//------------------------------// // The Birth of New Fluttershy - Fury // Story: Path of Kindness and Blood // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Path of Kindness and Blood - Chapter 9 The Birth of New Fluttershy Part 2 - Fury Fluttershy galloped through a passage in the Everfree Forest, following her escaping friend. Unlike during yesterday’s training with Applejack, which was at night, this time the only protection she had from the sun were the trees and leaves blocking most of rays from reaching her. It had been nearly an hour since their training started, and yet the earth pony had shown no signs of tiredness. Her heart-rate and breathing rhythm being a sign of good health and a high reserve of stamina. Much to her surprise, Applejack stopped and raised both of her hind legs, now ready to attack. Out of reflex, Fluttershy jumped back, just in time to evade the powerful kick. Dust spread across her hooves before she came to a full stop. “Not bad, but ya can’t win by dodgin’ alone!” Applejack shouted before turning around and jumping at her. Fluttershy’s wings closed in front of her, forming a shield as it deflected the hooves of her foe. She flapped them firmly, causing a strong wind that pushed Applejack away. The huntress pressed her forelegs into the ground to anchor herself against the wind. “What are ya waitin’ for? Now’s yer chance to attack.” “Oh, right,” Fluttershy said before jumping at Applejack while swinging her foreleg, the punch missed though as Applejack ducked and countered with an uppercut. Fluttershy massaged her chin before her eyes widened. Her wings raised protectively to deflect more of Applejack’s strikes. While she exceeded the huntress in terms of strength, without letting loose of her instincts, she failed to land many successful hits on the farm mare. Punch after punch, kick after kick, both fighters exchanged blows while Fluttershy ended up mostly on the receiving side. I must admit, physical combat against Applejack is my least favourite part of training… not that I like combat in the least, Fluttershy thought as her memory of the fight against the turned earth pony surfaced in her mind. Even when she let loose and smashed tree after tree just to get to the assassin, her hesitation gave the enemy an opening. Think, Fluttershy. You faced a foe nearly the size of Big Mac who was excellent at hoof to hoof combat, who used dark magic to send plants after his enemies while staying at a safe distance. How can I…? Her train of thought was interrupted by Applejack who tackled her to the ground. “Is everythin’ alright? Ya spaced on me in the middle of combat.” Fluttershy let out a tired breath. “I was… thinking about something.” The huntress helped her stand and pointed at the exit from the Everfree Forest. “Yer gettin’ a bit too distracted. Ah suppose a break’s in order.” “That would be nice,” Fluttershy said as she started walking towards her cottage with Applejack by her side. Both mares left the coverage of the trees as the cottage slowly came into view. “Ya did quite well… all things considered,” Applejack said. “You… you really think so?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly. “Ah sure do,” Applejack responded with a smile, matching up Fluttershy’s steps. “When Ah decided to help ya, Ah was expectin’ far more arguin’. Ah can be called stubborn and all, but yer pacifism exceeded even that.” “Oh… well… maybe it’s because I have a reason for learning how to defend myself.” “And what that would be?” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me another assassin wants us dead.” Fluttershy blushed and turned her head. “N-no… why ever you would think that?” Much to her surprise, she felt a hoof rubbing top of her head. “Yer so bad at lying, Sugarcube. If ya don’t want to tell me, Ah’m fine with that. Just know that Ah’ll support ya,” Applejack said with an encouraging smile, causing Fluttershy to gasp. Applejack closed her mouth and fixed her mane. “Ya know all that vampony stuff and how to deal with them. Ah’ll trust ya on this.” Fluttershy slowed down, looking directly into Applejack’s eyes while thinking of a proper response. “T-thank you.” “Yer welcome,” Applejack said before rushing ahead to open the door into the cottage, only to flinch. Fluttershy blinked in confusion. With growing curiosity, she approached the open door before looking from behind Applejack. No… Her eyes widened. No… Her legs trembled, bones turning into jelly. Not him! “Welcome home, Miss Fluttershy. Or would you prefer Flutterbat?” She opened her mouth, but no words escaped it as her throat suddenly became dry. “What, no warm welcome? No words to say? You disappoint me.” “Sir Shackles,” Applejack said in a panic, “what are ya doin’ here?” “I should be asking you the same question. Now, would you mind explaining why you’re in the company