//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Mother of Evil 
// by God of Demons 
//------------------------------//

The trip back to Ponyville was smoother than the pegasus had expected. Although now she is responsible for transporting a particularly dangerous creature, but during this time there were no troubles. Which worried the pony a little. She turned her head to the left and looked down to where the cat transport container lay beside her. In the last fifteen or so minutes of the train ride, Fang did not show any "awkward" movements. All this time he lay in his little house and slept quietly. Fluttershy went over in her head various developments in which the shadow monster leaves its usual habitat. And each of them had a sad outcome. In the pony's imagination, Fang could lose control of his instincts, attack those around him, destroy property, or use his evil powers for...evil deeds.

But he didn't do any of that.

Fluttershy was able to relieve herself of tension, close her eyes for a second and now with great tenderness look at her new friend, who still continues to sleep in his little "prison". The sandy-yellow veterinarian had already become attached to him and did not want to see him as the cause of troubles and problems. Therefore, she must keep him as close to her as possible for everyone's safety. Which was very supportive of Rarity? The unicorn was still afraid and distrustful of Fang, and therefore sat opposite them on another sofa. She settled closer to the window and looked through the window at the rapidly changing landscape from the speed of the train. They sat in the fifth compartment, closer to the front of the train. Only occasionally did Rarity glance at the container, as if reassuring herself that everything was fine. Fluttershy, of course, noticed this, but did not want to comment on anything. She understood her friend very well. Now in their hooves there is a scientific and biological sensation, a new kind of life, and even one that has mystical forbidden powers. If all of Equestria finds out about this, then panic will begin.

The more Fluttershy thought about it, the sadder and more depressed her face became. After everything that happened, they all deserve a good rest. Everyone felt their pain and loss in those dark moments that occurred after the unofficial announcement by the princesses that Twilight was now their future replacement on the throne. Especially what happened to Ponyville now....

Tears filled Fluttershy threateningly. She shook her head sharply to drive away the negative obsession. Her mane swayed violently, covering the right side of her face and creating a small gust of wind. Pegasus stopped looking at the cat and wanted to switch her gaze to her friend. At the same time, quickly wipe your face from tears. But Rarity seemed to have foreseen the action of the mare and turned to her first. Only now she has completely turned to the pegasus. Fluttershy could have sworn she saw a moment of horror in Rarity's eyes. But she quickly pushed those thoughts away. The white unicorn moved forward a little, resting its front hooves on the table. She cleared her throat and looked uncertainly at the pegasus.

"So...", Rarity began awkwardly and uncertainly in her surprisingly clear voice, "We took Miss Coop's pet to take him to a more suitable habitat, right?"

"Yes...", the other pony answered cautiously and with confusion, placing her left hoof on the container

"And ... our ... your task is to adapt this creature to life in Ponyville and monitor its behavior," now the lilac-purple pony is no longer asking, but as if stating obvious facts.

"Yes..." Fluttershy repeated calmly.

"And as you said, this monste... Fang will live with you for the first time in order to gradually accustom him to new conditions and..."

Rarity jumped a little in surprise, but then sat back down in her seat. Her speech was abruptly interrupted by Fluttershy, who slightly rose from her seat and took the unicorn's hoof in her hooves. Pegasus looked into the eyes of her friend, depicting a slightly inquisitive but warm and compassionate look. Fluttershy smiled slightly, but her eyebrows raised to the bridge of her nose showed a slight sadness. With all her behavior, the yellow mare showed that she understands everything and expects true words from her friend.

"Ha, how could I forget your insight, darling" Rarity made a hilarious and snide comment before continuing with a small sigh, "I wanted to say thank you for you"

At this point, Fluttershy was caught off guard, her wings fluttered and her eyes widened in surprise, "W-What, but I did't..."

"Trust me, you did a lot more than you can imagine," Rarity interrupted her, predicting the mare's next words. She wrinkled her face and turned away for a moment, then looked back at her friend and continued, “My unexpected desire to accompany you on this trip must have alerted you. In fact, you could have sorted out this problem without me. You could also find the place where my friend lives. But anyway, I went with you... I didn't hear anything from you. I mean, you didn't say why, you didn't give me any uncomfortable questions or complaints... You just listened to me and agreed... I ...I do not know what to say."

The pony fell silent and lowered her head slightly. Now she is not looking at the pegasus, her gaze rested on the table in front of her. She wrinkled her eyebrows a little and moved her eyes frantically, as if trying to find the right words in this furniture.

But she didn’t succeed, as Fluttershy abruptly stood up from her seat, walked around the table and sat next to her friend and hugged her, pressing her left cheek against Rarity’s right shoulder: “You don’t have to say anything, I never thought that your presence would be I'm even more excited when my little adventure is shared by the ponies I value the most in the world. You're my best friend, Rarity. I love you so much."

Such simple words but so important for a unicorn. She softened in the embrace of Fluttershy's hooves and, in turn, hugged her friend with her hoof and closed her eyes, depicting a calm and tired smile.

