Chapter Eleven
Shy Determination
“Now girls don’t worry I sure everything will be all right, your big sisters will realize you didn’t mean any harm,” Fluttershy said softly, walking along the dirt path that led from her cottage to Sweet Apple Acres the three downcast cutie mark crusaders following close behind.
“Ya really think so?” Apple Bloom spoke in a small voice, looking up at the yellow pegasus. All three of the Crusaders looked up at Fluttershy with sad worry, but hopeful looks.
They had rushed over to Fluttershy’s cottage after a particularly disastrous attempt to earn their cutie marks in roping. To do so, they had borrowed Applejack’s rope and one of Rarity’s ponyquins to use as a target. Practicing down by an out of the way stream; the three all found that with a little practice they could get the lasso around the ponyquin’s neck, but their desired cutie marks did not appear. Thinking that need a more difficult target to entice a cutie mark to appear the three fillies had acquired the golden reef Rainbow Dash had won at the Best Young Fliers competition. They balanced it atop the ponyquin’s head providing themselves a new target. However, the reef proved too difficult to rope without the lasso slipping around the ponyquins neck.
Hours of failed attempts began to wear on the fillies’ nerves which broke with an argument about whose turn it was next. The fighting resulted in an ill-timed shove from Sweetie Belle as Scootaloo tried to get the rope off the ponyquin. Scootaloo turned to tackle Sweetie Belle and got her hoof tangled in the rope. As she tripped and crashed to the ground, the ponyquin toppled over and fell into the rushing rain flooded stream.
All three fillies panicked, but at the friend’s plight, not the ponyquin’s and all three rushed to untangle the orange filly before she could be dragged in as well. It was only once their friend was safe did they realize the impact of what they and done. As one they rushed to the shoreline to watch the ponyquin, rope and golden reef be swept around a bend in the river and out of sight, three items they had not even asked to borrow.
Terrified at what they’re sisters would do once they found out what they had done the three fillies went to the only pony they thought could help. Fluttershy held a special place in the fillies’ hearts. While their sisters were their heroes, Pinkie Pie was a big filly to them, and Twilight Sparkle was the source of information for their every misguided attempt to earn their cutie marks; Fluttershy was like a second mom to them. Sweet, loving, and, most important in this situation, patient, and understanding.
“Of course,” Fluttershy assured them with a smile. “I’m sure they’ll just be glad you’re all right, and so long as you promise not to take their things without asking first, they’ll understand you didn’t mean any harm.”
“Thank you,” They cheered in unison wrapping Fluttershy in a trio of tight hugs.
Fluttershy let out a giggle and did her best to nuzzle the fillies. They were always getting in so much trouble, which they rightly earned with their crazy antics, but she knew what it was like to not know one’s place in the world, so it was easy for her to forgive them. Fluttershy just hoped their big sisters would be as ready to forgive them as she said. They were so lucky to have little sisters that looked up to them, and they could care for, Fluttershy had never had either.
“Hey who’s that pony, over there?” Apple Bloom asked when they broke apart pointing a hoof at a dark figure some distance away.
“Whoa, he’s got bat-wings like Princess Luna’s Guards.” Scootaloo’s keen pegasus eyes caught sight of the smooth wings tucked at the pony’s side. “That’s so cool!”
The figure lifted his head up to peer at the dipping sun. “No way he’s got a horn too,” Sweetie Belle exclaimed as the light flashed across it.
Fluttershy’s eyes shot wide, and she began to shake. Slowly, unwillingly, she turned her head around and saw him. Dark Star stood atop a moor his eyes shifting from the setting sun to the Everfree Forest. “Dark Star,” She gasped. Her hoof shot to her muzzle as she mentally chided herself for giving away their presents.
“That’s Dark Star?” Apple Bloom asked skeptically. She and her friend, like the rest of the fillies and colts in Ponyville, had been told very little about the evil unicorn pegasus who had attacked their sister and kidnapped Princess Luna. Most of what they knew came from stories made up on the playground. Stories that spoke of Dark Star as a demonic pony with razor sharp hooves, a horn that dripped with the blood of fresh victims, a mouth full of drooling fangs and razor-like mechanical wings that could cut a pony in half.
“He’s not so scary.” Sweetie Belle noted sharing Apple Bloom’s disappointment.
