thought about it, the guiltier she felt. They were about to be killed by that monster and she just cried in fear and hid her face under her hooves so she wouldn't have to face the pending death in front of her.

Controlling her fear was something Fluttershy has struggled with all her life, especially after becoming one of the Elements of Harmony. The struggle has gone back and forth several times, with neither side really gaining any ground over the other. Sometimes Fluttershy was able to find enough courage to act when it counted and other times her fears got the best of her. Unfortunately this was one of those times where her fear won out and made her unable to assist in anyway. This time was particularly upsetting for Fluttershy because the ponies that needed her were three little kids and not just three random kids either. These were three fillies she knew personally, who were little sisters to some of her closest friends, and three fillies she cared for deeply, even to the point where they've slept over at her house a few different times. But when it came time to show how much they meant to her and to save them from danger, Fluttershy's immense fear kept her from doing so.

She could still remember the terrible sight of the Cyclops. It was huge. Forty feet of terror, it had tan skin, was very big around the waist, it had very few teeth, but the ones it did have were yellow and razor sharp. It had long black finger nails and toe nails and wore a loincloth. To top it off, the Cyclops' single yellow eye was very unsettling, looking almost like it was following you whichever direction you moved. The sight of a beast that big, that hideous, and had the intention of devouring all the ponies it was chasing had all been too much fear for Fluttershy to overcome this time. And she recognized this. But it made her feel all the more upset with herself.

Fluttershy soon found herself walking over the bridge that led to her cottage, soon followed by her opening the front door and walking inside. Waiting for Fluttershy inside was the many, many animals she kept and cared for. When they saw her come in, the animals all began celebrating in their own ways. The rabbits hopped around in joy with big smiles on their faces, the rats squeaked in cheer, the birds chirped a song of happiness, and so on and so forth. But then they all stopped and stared when they noticed the sad look on their caretaker's face. They watched with concern as Fluttershy slumped over to her couch and let out a sigh plopping down on it.

The rabbit Fluttershy named Angel hopped over and onto the couch and placed a paw on the side of Fluttershy's head and made a few rabbit honking noises to try to get her attention. Fluttershy unburied her face from within the couch cushions and looked to her little pet rabbit.

"Oh hi, Angel. Mama's sorry she was gone so long. I just had to help my friends with something."

The sad frown on Fluttershy's face grew bigger after she let out a sigh.

"But, I didn't help them. I didn't help them at all."

Concerned for his caretaker, the look on his face matching his feelings, Angel honked again, this time asking Fluttershy if she was okay.

"Oh yes, Angel. I'll be just fine," said Fluttershy as she worked up a smile.

One of the main attributes that came with her talent of caring for animals was being able to understand animals' emotions, body reactions, and even the sounds they make, allowing for her to communicate with them. But this was a two way street, meaning the animals could also understand what she was saying and read her emotions and body reactions. And it was because of all this (and the fact that Fluttershy wasn't a very good liar) that Angel could tell Fluttershy was lying. And due to Angel's stubborn nature, he continued honking, this time demanding the truth.

Fluttershy's fake smile faded back into her real frown.

"Today when I was suppose to help some of my friends rescue their sisters, I wasn't any help at all. If anything, I was more of a burden. But then...I guess most often I am nothing but a burden to my friends when they need me in bad situations," said Fluttershy as tears began streaming out of her eyes and down her face.

"Being one of the Elements of Harmony demands a lot from a pony. ...And I don't know if I'm brave enough to do everything expected. Sometimes I wish my Element had gone to a pony that wasn't so timid of everything around her and wouldn't let her friends down. Sometimes I wish...it wasn't me who got it."

Fluttershy began to sob as the tears flowed out of her eyes more profusely. She laid her head on one of the throw pillows on her couch as her sobbing continued. Tears began to fall from Angel's eyes as well as he tried snuggling up to Fluttershy. He may be a little hard to deal with sometimes, but Angel did really care about Fluttershy. She took notice of Angel's snuggling and manged to stop her sobbing and sat herself up right and scooped up Angel in her front legs, using them as a human would use their arms so she could cradle him.

"Oh, Angel, you're so sweet. It'll all be okay. Today just didn't turn out to be a very good day. Eventually I'll get over these bad feelings I'm having," said Fluttershy.

But even as she said those last few words, deep down she wasn't really sure. While she managed to stop crying, Fluttershy still had a sad smile on her face. Although she felt lucky to smile at all in this moment. Part of the reason Fluttershy realized, she was able to smile was the compassion Angel was showing her at the moment. Fluttershy gently laid herself down across the couch, holding Angel on her abdomen as she laid back. The two of them laid there until they both slowly drifted off to sleep.