"Thank you, darling," Rarity said softly, "I really needed those words."

Then they were suddenly distracted by a loud meow. The heads of the two mares quickly turned towards the source of the sound and saw shadows erupting from the closed cage, and green eyes glowing with purple energy, looking at the ponies with interest, could be seen from the darkness. Rarity hurriedly warned Fang not to draw too much attention to herself. Surprisingly, the cat obeyed the pony's command and simply curled up again and closed his eyes. Of course, such actions greatly frightened the unicorn, but her stress was quickly disintegrated when she saw her friend rise slightly and frantically look around the train car, desperately hoping that no one saw this. Rarity mentally smirked at the thought that the pegasus, on the contrary, was attracting attention with its panic attacks.

"This trip is the most exciting thing that has happened to us in a while," Rarity laughed coquettishly at their situation and hugged her friend, making her sit down.

Fluttershy looked at the pony with a surprised and uncomprehending look, which continued to cuddle and look at her friend with a smile full of playfulness and tenderness. She slightly crossed her hind hooves under the table in embarrassment. But the realization of what Rarity meant quickly came to the pony's mind as she quickly reviewed all the events that they experienced that day: new acquaintances for the pegasus and opening of old wounds for everyone, a potential "dark" threat appeared and Rarity's sudden outbursts of tantrum ... and in the end, accepting all this and laughing at your fears in the face as confirmation that they will all overcome victoriously.

Fluttershy smiled broadly at her friend, her eyelids slightly closed, giving a warm and tender look. She moved closer to Rarity and crossed her hooves around her neck, resting her head on her right shoulder.

"Yes you are right"

So they sat for quite a long time. They had nowhere to hurry. The locomotive continued to pass through the night expanses of the beautiful country of Equestria, completely losing the great city on the horizon. The silence outside was broken by the violent thudding of the train as it moved, and the occasional ringing of the horn in the driver's cab. The speed was optimal, not as fast as in the daytime, but it was enough for our Elements. The way home was relatively short, but even this time was enough for them to clear their heads of bad thoughts.

In the deepest layers of her subconscious, Fluttershy hoped such cute moments would be repeated often.

No one will argue that Ponyville at night is very beautiful. It was already about nine o'clock in the evening and half of the houses froze in sleepy silence, without radiating light from the windows. Because of what, the small town was less noticeable in its area, from which small luminous sparks were clearly visible in the sky, filling everything around with mysterious and mystical beauty. It was dark and light at the same time, which perfectly complemented the image of the Night Princess' ideal realm. The moon, illuminating all the vast lands, stood out especially against the general background. It is beautiful. And what was more attractive to this celestial body was that the moon "allowed" to look at itself, to look at its light and beauty. At that time, the Sun could not afford it. Due to the cloudless weather, the entire area of Ponyville and its environs was clearly visible and the ponies could do without additional light to do their business at night.

But that was hard to prove to Rarity.

The unicorn had been unable to cancel her lighting spell since dropping off at the Ponyville stopover. Until they entered the busier and brighter quarters of the town, Rarity carefully illuminated each area of land, looking for possible "traps" in the form of damp mud or rain puddles. Perhaps her concentrated face was the most amusing in this moment. Slightly pouted lips, a focused look as if she is working on the selection of fabric for a wedding dress for princesses. Rarity didn't want to get her "beautiful" hooves into any "dirty" trouble. And this behavior can be justified. Miss Coop gave Rarity a special hoof polish, a raspberry purple ointment with a silvery powder. This item is very rare even in Canterlot and therefore Rarity has no intention of wasting such a "divine gift" in her words.

Fortunately, Fluttershy could breathe easy, because now they are walking past a street with closed shops. And such places are usually well equipped with light. As a result, Rarity relaxed and walked calmly, turning off the overly bright spell. Which was very good since Fang no longer growled at the unicorn. But Rarity wasn't afraid of him at the moment. All her thoughts were completely occupied with the desire not to ruin a gift of such high quality.

Speaking of Fang.

The container with the shadow cat was carefully strapped to Fluttershy's back so that the wings weren't too tight against her torso and could move a little freely. Rarity categorically refused to carry the creature herself. She said that he felt great sympathy for the Pegasus and that only she could restrain his impulses under unforeseen circumstances ... and Rarity was still afraid of him. Fang himself did not feel very comfortable. From the moment they landed in Ponyville to now, he was wary of the unfamiliar storefronts, the small, unassuming houses, the spacious roadways, and the absence of many off-flavours from industrial activities. All this was new to him and that is why he occasionally reacted with a defensive attitude to every unexpected action. For example, a pony will abruptly pass instead of him, unexpected clapping of bats over their heads, leery pegasus, festive cheerful sounds from some houses. But it's good to have Fluttershy around. At these moments, she turns back and with one eye looks at the cat peering out of the shadows of her cage with evil eyes, then she melodiously and quietly calms her little friend. And now she does it. The cat calms down every time and lies down on his stomach when the yellow pony gives him such signs of attention.