“Shh girl, you have to be quiet and get behind me,” Fluttershy ordered softly and tried to seem small while giving the girls room to hide behind her. She prayed to Celestia that Dark Star would not notice them at all, but if he did at least, he might not notice the fillies.
“I bet we could take him easily,” Scootaloo said not even hearing Fluttershy’s order as she stared determinedly up at Dark Star her wings buzzing at her sides.
“No Girls you have to-“
“Cutie Mark Crusader Evil Pony Pulverisers Go!” They shouted and charged past Fluttershy and up the moor towards the black stallion.
“No!” Fluttershy started after them but her shaking hooves tangled themselves up, and she tripped crashing face first into the soft grass.
Dark Star turned to regard the three fillies charging towards him with a cold glare. Collectively the three leaped at him intending to bowl him over and pin him down. Dark Star threw his wings wide, there was a flash of darkness, and suddenly the fillies were flying away from him. Flung by some unknown force, they hit the ground and bounced painfully across it.
“Girls!” Fluttershy cried out picking herself off the ground and rushing to their sides, “Oh Celestia please be all right.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders ached but forced their eyes open, all three wincing at the fading light of the sky. They began to answer, but fear ran through their small bodies as they heard the sound of hoof steps coming towards them, and looked to see Dark Star marching down the moor towards them. Their fear of the black pony renewed they rushed to duck behind Fluttershy shivering fearfully.
Dark Star stopped a few feet from them, his wing flared out menacingly, glaring down at them coldly as he towered over them.
Fluttershy began to quiver as well, but remembering the three fillies that she needed to protect steadied herself and dug deep down to find a scrap of courage to fight with. Spreading her wings to shield the fillies better she forced herself to meet Dark Star’s stare with her own. “I-I won’t let you hurt them… T-there just fillies.”
“I remember you…” Dark Star said softly his contempt filled eyes locked with Fluttershy’s for several moments before he folded his wings. “Humph a coward and a trio of foals, what a waste of my time. There’s nothing to be gained from your fear; you give it so freely.” Dark Star spat, turned from them, and quickly disappeared over the moor.
Fluttershy felt all her fear wash back in, and she began to quiver, her limbs began to lose their strength, and it was all she could do to remain standing. After a moment she recovered enough to turn back and check on the girls. They were huddled behind her still shaking, and Fluttershy thanked Celestia they were all right.
Twilight had said that Dark Star had gone insane after his plan to revive Nightmare Moon had failed, ranting several incoherent threats. But that was not the pony she had just faced; he seemed totally in control. What was he planning on doing now? She could know, and as much as Fluttershy wished it he would, Dark Star hadn’t acted like a pony who intended to go and find someplace to live a peaceful life.
Fluttershy knew she had to get the others to stop whatever Dark Star was planning, but if Dark Star was heading into the Everfree Forest, they might never find him. Twilight had said that their attempts to track him after his disappearance had all failed. Due in no small part, Twilight noted, to his thousand years of study and knowledge of magic.
Fluttershy’s eyes darted back and forth between the forest and Ponyville, uncertainty wearing deep lines across her face. After a moment she went still, staring at the forest her bottom lip clenched in her teeth. Another moment passed, and she spoke, “Girls I need you to find Twilight and your sisters and tell them Dark Star went into the Everfree Forest and that… so did I.”
“You can’t,” Scootaloo practically cried shaking her head, “He’ll do something terrible to you.”
“You have to come find Rarity and the other with us,” Sweetie Belle clutched at one of Fluttershy’s hind legs.
“Y'all have to tell ‘em,” Apple Bloom chimed in.
A calm, if somewhat forced, smile slipped onto Fluttershy’s face, and she turned back to the fillies. “Now girls I need you to do this for me, you have to be… Cutie Mark Crusader Town Criers ok, and let me deal with Dark Star.”
The trio looked scared and unsure, but eventually nodded and unlatched themselves from the yellow mare in what they hoped would not be their last hug.
“Come on girls we gotta hurry!” Apple Bloom managed without a break in her voice, and all three turned and ran towards Sweet Apple Arcs glancing back at Fluttershy more times than was safe.