2 HOURS LATER:

Fluttershy was awoken by a crash at her door. The crash startled both Fluttershy and Angel, Fluttershy letting out a small squeak of fear and Angel springing up onto the ceiling. Fluttershy had to catch her breath, the crash scared her so. Then she remembered that Angel had been laying down with her when it happened. She frantically looked around for her little bunny rabbit.

"Angel?! Angel?! Angel, where are you?! Are you all right?!" Fluttershy called out as she threw her throw pillows and cushions off her couch looking for her pet.

She heard him honking from the top of the ceiling. Fluttershy looked up and gasped when she saw her little bunny barely holding on. He ended up losing his grip and falling. Fluttershy let out s small scream as she flew up to catch her falling Angel. She reached out her front legs, caught Angel, and hugged him close to her.

"Oh, Angel, you poor baby. Are you okay?" said Fluttershy as she snuggled the side of her face against Angel's.

Once the snuggling ceased, the little white rabbit gave his caretaker a reassuring smile, which she responded to with a smile of her own. Suddenly a bunch of knocks came at the front door. First Fluttershy and Angel looked towards the door as Fluttershy lowered herself to the ground. Then they looked at each other, then back to the door as more knocks came. Fluttershy set Angel down and went to the door.

She opened it to find the gray pegasus named Derpy Hooves, one of her front hooves raised as she tried knocking on the door again. But she ended up knocking on Fluttershy's head instead. But she quickly stopped when she realized the door was open and Fluttershy was right there.

"Oops! ...Sorry, Fluttershy," said Derpy.

"Oh, it's okay, Derpy," said Fluttershy as she rubbed the top of her head. "How may I help you?" she asked the odd pegasus.

"Oh... Um... Oh yeah! Rarity asked me to come by and let you know that she still plans on meeting you at the spa at the usual time," said Derpy.

Fluttershy's eyes opened wide with surprise.

"Oh yeah, that's right. Today was suppose to be the day that we would meet. The whole saving the girls from the Cyclops thing made me completely forget. I would've thought Rarity would cancel because she was getting checked out at the hospital," said Fluttershy.

"Yeah, she said that she got completely checked out and is completely healthy. And now she wants to meet up like the two of you usually do. I would've been here an hour ago. Buuuuuut...I went an hour in the wrong direction," said Derpy.

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at Derpy Hooves.

"I just don't know what went wrong," said Derpy with a big goofy smile on her face.

"But anyways, it sounds like you and Rarity are gonna have great fun. I wish I had close friends like that." said Derpy.

"Yeah... Well...thanks for telling me, Derpy," said Fluttershy.

"You're welcome, Fluttershy. I hope you and Rarity have fun at the spa," said Derpy as she started to fly upward.

Unfortunately, she ended up colliding with the branches of a tree hanging overhead. She managed to break through them, but one of the branches landed in front of Fluttershy's doorway.

"Oops! My bad," said Derpy.

She quickly flew down and grabbed the branch and dragged it out of Fluttershy's doorway and off the path.

"Sorry, Fluttershy," said Derpy before she flew away.

With a smile on her face and a giggle in her voice, Fluttershy watched the strange pegasus as she flew away. Rainbow Dash had always thought Derpy Hooves was nothing more than a goof, but Fluttershy often enjoyed the gray pegasus's quirkiness. She found Derpy Hooves to be...amusing. Fluttershy quickly walked over to Angel and kissed him on the top of his head.

"I've gotta go meet Rarity now. But I'll be back in a little while. Okay, Angel?" said Fluttershy.

The little bunny nodded before hopping away to mingle amongst the other animals. And then after that, Fluttershy was out the door. She walked along the path that took from her doorway, over a small natural bridge formed over a creek, to a stone, pony made bridge that was built over a small river. She then walked over the bridge and continued on the path, which eventually led her into the busy streets of Ponyville. Ponies walked all around her, either going to the many stands to buy assorted items, or walking into the stores and restaurants to do the same, or some just walking along as they talk with a companion or two. Yes, Ponyville was a lively place. There was almost never a dull moment in the small town.

The sounds and busy streets use to somewhat scare Fluttershy, but now she didn't mind them much at all. Thanks in no small part to the encouragement from her friends that along with her made up the Elements of Harmony. As Fluttershy walked along, taking note of all that was going on around her, she looked ahead to see Applejack's older brother, Big Macintosh walking in her direction, pulling a big wagon full of supplies. Fluttershy greeted Big Mac with a sweet smile, to which he responded in kind.

"Hello, Big Macintosh. Were you just out shopping for supplies for Sweet Apple Acres?" said Fluttershy in a voice sweet enough to match her smile.

"Eeyup," Big Mac quickly replied.

"So, I guess you're heading back that way now?" asked Fluttershy.

"Eeyup," replied Big Mac.

