Fluttershy's Giant

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Part Four

DOG's one good eye flickered back to life as it heard the tell-tale beeping sound of it's repair systems at work. It let out a creaking sound as it moved it's arm.

Several things shrieked in fear and ran away, away from DOG's outstretched hand, and away from a group of equine based creatures.

"Run," the first one said. They all darted off as far away as they could from the unknown creature and it's creaky joints.

DOG tried to call them back, but it's voice came out as a grinding, metallic sound, making them run faster.

It hung it's head sadly and adjusted it's most recent eye, blinking at it's surroundings.

A forest of sorts. A dark forest. It detected heat signatures of several creatures walking towards it. Probably the same creatures from before. The hybrid things, not the equine things.

One of them, a lion with bat wings, and a tail of a scorpion, leapt at DOG's eye. It swiped the creature away harmlessly, but still managed to make it squeal in fear and pain.

The hurt thing let out a low whine.

DOG imitated this. Being a robot had it's advantages. And it's mission was to gain knowledge about everything in the universe. It didn't exactly know how it knew this was it's mission, yet it knew what it's mission was.

"H-hello?" it heard a small voice call out. "Is anypony hurt?"

The timidness in the voice threatened to overwhelm the owner of the voice. DOG could tell it was thinking of turning around and running.

"Are you alright?" the voice asked again.

DOG replied with a low whine again, much like an actual dog would.

"Let me know where you are, so I can help you!" the timid voice shouted, louder than before.

DOG shut it's eyes in the hopes that the owner of the voice would not run when she (it assumed it was she, from the tone of the voice) found it and the creature it had hurt.

"Oh you poor dear..." the voice said quietly. "What did this to you- wait a minute..." the voice paused. "This is where that... thing was..."

DOG heard the tremble of fear in the owner's voice and wanted nothing more than to open it's eyes.

It let out another whine and opened one eye, very, very slowly, just in time to see one of the things, like the hurt thing, jumping towards her.

***

Fluttershy gazed down at the hurt manticore. "Oh you poor dear..." she said. "What did this to you- wait a minute... his is where that... thing was..."

She felt fear overtake her again and she backed away a few steps.

When a green light shone out of a small opening in the boulder in front of her.

"That's not a boulder..." she squeaked and backed up against a tree.

She shivered with absolute terror as a large metallic object moved towards her, and flicked a manticore away from her. The pegasus yelped in fear as another manticore leapt towards her, slobbering and drooling with delight.

The metal thing moved quickly, and swiped it away from her again.

The manticores yelped and ran away.

"Hopefully, that's the last manticore I have to see today," she thought and raised her head from her hooves.

The eye blinked at her and the light faded.

"You... saved m-me..." she murmured.

The boulder-head thing nodded.

Fluttershy felt a tad safer than before, but was still wary of the thing. "Um... thank you..." she whispered.

The head moved up, revealing it's large body.

"Ahhh!" Fluttershy squealed again as it rose up.

It raised itself on it's legs. It's impossibly large legs that made it the same height as the trees, if not slightly taller. It looked down and saw the tiny, four legged thing down below.

Fluttershy stared up at it, eyes filled with wonder and fear. "H....hello? M-my n-name is-"

She shrieked and leapt back when it's face was suddenly next to hers.

"Oh..." she began to feel a tingling in her loins and fought desperately to not wet herself, so she sat down on her haunches and rested against the tree.

The giant did the same.

The earth rocked as it fell back on what she assumed was it's rear.

"Heh."

Was that a chuckle that escaped her? It was. She fell back against the tree and laughed as much as she could.

The giant tilted it's head.

Fluttershy finished laughing and did the same as they watched each other.

[Ha... ha... ha.]

Her eyes widened when she heard the low rumble of it's voice.

She took a deep breath and decided to introduce herself, deciding this thing wasn't nasty. "My name's Fluttershy. What's yours?"

The giant pointed to it's chest and wiped the dirt off.

"Delta Oh Gamma... DOG." Fluttershy read. "DOG's your name?"

The giant nodded.

"Well, I'm Fluttershy. I already said that didn't I?" she giggled and stared up at the giant.

It blinked slowly and tilted it's head again.

"Can you talk?" Fluttershy asked as she sat by it's foot.

It nodded. [Yes.]

Fluttershy smiled at it. "Well, DOG, it's nice to meet you."

It smiled back and looked at the hurt manticore.

Fluttershy gasped. "Oh I completely forgot about you!" she cried and rushed over to it. She looked up at the giant and scolded him. "Did you hurt him like this?"

DOG nodded apologetically.

She snorted disapprovingly. "Well, he'll be fine. You only winded him. It's not like you killed him." she smiled reassuringly at him.

He reached a finger out and stroked the manticore's fur.

[Killed.]