Fluttershy rush silently up the moor and saw that Dark Star was nearing the edge of the forest. She would have liked more time to prepare herself for what she was about to do, but Dark Star would soon be out of sight and the dark of the forest and night would not aid her in finding him. Even if that was not a problem, Fluttershy knew that if she delayed any longer, she would just end up talking herself out of following him.
With a deep, silent, calming breath Fluttershy started after Dark Star her hoof steps so soft and careful that it would be easy to believe that she didn't leave even a single bent blade of grass behind her. Dark Star didn't take any path into the Everfree forest, not that were many, instead striding in through the tangle of thick foliage that surrounded the forest like a parameter letting it slow his comparatively noisy movements. Fluttershy, breath held, closed the distance between them slipping between the bushes and trees with the same talent she slipped between ponies in the market and shrinking the distance between her and Dark Star.
Thankfully if there was one thing Fluttershy was good at it was getting by unnoticed and as a testament to her skill Dark Star never once so much as glanced back in her direction. She nearly lost him once they were truly in the thick of the deep forest, he was nearly invisible in the dark tangle of woods. Fluttershy locked her eyes on his white tail and quickened her pace until there was no more than a pony's length between them. Fluttershy’s cheeks turned pink as she realized that she was effectively staring at a stallion’s flank, something Rainbow Dash like to tease she did all the time, why else would she spend so much time on the ground?
They navigated the forest like this for several minutes, the foliage thinning as the canopy thicken overhead blocking most of the light. It was only the thin beams of bright moonlight streaming through gaps half the size of a hoof in the canopy that allowed Fluttershy to see at all. Dark Star gave no indication that the limited light hindered him and Fluttershy wondering if he could see in the dark like she'd heard Princess Luna could. As she wondered this, Dark Star seemed to lose his patients for trudging slowly through the thinning underbrush. Spreading his bat wings, he gave them a few powerful flaps, lifted into the air and shot forward weaving through the trees.
Fluttershy gasped when she saw him take off; she hesitated a moment, her fears of getting caught that had stemmed as she successfully trailed the stallion flared back to life. She darted her eyes from side to side uncertainly before extending her wings. She quickly flapped them, it took several more beats to get her aloft than it had for him, and she started after him. Fluttershy shook as she began to feel very exposed knowing that all needed to happen for her get caught was for Dark Star curiously glance back at, what was to her, the deafeningly loud sound of her flying. Still, Fluttershy pressed on, darting from tree to tree as much as she could while pumping her wings hard to close the gap between them. She calmed a little more each moment Dark Star continued to stare forward as she followed him in this fashion for several minutes.
Fluttershy's panic rose again as she noticed the gap between them widening again as Dark Star was slowly accelerating and taking increasingly quick, sharp banks around the trees. Soon it was all she could do to keep pace with him, and soon after that, the gap between them began to grow, until he took a sharp turn around a particularly large tree and she lost sight of him.
Fluttershy eyes shot wide, and she rushed around the tree her eyes darting across the dark forest for the familiar white tail of her quarry. When she saw nothing but the dark, and eerie trees of the forest her face fell. She slowly dropped to the base of the tree and buried her face in her hooves.
“What are you doing?” A cold, critical voice cut into Fluttershy, she jumped with a squeaking cry her hooves dropping back to the ground as Dark Star landed in front of her, his wings sweeping out menacingly to their full length before he tucked them against his sides.
Fluttershy irises became pinpricks, and her heart thumped so loudly in her chest she thought it was trying to escape. He stepped towards her steely gray eyes glaring down at her, and she tried to step back, but her flank bumped against the tree behind her, and she shrieked again, jumping into the air. Landing on her flank, she covered her head with her hooves and began to whimper.
“Stop that!” Dark Star roared. Fluttershy cried out again but seeing his eyes now filled with rage she forced herself to be still and quiet. Her heart continued to thump loudly and a lump so big it choked her swelled in her throat.
Dark Star shook his head his eyes lost in anger but gaining a distant look that was only enhanced when he began to pace back and forth in front of her glancing back and forth at nothing in particular as he spoke. “Why are you here?”
Quivering Fluttershy opened her mouth as if to answer but Dark Star cut her off without even glancing at her. “You were following me.”
Fluttershy nodded, and Dark Star spat angrily, “You’re incompetent at it!”
A look of embarrassment mixed into the terror on Fluttershy's, but Dark Star didn't seem to care, not even looking at her as he continued to rant. “I detected you as soon as you stepped in the forest. You couldn’t have been more obvious flying.”
