WillowWisp

Oh this was exciting, but nerve wracking as well. Princess Celestia wanted to hear from each of Twilight's friends, and Fluttershy was one of them. She wanted to make sure the letter was interesting so as not to make a bad impression and have it reflect on her friend. "Oh dear... what do I write?" She glanced to Angel who was kicking something around. "Angel... what have you got?" Trotting over she blinked and saw it was a lemon. "Oh! That's it! I know just what to write." And with that in mind she sat down to start her letter.

It was here, her favorite festival of the whole year, The Spook-tacular. Willow Wisp was worried she would miss it having moved to Ponyville, but luckily she was able to go to the festivities after all. Sure it wasn't like in her hometown where she grew up... but it was close. Wisp even had a special outfit. A flowing semi-transparent pale blue cape on her back. It was a tattered at the ends to look ghostly. On her legs she had netted leg warmers but unlike traditional fish net, they were made to look like spiderwebs. Her cape was held on by a brooch in the shape of a bat, with little red gems for eyes. And to top it off, she had dawned some very real looking fangs. Come night fall, when she glowed, it would be a spooky sight. She had wandered the area a little, seeing the sites and taking in what had been done for the setting. She felt the Haunted House needed a little sprucing up, so while nopony was looking, she used a little of her magic to give it some extra umf! Eventually she had settled on a spot and set about putting up her own little booth. The black Unicorn brought supplies to set up a small tent, lit by a couple lanterns on the inside, and decorated with a few creepy objects, such as fake tombstones and spiderwebs. "There," she stood outside her set up as she placed the sign. "Willow Wisp's Happy Haunts. Learn about the supernatural and strange." she smiled. "Ah, I hope somepony comes for a story."

