Fluttershy stumbled through the library. Her eyes opaque and unfocused, she navigated by sound and feel alone. She soon found herself walking face-first into a bookcase, for the fifth time that day. A book fell from a high shelf and landed on Fluttershy’s head. She let out a sharp yelp and hopped back, then started feeling around for the book. She inadvertently kicked it, and sent it sliding across the floor.
Twilight came running at the sound of Fluttershy’s yelp. “Are you all right?”
“Y-yes, I’m fine. I just dropped a book.”
“What do you need with a book?”
“I walked into one of your bookshelves, and it fell. I’ll put it back. If I can find it.”
“I’ll get it.”
“No, let me. I knocked it off, I can put it back.”
“Fluttershy, just let me help you.”
“No, Twilight. I used to be so independent. I miss being able to live on my own. Now, I can’t even get a drink of water by myself. Blind ponies figure out how to get around on their own all the time, I’ll be okay.”
“That takes time. You have to re-learn how the world works. Please, just let Rainbow and me help you until you’re a little more comfortable getting around.”
“I can do it. I don’t need somepony to hold my hoof. Also, I kind of feel like I’m getting in the way.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because since I moved in, the two of you haven’t —“
“That has nothing to do with you, and it really isn’t any of your business.”
“I was going to say, you haven’t gone on any dates. One of you is always here, at the library, because I’ll hurt myself if you aren’t. You never get to go out and do fun things together.”
“OH! S-sorry, I made that more awkward than it had to be. We really don’t mind having you here, though!”
“I just wish I weren’t so helpless. I rely on somepony for every little thing anymore. I feel like such a burden.”
“I know Rainbow and I aren’t the best teachers, but just give us some time. There’s no reason to hurt yourself learning to walk around without help.”
“Okay. Can we go outside for a while? It’s not that I don’t like the library, I just haven’t been out in weeks.”
“Sure! Let’s visit Applejack.”
“That sounds wonderful. I haven’t seen her since the wedding."
Twilight Sparkle led the way to Sweet Apple Acres. She walked slowly, did her best to maintain a clear path, and talked the whole way there. Fluttershy followed the sound of Twilight’s voice, and stayed right behind her.
Before long, the two ponies had arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack was busy trying to shoo away a murder of crows. In spite of her enthusiasm, they clearly had no intention of leaving. Any attempt to shoo them out of one of the apple trees only saw them take roost in other trees, on fences, and on an entirely non-functional scarecrow.
“Hello, Applejack!” said Twilight.
“Hey Twilight, hey Fluttershy!” said Applejack. She momentarily ignored the crows and approached her friends. “How are y’all doin’?”
“I’m feeling a little stronger than I have lately,” said Twilight. “I’m still not the same mare I once was, though.”
“I’m still blind,” said Fluttershy. “Are there crows here? I hear crows.”
Applejack groaned. “These crows. They came out of nowhere, now they’re into our food storage and they’re making a mess on everything. I don’t suppose you can talk to ‘em and ask ‘em kindly to leave?”
“I can try,” said Fluttershy. “I’m sure we can reach some kind of agreement. Now, where are they?”
“Hear all that awful squawkin’?” said Applejack. “They’re over thataways.”
“Oh, right.” Fluttershy followed the sound of crowsong until she tripped over a root and bumped her nose on an apple tree. She stood up straight and rubbed her nose, then tilted her head up. “U-um, hello friends. I know you like it here, but if it’s not too much trouble—“
One of the crows landed on Fluttershy’s face. Its head jerked forward, sinking its dagger-like beak into Fluttershy’s left eye. Fluttershy screamed and stumbled back from the tree. The crow jerked its head back and forth, trying to loosen Fluttershy’s eye from the socket.
“Get it off, get it off!”
“Hold still, Fluttershy!” said Applejack. “I’ll smack that varmit off for you!”
“No, don’t hurt it!”
“It’s eatin’ your face! Why do you want to protect it?”
“It’s just hungry! It— AAAA! OOOW! Get it off, get it off! Get if off, but don’t hurt it!”
Twilight telekinetically plucked an apple from one of the nearby trees. “Turn around, Fluttershy. I’ll get the crow off of you, and I promise not to hurt it.”
