It was midday by the time the battle had ended and the surviving brigands fled the village. The cheers that erupted from the combined forces of the village militia and Fiora’s mercenaries didn’t last long before the battle’s aftermath began. Everyone scattered about, getting to work on the cleanup. Weapons were gathered and taken stock of. Dead bodies were sorted between enemy and ally and sheets were fetched to place over them. The wounded were taken to the apothecary’s house and, as most of the poisoned villagers had been cured by then, were laid to rest in the newly-available beds. The villagers helped the best they could, bringing supplies where needed and aiding in repairing the structural damage to the house.
Fluttershy watched everyone rush to and fro throughout Fordwin’s home, standing against the far wall so as to not get in anyone’s way. Rusty had awoken from his nap due to all the noise and was currently darting his head this way and that, looking apprehensive in response to the sudden flurry of activity. She did her best to reassure him that everything was alright, but deep down she shared in his anxiety.
She was waiting for Rainbow Dash, Florina, Hector, and Fiora to come in, hopefully unharmed. As she waited, she took note of the difference in demeanor between all the humans. The ones who had participated in the fighting moved about calmly and stoic, making no reaction to the sight of bloody wounds or the cries of pain from their comrades. Meanwhile, many of the villagers would hold a hand to their mouths or shut tight their eyes at the sight of a particularly gruesome injury. It spoke to how desensitized those who were more used to battle were and it made her feel more than a little uncomfortable.
Finally, she spotted Fiora and Florina being carried through the door. To her dismay, the two sisters looked to be in incredible pain. Hector followed behind them, telling the soldiers carrying them over and over to be gentle, especially the ones carrying Florina. She rushed after them, sidestepping the crowd before following the trio up the stairs. The sisters were brought across the room to a couple of empty beds. Hector broke away from them for a second to go talk to Serra, who was working with Fordwin on a couple of wounded soldiers. Serra nodded and rushed past Fluttershy down the stairs, healing staff in hand.
Fluttershy moved toward the sisters at first, but noticed her friends lying next to each other off to the side along with Oswin and decided to visit them first. Twilight had a bandage wrapped around one of her hooves but otherwise looked okay. Applejack was in a similar state, having a bandage wrapped around her head and a wet, bloody cloth put in her mouth. Oswin, by stark contrast, was lying on his stomach without his armor, just in his smallclothes. His back was littered with small scrapes and bleeding cuts that were visibly healing and a large, bloody bandage was wrapped around his hand similar to Twilight.
“Oh, hello, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, tiredly, as she approached. “You holding up well?”
Fluttershy nodded, but her eyes never left her friends’ injuries
Twilight lifted her hoof up to examine her wound. “I got stabbed by that shaman’s dagger. It actually doesn’t hurt that much, believe it or not.”
“That’s good to hear…” Fluttershy trailed off. Rusty let out a small whimper, likely echoing her feelings.
Applejack tried to laugh but it was muffled by her cloth. She gently spat it out into her hoof and opened her mouth to reveal her teeth were coated in blood. With every word she spoke — gently, so as to keep her wound from splitting open again — Fluttershy felt ready to vomit.
“Flutters, don’t be worried ‘bout us. Sure, we may be beaten something fierce, but we’re alive, and we’ll be well once Serra’s magic finishes healin’ us.”
“But you know I worry about you anyways,” Fluttershy argued before realizing she was probably coming off as a little too pushy. “I mean, um…” She scuffed a hoof on the floor, her cheeks tinting red.
Twilight laughed. “Never stop being you, Fluttershy,” she said.
Applejack nodded and stuffed the cloth back into her mouth.
Beside them, Oswin turned his head so he was facing them. His eyes were downcast and lips pursed, like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t bring himself to. Fluttershy and her friends waited patiently for him to say what was on his mind, the dozens of soldiers and wounded patients passing by fading like ghosts into the background. Minutes passed, but he never said anything, nor did he make eye contact with any of them. In fact, after a little while, he buried half of his face into the bedsheet as if it would pull him in away from their collective gaze.
Finally, Fluttershy broke the silence between them. “Is something the matter, Oswin?” She tried to be as soothing as possible.
Oswin met their gaze for a brief second before looking down again. Another few moments of nothing passed between them. Fluttershy was about to speak up again when he lifted his head up and turned to regard Twilight and Applejack.
