Fluttershy’s Everfree Forest

by Phantom-Dragon

First published 17th of January, 2019

Fluttershy is lost in a dark abandoned campground, infested with predators.

Fluttershy was on her way to meet up with the Rainbooms at an old campground of the uncharted Everfree Forest. However, she was dismayed to find the whole campsite has been ransacked, and her friends are missing. Worse still, Fluttershy now spends the night, hunted down by savage, hungry predators.

What a day?

It was a beautiful day, out in the forest. The birds were singing their songs, butterflies were fluttering, the sun’s rays beaming down from the heavens.

Just the perfect day to go out and enjoy. Of course, nobody was enjoying it more than Fluttershy.

The sweet, bashful, animal loving girl was out in the woods, walking down a path, smiling and humming herself a merry tune.

“Such a lovely day,” Fluttershy smiled, watching some birds tending to their nests, while having some idle chit chat with one another.

A loud knock echoed through the woods, causing Fluttershy to turn her head to see a woodpecker hard at work.

She giggled when a mother duck was walking out of the bush, leading her line of cute, fluffy ducklings. The ducks all took notice of Fluttershy and they each looked up at the girl with curiosity.

“Hello there,” Fluttershy greeted the duck sincerely. “You have such beautiful children, mother duck.” The duck let out a loud quack, as if to say, “thank you.”

Just then, the bushes shook again, and a green headed mallard duck appeared. Fluttershy knew right away that the duck was the father.

Both the mother and father ducks went up to each other and nuzzled their bills, before the father duck looked up at Fluttershy.

“Hello Mr. Duck,” Fluttershy greeted. “You have such a beautiful family,” The male duck quacked in gratitude, before he went on to have a lively conversation with Fluttershy. “Oh, of course,” Fluttershy nodded in understanding. “You’d do anything to keep your loved ones safe.”

The duck then asked the girl what she was doing, “Oh, well you see, my friends are here,” She explained. “It was Rainbow Dash’s idea. She wanted to go camping, out here in the forest, with the rest of our friends. So I’m on my way to see them right now.”

The duck parents all exchanged looks at each other. They looked rather troubled at what the girl had told them. The mother duck asked Fluttershy where her camp is.

“Oh, well from what Applejack told me in her last text, it should be up ahead, past that old tree,” The ducks looked deeply upset, as if they had seen a ghost. With that, they took their leave. “Uh okay. Goodbye,” Fluttershy waved to the ducks, before she was on her way.

For the remainder of her journey through the woods, Fluttershy thought of nothing else, but the fun she and the girls will have together.

The whole Rainbooms, plus the CMC, even their new friends Trixie and Wallflower Blush will be there.

Without a doubt, Pinkie Pie has already packed a whole supply of cakes and sweets that would last them for the week. Applejack and Rainbow Dash are likely to compete together in all kinds of sports, like archery. Rarity, while not a fan of camping, would still be there to make sure everything was in order.

Sunset Shimmer will also be there to have fun, with the whole gang, as always. Twilight would definitely drive everyone crazy when the sun sets. The science girl was planning on watching the constellations and will try to identify every lady one of them before she falls asleep.

Wallflower Blush will enjoy exploring the forest, taking notes on all the florals and fauna the forest has to show, with the CMC joining in the fun.

But those were all the wonderful activities that Fluttershy was looking forward to with her friends, when she suddenly realized something was amiss.

She didn’t know it then, but she had traveled deeper in the depths of the forest. And from where she was standing, the forest had gotten quiet. A little too quiet for her comfort.

The birds have suddenly ceased their chirpy singing, with the branches above her growing thicker and thicker, barely letting in a few sunlights.

Fluttershy’s happy demeanor quickly shifted to her usual look of worry, as she cautiously looked around her, unsure what to make of the forest’s sudden mood change.

Then, ahead, she saw billows of smoke rising from the distance ahead. A campfire!

