//------------------------------// // Day 5 // Story: Why Did Equestria Shrink? // by Monsieur-Flatterer //------------------------------// Everything was dark. Spera wasn’t with her. Nopony was around. The grass was brown and dried up instead of green and fresh. Her house looked like it had been abandoned for years. Ponyville looked like a ghost town. There was no moon. There wasn’t anything. it was just her in the middle of a dried up grass field, in a night without a moon. Where was she? Fluttershy had curled up, shivering and sobbing softly. She didn’t dare to move, nor did she dare to explore. She just wanted to stay put. She was scared, terrified even. But more than usual. This wasn’t how it’s supposed to go. Normally, she’d go on an adventure with Spera and solve problems! Normally, she was discovering the unknown... But now, she was just curling up in the middle of a dead grass field, at the edge of an abandoned Ponyville. On a planet that shrunk, even though she didn’t know why. She just wish she could escape this place, or that somepony would help her. But even Spera wasn’t with her today. The pegasus whimpered and sobbed softly, a small spot of soil getting wet from her tears. “Now, now... don’t cry...” A voice suddenly sounded. She heard some ruffling on the grass and the mare looked up, gasping at the stallion she saw. It was the brown-coated stallion again. But this time, a few things were different about him. To begin with, he was a pegasus this time. But the two differences that really caught Fluttershy’s attention were on his face. His normally short, scruffy mane was now flat and was just hanging in front of one of his eyes. But that wasn’t what was terrifying Fluttershy right now. No, the real reason she was trembling and slowly backing away was because of a trail of tears on the stallion’s face. But it wasn’t just normal moisture. it was red. Blood red. Fluttershy whimpered as she slowly backed off. “W-Who are you?” She asked, her ears flat as she looked at the stallion, but she tried to avoid his deep blue eyes. “You don’t have to be scared of me...” The stallion mumbled. His voice was different too. Instead of being rather cheery and calming, it was silent and eery, almost as if he was whispering a ghost story. “My name’s Desolo... Fluttershy... and I’m here to lead you tonight. Through this village and this world...” He whispered. “L-Lead me? B-But why? A-And how do you know my name, normally you always forget...” Fluttershy whispered. But Desolo frowned and looked at the mare. “Forget? Sorry, my dear Fluttershy... but this is the first time we meet.” Desolo responded. He slowly approached Fluttershy, smiling slightly. “You don’t have to be afraid, Fluttershy... see me as your guardian angel. I will always be here for you, to lead you through the tough times that lay ahead of you. And now are tough times for you, yes?” The stallion asked. Fluttershy stopped moving, only nodding slightly as a response. “W-Why are you crying blood?” Fluttershy asked, gulping. “Grief.” Desolo simply responded. “Grief. For you.” He whispered, suddenly pointing a hoof at Fluttershy. “Come with me, Fluttershy. What you may see tonight will change your life forever, may it be for better or for worse. Tonight we will travel into your deepest thoughts and memories, may they be happy or sad. But we will also dive in to your fears...” Desolo whispered. Fluttershy could swear that he saw the stallion’s mouth form to a slight grin for just a fraction of a second at that last word. But the mare slowly reached for the hoof, placing her own on it. The stallion smiled and softly pulled Fluttershy next to him, looking over Ponyville. “This isn’t Ponyville, Fluttershy. This is a village built on the foundation of your fears and memories. It resembles Ponyville, yes. But that’s because you built it like this.” Desolo explained. Fluttershy merely nodded and looked over the town. It did look like Ponyville, but completely abandoned. Fluttershy gulped and looked over to her house. But Desolo placed a hoof on her cheek and turned her sight back to Ponyville, gently. “You’re not ready for that place yet, Fluttershy...” Desolo said. Fluttershy gulped and nodded, but followed Desolo as he walked down the hill. They walked in to the town and Fluttershy looked around. All the buildings seemed old and worn-out. it was as if everypony moved out of this town twenty years ago. Desolo walked up the the Sugar Cube Corner and opened the door, allowing for Fluttershy to peek in. The interior was clean and well-kept, much unlike the exterior. But what Fluttershy saw amazed her. In front of the counter was a small filly, with a yellow