With the Best Intentions

by that guy from that thing

Act One

With the Best Intentions
Act one

Fluttershy awoke to find the sun shining on her face through the window. The rays of light danced with sparkling dust. She snuggled further into her pillow to avoid the light that had so rudely invaded her sleep. When it became clear that sleep was not going to happen she sighed and lay straight on her back. She stared at the ceiling for a while to allow herself to fully wake up. The fan above her spun slowly in a circle and generated a low buzzing sound.

Her bed made groans of protest as she lifted her body onto the wooden floor of her bedroom. Once on the floor she stretched each limb out while yawning quietly. She walked over to her mirror on the wall. Her hair was a mess of tangles and knots from rolling around in her sleep. “Oh boy.” She mumbled and fished around in her drawer for her brush. Having found the brush she began to untangle the mess of her hair as angel bunny walked in. Or, rather, hopped.

“Oh. Good morning Angel. I’ll get you your breakfast in a second. I need to unknot my mane first.” Angel Bunny began stamping his paw on the ground repeatedly in impatience. “Please be patient Angel.” Fluttershy pleaded with the bunny as she hurried to unknot the stubborn rat’s nest that had appeared in her hair overnight. The bunny refused to wait however and hopped up onto her back, took the brush right out of her hoof and threw it across the room with all his bunny strength. Fluttershy sighed and walked down the stairs to the kitchen to make Angel’s breakfast. Angel followed with a smug look on his face. ‘Angel sometimes I could just strangle you.’ Fluttershy thought. ‘No. What a horrible thought!’ she scolded herself. ‘I’m sure that Angel will eventually see reason.’ She opened the cupboards in the kitchen to get the ingredients. “Okay let’s see. Carrots, celery, cherries, lima beans-“ At the mention of the beans Angel stomped and stuck his tongue out. “O-okay. No lima beans.”

- - - - -

Fluttershy brushed the last tangle out of her hair gently. She tossed her mane to the side in the mirror and looked herself over. ‘Not bad Shy.’ With Angel satisfied she could get on with her day. As she trotted down the steps of her humble home she heard Angel bunny gulping down the last of his food. Fluttershy didn’t have any other animals that need taking care of lately so she could head out early. She put on her scarf to keep her toasty in the chilly autumn air. She was about to open the door when she heard a soft ‘ahem’ from behind her. She turned to see Angel standing with his arms crossed next to his empty breakfast bowl. “Oh no Angel, only one bowl for breakfast. We don’t want you to get a tummy ache.” She said sweetly. Angel only continued to glare at her. “I’m sorry angel but that’s how it is. You will get more when it is lunch time.’ Fluttershy said in her best stern voice. Angel kept up his unmoving offense on her will. It took every fiber of strength in the yellow pony’s being to keep from giving in. After about a full minute of tense silence, angel turned and hopped to the kitchen. ‘Did I actually beat him?’ Fluttershy was overjoyed for a moment.’ I knew that if I was kind but stern he would listen.’ Fluttershy gave out a squee of happiness that was drowned out by the sound of something smashing.

Fluttershy galloped into the kitchen to see what was going on and gasped at the sight of Angel bunny throwing plates on the floor. “Angel! What are you doing? Stop!” Angel did not heed her as he smashed a flower vase onto the floor. “Uh, please stop? She asked in her sweetest voice. Angel looked up at her and presented the bowl for his breakfast. At that moment something in Fluttershy snapped. ‘He broke my plates for seconds?! He thinks he can push me around for my whole life?!?’ Fluttershy’s rage built until it showed on her face. Angel did not falter however. Fluttershy began to shake and grind her teeth until she could not hold it in any longer.

“NOW YOU LISTEN HERE, FUZZBALL! I AM IN CHARGE AND IF I SAY YOU DON’T GET SECONDS YOU ARE NOT GONNA ARGUE! I WANT YOU TO CLEAN UP THIS MESS AND GO TO YOUR ROOM NOW!!!” The cannery Pegasus exploded as a volcano would, spewing burning words in the place of magma. Angel bunny stood stunned, Fluttershy had never spoken like that. Fluttershy sat, breathing heavily for a long time. After she had cooled down, she realized what she had said. “Oh Angel I’m- I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” She said to the still paralyzed bunny. Angel looked into her eyes and began to move his paw toward her. ‘he forgives me.’

