//------------------------------// // The Great Butterfly Migration // Story: The Incredible Flutterhulk // by spideremblembrony //------------------------------// The drive was anything but pleasant. But of course, they couldn’t have Cookie’s leg cooped up in the jeep for long. There were frequent stops. Some stops were to reevaluate the wound, which was healing very well for the limited supplies they had. The swelling was gone and infections were dying as well. But according to Cookie, it still hurt like Tartarus. Some stops forced them to restock on food and water from the wilderness, one of Fluttershy’s favorite pass times. It got her a chance to stretch her legs and talk to her animal friends for a little while. And lastly, some stops for refueling the gas tank. The jeep they stole wasn’t very full to begin with and the money they had on them was limited, but what they had was enough for to make it to Las Pegasus. Or at least, that was what they hoped. Cookie’s leg was looking stronger everyday. She still couldn’t walk on it, but the swelling was completely gone and there wasn’t nearly as much pain as before. Still, she wouldn’t completely recover for a while and with this trip, it might even be longer. As for Fluttershy, she continued to stare out the window, gazing into the horizon. The sunset was particularly beautiful today. A painting of red, orange and purple filled the sky in its majesty. Crumble wasn’t paying attention to such things. He was more focused on driving. And Cookie didn’t much care. They continued their drive until they came upon a beautiful meadow. The tall grass swayed in the gentle breeze. There were trees, but they were widely scattered. No buildings for miles. Fluttershy turned towards the driver. “Could we stop here please?” Crumble turned to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, you just went to the bathroom,” Crumble stated. Fluttershy shook her head. “It’s nothing like that. Can we just please stop here? Please?” Cookie raised her eyebrow. “Why?” Fluttershy turned towards Cookie, who laid flat across the back seats. “There’s something I need to do here.” She turned back to Crumble. “Please?” she pleaded meekly. Crumble heaved a sigh and started to slow down. Fluttershy smiled towards him, who gave a look at her and smiled back. He wasn’t sure why she had insisted on stopping, but when he looked into those eyes, it didn’t seem to matter. It made her happy. She had a sweet smile. He didn’t see it often, but when he did, it somehow made him happy. The second the car stopped, Fluttershy ejected her seatbelt and darted out of the car towards the field. “Fluttershy!” Crumble shouted after her. He released his seatbelt and chased after her, leaving Cookie in the car alone. “Hey!” Cookie shouted to the duo, but neither of them even turned around. “Hey!” She shouted again, but again, nothing. She scoffed as she was completely ignored. “Fine, I’ll watch the car then,” she muttered under her breath. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Fluttershy cut through the sea of grass, frantically searching around her. It was as if she was looking for something. Crumble couldn’t tell. Did she see something in the distance? Was she on the look out for the soldiers? Crumble came to her side. “Fluttershy, what’s going on?” Fluttershy looked down to the ground. She was silent for a minute. Crumble found himself wondering what to say. “Is she upset? Did something she saw upset her? Made her angry? Faust, I hoped not.” After a minute, Fluttershy looked at him and smiled. “Could we... possibly ... stay here for a few days?” Fluttershy asked. Her face became flustered. “I mean, if you think it’s a good idea.” Crumble wasn’t sure why Fluttershy wanted to stay here, but it seemed safe enough. Sure, it wasn’t the most well hidden areas. But at least it wasn’t near any towns or cities. And there didn’t seem to be anypony else nearby. Of course, he wasn’t the one risking his neck. “It’s your call. If that’s what you want, we’ll stay,” Crumble explained. Fluttershy’s nodded. “I want to stay here for a few days. It won’t take long, I promise.” Crumble smiled. “Well, I guess we’d better go get Cookie.