“Miss Twilight. Miss Applejack; I apologize for failing to protect you two.”
Twilight made an ‘o’ of understanding. “Don’t worry about it, Oswin; we’re all okay, and that’s what matters.”
Oswin clenched his fist and slammed it into the side of the bed, making the ponies wince. His whole body shuddered for a second before relaxing and he settled his head back into the sheets. Twilight and Applejack looked forlornly at him while Fluttershy felt her heart ache at the sight. She could treat most physical injuries, but a wound to the spirit was something out of her purview; typically, she was the one that needed healing in that regard.
Applejack removed the cloth from her mouth again and shot Oswin an annoyed look. “It don’t help none to be hard on yourself like this, Oswin,” she chastised. “You fought your best, an’ ya lost. That guy got the better of you because he was stronger. Ain’t nothin’ to be ashamed of for not being the strongest person in the world.”
Oswin didn’t reply but he did turn his gaze back to them, looking curious.
Twilight spoke next. “I think I understand why you’re feeling so down about this.” She gave him a soft, understanding smile. “It only makes sense that you’d hold yourself to higher standards when you’re charged with protecting the ruler of a country. I’ll admit that the worries I face in my everyday life are dwarfed by your own, but everyone learns and grows from their mistakes. You’ll feel better if you see this less as a failure and more as a learning experience, trust me.”
Oswin cast his gaze downward again, more in contemplation this time than shame.
A few more moments passed. Fluttershy decided she’d let them be and continue checking up on everyone. She waved them goodbye, saying “take care” as she left. Along the way, she spotted Canas sitting against the wall, looking much better than he had earlier. They exchanged a greeting and a smile as she passed. She sidestepped around a couple of people and made her way to the sisters’ bedsides.
Florina had one arm propped across her chest while the other was lovingly intertwined with Hector’s own hand. He stroked her hair while whispering encouraging words to her, giving her a warm smile which she reciprocated. Fiora was asleep and had some dark bruises on her neck. Neither girl appeared to be in critical condition.
Fluttershy decided to stand by Fiora since Florina was being comforted by her husband. “Are you two gonna be okay?” she asked.
Florina nodded. “We’ll be okay once Serra gets around to healing us.”
“Florina’s arm is broken and we still need to determine the extent of Fiora’s injuries,” Hector explained. “I just told Serra to go fix Huey; she’ll be back as soon as she’s done with that.”
“That’s good to hear,” Fluttershy said, feeling relieved.
At that moment, Fiora began to stir. Everyone watched as she groggily opened her eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the light. She shifted her body a little before crying out, biting her lip. She quickly rolled over onto her stomach, breathing heavily as tears fell from her eyes and stained the sheets.
“My back,” she whined.
“Please, lay still, Fiora,” Fluttershy pleaded, gently pressing her hoof against the girl’s shoulder. “Help will come soon, so just rest until then, okay?”
Fiora took a deep, relaxing breath and put on a smile that was a mix of relief and happiness. She turned her head and her eyes shimmered with joy upon seeing Florina in the bed next to her.
“You okay, Sister?” she asked.
Florina nodded. “Just a broken bone.” She frowned. “But you’re in much worse pain.”
“Yeah.” Fiora shifted again and winced, but didn’t cry out. “I think my back is thrown out. I’m not sure healing staves are capable of treating that kind of injury, though.”
“Oh, I could help with that, if you want,” Fluttershy offered.
Fiora turned to her, looking quite skeptical. “Really?”
“Oh, yes,” Fluttershy said, nodding. “I’ve worked with all sorts of creatures before and I’d like to help in any way I can.”
Fiora appeared to think it over for a moment before saying, “Alright, I trust you.”
“Okay then…” Fluttershy stood up on the bed with her forehooves. “Now, first things first; I need an unobstructed view of your back.”
Fiora turned to Hector. “Could you turn away please?”
Hector smiled and did as instructed.
Fiora instructed Fluttershy on how to remove her clothes. Carefully, so as to not accidentally invoke her injury, Fluttershy removed her chestplate, tunic, and finally top before laying them beside the bed. Her back now bare, it was easy to see why Fiora was in so much pain; several dark bruises covered her skin.
“Oh my, how did this happen?” Fluttershy asked.
“The brigand leader slammed me to the ground,” Fiora explained. A cold fury crept across her face, one that Fluttershy found unnerving.
