"Hello, and welcome to Cakes Family Bakery! How may I assist you?" Ms. Cake asked when Fluttershy entered the bakery.
"Um.. hello... I would like to buy...a..um... a cake," stated Fluttershy, making long pauses while speaking.
"Well, we have all kinds of cakes. Take a look at our display and pick the one that you like," she said, smiling. Fluttershy approached the display wherein all kinds of bakery products were arranged. She felt a bit hungry with so many sweet things right before her eyes. But a very small fact knocked her right back into her senses – the prices were abnormal. A small cake would cost as much as a good sword – and that was the cheapest one.
"You know, I think the cake is a bit much... do you sell muffins?" said Fluttershy who tried to smile – she failed. The poor Ms. Cake looked as if Fluttershy was trying to eat her.
"Yes, of course we do. Here, take a look!" she spoke, and put a tray before her with muffins of every color and size; so many to choose from! Fortunately, they seemed to cost much less than the cakes – the cheapest one had the same price as a dinner of three courses.
"Nice. I'll take the blue one," decided Fluttershy and Ms. Cake smiled.
"You have a good taste! Will you be eating here, or outside?"
"It's a present. Could you package it in some pretty way?" she questioned. Ms. Cake looked at her surprised – a package for one muffin was quite unusual.
"All right, then. Wait a second," she went away for two minutes. When she returned with the muffin, it was packaged in a foil with a pretty red ribbon attached to it. "Here you go!"
"Thank you," Fluttershy thanked, and threw a bag of gold on the counter, afterwards putting the muffin under her cape in the hope it wouldn’t crumble apart, and left the bakery.
The streets were full of ponies that were going somewhere. As Fluttershy passed them by, they turned around, whispering things that were indistinct to Fluttershy. The news of her morning battle with the hydra passed across like a plague. It was almost three o'clock, but it seemed as if the whole town knew what happened. Some were talking about a hydra being the size of a castle; others replaced it with the dragon. Ponies certainly loved to talk about nothing.
She made her way through the streets, and soon, she reached the maternity hospital. As she walked through the halls to the orphanage wing, she thought about how many years had passed since she was a child. She met quite a lot of ponies which dreamt of becoming a child again, of being not serious yet again, running around and playing games all day long – that was what usually meant to be a child, to have fun.
Growing up in an orphanage took away many things, but it also gave something in return; something that not many would understand, or accept. It was like a trial, a fight children were forced to endure. Those who endure had a chance of having a normal life, just like anypony – your own family, your own little house, your own life. Those who were broken by the difficulties, and were unable to live with the fact that they were not needed, took evil into their heart; the everlasting anger, hatred, greed, desire or just a plain grudge. They could be defeated by it, fall to it or... tame it, make it their weapon in the fight to live in this world. It happened very rarely, and never on itself. There must be a teacher, a mentor. Somepony who could guide you, train you, help you turn your evil into the greatest weapon, a weapon that would make your heart harder than granite.
Fluttershy reached the game room where most of the kids were at this time. She rapped on the door and a caretaker, a pretty unicorn with green mane, opened the door.
"Yes, can I help you?" she asked.
"Is Scootaloo here right now? I would like to talk to her," Fluttershy inquired. The caretaker looked at her quite surprised.
"Yes, she's here. I'll call her for you," she nodded and closed the door. In a minute, Scootaloo came out and closing the door behind her.
"Ms. Van Fluttershy? You're back?" she looked up to her with big surprised eyes.
"Yeah, I just..uh... wanted to know how are you’re doing," Fluttershy replied and grinned awkwardly.
"I'm doing okay, thank you. I'm in a bit of trouble, however," muttered Scootaloo who cast her eyes down.
"What's the matter?"
"Well, I followed your advice, and when some ponies tried to mock me again, I...“ she mumbled, biting her lip.
"Got into a fight, eh?"
