//------------------------------// // Broken - When the Smile Died // Story: Path of Kindness and Blood // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Path of Kindness and Blood - Chapter 7 Broken Part 1 - When the Smile Died Pinkie Pie, also known as Ponyville's best party planner whose life was dedicated to making everypony smile, had a feeling that somepony had a bad case of the frowns. As with every single night, she was about to go to her well deserved rest after hours spent with her friends and at work in Sugarcube Corner. But today, her peaceful sleep was interrupted by a wave of uncontrollable trembling. She opened her eyes while her ears dropped, her puffed mane flattened as if it were a balloon that had lost all its air. “Doozy...” was the only word that left her mouth. Somewhere in Ponyville was a pony who was not smiling, who was anything but happy. Pinkie couldn’t stand for it, she wouldn’t rest until she put that frown upside down. She yawned and considered that maybe putting off sleep wasn’t the best idea in the first place. With a sad smile, she pressed her head against the pillow and closed her eyes. If what her doozy told her was correct, cheering this pony tomorrow will be the most difficult challenge in her entire life. “Applejack, Applejack!” Apple Bloom yelled as she poked her older sister. Unable to get any reaction, she jumped towards the bed, landing on the quilt covering her sister’s belly. “Applejack, wake up! Don’t make me wait any longer.” The filly yelped as a sudden roll of the farm mare threw her off the bed. She shook her head and smiled as her sister yawned. “You’re up, finally.” “Huh… Wha’ in tarnation is this fuss all about?” “How was your huntin’? Did you get that mean vampony? Were you hurt?” Applejack straightened her legs and rubbed her eyes. “Oh, that,” she said in a sleepy voice. “It was, how can Ah put it… an unusual case.” “Unusual?” Apple Bloom titled her head to the side in confusion before taking a few steps back, giving space for her sister to get off the bed. “Eeyup,” Applejack started, trying her best to imitate her older brother. “Ah got a mean vampony and Ah’m as fine as a mature apple picked from the tree. That’s all that matters.” “And what ‘bout the unusual part? Please tell me sis, tell me, tell me!” Apple Bloom plead while jumping up in place. “Well.” Applejack rubbed back of her neck nervously. “It’s…” She smiled awkwardly. “Ah’ll tell ya when yer older.” “Aww… That ain’t fair,” she said and frowned the moment her sister rubbed her mane. The filly trotted and followed Applejack into the field, but were stopped by Big Mac and Granny who waited for them outside. “Oh no, you ain’t goin’ to work today missy. Ya just returned from huntin’ and need some rest,” Granny said with a firm tone. Her glare saying that she was not going to back down. Applejack responded with a firm stomp. “Ah’m fine. A mission or two ain’t enough to keep me from work.” Apple Bloom watched silently as the arguing lasted for minutes with stubbornness and pride fueling it. Unable to take it any longer, she jumped between her family and shouted, “Can Winona and Ah play at Fluttershy’s!?” This got Applejack’s attention as if a swarm was in the apple orchard. The filly took a step back and continued, “What Ah mean is Fluttershy said she’ll visit and play with Winona today, and she ran off last night after hearin’ that scary story. Ah thought we could visit her instead. Save her the trouble.” “Awww, tha’ so sweet,” Granny said with a cheerful smile. “O’course ya can go little seed. That shy pegasus with a heart of gold surely will appreciate it.” “Eeyup,” Big Mac added firmly. “Ah don’t think so,” Applejack said in a depressed tone. Noticing the questioning looks on everypony’s faces, she frowned. “Forget it. Ah’m goin’ to bed.” Apple Bloom could only stare as her older sister just agreed to give up on working. DId Applejack just? the filly thought before rubbing her chin. “Suspicious.” “Eeyup,” Big Mac said, nodding in agreement. “If that mare ain’t hidin’ somethin, then Ah’m a timberwolf’.” Apple Bloom sharpened her glare. Ah’ll get to the bottom of this. *** Rainbow POV *** “I’ve gotta face it. I’m as much of a detective as Applejack is an egghead. Maybe Flutters or Pinkie will have some clues,” Dash said to herself as she flew towards the cottage. I gotta give AJ some credits though. That earthquake that buried my friends was not a natural occurrence. The wind blowing through her mane did little to calm her frustration. “I swear, if somepony was trying to hurt Fluttershy, I’ll wipe the floor with them… wait, is that Apple Bloom?” With a swift turn, Dash flew towards the filly and dog before landing with a weak thump against the dusty road. “Apple Bloom!” The filly turned