//------------------------------// // Episode 26: Last Ditch Effort (Part 3) // Story: My Little Pony: The Entities of Emotion // by Michael_Ravencroft //------------------------------// Fluttershy darted through the hallways, beating her wings as fast as she could as she zoomed with a speed that wasn’t unlike that of Rainbow Dash. The normally shy mare felt a change in her, a situation like this, going off alone and into a potentially dangerous outcome would make her flee to the nearest hidey hole. But that wasn’t the case this time, no, she was done with being shy and timid, well, not all the time, but when her friends and loved ones lives were on the line all bets were off. She had to admit, learning about Proselyte’s full origins was a shocker. Yes he did mention a lot about where he came from, and what he did, but it was mostly limited to his actions with the filly, Diamond Tiara, and her mother, Golden Fleece. But finding out that Proselyte was one of seven cosmic beings that controlled a powerful light that was connected to compassion, finding out that he himself was the embodiment of all compassion did throw her for a loop. But that didn’t matter, what did matter was that Proselyte needed her help and she was the only one who could. “I will not let another pony I love die or be hurt, never again.” Fluttershy followed the strong connection to Proselyte’s light all the way to its source, the timid mare stopping before a pair of double doors. With a swift kick of her hind legs Fluttershy forced the doors open. She quickly entered and saw the occupant. Proselyte was in his true form, the form he had told her about that laid underneath that of his pony form. And just like the others told her, he was captured within a cage of three different lights. The Entity of Compassion had multiple symbols of floating about him, Fear, Rage, Avarice, and Compassion. Proselyte saw Fluttershy, although he had no face to express how he was feeling, Fluttershy could sense that he was happy to see her. “Fluttershy!” His voice echoed through the air, communicating through the light and directing his voice to Fluttershy for her to hear. The pegasus mare made her way to the cage, smiling reassuringly the whole time. “Don’t worry Lyte, I’ll get you out of there,” said Fluttershy. Suddenly the cage started to let out sparking arcs of the tricolored Negative lights, the moment she got within three meters of the cage it let loose a bolt of lightning. The bolt struck right before Fluttershy’s forehooves, making her stop her advance. “Fluttershy no, don’t come any closer to this cage! The lights will attack you!” The tricolored cage was reacting violently to the appearance of the shy pegasus, throwing off arcs of energy that crackled in different intervals. “Lyte are you okay at least?” “Somewhat…I’m not in close proximity to the others so I cannot channel Hope or Willpower to counteract the cage’s negative effects. The only thing I can do is channel Rage, Avarice, Fear, and Compassion to keep the cage from weakening me. For now, at least, it is working, but I can’t affect it to release me or keep it from hurting you Fluttershy.” Fluttershy looked upon the cage; she could sense the negative power radiating from it. The situation was oddly nostalgic, then it hit her, this was just like the time when she and Proselyte worked together to calm Storm the thunderbird. Fluttershy remembered entering the metaphysical world of Storm’s mind, crashing through the barrier of Rage and Fear that kept him from hearing anypony’s words. This was practically the same thing. She may’ve shown a bit of fear back then, but she wasn’t the same mare she was a year ago. Fluttershy boldly stepped forward as a bolt of electrical energy struck right before her hooves. Proselyte let out a worried low as he saw Fluttershy approach the cage. She took another step forward and then another. The cage fired another bolt, this time passing by her left cheek. The energy was searing and painful as it left an angry red scar on her cheek, making the pegasus mare wince in pain. But this did not deter her in the slightest, Fluttershy kept pressing on. The cage let loose three more bolts, Fluttershy ducked to her left, missing her face but instead burned off part of her long flowing mane. The second bolt struck the lower part of her left foreleg, and the third arched enough to strike her right wing. The pain from both attacks made Fluttershy stumble, but she quickly caught herself and pressed on. “Fluttershy I said stay back! I can’t stop this cage from hurting you!” “It’ll be okay Lyte, I can do this! I will get you out!” The cage seemed to protest this show of will. The cage then fired a single bolt, but just before it hit her, the bolt opened up and turned into a net. The tricolored net fell over Fluttershy in a matter of seconds as she stared at the incoming object wide eyed. The moment it made contact Fluttershy’s body was racked with pain unlike any she’d known before. Burning, stinging, twisting, all her pain receptors were being set ablaze in a spectrum of different painful sensations, so much so that they blended together into one big tormenting cycle. Fluttershy let out a cry of pain and fell to the floor as her body convulsed from the sensations her body was forced to feel. Proselyte moved towards the bars of the cage, but found that the cage recoiled, sending him back with the same angry energy bursts, preventing him from getting close to Fluttershy. “FLUTTERSHY!!! STOP, PLEASE, I DON’T WANT TO SEE ANYONE ELSE DIE FOR ME!!!” Fluttershy heard the voice of the Entity of Compassion; she gritted her teeth and rose from the floor. The pain seemed to intensify, as if saying “Stay down, don’t you dare get back up!”, but despite this she rose to her hooves, her left foreleg drawn up as she limped her way to the cage. The energy of the net doubled in strength, where it once was stopping her with pain it was now threatening to kill her. Nonetheless she continued to walk towards the cage, just a mere five feet from it now. Proselyte reached out again, the recoil of the cage was warning him to not step one part of his body outside the bars, but he didn’t care. The Entity of Compassion concentrated all three of the negative lights, plus his own positive light, around his tentacle. The appendage pierced through the bars’ barrier and allowed him to stick it out at least three quarters. Fluttershy hurried and reached out with her injured foreleg to Proselyte. The moment the pegasus mare’s hoof