*SLAP!!!!!!!!!* Now it was Fluttershy’s turn to be stunned. She raised her hoof to her red cheek that the bunny’s paw had connected with to inflict a burning pain. The pain was not physical, for Angel wasn’t a very hard hitter being a bunny, but emotional. Tears welled up in Flutter shy’s eyes as her face contorted to a look of agony. She could feel her throat beginning to close up and she could not bring herself to speak. So she ran. She ran out the door, across the lawn, and down the road. She had no idea where she was going and she didn’t care. The crisp air did nothing to help the uncomfortable warmth in her face and yet it burned the tears into ice crystals on her cheeks. She soon began to see buildings along the road and before she knew it she was in the center of town. In the early hours of the Sunday morning few ponies were outside to see her tears. Not that she would have cared. She turned street corners at random and hardly bothered to look where she was going. This proved to be a bad idea when she ran smack-dab into the wall of the Ponyville library. Stunned and out of breath, all she could do was lay there and cry.

- - - - -

Twilight Sparkle had been eating a particularly yummy breakfast of hay pancakes that morning when she heard the smack of something running into her building. Twilight sighed. That was probably Rainbow Dash. This was not the first time the dare devil had run into her tall home and Twilight had to treat her wounds. “Spike, get the first aid kit would you?” She said as she trotted to the door.

“You got it Twi’.” The purple dragon rushed upstairs to get the requested item. Twilight opened the front door mumbling.

“Dash, one of these days I am going to leave you for dead out here.” She turned to the left and then right to see if her friend had fallen to the ground. What she saw was not a cyan pegasus but a yellow one. “Fluttershy?” Twilight hurried over to her sobbing friend who lay on her back on the ground. “Oh my gosh. Fluttershy are you okay? Sorry, that was a stupid question. Come on we need to get you inside. Can you walk?” In answer Fluttershy slowly got up on four hooves and walked into the tree/house without a word.

Fluttershy was still whimpering when Twilight entered the living room of her home. “Okay Fluttershy. Are you hurt anywhere?” She shook her head side to side. “Can you talk?” Again a side to side nod. “Why not, if you aren’t hurt?” Fluttershy sobbed a few times before opening her mouth.

“I-“ Her words caught in her mouth. Spike came rushing down the stairs with a red and white box.

“I got the first aid Twilight.” The baby dragon said between breaths.

“Thank you Spike, but it won’t be necessary.” Spike collapsed on the ground with a moan. She turned to her sniffling friend once more. “So do you think you are in the condition to tell me what happened?” Twilight said softly. Fluttershy sighed and nodded her head up and down.

“m-hm.” Fluttershy’s voice was even squeakier than usual. Fluttershy took a few breaths and told Twilight what had happened that morning. Twilight looked at the floor for a while before she spoke.

“Well Fluttershy, I don’t know what to say.”

“I just feel so bad.”

“Shy, you shouldn’t be feeling bad about how angel acted.”

“I feel…” Fluttershy was searching for the right word. “Angry.” She said silently. Twilight merely stared at her.

“come again.”

“I’m angry.” Fluttershy said louder. “I don’t want this kind of thing to ever happen again.” Fluttershy was speaking more confidently than normal.

“Well that’s good. I could suggest some ways to help your relationship with Angel-“

“I know how you can help.” Fluttershy was speaking in her normal tone once again only it was more authoritative. “I need a spell to make angel listen to me.”

“Um, that might not be the best idea Shy. You do remember what happened when you took those lessons from that minotaur right?”

“That was different. He was making me more assertive and I became a meany. If we change Angel to make him nicer we wouldn’t have any trouble.” Fluttershy said excitedly.

“Fluttershy, performing any spell on any living creature is dangerous and besides, making angel listen to you is a form of manipulation which isn’t allowed by the committee of magic.” Fluttershy’s pelt seemed to grow darker.

“Oh, I see, so making my manipulative and abusive pet listen to reason is breaking the rules.” Fluttershy spoke sweetly but her words were sweet like poisoned chocolates, filled with venom.

“No I’m saying- uh look Fluttershy, I’m glad that you want help with that menace of a rabbit but spells are not the way.”

“Of course not. Not when they’re actually useful and in demand.” Fluttershy’s voice had shed its sweetness and now only contained venom.

“Fluttershy you are being unreasonable. I will not use magic to control angel and that is final!” Twilight raised her voice a bit more than she had intended. She wished she could take it back but it was too late. Fluttershy stood and glared at Twilight.

