Metanoia

by littlerobotbird

07 [Arc 01 - Perturbation, Part Two] <rev. 08.13.2014>

“...never thought about it much. Not nearly as much as I should have. I… I should have thought about it then. In between, sure, but after... I just didn’t. I'm sorry I wasn't there when… you know. I should have been there. You shouldn't have had to go through all that by yourself…”

“...”

“Y'know... I went to your house afterwards. You weren't there anymore. I had to hear it from some jerk at the weather factory what happened.”

“...”

“I... I didn't mean it like that. Sorry. I don't think you ever told me either though. You just changed the subject or I'd get distracted or you'd distract me. Makes me wish I had a bit more focus, y'know?”

“...”

"Yeah, of course, you'd know. I think you knew me better than I knew me back then. Knew how to work me too. Maybe I should be mad, but I can't be mad at you. Dunno if anypony could.”

“...”

“Think you freaked me out a little at the gala… Don't think I ever expected to see that... or you with a stallion's voice... or staring down a dragon... this last year's been pretty weird, huh?”

“...”

“Twilight said I should keep talking like this, but I'm running out of things to say. I'm not good at this stuff. I... I just want you to wake up...”

“...”

“Please, just wake up...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“I'm sorry to interrupt, but visiting hours are almost over, Miss.”

“Can I stay, please?”

“I'm sorry, hospital policy.”

“I'm sure it wouldn't violate the policy if we have a moment to say good night, will it?”

“...”

“...”

“No, ma'am... that'll be just fine.”

“...”

“Thanks, Rarity...”

“Go say good night, dear.”

“...”

“...”

“Good night, Fluttershy... see you in the morning...”

“...”

“...”

“Ready to go?”

“Yes, nurse, we're ready.”

“Right this way.”

“...”

“I know you can hear me, knave. Know that we shall find a way. I promise you that. My debt to this one will be paid in full.”

[o-0-o]

“Sometimes, after a big ol' storm like the one we had last night, y’gotta get out there in the forest and track them critters down,” Grammy dictated, Fluttershy trotting close behind her.

She trotted slow, careful to keep the old earth pony in front of her as much as possible. Head bowed, her mind raised the specters of threat from every shadow to be found amongst the trees, every crackle of leaf or twig. With a quiet murmur of fear, she shrank down, slowing to a crawl as thunder rumbled in the distance.

Grammy, however, simply smiled as she looked back at the shaking pegasus. “Can't be gettin' scared o' yer own shadow there, Fluttershy.”

“I'm not scared of my shadow, Grams.” She bristled as much as possible, hoping the artifice of confidence would be enough. As she crouched lower to the ground, wings half-unfurled as her body prepped itself to flee—by air or by ground didn’t matter—honesty slipped from her at the crack of a twig. “I'm just scared of what's out there.”

“T'ain't nothin' t’be afeared of here, young’un. This ain't Everfree proper,” Grammy articulated, stopping to nudge the pegasus back to her hooves, wearing a knowing grin. “'Sides, you can always fly away... yer ol' Granny's gonna be the one runnin' fer her poor ol' life.”

“Oh, I'm sorry...” Fluttershy shrank down again, avoiding the earth pony's gaze.

“Cripes, girly, I'm jus' makin’ fun,” Grammy muttered, putting a hoof to her head before motioning Fluttershy close. “Y’really do have yer daddy in you. Couldn' ever spot ‘im a joke neither.”

“Really?”

“Darn straight. Did my best with that boy. Figure her turned out mostly alright.”

“But... why did he—”

“Fluttershy.”

“Yes?”

“What'd I tell you 'bout that question?”

“Not to ask it?”

The elder mare grimaced. “T’be honest, I jus' can't answer it. Ain't nopony able t’answer for another one like that.”

Fluttershy's face fell as she leaned heavily against her grandmother, pressing her head beneath the elder pony's chin.

“But I just don't understand. We were doing alright together... weren't we?”

“Were you?”

“I thought so...”

“Fluttershy?”

The pegasus glanced up into the softening eyes.

“Now, I want you to be perfectly honest. If not with me, then with yourself.”

“...We weren't.” Fluttershy stared down at the damp path below.

“Well... I can't pretend to understand it neither.” She lifted the yellow pegasus's chin so that they could look at one another eye to eye. “But I can tell you that yer daddy loves you. He truly thought this was for the best.”