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Explaining that they were making camp in the meadows to Cookie was not without its uproar. Cookie was extremely vocal about wasting their time at an old meadow. However, Fluttershy, in time, was able to persuade her too. At first, there seemed to be no reason why Fluttershy would stay in this meadow. She would just spend her days scanning the sky as if looking for something. As if she were waiting for something to happen. Cookie and Crumble just sat next to the jeep, watching Fluttershy wait. Their nights were very uneventful as well. They just curled up under the stars and went to sleep. Staying warm was difficult at night, but they managed. Fluttershy and Crumble gathered firewood from the few trees around them. It wasn’t a strong fire, but it was at least warm. It had been a long few days. Food reserves were running low and so was patience. The sun was high and hot that morning and its light reflected off the dew on the long blades of grass. It looked like a thousand tiny lights shining in Cookie’s eyes. Something she found as an annoyance rather than a spectacular of nature. “What are we doing here, Flyshy?” she finally asked. Fluttershy was silent. She was still staring at the horizon, waiting for something to happen. Cookie didn’t know why she was surprised. Fluttershy had been like this ever since they came to this spot. “Celestia knows why. What is going through that tiny pony’s head?” Fluttershy gave another glance towards the distance and what she saw made her beam. “Here they come!” she cheered excitedly. “Here who comes?” Crumble asked. “The butterflies,” Fluttershy responded, awaiting the event she had been waiting for. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- “What are we doing, Mommy?” Fluttershy asked her mother, Posey, as she was lead deep into the sea of grass. “I want to show you something very special,” Posey replied. Fluttershy followed her mother until they were in the middle of the meadow. Posey wrapped her arms around the tiny filly. Fluttershy looked around frantically, but she didn’t see anything. There was nothing, but blue skies and lots of grass. Then in the distance, she saw something moving, coming towards them from the air. At first, it looked like a large patch of black dust. But as it moved closer, it became clear that that large dust cloud turned out to be made out of tiny specks at the distance. Fluttershy turned her head into her mother’s chest in fright, closing her eyes as tight as she could. She didn’t notice her mother giggled at her innocence. “Mommy, I’m scared,” she whimpered. “It’s alright, honey. There’s no need to be scared,” Posey reassured, stroking Fluttershy’s mane. “Why don’t you take a look?” Fluttershy shook her head quickly. “Uh-uh. I don’t want to. I’m scared.” Posey smiled once again. “But if you don’t look, you’ll miss it.” Those words sparked interest in Fluttershy. What would she miss? She was very frightened, but curiosity grew in her. She slowly opened her eyes and turned around, expecting the worse. However, she turned to see a light show of colors. Thousand of tiny flying creatures danced all around them. The sun illuminated their wings so their patterns would reflect on the two ponies. Fluttershy sat in amazement at such beauty. She didn’t realize her frown transform into a gleeful smile. “What are those, mommy?” she finally asked. “They’re called butterflies.” “Butterflies?” She had never seen so many wonderful creatures before. She continued to watch as they passed by, pattern after pattern of colors and designs covering their bodies. Suddenly, a single butterfly strayed from the group and fluttered around the young filly’s face. This dance seemed to have mesmerized her, as her eyes and face followed the graceful creature. The butterfly then gently landed itself on the tip of Fluttershy’s nose. Fluttershy wasn’t sure what to do. She simply was in shock. Suddenly, the butterfly’s wings opened to reveal its beauty and design. The patterns were something out of a dream. “Wow.” Fluttershy finally said. She heard her mother giggling as she held her tighter. The butterfly then resumed its journey, but it had left its mark. The proof was on Fluttershy’s flank in the shape of the same beautiful creatures she now loved. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- “Butterflies?” Cookie’s voice broke Fluttershy out of her trance. She turned to her friend, who had a confused look on her face. “That’s what we came here for?” Fluttershy lowered her head. “It’s the great butterfly migration,” she said meekly. She turned her head back towards the hovering creatures. “When I was a little filly, my mother took me to my first butterfly migration.” Cookie shot Crumble a look, her eyebrows raised with her mouth hung open in confusion. Crumble just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. They then turned their attention back to Fluttershy. “At first, I was scared. But then I found out just how beautiful they are. I couldn’t stop watching them. I’d watch and watch until my eyes couldn’t stay open. My mother would always sing me songs until I fell asleep. I’ve made sure I’ve seen the great butterfly migration every year.” Cookie shook her head. “Whatever makes you happy, Flyshy.” Fluttershy didn’t say a word, whether she didn’t hear or didn’t care, it didn’t matter. Fluttershy continued to sit silently, watching the butterflies like the excited filly she was all those years ago. It made Crumble happy that Fluttershy had a wonderful relationship with her parents, but at the same time, it made him angry. “You know, Fluttershy had some great parents,” Crumble finally said. Cookie exhaled. “I know. I met her old man. All he cared about was getting Flyshy to safety. More than... anything.” “My father was never around growing up. Always busy with his job.” Cookie started to laugh. Crumble shot him a dirty look. “What’s so funny?” Crumble retorted. Cookie shook her head. “Nothing,” she replied. Her voice sounded broken. As if she was trying to hold back the pain in her voice, but it failed her. Crumble, at first wondered if it was the leg that hurt, but as the moment pressed on, he began to question even that. “Nothing?” “I said nothing,” Cookie replied as she turned away from him, lying her head down. Crumble looked towards the ground, his thoughts consumed by guilt. He wondered what he could have done to upset Cookie. He concluded that there was nothing he could do to fix it, so he moved on. Like the relationship with his father and he. He thought about how all he wanted was his father’s love. And yet all that mattered to him was the pony just across the field from him. “Is that what these feelings are? Petty jealousy?” Crumble asked himself. “Jealousy that she got more attention from my dad than I ever did? As he gathered these thoughts another voice came in his head, “How can you say that?! You knew her long before you found out about that! She’s your friend!” Crumble continued to ponder his thoughts through the day as he continued to eye the yellow pony, his emotions overwhelming him with confusion. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- “Hey! Let me out of here! What the Tartarus have I done?!” A voice kept shouting in Fluttershy’s ears. It was a gruff mare’s voice. One she had heard before. “Tell me, why the buck am I here?” Fluttershy eyes were difficult to open, but she finally managed to open them enough to see a brown mare with a red mane slamming her hooves into a green door. The mare turned herself around after hearing a quiet moaned coming from behind her. “Finally awake, huh?” Fluttershy rubbed her eyes. Her head was pounding. She felt dizzy. “Who... Who are you?” Her voice was shaky. She was quite scared of this mare, she was rather angry and vulgar. She had heard these words before, but she’d never use them herself. “Name’s Cookie. Cookie Crisp,” the mare replied. “And you?” Fluttershy started, but couldn’t get out more than a whisper, “I’m... Flut...” her voice trailed off before she could finish her name. “What?” Flut? That’s a dumb name!” “I’m... Flutter...” her voice trailed off again. She wasn’t use to talking to strangers. She did recognize her, but she couldn’t quite remember why. “Flutter? You’ve got to speak up, I can barely understand you.” Fluttershy tried again, but couldn’t get more than a squeak. Cookie just shook her head, groaning in frustration. “Oh, forget it.” Fluttershy took another look at the earth mare and started to slowly remember. She was the pony with the motorcycle. The pony whose life she save by pushing her into the shelter. She remembered hearing a huge explosion, and then nothing. “I’m... Fluttershy.” Cookie turned her head back to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy?” Fluttershy nodded. She couldn’t bring her eyes to Cookie’s face, not with her looking. Cookie made her way beside Fluttershy and put her hoof on her shoulder. “Just wanted to thank you. You know for saving my flank. Thanks, Flyshy.” “Flyshy? Is that... a nickname? I don’t think I like that name,” she thought to herself, but she was too scared to say anything. She just looked up at Cookie and smiled. She then took a look around them. The room was a tight space. There was no furniture, no phone, and no windows. Their only source of light was a single lamp coming from the ceiling. The door was a large metallic door, heavily bolted shut. “Where are we?” Fluttershy finally asked. “No bucking clue.” Fluttershy lowered her head. “I really wish she wouldn’t swear like