Fluttershy and the Wild Stallion
Part 4: Mare’s Mishandled Mumblings

“I know you must be kind of scared and disoriented,” Fluttershy said softly as they walked from the hospital to the street. Ponies wandered by to and fro, which Mossy Mane watched with interest. “But you can stay with me for just a little while, you know, until you get better…” she trailed off, smiling gently. She’d never shared her home with anypony before, but it was the least she could do to repay him for saving her from the river. “We’ll do a bit of shopping, and then head for home.” She told him.

Mossy looked around at all the ponies going up and down the street. Surely they weren’t all one herd? This was lots and lots of ponies! He felt a little overwhelmed, and walked closely next to his yellow alpha mare.

They approached the marketplace, where everypony was selling exactly one thing (whether it be apples, boxes, tools, etc.) and making their daily rounds in the town’s healthy economy. Fluttershy purchased some daisies for eating, lettuce, three tomatoes, some hay bacon, a long list of little things she needed to help keep her guest fed. But there was always one food stand she dreaded.

Rocksum Boxsum’s stand. The stallion had an ugly mug, grey with scraggly hair and a cigar sticking out of his mouth. His cutie mark was a cardboard box, but for some reason he sold cherries. He’d taken advantage of Fluttershy’s lack of bargaining skills many, many times and gouged her with his prices. He knew a fat purse when he saw one, and the yellow mare’s confidence was easy pickings for him. “Ey there, liddle lady.” He said around his cigar, munching on it a little. “Here for some cherries I guess?”

“Oh, yes…” Fluttershy hunched just a little, looking at the display table where all of the cherries were laid out in neat rows. “Uhm… your sign says one bit each, right?” she asked, looking at him hopefully.

“For you, missy, I can go as low as ten bits!” he chuckled, throwing his head back to laugh. Fluttershy wilted. That wasn’t low at all, that was outrageous. But she didn’t have the confidence to haggle with him properly. Rocksum grinned around his cigar, he knew she was such a cash cow, it never failed.

“But but… your sign says…” Fluttershy said, looking at the ground meekly.

“You want cherries or not?” he said, firing another perfect arrow of aggression into the meek mare’s heart. She wilted back more, not knowing what to do.

Mossy saw the exchange, watching back and forth. He didn’t like it. Not one bit. He didn’t know what their mouth-sounds meant, but his alpha mare seemed sad and wounded in spirits. This would not do. Growling savagely, Mossy sauntered up to the counter, stomp-stomping his hooves in aggression.

“What? You want cherries?” the stallion behind the counter asked, raising his brow on one side.

“Ph-h-h-ht!” he said, tossing his mane and rearing up a little. Mossy’s hooves clopped noisily on the counter, startling the shopkeeper.

“Hey now, off’a my counter!” Rocksum said angrily. Mossy growled back at him, matching aggressive mouth sounds with louder growling. “Shoo! Shoo!” he said, shoving Mossy off the countertop.

“*whinny!*” Mossy said loudly, raising his upper lip and showing off his teeth. Threaten HIS alpha mare, huh?! This stallion would get his come-uppin’s! Clambering right over the counter Mossy reared up and flailed his front hooves wildly. It was suddenly fisticuffs!

“Oh my!” Fluttershy dipped forward to peer over the counter. “Careful now!” she called, trying to end the madness. “I mean, I mean--- uhm!” she fretted back and forth. She let out a fretful squeaking sound, trying not to watch.

“Okay okay! You can have them for one bit each!” Rocksum called, pulling back before Mossy hit him in the face for his price-gouging. “I-I’m sorry okay! I won’t do it anymore!”

Mossy instinctively recognized the yielding position, his enemy's ears turned back and fear in his eyes. He threw his chest out, victorious. Clambering back over the counter, he took a cherry in his teeth and brought it to his alpha mare. He smiled, tilting his head up and throwing out his chest again as though expecting praise.

