>Fluttershy lands on a branch, vigilantly observing a nearby pasture
>She’s just begun chasing a very obviously injured bear through the dense brush of Ponyville’s outskirts
>The bear’s tenacity when it came to evasion was the real issue
>Deadly as the bear’s claws are, the Ponyville woodland expanse wasn’t the most navigable terrain, and she risked running the bear into the Everfree
>Something even the most capable animal would perish to, and it was the true thing she feared
>Local woodland creatures have been of minimal help, while she could understand them, her new-found ability when it came to cross-species communication wasn’t straightforward
>The ways in which woodland creatures communicated were…
>Different
>A woodpecker hooks itself upon the tree, hammering away at the trunk
>Fluttershy can hear his subtle mumbling
>”Food of wood”
>It’s like the desperate and hungry ramblings of someone that urgently needs to brush up on Ponish
>But why would an animal ever have to bother with the formalities of typical speech?
>Fluttershy wraps her wing around a nearby branch, shaking it lightly to catch the woodpecker’s attention
“Do you mind having a c-”
>”Pony, shake branches, talk”
“I- have you seen a grizzly bear anywhere?”
>”Bear eat us”
“Yes I’m aware, but he’s in desperate need of assistance”
>”Why help bears when bears eat woodpeckers?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do”
>”Not for me”
>The woodpecker simply returns to pecking at the tree, this time in far louder strokes, rendering Fluttershy’s attempts at speech worthless
>She wouldn’t bother with a labor in futility
>Using her demure wings, she glides gently to the grass below
>If the woodpecker won’t help, then she’ll simply find another creature
>Moving through the grass, she’s looks down at her flank
>It’s been a mere two weeks since she’s received her cutie-mark
>Nopony cared, nobody except for the singular vet in Ponyville
>Shame she isn’t much for social interaction
>Only one creature cut her slack when it came to chatting, a bunny that very frequently ransacked the young Carrot Top’s stand. 
---
>You are Carrot Top
>And you are in full pursuit
>That damned bunny has finally met its match, falling perfectly into your trap
>Down a narrow alleyway lies a rudimentary net that you laid out earlier that day
>Seconds before this little devil lands into your trap, another party intervenes
>”Little bunny, are you okay?”
>It’s that crazy yellow filly
>freaking blow-ins from Cloudsdale
>She better not mess this up
“Catch that bunny!”
>The bunny is now a mere hoof away, all it’ll take is a…
>Swooping down, the yellow filly takes the rabbit into her hooves, hovering above the ground
“Give that rabbit here, that little jerk has been eating all my supply!”
>Helplessly you jump up and down directly below the flying filly, nearly falling to the ground in your attempts
>The filly holds the rabbit to her ear, appearing to listen along
>”He’s telling me you want to eat him.”
>Crazy
>Nopony can speak to animals
“Horse feathers, you’re just crazy!”
>Clutching the rabbit to her chest, the pegasus grows visibly nervous
>”i can understand…”
>Her voice is a hushed whisper
“Nuh-uh! I can understand him as well as you, and I understand he’s a rabbit trying to destroy me!”
>The rabbit blows a raspberry
“Oh you son of a-”
>Going for another dive, you actually fall this time, scraping your shoulder pretty bad
>Your eyes well up with tears, looking up at the filly, she seems torn
>Torn between a stupid rabbit and helping the young filly
>lifting off the ground, she lands on a nearby roof, nuzzling the little creature
>You begin to lightly sob, the pain building
>The yellow pegasus simply flies away
>Woodland freak…
---
>Fluttershy idly stands in the field, looking forward at the treeline
>Surely he went in there, right?
>Only one way to find out, not like the wildlife would be any help
>Animals love speaking to themselves, it’s not always coherent
>Some take coaching
>Some spend time amongst ponies
>Some of those animals become pets
>Talking to pets is the same as ponies…
>She doesn’t enjoy that.
>Pets bring bits to translate their feelings with owners though, and bits bring food
>Food brings more animals to interact with
>In a mere two weeks, these critters of prey have become her whole life
>Never a predator though
>Not because of her own fear, though the strength of predators may be threatening
>Rather it’s the predator's fear
>Never getting close, their nature conditions them to see everything as a possible threat
>No matter Fluttershy’s offerings, they’d stay tucked in the treeline
>Out here the strongest are the most fearful
>Making them the bravest
>Continuing onwards towards the treeline, Fluttershy spots a clump of distinctly black hair snagged upon a branch
>Taking it into her hooves, she examines the tuft
>It’s a younger bear
>To the laypony’s eyes, it would surely be a black bear
>Fur can be deceiving
>Fluttershy knew better than that though.
>The bear /had/ to be a grizzly
>Placing the tuft back on the ground, she noticed a distinct lack of food in her saddle bag
>As if in a cosmic play, right then a deep rumble is heard from Fluttershy’s stomach
>Still, she stumbled along
>Through the thickets and thorns, her fur was pierced and her skin was cut
>Still, she brushed the pain aside
>The sky steadily turned overcast, an imposing black cloud above Fluttershy
>Still, she prepared for a deep soak and continued onward
>The day dragged onward, her soak turning to a horrible chill
>Still, through slow movements, she continued onward
>Her teeth chattered, her muscles screamed in agony, her coat was weaved throughout with agitating stickers, and she could hardly see the way ahead through the darkness
>Still, she continued onward
>She continued until she couldn’t
>And couldn’t was waiting eagerly
>Fluttershy collapsed in the wet mud, the pleadings for rest finally taking hold