Rainbow Dash shifted impatiently, as she paced and forth outside of Fluttershy’s cottage. Today was Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy’s weekly day out and, as usual, Fluttershy was late. Or at least, not early. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. Fluttershy’s cottage was so far away from town; she had to fly all the way out to her best friend’s cottage and there she was, stranded in front of the gentle pony’s door, waiting. Just waiting and waiting and waiting.

She had worked so hard mastering this latest trick: it was magnificent; it was beautiful; it was probably the best trick ever. And it was called the Super Speed Blazing… super duper Rainbow… ultimate…

Ugh, whatever. It was going to be the trick that would turn the heads of the Wonderbolts for sure! And finally, at long last, they would accept Rainbow Dash as their newest member. Rainbow Dash beamed.. She could see it now; the bright blue jumpsuit, the cheering fans, the high speed, super awesome stunt —She would be the best Wonderbolt ever! Hey, maybe she’d even get to spend time with Spitfire! Now that would be totally awesome.

Rainbow Dash looked at the old wooden door to Fluttershy’s cottage. She could’ve already been a Wonderbolt if Fluttershy wasn’t taking so long. How long had it been now? Like, seven whole minutes? What’s the point of even practicing this trick if nopony’s going to be there to watch it? She gave a groan. Honestly, the Wonderbolts would probably be full by the time Fluttershy was ready. They’d make her a junior Wonderbolt or something and then everypony would just laugh at her.

Rainbow lifted a hoof and prepared to give the old wooden door a stern knocking when it swung open very, very slowly.

Fluttershy looked back as she walked out of her cottage. Her animals waved goodbye to her as she closed the door. “Hello Rainbow Dash!” came the gentle, squeaky voice. “I’m all ready for our day out! I just had to take care of a few of my dear animal friends before I could leave. Hummingway has been feeling ill lately and I just wanted to make sure tha —“

Rainbow Dash cut her off. “Yeah, that’s great. Now come on, Fluttershy! If you don’t hurry up, I’m going to be the laughing stock of Equestria!”

Fluttershy gave her dear friend a confused look. Rainbow Dash was always in a hurry. Though she cared ever so much for Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy knew just how impatient the blue pegasus could be. “Oh my, well, that does sound serious.” The shy pony smiled gently. “I’ll just follow you then!”

The two ponies flew to their usual hangout: a quiet little meadow just a stone’s toss from Fluttershy’s cozy cottage. The day seemed perfect; the meadow flowed like a green sea as the wind softly blew through it and, aside from the wind, not a sound could be heard save the chirping of meadow larks. As Rainbow Dash gave her wings a few test flaps, Fluttershy looked around for a nice place to sit. Rainbow Dash could be a bit impatient sometimes, but really, she could hardly ask for a better friend. Fluttershy wondered if Angel, her pet bunny, might have wanted to come. Oh well… maybe next time.

Rainbow Dash was ready. The air buzzed with excitement as the sleek, blue pony gave her wings a few test flaps. That buzzing turned into sheer electricity as she bolted high into the sky, the pressure from her sudden departure exploding with a loud roar as the wind rushed in to fill the space she had occupied.

Fluttershy gave a soft “ooooo” as the fierce wind blew past. Rainbow Dash was always pushing herself to do new tricks, but really, Fluttershy admired just about everything her dear friend could do. She certainly was not so capable. Off she went, doing flips and loops and spinning this way and that. Fluttershy loved watching Rainbow Dash fly about the sky like that. It was almost like her dear friend was dancing up there!

Having seen the Wonderbolts herself a few times while she was still a filly in Cloudsdale, Fluttershy felt that Rainbow Dash was already far more exciting to watch than the famous blue-suited flyers. The gentle pony didn’t quite have the heart to tell her dear friend that though; it had always been Rainbow’s dream to be in the Wonderbolts.

Fluttershy was feeling very relaxed, watching Rainbow Dash soaring back and forth through the sky. A loop here, a brave spin around a cloud, and a high speed flyover — Rainbow Dash had clearly been working very hard on this new routine. Fluttershy felt herself day dreaming about the lovely trip to Sugar Cube Corner she and Rainbow Dash would enjoy after the afternoon’s practice. Rainbow Dash will tell her all about how awesome and difficult her tricks were while the gentle pony would simply smile and listen, perhaps having a cupcake together and picking up a treat for Angel.

Fluttershy’ reverie was broken by the sudden sound of yelling and the clammer of panicked, galloping hooves. She picked up her head and looked around for the source of the noise. Far off in the distance, at the very other edge of the vast meadow, three familiar fillies were running blindly towards her. It was Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle: the Cutie Mark Crusaders, as they liked to be called. They were so very adorable… but they were also usually up to trouble. Those little fillies were always looking to earn their cutie marks and were frequently trying new things. Fluttershy had always wondered to herself what would happen if one of them earned her cutie mark before the others.

As the three fillies approached, Fluttershy heard Applebloom hollering in her adorable Apple-family twang, “Fluttershy! We need your help! The town’s in danger and everypony’s going to be in biiig trouble if ya’ll don’t get down there to save ‘em!” Sweetie Belle was about to speak when she lost her footing and fell, sending all three ponies into a spiraling ball which came to rest just short of where Fluttershy was sitting.

The little pile of cutie mark-less fillies groaned for a moment as they waited for the pain to subside. “Ugggh,” groaned Sweetie Belle, as she tried to think of what she wanted to say. “Scootaloo, I think your hoof is on my tail.”

Scootaloo rolled over to the side. “Sorry, Sweetie Belle. Are we all okay, Crusaders?”
Her question was met with two sour sounding affirmations from the others. Fluttershy gave the three young a fillies a concerned, but amused, smile. Adorable though they were, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were certainly a force to be reckoned with sometimes! “Did you need me for something, girls?”

Sweetie Belle looked up at Fluttershy and gave a nervous smile. “Um, yeah… So, we were trying really hard to earn our cutie marks today in animal herding, and… well, I guess we sort of messed up.”

Fluttershy started to feel a bit of panic now. She looked up in the sky at Rainbow Dash performing her incredible tricks and then looked back at the three dirty, aching Cutie Mark Crusaders. She couldn’t help but notice that Scootaloo, a young Pegasus and Rainbow Dash’s biggest admirer, was staring at Rainbow Dash transfixed. Fluttershy felt a lump form in her throat. “What do you mean by ‘messed up?’”

Scootaloo broke her mesmerized stare and looked at Fluttershy with wide, guilt-ridden eyes. “Well, we sort of wanted to see if we could be animal wranglers…”

Apple Bloom finished the orange filly’s sentence, “And so we let everypony’s pets out of their houses so we could go get ‘em.”

Fluttershy twitched. She loved the three little fillies very much but they really could test a pony’s patience sometimes. How did the three fillies even manage to release everypony’s pets like that? Applebloom picked herself up, dusted herself off with one hoof and said, softly, “We could really use your help, Fluttershy. If you don’t mind, that is.”

She couldn’t just leave Rainbow Dash, could she? Rainbow Dash was one of her best friends; if Rainbow found out that Fluttershy had just left in the middle of her super duper trick, Rainbow Dash would be crestfallen. And yet, if there’s an emergency in town, surely Rainbow Dash would understand?

Fluttershy looked up and screamed at the top of her lungs, “Rainbow Dash! The Cutie Mark Crusaders need my help! I’m going to follow them into town! I’m so sorry that I can’t stay; your tricks are as wonderful as ever! Okay, bye now!”