made contact with the tentacle the symbol of Compassion shined before them, the two sources of compassion were weakening the barrier, tipping it to the breaking point, but it was all that Proselyte could do to keep it from dealing Fluttershy a killing blow. Suddenly, the symbol of Hope appeared before him. A wave of blue energy washed over the room and completely erased the cage from existence. With the source of pain gone, Fluttershy’s body went lax as she collapsed. Proselyte lashed out and caught the mare with his tentacles, gently cradling her in his grasp. He then shined his light of Compassion, resonating it with her own kindness to boost the healing effects. “Fluttershy…” He lightly shook the mare. “Fluttershy please wake up…Tell me you’re alright!” Fluttershy’s eyes slowly opened, she then looked up at the Entity of Compassion and gave him a gentle smile. “Hi Lyte…you’re free now.” “That was insane Fluttershy! Why did you do that?! You nearly died!” “I…I wanted to help you, I couldn’t just let you stay in that awful cage.” If he could cry Proselyte would’ve, instead, he made a sad lowing sound, which was the best he could do in his true form. “I never meant to cause you harm…it seems that’s all I bring…Distrust from your closest friend, forced conversion, and now death and pain to the innocent…” Fluttershy raised her uninjured right hoof and gently stroked the tentacle closest to her in a comforting motion. “Lyte, that’s not true, you’ve made me happy. You allowed me to have closure with Headwind, you saved Dinky and Derpy during the blizzard last year, and you made that same filly the happiest she’s been in years by being a big brother to her. And let’s not forget, you protected Sweetie Belle and Dinky from a bully…” “From a bully, and yet not from that she-witch possessed by Butcher!” Proselyte held Fluttershy tighter. “I couldn’t even protect her…how could you forgive me for that?!” “I do forgive you, because she isn’t dead, she’s alive Proselyte.” “She is, how?! How is that possible?!” “Apparently Scootaloo gave up her wings, whatever power Adara used to heal her she gave to Sweetie Belle to save her life. And I think she’d like to see you when she finally wakes up.” Proselyte put Fluttershy down on the ground, setting on all four hooves now that she was completely healed. “Proselyte, Princess Cadance and the other Princesses believe that ‘uniting’ will help us defeat Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis, and possibly save Spike too.” The Entity of Compassion had reservations with that tactic. “Fluttershy…I…I know it would give us the edge, but I don’t want to alter your mind. The last time I entered a host I possessed them, and changed them. I don’t ever want to do that again, especially not to you.” Fluttershy shook her head as if dismissing the allegation. “You won’t Lyte, and do you know why?” The light-yellow mare pressed her left hoof to her chest, over where her heart would be. “Because I am the Element of Kindness, and you are the Entity of Compassion. They are both sides to the same coin, one never apart from the other.” Fluttershy then trotted up to Proselyte and beamed a confident smile to the cosmic cephalopod. “Kindness and Compassion will always be together, like brother and sister.” The Entity of Compassion could see it; the light of Compassion was stronger within Fluttershy now than it had ever been. He knew it, deep down inside, he knew this could work. “Very well, speak this oath with me; the words will come to you. And let the light of Compassion within you shine forth.” Fluttershy did as Proselyte told her. She closed her eyes and focused on the light within her. A gentle aura of indigo light appeared over her body, rising up to the air. The Entity of Compassion’s body brightened as the indigo lights mingled with each other and became a giant mass of energy; multiple symbols of Compassion appeared around them, each one thrumming rhythmically. “In Blackest Night, when fear may show, Like Brightest Day, let our power glow! Unite as one as our feelings grow, Through Compassion’s light we dispel all woe!” The symbols joined together below the two, becoming one giant symbol of Compassion. Smoke and light swirled around Fluttershy and Proselyte as his body broke down into light particles and meshed themselves with Fluttershy’s body and soul. The sensation was surprising to Fluttershy, but not scary, it was as if her heart was being opened up to all sorts of feelings. She felt Rage, Avarice, Fear, Willpower, Hope, and Love, all seven emotions, all seven lights, each one cycling within her, but the dominant light that quelled the others and brought peace to her mind was that of Compassion. The swirling smoke and light continued to spin about until it burst apart, revealing the new form of Fluttershy and Proselyte’s unity. Fluttershy’s mane, tail, and wings had become pure indigo light, undulating of their own accord. Her coat had turned completely purple; the only evidence of her former color was that in the markings of the Indigo Tribe. Fluttershy opened her eyes and looked upon her new form; a shocked and awed expression was on her face, but at the same time excitement and a sense of oneness with everything. “We are one, Fluttershy.” “This feeling, Lyte, this is the true power of Compassion?” “Yes.” “But…” Fluttershy maneuvered her wings, which were now made up of three tentacles each, and brought the tips before her. Each one glowed with a different color of the Emotional Spectrum, along with the correlating symbol hovering over it. “I feel everything Lyte. Rage for what those meanies have done! Avarice for wanting to keep all those close to me safe and sound, Fear for what might happen to them. I even feel the Willpower to fight back, and the Hope that it will all be well. And Love, love for all my friends, and even you…How is this you’re power when you can feel all the others?” “Compassion must be able to feel and understand the other emotions. There is balance to everything, and it is the power of Compassion that gives us the ability to connect with these differing emotional energies and bring balance to the Spectrum.” Fluttershy nodded in understanding. When her friends tried to make be more assertive, she ended up becoming a monster, instilling fear and letting her rage take control of her. But it was only when finding a balance between the two was she able to stand up to Iron Will and become a stronger mare for it. “Well then, let’s bring balance to our world Proselyte.” “Nok!”