“Okay then,” she said. She unfurled a wing and hovered it over Fiora’s spine. “I need to determine where the injury is first. I won’t press down too hard, but you may feel some pain.”
Fiora nodded. “I understand.”
Fluttershy moved the tip of her wing to the bottom of Fiora’s spine and pressed down. No reaction. She moved a little further up. Still nothing. Little by little, she moved further up the length of Fiora’s spine. Fiora’s face betrayed the grim anticipation she was feeling, and just as well, Florina was biting her lip as she watched.
Fluttershy pressed down about three-fourths up the length and Fiora cried out in agony. Tears streamed from her eyes. She calmed down again after a few moments.
“One of your ligaments has been pushed out of place, it seems,” Fluttershy observed. “I can pop it back into place, but it’s going to really hurt. Do you have anything you can bite down on?”
“Leave that to me,” Hector said, his back still turned. He unsheathed his axe and presented it to Fiora. “Bite down on the hilt, I don’t mind.”
Fiora took the axe from him. She looked at the hilt and frowned. “Why are there teeth marks all over it?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve given it a good wash,” Hector assured her but didn’t say anything else.
Fiora looked confused at him for a moment before sighing and putting the hilt in her mouth.
Fluttershy hovered her wingtip over the spot where Fiora’s spine was thrown out. She bit her lip, dreadfully anticipating the pain the human girl was about to experience. She’d done this a number of times with her bear friend Harry and it wasn’t until the third or fourth time she could do it without being anxious. Something about doing it with a human felt different to her, though, she couldn’t understand why. She spared a glance to Florina, who was watching her with pursed lips. She was about to suggest that Florina cover her ears, but the words died in her throat when the girl’s expression changed. All trace of apprehension melted away, replaced with steadfast conviction. Fluttershy found herself surprised by the change in demeanor from the usually soft-hearted girl. And yet, looking at the ironclad determination in Fluttershy’s eyes sparked something in her own heart; a warm strength that sapped away all her anxiety. She adopted a similar expression and reeled back her wingtip.
“Bite down on three, Fiora,” she instructed.
Fiora nodded.
“One… two… THREE!”
Fluttershy slammed down her wingtip. She instantly felt the misplaced ligament pop back into place.
Fiora’s cries, despite being muffled, managed to ring throughout the whole room. Several soldiers and other patients turned in their direction, watching Fiora for the whole duration. Tears poured from her eyes and she tightly gripped the bedsheets. Her face turned a dark shade of red. Fluttershy folded her ears back out of reflex while Florina simply closed her eyes. Hector put a hand to his hip and dipped his head down in a distraught manner.
A spot of magenta caught Fluttershy’s attention. Looking up, she saw Serra standing at the top of the staircase, watching the scene along with everyone else in the room, hand covering her mouth in shock. Turning her gaze, Fluttershy saw that Twilight and Applejack had expressions equal parts grim and understanding while Oswin was facing away. Canas looked more wistful than anything but offered an encouraging smile upon meeting her gaze. Finally, Rusty had his ears folded back and paws covering his head, body shuddering in agitation. Fluttershy gently stroked his back in comfort.
Finally, Fiora settled down. Her grip on the sheets loosened and she spat out the axe. A large stain had formed in the sheets from her tears. Her breathing normalized and the red in her face melted away while her hair had accumulated a lot of sweat and was matted against her head. Her entire body relaxed and she buried her face in the sheets.
A thick silence hung in the air for a few seconds before everyone in the room went back about their business. Serra hurried across the room, stopping before them. She looked first to Fiora, then to Fluttershy.
“What happened?” she asked.
“Fiora’s back was thrown out,” Fluttershy explained. “I did a chiropractic technique to return it to normal.”
Serra looked confused. “A what?”
“What I mean is, part of her spine was out of place and I managed to pop it back in,” Fluttershy clarified.
“Is that so?” Serra looked at Fiora’s prone form again. “I’m so glad that never happens to clerics like me.”
Hector sighed as he retrieved his axe. “Is Huey all well, Serra?” he asked.
Serra nodded. “Of course, Lord Hector! She was injured pretty badly, but she’s up and about thanks to my healing talents.”
“Good to hear. Now get to work on them.” He pointed over his shoulder down at the sisters.
“Right away!”