that,” she thought but she was too shy to say anything. “I really wish she wouldn’t speak in such vulgar language.” She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I don’t mind that she’s using foul words.” Another voice spoke. However, that wasn’t entirely true. Cookie got up slowly and headed for the doorway. “After you saved me, they took me into this room. Locked me in here. Wouldn’t tell me what’s going on? Shortly after, you got locked in here with me.” Fluttershy’s head wouldn’t stop spinning. Her stomach felt that she was going to hurl at any second. Maybe it was hunger, or something else. “How long have I been out?” she thought. Her thoughts then warped into panic. She thought about the soldiers who had been chasing her all her life. “Had they finally captured me?” she asked herself It would certainly explain the prison like structure she now found herself in. Fluttershy took a deep swallow and spoke, “Who brought you in here?” “Some bucking soldiers,” Cookie replied. Fluttershy’s head sank deep into her shoulders as Cookie continued to curse. Cookie bucked the door with her hind legs. “And they still won’t tell me a damn thing!” “Please, stop swearing,” she begged in her mind. They then heard a thud in the hallway. That thud made them jump. They weren’t sure what to expect as the door handle slowly turned. The door opened to reveal a brown Pegasus. Fluttershy’s eyes widened and her mouth turned to a smile. “Daddy!” Fluttershy rushed to her father, passed Cookie, taking her father in her arms. “Oh, my angel. I’m so glad you’re alright,” Brixy replied. Fluttershy smiled as her father took her in his arms. She then looked to the ground to see a guard on the ground, motionless. “Daddy, did you ... hurt him?” “I know what I did was wrong, honey. But we’ve got to get out of here now.” Fluttershy nodded. She wasn’t angry with her father. She was just happy to see he was alive. But if her father was alive, maybe... “What about mommy?” Her father’s smile vanished from his face and slowly his head lowered to the ground. “Your mother... she’s gone.” Tears started to develop in Fluttershy’s eyes. She almost always knew she was gone, but for a time, she thought them both gone. Perhaps she was hoping against hope. It upset her to know she was right. Her mother was gone. Forever. Cookie started to feel out of place, but she wanted to get out as badly as Fluttershy. She quickly injected herself in the conversation. “Look, I realize this is a bad time, but you said we need to go. Like now.” Brixy gave a stern look at her. “Who are you?” “Her name is Cookie, daddy,” Fluttershy said. “And she’s my friend.” Friend? Not many ponies had ever called Cookie that before. Cookie eyebrows rose at hearing Fluttershy call her something like that. Brixy nodded and gestured that they follow him. The two mares continued behind him as he traveled down the hall. Brixy was cautious as he moved, looking around every corner to make sure no pony saw him. He led the mares down another hallway when a loud wailing came over them. Red lights began flashing all-around them. Some pony must have seen the empty cell. “Come on!” Brixy shouted as they darted down the hall, completely ignoring their stealth tactic. Fluttershy struggled to keep up. She was still strangely weak. Perhaps it was because of the blast that she had mysteriously survived. “I’m not sure how or why, but if the explosion was as dangerous as it seemed, I should be dead, shouldn’t I?” she thought. Cookie turned back to see the Pegasus who was still slow to keep up. “Come on, Flyshy!” Brixy headed back to his daughter’s side and helped her down the hallway. Taking a spot, they rested for a moment. Brixy knew that they didn’t have long to stay there. He made a quick glance at the armory near them. He wasn’t extremely familiar with weapons, but he knew enough. “Daddy, what are you doing here?” Fluttershy asked. “I heard about your capture. After they grabbed me, they stuck me in a lab and put me to work on whatever projects they wanted.” Fluttershy lowered her head. “It must have been horrible.” Brixy took a look at his daughter and smiled. “What matters is that you are safe.” He dug through his bag and pulled out a brown folder. “Fluttershy, take these.” Fluttershy raised her head weakly. “Your notes?” “When they brought you here, they took these notes with them. I’ve taken them because they cannot fall into their hooves, you understand?” Fluttershy nodded. “But, we’ll both protect them, daddy. Just you and me.” Fluttershy smiled as she gazed into her father’s eyes. Brixy smiled and