“Greetings, everypony. I’m Jack Maregee. Last night, disaster struck the city of Las Pegasus. Two titanic forces collided in a midtown brawl. The mysterious hulk as well as another creature waged their own personal war in downtown Las Pegasus. The creatures caused millions of bits in damage, leaving hundreds without power and shelter. As many as two-dozen were injured and at least six ponies, including three police officers are dead.”
“And earlier this morning, the same hulking creature battled a different creature at the Molhoofend Dam. Their battle caused the dam to rupture. At least seven ponies are unaccounted for.”
“The failure of the dam caused millions of gallons of water to be poured towards the city. Fortunately, by some Celestian miracle, a tremor caused one of the canyon walls to collapse and create a barrier, stopping the flow of water before it could reach the citizens of Las Pegasus.”
“However, the question still remains. What are these creatures and where do they come from? It was bad enough Equestria had to deal with one of these beasts, now there are three of them that are out there right now. And while sources do tell this reporter that one of them, which was once a respected scientist and teacher at Las Pegasus State College, Steel Smolder, was brought into custody, that still leaves us with two that are unaccounted for.”
“Fillies and gentlecolts, how are the citizens of Equestria supposed to feel safe when there are two of these monsters roaming our country?”
Shining ‘Fury’ Armor flipped the off switch on the television set, silencing Maregee.
“How indeed, general?” he asked the pony sitting directly across from him.
Thunderbolt had sat silently through the broadcast. Out of all the reporters in all of Equestria, Maregee was one reporter he couldn’t stand. Heck, a lot of ponies couldn’t stand him. And yet, he was still the one of the most watched newscasters around. How he managed that, Thunderbolt still hadn’t figured out.
Thunderbolt’s eyes returned to the single eye of the unicorn across from him.
Armor leaned back in his chair. “Do you want to explain what in Tartarus you think you were doing?”
“I was doing what was necessary to protect this country,” Thunderbolt replied.
Armor leaned forward in his chair. “And in doing so, you not only created two beasts just like Fluttershy, but you let one of them escape. Now there are two of those beasts out in the world, one of which has no trouble taking lives.”
Thunderbolt gritted his teeth. “I’ve made my mistakes. But everything I’ve done, I’ve done for the good of this country.”
“Let the record show that we had Fluttershy in custody. And we-.”
“And you let her slip away, like always,” Shining Armor interrupted.
Thunderbolt glared at his opposite. It was bad enough having to listen to him; it was worse knowing that he was right. He had Fluttershy. He had her in the center of his hoof. And he let her get away again.
Shining Armor leaned back. “This task is no longer your concern, general.”
Thunderbolt’s eyes shot straight open. He then stood up quickly and faced down Shining Armor.
“How dare you?! I’ve been chasing her since she was a filly!” His eyes narrowed as he stared at Armor.
“And have achieved not even the slimmest of results.”
“This is my mission!”
Shining Armor stood up, matching the general’s gaze. “Not anymore it isn’t. N.E.I.G.H.S will be handling this project from now on.”
Thunderbolt wanted to argue. Every fiber of his being said to let Armor know that he wasn’t going to step away from this. That he wasn’t going to leave this room knowing that a little filly had gotten the better of him. But he knew, for all his efforts, for all his anger, it was futile.
N.E.I.G.H.S would be handed all the information concerning Fluttershy and he would be handed some trivial job. Assuming, of course, he still had a job when this was all over.
“You’re dismissed, general,” the director finally said as he sat down in his seat.
Thunderbolt turned around and started for the door, his head pointed towards the ground. His thoughts wandered to that day. It was only a little while ago, but it seemed years ago. The day he had finally captured Fluttershy. The day he had gotten the better of her.
Then it hit him.
“Her blood! We still have a sample of her blood! If the director knew about that, I’d be back on top!”
“Director,” Thunderbolt said as he turned to face the one-eyed unicorn.
Armor shot him a gaze of discontent. It was clear that he didn’t care much of what the general was going to say.
The general opened his mouth to speak, but then hesitated.