It was a beautiful morning in Ponyville; the sun was shining, birds were singing, not a cloud in the sky. And of course the calm and peace spread out to the surrounding home and places of work such as the apple farm. But in one home, a cottage where calm and quiet were almost always part of it's charm, there was panic and stress. Fluttershy, a pale yellow Pegasus known for her soft spoken disposition was racing about her home trying desperately to catch up with one wayward and upset rabbit. “Please Angel, we need to get you nice and clean,” she pleaded with the small white rabbit when it finally ducked down under her couch, too low for her to reach. “We don't want to be late. Today is the Ponyville Pet Show.” There was an irritated thump in response and Fluttershy sighed quietly. “Oh, I know you aren't really a pet, Angel. But you are one of my dearest animal friends. And I just know it will be fun. Please...” she was basically on her stomach as she looked under the couch with her pleading eyes. She was sure he was just nervous. After all stage fright was very common. Fluttershy had seen the poster in the town square a week before. A Pet Show, for ponies to bring their best animal companions. It sounded just so perfect. She loved animals, for one, and to be able to see other ponies with all their animal friends sounded like a fun day. She was sure Rarity would be there, and maybe even Applejack with their pets in tow. Pinkie would probably bring Gummy too. And in her mind not only would it be fun for the ponies, but for the animals too. Maybe they could all become friends. The white rabbit finally gave in, with a less than please look on his face and Fluttershy scooped him up. “Oh thank you, Angel. Now, we need to get you all clean.” Easier said than done. Sure, he came out of hiding but he was not going to let the primping and preening be done with easy. And poor Fluttershy found herself getting more of a bath than her rabbit. First she just tried the traditional approach, setting a bath and asking him to get in, a no go. Then she tried to lure him with the promise of an extra carrot later. All that got her was a turned up bunny nose. So as her last attempt she had picked him up and planned to just put him in the tub. Ah, but that was nothing more than a tangle of hooves, feet, wings and ears before, Fluttershy herself was the one sitting in the tub and Angel was smugly sitting off to the side. “Oh... Angel... you are being so difficult,” she huffed a little in irritation but waited until he turned his head and wasn't looking before snatching him up and placing him in the tub as well. “There now... that's not so bad. We'll just take a bath together.” Bath time only lasted a short while, after all they would need to be going soon; Fluttershy didn't want to be too late. And for once, Angel was not going to be reminding her of the time. She got herself dried and the rabbit as well and brushed his fur. At least that was one thing he sort of tolerated. “Okay, there....” she smiled and set the brush to the side. “Don't you feel better being clean?” the stare she got in return was definitely a “no”. But she just gave a soft somewhat never laugh and turned to get something. “Rarity was so nice to give me something for you to wear, Angel.” Fluttershy returned with a little blue bow tie. “Isn't it nice? Here, let me put it on you so we can see and- oof!” Angle hopped from the table she had him on, to her head and then bounded to make a break for it again. That time Fluttershy was ready though. She had already pushed pillows under the couch to keep him from diving below it. And the door as well as windows, were locked. Angel was stuck and she trotted up behind him with the bow in her mouth. It turned to them wrestling about the floor a bit until the bow was finally tied around the neck of one upset bunny. Fluttershy smiled. “There now, that looks so nice.” She returned to the table to fetch a small mirror, turning it so her rabbit could see. “Don't you look handsome? You're sure to make lots of new animal friends at the show now.” She received another but a upturned nose, but she played it off. “Oh Angel, don't worry... stage fright is... well it's scary. But it'll be okay. I know it will.” The clock in the town square sounded and Fluttershy looked to the window. “Oh dear, we're going to be late if we don't hurry,” she commented while grabbing a basket to carry Angel in. “Here, get in and we can go.” she got a head shake in return. “...Come on Angel... we need to get going.... please?” Another up turned nose. “Oh dear.” She had to be a little sneaky, waiting until he was looking off before pouncing with the basket. But she did it and soon it was placed on her back so they could leave. “I just don't know what's gotten into you, Angel. But it's okay. I know as soon as we get there, you're going to have so much fun.” And so off they went, of course trotting along with a bouncing basket on her back was not easy. Fluttershy huffed a bit of an annoyed breath before talking to herself, “it's okay, he's just nervous.” Or at least that's what she wanted to think. In the middle of the town square a stage had been set and ponies were already gathering to watch. Off to the side was a sign in table and behind it, a tent were the other participants were waiting. But the crowds were a little thick and as she came up behind them, she knew she would have to squeeze through so she could sign in. “Ah, excuse me but - … oh pardon me but I- oh dear... sir if you could just let me-” her quiet voice, per usual was hard to hear over the talking of the crowd. “Okay, Fluttershy... just be... assertive, like Rainbow Dash said.” She cleared her throat after her little pep talk and. “Excuse me, I would like to get through.... if... if that's okay with you.” Well at least she was heard that time, and she scooted past the crowd up to the table. “Did you hear that, Angel... I was assertive.” No response from the basket, but she was proud of herself all the same. And with their names on the paper she walked toward the participant tent. “Oh, are you excited, Angel? We're about to meet everypony who will be in the show as well. This is going to be so much fun.” She just got a thump from the basket that time. “Yes, let's go in.” Of course she knew that wasn't what the rabbit was saying but she just pushed on anyway. “Okay, lets have a fun day,” Fluttershy smiled and trotted inside the tent, eager to meet some new animals and see who was participating in the show.

Even in the fall, her garden seemed to be in full bloom. Perhaps the Pegasus had been lucky, or maybe the weather was just so good all year that it was leaving late blooms. Either way, Fluttershy had flowers all around her cottage and was enjoying the beautiful colors and smells. Perhaps other ponies would like to share in her luck. She smiled at that thought, watching a couple birds fly by. Soon they would all be flying south for the winter. And as that thought hit her, she knew her flowers would soon be gone. So that settled it! She was going to gather as many as she could and share them with the ponies in town. It was a bit of group effort. A few of her animal friends helping as she filled a couple baskets full of the lovely blooms. They were busting at the top with all sorts of colors and the smells mixed into a lovely perfume of flora. "Ah, all done," she commented to herself as she lifted the baskets onto her back. "Now I can share with everypony. Isn't that going to be wonderful, Angel?" Her grumpy rabbit companion nodded in agreement before pointing toward the town. "Oh dear, it's almost lunch time. I should try and hurry so I can be there while everypony is out." And with that she hurried into town, but not too fast... she didn't want to damage her cargo.

