Blood doesn’t evaporate. It doesn’t go away with time. That’s what many people forget. Even when the water in the blood disperses, the rest remains. Not that the blood here had dried up in any case. It was still fresh.
And it was everywhere. It was spattered on the walls, covering the ground, and pooling in dark puddles around the bodies. That Fluttershy hadn’t stepped in any of the blood was due only to her care in avoiding what she had thought were her animal friends asleep. It was there the blood ran thickest.
They had fallen where they had died, in twos and threes, spaced at irregular intervals. Their bodies told a story, although it would only be until later that Fluttershy understood it. Most of her friends had died in the initial attack, a large pile of…of limbs and other parts clustered near the door. Others had run in confusion and been cut down. The rest had made for the stairs, the doorway having been blocked and those that hadn’t escaped had been cut down from behind.
Not just cut down. Eaten. Chewed. Torn at by something sharp. Fluttershy had treated enough wounds to know that what had ripped her friends apart hadn’t been the blade of a knife, but the tearing force of teeth and the crushing power of something much heavier than they were. This is what she understood, but she still didn’t comprehend.
They were in front of her. Her friends. They were in little tiny pieces, and covered in blood. Somehow, that was worse. There was nothing to remind Fluttershy of her friends in the flesh strewn across the floor. No faces to jog her memory, no features that stood out among the carnage. It was just…meat. And blood. There was nothing for her to remember.
Fluttershy knelt on her hardwood floor and looked closely at one of the puddles. A few bits of flesh and splintered bone were covered in blood. She touched a piece experimentally. She felt something wet and still retaining a hint of warmth. She pulled her hoof away at once and looked at it. A messy imprint of blood stained her hoof, glistening in the single light of the candle.
Fluttershy blacked out. She didn’t remember anything, feel anything, but only had the vague recollection of memory. Throwing up, screaming, passing out, and then waking up seconds later. Running, crashing into furniture, nearly slipping on the blood and then bursting out the door of her cottage and running, running away towards Ponyville until she was stopped.
By Angel.
He stood in her way as she leapt from the cottage and ran down the dirt path and didn’t move. Even in her incoherent panic, Fluttershy stopped before she ran him over. Fluttershy tried to dart around him but Angel was faster. He blocked her as she moved left, and then hopped in front of her again as she tried to dodge right. His face was set in the customary scowl Fluttershy had seen so often but this time it was grimmer, darker, and expectant. He was waiting for something.
It took Fluttershy a while to remember how speak. When she did, the words burst out of her, tumbling in their rush to escape. “We have to run Angel! Run away now!”
Angel stared at Fluttershy and shook his head. Fluttershy, already agitated beyond belief responded by grabbing him and shaking him bodily.
“We have to leave Angel!” She said, more urgently than before. “Before whatever did that comes back!”
Angel shook his head again.
The method by which Fluttershy communicates with animals has never been fully analyzed, but in short it is closer to instinct and advanced linguistic skill than anything else. It is not guesswork, but nor is it psychic ability. Fluttershy simply possesses extreme empathy, to the extent that she can notice the subtle shifts in expression and posture even among different species. But that does not mean complete understanding, nor instant comprehension if her attention is not focused or the animal in question is unknown to her. And in Fluttershy’s current condition, all she could see was Angel telling her “no”.
“Don’t you understand?” She shrieked at him, lifting him to eye level and raising her voice. “Something killed everyone! Something is out in the woods! We need to go! Leave!”
Another shake of the head. Fluttershy’s remaining patience snapped with her nerve.
“We can’t stay here! We have to GO! It’s going to COME AFTER US and EAT US. We have to RUN AWAY NOW! Do you understand? DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?”
Fluttershy realized she was shaking Angel so hard his bones were rattling. She stopped as soon as she realized, but still Angel was moving, shaking his head as violently as she had shook him.
