Tale of a monster hunter

by HiddenUnderACouch

Chapter Four - Smarter than they look (Edited)

It was early in the morning, but Fluttershy was already on her hooves, and heading to the board for her last contract. Finally, she would leave this town soon, maybe even this part of the country – winter was very poor on contracts, and most money went into repairs, new weapons, and food. The south border sounded like a very good idea – those deserts were littered with monsters, and ponies living there would certainly pay a good amount to get rid of them. Fluttershy approached the board and took a look at the last hanging piece of paper. The request came from somepony named ‘Rarity’, apparently a very rich fashion model. The address on the request matched one of the most fancy and expensive houses. The only place that was fancier than that was the town hall.

Fluttershy made her way to the manor. This must be one of the prettiest houses she’d ever seen – the paint was new and bright, the wood sturdy and strong. Fluttershy rapped on the door. To the left and right of the entrance were pots with fake flowers, resembling white roses, she noted. It looked quite nice.

The door was soon opened, and Fluttershy heard moans of pain and heavy breathing from inside. The butler, a white earth pony with pink mane, looked at her.

"You are the monster hunter, I presume?" she addressed the hat-wearing hunter politely.

"Yes, you are right," Fluttershy said, eyeing her suspiciously. "Can I talk to Rarity?"

"Unfortunately, no. She is gone on an important meeting and will not return for at least a week. Do not worry, I'll give you all the information you want," she explained, and suddenly a loud scream interrupted her.

"Oh, do not worry about that. You see, while Ms. Rarity is gone, she allowed the local hospital to use her house. There is not enough room in the hospital itself, so they decided to house the sick here. Do not worry, they are not contagious," she calmed Fluttershy. "Please, come in, I'll fill you in on the details."

The inside of the house was much less appealing. The sick were lying right on the floor on silk sheets. Doctors were barely holding their balance when finding their way between the patients. The moaning and crying was annoyingly loud. The butler carefully led Fluttershy through this improvised ward which mostly resembled a war hospital. Finally, they reached a quiet room which looked like Rarity's office. The butler entered quickly and Fluttershy followed only to find a very unpleasant surprise.

Rainbow Dash sat there on the couch and seemed to wait for something. When they entered, she got up quickly. Seeing Rainbow Dash here felt the same as opening your eyes in the midnight, only to see some psycho holding a knife at your throat – surprising and annoying.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Fluttershy asked coldly and bluntly.

"I want to help," she replied evenly. Fluttershy looked at her angrily.

"I thought I made it quite clear – I don't need your help!"

"I wasn't asking for your permission," Rainbow Dash parried. Fluttershy sighed heavily. It was clear that Dash wouldn’t leave her alone. At least she could be useful somehow, but Fluttershy highly doubted it. The only thing sidekicks ever do is waste time and get into trouble.

"Argh, whatever!" Fluttershy murmured.

"Please, I'd like to ask you to calm down," the butler said. Her feigned politeness was starting to get annoying. "Sit down, and let me give you the information."

While everything in Fluttershy was resisting, she forced herself to sit down near Rainbow Dash, and fought off the urge to punch her in the face. The couch was quite comfortable however – or maybe Fluttershy was just too used to rough springs in old inns.

"It began not a long time ago. Rarity started complaining on the weird noises at night. She said they were coming from the basement. Rarity never uses this basement, so you can say it's abandoned. So, when Rarity left, and the patients were moved here, several of them claimed to have seen a strange creature that resembed a pony, though looked like a monster. Then, they started to disappear," the butler explained.

"Why didn't you report it?" Rainbow Dash interjected surprised and somewhat annoyed.

"We did," the butler hit her with the cold truth. Rainbow Dash calmed down immediately – she realized that the report was probably in the piles of papers she hadn’t checked yet, drowning in the ocean of other problems she hadn’t resolved yet. It felt horrible to realize, that this ocean would only grow. The butler continued,

"I highly suspect that whatever kidnapped those ponies lives in the basement. I closed the trapdoor leading there, so the creature won't escape until I find somepony who can kill it," she finished. Fluttershy sneered.

"I'll deal with it. If it is down here, I'll kill it."

"Ehem, we will kill it," Rainbow Dash intervened. Fluttershy gave her an annoyed look.

"You're only going to be nuisance! If you want to help then help, but don't get involved in the fight. That's strictly my business," she told Rainbow Dash.

"Ha, I can stand for myself, no need to worry," Rainbow Dash replied.

"Believe me, if you die down there, Dash, I will not give two shits!" Fluttershy grumbled. Then she checked the blade in her wristband – since she didn't exactly know what they were dealing with, she could not prepare properly. She decided that the blade would do the job, seeing as the creature lived in the basement for quite a while and didn't kill every resident of it – then it wasn’t very aggressive.

"Let's go," Fluttershy ordered, and the butler obediently led them to the trapdoor leading to the basement. Rainbow Dash followed.

The trapdoor was locked and tied with chains – the poor butler was really scared when she was locking it, surely. The butler took the key, opened the lock and took a step back as if inviting Dash and Fluttershy down there. Fluttershy opened the trapdoor, and the cold wind blew right in her face. The darkness ruled in this basement – nothing was lighting it.

"Dash, take the lantern," Fluttershy commanded. Grumbling, Rainbow Dash grabbed a lantern and they both descended by the ladder.

Several shelves made out of wood were standing by the walls. They had rotten long ago and were almost fully covered in cobwebs. The air was cold and wet, like in some cave, and the sound of spiders crawling away from the light could be heard. At first glance, this basement was completely normal, if not for how ancient it was.

"Looksh emptshy," Rainbow Dash tried to talk while holding the lantern with her teeth. Fluttershy approached some rickety chest and pushed it away, revealing a tunnel.