Their main task at the moment is to get to the Rarity Boutique and there everyone will go to their home. They didn't last long enough. Seven minutes or so. Along the way, Rarity and Fluttershy talked about what each would do tomorrow. And their plans were more than predictable. Rarity was going to continue to work on her design projects and exchange with colleagues from Canterlot. The pink-maned veterinarian plans to prepare a separate accommodation for his new guest tomorrow. She's not sure exactly what to do. After all, the preference for a supernatural look is unknown to her and therefore she will be forced to draw up various options for arranging apartments for Fang. But based on his biology, she could assume that he likes conditions with less light. She just has to figure it out.

Now they had come to a path that led away from the center of the town and led the way through a small, uneven area of grassy ground. From this point on, the light of the bright street lamps began to get worse to this place, and Rarity again lit her horn with magic to light the way forward. She walked ahead of the group and tried to turn her head to the sides for a deliberate survey of the area. Indeed, in the darkness of the night, neither a pony nor any other creature can navigate by its own capabilities.

At least Fluttershy used to think so. Her thoughts returned to the cat that lays at ease in its cage on her back. It would seem that everything is going well for them, but Pegasus still survived. She will soon have to explain herself to her other friends and explain the reasons for the presence of such a creature as Fang in their area. The ponies had similar thoughts as they passed the Sugarcube Corner. They couldn't visit Pinky. When they got there, Mr and Mrs. Cake said that she left for Twilight's castle three minutes ago. Here all other options are gone. Fluttershy did not want to show herself to her alicorn friend with a new guest with all the strength of her soul. She remembered how much she pursed her lips in nervousness at the thought. Luckily, Rarity thought the same, and they decided to wait until tomorrow for now. Their main goal was to get to the Carousel Boutique and say goodbye there until the next day.

They continued to walk along the uneven path, occasionally looking around. Rarity would occasionally strike up a conversation with her friend. But all these were short in time. The ponies mostly asked each other how they were feeling or commented on the environment. True, the unicorn had to first convince Fluttershy that everything was under control and that they did not need to look again at those places where the light of their friend's magic did not reach. Pegasus was a little afraid to be surrounded by pitch and unknown darkness. Fluttershy, during their walk, instinctively looked at her back where Fang was. And every time she did this, her worried look softened from the realization that everything was in order with the cat and the obscurity of the invisible parts of the night did not harm him. Of course, this probability was extremely small. When later the yellow-sand pony thought about it, her nose wrinkled slightly cutely and her eyes closed her eyebrows to the bridge of her nose as a gesture of what the pegasus was thinking. She should not worry about Fang so often, because the mare's intuition suggested that such a creature should not have problems with being in scary unlit places. After all, she herself saw how he literally merged with the shadows of the corridor from the kitchen in Miss Coop's apartment. This sudden "dark" appearance made the veterinarian look through all the moments of her life in an instant and mentally say goodbye to her loved ones ... Of course, these are very exaggerated descriptions. But that's exactly how Fluttershy and her friend felt at that moment.

Fluttershy lagged behind Rarity a little and lowered her head slightly, posing with a calm, sad look. She was of course happy to help the pony with her animal problem. After all, it was literally her calling in life and no pony has yet been found who would not thank the young Pegasus for the fact that with her support each of their pets feels healthy and full. Even now, she cares deeply for this cat, even if it has...sinister features. But still. It's unfair that all this happened right now. Fluttershy shook her head, trying to brush away the negative thoughts. But it didn't work. She lifted her eyes to the front and looked around a little, catching up with Rarity.

They began to approach the right place. The unicorn gasped happily and slightly accelerated the pace of walking, which the pegasus did the same. After about four minutes, they reached the fashionista's place of work. Rarity looked up at her house with reverence and joy.

"Oh, how long it's been," said the pony, clinging to the door and stroking it a little with her hoof, "I missed you so much my sweet, my irreplaceable"

Fluttershy was certainly pleased that Rarity wanted to go home so badly. But she couldn't bring herself to smile. She closed her eyes and sighed doomedly, because she had suspicions that everything could happen again.

"Yeah... it's good to be back home," Pegasus said, still finding the strength to fake a tired and exhausted smile, "I'll have a good night's sleep."

"I can't advise you and myself better," the pony gasped dramatically as she stopped cuddling with her Boutique and looked at her friend with a playfully dejected expression, "This day turned out to be much more problematic than I expected. Forgive me for that, darling. I really had no idea what we will have to take responsibility for such a horror again"

The last she said with a bit of disgust and mockery, pointing her hoof at Fluttershy's back from where two green eyes were staring at the purple unicorn with annoyance.

"I'm sure I'll be able to make a better life for Fang. A good pony from Manehattan is counting on me," the pony said a little shyly and softly, looking at Rarity with tender but determined eyes.