27th place? Well at least it wasn't last. And Wisp was happy for that. She was also happy with was over. She knew she still had sap all over her, and sticks in her mane and tail. Yet everypony was gathering around now to congratulate each other on the run. She just wanted to sleep. It was long, tiring and in the day time too boot. But, she needed to be a good sport so less would think of her as just "that creepy pony in the haunted house." "Apple juice?" She heard Applejack call out and slowly made her way over toward the chart. "You wouldn't happen to have any lemon juice would you?"

Finally, she was almost there. After the long run, Willow Wisp was almost home. She was still a sticky mess and the first thing she planned to do when she got through all this, was bathe. A nice, long, bath. Maybe she'd even splurge and do something she would hardly ever do, go to the spa. Those thoughts raced through her mind as she galloped down the final stretch of trail. She may not have been running all that hard through most of the event, trying to pace herself, but now she was going at a full gallop. She didn't want to be out there anymore. Races weren't her kind of thing to start with, no she wished for a more fun and running free fall activity. And she was sure that the following year she would not be running again. "Almost Wisp! Just a little further." There it was in the faint distance, the finish line. Her ears flattened against her head and she pushed forward with a burst of speed. She didn't notice the ponies she was pushing past, she just wanted to be done. "Gonna make it, gonna make it!"

Willow Wisp: -takes all these in keeps them for when she's lonely in the big old haunted house-

Stuck was an understatement. Willow Wisp had trotted right through a run of sap and now her mane had mats in it, her hooves were picking up dirt and even leaves when she stepped on them, there were sticks stuck in her tail and she was pretty sure her race number was permanently glued to her side. When she had galloped through the small shrub thinking it would be a simple cut through, she didn't expect to come out like a living piece of fly-paper. At least it had a nice sweet smell... "Great. I look like I've spent weeks out in the..." she trailed off a moment from her grumble. "wait... I have spent weeks in the woods before. And I never came out a sticky mess." Boy that stream she had to cross before was sure sounding good now. A nice dunk in that would at least get some of the sap off her. But tree sap was like glue, and sometimes it took a good scrubbing before the darn stuff would give way. Trot, trot, trot.... "UGH!" Willow looked down at her hooves with their nice coating of dirt and fallen leaves. "GET OFF!" She started shaking one leg, then another, alternating as she tried to free herself from the collection attached to her. As she had her fit, she continued to try and run along. It was a bad idea, as she eventually tripped, tumbled to the ground and ended up rolling right into another shrub. "...I hope this section is almost over..." she sighed and just laid there in a heap of sap.

"Oh dear, oh dear... I'm late." Fluttershy was doing her best to at least make it in time to see the finish of the race. The quiet Pegasus had gotten caught up in tending to her garden and lost all track of time. Well that and there was a cute little bird singing such a lovely song, she couldn't help listening. It was so sweet. In fact had it not been for Angel she would probably still be out in her garden listening to bird songs. But the ever moody rabbit was perfect for reminding her of when she needed to be doing something else. "I hope the race isn't over. I promised I would cheer for my friends," she quietly commented to herself as she flew toward the stands. Luck was on her side as it didn't seem like any of the racers had reached the finish yet. Letting out a sigh of relief she landed, and trotted toward the spectator line. "Oh, excuse me, pardon me, excuse me," her quiet voice squeaked out as she moved to take a spot where she could see the racers cross the line. "Perfect, now I can see everypony finish."

