//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Next Day // Story: How to be Cruel // by Erisn //------------------------------// Tirek let out the breath he had been holding in a rush. It felt like forever since he had last dared to breathe, so entranced was he by Fluttershy’s story. It was only now as Fluttershy stopped after the dramatic end to her battle with the changeling that Tirek had come back to the real world. And what a stark contrast it was. In the near-darkness of Tartarus, he could make out Fluttershy’s expression, the rest of his stony cell, and nothing more. The haunting night, the ever-present mud and coarse grime and leave coating of the forest floor was gone, as was the pounding rain, the world made of dark blues, greens, and browns where Fluttershy had fought the changeling. For just a moment, Tirek had lived in that world. It was entrancing – if he didn’t know better, he would have sword that Fluttershy’s cutie mark should have been a quill and ink, rather than three pink butterflies. But now Fluttershy’s story had ended on that fantastic scene, and the silence had rushed back like the tide to fill the gap in conversation. It was, needless to say, extremely awkward. Tirek felt Fluttershy’s eyes on him, but she didn’t seem inclined to speak more. She had the most uncanny ability – she was not flustered by the awkward silence, or the continued eye contact or even from Tirek’s presence, which could be unnerving to those who had never met a centaur. She was content to wait until he made a move. Like a statue. Like a sentry. Like…a predator. Tirek cast around for something to say. He coughed. The sound seemed to be sucked into the silence, which was deafening. Tirek coughed again, and cleared his throat for good measure. “Very…interesting,” was all he managed. “Clearly not your average fabrication at any rate. I can see that Celestia, or perhaps Twilight Sparkle prepared you well for this encounter.” Fluttershy, the other Fluttershy and not the one Tirek had gotten to know through the story rather, arched one eyebrow. “Oh? You still don’t believe my story?” “It has its compelling moments,” Tirek said grudgingly. “But you must admit that basing one’s opinion totally on anecdotal tales from a singular source is hardly the basis for any empirical evidence.” “How surprising. I did not know you were so…erudite, Tirek.” “Bah.” Tirek waved a hand dismissively. “I was a learned scholar as well as a master of sorcery before my imprisonment. That Equestria itself lacks the proper educational background even the meanest of centaurs possess is none of my concern.” Actually, Tirek was quite pleased with that last remark, since he had just made it up on the spot. “Regardless,” he continued, “I see no evidence even in your highly suspect tale to link it in any way to you being a killer.” “I would have thought that me splattering a changeling into a tree might have had some bearing on your judgment.” “Any pony can claim to be whatever they wish.” Tirek narrowed his eyes. “But explaining the change between the Fluttershy of then and the Fluttershy claiming to be a seasoned murderer now has yet to occur. Even if you killed in self-defense, that doesn’t explain how you killed Queen Chrysalis and her changeling army, especially given how one lone, wounded changeling nearly killed you. I take it your friends would not have been totally blind to your injuries, so how did you explain that? ” “You really are an full of questions.” Fluttershy studied Tirek for a second. “If you still believe this is all some kind of lie, why ask?” Tirek folded his arms again. That seemed appropriately impressive. “I don’t…entirely doubt your story, but it has too many holes for my liking. Forcing you to continue would either expose your charade or clear up these questions for me. Besides which,” he shrugged awkwardly. “I would like to know what happened next, that is all. You have piqued my interest.” Fluttershy was silent for a while, longer than Tirek would have liked but eventually she gave him a ghost of a smile. “I suppose we have time. And it might be good to tell someone else my story. The true story, that is. Very well Tirek, if you wish to know then listen.” Fluttershy began to speak again, and Tirek settled back slightly, letting her words wash over him once more as he was transported out of his small, dark cell and into a world where the sun shone brightly, and a brightly colored train pulled into the Ponyville station, trailing steam and lightly coming to rest as five weary ponies (and one dragon) disembarked… ---- The next day, Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the Elements of Harmony minus the Element of Kindness stumbled off the train from Canterlot looking as though they had each gone several rounds with a Ursula Major. They groaned as they watched, clutching their heads or barely stumbling along. There weren’t the only ones. In twos, small groups or by themselves, ponies