Fluttershy stumbled into her cottage in the dead of night. She squashed her muzzle painfully against the door as she held it open. Her mane, matted and sticky with sweat, blinded her to the darkness of her living room, but that was far from her mind.
The creature was still draped over her back. Its weight dug painfully into her spine, but she sighed in relief as she crossed the threshold. Her legs quivered and she breathed in ragged gasps. Left-front. Right-back. Breath. Right-front. Left-back. Almost there.
A skittering across the floor boards made Fluttershy’s ear twitch. She hoped her abrupt entry didn’t wake up too many of her animal friends. Angel was already cranky enough in the morning. Several mice chittered worriedly at her feet, but she was forced to ignore their words to put more focus into where she stepped.
Finally, after several agonizing moments, Fluttershy collapsed to her knees at the foot of her sofa. She rolled her shoulders, deposited the creature onto the furniture, and quietly whimpered. Her back clenched with spasms and her legs felt like they had been implanted with hot coals.
Fluttershy laid on the floor of her cottage. The darkness of her living room seeped into her screaming muscles and left behind a sobbing numbness. She blinked away the tears and sweat – unsure if the caliginosity in her vision was due to lack of oxygen or because she never bothered lighting a candle. There was a shrill ringing in her ears that morphed into an angry hammer pounding the inside of her skull. Even the piercing agony in her side, which had felt like a knife lodged in her ribs, had turned into a dull ache.
Something prodded her cheek. Fluttershy blinked several times, cleared her vision, and focused on a white blob that sat in front of her muzzle. Angel scowled at her, but she could see the concern in his eyes. The white rabbit gestured between her and the sofa with his paw while raising an incredulous eyebrow.
Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a raspy croak. Angel nodded understandingly and hopped out of sight. She laid there, trying to catch her breath, when he returned with a glass of water balanced on his head. He gripped the glass in both paws and slowly tipped the edge against her lips.
She tried to lean forward and suck down as much of the water as she could, but Angel kept the flow at a steady pace. Fluttershy sighed when the feeling in her throat returned. Then she leaned forward and nuzzled the rabbit.
“Thank you, Angel.” Fluttershy whispered. “I’m sorry I was gone for so long. I found a baby badger about to be eaten by timberwolves, and you know I couldn’t just leave him there.”
Angel pointed to the creature currently snoring on her couch and scowled.
“Well, you see…” Fluttershy blushed. “I was running away from the timberwolves – almost got away, too – but they kind of… cornered me. B-b-but this umm… Actually, I have no idea what he is… Anyway, he jumped in and saved me. The poor thing though was absolutely exhausted from chasing them away. I couldn’t leave him lying in the dirt, so I decided to take him home.”
Angel pinched the bridge of his nose, scrunched up his eyes, and sighed. He squeaked, chittered, and glared at Fluttershy.
“I know that…” Fluttershy replied as she slowly climbed to her hooves. She winced as her legs protested. “But it wouldn’t have been right. Barry worked out, didn’t he?”
Fluttershy limped to a cabinet near the fireplace while Angel sighed in defeat. The rabbit followed closely as she pulled out a quilted blanket with her teeth. She tip-hoofed back to the sofa and draped the blanket over the creature’s body. It moved suddenly and Fluttershy jumped back with a frightened squeak, but the creature merely grabbed the edge of the blanket with its spidery fingers and folded its limbs against its chest.
Fluttershy exhaled slowly, but the breath grew into a deep yawn. Her eyelids drooped and her head sagged. Maybe she could rest her eyes for just a mom—
Thumthumthumthump!
Fluttershy jolted awake with a snort. She looked down to find a smirking Angel looking up at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh, thank you Angel…” she yawned again. “I better get this little one into bed, too, before I turn in for the night.”
She untied her saddlebags and gently lowered them to the floor. Fluttershy reached into one with a wing and fished out the baby badger. It was curled up into a little ball with its chest rising and falling in gentle slumber. The pegasus deposited the badger into an empty animal bed along the wall.
Fluttershy trudged up the stairs to her bedroom, and Angel followed on her fetlocks. Her eyes were half-closed, so she did not appreciate the wonderful craftsmanship of the incline that carried her jelly-like legs, and her clouded mind was too focused on her destination to bother with the journey.
She nudged her bedroom door open. It was pitch black except for the sliver of moonlight that peered through her window. This went unnoticed, however, as she made the trek to her bed with her eyes fully closed. Fluttershy felt the soft fabric of her blankets and toppled forward into the soothing embrace of the bed.
