Night Skies and Butterflies

by Daemon of Decay


Chapter 5

A cold tremor ran up Fluttershy’s spine as she lowered her telescope. “I can’t… I mean… is that really…”

“Yup,” Silver Pike grunted.

Flattening her ears against her skull, Fluttershy shifted a little further back into the protective canopy of the Everfree forest’s foliage, pulling the branches and bushes a little closer around her.

“They can’t see you from this distance,” Silver Pike said without looking up, her attention focused on the distant town, nestled as it was in a low valley along a small, crystal-blue river. Her own spyglass panned back and forth methodically, only pausing whenever she spotted another pony. Each time she did, the quill in her free hoof made another small mark in her notebook.

Fluttershy quickly returned to her clandestine observations. Watching the ponies moving about their day, she felt the same thrill as when she was encountering a new species back at the Citadel, but on a much grander scale. It was almost too much for her to process. Everything about the town and its occupants was wonderful, from their gingerbread houses to the rainbow of coats and manes on display. So many colors! Streamers and ribbons were everywhere, along with banners displaying the Sun Tyrant’s crest.

Safely hidden miles away and with new discoveries to be made every few seconds, Fluttershy could keep herself distracted from the frightening nothingness above her. Or worse, the warm, oppressive heat of the sun, which always seemed to be searching for her, hoping to illuminate her for some hereto unseen foes.

She blushed, trying to forget her extended panic attack when she’d first left the solid comfort of the Citadel and seen the fading sun. Turk had imitated the sound of a suckling foal during breakfast, until the Captain had made her knock it off.

Deliberately keeping her eyes below the horizon for fear of a repeat, Fluttershy kept her attention firmly on the ponies going about their lives in the distant village. She had a job to do, and despite her chaotic emotions, she was going to give it her best.

The morning briefing was still fresh in her mind. The town was called Ponyville. Situated on the river between Canterlot and the Everfree, it was a small but strategic outpost for the followers of the Sun Tyrant. Importantly, it was going to be the site of a major celebration honoring the Sun Tyrant’s rise to power. That meant the Legion needed up-to-date information on the town and its occupants.

Silver Pike, with her hard-working quill, was helping to estimate the town's population by counting the number of distinct ponies she saw moving about. The other Rangers would compare notes once safely hidden by the night, to discern whether Ponyville had significantly grown in recent months – a sign of a possible shift in their garrison or patrols.

When Fluttershy had asked what her job was, Captain Vanguard had told her to “Just look for anything unusual.” Flattered that such a role would fall to her, and ignoring the other Rangers’ jealous snickering, Fluttershy had promised she wouldn’t let the Captain down. So while Silver Pike tallied the ponies in the town, Fluttershy diligently kept her spyglass in motion, on the lookout for anything strange.

Though strange lost much of its meaning when observing a whole town of non-bat ponies who congregated beneath the open sky.

Just what the Captain had meant by “unusual” became pretty clear later that morning, when an ornate chariot flew low over the town. It was pulled by a pair of traitor pegasi in golden armor that shined bright enough in the sunlight to draw even Fluttershy’s reluctant gaze skyward.

What kind of warrior uses gold armor? It’s too soft, Fluttershy thought, the lesson from her early foalhood about smithing passingly idly through her mind. She focused her magnified gaze on the passengers instead. The first, a purple unicorn with a mildly irritated expression, stood in stark contrast to her ostentatious means of transportation. She must be somepony important. A minister, or a government–

Fluttershy squeaked, earning a sharp rebuke from Silver Pike. Fluttershy didn’t hear her. There was only one thing on her mind.

Dragon!

Fluttershy had to bite her lip to keep silent. She was looking at a dragon! A short, adorable, purple and green, absolutely real and not a picture book, honest to goodness baby dragon! Her wings flexed as she suppressed the impulse to just rush down to the town so she could talk to the dragon. She had so many questions, her head felt like it was about to burst.

Eventually Fluttershy remembered just why she was half-buried in a shrubbery so far from the Citadel and reported her discovery to Silver Pike, still refusing to lower her telescope.

Silver Pike congratulated Fluttershy before ordering her back to her job. Fluttershy obeyed at once, ears flitting from side to side with excitement.

But as the day wore on and nothing else unusual – or even particularly exciting – occurred, Fluttershy resorted to tracking individual ponies as they went about their day, just to pass the time. The infrequent appearances by the baby dragon and its unicorn handler had kept her alert, through noon, but they hadn’t left the central tree-shaped building in hours.

