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// The Shadows are my Cover 
// Story: Making Hearts Melt 
// by Faith Everlasting 
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	When I came to, I saw a strange pony with stripes covering every inch of her body. I thought about screaming and running, but once I tried to move I immediately went rigid with pain. The striped pony came over to me and placed another ice pack on my swollen forehead.
“I saw you fall down with much speed and figured that soon you would be in need.” She chanted. I looked at her, confused at her strange way of speaking, but I thought it better not to question her, so I merely kept my mouth sealed. She walked over to a large cauldron in the middle of the room and threw a few spices into the green mix. She’s going to eat me! I tried to get up again and again, but to no avail. The pain was just too great to take on. The striped pony seemed to smile at my struggles which merely strengthened my fear.
“You needn’t worry about me, dear, for Fluttershy knows that you are here,” The striped pony placed a gentle hoof on my shoulder and handed me a small wooden bowl filled with the green mix.
“Is this poison?” I asked, still intimidated by the strange pony before me.  She smiled and laughed, shaking her head.
“Why would I ever give to you, a very nasty poisonous brew?” 
“Because I don’t know you,” she seemed to understand my hesitancy now, but then she gave me a soft smile.
“Ah, but your dear mother, Fluttershy, is coming soon and very nigh,” At that exact moment, Fluttershy dashed into the room, nearly knocking over the striped pony’s cauldron.
“Oh!” She exclaimed, coming over to hug me. “You’re alright!” She reached out her hooves to embrace me, but I shoved them away and turned my head away from her. I was not going to talk to the pony that was almost as bad as my mother. An awkward silence followed my refusal, but then I heard Fluttershy talking to the striped pony. 
“Thank you, Zecora,” Fluttershy said in a calm, yet disappointed tone. She then trotted over to me and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders, but I still did not look at her. “I have a wagon ready to take you home,” she tried talking to me. I ignored her. “Big Macintosh is going to give you a little ride so that you don’t have to walk,” I could tell that she was trying to make me feel better, but nothing could right now. Without a word, I gently stood, pushing aside the jolts of pain riveting through my body. I walked to the door and then walked outside where I saw Big Macintosh standing. He had a big goofy smile on his face, as always, and then he helped me into the wagon. I wouldn’t smile back at him. He had known about my deformity too since he and Fluttershy were seeing each other and neither one of them had told me. 
The trip home was a long and awkward one. Fluttershy kept trying to start up a friendly conversation with me as did Big Mac, but I didn’t respond to either of them. I simply kept my head turned the other way and I didn’t even spare them a passing glance. Then we arrived home. Big Mac helped Fluttershy and me out of the wagon, he gave Fluttershy a little kiss on the check, galloped off, and then we were alone in our silence. Fluttershy looked at me and I finally looked at Fluttershy. Then she finally said, “I’m sorry,”
“You’re ‘sorry’…” I repeated, tasting the dreadful words in my mouth before spitting them back out. “Why didn’t you tell me that I was deformed?” I shouted at her. She was taken aback by my tone, but then her gaze softened as she took in my insults. “That’s why my mother abandoned me and tried to kill me wasn’t it? I knew that there was always something wrong with me! Now I know!” Tears were already streaming down my face. “Now I know…” I murmured. Fluttershy was starting to cry too and she reached out to embrace me once more, but this time I let her. We just sat outside, whimpering in each other’s arms and rocking back and forth. Diamond Tiara’s mocking still rung in my bruised head, the murmurs of the other foals echoed there as well until I had to cover my ears and scream for them to go away. Fluttershy cradled me closer until she was almost squeezing the air out of me. I screamed and screamed as Diamond Tiara faded in and out of my vision. Cripple! You would break it! Ha! Ha! Ha!
“Stop it!” I shouted. “Stop doing that!” Fluttershy then scooped me up and carried me into the house as I was still screaming and trying to block the sounds from entering my head. There was no doubt about it: I was a cripple and that’s all I would ever be. From that day on, I remained hidden in Fluttershy’s cottage, covered by my own shadows of the past, until one fateful day when somepony dragged me out.