“Why are you following me?” He asked suddenly looking her full in the face for a moment but didn’t wait for a response. “It’s pointless!" He spat starting his pacing again, "Your friends can’t find me, I made sure that no auras could be left in my wake.”
Fluttershy swallowed the lump in her throat, and her heart began to slow a little as she watched the stallion rant about her without hardly looking at her. Suddenly she thought of a bear she once found wandering around Whitetail woods roaring and swiping at nothing, scaring the animals around it away. She'd try to calm him, but the bear wouldn't listen to her, and when she used The Stare on him the poor thing passed out on the spot. Fluttershy panicked, thinking she had been too forceful, but it turned out the bear was just so sick with a fever that he'd passed out.
Fluttershy snapped out of her thoughts when Dark Star gave his head a furious shake and let out a quiet growl at nothing then took a breath and stopped his erratic pacing. He looked down at Fluttershy again, this time with annoyance, rolled his eyes glanced way. “Do you even know where you are?"
Fluttershy was too afraid to look openly confused by Dark Star's sudden question. Her eyes darted back and for searching their surroundings for any familiar landmark, but couldn't find any. In fact, after her loops around the large tree Dark Star had disappeared behind Fluttershy wasn't even sure which direction they had come from, she again shook her head mutely.
Dark Star glared down at her for a long moment, a storm brewing in his gray eyes until at last, he jabbed his snout to one side, "Head south, walking you’ll reach the edge of the forest by morning.”
Fluttershy looked down the direction he's gestured in but saw no discernable difference to it than any other direction. She had no way of telling whether or not he was telling the truth, but she could not shake the feeling that he was. Looking back she saw that Dark Star had turned away from her staring in the opposite direction, but as if sensing her eyes on him he paused and turned back still glaring at her, “No one can stop me. Go back and tell your friends that.”
Dark Star turned away from Fluttershy, taking to the air to press on alone, but with a quick bite of her lip Fluttershy spread her wings, more confidence than she had the first time, and flew after Dark Star. They were only airborne for a few moments when he stopped and whipped around and hovered in front of her glaring hatefully. “I told you to go away! There’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
Fluttershy felt her heart leap into her throat again, and her wings started to seize and flee to the safety of her sides, but she clenched her teeth and forced them to keep beating steadily. “I know.”
“Then go back!”
“No,” Fluttershy shook her head and waited for him to yell or become violent as he had with the others. If Dark Star did she knew there would be nothing she could do to stop him and squeezed her eyes shut involuntarily anticipating his first blow, but when none came, she let her eyes meet his again. Dark Star was just glaring angrily at her, and she found her voice again, “I won’t go back. I won’t let you hurt anypony; I can’t. I know I’m too weak to fight you, but I-I’ll find some way to stop you. N-no matter what you do I won’t let you hurt my friends again.”
Fluttershy cringed as she finished, again expecting Dark Star to strike or yell at her, but several moments passed in silence before she ventured to meet his eyes again. The angry gray eyes looked like they wanted to do both and more but he did neither, and after a moment he turned his back to her, “Fine. Follow me if you like, you can’t stop me.”
He started off again, adding in a low voice he might not have intended for her to hear, “I wouldn’t attack such a weakling.” He resolved that if he could not get rid of the mare, he would at least do his best to ignore her. Fluttershy let out the breath she was holding and started after Dark Star finding that, much to her surprise, she was smiling a small thrill spreading through her chest.
As they flew through the forest, Fluttershy began to notice the distance between them was growing. She pumped her wings to keep pace with Dark Star watching as he set what she imagined was a leisurely pace for him. It always frustrated Rainbow Dash to have to slow herself so Fluttershy could keep up but she did so with little complaint. Dark Star was not so kind, and every few minutes Fluttershy noticed she was falling more behind him and would have to push herself twice as hard to catch back up.
Fluttershy watched Dark Star closely careful not lose the black coated pony in the dark forest, but also hoping to find some opening to talk to him again. She had impressed herself with her bravery at both confrontations with Dark Star, but despite what she said she had no idea how she was going to stop him. She tried to see his face, his eyes, hoping to be able to divine something she could use to talk to him, but even when she did get close enough to see him he always seemed to shift and block her view with his mane.