The blue Pegasus continued her high speed flips and spins without seeming to notice. Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Ugh, we don’t have time for this! Come on Fluttershy, we need to go!” With Scootaloo tugging on Fluttershy’s hoof from the front and with the other two fillies pushing from the back, the Cutie Mark Crusaders dragged Fluttershy away from the meadow, where Rainbow Dash continued her thrilling display alone.

-----------

Today was not Rarity’s day. It may, in fact, be the worst day ever, ever. First, she overslept by ten minutes and had to start her morning routine late. Why, she had to take a whole minute off of her bathing and grooming time. It was horrible. Oh, but then, she discovered she had run out of lavender silk. How in Equestria could that possibly have happened? She always kept such a good stock of her fabrics! It must have been Sweetie Belle. Her little sister was always up to some sort of trouble.

Rarity grumbled and paced about her room. Those two things were both bad enough, but now Opal had gone missing! Rarity’s precious cat, Opalescence was the prim pony’s prissy pet; the only creature in all of Equestria with her nose held higher than Rarity’s, Rainbow Dash had once joked. But what does Rainbow Dash know anyhow?

Rarity simply did not have time for this nonsense. Opal never just wanders off on her own! Somepony must have taken her! What if she is being held for ransom? What if they hurt poor Opal?

Rarity felt herself tensing up. But no! It is not a time for panic! Why, finding Opal will require the utmost calm. The beautiful mare thought it through as she paced about the ground floor of Carousel Boutique. The last time she had seen Opal…

The door of Carousel swung open with a bang and a swarm of little, frightened furry animals rushed in. A few squirrels, maybe six or seven rabbits… is that a ferret? Rarity’s jaw dropped as as the critters as knocked over her mannequins and made a giant mess of her boutique. The horror took a moment to register for the shocked pony. The last glimmer of calm in her mind gave a parting thought before vanishing. Yes, certainly the worst day ever.

Rarity screamed.

----------

As Fluttershy and the Cutie Mark Crusaders rounded the last hill on the road into town, they heard a shrill scream. Fluttershy couldn’t make out quite who it was, but Sweetie Belle recognized the scream immediately.

“Oh, that’s bad. Really, really bad,” the little white filly whimpered, looking down at her hooves with guilt. “I’m going to be in so much trouble… especially when she finds out what I did to her lavender silk this morning.” Scootaloo and Applebloom looked at each other rather sheepishly.

Fluttershy had a sneaking suspicion that releasing everypony’s pets wasn’t the only spot of trouble the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been up to today; Rarity always did get the worst of their silly behavior.

Fluttershy decided that it would be best if they all hurried. Although Fluttershy might not have been able to recognize the scream from so far away, she knew Rarity was not the sort of pony to scream unless things were getting to be too much for her. If they could hear the scream from so far away, it must be something important.

The four ponies galloped as fast as they could and soon, Carousel Boutique came into view. Fluttershy was horrified. The roof of the building was covered in birds and the sound of banging and screaming could be heard quite clearly. The Cutie Mark Crusaders exchanged their sheepish looks with each other once again. They were going to be in so much trouble.

Fluttershy examined the scene for a moment before turning to face the three fillies. “Girls, just where did you find all of these animals from?”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders met Fluttershy’s question with a collective nervous giggle. Applebloom kicked her front left hoof and looked to the right. “Well, we went door to door and sort of told everypony... that... um... we were bringing their pets to you, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy felt a slight chill; this was not going to be good. Applebloom continued: “for a free grooming. So we just sort of loaded up all the pets in this big bag we’d made... and then let them go.” Applebloom met Fluttershy’s horrified expression with a big smile. “To catch ‘em. For our cutie marks.”

Sweetie Belle stepped forward proudly, smiled and helpfully chirped “And for some ponies, we just took their pets when they weren’t lookin —” She was abruptly cut off as Apple Bloom stuck a hoof in her mouth.

“Eh heh, well, that’s about enough talk about the pets! Let’s go catch ‘em!” Apple Bloom sprang forward and was quickly followed by Scootaloo and a confused but enthusiastic Sweetie Belle, leaving Fluttershy behind them as they rushed towards Carousel Boutique and the still screaming peril of Rarity.

Fluttershy froze. She didn’t quite know how to respond to what she’d heard. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had gotten her involved in one of their crazy schemes and there was a chance that she could get into some very big trouble. Oh goodness...

Rarity let out another shrill cry. Fluttershy shook her head. She knew that, no matter what happened, she had to go help Rarity. If both ponies and animals were in danger, there was just one pony for the job!

Fluttershy gulped. She really, really, really wished it didn’t have to be her.

--------------

Carousel Boutique was the messiest it had been since the infamous parasprite incident that plagued Ponyville. Precious and expensive fabrics littered the floor and hung from the rafters; chairs, tables, and mannequins were strewn all over. Tiny creatures ran this way and that, smashing into whatever was left standing in their panic. And, at the very center of it all, Rarity sat on a three legged stool, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Sweetie Belle ran through the open door of the boutique, followed quickly by a rather heroic looking Scootaloo and Applebloom. “Don’t worry, Rarity! Just let us handle this! Cutie Mark Crusader critter catchers, yay!” Sweetie Belle hopped into the fray with a determined look on her face, while Applebloom and Scootaloo ran to a nearby closet to retrieve a giant lavender bag from its convenient hiding place. The two fillies pulled the bag out, only to have it burst into shreds as Opalescence escaped from her silken prison with an angry feline roar.

For a moment, Rarity was silent. It was Opal. And her precious lavender silk. Her left eye twitched and her mouth hung open. And then she screamed even louder than before.

--------

Fluttershy had finally arrived at Carousel Boutique. Out of breath and totally exhausted, the yellow pony wondered if she’d have the energy to stop whatever was going on within. Fluttershy stepped into the boutique, nearly tripping on two bunnies and a mole as they ran past her. She’d have to grab them later; saving Rarity definitely came first! It was time to be assertive; first, the situation had to be assessed.

Fluttershy observed the scene before her. Squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and all sorts of furry critters stormed about the workshop floor of Rarity’s precious boutique. It seemed the Cutie Mark Crusaders were trying desperately to round up the critters too, with little luck. Fluttershy gulped. If the Carousel Boutique was like this, she could only imagine how the rest of town might be faring.

The yellow pony tiptoe’d gracefully into action; she was not much of a pony for leaping into it. Turning to the nearest scrambling squirrel, Fluttershy warmly greeted it. “Excuse me, mister squirrel... but if it’s not too much trouble, could you—”

The squirrel paid Fluttershy no heed, as it darted underneath a nearby dresser in panic, only to find itself being chased by Opalescence shortly after. The Cutie Mark Crusaders weren’t helping much either. Their chasing was only scaring the animals even worse. Rarity had stopped screaming by now and chose instead to quietly sob into her hooves, her voice strained and hoarse from screaming.

Fluttershy would have to try something more bold. She stamped her hoof and gave a very assertive “um, excuse me.” Smiling and waiting for the raging critters to excuse her, she found that her words impacted the chaos like a drop of water falling into the sea. The situation frustrated Fluttershy; she was great with animals, but not so much with chaos. Oh, how she wished Applejack were here; the assertive pony could have wrangled the critters (and fillies, it seemed) with little effort.

The feeling frustrated Fluttershy. She felt something rising from deep within her. “Um, sorry...” the pegasus stammered. “But I believe I said EXCUSE ME!” Though gentle and soft as ever, her voice rang clearly through Carousel Boutique, followed by her signature and infamous stare.