"Yeah... I'm sorry if I misunderstood your words and you didn't mean that I really needed to punch anypony—"
"That was exactly what I had in mind. Believe my experience, it doesn't matter how much rebukes they will get, until you let them taste a bit of their own blood, they will never leave you alone," Fluttershy said, feeling a bit proud, "Oh, also, I have a little present for you here."
She took out the muffin that was still securely wrapped in the foil, and gave it to Scootaloo. Her eyes became as wide as dinner saucers when she saw it.
"Is it... for me?! A muffin from the Cakes Bakery?! Thank you so much!!!" she shouted as she unpacked it.
"They are so sweet and tasty... and we never get sweets in the canteen! Thank you so much!" she shrieked, and jumped right at Fluttershy to encase her in a hug.
"He-he... all right, kid. Glad you like it..." she replied awkwardly, and Scootaloo let her finally go.
"Nopony ever gave me presents before! Thank you so much!" she said, jumping in place and smiling.
"Good...good.... want to take a walk? I don't like standing around for too long," offered Fluttershy and the orange filly nodded. Soon, both went through the corridors together.
Scootaloo started telling Fluttershy many stories, most of them she picked up from books and fairy tales. Fillies this age had such rich imagination. Fluttershy remembered that she used to write songs and music, sometimes even singing them for herself.
They made their way out of the hospital and started circling around it in the yard. The rare trees were colored red and yellow as sparrows quietly played in their foliage. Fluttershy's soul, for all these years, felt peace. Memories, that didn't hurt, but were sweet and beautiful, came back into her mind.
***
"That's a really cool song!" Rainbow Dash asserted after Fluttershy finished reading the lyrics. She smiled in return.
"Thank you! I've been working on these since last week. They took much time and efforts, but it was worth it!" she replied.
"One thing though – you write a lot about, you know, nature and friendship and stuff... could you write something... well... cool?" Rainbow Dash asked, trying not to offend her.
"Well, I can try. I'm not that experienced in the way of coolness, though," mumbled Fluttershy as a faint red crawled upon her cheeks.
"Don't worry, I can help you! You know, imagine that you are in a race, and you're going nose to nose with your arch-nemesis! The wind is blowing through your mane, the crowd is cheering, and the finish is close! It's you or your enemy! You speed up, and so does he! But, in the last second, as the last effort, you speed up and... BOOM!" she screamed as she jumped on her bed. "You finish first, and win the gold medal! That is awesome!"
"Okay... yeah... a race... good," Fluttershy replied. She never participated in any race. Not with her wings.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be a race. Anything that makes you feel at the top of the world will do!" Rainbow Dash said and Fluttershy nodded – that would be much easier indeed.
"You want some sweets?" questioned Rainbow Dash.
"Sweets? Um...well, yeah... but where are you going to get them?" Fluttershy asked perplexedly.
"Blazing Wind keeps some in her room. I knew exactly where!"
"Oh... but won't we get in trouble for stealing?"
"Pff, don't worry. I am as silent as the night itself. Besides, what could she do to me? She's just a dumb bully. Don't worry; I'll protect you if something happens."
"Thank you, Dash," Fluttershy smiled at her friend.
"I'll be back in no time. Wait for me here!" Rainbow instructed, and went out of the room. Fluttershy smiled even more – it was so good to have a good friend, one who was always ready to support you.
***
"Scootaloo... do you have any friends here?" Fluttershy asked.
"Not… really. Nopony wants to be friends with me. Don't know why..." she responded sorrowfully. "Can you...be my friend?"
Fluttershy stopped right there. She was very careful with making friends, as the last friend of hers left a gaping wound in her soul and crippled wings. She really wanted to say no... But she couldn't bring herself to do it. After all this was done, her life would considerably change for sure.
"Of course, I can be your friend," mumbled she shyly.
"Yay! I finally have a friend! And not just a friend – a badass monster hunter!"
"Where did you learn that word?" Fluttershy asked in a surprised tone.
