Strained and Flexed Bridges

by YukiSN

Watchful Eye (Edited 11/5/2013)

Chapter 2 - Watchful Eye

Well girls, I have the results right here. She's in a coma.
The doctor's words rang through Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, and Zecora's minds. Fluttershy? Their innocent, shy, timid little Fluttershy? In a coma? No, this had to be a dream. That was, at least, what they all hoped and tried to believe.
"I understand that this must be hard for you all to accept but I do have some good news," the doctor continued, his eyes skimming over his clipboard of illegible writings and scribbles. The four mares stiffened as the doctor checked his clipboard for the third time before facing them.
"If all goes well, Fluttershy here should be up and about like normal within two weeks. Now don't worry, we've got our best staff working on her. I, as your pink friend would say, Pinkie Swear. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my ey- AGH!" the doctor exclaimed, poking himself in the eye with his hoof.

"So she'll be alright, doc?" Applejack asked. A minute passed and the doctor did not reply.
"Uh, hello?" Twilight asked cautiously, her eyes scanning the doctor to see if he was trembling or just standing really still.
"Twilight, dear, why isn't that clock moving?" Rarity questioned quietly, pointing up at the large round clock that hung over Fluttershy's bed. Sure enough, the hands had stopped moving, completely frozen in place.
"It's probably just a dead battery or something," Twilight assured, walking over to the clock to try and check the batteries.
“Eh... Ya'll may wanna see this," Applejack's voice trembled softly as she waved a hoof towards the other three mares whilst standing out in the checkered hallway. Poking their heads out, they all gasped; everything was frozen in place.
"Land sakes! What in tarnation is goin' on here?!" Applejack exclaimed, waving her hoof up and down in front of a passing by nurse.

"They're completely frozen… but what magic is this?" Twilight wondered aloud. The sound of hooves softly approaching down the hallway drew the foursome's attention towards a pair of double doors. Slowly, the doors were pushed aside to reveal a shadowed pony, it's head covered with a black hood and it's mane hidden from sight. The hood was attached to what appeared to be black cloak which covered most of the pony's body and tail. Despite this pony being the very same that Zecora and Fluttershy had encountered in the Everfree Forest, the zebra decided to remain quiet. The pony walked past the four girls and stepped into Fluttershy's room. Walking over to the unconscious mare, a visible tear slowly slipped down the pony's face as a hoof caressed Fluttershy's cheek.

"I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry… For everything…" a husky voice floated from the shadows of the veil before something shiny was placed on Fluttershy's chest. Turning around, the pony met the stares of the four girls. Calmly, the pony walked past them, turning to Twilight only at the last second.
"She'll be awake within the next hour or two. When she regains consciousness, make sure she sees what I left and let her know that... That I was here," the pony said before slowly disintegrating into a pile of ash. Before Twilight or the others could ask who the pony was, time resumed its normal flow, doctors and nurses busily galloping from room to room. Twilight turned towards the others, and they all made their way to Fluttershy's side. And all were staring at the object that was lain on her chest: an oddly shaped iron pendant.

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Rainbow finally awoke from her slumber, mostly due to the constant shouts from Pinkie Pie.
"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Wake up! This is super luper duper important!" the party pony yelled, her voice full of worry. Normally Rainbow Dash would just stuff her ears with some clouds to block out Pinkie Pie but upon hearing the worry in the pink pony's voice, Rainbow Dash knew something was wrong. Quickly rolling off the cloud, the cyan pegasus floated in the air before Pinkie Pie.
"What? What's wrong? Is there a tornado? Another dragon that we need to kick out?" the cyan pegasus asked, eager for some action. The next sentence Pinkie Pie spoke nearly caused the action loving pegasus to shut down completely.
"Fluttershy has been hospitapitapit- put in hospital!"

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"What do ya'll reckon it means?" Applejack asked. Twilight and Zecora had been looking over the necklace that the mysterious pony had left on Fluttershy's chest. It was an iron pendant in the shape of a head. The once proudly shining metal had deteriorated and was in a rustic state, while the 'eye' of the pony remained a sweet lavender color. Across the eye appeared to be an cross that was etched in violently and roughly by some sort of item, the grooves filled in with what appeared to be a dark red paint.
"I don't know, I've never seen this symbol before. For all I know, it could simply be something that that pony picked up at a shop or something," Twilight sighed, her mind finally admitting defeat. Zecora nodded in agreement, the potion creator knowing nothing of the symbol whatsoever.

