//------------------------------//
// Chapter 35 
// Story: Are You Ready? 
// by Dirty Bit 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 35


Fading Embers


After his day of work at Ponyville Clinic, Dr. Facilier joined Twilight and her friends along with most of Ponyville to repair the damaged night club. This time, it was easier to repair other than the Town Hall because everypony involved with the establishment, including Vinyl Scratch, pitched in some of their money for damages. The process was going along swiftly with how the unicorns were easily handling most of the work, from clearing the debris indoors to holding up the parts needed to be repaired. The pegasi helped with the repairs on the upper reaches in and outside of the club, while the earth ponies took care of the lower reaches with their own tools.

Dr. Facilier, while making the best of his time, did not feel up to repairing something that was not even his fault to begin with. But then he remembered he was working with Fluttershy, and even took the time from working to see her handling the upper reaches of the night club. He never thought he would feel such affection for the timid mare, especially after the passionate kiss that they shared last night before bed. The Shadowcolt was about to daydream, until Rainbow Dash snapped him out of his thoughts.

The cyan pegasus was hovering next to Dr. Facilier and smiling "Hey, Doc! Like what you see?" She chuckled as he noticed how he was staring at Fluttershy. The Shadowcolt blushed and looked away, but then remembered he was holding up a piece of wood for one of the earth ponies. He focused his magic as he spoke to Rainbow Dash.

"I cannot lie when I see her face
An' feel so good as she moves with grace..."

Rainbow Dash chuckled "Sheesh, in that case, you should probably write her a love poe-WHOA!" She dodged a lightning bolt that grazed her tail and Dr. Facilier's hat, and then glared up to the sky "Not again, Derpy!" Up on one of the clouds over the club, Derpy Hooves was jumping on a cloud while the rest of the ponies were busy with repairs. Rainbow flew up to her with an irritated look on her face "Do you always have to do this when we're in the middle of fixing something??"

The wall-eyed pegasus only stared at the building and then went back to hopping "I just don't know what went wrong!" With each hop, the cloud crackled with thunder and lightning until Derpy got shocked herself.

Dr. Facilier felt his hat and looked up at the two, chuckling a little as he was distracted by his job, but then the earth pony repairing the wall he was holding cleared his throat loudly with a glare. The doctor tried to glare back, but he couldn't gather the strength. This was beginning to grow wierd to him. Could he only feel the need to glare at Zecora and Pinkie whenever he encountered them? While this thought needed to be figured out, the Shadowcolt went back to holding up the wall with his magic.

Time passed with the repairs, and it was in the evening when the club was mostly repaired. Everypony present thought it would be best to wrap it up tomorrow as they dispersed back to their usual business. Others simply retired to their homes for a desired rest. As Dr. Facilier watched some folks leave, he was met with Fluttershy hovering down towards him and nuzzling him "Isn't it nice to know how fast we've worked on this place? You've done a wonderful job today, Dr. Facilier..." She gave her coltfriend a loving smile, to which the doctor returned in kind.

Twilight trotted towards the happy couple, earning their attention in the mix "Hey, you two. Good to see you both together like this!" She turns to the Shadowcolt "So, Dr. Facilier...What say we head on over to the library so we can begin our study session? Sure, it's a little late, but I can't wait to get started!" She beamed at the Shadowcolt, who nodded in response.

"Yeah, I'll come to your house like I said.
You probably have loads o' knowledge for my head."

Fluttershy turned to Dr. Facilier "In that case, I'll be waiting for you at home. I have to make sure the animals are properly fed. Oh! But don't worry, I'll be sure to make you a nice dinner once you return." She said as she gave the doctor a kiss on the cheek and began her trek back to her cottage.

Dr. Facilier felt his cheek with a hoof and gave a goofy smile, while his shadow merely made a gagging and retching gesture. The Shadowcolt was out of his element today, and this was turning into something that should not have happened to begin with.

Twilight then caught the doctor with a teasing smile "You okay there, lover boy? Come on, we got some studying to do!" She said as she began to trot towards the library. The Shadowcolt snapped out of his little trance and followed the lavender bookworm to her home. His shadow donned a crooked scowl as it followed his master.

When they reached the library, they went inside to find Spike challenging Twilight's pet owl Owlowiscious to a staring contest. The purple dragon was narrowing his eyes in a determined glare while the owl was simply staring back with an unchanging glance. The heated battled did not last, though, as Spike began to crack under the pressure of keeping his eyes open. His eyelids trembled worse each second until he finally blinked and roared in anger "Darn it! That was the second time I lost to you, you darn owl!"

Owlowiscious only hooted in response "Who?"

Spike pointed a claw and glared "You know who I'm talking about, birdie!"

"Who?"

