//------------------------------//
// A Soul Worth Saving 
// Story: Something Old, Something New 
// by JaelynPotons 
//------------------------------//

	The journey was long, and over treacherous terrain. The closer they got to the cave, the more nervous Ebony got. It didn't help that Rarity was an absolute horror to travel with.
"My hooves hurt!"
"Are we there yet?"
"I'm tired, can we stop for a rest?"
"Rarity, if you don't can it, I'm gonna hogtie you faster than you can blink!"
That stopped it... for the time being.
On their second night, Ebony pulled Fluttershy aside.
“Flutters, I don’t think I can do this. I-I just can’t…”
“It’s ok, you’re going to be fine. What are you so nervous about? I mean, I know you two used to be involved, but…”
He looked at her beautiful teal eyes, and decided that it was time to tell the truth. “Misfortune… she… has a power over me. Something I may not be able to control.”
Fluttershy folded her legs beneath her and laid down on the grass, motioning Ebony to do the same. He laid down next to her on his back, looking up at the night sky where the stars were twinkling brightly. He was silent for a long while, but Fluttershy just watched him, waiting patiently. Finally, he spoke.
“When we first turned against Celestia and Luna, she proposed that we make a pact. A pact that neither of us could go against, ever. The spell we cast was old before we were even born, so you can imagine how ancient it is now.” He took a deep breath and continued. “It’s called a soul-twine. It’s a spell that binds two souls together, forever. When she was sent to the dreamland, even though I was miles away from her, I felt it. I felt her soul leave, and mine very nearly went with her.”
Fluttershy didn’t like where this was going. Ebony looked at her, his deep blue eyes filled with regret.
“If she dies, I may have to die with her.”
Fluttershy’s heart instantly pounded against her chest, hard. “B-but… how did you manage to keep your soul from leaving with hers?”
“It took every ounce of my strength to keep it here.’
“So you can-“
“Fluttershy! It’s different when someone dies! Its more powerful than simply having your soul moved.”
Fluttershy’s eyes began to water. “S-so, this might be the last night we have with each other?” She couldn’t suppress the tears any longer, and started to sob uncontrollably.
Ebony pulled her close and wrapped his wings around her. “I’m so, so sorry Fluttershy. If I could change it I would, in a heartbeat I would take it back.”
Fluttershy sobbed against him, pushing herself against his body and wishing that she could just melt into him. She felt moisture drip onto the top of her head and she looked up in surprise. Once she realized what it was, she reached up, pulled his face to hers, and locked lips with him. It was a slow and passionate kiss. They lost themselves in each other and would’ve kept going had someone not cleared their throat behind them. They spun around to see Twilight standing there, her horn lighting the path.
“I think I have a solution, but I need the whole story.”


They were all sitting around the campfire, Ebony and Fluttershy had just finished telling them everything, and everypony looked absolutely bewildered.
Rainbow snapped out of it first. “I should’ve known that Discord was going to mess things up somehow! I say we follow our original plan and let what happens, happen!”
“G-guys…”
“I have to agree with Rainbow on this, girls. I mean, just how much are we willing to risk for that monster?” Rarity was glaring at Ebony through the flames of the campfire.
“B-but you don’t know…”
“And how come he didn’t tell us this before? That’s probably why he didn’t agree to come in the first place!” Applejack chimed in.
“Girls, please—“
Soon everyone was trying to speak over each other, yelling and shouting. ‘Monster,’ ‘fiend,’ ‘varmint,’ and ‘not worth it,’ floated around the circle and through Fluttershy’s mind. Ebony wasn’t saying a word, only sitting there looking at the dirt patch in front of him.
“ENOUGH!!” Fluttershy finally yelled, to everypony’s utter surprise. Even Ebony stared at her with wide eyes. He face was red with anger, and her eyes went from soft and kindly to hard and cold all in 0.3 seconds. “How dare you talk about him that way! You couldn’t trust me when I said I could reform him, you didn’t even give him a chance when he was obviously trying, and now you’re doing it all over again! Don’t you see he’s changed? The old Lord of Chaos would have turned you all into gravy boats by now!”
