Necroprancy

by ShowShine

Chapter 2

Fluttershy was awake. Why was she awake? Twilight should have more time. She had planned everything out perfectly, hadn’t she?

It took everything in Twilight not to panic. She tensed her muscles, trying her hardest not to pace.

All she had to do was shut Fluttershy off and continue her work. But Fluttershy was here, and she was alive. Twilight couldn’t just ignore her. She had to see if she was okay. One little peek wouldn’t hurt. Twilight steeled her nerves, craning her neck back. Her heart nearly stopped in her chest.

That thing didn’t look anything like Fluttershy.

Its eyes were dead and unblinking. Its head swiveled, eyeing Twilight curiously. Twilight wanted to look away; she really did, but she couldn’t bring herself to. It didn’t look right. Had she messed up? Why did she look like that? Twilight was aware that it was a robot, but it looked so…lifeless.

It stared into the depths of Twilight's soul with cold, grey eyes. Its head was tilted as if its neck were too heavy to support its body.
“Are you okay?” The robot asked, its voice whirring. It didn’t sound like Fluttershy, either.

Despite the fear, the tone was familiar. Twilight let in a gulp of relief. The robot showed compassion. In other words, kindness. Deep down, that was still Fluttershy. Twilight didn’t need to worry; just as she wanted, Fluttershy was here.

“Are…you okay?” Twilight redirected. The robot…Fluttershy brought her hoof to her face, wearily rubbing her eyes.

“I feel…weird.”

Twilight let out a breath of relief. It didn’t look much like Fluttershy, but it was her. Twilight let out an empty laugh. She couldn’t tell if it was genuine or from the ridiculousness of this situation.

Fluttershy tried to stand up, only to nearly collapse under her weight. Twilight quickly caught her, shuddering at the cold metal on her skin.

“Careful!” She warned a little too loudly. “Y-you had a heat stroke.” Twilight lied through her teeth. Fluttershy blinked, rubbing over her eyes. She didn’t remember it being hot earlier. In fact, it seemed a bit cloudy.

“Where are we?” She questioned, peeking over the alicorn's shoulder. Twilight smothered a gasp, glancing back at the corpse. “Don’t worry about it!”

In one quick motion, the pair were teleported out of the room. Usually, sudden teleportation would make Fluttershy queasy, but this time, she felt fine.

The pair now resided in one of the many hallways of the castle. Twilight gazed down at Fluttershy, who still lay between her forearms.

“Sorry, sorry!” She quickly apologized, bringing Fluttershy to her hooves. Fluttershy wobbled, trying to stand straight under her newfound weight. Soon enough, Fluttershy found her footing.

Fluttershy felt…off. She didn’t know why, but she felt weird. New, maybe. Fluttershy looked over to Twilight. She trembled where she stood, her eyes looking crazed.

“Oh dear, you don’t look so well,” Fluttershy commented, bringing her hoof to Twilight’s forehead. She jerked back, dodging Fluttershy’s touch.

“Oh, I’m fine. Never better!” Twilight’s voice wavered. Fluttershy frowned.

“Are you sure? You look like you’re catching a cold.” Fluttershy pointed out. Twilight waved her hoof through the air, blowing a raspberry.

“Mhm! I’m feeling perfectly fine!” Twilight hummed, her gaze wandering around the castle.

Their conversation quickly fizzled out. The only thing to be heard was the pounding rain slowly turning into a drizzle.

What time was it? How long had Fluttershy been here? As much as Fluttershy wanted to be here for Twilight, she had animals to look after.

“I should get going.” Fluttershy broke the silence. Twilight whipped around, her eyes wide with terror.

“No!” She shrieked, nearly scaring Fluttershy out of her nonexistent skin. She quickly cleared her throat, wiping her hoof across her sweaty brow. “You shouldn’t travel after such an extreme heat stroke.”

Twilight tapped her chin, trying to think of a quick solution. “I have an idea! How about we have a slumber party!” Twilight offered overenthusiastically.

