Chapter 07: Fire Storm
Ditzy and Chell galloped out of the hall, eager to tell the princesses the news. Considering what happened before, they both knew that the fate of Equestria was at stake. It was imperative that its leaders were aware of the situation. “Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!” Chell called.
The Royal Sisters both had a look of concern on their faces. “We know…” Celestia said softly.
“But… how? You weren’t in there!” Ditzy retorted.
“Yes,” Luna replied, “but after the events of last night, my sister and I cast a spell upon the chamber so that we may see what goes on inside, in case somepony actually does steal something from there. We both heard what the turret said to you.”
“And we will take appropriate action to stop GLaDOS before she can do any harm,” Celestia added.
“Then why didn’t you just come in with us?” Chell demanded.
Both princesses looked apprehensive. There was silence for a while, until Celestia finally decided to speak, “We… understand that you have had a difficult relationship with GLaDOS. We both suspected that it would tell you of her return and…”
“We thought that Ditzy’s presence would be sufficient,” Luna finished. “We’re sorry if you feel that we infringed upon your privacy.”
Chell was annoyed by this at first, but considering that the return of GLaDOS was something that affected everypony, and not just herself, she decided to let it go. “Why would she want to kidnap Twilight of all ponies?” she asked.
It didn’t take Princess Celestia long to come up with the likely answer. “My student is one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria. I imagine that she would want to harness her magical energy. Or, considering my relationship with her, perhaps she wishes to use Twilight as a bargaining chip against me.” The solar princess remained stoic, despite the emotional turmoil she felt at the thought of such an event.
“What about Applejack’s farm?” Ditzy inquired. “You think that’s related to this?”
A white pegasus stallion guard ran down the hall. “Urgent news from Ponyville! There is a forest fire in the Everfree!” he shouted.
“When did it start, and how bad is it?” Celestia inquired.
“Our sources say that the fire began around sunrise. The cause was reported to be a concentrated beam of light. As of now, I estimate the size of the affected area to currently be around a square mile, but it’s been growing rapidly.”
“GLaDOS…” Princess Celestia muttered. “I have little doubt that she is behind this as well.”
“Rumors in Ponyville suggest her involvement,” the messenger confirmed.
“What is currently being done to address the fire?” Celestia asked.
“Currently, the Ponyville Weather Patrol is gathering a raincloud over the blaze. Cloudsdale’s weather team will also be joining the effort.”
“Thank you,” she told him. “Please keep me updated on the status of the situation.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” He bowed before taking his leave, but not before taking a bow to Princess Luna as well.
“Her recent actions are proving to be quite reckless,” Luna noted. “I know not why she would cause this fire or the damage to Sweet Apple Acres, but we must stop her soon if we wish to prevent further destruction.”
“It won’t be that simple,” Celestia told her sister. “If she was able to avoid us for all this time, she must have taken great care to go unnoticed. These actions could be a deliberate way of getting our attention.”
“But what would she have to gain from that?” Chell reasoned. “Last night, someone broke into Twilight’s home, but they failed to abduct her. Whoever it was, GLaDOS must have manipulated them to work for her. And if they did fail her, then I don’t think she would be too happy about that.”
Ditzy chimed in, “So you thank all of this is from GLaDOS going after her minions for messing up?”
“Well, considering that the fire started around sunrise, sometime after the abduction attempt, I think that’s a possibility,” Chell thought aloud. “I imagine that the same is likely the case for Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Well, what should we do now?” Ditzy asked.
Chell looked up towards the two princesses. “Celestia, Luna, would it be alright if I took my portal guns with me? They tend to be handy when GLaDOS is around.”
“Of course,” Celestia replied. “As long as you use them responsibly.”
“Thanks. I need to tell the others in Ponyville, especially Twilight,” Chell told the princesses.
“There is, however, one thing that I think you should know,” Luna said.
Chell gave her an inquisitive look.
“When you escaped from Aperture, we found the portal devices quite a distance from where you lay. We know not why they were there instead of on you, but I feel that you have a right to know about that.”
“My sister and I will stay here and discuss possible courses of action,” Celestia said. “And remember, we’re just a portal away.”
Rarity and Pinkie Pie walked down the streets of Canterlot with shopping bags strapped around their backs. Or rather, Rarity walked, and Pinkie did her signature bouncy hop.
“Thank you so much for coming with me to get some dressmaking supplies in Canterlot, Pinkie. All the others seemed busy today.”
“Oh, Rarity,” Pinkie giggled, “you don’t need to address me with expositional dialog explaining the characters, setting, and situation. That’s what the narration’s for. I already knew that that others were busy, silly!”
“Huh? Honestly, Pinkie Pie, I have no idea what that meant. But I appreciate you coming with me. It’s always good to have a close friend with me.”