She was asleep before she hit the mattress...
… And awoke with a jolt and a shrill cawing in her ears.
Fluttershy peered blearily through her tousled mane at the window. A haze of orange light soaked through the dreary grey haze of dawn. The searing pain running through her body from the previous night had dissipated into a numbing ache. It was like her limbs were turned to stone.
She attempted to rise. Her legs would have thrown tantrums if they could do more than twitch morosely. Fluttershy gritted her teeth and stretched out her hooves to either end of the bed. They burned, convulsed, and popped.
Fluttershy yawned wearily, shuffled her hooves beneath her barrel, and pushed herself into a standing position. Her legs quivered, but resigned themselves to their task. The pegasus gingerly stepped onto the floor and slogged to the bathroom.
A blotch of yellow and pink greeted her. She opened her eyes and her reflection stared back. Her eyes were bloodshot and her mouth was drooped into a scowl. The reflection grew blurry as her eyes sank almost closed.
She grunted and trudged to the bathtub. Fluttershy fumbled for the lever for a moment and warm water flowed into the basin. Steam wafted into the air and formed hypnotic patterns that mesmerized Fluttershy's half-coherent mind. Her eyes drifted back down to the water before she rattled her head.
She knew this was going to be a long day.
The yellow pegasus climbed down the stairs thirty minutes later. Her coat and mane were puffy and damp, but there was a firmness in her step that the water left behind. Freshly preened wings folded neatly at her sides while she hummed a soft tune. She tip-hoofed down the steps, careful not to disturb her housemates, and sneaked toward the kitchen.
She passed the sofa on the way. The creature's limbs were splayed out like vines, and the fingers of one hand brushed the floorboards with each rumbling snore. It was lying face-down on the couch with the quilt covering its back. Fluttershy peeked over to get a better look, but its shoulder-length mane shrouded most of its face. She could, however, see several faded lines that crisscrossed the creature's arms and legs. Some were long and thin while others were like off-colored splotches the size of bits.
Fluttershy frowned and hummed in thought. She took care of enough aggressive animals to recognize what the markings were, but she could not place the shapes. They reminded her of claw and bite wounds, but they didn’t look quite right.
She pushed the thought from her mind and set to her morning chores. A large bag of organic animal feed sat in a corner of the room beside a tall stack of clean clay bowls. Fluttershy gripped the scooper in her mouth and filled them. Dozens of tiny feet pitter-pattered across the floor and heralded the quiet stampede of Fluttershy’s animals. They huddled and scurried around her hooves as she served their meals.
“Now, now, little ones,” she admonished them gently. “There will be enough for everyone. You’ll just have to wait your turn.”
A few minutes passed before each of them were fed and watered to her satisfaction. She quickly found Angel and gently nudged him on the shoulder.
“Angel, I’ll be heading into town in a bit. I need you to keep an eye on our guest while I’m gone. Send Mr. Robin to find me if anything happens, okay?”
Angel snapped his legs together and gave her a stiff salute.
“Oh, you are such a sweetheart!” Fluttershy cooed while patting his head. The rabbit’s salute faltered as he grumbled and blushed.
Fluttershy tip-hoofed her way across the living room, gave the creature a curious, yet wary look as she passed it, and exited the cottage without a sound.
Fluttershy trotted down the path to town. She hummed a gentle tune while her wings fluttered in the cool morning air. Her hooves hit the dirt with a steady clippity-clop, and a passing bird was all too willing to add his song to her rhythm. The yellow pegasus breathed the sweetness of flowers and tang of morning dew, then released it with a content sigh. A honeybee lazily drifted by, buzzing a happy hum, laden with pollen for her sisters. Celestia’s sun swaddled her mane like a warm blanket while the fresh morning dew cooled her hooves.
She looked up, squinted in the morning sunlight, and scanned the sky. A half-dozen stray clouds floated overhead. Must have snuck in from the Everfree, Fluttershy thought. Her keen pegasus eyes caught the distant cloud structure of Rainbow Dash’s house, despite the obstacles.
It was about twice the size of her own cottage. Greco-Roman columns lined the outer walls of the “courtyard” while a waterfall of spectra spilled over the edge and dissipated into vapor. The sun caught the edges of the columns’ capitals and made them appear they were made of bronze. Fluttershy smiled before she spread her wings and took flight.