The purple dragon yelled "Stop doing that! I'm talking about you!"

"Who?"

Spike facepalms and groans "I give up..." he then perked up to the sound of his older sister chuckling at his defeat, and turned to see her with Dr. Facilier at the door.

Twilight ceased her small fit of laughter and smiled at her assistant "Don't be so sad about your loss, Spike. After all, third time's the charm, right?" She then turned to the Shadowcolt "C'mon in and get comfortable, Dr. Facilier! I'll get the books ready while Spike fixes us some tea!" She gives Spike a nod and he made for the kitchen while Twilight trotted over to her bookcases and scanned each book meticulously to figure which one would be best suited for tonight's session.

Dr. Facilier trotted to a couch and laid down as he watched the lavender bookworm make a small pile of books that slowly increased by the minute. He chuckled to himself, but then felt something tug at his suit as he looked down to his shadow, who carried the same crooked scowl from before 'The hell's he so mad about??' He thought to himself, and he watched as the shadow pointed to the nearest mirror in the room.

The Shadowcolt turned to see a reflection of himself, and then turned back to his shadow with a raised eyebrow. His shadow pointed to the mirror once more, and Dr. Facilier indulged in another glance with reluctance. This time, he took the moment to actually look at himself and slowly take in what his shady partner was trying to say. He stared at himself, knowing how much he has changed since his time in Equestria. The doctor wasn't himself today, and even though the change appeared good towards the other ponies, it felt slightly wrong to realize that this world was actually taking over his mind.

But then he remembered his predicament, and more conflict arose within himself. He also remembered the giant mask's words ever since his dream last night:

'You're a villain, Dr. Facilier...An conniving, sadistic, and unforgivable villain...And this world, this Equestria, is tearing you apart at the seams...Once you die, you'll only come back here and pay your dues in kind...You were lucky to be saved by that white winged unicorn, but even SHE knew of your deeds...It was nothing but a mistake to revive you, knowing you'll simply return from whence you came. While your affection towards that mare of yours is genuine, it's nothing more than an infected cyst in your body that shouldn't even exist...This world, and everyone inside of it, is trying to do the impossible and change who you really are, and even they fail to realize that it is a meaningless effort...'

While he seemed to almost change completely, the mask was right to know that it couldn't be done to make a villain change his ways so easily just because he was reborn into a new world with a second chance. Dr. Facilier had a mind to talk to Princess Celestia about this, but then Twilight trotted over to him "I got the books! Let's get started, shall we?" She slammed a large pile of books onto the coffee table, grabbing the Shadowcolt's attention as he stared at it with wide eyes 'THIS is one o' her study sessions!? She's about as crazy as Pinkie!'

Spike came back inside with a tray consisting of a teapot and two teacups. When he spotted the large pile of books, he shot Twilight a look "Really, Twilight?? I know you two like to study, but he has a marefriend now! He'll probably have to sleep over if you're going to cover each one!"

Twilight wanted to remark Spike in a defensive tone, but then she looked at the books and how Dr. Facilier reacted towards them. Upon hindsight, this was too much for somepony like him, and the lavender bookworm chuckled in embarrasment "I guess you're right. Maybe we can see what we can cover tonight and you can make your way back to Fluttershy's. Knowing how close you two are, I wouldn't want to upset her if I had you all to myself." She chuckled at her own joke, and her assistant mentally facepalmed at it while he walked towards the two ponies and set the tray on the table.

Spike was kind enough to pour the first cups of tea for Twilight and Dr. Facilier as they cracked open their first books and began to study on terms involving the Magic of Friendship. The Shadowcolt was thankful to know he wasn't going to study the entire pile of books, especially since he already has things on his mind. Perhaps he was wrong when he was trying to make the best of his day despite his situation. He gingerly sipped his cup of tea and read the book he levitated with his magic entitled 'Starswirl the Bearded's Guide to Friendship', knowing that this was going to be a long night.

As the moon was high in the sky, Dr. Facilier took his leave after tenuous hours of friendship study. He counted himself lucky that he didn't have to write a friendship letter afterwards, considering that not only was his session exhausting, but that he would probably get agitated with what Celestia might respond to him. He didn't want to see a picture of that grinning face again.

While the Shadowcolt was walking, he felt another tug at his suit and looked down at his shadow. Like last time, it carried the same crooked scowl. Dr. Facilier looked around to see that the streets were deserted, and then he turned back to his shad partner.

"It ain't like you t' sulk and pout.
Your attitude, I can do without."

The shadow pointed at its master and then made a stomping gesture. It then transformed into a shadow of Fluttershy trotting in place, then falling down dead on her back. Changing back into its original form, it went back to the shadow scowling at its master. Dr. Facilier groaned and spoke to his shady partner again.

