And then it was all like, WHOOSH!

By: Peanut
= = = = =

“I'm telling you, it was right HERE!”

The cyan pegasus directed both of her front hooves toward the disturbed patch of earth, which her three friends rallied around in a semi-circle. “And then it was all like, WHOOSH! Just took off into the distance.”

“Well, uh, pardon me for playin' captain obvious," An orange pony proclaimed as she scratched the side of her head with a hoof, tilting her stetson. "But it ain't exactly here no more, sugarcube.”

“And what, pray tell, were we supposed to be looking at, Rainbow Dash?” An alabaster unicorn gave the rainbow maned pegasus an uncertain, yet inquisitive look.

Rainbow Dash circled the group with a slightly disheveled look about her. “I— it was like, some kind of... thing, you know?” She landed next to the group, running a hoof through her unkempt mane. “I didn't want to get too close to it—not that I was afraid or anything! It just weird-ed me out, is all.” She thrust a hoof toward the patch. “I mean, look at those hoof prints!”

The three followed Rainbow's direction as she singled out a small cluster of elongated imprints within the dirt. The middle pony, being the more curious one of the lot, approached it.

“Well, I'm not too sure about 'hoof prints', Rainbow, but you're right. Something was definitely here.” Twilight brushed her chin as she surveyed the scene before her. The small prints in the dirt weren't rounded like a pony's. They seemed to be more akin to a certain purple dragon's paw
prints, but they didn't have the little triangular claw marks at the end of them.

“However, judging by the lack of details,” she glanced back over towards her friends, “It must have been wearing some kind of... hoofwear.” Her muzzle crinkled as the word rolled off of her tongue. “I'm sorry, Rainbow. Are you sure you can't tell me anything else about it?”

Dash shifted her gaze towards the sky, recalling what she could. After a few moments, she ruffled her wings in irritation. “Naw, I got nothin'. Like I said, I didn't want to get too close to it; but...” she rested her chin on her foreleg, “...okay, so maybe I did see a little, but all I caught was some weird patchy outfit and some really dark fur.”

Twilight gave one last glance down at the paw prints before rejoining the other mares. “Okay, so we don't really have much in way of physical details," letting a reassuring grin play across her lips, she continued, "no problem. You must have at least caught which way it headed, right?”

The pegasus swiftly bound into the air with a confident nod. “It ran that way,” she motioned a hoof over in the direction of a large tree line in the distance, “Towards the Everfree.”

Rainbow Dash returned her gaze to find the other three collectively grimacing at the remark. “Well sugarcube,” Applejack chuckled awkwardly, “Ah think that is a completely understandable conclusion to this here little mystery o' yours.”

“Huh?” Rainbow was dumbfounded.

“I agree with Applejack.” Twilight added, nodding at the orange cowpony's implications. “Look, Rainbow, the Everfree forest is filled with all kinds of strange creatures. Granted, what one would be doing out here near Ponyville is beyond me at the moment, it still doesn't change the fact that whatever you saw was probably from somewhere in the forest.”

Settling down onto the ground with a light thump of her hooves, Rainbow Dash shook her head in protest. “No,” she hardened her gaze, “I know what I saw, alright. Okay, so maybe I didn't really catch much of it,” Dash thrust her right hoof into the ground for emphasis, kicking up a small cloud of dirt, “But I'm telling you, that thing seemed a little too weird. Even for the Everfree's standards.”

“Well, if what you are saying is true, Rainbow,” Rarity inquired, “What is it that you propose we do about it?” The alabaster unicorn narrowed her gaze, knowing all too well what the cyan pegasus was about to suggest.

“Well, umm—I guess we could go look for it?” Rubbing the back of her neck, the pegasus gave a sheepish grin to the other three ponies. There was a really uncomfortable pause, followed by a brief moment of laughter from Applejack.

“So, what yer proposin' is we go lookin' for a needle in a needle stack?” The orange pony let out another series of chuckles. “Listen girl, I understand you might be a little worried about whatever it is you saw, and I don't blame ya. Hay, if I saw one of them Everfree critters outside my window, I'd be a little shaken too.”