Fluttershy put Angel on the ground gently. He stared up at her. A small part of the panic and terror overwhelming Fluttershy’s mind retreated just enough for her to think. She took a deep shuddering breath, realizing only now that her mouth was still covered in vomit and digestive juices. Absently she swiped at her mouth with a hoof.
“Okay Angel, what are you trying to say?”
Her small friend just stared at Fluttershy. He didn’t need to speak; her look was enough for her to read.
“You don’t want me to leave,” Fluttershy guessed.
A small nod. Yes.
“Why?”
No response. Fluttershy tried again.
“Something came here when I was gone, didn’t it?”
A nod.
“Something bad. It came here and k—” Fluttershy stopped and tried to make her mouth say the word. “K—” It wouldn’t come out. “Something came here and hurt everyone.”
Another nod.
“But you hid with some others until it left and I came back.”
Once again, there was no response, but Fluttershy sensed Angel’s affirmative, telling her in language without words that she was right.
“And now I’m here, but you don’t want to run away. Why? It’s really dangerous, right?”
Nod. Nod.
“Do you know what it is? A manticore, maybe?”
A quick shake of the head. No. And Angel knew every species Fluttershy did. Whatever this was, it was something unknown.
“If it’s dangerous, we should run.” Fluttershy pointed out.
Nod.
“But then why don’t you want me to go?” Fluttershy burst out.
Angel paused until he had Fluttershy’s attention. Then he pointed down the road to Ponyville, to Fluttershy, to Ponyville again and shrugged his shoulders.
“What do you mean, “how” Angel? You know Ponyville is only a few minutes away. It won’t take long to go there unless…” Fluttershy had a horrible thought. “It’s not lying in wait for us, it is?”
A vigorous shake of the head. No.
“Then why? We can run down to Ponyville, alert the others…” Fluttershy’s voice suddenly trailed off. There were no ponies in Ponyville, or anywhere nearby for that matter. Everyone was celebrating the wedding, not asleep in their homes as they normally would be.
“W-well, even if they’re not here, there are lots of ponies at Canterlot. Everypony I know is there and so is Princess Celestia and Twilight and lots of guard ponies. We can go to them and they’ll take care of it!”
Angel tapped his foot impatiently. How?
Fluttershy’s mind spun frantically. “We can take a train!”
Angel’s foot tapped again, and Fluttershy realized the last train had been the one taking her here, and had already returned to Canterlot.
“We don’t have to take the train, then. We can run! Or walk.”
Angel shook his head. Impossible.
“Why not?” Fluttershy asked desperately. “It would take all night, but we’d make it.”
Angel pointed to the forest, and then to Fluttershy.
“Oh no.” Fluttershy realized what he was saying. “No, it wouldn’t…follow us, would it?”
Nod, nod.
“Is it out there watching us?” Fluttershy took several steps back to the cottage.
Angel shook his head and waved a paw in a wide circle.
“Around? Looking for what? Other ponies?”
Shrug and a nod.
“But then we could sneak away and leave!” Fluttershy argued. “It’s risk but…”
Angel pointed back into the house. Fluttershy turned her head.
“In there? But what…everyone else? They can come too. We can all go together.”
Shake, shake. A dragging foot, a limp arm.
“But even if they have broken bones…”
Limp flapping of one arm.
“Torn…broken and torn wings?”
More flapping.
“…Missing wings, even then. I could carry them on my back, right? I mean, it might be slower but…” Fluttershy’s brain finally caught up with her mouth and she stopped. Angel was just looking at her.
She was one of Equestria’s most knowledgeable ponies when it came to animals. She knew what Angel knew just as well. Any predator, any hunter had a keen sense of smell and/or sight. Anything that left a trail of blood or was injured would be easy to follow. Easy prey, and a single predator could move ten times faster than one pony carrying a dozen wounded animals.
Fluttershy’s voice was very small now. “Angel, we can’t leave, can we? Not unless we abandon everyone else.”