It was disappointing, but Turk had been right – Ponyville was a dull place once the novelty wore off. What had begun with so much anxious determination had wilted with time. Dragon or not, hours spent sitting in place and watching the archenemy shopping for groceries and getting hooficures eroded away some of the intimidation factor.

Though not all of it. Despite the reassurances from Silver Pike about how the townsfolk were all too frightened to even go into the Everfree and that no Ranger had ever been caught near Ponyville, Fluttershy could never shake her lingering anxiety.

Still, she found it hard to reconcile the smiling ponies in her telescope with the stories she’d been raised with. She considered asking Silver Pike where the soldiers were, and why none of the ponies bore any weapons, but Fluttershy dismissed the idea out of hoof. It was her first day. If there was something wrong with what they were seeing, she’d hear about it once they assembled together at the castle.

Besides, she could already picture the rolled eyes and snickering when Silver Pike repeated such a dumb question, and it was enough to keep her muzzle clamped shut. She didn’t need to invite any more social scorn from her comrades.

Focusing her thoughts back onto the mission, Fluttershy turned her gaze out over the surrounding countryside. She spotted a gold and orange mare pulling a cart loaded to the brim with similarly-shaded produce. Thinking back to the picture books she’d read as a filly, Fluttershy identified them as carrots.

Fluttershy felt a pang of envy. Even from so far away, they looked far more enticing than the enriched moss and mushroom gruel that passed for common fare in the Citadel. Her stomach gave a sympathetic grumble.

Moving her gaze further afield, she picked out meadows of carrots and cabbage and hay, before finally settling on the acres of enticing apple trees that dominated the nearby hills.

Oh, I hope we get to at least try one of those, she thought, licking her lips. It was a delicious thought, but she let it fizzle just as quickly. It would be risky and pointless – and besides, she didn’t want to steal from anypony, even the enemy.

Fluttershy easily picked out the apple farmer hard at work amongst the trees. She smiled. The big brown hat made it hard to mistake the mare for anypony else. All morning the hat-wearing mare had been hard at work, the apple farm’s relative closeness ensuring she was always within Fluttershy’s sight. It was interesting to see her on her own. Earlier, a whole herd of earth ponies had been roaming the farm, gathering up apples and filling carts with mountains of baked goods.

Well, not entirely alone. Instead of kicking loose more apples from the trees, Fluttershy found the mare in an animated conversation with a brightly colored pegasus hovering a yard or two off the ground. Fluttershy frowned. She hadn’t seen the pegasus before – but considering her deliberate refusal to look up into the terrifyingly open sky, that wasn’t surprising.

Adjusting her position, Fluttershy tried to get a better view of the two. Part of her still felt a little awkward at the voyeurism, but secretly watching the lives of the other ponies was part of her job. And they were the two closest ponies to their position.

It was obvious they were arguing about something. The pegasus continued to circle the pony in the hat, who was holding up a hoof-full of dry looking grass. Dropping the grass, the earth pony turned and pointed at something far away.

Fluttershy froze.

She was pointing right at them.

Nervously, she glanced over at Silver Pike, but her attention was firmly on the town, her quill jotting down each newly spotted pony. Biting her lip, Fluttershy looked back at the hat-wearing mare. She was just letting herself get spooked, Fluttershy reassured herself. So close to the enemies of the True Princess and so far from the Citadel, she was acting like the old, easily frightened Fluttershy.

I’m a Ranger now. I have to act like it, she thought. Fluttershy took a few deep breaths before returning the spyglass to her eye.

The pegasus was looking right at her.

Fluttershy leapt into the nearest bush with a yelp, her heartbeat racing a thousand miles an hour.

“What? What’s wrong?”

Peeking her head out of the bush, she looked up at Silver Pike. The Ranger’s eyes were darting from side to side, searching for threats. Her spyglass and quill had been tossed aside in favor of the spear she held out before her.

“I s-saw a p-p-pony…” she stammered.

Silver Pike halted. In an instant her alarm vanished, replaced with rancid irritation. “And I’ve seen,” she glanced down at her notes, “278 ponies.”

“N-no! I saw a pony and… and… and she was looking right at me!”

Silver Pike rolled her eyes and set the spear down. “Okay. Where did you see her?” she asked as she reached for her spyglass.