"Pinkie called you like that when she was telling about your battle with the werewolves," Scootaloo said innocently.
"Figures," Fluttershy replied, and they continued their peaceful walk around the yard.
She found out a lot about her little friend during that walk. The way she looked at her made Fluttershy cry a little on the inside – she looked at this little thing, and saw herself. Only she was much happier than Fluttershy was – maybe because she just made her first friend, and that this friend was not a treacherous asshole.
The time flew by, as they spent it all talking. About two hours later, they finally decided to stop.
"I'll have to go now, kid. I've still got some things to do," Fluttershy announced, and Scootaloo’s expression turned gloomy.
"Oh, why do you have to leave so soon?"
"Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow, I promise."
"I'll be waiting for you!" she chirped, and ran away. Fluttershy looked at her, and wondered, how this happened. Why did she suddenly get so attached to this kid? Maybe that was a good thing, and she would finally find some peace in this rotting world.
The rest of the day was hers to spend. She decided to head to the market to buy some grindstones -–smaller than those in a smithy, but still pretty useful. Every blade required a certain amount of care; oil them to protect them from rust, and a hoof to sharpen them. Some demanded less, some more, but all received it.
***
Rainbow Dash was sitting at her desk in her office, looking at yet another unsolved case. These things were slowly piling up on her desk, creating mountains of paper which forced her to do more paperwork. The fun thing was that if they skipped some procedures during investigations, they could have caught the criminals. But the law demands so, and so should it be.
The other pile of papers on her desk consisted of complaints from the residents of Ponyville about the behavior of her soldiers. Looting, fighting, sometimes sexual harassment – all kinds of things they called 'harmless fun'! Well, this harmless fun was bringing horrible headaches for their commander.
Fluttershy's visit brought even more doubts into her soul. Just in two days she fixed so much Rainbow Dash would spend at least two years solving, with all the procedures and questions. She really didn't want to believe it, but Fluttershy did more for this town than Rainbow Dash could ever do. She looked at the picture of her beloved mentor.
"I'm trying so hard to help... I uphold and enforce the law, just like you taught me... and yet 'lawless rascals', these monster hunters you so despised, do more than I could ever hope to do.... What am I doing wrong, Pure Heart?" she demanded and looked thoroughly at the picture, like expecting it to answer. She imagined what he would say now.
"You must never give up, Rainbow. Every problem has its solution; you just have to look closer."
Yes, like it’d be that easy. Rainbow Dash looked at the stack of papers, and fell down on her desk – so much paperwork! She couldn't stand the neat handwriting of complaints anymore! This word, written in big red letters, was the bane of her existence. Rainbow Dash sighed heavily, and decided that now was a good time to take a break. Besides, the pub shouldn't be too crowded right now, and she would be able to drink in peace. With these thoughts, she went out of her office, and ordered the secretary to sort the files Dash already signed. The secretary nodded silently, and Rainbow Dash left the building and went towards the pub.
She opened the doors and inhaled this horrible, and yet so dear smell of an old place. This place was the oldest in Ponyville, it was the second thing that was built. The first one was the Acres. The walls were covered in fading yellow paint; the tables were old and crumbling. There was an inscription on the left wall, the pride of this pub – the autograph of King Lazarus who visited Ponyville several centuries ago during his reign. He really liked the cider that was made here, and carved his initials on the wall of the pub as a sign of gratitude. This signature was painted over by vandals almost every year, and every time the current owner removed the paint so the signature would stay here forever.
Rainbow Dash approached the bar.
"Oh, Commander Dash. Unusual to see you here," the bartender greeted, sounding surprised. "Usually it's only some guards on patrol, but the commander herself..."
"Don't get used to it," Rainbow Dash grumbled.
"Yes, yes, that's what everypony says. Just this one time, this one last time. They always come back for more. Anyway, what do you want?" the bartender responded sarcastically.