“Oh, anything for a good friend like you, Rarity. I love going to Canterlot. It’s so exciting that we can just go anywhere anytime at all. I mean we always had to take a train to Canterlot and that took all day. Well, not all day, but it was long enough. I mean it was a day trip. Now if we want to get to Canterlot, we can just hop right through. And when we want to get to Ponyville, we hop right back. And when we want to get to Coltdelphia, or Las Unicorn, or Trottington, or Hoffingham, or Baltistallion, or Marigrad, or Tailhatten, or Pearloosa, wait, I meant Canterham. That’s the counterpart of Trottinglot—”
“I think I got the point when you spent 20 minutes jumping back and forth between Canterlot and Ponyville. I think it’s fascinating as well, but it’s not that exciting. And was it absolutely necessary for you to switch the names of—”
“But it is!” Pinkie interrupted, not caring what Rarity was about to say. “Now, all of Equestria is really close together. Nopony can be too far away from each other now, which is so exciting, because it lets me be in more places at once, which lets me make so many more friends. Remember back when if you wanted to get supplies from Canterlot, you had to get here by train, or order it by mail? Now, we can just walk over as if it were another part of Ponyville! These portals are so cool!”
“Well, I suppose it does make travel extraordinarily convenient. I wouldn’t be in Canterlot right now, otherwise.”
Pinkie stopped dead when one of her ears started twitching. She listened closely on a faint voice, but Rarity couldn’t quite hear it.
“What is it, Pinkie? Why did you stop?”
“Shhhh!” Pinkie hushed.
“But—”
“Shushshshshsish!”
Pinkie placed a hoof around her ear towards the sound, trying to triangulate the source of the noise. After a moment, she put her hoof down, no longer listening. “Rarity! I didn’t know you could be in two places at once as well!”
“What!?” Rarity said. “I’m not… I’m over here, Pinkie. What exactly are you hearing?”
Pinkie listened again. “Wow, the other Rarity is quite the complainer. She sounds like a broken record, too.”
“Huh? I still don’t get what you mean, Pinkie.”
“Shh… follow me!” Pinkie Pie said. She galloped, Rarity following behind, unsure of where her crazy pink friend was going. The path that Pinkie took was irregular and illogical, using unnecessary zigzags, circling, backtracking, and detours through the streets and back alleys of Canterlot. They finally stopped when they reached a particular alley. Their destination ended up being much closer than the route they followed.
By the time they arrived there, Rarity was panting. “Why in Equestria did you go in circles, Pinkie? It’s hard to run when we’re carrying all these–” She stopped dead upon hearing the incessant high pitched sound of her own voice… whining. It seemed to be a few seconds set to loop repeatedly. It took her a moment to comprehend the situation. Why was her voice being played like that? But it wasn’t the mere fact that it was her voice that bothered her… It is what she was saying.
“‘I don’t want to do the tests anymore. My hooves are hurting. These lights are too bright. This place smells like bleach. I got a scuff on my new boots. Can’t I just go home?’”
This… this was exactly what she had said back when she was at that… place. Rarity recalled it perfectly. Just as she had done with the Diamond Dogs, she attempted to use whining to annoy GLaDOS into letting her go, except it didn’t work quite as well.
Speaking of Diamond Dogs… it appeared as if the voice was… coming from one of them. Or more specifically, its collar. It was… the medium-sized one with the red vest. Rarity couldn’t remember their names. Come to think of it, she didn’t think she ever learned them. The creature was huddled in a fetal position behind a dumpster. He was slowly rocking back and forth muttering something incoherently to himself.
“Aw, cheer up, Shell,” Ditzy said, forcing a smile on her face. She felt rather annoyed by her verbal slip-up, but she knew that Chell didn’t care.
The two mares had walked through the streets of Canterlot back towards the portal hub. As urgent as the situation was, Chell didn’t feel like hurrying. She walked solemnly, feeling as if her life suddenly didn’t matter. Finally, she no longer felt like walking. She found a balcony that looked over the cliff across the beautiful valley below, and stopped, gazing across at the land she now called home.
She sighed in silence. There was no voice behind it, only breath. “I should have known better… I should have known better than to assume that things would just be alright.”
“We’ll get through this Chell. You always get through these things.”
“Why can’t I ever be happy without things going wrong? Every time I think I’m free, she always finds a way to prove me wrong. I can… never… be free. Do you know what it is like to have never seen daylight… to be imprisoned in that place… for all I can remember? When I was free… I felt… the warm rays of the sun, the gentle breeze on my skin, the smell of… Earth… Freedom… I never knew that feeling until I escaped that place, but once I tasted it… I never wanted to lose it.
“When I came here, my life was perfect. It was strange being a pony. In all honesty, I could never understand why I became a pony of all things. Why did I enter this strange land where ponies talk? But now I don’t even care. This is my home. This was the life I never had… the life I never want to lose.”
“Chell…”
“Why can’t she leave me alone? Why can’t she just DIE!”
“Chell…”
Chell took another deep breath. She no longer felt like standing and collapsed onto the cobblestones below. She buried her head in her hooves, alone in her misery. The portal boots she wore only served as another reminder of Aperture, and of GLaDOS.
“Chell… If you love this world… if you love your friends… if you love your life… and you don’t want to lose any of those things… then you’ll fight for them! You will not let her ruin your life! Because no matter what she does, there is one thing that she can never take away from you.”
Chell looked up at the golden derped eyes of her best friend.
“Tenacity,” Ditzy whispered. “She will never take away your will, your spirit to fight for your right to live the life that you deserve. I’ve seen you walk into death’s door to save the ones you care about. And as long as you have that, and as long as you have something to fight for, then you will always be able to fight.”
