//------------------------------// // Aftermath // Story: The Incredible Flutterhulk // by spideremblembrony //------------------------------// Thunderbolt and Major Strawberry combed through Fluttershy’s trailer. They had hoped to find some clue as to where she might have gone. But as always, she had covered her tracks. All they found were some pieces of lab equipment, books, and a bed. She had very little else in her trailer. The lab equipment didn’t surprise the general. Most of the sites where Fluttershy had resided were littered with the stuff. Same with the books. They may have been different books each time, but the subjects were always the same. Chemistry, biology, and anger management. The general had other soldiers talking to the circus folk, particularly Monsieur Pabul. If any of them knew anything about Fluttershy, it would be the folks she had been traveling with for several months. Based on what Thunderbolt had been hearing, most of the circus freaks didn’t know about Fluttershy’s criminal record. Everyone except Blackberry, who was cooperative, and Monsieur Pabul, who wasn’t. Monsieur Pabul refused to reveal anything he knew about Fluttershy. The general wasn’t about to let his prey get away from him. Monsieur Pabul wasn’t the first to try to defend Fluttershy. And being a griffin, he’d be tough to break. But everyone has a breaking point. The general had wondered how she would travel from city to city without detection and now he had his answer. She was a clever young filly. She had almost 20 years of running from the law under her hooves. That, coupled with her alias, made her deadly. The sound of an opening door turned their attention to Guamadillius, who was carrying a brown bag. “I found this in the street,” Guam stated as he put the bag on the table. “She had it on her when she bolted.” Thunderbolt opened the bag, navigating through various supplies. He dug through the first aid kits, papers with all sorts of scientific formulas, cans of soup, and a couple of water bottles, hoping for anything that might point to where she was going next. Sadly, he found no such item. He tossed the bag aside, grunting in frustration. Even with the griffin, the day was still probably a total loss. Thunderbolt doubted that even he would know where Fluttershy was. However, if he did, Thunderbolt would soon find out. Guam took a second look in the bag to see a single photograph. He picked it up and noticed that one of the ponies looked familiar. It was definitely a younger version of Fluttershy. He didn’t recognize the other brown Pegasus or the coral pink mare, but the filly’s face was unmistakable. It was the same pony he had been sent to capture just an hour ago. He thought back to that moment when he saw the yellow Pegasus dart for the city. How he thought the job would be a simple tranq and grab. Sure the filly put on quite a chase, but she was cornered like a little rabbit stuck between a rock and a ravenous wolf, just seconds from tasting its helpless prey. How it all went to Tartarus in a matter of moments. Because of that... Guam wasn’t even sure what it was. That hour seemed like it was forever ago. Guam turned towards the frustrated general. “Is this her family?” Guam asked, referring back to the photograph. He waited for a response, but none came. “Mom and dad? Aunt and Uncle, maybe? Maybe they help her?” The general finally took the photo from Guam’s hoof and threw it back into the bag. “They are no longer a factor. We closed that door off to her a long time ago. She’s alone. She wants to be alone.” Thunderbolt turned his attention from Guam back to Strawberry. “I want to speak with the circus freak.” Strawberry nodded. She then turned to the doorway of the small trailer and exited, leaving Thunderbolt and Guam alone. “Sir.” Guam waited until the general’s eyes were fixed upon him until he continued. “I think you might want to know, whatever Fluttershy was doing. Whatever Fluttershy is guilty of. I can see why you might not have caught her.” Guam thought back to just a half hour ago, when he came face to face with a terrifying beast. A beast with so much power. So much rage. Nothing they used could slow it down, let alone stop it. He’s seen weird stuff in his long career, but... never any thing like this. Guam wanted answers. “She wasn’t alone, sir. We had her and then-“ Guam fumbled his words trying to explain what he just saw. He wasn’t sure the general would believe it. Celestia, he wasn’t even sure he believed it. “Something hit us. Something BIG hit us.” The general’s eyes didn’t even move. Guam figured that the general didn’t believe him. He didn’t look surprised or uneasy. There was no sign of belief. “It could tear through a brick wall like it was made of paper! I hit the damn thing dead on! Never missed a shot!” Guam shouted in frustration. He was breathing heavily. It was the most powerful thing Guam had ever seen. He was still unsure how to explain it. Every explanation he tried to conjure seemed to make less sense the more he thought about it. It was strong. It was furious. It was unstoppable. There was no other way to describe it and yet every time Guam tried to say these words, his tongue failed him. “Didn’t even slow it down, sir.” “Well, it’s gone now,” the general finally replied. Guam wasn’t sure what to say. Whatever