Fluttervile

by Aiet

With these hands and a name

Chapter twenty one:

“With these hands and a name.”

A loud commotion was going on in the town of Ponyville, singled out in one spot particular. All the animals that lived in the cottage ran in fear, away from the screaming. Don't get me wrong, the couple loved each other more then life it's self and for one it was life to him. It was what saved him from despair and grief. But had he known. Had he only knew, would it have helped at all? No one knew but twilight was suspicious. Fluttershy was due in less then two months and the doctor said the baby looked healthy... he couldn't be any more wrong. More then just death can happen but what did happen no one knew... and they wouldn't before it was to late. Twilight noticed the foul sensation coming from the Everfree, deep within. She was finding rabid and dead animals, she couldn't tell fluttershy because she had enough to handle right now. The purple unicorn searched in the forest but found nothing, she didn't understand what was going on. A plague? Some kind of magic she did not know of? She poured over her books and found nothing, not even in Canterlot. She had one pony left to go and it was Zecora. She made her to the house inside the forest with no problem at all. But that was the problem. Nothing. No sound, no movement, and not a single thing happening. It unsettled twilight very much so and she hurried to the zebra's house. She reached it and knocked on the door but there was no answer. She tried again but still... no answer. She pressed her head to the door to listen, silence. Then she heard something being dragged on the floor so she slowly pushed the door open. It creaked as it made it's way to the door stop and inside was dark. No lights, no warmth, and no Zecora. Twilight stepped it and immediately felt something was wrong. It made her hair raise and her skin crawl. It made her feel like running, like she was in danger. The same feeling she was getting around fluttershy but not as strong. She looked around the house and found nothing, no pony at all. The only thing she found was a cauldron frothing with vile black icor. It smelt rotten like... death. Then she heard it, over the bubbling of the brew and the crackling of the fire. The same dragging sound in the back where Zecora room was. Twilight slowly made her way to the curtain that acted as a door and pushed it to the side. What she saw made her gasp out loud and feel sick inside. It was Zecora but something was dreadfully wrong. She dragged her back legs behind her with her tail in the dirt. Her coat had large patches of fut missing and the skin underneath was a near rotting black that looked extremely painful. Her breathing was low and rugged, her chest rapidly moving. A low moan came from her dried cracked lips and it sent shivers down twilight's spine. But what really caught twilight off guard was her eyes. Under them was heavy black bags, puffy and draining a dark liquid. Her eyes... there was little hint of her turquoises in them. A sickly yellow filled most of what her color originally was and the white of her eyes also had changed. Bloodshot, painfully, but as the veins went out ward the tips became black and started to leach out. Her pupils were large, light would be to painful to bare. Zecora slowly shifted her body to the invader of her house and locked eyes with her. If twilight felt like running before, it was even worse now. She began dragging her self to twilight, slowly but going faster, while letting out an awful moan. Twilight fell back as she watched Zecora near, their eyes locking once again. Back in Ponyville any one passing by the cottage would be a little worried with all the yelling but no one came by. One voice was loud and angry with out knowing why. She just screamed and hollered at the man in the living room with her. Her belly was big with the child she bared. Underneath her thinning coat her skin and darkened even more and it started to show, making her normally bright yellow coat look dirty. Even her soft, silky hair had lost it's luster and fullness. Her joints began to ache more then from just the pregnancy and her muscles were sore. She felt heavy, not just from the baby but from something more. Under her eyes were dark bags that were slightly swollen. Her eyes had become a little blood shot and a yellow tint in her mountain meadow green eyes was forming. She didn't know what else was happening to her besides the pregnancy but she knew she was angry and needed to let it out. It was her poor husband that was the outlet of her anger and he took it all. He knew she was in pain from the child to be soon in this world and he let her deal it out all on him. It was his fault, right? He noticed the changes in her appearance too, he didn't know much about how ponies here became during pregnancy but he guessed this was it. He tried all manor of things to make her feel better and they work... for a little while. Nothing ever helped her out for long and she would become moody and mad again. Most of her friends tried to stay away from her, they still loved her but she was becoming nasty with her choice of words about them. One time pinkie ran off crying when she stopped to talk to fluttershy while dolorem was out. She didn't say anything to the others, she just believed fluttershy was having a difficult time and needed to be left alone.

