Act Two:
"You Better Run"
Chapter Eleven:
"Your Possible Pasts"
“Ouch!” Fluttershy winced as a sharp pain shot up her leg.
She sat at the kitchen table, while Tree Flower quietly went about changing the old beat up bandage on Fluttershy’s injured leg.
“Dear Celestia, Fluttershy, what happened to you?” her mother asked, tossing the old gooey bandage in a plastic garbage bag. “You look like something bit you or something.”
Fluttershy bit her lip, still unsure if she should tell her mother about the Timberwolf attack. “Um…well…I…um…fell while running,” she lied, hoping her mother would buy it. “Into some thorns.”
“Thorns? Where?” Tree Flower asked, looking up at Fluttershy, worry in her eyes. “I need to know just in case it gets infected.”
Fluttershy hid behind her mane compulsively. “It’s okay, mother, really. I had someone already look at it, I’ll be fine.”
Tree Flower looked somewhat unconvinced. “That would explain this,” she motioned towards the remains of the bandage and the leftover blobs of goo that Zecora had swathed on Fluttershy’s leg. “But I still want to know…” she paused, looking up and into Fluttershy’s eyes.
Fluttershy was silent for a moment. Ever since she saw the old tape her father had made that morning, she had spent her time quietly thinking and talking with her mother, the conversation usually concerning what had happened in Ponyville in the intervening twenty years, with Tree Flower occasionally asking where Fluttershy had been.
Fluttershy was vague when asked exactly what happened during her time away, usually resorting to an answer along the lines of, “I’d rather not talk about it,” or, “I don’t remember”. Usually, whenever Fluttershy would say that, her mother would nod and quietly move onto a less sensitive topic, usually back to daily life in Ponyville.
But this time, there was a determination in Tree Flower’s eyes. Her dark green eyes looked as if they were staring into Fluttershy’s soul. However, mixed in with the determination was another emotion. Sadness. This mare had spent twenty years convinced that her daughter was dead, and now, here she was, sitting at her kitchen table with an injured leg.
Fluttershy bit her lip, her eyes quickly looking away as her own guilty feelings overtook her.
Come on Fluttershy. She thought. You could have at least sent her a letter saying you were alright. But what did you do? Nothing. She glanced back at Tree Flower, who was still looking up at her with the same expression. Fluttershy’s conscious continued to berate her.
And now here she is, having totally forgiven you and you still want to lie to her. You were honest with Zecora. You didn’t even know that zebra, and yet you were still more honest then you are with your own mother. Just come clean.
Fluttershy hesitated. But what about New Fluttershy? She thought, as if her conscious were another pony she was having a conversation with.
Tell her about that too. No use hiding it. Better that she know now then wait until New Fluttershy comes out to play. Her conscious replied.
As Fluttershy continued her internal debate, Tree Flower let out a long sigh and returned to treating Fluttershy’s leg, “I understand dear that you don’t want to talk about it. It must have been a painful experience,” Her voice sounded sad and heavy, but also carried no trace of anger or resentment. Just painfully sad disappointment.
The pain evident in her mother’s voice was the final nail in the coffin for Fluttershy. She couldn’t take it anymore, to see her mother sad and in pain. Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke up, “M-mother…I haven’t completely honest with you…”
Tree Flower looked up from the wound, concern in her eyes, “How so dear?”
“Um…well…remember how you asked me how I got the injury?” Fluttershy asked, mentally trying to picture her mother’s reaction once she told the full truth.
“Yes,” Tree Flower nodded, curious.
Fluttershy shifted slightly in her seat, “And I said that I got caught in some thorns?”
Tree Flower simply nodded, saying nothing.
“Well, that’s not entirely true,” Fluttershy said, as took one last breath, bracing herself. Now or never.
Tree Flower put a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder and leaned in close, looking Fluttershy in the eyes.
“Fluttershy, you don’t need to be scared. You can tell me the truth.”
Fluttershy smiled a little, taking comfort in her mother’s confidence in her.
“Do you want to know all of it?” Fluttershy asked, peering out from under her mane at her mother.
Her mother smiled gently, “I would like to, yes. But it’s your choice.”
Fluttershy nodded, “Okay then…here I go…”
And with that, she began.