“Oh dear…” Fluttershy mumbled, blushing. Had he just jumped over a counter to defend her honor from that price-gouger? Oh my. Leaning over the counter, the yellow mare apologized profusely. She brought twenty cherries, a nice big load of them, as an apology to the shopkeeper. He did seem less shaken when he spotted the pile of money and the absence of the two customers. “What else is on my list…?” Fluttershy tried to study her grocery list and not look over her shoulder at the cherry stand… or at Mossy. A light twinge of pink was in her cheeks. “Oh, just apples.” She looked over at her charge, mumbling to herself a little. She’d seen the way he’d acted around stallions bigger than himself. And if she knew the market right, that meant Big Macintosh would be running the apple stand. Not wanting anymore trouble that day, the butter-colored Pegasus rolled up her list and stuffed it under her wing. “I think that’s all for now.” She smiled kindly at Mossy, who emulated her expression.

Mossy cantered along beside his companion, peering around with interest. So many, many ponies around this area. Where was their herd? They’d had a group of five mares in the non-smelling place, right? Were they around someplace? Hm, probably grazing, he decided. Maybe only alpha mares walked among the other herds and got things like his did. Clearly, she was brave for taking food from so many other ponies—how high in equine rank WAS she? He glanced over at her, unsure. She caught him looking out of the corner of her eye and smiled a little. Mossy felt very lucky, suddenly.

=-----=-----=-----=-----=

Twilight Sparkle walked along the path, her saddlebags full of books and scrolls. At her side were Applejack and Rarity. Fluttershy’s house was moving into view as they rounded the bend, and they went up the little hill to get to her home. “Fluttershy!” Twilight called with a smile, knocking firmly on the door. She was met with a blasting shatter of glass. “Whoa!” she jumped back, as more noise shook the house.

“What in tarnation?!” Applejack backed up as well, afraid the door might blow off its hinges or something.

“Fluttershy?!” Rarity called. “Come on, she might be in trouble!” lighting her horn, she forced the door in a rather unlady-like fashion. The three mares piled in to find the most bizarre sight they’d ever seen:

A brown stallion was sitting in the middle of the ruins of what had once been a coffee table. Wrapped around his FACE was Angel Bunny, Fluttershy’s pet. Scowling angrily the little beast wriggled and clung to him. Mossy was tossing his head, whinnying and kicking wildly back and forth. “Oh my, oh my! Please stop it you two!” Fluttershy said from under the couch where she was hiding. “There’s no need to be mean!” she whimpered.

“Ah got the critte--OOFPH!” Applejack was launched off her hooves while Mossy bucked and flailed about, tossing his head. His back hooves caught her in the chest and sent her flying to the ground. A vase of flowers tumped over and exploded on the hard wood floor. Twilight and Rarity winced, trying to take the scene in.

Mossy whinnied wildly, bucking back and forth while the cruel little fuzzball clung to his muzzle. He’d made a mean face at the alpha mare, so of course he’d gotten in the offensive creature’s face to show him what for. But instead of getting stomped on the rabbit had jumped up, bitch-slapped him, and then clung to his FACE like a vice. The resulting panic was destroying Fluttershy’s living room.

“Oh. Kay. Cowpony.” Applejack rose slowly, angry, adjusting her hat down. Wading into the flailing violence again while the other mares watched—“OOMPGH!” she was bucked again and crashed into an end-table, destroying it. Fluttershy shrieked in distress, a squeaky little sound as she hid her face behind her hooves under the sofa. Applejack snorted steam from her muzzle, angrily charging in again. “Oh you think you’re so clev—ARRRGH!!” she went flying by again, Twilight winced when she slammed into the wall with little stars around her head.

Twilight coughed a little, “Uhhh, lemme try…” she ignited her horn not for Mossy, but for Angel Bunny. Gritting her teeth to focus and get past his iron grip, she finally wrenched the little beast off of the wild stallion’s face. The green-maned pony sucked in air like he’d been suffocating the whole time, staggered and fell. Angel Bunny writhed in the air until Twilight stuffed him in a nearby pot and put the lid on. Such a dangerous creature…

“Ah had it all un’ner control.” Applejack said crossly, looking at the floor.

“Fluttershy? It’s alright dah’ling you can come out.” Rarity had gone to the sofa and stuck her head down. She nosed under the skirts of the furniture, smiling kindly at the hiding Pegasus.