"You weren't looking hard enough," stated coldly and Rainbow Dash shook her head as if saying 'whatever'. "You go first"

"Waiths a bhit," she objected, and tried to attach the lantern to her chest armor. Fortunately, she managed to do it and not even break the glass. "All right, let's go".

Rainbow Dash crawled into the hole, and Fluttershy followed her. The ground was cold; sometimes the roots were sticking out of the walls, scratching their sides.

"Tell me, Dash – why the hell did you come here?" Fluttershy asked.

"Don't you think it's not the best place to have conversations?" Rainbow Dash hissed, sounding a bit annoyed. "I told you already - I want to help"

"Yeah, yeah, like that always ends well!" Fluttershy exclaimed.

"Listen, are we going to hold a grudge against each other forever like this?" Rainbow Dash replied. The tunnel ended before Fluttershy could answer, and they both got out. They found themselves in some cave, which wasn't natural – somepony dug it out. They noticed a way forward, much wider this time.

"I don't see why not," Fluttershy rebuked, after she’d cast her eyes hither and yon. "Sins like that are not easily absolved!"

"You brought it onto yourself! I was enforcing the law, and you were about to break it! I had to stop you!" she shouted, enraged.

"So that's how you enforce the law?! By attempting murder?! Typical!" Fluttershy parried in an angry, but still somewhat calm voice.

"It was an accident! I didn't want that to happen! I wanted to help you!" Rainbow Dash screamed. Fluttershy suddenly twitched.

"An accident? Help me?! HELP ME?!" she now screamed and rushed at Dash, knocking and pinning her down at the floor. Fluttershy lifted her hoof, and the knife appeared from the wristband. "I'm going to kill you for these words!"

Rainbow Dash used her wings to turn around, knocking Fluttershy from away from her, and got up quickly.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she shouted. Fluttershy looked at her ferociously. Suddenly, she grabbed her cape and took it away, revealing the crippled remains of her wings.

"This is what you did to me! This is what you did to me, you bastard! You took my wings!" she screamed in anger. A cold professional inside her disapproved of such outburst, but the scorching fire demanded immediate bloodshed.

"And you took my eye!" Rainbow Dash parried, but Fluttershy didn't even flinch.

"It's a reminder... a reminder of your past sins, you traitor!"

"I already told you – I had to do it! It was my duty!" Rainbow Dash shouted, misunderstanding what Fluttershy meant.

"Duty?!... You left me alone, left me to die! And you think it was your duty to do so?!" Fluttershy lowered her head, trying to fight back the rage, trying to keep the cold head, but the hatred was too powerful, and the memories too bitter to forgive and forget. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

"Your friend!" Rainbow Dash screamed rashly. "I thought I could help you, but—" she started to rant, but Fluttershy couldn't hear anything after 'your friend'.

The professional in her mind finally shut up. The world around her slowly turned red, concentrating solely on Rainbow Dash, standing there and rambling something about help and responsibility.

"RAINBOW DASH!" the shriek echoed form the walls as Fluttershy unleashed a fast flurry of attacks with her blade. Rainbow Dash was caught off guard, and the first strike hit her in the chest armor. The dull pain cooled her down, and allowed to react to the next attacks. She barely managed to dodge them; every strike was so close to her body she could almost feel the cold of the steel. Dash then quickly hit Fluttershy in the chest, pushing her away. She wanted to talk her down, but Fluttershy rushed for another attack before she could even open her mouth. Rainbow quickly flew up in the air, reaching the ceiling of the cave quickly.

"Calm the fuck down!" she screamed at Fluttershy, but this painful reminder of the things she couldn’t do enraged Fluttershy even more. She pointed her blade at Dash, and then the loud sound deafened her. The cave quickly filled with smoke, and hellish pain pierced Rainbow Dash's chest. She lost her balance and fell down. Dash screamed from this sudden pain, and from the pain in the back, as the floor was solid rock. Fluttershy approached to her lying opponent, and hit her right in the face, forcing Dash to roll over on her back. She, however, managed to see what hit her – out of her chest armor the knife was sticking out. Fortunately, it didn't reach her flesh, and was stuck in the armor.

That was a relief, of course, but this wasn't the time for celebration, as Fluttershy pinned Dash down, and started beating her face with quick and painful strikes. After about five hits to the face, Dash managed to block and catch Fluttershy's hoof in a special hold. Then, she knocked her down, and quickly jumped at top of her, trying to restrain Fluttershy's movement. She was twisting and trying to turn, but Rainbow held her good – she couldn't get out of this.

"CALM DOWN! Fucking calm down, you psycho!" she screamed, but Fluttershy managed free on of her hooves and viciously hit her right in the throat. Rainbow Dash quickly jumped down, choking and coughing. Fluttershy quickly got up, but didn't attack as she watched Rainbow Dash coughing blood. This was a quick and effective attack, one of her favorites. Rainbow Dash desperately tried to breathe in, but the pain didn't let her. She was slowly chocking to death. The blood was slowly filling her mouth, and soon, started flowing out of it. Rainbow Dash started slowly walking towards Fluttershy, leaving a trail of her own blood mixed with spit. Fluttershy suddenly dashed towards her and hit the side of her throat. Rainbow Dash fell down on the floor, and gasped – she was able to breathe again. She breathed fast, trying to consume as much oxygen as possible.

Fluttershy approached her, and looked down as Dash slowly recovered.

"...Sorry... Sometimes I just can't control myself," she stated coldly. Then she found her cape and put it back on. Rainbow Dash spat out the blood and got up.

"What the hell have you done to me? I couldn't breathe," she pawed the ground.

"A special move. I attacked a weak point in your throat which misplaced a single vertebra in your neck, blocking the respiratory ways. Hadn't I moved it back to its place, you would have died of anoxaemia" Fluttershy replied emotionlessly.

"That's a bit brutal," Dash remarked.

"That's the way I live, Dash. That's how I survive," Fluttershy replied.