"There is no other way for the Elements of Harmony," the unicorn said calmly, looking up at the top floor of her house. Fluttershy noticed that Rarity narrowed her eyes a little in a tired form of tender and sad look, she seemed to be thinking about something, "We should always be seen as a role model for others"

Fluttershy just now realized that their conversation is developing in a completely bad direction. She noticed it in her friend's voice and face. She urgently needs to do something to keep Rarity from opening up memories of THAT incident.

"Of course, but don't worry about the container. I'll give it to you tomorrow. Opal must be really missing her portable house right now," the pegasus quickly and nervously changed the subject and looked at her friend with extremely hidden concern.

Rarity looked at the pegasus in surprise, but then after a second she snorted merrily and rolled her eyes, saying, "Come on, darling. You can keep it, you'll need it more."

"But it's not difficult for me, I'm not going to..."

"Don't even think about arguing, dear. I've decided everything." The pony solemnly raised her hoof to interrupt Pegasus, "You are my friend. So you can consider it as a gift. Moreover, Opal has lost weight and now her slender body does not look aesthetically pleasing with primitive square corners of this box"

"I...thank you, Rarity," the pony said as she walked a little closer to her.

"Any time, darling," Rarity looked at the pegasus with genuine joy, she smiled, even though it was very difficult for her. Sadness and depression were betrayed by a weak smile and tired eyes, "Now let's finish. I don't know about you, but I can't stand on my hooves anymore"

On that pony, they decided to say goodbye and go to each of their houses. Rarity waved at her friend and entered the Soi Boutique herself. Fluttershy turned back to her path and walked further away from this place. Even if it was dark, Pegasus was not so afraid of it now, because she knew this path very well and was confident that it was safe here. She passed lush bushes, past low grass from which came the chirping of crickets and praying mantises. Fireflies flew through the air in some places and carved beautiful patterns of point light in the sky, they could easily be confused with the stars of the night sky. This sometimes happened when she looked up. Pegasus noticed that there are more of them this year than usual. She continued to pass through the peacefully sleeping nature, which seemed to be waiting for the coming of the sun. Fluttershy couldn't bring herself to think that she was feeling very good right now. Being in a quiet environment, surrounded by peace and tranquility, helps her clear her head of anxiety and breathe in the pleasant fragrant smell of night flowers that came to the territory of Ponyville from Everfree. Soft moonlight with a bluish-white glow revealed large lush trees that ribbedly pulled their leaves due to the low wind speed.

"I wish I could be in this silence forever," the pony thought aloud with relief, "The last days have been very loud and..."

Pegasus slowed down a bit and stared blankly ahead. It would seem that now everything was fine and she could return home without any worries. But apparently fate had other plans for her. After all, doubts still did not disappear. Fluttershy couldn't get it out of her head. She was worried that the news that a dangerous creature like Fang was in Ponyville might cause even more emotional wounds for her friends and the rest of the ponies. But she still tells them because she needs their support. So much has happened in those four days... and now it's Miss Coop's problem.

Fluttershy looked sadly back at Fang. The cat did not sleep, but only looked out of the lattice and looked at the ponies with calm curiosity, Let's hope that they will love you, the pony mentally told herself and smiled reassuringly at her little animal, slowly turning her head forward, If only you and I managed to avoid trouble with. ..

Fluttershy stopped abruptly in place and almost lost her balance when she saw the painfully familiar fence enclosing vast fields of crops and apple forests, a crimson giant barn towering over everything that her farmer friend had at her disposal. Fluttershy stared at Sweet Apple Acres in fascination. To her surprise, she had already scolded herself hundreds of times for forgetting that her way home intersected with her friend's farm. Fluttershy continued to walk, but even more slowly and with trembling hooves. She swallowed the resulting tide of fear. Pegasus did not want to be here, it was hard for her to look at this place. Because the Apple family's business lands no longer radiated ingenuous joy and hospitality. No one else allowed himself to come to them with a carefree mood ... Even Pinky tries to be careful every time she interacts with Applejack. But the farmer didn't care.

Nothing worries her now.

"Fluttershy!"

The pony had almost left the territory of her friend, and immediately she froze in place. A strong shiver ran through her body and she began to look around. She didn't expect anyone to call her at this time of day.

"Fluttershy!"

Now the sound of the voice was clearer and came from behind the pony and... Wait, I know that voice, the young pony exclaimed in her mind and turned back.

Running towards her at a distance of thirty meters was a tall, wiry unicorn stallion with a creamy-brown coat and a short golden mane and tail. The bangs, which were once carelessly combed a little to the side of the horn, now rose and pressed back. The poor pony ran so fast that he completely lost control of his appearance. He ran the middle of Fluttershy's path when she first saw her friend's possessions, and asked her not to leave, although there were obvious problems with the intelligibility of her voice greedily swallowing air.

Soon, he stopped three steps from the pegasus and strongly twisted his body. His chest expanded and contracted intensely, trying to stabilize the stallion's furious breathing, he wiped sweat from his forehead with his left hoof and made comments about his poor physical stamina.

