//------------------------------// // May Chaotic Showers Bring About Beautiful Butterflies Part 1 // Story: The Wife of the Old Draconequus // by misskoifishpony //------------------------------// “Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale.” Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn May Chaotic Showers Bring About Beautiful Butterflies Part 1 Twelve years later … “Good morning Ms. Shy.” Fluttershy squinted her eyes at the morning light peeking through her bedroom window. Despite being so sleepy, she was able to glimpse at her favorite maid opening the curtains and greeting her with a soft smile. The maid in question was a full figured woman, dressed in a traditional, black and white maid outfit, with light blue skin, and pink and white swirled hair, tied in a functional and modest bun. On top of her head was a white ruffled maid’s bonnet. Fluttershy chuckled in her throat a little at the maid’s cheerful morning attitude. She began to rub her eyes and replied in a quiet, groggy voice, “Good morning to you to Mrs. Cake.” “How did ya sleep, dearie?” She asked, walking over to Fluttershy’s closet and pulled out her freshly ironed Crystal Prep uniform. The sleepy high schooler yawned and stretched out her arms wide and into the sky. She answered in mid-yawn, “Oh good, thank you. How did you and Mr. Cake sleep? Did the twins give you two any trouble last night?” As Mrs. Cake laid out the uniform at the end of the king sized canopy bed, she remarked with a giggle, “Oh, only a little bit of fussing dear, but nothing to sprout grey hairs about! Ha ha!” “I don’t know how you and Mr. Cake do it. Both of you have to wake up so early for your jobs. I can’t imagine balancing that with raising twins.” “You get used to it once you become a parent. You adapt even faster if you have twins running around, or crawling around actually. I swear, those two little rascals have more energy than a Sugar Bunny on espresso! Of course, Mr. Cake and I have always been morning people, but thanks to our little angels and the wonders of caffeine, we’ve even more energetic than morning news anchors on TV,” Mrs. Cake playfully chuckled at the end. As Fluttershy sat up in her bed, letting a giggle escape through her lips. She tried to hide her small smile from Mrs. Cake, though the maid was able to catch it easily and smirked playfully at her. Then, Fluttershy shifted her gaze to her bedroom window and was able to take in the beautiful, faint details of the morning. The glistening morning dew covered all the plants, trees, and grass in the quaint, private neighborhood. As the morning mist cleared, the streets and roads were fresh from the rain that poured last night. Fluttershy could even see some butterflies fluttering about; taking in some of the morning nectar before all the other bugs could. Further in the distance, just in the back part of the neighborhood, was a little forest area that separated the citizens from the city and other communities in the town, protecting the inhabitants from the rampant and belligerent sounds that constantly echoed within the city limits. But the best part about the view for Fluttershy was that, as far as she could tell so far, there were no fae around. Not in the neighborhood or the forest behind it. None anywhere. Just the peaceful sight of morning. She sighed softly in contentment, “What a beautiful morning.” “The day must be shining just for you, sweetie.” Mrs. Cake remarked genuinely, with a sincere grin on her face. Fluttershy blushed a little and averted her eyes away from Mrs. Cake, “Oh, I don’t know about that. But, thank you Mrs. Cake. You’re too sweet.” Before Mrs. Cake headed out the door, she asked Fluttershy, “Would you like me to help you get dressed before I prepare breakfast?” “Oh no no. You go on ahead, I’ll be down shortly. Thank you though.” Then in an excited but determined tone, Mrs. Cake proposed Fluttershy, “Very well then! In that case, what would you like for breakfast? I can make it special for you. Let’s kick off this Monday right, as I always say!” Fluttershy giggled as she pulled the covers away from her, “What did you have in mind?” “Glad you asked! I was thinking my special sunnyside pancakes. You put sunnyside eggs on top of a stack of pancakes, and then, drizzle it in maple syrup.” “That sounds wonderful Mrs. Cake. I’ll have the special sunnyside pancakes please.” “Coming right up!” Once Mrs. Cake left the room, Fluttershy carefully peeked over the side of the bed. Once she felt that everything was safe, she slowly brought her head towards the ground and looked under the bed before letting out a quiet sigh of relief. The coast was clear. There were no fae under her bed. Her worries eased but not settled, Fluttershy let her eyes quickly but efficiently scanned the room. She specifically directed her gaze to the dark corners of her ceiling, her carpeted floor, and any other shadowy area in her room. This proved more challenging as her bedroom was completely covered hues of royal blue, dark purple, and fuchsia, all dark colors and only served to conceal more in the darkness. In fact, every overly detailed piece of furniture, all the complicated patterns of her bedroom walls, every painting hung on those walls, every single measure of her bedroom was covered in these hues. Because of this, it was clear to all who entered her room that the bedroom reflect more of her aunt’s taste rather than Fluttershy’s. The only thing that even screamed of the shy girl’s own personal touch was the white and pink orchid placed on the bedroom window sill. When Fluttershy finally felt that the room was safe from the fae, she crawled off her bed. Stretching out her arms and back once more, she headed towards her orchid. “Good morning little orchid. How are you today?” She whispered happily to the flower. While no response came, she still lightly petted the soft petals of the orchid with the tip of her pointer finger, treating the plant as though it were akin to a dog or a cat. “Would you like some water?” Fluttershy strolled over to her work desk and picked up a baby pink spray bottle. Walking back to her plant, she proceeded to misting the dirt and roots. Once her orchid was thoroughly cared for, she walked over to her closet, pausing for a moment to take a breath. With a quick yank, she opened the closet and was relieved to find no fae in sight, just an orderly line of clothes that only her aunt could approve of. Still on alert, Fluttershy went over her vanity and opened each of its drawers. No fae in each of them. She did the same for the cabinet closet. No fae in there either. Once she felt like the room was safe from fae, Fluttershy took the uniform off the end of her bed. The attire consisted of a maroon purple plaid skirt, a matching maroon purple jacket, a light blue collar with accompanying navy blue bow tie, navy blue knee high socks, and black clogs. Fluttershy stared down at the uniform in her arms with a sheepish frown. She let out a disappointed sigh before changing out of her light green, long sleeved nightgown. Fluttershy quickly moseyed down the stairs in her uniform, quickly adding the finishing touches to her bun as she reached the last step. Said bun, was just as conservative, and well kept as her aunt’s everyday bun, though with the added flare of a butterfly clip. The butterfly on the clip had light pink wings, along with a small light blue body and matching antenna. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, and went down the hallway to her left, she was led to a rather unnecessarily large dining room. Her aunt was already sitting at the head of the large, mahogany dining table, eating half a grapefruit for breakfast and occupying her time with a leatherbound book in her hands. Fluttershy tried tip toeing into the room and quickly take her seat, but this was all done in vain. “You’re late,” Ms. Cinch uttered in a cold tone, still not taking her attention away from her book. “Oh, um, good morning Ms. Cinch,” Fluttershy responded properly, curtising before her superior. “My apologies for keeping you waiting. Do forgive me.” “Despite your tardiness, you are fortunately forgiven.” She answered, closing her book promptly and proceeded to drinking tea from her fine china cup. “However, I cannot say if other people will excuse such inconsiderate behavior from you in the future. And please don’t tell me that you were looking for any hallucinations in your room again.” “Oh no Ms. Cinch, I wasn’t looking for any…” However, as Fluttershy took her seat at the end of the long dining table, her eyes widened in terror at what she saw appearing on her aunt’s shoulders. It was a fairly large cat with a long tail and equally long, almost shaggy navy bluefur with light blue stripes. To Fluttershy, this cat would look like a Norwegian Forest Cat, were it not for the size of his head and facial features, which were...eye catching, to say the least. At first glance the cat seemed normal, with a small black nose and a set of bent whiskers, but those were the only normal parts of its body. His head and ears were twice the size of any cat she has ever known, while the shape of his head was almost a perfect oval. He also had piercing green eyes that looked more reptilian than feline. But to Fluttershy, the most unsettling and unnatural feature about this cat-like fae was his grin. It was as wide as his face, maybe even wider than his entire head. His menacingly joyful leer showed off all his wonderfully sharp fangs, far sharper than any knife or spear. The creature licked his lips, revealing a long and sickly black tongue, only adding further glisten to his fangs. Most unsettling however, his smile never broke once as he licked of his lips. Fluttershy gulped quietly to herself as the fae stared at her intently, her aunt completely oblivious to all that was going on. In her mind, this creature reminded Fluttershy of a twisted version of the Cheshire Cat from Alice In Wonderland. That was the one book that Fluttershy couldn’t really finish even to this day. It reminded her too much of her own reality with the fae. “Any what exactly?” Ms. Cinch asked skeptically, arching one of her eyebrows high at Fluttershy. “O-Oh,” Fluttershy slightly stuttered, bringing her attention back to reality. She recollected her thoughts as fast as she could and cleared her throat, “I was just saying that I wasn’t looking for any childish delusions in my room. Or anything of that sort! I was just... looking... for my... clip! Yes, my hair clip!” “Oh really? Is that so?” She asked skeptically once more, placing her tea cup onto the fine, patterned, china plate. “Because it looked like you saw something towards my direction. Or perhaps, something on me?” “Oh that,” Fluttershy struggled in her continued lie, “I was looking towards your direction so intently was because I was admiring how your brochet from Grandmother Cinch looked in the light. It really is quite stunning.” “Hmm,” Cinch uttered, sounding unconvinced by her niece’s lie, “Well, thank you for the compliment, Fluttershy. Despite the fact that I wear this particular brochet everyday, you’re still too... kind.” She spoke the last word with a subtle but still noticeable bit of disdain, though her niece seemed to completely miss it. Sighing in relief, Fluttershy subtly, but quickly grabbed her tea cup, and began gulping down the warm liquid inside. She distracted herself with the view shining from the large horizontal dining room window on her left. Not only did her aunt catch her looking at the fae, but now, the fae knew that she can see it... the fae knew that she’s a sleigh beggy. Even as she tried not to think about it, Fluttershy could feel the creature’s gaze, peering down even more than before. Luckily, salvation came when Mrs. Cake cheerfully strolled out of the kitchen door behind Ms. Cinch. The delicious and aromatic of the sunnyside pancake special followed with each step she took. Fluttershy took her her gaze away from the window and happily smiled at Mrs. Cake. “Here you go dearie,” said the sweet maid, placing the food in front of Fluttershy. “Mrs. Cake, care to tell me what you just placed in front of Ms. Shy?” Mrs. Cake immediately turned her attention to the lady of the house. Her posture immediately fixed to be extremely formaal and straight for Ms. Cinch. She honestly didn’t know how to answer her question, but despite this, she had to answer it, “Oh, um, it’s her breakfast. Ms. Cinch.” “And did Ms. Shy request this specific meal from you this morning?” “Well uh, I,” Mrs. Cake answered in a guilty tone, “No. She didn’t. I made the offer this morning and I thought it could make her Monday special. You know, start her day with a little treat.” Ms. Cinch rolled her eyes in response. Then, she remarked in an un-amused, yet sarcastic tone, “Oh yes, fried meat on top of some fattening, fried, cakes drizzled in sugar. What a treat.” “Oh come now Ms. Cinch,” Mrs. Cake tried to convince the stern woman in a positive tone, “There’s nothing wrong with having a treat every now and then.” “Really?” Then, Ms. Cinch paused in order to slowly scan and scrutinize Mrs. Cake’s entire body with her eyes. She started from her feet and slowly went all the way back to the maid’s eyes. Mrs. Cake’s eyes expressed her sense of confusion, guilt, and embarrassment of this entire situation, keenly aware of Cinch’s intentions... “Is that so?” Ms. Cinch continued, “Hmph. That’s hard to believe, Mrs. Cake. Based on what I... see right now.” In that moment, Fluttershy wanted to scream. She wanted to scream at her aunt for being so insensitive and rude to a woman as lovely and endearing as Mrs. Cake. She wanted her voice to be so loud that all of the neighborhood, no, the whole world could hear it. However, once again, fear had made her silent and hesitant. Not only was she still intimidated by her aunt, but she was also terrified of the fae hanging off her aunt’s shoulder. Fluttershy had quickly learned during her life with the fae is to never make sudden movements or sounds in their presence. She had to keep pretending that she couldn’t see this bizarre looking fae, as difficult as that has continually proven to be. “With that said,” Ms. Cinch proceeded in a scolding tone, “Could you please remove that horrible display from Ms. Shy’s sight and bring her out some grapefruit.” “Y-Yes Ms. Cinch.” Ms. Cake gave a sad, solemn nod to Ms. Cinch before removing Fluttershy’s plate. As she did so, Fluttershy’s gaze was entranced in terror by the sight of the fae jumping off her aunt’s shoulder. The creature prowled on the table towards her, like the menacing domestic cat it resembles. The fae’s stare became more intense, and more fixated on Fluttershy’s every breath and move. Fluttershy had to think of a plan and quick. She stood up from her chair carefully but sufficiently. Then, she promptly but politely stated, “Actually Ms. Cinch, I’m not very hungry. I think tea shall suffice for now, thank you. I really should be going.” “Very well then, I shall call for Mr. Doodle to bring the Bentley around. He should be able to take you to Crystal Prep in about five minutes or so.” However, before Ms. Cinch could pull out her cellphone, Fluttershy politely interrupted her with, “Oh, there’s no need. I don’t want to trouble Mr. Doodle with such a short trip. The school isn’t too far from here, so I’ll walk. Besides, I need to keep my figure in check after all.” With an arched eyebrow, Ms. Cinch asked in a suspicious tone, “Are you gaining weight again?” “Gotta go!” Fluttershy quickly dismissed. She hastily walked out of the dining room, with her book bag and lunch in hand, and a fake smile plastered on her face. Focusing her eyes on the front door around the corner instead of the judging stare of her aunt and the threatening lear of the fae. The lady of the house let out a disappointed sigh to herself and massaged her left temple with the tips of her fingers before returning to her English tea. The last thing that Fluttershy could see when she left the house was the brief but horrifying view of the creature’s twisted smile and his wide eyes following her movements from the dining room window. Speaking of the mysterious feline-like fae on the dining room table, its giant ears perked when it heard a violent ripping sound coming from