Serra moved around to Florina’s bedside. Florina held out her broken arm and Serra raised her staff to begin the healing process. At that moment, Fiora tilted her head up toward Fluttershy; the smile she wore couldn’t be any more grateful if she tried.
“Thanks so much, Fluttershy,” she said tiredly. Clearly, she was exhausted from the experience she just went through.
“Oh, it was nothing, really,” Fluttershy said. “I can’t help the same way Rainbow Dash and Applejack can, but I can manage this much at least.”
Fiora’s eyes took on a faraway glint for a moment. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Rainbow Dash. I would’ve been decapitated by the brigand leader if she hadn’t come along to save me when she did.”
“Hmm?” Fluttershy tilted her head, curiosity piqued.
“I was in a fight with him after he caused Florina’s injury. Looking back, I probably shouldn’t have let my emotions get the better of me, but I was holding my own in the fight.” A dark look crossed her face for a brief moment before it went tired again. “He decided to discard what little sense of honor he might’ve had when he used his hands to strangle me and slam me to the ground. It was actually impressive, considering I’d shoved my sword through his body.”
Fluttershy took a shocked intake of breath, covering her mouth.
“But then Rainbow Dash did her ‘Sonic Rainboom’ and rammed into him before he could kill me.” She closed her eyes, looking peaceful.
Fluttershy felt a creeping sense of dread overwhelm her. “Rainbow Dash… rammed into him? With a Sonic Rainboom?”
Serra finished healing Florina at that moment and moved to Fiora’s bedside opposite Fluttershy. She began healing Fiora’s bruises as she continued speaking.
“She did. The force sent him crashing into a wooden fence and my sword ended up severing his body from the impact.”
Fluttershy felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. Her eyes shrank to pinpricks and words failed to escape her mouth. Fiora had her eyes closed and so didn’t react when Fluttershy started backing away. Florina and Serra noticed, however, but Fluttershy turned and sprinted before they could say anything. She bobbed and weaved around people, making her way down the stairs and out the front door.
As soon as she got outside she let Rusty off of her back. “I’ll be back soon, okay?” she said. “Where I’m going is too dangerous for you.”
Rusty barked and curled up on the ground.
Fluttershy’s creeping dread kept building as she took off into the air. Her thoughts were a confused jumble of questions and emotions. She couldn’t pick apart whether she should feel horrified, concerned, downtrodden, or even angry. The casual way with which Fiora told her story didn’t comfort her, either. She flew high, ignoring the curious looks the humans shot her from the ground. She turned her head this way and that, looking for the distinct rainbow coloration identifying her friend. Seeing nothing, she flew up even higher, breaking through the cloud layer to the blue skies above.
Almost instantly she spotted her friend sitting on the cloud layer with her back turned to her. She hovered over to her friend; Rainbow made no motion as to acknowledge her presence. She set herself down on the cloud next to her. She didn’t say anything, waiting for Rainbow to speak first. It was clear that Rainbow was deep in thought, no doubt as to what about.
They sat next to each other in silence for several minutes. The cool, stratospheric air around them felt nice to the touch. It wasn’t any different as back in Equestria, minus the distant presence of Cloudsdale. Sitting next to Rainbow like this brought to mind childhood memories of flight camp where Rainbow would boast about how great of a flier she was and how she’d make a better teacher to Fluttershy than all the actual instructors combined. The Rainbow Dash sitting next to her now, however, couldn’t be any more different from her past self.
“Hey, ‘Shy,” Rainbow finally said, softly.
Fluttershy turned to her friend. Just as she expected, Rainbow was looking quite upset; her expression was sullen and her eyes were even a little puffy like she’d been crying at some point. That last bit was definitive proof that, indeed, her friend was troubled. She wrapped a comforting wing around Rainbow, which she settled into.
“Twilight and Applejack have been injured, but Serra has already used her healing staff on them,” Fluttershy reported. “They’ll be fine soon enough.”
“That’s good to hear,” Rainbow replied. “What about Florina and Fiora?”
“Florina had a broken arm and I had to fix Fiora’s spine,” Fluttershy added. “Nothing major otherwise.”
“Yeah, Fiora got slammed pretty hard,” Rainbow said, sounding defeated.
There was another bout of silence. Fluttershy tried to muster the courage to ask the question she wanted to but found it a struggle.
“You’re wondering why I did it, aren’t you?”