“F-F-Fluttershy…” AJ stammered, never before seeing anything scarier in her life.
“Don’t you Fluttershy me, AJ! Everypony deserves a second chance. I am so sick and tired of hearing everypony call him a monster. Please…” Fluttershy’s voice broke as tears started to stream down her face. “Please just give him a chance… He’s good, and kind. Sure he still pulls the occasional prank, but darn it Rainbow so do you! If you could only have seen Princess Celestia’s face when she saw him in his natural form… and… and how happy he makes me.” Fluttershy burst into tears, and Ebony wrapped his wing around her.
“Fluttershy, we’re all really sorry. We had no idea…” AJ looked considerably shaken up.
There was a long moment where the only sound was Fluttershy’s crying, and Ebony whispering to her that it was going to be ok. Twilight finally broke the silence with a question.
“Dis… I mean, Ebony. You said that you and Misfortune used the spell soul-twine?”
He only nodded in response to her, all of his attention still on the delicate mare wrapped in his wing.
“What if I told you that there was a way to counteract that spell?”
Both Ebony and Fluttershy both looked at the unicorn with disbelief in their eyes.
“Come again?” Ebony asked, his eyes disbelieving.
“There’s a spell I can cast that will counteract the soul-twine… but I need to talk to Fluttershy alone first.” Without another word Twilight got up from the campfire and went into the forest, her horn lighting the way. After a moment, Fluttershy flew after her. Once they were alone, Twilight turned to look at her.
“Fluttershy, there’s only one way to counteract a soul-twine, and it’s not fool proof.” Twilight looked back in the direction of the campfire. “I can perform a soul-twine with you and Ebony.”
Fluttershy just stood there, stunned. “I-I don’t understand…”
Twilight took a deep breath. “A second soul-twine doesn’t sever the first. If Misfortune dies, Ebony’s soul will still try to follow hers. But if we use your soul to act as an anchor, he may have a chance.”
“Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Fluttershy started to go back, but Twilight grabbed her arm, stopping her.
“Fluttershy, I don’t think you understand! If your soul can’t hold him here, then it will undoubtedly follow him.” Twilight couldn’t hold her tears in anymore and they flowed down her cheeks. “Fluttershy, there’s a good chance you’ll die.”
Fluttershy hesitated, then her expression became confident. “I’m willing to risk it.”
Twilight wiped her eyes off futilely, as more tears streamed down her cheeks. “I was afraid you were going to say that. Let’s go tell the others.”
They walked back to the campfire in silence. Fluttershy settled in next to Ebony, looked up at him and gave a little smile.
“Well? What is it?” Ebony asked.
“We’re going to cast a second soul-twine. Fluttershy’s soul should help to anchor yours here if Misfortune dies.” Twilight’s expression was solemn.
Ebony frowned. “Something tells me there’s a catch.”
“If Fluttershy’s soul fails to keep yours here, it will follow you.”
It took a minute for Ebony to fully digest what this meant. His eyes slowly filled with anger and desperation. “NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! I will not allow Fluttershy to suffer for MY mistakes! I absolutely refuse.”
“Fluttershy, you can’t be serious about this! What would we do without you? What about the animals?”
“The animals can take care of themselves.”
“B-but you’re the Element of Kindness, darling! We can’t lose you!”
“And what use would the Element of Kindness be with a broken heart? You’d be losing me either way.”
“D-Do you really love him so much?”
“I do.”
Silence enveloped their little clearing, the only sound to be heard the crackling of the fireplace. Ebony reached over and made Fluttershy look at him.
“You’re sure you want to do this? You know what it means, don’t you?” His eyes searched hers for any sign of hesitation, any faltering. He found none.
“Yes. Ebony or Discord, it doesn’t matter. I love you, and I’ll follow you anywhere.” Her eyes radiated confidence and resolve. “You’re a soul worth saving.”
Tears formed in his eyes as he embraced her. “Flutters, I don’t know what to say…”
“Don’t say anything."