“So when I pursue an interest despite what you believe it is ‘unreasonable’ huh?” Fluttershy had raised her voice now. “Oh dear. Fluttershy is thinking for herself? Well, we can’t have that can we?”

“Fluttershy please, calm down.” Twilight was getting frightened.

“You know Twilight. When you say please you remind me a little of myself. How pathetic I sound, begging and pleading. Well no more! You all like me because I’m easy to control, is that it?” Twilight was about to answer when Fluttershy interrupted her. “Of course it is. Oh, did I interrupt you Twilight? Now you know how it feels to be ignored, to not have your voice heard because you’re too timid to speak up.” Fluttershy turned to the door and wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck. Fluttershy tried to think of a clever parting phrase, something that would leave a wound that would not heal for a long time. “Nata-Finga.” She said as she slammed the door behind her and began to trek through the growing wind.

Twilight sat and stared at the door, dumbfounded. Spike spoke what was on her mind. “What, in Celestia’s name, just happened?” Twilight didn’t have an answer.

- - - - -

Fluttershy walked along the side of the road. Every few yards she came across a pebble that she would kick ahead. The pebbled clicked along the rocky dirt road. ‘Why in the world did I say all those things? She thought to herself.

‘Because they are all true.’

‘No they aren’t. My friends don’t only like me because I’m submissive.’

‘Is that a fact or a hope?’

‘It is a fact.’

‘Don’t lie to me Fluttershy. I am the voice that you thought up to make sense of how you feel, meaning I am literally you. I know you think that way about your friends even though you try hard to convince yourself you don’t. I know you want more than anything to speak without being interrupted and without being told what to do. You may not know but I do.’

Fluttershy smacked her face with her hoof as if to knock the voice out of her head. That wouldn’t make it any less true though. She did think that way. She did want to tell some ponies to go buck themselves. She did want angel to do what she wanted him to do and not the other way around. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

‘Well now I’m gonna be different. I’m going to be in charge.’ She sighed. Who was she kidding? She would just go back and get abused more by Angel. Angel, more like demon. She felt a small aftershock of her rage.’ That bunny has been running my life ever since I got here. He was never satisfied.’ She broke her back to tend to his needs twenty four-seven and how did he repay her? With more slave labor. She had no one to blame but herself though. Fluttershy sighed once more and noticed that the road had disappeared beneath her hooves. The dirt and gravel had been replaced by grass. Ahead of her stood the Everfree forest. The trees blocked the sunlight so that almost no light penetrated the canopy. The forest resembled more a cave than a forest. The trees seamed to growl at her. Fluttershy didn’t care though, she simply forged ahead.

- - - - -

Fluttershy didn’t know how long she had been wondering now. The lack of light made it hard to tell what time of day it was. She should have been terrified to be here, yet she wasn’t. She didn’t feel particularly brave, simply numb. She didn’t care if a bear came and gobbled her up. She didn’t care about anything. ‘Then why do I feel so sad?’ She thought. A sudden noise from the woods startled her. She stood still and listened for any signs of something following her. A snap of a twig sent her flying in a bush with a squeal. The bush shook along with her as she scoured the woods for an assailant. ‘Okay, maybe I do care.’ After nothing revealed itself and Fluttershy had not heard any noise for several minutes, she deemed it safe to move out of the bush. She decided to head back home. She took one step in what she thought was the way back when she realized. ‘This is the everfree. The forest that cannot be mapped. And I just walked into it with absolutely no sense of direction to begin with.’ She already began to feel the dread sink in. the shadows were growing darker and the noises louder. She began to curl up against a tree. She heard the howl of a wolf in the distance and the flapping of birds wings. ‘I’m going to die out here.’ She thought to herself.

“On the contrary, my friend.” Fluttershy froze as a voice whispered behind her. “Here is where you will be reborn.” She was paralyzed with fear. She dared not turn around to look at the source of this voice.

“Wh-who are y-y-you?” She heard the hiss of a snake behind her and felt something slithering onto her back.

“I am a friend Fluttershy.” The voice sounded like that of a young colt. It was soothing and hypnotizing. “A true friend.”

“I’m starting to lose faith in that phrase.” She said. An emerald green snake slithered into her vision to confirm her suspicions. It had a cunning look in its dark red eyes. “Who are you?”

“I go by lot of names and to answer your unspoken fear, Discord is not one of them. No, you may call me Slither, if you must attach a word to me. But above all I am your friend.” Fluttershy turn away from this creature.