"Oh Celestia, Trenderhoof, are you okay? Why are you like this?" Fluttershy recovered from her shock and was ready to help the pony, but he raised his hoof in protest.

"I appreciate your concern, but it's not worth it," the stallion said in a serious tone, standing in front of the pegasus. He looked at her with a mixture of sadness, tension and... relief?

"Ah...well, well, if you're okay," Fluttershy said awkwardly and a little flushed, taking her left hoof with her right hoof. She couldn't understand why the unicorn had appeared so suddenly at the time of day when it should be with the Apples.

During this time, a lot has really changed. After all, the most famous travel writer in Equestria is now standing and wants to start a conversation with a relatively ordinary pony from the village. Although four days ago this was unthinkable. Trenderhoof now lives in Ponyville, having abandoned his writing career and rented an ordinary apartment next to City Hall. Of course, such news was met with indignation from his readers and colleagues, but the stallion never worried about this. He has now taken a job as the mayor's secretary and is in charge of his most responsible documentary operations. Since there are no clear divisions in the duties of the mayor's secretaries in the mayor's administration, Trenderhoof now has a multidisciplinary specialization. Through his hooves pass documents and agreements on public services, organizing private meetings with the elite of other cities, settling construction issues, solving everyday issues of the town's residents and much more. In fact, he shares power over Ponyville with the mayor. That's how hard he tries. But it was more difficult for him to adapt to a new place. Fluttershy heard from Rarity that Trenderhoof was having some difficulty adjusting his lifestyle here. He needed to take responsibility for more household items, because now the unicorn is going to stay forever and not for three days, a week, as he did before in his travels. Most of all, he had problems with the arrangement of personal apartments. The Trenderhoof was surprisingly sloppy in terms of interior design, though in Fluttershy's mind it was just as demanding in design as Rarity. As for the interaction with the inhabitants of Ponyville, the ponies had no problems here. During this half week, he managed to make friends with many ponies, among which were like Pegasus with friends, Wonderbolts, teachers from the School of Friendship and the Apple family. True, Big Mac at first attributed Applejack to his "old friend" with noticeable distrust. He was well aware of the past connection between Applejack and the writer. On other occasions, he has been chased away by a pesky unicorn who comes to help them all too often. But not now. THIS incident hit the happiness of the Apple family very hard, especially for Big Mac... Now he has to leave town often to help... That's why Trenderhoof came to Ponyville to provide the support that Applejack needs. And he tries to fill in for Mac at work when the older Apple leaves, though he's not good at it.

"I would like to be as good as you say, Fluttershy," the stallion said sadly and calmly, but the pegasus could see that he was holding back more than half of his feelings, "I see that you recently returned to Ponyville and you were not here all day, right?"

"Yeah, Rarity and I just got here," Fluttershy answered the obvious question and looked at him a little puzzled.

"And you didn't meet any of your friends, didn't they tell you anything?" The trend loosened up a little here and slightly raised his voice in mute concern, he tilted his head forward a little, hoping that this way he would better hear the mare's words.

"As soon as we arrived, we immediately began to go home," the pony began to look suspiciously into the anxious eyes of the unicorn, "I did not meet anyone from my acquaintances, they were probably all at home. Trend, why are you asking?"

"I see, so you don't know...", rubbed his eyes with a hoof, ignoring Fluttershy's question, then he lowered his hoof and looked at his friend with a completely exhausted look, "Big Mac arrived an hour ago"

Fluttershy struggled to keep her hooves buckling in shock as she opened her eyes wide, looking at the unicorn in front of her as if she were someone else's pony. Immeasurably huge waves of surprise, relief and fear arose in the pony's heart. This news can be perceived very ambiguously. During all these unnaturally long four days, Mack periodically leaves to assist in the search. Although the Sky Guard Special Squad and its commanders are extremely reluctant to have a civilian pony interfere with their investigation, since Apple's older brother was on friendly terms with Shining Armor, he was still able to get him to be allowed to interfere in their work. Naturally, the red pony's occasional departures could be bad for his family's family business, but he and Granny Smith talked about it. The older pony certainly didn't mind her grandson's decision. On the contrary, according to her, she would have done something similar. Because the Apple family always sticks together...no matter what. It was more difficult, of course, with his sisters. Applejack sincerely understood her brother's intentions, but she tried to dissuade him from such a dangerous idea. She said that he shouldn't risk himself for the fact that he did not know the sure one and that his main duty now was to be with his family in this dark hour. Applejack didn't like her brother's emerging penchant for overdramatism, after only four days had passed. Not much can happen in four days. But Big Mac was adamant in his decision.

Fluttershy sighed heavily and lowered her head, unable to imagine how Apple Bloom felt when she told them everything. The little pony didn't want to keep it to herself, so she told her sister's other friends when she was at the castle. Applejack wanted to keep this problem a secret from her friends, so as not to worry anyone again, but apparently what happened - it had to happen. The poor thing listened to the conversation of her elders and could not do anything, she did not seek to impose her point of view on her brother, and she was just scared. She was afraid for her brother and couldn't argue with Applejack because she was right too. The foal just wanted THIS situation to never happen.