She landed between two of the columns a minute later. A cloudsteel mailbox stood proudly on her right. Fluttershy trotted past it, up the walkway, and stopped in front of the door.
Fluttershy pressed her hoof against a miniature thunderhead and a shrill buzzing reverberated through the house. It continued for several seconds before it faded away into a muffled hum. A familiar, raspy voice answered a moment later with an unintelligible shout. Fluttershy brushed a lock of her mane out of her face and waited patiently.
Rainbow Dash opened the door. Her eyes were bloodshot and half-lidded, and her mane looked like a tie-dyed chicken’s nest. She blinked once - twice - and finally registered Fluttershy’s presence.
“Huh?” she tilted her head sleepily. “Flutters? Wha-ahhhh…” she yawned. “What are you doing here this early? Is everything alright?”
“Oh, yes. Everything’s fine,” Fluttershy replied. “I’m so sorry for disturbing you, Rainbow. I know you were working late last night, but… Well… On second thought, nevermind. Forget I--”
“Oh no you don’t.” Rainbow snatched her in a one-winged hug before she could get away. “You wouldn’t come over unless it was important. How ‘bout you come inside. Had breakfast yet?”
“Well no, but--”
“Then let me whip something up for the both of us. I think I’ve got some leftovers that are still good…”
Fluttershy nervously tapped her hooves together as Rainbow set two plates of reheated grilled asparagus on the table. She took an experimental sniff and smiled.
“This actually smells pretty good, Rainbow.” Fluttershy gripped a fork between her primaries and speared one of the stalks. “What did you do with it?”
“Bah, it was nothin’,” Rainbow Dash grinned and plopped onto a stool. “A little lemon, melted butter, salt, pepper, and you’re basically done! My dad used to make this a lot when I was a filly. It’s one of the few things I learned how to cook for myself before I moved out.”
“It’s good.” Fluttershy nodded happily after she swallowed.
“Thanks.” Rainbow Dash shoveled several stalks into her mouth and gnashed them into pulp. “Ho, wa bri’ ya eer?”
“Well…” she curled her lip in thought. “Last night I was in the Everfree For--”
Fluttershy was cut off by a violent coughing fit from Rainbow. She forced the asparagus down before giving Fluttershy a reproachful look.
“What have I told you about going in there by yourself, Flutters?!” Rainbow gritted her teeth. “And you’re telling me you went in there at night?! What were you thinking?!”
“I was thinking, Rainbow Dash,” she narrowed her eyes, “that there was an animal that needed my help. Emergencies don’t wait for convenient and safe times. Sometimes danger is unavoidable. I’m sorry for worrying you, but I have to do things like this sometimes.”
Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and exhaled slowly through her nostrils. “Fine. I’ll be telling your aunt about it, though.”
“I’ll be telling her myself when I come in on Monday.”
“Whatever.” she waved her hoof dismissively. “Now what were you saying?”
“Right. Well, I was rescuing this baby badger from timberwolves--”
“Of course you were.”
“-- And, well, I was having a tinsy bit of trouble getting away. Fortunately, this other creature jumped in and helped. It chased off the timberwolves, but passed out right in front of me! I couldn’t leave him there, so I carried him back to my cottage. He’s sleeping on my couch right now.”
Rainbow Dash nodded and rested her head on her hoof.
“Well, here’s the thing…” Fluttershy took a breath and steadied her hooves. “I’ve never seen an animal like this before. It was able to scare off an entire pack of timberwolves with no problem. I know I’ve dealt with Barry, and even manticores on occasion, but I don’t think even they could do what this thing did.”
Fluttershy retreated behind her mane. “I’m… Well… I’m a little scared, to be honest. I know it’s dangerous. I can handle dangerous. But, I’m not sure what I could do if it decided to go on a rampage.”
“Flutters…” Rainbow frowned and placed a hoof on her fetlock. “You’ve scolded dragons into submission. One critter from the Everfree shouldn’t be that hard.”
“You didn’t see it, Dashie…” she shivered. “You weren’t there. You didn’t see the anger in its eyes. It moved so fast I could hardly see it. A-and its roar!”
“Okay, okay!” Rainbow gripped her friend tighter. “I get it. There’s a big scary monster in your house. You want me to keep an eye on it for you?”
“If… If it’s not too much trouble.” Fluttershy squeezed Dash’s hoof in turn.
“No trouble at all.” she smiled. “Just let me finish up here and I’ll head over to your place.”
