Silence filled the room. Fluttershy waited anxiously for many long seconds, waiting for a response. Leadhoof lay with his back atop the front desk within the Ponyville hospital, beaten to nearly an inch from death. Dave held the dying pony by the neck with his left set of claws. In his right, he held a sharp, crude shard of glass, ready to take what little life remain in the commander.
Dave returned his attention to his victim and released his grip just enough to let air flow in and out. He stared at the dying pony’s eyes; his gaze remained plain, unshifting, and deathly. Fluttershy couldn’t tell what he was thinking, or even if he was thinking at all.
Finally, the human broke the silence with a loud sigh before turning to the ceiling,
“Why should I?!!”
Silence retook its throne and reigned for a few more seconds.
Dave slowly turned his head back towards Fluttershy, barely audible, and stuttering.
”Why the hell should I?”
“Because I know you’re not a monster.”
For more everlasting moments, nopony else spoke, so Fluttershy stepped through the sea of broken glass. Many of the shards broke even further under her hooves. It was clearly unsafe, but then again, there’s already blood all over the floor.
Fluttershy continued as she stepped closer to her friend. Dave kept his cold gaze on her. “Maybe everypony thinks otherwise, but I know better. You’re not a real monster, it’s was all one misunderstanding after another, and each one pushed you farther and farther away.”
Fluttershy approached the figure of death without resistance or hesitation. She lifted a hoof and gently placed it on his arm. “And it’s all my fault.”
Dave’s solid stone expression crumbled in such few words. The make-shift knife in his right hand dropped to the floor, he kept his grip on Leadhoof. Dave’s voice was nearly a whisper and soaked with defeat, “What do you mean?”
Fluttershy’s head dropped low. “It was only a few days ago when we found were you crashed. I knew you were hurt before I ever saw you. I was the one who said we should follow your trail. I just wanted to help you.”
She looked back up at Dave; tears began to form in her eyes. “I started all this. I’m the one that deserves to be hurt, not you or anypony else. Please, I know you have so much hate built up inside, but please, just let it all go.”
Dave looked back at Leadhoof; the pony seemed to have stayed conscious the entire time, waiting for his would be killer to make his move. With both his claws, Dave gently picked him up. He used his odd hooves to clear a small patch of glass and placed his body on the floor. It wouldn’t help the bleeding flesh wound on the side of his head, but it was something.
Having been placed on the floor, Leadhoof coughed out some more blood and spoke as much as he could, “You, You’re just going to let me live?”
Dave looked down at the pony. His face turned cold as stone again. “She’s right. I’m no monster and I won’t prove to you otherwise.”
Dave turned to Fluttershy. He bent his long legs and seemed to sit down on the floor so as to talk to her with a similar height. His face and voice both turned sincere, but was unable to make eye contact, “You don’t have to blame yourself. I’m the one who hurt all those people-uhh…ponies. I’m the one who brought all this to myself. I’m the one who attacked you in the first place.”
After a short pause and a small swallow, Dave finally was able to look Fluttershy in the eyes, “And… thank you… for everything.”
Dave got back up on his two hooves and ran a set of claws through his mane. “Pfft, what am I gonna do now? No one’s gonna forget what I did. Let’s see, I took out…” Dave started flicking his claws one at a time, as if he was counting, “With this guy I took out five of you ponies, maybe more – I don’t remember everything. Oh yeah, didn’t I throw a kid across a room at one point.”
Fluttershy’s expression turned to an odd mix of shock and worry. “Oh, I was there for that.” She thought that is was best to change the subject. “We should get going. I think the quicker we clear all this up, the better.”
“Al’right. I’ve had worse nights than this anyway.”
Fluttershy started to walk out the door and Dave followed. There was no need to open it, on account of the fact that the door was arguable not there anymore. The air was soft and cool. The night was dark, but the full moon illuminated just enough to see…
Oh my…
… the dozens of arrowheads shinning under the moonlight, all aimed towards her. It seemed like every member of the Ponyville Guard was here. The gray shield that had covered the hospital before was no longer there. Now the guards had all lined up in an arch towards her in each direction, cutting off any chance of escape. Some guards hid behind shields while others behind them drew bows.