"Ya'll think it could be some sorta prank or what?" Applejack asked, shifting worriedly in place while Twilight and Zecora continued to think.
"That's highly improbable. Didn't you see what happened to the doctors and nurses? They froze completely in place, like time had come to a halt suddenly," Twilight reminded, Rarity nodding in agreement. Before Rarity could agree, however, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie came barreling in through the door, nearly trampling said unicorn in the process.
"Fluttershy!" Rainbow shouted, cantering over to her friend's side. Searching for a pulse, she was reassured to find out that her friend was at least alive, but still remained in the dark on what Fluttershy's condition was. Zecora hurriedly explained the events that had led up to Fluttershy's current state. She did not, however, mention the strange pony that came into the room. Pinkie was quivering, worried sick for her dear friend.

A soft cough suddenly brought deafening silence to the room. Another cough. And then another. Soon Fluttershy's eyes began to open, blinking quickly as she tried to adjust to the light that brightly shone down upon her.
"Wha… what happened?" the timid pegasus whimpered softly.
"Oh my child, what a relief! It is good to see that your sleep was brief!" Zecora sighed, hugging the mare before excusing herself. Twilight slowly approached Fluttershy with the pendant in hoof. Gently placing it down before Fluttershy, she asked a simple question.
"Do you know what this means?"

Fluttershy's eyes widened and her body began to tense and shiver. She shut her eyes, so tight that tears slowly began to form in the corners. Twilight wanted to stop but she just couldn't let the issue lay at rest until she had answers.
"A pony covered in a cloak and hood came in. It told me to tell you, "I was here,". Does that ring a bell?" Twilight asked calmly. By now Fluttershy was nearing her breaking point as memories began slamming into her mind left and right. She could hear the teasing from flight school, the laughing from other fillies and colts at her timid nature, and worse, she could remember THOSE times.
"Fluttershy, I just want to-" Twilight began before the unbelievable happened.
SMACK!
Twilight stood frozen in place, her head turned to the side while a light red hoof mark began to appear on her cheek: Fluttershy had slapped her.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" the frightened mare screamed, tears gushing from her eyes while she slowly began to curl up into a ball. Twilight was still stunned by the sudden slap that Rarity had to quickly take over and began to stroke the sobbing mare's mane while gently singing a lullaby to calm her.

Hush now, quiet now
It's time to lay your sleepy head
Hush now, quiet now
It's time to go to bed
Drifting, off to sleep
Exciting day behind you
Drifting, off to sleep
Let the joy of dreamland find you

The white unicorn continued to sing gently while stroking Fluttershy's mane until the sobbing pegasus slowly calmed down and drifted off to sleep. Turning to Twilight, Rarity motioned for her to step into the hallway with her. At first, Twilight didn't understand what Rarity wanted until the sophisticated unicorn flat out spoke:
"Outside, I need to talk to you."

As soon as the two ponies were outside, Rarity closed the door and turned to Twilight before tears slowly began to leak from her eyes.
"Oh Celestia, I can't believe I'm about to do this…" Rarity whimpered, distress evident in her voice.
"Do what?" Twilight asked, curious and afraid of what the fashionista was about to do. Rarity took a deep breath before regaining her composure. She exhaled slowly and faced the curious and slightly scared unicorn before speaking.
"I'm about to break a Pinkie Promise."