of a thestral, and a pureblood at that?” the pegasus asked, looking between the huntress and the pureblood. “Furthermore. I don’t remember giving you permission to call me by name.” This is bad, this is bad. I’m not in my disguise… in Applejack’s company. What do I do? Fluttershy bit her foreleg nervously as she looked at her panicked friend. I can’t attack Applejack or act as if she’s my prisoner, he’ll see through it with ease. Her ears perked up, picking up a sound from some nearby trees. A hidden escort. Fighting’s not an option either. Panic and anxiety grew as her teeth sunk deeper into her foreleg. “Ah… Ah… Ah got nothin’,” Applejack said, looking to the side. “We will talk about this later,” Shackles said before stomping firmly. “Now sit and wait.” Fluttershy could see a weak hint of resistance in Applejack before the farm mare sat as ordered, though annoyance was clear on her face. She took a step back the moment Shackles approached, her heart beating at an increased rate. “You sure kept me waiting, Flutterbat. I hope you don’t mind that I used your kitchen to make myself a cup of tea.” Her mouth refused to open as she stared at her mortal enemy, shaking. “Ever since I spared your life, I appointed a spy to keep track of your location. Send my regards to your friend’s family for taking care of you by the way,” he said, causing Fluttershy to gulp. He knows… she thought, her fear for her friends increasing. “You seem to have grown quite a bit. I still remember you as a young filly,” Shackles said, now stopping mere centimeters in front of her. Staring firmly into her eyes. “Ever since I took the life from your parents, I was wondering if you would actually recover from the trauma, or die as a nervous wreck. I must say that I was quite relieved after finding out you moved to Ponyville.” Something inside Fluttershy snapped. She felt as if something was burning inside her, anger. “Why so quiet? Is this how you thank me for sparing you?” She looked to the side and closed her eyes. Calm down, Fluttershy… keep your anger in check. “Are you still sore about your parents’ deaths? Are you angry at me? Do memories of how I sliced their heads off haunt you in your dreams?” Fluttershy bit her lip, her forelegs trembling. “If you’re angry, how about you pay me back? I’m right in front of you. You won’t get a better opportunity.” Don’t let him provoke you, Fluttershy thought as she held her ground, her eyes watered. “Stop ignoring me!” Fluttershy felt a hoof slapping her in the face. She turned her head to look at Shackles with tears in her eyes. A punch in the stomach followed, pushing her a little back. After taking a deep breath, she regained her composure. “Are you going to return the favour or not?!” Shackles asked, pointing at his exposed chest. “Leave her alone!” Applejack shouted as she ran over, clearly angered. Fluttershy looked between her parents’ killer and his subordinate in a panic, before blocking the path. “Applejack, stop!” The farm mare pulled herself to a full stop. “What, why?” Why… that’s a good question, Fluttershy thought as she wondered why she got in Applejack’s way, much less why she didn’t sink her teeth into Shackles’ neck. No, think rationally, think of the consequences. It’s not worth it. Too little to gain, too much to lose. “Please, don’t do something you’ll regret.” Much to her surprise, she felt something pat her on the back. “Very good. I should’ve expected nothing less from a filly raised by such a peaceful family,” Shackles said before patting her on the head. “Even after all this time, after all I did, you still follow your parents’ teachings. Still innocent, but now mature enough to know who is in charge here.” She could feel Shackles’ hooves turning her around as his muzzle pressed against hers. “Now tell me, who is in charge here?” “Y-you…” “I can’t hear you.” “You…” “Good, you proved to be worth sparing,” he said, rubbing top of her head before pointing towards the Everfree Forest. “Now, be a good little vampony and go on a stroll through that forest while I and your friend have a small heart to heart conversation.” Fluttershy nodded before giving Applejack a saddened glance. As she approached the forest, she grit her teeth. The anger boiling within her demanding to be unleashed, slowly reaching a critical point. Her steps becoming more firm with each second as they started sinking into the ground. A few following birds quickly hid behind the trees. Applejack’s mind was a mess. Just a moment ago she was stopped from assaulting her officer, a mistake that would cost her dearly. Not that it changed all that much as she was seen betraying the organization. In the end, the outcome would be dire. She watched Fluttershy heading towards the forest in pity before flinching from Shackles’ stare. Drops of sweat and an awkward smile appeared on her