Both the creatures and the crusaders froze at once. Even Rarity had stopped her sobbing and found herself transfixed by Fluttershy’s powerful gaze. Fluttershy blushed... she never really could control when that happened, but she had to admit, it was a pretty good feeling.

Scootaloo broke the shocking silence. “Um, wow.”

That was enough of a cue for Rarity, who dashed from her stool in the center of the room to Fluttershy. With a mighty hug, Rarity grasped Fluttershy and whined, tears still in her eyes. “Oh Fluttershy... thank you, oh thank you! You have no idea just how awful my day has been.” Rarity’s voice cracked from the strain; she’d been screaming for a very long time. “First, it was the bath... and Sweetie Belle with the bag and the fabric and Opal, poor Opal, and then the animals and my shop, I...”

Rarity began to sob uncontrollably. “The horror...” she stammered. “I just don’t know what I would have done without you, Fluttershy!”

The gentle pony blushed. Rarity was one of her best friends, if not her best friend. For such a good friend, Fluttershy was always willing to help.

Just then, a bunny bolted down from the top floor of Rarity’s boutique, charged across the floor and bolted out the door. Applebloom let out a gasp and lept up. “Come on, Crusaders! Let’s go get that bunny!” With Fluttershy still being held tightly by Rarity, she found herself unable to give chase as the Cutie Mark Crusaders bolted out the door together.

The animals looked at each other, and then back at the trapped Fluttershy. Turning to face the critters as best she could with Rarity still sobbing into her mane, Fluttershy gave her furry audience a nervous smile. “Um, you can go home now! Just make sure to go straight home and not cause any panic on the way back, okay?”

One by one, the creatures started to file out of Carousel Boutique. They weren’t exactly sure what was happening, but the instructions were as good as any. Fluttershy smiled to herself. Another job well done, it seemed... yes, she really did have a way with animals.

Rarity seemed to be feeling a bit more calm too, now that the animals were out of her precious boutique. They had left a gigantic mess, but being a unicorn, Rarity was more than capable of handling it. The chaos would set her back days, of course... perhaps she’d ask for Fluttershy and Twilight’s help to catch up with her schedule.

Surveying the mess, Rarity gave a sigh. “Really though, thank you ever so much for your help, Fluttershy.” Looking back at her best friend, Rarity thought for a moment, her brows furrowed as she recalled her frustration. “Where do you suppose the girls have run off to now?” Fluttershy felt cold again. She wasn’t really sure she wanted to find out.

----------

Spike glanced out a window as he came down the stairs of the library treehouse that he and Twilight called home. Though small and barely able to see all the way out the window, the young dragon was certain something was wrong outside. “Um, Twilight?” the dragon said, pointing at the window with the book grasped firmly in his claw. “There’s something happening outside. I think it’s serious.”

Twilight Sparkle sat surrounded by books in the center of her library home. Piled high in a circle, the books had been meticulously pored over and purposefully marked. “Not now Spike. This is very, very important.”

Equestria is a land which ebbs and flows with the power of magic in its many forms. A part of the magic in everypony manifests itself in omens and legends; both an essential and very real part of Equestria’s history! Twilight Sparkle was one of the few ponies who appreciated this aspect of pony magic and, other than the Princesses themselves, she knew more than anypony about the dangers of ignoring those ancient legends.

Something was coming, and Twilight was certain of it. The weather patterns over Equestria had been shifting, slowly but surely. The weather bureau in Cloudsdale had dismissed her queries, but the figures never lie; something big was coming. And it was magical, of that she was sure.

Ancient Pony Legends, Oracles and Omens, The Celestian Chronicle... all of them hinted to a terrible, well, something that was on its way.

Still standing by the window, Spike insisted once more. “Twilight, you really should look outside. I think the town’s in trouble. I can’t really see what’s happening, but there’s ponies running everywhere!”

Her concentration broken for the moment, Twilight gave a groan. Levitating some books neatly away from the ring of tomes surrounding her, the bookish pony trotted up to the window, magically grasping the book Spike had brought her from upstairs as she passed.

Spike was certainly right. The town was filled with ponies scrambling back and forth, running this way and that. And... were those animals? They indeed were, and quite a few of them, judging by the looks of things. Bunnies, squirrels, cats, dogs... and was that a ferret? Twilight shook her head. Maybe this had something to do with the omen?

“We can handle whatever’s happening outside after we make sure we understand the omen, Spike!” Twilight proclaimed, as she walked down the stairs with the new book. It was an old favorite of hers, Predictions and Prophecies; Twilight owned one of the only copies in all of Equestria. It was a gift from Princess Celestia herself. Opening the familiar old pages of the book, Twilight mulled over the page she had carefully earmarked.

She’d read it a thousand times now, the archaic words of the text ringing in her mind, struggling to attach themselves to the extensive research she had already done. “The thunderbolts as beating drums, the fury from the Forest comes, devastation in its wake, the spirit doth the Monster take.”

Twilight groaned. She loved Predictions and Prophecies, but some of the minor prophecies could be so enigmatic. Why exactly was it that prophecies and omens always had to be so scary sounding anyway? Would it have hurt anypony to just write down exactly what happened and how to stop it? And the rhyming... ugh. Maybe all of the books had been written by Zecora. The thought struck Twilight seriously for a moment before she dismissed it. Now she was just being silly.

From her studies so far, she had gathered that the omen was due any moment now. “When the skies over Equestria grey, and if chaos rules their hearts, the monster comes within the day, the horror, beckoned, starts. The spell is conjured; misery, the beast consumes the ever free.” It was the only other direct reference she could find on the mysterious prophecy. The other evidence she had was all referential. As a minor prophecy, it seemed the writers of those ancient books of prophecy were not all too concerned with this ‘monster’ omen. But Twilight knew better than to take anything for granted. She’d be ready for this monster, whatever it might be.

The door to the library opened with a loud bang as panicked animals fled into Twilight’s library. Twilight dropped her book in surprise and Spike fell on the floor in response to the suddenness of the intrusion.

“No!” screamed Twilight as she struggled to gather the animals. “Spike, they can’t be allowed to disturb the books! Who knows what might happen if we can’t predict the omen!”

Spike was swatting at a squirrel nibbling on the page of book lying on the ground. “I’m trying my best, Twilight, but there’s just too many of them!”

Twilight wasn’t sure what to do. Putting all of her magical talents to full effect, she struggled to keep the animals away from her books while wondering just where in Equestria they had all come from.

--------------------------

The three Cutie Mark Crusaders had been chasing that bunny for what felt like forever now. Everywhere they went, the town was flooded with animals. As the three fillies chased the bunny into town square, Scootaloo had a sudden realization. Was this even the same bunny they had started chasing when they left Rarity’s place? In fact, just where did all of these animals come from in the first place?

Scootaloo called for a sudden halt. “Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, wait!” the little pegasus bellowed. The other two crusaders stopped and turned quizzically to Scootaloo while the bunny continued running. “Somethings not right here. I mean, we had a lot of animals in that bag, but there’s just no way all the animals in the town are the same ones we caught!”

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked around. What Scootaloo said was true: there must have been hundreds of animals all over the town square, just scrambling everywhere. And not just the cats, puppies, and bunnies they’d... well, borrowed. But also birds and raccoons and even owls! Maybe the animals had come from Fluttershy’s cottage? Why would they be in town though? And goodness, was that a ferret?