“‘I don’t want to do the tests anymore. My hooves are hurting. These lights are too bright. This place smells like bleach. I got a scuff on my new boots. Can’t I just go home?’”
“Wha–whaaa?” Rarity was speechless. She knew that there was only one person who had ever heard her say these exact lines, and now they were being spoken again, exactly as she had said them before. Rarity had a bad feeling that she knew who was responsible for this, but it took a while for her to comprehend. She couldn’t think of anything to say to the creature, so she asked, “Pinkie, do you have any idea why there is a voice recording of me playing from the collar of that Diamond Dog?” She whispered, making sure that he didn’t hear her over the sound of his own babbling, and the indefinite whining.
“Oh, Rarity, you remember Rover, don’tcha?”
“Rover? How exactly do you know his name?” Rarity asked. “I don’t ever remember hearing it. I wasn’t even aware that they had names.”
Pinkie placed a foreleg around the crouching dog. “Of course I know his name! I know everypony’s name… And every non-pony’s!”
He backed away in fright at the feeling of a stranger touching him, to be alone in his own misery. He stumbled back, falling on his rear. When he looked up, he saw the one mare he had hoped to never see for the rest of his life.
“It’s… herrrrrr...” He pointed in horror at the white mare. This must have been another punishment from his former master. No. It wasn’t enough to have the constant ear-grating sirens of the annoying one played back to him for all eternity. He had to be punished by the presence of the annoying one herself. “Pleases! Leaves me alone! Backs! Backs, demons! Stoppes this vile curse of your wicked tongueses, and leaves me in peace!”
“Huh?” Rarity wondered. “Am I really that annoying?” She approached the Diamond Dog, who crossed his fingers at her, whatever that was supposed to mean.
“Stands back, foul annoying beast!” he cried.
“Aw, Rarity isn’t annoying. In fact, I love when she goes on rants. I could listen to her go on and on all day, but then again, I could go on and on and on all day. Some ponies say I’m annoying, but is it really that annoying to have your super happy-tastic friend follow you all day and go on and on and on and on and on about stuff she thinks is supertastic, but you could care less about? I mean, like, that would be the best thing ever! I would be all like, ‘hey, that’s my job, other Pinkie,’ but then she would be all like, ‘I’m not Pinkie, I’m Surprise,’ then I’d be all like, ‘Coooooool,’ and she’d be like, ‘We should totally be TNRBSSBFF,’ and I’d be like, ‘What does that mean?’ Then she’d say, ‘Totally-not-related-but-still-sister-best-friends-forever,’ then I would be like ‘*GASP*’—”
“AHHHH!” the Diamond Dog screamed. “The pinks one is worse! Please, goesses away, vile creatures!” He tried running, but stumbled and fell on his face. “The whining! It never stopsses! It never stopsses! Please, please makes it stopsses.” He was sobbing now.
Rarity was feeling uneasy. She certainly did not expect to see a Diamond Dog in Canterlot wearing a collar with a recording of her own voice. “Um… so, Mister… uh, Rover, could you by any chance, tell me who did this to you?”
“It was the princesses! The princesses!”
“Celestia and Luna?” Rarity asked. “Now, this hardly seems like an act that the Royal Sisters would do. Torture’s been outlawed for thousands of years, although I’m not sure if whining exactly counts.”
“No! Not Lunas. Just Celestias.”
“Princess Celestia? That would have been a little clearer you didn’t pluralize everything. Honestly, where did you learn to speak, Middle Equestria?” Rarity cleared her throat, getting back on topic. “Now, why in the world would she ever punish a subject like this? It hardly seems befitting of her to punish someone like this. What could you have ever done to deserve this punishment?”
“Princesses wanted purple pony. We’s failed to gets purple pony. Princesses gets mad.” It was difficult for him to communicate against the never-ending noise.
Purple pony? He wasn’t talking about Twilight, was he? At the time, neither Rarity, nor Pinkie Pie had heard the news of the break-in last night. Today had seemed like an ordinary day, even though it was they couldn’t find their other friends anywhere.
“Oh, let me guess! It’s Twilight. Twilight, right? Right? Twilight Sparkle? RIGHT? Princess Celestia wanted you to go get Twilight, so that they could have a party!” Pinkie bounced around as she spoke, eagerly awaiting a confirmation.
“Yes! That was her name! Now, stop being annoying!”
Rarity couldn’t imagine what type of party would involve the Diamond Dogs, or why Celestia would have them, of all po—non-ponies retrieve Twilight Sparkle, at least before making them take a bath with industrial-strength shampoo or groom their filthy overgrown nails. It was then that Rarity recalled Chell’s description of what GLaDOS looked like in the final battle: a large, white winged unicorn, modeled after Princess Celestia. Perhaps, she thought, this was actually GLaDOS that the Diamond Dog was talking about, and he merely confused her with Princess Celestia.
“Um…” she tried recalling his name, despite saying it not too long ago, “Rover! Could you please tell me what Princess Celestia looks like?”
“Oohh! You mean like charades?” Pinkie beamed. “Except, you already said the answer, so it’s like reverse charades!”
“Well…” Rover thought… “Big… white… long horn… large wings… jet-black mane—”
“Wait!” Rarity interrupted. “Did you just say that Celestia has a black mane?”