"I see... I'll have to admit, you're really good," Rainbow Dash said. Fluttershy just sneered. That last time was before she finished her training with Master Amos, so Dash was underestimating her skill even now.

***

Master Amos was a great mentor and took real care of Fluttershy, while also not letting down at the training. Fluttershy trained almost all the time, but Amos never let her overstrain herself – sometimes it was even worse than being unprepared.

Fluttershy loved him like her own father, or even more. However, he was feared by other ponies, and even his fellow monster hunters. He had a strange view of the world – he viewed bloodshed and a hard life in this world as retribution. Punishment on the whole pony kind, a well-deserved punishment. Every time he saw destruction, he enjoyed it, sometimes even too much. He also found pleasure in brutal kills – even when the monster was harmless, he would kill it in the most brutal way possible.

Amos often viewed himself as the punisher, the executioner, the necessary evil, but the Guards didn't think so – he was never welcome in any town, unless it was really far away from civilization. They never got to sleep in any town – usually it was always roadside inns, or they just made camps somewhere in the forest.

***

That night, they made their camp somewhere in the deep forest. The sky was clear and revealed hundreds upon hundreds of stars. The moon shone full and bright, and crickets were filling the air with their songs. Amos was sitting near the camp fire, watching the flame dance. Fire was one of the most beautiful things in the world – the way it shook in the wind, the warmth it brought and pureness it wielded... Simply marvelous. Big fires were a spectacle to behold, but this flame was contained by rocks which were carefully placed around it. The soup in the kettle above the fire was boiling. When Fluttershy returned with some herbs, they would have themselves some great soup, or, considering how bad Amos was at cooking, a very mediocre soup.

Amos looked into the darkness, and his mind was filled with hard thoughts – Fluttershy was getting better every day. She could handle the blade almost like it were an extension of her hoof. However, she couldn’t learn all the aspects of a real fight when fighting monsters. They were feral, guided by instincts, and were very predictable. If she really wanted to experience the fight, she must combat those who used cold logic.

He had heard of a bandit camp nearby the town they had visited early on. The rumor was that their leader was an extraordinarily good fighter. Although Amos wasn't really content with this idea, he knew for certain that, if he wanted his little Fluttershy to succeed in this world, she had to pass this exam.

Amos sighed heavily – when he took Fluttershy, she was broken and pathetic, filled with rage. He taught her how to live in peace with her inner demon, how to control it and use it when necessary. Now, the girl had to make her first kill. Most teachers would be impressed by how she reached the skill ceiling so fast, but Amos felt so unsure about this. He couldn't imagine Fluttershy killing a pony, the very thought scared him. His other side, however, rejoiced in the knowledge that his student had grown up so fast, and now was about to enter the real world; the world that demanded sacrifice in the form of blood.

The sound of rustling grass disturbed his concentration. In several seconds, Fluttershy sat down beside him, looking pretty satisfied with herself.

"So, did you find any herbs?" he asked, and Fluttershy put the bag full of various flowers near him. Amos smiled, "Good. Nice work as usual, Fluttershy"

"Thank you, Master," she replied. Amos carefully took the kettle and placed it near him. He carefully tasted it, and cringed a bit.

"A little less horrible than usual," he said.

"Master, don't misjudge yourself like that. Your dishes are always great," Fluttershy assured and Amos giggled. She always tried to make him happy, even calling his concoction 'tasty food'.

"Fluttershy, I know how bad I am at this cooking stuff. Don't try to tell me otherwise," he said, smiling. "I'll appreciate if you gave me some more critique."

"Oh, okay. If you really want it," Fluttershy said sheepishly. Amos smiled.

"Well, you brought the herbs, that will certainly improve the taste," he noted as he took a red flower and crumbled it into the soup, then tried it again.

"Mmm, much better. Get your bowl; it's supper time," he said.

In several minutes, they were enjoying the soup. The herb made it taste much better than it was. They were silent, but Amos' soul was in great doubt, and he looked incredibly grim. It was hard not to notice.

"Master... is something bothering you?" Fluttershy asked carefully.

"Yes... It's just that you have reached your skill ceiling, Fluttershy. There is nothing more I can teach you," he said sorrowfully. "But you still have much to learn, but you have to learn it yourself."

"Does that mean I have to leave?" she asked and her ears dropped.

"Oh no, you are not getting rid of me, young lady," Amos said, trying to sound cheerful. Fluttershy giggled. Her laughter was so pleasing for the ears.

"You will have to pass a very hard test. Not that it is hard to accomplish, it's hard to force yourself to do so... There is a bandit camp not far from us. Their leader is infamous for his cruelty… and fighting skills. You will have to sneak into the camp... and kill him," Amos finished. Fluttershy looked at him.

"Kill him? He is a bandit... He steals and kills other ponies just for his excitement. He deserves it. I don't understand what you're so worried about, Master," she said. Amos sighed.

"Maybe you're right... but still... I have this feeling in my gut... that something will go wrong," he said worryingly. Fluttershy hugged him.

"Master Amos, don't worry. You know I can handle myself just fine. I'll sneak in, kill the son of a bitch, and get out," she said, trying to calm him down.

"I know, my child. Still, watch yourself," he said, and kissed her forehead. "Now, go get some sleep. You will depart tomorrow"

***

Fluttershy snuck through the forest. Not a single unnecessary move, not a single mistake – she was the predator on the hunt. The stripes were holding her, so it wouldn't drag on the ground, and the always faithful wristband with the blade inside was thirsting for blood.

The bandit's camp was near. Most of them were gone, probably on a raid, so there shouldn't be too many of them. Soon, she could the see the camp – the many tents swayed in the wind, and the smoke from bonfires was whirling around in it. Fluttershy soon spotted the biggest tent, and figured that must be where her target resided.