were walking, stumbling, crawling and rarely, flying back into Ponyville. All showed the effects of heavy cider consumption, and even the most energetic and active ponies (like Pinkie Pie) were somewhat subdued as they stumbled back into their homes and fell promptly asleep. Twilight Sparkle was hardly in better condition than her friends, but she was somewhat more awake than the bleary-eyed Applejack who said goodbye to a mailbox before walking up the road to Sweet Apple Acres. Certainly she was in better shape than Rainbow Dash, who had to use a trampoline to get up to her cloud house – her wings being far too sore from a night of flying with the Wonderbolts and performing Sonic Rainbooms to lift her from the ground. Pinkie Pie was Pinkie Pie however, and even managed a small bounce as she entered Sugarcube corner. It turned into more of a splat near the end however, as her legs gave way and she had to be carried the rest of the way in by Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Twilight bid farewell to Rarity, at her boutique, and received a stiff nod in return. Normally, Twilight would have been surprised as the silent treatment from Rarity, but like Dash’s wings, Rarity’s voice had gone out several hours ago. In the end, Twilight found herself on an empty street as she walked back to her tree-library. She unlocked the door as quietly as possible, and transferred a still-sleeping Spike from her shoulders to his bed. She hoped fervently that he wouldn’t flame in his sleep as he sometimes did. She didn’t want to have to put out a fire now, and her mane was already well-scorched from carrying him this far. Twilight would have loved to join Spike in Luna-land, but a thought stopped her even as she was trudging towards her bed. Instead of going to sleep right away, Twilight instead left her library, closing her door to stop the sunlight from coming up and waking Spike, and trotted down the dirt road to Fluttershy’s cottage. She wondered how her timid friend had found her night and come to think of it, morning. Doubtless, Fluttershy had had a quiet evening just as she planned and would be up and about already, tending to her animal friends. This wasn’t the case as Twilight neared Fluttershy’s cottage, however. Every window was closed and the shades drawn and she couldn’t see an animal in sight. How strange. Twilight tried the door handle, but to her surprise the door was locked. That was even more strange, and slightly worrying. Fluttershy never locked her door. Was she ill? Twilight’s heart started to beat a little faster in her chest. Maybe she never got back to Ponyville. Could Fluttershy have gotten lost on the way back? Hesitantly, Twilight knocked on Fluttershy’s door and waited, listening as hard as she could for any sounds from within. After a while, she heard a faint patter of footsteps on the ground, far too light to be Fluttershy’s. Twilight waited as the sounds increased, and then changed in tone, stopping just before the door. Silence. And Twilight’s ears were met with the horrendous screeching rumble of moving furniture. She jerked her ear back from the door’s surface and massaged it with one hoof as she heard several pieces of furniture being dragged noisily out of the way. At last, silence resumed once more and then the door was opened. By Angel. He stood in the doorway, a bandage over the side of his face, his usual scowl making him look like some wartime veteran. He was also tapping his foot, which Twilight had learned to interpret as ‘I’m not in the mood for you right now, but I’m putting up with you only because you’re Fluttershy’s friend’. “Hello Angel,” she said, bending down so that they were on the same level. “I’m looking for Fluttershy, do you know where she is? Everypony else just got back from the party, and I was wondering how she was doing.” Angel’s foot-tapping stopped abruptly, and he seemed to hesitate. “She is okay, isn’t she?” Twilight asked with concern. “Normally I’d expect her to be up and about, but there aren’t any birds or squirrels around like usual, so I thought…did something happen last night?” Angel looked at Twilight for a long moment, and then shrugged. If possible, the scowl on his face only grew more pronounced, but after a few seconds he grudgingly opened the door wide enough for Twilight to squeeze into the cottage. And inside the cottage was… “Well, it looks like you guys have done some serious housework,” Twilight said, impressed. “Everything is so clean.” Indeed, Fluttershy’s house was so well-scrubbed from floor to ceiling that it practically gleamed in the morning’s light. Not just the floor, but the ceiling and walls looked like they had been scoured, as did the pile of furniture to one side of the door. “Oh, did I interrupt you cleaning the furniture?” Twilight asked Angel, “I’m so sorry.” Angel shrugged, and gestured over her shoulder. Twilight saw a small number of Fluttershy’s friends, perhaps ten in all, running washcloths, soap