around and waved while Winona barked happily. “Rainbow, what are ya doin’ here?” “I should be asking you the same question.” Dash pointed accusingly. “What brings you here without one of your family?” The filly rubbed her foreleg. “Well, a few days ago Fluttershy saved Winona–” The dog barked cheerfully and jumped in place. “We tried to thank her and be very welcomin’, but she ran after hearing a scary story.” “She did?” Dash asked before closing his eyes and chuckling. “Good old Fluttershy, she hasn’t changed a bit.” After opening her eyes, she looked between the dog and the filly before adding, “I’d ask how this is related, but I can already guess you both want to play with her and thank her again.” “Ah sure do,” Apple Bloom said before being licked in the muzzle. After pushing Winona’s face away, she continued, “Ah mean, we sure do.” Rainbow Dash spread her wings and offered, “Want a lift? I’ll get you there in a flash.” Noting a nod and hearing a bark, she added, “Hang on tight.” With one move of her wing, she placed Apple Bloom on her back who had latched onto her neck, next grabbing Winona’s belly and flying off. The dog exposed her tongue as it flapped across the wind. Several seconds later, Dash descended towards a small bridge leading to Fluttershy’s cottage and placed Winona on it. Apple Bloom jumped from her back, landing next to the dog. With no passengers on board, Dash’s attention then focused on the damaged cottage. Planks covering holes in the walls, cracks all over the house, and even fragments of wall scattered over the grass. “W-what happened here?” Apple Bloom looked at the cottage and asked, “What do you mean?” “I mean this place look as if a tornado went through here or something, and I don’t remember any storms being scheduled that could cause it.” In an instant, Dash remembered her investigation and the idea that somepony was trying to hurt Fluttershy hit her like a hammer. Not wasting a moment, she dashed towards the door and knocked hard enough for it to break loose. Apple Bloom quickly followed. “What is this dreadful noise?” “Rarity?” Dash said the moment a fashionista emerged from the kitchen, a rolling-pin levitated by her side. “Rainbow Dash, Apple Bloom, what are you doing here?” Rarity asked in confusion as she placed her weapon on the floor. The pegasus facehooved at the sudden feeling of deja vu before saying in a more annoyed tone, “I should be asking you the same question.” “Oh, you are absolutely correct,” the fashionista responded as she approached and pointed at the filly. “Though I would prefer if we talked in private.” Dash looked at Apple Bloom. “Oh, sure.” She turned to the filly and gestured towards the exit, when suddenly a dog ran inside and jumped at her. After receiving a few licks in the face, Winona jumped at Rarity, knocking her on her back. “No, wait, you will ruin my mane!” Her words were ignored as the dog covered her face in saliva before turning her attention to the floor, sniffing. “No, wait, do not go there,” Rarity said and got back to her hooves while Winona went upstairs. As she and Dash arrived in the bedroom, their attention focused on the dog sniffing the bed and Angel looking at her in annoyance. “Winona, be a dear and leave the bedroom, please.” Not bothered by Rarity’s pleas, the dog tried to crawl under the bed, but Angel’s whistling stopped her. With a quick hop, the bunny jumped on Winona’s head and started to stomp on it. The dog shook Angel off onto the floor and started licking him, who in response crossed his paws and frowned. Apple Bloom entered the bedroom, but was hauled away by Dash a moment later while Rarity grabbed the dog with her magic and brought her outside. “Okay you two, Rare and I need to talk about something important. I want you both to stay here,” Dash said with a lecturing gesture of her foreleg, but Winona just passed her and ran for the door, forcing Rarity to levitate her back towards Apple Bloom. “Okay, as I was saying–” Dash failed to finish as the dog make another run for for the stairs. “Oh, for Celestia’s sake!” This time however she wasn’t captured by Rarity, but instead was stopped by a paw of a bear with Angel perched on his head. Rarity pointed inside and said, “I believe Harry will keep Winona in check. Let us go.” Dash nodded while Rarity continued, “Apple Bloom, be a dear and wait for us here.” Dash followed the fashion mare as she looked around, easily noticing many attempts to repair the damage and a pile of ashes in place of the table. Her fear for Fluttershy grew with every passing second. The moment they were in the bedroom with closed curtains, the pegasus asked, “Okay Rares, what in Celestia’s name happened here?” “Are you going to call the princess’s name in every second sentence, darling?” Dash