She slowly made her way through the camp, avoiding patrols and lonely guards that stood and gawked. It took Fluttershy 10 minutes to reach the leader's tent. She crawled under one of the cloth walls, and was able to peek inside – the bandit was looking at a map, probably planning the next raid. Fluttershy grinned and slowly crawled inside. Fortunately, he was so stuck up on planning that he didn't notice her.

Sometimes, you only needed one small betrayal to get your whole life ruined. That day, Fluttershy was betrayed by a small twig on the ground. She didn't notice it and stepped right on it, making it unleash the loud 'crack'. The bandit quickly snapped his head around.

‘Well... fuck,’ Fluttershy thought to herself as she triggered the mechanism that released her blade from the wristband.

"A...girl? What in the...?" the bandit exclaimed and noticed the blade. He quickly figured out that Fluttershy was from the monster hunters, and, undoubtedly, a formidable foe. He, however, cared more about his life than his pride, so he quickly grabbed the sword from the table with his teeth, and proceeded to run away.

Fluttershy quickly ran after him. The bandit leader called for help, but, surprisingly, the camp remained silent. He freaked out, shouting curses and damning his sloppy henchmen.

The chase continued for good five minutes until he was finally cornered. The cliff was steep, and he would surely break himself a lot of bones if he fell from it. He stopped just in time, or else he would have fallen.

"Listen... whoever paid you... I can pay double," he said. His voice was shaking.

"No money can save you, criminal. Your life ends here," Fluttershy stated, hit him viciously on the head, and threw him away from the ledge. She wanted to deal with him personally – it wouldn’t be the gravity that’d kill him.

"Freeze!" a familiar voice shouted. "Royal Guard, don't move! I am authorized to use force!"

Royal Guard. That's why the help didn't come for the bandit leader – the Royal Guard had arrived just in the nick of time. Fluttershy looked at the source of the sound… and was frozen in place. Right before her, after so many years, stood Rainbow Dash, wearing a chest plate with special gauntlets on the hooves for non-lethal takedowns.

"Stay right where you are... Wait a second! Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash said, looking straight at her. Fluttershy was, of course, surprised, but tried not to give that away and just hit the bandit on the head, knocking him unconscious.

"What.. what are you doing here? Why... how..." Rainbow Dash muttered, staggering at every word.

"Does it matter? Or, to be clearer, do you even care?" Fluttershy replied coldly. She barely managed to keep the coldness of her heart, as many emotions were overtaking and the desire to separate Dash's head from shoulders became stronger and stronger.

"I... I do care. How could you say that? We haven't seen each other for so long... but this is really a bad place and circumstances for our reunion," Dash said. "You look so different..."

"Everything has changed. I changed. You changed. This 'reunion' is just a coincidence. Now, please, leave," Fluttershy parried.

"I will, but this guy is going with me. He's under arrest from now on."

"Oh, no. He has to die," Fluttershy said and Dash cringed.

"What?! Why..." then she saw the wristband. The secret of manufacturing of these wristbands was passed since the first monster hunter who made them. While the monster hunters were not an organized group, they had managed to share this secret with each other and keep it hidden from everypony else. This wristband was their symbol, aside from the cloak and the wide-brimmed hat.

"You're... one of them now?" Dash uttered.

"Yes, I am one of the monster hunters. So?" Fluttershy said angrily.

Rainbow Dash sighed heavily. Monster hunters were even worse than Pure Heart told her. Not only were they prone to lynching, but they also used children, ponies the age of Rainbow Dash, who was a cadet at that time, joined these hunters and committed murders while having the audacity to call it 'justice'.

"But... they're evil! They find those who can't protect themselves and take money from them for protection! They kill criminals without trial and investigation and call it justice, and you're okay with that?" Rainbow Dash asked disbelievingly.

"Evil? So, actually bringing criminals to justice and doing the job properly is evil... and leaving your friends behind is not evil? That's perfectly alright – great fucking logic!" Fluttershy shouted. The emotions finally broke through the thin wall of coldness she tried to protect her soul with. "Do you know how hard our life was? We never slept in a legitimate bed! We were never allowed to stay in towns for long, because ponies were afraid of us! They despise and fear us, but when they have a monster or a bandit threatening them, they run to us, waving their hard-earned cash in front of our faces! And we help them!"

Rainbow Dash staggered a little bit. Leave her friend behind... That was the mistake which haunted Dash for a long time. When Pure Heart offered her to go, she’d been happy, but she didn't know how Fluttershy would take it. She’d been afraid to tell her, afraid for the first time in her life. So she left without telling anything, hoping that it would be better for both of them. She was wrong. Now, she faced the consequences.

"Fluttershy, your anger doesn't make you the judge, jury, and executioner. It doesn't matter what your mentor told you – monster hunters are bunch of evil greedy ponies, who see only profit! You can still go back to normal life! Come with me – I can help you!" Dash implored.

"Normal life? My 'normal' life was over when I realized that I had no friends to begin with! Who wants to be a friend with a wimp who can't protect themselves? Nopony! So now, there is no normal life for me. I have only one way to go!"

"Then you give me no choice! Step away from the suspect, or I will be forced to put you down!" Rainbow Dash shouted and took a fighting stance.

"Go ahead! TRY!" Fluttershy growled, and she was ready for combat.

Rainbow Dash quickly flew up into the air, and rushed forwards, using her gauntlets as a battering ram. Fluttershy managed to dodge, but Dash quickly turned around and knocked her down, hitting her in the side. Fluttershy tried to fall back as far as she could to avoid the next attack. Dash quickly flew up, and descended right where Fluttershy was supposed to be, trying to crush her. After the dust settled down, she looked around and realized that she’d missed. The counter-attack was quick to follow as Fluttershy unleashed a flurry of attacks, hitting her in the face and chest armor. The dull pain pierced Dash's chest. She staggered for a second, and Fluttershy delivered a crushing blow right in her face, knocking her back at least two meters.

