Fluttershy didn't know where she was. Grey mist swirled around her hooves, obscuring the ground, and a thick blanket of fog smothered everything around her. Wherever this place was, it was cold. She pulled her wings closer to her sides, trying to trap as much heat to her as she could, but it was to no avail as the frigid air zapped every ounce of warmth she had.
...Fluttershy...
A voice called out to her mockingly, its owner hidden in the fog. To Fluttershy, that voice was a thousand times more chilling than the freezing air. Oh no! she thought in a panic. It's back! It's come back to tell me more of its lies!
That's not very nice, Fluttershy. You know I would never lie to you. But then, you aren't a very nice pony, are you?
Fluttershy tried to speak, tried to politely tell the voice to go away, but she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't make her throat work. Her body locked up, as did her mind, both becoming paralyzed with fear. The only thing she could do was listen to her heart as it pounded faster and faster, and to the voice as it continued to torment her.
No, you're not a nice pony at all. But you pretend. Oh, you're so good at pretending. You've fooled them all into thinking your a nice, timid, happy pegasus. But we know better, don't we? We know what you really look like on the inside.
Fluttershy's eyes widened in horror as the owner of the voice stepped out of the fog in front of her. It was as if she was looking into an old dusty mirror. The pegasus looked like her, but at the same time she didn't. Her coat was darker than the originals, as was the mane. But the thing that scared Fluttershy the most was the expression that the doppelganger wore. It was a face that just screamed of malicious intent and evil thoughts. That pony wanted to hurt ponies, to make other ponies suffer. That wasn't what she wanted. That wasn't her.
Oh, but this is you, Fluttershy. This has always been you. What, did you think gaining a few "friends" and putting on a magic necklace can change who you are at the core? You're a monster, Fluttershy.
The evil Fluttershy took a few steps forward, until her mouth was right beside Fluttershy's ear. She would have shivered as the fake's freezing breath brushed against her fur if she wasn't already numb with fear.
We're a monster.
Tears slipped down Fluttershy's cheeks as her other self laughed maniacally, drinking in all of her hopelessness as if it were the sweetest honey. The fog collapsed in around them, effectively blinding the mare and separating her from the monster, though she knew it was never far away as its laughter echoed in her ears.
~~~
Fluttershy shot upright in her bed, the sheets soaked by the cold sweat she was still experiencing after the horrible nightmare. Her chest was heaving as she took in huge gulps of air, attempting to steady her racing heartbeat. She looked over toward the cuckoo clock hanging on the wall. It read three AM.
Fluttershy laid her head back down onto her pillow, sighing in frustration. She felt tired, yet she was unwilling to return to that bleak, slate-grey world. And she knew she would return there if she closed her eyes. This was not the first time she had had this dream. They had started haunting her after Dash had found her in the Everfree Forest nearly a week ago, and she hadn't had a decent night's sleep since.
She sighed once more, this time in resignation rather than frustration, as she realized it was pointless to stay in bed when she was too scared to close her eyes. So Fluttershy stood, made her bed, and then went downstairs to get a head start on preparing breakfast for all of her little critters, all the while ignoring the protests of her tired muscles.
She could already tell this was going to be a long day.
~~~
By the time noon rolled around, Fluttershy realized that she had never known what a long day felt like until today. She was practically falling asleep on her hooves, and everything she did seemed to suffer for it. The first sign she had gotten that something might be wrong with her came in the form of Angel's breakfast. instead of the usual leafy greens that she always prepared for him, she had instead tried to serve him expired cat food. How she had ever mistaken the smelly mush for leafy greens she'll never know. She still wasn't entirely sure if Angel had forgiven her for nearly killing him.
And it had only gotten worse from there.
Needless to say, after breaking no less than three vases, a window, and starting a small house fire, Fluttershy was ready to give up. She sat dejectedly on her front lawn, lost in her tired, depressing thoughts.
It was then that Rarity came walking down the path towards Fluttershy's cottage, going to meet her friend for their weekly spa date. "Fluttershy, darling, where are you? If we don't hurry, we'll miss our reservation for the-- AH!" The prissy pony nearly fainted when she saw the state that Fluttershy was in. Her mane was unusually dirty and unkempt, as was her coat. It looked like she hadn't brushed either of them for days. Her feathers also needed to be preened, as they were ruffled and jutted out at odd angles in several places. She had also developed deep bags under her eyes due to her sleep deprivation. And did her coat look darker than usual? "Oh my dear, what ever has happened to you?!"
