//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Redemption of One Shadow // by Ookami88 //------------------------------// Pain. That was the very first thing Fluttershy felt when she regained consciousness. Pulled muscles in her whole body burned like fire, her back felt like thousands of needles were hammered in every sensitive part there, all the while accompanied by a severe pounding of her head and indescribable pain of her left wing. Despite her body’s protests, the mare tried to slowly open her eyes, struggling against the exhaustion she felt, though she had to quickly close them again when a ray of light suddenly hit them. She waited for several more seconds before trying again, this time in an even calmer matter than before. With her eyes squinted Fluttershy managed to get them used a little to the light, which was coming from a small fire beside her. Wanting to know more about her surroundings the pegasus mare tried to move a little but stopped once pain shot like a lightning through her body, making her to let out a quiet gasp. “You’re awake.” A male voice commented in a casual, if not a little gruff, tone. Fluttershy could hear the stallion coming closer to her, though she couldn’t make out who was speaking as everything was just a blur to her. “W-Who ... ?” “Don’t try to speak,” the voice said. Fluttershy could only see a dark silhouette of a stallion, as he came closer to her. She felt her wings being stretched a little, first the right one, but when it came to the left, another powerful jolt of pain struck the filly’s nerves. “The bone in your left wing is dislocated. I can set it, but it’ll hurt.” The stallion took out a short cylindrical stick and put it into Fluttershy’s mouth rather forcibly. “Bite on this and don’t let go until the pain fades.” Abiding to the instruction, Flutteshy bit down on the wood as hard as she could, before nodding hesitantly to her companion. Wasting no time, the stallion’s hooves gently grabbed the wounded wing and with a quick and sharp tug he set the bone into the socket, while Fluttershy let out a long, muffled scream due to the pain of the wingbone returning to its socket. It faded eventually, but those unpleasant moments seemed the longest the timid pegasus had ever felt in her life. After a brief break the mare let the stick fall from her mouth. Fluttershy felt something else lightly touching her lips, a warm puff and alluring smell told her it was most likely a cup of herbal potion. “Drink this. Be careful, it’s still quite hot.” Fluttershy’s only response was a very gentle sip from the cup before her. The taste wasn’t very special, but a wonderful warmth quickly spread from her belly throughout her body, and the young mare could already feel the herbs working on numbing the remaining pains. After a couple of more careful sips the stallion took the bowl away from her lips. Drowsiness quickly came over the pegasus, most likely an effect of those herbs that were in the brew, something which the tired mare gladly welcomed. “Sleep now.” “B-But ... ” Fluttershy’s sentence was interrupted by a yawn that escaped her lips. It was very hard for her to not to fall into the temptation of soft pillows and warm bed. “You have to recover,” he said in a commanding tone. “Go to sleep.” “W-Who ... ?” Again the mare tried to ask, but her mind was slowly being lulled back to sleep, keeping her from formulating full sentences. “My name is ... ” There was a slight hesitation in the stallion’s voice, like he wasn’t sure of how to answer this very simple question. Despite being very ill at the moment it didn’t escape the wounded pegasus that there were many emotions hidden beneath her rescuers voice: sadness, anger, and the most noticeable, regret. “I’m ... My name is Shade,” the stallion finally answered. “Now try to get some sleep, please.” Listening to the advice of her savior’s, Fluttershy finally let her eyelids fall and she drifted off to a more peaceful sleep. ~*~ Rays of Celestia’s sun penetrated the heavy clouds, remnants of the last night’s blizzard, brightening the inside of the small hut atop of a mountain, to finally shine through the open shutters of a window, which was in a small room where a wounded mare was still sleeping in the bed. An alluring scent of fresh herbs was hanging in the air and it awoke Fluttershy from her slumber. She scrunched her face, trying desperately to find this blissful feeling of sleep, but was stopped abruptly when a dull ache shot through her body, making the pegasus fully awake. Ever so slowly she opened her eyes, blinking several times to get her sight used to the brightness of the day, Fluttershy found herself in a bedroom that wasn’t hers. The wooden walls were bare, other than a bed she was in, a basic nightstand beside it and a small chest