Dash's brow furrowed. “Shaken? I wasn't shaken!” Taking to the air once more, Dash pointed a hoof at the cowpony. “Like I said, it was just really weird. I mean, the way it was just standing there, it was like some sort of statue—”

Caught up in her brash clarification, Dash almost didn't take notice of her white unicorn friend starting towards the town. “Hey, where are you going?”

“I'm going to go see to an early lunch.” Rarity said. Her face brightened as she focused her attention over towards the purple unicorn. “Oh, Twilight darling, you must come and join me. It's been ages since you last spent some time outside of those books of yours.”

Twilight, whose mind was still fixated the anomaly which Dash had drawn her towards, replied with a contemplative stare. “Twilight? Darling?” After a short moment, she broke from her daze. “Mu-huh?” Stuttered the unicorn with a lightly startled feature. Twilight met the concerned gaze of Rarity as the other unicorn's request finally broke through her mental fog.

“Uh, sorry Rarity,” she said, “I've still got a bit of reading to do; and with all of this,” motioning over to where Applejack and Rainbow Dash still lingered, “It looks like I might have even more on my plate.”

It had been some time since she went out with any of her friends. After all, the library had just received a bolstering new collection of books from Canterlot just weeks ago, so she had busied herself with them to the point of loosing track of time. However, she figured that since she was so close to finishing it all, she'd put off anything social for awhile longer.

The alabaster unicorn's worried expression only deepened.

“Oh, don't worry,” Twilight reassured her, “I'm sure Pinkie Pie has been keeping tabs on my absence for some time now. Shouldn't be long until were all sucked up into a 'Twilight-stop-reading-and-spend-some-time-with-your-friends' party.”

Her purple ears perked as Rarity muttered something under her breath. “What was that?” Twilight quickly took notice of the skeptical look that Rarity shot over at the hovering pegasus, then she motioned for the purple pony to move in closer.

“While I'm not one who takes pride in doubting other ponies, I can't help but think—“ Rarity was cut off when a nosy Rainbow landed right next to them. “What? What is it? Is this about me?” Dash irately questioned.

“Oh, Rainbow darling...” Rarity let out in a sigh of discontent, “...alright. It is quite ill mannered to speak behind somepony's back, and it's only fair that I bring this up with you in company.”

Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes. There was hardly any subtlety to Rarity's actions; she was practically broadcasting it. This alone hardly warranted it as being “behind somepony's back”.

The alabaster unicorn fixed her gaze onto the pegasus. “You see, Rainbow, I don't mean to doubt you or your story, but lately, you haven't been giving me much of a reason not to.” She glanced over to the purple unicorn. “Both you, and Pinkie.”

Twilight quickly caught the point Rarity was trying to convey. Though she hadn't been around much to delve into her friend's daily lives as much as she would have liked, she had recently gotten an interesting little bit of information out of her little assistant, Spike. A few days prior, he strolled into the library in a bit of a huff, and went about his daily chores with a scowl fixed upon on his scaly face. It didn't take Twilight very long to pry into this matter. Reluctantly, he plopped into his favorite cushion with a brief summary about how his beloved Rarity had been subject to a string of rather cruel tricks. Of course, she couldn't really take his emphasis on the word "cruel" at face value, what with his adoration of the beautiful mare. He went on to explain how he had mistakenly gotten wrapped up in one of the infamous Rainbow-Pie pranks while assisting Rarity with one of her jewel hunts. He also took the time to happily proclaim his pride in protecting his fair maiden from any harm the duo could throw at her, only to lament as he, in his words: “May or may not have pushed her into the multicolored goop while trying to get out”.

The pony could only giggle at his dramatization of such a harmless prank, only to apologize after receiving a hardy glare. Spike continued, in a rather timid fashion, of how Rarity told him of their other offenses as she helped him clean off at her boutique. Like how one morning while she was preparing breakfast, she would uncap a jar to find a bundle of false snakes leaping out at her.

Twilight took a moment to paint an amusing image in her mind, only to have it burn up after hearing that Rarity uncapped it over the stove which was lit. Hoping everything was for the better, she urgently pressed the little dragon for more details. To her relief, he deadpanned how "only a little bit of her kitchen went up in flames", while she herself was relatively unscathed. Well, save for a slight bit of curl at the end of her mane.