frowned. “Stop stalling and cut to the chase.” “Alright,” Rarity said as her head dropped in shame. “The meeting… didn’t go as planned.” “Meeting? Fluttershy didn't tell me about any meeting.” Rarity sat on the bed and levitated over a plate with cookies and crumbs from the eaten ones, but the pegasus just pushed it to the side and shook her head. With plate placed back on the shelf next to the bed, Rarity said, “Around a month ago, Vinyl Scratch moved to Ponyville and gave me a message to pass on to Fluttershy. It was saying that Vinyl’s former master wanted to meet with Fluttershy at the old castle in the Everfree Forest and discuss important matters with her.” “Wait a minute,” Dash said, shocked, her wings spread, “why didn't she tell me?” “Well, you were busy and Fluttershy didn’t want to bother you,” Rarity said before placing her hoof on the pegasus’s shoulder. “Besides, you are not a vam… thestral. She was unsure your neck would be safe amongst the crowd.” The moment Rarity retreated her hoof, Dash massaged her neck, smiling with a hint of fear. “Yeah… good point.” Fluttershy was always careful about drinking my blood back in Cloudsdale, but if what she said is true, not every thestral is as gentle as her. “Anyway, let us go back to telling the story, shall we?” Noticing a nod, Rarity continued. “On the way to the meeting we encountered a problem, a hunter to be precise.” “Hunter? You mean like a monster hunter!?” Dash shouted, but was quickly silenced by Rarity’s hoof. The unicorn quickly stood from the bed and trotted to the window, peeking from behind curtain to make sure that the filly was too far to hear it. With a sigh of relief as both Apple Bloom and Winona were busy playing with Angel and Harry, she returned to her previous spot on the bed. “Did he attack Flutters before following her back to the cottage to finish the job? Is he dead? Is Flutters alright?” “First off, she is not a hunter but a huntress, though I guess it is my fault for not stating it from the start,” Rarity corrected. “And to answer your questions; no, she didn’t follow Fluttershy here to finish the job, they’re both alive, Fluttershy let her go and she is resting now.” “Alive?” Dash frowned and facehooved. “I know Fluttershy is too kind for her own good, but what about you? You probably could have finished off the hunt...ress. Those bastards deserve nothing better after what they did to Fluttershy’s parents.” “Her parents?” “Oh, right,” Dash responded before looking to the side. “She probably didn’t tell you.” Rarity didn’t need more words as she raised her hoof to her muzzle. “Oh my… so her parents were…” Noticing a sad nod, she continued, “And yet she spared her life…” Rarity bit her lips before murmuring, “she suffered so much and still didn’t gave up on her principles.” “That’s Fluttershy for you. She may seem weak, but she is tougher than she looks. Pity that her strength is misdirected,” Dash said before taking a deep breath and pointing downstairs. “Okay Rares. If the huntress didn’t cause all this mess, who did?” “A spy, or maybe an assassin, I am not sure. When Fancy Pants, leader of the Canterlot’s clan, found out that Fluttershy wanted to spare the huntress’s life–” “He got mad and sent an assassin after Fluttershy?!” Dash shouted before being silenced by Rarity’s hoof. “Sorry.” With a firm stare, the unicorn pointed out, “Fancy Pants would not do such a shameful thing. Sharp Eye acted on his own.” Her ears dropped as she looked at the floor before continuing in a sorrowful tone, “However, he did withdraw his offer of protection. As long as the huntress’s family is alive, Fluttershy will be on her own.” “Protection?” Dash said as a memory of what Applejack once told her came into her mind. “Like, for example, somepony or vampony would want to hurt Fluttershy?” “Nopony would dare to raise a hoof at her with Fancy Pants being involved.” Dash stomped her hoof against the floor as it cracked a bit from the impact. “That’s it. I can’t stand by and watch as my friend’s kindness is bringing her pain. Just tell me the name of the huntress and I’ll snap her neck,” she said loudly, but not too loud as a struggle waged inside her. The question if she was really ready to take a life for her friend’s sake was born in her mind. After making one quick run to the window to check on Apple Bloom’s distance from the cottage, she looked at the unicorn with a curious stare. Rarity smiled awkwardly and chuckled. “Would like something to drink? I believe you might be parched after coming here.” Noticing a shake of Dash’s head, she said, “I always wondered why Ditzy’s family would put so much effort with a secret passage under Fluttershy’s bed. What I mean is that the bedroom is on the second floor. It would be so much easier