“Oh thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Fluttershy jumped over the table and wrapped her hooves around Dash’s neck in a tight hug. “I won't be long. I just need to head over to Twilight’s and see if she knows anything about it.”
“It’s no problem, really.” Rainbow blushed and looked around the room. “Alright, enough of the sappy stuff. You head over to Twilight’s. I’ll handle everything else!”
“Right!” Fluttershy beamed and released her stranglehold. “I’ll get out of your mane. See you later!”
Fluttershy hopped off the table and trotted toward the door. Rainbow Dash merely sighed with an exasperated smile and shook her head.
“Coming!” a voice called out from behind the wooden door.
Fluttershy waited patiently beneath the boughs of the Golden Oaks Library. She glanced over her shoulder and saw several ponies milling about the market square. Applejack waved excitedly from her stand on the opposite side of the clearing. The yellow pegasus gave a timid smile in return.
She was saved from making a further scene when the door creaked open. Spike stood in the threshold. His slitted pupils focused on Fluttershy and he curled his lips, revealing two rows of razor sharp, rock-crushing teeth, in a friendly and boyish grin.
“Hey, Fluttershy!” Spike stepped to the side and stretched out his clawed hand with a flourish. “Good morning! What brings you here so early?”
“Well…” she cleared her throat as she stepped inside. “I was wondering, I mean, if Twilight’s not busy. If she is, I can come back later… but I really needed to ask her something.”
“Nah.” Spike waved his hand dismissively. “She’s just finishing her morning coffee. Go ahead into the kitchen. I still need to finish my morning chores.”
“Okay. Sorry for bothering you.” Fluttershy nodded before quietly walking across the library’s main lobby and toward the kitchen.
Twilight sat at a table. Her keen violet eyes skimmed over a folded newspaper in front of her while she nursed a steaming mug floating in her magic. She glanced up at the soft clickity clack of Fluttershy’s hooves and blinked in bemusement.
“Oh, hello, Fluttershy!” She gave a polite smile and pushed away the newspaper. “Why are you here? Err, I mean… Not that it isn’t good to see you. Have you eaten breakfast?”
“Oh, yes.” Fluttershy nodded. “I ate a little while ago. I hope I’m not bothering you. Am I?”
“No.” Twilight shook her head and rose to her hooves. “Of course not. I just wasn’t expecting you today. Everything all right?”
“Yes.” Fluttershy half-nodded, but stopped. “Well, no… Maybe? I’m honestly not sure. I was hoping you could help me with something. If that’s alright with you. I don’t want to interrupt any plans you have today.”
“No. Spike and I just planned on doing some light cleaning. Saturdays are usually slow, what with foals putting off their homework until tomorrow. What did you need?”
Fluttershy described the events of the previous evening to the unicorn. She made sure to omit certain details that would otherwise burden her friend with unneeded worry, however. Her tail twitched nervously as she remembered the encounter with the timberwolves and the mysterious creature.
“I see…” Twilight hummed as she trotted into the lobby with her mug drifting behind in her glow. “Can you describe this creature for me again?”
“Well…” Fluttershy pawed the floor. “I didn’t get a good look at it while it was chasing off the timbewolves. It was really big, covered in white fur, very strong, and very fast. There were moments I could barely see it while it was moving. But, after the timberwolves were gone… It… changed.”
“Changed… How, exactly?” Twilight hummed as she skimmed her bestiary tomes.
“It shrunk quite a bit. It’s still really big… Almost as tall as the Princess, but it was bipedal, like Spike or a diamond dog. It also had hands like a minotaur, but the fingers were thin, long, and spidery. Most of its fur disappeared except for a thin coat. You can actually see its skin underneath.”
“Did it have hooves?”
“No. Paws.”
“Hmm…” Twilight squinted her eyes as several books leapt off the shelves and orbited her head. “It sounds like some sort of primate, but I’ve never heard of a shapeshifting primate before.”
“Do you think… Do you think that what I saw was its real form? Or maybe it just picked a different shape?”
“Unlikely. Most shapeshifting requires some form of concentration. It should have reverted to its natural state when it fell unconscious. I’ll keep looking, but I really should see it for myself in order to accurately identify it. Who knows, it could be a brand new and undocumented creature from the Everfree! This could be an amazing opportunity. Only Celestia knows what we could learn!”
At that moment, several miles away in the palace on Mount Canterhorn, Princess Celestia sneezed.
“Sister, are you well?” Luna tilted her head between bites of her supper.