The remaining pranks all seemed rather lighthearted, but the one involving the potential arson investigation had worried the purple pony. She still needed to have a sit-down with the two about it.

“Twilight,” she was cut from her reverie by the unicorn who stood across from her with a curious look. Giving her head a quick shake, she broke her gaze from the shortened end of the violet mane.

“Oh, I'm sorry.” Twilight said with a slight chuckle. “What was that, Rarity?”

“I was asking if you were alright, dear. This is the second time we've lost you.” Rarity said in a huff of relief, resting a hoof to her chest.

“Oh, I'm fine. Really.” she nodded softly, glad that the other unicorn hadn't caught on to what directed her gaze. That was a bag of oats that she did not want to open right now.

“Where were we again?” Twilight followed Rarity's gaze over to the mischievous cyan pegasus who was tapping her hoof on the ground. “Oh, right.”

Before Twilight could speak, Rarity continued her declaration of doubt. “Well, as I was saying, you haven't been very... trustworthy, as of late.”

“Oh, come on Rarity. I said I was sorry,” Rainbow puffed with an air of annoyance, “and I told you I'd take care of all the repair work, didn't I?”

“That's hardly the point, Rainbow!” Rarity replied in aggravation. “I can forgive all of your childishness, and all the mistakes that followed, but to expect me to believe such a shoddy testimony is rather insulting.”

“Wha— I... What!?” Stammered the light blue pegasus as she narrowed her gaze. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“Well, if you want to cut to the chase, then yes.” Both of their eyes locked in a glare. “This is obviously some kind of tactless setup to try and lure us into one of you're little tricks.”

Flabbergasted, the rainbow maned pony struggled to keep her cool. “Excuse me? I'll have you know that I've said nothing but the absolute truth since we got here.”

Their noses met as Rainbow bound from her spot towards the unicorn. Twilight darted her head between the two. “Umm, girls,” she tentatively tried to catch their attention, “I think—” was all she could mutter before Rarity replied in a rather haughty tone.

“Oh, really? Well, then why with all of the vague descriptions, hmm?” Rarity asked, arching an eyebrow. “How could a pegasus of your stature possibly not get even a decent look at the creature? What could make you so timid that you'd feel the need to keep such a distance?”

“It was... merely precautionary.” Rainbow replied, rubbing the back of her neck. “I didn't want to go falling into some kind of trap or anything.”

“Girls,” Twilight tried again, only for her voice to fall on deaf ears.

“And there's another thing.” Rarity directed a hoof towards the hovering mare inquisitively. “How could you possibly be so sure about anything since you didn't even get close enough to get a good look? The only items we have on the table so far are 'how weird this thing was', as well as some rather vague details.”

“Call it a gut feeling.” Rainbow shot back.

“A gut feeling?” Rarity echoed with a blank stare, “Let me get this strait. You were going to put yourself, not to mention the rest of us into potential danger by hunting down some creature in the Everfree forest on a gut feeling?”

Dash's face flushed at the realization. “Well, no... I mean yes, but—“

“Come now, Rainbow. Even I know that you're not that irresponsible.” Rarity's brow furrowed. “Now why don't you just admit this was all for some prank you and Pinkie have waiting for us, so we can get on with our day.”

The hovering pony beat her wings a few times in frustration, her expression melting from one of embarrassment, to irritation. However, before she could begin her verbal tirade, the silent cowpony finally chimed in, cutting in between the two.

“Whoa, there. Let's just take a moment to simmer on down before things get out o' hand.” She glanced between the two ponies, the only one noticeably settling being Rainbow Dash as her wings steadied from the frantic pace they had adapted.

“Alright, now then.” Applejack addressed the unicorn with a glance. “Ah do believe ah'm going to have to side with Rainbow Dash, sugarcube.”

“Oh, Applejack—” Rarity was beginning to say, only to be cut of by a swiping hoof from Applejack. “Lemme finish. Now, I reckon that if Rainbow Dash says that there was some critter there that probably shouldn't have been there, then ah believe 'er."

"On the other hoof,” she started, turning towards the pegasus who took to crossing her forelegs over her chest, “Ah'm also going to have to side with Rarity. Ah can't rightly say that rummagin' around in a dangerous place like that, for something that we probably won't even find, is that wise of a choice.” Her gaze shifted over to Twilight, who was watching in a slight stupor as Applejack defused the situation. “What do you think, Twi?”