Fluttershy gave a start at the sudden question. “I-I… what?”
Rainbow smirked. “C’mon, ‘Shy, I know you like the bottom of my hoof. Don’t be afraid to ask the question; I’ll give a straight answer if you really want to know.”
Fluttershy blinked. Then she blushed. Rainbow was right; she did know Fluttershy better than anyone. She was a fool to think she could hide her true feelings.
“You’re right, I should’ve been upfront with you,” she admitted. She cleared her throat and gave Rainbow a disapproving stare. “Why did you do it, Rainbow?”
“Get blood on my hooves?”
Fluttershy nodded.
Rainbow fell on her back, hooves splayed out. “I saw Fiora about to get killed and I didn’t think, I just flew. I wasn’t trying to kill him, but I guess doing the Rainboom wasn’t a smart idea in that case. But it was the only way I was going to reach them in time.” She sighed heavily. “It sucks, you know? If only my plan had worked none of this would’ve happened.”
Fluttershy mulled over her answer. She didn’t see any flaws in Rainbow’s logic, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that there had been another solution.
“So you feel guilty about it, then?” she asked.
Rainbow rolled over onto her stomach. She began poking the cloudstuff while replying. “I don’t know,” she said exasperatedly. “I know Fiora’s grateful to me and I don’t see how it could’ve gone differently, but I’m still feeling bad about it.” She picked up a hoofful of cloudstuff and just stared at it, or more likely, past it to a far off point in her mind. “I guess I’m just upset my plan didn’t work out.” She casually tossed it aside and looked back to Fluttershy. “This won’t affect our friendship, will it?”
Fluttershy felt a weight settle in her heart at the question. She wanted to say something, but her head was swimming with more emotions and questions than she could reasonably sort through at the moment.
“I need some time to think,” she said. She stood up and unfurled her wings.
“Cool, I’ll see you around, then,” Rainbow muttered.
Fluttershy took off through the cloud back down toward the village. The transition from cool to warm air was sudden, lifting her from her melancholy a little. The people of Remi were still bustling about, helping with the battle’s cleanup. She touched down in the middle of the square, attracting many people’s attention.
“Hello, pony,” a random woman carrying a jug said to her. “How are you doing?”
Fluttershy was feeling too down to be intimidated by everyone’s eyes on her. She decided to try to lift her spirits by lending a helping hoof to the cleanup.
“Is there any way I can help you all?” she asked as Rusty sprinted over and hopped back up onto her back.
“Of course you can, sweetie—” the woman said with a smile, “—what a kind young soul.”
Fluttershy blushed. “That’s what I am,” she said modestly.
Rusty let out a happy bark in agreement.
The two of them spent the rest of the day doing odd jobs around the village to help with the cleanup: fetching water, repairing destroyed property and, to Fluttershy’s discomfort, cleaning blood off of weapons. She spent a lot of time talking with villagers as she helped; they proved to be incredibly friendly if a bit disrespectful of her personal space with how many times they tried to pet her. Each time this happened, she directed them to pet Rusty instead, who took to the physical contact with a lot more enthusiasm.
Whenever her attention wasn’t occupied by talking with the villagers, she was busy thinking over what Rainbow had said and trying to make sense of her own feelings on the matter. She understood and agreed with Rainbow’s reasoning for doing what she did, but it still didn’t sit right with her no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise. A couple of times she considered asking the villagers for their opinion on the matter, but always figured they’d be too biased to offer meaningful advice.
It wasn’t until late afternoon when the cleanup was wrapping up that she finally understood what was eating at her. She was walking past the tavern on her way to check up on her friends when she spotted a row of sheet-covered corpses lined up alongside a house near the edge of the village square with a couple of soldiers gathered around them holding extra sheets. A burly male villager came into sight with another corpse in his arms. He plopped it down at the end of the line and one of the soldiers threw a sheet over it.
Fluttershy stared for a moment before changing direction towards them. The three humans were talking with one another but turned their attention to her as she approached.
“Well hello, little pony,” the burly man greeted. “Is there something we can do for ya?”
“Are those brigands or villagers?” she asked, pointing to the corpses.
“Brigands, every last one of ‘em,” he replied with disdain. “We’re planning on burning them after the big celebration at the tavern tonight. Stop on by if you’re lookin’ to try some Ilian mead! I promise it’s the best thing you’ll ever taste this side of the continent.”
