The Greatest Show of Kindness
Chapter Fourteen: Pulled Away
The sun was shining brightly and there were few clouds in the sky. Fluttershy was walking Bumble outside in the Ponyville streets, where everypony was walking by, smiling and waving at them. They were both happily smiling.
They walked up to the Ponyville schoolhouse, where Cheerilee was waiting outside for all of the foals to come. She greeted Fluttershy and Bumble with a warm smile as she waved to them.
“Good morning! How are you today?” she asked.
“I’m well today,” Fluttershy answered, smiling back.
“And you, dear?” she directed to Bumble.
“I’m doing good, Ms. Cheerilee,” he responded cheerily.
“Class starts in a few minutes. Would you like to come in, Bumble?” she offered, stepping aside. “You’re the first one here today.”
“Sure, Miss. Good-bye, mommy!” he said, turning to Fluttershy and giving her a big hug, of which she immediately returned. They lovingly held themselves there for a few moments before they released each other.
“Hey, Bumble!” a voice called out, causing him to spin around.
Approaching him was Sweetie Belle, who was galloping up to him. He beamed as she threw herself into a big hug around him. The two toppled over as they embraced, making them both giggle from excitement. Cheerilee and Fluttershy also giggled at their giddiness to see each other.
“Good morning, Sweetie!” he exclaimed as she pushed her head into his chest.
“Good morning, Bumblebee,” she returned, nuzzling up against him softly.
“How are you today?” Bumble asked.
“I’m doing well today, but I’m a little tired. How about you?” Sweetie wondered, rolling herself off of him. They both stood back up, blushes creeping into their face.
“I’m also good today. Good weather today, huh?”
“It sure is! It looks like it’ll be sunny all day today. It’ll be hot, too, so do you wanna go inside?”
“Sure!”
The two headed into the red school; more and more young fillies and colts started to come to the school.
“Bumble’s just the sweetest little colt, isn’t he?” Cheerilee asked Fluttershy with a grin.
“He really is. I love him so much because of his kindness,” Fluttershy responded, looking inside the schoolhouse at Bumble, who was now talking with Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom at their desks. They seemed to be having a good time, as Fluttershy could hear their laughter from where she was standing.
“He’s a model student, too. He does all of his class work, and he gets along well with all of the other students. He’s also passed and excelled at every test we’ve had this year. He’s a really talented foal, and you and him should both be proud,” she praised. Right then, the school bell rang. “Well, it seems like I need to start school now, so I’ll see you at the end of school today. Have a nice day, Fluttershy!”
“You too, Cheerilee!”
As Fluttershy started to walk away, there was a loud banging sound. She looked around, but couldn’t find the banging. The noise continued, and she could feel a sense of unconsciousness hitting her body.
Bang-bang-bang!
Fluttershy’s eyes snapped openly as the sound reverberated menacingly throughout her home. An intense jolt of shock and fear riveted through her body, paranoia filling her mind. The clock tick-tocked, and it showed that it was almost four hours after she and Bumble had fallen asleep. Three more loud bangs crashed through her cottage, and she could feel Bumble shaking under the covers, giving short, light squeaks. Three more bangs, and her door's locks were unlocked with aggressive yellow magic.
Immediately, her door flew open, which made her eyes widen. She quickly covered Bumble with the sheets and shushed him, telling him that ‘everything will be okay,’ and that he ‘should be quiet.’ He did just as she said, silencing and staying as still as possible through his fear.
Fluttershy rolled out of the bed, galloping forward towards and down the stairs. She could see four royal guards quickly galloping towards her stairs. In an instant, she put a hoof out.
“Stop! What are you doing in my home!?” she frantically yelled, standing in a defensive position.
“We’ve been informed by a Miss Twilight Sparkle that there is a changeling residing here. Do not move from that spot,” one of them commanded, charging up his horn.
A blast of gold energy crashed over Fluttershy’s body, swirling around her and squeezing her. She screamed as the energy dissipated from her body. She shrugged, as the spell had a cold feeling to it.
“You three,” he said, looking at the three backup guards he brought with him, “go upstairs and check for changelings. Do not hesitate to fire if one begins to attack,” he said, casting a spell to hold Fluttershy in place.
“What!? No, don’t!” Fluttershy pleaded, trying to release herself from the grip of the magic.
“Hey, there’s one up here!”
In an instant, she could hear Bumble’s screech, making her cringe. Tears started to fill her eyes, and she writhed in the grip.
“No! Leave him alone!” she screamed, pushing her forelegs out of the magical aura in defiance.
The three guards came out from the top room with a sedated Bumble in their grips. Fluttershy could turn her head, only to see that his head was slumped downwards, with his arms dangling powerlessly beneath him. The tears in Fluttershy’s eyes tumbled down her face.
A scream built up in her lungs, shooting through her entire body. It pushed through her throat into her mouth. She clenched her eyes and teeth, before opened her eyes and mouth as wide as she could.
“Bumble!” she shrilled, forcing the guard holding her back.
She launched herself forward in a wave of unseen determination as she pounded the guard’s head downwards with her hooves, knocking him to the ground. Turning around, she jumped high into the air, spreading her wings as wide as she could. Remembering back to her flight school self-defense training, she put spread her forelegs wide, making herself look as big as she could.
This, as well as the fact that she had just knocked out the lead guard with one bang of the head, intimidated all three of them, causing sweat to drip from their foreheads and them to step back. They dropped Bumble back down onto the bed.