Suddenly aware of the situation they were in, the three Cutie Mark Crusaders huddled together in fear. Yes, they had wanted to be creature catchers, but the weren’t prepared to handle this many animals, all of which seemed very scared and angry. What had really scared them, however, was the fact that the appeared to be all alone in town. The sun was starting to set and, instead of the usual hustle and bustle of ponies getting ready to close up shop for the evening, apparently wild animals careened across the forsaken town as if possessed. Suddenly aware of the unusual cold, the three fillies huddled even closer. Afraid and not quite sure what to do, the three ponies began to cry loudly for help.

“There they are!” A familiar voice boomed across the square, as Applejack charged through the teeming mass of animals towards the frightened, frozen Cutie Mark Crusaders. Followed quickly by Rarity and Fluttershy, each pony grabbed a crusader and quickly retreated from the square.

The mass of animals charging through town had grown from hundreds to thousands in what seemed like just a moment to the three young fillies. Relatively safe on the backs of the stronger, bigger ponies, the fillies each had a moment to look at the sight around them. What they saw horrified them; the streets teemed with masses of retreating animals... as if the entire floor was alive with woodland creatures, both big and small. Applebloom even saw a bear pass by as Applejack carried her to safety.

The three stopped suddenly as they reached the door to Sugarcube Corner. Applejack, carrying Applebloom on her back, entered first, followed by Rarity, who held an exhausted and frightened Sweetie Belle. Fluttershy entered last, employing her fiercest stare at any animal that thought it would enter the makeshift haven as she backed in through the door with Scootaloo shivering on top of her. Fluttershy closed the door with a loud bang as she entered and the three elder ponies put the exhausted fillies down. Sugarcube Corner was packed with ponies, some hurt by the stampeding animals, others exhausted from running, and still others who were just standing around confused, trying hard to figure out what might be happening. Zecora sat solemnly in the corner with a mug of steaming cocoa while Pinkie Pie bounded in with another pot of her special chocolatey pick-me-up for whomever might want a mug. Meanwhile, the Cakes were busy helping to comfort any families with foals in whatever ways the two could.

Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy founds places to sit, worn out from their rescue; none of them had expected the swarm of running animals to pick up so ferociously. Rarity sat by the window and watched as the sky outside darkened. A storm was coming, it seemed... a very sudden storm. It had been beautiful out not a few hours prior: just a lot of bad luck, really.

Applejack thought to herself for a moment. The situation outside was getting worse. It looked like a storm was headed this way and the swarm of animals had grown from a minor disturbance to a crisis within just an hour or so. Something else was bothering her though, and she couldn’t let it rest for a second longer.

The strong, orange pony stood up, and trotted over the Fluttershy, who was still panting from the effort of the rescue. Applejack eyed the gentle pegasus sternly. “What in tarnation were you thinking, letting those three fillies leave Rarity’s like that? What if one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders had gotten hurt?” Applejack’s voice was quivered with emotion. “Apple Bloom could’ve gotten really hurt stuck in town like that. Why in Equestria couldn’t you have just stopped them from leaving?”

Fluttershy was stunned. She hadn’t even thought of that; it wasn’t on her mind at the time, and she was just so busy. Surely, she couldn’t have accounted for the mysterious swarm of animals?

Fluttershy tried to stammer an answer. “I... I... well, you see, I was being held by Rarity and —”

Applejack interrupted with a great deal of anger in her voice. “You were being held by Rarity, huh? Don’t you go blaming Rarity, Fluttershy! You’re a pegasus, aren’t you? I could’ve lost my only sister and Rarity could’ve lost Sweetie Belle and I’m just not in any mood for your excuses! You were in a position to do something and you didn’t!”

Fluttershy felt awful. She didn’t think she was to blame. But maybe she was? She could have stopped Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo from chasing that bunny. And she could have gotten Rarity to safety before the swarm of animals had picked up, perhaps...

Applejack continued her tirade as Fluttershy looked down at the ground, guilty tears welling in her eyes. “I know you’re a shy pony Fluttershy, but what you did was downright irresponsible. If you can’t take care of even just three little fillies in an emergency like that...” Applejack shuddered angrily, her voice reaching a fevered pitch. “...Then frankly, I can’t see how you could take care of so many animals. Heck, maybe this whole stampede is your fault!” Her emotions getting the best of her, Applejack suddenly wilted. “I just don’t want to bother with you right now.” The orange pony walked away to sit with her sister as the various pony refugees from around town stared at her and Fluttershy.

Fluttershy felt offended, but guilty too. Maybe the swarm of animals was her fault? And maybe she could have thought ahead and protected Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. It was all her fault; it must be. Even Applejack, who was normally so calm in emergencies, was angry at her. It must be her fault. Fluttershy began to softly weep.

Pinkie Pie walked slowly over to the crestfallen yellow pony. Applejack had been harsh, but she could hardly be blamed; Apple Bloom could have been really hurt in that stampede and clearly things were only getting worse outside. Pinkie Pie sat next to her dear friend and put her leg around the yellow pony’s shoulder. “It’s okay Fluttershy... Applejack didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Her sister was in danger... I don’t think she actually blames you for anythi—”

Fluttershy interrupted the poofy pink pony with a series of quiet sobs. “But it’s true, Pinkie Pie! It really is all my fault. I could have helped Applebloom and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, but I didn’t. I just stood there and watched them go. Maybe this stampede is really all my fault too...”

Pinkie Pie wasn’t sure what to say. She looked to Rarity for help, but Rarity was staring out the window, lost in thought. Pinkie turned back to Fluttershy and gave a worried smile. “I know what’ll cheer you up. A nice warm mug of cocoa, that’s what!” Pinkie Pie stood up to get a warm mug of the beverage for Fluttershy, who was still guiltily sobbing to herself.

Zecora watched the whole scene contemplatively, sipping her cocoa slowly as she observed her surroundings. “Surely,” she thought “this is the beginning... of a truly long and terrible thing.” The zebra placed her mug gingerly on the table next to her, got up from her seat, and proceeded into the kitchen.

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“Here it is!” exclaimed Spike, as he ran to Twilight carrying the shredded remains of a book. Filled with scared and confused ponies, the already messy library proved to very difficult for the small dragon to maneuver around in. Twilight Sparkle had only just gotten the last of the animals out of her library home when the first of the refugee ponies had started to arrive. Frightened by the ever growing number of animals bursting into their homes and stampeding down the streets, a number of ponies had come to Twilight’s library home to seek refuge under the protection of her powerful magic. It proved to be a pretty smart decision, Twilight had thought to herself. Her shield bubble was keeping the library nice and safe from the marauding critters outside and, judging by the size of some the creatures now running by (in fact, Cheerilee claimed to have seen a hydra run past her, crushing a few houses, on her way over), there couldn’t possibly be a safer place in all of Ponyville.

Twilight took the book from Spike using her unicorn magic and frowned. She couldn’t even make out the title of the mauled text anymore, but she knew the spells in it well. It was a copy of Simple Spacetime Spells, on loan from the Starswirl the Bearded Wing of the Royal Canterlot Archives. Twilight always found the name of the tome to be rather silly; the spells were anything but simple and she was one of the only unicorns in all of Equestria who was even talented enough to use any of them. The spells might have been simple to Princess Celestia, maybe. Or Starswirl the Bearded, Twilight mused.