“Yeses! It’s thicks likes wires.” The sound from the collar became a little louder.
“Oh, I didn’t know Celestia dyed her mane,” Pinkie said. “Aw, I really liked the colors she had. Such a shame the dye makes it wiry.”
“Wires, right… Anything else unusual about her?” Rarity asked again
“Yes! Yes! She has the lasers! The lasers!” Again, Rarity's dissociated voice grew louder.
“Oooh, like disco lasers? I always knew the princess liked to party!”
“No. It’s a big freakin’ lasers cannon in her chest. Causes thingsess to burrrrn!” The noise was louder still.
“Pinkie, you know what’s going on, right?” Rarity asked, concerned. She didn’t believe that her silly pink friend was as naïve as she made herself appear, but it bothered her by how little Pinkie seemed to take this seriously.
“Of, course I know what’s going on, Rarity. A nasty evil robot alicorn with a giant laser canon has been disguising itself as Princess Celestia, and it’s been manipulating the Diamond Dogs to abduct Twilight for some obscure, evil reason. I mean, duh! A foal could figure that out.”
“To think of all the crazy things you say, I never thought I’d hear something like that come out of your mouth and take it seriously,” Rarity remarked. She turned her attention to the Diamond Dog. “You know that isn't Princess Celestia, right? Her true name is GLaDOS. I'm not quite sure what she is, but she didn't come from this world.”
“Gladys! Yes, she likes being called Gladys.” By this time, the sound of Rarity's constant complaining was so loud, the dog could barely be heard. It was even annoying Rarity. Rover covered his ears, which only made it even louder. “Make it stop! Make it stop!”
Rarity's eyes grew wide with the sudden confirmation of her suspicions. “Tell me where she is! You must! You must!”
Rover was reluctant. “I can't betray Masters again. She'll punishes me! She'll punishes me!”
“Well, she can't make anything worse than what she’s already doing… But I can.”
“No… No, you wouldn't.”
Rarity prepared to unleash a hurricane of whining. “But you don't know what GLaDOS did to me! She was simply… the worst. Person. I have ever… met. Her manners were absolutely horrendous. There I was minding my own business, when all of a sudden, I fall into the ground and find myself in this awful place. It was positivity bland. Not a single decoration in sight. I cannot begin to tell you how sore my eyes were from that sterile white aesthetic. I mean, sure it's fine for hospitals and laboratories—”
“It was a laboratory, silly!” Pinkie interrupted.
“Well, my point still stands. She was not a very good host. I mean, she put this ugly metal thing on my horn, and besides it limiting my magic, it just clashed with my coat. And you should have heard the terrible things she said to me. She showed me being old and ugly. It was bad enough hearing it from you, but you just don't know how hurtful she can be.”
Rover couldn't take anymore, especially on top of the whining from his collar. “Enough! Stop! Just stop! I'll tells you where she is. Just. Please. Stop!” When he was about to speak, his collar restricted around his neck, stopping his breathing. The grip loosened to let him breath, but he dared not speak. The whining from the collar finally stopped.
“Well, well, well,” a familiar cold voice spoke, “if it isn't the annoying pony and that other annoying pony. I'm surprised that you two can stand to be in each other's company. In fact, I don't know how anyone can stand to be around you. I couldn't help but laugh as I listened to your futile attempt to ask this pathetic mutt where I am, but now that you know that I'm still alive, it can't hurt to have a little chat. I really missed you girls. It was so much fun having you around.
“But I’d watch my words a little more carefully, Rarity. I found your criticism of the Aperture Science aesthetic to be quite hurtful. How would you like it if someone insulted your fashion choices? By the way, I think your mascara looks like you try too hard to look pretty, knowing how dreadfully ugly you really are. But I suppose white is a pretty boring color… on you. But wWhat do I know? I only have a medical degree. In fashion! From input Equestrian French counterpart nation here.”
“Just what evil schemes are you up to this time, meanie-head?” Pinkie asked in a manner that came across as silly, but was laden with concern. “Last time I played with you, I was having so much fun falling forever until you said those mean nasty things to me. You said some pretty mean things to all of us. We want an apology!”
“Hmm… what am I up to? I dunno. Perhaps you should ask your so-called friends. I suppose my membership in the being-alive club has been made aware of. The cat's out of the box, so to speak. It's a dead cat, by the way… unlike me. Perhaps you would have known that if any of your ‘friends’ told you about what happened to Twilight, or Applejack, or Fluttershy. But you two couldn't care less. Instead, you go off to Canterlot to go shopping. Even without seeing you, I still know how to make your lives miserable.”
“Your mind games are not going to work on us again, you monster,” Rarity said in defiance. “True friends never abandon each other. The more you taunt us, the harder we'll come after you.”
“And do what? Apply your hoof to my posterior? (Or whatever you ponies call it.) Even if you find me, then what? How will you stop me? With the ‘magic of friendship?’ Do I need to remind you that I easily overpowered and imprisoned both of your pony princesses? But then again, they are only ponies. And don’t worry if I don’t end up hurting your feelings. It won’t matter in the long run.”
“What are you talking about?” Pinkie demanded. “We aren’t going let you hurt anypony again! If you wanna party, there’s gonna be one hay of a party!”