Pegasus the veterinarian prayed, very strongly asked the higher powers that everything would be fine. She wanted this nightmare to end so that Applejack and her family could live again... truly live. Fluttershy fought back the urge to cry again, her wet eyes just couldn't hold all the pain. And to distract herself, she raised her head to the tall stallion with eyes full of hope.

"And...they have some leads?"

"Even more... they found her," these words came very hard for Trenderhoof, as if he was defending his dissertation on the study of the physiology of Discord.

"Really?! Oh my... How glad I am, I...", the pegasus' fleeting flash of joy immediately faded as she looked again at the unicorn who no longer looked at her, he tilted his head down and twisted his face heavily and clenched his teeth like he's holding back... the pain?

"T-Trenderhoof, what's wrong," the pony asked in a squeaky, quiet voice, desperately pushing away any negative notions about it.

"A Sky guard reconnaissance group was patrolling the northwestern sector of the Everfree Forest at six o'clock in the morning. Later, an hour later, they stopped to rest and recheck their equipment. But one of their members, a pegasus named Thunderlane, discovered an important clue west of their camp "This evidence confirmed that Sugar Belle was in this part of the forest."

Fluttershy continued to listen to her friend, and the more he spoke, the more the mare's ears drooped, and her eyes filled with intense impatience and anxiety. Fang seemed to sense his pony's unease and raised his head from his paws and looked at this action with curiosity.

Trend took a deep breath, his lips trembling for a second as he had to say something he was willing to disbelieve: "They found Sugar Belle's hoof under a small stone rock."

Fluttershy collapsed onto her hind hooves. For her, the whole world has now stopped.

Trenderhoof heard his own rapid breathing, his head covered with cold sweat and he continued to look at the ground: “The examination in Canterlot confirmed that it was Sugar Belle. Her hoof was bitten off from the shoulder ... experts said that the time of the bite was about two days ago. ..Sugar Belle officially declared dead"

These words.

These same words. These vicious and repulsive sets of letters Fluttershy didn't want to hear. All these days she resolutely avoided these. In the back of her mind, she hoped that everything worked out well and that Sugar was just lost in the outskirts of the Evergreen and nothing else...she hoped for a better ending.

Fluttershy put her front hooves on the sides of her head and held on, held on very tightly. She felt how her soul was dying, how pain, despair and a desire to scream were stepping on the fragments of her heart with their thick legs. But when she opened her mouth, she noticed that she had no voice, she let out stifled sobs that Trend could hardly even hear. But their suffering was boundless. Fluttershy stared down somewhere, looking wide-eyed. Tears streamed from her eyes in large streams, the pony tried to wipe them away, but they continued to flow. The wings were relaxed and completely lowered down, she began to tremble as if it were winter with sub-zero temperatures. Pegasus tilted her head down, even lower than a unicorn, and wrapped her hooves around it so that she completely blocked her view. She wasn't worried about her wrinkled mane. She clenched her teeth and was unable to speak or scream. There were no more forces. Fluttershy began, without her own desire, to remember her "past life", a life before this nightmare, a life when she could enjoy delicious Sugar Belle pastries at any time, her pleasant and caring hooves always did not merge only the best for her and her friends, explaining this by the fact that every visitor to her nursery is her soul mate, for whom she must be one hundred percent laid out. Fluttershy fell even harder to the ground of the path near the farm. Memories of their many times spent together cut like sharp daggers into the poor pony's mind. For Apple Bloom's birthday, Applejack invited all her friends to her farm, even invited the annoying unicorn twins Flim and Flam, who were surprised and touched at the same time by such a gesture of kindness. On that day, Sugar baked the world's largest cake with her own hooves, decorated with the most expensive edible sequins and the filling consisted of soft milk cream, seasoned with applesauce, the dough for the cake was at the level of professional chefs of the royal palace - it was moderately tender and consisted of flour mixed with melted milk chocolate and crystal berry from the north of Equestria. Many were shocked by such a gift. Big Mac had no idea that this kind of massive project she could keep from him. Apple Bloom cried with happiness because her sister-in-law spent so much effort for her that she was even a little ashamed to eat her gift. But Sugar Belle had a different opinion, she repeated the words of Granny Smith that the family should always come first for every pony. Of course, no one wanted to argue with her. Fluttershy then sat next to Discord and Pinkie and was immensely happy for everyone, and even more so for little Bloom. After all, that day was truly amazing. Lots of competitive games, songs, dances and entertaining chaos from her powerful friend. Also during all this, Fluttershy accidentally heard that Sugar Belle was planning to repeat this kind of large-scale holiday, but only through her and Big Mac's "fault". They...they planned in the near future to be a complete family...with a child.

At least everyone was sure that this would happen.