Sighing she turned her thoughts to what she knew about him, but that was far less than the others. She had not been present during his attack on Ponyville’s townsfolk, and she could bear to watch the brutal confrontation between him and Princess Celestia. Her only confrontation with him was when she and the others had used the Elements of Harmony on him. With the enhanced feelings of harmony still washing over her, she could not make herself see evil in the pony that was left laying on the ground afterward.
Fluttershy glanced down sadly for a moment, while she could not imagine that he would have tried to hurt them, he had. He bucked Pinkie Pie, tried to use his magic to stop them and even dislocated Rainbow Dash’s wing. If it had not been for Applejack and herself, Rainbow Dash might have suffered more than a temporary loss of her ability to fly. That was not the only time he’d hurt Rainbow Dash either; he’d nearly killed her, Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Princess Celestia.
Fluttershy tried to focus on those thoughts hoping they would give her strength to stand up to him, but they didn’t. Maybe it was because she was never the direct target of his violence, but she just couldn’t see this pony as the monster the others did. She knew that the others would possibly want to hurt Dark Star for what he had done and would want to lock him away forever, but Fluttershy just couldn’t find those feeling in herself. If she had been asked before today what she hoped for regarding Dark Star, she would have said she hoped never to see him again. But even that wasn’t true anymore, somehow after spending even so little time with him, she just felt he must be a very hurt and confused pony to be lashing out the way he was. Fluttershy couldn’t help but want to help him.
Fluttershy winced as a burning pain shot through her wings, she realized just how hard she was panting and how hard she had been flying. Her lungs burned, and she had a sore lump in her throat from her labored breathing. Her hooves pawed at the air as she swallowed hard at the lump and jumped as she looked up to find herself alone.
“Dark Star?” She called weakly looking around for any sign of him but finding none she realized he must have left her behind deciding she was too slow to keep up. Fluttershy's ears folded sadly against her head and she began descending towards the ground, her chin dipped against her neck. That was when she saw the pale white mane and tail she’d been following walking along the forest floor. Instantly the life came back to her face, and she swooped down to land near him.
“I’d thought you flew off without me,” She gave a relieved breath, quickly falling into place beside him looking around curiously at the surrounding forest. “Are we close to where you’re going?”
“No,” He grumbled curtly, “I can just walk faster than you can fly, figured it’d be easier.”
“Oh,” She answered softly then gave him a little smile, “Thank you, walking is much easier for me. I guess I’m not much of a pegasus.”
“It’s not for you,” He snapped causing Fluttershy to jump back a step. “I was born an earth pony, so I prefer walking to flying.”
“Oh, I'm sorry,” Fluttershy gave another dejected look as Dark Star growled at her apology. She gave another weak smile and started to say something but thought better of it. Still, regardless of her nervousness, she knew she had to say something to try and stop him, so she swallowed at the lump in her throat and said, “Umm Dark Star.”
“What?” His hissed back not looking at her.
“I know you’re, um, upset about what happened with Princess Luna.” Dark Star gave a feral growl and shot around to glare at the Fluttershy who sunk away from him. He huffed like he was about to yell, but after a moment of silence just scoffed and turned away to keep walking. Fluttershy took several quick panicked breaths before composing herself and rushing to catch up to Dark Star.
She didn’t want to say anything at that point, but she knew she had to force herself to regardless. “Um despite that, could you, um, I mean would please consider not doing whatever it is you came here to do. I mean if it’s a whole revenge against ponykind thing if you're not doing that then… um never mind.”
“Do you think you could make it out of the Everfree Forest before something eats you?” He responded sarcastically.
“Umm… no?”
“Well, then there's your answer.” Fluttershy’s ears folded back against her head which drooped as her pace slowed slightly and she fell behind Dark Star. She was stupid to think she could stop Dark Star from whatever he intended to do by saying please really nicely, oh, she was useless.
The long sound of something scratching against wood snapped Fluttershy from her self-admonishment as she jumped and gave a little squeak of panic. She trotted a little faster to close the distance between her and Dark Star as her eyes darted all around searching for the source of the noise, but she could only make out vague shapes through the gloom.