She chuckled. “You and your stupid horse puns always crack me up. Well, I’d love to catch up some more, but there will be plenty of time for that… later. In the meantime, say hi to the others for me, especially the mute one. I know how glad she’ll be to hear the news. And Rarity, before I go, let me thank you for helping with Rover’s punishment.”
“What do you mean?” Rarity asked.
“‘“But you don't know what GLaDOS did to me! She was simply… the worst. Person. I have ever… met. Her manners were absolutely horrendous…’”
“Ghyyaaaa!” Rover screamed as he ran off. Rarity and Pinkie Pie chased after him, but the bags of supplies that they carried weighed them down. They were able to follow him towards the portal hub, but they ran out of breath before they could catch up. Rover ran into one of the portals to one of the other cities scattered throughout Equestria, although neither Pinkie nor Rarity could tell which. Rover could be anywhere in Equestria by then. They weren’t sure if they would ever see him again, although they had a bad feeling there was someone else that they would be seeing soon.
“Come on, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said as she panted. “Let’s get back to Ponyville and tell the others. I’m sure they have their own stories to tell us, as well.”
“Aw, what about Rover?” Pinkie asked dejectedly.
Rarity took a breath. “I’m not sure if there’s anything we can do for him right now. All we can do is let the others know what happened. Maybe the princesses can do something about the poor thing. I can’t help but feel bad about it. It’s as if I’m the one admitting that endless torture. That fiend is using my voice to hurt someone else, and I will not let her get away with this.”
The smoke of the Everfree Forest grew like a dark, formless evil casting its shadow upon the trees. The pegasi of Ponyville had gathered near the fire, careful to stay upwind of it. Rainbow Dash had briefed the pegasi to gather all nearby clouds in the spot where they had grouped, but they were instructed to wait before draining the rain from the clouds.
Rainbow Dash had flown to Cloudsdale to notify the pegasi there. Interestingly, there was a portal to Cloudsdale. The biggest challenge in making a portal to the floating city was safety for non-pegasi. An earth pony or unicorn walking through would fall to the cloud, so the portal was made high on a wall beyond the reach of anypony who couldn’t fly. Therefore, only pegasi could use the portal to Cloudsdale. But none of this mattered to Rainbow Dash. Cloudsdale was not that far from Ponyville, and therefore not that far from the Everfree Forest.
When Rainbow Dash told the pegasi in Cloudsdale of the situation, the weather factory was geared up to full capacity. A massive torrent of dark clouds spewed from the factory’s massive funnels. Massive fans generated hurricane-force winds strong enough to blow the clouds over to the forest. A few pegasi escorted the clouds to make sure that they reached the intended destination.
Every able-bodied pegasus in Cloudsdale helped out, including the Wonderbolts. It excited Rainbow Dash to no end that she had this opportunity to work with her idols, but the thought of Fluttershy putting herself in danger occupied her mind. On any other day, she would have been trying her hardest to impress the Wonderbolts, to show them her leadership and skills, but the loyalty to her friends was stronger than any of her own desires. The entire time, she thought of how they would end this disaster, and she worried if Fluttershy would be alright.
A storm was brewing in Cloudsdale, and it was heading for the Everfree. A sky blue pegasus raced far ahead of it, back to the Everfree. The pegasi there would need her help, and she would not finish until the fire was out.
Chell took a deep breath, and got back up on her hooves. “You’re right, Ditzy. You’re right. I’ve been so selfish. This isn’t easy for me, but this isn’t about me. Her return affects everypony, and I’m only a small part of this whole thing. I will show this world the same love that it has showed me, and I will fight to protect it. And I swear, if she hurts a single one of my friends… I will never forgive her.”
A gentle breeze flowed from the plains below. As Chell looked across the landscape once more, she noticed something strange in the distance. Something black appeared over the woods off in the distance. The fire…
“Let’s get back to Ponyville,” Chell told Ditzy, trying to sound upbeat. “I’ll race ya!”
The two mares ran back towards the portal hub. They were both surprised to see two familiar faces nearby.
“Pinkie! Rarity!” Ditzy called to them.
“Ditzy?” Rarity asked as she turned around, surprised to see Chell as well. “What are you two doing here?”
“Well, I could ask you the same,” Chell said, “but we were actually looking for you and the others.”
“Oooooh, we were looking for you too! Rarity and I were going… shoppiiiiiiing! But then we saw something super-duper important and we need to tell you, but I’m so happy to see you that I forgot what I wanted to say. Eeeeeeee! It’s so exciting that we’re both in Canterlot!” Pinkie Pie bounced as she spoke, and continued bouncing afterwards.
Rarity glanced at the portal guns that Chell was wearing. “My, my, Chell. I just love the new boots! I must say, that the color goes with your coat very nicely. Then again, white goes with almost any color. Where did you get those?”
“Don’t you remember? These are my old portal guns? I took them during the incident. And about that… there’s something I have to tell you guys.”
Pinkie stopped bouncing. “Ooh, this is so amazing, because we have something really important we need to tell you, too.”
“GLaDOS is still alive!” Chell and Rarity said at the same time. All four ponies gasped.
“Wait… how did you guys find out about that?” Chell asked before the others could.