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It had been two days since Fluttershy was released from the hospital, and the shy mare had taken refuge in her cottage. She cared for her animals in the morning before going upstairs and lying in bed for the rest of the day. Even Angel Bunny was starting to grow worried about his owner's state of mind and heart, so worried that one day he snuck out during the middle of the night to find Twilight. The studious mare's attention was ripped away from the pages of her book by rapid thumping on the door.
"Who could that be?" she wondered curiously, trotting over to the door to reveal the small bunny.
"Angel! What are you doing here?! Does Fluttershy know that you're gone?" Twilight exclaimed, worried now. He soon began to wave his paws in front of him, trying to communicate with the confused lavender unicorn. Twilight sighed mentally, knowing she would be here a while…

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"Good morning, my friends," Fluttershy whispered softly, her voice void of emotion and life as she slowly descended the stairs. She was greeted by the concerned glances of the furry woodland critters that inhabited her cottage. Slowly, she made her way to the kitchen and brought out everyones respective food. Only then did she realize that Angel wasn't present. Worry suddenly shot through Fluttershy, the mare making a dash for her door, throwing it open before suddenly freezing. The eating animals stopped, their eyes now fixed on the yellow pegasus who was now shaking violently.
"I… I… I… I'm sorry Angel… I can't go out… Not when… They're out there… especially when he's still out there…" Fluttershy cried, slowly closing the door before retreating to her bed where she began to sob uncontrollably.

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"Now wait just one minute, are you saying that our Fluttershy is depressed?!" Rarity exclaimed. After the events that had occurred the previous night, Twilight had called for a meeting with all her friends (minus Fluttershy) to discuss what Angel Bunny had told her, the white rabbit sleeping soundly in her bed.
"According to Angel, she rarely leaves her cottage, not even for food. She's lethargic, terrified of the outside world, and petrified by moving shadowy figures. And it all happened when she brought that pendant inside her house," Twilight replied, "so no, this isn't depression - something else has frightened Fluttershy, and we need to find out what." The other ponies nodded in agreement.
"Couldn't we just toss that pendant out?" Applejack asked, not seeing why such a simple solution as that couldn't solve the problem.
"Angel told me that he tried that before but it made Fluttershy's reactions even worse so he brought it back," Twilight replied.

"I've searched through hundreds of books for that pendant's meaning but couldn't find anything. That leads me to a simple conclusion," Twilight spoke, all eyes falling on the lavender unicorn.
"That pendant must hold some sort of traumatic past experience for Fluttershy," she stated, the other ponies nodding in agreement.
"So what you're saying is that some punk is out to hurt Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash growled angrily. She had stuck by with Fluttershy through flight school, protecting the timid mare as if she were her own sister.
"I'm not saying that, but there's something about that pendant that holds traumatic memories for Fluttershy. We just need to coax the information out of her," Twilight replied, trying to calm Rainbow Dash.

"Well what do you think we should do then?" Pinkie asked. Twilight shrugged, as she was completely out of ideas or knowledge on how to handle the situation.
"I reckon we go about our daily lives… Ya know, let Fluttershy handle this," Applejack replied.
"How can you say that?! She's our friend!" Rainbow Dash yelled in response.
"I think what Applejack is trying to say is that we go on with our lives for now but observe Fluttershy as we do so," Rarity said, sensing tension between the farm girl and the daredevil. Applejack sighed sadly before promptly leaving, giving a quick goodbye to her friends before trotting back to Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow Dash could only glare at the farm girl as she left, huffing before turning her attention back to issue at hand.
"Well, what are we gonna do? Fluttershy isn't gonna get better on her own!" Rainbow Dash shouted in annoyance, clearly frustrated at her friends' lack of ideas.

"First thing's first, we have to figure out what that pendant means," Twilight said, Rainbow Dash looking at her friend before grabbing the lavender unicorn by the hooves and shaking her around.
"TWILIGHT SPARKLE, THIS IS NO TIME FOR SOME CELESTIA-DAMNED RESEARCH PROJECT!" the cyan pegasus exclaimed, releasing Twilight as Rarity and Pinkie Pie attempted to pull her off. Still angry, Rainbow Dash flew out of the library, headed straight for Cloudsdale to some answers from her mother about what happened to Fluttershy in the past. Twilight only sighed as she watched the prismatic blur zoom into the distance.
"Spike, take a letter please. I think it's time we informed the Princess about this."