if–” “Rarity,” Dash said with an angered glare as she walked towards her. “Lord Fancy asked his guards to help me clean the mess, but I think a small renovation is in order.” “Quit stalling. Those hunters deserve no mercy, and if I have to kill to protect my friend, so be it,” Dash said, hiding her hesitation behind determined stare. More seconds passed as the unicorn tried to find any sort of excuse, but Dash’s glare broke her resistance. She sighed in defeat and said the huntress’s name. “Applejack.” “W-what?” Dash said as she took a step back and fell over, her eyes wide and breathing quickening. “Applejack and her family are monster hunters,” Rarity stated, not looking the pegasus in the eyes. Dash rose to her hooves and closed her eyes as she leveled her breath. Her mind trying to deny this new information. After a moment to calm down, she sat and demanded, “I want to hear the full story. Spare no details.” Rarity took a moment of her time to head outside and explained to Apple Bloom that Fluttershy was not feeling well while asking for her to leave. The filly, somewhat satisfied after playing with the bear and other animals in a game called ‘monster catcher,’ went home, trotting happily with Winona by her side. With both the filly and the dog out of the picture, she started recalling yesterday’s events. *** Both mares sitting in the middle of the room looked at their hooves in depression as Rarity opened her mouth, but closed it a moment later, unsure how to cheer up a pony whose friend turned out to be an enemy. Dash’s words caught her attention, “I see how it is. The friend I knew for the past several months… is gone.” She could see Dash’s ears flattening against her head and noticed her bitten lips before the next words left her mouth, “She was an enemy all along.” “What are you going to do?” Rarity asked, somewhat afraid of incoming answer. Dash grit her teeth and closed eyes as tears started to flow from them. “Why?” She turned her head and slapped the shelf. “Why Applejack?” She grabbed a plate of cookies and threw it at the wall, but Rarity’s magic caught it just in time. *** Dash looked around for anything to unleash her anger on. Part of her felt relieved that her friend was alive, spared thanks to Fluttershy’s mercy and sacrifices. But another part was enraged. Damn you AJ. Why a huntress, why you of all ponies? The pegasus delivered a kick against the shelf next to the bed, but the fashionista blocked it with a hoof. “Calm yourself this instant!” Rarity ordered while taking a fighting stance, standing on her rear hooves with forelegs prepared to restrain the pegasus. How can I forgive her, forgive all the pain she caused Fluttershy? Dash thought as her wings started to flap uncontrollably, sending a breeze against Rarity’s face. Fluttershy’s delicate heart was wounded, she had to fight for her life twice, she lost the protection of some vampony lord and is now blaming herself for taking a life, all because of you. Dash’s thoughts were interrupted by movement from under the bed. Rarity and Dash turned to look at the moving bed, or rather at the secret passage that opened and revealed their friend. In an instant they rushed to Fluttershy, who rubbed her eyes and looked between them. “M-morning.” “Fluttershy, how are you feeling?” Rarity asked in concern, still remembering the trembling wreck her friend was the previous night. Dash wiped her tears. The thestral looked her friends in the eyes for a few seconds in silence before murmuring, “Poorly.” Any hope that their friend had recovered even a little had gone out of the window. Rarity’s ears dropped as she asked in a sad tone, “Is there anything we can do to cheer you up. Tea? Cookies? Music? Blood pack maybe?” Fluttershy shook her head in response. “But darling, you haven’t eaten or drank anything since yesterday, and you lost a lot of blood during the fight. You must be starving.” “And if I do?” Fluttershy asked with defeated tone. “Does it really matter?” “Of course it matters,” Rarity said with a firm stomp. “Your health is very important to us.” “It shouldn’t,” she responded before turning to Dash who stared at her motionlessly. “Hey Dash...” The pegasus grabbed her friend tightly. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to a dangerous meeting? If you took me when all this happened… I’m so sorry, Fluttershy.” Much to Dash’s surprise, her friend didn’t hug her back, nor did she say a single word. It was as if she was nothing more than a motionless doll. The moment she was released, Fluttershy walked downstairs in silence. Dash and Rarity followed and assisted with feeding animals, who seemed to be very depressed for obvious reasons. A few birds flew inside from the window with a tiara made of flowers and placed it on their master’s head before singing to the best of the abilities. Squirrels placed nuts on the floor in a shape of a heart and even a seal entered the cottage and pointed at his own massive neck, obviously inviting for his master to feed. Their attempts failed to bring any reaction from Fluttershy who just fed and pet them absentmindedly before cleaned the nuts from the floor with her wing. Once Rarity entered the kitchen to make a tea for herself, Dash got in Fluttershy’s way and spoke in desperation, “Flutters, I recognize this look.” She grabbed her friend’s forehoof and plead, “Don’t you dare to stay under the sun for hours, or any other attempt on your life.” Tears started forming in Dash’s eyes once again as her grip on Fluttershy’s hoof tightened. Her wings spread and flapped nervously. “Don’t you dare, you hear me? Don’t you dare! I won’t let you, even if I will need to guard you entire day and night!” Fluttershy responded nearly emotionlessly, “You can rest easy, Dash. I won’t die, no matter how much I wish to do.” “W-what?” Dash asked, her mouth opened agape. “If I die, Applejack and her family will be killed… I won’t let this happen,” she said before stomping as a few centimeters hole in the floor was formed from the impact. Her face gained a small resemblance of determination. “I won’t bring any more deaths if I can help it. I swear.” She sighed and looked at the seal who bounced small ball on the top of his nose. “I’ll feed, but later. I’m not in the mood at the moment.” As the thestral passed the pegasus and went into the kitchen, Dash’s ears and wings dropped. Did she give up…? Did she just give up on everything? She grit her teeth and felt as if her blood was boiling. Applejack caused all of this! When I’ll get my hooves on her– Her thoughts were interrupted by knocking on the door. “Who's there?” “The one and only.” “Huh…” Dash rubbed top of her head. “Pinkie?” The door opened as streamers were shot into the room. Pinkie Pie stood at the entrance on her rear hooves and with spread forelegs. A wide smile formed on her face. “It’s me!” Before Dash could recover from her shock, Pinkie jumped over and spoke, “Last night, I felt a doozy, but it wasn’t any normal doozy, but a very, very big one. I mean, a pony becoming very very sad in a cottage near the Everfree Forest, what can be bigger than that?” “Umm…” “And so I thought, ‘Pinkie, you can not let this pony be sad’. By this pony I mean Fluttershy by the way… So the moment I woke up this morning, I asked the Cakes to give me a free day for a ‘sad pony emergency’. I gathered some supplies and rushed here so here I am,” Pinkie finished with her teeth exposed in a smile while her muzzle pressed against the pegasus’. With help of her foreleg, Dash pushed Pinkie’s face away and said, “Okaaay… but I think her depression is far too deep even for you to handle. This is very serious, Pinkie.” “Well duuh. Of course this is serious. A sad pony in Ponyville is a serious business. Just leave it to Doctor Pinkamena Diane Pie to make it all better,” she responded and patted Dash’s head. Not waiting for permission, Pinkie passed the pegasus and looked around the room while bouncing in place. “Where’s Fluttershy? Where’s she, where’s she?” Noticing the shy mare coming out from the kitchen, she dashed to her. *** “Hello Fluttershy!” Pinkie shouted before displaying the most cheerful smile she could muster. After not receiving any response as they both stared at each other, she continued, “I’m here to cheer you up. We’ll have all kinds of fun.” “Fun? I’m sorry, Pinkie, but you’re talking with the wrong mare,” Fluttershy said calmly as she stared at the party pony with emptiness in her eyes. “You’ll just waste your valuable time trying to cheer me up.” She looked to the side and added, “You’d be better off having fun with all your other friends.” Pinkie gasped in a pure shock. “How can you say that? I can’t have fun and cheer with anypony knowing that one of my friends is so sad!” Her ears dropped as a pout appeared on her face. “You should know me better than that,” Pinkie said before pressing forehoof against her own chest. “I won’t rest until I bring back the smile on your face. Cross my heart, hope to fly–” Fluttershy cut off Pinkie with a hoof and sighed. “It’s those efforts that I call useless. I feel hollow… empty… you can’t fill the void with happiness.” She whimpered. “Ever since I met you, you tried to welcome me, cheer me up, bring a meaning to my insignificant life.” She gestured over the no longer as ruined as yesterday room, pointing at a few of her saddened animals. “All my animal friends, and the bits for food I need to feed them, I have only thanks to you. And yet, I did nothing in return, nor was I fun to be around.” Pinkie approached and lowered herself, now