behind. When it turned its head around like an owl, its big eyes widened at a glowing, blue, open portal magically forming in the air. A fine, white gloved, human looking hand tore through the portal quickly. With a single swipe, the hand grabbed the fae by its hunches, and pulled it into the portal. The fae protested and hissed profusely before disappearing with the portal, leaving not a trace of its presence behind. The glowing portal reopened, and the feline-like fae fell out instantly, landing with a thud on a hard yet smooth surface. The portal closed as soon as it came, and the fae put its paw on its now throbbing forehead. As the fae slowly lifted its head away, the creature noticed that it landed on a wooden cottage window sill. It gazed upon the new surroundings and found itself in a living room that defied the laws of logic. Quite literally. Furniture was floating around, defying gravity. Even the fire that was supposed to be in the hearth was floating around without a care in the world. Books, household plants, a record player, and even giant pieces of bunny shaped dust were floating all around, surprisingly without bumping into the walls. If this room had walls that is. It was hard to tell what exactly inhabited the room on account on how dark it was. The fae could only see things illuminated by the light of the window shining from behind, and by the piece of fire that was randomly floating around. The fae’s sensitive nose picked up how old the room smelt, almost as if it were centuries upon centuries old, without the forgiving scent of mothballs to calm it down. The room was filled with the scent of dust, old books, and another mysterious yet familiar odor that could not be described. The strange scent reminded the fae of old candy mixed in an old witch’s brew. The fae’s eyes widened when it realized why the aroma was so familiar. It looked to one of the dark corners of the living room and saw a pair of white gloves floating, holding a polished looking cane in its clutch. It was him. The one that all fae despised. The one that all humans would fear if they could see him. Ignis Spiritus Chao. Prognatus Morte. The Chaotic Mage. “Ugh, you know,” The fae groaned, its voice sounding surprisingly smooth, masculine, and with a bit of southern drawl to it, “You could have just, I don’t know, poofed me back here with your magic. That would have made things a bit easier than literally grabbing me out of thin air.” In his bona fide, yet naturally mischievous sounding voice, the mage chuckled at the fae’s remark, “Ha ha, and where’s the fun in that?” “Besides,” Then, the mage began to mock the fae in a belittling tone, “This is what the naughty kitty deserves for not delivering on his end of the bargain.” “That wasn’t my fault!” The fae protested, now standing on his two hind legs and placing his paws on his hips in an all too human manner. “That was all on you, my friend.” “Did you honestly think that this,” The fae then used his paws to gesture and point out the size of his head and face to the mage, “Could lure a sweet girl out of her fancy smancy mansion?” “What are you talking about?” The mage remarked in a genuinely confused tone, “I made you into an adorable little kitten. She loves boring, sweet looking animals like yourself. How could you not resist you? You just didn’t play your part right.” “Uhhh, how long has it been since you’ve see an adorable little kitten? Last time I checked, they don’t have huge, creepy smiles plastered on their faces. Especially, smiles that can never move. Ever. Trust me, I would have been a lot better off approaching her in my real form.” “She’s afraid of creatures like you and I. Your true self would have only scared her off.” “Man, a Sleigh Beggy scared of magical creatures. Now, I’ve seen everything.” “And you, a creature of magic, not even remotely interested in your beloved Child of Glass no less. This world of ours is just full of wonderfully puzzling riddles.” “I’m not all magical you know. Besides, it’s going to take a lot more than a ‘precious queen bee’ to make me go buzzing around like a desperate little drone” As a tea cup filled with brew floated magically towards the mage hidden in the shadows, the mysterious gentleman commented with, “Yes well, regardless, thanks to your incompetence, we have no choice but lure her out later this evening.” With his eyebrow arched in suspicion, but his wide smile and eyes never changing, the feline fae asked, “I still don’t get why you can’t just chase after her yourself.” “Again, magical monster here, genius. An impressively scary looking one, I might add. She’ll scream the moment she sees me before running in the opposite direction.” “Fine, then what’s the big deal of bringing her now versus later? What’s up with the evenings with you, huh?” The fae was suddenly taken aback by the sight of the mage’s beady yet bright red, glowing eyes. The kind of eyes that could, not only pierce through the dark living room, but also right through the fae’s spirit. With a forebodding chuckle and in an almost sinister tone, the mage questioned, “Do you really want to see my face in the pitch darkness of night?” “N-No… ” The fae answered breathlessly. “I thought so,” The mage darkly laughed in his throat, his chuckle echoing throughout the room. “Now, be gone with you. Wait for her back at that pathetic wooden establishment that she calls a home.” “And once I retrieve her for you, you will…” “Yes, yes. I will return you back to your normal, boring self. Blah blah!” The mage dismissed in annoyance, “Honestly, does this look like the face of a liar to you?” “Yes,” The fae answered bluntly. “Ha ha! Good answer! Ha ha!” The mage laughed joyously, complete unaffected by the blatant jab at his character. “Welllll, aren’t you going to open up the portal again?” “Again, where’s the fun in that, kitty?” The mage emphasized at the end with a slight purr in his voice. The feline fae growled under his breath, and proceeded to open the cottage window, “The name’s Capper, you good for nothing, crazy ole… ” But, before he took off back to the Cinch household, he turned to the mage and asked honestly, “Seriously though, why do you need the girl anyway? Last time I checked, you weren’t the type of creature to go gaga over a Slay Vega either.” “Hmm, good question my curious feline.” The trickster mage remarked devilishly, “Hmm, my answer. My answer. My reason. Well, that’s just for me to know and for the rest of the neighborhood to find out later. Trust me, it will become plainly obvious in due time.” Once Fluttershy was a couple of houses away from her home, she smiled and took a moment to enjoy the crisp, but sunny morning walk to school. The mist had just cleared up, and everything was still fresh and shining with glistening dew. All the gardens in the neighborhood were in bloom, and their light, flowery scents filled the air so nicely. To Fluttershy, it seemed like the trees were growing a bit taller this year. The sky was light blue and decorated with some white, stream-like clouds. Fluttershy closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, allowing herself to actually feel calm in this brief stroll before facing the stress and the despair that came with going to school. All those eyes on her all the time. All these students judging her no matter what she did. All those teachers that kept a close watch on her on behalf of Ms. Cinch’s orders. All those subtle but still clear whispers behind her back. The day to day verbal bullying by the popular girls. Just... everything about that place... the whole experience made Fluttershy feel like she was suffocating alone in a cage. As if her own home wasn’t restraining enough. The only sense of freedom she had in this world was her occasional chance to walk to school, and of course her bunny friend Angel. Speaking of Angel, Fluttershy began to look for her little companion near the white wooden fence of Ms. Faun’s front yard. Because she wasn’t allowed to have any pets of her own, Fluttershy had to keep her secret pet bunny outside of the house. Since Ms. Faun was a veterinarian, Fluttershy confided this secret to her and begged