The bush grew a new limb as Fluttershy thrust her arm in the direction of the farm. “Over there… by those trees…” she whispered. She gnawed on her lip as Silver Pike followed her hoof, zeroing in on the offending ponies. Seconds ticked by like hours. The bush shivered in fear.

“Okay. I see an earth pony mare in a distinctive hat. Yeah, she’s a known figure. Owns the apple farm. Doesn’t seem to be doing much, though. She’s just shielding her eyes and looking up into the sky at something.” She glanced over at Fluttershy. “Please tell me you didn’t get scared by a farmer sitting a few miles away. She’s just looking after her trees.”

Fluttershy sank a little lower into the plant’s protective embrace. “I was talking about the p-pegasus…”

Silver Pike blinked. “What pegasus?”

There was the crack of thunder directly above them, the loud boom reverberating down through their bones with a physical impact. The scent of rotting flora filled Fluttershy’s nostrils as she pressed herself down into the soil. Shattered branches and leaves rained down around them as the explosion’s echo faded into the distance

Eyes wide, Fluttershy shakily peeked out from beneath her helm to find the canopy had been eviscerated, the trees left mangled and bare. A slowly-fading rainbow trail lingered in the sky above them. Fluttershy carefully lifted her head. Her voice was a trembling whisper. “S-Silver? What was that? Are we… are we under attack?”

There was no response. Left in the sudden silence and unable to find her spear, Fluttershy whimpered quietly. Checking the skies to make sure the pegasus was out of sight, she crept out of her hiding place and inched toward the pile of branches and leaves where Silver Pike had been. She pushed away the debris to reveal the Ranger face down in the dirt, a sizeable dent in the back of her helmet. Silver Pike was limp in her hooves.

She exhaled a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding when she found a pulse. “Oh thank the night,” Fluttershy said.

Her fear was still there, a chilly frost that covered her from tip to tail, but she was already removing Silver Pike’s helmet and reaching for the bandages. Years spent caring for the sick and injured critters of the Citadel kept her hooves steady. She started cleaning the cuts and scrapes, paying particular attention to the large contusion on the back of Silver Pike’s head.

It didn’t take long to finish dressing the wounds, but Silver Pike remained unresponsive. Fluttershy whispered her name as loudly as she dared to no effect. She considered Silver Pike’s ruined helmet with growing dread. Head injuries were far beyond her knowledge. There could be a skull fracture, or internal bleeding. Who knew what it would do to Silver Pike’s humors? Fluttershy glanced around, painfully aware of just how alone she was.

Slowing her breathing before she hyperventilated, Fluttershy tried to calm herself. Scared, alone, and so far out of her depth she couldn’t even remember what the surface looked like, Fluttershy focused on a simple truth: right here, right now, there was a living thing that needed her help. And if I can’t help her myself, I need to take her to somepony who can.

Preparing the larger mare for travel was a difficult task, made infinitely more challenging by the threat of the pegasus’ imminent return. Whatever she’d done to cause so much devastation had at least provided Fluttershy with plenty of branches, and with some of the rope from her saddlebags she lashed together a simple litter. She paused to catch her breath after finally managing to roll Silver Pike onto it.

A shadow passed over her just as her ears picked out the whistle of an incoming object. Fluttershy threw herself across Silver Pike as the pegasus shot through the air above. The feared explosion failed to materialize. Fluttershy looked up to find the pegasus moving much slower across the sky, pushing a massive grey cloudbank in the direction of the apple farm.

Picking up her spyglass, Fluttershy tracked the pegasus, praying they were still undiscovered. To her relief the earth pony was waiting in the same place, tapping a hoof impatiently. The pegasus corralled the clouds into position above the trees before shooting straight up into the sky at a speed that left Fluttershy breathless. Leaving a rainbow trail in her wake, the pegasus looped back around and dove straight down onto the cloud, hooves first.

The earth pony’s reaction was lost beneath a torrent of rainfall that flooded the surrounding farmland and swept her off her hooves. She vanished into the newly formed pond. Above, the pegasus laughed raucously, clutching her sides and kicking at the air.

Fluttershy covered her mouth in shock. “She… she drowned her!” She’d been raised on such stories, but to see the followers of the Sun Tyrant in action left her queasy. She tucked the spyglass into her saddlebags and turned back to Silver Pike. Whatever torments the pegasus might have in store for the other ponies were irrelevant now – but hopefully, it would keep her distracted while Fluttershy made her escape.