Twilight flipped through the familiar pages. Ah ha! There it was, the perfect spell for the occasion. And it was a whole lot easier than she remembered. Maybe she was just getting that much better at magic. Now she just had to wait for-

A loud shockwave shook the tree house, startling the many ponies within. After a second crashing noise and a bit of rustling, the door to the library swung open with a creak. Derpy Hooves, the walleyed pegasus, tumbled in. “Derpy!” exclaimed Twilight Sparkle with great surprise. “The shield should let ponies through without any trouble. What happened?”

Derpy gave Twilight a tired look. As Ponyville’s resident pegasus mailpony, nopony knew the streets of Ponyville quite like Derpy Hooves, but it seemed the conditions outside were daunting even for the experienced mare. “It’s the weather, Twilight! The wind is so strong, I can hardly fly around out there. I did as you asked though and checked to see where other ponies might be gathering. There’s a giant gathering of ponies in the town hall, and I’m fairly sure at least a third of the town is huddled up in Sugar Cube Corner!”

Twilight Sparkle pondered this new information. “Thank you, Derpy. Feel free to rest a bit. You’ve definitely earned it.” Derpy Hooves trotted over to an empty spot on the ground and collapsed, exhausted from her flight.

It seemed that most of the town’s ponies had gathered in the Town Hall... It only made sense, of course. As the largest building in town, it would be able to hold the most ponies and it should be safe as long as it’s barricaded correctly or has enough unicorns to shield itself.Twilight doubted the latter, there just weren’t enough unicorns with that kind of raw power or knowledge to commit to a spell like that.

As for Sugarcube Corner... well, Twilight could only imagine how that, of all places, had managed to become a safe haven in this peculiar crisis. Still, Twilight had little time to fuss over trivial details; there was a lot of work to be done and, for the present, an announcement to be made.

Twilight stood on top of a nearby chair. “Attention everypony!” she bellowed. The ponies in the library turned to her and listened carefully. Twilight always was good at addressing crowds.

“The endless stampede of animals and the darkening skies above Ponyville are the effects of an ancient omen that is, as far as I know, called the monster spell.”

The ponies murmured nervously to themselves. It sounded very serious. Twilight continued: “I’m not sure where it’s come from, or how it came to be, but it’s a dangerous minor omen and judging by the texts I’ve read, the next step of the spell involve stealing the spirits of pony’s, followed by the coming of some sort of monster.”

Now the ponies in the audience were truly scared. A monster? The stealing of spirits? It sounded almost too absurd to be true, but they’d seen the rise of Nightmare Moon and the fall of Discord with their own eyes. They knew better than to dismiss the words of Celestia’s own protege.

Twilight focused her magical powers and, recalling the spell she had just read, created a glossy looking portal in the space next to her. “This information is crucial and we need to get it to the other ponies as soon we can. If they can know to watch out for a monster, or to avoid having their spirits stolen, they might have a better chance of getting through this ordeal safe and unharmed. Because of the magical maelstrom that the omen is giving off, I can only safely send two ponies through this portal, one at a time. Those who volunteer to go will be stuck in the locations they are sent to. One will be sent to Sugarcube Corner and the other will be sent to the Town Hall.”

With her magic still focus on the portal, Twilight looked around the library. “Would anypony like to volunteer?” Cheerilee was the first to put her hoof up. “Thank you Cheerilee. I’m putting you in charge of Sugarcube Corner.”

No other pony seemed willing to match Cheerilee’s determined enthusiasm though. They were safe in the library and weren’t certain as to the conditions in those other two places. A tentative hoof came up from the back of the library.

It was Vinyl Scratch, Ponyville’s famous DJ. Stepping forward through the crowd, she approached Twilight. “I can do it. I’ll take the Town Hall. Octavia might be in there... and I just want to make sure that she’s okay.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded. With a flash from her horn, the portal’s glossy surface flashed to the inside of Sugarcube Corner. The picture was distorted by the waves of magic that rippled along the surface of the portal. “Hurry” said Twilight, as she strained to keep the portal up. Cheerilee stepped through the portal and vanished with a *shoop*. Another flash came from Twilight’s horn and the scene changed to the inside of Town Hall.

Vinyl Scratch gave the portal a determined look. Everypony was counting on her. With a running start, she bounded through the portal which closed with a sharp snapping sound behind her as she tumbled into the darkness in front of her.

----------------

Rainbow Dash raced high above the clouds. She’d finished doing her low altitude practice and, though tired, was pushing herself to do as many high altitude sprints as she could. The sun had nearly set and the sky had nearly finished its change from the deep orange of dusk to the marine blues of night. Preparing for a dive, Rainbow Dash braked sharply, the air blasting past her turning figure with a roar as she stopped for a moment to gather herself. A sharp breeze veered her slightly off course in the middle of the difficult maneuver though and she spiraled out of control for a moment before she could successfully redirect her course.

What the hay was that? Rainbow Dash stopped entirely, her reverie broken. The wind had picked up considerably since she had started flying. She had been moving so quickly and so powerfully, she hadn’t even noticed. Now that she’d stopped, the feeling of the wind was quite clear. In fact, as a trained weather pony, it almost felt like a storm was coming. A chill ran down her spine. Not just a storm, but a really big storm.

Rainbow Dash looked down; the clouds below her were tinted grey and looked almost like boiling water, roiling this way and that. But how? There was no storm scheduled today over Ponyville, she had made sure of that! And there wasn’t a pegasus in the sky! Ugh, Fluttershy probably hadn’t been able to see anything down there for almost an hour.

Rainbow Dash raced down through the wall of clouds and emerged below. The meadow looked like a battlefield... and Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen. The pegasus felt a lump in her throat; this was not good. Her gentle, fluttery friend was not the sort to just get up and leave. Whatever happened while Rainbow Dash had been focused on her flying was really bad. First though, she had to find Fluttershy. And she knew just the place to look.

----------

The Town Hall was a mess. Most of the town had gathered in the Town Hall and, between the sudden gale force winds and the swarms of ever larger animals coming out of the forest, the ponies inside were mortified. Mayor Mare watched as the unicorns cycled for another shift of keeping the hall’s bubble shield up. It took most of the town’s assembled unicorns to keep the flimsy thing up and the unicorns were exhausted. Outside, the weather patrol pegasi were busy shooing away birds that had crashed into the barely visible shield and the earth ponies stood guard at the doors, ready to stop any animals that might barge into the hall whenever the flimsy shield had one of its many outages.

Lyra Heartstrings approached the mayor, drenched in sweat, her legs wobbling from the strain of “Mayor Mare, the unicorns just can’t keep the shield up much longer. They’re entirely exhausted. We have to send out a patrol to find Twilight Sparkle!” The Mayor thought through Lyra’s proposition again.

“Absolutely not. The wind’s are just too strong and there’s no telling if we’ll even be able to see where they’re hiding! I would have risked it an hour ago, but with the wind picking up and the animal stampede reaching such a fever pitch, I’m afraid our pegasi will be in too much danger flying around out there.”

Lyra nodded. She knew that the mayor was right, but the situation was getting desperate. Her unicorns were worked to the point of exhaustion and beyond, with some of the stronger, more magically inclined unicorns unable to even stand any longer. Although nearly 3/4’s of the town had gathered in the vast space of the town hall, the combined strength of the unicorns present paled in comparison to the vast magical powers of Twilight Sparkle. If Twilight were here, she’d surely be able to keep the hall protected with only the barest amount of effort. She might even know what this storm was about!

Lyra trotted over to where the last unicorn shift was resting and collapsed beside the pile of panting ponies. The next shift had already gathered together, focusing their magics together to produce the flimsy shield for however long they could last. The situation seemed truly hopeless.