Not wasting a second, Fluttershy quickly broke into a sprint, banishing all her doubts and fears away. But not for long.

Upon arriving at the camp, the bashful girl was disturbed to find the area, ransacked and ruined.

“Goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “What happened here?!”

The tents, each with the Rainbooms and their friend’s signatures were all torn up, with noticeable claw marks. Nothing like anything Fluttershy has ever seen! They were too big and too sharp to be made by those, like a bear.

To further add the eeriness of it all, all of the Rainboom’s backpacks were all laying around on the grounds, scattered, and left unzipped, spilling all of their contents out, blowing in the breeze. It’s just not like the Rainbooms to leave their packs unattended like that. Especially Twilight and Rarity.

What could’ve happened?

Fluttershy didn’t know what to do. She wanted to call and alert the police, but they were too far from civilization to receive any receptions for an emergency phone call. She wanted to talk to some animals and ask if they knew what had happened, but there wasn’t even a mouse in sight. It’s as if the animals were afraid to even be in this area.

But Fluttershy didn’t have to ponder any longer, when a loud bloodcurdling scream echoed, from the distance. It doesn’t sound like an animal.

“Oh goodness!” Fluttershy screamed, terrified beyond all reason, with the eerie feeling returning, and took a firm hold on her.

Fluttershy was trembling with terror, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up, as she looked off in the direction of where the scream was heard.

Something or someone is out there, waiting for her!

Dread quickly raced Fluttershy’s mind, when she theorized, what if it’s her friends? What if they’re in trouble? What if there’s a scary monster on the loose and it got her friends? What will she do? What would any of her friends do?

Poor Fluttershy was so conflicted at the moment. A part of her wanted to leave the forest and save herself and come back with the police. But another part of her wanted her to go after her friends, and try to save them from whatever it was that had attacked them.

If she decided to leave the forest, then she would be deserting her friends. And by the time she comes back with help, then it would be too late.

But she doesn’t know what’s out there. So if she tries to save her friends, without any knowledge of what she will be dealing, then she’ll be in greater peril, and no one can save her, or her friends.

With a sigh, Fluttershy started walking down the road, in the direction of the scream, deciding to investigate, just a bit.

As the girl continued her trip down the road, she noticed some more claw marks, scratched on the side of the trees, and kicked up in the dirts below. What could’ve made those terrible marks?

But as she traveled further, her nose twitched and she winced in disgust at the stench.

“Ew! What is that awful smell?” Fluttershy asked, looking down to see a kill.

It was the bloody corpse of a stag. And from the smell, it was fresh, as if it had recently been killed by something. The flies were already buzzing noisily around at the remaining meats that lingered on the bones.

Could this be the work of a pack of wolves? Was it a mountain lion that did this?

Fluttershy didn’t have time to ponder, when the sound of a branch snapped. The frightened girl turned her head, to see several tall trees were moving apart, shaking uneasily to the sides. Something big was heading her way!

Not wasting a second to find out what it was, Fluttershy took off in a sprint. She wanted to get away from whatever it was that is now pursuing her. She looked back to see the trees were still moving behind her.

Not looking where she was going, Fluttershy tripped over a log and she tumbled down the sides of a rocky hill, rolling to the bottom, where she hits her head on something hard and her world turned dark.

Into The Woods

After what felt like hours, Fluttershy slowly stirred before she finally came to her consciousness.

“Ow!” She whimpered, slowly and carefully sitting herself up, putting a hand over a bruise on her head, courtesy of her earlier fall.

She winced in pain when she looked down and noticed her knee was scraped, and bleeding. How long has it been that way? Hopefully the wound hasn't been infected yet. Otherwise, she won't be any good finding her friends, when she's too sick because of a fresh wound like this.

Hissing from the sting of the wound, Fluttershy reaches into her backpack, pulling out her first-aid kit and went to tending the cuts.

