My Little Doubt

by Knackerman

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With a heavy sigh, and a last fleeting flutter, Twilight Sparkle settled down gratefully on a nearby park bench. "Whew...I sure hope this is the place Pinkie's invitation meant. If I have to fly another inch I think my wings are going to fall off." The majestic purple alicorn slumped slightly, her entire body aching from the long journey from Canterlot to Ponyville. No wonder Princess Celestia always took a chariot when visiting the little town. How did Rainbow Dash manage to make flying look so easy? As she contemplated this, Twilight looked around at her surroundings. She could tell from the air as she was flying in that the park was mostly empty today. Gazing from her perch on the bench, it was very quite and peaceful, if a little eerie after the bustling streets of Canterlot. The seemingly endless parade of dignitaries that had insisted on meeting the new royalty, herself, had been especially exhausting. It would be nice to have a small gathering of her closest friends again. It would be just like old times. Or so she hoped.

If Twilight were honest with herself, she'd admit that she had her doubts. How could anything ever really be the same? She'd been Celestia's student, sure, since she was just a little filly and she had always had an affinity for magic. Could a set of wings and a crown really make that much difference to her friends? They had all been so supportive...and well, proud, at her coronation, or at least so it had seemed. Still, after being away for so long, would they really be happy to see her again? Shaking her head, she tried to clear the doubts from her mind. Of course her friends would be happy to see her! Picking an empty corner of the park to meet up was just a smart way of avoiding a big scene in the middle of town. She had to hand it to Pinkie Pie, that had been some particularly shrewd planning on her part to avoid the swarming paparazzi. Actually, was that maybe a little too shrewd for the party pony?

"Guess who?~" the voice right next to Twilight's ear shocked her from her revery and caused her to nearly jump out of her skin. She turned and looked into a grinning face that was wreathed in a crown of curls, not unlike pink streamers. "Twilight, its really you! Oh my gosh, it's sooooo good to see you!" Bouncing excitedly up and down, the pink bundle of energy couldn't be mistaken for anypony but Pinkie Pie! Her grin stretched from from ear to ear, "Hey, didja just fly in from Canterlot? Boy, I bet your wings are tired! Get it? No? Hmm, maybe I should work on that one a little longer then. Anyways I missed you SO much!" Pinkie grabbed Twilight in a huge hug, physically lifting the purple alicorn off the park bench and squeezing her until her spine cracked.

"It's....good to...see you too Pinkie," Twilight struggled for breath due to her friends crushing embrace. "Could you maybe...put me down now?"

"Of course silly!" With that the hyperactive pony bounced up and down around her friend. "I'm so, so, SO glad you were able to come! I guess you got my invitation then huh? What a relief, I've been having such trouble with the mail pony lately. It seems like hardly anypony gets their mail on time."

"Oh really?" asked Twilight politely, if lamely.

"Yeah, and then of course...oh wow, did you know that Pound and Pumpkin Cake said almost a full sentence last week? Well Pound said one part and Carrot said the other, but I think that just shows a remarkable amount of team work for a pair of toddlers. And then there's Carrot Top's new garden and..." Pinkie Pie continued on and on, trying to fill her friend in on every little thing she might have missed in Ponyville in the time she'd been gone.

"Pinkie...Pinkie Pie. Pinkie that's great but honestly..." Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath, "PIIIINKIE PIIIE!"

"Yes Twilight?" the excited pony smiled.

"Its great to see you again, but do you know when the others might be getting here?" asked the slightly exasperated Twilight.

"Here? Oh, I dunno." answered the pink pony slightly puzzled. "Were you expect-" but she was suddenly cut off as an explosion tore through the otherwise silent sky. Concentric multi-colored rings spread from the apex of the heavens, reaching to the horizon in every direction. Such a display could only mean one thing.