her to let Angel bunny live in the bushes of her front yard. Luckily, Ms. Faun was a kind woman and accepted the task without question. Fluttershy checked to make sure that the neighbors weren’t out yet before crouching down near the bushes on Ms. Faun’s front yard. She then whispered sweetly, “Angel, are you there? It’s me, mommy.” And right on cue, a cute and fluffy white bunny jumped out of the bushes. With his poofy little tail wagging in all. He jumped into his owner’s arms, which made her giggle in delight. “Daww, I missed you too sweetie.” Fluttershy pulled away slightly from their hug and asked, “Did you sleep well? Were you freezing last night? I heard it got a little cold last night, and I was so worried about you not being warm enough.” With a smile, Angel shook his head side to side. He patted his owner’s shoulders with his tiny paw casually. He let out a couple of squeaks to indicate that he was fine and well. It never ceased to amaze Fluttershy just how smart the little guy was, if nothing else it eased her concerns of leaving him alone. “Still, just in case, if tonight gets any colder than last night,” Then, Fluttershy pulled out a bunny sized quilted blanket she had made from her book bag, “I made this for you.” The stitch work was not the finest, the patches of color certainly lacked in taste, and it was clear to Angel that this blanket was made in a rush. However, once she put the blanket on his shoulders, he found it to be quite warm and comforting. And for that, he was thankful. He gave his owner another big hug, which caused her to smile warmly and take in the kindness of his touch. After their hug, Fluttershy folded up the blanket, hid it in the bushes before allowing Angel to hop into her book bag. Fluttershy stood in front of the spiked, black iron gates of Crystal Prep solemnly. To those who didn’t live within the town, they would be more than likely to assume that the massive, Notre-Dame like building was a house of worship as opposed to a school. Ironically, they wouldn’t be too far off, as Ms. Cinch, along with the other higher ups in the town had made the school a Catholic school. Though, it wasn’t for religious reasons, as none in attendance practiced any sort of scriptures or the like. No, it was to allow the enforcement of many strict regulations and standards, allowing those in charge the ability to better control the students. The ultimate result was a school that came with a highly oppressive atmosphere, more akin to a prison than a school. A very well paid for prison filled with very pampered inmates and guards. It was a sight Fluttershy had seen many times and yet even now, she still couldn’t truly breathe as she took in the sight of the buildings and it’s intimidating gates. Instead, she merely clenched tightly to her book bag strap in a vain attempt to calm her nerves. Angel peeked out of the book bag and tugged on the bottom of her coat firmly yet gently, finally bringing the girl out of her daze. She looked down at her rabbit, who was giving her a thumbs up. With a determined smile, Fluttershy uttered aloud, “You’re right, Angel. I can do this. This morning didn’t started out on the right foot, but that doesn’t mean the rest of my day will. Not as long as I keep my chin up.” With newfound determination, Fluttershy walked proudly towards the school. As she journeyed towards the school’s entrance, Angel silently applauded his friend. As Fluttershy entered, she was quickly met with the crowds of teenagers, standing and socializing out in the front area of the school, many of them already gathered in their respective cliques. The popular social elites, the athletes of the well known and popular sports, the athletes of sports that nobody at the school cared about, the egotistical intellects, the shy awkward gaming nerds, class clowns, artsy kids too artsy for their own good, etc. As a breeze softly blew through the area, some of the strands from Fluttershy’s bun began to stand out and blow into her eyes. As she pushed away some of these strands, and tried to smooth them back in, Fluttershy noticed a tree off to the side of her pebble stone pathway. Her eyes became big at what she saw lingering on the top branches of the tree. It was a giant hare. A giant, man sized hare. It’s fur color was split in half, right down the middle. The left side of the fae was bright white, while the other side was pitch black. The fae had long, shiny, silky looking fur, tall yet pointed ears and glowing, yellow, pupiless eyes. It was like there was no soul, no mind to this creature behind those eyes. Fluttershy was so terrified and distracted by the fae jumping out of the tree that she had forgotten where she was going and accidentally bumped into someone. When the hare like fae landed on the ground, it didn’t notice Fluttershy. Instead, the fae decided to turn itself into a stout looking horse with sturdy legs and with a long, flowing mane. Just like it’s hare form, it was still white and black with glowing yellow eyes. Meanwhile, Fluttershy immediately and quickly apologized to the student that she bumped into, over and over again. Not really realizing exactly who she bumped into. It was Sunny Flare, one of the most fashionable and popular girls in school. She also happened to be her cousin. And when Fluttershy bumped into her, it accidentally made the stylish student drop her phone and make its screen crack on impact. “My phone!” She cried out, quickly grabbing her precious device back from the ground. “Oh no,” Fluttershy muttered to herself as she rapidly tried to re-gather herself. She immediately recognized that voice. When Fluttershy turned to face Sunny Flare, silently gulping when she saw that a group of other girls were with her. “Ugh, of course it had to be you, Crazy Shy,” Sunny Flare groaned with a disapproving stare, holding onto her precious broken phone, “Let me guess: It wasn’t your fault. It was your imaginary friend who magically and ‘accidentally’ knocked it out of my hands because they just didn’t know any better, right?” “Oh no, this was all my fault. I’m so sorry Cousin Sunny.” Fluttershy apologized sincerely to the best of her ability, trying to hide the fear in her voice. “I told you,” Sunny hissed quickly under her breath, “Don’t ever call me that outside the house. Got it?” “Yes well, sorry isn’t going to buy me a new phone, is it?” She then remarked loudly with great disdain in her tone. “Well, um, no.” Fluttershy replied in a quiet yet guilty tone, “I...I suppose not.” “Don’t worry, Sunny,” a girl with a pink and green striped, ponytail, named Sour Sweet chimed in sweetly. Then, her tone changed into something more hostile and grumpy, “I’m sure that good ole Crazy Shy won’t mind throwing some dollars your way in order to make up for her own clumsiness.” “She’s right, I can pay your back. But, I just need time to…” “You don’t have a job,” an indigo skinned girl with light pigtails named Sugar Coat commented, bluntly and emotionless, “How are you supposed to pay her back?” “I-I’ll get a job!” Fluttershy squeaked. “Geez, crazy, clumsy and dumb. Pfft! How pathetic can you get?” Muttered a sporty looking girl with orange goggles, and with short, dark blue and light blue, striped hair. This student’s name was Indigo Zap. “Dude! You gotta hear this new rock, techno remix by Vinyl Scratch!” exclaimed a bright pink skinned, neon green haired girl wearing headphones on her head. Her name was Lemon Zest and she removed her headphones in order to put them on Indigo’s ears. “It’s A-mazing!” The volume of the song was cranked to full volume, and the song almost shattered Indigo’s ear drums. Indigo practically ripped the headphones off and shoved them back to Lemon Zest, “Ah! Not now Lemon!” “I’m..I’m sorry for being so clumsy. I...I didn’t mean to.” Fluttershy apologized again to the group, looking down at her feet as she did so. Just then, the school bell rang and the all of the students started to head back then. Each of the girls in the group purposely bumped into Fluttershy as they left her side. That is except for Lemon Zest. She was too caught up in her music to see where she was going. Fluttershy took all