When she entered the forest in pursuit of Dark Star the large trees, thick shrubs and creeping gloom had been her allies, keeping her hidden from her quarry. Now those same former allies had undergone a terrifying transformation into potential unseen horrors, or at least covers which the horrors of the forest could be using to get close to their own quarry, her. Soon most of her attention was on the unseen dangers around her, and she barely kept half an eye on Dark Star, but still, she wasn’t able to see any danger.
Suddenly a thick slimy tentacle dropped across her flank and began to wriggle and slithering around her back. “It’s got me; it’s got me!” Fluttershy jumped letting out a shriek and began flailing around wildly.
“What the?” Dark Star cursed to himself and snapped around to see Fluttershy kicking out wildly at nothing and screaming like a soft-spoken banshee.
As one of her wild bucks slammed into the trunk of a nearby tree, Fluttershy finally felt the tentacle go flying from her back. Panting wildly, Fluttershy turned nervously to see if she had accidentally bucked the creature that had grabbed her; instead, she found herself facing a large tree. She started to take a deep breath but as she did her eyes traveled up the tree, and the breath caught in her throat as she saw dozens of glowing red eyes staring down at her.
The terrified mare let out another shriek, louder than before, and countless shapes detached themselves from the tree. As they flew towards her Fluttershy dashed from the shapes, but they quickly overtook her and swarmed around her. Fluttershy’s only remaining rational thought was to hide behind the nearest pony for safety. Somehow through the haze of the swarm, she found Dark Star’s form and rushed to his side ducking behind him and pressed her shaking form against his calm one yelling, “Help!”
Dark Star frowned at Fluttershy even as the creatures began to swarm around them, “From what? They’re just vampire bats.”
“Vampire!” Fluttershy echoed and dove to the ground covering her neck with her hooves. “Don’t let them drink my blood! I don’t want to be a vampony!”
“Vampony! Arrrg by Nightmare,” Dark Star groaned, then growled at himself for using her name. Sighing he stretched out his wing and gave them a firm flap, not enough to take off, but it did the trick, and the bats immediately disburse.
Glaring down at the pink mane quivering at his hooves Dark Star cleared his throat, “You can get up now they're gone… And I can’t believe I have to tell a grown mare that there’s no such thing as vamponies, it’s just an ancient mare’s tail.”
Fluttershy peeked an eye open and searched around her to confirm the bats had gone before standing up. “Um yea, well not totally.” She answered too softly for Dark Star to hear.
“What?” He snapped causing her to jump again.
“I mean they attacked me and tried to suck my blood.” She defended as her hooves searched her neck protectively.
Dark Star rolled his eyes, “They didn’t attack you. You bucked their tree, and they were trying to protect it by scaring you away. Vampire bats don’t feed like that away, they only drink like an ounce at a time, here watch.”
Dark Star chastised himself wasting his time; he had a place he needed to be and new purpose to fulfill, he should not be wasting any time on the silly mare. He should have abandoned her, or ended her meddling and neutralized the threat of the Elements permanently. But, though he was a servant of evil, he couldn’t bring himself to attack somepony who wouldn’t fight back and abandoning her felt no better. But why was he waste his time to alleviate her fears? Simply to not have to listen to listen to her whining, that was all there was to it.
Dark Star softly fluttered his wings and pursed his lips to make a squeaking noise while holding a hoof out. Obediently a pair of bats dropped down from the tree and fluttered over to him, one landing on his back while the other landed on his outstretched hoof. The bat on Dark Star’s hoof crawled a little way up his leg its eyes searching out intently for something the two ponies couldn’t see. Once it reached a spot, it liked it leaned down and nibbled on Dark Star’s leg causing a small pool of blood to spill forth, which it set about softly licking up.
Fluttershy watched this with fascination, her fear of the creature long gone. The once terrifying creature looked not much different than a mouse up close, it was only a little bigger. “Can I try?”
“If you want.”
Fluttershy turned her attention to the bat on Dark Star’s back, offering a hoof to it. “Come on little one, I sorry I kicked your tree, I promise I won’t hurt you.”
The bat looked from the outstretched hoof to Fluttershy and then to Dark Star, who gave it an almost unperceivable nod. Looking back to Fluttershy's hoof the small creature took to the air fluttering across to Fluttershy’s hoof and like its companion crawled up her leg until it found a spot it liked, nibbled away the fur, softly broke the skin and began licking up the nourishing blood that spilled forth.
