//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Homecoming // Story: How to be Cruel // by Erisn //------------------------------// “You’re sure you won’t stay for the party?” Twilight Sparkle asked Fluttershy, concern in her voice. “I’m sure,” Fluttershy said, offering up a weak smile and clutching her suitcase more tightly in case Twilight tried to take it away. “I’ve been away from my friends for far too long already. I’m sure they miss me and I miss them a lot.” “Yeah, but you don’t need to go back right away, do you?” Rainbow Dash pointed out. She was hovering in midair with a party hat and a bottle of cider in one hoof. “Come on, the after-wedding party’s just getting started!” “Plus we’re celebrating the defeat of Chrysalis and the changeling army,” Twilight added. “It’ll be a lot of fun. Free food and everything. You’re sure you want to go?” “I’m sure,” Fluttershy said with as much determination as she could muster. “I don’t want my friends to think I’ve forgotten all about them. You should go back to the party though Twilight, Dash, I don’t want you to miss the fun.” Twilight sighed, but she knew the folly of trying to talk Fluttershy out of something when her mind was made up. She could be more stubborn than Applejack or Rainbow Dash when she dug her hooves in. “If you’re really okay with that, I guess its fine,” she conceded. “I only wish we could say goodbye with everypony else. Where are Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity anyways?” Rainbow Dash fluttered slightly higher and shaded her eyes with one hoof. “Uh, let’s see. Pinkie Pie is dancing with all the ponies over there, Applejack is…selling pies and other apple stuff over by the food stands and Rarity is with a few ponies somewhere over there. They’re probably still talking about the wedding dress.” “No doubt.” Twilight turned back to Fluttershy. “I can’t help but think that at least one of us should go back with you though, Fluttershy. All of Ponyville’s partying here in Canterlot, and there’s nopony for miles around. What if you fall and hurt yourself while we’re here? We won’t be back until tomorrow morning at the earliest.” “Oh please,” Rainbow Dash rolled over in midair and sighed. “You worry too much, Twilight. Stop being an egghead for five minutes and relax, would ya? Nothing’s going to happen to Fluttershy. She can just go back on the train, check on her friends and see us tomorrow.” “Exactly,” Fluttershy smiled. “And besides, I won’t be alone. All of my friends will be with me as well.” “Except for the bear,” Twilight noted. “I’m still not sure how he got all the way out here.” “Harry said he wanted to join the party,” Fluttershy said, turning to look behind her. In the distance, the shapes of many ponies and one huge silhouette of a bear were dancing in the sunset. “Yeah, he dances pretty well for a bear.” Rainbow Dash turned over and looked in the opposite direction. “Hey, looks like the Wonderbolts are doing another performance! See you later Fluttershy!” With that, Dash took off, flying towards a trio of distance blue specks surrounded by a large and admiring crowd. Twilight sighed again and turned back to Fluttershy, but without any real sense of frustration. “I guess that’s my cue as well. I’m going to talk with Princess Celestia, maybe check out the library while I’m here. You’re sure you don’t want to stay?” “Positive,” Fluttershy said for the twentieth time. “I’ll be fine Twilight, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Okay,” Twilight said reluctantly, but Fluttershy was already climbing aboard the Canterlot Express. Twilight sighed again in exasperation. Fluttershy was one of the most unsociable ponies in all of Equestria. Even Twilight, a bookworm among bookworms was willing to party a bit and have some fun on tonight of all nights. Shaking her head, the unicorn went back to the party to find Princess Celestia and discuss tax reforms of the last decade. Someday, Twilight would ensure that Fluttershy got out and had some excitement in her life for a change. ---- The ride back to Ponyville was short, and uneventful. Fluttershy spent most of her time staring out the window of her train car, thinking quietly. She had in fact mastered the art of quiet thinking as well as quiet speaking, walking, and even flying. She was a master of silence, and the train’s echoing emptiness suited her just fine. The only pony on board was Fluttershy and the conductor, who Fluttershy was sure would return to Canterlot and go out partying as soon as he finished transporting her. It had been an exciting day by Fluttershy’s standards. Granted, Fluttershy would have considered seeing an unusual cloud in the sky an exciting day, but this one was genuinely amazing. In the course of a few short hours, Fluttershy had gone from being a bridesmaid at the wedding of Princess Cadenza Mi Amore and Shining Armor to fighting off a changeling invasion, to watching the changeling army being defeated by the power of true love, to being a bridesmaid at the wedding again. Life was funny that way, Fluttershy concluded. She was glad that she had been at the wedding. She was even more glad that Shining Armor hadn’t married Chrysalis and that she hadn’t been turned into changling chow as well. The thought of being eaten by a horde of the bug-pony-things was unpleasant, to say the least. Fluttershy had an extensive vocabulary when it came to describing nice, fluffy, cute things and a whole host of technical terms for animal ailments, conditions, and body parts. However, her vocabulary of words to describe unpleasant