their hits without protest. But, with each bump, more and more of her initial determination began to fade out of her. She soon remembered the kind of girl she was at this school. Crazy Shy, the weird rich girl who still believes in imaginary friends. Angel Bunny peeked out sadly out of Fluttershy's bookbag, watching his dear friend walk slowly to the school. He even witnessed the condemning glare her aunt, the school principal, gave Fluttershy as she was “greeting” each student at the front door of the academy. The fae that Fluttershy saw earlier, meanwhile, witnessed the Sleigh Baggy’s solemn stroll into the institution. The fae was now a black and white cat instead of a horse. It’s eyes remained glowing, bright yellow, and didn’t hold any judgement or emotion. One of it’s ears perked when it heard something coming from behind. The sound came from Capper, panting heavily as he walked along the top of the gate to Crystal Prep. “Almost... there… ” Capper heaved out, “Only... oh geez... a couple of blocks... to go! Ugh! That... stupid... mage! Poofing… me... all the way... back... to his house... on the... other side... of... town.” The mysterious fae’s soulless eyes followed Capper’s movement with great intent as it saw the strange looking cat running back towards Fluttershy’s house. Intrigued, the fae decided to transform into a black and white, long haired, Irish Wolfhound and chase after Capper. When the fae began to bark at Capper, who turned his head around like an owl and saw the magical canine trying to chase after the tip of his tail, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Capper pumped as hard as he could to push his already tired furry legs and sprinted towards Fluttershy’s neighborhood. This encouraged the dog shaped fae to run after Capper even more and sprint rapidly. “Stupid mage!” Capper yelled out with great gusto and anger. The rest of Fluttershy’s day from the morning on was not treating her especially well. In fact, everything just went down hill from the moment she arrived at school. During her ACT Calculus class, she received a group text from Sour Sweet. On the group text, she saw a picture of her face plastered upon the body of someone in a white straight jacket. In the lap of the body that her face was attached to was a small image of Sunny Flare’s broken phone. Fluttershy quickly put her phone away and continued to ignore the taunting glares of her snickering classmates, who all received that same group text. Listening more closely, Fluttershy heard very distinctly the mocking giggles of the girls she bumped into this morning. Once the students had stopped laughing at her expense, Fluttershy looked up to the lesson on the board. But, instead of focusing on the lesson, she immediately saw a fae sitting on the shoulders of her teacher. She has seen this creature before. It had the head of a chicken but the green, scaly body of a small dragon. Her feet began to turn quickly into stone when she stared into its glowing but tiny red eyes. She knew that if she didn’t get out of the room quick, she, or worse Angel, would turn into solid stone statues. Its target was her, and not the rest of the students or teacher in the classroom. Without raising her hand, Fluttershy jolted out of her seat, grabbed her book bag, and quickly excused herself out the room. As she did so, the stone that were forming on her feet broke off and she was able to steadily speed walk out of the room. She ignored the protests from the teacher, along with the sound of her fellow classmates whispering about her behind her back. While Fluttershy was leaving the room, she could hear the chicken-like fae squawk loudly and follow aggressively behind her. Fluttershy kept her head down, her hands close to her chest, and her body aimed for the door, trying best not to encourage the fae as she made it out the door. The only thing that could save her in that moment was slamming the door on the creature, and sure enough, the fae immediately crashed into the window part of the door before painfully sliding down back to the floor. Once the fae could see that it could no longer obtain his target, he limped away from the door and weakly flew out of the slightly opened classroom window. Meanwhile, the whole classroom just burst into laughter and horribly chuckled about just how crazy and delusional their classmate was. The teacher settled the loud laughter that engulfed the room and prepared a note that would send Fluttershy immediately to Principal Cinch’s office... again, for the third time this month. As for Sunny, she looked back at the door with sinister content. “Ha,” She chuckled in her mind, “That’s what you get for breaking my phone cuz.” As for Fluttershy, she arrived safely at the girl’s restroom just down the hallway. She slammed the door behind her, then rapidly locked herself into one of the stalls. Closing the lid on the toilet, Fluttershy took a seat on top of it and placed her book bag on her lap and opened it. The sweet girl let out a relieved sigh when she saw the cute bunny stick his head out of the bag. He had a soft, yet concerned look on his face. Then, he placed his paw on her lap, and let out a sad squeak. “Phew!” Then, she gave him a big hug and squeezed him as tight but gently as she could, “That was a close one.” “Well Fluttershy, care to explain what happened this time?” Principal Cinch uttered in a discontented, slightly frustrated, and yet still snobbish tone; sitting in her tall, rotating, yet cushioned office chair. The back of her chair was facing Fluttershy, leaving the teen feeling almost isolated and alone in the dimly lit office. And rightfully so. The room had no windows, with the only source of light being a fairly medium sized, Swarovski chandelier and two small desk lamps. The left and right walls of the room were covered with long and wide book shelves filled to the brim with antique, leather bound books. The same kind of books that Fluttershy has seen in her aunt’s personal library back home. Beside all these things, her aunt didn’t have much to fill her almost excessively large office, which honestly felt more like an empty, pitch black cave and that only made her feel worse. One of Fluttershy’s greatest fears, besides the fae, was being alone and lost in a dark place, like caves. Just being alone at night sent shivers down her spine. Fluttershy looked down at her hands as her aunt questioned her, staying quiet as she nervously played with her fingers. Meanwhile Angel, still in Fluttershy’s book bag, was glaring daggers at the principal. From the time the woman opened her mouth, he’d been waiting for his chance to jump out of the bag and pounce at her. It is fair to say that, well, Angel hated this woman with a passion. From the moment he met her when he was a baby bunny, refusing Fluttershy’s request of having a pet, he knew the one person who would be at the top of his blacklist. And he had a very, very long blacklist. “And please,” Ms. Cinch remarked in the midst of the tension, “Do come up with a better excuse this time. I’ve heard enough stories of a ‘supposed’ upset stomach, a dry bloody nose, a broken heel, a ripped skirt, a missing button from a shirt, and a ‘sudden’ menstrual cycle visit.” Unhurriedly, the stern woman turned her chair around and faced her niece with a stare more menacing than her usual gaze. Her hands were on her lap. Her back laid straight and proper against of her chair. Maintaining a position and disposition higher than the young girl’s defeated and demeur state. “So please, enlighten me. I’m dying to know what it could possibly be this time besides your own hallucinations.” Fluttershy clenched her hands together and closed her eyes quickly. Despite being very scared of her aunt in this moment, she was able to muster up a lie and stutter weakly, “M-My pen accidentally fell into my lap and smeared at the bottom of my shirt. If I didn’t leave for the bathroom right away, I would have never gotten the stain out.” “And you didn’t simply explain this to your teacher because…?” Ms. Cinch questioned dubiously. “I didn’t want to burden my teacher and my fellow classmates even more with my