Fluttershy poked her head out, smiling embarrassedly. “Thanks.” She said softly when she was helped to her hooves. The brown stallion spotted her and threw his chest out. The bunny was no more! He sauntered over and nickered animatedly, tossing his head. “Yes, yes you’re alright. Just try not to break so many things…?” the yellow mare asked softly, looking at him with pleading eyes.

Mossy clambered over to the couch and lay on his belly, nickering a bit. The mares in the room stared at him, then began to speak amongst themselves. He studied how they interacted. The orange one talked the loudest, she had a funny thing on her head that seemed to compliment her face. The white one was very, very clean and smelled like… flowers? Was it flowers? He wasn’t sure. It wasn’t a female smell, it more artificial than that. The purple one was… purple. Very purple. He wasn’t sure he liked the purple one. She had heavy bags on her sides, who knew what was in them. They didn’t smell edible from where he was sitting. And if it wasn’t edible, what good was it? He did find more evidence, however, that his favorite mare was the alpha and the leader. When the mares talked among themselves, they always went quiet and perked their ears when the yellow mare spoke. She never raised her voice, never put much power into her mouth sounds—but all stopped to listen intently when the alpha mare spoke. That cemented it in Mossy Mane’s mind. She was of such high rank in her herd that she never even raised her voice, how impressive! He wandered over while they were talking, wanting attention.

Fluttershy smiled kindly when he settled into the circle of sitting pillows with them. “So, did we ever find out his name?” Rarity asked. “Or does he…?” she let the sentence hang a moment. Word had been passed around about both times Mossy had been asked his name. The quartet of mares looked at each other, and the fashionata drew herself up a bit. “Ahem! Can you tell us your name?” she said loudly to him, making sure he was looking at her. “What are you called?”

Mossy perked his ears at Rarity, tilting his head at her. She was addressing him, he knew she was, but he didn’t know what she was saying. Her smile said she was being friendly. Hmm… he stood from his sitting pillow, puffing out his chest. All mares looked on, impressed, for he looked ready to make an important declaration of some sort. He heaved a great breath, and then half-shouted at Rarity, “Flutter-bubber-blubber-ubber!” Everypony leaned back, startled, and he flopped down again on his sitting pillow. Smiling at Fluttershy, he nodded confirmation. Flutter-bubber-blubber-ubber, indeed.

“I… see.” Rarity said carefully, cocking her head. “Fluttershy, I’m a bit worried about our friend here. If he’s suffering amnesia or something, is it really safe to be alone around him?”

“I’m not sure he has amnesia, girls.” Twilight was popping open her saddlebag for an encyclopedia of mental problems and symptoms. “Ponies that experience amnesia aren’t mute, or really act out a lot.” She flipped to the appropriate page. “Severe memory loss can cause great stress, yes, but he doesn’t seem to be too upset most of the time. He just… reacts.” The purple scholar said carefully. Her friends looked at her curiously, so she went on. “Well look, he’s not really said a word so far, right?” she looked at Fluttershy, who nodded confirmation. “And he doesn’t have a cutie mark, so we don’t even know his special talent!”

“What’re you getting’ at, sugarcube?” Applejack wanted to know, glancing at Mossy.

“I’m saying I think his memories are fine, but… it’s not what’s wrong with him.” Twilight turned a few pages with a serious frown. “He may not have a name.” she finally said.

“What?”

“Huh?”

“No name?” Fluttershy looked over at Mossy Mane, tilting her head. “But why?”

“Well think about it,” Twilight said, lifting a hoof. “You said you met him in the Everfree Forest. He doesn’t talk. He doesn’t have a cutie mark. He’s frightened of larger stallions… he acts kind’a feral, to be honest.” She said, gesturing at him. Mossy perked his ears. He knew they were talking about him. “What if he’s from Everfree?”

“Nopony lives in Everfree, Twilight.” Applejack said, smiling a little nervously. “Why, with all the wild critters and the unpredictable weather and all that…” she listed them off. “Zecora lives there, but she ain’t a pony either.” There was murmuring agreement.

“That would explain his not having a cutie mark…” Fluttershy put in quietly. “If he’s from Everfree he’s… uhm… wild? A wild stallion?” she said it like a question. They all turned and looked at Mossy again, who stared back at them with an innocent curiosity.