"Yes. Kill. It's an awful thing, and sometimes other animals have to kill each other. It's not very nice, I know, but it's nature. It's really quite fascinating. Nature, not killing, of course. If you want I could teach you about it? I mean... if that's OK with you?"

DOG nodded eagerly.

[Fluttershy... teach... DOG.]

"Yes. I will." she said and smiled up at him. her eyes drifted downwards to his finger, still stroking the manticore. "Could... could you pick me up?"

His sort of eyebrows raised as he held his hand out.

"I've always been afraid of heights, but with solid ground under my hooves... I think it'll be safer." the pegasus smiled at him again, and climbed into his open palm.

Up they went, Fluttershy giving a yelp of surprise as she cowered in his palm, covering her face with her forelegs.

[Fluttershy. Scared?]

"Y-yes. A bit. B-but I'm f-fine." she whispered and peeked out from her hooves, gasping at the sight before her. "It does feel safer with ground beneath my hooves. Not cloud. Actual ground." "Thanks DOG."

DOG smiled and raised her up a bit.

"I can see my friends from here. Over there." She pointed towards Ponyville. "That's my home over there."

The giant called DOG moved in that direction, bounding through the trees, the tip of his head just poking out the canopy. [Home.]

"Wait, wait, waaaait!" she cried, bringing him to a halt immediately. "We can't go see them." she explained. "They might be scared of you. You did give us a fright earlier."

He hung his head and walked slowly back.

At seeing his hurt expression, she smiled and decided to give him some words of comfort. "It's alright. Someponies can't be as brave as me," she giggled. Suddenly, she was filled with a desire to hug the large, metallic finger in front of her.

DOG's sensors flickered over this act with interest.

She released his finger and jumped back on his palm. "Oh, sorry. Are we not good enough friends for hugging yet?"

[Friends...]

"Yes. Friends. Don't you have any friends?"

DOG looked up at the sky. He squinted as he focused on something, or tried to.

[No.]

Fluttershy tapped his finger again. "DOG?"

His head lowered as he set her down, with a sad look in his pale green eyes.

"Are you OK?"

He nodded and stroked her mane.

"Awww. You're just a big, friendly giant aren't you?" Fluttershy said and nuzzled his finger. "I have to go now. I'll be back later." she said and waved goodbye.

[No.]

"No?" she asked and turned back around.

[No go. Fluttershy friend.]

"I have to go. Sorry DOG, I will come back. I promi-"

A hand slammed down in front of her.

[No go. Fluttershy stay with DOG. Friends.]

"Now DOG," Fluttershy stated, and warmed up her dreaded stare. She baulked for a moment in which she wondered if the Stare would even work on giant robots or not. "I have to go. Don't be a meanie."

He removed his hand reluctantly.

"Thank you. I'll be back soon. I go, you stay. No following," she said in his voice.

A loud grumble from her stomach made him tilt his head.

"Heh. I haven't had any breakfast yet. And I am quite hungry." She thought for a moment, suddenly smiling as her face lit up with an idea. "I know... later, I'll come back and we'll have a picnic. OK?" she smiled up at him.

DOG nodded and smiled down at her.

"Well, I'll be back soon. DOG. Be good. Don't crush anything, or hurt anypony else. OK?"

He nodded a final time and sat down, making the trees shake with a huge rumble.

Fluttershy stumbled and grasped his finger again. "OK... I'm going now. Bye."

[Bye.]

She smiled and waved goodbye, trotting back to her small cottage, admiring her bravery. "Maybe I'm a different Fluttershy. But a different, nice one," she added, recalling how she acted when "New Fluttershy" had come to visit, making her friends cry and all that. The thought of her coming back made Real Fluttershy sick. "I wonder how my friends will find him."

She froze and felt her knees wobble with anxiety. "They'll think he's a monster... Well, he is. Sort of. But he's nice. Oh... I don't know..." she murmured.

"They're your friends, Fluttershy. They'll understand."

"But what if they just see him as a monster? I'll lose my new friend, or my old friends. Ohhhh." she moaned and dragged herself home, sick with worry.

***

DOG thought about his encounter with Fluttershy.

[Friend.]

The word sounded nice to him. He laid his head down and thought about his ''friend''. She was nice.

A low whine from the wounded manticore caught his attention.

[Sorry.]

The creature whimpered as he stroked it with a finger. He stroked it's fur and traced it's wings. So fragile. So easy to... kill.

[No. Bad word.]

He remembered what Fluttershy said about killing.

It's an awful thing, and sometimes other animals have to kill each other. It's not very nice, I know, but it's nature.

[Nature. Fluttershy teach DOG. Data acquired: Friendship.]

He sat back and picked up the manticore, cradling it in his arms.

He never noticed it stop breathing through his metal skin.