face. “Well… Ah can explain… actually, Ah can’t...” she said, tapping her hooves together. “Don’t worry that pretty little head of yours. I already figured out what’s going on here.” “Ya did?” Applejack asked in shock. The pegasus nodded before placing a forehoof on Applejack's shoulder, his foreleg around her neck, an experience she found to be very creepy considering the circumstances. “For years you were friends with that mare, only to find out she was a young and naive pureblood vampony. Instead of fighting a losing battle, or reporting about your discovery, you decided to gain her trust by pretending to be her friend.” Applejack’s eyes opened widely, her head threatening her with a headache as she tried to comprehend what she just heard. “Ya think… that Ah’m pretending to be her friend?” Shackles retreated his forehoof and fixed his bowtie. “But of course. Torturing her would provide us with some useful information, however gaining her trust can will give us much more in the long run.” He smirked. “Surely you wouldn’t want to befriend such a monster for any reason other than to spy on her, am I right?” Applejack looked to the side and frowned. “Are you unhappy with my conclusion? Is this about your family’s policy to speak the truth and be honest with everypony?” “Maybe,” Applejack said with crossed forelegs. “Oh, so you would prefer if I told everypony in the guild how you befriended our greatest enemy, bringing shame upon yourself and your family?” Shackles asked before clearing his throat. “Obtaining the truth is simple. All you need to do is make everyone believe it is the truth.” He grinned. “Surely befriending a naive enemy to gain precious information for the guild is the real reason behind your actions. Not because you felt companionship with a cause of an infection that threatens our kingdom? What would your family and fellow hunters think of you?” Applejack stared back as her blood boiled. But no matter how much she wished, she couldn’t deny that a lie would save her and her family’s skins. “Ah’m spyin’ on Fluttershy. Yer right, sir.” She could feel Shackle’s hoof patting her on the head, similar gesture to what he did to Fluttershy. “Very good! Of course as a spy you’re now, I expect you will provide me with small bits of useful information from time to time. You wouldn’t want me to decide that spying on Fluttershy isn’t worth more than eliminating her.” Applejack grit her teeth before taking a few calming breaths. “Will do.” Upon noticing that her boss turned around and was ready to leave, she asked, “May Ah ask ya a question… Sir?” The officer stopped and turned around, now looking back curiously. “Granted.” “Ya said ya spared Fluttershy before and yer sparing her now. Any other hunter would kill her without hesitation. May Ah ask why?” Shackles rubbed his chest with a hoof before looking at the stars. “I suppose I can tell you, since you won’t be telling this to anypony, knowing full well the price you would pay for betraying me.” Applejack gulped and nodded. “The truth I told her was that I already filled my pocket after killing her parents. So I spared her as an early birthday present since it was the next day.” “And the other truth?” Applejack asked, playing along by her boss rules. “I did it for my son.” Applejack blinked in confusion. “Yer son?” Shackless approached the farm mare and spoke in a calmer tone, “I may be greedy and manipulative bastard, but I am not an idiot. I wouldn’t gain much by killing that young pureblood, but by sparing her, I leave an easy target for my son to hunt when I go into retirement.” “Easy?” Shackles poked Applejack’s forehead. “Is anything getting through that thick skull of yours?” He asked, receiving a frown in return. “Yes, easy. If you haven’t noticed, I am a murderer in Flutterbat’s eyes, and after all I did to provoke her, she still refuses to fight back. She’s an easy target, a perfect investment for my son’s future.” He turned around before continuing, “Just think what will happen if after I go into retirement, my son kills a pureblood all by himself.” Applejack took a step back as realization struck her. She pointed at Shackles and said, “He’d become a hero, just like ya did. Get boost in popularity, promotion and so on.” Shackles chuckled. “I killed two purebloods, my son will kill one. My family will gain a legacy as pureblood slayers while my son’s future will become bright. Now, since I answered your question, I expect something in return.” “And that is?” Applejack asked suspiciously. “Keep Flutterbat safe. I would hate it if my son’s meal ticket were to die by somepony else’s hooves.” Applejack sighed. This one request she would gladly accept. “Will do.” The moment Shackles… and his crew that she hadn’t noticed until now left, Applejack massaged her forehead. She always believed in honesty, and today she was forced to