“Well… t’ain’t spring yet so I guess we don’t hafta worry too much about his instincts.” Applejack said, making a slight gesture.

“Applejack!” Rarity scolded, elbowing her. Applejack shrugged. It was a fact of life, spring time and ponies. The farming mare had grown up around all manner of farm animals, it was just something that happened. Thankfully it was not quite fall yet, so such a thing wasn’t something to worry about.

“What else does the book say, Twi?” Applejack asked quickly before Rarity blew a fuse.

The conversation continued on and the mares tried to put the pieces together. Mossy grew bored and lay his head down, trying to pay attention. If this was the spot to lay and rest for the evening, then he could do that easily. He heaved a great breath, ears slowly laying down as his exciting day took its toll on him. He yawned, his tongue sticking impressively far out, squeaked, and then limpened nicely for rest.

=-----=-----=-----=-----=-----=
Sometime in the Past…
=-----=-----=-----=-----=-----=

Buzz-z-z-z-zz, a tiny personal aircraft was floating through the air, late in the night. A stallion, mare and foal were aboard the little plane, thankfully warm and dry inside. A storm grumbled and tossed the air currents a bit, but the stallion at the controls was an expert and e held the plane level. “This is echo-echo-two-three-five, en route over Ponyville and past Canterlot. Confirm, tower, over?” The stallion talked on the radio. Occasionally, he would flick his gaze back over his shoulder at his wife and baby colt. For fun, he’d decided to take them to see other family members in a town far away. But, as a pilot, he had a faster route than most ponies: his plane.

“This is tower seven-three, confirming your route EE-235, over. The weather’s pretty bad for flying, what’s the occasion?” the crackling voice on the radio asked.

“Family gathering.” The pilot laughed. The mare in the back unfastened her seatbelt when she was sure the foal in the basket was secure, and went over to nuzzle her husband in the pilot’s seat. Smiling, he kissed her gingerly. Rain beat on the windshield, and they felt it jostle a little. “Oop, gotta pay attention honey, winds a’coming.” He laughed a bit louder when she nipped him before returning to her seat. “This is EE-235 again, confirming visual on…” he leaned to look out the window. “…the Everfree Forest. That’s a lott’a trees, tower. Plenty to get lost in, eh?” he chuckled, looking over his shoulder as his mate buckled in again. Lightning split the sky to one side, and he clutched at the controls a bit tighter. “Confirm how far to Trottingham, tower?”

“As the crow flies, three hours flight time.” Crackled the radio. The pilot checked his fuel and gauges, all green.

“Thanks. Over.” The pilot set the receiver down. “How’s our little trotter back there?” he called to his wife.

The new mother smiled in a soft-eyed way. They’d only had him some months ago, the whole family hadn’t gotten the chance to meet him yet—that was the main purpose of the trip, really. “He looks just like you.” She said, leaning over the basket to coo at the little colt. The newborn pony squealed at his mother’s face, holding it in his tiny hooves as she wuzzled at his ticklish underbelly. Thunder boomed nearby and the plane jostled. The foal startled, clinging to his mother and whimpering some. “Ohhh-hoh-hoh,” she chuckled sympathetically. “You’re okay. Daddy’s behind the wheel, you’re okay.” She showered her son with little kisses until he started squirming and giggling as foals do. Rain beat loudly on the portal windows, and she looked forward to her husband. “We’re gonna be fine in this weather, right?”

The stallion was mare-handling the controls a little to keep the plane level. The wind was kicking up, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. “Oh yeah, we’ll be fine!” he said, tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth while he concentrated. “Hun do me a favor and hold Mossy? The wind’s jostling us a little, I don’t want him to get too upset.” He smiled comfortingly at his wife, who nodded.

“Who’s a good Mossy Mane?” the mare snatched up her little baby and nuzzled him in her seat. The foal squealed, wiggling at all the attention. “You are! You are!” she laughed, letting him nom-nom-nom on her ear while they played. The foal yawwwwned with a little squeaky sound, curling up to one side. “D’ohh…” his mother said, soft-eyed and loving.

End of Part 4

Next Chapter: Scary Stallion's Shrieking Estimated time remaining: 25 Minutes