Pinkie took a breath. “Well, you see, Rarity and I were spending the day here, shopping, and on our way back, I heard the sound of Rarity’s voice, but it wasn’t coming from Rarity, so we followed it, and it was coming from the collar of a Diamond Dog…”
“A diamond what?” Chell asked.
Pinkie continued to explain, “It’s like a normal dog, but it can talk and stand on its hind legs, kind of like one of those human things you told us about. Apparently, GLaDOS was using them to try to kidnap Twilight for some reason, but fortunately they failed. We were heading back to make sure that she was alright. But apparently, she’s been a real meanie to the others as well.”
“Wait… you guys didn’t see Twilight this morning?” Ditzy asked.
“We haven’t seen anypony today,” Rarity said. “They all seemed busy today, although now I think I know why. How did you find out about this?”
“Well, you see…” Ditzy started.
“I think it would take a while to explain it to you,” Chell interrupted, “but right now, there is a fire in the Everfree Forest, and I think Twilight is still in danger. We need to meet the others in Ponyville and tell them that GLaDOS is the one who caused it, as well as the attempted kidnapping and the damage to Applejack’s trees.”
“Before we go back,” Rarity said, “there is something else you should know. We… spoke with her…”
Chell’s heart started racing. Had her throat been what controlled her voice, she would have been unable to speak. “What did she say to you?”
Pinkie spoke, “Well, she came on the speaker on the poor doggy’s collar and acted all mean and nasty to us. You should have heard all the hurtful things she said to Rarity.”
“But did she tell you what she was doing, or planning, or where she is?”
Rarity recalled the conversation with GLaDOS as well as Rover. “We don’t know any of those things, she seemed serious. Whatever she’s planning, it’s something big.”
“Can’t we talk about all this when we get to Ponyville?” Ditzy said, having not said much the entire time. “We need to tell the others ASAP. Then we can figure out what she’s up to.”
“Ditzy’s right,” Rarity said. “Let’s get back to Ponyville.” There was almost no hesitation among the ponies. The four of them walked through the portal to Ponyville, and were instantly back home.
The fire at the Everfree Forest was growing rapidly. While the pegasi were moving the clouds above the fire, down below, a small group flew just above the treetops, searching below. The group was led by Fluttershy, who called out to the forest dwellers, offering her help.
Most animals were able to easily outrun the fire, but there were always a few who were unable to leave their homes for some reason or another. It was difficult for her to see the animals below, or for her to hear their cries for help against the sound of the roaring inferno, but Fluttershy’s greatest strength proved to be very advantageous. She convinced about twenty or so birds of various species to fly with her to assist her search. They acted as scouts, flying on the ground in search of animals needing rescue. Whenever one of the birds found one, it would fly back to Fluttershy and tell her where it was. Although the other three pegasi who followed her could not understand the birds, Fluttershy would tell them the locations whenever her hooves got too full.
It was always the animals that were too weak to fend for themselves: the litter that got left behind when they were separated from their parents, the beaver whose tail was caught under a fallen branch, the fox who breathed in the deadly smoke… Fluttershy and the others would free these animals, pick them up, and fly them to somewhere safe. Every time she saw an endangered animal, she became angrier and angrier. She knew only one person who was this cruel and careless. The thought of that monster so thoughtlessly endangering all those poor animals… her friends… for no reason… It was just so… senseless. That monster…
Fluttershy started taking short deep breaths. Her rage was building up inside, and she was having trouble containing it. After animal after animal, she began losing her patience. She became more reckless handling the creatures, as she began to feel that if GLaDOS really was back, perhaps all this was just a waste of time. What was stopping her from setting the forest on fire again? The other pegasi were noticing this behavior for the past while. Fluttershy carelessly dropped a bunny onto the ground instead of placing it gently.
It was then that Cloud Kicker finally decided to say something. “Careful, Fluttershy. We’re supposed to be protecting these animals, not hurting them!” the typically carefree violet pegasus told her.
“Just who are you to tell me what to do?” Fluttershy yelled. “I’ve been taking care of animals ever since I got my cutie mark. I think I know how to handle them.” She huffed angrily.
“I agree with Cloud Kicker,” Lightning Bolt added. “Your behavior has become more aggressive over the past few minutes. Perhaps you should take a break.” It was a poor choice of words. She immediately realized that after she said them, but it was too late.
Fluttershy snapped at both Lightning Bolt and Cloud Kicker. “Aren’t you two supposed to be at the weather factory in Cloudsdale? Just because Rainbow Dash trusts you, doesn’t mean that I do. You’re only here with me because she insisted that you tag along. She thinks I’m too weak and pathetic to do this on my own, so she has you noponies escort me.”
The others didn’t have anything to say at first. They were shocked to hear this from a pony they had heard was one of the kindest ponies in Equestria. A tear formed in Medley’s eye. “Why would you say something so hurtful?” the sea green pegasus meekly asked. Medley was a small timid mare, almost as much as Fluttershy herself, but now she felt frightened in the presence of Fluttershy. “We know this is hard for you, but just want to help you out.”
“Please…” she pleaded.