Lyra’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud bang and a flood of bright light. She heard what sounded like a sheet of paper ripping, but ten times louder as a portal ripped open and, much to the shock of everypony watching, the DJ Vinyl Scratch stepped through.

Octavia watched from the scene from her seat at the edge of the Town Hall. Was that... was that Vinyl? The musical mare jumped up and ran as fast as her tired hooves could take her, pushing past the dumbstruck ponies who blocked her with nary an excuse me until she had reached the blue maned unicorn. With a great leap, she threw her two front legs around her best friend.

“Oh Vinyl... You’re here! Oh my goodness, I was so worried!” Octavia sobbed, not caring who might be around to see her breakdown. Octavia had been busy performing a concert at the Ponyville bandshell when the swarm of animals had first arrived. The Mayor had done a great job of evacuating most of the town to the Town Hall. She had deployed the ponies of the weather team to do an emergency sweep, only recalling them when the weather had gotten too blustery for prolonged search and rescue flights. Octavia was heartbroken when she discovered that Vinyl was not amongst the ponies evacuated. Seeing her closest friend suddenly appear was almost too much for the usually composed mare to handle.

The disoriented unicorn looked at the Earth pony sobbing gingerly into her mane and smiled sheepishly. “Hey Tavi. It’s really good to see you too. I’m really glad you’re okay.” It really was good to see Octavia again. Vinyl Scratch had been very worried about the Earth pony.

Vinyl shook her head for a moment. She’d been sent to deliver a really important message and it seemed like the ponies of the Town Hall were in pretty bad shape. Vinyl Scratch nuzzled the still sobbing earth pony. “Tavi, I’ve got a really important message I need to get to the mayor. Let’s catch up after, alright?”

With an understanding nod, Octavia let go. The crowd parted for Vinyl as she walked towards the mayor, murmuring as she passed. Perhaps the ditzy DJ knew the secret behind this horrible stampede?

Vinyl cleared her voice and addressed the mayor solemnly. “Mayor Mare, I was sent here by Twilight Sparkle. She and a large group of ponies are safe in the library. I was told that another group of ponies are safe at Sugarcube Corner.” A rush of relief swept the assembled ponies. Perhaps their loved ones were safe in one of the other two locations! Vinyl thought for a moment and then continued. “Apparently, this animal stampede and the sudden change in weather are a part of some crazy omen.” The ponies in the town hall burst out into a cascade of panicked murmurs. Could it be Discord again? What in Celestia’s name was it this time?

“It has something to do with a monster spell... a spell that steal’s a pony’s spirit and summons a monster.” Vinyl repeated, to the best of her memory. “Twilight wants you all to be careful. She’s busy at the library figuring out what to do. Until then, we all need to keep calm,” the DJ concluded.

A feeling of panic was starting to rise in the Town Hall despite the DJ’s final sentence. Mayor Mare pondered Vinyl’s words for a moment. If what Vinyl Scratch said was true, this... well, this whatever it is might be more dangerous than she’d feared! From what Vinyl described, the spell appeared to take a pony’s spirit and make the pony into a monster. The Mayor would have to be doubly cautious and keep an eye out.

“Thank you Vinyl” said the mayor. “It seems we have a lot to prepare for! Ponies, you must keep your eyes on each other. Who knows when the monster spell will choose to strike!”

At just that moment, the magical shield around the hall went down. With a crash, three large birds flew in through a broken window, followed by two tired pgasi who chased them around the rafters and back out through another hole.e

The shield flickered back to life as the unicorns powering it strained to keep it alive. The mayor grimaced. She just wasn’t sure how they’d manage.

---------------

The atmosphere was warm but grim in Sugarcube Corner. Even the generally excitable Pinkie Pie seemed rather somber, as she came in and out of the kitchen with steaming pots of her special cocoa. Zecora had taken residence in the kitchen as well. The zebra was busy mixing up a potion of some sort while muttering to herself. Pinkie Pie had been told that it was supposed to be a balm of some sort; a potion that would keep animals away. It was the same one that Zecora used on her hut to protect herself from the dangers of the Everfree Forest.

She wasn’t sure why the balm was necessary though. So far, Sugarcube Corner seemed to be pretty safe! For some reason, none of the animals seemed interested in breaking in to hide, as they had with the homes of so many of the ponies currently seeking refuge in the cozy bakery.

And that was fine with her! Pinkie Pie had cocoa stashed all over Equestria, in case of hot cocoa emergencies and, it turns out, her foresight had paid off!

Bringing a nice warm mug of chocolatey goodness to a quiet Blossomforth, Pinkie Pie looked over at her dearest friends. Applejack was busy telling anypony who would listen about how the animals had trampled her apple orchards. First the small animals, then bigger ones, and then monsters that even Applejack had only heard in tales from Granny Smith. Big Macintosh would nod his head in agreement after every other sentence or so... Applebloom was curled up with Granny Smith, the two of them asleep.

Then there was Rarity. The unicorn sat with her younger sister Sweetie Belle and the two of them were fairly still, just staring out the window at the parade of animals passing by.

Pinkie Pie looked to Fluttershy last. The pony had been staring at the floor for two hours now, not saying a single word. The mug of cocoa sitting next to her had gone cold. Pinkie Pie trotted over to the gentle pony, put the cold mug to the side and replaced it with a warm one from the platter on her back. It was the fourth time she had done that, but if Fluttershy did decide to take a sip eventually, Pinkie wanted to make sure her friend had at least something warm and yummy to drink.

Rarity stirred suddenly. She’d been mindlessly watching the animals run past for over an hour, but just then, she thought she’d caught a glimpse of a pony. The unicorn looked at her sister, who had also snapped to attention. Perhaps they had seen the same thing?

The two of them watched the stampede closely. It was starting to get fairly dark out and a lot of the town’s street lamps had been trampled by the animals. There it was again, a little flash of white and pink. It looked like... a tail.

Rarity bolted up, pointed at the window with one hoof, and shrieked. “Oh my heavens, there’s somepony out there!!”

The somber mood that had seized Sugarcube Corner was broken. A commotion rang out amongst the gathered ponies. Who could it be? Was it a loved one perhaps? What could they do?

Applejack cleared her throat loudly. The ponies hushed their murmuring and turned to the strong willed mare as she began to speak. “If somepony’s out there, we need to organize a team and get out there pronto.” Turning to Rarity, Applejack continued “Rarity, are you sure you saw somepony out there?”

Rarity shook her head. “Absolutely, Applejack. Sweetie Belle saw her too, didn’t you?” Sweetie Belle also nodded. “Applejack, there’s a pony out there. I know I saw something.”

Applejack looked down for a moment. She’d have to gather a team, surely. She and Big Macintosh would be a part of that team, but she’d need pegasi too. It was blustery out but with enough pegasi, they’d at least have a strong back up rescue option in case things went really south.

Fluttershy was listening as well. She still felt really hurt about Applejack’s scolding. She felt responsible for putting the Cutie Mark Crusaders in danger and for maybe even being the cause of the stampede. She wasn’t entirely sure just how she was responsible for either situation happening, but she did know that Applejack had really let her have it and that Applejack would never have done such a thing if she didn’t really believe it too.

From what Rarity and Applejack were saying, it sounded like somepony was stuck out there. Fluttershy stirred. She had let the Cutie Mark Crusaders down. She had let Applejack down. She had let the whole town down!

The pegasus furrowed her brow, as she turned her head to the spot on the floor she’d been staring at. Whoever that was outside, she wouldn’t make the same mistake again. This was her chance to make the right decision.