She loaded up the litter with the rest of their equipment, laying Silver Pike’s crumpled helmet on her stomach. Nothing could be left behind to suggest the Legion had been there. It was one of the first rules Captain Vanguard had hammered into her during training. The bat ponies of the Legion were ghost stories to the rest of Equestria – and ghosts they would remain.

Moving to the front of the litter, Fluttershy lifted the guide rope up and over her shoulders and clamped it between her teeth. It was foul tasting. She bit down hard. Silver Pike, her fellow Rangers, and her family were counting on her. She wouldn’t let them down.

Digging her hooves into the soft soil for purchase, Fluttershy gave a muffled count of “One… two… three!” and pushed forward with all her strength. Muscles burning, legs straining, she pulled and pulled and pulled before the earth reluctantly gave up its grip on the heavy litter and she stumbled forward, leaving heavy grooves in the dirt behind her.

Each step was a challenge, but Fluttershy shook off the aches and pains. She had motivation. As small as she was, Silver Pike was in danger, and she was counting on her to reach safety.

And who knew what that cruel pegasus would do if she found the pair of them, alone and defenseless?

*~*~*

The journey to the rendezvous was difficult but free from any surprises, something Fluttershy was eternally grateful for. Captain Vanguard had been sure to explain each variety of threat she might encounter on the mission, from timberwolves to cockatrices – tales the Rangers had only been happy to expand upon after last night’s journey through the forest. Under better circumstances she might have appreciated finding one of those misunderstood animals in her path. For Silver Pike’s sake, however, she was thankful the worst threat had been gnarled roots and uncooperative mud.

The sun was starting to descend when Fluttershy finally came to a halt just outside a forest clearing. Bisected by a fast-running river heading in the direction of the nearby town, the clearing was a picture of tranquility. A few butterflies performed lazy loops in the faint breeze, the scent of flowers in bloom overwhelmingly sweet.

Fluttershy wasn’t taking any chances. The tooth-marked rope fell to the ground, leaving the unconscious Silver Pike just within the protective canopy of green and purple trees. Rubbing her jaw tenderly, Fluttershy hunkered down low and crawled the last few yards. Peeking over the tall grass, she scanned the treeline carefully, as she’d been taught. She repeated the process with the sky. And, just for good measure, she did it all once again. Satisfied a patrol of traitor Guardponies wasn’t lurking nearby, she let out two inquisitive clicks, the frequency too high for non-bat ponies to hear. She waited to the count of five and repeated the signal.

Only when she heard the proper three-click response did she finally exhale. Standing up, she saw Dusk slide out into the fading afternoon light. The stallion wore a playful smile, although there was something else in his eyes, like part of him wasn’t pleased to see Fluttershy. “Looks like I owe Turk 10 bits. She said you’d chicken out and come back to the rendezvous point before your mission was finished.”

“Please, I need your help!” Fluttershy said, gesturing back behind her. “It’s Silver Pike! She’s been hurt!”

Dusk’s eyes widened, his expression instantly serious. “Silver Pike is hurt?” He darted across the field. “Quick, take me to her!”

Fluttershy did as ordered, and Dusk let out a low growl when he spotted the comatose Silver Pike. Eyes dangerous slits, he spun around and jabbed a hoof into Fluttershy’s chest. “I knew you were a risk to the rest of us. What did you do?”

“What? N-No!” protested Fluttershy, waving her hooves in front of her. “This wasn’t my fault, I swear! There was this pegasus, and she–”

Dusk turned away. “Just sit down, shut up, and don’t say anything,” he spat as he moved to Silver Pike’s side. Fluttershy plopped her rear into the dirt without question. Dusk leaned over and placed a fuzzy ear to Silver Pike’s chest, listening to her breathing. Satisfied, he set about examining Fluttershy’s bandages with an experienced eye, paying particular attention to the ones wrapped around Silver Pike’s head. His expression softened almost imperceptibly. “At least you didn’t screw up the first-aid,” he admitted reluctantly.

“Is she going to be okay?” Fluttershy whispered, gnawing her lip.

He glanced over at Fluttershy. “She’s stable. She took a nasty blow to the head, but she should make it. Now, tell me exactly what happened, and in as few words as possible.”