“Wait a minute. If N.E.I.G.H.S found out about our blood sample, they’d take it away from me. I’d have lost the only thing I have on Fluttershy. Armor may have taken this project from me, but I’m still capable of making weapons for the future of Equestria.”
“Nothing,” the general finally replied. He then continued out the doorway, passing a purple unicorn on his way out.
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“You wanted to see me, big brother,” Twilight Sparkle greeted the white stallion as she entered the room. Her brother, Shining Armor had called her for a special task. It wasn’t uncommon since she was N.E.I.G.H.S’ top agent.
Director Armor met her eyes and greeted her with a smile. “Yes, Twili. Sit down.”
Twilight did as she was asked without hesitation. Armor had been sketchy with details of her next assignment. It wasn’t unusual, but it still would have been nice to have information. But that was the kind of unicorn Twilight was. She prided herself on her intellect, her cunning, and her resourcefulness. But that only came from years of training, research and studying.
“What am I here for this time?” Twilight asked. “Infiltrate some C.H.A.O.S base?”
C.H.A.O.S was a group of international terrorist that existed long before the days of the Alicorn War. Their membership stretched far and wide. Their activities had been silent for the past few decades, but every so often they would make a move. And it was always bad news.
It wasn’t uncommon for Twilight to work an undercover job. She was an expert in many things, especially espionage.
Shining Armor frowned a bit. “Not exactly.” He then levitated a folder towards Twilight with his magic. Twilight’s horn started to glow a light purple aura then engulfed the folder as well. She opened it up and immediately her eyes focused on a photograph of a yellow mare with a sweet smile.
She remembered the reports on this pony. Despite everything she had read, it was still hard to believe that this was the pony that caused so much trouble. Seeing the face in the photograph made it even more unbelievable.
“Fluttershy. She’s that thing, isn’t she?”
Shining Armor nodded. “I’ve got some ponies tracking her movements, but we don’t dare approach her without starting something.”
Twilight continued to scan the folder. She was a quick reader and was eager to learn everything she could about her target. Whatever her mission involved, she wanted to be ready for it.
“So, I befriend her and trick her into coming into custody?” Twilight guessed, as she finished her first scan of the profile and started her second.
“Nothing like that,” Shining Armor replied. “I need you to get her out of the country.”
Twilight, for once since laying eyes on the profile, diverted her eyes away from it and looked straight at her brother. “Why? Why not just take her in?”
Shining Armor leaned back in his chair. “Right now, she less dangerous in the open than in a cage. But I want to be able to keep track of her.”
Twilight nodded and resumed her second scan of the profile, still listening to her brother go over mission parameters with her.
“You’ll take her across the border where my men will take over from there.”
Twilight spoke, despite her still reading, “If you have ponies tracking her, why do you need me?”
Armor gave a chuckle. “Two reasons. One; Fluttershy’s not the most trusting pony and rightfully so. I need a pony that’s got a friendly face. It will help ease the tension off her. If tensions off her, everypony is safer.”
Twilight had just finished her second read through of the profile and was heavily considering doing a third when Shining Armor stopped speaking.
“And the second?” she asked.
Shining Armor gave a deep sigh, his smile evaporating from his face. “I need a pony I know can do what it takes if this mission takes a turn for the worst.”
Somehow, Twilight knew that he wasn’t talking about the beast. While it might have been implied, she was certain her brother was talking about the general. She knew his history well. He was once a famous four star general, until the beast came into his life. Now he was just a vindictive stallion holding a grudge against another pony.
“But you told the general to stay out of it, didn’t you?” Twilight asked. “You said this was N.E.I.G.H.S’ job, right? You think he won’t stay away?”
Armor scoffed. “If I know General Thunderbolt like I do, I’m absolutely certain that he’ll do the exact opposite of what I just told him to do.”
Twilight nodded. She then placed the folder neatly on the desk and stood up. “Don’t worry, big brother. I’ll take care of this.”
“I knew you would.”
Twilight gave a respectful nod and turned towards the door. “Twili,” Shining Armor called to her.
His voice stopped her in her tracks. She turned her head towards her director.