---------------------------

“Big Macintosh, you’re with me” said Applejack, pointing to her older brother with a raised hoof. “I’m going to ask for volunteers. Is anypony strong enough and confident enough to try for this rescue with us? I need pegasi, unicorns, really, anypony I can get.” The crowd stirred and a few hooves were raised.

Fluttershy stood up quite suddenly. Applejack turned to look at the inspired pegasus. “Fluttershy, what in Equestria do you think you are doing?”

Facing her dear friend with a determined look in her eye, Fluttershy said “I’m doing what’s right.” The gentle pony moved towards the door quickly and, with a fierce gaze, gingerly and gently opened the door before stepping out into the stampede alone.

Applejack was aghast. “Rarity, Big Mac, come on!” The three of them quickly followed her out the door and into the swarm of animals.

The wind had picked up a great deal outside, so much so that it was almost getting hard to walk. Fluttershy charged out of the Sugarcube Corner and out into the charging herds, only to find that they ran neatly in a circle around her. In an odd way, it was as if the animals running past her were trying very hard not to hurt her at all. As she ran, in a sheer stroke of coincidence, a familiar manticore charged by. It dawned on Fluttershy that these animals must all be retreating from the Everfree Forest.

Just then, Fluttershy heard a yell. “Fluttershy!!” came the distant scream. “Heeeelp!!” It sounded like Cheerilee. But how in Celestia’s name did Cheerilee get out there? Fluttershy couldn’t see where Cheerilee was, but clearly Cheerilee had seen her! Perhaps it was because the animals were giving her such a wide berth.

Fluttershy gave the loudest yell she could muster. “I’m coming, Cheerilee! Just hold on!” She wasn’t even sure Cheerilee had heard her yelling. The gentle pony was no athlete by any means, and some would have even considered her one of the weakest pegasi in all of Ponyville. Struggling against the raging winds, if unhindered by the animals, Fluttershy crept forward towards the direction she’d heard the screams coming from.

“Fluttershy, you stop right there!!” came a sudden cry from behind her. Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Rarity approached Fluttershy running as fast as they could, hindered as they were by the stampede and the roaring wind. Only a small shield Rarity had put around them kept them safe from being entirely trampled, and the effort seemed to be taking its toll on the frazzled dressmaker.

Applejack looked around at the wide berth the animals gave Fluttershy. “What in tarnation...” she murmured, as she pondered the situation. Applejack shook her head, while helpful, Fluttershy’s weird effect on the stampeding animals could wait. “Fluttershy, just what on earth do you think you’re doing out here? Why did you just charge out? You could’ve been hurt! You have to plan these things through! We don’t even know if there really is a pony out here!”

Applejack was very frustrated, but she knew she couldn’t expect an answer to those questions right now. The ponies had to find whoever was out here and get back to the safety of Sugarcube Corner as fast as they could manage.

“Ugh, nevermind! Fluttershy, have you seen the missing pony yet?”

Fluttershy was stunned. She was sure Applejack would approve of her taking responsibility this time! How could Applejack be mad at her again? Pointing a hoof out, Fluttershy stammered “I-I think it might be Cheerilee. I heard her yell for me from this direction.”

Applejack nodded and charged forward, signaling for the other ponies to follow her. “Let’s hurry up then, ponies!”

---------

Cheerilee cowered as the animals ran past. Some of them were nearly as large as the buildings around her, and the streets were filled with trampled debris. She wasn’t quite sure how she had ended up out here. One moment, she was stepping through Twilight’s portal and the next moment, she found herself outside, surrounded by the stampeding animals.

Cheerilee was not quite a student of Celestia’s, but she knew a thing or two about magic as a certified teacher. The magical maelstrom that caused this stampede must have thrown Twilight’s spell off course.

Cheerilee opened her mouth and screamed for Fluttershy again. She had only seen the pony just coming out of Sugarcuber Corner; of all the ponies in Ponyville to send, Cheerilee could only imagine why Fluttershy had been sent to rescue her, but beggers can’t really be choosers, now can they?

“Fluttershy! Help me!” the teacher screamed. Cheerilee listened closely for a reply. She’d screamed a few times now, but no reply ever came back. Fluttershy wasn’t exactly known for being loud though, perhaps she was on her way?

All of the sudden, Cheerilee felt herself being hoisted off the ground. It was Big Macintosh! The teacher blushed. Oh, of course. Of all the ponies in Ponyville, it had to be her “shmoopie pie.” She had never lived that down. Resting soundly on Big Mac’s back, Cheerilee noticed that Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy were there as well. The animals seemed to almost flow around them in a strange way and, despite the still perilous wind, the little group made it back to Sugarcube Corner with little trouble.

Applejack slammed the door behind her as she entered. The ponies had made it back from the rescue in one piece. Something wasn’t right though. Applejack saw the problem the moment she turned around. Sugarcube Corner looked like a tornado had blown through it. Ponies were lying all over the floor, groaning as Pinkie Pie and Zecora splashed a colorless soup around the bakery. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Big Macintosh seemed just as shocked as she was. The four ponies hadn’t been gone. What had happened?

Zecora seemed to notice their shocked expressions. “As soon as you ponies left through the door, the animals outside would be held back no more! Into the bakery the creatures came and I am not sure what is to blame. Luckily I had a backup notion, in the kitchen I’d made a potion. It is the same one I use for my home, to keep out the animals who in the forest roam.”

Applejack shook her head in disbelief. “Well, when we were out there chasing Fluttershy, the animals seemed to keep a wide circle around her. Maybe her natural gift with animals was keeping them all away from Sugarcube Corner too!” Looking around the ransacked first floor of the bakery, Applejack grimaced. “How is everypony faring, Zecora?”

The zebra gave Applejack an ashen look. “Though we scared the critters out fast, I’m afraid most ponies were quite harassed.” She pointed a hoof to the ponies scattered all over the floor of Sugarcube Corner, most with minor scrapes and bruises.

Applejack was furious. Fluttershy had endangered everypony with her irresponsible behavior and, if it wasn’t for Zecora’s quick thinking, Sugarcube Corner might have been overrun. Just thinking about that possibility, the chance of losing her best friends and two of her family members in that moment, all because Fluttershy had to charge outside by herself: it was almost to fathom.

Fluttershy noticed her fuming friend and wilted. She looked over at Big Macintosh and Cheerilee, the two ponies trying to make sense of what was going on. She knew that Applejack was about to give her a horrible scolding and told herself that she’d have to keep strong and defend her decision.

Applejack turned to Fluttershy. She furrowed her brow, but on the whole, the pony seemed awfully calm. “Fluttershy, look what you’ve done,” Applejack said curtly. “You ran outside by yourself and could’ve gotten yourself really hurt. In running outside to rescue you without a plan, you could’ve gotten your us, your friends, really hurt too. Your poor decision also almost cost us the lives of everypony in Sugarcube Corner. If it wasn’t for Zecora, these ponies could’ve all been very seriously hurt or worse.”

Fluttershy could feel every eye in Sugarcube Corner staring right at her in anger. Somehow, the calm demeanor of her friend made her feel even worse. It couldn’t possibly have been her fault. She just wanted to do what was right! How could she have possibly known that it was her presence that was protecting Sugarcube Corner? Hadn’t she done the right thing by saving Cheerilee when nopony else was brave enough to? She had overcome all of her fears to be brave and now she was getting punished for it.