“Maybe...”

“Ain't no maybe. We gonna git a smile on that pretty little face or my name ain't Grammy.”

“But it's not—”

“Hush, darlin', we gotta get back to the work at hoof. What're we out here for again?”

“Searching for injured animals?”

“Good to know you were listenin'.” The old earth pony tousled her granddaughter’s mane. “Now, how 'bout you get to checkin' ‘neath the brush on that side. They get skittish when they’re scared. You've got to be gentle with 'em an'... aw, heck, look who I'm talkin' to.”

“Okay, Grams.” Fluttershy gave her best smile, a small little thing.

“Thatta girl.” The old mare chuckled, nudging her on her way.

Fluttershy trotted over to the side of the path to root around the brush, her grandmother doing the same for the opposite side.

She had a difficult time believing her grandmother. To be sure, Fluttershy felt comfortable with her. She knew her to be sincere and genuine, but, still, she didn't want to believe anything at the moment.

She wanted to be confused.

It was confusing and she had the right to not understand.

Her hoof struck something soft beneath the bushes before she felt a sudden pressure. Drawing it from the brush, she let out a gasp as a tiny little bunny dangled from it by its teeth.

“Oh!”

Instinctively, she shook her hoof rapidly, trying to dislodge the rabbit. With keratinous scrape, the bunny flew off and crashed to the ground some distance away with a loud squeak.

“Oh, no! Oh, I'm so sorry, little bunny!”

“Fluttershy, what're y'doin'?”

“I-It bit me and-and I threw it and... Oh, no, are you okay?” She felt as though she might hyperventilate as she fluttered closer to the stunned lagomorph.

As soon as she was within a foot of it, the rabbit leapt to its paws, holding its paws up threateningly. It growled and hissed and spat angrily as it hopped from foot to foot, daring her to come closer.

“D-Don't be scared, little bunny. Everything will be fine,” Fluttershy cooed as she made herself as small and non-threatening as she could, lowering herself until her belly dragged on the cool, wet soil.

Ever so slowly, ever so gently she crept forward, extending a hoof in friendship.

A hoof that the rabbit immediately smacked away with a powerful jab of his leg before bopping the pegasus on the nose with a forepaw.

Fluttershy cried out in surprise, recoiling from the feisty little creature, nose as well as her pride stinging. “That wasn't very nice.”

“They ain't always,” came sage wisdom from her grandma, the old mare undoubtedly suppressing a chuckle.

“You shouldn't be mean, little bunny.”

The rabbit simply stuck out its tongue, blowing a raspberry before resuming its stance.

Fluttershy frowned, but kept up her attempts, reaching towards the bunny once again. “Come here, little guy.”

It hopped back a step, continuing to bounce from leg to leg.

“Gotta be tougher.”

“Come here now?” Fluttershy could hear the sound of hoof meeting forehead behind her.

The rabbit simply took advantage of her confusion to jab at her with his leg, connecting solidly with Fluttershy's cheek.

“Hey!” she cried out as something in her just snapped.“That wasn't very nice.”

The rabbit began to stick his tongue out again, but quite suddenly found itself frozen in place, vision filled by a pair of glaring turquoise eyes as its tongue flopped limply from its mouth.

“You shouldn't be mean to other creatures. It's not nice,” Fluttershy stated in an oddly motherly tone as she glared down at the now petrified rabbit. “You especially shouldn't be mean to creatures that are just trying to help you. Now what do you have to say for yourself?”

The rabbit fell back, stunned. It lay on the ground for a moment, even after she had taken a step back, holding her glare steady. Slowly, it rose to its paws, squeaking out a stuttered apology.

“Good. Now you should run on home now, um, if that's okay.” Her tone faded as her normal demeanor bubbled to the surface, cheeks flaring a brilliant pink. “Go on, mister.”

The rabbit didn't move, a blank look on his face as he stared up at her.

“Shoot, Fluttershy. Don’ know where you got that stare from, but dang it if it ain't useful,” Grammy said, clopping her hooves together in a slow, quiet applause.

“Stare? Oh, I'm sorry. I don't really control it. It just kind of happens sometimes... when I get, uh... mad,” Fluttershy excused herself, sinking down in embarrassment as the old mare trotted up.

“Sorry nothin’! That was a bit of the ol' remarkable. I can see why this is your talent. You've got a gift for 'em... even the little, ornery ones.”