She got up, spitting out blood. Some teeth were broken, and the metallic taste of blood disorientated her. Fluttershy rushed towards her, and jumped, hovering in the air not high above the ground. She flew right towards Dash, intending to knock her down. Rainbow quickly snapped out of her little shock, and quickly delivered an uppercut, right when Fluttershy was close to hitting her. Fluttershy made a semicircle in the air and fell on the ground, landing on her back. She slowly got up, reeling and spitting blood.

"As much fun as that was, it ends now!" Rainbow Dash said, and Fluttershy sneered.

"Tired already? What's wrong, Dash, can't keep up?" she mocked and rushed towards her. Dash was ready for this attack, so she dodged to the left and counter-attacked, punching Fluttershy in the face. What she didn't expect was that Fluttershy would block this punch with her hoof, grab her hoof in a hold, and throw her over her head to the ground. Dash quickly rolled away from her and got up, shaking her head, trying to fight off the shock. Fluttershy followed up her success with several heavy blows to the head and finished it with an uppercut, lifting Dash up in the air. She didn't stop there however – Fluttershy flew up to Rainbow Dash, hit her right in the stomach and dragged her like this for three meters, then threw her on the ground.

Dash managed to land safely, but the pain was unbearable.

"That's it! Game's over! You're fucking going down!" she shouted, and dashed right to Fluttershy, who was still in the air, and delivered a massive flurry of attacks, aiming for head, body, and neck. Then she flew up even higher, and used her body as a spear to dive into Fluttershy and crash into the ground with her.

"Had enough?!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she delivered one punch after another to Fluttershy's face. Suddenly, Fluttershy blocked one of the punches and managed to shove Dash away from herself. Then she quickly rushed forward to her and hit her in the chest armor several times, pushing her away with this dull pain. Rainbow Dash tripped over some rocks and fell down, coughing.

"Yes, I've had enough.... of you!" Fluttershy snarled, and looked at the unconscious bandit. She couldn't wait to return to Master Amos to tell him about the completed mission and this amazing battle.

"I…won't let you do this! I will not fail! I will not let you fall!" Dash screamed suddenly, and hit the ground, throwing a heap of dust into Fluttershy's eyes. She screamed loudly, and stepped back, rubbing her eyes desperately.

"Ah, son of a...!" she shouted, as the specks of dust were scratching her eyes and lids. The pain was not very strong but the eyes were such a sensitive organ that any damage she dealt to them was multiplied by at least a thousand.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath as she slowly got up. Fluttershy continued to flail angrily through the air and shouting curses. Finally, it was over. This battle was the hardest she ever had – not even the training with the pro-Guards could be compared to this. At least, now everything was over, and she would be going back home soon.

Suddenly she noticed that Fluttershy was no longer trying to hit the air. She was looking right at her with her blood-red eyes, and something sparkled at her wrist. Rainbow Dash quickly figured out that that it was a blade, and prepared to dodge, but Fluttershy dashed towards her with abnormal speed. The blade sparkled in the sun as it flew from the top to the bottom, cutting the right side of Dash's face. The edge of the knife whistled as it separated the flesh and cut the white of her eye.

Rainbow Dash jumped back and unleashing a chilling shriek, holding the wound with her hoof.

"Agh...f..fuck... ah..." she moaned as the blood was flowing out faster and faster. Rage filled her soul – this was unforgivable! This pain, this wound – this was over the edge! She opened her healthy eye, and saw Fluttershy trying to cut the air. It seemed that the dust still continued to blind her. Enraged, she hit Fluttershy in the face as hard as she could. Fluttershy flew back, and almost fell off the cliff, but managed to grab onto it.

"Ah, you... shit!" she screamed as she tried to pull up, but failed. Rainbow Dash looked at her, covering her bleeding wound. There she was, clinging to her life. If she fell, nopony would ever look for her, surely. If they’d find her body, who would be able to prove that Dash was responsible? Dash sighed, as she fought off these stupid thoughts – she was a Guard, and her duty was to uphold the law and protect lives. She would never leave a pony in trouble, no matter who he or she was. She ran towards Fluttershy as fast as she could to help her, but those seconds of hesitations now betrayed her – Fluttershy could no longer hold onto the cliff as the dust in her eyes hurt more and more, the places she got hit in started to pulsate with pain. She lost the grip, and the earth gave away as she fell down.

She hit the side of the cliff which consisted of sharp rocks sticking out of it. They impaled Fluttershy's back, making her scream, and then she started to roll down. As she fell, the rocks tore and destroyed her back, leaving huge wounds. The fall continued for a few seconds, but for her, it seemed like an eternity – the suffering and pain seemed endless. Finally, the fall ended, and she fell down on the ground, forming a puddle of blood under her.

Rainbow Dash looked down with horror at the bloodied rocks and Fluttershy's maimed body. How could this happen?! She failed... Rainbow Dash looked down there and thought about going down and trying to help, but she was so scared right now! It was her fault – she’d put her in this situation, and she didn't help her. Rainbow Dash looked around, approached the still unconscious bandit, and looked at him. She sighed, and flew away to get medical help for her and some guards to carry this moron to the cell. Her wound started to pulsate with pain again, and the blood poured out even faster. The thought that she just left her friend to die was biting her conscience hard, but the guilt didn't allow her to return. She hoped she would be able to forget this.

Fluttershy was slowly dying in the pool of her own blood. The shards of rock in her back disturbed the wound, causing tremendous pain every time she tried to move, or even flinch. She slowly opened her eyes to be able to see again. Her vision was dark and blurry. The taste of blood filled her mouth, this speck of a flavor, like licking metal. Fluttershy tried to move her wings, but the pain pierced every muscle of her body when she tried, and the bleeding increased heavily. She wanted to see how her back looked like, but the pain and tiredness didn't allow her to even move. She looked at the forest, and thought to herself ‘This is it.’ She’d die here, alone, under some cliff, without accomplishing anything in her life. Her sight slowly darkened as she slipped more and more into dreams, slowly and painfully. Darkness slowly claimed her and dragged her away from this world.