“I said get away from me!” fluttershy backed away from dolorem who was trying to calm her down. She had another one of her explosions and wouldn't stop running through out the house. Dolorem tried to settle her down but it just made it worse. He just wished there was something he could do to help her but he was at a loss. Ever time he tried getting closer to her she would dart away.

“please fluttershy you need to relax. You could hurt your self or the baby.” she just gave dolorem a dirty look.

“oh now you think I'm a bad parent? You have done nothing! All you do is sit there and watch me suffer and then you go and fuck rainbow dash and twilight!” dolorem tossed up his hands.

“what are you talking about? That never happened and it wasn't my idea when you let her in the bed when we were trying to get you pregnant.” fluttershy just huffed angrily as she stared down dolorem.

“just go away! Leave me alone!” she shouted the last part so loud the windows vibrated and dolorem flinched. He moved to her fast and tried to hold. He needed to calm her down before anything happened... but it did. Fluttershy suddenly lurched when he grabbed her and began to dry heave. Then a foul smelling black liquid spewed from her mouth onto the floor. Dolorem held her and moved her hair out the way. When he pulled his hand back he had a large clump of her hair in his hand. He looked at her frighted.

“you need to get to the hospital now!” she jerked away from him and stared him down. Her eye became even more blood shot and the yellow started to eat away at her original eye color. Dolorem tried grabbing her again but she took to the air uneasily and turned around fast, clipping dolorem with her hoof. She flew out the door as he held his hand a little above his right eye, her hoof cut deeply into his eye brow and blood was streaming out. He went to the bathroom and quickly bandaged it. When he was done he ran out side to look for fluttershy but she was no where to be seen. So he just picked a direction and left. He headed to Sweetapple acres at a jog, in only a red shirt and gray shorts, hoping she had headed that way... but she didn't.

“Baby, when I'm yellin' at you,

It's not your fault,

It's not your fault, yeah and

Baby cause I'm crazy for you,

It's not your fault

It's not your fault, yeah and,

Maybe I'm a little confused,

It's not your fault

It's not your fault, yeah and

Baby, it's a wonderful news.

It's not your fault,

It's not your fault, yeah”

Fluttershy was heading towards rarity's but not aiming to go there specificity, just anywhere away from dolorem. Dolorem ran down the dirt path to the large house where big mac was sitting on the porch resting, his left arm was in a sling from an accident a week ago. Dolorem rushed up to the house as big mag looked up.

“well hi-ya dolorem. What can I do ya for?” dolorem stopped in front of him breathing a little bit fast.

“did fluttershy come her? Have you seen her at all?” big mac just shook his head and spoke.

“nope. Haven' seen her in awhile now but aj is around back. You should ask her.” dolorem nodded and went around the house and found the orange cowpony hammering away at some spike in a large wooden block. She heard dolorem approaching and turned around, greeting him with a smile. Before she could speak he did.

“have you seen fluttershy?” applejack thought hard and then shook her head.

“can't say ah have, well not since her last umm... little fit.” dolorem ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. Applejack noticed the bandage on his eye brow and was a little concerned.

“now sugarcube, what's the matter?” dolorem's shoulders fell and he answered.

“she just ran off. We were having a fight and she got really angry and took off.” applejack nodded and stepped forward.

“did she do that to you?” dolorem just looked at her.

“I need to find her.” she nodded again and tried to be reassuring.

“if ah see her, ah'll try to keep her here and send applebloom to get you. Ok sugarcube?” dolorem nodded and turned to leave. He needed to look else where for her. He just felt like she was in trouble and he needed to help her, even if she didn't want it. At the moment fluttershy was flying over rarity's but had to land, she was tired and needed to rest. She felt strange inside like something was moving and it was not the child. She could feel it wrapped around her heart, threatening to squeeze it till it popped. Her mind was the same but it felt heavier and clouded. Her lungs were having a hard time taking in air and she sat there gasping. She couldn't catch her breath and soon everything was fading. Then everything went black and she fainted. At that time rarity had been busy with some dresses and was deep into her work. She had a large order from this rich mare in Canterlot and had to finish them quickly. She let sweetie belle sleep in since it was not a school day and she needed the peace and quiet. The young filly got out of bed and dragged her self down stairs to eat a late breakfast. Today her and the girls were going out fishing to try and find their cutie marks. As she munch through her hay cereal she happened to look up and out the window. It was a fine, sunny day, great for fishing. She was lost in thought when she saw a yellow Pegasus trying to land carefully on the ground just a little bit away. She noticed it was fluttershy and she saw her belly. She wondered what it would be like to have kids when she saw her collapse. She watched her and when she didn't move she got worried and went to find rarity. Rarity was placing a gem carefully on a silk dress as sweetie belle barged in.