“Maybe,” Fluttershy replied, already knowing she wouldn’t bother. “I was just curious. Thanks.”
“No problem. Let’s get going, boys!”
The three of them headed off, leaving Fluttershy and Rusty alone with the bodies. She didn’t need to pull off the sheets to see the dead faces underneath; her imagination could fill in the blanks fine enough.
These brigands instigated the fight. They were the ones that came here with bad intentions, ultimately resulting in their own deaths as well as the deaths of soldiers who took up arms to protect the innocent villagers of this town. Brigands lived outside society, and as such, took to robbing honest, hard-working people of their possessions to sustain themselves. In this case, that desire resulted in bloodshed, and ultimately, with Rainbow getting blood on her own hooves to protect a friend.
The more Fluttershy stood there, the longer she pondered the differences between Equestria and Elibe. Crime did exist in Equestria, but it never amounted to loss of life. Criminals would be content just to steal items off of someone, and, assuming an actual confrontation was to occur, wouldn’t go beyond simply beating up their victim. What happened here in Remi went above and beyond the worst of crimes committed in Equestria in millennia.
These brigands, Fluttershy realized, exemplified the biggest difference between ponies and humans: the value of life. Why that was, she didn’t know, and a part of her wasn’t sure she wanted to. At that moment, she was starting to feel more homesick than she’d ever been since the start of the journey.
The sun was dipping below the horizon by the time she decided to go somewhere else. Where exactly, she didn’t really know. She wanted to go home but couldn’t without the rest of her friends. She took to aimlessly wandering around the village, not bothering to talk to anyone she came across. The distant sounds of merrymaking and laughter could be heard in the direction of the tavern; no doubt, the celebration that burly villager had mentioned was going into full swing. She imagined her friends were there, enjoying themselves, but she had no interest in getting drunk or celebrating the battle’s conclusion despite everyone she cared about being safe. Any and all festive spirit within her was dead, replaced by depression.
She found the trail leading to the beach and headed that way. The sky had cleared up a bit allowing her to easily follow the trail by the moon’s light. The ocean glittered brilliantly under its rays and the waves gently crashed against the shore. A soft breeze came through, spraying sand against her hooves and whistling through the dune grass. A crab skittered across the sand in front of her towards the water.
She sucked in a huge breath and exhaled heavily. She smiled with content. “It sure is peaceful now, isn’t it, Rusty?”
He yelped in agreement.
Fluttershy sat down on her haunches, Rusty hopping off to curl on the ground beside her, and busied herself watching the ocean move while letting her mind wander. The ocean was even more beautiful in the nighttime than the day. She and her friends had never taken a vacation to the beach since they all first met, but even before then, she couldn’t recall any memories of her parents bringing her to the beach on vacation. This was a special experience for her, one that she welcomed wholeheartedly. Being here, looking out at the calm ocean with the natural ambiance was doing wonders for her emotions. No longer was she feeling homesick. This world was worth being a part of for a little while longer.
“Fluttershy! Fluttershy!”
She turned back toward the trail. Under the moon’s light, she could see Twilight, Applejack, and Florina walking down the trail towards her. She waved to them in greeting and they broke into sprints. They gathered around Fluttershy and Rusty, taking a moment to catch their breath before smiling at her. Twilight no longer had the bandage around her hoof and Applejack’s mouth was no longer bleeding.
“We’ve been looking all over for you!” Twilight said. “You had us worried!”
“Oh my, were you?” Fluttershy put a hoof to her mouth in horror. “I’m so sorry.”
“Well, never mind that now,” Applejack said, waving a dismissive hoof. “Everyone’s havin’ a real hootenanny at the tavern. Come on down and have some fun!”
Fluttershy shook her head. “No thanks, I’m okay just sitting here.”
Rusty made another yelp in agreement.
Florina knelt down to Fluttershy’s eye level. The way she crossed her arms over her knees indicated her injury was completely healed. “You looked distraught when you left us earlier. Was something bothering you?”
Fluttershy frowned. A pang of guilt shot through her upon realizing she’d essentially abandoned Florina and Fiora with no explanation. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I’m feeling better now if it helps. I just needed some time to myself to think.”