An unseen leader called out from behind the ranks, “Your end is now, monster!!”
The next voice came from much closer. Dave said to her, “Sorry ‘bout this!”
She barely turned enough to see what happened next. The instant he said that, Fluttershy could feel her mane and her tail suddenly yank upwards. Dave twisted his body and stepped back into the hospital. He threw Fluttershy away from the door and through the air a small distance back down the hall to the side.
Fluttershy tried to open her wings and control her short fall, but they were still to sluggish. She smashed against the hospital floor head first, and slid a fair distance. Her head ached in pain from the impact. Fluttershy could feel cold adrenaline rush through her veins. Despite the impact, her vision remained clear and well. She lifted her head up just enough to see volley of feathered steel.
She could see dozens of arrows fly perpendicular to her vision into the hospital. Dave screamed through his teeth as many of the arrows meet their target and knocked him to the floor.
Fluttershy froze at the sight. For moment, Dave seemed to be dead. He lay still with several arrows erected from his body. But the flame of hope seemed to light just as quickly as it fell. An arm lifted and pressed its claws against the ground.
As Dave pushed against the ground, lifting his torso from gravity’s grip, he called out, “Dammit, my legs!!”
As Dave forced himself to his knees, but guards flooded into the hospital. The first of them tackled Dave and pushed him to the ground again. Dave twisted and turned, easily grabbing and throwing the pony off him. The platoon quickly surrounded the human as a second guard attempted another arrest.
Fluttershy could barely stomach the sight. It was violent and bloody, terrible and terrifying. Tears began to form at the corner of her eyes, but she couldn’t look away.
The guard tackled Dave, but he countered by grabbing him by the muzzle and pulling to the ground with him. Dave twisted himself and got on top of the pony. He punched and beat at the guard, but managed only a few swings before a swift mace struck him in the head.
Dave was knocked back to the floor. His body now faced Fluttershy. She could see every unnerving and nightmare enduing detail. His arms shook in place and he slowly lifted himself once more. Much of his mane hung wet and soaked in his own blood. She could see in his face the thick determination used to fight death, but his eyes are what struck Fluttershy in depths she didn’t know she had. His eyes did not speak of pain for fear. They did not ask for help nor suggested surrender. They were eyes of sorrow. Fluttershy could even see a single small tear reflect in the hospital light.
The eyes were pulled from her sight as another guard spun on his hooves and bucked him the head. His entire body fell limb on the floor. Fluttershy’s could no longer hold it in. All she did was watch as her savior fought for his life. It was disgusting. She was disgusting. What kind of pony was she? Fluttershy turned he head to the ceiling and released everything in her voice.
“NOOOOOOOO!!”
Fluttershy aggressively shook her head from side to side. Tears flowed everlasting with her defying cries and flew with each swing. “NO! NO! NO! NO!” The guards circled and surrounded the fallen human. Her voice started to fade, “no, no, no…”
Several coughs and a voice originated from behind the guards. They all turned around to see the fallen form of their commander. “What’re you doing here?” Two of the guards immediately rushed over to help him back on his hooves.
Leadhoof coughed out more blood before addressing a green pegasus. “I though I told you to hold a perimeter around the hospital, Lieutenant. Who gave you the order to launch a volley in here, huh? You almost killed me!”
The green Lieutenant rubbed a hoof behind his head, obviously unsure what to say, “Well, sir, um, the order came from… the princess.”
“Sparkle? ‘Bout time she learned how to lead.”
The Lieutenant’s nervousness grew, “N-not that princess, sir.”
Leadhoof’s brows drew closer and his muzzle lowered a bit. His face boasted worry and anger. “Which princess then?”
A loud, confident, and unmistakable voiced filled the room, freezing every pony with surprise and perhaps a little terror.
“I told them to.”
An unmistakable pony; one of regal symbol and fame spanning generations. Her large figure, twice in height and thrice in size, shinned with a coat of pure white. Her mane and tale flickered with cosmic colors of blue, teal, indigo, and pink. They waved endlessly within a non-existing breeze. She stood tall, an obvious figure of high authority even to those few who do not know her name. It was Princess Celestia.