“rarity fl...” rarity held up a hoof to silence her.

“not now darling I'm almost done.” sweetie tried again.

“pip pip pip pip, not yet.” sweetie was getting mad and yelled.

“fluttershy is outside and she just collapsed on the ground!” rarity quickly turned around worried.

“why didn't you say so?” she rushed by sweetie and outside.

“I was trying to but... oh never mind.” she followed rarity and they found fluttershy still unconscious. Rarity brought her inside and told sweetie to find dolorem. When she left, fluttershy came to. Rarity was looking over her and smiled.

“you gave us a scare darling. Are you alright?” fluttershy sat up and looked around confused. Then it was like she remembered. She suddenly became made and pushed her self away from rarity.

“don't touch me!” rarity back away shocked at her sudden flare. She tried calming her down but it didn't help.

“please darling calm down, sweetie belle went to find dolorem. It's going to be alright.” this just angered her even more.

“why do you care? No one asked for your help.” fluttershy stared down rarity who was even more so shocked.

“now that was uncalled f...” fluttershy yelled at her.

“shut up! You pig! You snob! No one cares about your dresses or what you do! It's ugly and pitiful!” she reached for the nearest dress and began ripping it apart while rarity watched in horror. Then it happened again and fluttershy puked more black and looked even worse then before. She pushed rarity to the side and ran out the door, leaving. Mean while sweetie belle was looking for dolorem and found him in town. She rushed over to him and got his attention.

“dolorem! You need to come quick, we have fluttershy and she doesn't look to good.” dolorem ran off with out her and she followed him when they got back they found rarity staring at the black puddle, lost in thought.

“rarity? Where did she go?” dolorem stood at the door way watching rarity, she didn't look up or move.

“she just started saying hateful things and ripped apart a dress then she puked and left. I don't know what's gotten into her but...” dolorem turned and left, heading to sugarcube corner. But fluttershy wasn't heading there, she was flying the other way and had to stop again to rest. And that's where she met rainbow dash. She was just walking alone bored when she saw the yellow Pegasus land so she went to met.

“hey flu...” fluttershy vomited the black foul liquid again and rainbow dash stared at her.

“shut up you whore!” after she was done she looked up and yelled, dash backed up shocked at her.

“wow fluttershy what's...” fluttershy screamed.

“he is my husband and not your little fuck toy! You stay away from him!” fluttershy took off while rainbow dash was reeling with what had just happened. Fluttershy made her way to Sweetapple acres while dolorem was talking to pinkie pie.

“... nope, she hasn't been her at all. Sorry.” even Mr. and Mrs. Cake hadn't seen her so dolorem left. He wondered around town asking anypony if they had seen fluttershy but none of them had. Then applebloom came running as fast as she possibly could. She stopped in front of dolorem frantic.

“she was at the barn. I need to find a doctor quick.” she left in a hurry and dolorem took off fast. Fluttershy had made her way to the apple house and found big mac asleep on the porch. She went around back and found applejack hammering away on the last spike, still sharp and sticking out. She turned when she heard someone behind her and saw fluttershy. She set down the hammer as she came closer.

“hey sugarcube your husband was lookin' for ya. He seemed awfully worried, is something going on between you two?” before she could answer she puked yet again this time it had a hint of copper. Applejack immediately became worried.

“fluttershy! Don't worry ah'll get applebloom to find dolorem. Applebloom... wow!” she ducked as fluttershy had grabbed the hammer and swung at her. She began swinging madly trying to crush in applejack's skull but she was to fast. Applejack was scared as the last swing came to close so she turned and bucked... and she heard a sickening snap. She spun around to see fluttershy's left wing broken and hanging useless to her side.