“How can you be my friend after a few seconds when the ponies I’ve known for years don’t even care about me?”

“Ah yes, your so called friends. It is a sorry fact that most friendships are less than sincere and more like tactical decisions. Ponies make friends as a way of furthering their goals. I must admit that even I see no gain in us being friends as it stands. You are much too timid for my tastes. Nobody listens to you and nobody cares what you think.

‘Great. All he’s here to do is insult me and run me in circles with his philosophical horse apples.’

“But I can change that.” Fluttershy turned to look at the strange reptile. He was big. At least sixteen feet long, He had small rubies in patterns along his back, and it seemed as though there was a fire in his eyes. She didn’t know what to say. “You don’t have to say anything my dear girl. All you have to do is agree. Just a simple nod of your head and you will have all you ever desired.”

“And what’s the catch?” Fluttershy wasn’t stupid. She knew he was obviously trying to trick her.

“I am starting to see some promise in you after all Miss Shy. If you must know, this spell that I can perform does have a list of side effects including…” The Rubies on his back glowed bright and a list appeared in front of the snake. He cleared his throat before continuing. “… On and off migraines, paranoia, increased susceptibility to already established allergies, random urges to break into song and sing about yourself, and the list goes on darling. But can that all even hold a candle to the promise of your dreams coming true?” Fluttershy thought for a while. He could make them listen to her. There would be no harm in that right?

‘No, no he’s trying to trick you. Don’t do this.’ That was just what her “friends” would say. “Don’t do this and don’t do that.” Well no more. Slither appeared for her a contract and a quill. Fluttershy took the quill in her mouth and signed her name. The quill and contract disappeared in a blaze of cold fire. Slither began to laugh maniacally.

(Begin playing your favorite Disney villain song now.)

A burst of flame set the grass ablaze around them. The trees seemed to physically move away from the flames and revealed the sky, as red as blood. Slither had a crazy look in his eye as he stood to his full height. A pear appeared before Fluttershy. “Take it Fluttershy. Take it and eat and you shall no longer be trampled upon by the ponies of Equestria. You shall follow your own rules and so shall those around you. You will bask in complete loyalty of every pony and beast and your kingdom will cover all the world!” Fluttershys head swam with a mix of feelings. One was stronger than the others.

‘Take it.’ She bit hard into the pear. It did not taste like a pear though. It tasted like victory, like power. Slither began laughing again as the flames grew higher and brighter. Fluttershy joined in as thunder racked the forest. They laughed for a long time, and then things went black.

Comments

[Aegis Shield]

I can already smell the raw talent here, this is definitely worth a watching. You've got a definite grasp of good writing skills, your formatting is excellent and your details just right. I can already feel the incoming Angel-confrontation. Though it'll probably only be fitting that he be the new Fluttershy's first "victim", to establish her new powers and show was she's capable of. From there, though, you're only allowed to move UPWARD. This is a classic corruption of the pure story, in which we place our meekest cast member into a position of unbelievable power and see what she does with it. You should probably arrange some sort of chain of "victims", starting with Angel bunny and perhaps ending with something incredible, like one of the princesses. With something like this you're gonna need an ever-higher bar to keep it interesting.

Good Luck!

[Arby]

This has potential to be a great fic and I'm really curious as to the one who offered Fluttershy the deal. The premise is nice and we're not even into the actual story yet, so I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Mr. Masato/Arby Works.

[mike50333]

Honestly, the only critique I can give you, good sir-or-madam, is that, while I cheer your not using the ever cliche apple as the fruit of evil (I mean seriously, that'd be a HUGE slap in the face of the Apple family), I wish you had gone further to distance yourself from the cliche. If ever again you need to incorporate "Fruits of Evil", try a Papaya. Nothing's funnier, weirder, or eviler than a papaya. I mean, Katara doesn't even like papayas, and she eats just about anything.

...drifting.

But yeah, this is a GREAT story so far. Can't wait to see the updates!

Grace and Peace, and Happy Writing. :)

[that guy from that thing]

436139
Actually, a lot of historians believe that the fruit of evil in the Bible was a pear. So I actually went even more with the cliche, kind of.. I am very happy that people like my story and I hope I don't let you guys down.

[Qubicle]

OMG WANT WANT WANT
I would really like Fluttershy to go at some point in the story.
For some reason I really like ponies turning evil/crazy.

[La Barata]

Hmmmm.....

Yes. Yes, we do, in fact, require moar pony.