The bunny stuck his tongue out at the older mare before cowering beneath the pegasus's shifted gaze.

Grammy let out a chuckle as she watched him pull back. “You best be gettin' along there, rabbit.”

“Your family is probably worried sick about you...” Fluttershy whispered, blinking her eyes to rid herself of the burn.

The bunny didn't move, however. It just stared up at her with the same unreadable expression.

“Don't you remember where your home is?”

The rabbit's look didn't waver even a bit as the pegasus looked into his eyes.

“You don't have a home, do you?”

The rabbit nodded quietly before hopping up to the crouching pegasus, nose twitching. He gently patted her nose in apology before nuzzling against her hoof.

Granny wasn’t smiling anymore as she placed a hoof on Fluttershy’s back. “It happens. Nature's got its nasty habits and storms ain't any different.”

“But we won't leave him here, will we?”

“Well, he dun look injured,” Grammy scratched at her chin thoughtfully. “He’s gonna have to pull his weight if’n we bring him back.” She turned to the rabbit. “I don't give free rides, rabbit.”

He gave a sharp salute, standing tall as the old mare scrutinized him, feet locked together in a position that seemed quite unnatural for his anatomy.

“He'll need a name. ‘Shy? What’re you thinkin’?”

Carefully, Fluttershy examined the rabbit a moment. A soft beam of light bore down on the bunny through the storm ravaged canopy of the forest. His soft, white fur shined brightly amidst the dull brown of the forest, his presence in it seeming almost celestial as the sunlight caught him just so.

“How about… Angel?”

[o-0-o]

Eyes slipping open slowly, Fluttershy awoke to her head throbbing mercilessly as the harsh, orange sun poured in through the window.

Immediately, she snapped her eyes shut again, fumbling for a pillow to cover her as she waited for the ache to cease. Her hoof found blanket and she immediately buried herself in the comforting dark.

Ugh... what happened last night? Did I drink something? I don’t normally, right?

Confusion roamed her thoughts as she quietly willed herself back to sleep where her the ached might be mitigated. But sleep was not forthcoming, and she reluctantly rolled off the couch onto her hooves. She kept the blanket draped over her head, however. Opening her eyes naught but a sliver, she began to trudge towards the door only to stumble to the floor.

Sighing, she lifted the blanket off her head to find her hind hoof tangled in a basket filled to the brim with blankets.

She must have left it out last night for some reason. Then forgotten about it when she’d fallen asleep on the couch.

With a groan, she stood back up, grasping the basket in her mouth as she made her way to the kitchen for some breakfast, feeling her way around.

Maybe I'll go see Twilight today... maybe she'll have something for this headache... a spell, a potion, tea, something.

Some company might do some good.

[o-0-o]

“Twilight?” Fluttershy called out softly as she stepped nervously into the Books & Branches Library.

The streets of Ponyville had been all but deserted, the loneliness of the town putting her on edge.

The state of the library itself didn't help matters.

It seemed that some phenomena of highly localized tornados had torn through the shelves. Most of the books were now stacked in disorderly piles around the main floor with further stacks trailing up the bookcase, loose papers and other debris scattering across the floor as a breeze blew in the open door.

“Fluttershy?” came a familiar voice from the library's hidden-away kitchenette. A little dragon jogged into the foyer.

“Oh, hello, Spike... is Twilight in?”

“Well... yeah... but it's not real pretty up there,” the little dragon said, jabbing a claw towards the ceiling before glancing around. “I guess it isn't really any prettier down here though.”

“It is a little, um, messy. Is something wrong?”

“Twilight's been a little... stressed. She keeps talking about going back to the beginning and stuff like that,” Spike answered with a soft sigh, his shoulders sagging as the sigh blossomed into a yawn. “Been keeping me up with harmony this and harmony that. Can't follow a word of it to be honest.”

“Can I see her?”

“Knock yourself out.” Spike stared at the mess of a main floor before them. “I've got my claws full down here.”

“Thank you, Spike,” Fluttershy whispered, giving the little dragon a quick, friendly nuzzle before carefully making her way up the cluttered stairway.

“Just be careful, Fluttershy. She’s a little... off,” Spike called after her as she crested the top of the stairs.

The second floor was in an even more chaotic state than the ground floor had been.