“Huh? Oh.” Twilight shifted on her hooves a bit. “Well, like you said, hunting for something we might not even find inside of the Everfree, of all places, would probably lead to some really bad results. Though,” her gaze shifted between Rarity and Rainbow Dash, the latter of whom had began to pout in midair, “I can't really say for sure. After all,” looking past the three other mares, over to the patch of earth, “Those prints are a little strange.”

“Thank you!” Rainbow Dash exhaled in a heavy sigh, thrusting both forelegs out in front of her.

“Oh, not you too, Twilight.” Rarity shifted herself to face the purple unicorn. “You of all ponies couldn't possibly buy that story, could you?”

Twilight's eyes shifted between the other unicorn, and the incriminating patch of dirt. “Well, with Rainbow, I admit that it does seem a little farfetched; but...”

“But~?” Rainbow Dash was now hovering in front of the unicorn with a look of anticipation.

“But,” she let out with a sudden sternness, “If a potential threat is concerned, I can't rightly turn a blind eye to it.” Rainbow Dash exhaled a sigh of relief, thankful that at least one of the ponies saw it her way; that something needed to be done. “I guess we can start by trying to cross reference those hoof prints. If we're lucky, we might find something in my library.” Rainbow's relief was drowned out by a flood of dismay. Of course the egghead would choose to take action with a book. It wasn't like the other two didn't have a point. Rainbow Dash easily understood the dangers that lurked inside of the forest, but she was confident in her ability to fend off any of them. At least, she felt confident.

Exhaling a sigh of resignation, the pegasus braced herself for what was to come. Even if it involved having her nose shoved in a book, they'd be doing something. Besides, Twilight was a sharp pony. On the bright side, they might have this solved pretty quickly with her book smarts.

“Alright, have it your way.” Rarity's mane swayed as she began to turn towards Ponyville. “I still say that it's a waste of time, so I shall not partake in this little misadventure. Just don't let their little game get you into any danger, you hear?”

Blowing a raspberry, Rainbow landed next to Twilight and wrapped a foreleg around the unicorn's back. “As if. Just don't go getting all jealous when the three of us get honors directly from the Princesses.”

“Actually,” Applejack said in a pensive tone, “Ah need to head back to the farm. Gotta lot of baked goods to prepare for, on account o' the crusader's little... mishap the other day. Besides,” she said, “The only reason Ah'm here is because you made it sound so urgent.”

“It is urgent!” Rainbow called out, turning to face the earth pony. “You know what, fine. If that's how it's gonna be, then you go play with your apples. Me and Twilight here can handle ourselves just fine!”

Applejack's eyes rolled in a full circle. “Alright, whatever you say. Just stay out of trouble.” She finished with a warning glare at the pegasus. “I don't wanna have to come into town hearin' about how you burnt the whole forest down.”

“Why, you— I...” Rainbow began to sputter, failing to articulate a decent retort. By the time one formed in her mind, she found that it was too late; the orange pony was already out of ear shout. She puffed an air of aggravation from her nose.

Rainbow dash gave the last pony standing a giddy grin. “Okay, investigation time,” she said, rubbing her hooves together in anticipation. “About those prints?!”

“Huh? Oh, what about them?” Rainbow facehoofed. “Seriously? What's wrong with you today?” The purple pony could feel a flush of embarrassment creep across her face. “Er-right! Well, we'll have to head back to the library and—”

“Right! Books.” Twilight nearly toppled over as the hyped up Rainbow Dash began to push her from behind, towards the library. “If we can't go into the forest, then we'll need books! Come on! Move your sparkling flank, egghead!”

This was going to be a long day.

“There you go, little bunnies~.” A yellow pegasus singsonged as she spread a variety of fruits and vegetables upon the ground. A little squirrel ran up from behind her and tugged on a pink lock of her tail. “Oh, don't worry. I didn't forget about you.” she addressed it in a soothing tone.

It was lunchtime for the little creatures of the Everfree. As if a tradition, several of the little furry animals would collect around Fluttershy's cottage, patiently awaiting the the arrival of her hospitality. Even though she had her own little friends to take care of, she didn't mind the new comers in the least. In fact, she would always look forward to seeing they're happy little faces scurrying about.