At this point, Fluttershy, from the surging memories, replenished her energy and ... screamed. She screamed very hard. Her sobs were mixed with moans and coughs from the abundance of tears. Her friend is no more. Pegasus will no longer see her lush mane with a charming mess, will not see her well-mannered and sincere sympathy with any of them, she will no longer ask for her pastry recipes and cooking tips. None of this will happen again. Pegasus could not control her body, it became stiff and "magnetized" to the ground. Now she began to choke. Images of her dead friend formed in her imagination - white lifeless eyes looked directly at the pegasus, and words of indignation and indignation flew out of cold lips ... as if it was Fluttershy's fault.

"Fluttershy!" Trenderhoof noted the mare's critical condition and approached the pony with lightning speed, taking her by the shoulders, "Please calm down...I'm begging you. You're not breathing, please Fluttershy. We..."

But before he could finish, Fluttershy clung to him and hugged him and lifted her head to meet his gaze, her wet eyes were trembling, her lips were dry but she still very quietly asked: “Trend…please tell me it’s not true. ..Please"

The unicorn was in a stupor, he could not say anything that she wanted. He has no right. Instead of answering, his eyes looked with sadness and pain into reddened, wet turquoise eyes that were lower. He didn't answer. And for this reason, Fluttershy buried herself in the chest of the stallion and began to cry again. The stallion was ready to stroke Fluttershy's back as a token of consolation, but something prevented him. He felt her body go limp in his hooves and her crying became quieter...but it wasn't because of calming down.

Now it was his turn to feel strange. He noticed that it became noticeably darker around, although there were no clouds and the moon should have been shining in full strength. Then it only got worse. Trenderhoof began to breathe rapidly, his muscles tensing strongly from the pressing pain. He couldn't move. He could not explain these anomalies and began to look around, thinking that this was an external threat. But no one was here. Then it only got worse. The air around both ponies became unnaturally dense and heavy, something repulsive and...black appeared in it. The unicorn looked around them in panic. Black clots of magic pulsed in the air, sparkling with purple and green flashes. The unicorn suppressed the urge to scream and wanted to bring Fluttershy back to consciousness and take her to safety...

A medium-sized explosion of dark energy thundered and the shock wave threw the stallion a decent distance. He flew off to the farm fence and hit it. The unconscious body fell to the ground with tall grass.

Fluttershy felt energized again and awoke from her semi-conscious state, but there was still a noticeable weakness. She continued to stop crying and began to look around because she did not understand what had just happened. She became even more afraid. Too many events for one day. Her lips trembled, her pupils became small dots. She was afraid that danger was somewhere nearby. But suddenly her anxiety was overshadowed by the meowing on the mare's back. She quickly turned her head and looked at the shadow cat with a little relief. He looked at the pegasus with a calm, almost cold look. She forgot that his container was strapped to her back.

“F-Fang?” Fluttershy called his name hopefully, thinking that she was not alone now.

The cat pointed to the left of Fluttershy with its paw and stirred the shadows writhing from it a little. Fluttershy hurriedly turned in the direction of his little friend and looked at the most unpleasant sight she had seen in a while. Near the fence of the Apple farm lay Trenderhoof with a bunch of burns of wool all over his body, his eyes were closed and dirt and other things lay on the ground on his back and hooves. His breathing was calm. He was unconscious.

"Trend!" Fluttershy quickly ran up to the injured stallion, full of fear and confusion. She began to check him for serious injuries and tried to wake him up to take him to her friend's farm.

Every morning near the Evergreen Forest was like a fairy tale. A warm sunny dawn illuminated flowers with a wide variety of variegated colors, while creating a vibrant palette of colors in the beautiful outdoor fields of Ponyville. As night falls, the birds begin their choral aerial concerts. Their chants filled with the most beautiful sonorous sounds serve as an incentive to start their day right, those who have ever allowed themselves picnics in nature knew that being close to small but sonorous birds is a guarantee of a pleasant stay.

Fluttershy has a similar case. But now everything is different. She opened her eyes, which were stinging from the rays of the Sun, and turned to the opposite side to hide from the morning light. Before, she happily got up from her bed and kneaded her hooves and back, wrapped in warm rays. But now she prayed that the night would at least once be longer. Pegasus looked around her room with a sad look. Everywhere was clean, the furniture was intact, the books were all in their place. There were no mistakes or omissions. But Fluttershy didn't care. Instead, she struggled out of bed. She lowered her head, narrowed her eyes and looked down sadly. She stood like that for five minutes, and then she went to the bathroom to wash and comb her disheveled mane and tail.

Fifteen minutes later she came out completely well-groomed and clean. A towel was wrapped around her mane, and she looked at her watch as she stepped into the living room. It was half past seven in the morning. She got up pretty early. But on the other hand, at least he finishes his business earlier, the pony noticed to herself. But the main reason why she came here is to check on Fang.