"Rainbow Dash has arrived!" shouted the mare herself triumphantly. Dressed out in her uniform from the Wonderbolt's Flight camp, it was clear that Dash was just getting into town as well. It was so good of her to take time out from her training to attend their little gathering. A quiet get together wasn't really the pegasus ace's style, and knowing this, Twilight appreciated her presence all the more. "Hey Pinkie Pie! Twilight, looking good! You been keeping up with your wing sprints like I told ya?" The rainbow maned mare elbowed Twilight's aching rib muscles conspiratorially. Seeing her friend wince, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but giggle. "Looks like you could stand to do a few more."

"Hey, not everypony was born with wings you know! Twilight's got a lot of catching up to do with a pegasus like you." chimed in Pinkie Pie playfully in her friends defense.

"Well she's got a long way to go if she's gonna catch up to a pegasus like me!" Bragged Rainbow as she posed in mid-air. "Their having to invent new records at the Wonderbolt's Academy just so yours truly can break them." She pointed at herself with both her forelimbs, smiling smugly.

Still wincing slightly, Twilight couldn't help but smile, "It's nice to see you Rainbow. I'm glad your training has been going so well. Have you heard from any of the others?"

"What?" asked Dashie as she settled briefly on the top of the park bench with one hoof. "Oh, those slow pokes? Well Fluttershy will probably be late as usual. She has always taken her sweet time saying bye to all of her little critter friends. Applejack said something important was happening at Sweet Apple Acre's but that she'd be here as soon as she could. And Rarity..."

"Is right here darling!~" came a musical voice that simply dripped culture and poise. Rarity trotted from behind a copse of trees, sunglasses perched on her perfect nose and a kerchief wrapped protectively over her perfectly quaffed mane. "Oh Twilight, you simply must tell me about your time away from us. It must be so wonderful to be royalty, having all those little ponies waiting on you hoof and....hoof." The elegant pony gave a very unladylike like squeal. "A clandestine meeting with royalty! Oh this is just simply to die for!"

"I wouldn't exactly call it a clandestine meeting, but it's wonderful to see you too Rarity." Twilight noticed that as Rarity had joined them, other ponies seemed to be gathering in the park. It was probably a fair guess that Rainbow Dash's impromptu aerial show had attracted their attention rather than their new Princess's presence. All the same, she really didn't want to be in the middle of a crowd right now. "I'm sure we'll have lots of time to catch up at the party tonight, but why don't we meet Fluttershy halfway? I think her cottage is on the way to the party grounds anyways, right Pinkie Pie?"

"Um...tonight?" mumbled Pinkie Pie uncertainly, before adding more cheerfully. "Sure Twilight, whatever you say. I'll lead the way!"
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"Oh my, I'm so sorry girls. I didn't mean for you to go to the trouble of picking me up," the yellow pegasus whispered sweetly. She hovered just at the entrance of her cottage, saddle bags draped over her back. "I just couldn't decide what to bring. I've got so many pictures of all my little woodland friends, Twilight. You're just going to love them, and I especially made sure to get pictures of your friends from the last winter wrap up. They were so sad when they found out you were away in Canterlot, but they wanted me to be sure to give you their best." Fluttershy beamed as only she could, while holding pictures of bats, snakes, and skunks in her mouth.

"Er...that's...great Fluttershy. Be sure to give them my best as well." Twilight looked to her other friends for sympathy, but Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash seemed to have already bound on ahead and Rarity was inspecting the tiny sweater that Fluttershy had apparently knit for the long suffering Angel bunny. The yellow pegasi's pet must have been the most irritated looking bunny Twilight had ever seen.

"Fluttershy dear, however do you get your animal friends to wear your darling little creations?" asked Rarity. "Especially this late into spring! Why, I tried to get opal to wear a charming little chiffon ensemble and she just simply wouldn't have it. You don't have to use...The Stare, do you?"

"Oh no, I would never," said Fluttershy, truly shocked. "it's just even now it gets so chilly in the fields, especially around sunset. I couldn't live with myself if I thought my friends were suffering." Fluttershy hugged angel close, not noticing the somewhat sickened look on his face.
Twilight stifled a giggle, "I guess we'd better catch up with the others."