and sponges over the chairs, tables, and other miscellaneous furniture in Fluttershy’s home. Twilight was quite impressed with the dedication with which each animal was going over every spot on the furniture. She bent to look closer, but Angel kicked her leg and pointed to the stairwell. “Is Fluttershy up there?” Twilight asked. Angel nodded, so Twilight left the other animals to their task and headed up to the second floor. Fluttershy’s door was closed, so Twilight knocked twice. “Fluttershy?” she called, “it’s me. Twilight,” she added for further clarification. “I just wanted to check on whether you got back safely or not. Are you okay?” There was a vague, mumbling-sound from inside. Twilight took it as an invitation to enter, and opened the door. She took one look at the figure inside and screamed. “Fluttershy, what happened to your face!?” A head turned, but what looked at Twilight was not the face she had come to associate with the pegasus known as Fluttershy. This one looked like a tomato that had gone bad and then been kicked several times. One of Fluttershy’s eyes was purple and black, and swollen shut. Her left cheek had a dreadful cut across it and parts of Fluttershy’s mane were missing. The rest of her face was either bruised or swollen so that her face was as round as the aforementioned tomato. To say she looked terrible was like saying Celestia and Luna had once had a small sibling’s quarrel. The words horrendous, ghastly, gruesome, and shocking practically leapt off the tongue instead. “’Ello Twilight,” Fluttershy mumbled. “How are you doing?” “I’m doing fine, thank you,” Twilight said. “But you look dreadful. What happened? No, never mind that, we need to get you to the Ponyville hospital! The doctors there will know what to do!” Twilight hesitated, and then added, “…when they wake up, that is. But you look like you’ve been attacked! Was it a manticore that did it? Did you meet an Ursula Minor? Pick a fight with a rock wall? Run into the legendary face-punching iguana from Saddle Arabia? What happened?” Fluttershy tried to smile, but it became a wince. “I tripped.” Twilight paused. “You did what?” “I tripped,” Fluttershy repeated. “Last night. I was going inside my cottage when I tripped over a chair and into my kitchen. The pots and pans fell on top of me. And my knife.” “Your knife?” Twilight asked, horrified. Fluttershy nodded, or rather, tried to. “I keep it on the top of my pantry so my friends don’t hurt themselves. It hit me in the face. I think it wasn’t a bad cut, but I don’t have a mirror and Angel won’t bring me one. Does it look very bad?” Twilight looked at Fluttershy’s face. “Oh, no.” She said slowly. “It, uh, looks fine. Silly of me; I was just surprised, that’s all. I can barely see the cut, in fact. Yes, I only noticed it because you told me. Not even worth mentioning, really. I think you should take it easy, though. Don’t want to strain anything after a fall like that. No mirrors did you say? Probably a good idea. Could cause eye-strain if you looked at one. You, uh, should avoid using them for…for a month maybe. That sounds about right.” Fluttershy smiled again, this time half-managing it. “I feel rather silly,” she said. “Angel was really worried about me, so he hasn’t let me get out of bed. It’s cleaning day you know, so I wanted to be up and about but…” “No, that’s really not a good idea,” Twilight said hurriedly. “You should stay in bed. In fact, I insist! Bed rest is essential, and we don’t want you falling again, right?” “I suppose you’re right,” Fluttershy said reluctantly. “I’ll take it easy for today – maybe tomorrow if I’m still not feeling well. How’s everypony else doing by the way? Did they make it back safely from Canterlot?” “What?” Twilight was distracted until she remembered the reason she had come to Fluttershy’s cottage in the first place. “Oh, yes, everypony’s fine. Tired, but fine. Yes, we had an exciting night although,” Twilight looked again at Fluttershy’s face, “not half an exciting one as yours.” “It was just an unfortunate accident, that’s all,” Fluttershy said, smiling. “No one was hurt, except for me of course. Angel got a bit scratched when he picked up the knife, but he’s fine.” “Well, that’s a relief. When you didn’t open the door, I thought for a few moments that you’d been abducted by Chrysalis and her changelings,” Twilight joked. For a split second the air in the room seemed to freeze and Fluttershy’s gaze suddenly bored into Twilight’s face. But then it was gone, and Fluttershy was smiling again, so that Twilight wondered if she’d imagined it. “Oh yes,” Fluttershy said. “The changelings. I had nearly forgotten about them. Do you know where they went after Princess Cadence and Shining Armor threw them out of Canterlot?” “No clue. But you know, they’re probably well out of Equestria by now. That was some spell, huh? The combined power of my BBBFF’s magic and Cadence’s managed to repel and entire invading army! No, I’ll