"Cider, please," Rainbow Dash odered. The bartender quickly poured the cider from the big barrel into huge wooden mug, and handed it to her. The liquid was hissing and bubbling. Rainbow Dash drank some – tasted like apple juice, only much more sour. It left a strange taste on her tongue, only strengthening the thirst. She didn't understand why King Lazarus liked this cider, but maybe it was different several centuries ago. Or maybe this cider was several centuries old.
Rainbow Dash noticed a quiet corner with a table and two chairs. She bought another mug of cider and sat down there. Looking around, she wondered why some ponies visited this place every day, sometimes even skipping work (or, in some cases, school) to come here. This place looked dreadful and the drinks were terrible. The old walls barely held the outside cold, so if not for the fireplace and warm fumes of alcohol, it would be colder than outside. Rainbow Dash drank a bit of her cider and thought about the oncoming winter. The amount of crime would surely skyrocket – ponies needed to eat, and the food had been rather pricy this autumn. Everything indicated that there would be yet another Winter Crisis. As much as that sounded strange, she loved dispersing the crowd during the riots. The feeling of control she got when the crowd was being cornered and decided to go home. That sense of victory! Maybe the winter wouldn’t be too bad after all.
The good memories of her training days warmed her heart. Those were some of the best years of her life. Although she and her fellow female students had to live in a pretty old barrack, it was still fun. They talked a lot before sleeping – training, weather, sometimes boys. Once in a while they sneaked out to the boys' barrack. Nothing naughty though, the rules were pretty harsh concerning that kind of stuff. She remembered their parties after successful raids on the streets – oh, what a spectacle that was! Dancing on the tables while being completely drunk was almost necessary. Rainbow Dash smiled to herself – the most dances she now knew, she learned from those parties.
Rainbow Dash looked through the window and saw that it was already evening. She must have spent at least several hours sitting here. She went out and looked at the darkening sky. The wind became even colder, but the warmth of the alcohol still persisted. Rainbow Dash slowly made her way to the Guard station, looking at the town. It was still the same dirty dump, but now, she felt much better. She actually had some plans. Now, she understood why King Lazarus liked the cider. It brought ideas into his head.
Rainbow Dash reached her office and fell on her chair. There were some things left to be done – at least hundred more complaints to fill, several more cases to check. It also seemed that Fluttershy's contract was almost fulfilled – there was only one job for her left. Rainbow Dash might as well help her – she despised monster hunters, but she was doing a right thing now. Why not help her out? Fluttershy was staying at the local inn, so tomorrow morning would she get a visitor. Persuading her would be hard, but Rainbow Dash was sure Fluttershy would listen to reason.
***
The trip to the market was not fruitless, Fluttershy noted. She was standing at the desk in her room, looking at several new blades she bought. While searching for grindstones, she saw these babies and just couldn't resist. Sharp, shiny and ready to sink into foes, they all deserved a place in Fluttershy's collection.
Fluttershy replaced several of her old knives with the new ones. She didn't want to throw them away, though – scrap metal was always useful. She carefully put the blade between the floor and the desk, and hit it with her hoof right where the blade was connected to the handle. The sound of breaking metal flew through the stale air of her room. Fluttershy then did the same thing to all the knives that served their sentence. The handles were useless, with sharp pieces sticking out of them, so she put them in a bag and left them there. Maybe the inn owners would make good use of them. She tied together the blades and put them under her cape, where she kept the normal knives. Carrying sharp blades like that might be dangerous, but she knew what she was doing.
Finally, after sorting the purchases, the day came to an end. However, she didn't feel like going to sleep at all. She was still a bit dizzy from the hydra poison, but still...
This filly, Scootaloo, wasn't going away from her mind. In such a short time Fluttershy felt so attached to this child. It felt ridiculous, she only knew her for, like, a day, but so many details of her life reminded Fluttershy of her own life. The more she thought about it, the more her soul hurt. Scootaloo was almost the same age as Fluttershy when she lost hope in all good. She never liked to remember it, it was like a thorn in her hide, which she couldn’t remove – over time the pain ebbed away, but should something stir it up, it would hurt more than before.