“I would love too, but my animals are waiting,” Fluttershy explained. Twilight laughed, throwing her head back.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll send Spike to take care of them.” Twilight turned around, inhaling deeply. “SPIKE!” She bellowed, her voice echoing down the halls.

Fluttershy eyed Twilight curiously. She was acting…off. And this wasn’t ‘normal Twilighting out’ stress; this was something completely different.

While the pair waited, Fluttershy scanned the hallway. Her ears twitched with every raindrop that fell. Was her hearing better? It felt like it was.

Sooner than later, Spike entered the hallway, claws clacking across the crystal floor.

“What is it, Twili…” Spike trailed off. He stared at Fluttershy, his mouth agape. A soft whine came from his throat as if he was trying to form a sentence.

Fluttershy opened her mouth to greet the dragon, but Twilight quickly stepped in. Twilight unfurled her wing, covering Spike’s face.

“Don’t worry about him; he’s just a little tired,” Twilight reassured. She quickly ducked behind her wing, letting out hushed whispers.

Fluttershy tried not to eavesdrop; she really did, but she couldn’t help it. She quickly looked away, not wanting to intrude on such a private conversation. Despite this, she could pick up a few words such as ‘Fluttershy’ and ‘It’ll be okay.’

Spike peeked through Twilight’s feathers, giving Fluttershy one last horrified stare. And with that, he disappeared with a purple flash. Twilight gave a sheepish smile.

“Teleporting him was faster.” Twilight hastily explained. “Now, what do you feel like doing?” She asked, almost sounding like she was talking to a filly.

Fluttershy hummed, rubbing her stomach. If her animals were eating now, she supposed she should too. It was always good to stick to her routine.

“I would like to have dinner if it’s not too much trouble.” Fluttershy bashfully admitted. Twilight scrunched her muzzle, tilting her head.

“Dinner?” Twilight asked in disbelief. “You feel…hungry?”

Fluttershy frowned, lowering her head.

“I think so. I’m sorry. Is that a problem?” She asked. Twilight quickly shook her head.

“No, no! It’s no problem!” Twilight quickly backtracked. “I’ll give you anything you want.”

---

Fluttershy sat at the dining room table, clacking her hooves against the flat surface. Twilight clamored around the kitchen much too loudly for Fluttershy’s liking.

“Are you sure you don’t need help?” Fluttershy offered, peaking over the counter.

“Nope! Don’t move a single muscle. I don’t want you to break.” Twilight responded too happily. Fluttershy scrunched her snout. What did Twilight mean about not wanting her to break?

Fluttershy huffed, leaning into her hooves. She let her eyes shut. Today felt weird. Well, not today, more like right now. It felt like something was buzzing in her chest. Whatever the buzzing was almost pushing, trying to crawl out.

It was powerful, almost unbearable. Fluttershy was tempted to follow the odd feeling. She was quickly snapped from her thoughts, hearing a clang. She opened her eyes, noticing a plate of…something.

“Eat up!” Twilight exclaimed, nudging the plate closer to Fluttershy. Fluttershy leaned in, eyeing the contents curiously.

It was a pile of unidentifiable gunk. Fluttershy wanted to say it didn’t look appetizing, but she didn’t feel disgusted. She didn’t feel much about it. Fluttershy reached for her fork, shakily balancing it on her hoof.

The fork slipped from Fluttershy’s hooves, clattering against the table. She smiled sheepishly, attempting to pick it up. Unfortunately, the fork continued to slip under her hoof. It felt like she had lost all grip in her hooves.

Fluttershy looked up, hoping Twilight didn’t notice her fumble. Twilight, in fact, did notice it. She ogled attentively. If Twilight moved any further, she was sure to fall out of her seat.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Fluttershy inquired.

“Nope, not hungry!”

Fluttershy hummed, ignoring her friend's piercing stare. She prodded a forkful of food, shoving it into her maw. It didn’t taste much like anything. Fluttershy attempted to swallow, but the food unceremoniously tumbled from her mouth. Her hoof flew to her mouth, letting out a gasp.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry!” Fluttershy apologized. How could she have done such a thing? Twilight whisked the plate and fallen food away.