Fluttershy took a moment to realize what she was doing. In her anger, she acted no better than GLaDOS, not caring for the animals of the forest or the ponies around her. It was the same part of her that threw her into a rage at the Grand Galloping Gala a while ago, and when she took Iron Will’s training too far. Since then, she thought she could keep it under control, but she couldn’t stand the thought of these animals being hurt so carelessly like this. She became overwhelmed of the responsibility of having to save them, and it just seemed futile to her. No matter how fast she went, it would never be enough. And even if she saved them all, GLaDOS would still get away with it, and nothing would stop her from doing the same thing again. It was easier for Fluttershy to blame others than to see her own reckless behavior, and it made her feel like a monster…
“I’m… so sorry… It’s just… It’s never enough. We can’t save them all, and I feel so helpless to do anything…” Before the others had a chance to respond, one of the birds flew to Fluttershy’s ear, telling her about more animals needing saving. This one particularly troubled her. “What? That many? And they’re all trapped? Where?”
“What did it say?” Cloud Kicker asked.
“There’s a large group of animals surrounded by a ring of fire. They can’t get out, and the fire is closing in on them. They’ll die if I don’t save them.” Fluttershy pointed over to the spot. It was well within the blaze.
“Wait! You mean over there?” Lightning Bolt objected. “We can’t go over there; it’s suicide. Flying over there is deadly enough with all that smoke. That fire is way too intense.”
“We can’t let you go there,” Cloud Kicker continued. We promised Rainbow Dash that we would not let you take unnecessary risks. You promised her that you wouldn’t take unnecessary risks.”
Medley didn’t have much to add except, “It’s dangerous, Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy turned back facing the three pegasi and said, “Animals are my life, Medley. I should at least try help these poor trapped critters. I’m not asking you girls to follow me, but I won’t let you stop me.” Fluttershy raced towards the fire. Normally, she was a rather slow flier, but she proved to be unstoppable when she was determined enough.
The others tried chasing after her, but when Fluttershy flew into the smoke cloud, they became too scared to go any further.
“What are we going to do?” Medley asked the others. “We can’t let this happen!”
Cloud Kicker came up with a plan. “Lightning Bolt, since you’re the fastest, you go tell the others and get help. Get Rainbow Dash if she’s back already. Medley and I will wait here and try to keep an eye on Fluttershy. When help arrives, we’ll show them where she went.”
The icy white pegasus nodded in agreement and headed off towards the storm cloud that was building up ahead. The others waited anxiously.
“Woah, woah, woah… she did what?” Rainbow Dash asked in shock. She was busy helping to gather the dark storm cloud, which at this point, was a large mass that cloaked the forest.
Lightning Bolt was still catching her breath. “She flew into the fire… to save... some animals… We tried to stop her… but she refused.”
Dash sighed. “You couldn’t catch her? My tortoise flies faster than Fluttershy!” She put her hoof to her face. “Darn it, Fluttershy, you can be such a stupid pony sometimes.”
Lightning Bolt sighed as well. “We tried. She can be really fast when she needs to be.”
“Okay, then. I’m going after her. This cloud’s almost ready, but I think they can start the rain without me. I’ll let them know when to begin, then you’ll show me where she went.”
The roaring flames blazed around the quiet animal-loving pegasus. The heat was so intense, it felt like she was flying in an oven. She constantly coughed, as the smoke made it almost impossible to breathe. The sun was completely blocked out by both the smoke and the storm cloud. Everything was illuminated by the fire. Fluttershy descended into a clearing, where she saw a group of various assorted creatures huddled in the center. There was no way she was going to let harm come to them. The thought of GLaDOS being the cause of this only made her more determined.
She flew towards the ground. She couldn’t say anything over the deafening roar of the flames, but the animals still knew to come to her. She picked up around three bunnies, and flew on the other side of the wall of fire. She placed them about a hundred feet away, not quite a safe distance, but far enough that they would be able to safely escape on their own. Fluttershy repeated this process for many iterations. Every time she came back, the ring of fire had grown smaller and smaller. She became less focused every time as she was losing oxygen. The raging heat was unbearable, but the fire within her was even stronger. She wouldn’t mind being consumed by the flames if that meant saving the lives of these creatures.
After several flights, Fluttershy grew lightheaded and weary. The last animal that needed rescued was a porcupine. The fire was quickly approaching. If Fluttershy didn’t hurry, it would be too late. But she found it very difficult to see and navigate properly through the smoke. Just before the fire got to the creature, Fluttershy was able to save it. She flew away, carrying it to safety. But before she could get far enough from the fire, she collapsed on the ground, losing consciousness. The small animal tried waking her up, but she wasn’t moving. There was nothing that it could do, so it just ran away from the approaching fire.
Drops of rain began falling from the clouds, slowly building into a mighty downpour. The fire continued as the rain poured on top of Fluttershy’s unmoving form.
In her last moments of consciousness, she wondered if Dash would ever forgive her.
Please don't hate me for what happens at the end. 
Everything will be okay, I hope.
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I hate you for what happens at the end.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FLUTTERSHY!
GLaDOS! YOU, YES YOU! YOU ARE DEAD!
Oh dang.....Fluttershy........
Annnnnd next we find out it was a napalm or kerosene fire and the rain will make it worse
Yay! Fluttershys dead (I hope)! I love you for the ending, make sure shes extra crispy.
You killed Fluttershy!
You!!!
You!!!
You...
Awesome, brave-ass motherf(b)ucker! Very few authors would be willing to do that.