This leg of the race was proving to be difficult. She had managed to have a nice talk with another pony during the last section, but they had since parted ways. Now she was on her own again and struggling to make her way over the rocky trail. It wasn't that she just wasn't cut out for such, but more so it seemed that things had been tampered with. There was clear sign of a rock slide at one point. And she had noted a few signs that looked like they'd been messed with as well. Wisp shook her head, to think that some ponies were so hyped about winning they'd cheat. She just didn't get it. This was suppose to be a fun festival but others appeared to take it too far. As she neared the trail's peak, she slowed for a moment, the path looked a little narrow and a little weak in a few spots. One wrong step and she could find herself sliding down the side of a cliff; which was NOT on her to do list for the day. "Okay... just keep moving along the edge," Willow mumbled to herself. One hoof after the other she basically scooted along the rough patch, holding her breath in the process. She did knock loose a couple pebbles and watched as they tumbled off the path edge into nothingness. "Don't look down..." she reminded herself as she finally reached the stable path way again. "Phew, I did it." It was all downhill, or down mountain side, at that point. Willow Wisp laid her ears back and lowered her head. She had to make up a little time for slowing down. So with her hooves on good ground again, she took off in a nice gallop, ready to at least catch up with the pack.

You have both Wisp and Bramble listed as being number 13, but only Wisp has mentioned that being her number. ^^; Just an FYI

What? Somepony was talking to her? Wisp was still a little hazy as she looked over to the Stallion that came up along side her. She wiggled her nose making her glasses weren't cock-eyed before responding. "Oh, you saw that?" She felt a little embarrassed now. She was sure that no pony has noticed. Or at least, she had hoped no pony had. "It's alright. I mainly just jammed my horn into the trunk. And it's not damaged." She gave a nervous laugh. "But I know when to stop if I need to. Thanks for asking all the same. I'm kind of surprised. In these types of things, it seems like most would keep on running... gaining a place higher in the ranks and all." She looked forward again, but not taking off to the leave the concerned pony behind her. She had already decided she wasn't really gunning to win, middle of the line would make her happy. If she did win, well she'd be shocked. "Haven't see you around before. Name's Willow Wisp.... I live in Ponyville's so called haunted house on the edge of town. What's your name?"

The woods, perfect, this is the type of environment that Willow Wisp was use to. She spent much of her time out in Everfree and in the dark to boot. So a mid-day run through White tale wasn't going to be hard at all. In fact she could probably make up a little of her slow timing. Sure she didn't really care about coming in first, but it would be a bit embarrassing coming in dead last. So being one of the middle rung finishers would be good. Number 13 galloped along, staying on the path at first but as it seemed she was catching up to a group of ponies she decided to take another route. It wouldn't stray too far from the trail, but she veered off to the side, darting between the trees. It was just liking chasing wisps in the dark, bobbing and weaving with no trouble, even between trunks close together. "This is more like it, and no bridges." Wisp mused to herself as she breezed by a group of ponies not far off still running the path. "And it looks like I'm moving more into the pack." As she dashed through the forest her mind traveled back to her adventure in Appleloosa. It was like having to run through all those cacti. At least the trees couldn't sap her of her life, but the footwork was pretty much the same. 'Huh... if Braeburn was here... I wonder if he would be thinking the same-' Wisp's thoughts were disrupted. Getting lost in her mind distracted her from her task at hand and she slammed right into an oak. Shaking her head she stumbled for a moment, head just spinning. And after the stars had faded she looked around hurriedly, hoping no one saw before she took off again. 'Okay, thoughts on the race Wisp... Nothing else.'

This trip seemed to be going much better than before. Big Mac was actually going to get to check to see if the yellow fruits were available. Last time they somehow had got tangled up in having lunch and even that never panned out because ponies just kept showing up. As the stallion went to see if they had any for her, she turned her attention to Granny Smith. The elderly pony still seemed to have a lot of spunk for her are. She could only hope she'd be that spunky when she reached her golden years. "That's very nice of you to offer," she hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure if she should take the offer. That's how the last trip got derailed. But she didn't want to turn her down. And one piece of pie wouldn't hurt. "Oh sure, why not. Some pie sounds pretty good. Last time I was here pie was offered by Braeburn, but we never got to eat it."

WHOO HOO I'M LOSING!