things was limited. Therefore, her personal description of the viciously ferocious changlings that looked like a primordial cross of an insect and a pony was simply that they were…icky. In truth, Fluttershy did her best to erase the events of the last 24 hours from her mind on her ride back to Ponyville. She had found over the course of a lifetime of avoiding problems that aside from not having any problems, the next best option was to forget the problems ever existed in the first place. So that’s what she did. Lulled by the setting sun and the rhythmic rumble of the train, Fluttershy fell asleep. ---- Fluttershy woke up as the train stopped. She got up, thanked the conductor who was already preparing for the return trip to Canterlot, and walked out into Ponyville. Then Fluttershy walked down the dirt road shining orange in the last light from the sun and walked towards her cottage, which lay on the edge of Ponyville. There was no one in Ponyville. Nopony was there; not a single soul wandered the streets, nor did anypony call Fluttershy’s name. They were all gone at the party in Canterlot, or perhaps another party in one of the major cities around Equestria. From Manehatten to Cloudsdale, the entire kingdom was celebrating the wedding of Shining Armor and Cadence. Even the fillies and colts were out making merry, drinking apple cider, and dancing through the night. Except for Fluttershy, that was. She didn’t like partying. Or rather, she liked the kind of parties that could most charitably be described as “silent”, “unobtrusive”, and “restrained”. If you were feeling charitable, that is. In truth, Fluttershy was uncomfortable in anything more exciting than a tea party with her animal friends. Like her companions, loud noises and sudden movement were frightening to Fluttershy, hence her desire to return to Ponyville. That wasn’t the only reason, of course, nor even the most pressing one in Fluttershy’s mind. The plain and simple fact was that she wanted to be with her animal friends, to see that they were well, cuddle, and tell them of her latest adventure. It had been almost an entire day since she had been gone. That was nearly 24 hours without contact. In the paranoid depths of Fluttershy’s mind, she imagined that they had starved to death (although she had left them with enough food for a week), or they had run off to live somewhere else, or… Fluttershy’s steps quickened and she moved at a faster pace down the lonely dirt road that led to the Everfree Forest and her home. It was slightly inconvenient to live so far from most of Ponyville, but the quiet and solitude were things that Fluttershy craved. Besides which, the effects of too many ponies often scared away some of her more timid woodland friends. At last Fluttershy’s home appeared in sight, a moderate cottage build out of a tree and surrounded by nests, birdhouses and dens for her many and varied animal neighbors. Fluttershy sighed in relief. The paranoid imaginations of her mind dissipated as she was once more relieved by the sight of her house, intact and not burned to a cinder or destroyed by an earthquake. Fluttershy trotted up the dirt road to her cottage. The lights were off inside, so she guessed that her friends had decided to call it an early night. Opening the door, Fluttershy called cheerfully inside, “I’m back! How is everyone?” There was no reply. Immediately, Fluttershy felt a stab of panic, and then guilt. Surely no reply meant her friends were asleep. How inconsiderate it would be of her to wake them up! She would have to apologize to them in the morning. Fluttershy tiptoed around the various small beds and nests in her house. It was very dark inside, the sun having finally disappeared over the horizon, so she could only make faint shapes out. She saw sleeping bodies scattered from bed to bed and smiled. Her friends were extremely liberal when it came to sleeping arrangements, and it wasn’t uncommon to find mice in the birdhouses or the birds sharing the attic with the bats. Everyone was asleep then, and Fluttershy could put her worries to rest. Good. Still, as Fluttershy carefully navigated the dark living room she couldn’t help but think it was odd. Angel wasn’t awake to greet her. Normally, he’d have been bouncing up and down in front of her door, tapping his foot and waiting to greet her. This was double true because Fluttershy had told him that she’d be back around this time. Maybe he was out? But no, it was too dark for that and Fluttershy knew Angel didn’t like the dark much. Perhaps he was mad at Fluttershy? Had she done something wrong? Fluttershy couldn’t remember, but it didn’t take much to make Angel angry. Her pulse quickened as a thought struck Fluttershy’s mind. What if he was sick? A sudden fever perhaps, leaving him bedridden… Fluttershy didn’t run, but she did walk more quickly up the stairs of her house to the room where she and Angel slept. How odd. She couldn’t hear any of her friends snoring, when usually her house practically shook from the assembled nocturnal sighs and twittering from her guests. Still, this was a lesser concern compared to Fluttershy’s need to check on Angel. Fluttershy put a hoof down on the second-highest step and nearly fell flat on her face as her hoof slipped. Only her wings kept her face from meeting hardwood floor as Fluttershy flappe desperately. Once she had regained composure, Fluttershy felt the stairway again. There it was. A wet spot, slightly sticky and just in the right place to make a careless pony slip. Oh dear. Fluttershy knew her animal friends did their