be that’s the last we’ll be seeing of them.” “No doubt,” Fluttershy said. “I’m just glad it’s over. I’d have hated for anypony to get hurt.” “That’s just silly,” Twilight dismissed the thought with a wave of one hoof. “We could’ve taken the changeling army if we got everyone from Ponyville and maybe Appleloosa as well. Changelings are only really dangerous in numbers – anypony could take out two or three by themselves.” Twilight’s words seemed to hang in the air a little longer than was usual for some reason. “Oh, I don’t think I could do something like that,” Fluttershy said at last. “You know me Twilight. I don’t like to hurt…anyone.” “Well, you’re not called the Element of Kindness for nothing,” Twilight conceded. “But don’t worry about it, Fluttershy. It’s all over now.” She gently patted Fluttershy on the mane, which was really the only non-injured part of her head. Fluttershy yawned hugely, and Twilight smiled. “You just rest now, okay? I’ll come by later with the girls to check on you.” “Yes, that sounds fine Twilight,” Fluttershy mumbled, her eyes beginning to flutter. “Rest sounds wonderful. It’s all over now, anyways.” “Yes it is, now go to sleep silly.” Twilight gently tiptoed out of the room but paused before she closed the door. Fluttershy was sinking back into her covers, already falling asleep. Only her last mumbled words were audible. “…It’s all over now…” Twilight began to close the door and then stopped. Fluttershy’s bed sheets were twisted around the pegasus, which would definitely be uncomfortable for her when she woke up. Stealthily, Twilight moved back into the room. Fluttershy was already sound asleep, so Twilight reached out to rearrange the sheets… In a flash, Angel was there, blocking Twilight’s hoof with one paw. He shook his head silently and pointed to the door. Twilight moved back quietly, Angel watching her every move. Only when she was nearly out of the room did Angel gently begin fussing with Fluttershy’s sheets. As Twilight closed the bedroom door she saw Angel lifting Fluttershy’s bed linens with the utmost care, peering anxiously at her slumbering form beneath the covers. Twilight smiled as she closed the door fully. It looked like Angel wanted to care for Fluttershy personally. How sweet. She’d half to tell Fluttershy about that later when she woke up. Sometimes it seemed like Angel didn’t like Fluttershy, but even he had his gentle side. Twilight left the cottage, heading back towards Ponyville and her own bed, where she could sleep off a night of partying and excessive cider consumption. As she walked, she made a mental note to tell the others not to bring up changelings when Fluttershy was around. Clearly, she was still afraid they might come back. That was Fluttershy for you, Twilight reflected. Always kind, but a bundle of nerves at the best of times. There really was nothing to worry about. Chrysalis had been exposed and her plans thwarted, the changeling army had been sent flying (literally), and Equestria was safe once again, with a wedding into the bargain. Aside from Fluttershy’s mishap, things were going great. Better than great, in fact. Everything was going to be just fine. ---- The next day, or rather, later that day Twilight took the other Elements of Harmony to see Fluttershy. Predictably, their reactions to Fluttershy’s face were as varied as their natures: Rarity screamed and passed out, Applejack offered to bring Fluttershy one of Granny Smith’s healing poultices, Pinkie Pie offered to throw a Flat Face Party (which was rejected), settled on a Healed Face Party at a later date, and Rainbow Dash joked about using Fluttershy to scare off timberwolves until she was made to sit, or rather hover in a corner. Then they left Fluttershy to sleep once more, promising to return the next day as well. The day after that, which was a Saturday, Applejack and Pinkie Pie brought a huge basket of delicious baked goods such as the Apple’s famous apple brown betties, assorted cupcakes and a caramel taffy from Pinkie Pie that glued Fluttershy’s teeth together for the better part of an hour. Rarity and Twilight came by later as well, and read to Fluttershy from one of her favorite books: The Tales of Humphrey the Heron and the Wonderful Day Where Nothing Bad Happens at All. They tried to help Fluttershy change the covers of her bed so they could wash them and get her fresh new ones, but Angel kicked them out. Rainbow Dash hovered outside of Fluttershy’s window and made stupid faces until Angel threw a rock at her. On Sunday, they had a picnic outside, or rather, everyone else had a picnic and Fluttershy watched from an open window. She was still confined to bed despite the swelling and bruising on her face having been reduced considerably. This was partially due to Fluttershy’s persistent dizziness if she tried anything too active and mainly due to Angel’s violent outrage if any of the ponies tried to coax Fluttershy out of bed. In the end, the others