The crow finally succeeded in digging out Fluttershy’s eye. It tore its prize free of her eye socket. Fluttershy’s cries rose into a shrill scream. The crow flew away with her destroyed eye hanging from its beak. Fluttershy covered her face with a foreleg and sobbed. Blood ran freely down her cheeks.
Twilight launched the apple at the fleeing crow. She missed by a wide margin, but the crow soon fell to the ground anyway. It flopped around in the grass for a few seconds, then went completely still. Applejack approached Fluttershy and put a hoof on her shoulder.
“Are you all right?” said Applejack. “How bad is it?”
Fluttershy moved her bloody foreleg away from her face. Light and color came surging back into the dark void of her existence. She stood in stunned silence for a few seconds. Once the initial surprise wore off, excitement took its place.
“I can see! I can see! This is amazing!” said Fluttershy. She turned towards her friends with a broad smile on her face, but was greeted with expressions of shock and horror. Applejack backed away. “What’s wrong?”
“Y-your face!” said Twilight. “Your eye! You’re… oh no. Get away from me!”
“Twilight, what are you—“
Before Fluttershy could finish speaking, a magically propelled apple smashed into the side of her head. The high-velocity fruit shattered on impact, and carried nearly enough force to knock Fluttershy down.
“Nice try, demon!” said Applejack. “You had us goin’, but now we see you for what you really are! You stay away from Ponyville! Stay away from my sister and her friends! Now, get out of here before I stop bein’ so friendly!”
“Applejack, what are you talking about? I’d never hurt anypony. You know I wouldn’t!”
“I told you to get!”
Fluttershy approached Applejack. “What’s gotten into you? I’m your friend!”
Applejack turned and delivered a swift kick. Her hooves smashed into Fluttershy’s jaw with enough force to shatter bone and rip connective tissue. The attack coincided with a trio of apples launched by Twilight, which impacted Fluttershy’s neck and side.
“When I say get, I mean get!”
Fluttershy fled as fast as her legs could carry her. She tried to take flight, but an explosion of pain in her left wing halted the effort. The motion shook her splints loose and shrugged off her sling, allowing her busted wing to hang free at her side. Already a compound fracture, the attempt at flight had twisted her flesh. Broken bones jutted out from Fluttershy’s remaining feathers, and blood dribbled from newly formed wounds. The strain of running was too much for the sutures in her leg. They soon gave way, leaving her laceration open and bleeding.
Fluttershy avoided Ponyville, and didn’t stop running until she reached the lake. She gazed upon her own reflection in the water and retched. Her left eye socket was empty. Jagged, torn flesh framed the gaping hole. A speck of red light hovered within, resembling an ember. Fluttershy’s lower jaw hung low, attached by flesh alone. Her mouth gaped unnaturally wide.
“N-no. This can’t be!” said Fluttershy.
Unable to control her mouth due to her newest injury, Fluttershy could not speak normally. Instead, the sound emanated from deep within, with no apparent source. Fluttershy’s voice now came in an eerie, perverse parody of its former sound. The wicked noise forming her words only made Fluttershy’s heart sink further.
“I’m a monster!”
Fluttershy started crying, but only blood flowed from her tear ducts. Crimson droplets fell from her face and landed in the clear water below. A small school of minnows came to investigate the disturbance in the water’s surface. Just as Fluttershy’s blood passed through their gills, the little fish went still and floated to the surface.
“A-ah! No, please don’t die! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to kill you!”
Fluttershy dipped her hoof in the water and tried, in vain, to rouse the minnows. They didn’t respond to her prodding. In a fit of frustration, Fluttershy punched her own reflection.
Not knowing what else to do, Fluttershy shambled home. Her various wounds bled freely, leaving a trail of blood in the grass and dirt. Avoiding town as widely as possible, Fluttershy managed to sneak into her own house without being seen by any other ponies.
For the first time in weeks, Fluttershy stood within her own home. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie took turns caring for the animals and maintaining the cottage itself, in the hopes that Fluttershy could recover her sight and return home. Everything was neat and tidy, save for an errant bit of confetti here and there.
Fluttershy knew the time had come to leave Ponyville, but didn’t know where to go or what to do. Fluttershy started packing her saddlebags with the things most precious to her. Pictures of friends, trinkets and knick-knacks with sentimental value.
As an afterthought, she reached for the box that Varinia had given her. Filled with dread, Fluttershy lifted the lid of the formerly empty box. A glass sphere rest inside, filled with colorless fog. Fluttershy stared for a long time, dumbfounded by its presence and the resulting implications.