"Oh, then I won't hold you up," said Fluttershy as she moved to let Big Mac by.

"It's no hold up to talk to a friendly face," said Big Mac as he smiled.

Fluttershy responded with a shy smile of her own.

"Well, I'll see you later, Big Mac," said Fluttershy.

"Eeyup. Same here, Fluttershy," said Big Mac.

Then he proceeded on his way back home. Fluttershy watched him go for a little bit before she hurried along her way towards the spa. When she got there, she found Rarity was already there, reading a magazine as she waited in a seat. When Rarity heard the door open, she looked away from her magazine and smiled when she saw her pegasus friend walk in.

"Hello, Fluttershy, how are you this afternoon?" asked Rarity.

"Oh, I'm just fine, Rarity, thanks for asking. How about you?" asked Fluttershy.

"I'm doing marvelous, darling. Simply marvelous. Though, I must admit, I'm a little surprised," said Rarity.

"Surprised?" asked Fluttershy.

"Why, yes. Usually I'm the one who's late getting here," said Rarity in a joking way.

Fluttershy face turned into a somewhat upset look.

"I'm sorry I was late," said Fluttershy.

"No, no, Fluttershy darling. I was joking. Just a joke," said Rarity as she hugged her friend.

"I know," said Fluttershy.

Rarity looked at the cream colored pegasus in confusion.

"Got ya," said Fluttershy as she smiled.

Rarity returned the smile before the two walked up to the front desk.

"The usual," said Rarity as she pulled out money to pay the mare at the front desk.

"Oh, Rarity, you're so nice and generous to pay every time. But you really don't have to. I've told you several times, I'm more than willing to pay for myself," said Fluttershy.

"Pish, posh with that kind of talk, Fluttershy. This is a special day with a special friend. And I don't want my friend to have to worry herself with such little things as who pays for who. As they say now and days, I got your back," said Rarity as she put a hoof on Fluttershy's back.

The two exchanged smiles before they went in for their usual routine. As they relaxed in the sona, got their faces bathed in mud masks, received back massages, dipped in mud baths, and soaked their hooves, the two ponies carried on their conversation.

"Are you really okay, Rarity? How did it go at the hospital?" asked Fluttershy.

"Oh, Fluttershy, you're so sweet to be worry about poor, little old... I mean, young me. But I'm fine. We all were as I expected we'd be. Although it was still a good idea to get ourselves checked out just in case. The pony who got the worst of the encounter with that dreadful beast was Twilight Sparkle. Oh, the poor dear. She got minor bruising to her rib area. But, she's fine, she's fine. Our little princess is quite the tough one, she is," said Rarity.

"Oh yes, she certainly is. I'm glad to hear you all are okay," said Fluttershy.

"Thank you, darling. I do hope you too are okay after running into that terrible Cyclops monster. I noticed that you weren't at the hospital when we all went. Why is that? If you don't mind my asking that is," said Rarity.

"I- I just didn't go. The Cyclops never even laid a finger on me..."

A sad look came to Fluttershy's face.

"Because I never stepped in to help."

Rarity noticed the upset tone in Fluttershy's voice and took note of the matching expression on her face.

"Well, there simply wasn't any opening for you to step into the fight, Fluttershy. We pretty much had every position filled. Besides, I suppose it is lucky that one of us didn't have to get a checkup from the doctor," said Rarity.

"No, you don't understand, Rarity. When you and the others all got knocked down, the Cyclops went after Sweetie Belle and the others. But, instead of trying to help them like I should have, I hid and cowered like I always do," said Fluttershy.

Fluttershy felt her guilt start to grow.

"Oh, Fluttershy. You don't always cower and hide. You've been a great help to all of us many times. This time was just a little different because we ran into a new...thing. No pony could've known how to react to something that new...or big...or terrifying. So you see, Fluttershy? It's okay..."

"But it's not okay, Rarity! Yes, I admit, I've always had trouble controlling my fears and insecurities. But lately it feels like they're getting worse instead of getting better. That was proven when I couldn't even lift one hoof to help three little girls. One of who was your own sister. I couldn't get over my fear even for a second to help the little sisters of two of my closest friends and their own little friend. These are the same three fillies who I've watched several times, even to the point of letting them stay the night at my home. And...I almost let them get killed by a giant monster."

Tears began to fall from Fluttershy's eyes. Rarity didn't know what to say. All she could think to do was hug her friend and cry along with her.

"Sometimes I wish I never got my Element and it went to another pony instead. Somepony who wouldn't be afraid to do something," said Fluttershy.