Angel nodded once.
Fluttershy took a deep breath. And then another. She felt she wasn’t getting enough oxygen from that alone so she took another breath. And another. Angel did nothing as he watched Fluttershy’s breathing grow increasingly more shallow and frenzied. Before long Fluttershy was in a state of extreme hyperventilation, making sounds normally associated with a dying fish rather than a pony. At this point, Angel gave a single hop over to Fluttershy’s left hoof and kicked it as hard as he could.
Fluttershy stopped her panic attack and said, “Ow.” She thought about that statement for a little while and then said, “That hurt, Angel.” After a few more seconds, Fluttershy relaxed her body, which had been taught with tension. “Thank you, Angel, I’m quite better now,” Fluttershy said. “I’m no longer panicking.”
This was true. Fluttershy had gone clean through panic and out the other side into the realms of true terror. It was quite relaxing if you ignored the feeling of your heart clawing its way out of your chest. Fluttershy took a deep breath once more, and then looked at Angel.
“Okay Angel. I’m very sorry I’ve been so silly. But you’re right. We can’t run or hide and so we’re going to face this thing down instead.” Fluttershy’s face did not harden, but adopted an uncharacteristically resolute expression. “No matter who it is, I won’t let them get away with this.”
Angel nodded enthusiastically, hopping from one foot to another in excitement.
“Whoever it is will feel the full fury of my wrath.”
Angel leapt up and down, making fists and punching at the air as Fluttershy continued.
“When I find whoever did this, I’m going to grab them, look them straight in the eye, and give them the scolding of a lifetime!”
Angel stopped mid-bounce, and crashed back to the ground. He didn’t seem to notice this however, and stared at Fluttershy is disbelief.
“Oh yes,” Fluttershy continued, oblivious. “I’m not going to let it get away. I’m going to give my Grade-A, super-Fluttershy scolding to it, and I’m going to even use The Stare as well. I may even go as far as to shout. When I’m done, whoever it is will be very, very sorry.” Fluttershy hesitated, and then she turned to Angel. “What do you think, Angel? Am I being too mean? I don’t think I am, but I don’t want anger to cloud my judgment, do you?”
Fluttershy’s words died in her throat as she met Angel’s eyes. His face wasn’t angry, but nor was it sad. It was just…blank. She was used to his anger, and knew his scowl as well as she knew her own smile. But her small bunny was staring at Fluttershy as if he was looking at her for the first time.
“Angel? What’s wrong?” Fluttershy faltered. “Was I…being too harsh? I mean, it…killed so many and he hurt you and everyone else. I just thought I should be as mean as possible but I-I don’t want you to think I’m being cruel—”
Angel’s face stayed blank and unchanging, but then something broke. His eyes filled with tears and he ran back inside Fluttershy’s house.
“Angel!” Fluttershy called, but the door slamming was her only reply. She wavered only for a moment, but then ran back to her home and rushed inside.
The sight of the blood and bodies appeared in Fluttershy’s vision the moment she entered and she stopped, feeling faint. That was when the smell finally caught up with her; a rotting, putrid odour she hadn’t noticed before.
Fluttershy just made it to a window in time to open it and vomit again. There wasn’t much this time, but she hung over the windowsill rather than turn her head and confront the scene back inside. She only moved when she heard something go clang on the wooden floor.
Hesitantly, Fluttershy turned, hastily averting her eyes from the carnage and saw a shape struggling in the darkness across the room. It was Angel. He was trying to lift something off the floor, and not succeeding. Instinctively, Fluttershy moved to help him carry his burden, but halted again when she saw what he was holding.
It was a knife.
To be more precise, it was the one knife Fluttershy owned. In keeping with her character, sharp or even not-so-blunt objects scared her, which was why she tried to keep anything with a point out of her house. Nevertheless, food had to be chopped when cooking and so Fluttershy had purchased and maintained a single cooking knife.