"I love 'er, alright!? What's wrong with that?
Y'all can't be actin' like a spoiled brat!
I'm already filled with enough unease,
But I can go back whenever I please!"

His shadow jumped up and down, resembling a child being difficult. It clearly wanted Fluttershy dead so it and its master could be free from the clutches of both their friends, good and bad. Dr. Facilier could only facehoof at this and try to talk some sense into his best friend.

"I have enough to deal with, in terms o' my head!
I jus' wanna go eat and move on t' bed!
The day she kicks it is when pigs fly!
There's no way I'm gonna let that timid mare die!"

The Shadowcolt counted himself lucky nopony was there to see him argue with his shadow on the battle within himself. He already had enough to deal with in terms of being aware of his ever-growing change and the fact that he is in love with one of the Elements of Harmony. To see that his own shady servant acting so abhorrent to his interests was sickening, but he had to go home so he can think of the matter properly. He continued his journey while his shadow followed with a crooked frown on its face.

When he reached the cottage, he slowly opened the door so he wouldn't wake the animals inside. The doctor saw no sign of Fluttershy anywhere, making him wonder if she was taking a bath or already in bed. He trotted over to the kitchen to see what she had made him for dinner, feeling peckish after a long period of studying with Twilight. The Shadowcolt took notice of a pot on the stove and levitated the lid on it to see what was inside.

It was an appetizing tomato bisque, and it was still a little warm. The liquid's scent enticed Dr. Facilier to grab a bowl from the cupboard and the nearest ladle to scoop himself a good helping of it. He made his way to the table and properly ate the finely-crafted soop with a spoon, sipping the content and savoring its flavor 'Boy, can that girl cook...' The Shadowcolt never tasted anything so wonderful in his life as both a human and a pony.

When he was finished, he trotted upstairs so he could clear his mind with a bath. He then noticed the lights were on behind the closed bathroom door. Looks like he was right about the timid mare on the former. The upside to this was that it gave him some time to think before actually resting. He trotted to his room and hopped onto the bed were he sat on his haunches and took the moment to reflect on all that had happened, leading up to his current status. Not even realizing Fluttershy was around, he spoke to himself as he thought about his actions.

"Looks like this place really is makin' me change,
But the fact that it's meaningless is very deranged.
There has t' be another way around this thing
So I can enjoy my life without worrying..."

He gave a deep sigh as his shadow stared at him, then quickly snapped its head towards the doorframe as it heard hoofsteps. When the sound reached him as well, he noticed Fluttershy trot in with a look of worry on her face "Dr. Facilier...I-Is something wrong??"

Back then, Dr. Facilier could lie to Fluttershy without even trying, but as he looked at her, it was hard to even come up with a proper lie to keep her off track. While he was compelled to confess to his marefriend about his troubles, he didn't want her to know about his past life of villainy and hope that she could look past it despite her being kindness incarnate. Then he remembered his time with Twilight and decided to use that as a twisted truth.

"Twilight can really wear me out.
Her passion for books is beyond doubt."

Fluttershy gave a soft giggle "Oh, is that all? Well, Twilight does enjoy books of all sorts...Well, except for comic books. I figured she would like those, even if they aren't all that good to read. But, it was good to know that you know more about friendship thanks to her. You could possibly be a better stallion in no time!" She then paused and blushed "I mean...you already are the best stallion..." She shrunk in her mane, showing a smile "To me, of course..."

Dr. Facilier saw this and chuckled at her bashfulness. He never thought somepony like her could fall for him like this, even if he did save her life in a fit of mental conflict. Remembering his bath, he hopped off of his bed and trotted over to his marefriend and kissed her on her forehead.

"An' your th' best mare I've ever did see...
You really do mean a lot t' me...
Now I better go on and wash my body
So I won't appear all broke an' shoddy"

Fluttershy nods "Oh, okay then. I'm just going to get ready for bed with how late it's getting. I'll be waiting for you, though, so don't take too long..." She winked at him as she trotted to her room.

The Shadowcolt only shook his head with a smile 'Hehehe...I'll bet she ain't that innocent...' He then went to the bathroom where he took a short bath and thought about his problems further. With what has been going on in his head, he felt it as best to personally write to Princess Celestia about this matter tomorrow. His shadow still showed a disapproving frown while its master waded about in the warm and soothing water.

When it was over, he climbed into bed with his marefriend and the two shared a small kiss before going to sleep "Good night, Dr. Facilier..." Fluttershy uttered to Dr. Facilier as they both closed their eyes. Sadly, the Shadowcolt wasn't all that tired, knowing that he still had a lot to think about, and that he knew who was waiting for him once he falls asleep.

'It's like I'm bein' pushed in a corner...'


End of Chapter 35