Several desks were piled high with papers, quills, ink jars, veritable skyscrapers of books and equipment the pegasus wouldn't have thought out of place in a medical laboratory. Between the desks were even larger stacks of books, having been arranged into haphazard rows. She couldn't even see the other side of the room for the dense maze of literature before her.

Fluttershy could hardly even comprehend the number of books.

I don't think the library even has enough shelves for this many books…

Somewhere within, Fluttershy could hear muttering. It wasn't an unfamiliar sound to the pegasus, having arrived in the library to find Twilight deep in her study many times before, but the rate and tone of her friend's speech were worrisome.

“Twilight?”

Fluttershy had been around the unicorn enough while studying to know when she was submerged in it. This somehow seemed beyond that. It was more akin to her rampant anxiety at a visit from Princess Celestia.

“Twilight, are you um... busy?”

“Oh! Fluttershy? Good, you're finally here!” Her voice came from somewhere across the room. It sounded as if she were calling up from a papier-mâché well. Fluttershy could hear a scramble of hooves and the shifting of papers echoing off the walls.

“You were expecting me?”

“Well, where else would you go?” The voice drew closer now. Fluttershy wandered carefully through the stacks as they precariously leaned and swayed above her. “Well, maybe SugarCube Corner, but really, where else is there?”

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy cocked an eyebrow as she glanced through the stacks, trying to hone in on the unicorn's voice.

“Not important! You're here. That's good. We can fix everything now,” Twilight rambled on, appearing around a corner, nearly bumping into the pegasus as she gave a start.

“Goodness, Twilight! What happened to you?”

The unicorn's mane was a ragged mess, her teeth ground against one another subconsciously, her breaths came in ragged, frustrated gasps as she stalked towards the pegasus.

“Oh, nothing. Just been busy. Oh so busy. Busy, busy, busy,” the unicorn muttered as she stood, her eyes seemingly unable to look straight ahead as they darted about the room. “But that's not important. Like I said... we can fix this now.”

“What?”

“Everything's going away. Can't you feel it. This place isn't stable anymore,” she stated, waving a hoof about demonstrably, knocking over a nearby stack. “Too much doesn't make sense! Too much is missing. We have to fix it and we have to fix it now.”

“Stable? Fix... Twilight, are you feeling okay?”

“Never better! Well, that's not true. I've been better. But I'm sane, if that’s what you’re asking. I know I am! Even if I disappeared last night. Poof! Right into the aether! It was only for a little while though. I got better!” the unicorn yelled out suddenly, panting as she grabbed Fluttershy suddenly with a flare of magenta magic. “Here, walk with me,” she muttered, dragging the pegasus through the stacks quickly.

“Twilight, what are you doing?” It was a minor miracle that the stacks of books held their composure as the pegasus was roughly yanked about.

“We've got to get moving. No time to chat!”

Fluttershy could feel a familiar panic settling over her, wings flaring in panic as she struggled against the unicorn’s aura.

“Twilight, you're not making any sense!” Fluttershy stated as they stopped in front of another desk, more organized than the three near the stairs, only a few papers laid on its surface in a neat stack.

“You know I'm not crazy, right? You feel it too?” Twilight demanded, spinning to face the pegasus as the aura faded away. “We're all just barely here. We have to get her back! It's the only thing that makes sense right now.”

“Get who back? Rar—” Fluttershy was abruptly cut off by a sudden, piercing pain, her next words forgotten as she rubbed at her temples. Every spike of pain reminded her why she’d come to library in the first place. “Get... who back?”

“You see! You feel it! It's happening. You know it! Even if you don't,” Twilight mused, her crazed tone fading as it was replaced by a more familiar, collected tone.

“What does that even mean?” Fluttershy asked between pained gasps of air, having slumped to the floor as she clutched at her head with both her forehooves. “What are we even fixing?”

“I-I don't know how to explain it. I just know that she's the key!”

“Who, Twilight?”

“Rainbow Dash!”

“She's… she’s gone, Twilight.”

“But we can get her back! We have to get her back. This all started with her and this is ending without her. Ergo, we have to get her back. It's a perfect plan, Fluttershy!” The unicorn clopped her hooves together excitedly as she dumped various books onto the table, the harsh glow of her horn filling the dark stacks of books with magenta light.

“No it isn't... that's insane. She's... she's dead. I don't want to admit it, but she's dead! She's gone and we just have to... we just have to deal with it.”

“No!”