“oh no, oh no, oh no! Ah'm sorry, don't worry ah'll...”she had moved close to fluttershy who was crying with her head down when she suddenly shot up. She pushed applejack back and she fell into the spike, screaming as it burst out her stomach. Fluttershy took off as big mac and applebloom ran around the corner. Bic mac went to his sister as applebloom ran off to town to get help. Now dolorem was running in as he found big mac trying to help applejack. Soon the doctors came and rushed her to the hospital where everyone but fluttershy and twilight was at. Outside it was becoming dark and fluttershy was no where to be seen. A pony in a white coat came out the operating room with a sigh. Everyone rushed forward for the news.

“she fine, we got her stable. She won't be going anywhere for the next few weeks but she'll recovery nicely. Another couple inches to the right and she would have been paralyzed for life, she was lucky. She being moved to her room, come back tomorrow and you can visit her.” with that he turned and left they could see applejack being wheeled into a room down the hall. It was rainbow dash who spoke up.

“I saw fluttershy earlier... what's going on with her?” everyone turned to dolorem who was staring at where they just placed applejack. He walked forward and to her room. Inside she was connected to different machines and her heart monitor beeped regularly. He slowly walked to her and placed a hand on her head. This woke her up and she looked at dolorem weakly.

“was it her?” she couldn't talk and simply nodded her head.

“hey you ca...” a doctor stood at the door way but dolorem just rushed past him and past the others. He ran out side, looking all around. He wouldn't rest that night, he would scour every inch of Ponyville and the surrounding areas but it never occurred to him to look back home. Fluttershy made her way back tot he cottage, her wing dragging besides her useless. Angel would be the only one home... poor angel.

“Give me your suffering. Give me your pain. Let me take from you all that weighs down on you. My only wish is to see you free from despair... even if it cost me my life.”

As if waking up, Zecora came to and collapsed, twilight stood up shaking.

“twilight... please... the potion.” to weak to even speak in her rhyme she pleaded to twilight. The unicorn rushed to the cauldron and ladled some into a small bowl. She had to fight Zecora for her to drink it but she did. As twilight brought the bowl away she begged for more and after three trips she was sated. Passing out in twilight's hooves she was peaceful finally. Twilight moved her into her bed and waited. Waiting for hours until she finally came to, weak. Still not in her rhyme she told twilight of a flower, black that faded to a blue, and what it had done to her. At that moment she knew, this is what is wrong with fluttershy. After making sure Zecora was fine she rushed back to Ponyville, the night had set quickly, and made her way home. She took the recipe from Zecora and had to start her own at the tree house. It was a long process and the sun had just started to peak over the horizon. Dolorem decided to check the cottage... and it would change his life forever. He opened the door and noticed the floor first. Nearly all of it was soaked in the black vomit of fluttershy. Then he saw angel. A lump of fur and blood, he had been stomped to death. Dolorem went inside to find fluttershy sobbing on the floor in the living room. He slowly went to her and she turned. Her eyes were completely blood shot, black instead of red, and the yellow washed out all the green of her eyes. Heavy, swollen bags under her eyes. A trickle of blood ran out her mouth, tainted with black. Almost all her fur was so thin he could see the skin underneath, each vein popped out black and purple. In her hoof she held a small knife, repeatedly stabbing her now useless legs that dragged behind her. Bones stuck out her broken wing. She stared at dolorem as if she didn't know him but then it came back. She just growled and he ran forward, he had to get her to a hospital. That's when she struck. She sank the small knife into he left eye and it seared with pain but he held on. He held her tightly as she thrashed weakly in his grasp, blood pouring down his face and the bone of her wing stabbing him in the chest. He held on to her, he didn't know what else to do... but then he did. She struggled as hard as she could and he raised his right hand. Past the stomach that held their baby, past her chest that he would touch so softly and to her neck that he kissed so tenderly. She twisted around, facing him as his fingers wrapped around her throat. She beat her hooves on his chest as he stared into her angry eyes. His fingers squeezed tightly and he could feel her heart beat. Pumping so fast it began to slow, she began to wither around less and less. He could feel her life slipping through his fingers. Her eyes became wide as he stared into them and she tried one last time to push him away. Then she died... her life was gone. Her soul was free. Dolorem just started breathing heavily as he brought her closer, holding her tight. He didn't cry, he couldn't. His mind still hadn't register what had happened, what he had done.. For a few minutes he sat there holding her. Then the door flew open and twilight rushed in with doctors... but it was to late. She watched dolorem with his hand still wrapped around her throat and her lifeless body in his arms. She slowly walked forward and dolorem turned to her, still in a fog.