let the matter rest and Fluttershy enjoyed the autumn day in the comfort of her own home. Twilight and Pinkie Pie looked at the shapes clouds made, Applejack and Rarity argued over the latest fashion in Fillydelphia, Twilight retired with a headache, and Rainbow Dash told jokes about ponies falling into pits, bogs, off the side of cliffs and so on until she was made to sit in the corner again, which was in fact under a tree where she fell asleep. And Fluttershy watched it all with a smile on her face as she enjoyed the cool breeze. Later that day, the Cutie Mark Crusaders arrived at Fluttershy’s house to see whether they had any skill at chiropracty, bed care, and field surgery, but they were summarily chased away by Angel and a horde of animals. Twilight commented on the sudden influx of birds, mice, squirrels, beavers and other animals, which Fluttershy explained a mass family reunion taking place later that week. When Monday finally came around, Fluttershy was able to move about the house, albeit slowly and painfully. The other Elements of Harmony threw her a party in her house while Fluttershy sat up with several blankets wrapped around her body. Applejack brought the food, Pinkie Pie brought the desert, Rarity decorated the house much to Angel’s chagrin, and Twilight brought the board game – Taxation Quest: The Search for Form 114b. Dash redeemed herself by not only accidentally tossing half the pieces out the window, but by presenting Fluttershy with a bouquet of flowers picked from all over Equestria. They were exceptionally beautiful and, every pony agreed, very tasty. They left Fluttershy alone after that, in a warm house still smelling of flowers and warmth as each pony went to bed. On Tuesday they held the funeral. Fluttershy was strong enough at last to make the short journey out of her house and down into the Everfree forest shortly before sunrise, guided and helped by Angel as she walked. Her skin was still raw and healing and so Fluttershy flinched and whimpered with each gust of wind upon her bandaged wounds. Half of the feathers on her left wing were missing so she lacked the ability to fly and so each step send a bolt of agony through her body as bruised skin and bone protested and her torn muscles screamed in agony. But still she walked, down a long a small path only animals used. Deeper, into the forest until she came to a small meadow where the sun could shine brightly and the wild flowers grew in profusion. They were all waiting for her when she arrived. The living and the dead. The dead at least seemed peaceful. There they were in a neat row, forty six bodies, or as close to it as Fluttershy could make. The bodies weren’t fully…intact; not a single one, but she had done her best. In the confusion and darkness of that night they had been buried in one small grave behind the house, and it was only recently that they had been exhumed and the contents…sorted. Fluttershy had done that, on those first long nights when the pain had kept her awake. Angel had wanted to do it himself of course, but who knew all the animals better than Fluttershy? She knew their faces, their personalities, their skeletal structure if you wanted to be blunt. She had assembled each pile of bones, removing flesh from bone and tossing the decayed skin away before washing each fragment of ivory until it gleamed a yellowish white. Angel hadn’t been up for the job, despite his desire to keep Fluttershy from exerting herself. He and the other animals had made themselves scarce as the odour of death and decay filled the house. But Fluttershy had continued, without throwing up or fainting, letting her hooves gradually become stained with blood as she rearranged each bone like part of a jig-saw puzzle. Some might have called it strange that Fluttershy could this when she would faint at seeing her own blood but this was different. She was holding her friends. And more than that, she owed it to them. One final duty perhaps, a small repayment of the debt she owed. In the end, she had taken each pile of bones and set it neatly on the turf, next to a small hole or a larger hole for some of the squirrels, the hawk and of course, the beaver. But the dead were not the only witnesses to this occasion. The living were there too, and their eyes all rested upon Fluttershy. Not one or two animals had come, no. Here in this small clearing there were hundreds of bodies, large and small. The community of animals around Ponyville was close-knit, no small thanks to Fluttershy, and they had come to pay their respects. But more than that, friends and family of each animal had come, sometimes from hundreds of miles at Fluttershy’s word. There they were. Families of blue jays, a colony of squirrels, the local beaver tribe and many more groups of animals, solemnly lined up in a large circle around the bodies. Winona, Tank, Gummy, Owlowiscious, Angel, and even Opal were there, line up in the front row. They had all sneaked away, run