silly little explanations. However, I can see now how I didn’t leave the room with the grace that was required of me. And for that I apologize, Ms. Cinch.” “My dear, I’m getting rather sick of your little apologies as of late. It’s bad enough that you have these little episodes in the comfort of my own home. But here, at Crystal Prep... it’s completely unacceptable.” “I know, Ms. Cinch.” “That’s the thing, I don’t think you do.” Ms. Cinch rose from her chair and making her way towards Fluttershy; each slow click of her heels echoing throughout the spacious and ominous room. When she stopped she was standing just a foot away from her niece. Then, she scolded her with, “You may think this sad, little, submissive routine should excuse you of any of your misdemeanors, but the truth is... it only worsens your condition. Your own mother displayed the same kind of behavior and look where she ended up! Do you want to end up like your own mother?” For so many times in Fluttershy’s life, everytime that her aunt brought up her mother, she wanted to tell her how much she wanted to be like her mother. She wanted to be a warm, kind, gentle person, just like her. She wanted to be a good wife and mother to her own future family someday. She didn’t believe the rumors and she never believed any of the things that Ms. Cinch told her about her mother. Her mother didn’t take her own life, it was the fae. She was killed by the fae, and no one could tell her anything different. That is why she will always be afraid of the fae for the rest of her life, even if her fear caused others to think less of her. However, despite this, in order to not upset her aunt any further, Fluttershy lied and stated softly, “No... I don’t... ” “Then,” Principal Cinch hissed through slightly gritted teeth, “I suggest you lift your head up high and actually start taking responsibility for your actions.” As the posh woman started walking away from the student, she began to instruct, “I’m doing this for your own good, Fluttershy. It isn’t just our own reputations that are on the line, but the reputation of our family name and the reputation of this school. Which is why you will be coming with me the Crystal Prep fundraiser dinner tonight. Mr. Rich will be there and he is trying to decide which high school to send his daughter to next year. It’s between us and that wretched Canterlot High.” She stopped her tracks and turned her head back slightly to Fluttershy, “We cannot let Canterlot High win in this regard. With Mr. Rich’s wealth, Crystal Prep will finally have the chance to expand and open up a middle school branch. Can I trust you to be on your best behavior for this event?” “Yes Ms. Cinch.” Fluttershy tried to mutter in her most confident tone. Despite all her instincts to tell her to just huddle up into a ball in the corner of the room, she knew she needed to at least appear in control. “Very good. That’s what I want to hear. Now, after this event is over, you will be grounded for two weeks. No television, no phone, no reading, no strolls through the garden, no lolely strolls to the academy in the morning. Do I make myself clear?” “Yes Ms. Cinch.” Fluttershy uttered solemnly, “C-Crystal.” “Also, if I hear of anymore of these ‘incidents’, you shall be wearing a tight corset until your graduation day. Understood?” “Understood.” Just then, the door to the office opened. Bringing in a beam of welcoming light into the shadowy, depressing room. Standing in the doorway was a fairly tall, light pink skinned woman. She had light purple eyes with long, striped hair consisting of the colors of pink, purple, and light yellow. Like Principal Cinch, she was wearing a prim and proper blue matching jacket and shirt outfit. However, her outfit displayed a warmer, more soothing hue of blue with some bright gold accents. Fluttershy’s eyes widened when she saw the woman in the doorway. It was Dean Cadence. She would sometimes see this kind woman in the halls and she'd always give her a comforting smile whenever they would pass each other. Fluttershy smiled weakly at her, hoping to not draw her aunt’s attention while doing so. “Ms. Cinch,” Dean Cadence interrupted politely, trying to keep an air of emotionless sternness, “Mr. Neighsay from the EEA just sent an email confirming that he will be attending the event tonight.” “Thank you Mrs. Cadenza, make sure to thank him cordially on our behalf.” Then, Principal Cinch turned her head slightly towards Fluttershy and gave her a cold, almost unforgiving smile. The kind of smile that sent shivers up the young girl’s spine. “That will be all for today, Ms. Shy.” Fluttershy, like a loyal and militant soldier, immediately stood up from her seat and exited out of the office. As she passed Dean Cadence, the good natured Dean briefly broke her emotionless facade in order to give Fluttershy a smile. Just one smile to brighten her day. However, Fluttershy didn’t see this kind gesture. She was too busy trying to get out of that office as soon as possible and head out for lunch. Dean Cadence immediately felt defeated by this and turned her gaze to the stern principal exiting her office. “Principal Cinch,” She remarked quickly but politely, “If I may have just a moment of your time.” Ms. Cinch stopped in the doorway in order to converse with the fairly young dean, “You may, though I’m afraid you’ll have to make it quick. We have much to do before the fundraiser tonight.” “Thank you, I will try.” Dean Cadence cleared her throat before her continuing, though feeling a bit unsure on how she wanted address her main area of concern, “Ms. Cinch, I couldn’t help but notice that Fluttershy is having a bit of trouble at school as of late.” “And this is of your concern because…?” Cadence pressed on with, “It’s my concern because I am the Dean of Crystal Prep, the welfare of the students is a part of my position.” “And as Founder and Principal of this fine institution, rest assured that the students here are all doing perfectly fine.” Ms. Cinch replied sharply, straightening out her jacket in a frustrated huff. She was already picking up on the subtle distrust in her colleague’s tone. Cadence took a silent breath in before calmly explaining to her, “It’s just, Ms. Cinch, I couldn’t help but notice that your niece seems visit your office more than any other student. And these visits have only increased year after year.” “She is my niece. Despite what it may appear, I’m not a completely heartless woman. I am allowed to have my own niece visit me every now and then. Even my daughter has the same privilege.” “Yes well, that may be so, but these visits often come because of complaints from her teachers. And I’ve read over their complaints: concerning dazed looks in her eyes, hallucinations, panic attacks, anxiety, isolation from other students, not to mention isolating herself from her teachers. Ms. Cinch, these are the signs of a student that needs help, not punishment.” “And what kind of help are you implying. Mrs. Cadenza?” Ms. Cinch asked with subtle bubbling anger in her tone, which took Cadence by surprised, though she still pressed on. “Ms. Cinch, is your niece receiving any professional help for her... for her mental health?” Ms. Cinch paused for a moment, reflecting on the right tone and words to properly explain her situation swiftly. Cadence waited for her answer patiently, making sure to note the changes in her superior’s demeanor as she finally chose to spoke, her composure regained. “She is receiving all the help that she could ever need at home.” “So,” Cadence replied in confused tone, “She has a private therapist at home then, I’m assuming?” “Is this all that you wanted to discuss with me today, Ms. Cadenza?” Ms. Cinch quickly snapped at her, changing the subject all together, her hidden anger once again glimmering out. “Y-Yes,” Cadence replied hesitantly, “That was...all I needed to know.” “Good.” Ms. Cinch rapidly snapped again. “In that case, you are dismissed.” Before she could hurry out of the doorway, Cadence quickly grabbed Ms. Cinch’s arm. Ms. Cinch was immediately taken back by the Dean’s harsh yet rash action. She had never seen her take such an action with her before. But regardless, with a soft, worried look on her face, she gently let go of her arm. Then, she handed Ms. Cinch a card. A business card of some sort. Despite her better judgement, she took the card from Cadence and read it. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was for a mental facility upstate. But, she had never heard of this facility before, and it had such a strange name too: The College. Why on earth would anyone would name a mental facility, The College? “If your niece,” Dean Cadence remarked compassionately, “Does need anymore help than she is already receiving, then just give them a call. They’ll know what to do.” When she didn’t receive a response from Ms. Cinch, she noted how the stern woman continued to stare back and forth between her and the card in her hands. Thus, Cadence opted to explain, “Ms. Cinch, times have changed since your time. People who struggle with maintaining their mental health no longer have to hide in the dark anymore. They are no longer shamed members of our society. There is hope for them. There’s hope for your niece. She can have a future. The kind of future that you’ve always longed for her. Just... just give her a chance. Give The College a chance, for her sake.” Ms. Cinch formed a fist with her hand, crumbling the business card into her palm, “Thank you, Mrs. Cadenza… ” Cadence flinched when she saw the Principal just violently throw the crumpled business card to the floor and then harshly stepped on it. Cadence mentally prepared herself for the older stern woman to yell at her when her gaze met with the fiery stare of her superior. However, the fire in her eyes quickly and quietly settled down. Principal Cinch properly straighten her jacket and her posture. She uttered casually to Cadence, as if nothing happened, “That’ll be all.” And with that, Ms. Cinch left the office and went off to prepare the school for the fundraising dinner later that night. As for Cadence, she slowly returned back to her desk with an unusually dark, yet frustrated look on her face, unable to look away from the door that Ms. Cinch walked out of. She landed with a hard thud into her chair, and turned to face away from the closed window behind her. She propped her elbows on her desk and rested her chin on top of her hands. “Cadence?” A muffled sounding female voice asked from behind; almost sounding like it was coming from an old radio. The Dean turned around and saw a bird standing on the now opened window sill. The bird was truly not native to the area. Unlike the other small springtime birds of the area, this bird was bright red, orange, and yellow. No hint of black or brown or white or even grey to its feathers in order to indicate some natural earthy color to it. However, despite all this, the Dean was unfazed by the sight of this bird. When the bird opened its beak, the muffled female voice returned and said to Cadence, “Is it time yet? Can the girl at last join us?” “I’m afraid not.” The young woman sighed, “Principal Cinch has a stronger hold on the girl than anticipated.” “What is the next step then?” “My plan is to confront both Principal Cinch and the girl at the school fundraiser dinner tonight. If that fails, then I will resort to taking the girl away from her residence in the middle of the night and bringing her back to The College.” “Very well, good luck Cadence.” “What a day,” Fluttershy breathed out as she lazily walked back to her home and put her phone back into her coat pocket. She had just witnessed another school group text, courtesy of Sour Sweet, with her as the main tag line again. Specifically, a picture of Ms. Cinch sitting in a chair like a James Bond villain and Fluttershy’s face plastered on a white cat’s body sitting on her aunt’s lap. The girl was hunched over, despite the fact the weight of her fairly light book bag filled with a couple of books and of course her precious Angel Bunny. Fluttershy slightly dragged her clogs with each step she took. Normally, she wouldn’t be dragging her shoes around in such manner, lest she face the wrath of her aunt. But Fluttershy, figured that she would be able to have enough time to beat her aunt home, get dressed for the fundraiser dinner, and use the extra time to shine her clogs. It was a good thing that her aunt wanted to double check everything before heading back to the house. Fluttershy had to run right after school in order to avoid her aunt’s gaze. There was no way she could face her again. Not after her trip to her office today. Thankfully, Fluttershy won’t have any trouble seeing her tonight since Ms. Cinch tended to be much nicer around upper class society. Especially upper class society that would be willing to donate to her cause and her cause alone. Even though Fluttershy would still have to deal with Sunny tonight, however Sunny has a tendency to ignore her completely when her friends aren’t around. So, the worse that she would have to put up with is a cold shoulder treatment from her. Angel poked his head out of his owner’s book bag. He gave Fluttershy an empathic look before nuzzling her neck affectionately. She giggled sweetly at his gesture and remarked, “Daww, thank you Angel. But it’s okay, really. All of this won’t last too much longer, right? After all, I’ll be graduating in May soon. I’ll be moving out. Then I’ll be off to college!” “That is… ” Fluttershy’s optimism began to drop as her mind became filled with some unsettling thoughts and questions about her future, “If I can find the right college that is. I may be going to a new place, but... my problems aren’t just going to vanish on their own. The fae will still be around me wherever I go.. Who knows what kind of fae are out there, outside of this town? I mean, it’s not like there’s a college out there for... for people like me. It’s... not like there’s any place somewhere for someone like me.” Angel let out a soft squeak in her ear, letting her know of his support and love for her. Fluttershy smiled and gave a little nuzzle into Angel’s cheek, “Still, at least I have you. Good thing you can see the fae like I do. Actually, it seems that all the animals can now that I think about.” Before she knew it, Fluttershy arrived at back at the house. With a heavy sigh, she brought herself to her front door and opened it. When she was inside, she took off her clogs and carried them with her as she went upstairs. “I’m home!” she announced to all the possible servants or maids in the house at the time, secretly hoping that Ms. Cinch was not home yet. However, before Fluttershy could climb the staircase, a smooth male voice with a bit of southern drawl to it called out to her from the dining room, “Well there you are, Slay Vega! What took ya so long, girl?” Fluttershy became like a frozen statue at the mere sound of this mysterious voice. She told herself to not look into the dinning room, just go upstairs and pretend that nothing happened. How badly she just wanted to pretend that she was lying to herself and that she was being delusional again. However, despite all this, Fluttershy couldn’t move. She couldn’t speak or think, she couldn’t do anything. She was just stopped in mid motion and drawing a blank on what to do next. Before she could regain her composure and move on, she could hear Angel growl and jump out of her backpack. “Angel!” Fluttershy exclaimed, chasing after the recklessly bold bunny that was about to confront a dangerous fae in the dining room. When Angel Bunny entered the lavish room and saw the giant magical cat on the table, he snarled his buck teeth at him and jumped towards him. “You’ve got to be kidding me?!” Capper shouted, “Not again!” Without hesitating, Capper ran away from the terrifying the bunny just as Fluttershy followed after her pet. “Angel! Wait!” Fluttershy called out once more, hoping that her voice would bring her rabbit back to his senses. She began to regret every complaint about the fae she had ever told Angel in that moment. Her eyes widened when she saw the disaster taking place. There was Angel, her darling doll, chasing around a creature three times his size. Just completely wrecking the dining room in the process. “Oh, Angel.” Then, she