“Yes, Luna. Just allergies, I think.”
“You should really be careful, though,” Twilight continued. “If this thing could chase off a pack of timberwolves, then it could easily hurt you. I know you are good with animals, but even the best caretakers can become a statistic if they aren’t careful.”
“Don’t worry, Twilight.” Fluttershy hid her nervousness with a smile. “I’ll be fine.”
Oh, I really don't know about this...
Fluttershy walked on the path back to her cottage. Her knees shook with every step and her wings clung firmly to her barrel with stress. The normally calming aroma of wildflowers and buzzing of morning insects brought her no comfort on her infinite trek back home. She bit her lip nervously but soldiered on regardless of her fear.
It was not until she crested the top of the bridge that she sighed in relief. Fluttershy narrowed her eyes and squinted – daring them to be wrong – but they didn't budge in their report. She smiled.
Good. She nodded. It's still standing. Hopefully, that means he's still asleep.
Fluttershy quickened her pace into a trot and crossed the bridge. A few seconds after her hooves hit the dirt, her ears twitched at the sound of beating wings. She was only slightly startled when Rainbow Dash landed in front of her with a thud.
Rainbow's eyes were wide and twitched side-to-side almost imperceptibly. There was a minuscule twinge in her tail, and her wings were half-spread as if to take to the air again. She met Fluttershy's gaze and she knew.
“He's awake, isn't he?” Fluttershy's ears drooped.
Rainbow nodded.
“Has he done anything yet?”
“Not... really.” Rainbow glanced over her shoulder to the cottage. “It just got up, wrapped the quilt around its waist, and it's just... I dunno. Looking around, I think? It's so weird looking, though. What is it?”
“I have no idea... I thought Twilight might know something, but all she could figure out is that it might be some sort of primate.”
“What... Like a monkey?” Rainbow tilted her head. “Doesn't look like any kind of monkey I've ever seen.”
“There's more to primates than just monkeys, Rainbow.” Fluttershy fought the urge to roll her eyes. “But that's not important right now. You said he's just... Looking around?”
“Yeah. Just wandering around your kitchen. Not touchin’ nothin'.”
“I imagine he's in an unfamiliar environment and is just confused. I...” she gulped. “I should probably go check on him.”
“I'll come with you!” Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest.
“No.” Fluttershy shook her head. “We don't want to make him feel like he's being cornered. He might turn aggressive if threatened. I'll go in first and get a read on him. Just... Stay outside the door?”
“Are you sure?” Rainbow narrowed her eyes.
“Positive.” Fluttershy put on her most assured smile, but her fidgeting wings gave away her anxiety.
“Okay...” Rainbow sighed. “I'll be right outside. If anything happens, I'll be there before you know it and deck him in the schnoz!”
Despite the incredulity of Rainbow Dash's claim of being able to hurt something that could rip apart six timberwolves without breaking a sweat, her words bolstered Fluttershy's courage enough to resume her journey to the door.
She took a breath.
Then another.
… And another.
And slowly lifted a hoof towards the push latch. She pressed it forward and the mechanism retracted with a click. Fluttershy eased it open – wincing at the deafening squeak that she paid no mind to earlier that morning – and stepped inside.
Fluttershy froze at the sight of it.
The creature towered above her at more than twice her height. Its head barely brushed against the wooden beams of her roof. A dark brown mane fell across the creature's shoulders, even as the quilt she draped over it last night was now wrapped around its waist. Lightly furred legs bent slightly as the creature turned to face her.
A chiseled jaw, like stone, framed a mostly hairless face. Thick brown stubble shadowed its cheeks and grew into long wiry strands along the chin and jawline. Eyes, icy cold and sharp as broken glass, bore into her own. There was not an ounce of fear in them – but neither were they friendly. They were calculating – curious – like a pony observing a particularly interesting insect. Fluttershy suddenly felt very, very small.
The creature moved its arm and Fluttershy nearly bolted out the door. It stopped, then moved more slowly. A picture frame hung loosely between the spidery digits of its hand. He placed it on a nearby shelf with something akin to reverence, and he lowered the hand to his side.
The creature's lips peeled back, revealing an assortment of teeth. Some were broad and flat like her own, but they were bracketed by two sets of sinister canines that sent an icy shiver down Fluttershy's back. It opened its mouth, showing a tongue soaked with saliva, and she braced herself for another one of those terrifying roars.
Instead, it spoke.
“Can you understand me?”