that thing was, it only appeared when they cornered Fluttershy. He thought it was possible that Fluttershy had some sort of connection to it. “Well, if Fluttershy knows what it is, I’m gonna find her. I’m gonna put my hoof on her throat and I’m gonna-! “That was Fluttershy,” the general interrupted. Guam wasn’t sure if he just heard what he thought he heard. “Fluttershy? That little mousy pony? Is that... thing? That’s impossible, isn’t it?” Thunderbolt could sense Guam’s uncertainty, so he repeated his statement. The creature was Fluttershy. “You’re gonna have to explain that statement, sir,” Guam explained. “No, I don’t.” Guam’s mind was warped into a frenzy of questions. What was that thing? How did Fluttershy become that thing? And more importantly, how do you kill it? Thunderbolt knew more about the creature then he was letting on. Guam would have bet his career on it. “Probably classified,” he thought. Still, he had to know. He had to know how and why she became that behemoth. The general had all the answers. He was going to find out what was going on. He was going to get all the information on Fluttershy. It didn’t matter what it took or for how long, Guam was going to get his answers. He was going to make the general talk. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Blackberry made her way to the holding site where her father had been taken. She had demanded to speak with the pony in charge of the operation against Fluttershy, but so far they had all been denied. She wasn’t going to give up, however. Her father wasn’t at fault. Fluttershy had fooled them all. She finally spotted the green Pegasus with the yellow thunderbolt cutie mark. She had seen him before. He was the one who rallied all the ponies into the area. He was the one who started asking questions and barking orders. He would know what happened to Monsieur Pabul. “Hey!” she called out. The general didn’t even turn her way. He just continued on his path. Blackberry hadn’t wasted her night just to be ignored. “Hey!” She rushed to the general attempting to intercept him, but two other ponies cut her off. “Sorry, miss. You have to stay back,” one of them warned. Blackberry wasn’t paying attention to what they had to say; all she wanted was the general. “Hey! Where’s my father?!” Blackberry shouted to the Pegasus. This finally got the green pony’s attention. “You’ll have to be specific. I don’t know who you’re father is,” the general replied. “Monsieur Pabul!” she shouted as the two ponies started to drag her away from the general. “Men, stand down,” the general ordered. The two ponies gave him a strange look. “But sir, she-,“ “That’s an order, soldier!” the general snapped. It was clear to Blackberry that he didn’t like being ignored. The soldiers let go of her arms and backed away. “Where is my father?” Blackberry asked again. The general approached her. “Your father is being contained for the safety of Equestria. He will be transported to an secure army base for questioning.” Blackberry’s anger boiled. Monsieur Pabul wasn’t the threat! Why was he the one that was locked up? “Contained for the safety of Equestria? Questioning? For what?” she asked. “He was caught conspiring with a very dangerous criminal.” “He was lied to. We all were.” “But only one of you made the call,” the general stated. Blackberry stood silent. She wasn’t sure what to say. Monsieur Pabul hadn’t made the call, she did. But why should he be punished? He didn’t know about Fluttershy. He wouldn’t have hired her if he had known, would he? “I have to admit,” the general spoke. “When I heard about a pony making a call to capture a dangerous criminal, it warmed my heart.” It burned Blackberry to listen to that. It warmed his heart that she had to betray her father and cause him to be arrested? What kind of pony was that? “It fills me with joy to see Equestrian citizens serving their country.” The general slowly turned and began to walk away. Blackberry lowered her head down in sorrow. The general’s voice then called to her again, “You should be honored. You’ve made your country proud.” Blackberry raised her head to the general and saw that he was saluting her. His arm angled to his head to honor her as if she was some great hero. It made her sick. She had uprooted her entire family. Her father was in prison, her family was without a job, and what’s worse she was all-alone. Tears started to rush down her face as she released a deep sob. All this torment was all her doing. She thought back to the yellow Pegasus. How she treated her with kindness and compassion. How she never did anything to hurt any pony, no matter what. How she was suppose to be the bad guy. Her thoughts then wandered to the general. The pony that had taken her father into custody, who had torn apart her home, who had separated some of her family from her. She thought he was supposed to be the good guy. Yet, he acted more like a bad guy. Compared to the general, Fluttershy staying in their camp, even with her secrets, was the lesser of two evils. Blackberry sunk her knees with a deep sob. She had not only lost her family, her home, and her father... She had lost her best friend. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The flight back to base seemed longer than before. It was silent. Many of the ponies were probably pondering the same problem Guam was. Fluttershy. What they had seen and heard. What they had fought for their lives against. If that creature was Fluttershy, was she always that way and that’s why she’s important? Or was she made this way? Is she a lab rat gone wrong? Or is it something more? These questions coiled themselves around Guam’s brain. During the course of the flight, he couldn’t help but glare at the general, as if he was expecting an answer for his questions. Unsurprisingly to him, he received none. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Guam intentionally waited for the general after exiting the aircraft. He was far from done with his conversation with him. The general continued down the path to his office with Guam not far behind. “Sir, I’ve been in bad situations on crap missions before.” Thunderbolt’s thoughts then drew back to the profile reports on Guam. “Yes, it was during an expedition in the Zubian Desert.” Guam’s mind remembered those days well. Three days and four nights trudging through the hot desert. It was suppose to be an easy job. Go in, map the area, return to base. It turned into anything but. No pony knew that within the desert there were lurking guerrillas. They got the better of him and he wouldn’t let that go. He wanted payback. He got it too. It went against the orders of his higher ups. He lost a lot of rep and was discharged. It took him years to be able to re-enlist, but he didn’t care. He got his revenge. “If you read the report, sir, then you know I’ve seen a lot of good ponies go down because some pencil pusher didn’t let us know what we were walking into.” Thunderbolt’s eyebrows rose. Guam wasn’t exactly one to mince words. “And?” Thunderbolt asked. “And, I’ve done my job, sir. Move on to the next mission, but this...” Guam paused. He knew what he wanted. He wanted to see Fluttershy pay. He wanted to get back at the little mare that beat him. “No pony beats Guamadillius. No pony, nobody.” “Sir, if you’re taking another crack at her, I want in.” Thunderbolt took another look at Guam. Not many ponies asked to go up against Fluttershy again. Guam certainly had guts. Guam then spoke again, “And with all due respect, you should be looking for ponies who are prepped and ready to fight. Because if that thing shows up again, you’re gonna have a lot of professional tough colts shitting themselves.” Thunderbolt wasn’t used to being talk to this way by his inferior. However, Thunderbolt would have been lying if he said he wasn’t impressed by Guam. He certainly had the stones to say what he wanted, pursue what he wanted, and didn’t give a damn about what he had to do to get them. Thunderbolt gave a grin. Guam reminded him of himself when he was a colt. “I’ll talk with my superiors.” Guam smiled on the inside, but kept his straight face for the general. He was going to get another chance to face Fluttershy and next time he’d be ready. Next time, he’d win. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Monsieur Pabul had sat quietly in his cell since they arrested him. It was a typical cell. A place to sit that doubled as a place to sleep. A small sink and lavatory was a few feet from his right, next to the wall. Only a few feet separated the wall to the wall opposite from it. Not even enough room to stretch his wings. And maybe that was the point. He had been there for what seemed like hours. Hours, since he lost one of his family members. He knew exactly how Shutterfly had been discovered. He wasn’t angry with her either. Just... disappointed. He had thought that they had an understanding. “Wishful thinking,” he thought to himself. Then he heard the sound of keys jingling. He turned himself towards the doorway to his cage and saw a green Pegasus standing at the door. His sharp eyes pierced at the griffin. The other pony with him opened the door and cleared the Pegasus’s path. The Pegasus trotted in the door and stood over the griffin. “Monsieur Pabul,” the Pegasus spoke. Their eyes met. “You must be the one in charge.” “My name is General Thunderbolt and I am in charge of this operation.” The griffin diverted his eyes away. There was nothing to be said. At least, not on his end. The general spoke again, “My son, when he was a colt, used to love your shows.” Pabul’s thoughts wandered to the years of his circus career. Those were the best years of his life. He had seen such talented ponies. Ponies who looked up to him like a father figure, and like any father, he would have to see his children move on. They would get better jobs, find a spouse, and raise a family. As much as it pained him to see them leave, it always brought him joy to receive letters of their lives and photos of their children and family. Things were easier with technology and computers. It was easier to see his family grow beyond what he had ever imagined. “My son would beg me to take him to your shows. He was very happy.” The general paused, as the griffin directed his attention to him. “For me however... It was a colossal waste of my time.” Pabul scowled at the general. Taking that insult was like a blow to his face. A blow that he could do nothing to retaliate. “Where is Fluttershy?” the general asked. The griffin continued his silence. He didn’t know where Fluttershy was, but as long as she was safe, he didn’t care. “You are not in a good