“Don’t worry about it; you must not have been hungry.” Twilight quickly reassured. She trotted to the sink, shoving the food-filled plate into soapy water.

“Heat stroke can take away your appetite. It’ll be best if you rest.” Twilight continued to ramble nonsensically, scrubbing the singular dish. Fluttershy began to tune her friend out, the tugging at her chest returning. It was irresistible.

Before Fluttershy could stop herself, she was out of her seat. She was out of the kitchen and down the hallway.

Whatever was calling to her had to be important. It felt like it was a part of her.

And whatever Twilight had been telling her was incorrect. Fluttershy knew the symptoms of heat stroke, and this wasn’t it. Whatever Twilight was panicking over and how Fluttershy was feeling had to be connected; Fluttershy just knew it.

The feeling grew stronger the deeper she delved into the castle. Fluttershy’s stroll turned into a hopeful trot. On any other day, she would get lost in these endless hallways, but today felt different.

Fluttershy’s trot slowed to a halt as she made it to a dead end. She cocked her head. That couldn’t be right. Whatever she was looking for was meant to be right here! Fluttershy approached the wall, curiously pressing her hoof against it. To her surprise, it creaked open. Inside laid a descending stairwell.

The pulling force came back full force, nearly knocking Fluttershy off her hooves. Whatever was calling for her was in there. Fluttershy pushed the door open, noticing a light at the bottom of the steps.

She put a hoof forward and-

“Fluttershy!” Twilight interrupted, nearly making Fluttershy stumble down the stairs. “There you are! Do you know how dangerous it is to wander?” Twilight scolded. Fluttershy’s ears pinned back. She wasn’t a filly.

Twilight began to nudge at Fluttershy’s flank, pushing her away from the door.

“It’s not safe for you to be up like this. I think it’s best if you get some rest.” Twilight suggested. Well, to Fluttershy, it felt more like an order. Fluttershy tried to fight the motion, but it was no use. She was being inched away from the one thing she wanted.

“Twilight-”

“If you go to bed now, you’ll feel completely better by noon!”

“But, Twilight-”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be okay!”

“Twilight, listen!” Fluttershy clamored. Twilight scampered back. Fluttershy cleared her throat, fixing her composure.

“I’m sorry for raising my voice, but you’re not listening,” Fluttershy explained. She pointed to the open doorway. “I need to go into that room.”

Twilight stared at Fluttershy, her jaw slack.

“You don’t need to go in there. It’s…it’s…” Twilight stammered, trying to think of an excuse. Fluttershy put her hoof up, shushing the alicorn.

“I don’t know why, but it feels like a piece of me is trapped in there.” Fluttershy gestured toward the door. She eyed Twilight’s nervous demeanor. “And I think this has something to do with you too.”

Twilight bit her lip, looking in between Fluttershy and the open doorway. What would Fluttershy do if she found out? Would she run? Would she scream? Twilight couldn’t be sure.
“Whatever it is, I can handle it,” Fluttershy reassured.

The alicorn opened her mouth to respond but quickly shut it. Who was she to deny Fluttershy this? It would be her only shot at closure. She let out a defeated sigh.

“...Okay, okay, fine,” Twilight muttered. She backed into the doorway, lowering her head. “Just… have an open mind about it.”

Fluttershy followed, descending the stairs. Twilight’s breathing quickened, her legs trembling.

“I-I know this is going to look bad, but it’s not!” Twilight chuckled. “In fact, I think you’re going to laugh.”

Fluttershy had her doubts, but she needed to trust Twilight. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be all bad. By the time the pair reached the bottom, Twilight looked like she was about to pass out. She shakily brought up her hoof, pointing to the other side of the room.

“What…” Twilight gulped,” What you’re looking for is over there.” She wearily informed. Fluttershy craned her neck forward, approaching what her heart had been longing for.

It was her. Clearly dead: broken and grotesque. She should’ve felt something, anything. Instead, she felt at ease. But that didn’t stop her from asking that fated question.

“Twilight…what did you do?”

Comments

[Biscuit Cookie]

Starting to read this! Hope it's good.