//////////////////////
Fluttershy had no memory of what had happened during her blackout. The only memories she had was the feeling pure rage that she felt immediately before and the horrible sight that greeted her once her rage faded.
Her mother was in the corner of the kitchen, rocking her husband’s battered and bloodied body back and forth, her cries of anguish filling the room.
Fluttershy felt an overwhelming feeling of guilt. It didn't take more than a few seconds to figure out what had happened. It was quite simple.
She had lost control again. The horrifying memory of Dark Sky's bloody body and her blood stained hooves flashed through her mind. She slowly looked down at her hooves.
They were caked in blood.
The next thing Fluttershy knew, she had let out a scream and was running as fast as possible. She could hear her mother calling for her to come back, but she ignored the cries.
She was nothing more than a monster.
//////////////////////
Fluttershy kept running. She ran for what felt like an eternity until her legs gave out, her energy utterly spent.
She ended up in Canterlot Park, shivering in the chilly autumn rain and huddled under a random park bench.
She didn’t know where else to go. She was a monster. Her father was probably dead, and by her own hooves no less. Trembling in fear and confusion, her eyes drifted down to her hooves.
The blood on them was now smeared and dry, and a disgusting shade of brown. Bits of wood, pebbles and garbage clung to them, having stuck on during her run from the house. She started to rub them together vigorously, desperately attempting to rub away the coating. The dripping rain helped a little, and the blood started to wash away, slowly and steadily until they were seemingly clean. Fluttershy let out a shuddering sigh as she finally saw the yellow color of her hooves again. Even with the blood gone she could still see that they were covered in dozens of small scrapes. She let out a sob as the full weight of what happened fell down on her.
She had released the monster that was hiding inside of her, and it singlehandedly had completely destroyed everything she held dear in her life. She was a monster. Nothing more than a failed science experiment. With this realization, the dam broke and she started to sob uncontrollably. As she cried, she started to gently rock herself back and forth, pulling her arms around herself in an attempt to comfort herself, her own tears mixing in with the rainwater pouring down from above.
“Excuse dear, but are you alright?”
Fluttershy froze, looking for the source of the gentle voice. Her eyes landed on a gentle looking yellow earth pony with a light pink mane. She was dressed in a sea green raincoat that protected her from the rain. The pony looked almost exactly like Fluttershy, except she seemed to be about the age of her mother.
“G-get a-away from me,” Fluttershy whimpered, attempting to scoot away from the Earth Pony. The earth pony gave her a quizzical look.
“Why what’s wrong filly? You lost?” the pony leaned down to her knees, peering under the bench.
“I’m a monster…get away from me!” Fluttershy sobbed, backing away a little more, waving the pony away.
The pony’s eyes instantly focused on Fluttershy’s injured hooves.
“Oh dear Celestia you’re hurt!” she reached towards Fluttershy, worry in her voice.
Fluttershy tried to back away again, but the mare beckoned towards her.
“Look, I know you’re scared, but I promise not to hurt you. Please, let me help you,” She said, her voice kind and gentle as she reached into her saddle bag and opened an umbrella, shielding the two of them from the rain.
Fluttershy looked into the mare’s eyes. They were an almost identical shade of blue as hers. They showed a kindness Fluttershy had only ever seen in her parents. Why was this pony trying to help her? Couldn’t she see the blood? Couldn’t she realize she was a monster?
“Please….let me help you…” the pony said, gently touching Fluttershy’s right hoof.
Fluttershy looked down at the hoof, and then at the pony attached to it. She exuded a kind and gentle aura. This total stranger had taken it upon herself to talk to her, to actually care what was happening to her. She was the first pony asides from Fluttershy’s mother and father who had shown any kindness to her since Firefly. Fluttershy finally relented and gripped the yellow pony’s hoof, and allowed her to gently lead out from under the bench.
The pony looked over Fluttershy’s arms and hooves, whispering words of comfort to her.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be okay,” she turned and fished a handkerchief out of her saddle bags and began to wipe the blood off of Fluttershy's cuts as best she could. “What happened? Did you fall?”
Fluttershy simply sniffled, her tears slowly and steadily running dry.
The pony looked up from Fluttershy’s arms and looked at Fluttershy, “What’s your name?”
“F-fluttershy.” Fluttershy whispered.