“Oh, my. You should take care in eating more slowly.” she gently lectured an overenthusiastic chipmunk as he fought to keep from choking on a date.

After the offending chunk of fruit was hacked from the critter's gullet, contradicting it's cuteness with a wet flop onto the ground, Fluttershy dropped a new one in front of him. “Now be careful this time,” she lectured. “You need to pace yourself, and chew.”

The chipmunk began to squeak in a rebellious fashion as the pegsasus fluttered off to treat the other animals. Returning his gaze from the yellow mare, who was currently distributing seeds around in her chicken coup, the little chipmunk reached down for the fruit. Only to have it vanish in a brown blur.

This elicited a series of enraged clicks and squeaks. Looking up from the now dateless ground before him, chagrin quickly took the place of annoyance. In front of him stood not one, not two, but three other rodents. Well, two rodents and a lagomorph.

The large, darker coated chipmunk in the center of the three, obviously being the ringleader, dangled the fruit in front of his victimized kin while sporting an arrogant grin. The rabbit to his left, who mirrored his expression, was grinding his paws together in an ominously.

The final critter in the group was devoid of any real expression. Staring off into nothing with slack jawed demeanor.

Glancing from one to the other, the chipmunk could feel his gut begin to knot up. The middle rodent began to jangle the fruit, forcing the smaller creature to focus on him. Looking up into his eyes with apprehension, the small chipmunk began to back away, only to have the group advance on him with a mirrored pace.

The middle chipmunk let out of a few commanding squeaks while giving his companions a demanding glare. In a sudden flash of discomfort, the small chipmunk found himself pinned against the base of a nearby tree by the rabbit and the squirrel, whose mouth was now curled into a dopey grin.

A treacherous chuckle resonated from the ringleader, who was tearing away a piece of the date he held in his paw. Eyes darting between his captors, the small chipmunk allowed a hesitant smile to crack at the corners of his mouth. The approaching offender nodded as he held out the chunk fruit to the smaller rodent. Things were not looking good for ol' Chippy.

“And here's one for you, and one for you...” Fluttershy was droping some fruit slices for the turtles that gathered around her hooves. She watched in slight amusement as they slowly worked their magic on the food. All except one turtle, who was staring off into the distance. It was so small, almost like a hatchling. Leaning down to level with it, she asked: “What's wrong? Do you not feel well?”

It brought it's gaze to meet hers for moment, then returned it back to where it was. Fluttershy followed his line of sight, trying to catch what was so appealing to the small, green reptile. Squinting, the pegasus could make out three... No, four little woodland animals playing with one another at the base of a tree.

Smiling, she began to inch closer to the group, curious as to what game the cute little bundles of joy were partaking in. A few small hoof strides later, she could see that they weren't playing a game, but actually helping one of their smaller friends eat his food. “Oh, isn't that just darling?”

The little chipmunk who was against the tree began to squirm. That was weird. Why were the bunny and squirrel holding him like that?

Oh...

With a gasp, Fluttershy quickly made her way over to the small furry cluster. “Stop that this instant!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. Wondering why they payed her no mind, the yellow pegasus redoubled her efforts.

Nothing.

Cursing her lack of audibility, she drew in a deep breath for another try. Before she could bellow, a white blur zipped past her hoof, causing her to lock up with a slight squeal. With a few violent thumps of his foot, Angel managed to captured the attention of the three offender's. Glancing back, the visage of the yellow pegasus faltered the conviction of the two critters who held the chipmunk firmly in place.

Taking notice of the weakened grip, the small rodent began to thrash out of their grasp. Distracted from the pegasus who took to scolding the group, the larger chipmunk turned back, only to be met with a large gob of chewed fruit being hawked into his face.

The thrashing ceased for a moment as Chippy stared in wonder as the messy chipmunk began roughly swiping at the fruity chunks still melded to his fur. Their eyes met, and Chippy's face paled as the fury practically colored his face; but before the other two could get their grubby mitts on him once more, he bound over the trio and took off towards a bush.