“You had Rainbow worried too,” Twilight said. “She came to us a little while ago asking if we’d seen you. She sounded more dead inside than I’ve ever heard her.” She lifted a hoof and placed it on Fluttershy’s withers. “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong? Between you two? We’ll help in any way you can.”
Fluttershy smiled and proceeded to explain what was bothering her: the situation between her and Rainbow, her doubts and homesickness, and the conclusion she came to regarding the bandits. Talking about it did help make her feel better as was often the case; having friends willing to lend an attentive ear was always nice.
“So our conversation the other day didn’t allay your doubts?” Florina said once she was finished.
Fluttershy nodded. “But now I think I’ve come to terms that things are just different in this world. Rainbow did what she needed to do in order to save your sister; I can’t hold that against her.”
“But you’re still upset that there exist people who would put their own well-being above the lives of others?”
Another nod. “It’s not something we’re used to back in Equestria. Bad people exist there, but the thought of killing each other is inconceivable.”
“That is true,” Twilight spoke up. “You know, I think I know the reason for this discrepancy between our peoples regarding the value of life.”
Fluttershy tilted her head in curiosity. “Really? What is it?”
Twilight cleared her throat before she began speaking. “Keep in mind that this is all just my theory on the matter, but I believe it’s a well-educated one. What it all boils down to is the course of evolution and how it affects different species. The collective sapient creatures of Equestria have diverse diets but ponies are herbivorous.
“I believe, but will reiterate that this might not be true, that ponies aren’t inclined to kill because of our diet. Before we became sapient, we were herding prey animals that grazed on plants while other animals that evolved along with us hunted living things and ate them to survive, and those instincts still remain with us even now; ponies never get the idea to kill because it was never a part of our evolution. Meanwhile, some people belonging to meat-eating species actually have murdered people even as recent as last month, if you keep up to date with foreign news.
She turned to Florina. “I think the same applies to humans here. After all, you humans eat meat, so it might be that every bandit group that we’ve come across acts under this instinct to varying degrees.”
“Wow Twilight, dija just now think of all that?” Applejack asked, amazed.
“I’ve had an inkling for a little while. Regardless, I do believe that a strong morality can override these instincts. And by no means am I trying to insinuate that herbivores are superior because of this; I’m just trying to offer an interesting point of view.”
“Well, I suppose it makes as much sense as anything,” Florina said.
It did make sense, Fluttershy realized, and after thinking it over, an odd sense of calm washed over her. Maybe it was because Twilight’s idea supported the notion that, just like her human friends, the bandits didn’t really enjoy killing people either. But at the same time, if Twilight was right, then she’d be hard pressed to do anything to stop it; instincts weren’t something that could be easily countered. She didn’t like it but figured she’d just have to accept it.
“I also feel I should mention that Rainbow isn’t the only one of us who got blood on her hooves, in a manner of speaking,” Twilight said, pulling Fluttershy from her thoughts with a frown.
“What do you mean?” she asked, confused.
“Oswin was the one who actually killed that shaman that attacked us, but I did do a little damage to him before then.” Twilight made an expression halfway between a grimace and a sheepish smile. “I kinda sorta crushed his kneecap with the bottom of my hoof. But only because nothing else I did to subdue him worked. Even my magic didn’t work, amazingly enough.”
Fluttershy let out a sharp gasp.
Applejack laughed. “Never thought you could get so physical, Twi!” She playfully hit Twilight’s shoulder.
Twilight rubbed the spot where she’d hit. “I also feel I should go on the record stating this: I respect the belief that, when diplomacy fails, killing those who want to hurt your loved ones might be necessary. If there was ever a time that morality dictated someone die, it would be for that reason.”
“I concur,” Applejack said. “I don’t like it, but I can’t turn a blind eye to truth when I see it.”
“With all that said,” Twilight continued, turning back to Fluttershy, “I think Rainbow could use a little reassurance that you don’t hold anything against her.”
Fluttershy nodded. “You’re right. Do you know where she is?’
“She and my husband left the tavern at the same time as us three,” Florina explained. “They didn’t say where they were going, but they were heading towards the eastern edge of town.”
“Thanks.” Fluttershy turned down the trail.
“And Fluttershy?” Twilight said.
Fluttershy turned back to her. “Yes?”
“When you’re done, please come to the tavern and join the party,” Twilight pleaded. “Everyone’s having a great time. Even if you’re not interested in the mead, having all of our friends together would make it all the better.”