***
It was just an ordinary day in the orphanage. Fluttershy, after her singing classes, was slowly walking back to her room. She started taking classes not long ago, maybe two months ago, by Rainbow Dash's suggestion. She was making quite a progress – the teacher said she had a good voice and tact. Sometimes, when it was quiet, she wrote her own songs. Mostly short ones, about nature and friendship, but recently she started working on a big project. She had been working on it for a week already and managed to finish the first verse and the chorus. The theme of the song was a secret, for it was a special song, a dedication to something dear to her heart.
Fluttershy finally reached the room, where she and Rainbow Dash lived. To be fair, she was lucky to be an outsider – she lived alone in her room, so Rainbow could freely settle with her. When she finally got a roommate, the nights of reading books with the room lit only by the weak fire of the candle were gone. Now, they spend entire evenings talking or discussing things, with Rainbow Dash telling of her incredible achievements, and Fluttershy listening in silence. Sometimes Rainbow would plead Fluttershy to sing something, but she always refused, blushing like a tomato.
The room was strangely quiet – Rainbow Dash didn’t have any training at this time. Maybe she was asleep, tired after the training. Fluttershy slowly and quietly opened the door and entered the room. Rainbow Dash wasn't here – in fact, none of her things were. Her bed was carefully cleaned and none of the posters she had hung on the walls were there. The backpack she kept near the bed, where she kept all the sports stuff, was gone. Everything was gone!
Shocked, Fluttershy ran to caretaker's room. It looked like Rainbow Dash ran away! She told Fluttershy that she wanted to run away, but she couldn't even guess that Dash really meant that! She couldn't have gotten far; Fluttershy might be able to find her yet!
She opened the door of the caretaker's room and ran inside. The caretaker, a unicorn with red mane, almost fell from his chair.
"Hooley-dooley, girl, what happened? Did you just see a ghost or something?" he asked while getting up from the floor.
"Rainbow Dash ran away! I came back to our room, and all her things were gone! I mean, everything!" Fluttershy blurted out, breathing heavily.
"Oh, child, relax. She didn't run away, she was taken. This commander of the Royal Guard came here and took her. Said he's going to train her. Dash was actually pretty happy," the caretaker replied.
Fluttershy remembered some of Rainbow Dash stories – she always dreamt of becoming a Royal Guard. Almost every story she told involved these heroic ponies, fighting evil and bringing justice.
"So, yeah, something like that... Are you all right, child?"
"Yes... I am..." Fluttershy whispered, and slowly walked back to her room.
Rainbow Dash left to become a Royal Guard, a profession of her dream. Finally, she would take the place she wanted so badly. But… what about Fluttershy, her best friend? Why did she leave her like that, without even leaving a note? Did she forget? But how could one forget about one’s friend just like that? Maybe it was too sudden, and she didn't have time. If she had time, she would definitely say goodbye... but why did she leave her here? They were friends – friends were not supposed to leave each other like that! That just wasn’t right! That wasn’t how friendship worked!
Fluttershy returned to her room, and lay down on her bed. Rainbow Dash just didn't have time, that's all! She wouldn't do this... She couldn't...
The last remnants of hope left Fluttershy. Was there even a friendship? Maybe she was just sticking with her out of pity, because Fluttershy was so weak. It hurt her soul as she realized the truth – she never had a friend, she just had a protector. Somepony who helped her in the time of need, but didn't really care for her. When the time had come to leave, she left, left her alone in this place. Forgetting all the time they had spent together like it was nothing. Maybe for her it was nothing, but for Fluttershy it was everything. Everything!
She put the copy-book, where all her songs were written, on her chest and crossed her hooves around it. She closed her eyes and tried to hold back the tears. She would not cry. Never. Never again in her life. Never again a single tear would drop from her eyes. She swore that on the most precious thing she had – the copy-book with her song, dedicated to her best friend forever and ever; Rainbow Dash.