on the opposite side of the room there were no other furniture. Then the pink-maned mare took notice of her own condition: she had been bandaged skilfully if a little too tight for her comfort, dressings were covering her head, went around her barrel and almost all the way down to her hind legs, a fact which made her blush quite brightly at the thought of somepony touching her in such embarrassing places, even if it was to help her. That was also when Fluttershy noticed the condition of her left wing, which was properly adjusted, immobilized and then set into a pair of casts to further prevent any unnecessary movements. It was a really strange experience for her, to find herself very sore, covered in bandages, lightheaded, and in somepony else’s bed at that. Not to mention that this delightful smell in the air made her aware of how hungry she was. Stirring s little Fluttershy tried to get up, but another spasm of pain quickly stopped her and at the same time the door to the room opened and her host came in. Fluttershy cowered a little from the unknown stallion that came inside, a tray with a bowl of still hot stew was enveloped in a red magical aura. He was pretty tall for a unicorn, maybe as tall as Applejack’s brother, though not as bulky as his figure was more athletic and slimmer than Big Mac’s. His coat was dark shade of grey, while mane and tail were pitch-black, two short bangs framed his face, giving an impression of being older than he truly was. She couldn’t see his cutie mark from the angle they were facing each other, however what struck the meek mare the most were his eyes, crimson iris were very unique, but even more shocking was what she saw in them - deep, at the very bottom there were pain, anger, sadness, grief, loneliness ... so many dark emotions … “Good to see you awake, miss.” The deep voice of the stallion pulled Fluttershy out of her thoughts. He approached her slowly, setting the levitated tray with food on the small nightstand beside the bed. By sheer coincidence the mare’s eyes wandered to the stallion’s backside where she saw his cutie mark, a pylon of three red crystals. “Eat while it’s hot. This stew will help your recovery.” “W-Who are you, sir?” Fluttershy finally asked. Her head was still aching, and her memories were a bit fuzzy at the moment, but she felt like she knew this stallion. Something clicked, as the yellow mare started to remember the last time she was awake. “Your name ... is Shade, is it right?” “Yes, and it is good that you remember.” Shade answered in his gruff voice, but with a friendlier tone. “After you’re done eating I’ll need to change your bandages. Is that acceptable, miss? Forgive me, but might I know your name?” “Oh, I’m sorry!” Fluttershy suddenly squeaked. “I’m F-Fluttershy … .” she added in a very quiet voice, one that a normal pony wouldn’t be able to hear even if they stood just beside the shy mare, though Shade seemed to hear her well enough. “Then, Miss Flutteshy, I will come back a short while. I suggest you to eat the stew in the meantime.” “Um ... you can call me Fluttershy, if you want to, Mister Shade ... .” This made the unicorn pause for a moment. Something in the mare’s quiet voice felt very soothing, like a pleasant breeze of spring wind. Very slightly, so his lips curved up into a gentle smile, though to the recovering pegasus there was a hint of sadness behind the simple gesture. “Only if you call me just by my name too. Now try to eat, I’ll be back soon.” Shortly after saying that the unicorn walked out of the room, leaving the recuperating pegasus alone with her thoughts. Fluttershy didn’t know what to really think about the whole situation. Just a few days ago she was in her cottage, perfectly healthy, safe and surrounded by her friends, both the animals and her pony friends. Now, she was heavily hurt, being housed and looked after by a complete stranger in his house, and the guards that accompanied her were either in a worse shape or maybe even ... dead. The not so happy train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted by a loud growling that came from the mare’s stomach. Fluttershy blushed heavily, truly grateful that the stallion wasn’t in the room to witness something this embarrassing. She could only imagine Rarity’s reaction for such unladylike body reaction to the lack of food for so long, the thought making her lips curve up very lightly in what could be called a gentle smile. Looking over at the still steaming bowl of stew, the alluring smell of cooked herbs and vegetables further stimulated her already large hunger. Without much trouble Fluttershy took the bowl from the night table and brought it to her lips, taking a few careful sips. She found herself quickly finishing the soup, both because of her hunger and the fact