“That’s a beautiful name,” the mare said, as she started to wipe Fluttershy's hooves dry with a cloth from her saddle bag. “My name is Posey. Do you have a home Fluttershy?” the pony known as Posey asked.
Fluttershy didn’t answer at first. How could she go back home? She couldn’t. Her mother would never take her back after what she had done. She slowly shook her head.
“N-no, no I don’t.”
Posey suddenly stopped wiping Fluttershy’s hooves and looked at Fluttershy again, “You don’t have a home?”
Fluttershy shook her head again, “No.”
Posey unexpectedly pulled Fluttershy into a hug, “That’s terrible.” She pulled back and gave Fluttershy a questioning look, “Do you want to stay with me?”
Fluttershy was taken aback by Posey’s sudden request. This mare suddenly wanted her to live with her? Fluttershy was suddenly greeted by the horrible mental image of this seemingly saintly pony getting hurt or worse if Fluttershy ever lost control again. Just like her father. She couldn't take that risk. She backed away a little.
"N-no...I m-might hurt you," Fluttershy stuttered fearfully.
"Oh, nonsense. I couldn't believe that a little filly like you would have it in you to hurt anypony," Posey countered, seemingly slightly amused at the filly's concern.
"B-but, I d-do," Fluttershy sob, trying to make herself clear. "I'm a m-monster...p-please...leave me alone..." she whimpered, retreating back under the bench.
Posey shook her head. "And leave you alone out here? Nonesense."
Fluttershy looked into the mare’s eyes. Even after being warned of the danger this stranger still wanted to offer her a place to sleep. Even if it was only temporary. Fluttershy felt a strange mix of emotions.
She felt fear, that maybe this mare was just a really good liar and secretly had evil intent for her.
She felt confusion. This mare didn’t even know her. Why was she being so nice?
She felt afraid. She felt afraid of everything. Afraid of the city around her, and the mean ponies that probably were waiting for an easy target such as her. Afraid of herself, that she might suddenly explode like a bomb and hurt this pony.
But most importantly, she felt alone. Alone in this cold, dark world. And here was a chance, no matter how temporary it might be, to have somewhere safe for her to sleep, to have food, and most importantly, to have a friend. She also feared what might happen if she were to stay out in the park. What would happen if some sort of criminal found her? Her yearning for companionship and safety won her over and she slowly nodded.
"O-okay," she whispered, causing Posey to smile softly. "B-but you have to p-promise that you'll r-run if I ever start to get angry," Fluttershy said solemnly. “You won’t like me when I’m angry.”
She then felt Posey take her by the hoof. The earth pony was smiling, “Deal. Now let's get you inside.” And with that, Fluttershy willingly let herself be lead out of the park.
//////////////////////
Several years passed. What had originally been just a temporary place to stay had quickly become a home to Fluttershy.
As it turned out, Posey’s husband had recently died, leaving her alone in the world as well. She apparently never had children of her own, simply saying that, “I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
They lived a quiet life in Canterlot for most of those years, eventually moving to the town of Manehattan, where Posey worked as a volunteer at a local foster home. Instead of normal school, Fluttershy was educated at home, with Posey being her teacher, as Fluttershy was simply too fearful to leave the house without her. Slowly and steadily, however, Fluttershy gained confidence, slowly and steadily coming out of her shell. She was still naturally shy, but no longer the quivering fearful mare from before.
At least that’s how it looked on the outside. On the inside, Fluttershy was the exact opposite.
She was angry.
Over the years, the memories of her father’s mistake only managed to make Fluttershy angrier and angrier. He had abandoned her in her hour of need. Left her utterly alone in the world to fend for herself. If it hadn’t been for Posey, Fluttershy might have ended up dead behind some dumpster or worse. She kept it bottled inside, where it festered, mixing in with another emotion.
Fear. She feared that at any moment, she would lose her self-control and hurt an innocent pony. Be it Posey or any other pony.
So the two emotions fought for dominance, with neither winning a decisive victory until one fateful day.
//////////////////////
The Day had been just like any other, with Fluttershy quietly walking down the halls of Manehattan University. She made her way out of the classroom. Professor Do’s archeology class was the last class of the day, and Fluttershy honestly couldn’t wait until she got home. It had been a long and exhausting day. Most of it spent avoiding attention as much as possible.
All of a sudden, a brown hoof appeared on her shoulder.