***

Amos was quickly running through the woods. His mind was filled with worrying thoughts and images. Several hours had passed and Fluttershy hadn’t returned yet. This was unlike her – if she was late, she would always send a letter via bird, or inform him in any way possible. She never disappointed him – so Amos was worried. What happened to his student, his friend, his... daughter? Sometimes he regarded Fluttershy as a daughter he never had, but he quickly snapped out of it – bonds were good, but too much bonds would tie you up.

He was approaching the bandit camp from the other side, because the patrols of Royal Guards were standing in his way. When he noticed them, he understood that things had gone south. Maybe Fluttershy got captured.... no, no, that was impossible. She always had some kind of hatred towards Royal Guards – when she saw one, she would always spend the rest of the day in a downed mood. Then that must mean.... Amos hurried up. Whatever happened, it was not going to be good, and the faster he’d get there, the better.

Finally, in the distance he saw the side of the cliff. It seemed he went the wrong way – he'd have to go around it. Dammit, another hour lost....

Suddenly, he noticed something near the cliff side; a mix of colors – red, light-pink and light grayish gold. Amos decided to take a closer look and approached.

He saw a lot of screwed up shit. That kind of shit that’d stay in your mind like a parasite, feeds on you, making you wake up at night with a loud shriek covered in cold sweat. Shit that’d drink your sanity and spit out nightmares, breaking and twisting your sanity like ‘twas a toy. But all that paled in Amos's mind before what he saw now.

Fluttershy was lying in the pool of her own blood, unconscious. Sharp pieces of rock were sticking out of her back, and what once were normal wings now were just chunks of flesh and bone as blood was dripping from them. Her face was half-covered in blood, and the horrifying wounds on the back looked like some giant creature had cut her with its claws. Amos looked up, and saw the bloodied rocks – these claws had been stone.

"By the... Fluttershy! Can you hear me? Are you alive?!" he screamed as he approached her. He heard quiet breathing, and he felt better – she was alive. The wounds looked very deep and serious, so he had to transport her out of here as fast as possible. He found a big wide branch and carefully placed Fluttershy onto it. She probably felt horrendous pain, but she didn't even moan, not even a single sound came from her.

As he dragged her back to the camp, he could not stop talking to himself.

"I knew! I knew I shouldn't let you go! But I am a moron, so I did! Please, don't die on me, sweetheart! Please don't die on me!" he shouted, but Fluttershy didn't respond. Her eyes were closed, and she was quietly breathing, clinging to life.

"Fuck....fuck.....FUCK! Don't you dare die on me, young lady! I won't let you!" Amos shouted loudly, his voice breaking, just like his sanity. He started rambling about good times, and how the years he spent with her were the best years in his worthless life.

"Don't you dare... to leave me! Don't you dare... please... don't die..." he went from loud screams to whimpers. "Nooo... don't leave me... please—"

He tripped and fell, got up and fell again, but he continued to drag Fluttershy's unconscious body along with him. He didn't know how long he was going – it seemed like an eternity, but finally, he reached the town.

Ponies turned around, and slowly started to gather around, but Amos paid no attention to them. He continued to go to the final destination, the hospital.

Several doctors ran out of the building, followed by several corpsmen. They quickly put Fluttershy on the stretcher and carried her away. One doctor stayed to calm Amos down, as he was screaming, shouting and rambling.

"Please, sir, calm down, everything will be all right!" the doctor tried to speak, but Amos looked at him with his mad eyes and grabbed the doctor.

"Please, save her! She is the only one I live for! I can't live on without her! It's my fault! YOU MUST SAVE HER!" he shouted, but soon, with the help of a corpsman, the doctor managed to calm him down.

***

Amos sat in the waiting room of the hospital. The sedatives the doctor gave him started to kick in, and he was emotionlessly staring at the white wall. His head was filled with dark thoughts and self-punishing remarks. It was all his fault. He knew he shouldn't have sent her there, but he did, and now, she paid for his mistakes. He knew that something would go wrong and it did.

He remembered all the times he had been worried that much – all that felt so childish and unnecessary compared to now. Now seemed like the most important moment in his life. He had to be with her, right here, right now. He must be here for her; she believed in him, she trusted him. His little girl.... his daughter he never had. Right now, Amos understood what those crying mothers felt, when they begged him to find and kill the bandit that brutally raped and killed their daughters. Those eyes he could never forget – sorrowful, filled with tears, no doubt like his right now.

After several hours of just sitting there and fighting back his self-induced insanity, he noticed the doctor coming out of the operating room, sighing and taking off his medical mask. Amos quickly got up and approached him.

"Sir, your girl is the luckiest pony in this world to have you. If you had brought her here even several minutes later, she would have died. We managed to save her," the doctor said, and Amos sighed with relief.

"The spine was not fractured, luckily, but the wounds were very deep. She will need a lot of time to recover. However... we couldn't save her wings," he said with regret. "She will never be able to fly again."

"That is.... very sad... But she is alive, and that is what matters. Can I see her now?" Amos asked, and doctor shook his head.

"No, she has to rest right now. Come tomorrow – don't worry, we'll take good care of her."

Amos nodded, and returned to his seat. He knew he could trust the doctor, but he would never leave her unattended. He would stay here, and if anyone tried even to knock on her door who wasn’t a medical personnel, he would cut them into tiny ribbons.

***

"Fluttershy? Is everything all right?" Rainbow Dash asked, and Fluttershy shook her head.