It's been three days since her and Rarity arrived back in Ponyville. The situation with the Trenderhoof still frightens and terrifies her. What happened then she did not quite understand. But she managed to notice that the stallion's injuries were very strange, as if they were committed without physical contact ... Fluttershy swallowed nervously as suspicions about her new animal friend formed in her head all these days. She couldn't deny that Fang was fully capable of something like that. She didn't need to say why and everything was clear. But when she took him to the hospital, where he was returned to a sane state a few minutes later, Trenderhoof said that he felt strange and that he then abruptly passed out and did not remember anything else. Fluttershy didn't like this arrangement. Because she could not accurately declare to herself the innocence of the cat and assert about his calm temperament. Suspicions about his potential danger to other ponies only grew stronger, but...

Pegasus felt this "cute creature" rubbing near her leg and greets her friend with a joyful meow. Fluttershy, then and now, couldn't believe that Fang was capable of such cruelty, and...maybe that's why she kept silent about the cat when she was in the hospital with Trend. The feeling of guilt has not yet left the ponies. She didn't want to do anything to harm her friends.

The shadow creature jumped onto the pony's back and gently rubbed its muzzle against the back of the mare's head and purred loudly. Fluttershy sighed tiredly, because in order for him to caress like that, he removed the towel from her head, took the fabric with his teeth and threw it on the floor. The cat clearly did not feel somehow uncomfortable. That's the kind of courage Fluttershy expected from Angel... but apparently her favorite bunny has a rival.

"Well, what should I do with you?" Pegasus asked rhetorically, "Eh, Fang could you get off my back please. I need to do my job."

It was clear from the angry hiss and deep purr that the cat didn't like the idea. But he still did not argue with the owner of the cottage and reluctantly jumped onto the sofa and began to lick his back to relieve stress.

Fluttershy, to her own surprise, was able to put on a warm and loving smile as she looked at the black cat. She hesitated for a second, but nevertheless scratched behind the fluffy ear. The animal closed its eyes in bliss and purred even harder than before. When she finished. She went about her morning chores: making a small breakfast of pancakes, cleaning the pigs' houses of dirt and other debris, replacing some defective bird nests, feeding all her little friends living near her cottage. All this did not make her very tired. But... she still wanted to not finish her duties so quickly. And so she did a number of additional tasks, with the rearrangement of flower pots that stood on her window, she also checked each pet that very often goes into the forest for the presence of parasites and ticks. She finished her work by watering the garden. She could do this for an infinite amount of time. But sooner or later it has to happen.

Time to pay Twilight a visit. Pegasus sighed timidly and calmly at the thought that now a very serious conversation with others awaits her. She looked down to where Fang was sitting next to the left front hoof, also looking at the pegasus. From the outside looking in, it was hard to tell what they were trying to achieve with silent glances. 

Fluttershy was the first to break eye contact and looked at the door leading outside. Part of her mind was trying to dissuade the mare from this idea, because it was still too early and against the backdrop of what happened in the Apple family, the news about Fang would only worsen the already unimportant situation of her friends. After all, the presence of a dark creature in Ponyville does not seem like a safe idea to anyone. There is a risk that the town's civilians may turn against her and inflict accusations and suspicions. Fluttershy was aware of this, but she also understood that it was impossible to play silent for a long time. She has information about an unidentified being, a being that clearly has powers. And the rest should know about it, at least to provide additional security measures.

"Why do you have such a gloomy face, dear?", the main instigator of stupid and ridiculous situations in Equestria materialized in front of the door, his dragon tail stroked the dark monster a little, who in response only knocked it off his head with his paw, "Today Cloudsdale is promised heavy rains ?"

Fluttershy could hear this playful and squeaky pleasant baritone anywhere. The Lord of Chaos himself decided to visit his best friend again in a non-standard way. Just teleported into the house and didn't enter it. Discord stood in front of a full-length pegasus, slightly stretching his eagle paw, with which he often casts spells. But still, there are noticeable changes in its appearance. Discord didn't act carefree or casual, he didn't try to do chaotic things in Fluttershy's house right and left, although he used to love to do it. It is not uncommon to see him often standing on the floor rather than flying through the air, ignoring the existence of his wings. No, he didn't do all that. The ancient deity only looked at Fluttershy with a calm look with a slight smile. Even for someone who calls himself a spirit of disharmony, such behavior was too much even for him. Pegasus could see notes of tension and exhaustion in her friend's eyes. He must have only recently learned of his friend's tragedy, the pony remarked grimly.

But in order to drive away the dark thoughts, she looked at Discord with that smile that she had not made for a very long time. Even if it takes a lot of effort: "Remember our contract?"

Discord silently stared at the pegasus for five seconds, then he extended his lion's paw to her: "Yes ... of course. Ready to ruin the day for the Princess of Friendship?"

Discord, in a quiet and falsely playful tone, asked an obvious question to which he already knew the answer. Fluttershy sat Fang on her back and grabbed Discord's paw with both hooves, "Ready like never before."

A moment later, there was complete silence in Fluttershy's cottage, there was no one in the house, only small sparks of teleportation swirled in the air near the place where our trio were.