“It doesn’t even hurt,” Fluttershy gasped, resisting the urge to cuddle the timid feeding animal.
“Of course it doesn’t, vampire bats are too small to fight for their food, so they feed on sleeping creatures. It’s best if they make sure their donor doesn’t wake up and attack them.” Dark Star’s bat stretched its wings and fluttered off to digest its meal. “Why’d you freak out like that?”
Fluttershy’s eye went wide, and she gave a shiver as she remembered what attacked her. “Some awful slimy tentacle thing tried to grab me.”
Dark Star gave her a critical frown, but stepped around and traced his eyes over her back. As he continued to pace around her and his eyes wandered further down Fluttershy began to blush. As far as she knew stallions didn’t spend a lot of time staring at her flank. The bat on her leg eyed the mare nervously before giving the shallow pool of blood one last lick and fluttering off towards its tree. Fluttershy set her hoof back onto the ground as Dark Star’s horn unleashed its dark glow of magic and Fluttershy felt her tail being hoisting it up.
Fluttershy shrieked, “Pervert!” and reflexively bucked out with her hooves. Dark Star’s eyes shot wide as her hind hooves connected solidly with his chest and sent him flying back several feet into a nearby tree.
“What the-” Was all Dark Star managed before erupting into a fit of coughing and deep frantic breaths to refill his suddenly oxygen starved lungs.
“You perverted stallion,” Fluttershy raged, her eyes furious as she stomped over to Dark Star her wings flared. “You can’t just go peeking under a mare’s tail; I don’t care if you are trying to be some big bad evil pony; that’s just rude!”
“I wasn’t peeking at you, you crazy mare,” Dark Star met her glare even as he still huffed for air. His horn still glowed with magic, a testament to his mental fortitude, and he floated a grayish yellow and black spotted slug up to her eye, it had to be eight inches long. “This is what I grabbed out of you tail it’s probably what you thought grabbed you.”
The anger melted from Fluttershy’s face as she looked at the immense night crawler and it was replaced by curiosity, as she whispered in awe, “I’ve never seen a slug that big before.”
“It’s a leopard slug or a great gray slug, and she couldn’t have hurt you if she tried,” Dark Star explained critically, getting to his hooves, as Fluttershy examined the slug more closely. “She’s fat with eggs; she was probably looking for a place to lay them when she fell out of the tree.”
Fluttershy gasped, eyes wide as a hoof shot to her mouth, “Oh no, is she ok, I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
“She’s fine,” Dark Star calmly floated her back up into the tree placed her back on a branch. “Slugs are tougher than they look and can take a fall better than most.” He gave a slight smile at the night crawler his fondness for them still strong.
“Thank Celestia,” Fluttershy said breathing a sigh of relief.
“Ya I’m fine too by the way,” Dark Star brushed at the dirt on his chest, his face giving a small, pained twitch. He added with a mutter, “You hit as hard as that red stallion.”
Dark Star was surprised that he wasn’t angrier at Fluttershy. The anger was there with all the other wild emotions playing out in the back of his mind, but he found them unusually easy to ignore. Anger had voiced itself the loudest in his mind since his failure with Luna, but it seemed somewhat muted now.
“Sorry,” Fluttershy apologized sheepishly rubbing her hoof on her opposite leg. She touched the small wound the bat had given her and felt a tiny sting of pain. She looked down at the mark and was surprised to see it looked like it had healed a day’s worth already. “I-it’s healing so quickly.”
“The bats have healing enzymes in their saliva. Keeps their donors healthy and unaware.” Dark Star explained, his magic had already erased all traces of the bat’s feeding on him.
“I didn’t realize there were so many wonderful animals in the Everfree Forest.” Fluttershy's voice was full of awe as she looked up into the bats' tree, but the tiny creatures had closed their eyes turning invisible against the dark foliage of the tree. She tried to find the branch Dark Star had put the pregnant slug on, but she could see it either.
“There’s plenty more,” Dark Star said his eyes scanning the dark for the creatures he knew were there. “Half the animals in the world are nocturnal. Nopony comes into the Everfree Forest at night, but that’s when it’s most alive.”