looking up at Fluttershy’s dropped muzzle. “But I don’t want anything in return. Being a good friend isn’t a trade, but a desire to make others happy. Besides, your smile was reward enough.” Fluttershy turned around. “That’s why you should leave. I can’t smile and you can’t bring a smile to my face. From the start I was a poor friend.” She shook her head. “All I am doing is making you sad. You shouldn’t waste your time on a pony like me.” Pinkie was about to grab Fluttershy if only to squeeze the sadness out of her, but her promise of respecting personal space restrained her from such action. She poked her hooves together and said, “Please, don’t say such things.” She carefully placed a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Sure, we had a poor start and keeping my energetic self in check wasn’t easy, but you’re anything but a poor friend. If anything, I wasn’t a good friend to you.” Her ears dropped. “I should’ve visited you more often, organized you better and bigger parties, I’m so sorry.” “...” Pinkie’s forelegs trembled as her as she closed her eyes, fighting against herself before embracing the pegasus with her hooves. Squeezing Fluttershy’s belly and wings while pressing the head to her chest. “I’m willing do everything in my power to give you giggles and make your worries go away, starting with a warm hug.” She tightened her grip to a bone-crushing level, but the shy mare didn’t seem to care. “I’m… tired of hugs,” Fluttershy murmured with a bored expression. Pinkie gasped before pushing the hugged pony towards sofa and next throwing Dash and Rarity outside. “This is worse than I thought. You two better stay outside, things are going to get overwhelmly cheerful!” *** The door to the cottage slammed shut, leaving Fluttershy’s friends outside, speechless. They looked at each other and shrugged. “So, what now?” Dash asked. “We leave it to Pinkie Pie, I suppose. I must admit that she is slightly crazy and… may seem over the top.” “May seem?” Dash raised an eyebrow. “I get your point. However, while I do not know Pinkie very well, I am sure about one thing.” She smiled weakly. “You cannot stay sad whenever she is around.” Both mares flinched at the loud noises coming from the inside as streamers and balloons escaped from the window on the upper floor of the cottage. Dash quickly pressed her ear against the door. “What is she doing?” Rarity asked curiously. Dash kept her ear against the wood for a moment longer. “I think she is singing something like; ‘I’m gonna make you smile… if you’re sad or yellow… because I love to make you smile, smile, smile…” “Oh my,” Rarity said as she took a step back and raised forehoof up to her mouth. “I had not expected she would bring out the big guns so fast. Hopefully she will manage to get Fluttershy out of her depression.” Dash walked away from the door gave Rarity a serious stare. “This isn’t the only problem we have to worry about. Fluttershy’s life may be in danger.” “Danger?” “Do you remember the spa incident?” Rarity frowned before wiping sweat from her forehead, already feeling rays of the sun weakening her body. “How could I forget, I nearly died!” The pegasus rubbed back of her neck nervously. “Yeah, about that. It seems that it wasn’t an accident, but rather some sort of assassination attempt. Rarity, are you alright?” The fashion mare gasped as her body didn’t budge. “I know it may be hard for you,” Dash said and poked Rarity, who just fell onto the ground as a foreleg landed on her forehead dramatically. Suddenly, the sound of a moving couch caught Dash’s attention as it levitated towards the cottage and landed next to Rarity with a loud thump. *** “So… this is what happened,” Rarity said while lying on her couch, Dash sitting next to her. “The rubble that crushed my bones, all the pain and my transformation into a thestral. It all happened because,” she paused and lowered her head, “somepony with the power to cause earthquakes tried to take Fluttershy’s life.” “Pretty much,” Dash said in understanding as she placed forehoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “I know it must be difficult to accept, but I hope you won’t hold a grudge against Fluttershy. I wanted to ask her if she knows who the assassin might be so we can protect her, but now I feel that she wouldn’t be able to handle it right now.” She looked at Rarity with pleading eyes. “Please Rares, don’t tell her what I told you. She’ll blame herself for what happened to you and she already seems suicidal.” The fashionista stood up from the couch. “Do not worry Rainbow Dash, I will not do anything to hurt her wounded heart and I would not dare to blame her for what happened to me that day.” She looked at the cottage and said with determination, “Right now we should focus on