Azure Edge

by Leaf Blade


191. Sweet Honey

Sonata Dusk was a real sweetheart. Cute too. Her voice was like honey to Fluttershy’s ears. Oh, actually putting honey on your ears sounds gross, but you know. You get it. Fluttershy wasn’t feeling terribly creative with the metaphors today; something about Sonata made her brain fizzle out and she couldn’t think straight.

But that was okay. Fluttershy didn’t mind if Sonata did all the thinking for her.

Fluttershy’s ears flicked up. She heard something in the distance, echoing through the tunnels of the Big Thunder Mine, but she couldn’t quite make it out.

“What was—”

“Shhh,” Sonata whispered, the tiny dragon flitting around Fluttershy’s head and giving her a kiss on the snout, “stay with me. Just stay with me.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy sighed dreamily, Sonata’s soothing voice lulling her into a deep sense of comfort and relaxation.

“Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy snapped her head around to look to the tunnels behind her. She could’ve sworn she heard her name being called.

“Hey, Fluttershy,” Sonata hummed and put her claws on Fluttershy’s snout, locking eyes with Fluttershy and turning her head away from the tunnel, “don’t listen to the spooky tunnel noises. Just listen to me.”

“But my name was—”

“Spooky tunnel noises!” Sonata insisted. “If you stay down here long enough, you’ll start hearing all kinds of nonsense!”

“Oh, okay,” Fluttershy didn’t understand, but who was she to question Sona—

“Fluttershy!”

Oh, that was definitely Fluttershy’s name, right?

And that voice was—

“Fluttershy! Where are you?!” Rainbow Dash called out, and she sounded close.

“Rainb—”

Fluttershy tried to call out, but Sonata clamped her mouth shut and locked eyes with her, and her gaze was so intense and menacing, that Fluttershy was entranced by it. She couldn’t look away, or think about anything else other than Sonata.

“But, my friend,” Fluttershy said lethargically.

“I’m gonna introduce you to my friends, remember?” Sonata smiled, and Fluttershy’s mind was in such a daze she couldn’t tell if it was cute or sinister. “You don’t need your friends anymore.”

“I—I—”

“Fluttershy, please!” Rainbow called, and she sounded desperate. “Answer me!”

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy yelped, and she whipped around toward the tunnel Rainbow was calling from.

Her head felt clear and alert now, for some reason, but she felt awkward; like she’d been stumbling through a daze, or taken a really ill-advised mid-afternoon nap.

But now she felt okay. Now that she wasn’t… looking at…

…Sonata.

Fluttershy let a low growl escape her lips as she turned her gaze back to Sonata, glaring into her like knives embedded in Sonata’s skull.

You,” Fluttershy snarled. “You were trying to hypnotize me! You were trying to make me forget my friends!”

Fluttershy gnashed her teeth and backed Sonata into a corner. Now that she knew what to look out for, she wasn’t going to fall for Sonata’s spell again. It didn’t help Sonata’s case that what she was trying to hypnotize Fluttershy into doing was against Fluttershy’s instincts.

If Sonata had been trying to brainwash Fluttershy into doing something that she desired deep down, this encounter could have gone much worse for Fluttershy.

“I—I didn’t mean—” Sonata mumbled.

Shut up!” Fluttershy screamed. “I’m not interested in your excuses! I was being honest with you! I was trying to be kind to you! And you repay that kindness by trying to take advantage of me and brainwash me!? I’ve had it with you, Sonata Dusk!”

“I’m sorry!” Sonata whimpered. “I was just scared! Cuz you’re so big and strong, and I’m so we—”

“Shut the fuck up!” Fluttershy roared, her fangs inches from Sonata’s neck.

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow yelled. “Was that you?!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy howled, her voice making the mines themselves rumble. “I’m over this way!”

“Celestia, hurry!” Rainbow yelled, and Fluttershy’s ears twitched. “She’s this way, let’s go!”

“Celestia?” Fluttershy and Sonata questioned in unison.

What was Celestia doing here? Fluttershy almost wondered if Rainbow was bringing her to Fluttershy on purpose, if Rainbow had been planning this all along and was about to—

No. No, Rainbow wouldn’t do that, would she?

Fluttershy took a deep breath, and she chose to trust her friends. She wouldn’t turn her back on them now.

If Rainbow really did want to bring Celestia to kill Fluttershy, she didn’t have to announce Celestia’s presence the way she did. Maybe Rainbow ran into her by accident and couldn’t get away from her, and she was warning Fluttershy!

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow called out, and she sounded weirdly close to Fluttershy’s ears. Oh, it was because she had flown into the room where Sonata and Fluttershy were.

Sonata leapt into action while Fluttershy was distracted, grabbing Rainbow Dash in her claw.

“This one of your pony friends, Fluttershy?!” Sonata snarled, a wicked grin across her face as her eyes reflected nothing but bloodlust and madness in her heart. “She’s got a nice head! Think I’ll take it!”

Fluttershy chomped her fangs down on Sonata’s claw that held Rainbow, ripping it from Sonata’s arm and rescuing Rainbow by hiding her in Fluttershy’s mouth. Maybe not the most graceful rescue, but it would have to do.

It would sure be a shame if Celestia saw that.

Celestia stood in the arched entryway to the cavernous room that Fluttershy and Sonata were fighting in, and both dragons’ gazes immediately locked onto her.

Fluttershy opened her mouth slowly, letting Sonata’s claw fall out and plop onto the ground, and Rainbow flew out of her mouth into the air, locking eyes with Celestia.

Celestia fired a bolt of flaming death toward Sonata— naturally, she would target the weaker enemy first to get it out of the way— and Fluttershy dived in front of her and erected a shield of ice that shattered from Celestia’s attack, but slowed it down enough that when it pierced Fluttershy’s chest it only left a horrific scorch mark and blinding pain instead of killing her instantly.

Rainbow threw herself at Celestia, launching her whole entire body into Celestia’s face to disorient her. Fluttershy gasped as the horrifying implications of that action raced through her mind, but if she didn’t take advantage of it and save herself, that sacrifice would be worthless.

“Get us out of here, now,” Fluttershy grabbed Sonata in her claw and growled. If Sonata could control the mines, it made sense that she’d have an emergency exit.

“Right, right, I got it!” Sonata whimpered frantically. Her horns glowed and the ground opened up, revealing a bizarre looking portal. Fluttershy grit her teeth and jumped inside, gambling on whatever was on the other side being safer than being stuck in a cave with Celestia.

Fluttershy blinked and she was on the other side of the portal, flying in the sunset skies high above the Big Thunder Mine. She just had to pray that Rainbow would be safe with Celestia, because right now she had something more immediate to deal with.

Settling things with Sonata Dusk.