proceeded to follow the chaotic duo into the empty kitchen, which naturally, didn’t stand a chance against their wrath. While dodging the flying pots and pans that came her way in result to their chase, Fluttershy was able to make it to the back door connected to the back of the kitchen. Soon, without any shoes on her feet, she was following them into the garden. After that, into the back of the neighborhood. And without even thinking, she followed them into the one place she never dared to go during the day and during the night: the forest. But they were going fast, all the surroundings became a blur to her. Her focus was just on Angel’s white, poofy tail and the danger that lay before him. In the process of running after the two creatures and desperately calling out Angel’s name, Fluttershy had unintentionally attracted the attention of a pack of glowing, bright green eyes and the echoing sounds of growls and howls. Without hesitation, this pack of mysterious fae chased after Fluttershy. As Fluttershy was sprinting into the dark wood, dodging every tree to the best of her ability, her bun had completely fallen. Her long hair was free to blow behind her in the night breeze and her butterfly hair clip had dropped to the ground. But, this did not go unnoticed. A giant, ebony eagle claw, looming from the depths of the forest, grabbed the butterfly hair clip. With the clip in its clutch, the claw dragged itself back into the shadows of the trees. Meanwhile, Capper was running out of steam. With the psychotic bunny literally close at his heels, he had to end this craziness soon. “Ah, that mage won’t let me live this down. But!” Just like the Cheshire Cat, Capper disappeared without a trance, leaving Angel stunned and confused. While Angel was sniffing around and looking for the feline fae, Fluttershy was able to catch up with him and panted out, “Angel!” She ran up to him and dropped to the ground. Then, she immediately brought him tight into her embrace, “Oh thank goodness you’re alright. Don’t you ever scare me like that again, young man! You know better than this! That fae could have killed you! Do you hear me?!” Angel squealed loudly into her ear, indicating to her that was something horrifying behind her. And when Fluttershy turned to see what it was, her heart just about collapsed and her troubles were not over yet. Far from it. Towering over her were a pack of huge wolf-like fae that were made of, from what Fluttershy could see, were twigs and branches. They breathed out the smell of death and blood itself. All their eyes glowed brightly and hungerly for her body and her magic. And Angel was just there to be their extra snack. The pack slowly prowled towards her as Fluttershy crawled carefully towards the trees behind her. She couldn’t believe what was happening to her now. Was this real? Was the past just repeating itself? Will she and Angel truly end up in the fate as her mother’s? Was this truly the end? She couldn’t scream. She couldn’t shout for help. Her throat became dry and closed. Her mind became consumed by fear, and she could hear every beat of her pounding heart. Before Fluttershy could close her eyes and pray for mercy from some kind of God somewhere, a larger, monstrous fae began to attack the pack. The monstrous being was also twice the size of the wooden, wolf-like fae. Fluttershy couldn’t really get a good glimpse of the creature, the darkness truly hid its form from her. In a way, Fluttershy was thankful that she couldn’t see it because... this thing was literally tearing these poor canines apart. As much as she was terrified of the pack, this being took her fear to a new level. The amount of green blood that the fae spilled from the pack was a large, unsettling amount. The fae made growls and howls far louder and deeper than the pack did. It used its sharp rows of canines to tear the wooden skin of the pack into splinters, and took great pleasure in the the tearing of their flesh. It used its long, serpentine body to coil and break apart the pack in the most brutal way possible. Its glowing red eyes shined brighter than all of the packs’ glowing green eyes collectively. These wolf-like fae didn’t stand a chance against this one monster. As much as she wanted to run away from this beast, she couldn’t help but be grateful to it. For in this moment, before this thing kills her next, the beast is saving her life and Angel’s life. Suddenly, something hard and rapid hit her in the back of her head. Instantly, her world turned black. The dark, serpent like monster’s attention was captured away from his wooden prey when he heard Fluttershy’s unconscious body collapse to the ground. When he turned around, he saw a couple of darkly cloaked yet stout figures, one of whom, swung Fluttershy’s body over their shoulders. He even witnessed one of them locking up a knocked out Angel in a cage. His burning eyes narrowed. He knew who they were and who they worked for. Yet, these thoughts on caused the monstrosity to chuckle in his mind as he reflected on how powerless they would be against his animalistic might. Against his chaotic power. Oh, he could already taste their pathetic yet irresistible blood and flesh on his tongue. As the kidnappers magically opened a bright, shining portal in the air; the vicious black horror let out a roar as he charged towards them. Green blood was dripping from his canines, his hot breath coming out as a fog amidst the cold night air. The kidnappers immediately scurried in a hurry into the portal, with Fluttershy and Angel secured in their grip. But, there was one in the group that was slower than the others and the furious terror of a fae was approaching from behind. There was nothing that this little kidnapper could do. Death was close at hand. It could feel the monster’s breath on its neck, even smell it’s horrid breath on the air. Just as the beast was about to bite off the head of this helpless cloaked individual, some invisible yet strong force grabbed him by his withers and stopped him. “Hold it, you fool!” boomed the mysterious voice, ringing in the monster’s ears. Great anger began to boil in his throat, a deep and threatening growl rumbled from him. He recognized this voice. He knew it all too well. With wide red eyes and snarling teeth, the beast watched his prey escape into the portal, which shut mere moments after. Before the monstrous fae could protest or ask what was going on, the invisible force lifted him into the air. High enough where his clawed feet couldn’t reach the ground. The serpent like abomination then struggled like a flustered yet wild cat trying to escape the grip of a human captor. “What do you think you’re doing?” asked the mysterious voice in a disappointed tone. “What does it, grrrRawr, look like I’m, grrrRawr, doing?!” barked the frightening fae, “I’m going after the girl!” The mysterious voice sighed before answering as patiently as it could, “And that’s the problem, my dear little snake puppy.” “I told you don’t… call… me… snake puppy.” The fae hissed. “Daww, don’t be like that. We’ve known each other for what, a thousand years and yet you still won’t let me give you an endearing nickname. Tsk, tsk.” “More like demeaning.” “If you want, you can call me-” “Get to your point!” “Sheesh, so angry. And so serious. I’ve forgotten how grumpy you get in this form.” The invisible force released it’s hold on the monster’s withers and let him drop back to the ground. As the creature rubbed his sore withers with one of his claws, the mysterious voice explained, “It’s plain and simple, my boy. If you want the girl to come with you willingly, chasing her around in this form won’t help.” “I had no choice. It was all the stupid cat’s fault. He was supposed to bring her to me before nightfall.” “Be it as it may, that still doesn’t excuse you from acting just as idoitic as that dumb cat.” “Then what do you suggest, oh wise one?” The fae barked, rolling his eyes in frustration. “I suggest something a bit more clever. Something a bit more like our style. And trust me, it’ll be a whole lot more fun.” The mysterious voice then ends his statement with an unsettling dark chuckle.