gently pet her face. He got up and reached for a weapon off the rack. “Daddy?” “Take Fluttershy out of here. I’ll be right behind you.” Cookie nodded. “Come on, Flyshy. Let’s go!” Cookie grabbed her arm and started to pull her up, but Fluttershy fought back. “No! Wait, daddy!” “Just go! I promise I’ll be right behind you!” Brixy shouted as he darted back down the hallway. This upset Fluttershy. He had said that to her when she lost them once. “No!” Fluttershy screamed in her head. “Daddy said that same thing when I thought I lost him! Him and mommy! I won’t lose them again! I won’t be alone again!” Cookie started to pull Fluttershy, but Fluttershy struggled harder and harder, tears bursting out of her eyes. “Let’s go!” Cookie shouted. Fluttershy bucked Cookie off her and started down the hall. She could hear gunshots being fired. It echoed throughout the entire facility. “Daddy!” she shouted as she ran down the hallway, heading straight towards the sounds of gunfire. Fluttershy turned down another hallway to see her father, his gun posed to fire down towards the soldiers. Brixy turned his head to see his daughter just behind him. “Run!” Just as the sound left his mouth, a stream of bullets cut through his body. Blood shot from the bullet wounds onto the ground below him. Fluttershy stood in horror, helpless to do anything, as her father was executed in front of her. Her father fell to the ground, a river of blood gently streaming from his body. Tears rushed down Fluttershy’s face at an alarming rate. The soldiers were steadily coming towards her. Their weapons posed to strike. Suddenly, the tears stopped flowing. Fluttershy slowly raised her head with a glare of rage, unleashing a powerful roar. A roar that shook the entire facility. Cookie came around the corner as Fluttershy slowly began a startling transformation. She was turning into... something else. It was huge, green and angry. “Holy Faust!” Cookie shouted. The beast rose to its feet, staring viciously as its opponent’s slowly backed away. “What the Tartarus is that thing?!” one of them shouted. “Holy shit! Did you see that?!” another one said. “She... she just turned into that... that thing!” The beast started to slowly move forward, growling at her targets. “Shoot it!” one of them shouted as he pulled the trigger to his weapon. Round after round flew at the beast, tackling her body. The other two followed his example and fired their weapons. The creature roared in anger as it darted forward towards her adversaries. “They aren’t slowing her down!” one of them announced. The trio started to run down the hall, attempting to escape the massive creature. The beast picked up one of them and tossed him into the nearby wall. The pony tumbled to the ground without another movement. The other two darted down the hall towards the main hall. One of them pulled out a radio transmitter and shouted into it, “We’ve got some kind of monster down here! Need backup! Need –“ his voice was interrupted by his screaming when the green beast grabbed him by his leg and put him towards it. The monster tossed the pony down the hall and straight into a metal railing. The force of the blow bent the railing. The pony didn’t move after that. Several ponies in the main hall screamed as they saw the broken body before them. Those sounds, however, were overpowered by a cry of anger emitted from the creature’s powerful lungs. The ponies start to scatter in all directions as the beast burst out of the hallway and into the main hall. Several ponies raised their guns and fired a salvo of bullets towards the creature. The beast growled as the ammunition pummeled its body. The beast looked to its left to see a large metallic container. It wrapped its hooves around it and pulled it straight from the ground. It tore out the bolts holding the container in place without any kind of struggle. It then tossed the container straight for the ponies shooting at it. The ponies dove out of the way of the incoming projectile. The creature roared as it rammed itself into a nearby wall, tearing right through it. As she burst through the concrete barrier, a bright light assaulted her eyes. The creature looked up to see a large bright orb in the blue sky. She growled as she looked out to a large empty space. It was warm. The wind was barely blowing, but it was enough to pull the sand from the ground all around. The creature unleashed a powerful howl as it leaped into the air, disappearing into the light. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Fluttershy awoke abruptly. Visions of the beast’s memories began to stir in her mind. The nightmares before this had all been brief glimpses into the creature’s mind. But she had disregarded them into bad dreams. This was actually a memory. She actually saw the acts that the creature committed. Such violence. Such destruction. It made her sick to her stomach. She tried to block out the visions, but they wouldn’t be eclipsed. “Why am I seeing what that monster does? Why now?!” “Can’t sleep?” Cookie’s voice broke Fluttershy’s trance. Fluttershy looked up to see Cookie still lying on the ground. Her leg still as motionless as ever. For the most part anyway. The leg had begun to heal and she could even move with it, if only limp. “Nightmare,” Fluttershy finally responded, rubbing her tired eyes. “What about?” Cookie replied. Fluttershy finally responded to Cookie’s question with a nod. “I dreamed about... how we first met.” Her eyes drifted to Crumble, who was sleeping not a few feet from where they were. The fire still burning, keeping each of them warm “The day... I turned into that monster.” “You mean the day I met your father,” Cookie corrected. Fluttershy thought it was nice for her to think of it that way, but even seeing it in that light saddened her. Fluttershy finally nodded. “He was a good pony, Flyshy.” Tears started to dwell in Fluttershy’s eyes as memories of her father started to stir. “He only cared about you and your safety. I’m a little jealous.” This brought Fluttershy’s ears to stand on edge. The mere thought of any pony being jealous of her was a confusing notion. What did she have for others to be jealous of? “Jealous?” Fluttershy asked. Cookie turned away, as if she was afraid to face her. “Flyshy...” her voice started to break. “Your dad... did he ever...” Cookie found it hard to talk, much to Fluttershy’s surprise. She always thought Cookie was a strong and stern pony who wasn’t afraid of anything. A pony who wouldn’t let any other pony push her around. Who wasn’t afraid to say what she wanted. The exact opposite of herself. To see her in such an uncertain, uncomfortable state, frightened Fluttershy a little. “Did your father ever... hit you?” Cookie muttered the last word, but Fluttershy caught them anyway. And what she heard made her jaw drop. “Hit me?” The very question brought confusion to Fluttershy’s mind. The thought of her father doing her harm was impossible. “Celestia, no. My father would never hurt me.” There an elongated silence as Fluttershy continued to ponder the question. Why would Cookie bring up such a terrible question? What does it have to do with anything? After a few long moments, Cookie finally spoke, tears welling in her eyes. “Flyshy, that’s where your dad and my dad are different.” What Fluttershy heard broke her heart. Cookie had always been kind, even if she was a little too tough for Fluttershy’s tastes. Why, in the world of Equestria, would anypony want to hurt her? Let alone her own father? Fluttershy started to tear up as looked upon Cookie’s sorrow and fear at the mere mention of her father. “What about your mother? Didn’t she try to protect you?” Whenever she was scared and alone, her mother was always there to comfort her. Of course, she never had to worry about her father hitting her, either. The thought alone brought a chill up Fluttershy’s spine. Cookie took a deep breath. “She left me when I was 8 years old. Never saw her again.” Fluttershy redirected her eyes back to her friend. This was the first time she had heard about Cookie’s past. Cookie had always been hesitant about revealing her history and Fluttershy was finally beginning to see why. Her parents were... unspeakable to her. She had never heard of such behavior from a mother and father before. Her parents were always loving, caring, compassionate ponies. Cookie’s parents sounded just awful. “I’m so very sorry,” Fluttershy replied. Cookie took another look at her friend. “I know you think of yourself as a monster. But those ponies... Ponies like that... they’re the real monsters. Fluttershy stared back at the campfire, watching the flames dance as her mind picked up on Cookie’s question. “How can you say that? I’m just as bad as any of them.” “Damn it, Flyshy!” Cookie said, tears spilling from her eyes. “You are nothing like those bastards!” Fluttershy drew back in fear. She had always hated Cookie’s choice of words. “You have been taking care of us longer than any pony I’ve known. You worked tirelessly to take care of me, to the point you’ve exhausted yourself! Nopony has ever done that for me! And that thing... that thing you become... saved us,” Cookie stated. “You