“Gah!” Fluttershy squeaked, jumping in the air and turning to see where her assailant might be. As it turned out, the hoof was attached to a familiar face.
“Miss Fluttershy, you forgot this,” a brown pegasus with a monochrome mane said, handing her a saddlebag.
Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief, taking the saddle bag from the pegasus, “Th-thank you Professor Do.”
Professor Do nodded, a small smile on her face, “Sure thing Fluttershy. Least I could do.” And with that, the brown pegasus turned and headed back to the class room behind her as Fluttershy left.
She trotted across the campus, making a point of avoiding the various clutches and cliques that populated the grounds. The sun was finally setting and the sky was now a brilliant orange. She made her way to the exit, saying goodbye to the guard and started down the street.
The path she usually took home would always lead her pass Manehattan Park, where she would often stop and take pause, quietly observing the animals and enjoying the peaceful nature the park took on at dusk. She knew not to stay there long though. The park was notoriously dangerous at night, with criminals lurking in the shadows ready to pounce upon any innocent ponies they might find inside.
She took a deep breath, shuddering at the prospect of being mugged...or worse. She blinked rapidly in order to clear her mind.
Calm down Fluttershy...just keep walking and everything will be okay. Nopony's going to mug you. She thought, quickening her pace to distance herself from the park.
Eventually, she had entered the neighborhood where she and Posey lived.
It wasn't exactly the poorest neighborhood in Manehattan by any means, but it wasn't exactly the most well to do either. Neither of them complained, quite content to live here. It was an average looking neighborhood, with brownstone apartments. There was a cold October breeze in the air, scattering the leaves across the streets. Oddly, the streets were mostly devoid of activity, giving the neighborhood a strangely desolate air.
It made Fluttershy feel all the more uneasy. Something felt wrong. She couldn't quite peg what it was, though. She quickened her hoofsteps again, worry overtaking her.
There was a sudden loud noise and she froze. Panicked, Fluttershy looked for the source of the noise. A skinny dog scampered by, having knocked over a nearby garbage can.
Fluttershy relaxed a little at the sight. Loosening up, she finally reached the street where her apartment was, and she started to quietly whistle to herself, if only to distract herself from the unsettling air.
She was about to unlock the apartment door when a barely audible sound caught her ear. It sounded like a dog whimpering. She paused, not sure if it was just a trick of the ear or the wind. She heard the whimpering sound again, this time mixed in with another sound.
Laughter.
Against her own better judgment, Fluttershy found herself following the sound, walking around her apartment and through the dirty alleyway. The sounds grew louder and louder until Fluttershy ended up behind her apartment.
Her eyes widened in horror at the sight before her.
Backed up against a wall, and surrounded by three thuggish earth ponies, was a small three legged dog that Fluttershy had seen around the neighborhood. The ponies were all abusing the poor animals in various ways, either by kicking it or hitting it with their hooves. They all laughed maliciously with each successive kick.
Fluttershy felt an incredible rage start to build up inside her. The idea that those three savages would dare attack a help creature like that was the single most revolting sight in the universe.
“What are you doing to that poor animal!” Fluttershy found herself shouting, her voice unexpectedly enraged. One of the colts turned to look at her as if she had offended him in someway.
“What the buck do you want filly?” he spat, raising an eyebrow.
Fluttershy instantly cowered, taking a step back and hiding her mane. The dog whimpered again, attempting to make an escape. However, one of the colts pinned him down with its hoof, causing the animal to cry out in pain.
“I-I said, 'what are you doing to that poor dog?'” Fluttershy said, building up what little confidence she had. Something inside her felt compelled to help the poor creature, since it seemed nopony else would.
The colt snorted, “Filly get outta here. Its none of your business. Now go home to your mommy.” He then turned back to the stray and once more kicked it, a sadistic grin on his face.
The next thing Fluttershy knew, she was galloping to the animal's side, forgetting the fact that the three colts were present. She took the injured animal's head in her hooves and gently petted it. “Its okay, it'll be okay...” she whispered to it, gently rocking it back and forth.
All of a sudden, a hoof grabbed her shoulder and flung her to the ground.
“Stupid mare! Get outta here while we're still in a good mood.”
“Good mood? How can hurting an innocent, helpless animal put you in a good mood you monster?!” Fluttershy shouted back, years of pent up anger suddenly welling up, herself unable to fathom such a barbarous and sadistic action.