Just as last time the members of the Apple Family were quick to respond. But Willow couldn't help glancing around to see if that meant there was going to be another crowd. Then again perhaps on her last venture it had just been one of those busy days. "Morning, Big Mac," at least, she was sure that was his name. The red stallion had been kind of quiet the last time she was there, but she'd at least heard his name. "I hope you don't mind me stopping by but last time when-" Wisp cut herself off as she heard the greeting from the elder pony. As the old mare wondered on her name, Wisp was mentally doing the same thing. She hadn't seen the matriarch of the family on her previous visit. And she was sure they hadn't met in town, but she wasn't going to correct her. No, she'd just smile and offer an answer. After all sometimes, it was best to let the elders just go with what they thought than to try and correct them. "Oh good morning, and don't worry Mam. I'm Willow Wisp. I'm the one living in that so called... haunted house," Wisp laughed and offered a kind smile. Looking back to Big Macintosh she cleared her throat a little. "Actually, I was wondering... do you have any lemons on the farm? I came by once before but it got so busy I never actually found out if you did or didn't. And I've got one angry bat at home that doesn't want anything else."

Wisp was in a zone, not so much a competitive zone, just zoned on. She didn't even notice when the trail led them through the Apple Family's farm. In fact as she came to the bridge that needed crossing she'd almost stumbled down the bank and into it. Her mind had been focused on chasing a monster that wasn't there, since she'd convinced herself it was the best way to get her to actually run and not just jog the whole way. "Shoot, I gotta get out of my head and actually pay attention. I'd be washed otherwise and this thing has only just started." The bridge was the best answer. Of course most ponies felt that. She watched a one too many tried to crowd themselves onto the narrow way and got themselves all tangled up. So maybe that bridge wasn't the best idea. Those who were too interested in winning were trying to force through on it, and in the end were getting hung up. Three plus pony pile ups on the path were going to be a problem at this spot. The other option was the water. Wisp glanced down and spotted a fish as it darted by. Clear and running meant just one thing, cold. And even though she wasn't a fan of being hot by any means, she wasn't a fan of diving into icy cold creeks either. It was time to put her mind to work. Her red eyes darted back and forth for a moment and then she saw them; a few scattered stones in the water. The path wasn't straight and a couple were a bit of distance apart, but she was sure she could hop across the water that way. "Okay, let's get back on track," she commented to herself, readying for that first hop. One! She landed on the stone closest to the bank. Two, she leaped to the next, slipping just a little on the wet surface. Three, it was hard to balance on this one, it was pointier than she original thought it was. Four, just one more but it was the furthest away. And with that final deep breath and a leap of faith, Five! Willow Wisp sighed as she landed on the final stone, it was just a little hop from it to the bank. And she did it all without getting wet. "Alright, now back to ru-" Well almost without getting wet. A couple ponies from behind her decided to forge the water and charged right through. She found herself splashed with the cold spray she did her best to avoid. "...running..." she grumbled as she shook the water from her glasses and took off along the path once again.

Another find day in Equestria, the sun was up and shinning bright.This was the day most ponies loved. Wisp, well she didn't hate sunny days, but she much rather be up at night; that was her element. But she had a job to do. She had a hungry bat at home and she was out of lemons. When she first moved into Ponyville she went to Sweet Apple Acres to see if they had more than just apples. However the trip got side tracked and she merely just met a handful of ponies. She remembered Applejack and her older brother Big Macintosh. They seemed like friendly ponies. But she'd also met Braeburn that day and she that what she remembered the most. So there she was again, at the farm, this time hoping to get some lemons... or at least find somewhere she could get some. "Hello, anypony around?"