Fluttershy, who was busying herself with her scolding of the small creatures who cowered under her gaze, glanced up to see the poor little dear leap over his tormentors and run into a small bush near the tree.

“Oh, wait!” she pleaded, quickly taking off after it and leaving the three trouble makers in Angel's capable paws. “Where are you going? Please, I just want to make sure you're okay!”

Pushing through the shrubbery, Fluttershy scanned the surrounding area. It was a small clearing in the vegetation she had run into while chasing the chipmunk. “Hello? Little chipmunk?” she called out, fearing she might be coming off as too intimidating.

Moments past as she scoured over the rough patches of leaves and grass, calling out for Chippy the chipmunk. After no sign of the him, a long sigh escaped her lips. Out there, somewhere, was a hurt little creature. One she couldn't do anything for until she could find it.

This feeling of helplessness faded soon as the rustling of bushes caught her ear. Turning towards the source of the noise, she beamed. “Hello? Little chipmunk? It's okay,” she said, approaching the bush in question. “Please, come on out. I... I want to help you.”

A small “Eep” was emitted from the timid pegasus as the rustling in the bush became more severe. However, just as quickly as it started, it stopped. Fearing that the poor chipmunk she had followed into the brush might have succumb to any form of harm, Fluttershy tentatively lowered her head and slowly crept over to it.

“He—Hello? Little chipmunk?” she stammered with a quivering lip.

The leaves slowly began to part as the small furry creature came into view. Standing across from it was a stunned pegasus pony.

Fluttershy's eyes widened, trying to take in the full form that stood before her. It wasn't like it was very large, but it was certainly no chipmunk. This fact alone boggled her mind since she had never once laid eyes on such a thing before.

“Umm, hello?” she said, trying to elicit any form of response. It did not. Standing there on it's hind legs, it just returned her gaze. “Are.... you alright?” She took a step forward. “Are you hungry? You look.... hungry.” It felt weird saying that last word. She didn't know why, but the creature in front of her gave her a strange vibe in the pit of her stomach. No, that was wrong. In the past, she would have no problem treating large, intimidating predators. So, why did this thing irk her in such a manner.

It must be those eyes, she figured. Those three diamond shaped eyes that arced across it's face. Eyes which bore into her with red hot intensity. “Umm, if you'd like anything, I could bring it to you.” She knew her attempt to communicate was in vain, since the creature had no sign of a mouth. There was nothing but a really dark fur, and what looked like a really patchy beige one-piece suit. It didn't matter, though. Hearing her own voice soothed her. Since this thing emerged, an awkward lull had blanketed them.

That's when she realized it. The forest, it was devoid of any chirping, or cackling. Even her animal friends back near the cottage took up an ominous hush. She scanned the clearing, taking notice of her seclusion within.

“Umm,” she started, turning back to the creature who was now a hairs length away from her muzzle.

“Eep!” Squealed the pony as she stumbled back onto her haunches. “O—oh, my. That was... startling.” A hesitant smile played across her lips as she gazed back up into three intensely red eyes. “Umm, well, I need to, um, get back to my home now.” she said, slowly backing away from the creature, who took a few steps towards her in response. “I still have some animals that need caring for.”

She whirled around and froze as another one of the creepy little critters blocked off the path she came in from. This one was slightly different. Instead of a patchy, beige one-piece, this one wore a sleek red one. It also had streaks of white running through the fur atop it's head, and it's left eye was scarred over.

“Oh, hello there.” A lump was forming in her throat, causing her words to come out shaken. “Were you.... looking for your friend?” she tried motioning over to the other bipedal creature with a wing, only she couldn't. They were locked at her sides, trembling.

It's eyes began to squint, and it's face contorted slightly, as if it was smiling. “Well, umm... I really need to go now, okay.”

She start over to the right, moving to walk around the creature. It merely sidestepped into her path. The sound of what she could best guess at being paw steps on the grass came from behind her as the two closed in on the terrified pony. Fluttershy found that everything was locked up now. Wings, limbs, and she even found it hard to breath. Her primal instinct of fight-or-flight was screaming in the back of her mind, but she could budge an inch.

With eyes clenched.

With breath shaken.

The pegasus pony fought to keep the image of her animal friends, her pony friends, and everything else she held dear in her mind as she braced herself for what was to come.