coat and pink mane. her small wings fluttered slightly and a bag of bits was in her mouth. Behind the counter was Mrs. Cup Cake, obviously younger than she now is. She was pointing at several cupcakes, but young Fluttershy shook her head every time. Suddenly, four other fillies walked in and circled Fluttershy. One of the fillies, who seemed to be young Rainbow Dash, hugged Fluttershy. “Fluttershy! I lost you after the Summer Flight Camp!” Rainbow exclaimed as she snuggled the yellow mare. “These are my new friends! They’re Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack.” Rainbow said, pointing to all of them. “You’re always welcome to play with us!” She added. The fillies squeaked and jumped into one big group hug, but Desolo closed the door and blocked the view. “One of your earliest memories...The first meeting with your current friends...” Desolo told. “However, not your earliest memory...” He said. Fluttershy nodded, gulping and a bit shifted from what she just saw. But suddenly, Desolo moved forward and Fluttershy quickly followed him. Desolo now walked to the town hall and opened one of the doors, showing a prom going on inside. Dancing ponies everywhere and a band playing on stage. Fluttershy gasped slightly, her eyes welling up slightly. Suddenly, a pony walked up the stage and tapped a microphone, making everypony go silent. “And now to announce the king and queen of the prom!” The announcer yelled out. “The king of the prom is... Time Turner!” He yelled. The audience clapped and cheered as Time Turner walked on stage. He was on a neat suit and seemed to be in his teenage years. This was quite some time after the memory they just saw. Fluttershy’s eyes were watering now as she held a hoof in front of her mouth. “And the queen of the prom is...Fluttershy!” The announcer yelled. Again the crowd cheered and clapped as the teenage filly flew up on the stage, in a beautiful dress and a red blush decorating her cheeks. She giggled nervously as the announcer said something to Fluttershy and Time Turner. Fluttershy’s blush grew, but they both nodded. The band started playing a soft, slow song and Time Turner took Fluttershy in his arms, both of them starting to dance slowly. Time Turner gazed in Fluttershy’s eyes and whispered something. Fluttershy blushed even more, if at all possible, and nodded slightly. Both closed their eyes...and there it was... Fluttershy’s first kiss. Fluttershy turned away and whimpered, sitting back against the old town hall’s walls. Desolo looked at her, a red tear slowly trailing down his cheek as Fluttershy started crying. “The next day... he was with another filly...” Desolo said softly. “I know!” Fluttershy yelled, the sudden outburst not really fitting her personality as she sobbed softly. She wiped her tears and looked up at Desolo. “Why did you show me this... and what does it have to do with the first memory...?” Fluttershy whispered. Desolo sighed and looked at the young mare. “Because this is what all your friends will end up doing... abandoning you.” Desolo whispered. Fluttershy shook her head, gazing at the stallion full disbelief. “They keep visiting you in the hospital... but for how long? Soon, they’ll leave a day in between... then two days... a week... until you end up like poor Cobalt. Waiting for your friends that’ll never come.” “No... It’s not true... they love me.” “Yes they do, but for how much longer?” Desolo whispered, his eyes changing from blue to black as he spread his wings. “Listen to me, Fluttershy...I am your guardian angel and I know what’s best for you...Escape the hospital tomorrow and reunite with your friends before it’s too late.” Desolo said, his voice getting heavier as his body started shifting and shaping, until he was Nurse Grunt. “Don’t stop for anypony.” He said. Fluttershy was starting to panic, slowly starting to crawl away from Desolo, who was shifting again until he presented Doctor Terryn. “And listen to nopony...” Fluttershy screamed and got up, starting to quickly run away. She had no idea what was happening, at all. She ran back towards the grass field, crying softly to herself. She ran towards her house, reaching her hoof to the door. “Fluttershy, wake up!” Fluttershy yanked the door open and she gasped, her eyes wide at what she saw. her house was completely empty except for a chair in the middle. On that chair stood Fluttershy with a noose around her neck. Behind her, on the wall, was written ‘LONELY’ In big red letters. The duplicate looked up to the real Fluttershy, showing red, thin streams on her cheeks just like Desolo has. But she looked ruined and completely broken. She lifted a hind leg, but just as