that it was very delicious. Just like he announced, Shade came back with fresh supplies of bandages and other necessities in his magical grip, to change the mare’s wound dressings. Without saying anything the stallion just took away the empty bowl from the pegasus grasp and set it down on the floor, making a mental not to take it later. He put down the medical supplies on the small night table, before turning towards the mare. “I’ll be taking the bandages off one at a time. I also may need to apply some medicinal cream on the wounds, so forgive me if it stings.” “It-it’s alright,” Fluttershy stammered, her heart beating very fast, and cheeks covered with a pink hue. Shade took the quiet answer as a confirmation and began his work. Firstly he started with the bandages over the mare’s head, as it was the most serious wound and needed to be attended first. The stallion’s red aura carefully unbounded the white material, revealing the now almost closed wound. Quickly he took a small jar with herbal cream and put a small dose over the wound with his magic, to prevent the possible infection and hasten the healing. Even though Fluttershy was forewarned, the cream still stung harshly, making the mare wince visibly, wrinkling her muzzle in a grimace, while small tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. The pain lasted only a few seconds before subsiding and was replaced with the nice feeling of coolness. Afterwards she could feel new bandages being placed over it. Once finished there, the unicorn dressed the wound with a fresh piece of bandage. Next was the mare’s barrel and the little cuts she has sustained during her fall. Thankfully, all of her cuts were shallow and would heal in no time, if assisted properly. More good news, miraculously the mare’s bones came unscathed, if not counting for her bruised ribs and twisted left wing, which Shade wanted to check last. It would be a more complicated procedure and the earlier applied cream will dull a little the painful part. Through the whole treatment Fluttershy sat there still, moving only when asked to, face burning from the embarrassment, while half of her face was hidden behind her pink mane, not daring to even peek at her savior. Once Shade finished re-dressing Fluttershy’s barrel, an action that made her cheeks almost permanently rosy, it was time for the most serious injury the mare sustained. “Fluttershy.” The stallion’s voice made the pegasus turn towards him, Shade’s face still held this serious frown, which scared her a little, but also fascinated enough to keep looking. “I need to check the bones in your left wing now. This may be painful, but if I don’t do it, then your wing may not heal properly.” After getting a very meek nod of approval from the mare, Shade gently took a hold of the still bandaged wing, stretching it a little, while his magical aura took off the white material. Every so often Fluttershy winced from the discomfort, as her wing was now very stiff and cramps hit her nerves full force. Thankfully, no major jolts of pain appeared, probably thanks to joined efforts of Shade’s gentle treatment and the painkiller attributes of herbs that were in the cream the stallion used earlier. “Do you feel any pains?” Shade asked suddenly, as he turned the wing a little to check it from another angle. This did cause some aching for the mare but nothing too serious. “N-not too much, j-just a little...” The stallion nodded and continued to check the base of her wing both with his hoof and a spell, judging by the warm and bright red light that now surrounded both his horn and a small part of the mare’s wounded appendage. The glow from the unicorn’s magical aura illuminated the whole room, but Fluttershy’s gaze was focused on the stallion’s face. There was something mysterious in the way the light brought into the surface that made the meek pegasus stare at him, though every so often she tried to hide it by cowering behind her pink mane. Shade finished his check-up, finding nothing too concerning in regards of the wing’s condition, therefore he wrapped a fresh piece of bandage with slow and precise movements of his hooves,  and immobilized the wing against the mare’s side. Fluttershy sighed in relief, though she felt a little itchy underneath the new dressings, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle. “Thank you again, Shade,” the pegasus said in her very quiet voice as the stallion started to gather the dirty bandages and other tools he has used. Then a thought suddenly hit her. “Are ... are you a doctor?” “I am not,” was his simple answer. Sensing the mare’s confusion, Shade decided to elaborate. “I only learned basics in medical knowledge. For some time I have traveled quite a long time in my life, learning many things along the way. Mainly about