“we... could have saved her...” then it hit dolorem like a tsunami. His fingers unwrapped from her throat and he looked at her, tears flooding down his face. He cried hard and shook.

“what-what have I done?” he cried out into the air as the doctors rushed forward and pried him off her.

“the baby might still be alive!” rushing her body to the hospital they operated. Dolorem looked at his hands, the hands of a murderer, and cried even hard, screaming into the air. The child was alive but not the one that was meant to. The doctors were horrified as they extracted the infant. It's fur was black and it's body withered. Gender indistinguishable and... it had no eyes. It let out a horrifying wail as it took it's first breath of stolen air. It would haunt the doctors for the rest of their days. Fluttershy's funeral was the next day, twilight planed it and fast so that no one could see her body. After dolorem was released from the hospital he made his way to the funereal, still in the same clothes, the same bloody clothes. Twilight explained what had happened to fluttershy, what made her the way she was in the end and no one knew who to feel more badly for. Her or dolorem. He never said a word, he never turned to anyone. not until everyone had left, all but him and twilight. she wached him silently then he spoke.

"do you know what my name means? for the longest time I thought it was physical but now I know it's emotional too. it has defined my whole life, every aspect of my being. it's not a name but words in latin. to suffer pain. and I have, it's all I've known. and now it took from me the only one who ever showed me the difference in life. how to finally know what love was. dolorem pati. to suffer pain... dolorem pati..." He just stared at the casket which held his wife, the wife he killed. She was buried north of dolorem's old house and that's where he stayed so that each day he could see her grave. After the funereal he went back to the hospital to get his child. It just made it's horrible wailing as he brought it home and that night... he lost the last piece of sanity he had. He killed it, drowned it in the bathtub. It was not their child, it was the thing that killed their child. He didn't bury the child, he burned it in a pit out side. Then he went to the Everfree. He went back tot he grave in the clearing, his world had shattered into the blood red sky. He dug up the grave in the ground. Chrysalis skull had been replaced and the wood patched but her tore it away. He grabbed her rotted corpse as it began to “re-flesh” and become whole.

“my sweet darling you've come back to me.”

“just give me her...I'll do anything, just bring her back to me...” twilight had been in the forest. she found the black flowers and with her magic see destroyed every last one. not a single spore was left, nothing to tie them to thos world any more. she was leaving when she saw dolorem digging up the grave. twilight watched dolorem speak to the corpse of Chrysalis, pleading it to bring back fluttershy to him. Lighting up her horn she hit dolorem with a spell and it brought him back, if only for a while. He dropped her corpse and cried as she walked over to him. She hugged him tightly as he wept and made him come with her. She brought him to the tree house where he finally stopped crying. She had to do something for him. She was in pain with the lost of her dear friend but not like him. She was his world, the only thing that kept him anchored to this one and now he was losing control again. The only thing she wanted to do was make him happy... make him feel good. She led him to the back. And the next morning they woke up and he hadn't slipped away, although he always teetered at the edge. Twilight received a letter from Celestai, so was leaving and for how long she didn't know but it would be a long time. Everyone was trying to cope with fluttershy's death and twilight was now leaving. As they said their good bye she watched one last time as the destroyed human sank in the distance. Now it was rarity, pinkie pie, rainbow dash, applejack and dolorem. But to dolorem the world was empty, cold, and alone. He would be locked in his house for over a week, still in the same clothes, still bloody. His fragile psyche had been obliterated and he spent every moment in the “flicker”, the spell twilight cast didn't last long and now he was left to the horrors in his mind. It was only a matter of time before...

“I have loved to the point of madness. That which is called, that which to me is the only sensible way to love.”

Author's Note:

the lyrics are from not you fault by awolnation. I thought it would go good for that part.