“I’ll think about it,” Fluttershy promised, even though she still wasn’t sure she’d feel comfortable being there.
She waved goodbye to her friends as she headed back to the village. She passed through the town, heading toward the eastern edge as Florina said. The tavern was still bursting with activity as she passed by; she thought she could hear Fiora cheering someone on inside, probably for a drinking challenge. She passed through the village square and down alleyways between houses, eventually coming to the wall surrounding the village. She decided to follow it south first. Rusty was fully alert, his ears twitching, listening for any sign of Rainbow and Hector. She made it to the southeastern corner of the village with no sign of her friend, so she turned around and headed north.
All the while she walked, a feeling of guilt took root in her heart. She imagined Rainbow was probably feeling disheartened after their earlier encounter, afraid that her closest friend since fillyhood might not want to be friends with her anymore because of her good intentions going awry. That guilty feeling settled further into her the longer she walked without Rusty picking up any sign of her friend. Instinctively, she picked up her pace from a walk to a trot.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Rusty alerted her to a sound coming from her left and she followed his direction. A distant conversation made its way to her ears after a bit, eventually forming the unmistakable voices of Rainbow Dash and Hector. A smile crossed her face and she picked up her pace a little. She came around a house and stopped, the smile falling as she took in the scene before her.
A small cemetery was arranged in a dirt clearing, tombstones of various sizes carefully arranged in neat rows and columns. Rainbow Dash was standing in a fresh grave at the end of one row with a shovel in her mouth, digging at a rushed pace, while Hector stood a little ways off with his back turned to Fluttershy. Next to the hole were the eviscerated halves of the brigand leader’s corpse, covered with sheets.
Fluttershy stepped back behind the house, watching as the two conversed.
“—bothering to dig this guy a grave. Why not let him join the pyre along with the rest of his followers?”
Rainbow stuck the shovel into the dirt and wiped some sweat off her forehead with an exhausted sigh. “Look, I just need to get some feelings off my chest, and this is the best way I can think to do it.” She picked the shovel back up and resumed digging.
“I get that you’re upset about what happened, but isn’t it enough to have the support of your friends?”
Rainbow stopped digging again. A brief silence descended upon the cemetery before she replied, her tone uncharacteristically somber.
“I don’t know if I can count on their support right now.”
Fluttershy felt an icy stab of pain in her heart at those words.
Rainbow resumed digging again. Hector was quiet for a moment before he turned and started heading towards a small wooden shack a short walk away from the cemetery.
“Where are you going?” Rainbow asked.
“To get another shovel,” Hector replied.
Rainbow watched him go for a few moments. Fluttershy could see the gears turning in her friend’s head as she tried to figure out the meaning behind Hector’s words. When she did, she resumed digging with a chipper expression
Fluttershy waited until Hector was out of sight before she approached Rainbow Dash. Her friend stopped digging upon hearing her hoofsteps, turning around. The shovel fell from her mouth as her jaw gaped.
“Fluttershy! Why are you here!? I-I mean— I’m happy to see you, but how long have you been listening? I promise I’m doing this under my free will! Hector isn’t making me do this; I just wanted to— mphf!” She was silenced by Fluttershy’s wing covering her mouth.
Fluttershy waited a few moments before Rainbow visibly relaxed and she removed her wing. She giggled at her friend’s blushing cheeks before speaking. “Why don’t you take a rest and let me help with the digging for a little bit?”
Rainbow stared deadpan for a few moments as the gears went to work again, after which her muzzle split into a broad smile and her eyes sparkled. “So you forgive me? We’re still friends?”
Fluttershy just nodded.
Rainbow shot up into the air with her hooves outstretched. “Yes!” she cried with joy.
Fluttershy giggled again, then picked the shovel up in her mouth and started digging.
Hector arrived with another shovel a minute later. He looked surprised to see Fluttershy digging while Rainbow was watching her. He looked between the two, his face splitting into confusion. “Did I miss something here?”
Rainbow Dash burst out laughing while Fluttershy spat out the shovel.
“Just a couple of friends making amends,” she told him.
Hector stared deadpan for a moment before he held out the new shovel to Rainbow. “You want it now that you have help?”
Rainbow recovered from her laughter and flew over, grabbing the shovel from him and joining Fluttershy in the grave.
“You ponies are weird sometimes.”