"Yeah, yeah. Just a little bit dizzy. Let's go," she shrugged her off. They continued down the cave, going deeper and deeper. This little memory trip, however, helped Fluttershy to take control of her emotions, gather up her thoughts and keep a cool head.

As they went deeper, the air got heavier and more vile. Unknown black substance started to appear on the walls.

"Hmph, disgusting," Rainbow Dash said, as she looked at the giant ball of this sleaze on the wall. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Certainly. Changelings' den," Fluttershy replied.

You could look all around Equestria, but you would never find a creature more vile and repulsive than a changeling. They looked like ponies and resembled their physique, but their bodies were rotten, torn and maimed. Some say they are the spirits of evil ponies who took form, but it was wrong. There was no magic concerning these creatures. Interestingly enough, unlike normal ponies, changelings were not divided into Earthlings, Pegasi or Unicorns – they possessed all the features, which made them even more dangerous. However, they didn’t seem to possess any intelligence, and were closer to insects, they lived in swarms, and built dens to inhabit them. Their way of living was what made them dangerous – to build their hives and dens, to reproduce and continue to exist, they must feed. Many hunters and scientists tried to find out what exactly they feed on, and the results were shocking. To reproduce, they used special magical flows to drain you of your love – it was their favorite dish. Then, when you had run out of it, they started to drain everything that was left of your soul. Finally, when you were but a shell, they devoured your flesh and used its biomass to create hives.

"This is weird. How could changelings establish a den under a house?" Rainbow Dash said, looking at the walls.

"Who knows. Maybe there is another entrance to this cave, and they just dug the tunnel to the house. It doesn't matter that much right now – we have to destroy this hive. Do you have any explosives on you?"

"Sorry, I don't usually carry around three tons of dynamite," Dash replied, making an attempt at humor.

"Too bad. Still, we've got the lantern, and there is some oil in it. These hives burn quite good. After we kill all the inhabitants of this nest, we'll set it on fire," Fluttershy remarked. "The fire should not damage the town; it will all burn out in the underground."

"Good. Because we don't need any more fires here," Dash said. "How many do you think there are?"

"Not many. If this was a big nest, this town would have been their feasting ground already," Fluttershy replied way to merrily given the situation.

Several minutes passed, and they finally reached the main cave where the majority of the nest was. The ground and walls became even more vile and repulsive, they felt... alive. Walls were pulsating and the ground was moving up and down like it was alive. The smell of rot and corpses was suffocative. Rainbow Dash started coughing, and tears started to form in Fluttershy's eyes.

"The smell.... uh..." Rainbow Dash said, coughing. They looked around, and saw that there were no more tunnels. So, where were all the inhabitants?

"Don't let your guard down. It is a trap," Fluttershy advised, and Rainbow Dash nodded. They took a few steps forward, and the lantern finally dropped its light on the most horrifying features of changeling hives.

Behind a thick membrane, a pony, a patient from the hospital, floated in some kind of liquid. Fluttershy came closer to take a closer look, and almost vomited from what she saw – the skin was slowly evaporating from this poor fellow. His belly was already digested and only guts were floating in this liquid, slowly disappearing. Dash and Fluttershy now finally knew how exactly the changelings turned ponies into material for their hives – they digested them alive, turning their body into liquid. So, right now, they were literally walking on corpses.

"This is fucked up..." Rainbow Dash said, looking at this, and noticed a couple more cocoons.

"We can't help them anymore. Let's burn this place down as fast as we can," Fluttershy said. Suddenly, something landed right behind them, causing Fluttershy to snap her hear around.

The changeling looked at her with its blank eyes. The construction liquid was dripping from its mouth; the sharp teeth were covered in this dark mud. It moved its wings, which looked like the wings of a fly. Fluttershy knew how putrid the changelings were, but this one... She could see the veins pulsating under its body, channeling whatever these things had for blood through body.

"Dash, move slowly. Very slowly," Fluttershy whispered, and Rainbow slowly turned around.

The changeling came closer to them and started sniffing the air. Fluttershy carefully unsheathed the blade from the wristband. The monster sniffed the air some more, and then suddenly unleashed a loud chirr which sounded like a mix between somepony belching and screams of agony. Four more changelings landed near them, all looked very hungry.

"Shit..." Fluttershy cursed, and the closest changeling jumped right at her, aiming for her neck. She ducked and plunged the knife right into its eye, piercing it and reaching the brain, killing it instantly.

"Dash, take that one on the right. I'll deal with the rest," Fluttershy shouted, and Dash nodded.

The two changelings were slowly coming at Fluttershy, chirring and bellowing. She quickly dashed to one, aiming for his head, but it dodged her attack and bit her hoof.

Fluttershy screamed as the long teeth pierced her flesh. She tried to shake it off, but the changeling only strengthened its grip. The second changeling was slowly coming towards her with the expression of his face barely resembling a smile. Fluttershy quickly reached under her cape and took out Moontongue, and then plunged the blade deep into the chest of the changeling that had bitten her. The monster finally let her go, jumping back and screeched in agony. The second one roared and started to run towards Fluttershy. She quickly took a silver blade and sliced the changeling's throat when it was close enough. As the lymph was pouring out of the wound, the monster fell down, dead. The changeling with the blade in its chest was still rolling on the floor in pain. Fluttershy started to walk towards it, limping, but Rainbow Dash jumped at the monster and started hitting its head until it stopped moving.

"I believe that's yours," Rainbow Dash said, and pulled out Fluttershy’s special blade and threw it to Fluttershy. She caught it and hid the blade under her cape.

"I was doing fine myself, you know," Fluttershy grumbled.

"Sorry, I just killed mine, and thought you might use some assistance," Rainbow Dash said, but Fluttershy just smirked.

"It seems these were all of them. Prepare to set this place on fire," Fluttershy said, and while Rainbow Dash was pouring oil from the lantern all over the place, she bandaged her wound. It was deep and ached like hell, but with good treatment it could be healed. Good thing she always carried some basic first aid equipment around.