Fluttershy looked up in surprise, having completely forgotten about their weekly spa visits in the face of her new worries. "Oh, Rarity! I'm so so so sorry, I completely forgot about--"
"Ah ah, shooshooshoosh" the fashionista interrupted, holding up a hoof to silence her. "Not another word, darling. We're going to get you down to the spa, get you all cleaned up, and then you can tell me all about it."
Fluttershy nodded, smiling gently. Maybe opening up to a friend would help her get her head on straight. She had neglected to tell anypony about the voice for so long, fearing that they would agree with it and say that that really was her true self. But with her dreams becoming more vivid, and how she kept losing more sleep each night, perhaps it was time to change her strategy?
The two friends began the trek towards Ponyville, Rarity pressing herself to Flutteshy's side comfortingly. She could tell that something was truly bothering her quiet friend, and she was determined to try and help in any way she could, even if that was only being an ear to talk to.
~~~
"And so that's the reason why I haven't been able to get any sleep lately. That voice is always waiting for me. Even if I only close my eyes for a second, I can hear her, trying to tell me how mean I am on the inside."
The two mares were relaxing in an herbal bath as Fluttershy concluded her confession. Rarity was deep in thought, wearing a small frown as she contemplated everything she had been told. Fluttershy grew more nervous as her friend's silence stretched on for several moments, questions racing through her mind. Did Rarity think she was crazy? Did she think she was dangerous? What about the voice? Would sharing these feelings help silence it? Or would it only be angrier? Fluttershy sank lower into the water as she waited for Rarities verdict, finding it very difficult to hope for a positive reaction.
"Well..." Rarity said at length. "I can certainly see how you've been losing sleep over this. Having to face something like that nightmare every time you fall asleep... I can only imagine how awful that must be."
"You mean you believe me?!" Fluttershy asked in surprise.
"Of course I do, darling" Rarity replied with a soft smile. "What sort of friend would I be if I didn't trust you at your word? And besides, you certainly look like you've been haunted by something as of late."
Fluttershy returned Rarity's smile, heartened by her friend's compassion and understanding. "Thank you, Rarity. It's nice to be able to finally tell somepony about this. It really is scary, being told that you're a monster by yourself."
Rarity frowned, a thought suddenly coming to her. "You know what this voice reminds me of?"
Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion. "What's that?"
"Well, do you remember that little, ah... incident... with the hedge maze from after Discord escaped?" Rarity really didn't like this subject, as she had promised herself that she would never speak of it again. But if the memory might in some way help her friend in need, then she would revisit it for her sake. Fluttershy merely nodded her confirmation, knowing full well that this was a sore topic for the proud mare. "Well, it's occurred to me that this voice sounds an awful lot like the way you were after discord cast his spell on you."
Fluttershy looked shocked for a moment. Of course she could remember the way she had acted back then, much in the way that Rarity could remember thinking that a boulder was a diamond. But she had hated every second of it! She remembered the feeling of her body being taken over by mean and hateful thoughts, helplessly looking on as those thoughts forced her to do things she would never even dream of doing. If Rarity was right and this voice was some remnant of those thoughts, then what did that mean for her? Where those thoughts originally hers, and Discord had only dragged them to the surface? Or had they been given to her unwillingly, forced into her mind by magical means?
"You really think this voice might have something to do with Discord's magic?" Fluttershy asked, curious and fearful at the same time.
"I'm not sure, but it certainly seems like a possibility, doesn't it? I think you should talk to Twilight and ask her about it" Rarity suggested, feeling very inadequate wherever magic was concerned.
They lapsed into silence, each deep in their own thoughts as they continued to relax in the warm water.
"There's something else that's bothering me" Rarity spoke up after several minutes of silence.
"Oh?" Fluttershy asked curiously.
"Well, you said this voice only showed up when you flew into the Everfree forest, after Rainbow and Applejack's argument, correct?" Fluttershy nodded. "I was just wondering, why then? Why would it wait for so long to make its presence known?"
"I'm not sure" Fluttershy stated sadly. "Maybe it was because I shouted at my friends for the first time."
"Hmm..." was all Rarity had to say. Fluttershy waited for her to elaborate, but when she didn't speak up she didn't press the issue.
~~~
The rest of their spa visit was enjoyable, though uneventful. Feeling better than she had in days, Fluttershy parted ways with Rarity, promising that she would seek out Twilight's help should the dreams continue. Rarity really is an amazing friend she thought to herself as she walked back home to her cottage, a new hope fluttering inside her heart. How could a monster ever deserve a friend like that?
The sun sat low on the horizon, casting a soft orange glow over everything beneath it. As the fading light caressed her coat, an observant pony might have noticed that it was just a shade lighter than it had been that morning.