The colt simply shoved her way roughly, causing her to hit a nearby wall and he turned back to the dog, ready to abuse it some more.
Something inside Fluttershy snapped, and ten years of pent up rage and anger exploded forth, her eyes turning a bright shade of green. Letting out a monstrous roar, she lunged forward, her coat morphing to a dark shade of green as she impacted into the three colts, sending them sprawling.
“FLUTTERHULK SMASH MEAN PONIES!!!” She roared, now at least five times her original size. She began to bludgeon the three colts viciously with her hooves, causing the street below them to buckle and crack. As her rage exploded forth, everything nearby became a target.
Her hoof slammed into the nearby apartment wall, causing some of it to collapse down on her. The sudden feeling of concrete and brick impacting her body only managed to make her even angrier. She attacked the building, bucking the building violently.
Letting out a monstrous and deafening roar, Flutterhulk slammed into the ground one last time and galloped out of the alleyway.
//////////////////////
“…and since then I’ve been moving from place to place, just trying to avoid attention.” Fluttershy sighed sadly, finishing her story. She looked down at her hooves, her years of wandering had made them chipped and worn. Her hooves had taken so many lives, caused so much pain. She knew her mother had said she was forgiven, but a part deep inside of her still doubted whether the forgiveness was genuine. Now that her mother knew all this information, about Posey and such, could she still treat her as a daughter, even though Fluttershy had abandoned her in her hour of need?
“Did Posey ever know?” Tree Flower suddenly spoke, not looking at Fluttershy, her focus instead directed to the table top.
“Did Posey ever know what?” Fluttershy asked, confused at her mother’s question.
Tree Flower sighed, idly tinkering with the table cloth, “Did she ever know what happened to you after you…left?”
Fluttershy slowly shook her head, guilt welling up inside her again. “I never contacted her after that. I just woke up in the middle of a field, no memories of the night before,” Fluttershy sniffed. “Only found out about it through newspapers.” She wiped a stray tear from her cheeks.
Tree Flower continued to tinker with the table cloth. “That’s how I found out too,” She finally spoke after a long pause.
“Wh-what do you mean that you knew? You knew about…about New Fluttershy?” Fluttershy asked in shock.
Tree Flower nodded. “Yeah. It came on the news one day, ‘giant monster destroys city street.’ I just didn’t know it was you this whole time. I always thought it was some kind of dragon or something…” she chuckled slightly. “In hindsight, I should have known it was you.” Tree Flower wiped away some of her tears, which had been streaming down her face. “And you know what’s strange?”
Fluttershy shook her head slowly, “No, no I don’t, Mother…”
Tree Flower, looked into Fluttershy’s eyes, “I don’t hate you for it. Not at all. Quite the opposite, I feel sorry for you.”
Fluttershy shifted in her seat again, mixed in with her own feelings of sadness, she felt strangely relieved. Her mother still accepted her, even knowing every horrible detail about what she had done and who she had harmed. Even when she had told Zecora about her anger issues, she still felt that strange burdensome feeling.
“You feel sorry for me?” Fluttershy asked, looking her mother in the eye for the first time.
Tree Flower nodded slowly, “To have all that anger...and pain. To be unable to express it without hurting somepony. How do you cope?” She looked back at Fluttershy.
Fluttershy shrugged weakly. She wasn't quite sure herself. She had tried everything at one time or another. She had tried meditation, medication, and in a particularly dark point in her life, a gun to her own head. Each time, they didn’t change a thing.
“I-I don't know, Mother...” she whispered in response.
There was another long pause between the two, broken only by the sound of the ticking clock on the wall. Fluttershy shot a quick glance down at her injured leg. Whatever herbs were in that goo Zecora applied must have worked, because the only evidence of the timberwolf bite was a rather nasty looking patch of raw skin. She looked back to her mother, who seemed as if she was pondering something intently. Tree Flower's forehead was furrowed in thought and her eyes focused somewhere else.
Tree Flower all of a sudden, stood up and trotted over to the phone which was attached to the wall of the kitchen, leaving Fluttershy's leg unattended.