A knock at the door broke Fluttershy’s trance. She closed the phylactery case and hurriedly stuffed it into her saddlebag. Then, she turned her attention to Angel. He slept peacefully, content to ignore his pet pegasus.
Fluttershy gingerly lifted Angel from his bed. The knock came again, this time much louder. Angel stirred in Fluttershy’s grasp.
“Fluttershy, open up! We need to talk to you,” said Rainbow Dash.
Angel opened his eyes, and saw the horror Fluttershy had become. He immediately began to struggle with all his might.
“Angel, stop squirming! It’s me, Fluttershy! We have to get out of here. There’s no time to be fussy!”
Ignoring her pleas, Angel continued to thrash. He bit Fluttershy’s foreleg with enough force to break the skin. The sudden sting made Fluttershy drop Angel. The instant he hit the floor, he dashed into the next room.
Fluttershy hesitated. The banging at the door became more insistent. Much as she wanted to search for Angel, she knew she had to escape. With a frustrated grunt, Fluttershy turned towards the back door.
“Fine. You win. Stay here. I won’t be back.”
“Fluttershy, I know you’re in there!” said Rainbow Dash. “Come out, or we’re coming in!”
The ire in Rainbow’s voice propelled Fluttershy in the opposite direction. She exited her home and snuck away as subtly as possible. She knew the area well, and remained out of sight until she could safely break into a full run.
Just seconds after Fluttershy’s escape, Rainbow Dash came crashing through the window. She unlatched the door, allowing Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack to enter as well. Blood had been dripped, smeared, and splattered all over the floor and shelves.
“Good heavens,” said Rarity. “This place is a mess!”
“Did she get another foal before we showed up?” said Rainbow Dash.
“I think this is all Fluttershy,” said Applejack. “She was bleedin’ pretty good when she ran off.”
“Everypony split up,” said Twilight. “Let’s see If we can figure out where she went. Be careful, though. She might still be here, somewhere.”
The ponies spread out and searched different parts of Fluttershy’s house. Most rooms were clearly untouched, as they were entirely devoid of blood. Minutes later, the ponies regrouped in the common room, with the exception of Rainbow Dash.
“I couldn’t find any clues,” said Twilight. “She didn’t leave any hints about where she’s going or what she’s planning. Anypony else?”
“All I found was some tacky decor,” said Rarity. “I think I stepped in blood. I hope it doesn’t stain my hoof!”
“I didn’t find anything useful,” said Applejack.
“Neither did I,” said Pinkie Pie. “Nothing but a trail of blood leading out the back door.”
“Good work, Pinkie Pie!” said Twilight. “We may not be able to set a trap for Fluttershy, but we can at least follow her. Wait, where is Rainbow Dash?”
Rainbow Dash rejoined her friends, holding a rabbit carcass. The fur around its mouth and paws was stained with blood. “Look what I found!”
“S-she killed Angel!” said Applejack.
“Why would Fluttershy do such a despicable thing?” said Rarity. “Angel was her friend!”
“Because that wasn’t Fluttershy,” said Twilight. “There’s no doubt anymore. Fluttershy is dead, and her body is possessed by Forgotten’s spirit. Angel’s corpse is all the proof we need.”
“Maybe we can still save her,” said Rarity. “Let’s go get the elements of harmony.”
“That isn’t going to work,” said Twilight. “We’re one short. That evil thing stole kindness away from us.”
“Then let’s chase her down and break her in half!” said Applejack.
“What good will that do?” said Twilight. “She’ll just possess one of us next! Body-hopping isn’t something we can solve with brute force.”
“I have an idea!” said Pinkie Pie. “You said Forgotten lives in a cave in the mountains, right? Let’s blow up the mountains! All of the mountains! Then she’ll have nowhere to hide! I even have some explosives we can use!”
“Why do you have explosives?” said Rainbow Dash.
“How do you think I fire my party cannon?” said Pinkie Pie. “Come on, Dashie. Try to keep up!”
“Let’s just let the princess handle this one,” said Twilight. “Her solutions may not be permanent, but she can at least buy us a few years of peace. It’s better than the five of us getting killed, or worse. We’re clearly out of our league, here. Spike, take a— Oh…”
Rarity hugged Twilight. “Let’s go to Canterlot and ask her face-to-face.”