“Fluttershy doesn’t know that N.E.I.G.H.S is following her. I want it kept that way.”
Twilight nodded and continued out the door.
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The television blared in the hospital room with Jack Maregee’s latest news report. Cookie was forced to remain in her bed until her leg was fully recovered. Which meant listening to her least favorite newscaster.
“And what’s worse, fillies and gentlecolts, is that according to eyewitnesses, the hulk is shown to be an ordinary pony. You heard it right folks, the creature that has terrorized the entire country of Equestria is actually a normal looking pony. While this does explain why the creature has moved from place to place without detection, why are we only learning about this now?”
Cookie looked out the window. She started think about what Jack had just said. She thought back to the first time she met Fluttershy. If she hadn’t seen her transform in front of her all those years ago, she wouldn’t have believed it.
“Look around you. Think about the ponies in your lives. Anyone of them could be one of these hulks. These abominations. Anypony could be a dangerous criminal running from the law. And what’s even worse is that the government refuses to comment! How are we to identify the creatures that lurk in our country when our own government keeps secrets from us?! I’m Jack Maregee and I’ve-.”
Cookie finally picked up the remote to the TV and shut it down.
“Had enough of listening to that crap.”
She rested her head back on the pillow behind her. It had been a while since she had a nice place to rest. It was warm, the bed was a little lumpy for her tastes, but it was warm.
Just as she started to relax, she started to hear the door handle to her own turn. As the door opened, Crumble stepped through.
“Hey,” Crumble greeted.
“Sup,” Cookie replied.
Crumble made his way to her side and sat in the chair beside her. “How’s the leg?”
Cookie took a look towards her leg, which was suspended in the air. “Fine. Docs say I got lucky. Most ponies would have lost the leg by now.” Her thoughts wandered to Fluttershy, the pony who had tirelessly medicated her leg. Cookie smiled. “I told them I had a good nurse.”
Crumble smiled as well, but he lowered his head to the ground. It was no mystery why. Crumble missed her. Even though he wouldn’t say it.
“Any word on Flyshy?” Cookie asked.
Crumble shook his head. “No pony’s seen her. Not since the battle with that thing.”
Cookie nodded and took a look out the window. The sun shined brightly through the windows. It was a pleasant sight. She kept thinking about Fluttershy. She risked so much to help ponies that only saw her as a monster. Only to be repaid by taking the blame with nearly destroying Las Pegasus.
She took a look back at Crumble, who was still staring at the ground. “Don’t worry, we’ll find Flyshy.” Cookie stated.
Crumble took a look at Cookie and started to smile.
“After all, she owes me a bike.”
Crumble started to chuckle. It was only for a moment, but it was more than he had done the last couple of days.
“Should have told her though,” Cookie stated, looking straight at Crumble.
Crumble looked off into the distance. He picked himself up off the chair and made his way to the window.
“She knew how you felt about her,” Crumble declared.
Cookie simply shook her head. “I was talking about you.”
Crumble jerked his head towards Cookie, his eyes wide open, and his jaw dropped. He was in shock at what Cookie had said. He started to stammer for words but he sounded like he was babbling.
“Dude, chill. It wasn’t that hard to figure out,” Cookie said, trying to contain her laughter.
Crumble looked back out the window. He took a deep breath and sighed. “What if...” he hesitated, almost as if he was afraid to ask the question. Or maybe he was afraid to hear the answer.
“What if she doesn’t feel the same?” he finally asked.
Cookie just scoffed and shook her head. “Trust me, she does.”
Crumble gave a weak smile and turned his head back towards the window. Cookie did the same.
“We’ll find you, Flyshy. I promise.”
Somehow, Cookie knew that Crumble was making the same promise.
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The road was a long and lonely one, but it was the road she always traveled. For a long time, this road had been her companion. It was her path. It was the safest path for everypony else. Even herself.
Fluttershy trotted a steady pace down the side of the highway. The gentle wind blew against her allowing her mane and tail to be caught in its calm breeze.