Every gaurdpony kneeled before her and quickly moved to the side to clear the way. One unicorn even went so far as to clear the glass on the floor, giving a clear and unhindered path to wherever she may desire to roam.
Fluttershy, however, did not bow. She stood paralyzed not by her previous injury, but by pure shock. What was the princess doing here, and moreover, what did she mean. Was she determined to take the human’s life as much as everypony else?
Celestia walked over to Fluttershy. Her expression turned from stiff authority, to soft concern. She lowered her muzzle and leaned closer to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, I don’t want to have to ask you to hoof over one of you animal friends, but, please, I have no choice.”
Fluttershy finally looked up at the princess. Her eyes were swollen with tears. “W-why does everypony hate him so much? Why do you hate him? He’s not bad. It’s all just mistakes. Please, he’s just as scared as everypony else of getting hurt? Why can’t anypony see that? He’s not a monster, he… he’s my friend.”
“Because that thing is more dangerous than you know. I’ve been to the human world for only a short time and regretted every second of it. Their history is written in each other’s blood. Every chapter is another war and as if that wasn’t disgusting enough, they manage to find pride and glory in all the bloodshed.”
Fluttershy kept her watery gaze on the princess; tears freely fell down her cheeks, collecting and dripping off her chin.
“You’re friend is and will always be no different. I don’t want to go into the graphic detail but please, for you and everypony else, just let it go.”
Fluttershy could hear another set of hooves rhythmically hit the ground as another pony stepped in the hospital. Even through soaked eyes, Fluttershy could tell who the purple pony was instantly. It was Twilight. A bit of hope sparked in her heart. Twilight knows Dave isn’t a monster; she’d help clear his name. But, then why does she look so sad?
Fluttershy called out, “Twilight, help me, please. You’ve been with him before, you know Dave isn’t a monster. Tell the princess she’s wrong.”
Twilight seemed unable to face her. Her muzzled kept its aim at the floor and one hoof nervously rubbed against another. “I…can’t.”
That hurt. It pain was far worse than any real wound. It felt like her voice and breath were forced down by an enormous weight. For a long moment, the air felt too heavy to breath, and no sound could reach her lips.
Twilight took her place by Celestia’s side, still unable to make eye contact. “I’ve already had fouls come to me seeking safety from the human. I’m sorry, but I can’t choose him over the fillies and colts I’m meant to protect.
Fluttershy’s chest felt heavy and cold. It felt like a cold, sharp icicle was driven through her. The cold made everything so stiff, yet it ripped it all to shreds. It all felt like betrayal.
She couldn’t move. Not even when the human by her hoof glowed in a yellow aura. She remained paralyzed with shock as the human hovered between her and Celestia. She just stared at the ground, now watching her own tears stream and fall of her muzzle. It hurts. It just hurts. It all hurts so much, but Fluttershy managed to find the courage to lift her head and raise her voice.
So much boiled inside of her. She could barely thing, but one thing left clear to her. She wasn’t going to sit and do nothing anymore. Her wings opened suddenly pushed against the air with tremendous force. Her entire body launched forwards with speed she never made before. She tensed her hoof and did something utterly imaginable to anypony for centuries.
Fluttershy screamed at the top of her lungs as she tore through the air and struck Celestia, sending her muzzle forward and upward. Her tiara flew through the air and landed against the hospital floor. In the stillness and shock of it all, echoes may have been heard by the stuck gold, were it not covered by the sound of a limb body hitting the floor.
Celestia herself fell back sever steps. Instinct took over and her wings unfolded and her legs spread to catch herself, but when her balance finally recovered, she stood as still and shocked as everypony else. In the silent seconds that pasted, her royal blood poured from her muzzle, rolled off her lips and dripped on to the floor below.
Fluttershy landed inched from the purple alicon she once called her friend. This time, shock kept Twilight frozen and her eyes locked with the pegasus’s. Unlike seconds ago, Fluttershy’s voice was once again soft and barely audible. She looked Twilight in the eyes and whispered, “How could you...”
Tears continued to pour from Fluttershy’s eyes. She shut them and her jaw as hard as he could, barely able to keep in the rage that suddenly swelled her entire body. She screamed at her friend in a voice loud enough to deafen most.
"HOW FUCKING COULD YOU?!!”