“How the-“ one of them mumbled.
He couldn’t finish, however, as he was sent to the ground by Fluttershy, who headbutted him. She immediately punched her other two hooves out, slamming both of the other two in the chests. They both recoiled backwards in a stumble, but didn’t fall unconscious.
They both eyed each other from each side of Fluttershy, nodding. In an instant, they rushed forward, trying to ram Fluttershy from both sides. She saw this coming, however, so she ducked underneath. They slammed into one another, bouncing off of each other like rubber.
She immediately jumped backward, grabbing the guard to her left and launching him at the other on her right side. They both flew into the wall, collapsing onto each other. They looked up to her in complete fear, both grabbing onto the other. She was breathing heavily, huffing and puffing.
“You won't take him!” she screamed, the room shaking around her.
She walked up to them, the ground trembling under her hoofsteps. The two guards looked in nothing but fear as she pounded both of them on the foreheads, knocking both of them out.
She took a moment to calm herself before she turned around. She sighed as she closed her eyes and jumped on the bed. She lowered herself to a laying position, deeply breathing.
“Bumble, don’t worry, you’re oka-“ she started, opening her eyes.
He wasn’t laying there on the bed. Fear rattled her body as she shot up again, looking to her lower room. Twilight was quietly trying to sneak out with Bumble in her magical grasp; the other four Elements of Harmony were with her as well.
“Twilight! Stop!” Fluttershy yelled out, touching down right behind the group of five. They all turned around and saw bared teeth.
“Fluttershy, you need to calm down,” Twilight calmly said, taking a step forward.
“Twilight. Put him down,” Fluttershy ordered intently, looking her deep in her eyes.
“Fluttershy, can’t you tell that you’re being controlled?” Rainbow Dash interrogated, taking a step forward with Twilight.
“No! I’m not being controlled! I had him here under my own power, and I cared for him with my own love!” she defended, getting ready to launch herself again.
“Fluttershy! This changeling’s dastardly spell is still manipulating you! Please, darling, you must overcome the influence!” Rarity attempted to persuade, also taking a step forward.
“All of you! Understand me! He is not a bad changeling! He’s been living here for the last few months since the wedding, and he hasn’t been in any control of me!” Fluttershy shouted, taking a step forward herself, narrowing her eyes.
“That’s enough, Fluttershah! He’s been foolin’ you inta thinkin’ that he’s a good changelin’! He’s just as nasty as the rest!” Applejack continued, advancing a step upwards.
“He’s only seven years old! He’s blind, and he doesn’t even know how to use magic! He couldn’t possibly be controlling me!” Fluttershy protested.
“Fluttershy, this meanie-pants changeling is trying to devour your heart and your brain! He’s only trying to make you think that he can’t use magic or see so that you’ll be consumed by his spell easier! He’s going to turn you into a zombie pony if he stays here!” Pinkie supported, following in the other’s hoofsteps.
“That’s it!” Fluttershy snapped, launching forward.
Before she could hit any of them, Rarity held Fluttershy in her magic, restraining her.
“Fluttershy, the only way that we can rid your mind of the spell is if we take the changeling off of the premises. Trust me Fluttershy, this is for the better,” Twilight explained, grasping Bumble in her magical grasp again. “His spell must be especially strong. There hasn’t been a single resistance this powerful.”
“No!” Fluttershy exclaimed, letting tears flow again. “None of you understand the kind of pain that boy has been through! He deserves a place to live, somepony to love him! Please, all of you, don’t take him from me!” she begged.
“No, Fluttershy. The sooner we get it away from you, the sooner you can be freed from his grasp. We’re doing this for your health and well-being, that’s all. Please, we all want you to be healthy in a mental standpoint, and this is the only way,” Twilight explained, turning around and walking out.
“No! Please, don’t take him! Please…”
Fluttershy let her head hang down as a deluge of tears flooded out of her eyes. A puddle of the agonized water droplets soon formed on the wooden floor. Rarity softly lowered her to the ground, releasing her light-blue magic from it. She put her hooves over her eyes, letting them drown in her cries.
“H-How c-could you d-do that t-to him? He… He f-finally found a p-p-place to live with s-someone to call a m-mother, and you j-just took that away from him…” Fluttershy sobbed, laying her head on the ground. "Y-You just r-ruined his life..."
“Fluttershah, we’re only doin’ this for your safety. This’ll all be a memory later on. You’ll start feelin’ better about it, an’ you’ll realize that he was controllin’ you like the rest of them do with other ponies,” Applejack said, reaching out and putting a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder.
“…Get out of my home,” Fluttershy mumbled so quietly that it was unintelligible to everypony.
“What was that, darling?” Rarity asked, cocking her head. Fluttershy stood up to her hooves, her head still hanging, and took a deep breath.
“Get out!” she screamed, scaring all four of the ponies in front of her. The room shook.
“Fluttershy, I know that you’re mad, but you’ve gotta-“ Rainbow Dash started, but was cut off by a hoof to the mouth.
“I said, ‘Get out.’ Out!” she cried again, shooing all of them with her hooves. She pushed them all back until they were out of her front door.
She then gathered all four of the guards who were unconscious in her cottage and threw them out of the entrance one by one before slamming the door and locking it. She collapsed right there, letting sorrow’s embrace shroud her body. Tears dripped from her eyes down onto her chest, wetting her soft fur. She pounded her right hoof into the floor, letting out a loud cry.
“Bumble!”