Fluttershy tried to follow Dark Star’s gaze, finding all the nocturnal creatures around them, but she quickly found that even those she could see were too numerous to fully appreciate. Rodents of all shapes and sizes scurried across the branches of the trees, their little paws scratching at the wood. Fireflies danced through the air to entice one another and drawing attention away from the darker, quieter bugs that skittered along the ground. A family of foxes stalked silently through the underbrush seeking a new burrow. A frightening howl cut through the air causing Fluttershy to jump, but when it was answered by another howl and then another she realized it was just the long call of old friends.
“This is amazing!” Fluttershy exclaimed, without losing the softness of her voice, and turned to smile warmly at Dark Star. “I never met another pony whose special talent was understanding animals.”
Dark Star’s eyes shot wide, and he stood speechless for several long moments heat touching his face and an uncomfortable ease settling over him. He didn’t like any of it, and his eyes slowly grew dark. He watched as a look of concern came over the mare's face, and she reached a hoof out to him. Dark Star let out a growl and turned away from Fluttershy his wings twitching stiffly as he stormed away.
Fluttershy jumped back in shock at Dark Star’s sudden change, her reassuring hoof shooting to cover her mouth covering the gasp of surprise she let out. She hesitated only a moment before quickly trotting after him, “Oh no I’m sorry I didn’t mean-”
“You don’t know anything about me!” Dark Star whipped around to snap at Fluttershy causing her to cower back. “These creatures are my friends, my ONLY friends. Those bats they taught me how to fly after Celestia and Luna ‘blessed’ with wings. None of the pegasi took me seriously; I was just a joke to them.”
Tears began to form in Fluttershy’s eyes, and she swallowed at the lump in her throat to speak. “The other pegasi made fun-”
“I don’t care about you day creatures,” Dark Star snapped silencing her again. “I’m a creature of the night, of the dark. My talent, my purpose, is to serve the darkness and that is what I’m going to do!”
He glared down at her challenging Fluttershy to say something, but she just quaked under the stare of his steely gray eyes. With a scoff he turned from her, whipping back around Dark Star threw out his tense wings, but hesitated then folded them tight to his side as he stormed away. Fluttershy waited for him to put a few steps between them before she began to follow, her head down and mane covering her face save for a single eye.
She watched him walk, his body stiff, muscles tensed. It was her fault, she thought, she had been stupid and upset him. He had been so happy talking about his animal friends, and she had ruined it. Tears stung at her eyes, her friends would not have made such a mistake.
That thought snapped her out of her stupor, for she knew that it wasn’t true. None of her other friends would have tried to follow the stallion as she had, Rainbow Dash and Applejack might have even attacked him, heedless of the danger. Even if they had followed Dark Star like she had she couldn’t imagine any of them would have become as scared as she had at the slug dropping on their backs or prompted Dark Star to explain so much about his animal friends.
Fluttershy sniffed and wiped away her tears focusing on Dark Star again and tried to connect this angry pony with the one who had just moments before spoken so gently about the forest’s animals. She could not believe that somepony who cared so much about animals could be an evil pony, so why was he striving so hard to ‘serve the darkness.’
Twilight had told her that she thought that the dark power Dark Star had absorbed when he failed to revive Nightmare Moon may have driven the stallion insane. Fluttershy could not deny that Dark Star’s behavior was far from stable. He had more than enough power to destroy her and the rage in his eyes when he yelled at her told her he wanted to, so why didn’t he? Or, at very least, why didn’t he leave her behind? Then there was the kindness he showed her, trying to direct her out of the forest, sending the bats away and showing her they were not dangerous.
Was he just lonely? She remembered the tales about when he was a timid earth pony named Starlight. He was so much like her back then and like her, he had found friends to give him the courage to be a hero. But now he rejected those same friends, why? Did he really think that Princess Luna would have rejected him upon his return?
Pushed her mane out of her face Fluttershy focused both her eyes on the stallion and tried to think of something to say to him. If she could just find the right words, maybe she would be able to help him. But each time she tried to speak the words would catch in her throat as she found some flaw in them. Slowly her head sunk again, nothing she said would ever be perfect enough.
No, she shook her head, she couldn’t just give up. Quickening her pace, Fluttershy trotted forward until she was walking right next to Dark Star matching her steps with his own. When he glanced over at her she gave him a soft smile, he just scoffed and looked away. Still, he didn't object to her presence, so Fluttershy stayed next to him offering him another warm smile each time he glanced her way.