best to adopt pony customs, but sometimes their instincts did get the better of them. She hadn’t had a problem with it in the last few weeks, but every now and then one of her friends would…heed the call of nature as it were inside the house rather than outside. It was an unavoidable side effect of living with animals, sadly. Fluttershy would have to remember not to slip on that spot again, and she’d clean it up first thing tomorrow but for now— Skirting the wetness, Fluttershy reached the second floor and went to the room she and Angel shared. Another oddity – it was closed shut. Fluttershy had a 24/7 open door policy usually, better to hear her friends at night and to make sure she wasn’t neglecting anyone. Angel knew this so why would he keep it closed? Maybe he was sick, and it was contagious. Fluttershy went to the door to open it but it was locked. Shocked, Fluttershy rattled the handle and tried to pull the door open but was definitely locked. She had never locked the door to her house. She didn’t even remember where the key was. She thought about knocking, but Fluttershy was concerned she might wake whomever was inside. Instead, Fluttershy walked quickly downstairs avoiding the slippery spot. No one moved even though Fluttershy was making quite a bit of noise now, but Fluttershy had no time to stop and think. Her instincts screamed at her to find out what was happening, and there was only one was she could think to do that. Fluttershy opened the door to her house and stepped outside. Immediately she turned around again and looked up towards the second floor. There. Her window, like her door was always open, and she saw it was slightly ajar even now. Fluttershy all but leapt into the air and pulled at her window, getting it wide enough to squeeze through as she tumbled into her room. It was dark inside. The moon had yet to rise, no doubt due to Luna being swept away by the wedding party in Canterlot. What light there was came from a few distant stars and that was barely enough to see by outside. In Fluttershy’s room the darkness reigned, and with it came silence. The back of Fluttershy’s neck tingled as she looked around frantically. She remembered that Angel had a cot to the side of her bed, but she couldn’t see it in the darkness. Neither could she find her bed, for some reason. Fluttershy took a few halting steps forward and stumbled as her foot caught some loose object that clattered away in the darkness. Fluttershy stopped and took a deep breath. The last thing she wanted was to trip and wake up everyone. She couldn’t hear Angel, but she’d have to assume he was in the room. Her desire not to wake him up was being overruled by her immediate need to know if her was hurt, sick, or both. Softly, Fluttershy called into the dark room. “Angel? Are you there Angel?” There was no reply, but Fluttershy caught the slightest rustle to her left. She thought that was where her wardrobe was. Turning, Fluttershy called softly again. “Angel? It’s me, Fluttershy. Is there something wrong? I’m back from Canterlot – are you angry with me for being gone to long? Please don’t be angry Angel, I had to go to the wedding.” More shuffling, and now Fluttershy could hear the skittering and bumping of many claws and feet. It sounded like lots of her friends were inside the wardrobe. Suddenly, Fluttershy felt a surge of relief. “You’re playing a prank on me, aren’t you?” She asked teasingly. “You all hid and locked the door so I couldn’t come in. Well, very funny. Now come out and let’s turn on the lights! You won’t believe the day I’ve had.” There was more thumping and then the wardrobe doors burst open, and Fluttershy felt something hit her directly in the chest. She nearly fell over in surprise, but the being that had hit her had no real mass and so she only stumbled back. She groped around and found a small body, huddled against her, clinging so tightly to her as to be painful. Something was wrong. The small creature was making a high-pitched wailing sound, and it was shivering against Fluttershy as it held onto her. It felt like Angel. It sounded like Angel, but it, he also sounded terrified. Fluttershy tried to pet her friend, but she couldn’t see anything in the darkness. Whispering soothing words, Fluttershy groped around in the darkness. She knew she had a candle and matches somewhere in her room, but everything seemed jumbled up and out of place. At last, Fluttershy’s hoof kicked a cylinder on the ground which turned out to be her candle. Fortunately, the box of matches was close by as well. Gently holding the matches and candle well away from Angel and herself, Fluttershy struck a match and lit the candle. A small light filled the room with yellow, flickering light, temporarily blinding Fluttershy. Blinking, Fluttershy looked around and then down at Angel. There he was, clinging to her with all his strength, and Fluttershy felt a knot in her chest untie itself to see him. But…something was wrong. Something was very wrong. The candle threw shadows against the wall and made them dance and waver. It was a feeble light that it gave off, made of inferior wax and a damp wick. But it was enough to see by, and what Fluttershy saw were Angel’s injuries. His fur was matted and covered in dirt. His pristine fur that he prized and took care of with exacting care was filthy and full of twigs. That was the first shock. But Fluttershy also saw his paws and feet were bruised, and his head sported a terrible scratch. Worst of all though was his eyes. Angel’s eyes were red and tear-stained. He had been crying. Angel