It was very sharp. It had to be to cut all the vegetables, and required almost daily sharpening. This had consequently reduced the density of the blade to something resembling paper, but it was nevertheless by far the most dangerous instrument in Fluttershy’s entire cottage. Needless to say, she banned anyone save her from even touching it and kept it high on top of her cupboards, hidden from everyone else. Except for Angel, of course.
He held it now, in both paws. For Fluttershy it was a medium-sized knife but for Angel it was longer than he was and just as heavy. He couldn’t even lift it off the floor and instead dragged it behind him. As he approached Fluttershy Angel lifted the knife and tossed it towards her with a dull thump.
Fluttershy took a step back. “W-what are you doing with that Angel?” She asked. “Why do you have a knife?”
Angel made no response, but looked Fluttershy in the eye. Once again, Fluttershy stared at an expression she had never seen before on Angel’s face. It wasn’t angry, and it wasn’t sad. It was blank; empty. But Angel’s eyes stared into Fluttershy’s own and stared through them, looking at some part of Fluttershy that lay beneath skin and bone.
Fluttershy shuddered and looked away. “I don’t know what you want, Angel.” She said, avoiding his gaze. “You’re going to have to speak up if you want me to understand.”
Angel did not speak. Instead, he pointed to the knife, and then to Fluttershy. His eyes never left her face.
“Knife? What do you want me to do with a knife? I’m afraid I don’t follow,” Fluttershy lied. She swallowed, still unable to look at Angel. Instead she addressed the floor. “You know, I think I’ve been a little too lenient in my thinking. I really should yell at whoever it was – maybe even scare them a bit. I’m sure that when Twilight and the others come, they’ll be able to help me deal with the problem, so for now I should just...just warn whoever it is and wait for dawn, okay?”
Fluttershy’s voice regained a little bit of its confidence now she was on firmer ground. “Yes, Twilight will know what to do I’m sure. And if there’s any trouble, Rainbow Dash or Applejack could handle it. They’re really good with big problems. We can just stay here and close the door in fact. We can even lock the windows. I’m sure we’ll be fine so long as we don’t go ou—”
Angel slapped her. The little rabbit had to jump up to reach Fluttershy’s head, and he possessed little physical strength. However, rabbits have claws, and his were sharp and untrimmed. They left a line of red across Fluttershy’s cheek as she stumbled back, one hoof pressed to her face, eyes wide with shock. More than anything, the fact that Angel had hit her had stunned Fluttershy the most.
Angel stared at Fluttershy for a moment, and then hopped back to the knife. He kicked the handle gently, sending it spinning towards Fluttershy.
She reacted by stepping back again, raising one hoof to avoid the sharp edge as the knife stopped by her hoof. Angel waited until Fluttershy’s attention was on her, and then pointed to the knife again. Then he pointed directly at Fluttershy once more.
“Angel,” Fluttershy’s voice was a hoarse whisper now. “I can’t do that.” In the silence, the sound of her swallowing was especially loud. “That’s not…you know me, Angel. I could never do something like that.”
Angel just pointed to a spot in the darkness. Fluttershy did not have to look to see what it was. Flesh. Bone. Pieces of a creature both Fluttershy and Angel had called friend.
“Even then,” Fluttershy heard her own voice echoing through the room. “Even then, Angel. It’s not me. No pony kills. There’s always a better option than that. Always.”
Angel looked levelly at Fluttershy. He spread his paws, holding them out expectantly as he tilted his head to one side.
“I don’t know,” Fluttershy whispered. “I’m not a smart pony, not like Twilight. But I’m sure there’s another way. If we wait, we could find it. Surely…”
Angel stepped forwards and touched the knife and pointed to Fluttershy. Then he shrugged, and pointed to himself and the blood.
“I wouldn’t let that happen to you, Angel.” Fluttershy said, but Angel shook his head again. He held both paws out and looked at her. How?