position, Monsieur Pabul. You left Fluttershy off your records. Kept her on employment under the table. You know that’s illegal?” Pabul knew. He knew it the day Fluttershy came to his circus. She was just passing through when Bertha had been acting up. The elephant was upset and no pony could calm her down. It was only when a little yellow Pegasus intervened that Bertha was able to relax. It turns out Bertha was bearing a child. They would have never had realized they were adding a baby elephant to their family if Fluttershy hadn’t come along. At that moment, Pabul had to offer her a job. She was at first reluctant, of course, but he would not take no as an answer. He would do whatever it took to keep this mare in his employ. Yes, her requests were strange, but when he looked into her sad and desperate eyes. So full of loss and pain. Eyes that had been all alone, he couldn’t refuse her terms. He never once regretted it. “You also had this in your cabinet.” Thunderbolt tossed a sheet of paper towards the griffin. His claws failed to grab it and it fluttered to the floor. He looked down to where the paper had landed and staring back at him was the wanted poster Blackberry had brought him. But he never saw the face of a criminal. He only saw the pony that had called him ‘friend’. “And a few minutes before my men attempted to apprehend her, she received a phone call that originated from your office.” Pabul continued his silence. Thunderbolt, however, was growing impatient. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. “You can help yourself, Monsieur Pabul. I just need to know where Fluttershy is.” Monsieur Pabul took another look at the general. “I don’t know what you believe Fluttershy is guilty of.” He gave a swallow. “But I know, that she is not capable of murder. Deep inside I know, that she’s not the monster you think she is.” Thunderbolt gave a slight chuckle at the griffin’s choice of words. “You have no idea what is deep down inside of her.” “I know that she is a kind and gentle soul. She doesn’t have it in her to kill.” Thunderbolt raised his eyebrow. “Is that what you believe?” The griffin raised himself to his feet, until he was standing eye to eye with the general. “I do. And I will continue to believe that, ‘til the day I die.” There was a pause within the room. Silence reigned supreme for a second. Finally, the general replied, “I suggest you get comfortable, Monsieur Pabul. Because you will not be leaving here for a long, long time.” The general turned back to the doorway and made his exit. The guard shut the door behind him. Pabul silently sat back in his bed with his head in his claws. Fluttershy was safe. His family wasn’t involved with anything he had done. He looked down at the floor where the picture of the smiling figure still sat. He could hear the sound of her laughter and the gentleness of her voice. He could still see her kind smile. It almost made him smile himself. Almost. Reality set back in his mind as he heard a metallic door close. The reality that; he was a prisoner. Forever. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The waterfall thundered over the sobs of the little yellow Pegasus. Fluttershy had been crying for a long time it seemed. She rested her head into the grass and let the tears flow uncontrollably down her face. The trees casting their shadows over her as if a tribute to the dark place she now found herself in. Little animals gathered all around her, as if they could sense her grief and sorrow. Birds, rabbits, and squirrels eased their way up to the weeping mare. Ducks swam up from the lakebed to Fluttershy’s side. It was like a scene from a storybook Fluttershy had once heard her mother read to her. She liked that book. It was about a princess who was loved by all wild life. But she was hardly a princess. She was a monster. “How many more lives have I taken?” she asked herself. Her sobs continued, even through her thoughts. She cried almost every time she... change. Every time ‘she’ came out. “How many more ponies had to die... because I couldn’t control her?” The thought had haunted her since the day she discovered she could become such a creature. She only discovered this strange curse a few years ago and discovered that it was triggered by anger. Since that day, she feared for the safety of everyone around her. Fluttershy was not a pony of violence and the very thought of hurting another pony, heck another creature, was unacceptable to her. However, ‘she’ didn’t always think the same as Fluttershy. Fluttershy had no control over ‘her’ and often didn’t remember any of ‘her’ actions. News clippings were her only source of information concerning the raging beast. She remembered the first headline she ever read concerning the creature, ‘Mysterious Monster Murders Mare’. Fluttershy remembered it all too well. She had been in the same place this mysterious monster had been, the same time, the same day. She remembered growing angry, growing outraged. This mare was mean, but even she didn’t deserve to die. Fluttershy must have cried for days. She couldn’t believe what she had done. What ‘she’ had done. She felt a gentle tap on her hind leg. She turned her head; blades of grass stuck to her face, and saw a squirrel offering its acorns to her. She smiled at the gesture, but tears still streamed down her