she was about to kick the chair away, real Fluttershy shut the door. “Grunt, go get Terryn, she’s not waking up!” “Listen to me, Fluttershy...” Desolo whispered. Fluttershy turned around and sobbed loudly. She was standing on a single dirt platform, above a huge, black abyss. Desolo was flying above this abyss, reaching his hoof out for Fluttershy. “Come with me and I will protect you...” “What’s going on here?” “She’s not waking up! She’s sweating and screaming but she’s not waking up!” Fluttershy shook her head and stepped back, but the house behind her was gone, there was only abyss. The dirt broke under her hooves and so she fell...Into the void... She screamed and shot up, hugging the first thing that she could reach and sobbing on its shoulder. This pony was nurse Redheart, who gasped and held Fluttershy tight. The nurse was shaking from the shock. So much, even, that she started to sob with the pegasus. “It’s going to be alright, dear...it was just a nightmare...” She whispered. Fluttershy opened her eyes and glanced around. Grunt and Terryn were looking down on her and on the side were a few other patients, from which one of them was Cobalt. But only now Fluttershy realised she wasn’t in her room anymore, she was in the hallway. She gulped and whimpered. “D-Did you drag me out of my room?” She asked softly, looking up to Terryn and Grunt, who shook their heads. “You sleepwalked, Fluttershy.” Terryn said. He knelt down next to the mare. “Go get yourself freshed up and meet me in my office, okay?” Terryn said softly, smiling to Fluttershy, who was still sobbing on Redheart’s shoulder. She nodded slightly and whimpered, but Redheart kept eyeing the door to Fluttershy’s door. - Fluttershy walked next to Nurse Grunt with a blush. She was still scared of the big nurse, but he didn’t really seem that mean. They approached the door to Terryn’s office and voices could be heard from it. “I swear there was somepony in that room!” “Redheart, calm down. There was nopony in that room. otherwise we should’ve seen it.” “He had a brown coat and black mane and he was just standing there gazing at us!” “Nurse Redheart, you were in panic with the situation that was going on, you were probably just seeing things!” Nurse Grunt knocked on the door and the voices fell silent. Redheart opened the door and smiled to Fluttershy, quickly walking away. Fluttershy stepped in, glancing around in the room and gulping. “Sit down, Fluttershy.” Terryn said. Fluttershy nodded and climbed on to one of the chairs. She remained silent as she glanced around, gulping. “Now, Fluttershy...” Terryn said. “You do understand why I called you to my office for...let us say an ‘emergency therapy’.” Terryn said, his voice soft and soothing. Fluttershy nodded softly, gulping. “Your dreams are getting worse... So bad in fact that you’ve started to scream in your sleep. That you’ve started sleepwalking and, what worries us the most, that you don’t immediately wake up when we try to shake you awake...” Terryn said. “Now, I really need you, Fluttershy, to tell me about this dream. We can help you.” Terryn asked. Fluttershy gulped and looked at the desk, sniffling. It was silent for a bit, until she suddenly opened her mouth. “E-Every night...I-I dream about a-a stallion...” She said softly. “H-He has a brown coat and black mane...and blue eyes but no cutiemark...” She whispered. “Like the drawing you made once?” Terryn asked. Fluttershy nodded softly and gulped. “H-His name always changes...a-and he can also change from being a pegasus or unicorn or earth pony...” Fluttershy mumbled. “H-He can be really sweet... or nice... But last time he... he...” Fluttershy sniffled, a tear running down her cheek. “He was just plain evil...” She whispered, starting to cry softly. She rubbed her hoof on her eye, while Terryn was noting down. “He said he was my Guardian Angel...and that I could trust him... But h-he...” Fluttershy sobbed softly. Terryn gulped and looked at Fluttershy, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s alright...It was just a dream...” He whispered, but Fluttershy shook her head. “Yesterday...I saw him in the hallway...outside of my room...” Fluttershy whispered. Terryn’s eyes widened and he gazed at Fluttershy, thinking back to what Redheart said. But then somepony knocked on the door. Terryn shouted the pony to come in and the door opened, showing a very concerned Twilight. “I came as soon as I could.” She said. Fluttershy let out a whimper as she jumped up and hugged Twilight tightly, sobbing on her shoulder. She thought back to what Desolo said, about how her friends were going to abandon her in this hospital just as Cobalt’s