“Mother who are you calling?” Fluttershy asked, raising an eyebrow. A brief fear that her mother might have changed her mind and betrayed her was quickly banished by Fluttershy's own logic. Her mother had expressed her forgiveness more than three times over the course of the past few hours and each time it was from the bottom of her heart. There was absolutely no chance Tree Flower would do such a thing.
Her mother quickly dialed a number and spoke with the pony on the other side. “Hello, Ponyville Train Station? I'd like to purchase a pair of tickets to Manehattan if possible... Yes, that'll be one way... Thank you,” she set the phone back on the hook and turned to Fluttershy, smiling.
“Fluttershy, we are going to Manehattan. I have a friend there. She might be able to help you,” she said, apparently quite happy all of a sudden.
“Why? What does this friend of yours know?” Fluttershy asked, the prospect of any kind of help being a welcome light at the tunnel.
Tree Flower sat back down next to Fluttershy. “Well, she's a scientist, a biochemist to be exact. And I thought maybe she can help you somehow,” she said, gently placing a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. “I’m not a hundred percent sure how exactly, but at least it’s worth a shot right? Certainly better than ignoring it.”
Fluttershy didn’t answer at first. Her mother had a point. She had spent too long running from place to place, as if running would solve her problems. And what good had all that running done? Nothing. It didn’t change a thing. Maybe her mother was right, that talking to someone about it, being honest and straightforward, with no more deception would be a better way to deal with it. She remembered how she felt when she finished her story. She felt relieved. Relieved that someone else knew the full truth, with no lies or missing details. It was like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. She felt a little more free, as if there were a light at the end of the tunnel.
She longed for that feeling, to be free of secrets and lies and pain and anger. And if going to Manehattan to see this friend her mother mentioned was the way, well, then she’d take it. No questions asked. She leaned against her mother, who hadn’t moved.
“Mother…I would like that very much.”
//////////////////////
Snowflake wandered in what seemed to be a seemingly endless maze, its walls, roof and floor lined with hundreds of mirrors. The strangest thing about these mirrors though, is that each one reflected a different image. Each image was distorted and warped, like that of a fun house.
Some images made Snowflake look more like a giraffe then a pony. Another one made him look like a cyclops. It was all very strange to Snowflake. A thick, almost impenetrable mist hung low around his legs, only clearing occasionally, always to reveal another warped and distorted image of Snowflake.
“Um…hello?” he called out, his voice echoing strangely. With each echo it became more and more distorted, and strange ghostly laughter echoed back from some point deep within the maze.
“Um…hello? Anypony?” he called out again, his voice once more echoing strangely and eerily. With each of his hoofsteps, the room echoed, the sounds bouncing off the mirrors and walls and fading into nothingness.
Okay… Snowflake thought. This is getting weird.
He rounded another corner and was suddenly caught in a dead end. He nearly screamed at the sight that greeted him in the massive mirror that took up the entire surface.
It was a horrendous creature, at least twelve feet tall, with a coat of pure white. Its eyes blazed with an almost demonic shade of red and its muscles were over sized and spikes came out of its back, like that of a dragon. In its mouth were hundreds of teeth, all sharp like steak knives.
The beast in the mirror mimicked Snowflakes movements, following him perfectly.
“What the hay?” Snowflake thought aloud. The beast copied him, except in a deep, demonic growl. Then, the most unexpected thing happened.
It laughed. And Snowflake wasn’t laughing.
Its laugh was best described as a guttural rumble that shook the walls, causing all the reflected images of Snowflake to vibrate so much that they all shattered, sending a rain of glass falling down around him.
Snowflake tried to run, but his hooves refused to respond. It was if he was glued to the floor. The monster the mirror reared on its hind legs and fell forward, smashing the mirror with its hooves. Instead of shattering with the glass, however, the monster shook off any remaining shards of glass and leaned down to look the now trembling Snowflake.
“You better run little filly,” the monster growled, a demented smile on his face.
The monster’s words snapped Snowflake out of his dreamlike state and he bolted in the opposite direction, running as fast as his legs could carry him. He tried to spread his wings and fly, but they simply wouldn’t open. It was if they were glued to his sides.
The monster’s laughter echoed behind him, and thunderous hooffalls followed after it, causing the floor beneath Snowflake to shake and rumble violently like an earthquake. He tripped over his own boots and fell forward, slamming into the mirrored floor below, causing the glass to crack, splintering into a thousand shards. A searing pain shot through Snowflake’s muzzle. He looked down to see a small pool of blood on the floor below.