Verbally stumbling over herself, Fluttershy rushed through the story, unable to look Dusk in the eyes. When she reached the part about the clearing itself Dusk cut her off with a wave of his hoof. “Okay. If this pegasus wasn’t attacking you deliberately, and you didn’t mess up and leave anything behind, then the odds of her calling for reinforcements are low. She’s probably too busy with more Sun Tyrant cruelty. That means we can treat Silver Pike here while we wait for the others to come back in a few… hours...” Dusk trailed off as he stared at Fluttershy intently.

The oppressive silence became too much for Fluttershy. “D-Dusk? Are you okay?”

“Yes! Yes, I’m fine,” Dusk said stiffly. Standing up, he pointed at Silver Pike “She’s stable for now, but she… has a fever. We need to get her something to treat it.” He strode past Fluttershy, skirting along the edge of the clearing. “Come on. I saw some flowers by the river we can use.”

Fluttershy followed in his wake. She risked a smile. “I can’t tell you how glad I am you’re here, Dusk. I know how to help animals, but I’m not so good with ponies.”

“You did good. You followed orders, you didn’t panic, and you looked after your fellow Ranger. That’s what it’s all about out here. Surrounded by the enemy, you have to know you can count on the pony next to you.”

Fluttershy blushed a beet red. “Well, I just tried to do what Captain Vanguard taught me. I don’t want to let anypony down. Again.”

Halting at the edge of the river bank, Dusk looked at Fluttershy. “Well, you didn’t let anypony down this time,” he said with a smile, although a shadow seemed to pass over his face. “Now take off your armor. It will weigh you down if you fall in.”

“Fall in?”

“Yes. The herb I need grows in the water.” Dusk pointed at some strands of dark green waving beneath the surface of the river, just beyond the shallows.

Fluttershy glanced up at Dusk as she removed her helmet. “I thought you said it was by the river.”

“You heard wrong,” Dusk snapped. “Now hurry up. This river is treacherous, and the sooner we get the plants the better. Silver Pike is waiting for us.”

Fluttershy set her helmet aside and finished climbing out of her armor and dropped her saddlebags, feeling uncomfortably light after having worn them for so long. She glanced out over the river as it rushed past, cascades of white foam bubbling over the smooth rocks that broke the surface. It was far bigger up close, the bottom lost in murky shadow. Wearing nothing but her crescent moon medallion, she leaned out and planted her first hoof into the water – which was promptly swallowed up by the mud. “That’s c-cold!” she squeaked, forcing herself to take another step.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault it’s cold,” Fluttershy turned to give Dusk a weak smile. She caught a flash of movement before the butt of Dusk’s spear cracked her across the head. There was an explosion of bright pain, then oblivion.

*~*~*

Dusk stepped over Fluttershy as she lay unconscious, half-submerged on the bank of the river. Setting his spear aside, he bent down and began tossing Fluttershy’s armor into the river. They disappeared with barely a splash. Her weapons and saddlebags followed suit.

Satisfied there wasn’t anything else, Dusk retrieved his spear and moved down the bank. For a long time he simply looked at Fluttershy, watching the water pass over her. Dusk tightened his grip on the spear. He had his orders.

“She isn’t a Ranger,” he said beneath his breath. “She’s just going to end up getting somepony killed. Somepony important. Like Silver Pike.”

The spear wavered.

His scowl deepened. “You don’t have a choice, Dusk. Don’t make this more difficult than you have to. They were clear: it's you, or her. This is the only way.”

Slowly, Dusk lifted his spear up into the air. Minutes passed as he stood like a statue, spearpoint glinting like silver in the fading sunlight. He closed his eyes and, with a snarl, thrust his spear down.

Dusk released his grip on his spear, leaving it embedded in the soft mud beside Fluttershy. “I don’t care what they know. They can’t make me a murderer, too,” Dusk whispered. “I just… have to make her disappear, is all.”

Stepping into the river, he gripped Fluttershy’s unconscious body and began pushing it further out into the water. The current was strong, and as soon as Fluttershy cleared the riverbed she was tugged out of Dusk’s grip and sent careening down the river.

Dusk watched Fluttershy speed away like driftwood in the fast flowing waters, eventually slipping beneath the surface and vanishing from sight. He felt cold, far colder than the water he was standing in.

“It had to be done,” he told himself in a hoarse voice, his eyes lingering on the last spot he’d seen Fluttershy. “And she could survive. If she doesn’t, then it's her fate. I didn’t do it. It’s just fate.”

Only after the sun had finally vanished from the sky could Dusk look away.