“Twili—”

“No. I will not go gentlly into some damn good night! I won’t! I will go down fighting. It will not get us,” Twilight growled before turning her eyes upward, eyes narrowing as she screamed at the ceiling. “You hear that, whatever you are?! You stupid jerk!”

“Who are you talking to?”

“I… don't know... doesn't matter,” the unicorn muttered darkly, a sudden air of defeat settling around her.

Fluttershy simply watched the unicorn breathe for a moment. Twilight’s anxiety fading as she raised her head, a gleam of determination shining in her eyes. “Just wait here, I'm going to get some things.”

“And then what?”

“Then we're going to go get our Rainbow back.”

“Twilight?” Fluttershy called out worriedly as the unicorn disappeared back into the maze of books, the sound of hoofsteps fading until she was alone in silence. “Oh, Twilight...”

Fluttershy breathed deep, trying to slow her heart, but the musty air choked her. In defeat, she slumped to the ground. Somewhere in the room a clock ticked the minutes by, echoing throughout the room as Fluttershy's ears twisted about, listening for some sign of her friend.

Perhaps she had gone downstairs. That could explain her crushing absence.

But at the very least, the pain in her head had faded, her thoughts coming unimpinged as she rested her head on her hooves.

Why isn't anypony else here?

Twilight was losing her mind... maybe she already had.

Fluttershy wouldn't have pegged her as being the one to snap. She always seemed to be the logical one. The calm and collected one. Maybe the... whatever it had been, had shaken her confidence. Maybe Twilight had needed somepony to help her through everything. Maybe...

Oh, Twilight... I'm sorry. I should have been there for you the way—

Another headache cropped up as Fluttershy struggled to finish the thought.

She tried to remember her grandmother... the first funeral the pegasus had ever been to.

She remembered the empty, hollow words from ponies she had hardly known, ponies she hadn't even been sure had known her grandmother in the slightest.

But somepony had been different.

Somepony that had been sincere.

Somepony had been honest in their empathy.

Fluttershy's stomach twisted into knots as she rubbed a hoof in circles on her temple, the coolness of keratin soothing her aching head.

Who? Why can't I remember?

She thought back to her second funeral.

It had been overcast, the softened light of the sun setting a somber mood for the proceedings as five ponies stood beside a sealed wooden casket. She remembered the coolness of the day. She remembered leaving the funeral, watching it continue without her from a nearby hill.

Then... nothing else.

Pinkie Pie was there... Twilight was there...

The ache returned full force as she tried to sort through the confused images of the memory. An earth pony, a pegasus, a unicorn and...

Hadn’t there been five ponies?

Had it really just been the three of them...

I hate like this, she thought quietly to herself, head buried in her hooves.

Thinking about it was getting her nowhere fast. All it seemed to get her was a headache. With a soft sigh, she closed her eyes, concentrating on the dull ticks of the distant clock.

I just want to go home...

[o-0-o]

The room was dimly lit, a single lantern hanging above an occluded window providing the sole source of light. Fluttershy clutched a spoon in her mouth, the filly pegasus running it clockwise around a pot, steam rising in ghostly wisps from it as the magically derived flames crackled softly beneath.

Their kitchen was simple, utilitarian, hardly large enough to house a small refrigerator and a single-burner stove with a sink between them, but she made due with it. It served their needs well enough. She couldn't ask for more.

“It's a’most ‘eady!” she called around the spoon, glancing over her shoulder at the darkened living room.

The soft flicker of their second lantern cast the room in a soft glow as the last rays of the sun filtered in through the apartment’s front window.

She could make out the form of a pony sprawled on the small couch that dominated the living space, but the pony remained silent, stirring only slightly at her update.

With a soft sigh, she returned to stirring, allowing herself a small smile at the scent of boiled vegetables wafting from the pot. It was his favorite. It always cheered him up before... even when it was one of the bad days.

Carefully, she slipped the spoon from the pot and tossed it into the sink, slipping it expertly through the slit between the sink lip and the cutting board that served as makeshift countertop. With a hoof, she pried open the cupboard, grasping a pair of bowls in her mouth and setting them down on the cutting board.

Grabbing a potholder with her mouth, she lifted and tipped the pot carefully over the bowls, doling out the soup in two equal portions. She set the pot down and clicked off the stove.

“Soup's done,” she called softly into the living room, eliciting a quiet grunt from the pony lump.