The booming hoofsteps from behind him however, snapped him back into the real world again, and he dragged himself to his hooves, and stumbled forward, once more running as fast as his legs could carry him. His boots crushed hundreds of shards of glass, sending tremendous pain through his legs and leaving a trail of blood behind him. The behemoth, meanwhile, had been gaining on him the entire time and was now breathing down his neck, its hooffalls sending shock waves so strong that they sent Snowflake tumbling forward again, and he rolled over himself, his coat being shredded against the broken glass.
He looked up towards his doppelgänger who now loomed over him, smiling demonically.
“W-what are you?” Snowflake whimpered, now feeling like a lost child instead of a mighty soldier.
The monster simply lifted its titanic hoof, and with a look of almost satanic glee, answered the question.
“I’m you.”
And then its hoof came crashing down on Snowflake and everything went black.
//////////////////////
Snowflake bolted upright and looked around the room. The room was pitch-black except for the light from a small digital clock on the wall. The time read 02:35. Snowflake wiped away the cold sweat that coated his forehead, his breath shallow and ragged.
“What the hay was that about?” he whispered, trying to make sense of the nightmare. He lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
Ever since he had taken that injection, his dreams had become stranger and more disturbing each night. One nightmare involved his skin falling off, only to have a demonic doppelgänger of himself explode out of him and eat him. Another side effect, he quickly found, was a constant dull pain throughout his entire body. The only good things to come out of it so far was an increase in his energy and senses. The colors seemed brighter, the sounds more defined and, above all, an increase in power.
And that was all he had wanted. More power and more stamina. And it was working. So what he had a couple of weird dreams or aches? He was Snowflake, best the griffin military had to offer. He could take it.
Letting out a tired sigh and rubbed his eyes and dragged himself out of the bed and sleepily trotted over to the nearby bathroom. He flicked on the light, wincing slightly at the sudden burst of light.
He looked in the mirror. The first thing he noticed was his coat color. The once bright white color had now faded into a dull grayish-white. The bones in his back also looked much more prevalent, poking against the skin of his back.
A thought drifted through his mind.
Why’d you run like a coward Snow? Huh? Why? He mentally reprimanded himself, mentally picturing his stepfather looming over him, disapproval in the griffin’s eyes.
You weren’t scared when you went up against that green thing! Opposite! You went and shot that thing like a real stallion! But what happens now? You see this one and you chicken out. Like a coward. That’s what you were in there you know.
A coward. Nothing more nothing less. I’ve seen baby chicks with more bravery than you showed back there. Running off like that. Pfft. No son of MINE is going to be a coward.
The mental image of his stepfather crossing his talons, looking down at Snowflake, eyebrow raised.
Do you know what we do with cowards son? Do ya? We make ‘em get up by their bootstraps and get over themselves! That’s what!
There was a pause, as if the specter of his father were thinking of what to say next.
NOW! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?! The specter shouted, stomping a claw on the ground.
Snowflake shook his head, the memory of his step father fading, slowly being replaced by grim determination.
“I’m going to get over myself, Daddy, that’s what. No son of yours is going to be branded a coward. No matter what,” he whispered, staring intently into the mirror, meditating on his reflection in the dream. Another thought, however, made itself known.
What if this was all a terribly bad idea?
He quickly shook his head, the mental image of his father slapping him upside the head. Nonsense Snowflake! He told you there would be side effects. This is normal. Anyways…you’ve got your power right? And that’s worth any price.
His train of thought was interrupted by a sudden sharp ringing noise, which caused him to wince slightly. Collecting himself he trotted to back to his bed and picked up the ringing phone on the nightstand.
"Agent Snowflake, General Iron Will would like to inform you that we've been able to locate Fluttershy and we're on our way there. We should be there by tomorrow." The voice on the other end said. Snowflake nodded.
"Aye. Thank you." he muttered, a dark smile coming across his face, and he hanged up the phone.
Once more tightening his jaw, Snowflake went back to the bathroom and looked in the mirror one last time. His eyes burning with a frightening determination.
“You are the best Snowflake. You are the best at everything.”
And that mare? That little whimpering, shivering pegasus? She was nothing.
And he was going to be the one to prove it.