Applejack paused for a moment before continuing. “I could’ve lost my family twice today now, Fluttershy. You nearly costed me almost everything I hold dear in life, just because you couldn’t make a good decision when everypony was counting on you.” The cowpony turned her back to Fluttershy and walked away. “I just can’t count on you, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy couldn’t take it anymore. She had never felt more unwanted in her entire life. Her legs shaking, Fluttershy stood up. Sugarcube Corner had Zecora and Fluttershy knew when she wasn’t welcome anymore. “Fine, Applejack. If you’re just going to blame everything on me, I don’t want to be here anymore.” Sobbing as she ran, Fluttershy bolted out the door and ran off into the night.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie lept forward to give chase, but Applejack stopped them with her hoof. “Let her go, gals. She’s somepony else’s problem now.”

Applejack turned to Cheerilee. “Now Cheerilee, tell us all just how in tarnation you found yourself out there?”

Cheerilee, still shivering from the ordeal, nodded and began to explain the monster omen just as Twilight had explained it to her.

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Hi everypony, thank you for reading my story so far! I know it has been long, but I do hope it has been worth it for all of you.

This story is so long that I’ve decided to split it up into two parts. Only the first part will be making it in time for the contest though, as I misjudged our submission time by twelve hours. For your convenience, I’ve decided to summarize the second part for all of you.

It means a lot to me that you’ve gotten this far! It is my first story; I put my heart and soul into writing this and, though I might not be the best writer, I believe the message of the story is an important one for all of our communities.

Thank you again for reading! Don’t forget to vote for your favorite story. Whoever wins, the important thing is that we are all pony friends together.

SUMMARY OF PART II:

Fluttershy runs away and finds herself, eventually, at Twilight’s library. Twilight asks Fluttershy where she came from and Fluttershy explains what happened at Sugarcube Corner. Upon hearing that the rest of the mane six are safe there, Fluttershy inquires to the whereabouts of Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy states that she left her in the meadow and Twilight gets a bit angry at Fluttershy for just leaving Rainbow Dash.

However, Twilight is also curious about Fluttershy’s strange aura and wants to do some magical experiments on it. Fluttershy is scared and doesn’t want to do them, and they have a little fight. As they’re fighting though, the mysterious stampede suddenly ends.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash arrives at Fluttershy’s cottage only to find that all of her animals are still there, but she isn’t. Panicking and believing that something horrible must have happened to Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash gathers her animals friends and they go searching in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres for her.

With the stampede over, the ponies from all three places gather in the center of town. The mayor’s group, judging from what they heard from Vinyl Scratch, believes that the monster spell has stolen the spirits of some ponies turning them into monsters and shows some ponies she has unfairly quarantined as proof. Twilight meanwhile says that the mayor has clearly lost it and that the only way to counter the mysterious monster omen is to focus all of the town’s unicorns magical powers together in hopes of maybe stopping it that way. The mayor thinks Twilight is insane, as her own unicorns have been worked to exhaustion.

Applejack, on the other hoof, believes that the monster omen has something to do with Ponyville and is determined to lead the ponies of Ponyville out of Ponyville to go someplace else, in hopes that the omen will leave them be if they do.

The three groups, in harsh disagreement with each other, escalate the situation until each faction is on the verge of fighting. Ponies are swapped between sides, as Zecora, Pinkie and Rarity join Twilight, the mayor threatens to hold the others by force, and Applejack threatens to take her unicorns and ponies and leave all the others behind.

This turns into accusations from each side that the other side has already become monsters and finally, all three extremely angered factions turn on Fluttershy, who has been revealed to be impervious to the effects of the omen, at least with animals.

They fight over her, only to have her ask them to stop fighting over and over. They do not do that though and, eventually, all three factions turn their hatred on Fluttershy for not agreeing with any of them, all of them agreeing that she is a monster.

Heartbroken, Fluttershy flees to her cottage where she finds that even her animal friends have apparently left her. Leaving a letter behind, she flees for the Everfree Forest believing that it was the only place fit for a monster like her.

Rainbow Dash flies into town minutes after to discover the three factions, having found nothing at Sweet Apple Acres. Shocked by what she sees, she explains that there’s a giant storm coming from the Everfree Forest. Just then, the rain starts to fall and Twilight makes a sudden realization. Their anger at each other had fueled the monster and the monster was a monster storm that was coming out of the Everfree Forest. The seemingly endless parade of animals were just creatures trying to escape from the chaos they had created.

All three factions suddenly realized that they had all been wrong and that the only pony who had been right was scared away believing that she was a monster. The three factions join Rainbow Dash and make it to Fluttershy’s cottage, where they find the letter.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy is caught in the forest. Tired, scared and wet from the sudden rain, she cowers alone with no animals in the forest and nothing but the sound of rain. It begins to thunder, and Fluttershy shivers and sobs. This was what she deserved as a monster, she thought, and it would be her end, caught in a giant storm, cold, hated, and alone.

Awaiting her demise, she closes her eyes and just waits in the raging storm.

The ponies who still can help amongst the three united factions decide that they must go rescue Fluttershy after scaring her away. They join forces with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy’s animals and comb the forest for her, even as the storm begins to rage.

Rainbow Dash finds Fluttershy not moving in a puddle and the ponies gather together and quickly bring her back to her cottage.

----

Fluttershy wakes up in her bed and hears birds chirping. She thought she would perish, for certain, in that freezing rain. She sneezes and turns her head. It’s Rainbow Dash!

Rainbow Dash sneezes too and looks at Fluttershy. She explains how when they found Fluttershy, she was extremely cold and so Rainbow Dash decided to try and keep her warm. They were all warmed up now… but also a bit sick. Rainbow Dash smiles at her dear friend.

Rarity and Pinkie bring in hot cocoa and are surrounded by Fluttershy’s animal friends. Even Opal has come to say hello. Applejack and Twilight come too and they give heartfelt apologies, hug Fluttershy and have bit of a weepy session as pony friends and animals friends join in a big hug (unafraid of being sick, it seems)

The Cutie Mark Crusaders come in after and they say sorry too. The rest of the town comes in pony after pony to apologize… Fluttershy looks a bit exasperated and soon, Rarity and Pinkie shoo everypony out and leave themselves.

The story ends with Rainbow Dash dashing back and forth across the sky. She waits impatiently at Fluttershy’s cottage door, just like in the beginning of the story.

Fluttershy brings out a big pot of soup and the inside of the cottage shows tons of sick animals all with little bowls of soup in front of them.

Rainbow Dash takes the big pot of soup, a ladle, and rushes off with it, bringing it to whomever has been infected by a very real cold.

Fluttershy goes back inside to her kitchen, where she has been busy making soup all day. The rest of the mane six lie around in Fluttershy’s cottage, having chosen to sleep there. They have all gotten sick too! Tired from the hard work, Fluttershy stirs the soup and smiles.
She lives out here by the Everfree Forest because the monsters in towns are the scariest monsters… but you know, they’re her monsters… her friends. And friendship is magic.

~ Dear Princess Celestia, Ponies are hell… but friendship is magic. We can all be friends, if we just try to understand one another instead of jumping to conclusions. ~


-SNIPPET FROM PART II-

The wind was blowing so hard that Fluttershy could barely walk. It was dark out now, nearly pitch black, and between the roaring wind and the stampeding animals, Fluttershy had no idea where she was wandering. Another big mistake, Fluttershy. You’re in really big trouble now. Fluttershy began to sob more. She was lost and scared and every step she took seemed to help no more than the one before it.


THE END c:

Thank you again!