Rarity looked directly in Fluttershy's eyes as she said, "Don't ever say that. Don't even think that. We were all so very lucky to have gotten you as one of the six to wield the Elements of Harmony. Don't you realize? If it hadn't of been for that, we might never have gotten to know you, nor you gotten to know us and we might never have become friends. I love having you as a friend, Fluttershy and so do the others. The day we found the Elements of Harmony, we formed a powerful bond...a powerful friendship... One I wouldn't want to share with anypony else, except the others and you," said Rarity.

"Your words are so kind, Rarity. And I like... No, I love being friends with you and the others. ...I'm just afraid that I'm not brave enough to be the kind of friend you all deserve. One who'll be able to help you when you really need it," said Fluttershy.

"But you are that friend, Fluttershy. You just don't realize it yet," said Rarity.

Fluttershy's look was questioning.

"You help us just by being around us. When the six of us are together, we get better by using our strengths to enhance each other. And because of that...when we're all together, we make each other braver. That includes you, Fluttershy. You make us brave and you are brave. You just don't know it yet. You're brave just by coming with us when we see to our duties as the Elements of Harmony, despite the many fears you have. If you keep that up, then trust me when I say, one day you'll be the bravest pony of us all."

Fluttershy smiled despite the tears in her eyes.

"Thank you so much, Rarity. I feel so blessed to have a friend as well spoken and as kind and good hearted as you. The other girls too. I don't know what I would do without all of you," said Fluttershy.

"Nor we, you," said Rarity.

The two mares hugged each other tightly, big smiles on their faces. Friendships are deep enough, but with the added bondage of being Elements of Harmony together, it seemed as though they were inseparable, along with the other four ponies that made up the Elements. After their spa routine was done, the two friends headed out the door.

"It was nice to do this with you, Rarity. As usual," said Fluttershy.

"It was nice for me too, Fluttershy. I always look forward to these little get togethers of ours. I hope we have plenty more in the future," said Rarity.

"Me too," said Fluttershy.

"Well, I hope to see you again soon. Until then, good day," said Rarity.

"Goodbye to you too, Rarity. I'll talk to you later," said Fluttershy.

The two gave each other a quick hug before heading off for home. Fluttershy stopped when Rarity's voice reach her ears.

"Oh, Fluttershy..."

She turned her head back to see Rarity standing a few feet away.

"Don't forget about what we talked about. You mean a great deal to me and the others. And you'll see why soon enough," said Rarity.

Fluttershy didn't know what to say. Her mind just kept coming up blank. Instead of trying to say anything, Fluttershy just gave a small smile and nodded. Then the two mares continued on home. When Fluttershy got back to her cottage, she noticed something strange to her. Despite there being no wind, it seemed as though there was a chill in the air. A very cold, very unsettling, nerve wrenching chill. What Fluttershy noticed next was that it seemed to be affecting her animals. None of the chickens in her coop were clucking unnecessarily loud. In fact, they weren't clucking at all. None of the animals were making any noises. They all just stood in place and stared in frightened silence.

"My goodness. I know it's cold, but is it really that cold?" said Fluttershy.

She then noticed Angel standing in front of a group of several different animals standing in the doorway, staring out past Fluttershy, far beyond, trying to see even past what they were capable of seeing. Fluttershy walked up to the group.

"Angel, are you okay? What's wrong, my little ones? Do you smell something? Is it this cold chill? Are you trying to find out where it came from or what's causing it?" Fluttershy asked.

But she didn't get an answer. Instead, the animals are just continued staring off into the distance.

"What is it, Angel? You can tell Mama," said Fluttershy.

She looked off in the direction the animals were staring in. She couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. But the cold chill and her animals scared silence and staring began to make her feel uneasy. Although that's not very hard for Fluttershy. But this time she was feeling it more than usual. What Fluttershy didn't know was she and her animals were being watched. From the edge of the Everfree Forest, hidden by the wild brush was a shadowy male unicorn, staring with glowing green eyes with a wicked smile on his face. King Sombra chuckled quietly to himself.

"You think you're afraid now, Element of Kindness? You don't even know what true fear is. But you will soon enough. It is only a matter of time before evil rises in power and runs rampant again," said King Sombra.

Slowly he crept back into the confines of the Everfree Forest. In his words, King Sombra was not just referring to himself when he spoke of evil rising. And Fluttershy's animals were not looking in the direction of the forest. No, they were looking out to the west. If one were able to see from the edge of the forest past Ghastly Gorge, beyond the White Tail Woods, and even past Las Pegasus, out several miles into the west ocean, one would see a cloud of black smoke seeping up into the air, out of a large crack forming in the bottom of the seabed. Yes, despite how far away it was, this event transpiring was enough to put fear in animals not just in Ponyville, but even all over Equestria.

---

Be sure to leave a review after reading and let me know of any mistakes I made, be they spelling errors, grammar errors or other errors so I can correct them to the best of my abilities. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.