Pass the barbeque sauce, my 'Shy wings are a little bland.
I really hope Flutterslut is dead.
As much as I feel bad for fluttershy I just seem to hope more that Rover is going to be ok.
Huh,...interesting...poor Flutters...
She was brave, wasn't she?
Did... you just... Oh... my lord....
she is not dead.......
.....
I smell she's gonna be safed by someone.....
mabye what we didn't expect....
I'm interrestet like and add.....
2803447
Homicidal tendencies Narrowly avoided.
2803260 2803358
You two are just mean...
How far would you go if someone threatened the ones you love?
What would you be willing to lose?
929chan.us/kusaba/mlp/src/13140484203.jpg
fimfiction-static.net/images/story_images/35347.jpg?1340943784
2803726
Just to let you know, I'm a
TROLL!!! In the comments.
Though you aught to know.
2803358
EFF: Equestrian Fried Fluttershy
2803778
Sounds delicious!
Original recipe or grilled?
2803796
Why not both? There's plenty to spare. Plus, the smoke from some of those Everfree trees may provide some interesting flavors.
2803447
2803260
HOW COULD YOU?!
TO THE MOON WITH YOU!!!!!
2803847
You're just buttmad because we aren't sharing any Fluttershy meat with you.
2803847 I don't got no problem going to the moon, ill just go visit alchestbreach and the RLF crew at moon base alpha.
2803819 can I get some EFF as well?
2803886
Why, of course!
*hands you part of a cooked flank*
2803938 Why thank you. *starts munching* oh this is delicious! You guys have no idea what you're missing out on.
2803358>>2803260>>2802901>>2802817
Chill guys, it just showed Fluttershy going unconscious; it doesn't mean she's dead yet. My money's on Rainbow Dash saving her just in the nick of time...though probably injured badly.
2804142 Way to ruin someones dreams.
2803447>>2803358>>2803260
Bucking Hay!!!! Why would you do that you troll. media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m02rytMTwG1qma8zp.jpg For posting this I hope you would BURN in Tartarious! Here have this image for all your troll work! bajiroo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/scary-zombie-audrey-hepburn-Zombie-walk-funny-images-pictures-photos-funny-people-scary-image1.jpg an image fit for such heartless disgusting person! You are no better then the Daleks!
2804204
Both of those pictures are going in my "FAP" folder, thanks!
2804225>>2804189
images.t-nation.com/forum_images/9/9/99d42_ORIG-facepalm2.jpg
2804243
Sweet, three new additions to my FAP folder in under 30 minutes! That's an academy record!
I'm pretty sure they're pronounced the same.
2804250 I know this might seem like compliment to you but I will be leaving this food for you to find your enjoyment in:
2804204 While I don't like to think of myself as a troll I just honest to God(s) hate fluttershy as much as humanly possible and then some, and them pics are funny as hell thanks!
2804285
Thanks! I was pretty hungry.
2803959 yes some shy flank would be delicious even though i'm technically fluttershy ehh who cares pass the macaroni salad
2803733 good question. I will go pretty far.
2804355 *passes macaroni salad* Why of course some flank sounds good when doesn't it? *wink wink* If I wasn't going to hell already (99% sure I am) I'm definitely going to there now *shrug* see most y'all there!
Fun fact, Pinkie's bouncy gait is called 'pronking'.
2804189
2804466 Um...Derp to you too... I guess...
2804431 I'm sure I wont get sent to hell I am fluttershy duh so I'll just enjoy the flutterwings while they last ya know! totally not cannibalistic at all even though I'm fluttershy
2804478 loopholes, DAMN IT LOOPHOLES!!! *goes into fit of pure rage*
2804488 indeed a nice conversation indeed you've earned a follow my friend I hope you do the same for me shalist we meet in another fic world! for the happiness has been doubled
I hope Fluttershy survives. **hugs her**
2804515 A very nice conversation indeed, and you my new friend have also received a follow, now if you excuse me I'm going to continue playing portal 2 in hopes one of my friends get on xbox so I can play some co-op so till next *gives nod*
Your pacing is a bit off in this chapter, and your flow seems a bit ragged.
Overall, it's solid, but something in the presentation just seems a bit off.
You started out alright, but petered out towards the last third or so, like you stopped putting in any effort. Misspellings and such.
“As long as you use them responsibly.
being much closer than the rout they followed
but is it really ta annoying
Now, why in world would she ever
Cloudsdale was not that fare from Ponyville
but the thought of Fluttershy putting herself occupied her thoughts
Ditzy called to them?
It was then that t Cloud Kicker
they typically carefree violet pegasus
1. Missing your closing quotation mark.
2. Route.
3. That.
4. Missing a word.
5. Far.
6. Missing a word.
7. No question mark.
8. Extra letter.
9. The.
Uhhh... Didn't Chell lose her Portal guns at the end of "Better Living with Science and Ponies"? I remember reading that Caroline took them off Chell before she pushed her out...
2804841 Ah, damnit! I assumed they were recovered in chapter 3. Hers were the only ones that worked on any surface. Caroline!!!!!!! Um... I got nothin'. I'm sure I can come up with something if I think hard enough.
Okay, I think I got it. I'll acknowledge the plot hole when she gets them, but it won't be explained until later.