“We could run away.”
He shook his head. It was impossible.
“We could hide.”
He shook his head. They would be found.
“I would defend you.”
He held out both paws again. How?
And Fluttershy looked down at the knife and had no answer. Angel hopped over to the knife and pushed it towards Fluttershy again.
Fluttershy took another step back, but stopped in horror as her foot landed on something soft. She jerked, jumping half into the air as she saw what she had stepped in. It was one of the pools of blood, still liquid and spreading slowly across the wood floor. The knife’s hilt was already stained red in places where it had touched the blood.
Her eyes couldn’t leave the sight of the knife stained with blood. Fluttershy landed slowly on a dry patch of floor and looked slowly from the knife to Angel. Her mouth opened, ready for another excuse, but her brain wasn’t cooperating.
A rustle of movement caused Fluttershy’s head to snap up. She stared at the stairwell, and found eyes staring back. Her heart leapt and skipped before she realized it was the rest of her surviving friends. They clustered together, a small huddle of bodies and stared down at the tableau below. Angel and Fluttershy in a room covered in blood and with the knife.
Fluttershy tried to say it was impossible, but she couldn’t say it. The eyes just kept staring at her, the same expression mirrored on fifteen different faces. The same blank, intent look focused on Fluttershy. Waiting for something.
Fluttershy looked from face to face. Each one was the same, terrifying in its intensity, but quite still. Almost emotionless, in fact, until you looked in their eyes and saw the fear. It shone in every eye, the mortal terror Fluttershy knew only too well. The fear that made her want to hide forever, that crippled action and made mockery out of bravery. But despite this they did none of these things. Instead, they stared at Fluttershy.
She was frozen. In the silence of the night, her house was kept in a moment out of time. Fluttershy, standing in the center of a room full of death and blood, among the pieces of those she had called friend. At her feet lay the knife, and on her were the eyes of her friends and Angel himself. But she could not move, not speak a word nor act.
It felt as though her heart was being torn apart. Fluttershy felt a terrible pain, and the beat of her heart increased until it was a hammering drum, threatening to burst out of her chest. And still, she couldn’t move, not act.
Time passed, but slowly, where each moment stopped and became infinity before passing. But a terrible battle raged within Fluttershy, threatening to consume her as parts of her screamed different things and her entire soul shrieked in the silence.
At last, after a millennia of debate, Fluttershy was able to move again and slowly bowed her head, trying to make her voice work again. She would say it. She would tell them she couldn’t do it. She would. Fluttershy opened her mouth.
And then she saw the moonlight.
At some point during the night, Luna must have remembered her celestial duties for the moon hung high in the sky. It was a waning crescent of a moon, providing faint illumination to see by but it was far brighter than the darkness. And the light of the moon shone down into Fluttershy’s cottage and illuminated everything.
The knife. The bodies. The blood. And Angel’s face, set in an expression Fluttershy had never seen before. And what Fluttershy had not seen before. The tears still caught on his fur, the tears she had never seen him shed before.
Slowly, Fluttershy bent down and picked up the knife. She had to do it with her mouth; her hooves could hold it of course, but she couldn’t easily walk and hold something at the same time.
Something wet touched Fluttershy’s lips and she tasted something metallic and wet.
Blood.
Fluttershy dry heaved, but nothing came up. Her mouth felt clammy and full of dust, but she didn’t drop the knife.
Angel looked at Fluttershy once, and then hopped towards the door. He and Fluttershy both skirted the pool of blood of body parts and stopped at the door. Angel pushed it open gently and hopped out into the night.
Fluttershy’s legs felt weak and her body trembled from head to toe. But she spared only a single glance back inside. At her few surviving friends, huddled together and watching her with fear in their eyes. At the death that had come to her other friends. And finally at the moon. Then Fluttershy bowed her head and stepped out of her house as the moon shone down brightly.
She followed Angel into the night, carrying the knife.