First, she sprayed some sanitizers into her hands, before taking out a washcloth, using it to wipe away the bloods. Then she reached into her kit for a small jar of antiseptic gels.

It wasn’t long when she heard something rushing by, knocking some rocks lose, off the cliff above her.

Fluttershy quickly stiffened up. Her instincts elevated as she sets herself on high alert, looking around, hoping to catch a glimpse of what or who it was.

“Hello?” She quietly called out. "Is anyone out there? Rainbow Dash? Is that you?" But no reply.

Not taking any chances to wait for a response of any kind, Fluttershy went back to tending her wound, rubbing the antiseptic gels over her cuts, to prevent any potentially harmful bacterias and diseases out. Once the dressings were done, she got out a roll of bandages and wrapped them around her knee.

Once she was done with the bandage procedure, Fluttershy gingerly got back up to her feet, and began her careful trek up the rocky slope. She placed her hands on the rocks that were sticking out from the side, wincing slightly from the touch, due to some scrapes on her hands. Some of the rocks came loose beneath her foot, causing the girl to yelp in fright, before she regained her footing.

"Oh! Oh dear goodness!" Fluttershy panted heavily, catching her breath to calm herself, before she resumed her climb up the cliff. 'If I ever get out of this, I'm staying home, locked in my room with my teddy bear,' She thought, before she reached the top and finally climbed herself out of the crevice she had fallen in.

Fluttershy rolled on her back, panting heavily at her triumph. But not for long. Though she was happy to have finally escaped from the crevice she had fallen into earlier, Fluttershy's eyes widened in shock, when she looked at the sky to see it was already night time. The stars shine brightly as they decorated across the blacken sky with their sparkles and lights, with the full moon being the shining beacon.

Normally, on a night like this, Twilight would be fascinated. But without the scientific girl, or the other Rainbooms, the night was more eerie than beautiful.

The dark trees surrounding Fluttershy were all towering above her, like mighty giants looking down at her menacingly, with the shadows outlining the demonic facial features of the trees. Everyone would know for sure they're simply shadows, illuminated by the moon's light shining down, but to Fluttershy, they made the trees look alive as they stare menacingly at her.

The scared girl was frozen on the spot she stood on, as if her feet have grown roots of their own. The girl did once mentioned before that she would like to be a tree, but not like this.

Suddenly, the ground beneath her shook, startling her out of her petrified state, and Fluttershy strained her eyes, struggling to look in the darkness for the source. Based on the force emitting through the grounds, something big was close by, and it was getting closer with each steps, more thunderous and louder as it gets.

Fluttershy took careful steps, backing away from whatever it was heading her way.

'What is it?' She wondered. 'Is it an animal? A very BIG animal? Is it dangerous? Maybe it's just a bear. A really, really, big, strong bear?' Fluttershy didn't have to think any longer, when something wet and slimy dropped down from the sky, and splashed on her head.

Mustering up some courage, Fluttershy held a hand up to wipe some of the substance from her hair to look at it gleaming in the moonlight before her eyes, "Ew!" She cringed in disgust, before she had that unsettling feeling running up her skin like a spider hurrying up its webs.

With a whimper, knowing she would regret it, Fluttershy dared to look up, in the trees, among the branches, barely outlined by the moon, was a the head of a creature, with burning piercing red eyes, unlike anything Fluttershy has ever seen before. But one thing is certain. The creature is hungry, and Fluttershy is its next meal!

With a loud roar, the creature thrusted its head through the branches, snapping its jaws at Fluttershy, who didn't waste a second to take off running and screaming for her life.

But the girl could only run for a little distance, due to the injury she had on her knee, which isn't working in favor of her body's average healing rate. The girl limped as fast as she can, running through the trees, desperately escaping from the creature that was relentlessly pursuing her. Fluttershy's mind was racing faster than that of a frightened rabbit, as she desperately looks for a way to escape, while feeling the hot breath of the creature blowing on the back of her neck.