saved us.” There was long pause as Fluttershy’s mind tried to gather all the Cookie had said. “And I want to say... thank you.” Fluttershy raised her eyebrow and painted a face of confusion. She wasn’t sure what Cookie was referring to. Until, at least, she thought back to her visions. One of them found Crumble and Cookie in a wave of fire, with their only protection ‘her’ giant wings. “When you changed, I felt like...” Cookie wasn’t sure how to explain what she saw back at the park. All she knew is that the creature, Fluttershy, wasn’t going to hurt them. It protected them, like Fluttershy would have. “... I don’t know. Like, you were still inside that thing you know. Maybe there’s still some of you inside. Maybe it’s not as horrible as you think.” Fluttershy was very silent as she continued to stare into the fire. Could that even be in the realm of possibility? A monster, that has caused so much destruction, could be more honorable than she had thought? The thought was so far-fetched that she had never thought of it until now. Even after Cookie’s story, even after her vision, it still seemed very unlikely. There was a long paused before Fluttershy put her head back down and tried to go to sleep. “I’m not that monster,” she stated to herself. They weren’t the same being. They never would be. Fluttershy wouldn’t accept it. “Not now. Not ever.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------- General Thunderbolt sat in his office. There was nothing he could do to pick up Fluttershy’s trail. No clues, no witnesses, no sightings, nothing. And what’s worse, the only prototypes of the Hulkbuster robots were in ruins. He was a laughing stock in the military. One little filly caused every problem he had. With all this humiliation, he was surprised he still had a job. When he wasn’t thinking about Fluttershy, his thoughts wandered to his son. “Is he alive? And if so, is he safe? Is he safe with that monstrosity hanging over his head? If Fluttershy has harmed one hair on my son, I’ll make sure she pays dearly.” Major Strawberry, who entered the room with great haste, freed Thunderbolt from his lonely thoughts. “Sir. We have a possible lead.” Thunderbolt’s eyes fixed themselves on the blue unicorn. “What is it?” Major Strawberry levitated a small parchment to the general. “An old jeep, owned by a Mr. Butter Popcorn, was stolen” The general glanced at the parchment. Indeed, Mr. Popcorn had reported a stolen vehicle. However tragic it was, he still failed to see what this had to do with Fluttershy. The major continued as if she had sensed the general’s concern. “The owner told law enforcement that a stallion came and picked up the car under Mr. Popcorn’s name.” The major then levitate a picture of a mare. It was the mare on the motorcycle. The one with Fluttershy. “He said that Cookie told him the vehicle was ready.” She then revealed a videotape. “We also have an image of the thief.” Thunderbolt raised his head to the unicorn. He wasn’t sure what to expect. However, his thoughts did come to a chilling conclusion. Something he dared not think about. The videotape revealed a light green stallion digging through one of the cabinets of the place. Thunderbolt recognized that pony instantly. It was his son. His son, for whatever reason, was working with Fluttershy. “But why? How?” Whatever the reason, Thunderbolt had a lead. It wasn’t a good lead, but something was better than nothing. “Where are we on locating the jeep?” Thunderbolt asked. “Still searching, sir.” “I want you to get in contact with law enforcement. Tell them if they see the jeep, they are not to engage. They are to call us immediately.” The major gave a nod and started to leave the room. The general’s voice stopped her in her tracks. “Major.” The unicorn turned around to face the general. “Does Guam know about this?” She shook her head. “No, sir. He doesn’t. I came straight to you.” Thunderbolt gave a smirk. “Good. I need you to keep this on the down low. Don’t let anypony else know about this. Especially not Guam.” The unicorn was confused by the general’s request. As if sensing her uncertainty, Thunderbolt continued. “I don’t want Fluttershy to be tipped off that we are on to her. Let her make the first mistake. Keep it off the media and keep Guam as far from this as possible.” “Yes, sir.” The unicorn then proceeded out of the room. Thunderbolt gave a cruel smile. Guam was going to be out of the way, so his son was safe. And best of all, Fluttershy had slipped up. She had made her mistake and Thunderbolt guaranteed if she slipped up again, she would be his.