off, or in the case of Opal, viciously attacked Rarity in order to make it here today. Harry the bear was there too, looking despondent, eyes still red from weeping. Fluttershy knew he still blamed himself for not being there when it had all happened. But she had no time to console him today. Fluttershy stepped into the center of the glade, all eyes upon her. She didn’t feel nervous, not here. She was among animals she had known all her life, and although some had come from far away, she felt as though she was connected to them as well, through the fallen. The fallen. Fluttershy stared at a small, single bone to her left, next to a tearful family of mice, two larger mice and one small girl mouse. It had been all she could find, that single bone from the baby mouse that had lived in her home. He was just there for a day, so he could see the wondrous place where the pegasus who spoke to animals lived. He had been so happy to speak to her. Her eyes filled with tears, but that was alright. What she was about to do didn’t need sight. Blinking as the salty drops fell from her eyes, Fluttershy raised her gaze to the assembled crowd of animals and began to speak. In truth, she didn’t remember what she said that day, but she remembered the expressions. Each face was filled with a sorrow that went beyond mere tears or screaming. It was a pain that went inside you, cut out your heart and left you empty. It was a pain Fluttershy knew full well and it was all the more painful because those that had departed were not the old or infirm, but the young, those in the prime of their lives. And so the eye of each animal would dart to the bones of the dead, the unfilled graves, the ground, the sky, each other, but always back to Fluttershy. Their eyes did not judge, but seemed to ask her why this had happened. That was worst of all, that innocent, pain-filled question Fluttershy could not answer. But they listened as she told them what had happened. They heard her out as, haltingly, she described the events as she had seen them, ending with a simple description of the changeling’s death. Fluttershy cried in earnest then, and told them all that while she could not bring back those who were gone, she had made sure no others would be hurt. She told them that she would protect them, and it was a promise she made with both her mouth and her soul. Fluttershy saw grief in their faces then, but she also saw trust. And she wept still harder because with all that she had lost, she had not lost that at least. ---- Later, after the bodies had been buried, the last farewells said, the tears cried and the grave markers placed, they went back to Fluttershy’s house. And told stories. It was not a thing animals did, or perhaps it was and Fluttershy never knew it. But perhaps some of the understanding Fluttershy had of animals had let the animals understand more about ponies. For when they entered her house, the animals gathered in small groups no larger than ten and talked among themselves. There was no division based on species or age; robins chirped with hedgehogs, mice with rats and rats with eagles, and the lone toucan kept Tank and Winona company in the kitchen. Fluttershy sat with Gummy, Opal, Owlowiscious, and of course, Angel and they talked. It wasn’t a conversation made of words, so it is impossible to describe to someone who was not there. But they traded stories and moments of the living, as is appropriate, and kept on talking long into the evening. Twilight Sparkle and her friends found the door to Fluttershy’s house locked and barred when they tried to visit her that day, and they were politely but quietly rebuffed when they attempted to enter. Outsiders were not allowed in on that day. In the end, the animals left in their families or flocks, herds, troops, cultures, rookeries, congregations, colonies, stands, all words which meant a group of animals, but which Fluttershy had always simply translated as ‘people’. Most left, but some remained. From each group one or two animals held back, finding beds or food under Angel’s guidance, until Fluttershy’s house was as full as it had ever been. All of it, the funeral, the mourning, the wake, the stories and now the trust once again placed in her left Fluttershy too emotionally torn to fully make sense of things. She would have wept again, but she had no tears left in her for the moment. Instead, she went to bed at Angel’s firm insistence, and for once drifted off quickly, ignoring the throbbing pain all over her body, not sad, not tired, but merely grateful to be alive. That night Fluttershy woke up screaming as she dreamt of the teeth tearing into her flesh, ripping apart piece by piece. Angel was there, and he held her gently as she screamed and thrashed and eventually woke, sobbing and afraid in the night. After a few hours she calmed down as usual, and let him change her bandages, with the help of a few mice and one crow. Then, Fluttershy went and washed herself