"Okay," replied the nature loving pony as she set her pet bunny back inside her cottage. "Oh wait, I almost forgot! I'll be just a moment." With that she whirled and flew quickly back inside and up the stairs to the second floor.

All Twilight Sparkle could do was sigh. So far her quite little gathering with her friends had been a lot louder and more rambunctious than she had thought it would be. Even so, she felt her heart swelling with affection for these, her dearest friends. She could put up with a few lame jokes, bragging, swooning, and a few pictures of cuddly critters; if it meant being with them, that is. Besides, Applejack would be there too, and even though the farm pony could be loud and rambunctious as all of her other friends combined, she had a steady, stabilizing presence that seemed to make it all okay. Twilight had to admit, she was really looking forward to tonight. In fact it couldn't get here soon enough.

When it all suddenly went dark, she almost thought she had willed the night to descend. If only that was the cause for the dying light.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight woke up sprawled out on a cold stone floor with a headache the size of the moon. She reached tentatively to the back of her throbbing head and felt a sizable knot swelling there. When she pulled her hoof away, she felt something sticky and warm. As she opened her eyes to see what it was, she realized the room she was in was pitch dark. She didn't need to see to tell what the sticky substance on her hoof was though. She could smell the blood. Somepony, or something, had cracked her skull hard. "Hello?" her voice came out as a whisper. Her throat was dry as if she'd been out for some time. She wet her lips as best she could with her tongue, swallowing a little spit to try to free up her vocal cords. She tried again, "Hello? Is anypony there?" her voice echoed away into the darkness.

"Twi, is that you?" The voice was familiar, and would have been comforting if it wasn't so full of fear. "Ah can't see a dang blasted thang in here. Are ya alright sugarcube?" Twilight felt Applejack's presence in the darkness as she drew near. The farm pony was cold and clammy, but then so was the place they were in. Still, it was a relief to know she wasn't alone.

As some of her own terror subsided, Twilight was able to weakly stand, "I think so. Something really did a number on the back of my head though."

"Me too darlin'," said Applejack as she lent her shoulder to her friend to help her stand. "Ah was on mah way to meet up with the rest of y'all when something crashed right inta me out of nowhere. Ah swear it struck faster than a thunderbolt durin' a zap apple storm. Then Ah woke up here in this dark an' dank cellar or...or where ever this is..." The usually brave pony's voice faltered and trailed off. Twilight wasn't sure how long Applejack had thought herself alone in the dark, but she could imagine what kind of effect that might have on the earth pony.

"Hold on. I might be able to shed a little light on our situation." Twilight felt the back of her head throb, but it didn;t seem to impede her magic. As a soft purple light suffused her horn, it spread throughout the room. Applejack audibly gasped, but that was nothing compared to Twilight's reaction. In that single moment, the purple alicorn almost gave in to the pain in her head and the siren song of the oblivion she had so recently awakened from. Part of her hoped she was still knocked out and that she was in fact dreaming. She didn't want to be here. Not again.

Feeling the strength going out of her friends legs, Applejack tore her gaze from the room to swiftly prop Twilight up. "Easy now darlin', easy. Nothing to be afraid of, they're just reflections. We're in some kind of house of mirrors or..."

"No." Twilight cut her friend off tersely, a note of despair creeping into her voice. "No, I know where we are." With Applejack propping her up, the alicorn fed more light into the room. That's when she noticed the small pink form curled up in one corner. Twilight and Applejack shared a glance and she could see the apprehension in her friends eyes. The farm pony gave Twilight a questioning look that seemed to ask for permission. Twilight nodded, able now to keep herself upright using her wings for balance, even if she was still a little shaky.

Applejack made her way to the still form of Pinkie Pie and nuzzled her carefully. A long, sleepy groan made the country pony sigh with relief. Checking her over, Applejack asked,"Pinkie, are you alright? Do ya hurt anywhere?"