What was waiting for her in the future – Fluttershy didn't care. She was lying in her room, on her bed, all alone, as the last brinks of belief left her. Her beliefs in goodness, friendship, love. All that seemed so pointless and idiotic now. All these fluffy things, all these songs about being friends and all – complete bullshit.
***
Fluttershy smiled to herself – how stupid and naive she was back then. But right at that moment, her eyes opened. She grew up extremely fast in that one moment.
Every child had such a moment when it realized that all this sugar like reality was faked. But for most, this moment came when they were prepared. Fluttershy hadn’t been prepared, and it came like a stab in the heart. This cold, metallic truth piercing a crying, hiding child. No mercy, no feelings, just cold truth. The child cried and shrieked, it didn’t want to believe that all these people were different – they weren’t kind, they weren’t caring, they just did what they have to. It realized that the world around it is an evil, dark place. It would rather much consume it; swallow it whole, than accept it. The people, who just a moment ago, smiled in its face, now spit on its back. In the family, it was much easier –it was backed up, this child was protected by mother and father, who delivered the truth much more gently. Friends also helped softening up the blow.
Fluttershy hadn’t had anypony to back her up. The one she thought of as her best friend delivered this blow. Slowly, painfully twisting the cold blade into her heart, rubbing her weakness in her face. She was betrayed, left to die, forgotten in that orphanage, bleeding from the wound in her heart, in her soul.
Her life from that point could be called bitter, but she finally saw the truth, was blinded by it, and was lying in the darkness, helpless and blind. She would have lived like that forever, eating junk from the table of the greater, like a rat, but a stranger came to her aid. The stranger, who changed her life, and opened her eyes. The stranger, who gave her a chance to live again.
***
"Hey, you! Pass me the salt!" a rude voice interrupted Fluttershy's concentration. She slowly lifted her head, and looked at the one who spoke. The unicorn with pitch black mane. Seemed familiar.
"Hey, are you deaf?! Pass me the salt!" he repeated. Fluttershy said nothing. Instead, she grabbed the salt with her teeth and threw it right into the boy's face. It hit him right in the forehead, shattering, and piercing his flesh. He fell from the chair, screaming in agony and pain.
"Here you go," Fluttershy snarled coldly as her neighbors looked at her. They were scared. Some tried to help the boy who lay there and bled. Fluttershy left the canteen without saying anything else.
The same grey walls, the same corridors – she was so sick of all this. Several months had passed, but she still feeled this emptiness in her heart. This emptiness, slowly filled by anger and hatred.
She stopped near the window and looked outside. It was misty and cold, the old swings were almost crumbling. The sky was grey, as always. Sometimes, Fluttershy thought that the sun had left the sky forever, and nothing but grey rainy clouds would now cover the world.
Suddenly, she heard a voice from behind her back. Such a familiar voice.
"Oh, look who we've got here! Our little pink-mane friend," Blazing Wind snarled. Fluttershy turned to her. Just as always she was surrounded by her 'friends'.
"Skipping dinner again? I thought I taught you the lesson... oh, I didn't. I was rudely interrupted that time. That was so long ago, yeah?" she mocked her, as she came closer. "Gives me the feeling of déjà vu, to be honest."
Fluttershy looked down, as Blazing Wind came closer to her.
"Now, we can finish our conversation!" she cooed, as she pinned Fluttershy to the windowsill. "Where is your friend Rainbow Dash? Oh, yeah, of course, she left. I guess she didn't need such a pathetic friend like you!"
Fluttershy said nothing, only looked right into Blazing Wind's eyes. She staggered for a second. Then, she bit her hoof.