Fluttershy gripped the cutting board in her mouth, balancing the bowls cautiously as she walked around the still packed boxes that littered the outside walls of the apartment. Skirting her way around the maze of boxes she had come to know by heart, Fluttershy made her way to the front of the couch.

A small coffee table the only other piece of furniture in the living room, the lantern's light revealing the piles of mail and newspapers that littered it. Fluttershy let a pained grunt as she balanced on three legs, using a hind hoof to clear one corner of the table before setting down the cutting board.

She'd have to tidy things up later.

“Daddy?”

The motionless heap breathed soft and shallow. He'd fallen asleep.

She had hardly the heart to wake him.

He worked hard. He was tired.

But he still needed to eat.

The months had begun to show, the skin on his underside ran taut over bone.

“Daddy… it's time to wake up.” She shook him with a gentle hoof, a pair of blood-shot eyes flickering open slowly, glowing dully in the lantern's light.

“Oh... hey, Fluttershy. I'm sorry, I must have fallen asleep,” he stated sleepily, rubbing at his eyes with a hoof as he swung his body into a proper sitting position, a few pops issuing forth as he stretched out.

“It's okay. I know you're tired,” Fluttershy said with a soft smile as she pressed herself beneath his chin, giving him a long nuzzle, drawing a tiny chuckle from the older pegasus.

“Not too tired, Shy-Shy,” he replied, looping a forehoof around the young mare's shoulder. “Not ever for my baby girl.”

“I know, Daddy,” she murmured before slipping from his sidelong hug to push the table towards the couch.

“Oh! You made dinner,” the bleary-eyed pegasus realized, nostrils flaring as he took in the scent of the freshly prepared soup. “It smells wonderful.”

“Thank you. It’s your favorite.” Fluttershy blushed lightly at the compliment as she settled onto the couch. With a soft grin, she nudged her father gently. “Go on. You must be starving by now.”

“Oh... I am... I just want to enjoy the smell of my daughter's cooking for a moment,” he stated, extending a wing over the smaller pegasus, beaming at her, “Don't let me hold you back though.”

“Okay...” She gripped the rubberized edge of the bowl with her lips, tilting it back slowly. She sipped the still-hot broth, the occasional carrot or bit of celery slipping into her maw.

As she set down the bowl again she became keenly aware of her father's eyes. Turning her head to the side, she found her father staring at her with a sad little smile on his face.

A too familiar smile.

“Sorry...” He lowered his gaze, choosing to stare at the wisps still steaming from his own soup. He lowered his head until it rested atop his hooves just off the edge of the couch. He blew weakly at the still hot soup, watching as the steam danced before him. “You remind me of her so much...”

Fluttershy stayed silent. She never quite knew where it would head. But she knew enough

“You're beautiful, Fluttershy... just like your mother...” He looked up at her.

No, not at her. He was looking through her... at somepony else. But that was okay.

“I'm sorry...”

“You should eat your soup before it gets cold,” Fluttershy replied, nudging the older pegasus towards the soup, but he caught her with a hoof, bringing her into a tight hug.

“I'm so sorry, Fluttershy...”

“I... I forgive you, Daddy...”

“I know you do...” He chuckled sadly as he held her tight, a dampness forming on her mane. “She wouldn't want it to be like this, right?”

Fluttershy didn't say a word.

She simply stayed silent, staring at the hooves looped about her father as she felt his breaths draw in raggedly, body shuddering as he embraced her.

“She wouldn't want it to be like this...”

[o-0-o]

Fluttershy’s eyes opened slowly, mind fuzzy as she took in her surroundings.

She was in the library, stacks of books crowding in on her from all sides.

Her head thudded as she tried to recall why she had come to the library in the first place. She had come to see Twilight about something.

Why did I come here?

“Something about a headache, wasn't it?”

Looking over her shoulder, Fluttershy found a unicorn stallion sitting in a rather odd position, his back to the wall and rear hooves crossed as he held a book in his forehooves.

“How...?” Fluttershy sputtered, shaking her head in an attempt to clear the cobwebs from her thoughts, “Who are you?”

“They're very realistic.”

“What?”

“The books, my dear. Very realistic. Quite good really,” the unicorn muttered, turning the book towards Fluttershy and flipping through the pages. “See. Real text even.”

“Well... it is a library...”