Number 13? Of course she had number 13. It seemed fitting enough for a spooky pony to have a number most considered bad. Willow Wisp really wasn't into racing, but this was Ponyville's fall tradition. She much rather have been involved in the festival from where she grew up. But from what she knew, no pony here had ever heard of the Autumn Spook-tacular. So she signed up to at least be social. But as she stood at the starting line, looking at all those who gathered, she just couldn't get into the spirit of it. She didn't care about winning or losing, and it wasn't like anypony was going to cheer her on. Well, maybe her little cousin Grim, but she didn't see him anywhere yet. He was probably hiding somewhere since he didn't like crowds. 'Okay Wisp, just gotta run. Picture something um... hm... well what could make me want to run? Oh! Just imagine that some spook you want to study is getting away, just gotta chase it down!' As the starting shot rang out, she took off with the rest of the crowd. It was a little hard to find a pace, since there were so many ponies taking part, but eventually she got into the groove and kept herself steady. No need to rush off and burn up all her steam right at the start. While hurrying down the path she looked to the spectators, wondering if she would see anypony she knew. She wondered if Braeburn took part in such things. Surely a pony like that would love a good race. But last she saw him was the Gala and she was pretty sure he was still in Appleloosa.

Do you ever find yourself wondering about the unknown? Does fear of monsters keep you from venturing past the safety of town? Manticores making you manic? Spooked by Spirit Foxes? Creeped out by Cockatrices? Let me help. It could be all the stories you've heard are nothing more than pony tales. In fact many of the things that go "bump in the night" are merely misunderstood. And with the right information you won't need to fear traveling anymore; even into the Everfree Forest. So send your questions to Willow Wisp! Let me demystify the mystic and de-buck the myths that have you shaking in your hoofs. ... Welcome to my guide. I can't wait to share all my paranormal knowledge with everypony. And of course, I'd love to answer any questions you may have. I hope you enjoy reading! Happy Hauntings! Willow Wisp

It always amused her how excited the little foal got when she had a chance to show off for Rainbow Dash. And Fluttershy was happy that her friend had the time to watch Scootaloo now and then. It always showed when the young Pegasus had been with her mentor. She always beamed with a huge boost of confidence. "You look like you're really getting good. I bet you'll be flying as high as Rainbow Dash in no time. I wish I were as good as you are when I was your age. You could probably be a contestant in the Best Young Flyer contest. I'd come and watch." She looked between the two. They were a lot alike. They both were proud ponies, and had similar attitudes. Fluttershy didn't know of any young ponies that were quiet as she was, or with such an interest in animals. Perhaps one day she would have a foal look up to her, but for now she was content to just cheer for her friends and the foals that wished to be like them. "Have you taken a break yet? It's such a nice day, it would be nice to sit down for a bit and have a snack. Do you want to join me?"

The show and tell acts were moving along at a pretty good pace. Grim had gotten himself a snack only to find himself getting attention from Diamond Tiara. When she mentioned Sweetie Belle his face flushed a little. "Ah, we just met really... I haven't been in town long." He glanced off to the side. Did she really enjoy it? This other foal seemed to think so. He had no idea he was getting sucked into some sort of trap. "Are you friends with her?" He blinked as Silver Spoon joined the other. "Uh... either one of you or both... I mean... I wanna do something nice for her, but I don't know what she likes." He didn't hear the mean whispers as the two made fun of Snips when his act failed. He'd been looking for toward Sweetie Belle as she attempted to cheer up Champ. Even a bully like him deserved a bit of kindness now and then. And that just made the gloomy foal admire the young unicorn even more. As Cheerilee asked to speak with her, Willow Wisp smiled and trotted over. She waited for the students showing off their talents to finish, joining in with the applauds when they were done. It was fun to see the young ponies so excited to share what they could do. When Snips' magic trick went poorly she offered him a bit of encouragement. "You'll get it next time. Just keep it up." That said she looked to Cheerilee. "And what can I do for you?"

Thank you all for the kind words. I miss everyone as well and hope by this weekend to have some time to come on and catch up on posts so I'm not holding this up. This last week was a whirlwind and hopefully this week will be easier because I know what to expect. I'm just happy they'll let me have a little splurge on Wednesday.... I mean come on a birthday without cake would be a bummer. You may see me pop on for a few moments here and there this week, as I'm doing my best to keep caught up. :heart: you all.

Okay so I was gone without warning, Flank too.. due to some internet issues. We should have a fully functional connection tomorrow, Thursday at the latest. Sorry that Big Mac, Fluttershy, Wisp and the rest of our herd vanished on you all. Blame Comcast.... it's a long story but they're the one behind it.