The metallic taste of blood filled Fluttershy's mouth. It was warm, and a bit salty. Blazing Wing shrieked in pain, and tried to wrest her hoof away, but that only made things worse. The more she pulled, the stronger Fluttershy's teeth were sinking into her flesh. Finally, Fluttershy released her, and Blazing Wind took a step back, holding her bleeding hoof before her face. The wound looked very deep, as the blood was flowing rapidly. Blazing Wind looked at Fluttershy – blood was dripping from her mouth, her pink mane was half covering her face. Fluttershy looked back right into her eyes, and Blazing Wind shuddered – nothing but burning hatred was in those eyes which looked so innocent years ago.
"Ah...ah..." Blazing Wind stuttered in fear, slowly backing away from Fluttershy. But she didn't have enough. Enraged, she jumped at Blazing Wind and pinned her down on the ground. The blood from her teeth was now dripping right on her face. Fluttershy looked at her, like a wolf looks at its prey, when he was about to devour it. She rammed her hoof into Blazing Wind's throat, making her spit out the air she breathed, emptying her lungs, after that she slowly started choking her.
Blazing Wind barely managed to look at her supposed 'friends' who slowly backed away and stared in horror and fear, as their 'undefeatable' leader was at the brink of death from the hooves of some innocent girl.
Fluttershy felt her enemy's fear and it only fueled her desire to finish her off. She increased the pressure, her soul was steady and emotionless – she would kill this bitch.
Suddenly, somepony grabbed Fluttershy from behind and dragged her away. She fought back ferociously, but the caretaker who had grabbed her was much stronger. Then other caretakers came, as they gathered around, trying to help Blazing Wind. Fluttershy observed as they dragged her away to the medical bay.
"What's gotten into you, Fluttershy?!" the caretaker screamed at her, she didn't reply. She didn't even look at him. She just stared down at the ground, completely silent. The caretaker sighed, and led Fluttershy to her room, and locked the door. Fluttershy sat on her bed and looked at the empty neighboring space. This emptiness was worse than any bully – it put pressure on her heart, it made her feel alone. Soon, Fluttershy fell asleep, as the silence and emptiness lulled her.
***
"Hello, sir. How can I help you?" the caretaker greeted, as the dark grey earth pony with brown mane entered. The wide-brimmed hat was covering his head, and he was dressed in a strange cape.
"I'd like to adopt a child..." he stated emotionlessly. A very strange fellow, the caretaker noted.
"Okay... follow me, the kids are resting right now, but I'll lead you to the caretaker's room, you'll wait there until the quiet time is over," she odered. He slowly nodded in reply and followed her to that room.
As they were passing by the corridor, he was looking around, noting, it seemed every detail. Suddenly, his gaze fell on one specific door.
"That door. Why is it closed?" he asked. The caretaker looked at it and sighed.
"You see, the girl that lives there is a bit...unstable. Several weeks ago, she attacked her fellow student and almost choked her to death! We let her out sometimes, but she gets in a lot of fights, and behaves very violently in general. What a shame – she used to be such a sweet girl" the caretaker said with sorrow.
"I would like to talk with her" requested the stranger. The caretaker looked at him surprised.
"What? You...are serious?" she asked and he nodded silently. The caretaker approached the door and opened it. She started thinking that this stranger was a bit cuckoo, but she didn't hesitate. He entered the room, and she closed the door behind him
The stranger looked around, and saw Fluttershy lying in her bed, looking at the wall. The child didn't move, only breathed heavily. He slowly came to the neighboring bed and sat down on it.
"Hello, child," he said. His voice was far more soothing this time, more kind. Fluttershy didn't even turn to him however. He smiled from under his hat.
"I imagine what you think right now – who is this moron, disturbing my peace? Why is he here, why won't he mind his own business? You don't know me, child, and I don't know you.... but I can understand you."
Fluttershy slowly turned around and looked at him. She tried to look angry to scare him away, but he didn't react to that.
"I was told about your behavior. I can even sense what is inside your soul. You may not understand it, but I feel your anger, child," he continued and came closer to her. Fluttershy tried to move away, she even hissed at him, but it didn't scare him away. He slowly touched her chin with his hoof and lifted her head up so she would look into his eyes.