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"MOM! I NEED TO KNOW!" Rainbow Dash yelled, she had confronted her mother in the parking lot, spotting the mare trying to leave the hospital quickly.
"Dashie, you know I can-" Rainbow Dash's mother began before she found herself pinned against the hospital wall.
"FLUTTERSHY WAS HOSPITALIZED A FEW DAYS AGO, AND NOW SHE'S DEPRESSED. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HER SO I CAN HELP!" Rainbow Dash screamed, tears threatening to break from her eyes. Her mother sighed.
"Dashie, you know I can't tell you anything. Besides, we have some of the top therapists and psychologists in all of Equestria coming to help her," the irritated mare replied. Rainbow Dash could only glare at her mother before letting her go, spitting at her hooves before speaking.
"You know… those therapists? They're crap, all of them. Sure they can help ponies out once in a while, but sometimes it takes a friend to help a friend," Rainbow Dash scowled before flying back to Ponyville. Her mother could only stand there and absorb what her own daughter had said before slowly trotting away.

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"Fluttershy? Sugarcube? Hon', I know you're in there," Applejack sighed, knocking on the cottage door. Slowly, the door creaked open, a pillar of light striking the yellow mare's face as she peered out at her friend.
"Yes?" Fluttershy asked, a slight tremble in her voice that did not go unnoticed by the sharp farm girl.
"Sugarcube, can I come in? We need to talk," Applejack asked, trying to put on a friendly smile despite her immense worry. Fluttershy nodded, allowing the earth pony to step into her warm cottage before shutting the door behind her. Applejack took a minute to absorb the scenery of the interior, squirrels and bunnies ran across the floor playing with each other whilst birds chirped in the air as they flew freely throughout the house. Fluttershy allowed a blue-jay to land on her mane and sing it's sweet song before flying off.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Fluttershy asked, curious about why Applejack decided to visit.

"Look, 'Shy, we're worried about you. Nopony has seen you in days!" Applejack replied, as Fluttershy suddenly found her front hooves rather interesting to look at.
"I c-can't go out there… He's here…" Fluttershy whimpered softly, shivering as she did so. Applejack frowned slightly before pulling Fluttershy into a hug, the yellow mare wrapping her hooves around Applejack before sobbing softly.
"There, there sugar, just let it all out," Applejack whispered softly, stroking Fluttershy's mane while the pegasus cried. A minute soon passed and Fluttershy seemed to have calmed down. Breaking the embrace, Fluttershy motioned for her to come upstairs to her room. Following, Applejack slowly climbed the wooden stairs, her hooves clip-clopping softly. There she found Fluttershy, sitting on her bed, staring out of her window into the clouds.

"Hon'?" Applejack spoke softly.
"It's been five years…" Fluttershy spoke, her voice so soft it barely registered as a whisper. Applejack slowly made her way to the pink-maned pegasus before sitting down next to her. She took off her hat and placed it behind her before turning to Fluttershy.
"Five years since what?" Applejack asked cautiously, unsure of how touchy Fluttershy was on this subject. Fluttershy remained silent, her eyes still fixed on the clouds outside.
"Sugarcube, five years since what?" Applejack asked again, still being careful and attempting to keep her voice calm and steady. The pegasus turned to Applejack, a soft smile on her face and tears leaking from her eyes before she spoke.
"Since I ran into the Stalkers."

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My faithful student Twilight,

The emblem that you claim to have seen belongs to an old organization that goes by the name STALKERS. The group's origins date back all the way to the founding of Equestria and before my reign. All that is known to the Canterlot records is the aliases of three ponies in the organization, all of them dead now since time has passed: Iron Hoof, Dragon Scale, and Hydra. The reason you do not have any information on the group is because their work is so covert and professionally covered up, that there are little to no books at all written on them. While this may not help you, there was (according to the archive scrolls) a rumor within Canterlot that there once were books written on them - but they assassinated the authors and burned them. Whatever connection that Element of Kindness Fluttershy has with them is most likely not good. The fact that one of the visited her in person probably means she has dealt with them in the past. Please send her to Canterlot immediately, I wish to ask her some questions regarding her connections and affiliations with the organization. I can only hope that Fluttershy will be safe. You and the other Elements may join her for I believe that the rest of you have a right to know about what is occurring.

Her Royal Highness,

Princess Celestia of Equestria,
Ordo Equitum Solis

"That's the letter," Spike reported, taking back the scroll before filing it away with the other scrolls that Princess Celestia had sent to Twilight.
"We can't refuse the Princess' orders. Spike, take care of the library while we're gone," Twilight ordered, the small purple dragon saluting before scurrying off to finish the rest of his chores. Twilight began to pack her saddlebags before trotting out the door and making her way to Carousel Boutique.