"Whoa...Applejack, is that you? Ugh...can you make the room stop spinning for a moment? I think I'd like to get off." Pinkie Pie rose into a sitting position and almost immediately fell over again. Her eyes were glazed and she looked around the room in a daze. "Hi, Twilight...and other Twilight, and other Applejack...and other me. Did somepony open up the Mirror Pool again?" Pinkie gave a little giggle and shut her eyes, clearly confused by the reflective surfaces all around her.

With a soft snort, the farm pony looked over her fellow earth pony. "She's a might loopy, but Ah think she'll be fine. It doesn't look like anypony hurt her, but I've seen this kind of behavior a-fore now. Looks like sompepony drugged her." She put her ear next to the prostrate Pinkie's chest, eliciting another giggle from the pink pony. "Ah think she's comin' out of it though. It'd probably be a good idea if we didn't try ta move her for the time bein'." With that, the earth pony turned back to Twilight, "So where are we then, exactly?" she asked anxiously.

"We're in the caves beneath Canterlot." Twilight replied slowly. "Or at least I think we are. This chamber looks similar to the one Queen Chrysalis trapped me in at Cadance and my brothers wedding." Moving around the room Twilight came to a thin crack in one wall. "If we are, I think we might be in trouble." Using one hoof she pried the crack open, and seemed a little surprised when the mirror like hunk of crystal swung open like a door. That was nothing compared to the sight that awaited her on the other side. "Oh sweet Celestia...Applejack, come quick!"

But any aid the able earth pony might have been able to render, or any spell that Twilight might have been able to cast, would clearly be too little, too late. The shear volume of blood made that quite clear. The thick crimson pool was already semi-hard and going black around the edges, coagulating into a horrid mess that marred the otherwise spotless surface of the crystal floor. Poor, poor Fluttershy. She hung like a puppet that's strings had been cut. Sharp spikes were embedded in her body at various angles, leaving her pinned to the wall. Her wings hung limp like her hind legs. Her forelegs were impaled above her head, which lolled gently to one side, a thin track of blood extending from her half open mouth drizzled down to the ruin of her chest. Her eyes were still open and held a look of serenity that belied the carnage that had been done to her body.

"What a horrible accident. What do you think happened?" wailed Applejack.

"I don't think this was an accident at all," replied Twilight, drawing as close as she dared to what remained of her gentlest friend. "No, not at all."

Comments

[Ecstatic]

Oh my.

Bravo, congratulations on writing Fluttershy's fate, it invoked a wide range of creepy images, disturbed thoughts, and memorable comparisons to other acts of violence: Sometimes Implication is just the way to go.

Then again, maybe the second chapter is from Fluttershy's perspective as she's tortured to death, I'll see, anyway, love the first chapter!

That, and Pinkie Pie seems... off, I honestly thought she was going to be responsible for the tragedy when she actually showed up for the party (the description of the story implies that perhaps the invites weren't sent by her) and muttered creepy comments like "Tonight, huh?" And then she's drugged... Threw me for a loop.

[PaulAsaran]

Argh, walloftext, walloftext! Double spacing, dude!

Ahem...

The opener feels iffy to me. The overabundance of catchphrases and behavioral patterns really gave the characters a forced feeling. The narrative style seems to be trying to make me feel a certain way, which shouldn't be necessary under the circumstances. It really interfered with the sense of horror I was supposed to have at Fluttershy's circumstance.

[Ayla]

5889815 This isn't really a wall of text. All the paragraphs are clearly indented at the beginning like they should be. The story is simply being written in the same way that a book is written. While double spacing might make a story easier to read, that's not really the correct way to do it. It's just the way fanfiction is often written.

Also this story intrigues me. I shall read on.

[Luminous Rose]

"What?" asked Dashie as she settled briefly on the top of the park bench with one hoof. "Oh, those slow pokes? Well Fluttershy will probably be late as usual. She has always taken her sweet time saying bye to all of her little critter friends."

Always has