“I don't know what I was expecting. Maybe just wood bound up as books or somesuch. Or perhaps there would only be text so far,” he mused, returning the book to a stack and grabbing another with his magic. “Ah! Another one. And it's one I remember. Ah... a Mr. Thomas, I do so adore your poetry. Gryphons have such a way with words. Warrior spirit, perhaps. Have you read it?”

“Y-yes... I believe so,” Fluttershy stammered as the book was thrust into her face, the pages flipping by as she shrank back from it.

“Ah, well, I suppose that explains it,” the unicorn muttered, snapping the book shut before tossing the book back atop a nearby stack. “Hm... how boring.”

“Uh...”

“Oh, not you. I assure you.” The unicorn gave a respectful nod of his head. “It is rather nice to have some company for a change.”

“Company?”

“Quite right.”

“What do you m—”

“Fluttershy!”

“Twilight?” Fluttershy twisted her head to see that her friend had returned, a pair of saddlebags full to bursting with papers and books draped across her back.

“Who were you talking to?”

“I don't know his na—” Fluttershy began, turning back to find that the stallion had vanished.

But he was just...

“Fluttershy?”

“Didn't you see him?”

“See who?”

Maybe Twilight isn’t the only madpony here...

“Nevermind, not important. We've got to get back to the beginning of all this, Fluttershy. That’s where we fix this,” the unicorn stated curtly, levitating one of the saddlebags onto the pegasus. “Now or never.”

“Where?”

“You'll know when we get there, c'mon,” Twilight muttered, horn glowing as she pulled the pegasus back through the maze of books and down the stairs towards the door before stopping.

“Twilight? Where are you two going?” Spike asked as he peered down at them from a ladder, a stack of books balanced in his claws.

“Ready, Fluttershy? I don't know what will happen when we leave here,” Twilight asked nervously, a hoof on the door as she ignored the query.

“You go outside, duh,” Spike stated, cocking an eyebrow at the ragged librarian.

“Spike... just… shut up.”

“That wasn't very nice.”

“There's no time for nice, Fluttershy,” the unicorn pleaded, motioning toward the library door. “We need to go.”

“Okay... I'm ready, Twilight...”

“Okay, let's g—”

She didn't get to finish as the door was flung inwards to admit a blur of pink, Twilight slamming into a nearby, thankfully empty bookcase.

“Ohmigosh! Fluttershy! I'm so glad I found you! We have to go! Nownownow!” Pinkie yelled out, trotting in place before hoisting the thoroughly confounded pegasus onto her back and taking off down the street, Twilight's scream of frustration following them.

Author's Note:

[revised 08-13-2014]

Comments

[Marrock]

Wow... ok... now I'm thoroughly confused.

[FanOfMostEverything]

Wow. It makes sense that Pinkie would be aware of the dream decaying, but I wasn't expecting Twilight to pick up on it. Impressive. I do wonder about that stallion. Who is he? What is he? Most intriguing...

In any case, this has been a most engrossing read so far, and I eagerly look forward to the conclusion.

[Captain Thomas]

This is a very, very interesting story! I'm really looking foreward to the next chapter

[Blik]

I'm very confused. I can't tell who the characters are in the flashbacks, or if they're just Fluttershy's fever-dreams. I guess I'll have to keep reading.

[August Book]

Like most of the other readers, I am confused, confused as to where this is going.
I actually quite like it.
Great fic, can't wait to get up to date!

[Killbot3.0]

This is beautifully writen, I only just started to put 2+2+2 togeather.

[Zelda Spectrum]

Okay, I think I'm starting to put together a few pieces of the puzzle. These memories seem to be fading every time she dreams them, worsening her headache. However, the reason as to why is still unclear, and "Twilight Spazzle" over there (and possibly Pinkie Pie) seem to be the only one(s) who know what's going on.
For cryin' out loud Twilight...

[MellowMabari]

Ok, so here's my theory: Rainbow Dash is fine. Fluttershy is still comatose. Rainbow is talking to Shy everyday in her coma in the hope of her finally waking up (like Fry did for Leela in Futurama after they both got stabbed by space bees). Shy thinks she's the one that's fine while Dash is dead in her mind. The flashbacks and overall kookiness she's experiencing is her mind trying to deal with being enshrouded in the depths of her coma. Tada! If I'm right I'll feel like a genius - if not, just don't mind me Anywho, I'm off to the next chapter: Onward!