face. She wiped the tears from her eyes and the grass from her face. “Oh, thank you.” Fluttershy gently stroked the squirrel’s head. “But I’m afraid a little acorn won’t help my big problem.” The ducks quacked at the Pegasus, as if they were speaking to her. Fluttershy understood them well. She had been speaking to animals a long time, even more so when she was alone. She remembered the teachings of her father. To trust and listen to the animals around her, for they knew nature better than any pony ever did. It was strange considering her father’s line of work for him to say that. Regardless, it was something she held true to her heart. She learned a lot just from watching animals. She learned what food is edible and more importantly, where to find water. She set her head back into the grass. “I don’t think there’s any pony that can help me. I’m a monster.” The birds began to chirp and Fluttershy responded, “You don’t know me well enough. How can you say I’m not a monster? There’s no pony in this world who would help some pony like me.” The birds began to chirp again. Fluttershy thought about what they told her. Was there a pony in Equestria that might be able to help her? And if so, would they be safe? Would they be protected if something bad were to happen? What she needed more than anything was a cure. A way to get rid of the beast within her. Her thoughts then wondered to her friend. The only friend she had that might be able to cure her. Hot Rod Wheels. Fluttershy had to get back to civilization. She knew she needed to find her mysterious friend. If she found him, she might have a chance to cure herself. To rid herself of the monstrous beast that lies within her. She picked herself up off the grass. Tears were still soaking her cheeks, even as she started for the road. She had to find out where the nearest town was. A town would most likely have a school or library. And such a facility would have a computer. She needed to contact her friend. It was the only chance she had of living in peace. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- “Greetings everypony, I’m Jack Maregee!” a light red news anchor with a neatly combed brown mane spoke over the television set. Cookie Crisp, a young earth mare, cringed at hearing the newscaster’s voice. He was annoying and she had better things to do than listen to him. She would have changed it, but she was under a vehicle performing repairs. Working on this old vehicle wasn’t exactly an exciting line of work, but she wasn’t good for much else. Her cutie mark was a motorcycle with a trail of fire. She had always been a good rider, but it was hardly a job unless you were something spectacular. Something she’d never been. She dropped out of school when she was 13. Ran away from home shortly after. Never went back. There were many times she thought she probably should have, but it never happened. She didn’t care. She couldn’t go back home even if she wanted to. Nothing there for her. "Last night, a huge monster sighting just outside Baltimare.” Her ears then perked themselves up. She dragged herself out from underneath the car and got to her feet. Something about the broadcast made her think of a certain pony. A certain some pony she thought had disappeared years ago. “A mysterious creature was seen just outside the city of Baltimare. Witnesses say it was about 7 to 9 feet tall and some even say it had wings.” She paid very close attention to the news broadcast. She placed herself in front of the small television set. It was an old box and the screen was darker from all its years of use, but it was still viable. Sweat, still built up on her face, swam down her neck. Her brown coat and dark red hair was spotted with oil. She picked up the washcloth from the nearby table and began wiping her face. “This creature perfectly describes the same beast that was seen more than seven months ago. We already know this creature is dangerous and that it is incredibly strong.” The broadcast then began to show images of what kinds of damage the creature had done. Cars were torn to shreds. Walls that looked like a tank just drove through them. Entire roads that had been uplifted. It then showed a brief image of the creature. A huge green monster threw a truck as if it was a football. Gunfire and shouts of panic filled the television set, only to be overpowered by the creature’s roar unleashed from its powerful lungs. “Flyshy.” She knew who it was. It was that yellow Pegasus pony she met years ago. The pony she had been looking for since that day. She turned towards the table and set down her washcloth. She dug through the various items on the desk until she found a brown folder. The front of the folder was blank, but inside it held mathematical equations and other scientific nonsense that was way beyond Cookie’s ability to understand. Regardless, she needed it. To repay her debt. She then turned to her right to her motorcycle. Mounting it, she ignited the engine. “The creature was last seen heading east. Where is it now? Are the ponies in Equestria safe? What does the military know about it? I’m Jack Maregee and I’ve got the story.” The engine roared as she drove out of the garage and on the road. She knew it was a long shot, but she had to find her. She had to pay Fluttershy back for what she did nearly five years ago.