clean of the tears, inevitable snot, blood and grime and crawled back into bed. She made sure the covers were fully in place over her body before Twilight arrived to see how she was doing. And so Fluttershy started her day. ---- Two days later, Fluttershy buried the changeling. She went alone this time, not telling Angel where she went, merely that she’d be ‘out’ for a while. He might have suspected but he let her go, being content with teaching the new animals the rules of Fluttershy’s house and of Ponyville, such as the inadvisability of stealing Apples from the orchard, not going near Twilight’s house when the magic hung in the air, and never getting within five meters of Opal. It took Fluttershy some time to return to the clearing where the changeling had died, mainly because she didn’t remember the way. It wasn’t anything special, just another space in the Everfree Forest. It was quiet, remote yet within reasonable distance of Ponyville and…ordinary. Save for the corpse plastered against one of the trees it was as normal a spot as one might ever hope to see. The changeling was still there where it had died. It was even in the same spot; stuck to or rather splattered against the tree trunk. It would have been hard to identify it as a changeling, with its head caved in and torso flattened, green ichor anchoring it to the tree’s bark. Changelings are insects when all is said and done, and while their external appearance is close to a pony, their basic structure is far different. Ponies have bones. Changelings do not. That was the key factor separating Fluttershy and the changeling on that night. While it had an exoskeleton hard enough to deflect the blade of a knife, it could not stand up to the sheer, crushing force of hitting the tree. Come to that, Fluttershy’s bones had nearly broken as well, but she had survived, albeit injured and bruised to the bone while the changeling…it was part of the tree, now, like some kind of grotesque fungi, growing out of the bark. Fluttershy didn’t vomit at the sight of it, but she did when it came time to take it off the tree. The changing’s body came away in bits that fell to the earthen floor, and that was enough to make Fluttershy heave up everything she had ever eaten or dreamed of eating. Still, the body was eventually peeled off, or as much of it as could be without scraping the bark, and the changeling was buried in a small grave. Fluttershy didn’t mark it. She didn’t say anything as she buried the changeling, paused only once over its grave, and left silently as well, returning to her home where she made food for Angel and the others before going to sleep. But that night, she sat up in her bed and stared out into the forest, whispering to herself until dawn came. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…” ---- “Well, I see you’re finally up and about!” Twilight exclaimed when Fluttershy finally tried walking into Ponyville for the first time since the changeling’s attack. “I see you’re all better. It took you nearly a week to get out of bed! That head injury must have been a doozy!” “It was somewhat painful, yes,” Fluttershy admitted. “But as you can see, I’m all better now thanks to all those ointments and salves and Zecora’s potion.” “Yep, I’m glad to see that they worked! We should really thank Zecora for making it so quickly – I can’t believe I didn’t think of it earlier.” “Yes, I’ve already given her a thank-you card and basket of flowers but it never hurts to say thanks more than once. Oh, and Rarity’s tonic was essential as well.” “Really?” Twilight scratched her head with one hoof. “I wasn’t so sure about the hair-growth formulas and treatments, but if you say so Fluttershy.” Fluttershy smiled and deliberately avoided looking at the side of her flank where the changeling had torn a chunk of flesh away. It was still tender but camouflaged by a new growth of hair, courtesy of Rarity’s beauty products. “Well, after Angel tried to cut my mane I think Rarity nearly had a heart attack, so she gave me all the best hair-growing treatments she could find,” Fluttershy explained to Twilight. “It really helped.” “I guess that’s why she’s the Element of Generosity rather than the element of, I don’t know, eating cupcakes. Although that’s probably part of Pinkie Pie’s element now that I think of it.” “Probably,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “Anyways, it’s good to be up and about. I just want everything to go back to normal.” “Well, that doesn’t sound too hard,” Twilight joked. “Normal is pretty much all we have around here.” “Exactly, peace and quiet. I’ve been missing that, of late, but I think it’s all over now.” “Sounds good. By the way, have you seen the Cutie Mark Crusaders today?” “No, not since they tried to get their nursing cutie marks. Why do you ask?” “It’s just that Applejack is looking for Apple Bloom. Seems like she missed out on her chores earlier today, as did Sweetie Belle. Rarity’s furious and looking