Present...(Fluttershy)...
Ponyville was restless that night. The regular dark sky had the yellow glow from all the lights inside the houses. A shadowy figure snaked along the houses and alleys, barely making a sound. Finally arriving at the frosting covered gingerbread house, the figure pulled out a sharp blade.
"Fluttershy!" A high pitched voice squealed.
"Huh?!" The figure jumped in surprise and dropped the blade.
"What are you doing sneaking around at night with a knife?" The voice spoke again.
"Pinkie?" Fluttershy looked up at an orange pony with a neon orange, fluffy mane.
"No, not me. I'm Inkie, that's Pinkie." The pony pointed the source of squealing, Pinkie Pie was leaning over her window staring at Fluttershy with big blue eyes.
"Seriously, Fluttershy, why the knife?" Pinkie Pie asked again.
"Pinkie Pie!" Fluttershy whispered harshly, jumping into the window and knocking to mare over.
"What the heck Fluttershy?!" Pinkie yelled. Fluttershy pressed a blade against Pinkie's throat.
"Do not interrupt The Shadow Assassin!" Fluttershy spat vehemently.
"Fluttershy, what happened to you?" Pinkie said, tears starting to form in her eyes. "You're the Shadow Assassin?"
"What are you doing alive, for that matter, why are you yelling in a changeling infested area, do you have a death wish?" Pinkie stared at her old friend with shock and pain. "How do you know about the Shadow Assassin?" Fluttershy pressed the blade deeper.
"You're the one who's been killing ponies?" She choked out.
"What?" Fluttershy's eyes widened, dropping the knife. "I haven't been killing ponies!"
"Yeah, right! Ponies have been saying the Shadow Assassin has killing their family members!" Pinkie said standing up.
"I haven't been killing ponies, you idiot! I've been killing changelings. Pinkie, your in more danger than you thought." She walked over to the orange pony, Inkie, and sniffed her. "Changeling!"
"No, that's Inkamina's Marble Pie's daughter, Inkie."
"Oh really?" Fluttershy pulled a knife out and hit the pony with it's hilt. The pony hit the floor with a flop, as soon as it touched the ground, it turned into a changeling.
"What?"
"Pinkie, we have to get out of here."
"B-b-b-but, but."
"I'll explain later."
Fluttershy's cottage...
"They have my family." Fluttershy spoke. "The changeling's have my family, they took Screwball and Discord."
"What? How?" Pinkie asked.
"I don't know, I've been kidnapping changelings, trying them for information. When they don't give it to me, I...I kill them. But, I don't understand, how are you alive? It's been a thousand years."
"I've been visiting the mirror pond, the water there makes you immortal for a month."
"Hmm, I've never heard of that." Fluttershy pondered.
"How are you still alive?"
"When Chrysalis took Discord and Screwball, she cursed me with immortality." Pinkie winced. "She told me I could suffer knowing that I would never see my family again."
"And you've been after her ever since." Pinkie finished.
"You got it." The two sat in silence for a while.
"What about the others?" Fluttershy looked away. "Are they dead?"
"Applejack and Rainbow Dash got killed in a changeling battle, I found their bodies and buried them."
"And their elements, the ones in the tree?"
"Their branches shriveled up, but I took the elements. I assume Rarity's alive, last time I check the branch for her element was still intact."
"When was that?"
"Almost one thousand years ago."
"And Twilight?"
"I haven't seen her since then, I think she's alive, Celestia granted her immortality, so...maybe she's alive. At least I hope so." Fluttershy walked over to look outside her window. "Look at it." She breathed. "It's so dark and...evil." Pinkie walked up to her.
"It's not evil." She said putting a hoof on Fluttershy's back. "Chrysalis is." Fluttershy looked down and bit her quivering lip.
"I still can't believe he's gone!" Fluttershy wailed, collapsing into Pinkie Pie's arms.
"I'll help you in every way I can, Fluttershy, we'll get Chrysalis."