family did with Cobalt. She clung to Twilight, who hugged back and looked at the doctor. Fluttershy pulled back and sat back on her chair, while Twilight took the chair next to Fluttershy. Terryn explained the story to Twilight, who looked at Fluttershy with full concern. Then, Terryn turned back to Fluttershy. “You said that this stallion always has a different name...What was he called this time?” Terryn asked. Fluttershy gulped and sniffled. “Desolo...” She whispered. Terryn noted the name down and sighed. “I’ll have to think about this for a while. I’ll order Redheart to keep a close eye on Fluttershy.” He said to Twilight, who nodded. “Thank you for coming. You two can have a bit of a chat in the lobby.” Terryn said with a smile. Twilight nodded and walked out with Fluttershy, and they both seated in the lobby. But before they said anything, Fluttershy noticed something. Cobalt was sitting at a table, all alone. He was staring at the door and Fluttershy smiled slightly, pulling Twilight’s hoof. Twilight frowned slightly. “Fluttershy, what are you doing?” Twilight asked, but Fluttershy moved to Twilight to whisper to her. “His name is Cobalt and he needs a visitor...He’s lonely...” She whispered. Twilight smiled and nodded, before shifting to sit at Cobalt’s table. Fluttershy shuffled next to Twilight smiling. Cobalt looked rather confused, but Twilight smiled. “We came to visit you, Cobalt...” Twilight said softly. Cobalt’s eyes widened as they watered. Not of grief, but of pure happiness. A large smile beamed on his face and he gazed at Twilight and Fluttershy. “T-Thank you...” He said softly. “T-Thank you so much...” He muttered. Redheart had just entered to pick Cobalt up, but she smiled as she saw Twilight and Fluttershy already take care of him. “So, Cobalt.” Twilight started. “Tell me a bit about yourself.” She said, smiling to the blue stallion. Cobalt nodded with a big smile, looking at Twilight. “I-I’m a writer...” He started. “F-Fiction...” He added. “Really? Do you have any books published yet? I may have it in my library.” Twilight asked, gazing the stallion in the yes. “Uh...yes, one. It’s called ‘Another Morning’.” He spoke. Twilight thought for a second, but nodded with a smile. “Yeah, I remember reading that one. it was really great!” Twilight said. And so the conversation went on. Cobalt and Twilight were talking about books and writers while Fluttershy was just sitting there by the side, not really following everything being said. She gazed at the exit of the hospital suddenly, frowning and remembering what Desolo said. Just escape the hospital and reunite with her friends. Would it really be that easy? Her friends are the ones that sent her to the hospital to begin with. Wouldn’t they just send her back? Her friends had always been there for her and had always known what was best for her. Sure, there had been accidents like Time Turner, but she had forgotten those. Her true friends had always been there for her, ever since she was a little filly. And they always will. “It was really great talking to you, Cobalt.” Twilight said. “But I need to go home now, before Spike makes too much of a mess again.” She told, looking over at Fluttershy and giving her a soft hug. “Get better soon...” She said softly, smiling and getting off her chair, walking away. Fluttershy also got off, starting to head over to her room. But she blushed as she felt another hug, this time from Cobalt. “Thank you... so much...” He whispered softly. “It felt so good having a visitor again... after all that time...” He said, sniffling softly as a tear dripped on Fluttershy’s shoulder. Fluttershy hugged back, blushing deeply, but smiling softly. She made Cobalt happy, and with that, she felt happy herself. Cobalt pulled back. “I’ll speak to you tomorrow?” He asked, receiving a nod from Fluttershy. She couldn’t believe the afternoon had passed already, with the therapy and Twilight’s talk with Cobalt. She slowly walked back to her room, but she gulped as she thought back to what Redheart said. ‘He was standing in her room, just gazing at us,’ Did Redheart mean Fluttershy’s room? Was he inside her own room? What if she didn’t sleepwalk at all, but that he just moved her around. But Fluttershy shook her head. and opened her room. Nopony there, like it’s supposed to be. She sighed and sat down on her bed. She glanced around, before noticing something on the wall. The drawing she once made, it was moved. She picked it up and turned around, her eyes widening at the text behind it. She never put it there, then who did? On the back was the one question she had asked herself since a while... ...Why did Equestria shrink?