never cried. In a trance, Fluttershy held him to her chest and gently stroked his head. She tried asking him what had happened, but he only clung to her and quivered. She could feel his heart beating fast, thundering so quick she could barely make out individual heartbeats. The only sound he would make was that same high-pitched keening, that was both loud and quiet, as if he feared to make too much noise. Helplessly, Fluttershy looked around to discover a clue as to why Angel was so distraught. Her eyes fell on a scene of splinters and pieces of wood that had been her room. Instead of the lovingly crafted furniture she remembered, Fluttershy only saw pieces of wood strewn about her room. In place of her bed, she found fragments and pieces of cloth. There was no piece of furniture left standing upright, save for her wardrobe. That at least had remained intact. Thick oaken paneling had saved it from the same fate that the rest of her room had suffered, and yet Fluttershy saw scratches, gouges taken out of the wood and it looked like the doors had been smashed repeatedly by something heavy. Something moved in the depths of the wardrobe. Fluttershy froze in fear, candle half-raised as more somethings moved about in the depths of her closet. But what emerged was on the small face of a mouse, peering out and then shrinking back into the closet. It saw her and gave a start of fear, but then recognized her. The mouse cried out and leapt from the closet to hurtle itself at Fluttershy, hugging her just as tightly with its small paws. As if a dam had burst, more shapes followed the mouse, revealing themselves as Fluttershy’s animal friends, birds and squirrels and chipmunks alike, all small critters who lived with Fluttershy, nearly ten in all. They covered Fluttershy, a small mass of bodies who held her as if their lives depended on it. All were filthy, cut in several places and petrified with fear. Fluttershy was at first too stunned to think or even move. But her instincts ruled her body as keenly as her brain, and she tried to soothe each of her friends. Unlike when they had a nightmare or a bad surprise however, her calming words and touch had no effect on the small bodies. They only held on tighter, and try as she might, Fluttershy couldn’t get them to tell her anything. Fluttershy held the small mouse to her and whispered softly to him, but he was curled into a tight ball, eyes shut tight. Or rather, one eye shut tight. Fluttershy looked closer. In the darkness, she hadn’t seen it, but… The mouse’s left eye was shut tight as he quivered against her, but his right eye wasn’t shut. It wasn’t there at all. It was missing. More than that, his entire eyelid was missing. In fact, the entire right side of his face was missing. Something had cut part of his skin away and barely missed his bones. And the injury was fresh, fresh enough that his blood was still not fully clotted. Spots of his blood clung to Fluttershy’s skin. And his wasn’t the only injury. Fluttershy saw a chipmunk missing a tail, a bird with one wing. Something had attacked her friends, and they were covered in injuries. And blood. Fluttershy felt something drop out of the center of her stomach. Her eyes felt tight, and there was a dull ringing in the back of her mind. She looked from animal to animal and saw that each was covered in cuts and gashes. Her mind was screaming, but Fluttershy couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe right, only in small gasps of air. As if in a trance, Fluttershy stumbled towards her door. She saw that the key was still in the lock and turned it. Then she left her room, animals still clinging to every part of her body. Fluttershy walked down the corridor on the second floor, and then down the stairs. As she went, she looked at the wetness on the steps. It was red, a pool of sticky redness that dripped slowly. In fact, the entire stairwell was covered in spots of red. Flutershy knew that meant something but she couldn’t think. She could only walk down the stairs, and into her living room. It was dark here too. Her candle didn’t even reach the corners of the room. But F’uttershy's legs carried her to one corner of the room, the spot where her friends usually slept. There they were, lying together. Fluttershy felt something move in her chest, something relax. But as she drew closer, Fluttershy saw that none of the shapes were moving. No form stirred, not to draw a breath of air, not to turn over, not a single body. The distance between Fluttershy and the shapes was several feet, and her candle was too dim. Fluttershy walked closer, slowly, step by step. Something in her didn’t want to move forwards, but she couldn’t stop. Slow step by step. The candle she held was a truly poor one, bought in packs of ten for one bit. It barely illuminated more than a foot around Fluttershy. Yes, there were shapes lying on the ground like they should be. Slumbering forms perhaps, and yet… The shapes were too small. There were too many bodies lying down. And…and they glistened in the candle’s light. Fluttershy was only three feet away, but her hooves stopped. She couldn’t make herself go any closer. Her mind was screaming wordlessly, but the rest of her was numb. Fluttershy felt something touch her hoof and started. She raised her hoof, but couldn’t see anything. Just darkness. She put her hoof down gingerly and felt it again. Wetness. Lots of wetness. Liquid, in fact. It was too dark to see. Automatically, Fluttershy lowered the candle. She peered at the ground. And then she saw the blood. There was a lot of it.