magic but along the way I’ve read enough medical tomes to be able to treat minor injuries.” Shade then chuckled. “You could say that I’m a self-taught barber.” “Oh! That’s, um, that’s really interesting. I only know a basic first-aid and how to treat my little furry friends. I never treated a pony before.” Fluttershy’s exclamation was interrupted by a very large yawn on her part. Needless to say, she was more than a little embarrassed in front of the stallion. “I’m sorry, I just feel very tired.” “That’s understandable. You are still healing and rest is what you need.” Shade took a hold of his medical supplies and dirty bandages in his red hued magical grip, before turning towards the door. “Sleep well, fair Fluttershy. When you wake up we can converse some more.” Once the stallion closed the door behind him, Fluttershy let her head fall onto the soft pillow. For a few minutes she was thinking over the events that transpired, and despite the initial fears about the situation, the injuries she has sustained and how close call the crash was for her, the worry her friends, pony and animal alike, may now feel, somehow she felt peaceful inside. The unicorn stallion, Shade, seemed nice enough, he looked after her, practically saved her life, and is now nurturing her back to full health. Though there was still something about him that made the butter-yellow mare feel a little uneasy. Like underneath all this kindness he has shown to her there was something dark and sinister, hidden deeply from the outside view. Finally the pegasus’ exhaustion caught up to her and Fluttershy finally closed her eyes and drifted off to a peaceful sleep, unaware of how much truth her thoughts brushed against, or the faint shine that enveloped the room just a second after the mare’s cyan irises hid behind eyelids. ~*~ The snow shined in the rays of the sun as a lone stallion stood a good distance from the small hut where the wounded mare recovered. Shade was determined to keep anything that could disturb her rest, and right now the stallion had at least four potential threats to Fluttershy’s health. The unicorn’s ears followed the faint sounds of creaking snow, his head turning ever so slightly to see the incoming dangers. Shade’s horn lighted up brightly, a magical aura appeared beside the stallion, slowly taking a form of a sword made of red crystals. He finished just in time, as the first predator attacked. A frostjackal leaped at the stallion, baring its fangs, aiming for the throat, but the ice beast didn’t count for its prey to cut both front paws and the head in one blindingly fast strike. The beheaded ice body fell down and shattered, scattering the remains around Shade. Seeing one of their members fell down the rest of the pack rushed out from their hiding place. Two jackals tried to attack Shade from both sides, and seeing this from the corner of his eye the unicorn stomped his fore hooves to the frozen ground, sending a surge of energy at both adversaries, impaling both beasts with large and sharp pylons of crystals, shattering their fragile bodies into pieces. The last carnivore growled menacingly at the stallion, before howling to the sky. While Shade thanked himself for casting a soundproofing spell on the hut beforehoof, so Fluttershy won’t be disturbed by the sounds of the fight, his eyes widened in shock as the remains of the three fallen predators rose from the snow and surrounded the remaining jackal. The wind that accompanied the whole spectacle was strong enough to make Shade shield his eyes, obscuring the unicorn’s view of his remaining opponent. Once it all calmed down the stallion looked over where he last saw the ice canine. The image didn’t even make him flinch. A huge frostjackal-like beast stood in the place of its smaller version, the ice glistered under the gaze of the Sun. The monster’s jaws were parted, frightening growl coming out of its throat, big red eyes glaring at the stallion with both cold hate and unsated lust for fresh blood. The jackal barked deafeningly and leaped towards the unicorn, who lowered his weapon a little and pointed it at the charging predator. “Javelin.” The instant this one word left Shade’s lips his sword shined brightly for a short moment, only for the blade to shoot out in a blinding speed, and just like a spear it has pierced the giant wolf’s head, making it stop its movements. From where the blade went through cracks started to form, first on the head then they quickly spread over its whole body. It didn’t take long for the humungous carnivore to finally shatter, just like it happened with the first three jackals. Only ice pieces remained, the magic that animated it being dispersed into the air. Without another glance at the remains of his last opponent Shade calmly walked back to his hut.