The girl quickly looked behind her to see the creature's jaws wide open, ready for a killing lunge, "Oh no!" Fluttershy whimpered, tripping over a log, falling flat on her face, and the creature's jaws flew overhead, narrowly missing her.

Rolling herself on her back, Fluttershy looked up in time to see the creature's eyes above her, and its pearly whites glistening in the moonlight, wide open for another lung. Reacting fast, Fluttershy curled herself up as she rolled to the side to evade the jaws, then she dived underneath the creature, blindly stumbling into its legs, before she managed to jump in between some trees, too narrow for the creature to pass through.

Fluttershy backed away in fright, watching as the creature shook the trees in frustration, determined to catch its prey, growling and snarling as if cursing at the branches that have hindered its progress. Not wanting to wait around for the hunter to break through, Fluttershy was on her way, going deeper into the forest. Behind her, she can hear the creature roaring to the moon in frustration, before its thunderous footsteps shook the woods once more, as it takes its leave.

Knowing she's now safe, for the moment, Fluttershy stopped to catch her breath, "What was that thing?!" She asked, panting heavily in exhaustion from all the adrenaline she had experienced. "Well, whatever it is, it's probably gone now. I just hope I don't run into it again. I've got to find the girls before something terrible happens."

*THUMP*

"AAAAAH!!!" Fluttershy yelped, reacting by dropping herself to the ground, hands over her head, expecting for the worst to come. But nothing happened.

With a few deep breathes, Fluttershy turned her head, looking into the darkness of the forest, trying to see what it was. Remembering she still had her backpack on, Fluttershy unzipped her pack, reaching in and pulled out a single flashlight. With a flip of the switch, Fluttershy had a better visual of her surroundings.

With the spotlight traveling across the forest floor, revealing the ground was covered in a tangled mess of large tree roots that appeared above ground, and strange black vines with turquoise thorns on them. Fluttershy's never seen plants like those before, and without a doubt, neither Wallflower Blush. Shedding her spotlights on the trees, the girl could see that most of them were marked with more unusual claw marks. Big ones at that. Could they be from the same creature she had ran into before? Or could there be more out here in the forest, hunting the Rainbooms now?

But then, something caught her eyes, when her flashlight's beam shines on it. It looked to be an old book. But as Fluttershy walked up to it for closer inspection, she felt her heart nearly bursting out of her chest, to see the familiar symbol of the blazing sun on the cover. It can mean only one thing.

"Sunset's journal!" Fluttershy gasped. Well, most of it, that is.

When Fluttershy picked up the book, it revealed that it was missing the other half, with several pages torn out, covered in a mess of dirt, grim, and worst of all, blood, and several holes in the papers to tell its story that there was a struggle between Sunset, and whatever it was that had attacked her.

Hoping the journal could still yield some answers to what was going on, Fluttershy looked at the remaining pages, trying to find at least one with a recent date. Sunset may not be Twilight, but she is still smart enough to organize all her journal logs with numbered dates.

Dear Twilight,

Fluttershy was deeply disappointed. The page she had found didn't answer much of her questions, and didn't shed much light on what was happening. She sat herself to the ground, embracing herself, with her head looking down, arms over her knee, feeling lost one what her next course of action should be now.

I'll keep you posted and let you know what else we may find.

Those words burned in her mind, as they were the last thing Sunset had written, before she was attacked.

Just then, the sound of leaves rustling jolted Fluttershy out of her slump, reminding her that she isn't alone in the forest. More dangers are lurking among the trees, prowling, stalking, and hunting her. With that eerie feeling running up her skin again, knowing she's being watched, Fluttershy was on her way, looking to find some shelter, carrying her flashlight in one hand, and Sunset's torn up journal in the other.

Looking around, the moon was barely visible in the sky, shrouded by the trees' thick branches, and several eyes were all following her, wherever she goes.