"You are so beautiful. So pretty... and yet, inside you, anger lives. Something’s awoken this hatred, this anger inside you, and now, you fight back the world that wants to hurt you, ferociously, angrily," - he went on, quietly and kindly. Fluttershy didn't want to drive him away anymore. This stranger seemed to feel her pain.
"Poor, poor little thing. What kind of pain has awoken such anger inside you? Do not worry – others may blame you, but I know how you feel. I know this feeling, when the emptiness inside you is filled with anger like a wound, on which blades fall," – he almost whispered now, and started caressing her around her head, slowly and carefully. "There is something about you, something really special. Something unordinary..." he went quiet for a moment.
"Tell me child – do you want to live a new life? Because I can offer you this only once. Follow me now, and I will lead you away from this life, forever. You will never return, and your life will never be 'normal'. This anger inside you – it will never fade, but I can help you to tame it. If you follow me, your life will be hard and dangerous, the path I walk is painful and sorrowful, but it's the only way if you want to leave at peace with your hatred. So, child, will you follow me?"
"Yes," Fluttershy whispered. The stranger smiled to her.
"Good. Go with me now. Don't take anything with you – everything you have from your previous life must stay," he decreed and went to the door. Fluttershy got up and took the last look around her room. Then she looked at her copy-book, wherein that song was, never finished. Fluttershy closed her eyes and said goodbye in her mind. She really wanted to cry, really bad, but she didn't allow herself to. She was strong now. She would never cry.
Fluttershy followed the stranger through the corridor. He turned to her, and smiled.
"You would like to know my name, it seems. I ditched my true name long ago. I call myself Amos. What is your name, child?"
"Fluttershy," she whispered quietly.
"Fluttershy... a good name. Keep it," he said. "A long road awaits you, Fluttershy. A hard and dangerous path. But if you walk it, if you conquer it... you will become a great monster hunter. Let's go."
***
These memories – so bittersweet. Master Amos became like a father to her through all these years of training. He was always near; ready to correct a mistake, to help, to point in the right direction.
Fluttershy smiled to herself. Going back into memories brought pain, but was quite refreshing. Remembering things she couldn’t change was a good waste of time. She looked outside – it was already darkening. Fluttershy took a bottle of whiskey from under her cape (she always kept some, just in case) and drank a bit. Insomnia and frequent nightmares were quite a problem for her, but she discovered that a little bit of alcohol before sleep helped. Not too much, however, or the nightmares would be even worse.
***
"I will say once again – I had no part in this!" Mayor Mare shouted angrily as her hidden companion looked at her with his burning red eyes.
"Of course you did! No pony alive can defeat the hydra one on one! Especially a venomous hydra!" he growled, but Mayor Mare just shrugged.
"It seems that she's just that good. Sorry, I can't help you with this one," she replied smugly. The stranger didn't seem too happy.
"Don't mock me!" he shouted. Mayor Mare was staggered – it was the first time he had gotten so angry.
"The plan was perfect, it couldn't fail!" he continued. "Well, it seems I'll have to send my servants on this one."
"Oh, that's serious. You think your servants can handle the hunter better that the hydra?" Mayor said sarcastically and earned a hateful glance from him
"Your humor is not amusing me, mayor!" he replied. Then, just as usual, he disappeared.
Mayor Mare fell down on her chair. This was getting tiring. She started to wonder why her mysterious friend wanted Fluttershy gone, as he didn't explain anything. Still, his money was good, and the deal was a deal. She just hoped that these 'servants' could take care of the monster hunter. She looked outside – it was getting darker and colder. The winter, the dreaded and feared time of year, was drawing near. The land would be covered in white snow, and nothing would grow. The cold would bite you, and force you to preserve warmth at all costs. But that was the least of the problems during winter. At least this stranger's money would help them last one more time... hopefully.