accept a lie to save her skin. She hated Shackles for the pain he put Fluttershy through, but ironically, his greed was the reason she was spared in the first place. The pony she talked with just now was an evil heartless greedy monster… who cared for the future of his family. At times like this, she wished things would be black and white as they used to be. After at least a minute to recover from her shocking experience, she walked into the Everfree Forest. “Sugarcube, where are ya?” she shouted, looking left and right in search for her friend. A few birds flew over and lead the way. As she walked further in, an odd sight caught her attention. The road was covered by fallen trees, all pulled from their roots. Most were also filled with hoof-shaped holes, but some were sliced into large pieces, most likely by Fluttershy’s enhanced wings. After counting at least fifteen destroyed trees, a lying thestral caught her attention. “Fluttershy!” she shouted, running over to the exhausted pony, quickly noticing sweat and heavy breathing. “What happened?” Fluttershy raised her head and looked her in the eyes. “I… I needed to… unleash my anger.” She looked over the damage she caused and next at the small fragments of wood stuck in her mane. “Seems there was a lot of it…” She lowered her head and sighed. “Sorry for what you had to go through today.” Applejack resisted the urge to hug her friend and instead sat next to her, wiping a few wood fragments from Fluttershy’s mane before stroking her. “It’s alright, Sugarcube. Ah’m surprised ya didn’t unleash it on that bastard of a pony.” “That’s what he wanted. If I let him provoke me, both of us would be dead by now.” Fluttershy raised her head and looked at her with worry. “What about you, did he mark you as a traitor?” Applejack shook her head before looking to the side. Her ears dropped. “Nope. The truth he came up with was that Ah’m spyin’ on ya, fakin’ our friendship. He expects me to give him information from time to time in return.” Much to Applejack’s surprise, Fluttershy gave her a weak smile. “I suppose it’s for the best.” Applejack chuckled. “Ah suppose it is… by the way, Fluttershy, I asked him why he spared ya. Ya may not like the answer.” Fluttershy grit her teeth and stood on her trembling legs before sitting, maintaining balance thanks to Applejack's support. “I’m listening.” The farm mare spoke nervously, “Shackles keeps ya alive so… once he goes into retirement... his son can hunt ya down…” “I see…” Fluttershy said before rubbing her chin. Staying surprisingly calm. “I suppose it’s good news for me.” “Good news? What do ya mean?” Fluttershy smiled. “It means that we’re both safe for a few decades. It gives me time to prepare.” “Prepare!?” Applejack said, jumping to her hooves. “Are ya actually considerin’ trainin’ after all that happened?” Fluttershy struggled to stand before nodding. “I feel more motivated to train my fighting skills than ever before.” “What… but why?” Fluttershy took a deep breath. “Because I realized something, something that Lord Fancy Pants tried to tell me.” Applejack took a step back. “Fluttershy… Ah would appreciate if ya’d keep such information from me if possible.” The thestral ignored her words and continued, “After I spared your life, he told me that I need to show resolve behind my decisions. What he tried to tell me was that being kind makes me weak and easy to exploit, either by ponies like Shackles or that other assassin that attacked Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to provoke me.” “Wait, what!?” Applejack flinched, her ears straightened and eyes large like plates. “I asked Rarity to keep an eye on them and Vinyl will probably help as well, but if I want to remain kind, I need to be ready to fight for what I believe in.” She stomped. “Applejack, I would like to request of you to train me and don’t go easy on me.” She pressed forehoof against her own chest. “I swear to try my best. And once I’m ready. We’ll... we’ll deal with those who wish us harm. Peacefully, and if that’s impossible, then by force.” Applejack rubbed her eyes in disbelief before pointing at the pureblood. “What happened to ya Fluttershy? Ah expected ya to mope after what Shackles told you.” The thestral shook her head. “Quite the opposite. He forced me to unleash what I’ve been bottling up inside me all this time. He made me realize that I need to become a new Fluttershy. A pony who faces life’s obstacles rather than hide from them.” Applejack smiled and looked at the pureblood proudly. “Ah’ve gotta say, Ah didn’t expect it, but Ah like the new Fluttershy.” She stomped firmly, eyes half-closed and filled with determination. “What are we waitin’ for? Let’s get ya in shape, and then we’ll give that piece of trash that tried to hurt mah sister a beatin’.” Fluttershy spread her wings and took a fighting stance.