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A shadowy figure slipped out of sight, perched on the rooftops as the lavender unicorn trotted out of the library.
"Interesting," the pony muttered before silently leaving to it's next target.

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"Bring Fluttershy to Canterlot? Good heavens! Whatever for?" Rarity gasped, beginning to pack her own saddlebags. Twilight quickly informed Rarity of the contents of Celestia's letter. Rarity bit her lip, her mind imagining what kind of trouble or situation Fluttershy was in before Sweetie Belle gently poked her hind leg.
"Is Fluttershy alright?" the filly asked, concern in her eyes and voice. Rarity threw a glance to Twilight who subtly shrugged back. Putting on a reassuring smile, Rarity turned back to her little sister.
"My dear, Fluttershy is quite alright, she's just having a little problem trying to deal with an issue that came up a few days ago," Rarity assured, her words seeming to calm Sweetie Belle down before the filly trotted off to her room. Turning to Twilight, Rarity nodded.
"Alright. For Fluttershy."

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"Done!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bursting out of Sugarcube Corner. Twilight and Rarity only stared back at the pink pony with her saddlebags already packed and prepared.
"How do you do that?" Twilight asked, still amazed at Pinkie Pie's ability to predict the future and even prepare for it.
"I just do! Now let's go get Applejack!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, the trio galloping off the Sweet Apple Acres.

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"Thanks for listening…" Fluttershy whimpered, wiping a few tears away from her eyes as she led the farmer down the stairs towards the door.
"Don't think nothin' of it sugarcube. I'm worried about ya. We all are," Applejack assured, giving Fluttershy a quick peck on the forehead before turning and slowly trotting out the door.
"I'll see you around, 'Shy!" Applejack yelled, soon breaking into a full-on sprint. Fluttershy softly smiled before turning around to hear an all too familiar voice.
"It's been a long time, Fluttershy."

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"Howdy, ya'll! Where are ya' galloping off to?" Applejack greeted, finding her friends talking to Big Macintosh as she returned to Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight quickly filled Applejack on the situation, the orange pony's eyes widening before nodding in agreement to come along, though for her own reasons.
"Poor 'Shy, I hope she'll be alright," Applejack thought, Apple Bloom dropping two bottles of apple cider into her saddlebags before waving goodbye to her big sister.
"Who's left? Hmpf, Rainbow Dash…" Twilight sighed, knowing how protective the cyan pegasus was over Fluttershy.
"Well, we might as well get this over with now," Twilight relented, the four ponies making their way to Rainbow's cloud palace.

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Rainbow Dash was sitting in her sitting room, looking through an old album. Inside were pictures of her as a filly, playing and laughing with her parents. As Rainbow Dash went further into the album, a small shy yellow pegasus soon began to appear frequently, often playing with Rainbow Dash. A slow smile crept up along Rainbow Dash's face, but suddenly a small wet spot appeared on the picture. Rainbow Dash slowly lifted a hoof to her face, feeling tears slowly dripping from her eyes. Glancing back down at the pictures of her and Fluttershy together, Rainbow Dash began to cry.
"Oh Fluttershy…" she sobbed softly, her crying cut short by Pinkie Pie's voice and the blast of the party cannon. Slowly dragging herself to the edge of her cloud, the cyan pegasus peered over the edge, finding Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Rarity and Applejack all looking up at her.

"Rainbow! Pack a pair of saddlebags! We've got to get Fluttershy to Canterlot, orders from Princess Celestia!" Twilight yelled, Rainbow nodding before turning around to pack up some food and items. Before leaving, Rainbow stopped, her eyes locking onto the album she was looking through. She quickly grabbed a picture and flew down to her friends.
"What took ya so long?" Applejack asked, curious as to why Rainbow Dash was slower than usual.
"Oh you know, just wanted to make sure I have everything," Rainbow Dash lied. Applejack stared at Rainbow Dash suspiciously before shrugging it off and galloping with the rest of her friends to Fluttershy's cottage. Glancing over her shoulder at her saddlebags, she remembered the last thing she had packed before leaving: A picture of Fluttershy and her sleeping together.