protecting her.” “I knew I could count on you,” Dash said cheerfully. “Hopefully Pinkie will know if somepony new visited the town that day. Her memory and ability to find out if somepony is moving to Ponyville is legendary, like when Flutters and I moved to here after my birthday party.” “Speaking of Pinkie,” Rarity interrupted, “how is she doing?” The pegasus shrugged. “Not sure. From the noises I’ve heard, I assume she sang one more time and told several jokes, but the curtains down here are drawn so I couldn’t see anything.” She rubbed the dirt with a hoof as she continued, “I honestly doubt any of those loud noises will accomplish anything besides scaring Fluttershy.” The door suddenly opened and both mares quickly approached it. What they saw however tore apart any hopes they may have had. Instead of a cheerful and bouncing in place pink mare with a puffy mare, they saw a mix between pink and grey, a straight mane and tail, but worse of all, they saw tears. “Pinkie, what happened?!” Dash asked with a panicked tone. The party mare just wiped her tears and spoke, “So sad. She’s so sad and there’s nothing I could do.” She looked at the floor in shame. “I tried songs, jokes, games, threw cake into my own face, all kind of delicious desserts, but she never laughed or smiled…. it hurts.” She dropped to the floor and looked up at the now towering ponies, their worried faces did little to cheer her up. “I tried... I really tried... I’m so sorry." “Pinkie, it was only half an hour,” Dash said before receiving a surprised stare from Rarity. “Yeah, you were out cold for quite a while.” She turned back to Pinkie and helped her stand. “Listen Pinkie. You tried your best and any effort counts, but with Fluttershy, you need way more time. She needs all support she can get and time to heal after what she experienced.” “Y-you’re right. I shouldn’t give up,” Pinkie said as her mane puffed up again. She took a cupcake out of nowhere and spoke, “I’m not gonna give up until I will bring back smile on Fluttershy’s face, cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. Pinkie Promise!” “Okay…” Dash said hesitantly before being grabbed by the party mare a moment later. “There’s no time to lose. Fluttershy’s upstairs, lying on her bed,” Pinkie said hastily before whispering, “I want to organize a special surprise here in the cottage. Can you take her away somewhere for a few hours? It’s important.” Dash looked at Rarity with a doubtful look, but the fashionista nodded while smiling encouragingly. “If it’ll help my friend, sure,” Dash responded, whispering. After releasing the pegasus, Pinkie grabbed Rarity and quietly said, “I’ll need your help with the surprise.” “S-sure, darling.” “Great,” Pinkie said before releasing Rarity who landed on her flank with a weak thump and a moment later massaged it. Disappearing in a cloud of dust, Pinkie dashed towards the second floor with Dash following her, only to run outside with a depressed pony on her back. She placed Fluttershy on the ground, pulled Rarity inside, threw out Rainbow and closed the door. Both Fluttershy and her friend blinked in confusion as they were now stuck outside. The blue pegasus was first to speak, “Well… that happened.” She turned to Fluttershy and asked, “Wanna hang out? I know you don’t like being in public or under the sun, but maybe a walk will clear your mind.” Fluttershy looked at the ground for a few seconds while rubbing a little pebble. After kicking it lightly, she nodded silently. “Cool. Where would you like to go?” The vampony pointed towards Sweet Apple Acres in the distance, causing Dash to spread her wings and ask, “What, why there?” “Winona… I promised to visit her.” “B-b-but, after everything that happened, you can’t possibly consider going there of all places!” Dash protested with a firm stomp. “Don’t you care that it’s the home of your enemy?” “No,” Fluttershy responded absentmindedly. “There’s something I need to confirm with Applejack.” “And if she attacks you? You’re defenseless under the sunlight, that’s something she can exploit,” Dash said in panic before pointing at Fluttershy accusingly. “And your hunger makes everything worse. Now even the sun could be deadly, you have to reconsider!” Fluttershy shook her head. “If Applejack would be willing to exploit my weakness, there's something I need to find out.” She sighed. “If I die, so will her family.” Dash bit her lips. She knew it was a terrible idea, however it seemed important to Fluttershy and it would be better if they both went to confront Applejack rather than Fluttershy doing it on her own. “Fine, but I’m not leaving your side even for a moment, got it?” “To be honest… I hoped you would say that,” Fluttershy said with a nod before they both went towards Sweet Apple Acres.