Traffic was also calm. A car here and there, but nopony else for miles around her. She would try to get the attention of a speeding car, hoping they would allow her to hitchhike, but most ponies didn’t even look at her. Not that she minded, she was use to being alone.
“4 days since the day she... since I fought that monster.”
But she wasn’t alone. Not really. Inside her dwelled a force of unparalleled power. The last time she unleashed it she saved an entire city from drowning. That day might as well have been an eternity ago. The days passed by so slowly.
She continued down the path, cars speeding passed her every minute or two. Again, she would hold out her hoof in a vain in attempt to get some pony’s attention. And again, she would be ignored.
Fluttershy trudged down the path, looking up at the miles to next city sign. Two cities posted on it did little to interest her. They were still within the borders of the country. She needed to leave the country. She needed to find a place she could settle down for a while, until the tensions blow over.
“236 miles to Marico,” Fluttershy moaned to herself. It was going to be a long walk, but she already knew that. She didn’t need to remind herself. But when she put a number to it, it almost seemed to be further away.
Regardless, she couldn’t stay here. She needed to keep moving. She continued to hike across highway. A car came straight down the highway, passing her.
Fluttershy once again held out her hoof and this time the car did signal to the right. The driver pulled the vehicle over to the side and parked it, waiting for Fluttershy.
Fluttershy quickly sprint over to the passenger’s side of the vehicle. When she looked inside, she saw a purple unicorn mare. She had a dark purple mane with streaks of lighter purple. On her rump was the mark of a pink star-like shape, with white stars around it. Her big purple eyes met with Fluttershy’s blue ones. The mare smiled.
“Hi there,” the unicorn greeted. “Where are you headed?”
Fluttershy started to stammer, but she eventually got her words together. “Well... I’m sort of heading for Marico.”
The unicorn nodded. “Marico, huh? Well, I’d be happy to drop you off just 30 miles out. I’m heading for a family reunion in Fayetteville.” The unicorn’s horn started to glow a bright pink as the door lock was released and the door was slowly opened.
Fluttershy grabbed hold of the door handle and made her way into the passenger’s seat. “Thank you so much.” She sat in the seat and reeled the seatbelt from its resting place and buckled it into place.
“It’s no trouble, I’d love the company,” the unicorn replied.
The unicorn released the brakes and started down the road once more. There was an odd silence as the two made their way down the road.
She seemed like a nice pony, but that didn’t mean Fluttershy was ready to talk to her. She was still not good at starting a conversation. Besides, she had other things on her mind. She hadn’t seen Cookie or Crumble since it happened. She hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye or to thank them for all their help. They sacrificed so much for her. For a chance to cure her. But really it was all for nothing.
“How I wish I could just see them one more time? What I wouldn’t give?”
“So what’s your name?” the mare asked.
Fluttershy didn’t say anything. She just kept looking out the window, her mind constantly drifting to her friends she left behind. She felt as if she was abandoning them. They didn’t deserve that. They deserved better.
“I’m Cherry-filled Cheesecake.”
Fluttershy’s ears instantly perked themselves up. It wasn’t like her to poke fun at another pony’s name, but what kind of name was that? It reminded her of a famous toy doll every little filly wanted. She remembered lots of children her age would play with one. She had heard of it, but because of her living habits, she never had one. Not that her father didn’t try.
“Like the doll?” Fluttershy finally replied as the silliness of the name brought her into the conversation.
Cheesecake gave smile and chuckled. “Yep, like the doll. Hated my parents for a long time about that one.”
Fluttershy couldn’t help but think about her own parents. It was hard losing them. It was even harder moving on without them. But she never forgot who they were. She never forgot who she was. She never forgot that they loved her.
Fluttershy turned her head towards Cheesecake and smiled. “I’m Flyshy.”
“Wonderful to meet you, Flyshy.”
Fluttershy nodded and turned back towards the window, looking out at the beautiful field of grain. But instead of smiling, she started to frown. She could feel ‘her’ deep inside her. She was calm for now. But somehow, Fluttershy knew it would only be a matter of time before she found in a situation where she would become upset. It would only be a matter of time before the world saw the return of the Incredible Flutterhulk.