for them as well.” “Oh dear. But I bet they’re out somewhere trying to get their cutie marks, as usual. As normal, in fact, which is nice.” “Yes, well, they were going to the Everfree forest last anyone heard to get their cutie marks in outdoor survival, so I thought they’d passed by your cottage.” Fluttershy’s smile, which had been doing sterling work until now as a beacon of happy contentment, slipped slightly at Twilight’s words. “Out to the Everfree forest?” “Yeah, they wanted to go exploring. I just hope they didn’t go too far in – you know how confusing and scary the forest can be. The timberwolves aren’t active this time of year of course, but you never know what might be in there.” “I’m sure they’re fine,” Fluttershy said hastily. “No doubt they’re just wandering about or getting into trouble, nothing to worry about.” Twilight was briefly stumped by the paradoxical nature of Fluttershy’s reply, but before she could ask Fluttershy what she meant, the pegasus was gone. ---- Fluttershy walked back to her cottage quickly, briskly, and above all, not worriedly. Calmly, she gave everyone their midday meal, collectedly she cleaned up the house and got Harry his honey ration for the week, and with the utmost non-nervousness she waited by the window watching the road from Ponyville to the Everfree forest for any sign of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She was so un-perturbed in fact, that when the loud knocking on her door came several hours later, she nearly jumped through the ceiling in surprise. Fluttershy hastened to the door, preparing several gentle admonitions about staying out in the Everfree Forest too late as she yanked open the door. Her mouth opened. And then closed. Standing in front of her was not the three small figures of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but another pony entirely. Twilight. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders haven’t returned,” Twilight said without preamble before Fluttershy could collect her thoughts. “Nopony’s seen them since this morning, and Applejack and Rarity have searched everywhere in Ponyville.” “What?” Fluttershy’s heart began to pound wildly, as if Pinkie Pie had just started her one-pony band inside her chest. “Yeah, I mean they’re usually tardy or late, but this is different. I’ve never known Apple Bloom to skip her chores, or Sweetie Belle for that matter. Rainbow Dash also says she was going to show Scootaloo her moves earlier but she never showed up.” “Featherweight says he saw some ponies heading towards the Misty Mountains, but that might have been somepony else. Rainbow Dash is leading a group of pegasi out to search their now. Pinkie Pie’s staying in Ponyville with Rarity in case they come back, but Applejack and I are going into the forest to see if we can find them.” “Alone? Now?” Fluttershy’s voice was a squeak. “Don’t you think that might be…dangerous?” “Applejack’s tough and I’ve got magic,” Twilight said dismissively. “We’re going to Zecora’s first in any case. It’s likely the Crusaders went to her, and Zecora knows the Everfree better than anypony else, except maybe you Fluttershy.” “I, uh,” Fluttershy sought for a coherent sentence. “Oh don’t worry, we’re not expecting you to go out there, not right after you had that injury,” Twilight said. “We just need you to keep an eye on the road and tell us if you see the Crusaders, alright?” “Okay Twilight, I can do that but…” Fluttershy began wretchedly. “There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.” “I’m sure it can wait until tomorrow.” Twilight was glancing up to the moon just rising in the sky and back to Ponyville distracatedly. “I’ve got to get Spike to send a letter to Princess Celestia if we can’t find them before midnight. And Applejack’s waiting for me as well.” “Well, the thing is, it might be important…you see, there’s something I haven’t told you…” Fluttershy tried to make the words leave her lips, but fear, shame, horror and guilt all fought to make her voice unintelligible. “It’s about the changelings you see…” “Huh? What?” Twilight glanced back towards Ponyville. “Changing? Good, yes. That sounds like a plan. You get ready for bed – I’m sure that we’ll have this all sorted out in no time. The crusaders are probably at the castle of the two sisters or something.” “No, Twilight, I’ve really got to talk to you.” Fluttershy tried to make her words louder than the pounding of her heart, but Twilight wasn’t listening. “I’ve got to go Fluttershy. Keep and eye on the road, alright? I’ll see you tomorrow.” Fluttershy smiled weakly, and closed the door even as Twilight galloped back into the night. And then she sank to the floor, holding her head in her hooves. Her heart was beating out of her chest and that feeling, that familiar feeling of panic and dread and horror as back. All she could do was curl into a ball on the floor as she whispered to herself, “oh no. Not this. Oh no no no. Nonononononononono…”