It was already noon in Ponyville. Yet, the shining sun was dimmed by the deep foliage above her. After all, eerie darkness was one of the defining traits of the Everfree Forest.
Why had it come to this? She really didn’t want to go and talk, but it had been mainly her fault. All the others already went and tried, everypony else except her, the protegé of the Princess, one of the new Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and quite possibly the main culprit.
It had been no more than some months since she first arrived at Ponyville, the fateful day she and the other Bearers defeated Nightmare Moon and freed Princess Luna from her own shadows. The same day she settled into this quiet town in the outskirts of Canterlot.
The same day the Everfree Forest made her and her newfound friends face some of their worst fears.
She steadied her breath while she walked inside, deep into the scarcely illuminated burrows. She eventually got used to the shadows scurrying away in the corners of her eyes, and to the ever creaking bushes. But she couldn’t get used to the feeling of being watched, by way more than one pair of eyes.
Twilight tried to suppress the shivers. Out of all the venues, this was possibly the last she would think of checking, when looking for her hiding place.
But, at the same time, it was also the most logical.
Twilight stopped in a small clearing, listening closely. Small critters and birds shaking the branches of the trees, wind whistling through the leaves, dried grass crunching under her hooves, each and every noise was amplified at least threefold, making her shake a little in fear.
Yet, she was going to add to that noise, in the hope to be noticed. She inhaled and then bellowed, “Fluttershy! I know you are here. Please, let me explain!”
The burrow suddenly got quiet. Ominously quiet.
Twilight didn’t know what to expect, but she had to at least try and reason with her. They had been friends for quite a time now. Except one of them was refusing to be that anymore.
“I’ve heard a lot of explanations now...”
Twilight jumped on her spot. The cold voice came from behind her.
“...but I have been eager to listen to them directly from you.”
The unicorn quickly turned to face the pegasus idly floating in midair. Twilight knew enough of her friend to see she was furious, and yet only showed a cold, almost bored, expression on her face.
“Fluttershy, you have to realize there is no danger at all, otherwise I - No, Princess Celestia herself wouldn’t have allowed it!”
The pegasus slowly flapped her wings once, like she was hovering instead of merely flying. Her expression stayed unchanged.
After a moment, she said “Moot point, Twilight. If there were no danger, you could have used actual ponies.”
That was a firm and determined statement she made. It was nothing like the timid demeanor that was usual for her.
No shyness. No kindness. The glacial rage she harbored was changing her. And if Twilight had any chance to make her point, she had to be at least as decisive as her.
“Mice are more resistant, and are more easy to cure would anything go wrong.” Said the unicorn, starting to look more aggressive. “It is way faster to exper- to collaborate with them in testing new treatments. And time, when illnesses are concerned, is essential. They are precious resources, and we estimate them greatly.”
Fluttershy, still airborne, quietly flapped closer to her. She opened her mouth, saying dryly “One-hundred thirty-eight.”
“Uh?” Twilight half stepped back, taken by surprise. “What… What is tha-”
“It’s the number of mice with lasting problems caused by the experiments. You may cure them right after, but you have never thought about long-term effects.” Said her, in a flat tone that sent icy drops through Twilight’s spine.
She diverted her gaze and started circling the unicorn, continuing with her speech. “And those are only the ones I could get to this week. That doesn’t count the ones in cities further than Canterlot, or the ones that have been affected in the past by your or the other scientists’ experiments.”
Twilight damned mentally herself again for having led her friends to the complete tour of her house after she had finished moving all the machinery. She should have predicted that showing Fluttershy her lab in the Golden Oak tree wouldn’t have been a good idea.
And now she had no idea how to make it up to her friend… or ex-friend, actually. The flat tone in which she was speaking being the final red flag she was reaching her threshold of no return.
Twilight turned to follow the crawling floating of the yellow pony. “And then why didn’t they come back to us for help? The after-effects are important to study even for us. It would have been a grea-”
“If you cannot figure there are side-effects, how do you think they could?” Said Fluttershy, while bringing in a swift movement her muzzle a few millimeters close to Twilight’s. Her pupils were of the size of a pinprick now. “They do not seek your help, because they don’t think you caused it. And when you do not have a use for them, then they are not your precious resources anymore, I guess. They are just mice.”
Twilight didn’t look away. She knew about Fluttershy’s feared ‘stare’, but that was not it. The ‘stare’ was produced by hot and flaming rage, and only was used to make ponies (or other creatures) desist and repent.
But here, even if Twilight were to stop the experiments, there were hundreds of other ponies throughout all Equestria that did the same, and would not be convinced otherwise.
And moreover, stopping would be a hard blow to the whole field of medicine, biological, and also magical research. Celestia would not have allowed it. It was a lost cause, Twilight knew it.
But Fluttershy didn’t.
“We… we can find a compromise. I’m sure we can extend any attention to them. I can contact the Princess and- ”
“That’s a charming proposal, Twilight. But, see, now it is too late...”
Twilight suddenly became aware of thousands of little steps all around her. She didn’t notice it until now, being absorbed in the argument. But now she understood where the feeling of being watched came from.
She found herself surrounded by an army of mice, all staring directly at her.
Fluttershy flew higher, arms wide open, as to encompass all her little friends.
“...because, unlike before, we are finally aware.”