"All right, done," Rainbow Dash stated. The light of the lantern went dim and weak.

"Good. Do you have matches with you?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, but I can do something better," Rainbow Dash replied, took a rock and starting striking it against a nearby boulder. After about twenty failed attempts, a spark came out and set the oil on fire. The flame quickly burned the oil out and set the biomass on fire. The fire was spreading scarily quickly.

"Let's get out of here," Fluttershy said, and they both headed back into the tunnel. The fire behind them grew bigger and bigger, the heat was baffling.

However, two figures stood in their way. The light of the fire hasn't befallen them yet, so they were hidden in darkness.

"Who the hell are you two?!" Rainbow Dash shouted, and one of the figures rushed towards her and knocked her down. Finally, Dash was able to see his face, and the attacker looked like one of her lieutenants.

"What the fuck?!" Dash snarled as he tried to hit her in the head. She managed to dodge it and knock him back. The second attacker was one of her soldiers as well.

"Shit... I can't use my wristblade with the wound and all. Dash, catch this!" Fluttershy shouted, took out a silver blade from under her cape and threw it to Rainbow Dash. She caught it and went forward to attack the enemy.

Fluttershy was about to take out a blade for herself when the second attacker jumped at her and pinned her down to the ground. The odds were not in her favor – this guy was bigger and stronger, Fluttershy's injury prevented her from using the wristblade. The guard looked at her with hungry eyes and opened his mouth, showing sharp, almost knife-like teeth.

There was no time to ponder why these guys attacked them or why they had these teeth – the fire was getting closer with each passing second and Fluttershy could feel its heat. She remembered a tip from Master Amos.

"When you don't have a weapon, make one."

Fluttershy gathered up all her strength and plunged her teeth into the guard's neck. Disgusting liquid quickly filled her mouth, causing her stomach to push the lunch out of it, but she didn't let loose. The guard tried to scream, but couldn't, as he tried to shake her off, but Fluttershy only strengthened her grip. She got up, still holding the bastard's neck in her mouth and then turned around, causing him to either follow, or risk getting his throat ripped open. When she released him, she pushed him away, right into closing flames. The fire quickly consumed him, started to eat away his flesh, and the bastard unleashed a chilling... chirr?

Fluttershy spat, trying to get his blood out of her mouth, only to notice, that it was lymph, not blood. She looked at the burning one, and saw how the flame suddenly turned green, engulfed him, and then disappeared. It wasn't a Guard – it was a changeling, but a different one. Fluttershy turned to Dash, who was still fighting back the other monster. When he heard his comrade's chilling chirr, he quickly drew his attention to him.

"No!" he shouted and wanted to rush to his aid, but Dash used this moment of distraction to plunge the blade into his chest. He screamed loudly as the green flame engulfed him, revealing his true form – yet another changeling. This time, Fluttershy was able to examine him closely.

Unlike the changelings in the nest, whose flesh was rather soft and resembled rotting meat, his flesh was hard and sturdy, almost like armor. Fluttershy quickly figured out that it was chitin. The blade was stuck in his chest, causing him to bleed, but the monster didn't even flinch. He just ripped the knife out of his chest and threw it away. He glanced at the burning remains of his friend.

"You fucking bastards!” he shouted, and suddenly, his face assumed the expression that you usually had when you just unintentionally told somepony a secret. He backed away, looking in the emptiness in complete terror as Rainbow Dash jumped at him and knocked him down.

"All right, you insect! You’re going to tell me everything you know!" Rainbow Dash growled at him. He looked at her with hatred in his eyes.

"Dash, we don't have time, the fire's getting closer!" Fluttershy urged, and picked up the thrown away silver dagger. Dash sighed and hit the changeling in the face, knocking him unconscious.

They proceeded to escape the cave, leaving the changeling to die.

Finally, they reached the tunnel that lead back to Rarity's house. There, they were finally able to catch a breath.

"What the hell were those things? These were changelings, but... they were intelligent and had these freaky disguise powers," Rainbow asked, scratching her head.

"They looked different. They acted different. Are they a new breed?" Fluttershy said to herself. "But how can a new breed be some much more intelligent and smarter than the original?! Something is going very wrong."

"At least their hive is destroyed. Who knows – maybe we breathed in some hallucinogenic fumes there, and now we're just seeing things."

"Are you joking? I bit that asshole right in the neck, he was real!" Fluttershy said coldly.

"Anyway, we should get out of this cave. I'll make sure to send a couple of guards for clean-up," Rainbow Dash said and crawled into the tunnel. Fluttershy sighed and followed her.

***

"A changelings' hive! Sweet sun! I hope you destroyed it," the butler whimpered, and Fluttershy nodded silently, fixing the bandages on her wound.

"Good. I suppose I'll have to thank you. Who knows when these things could have gone out of hiding – we would be missing much more than several patients," she said while trying to regain some dignity.

"You can't put thanks on the bread. Remember that," Fluttershy replied and went to the exit. "Have a nice day."

The butler shook her hand and returned to her duties. There was a lot of dirty clothes and crockery for her to wash. She shouldn't put it all away at the last hour.

Fluttershy returned to her room in the inn. The changelings weren't going out of her head – what were they doing here? Why did they attack? She had been in situations like this before – she was hunted, put on the wanted list, she even had a reward for her head in some town, but this situation was something new. Either it was pure dumb luck that she met those two, or there was something bigger behind this, something much bigger.

Their ability to disguise themselves was especially worrying for her. The changelings were called that way only because of their close resemblance to normal ponies, but these really justified their name. They could be around anywhere, watching her every move, stalking her. All this was unsettling and awoke paranoia in Fluttershy. They could walk right up to her and stab her in the chest, and she wouldn't notice.

Fluttershy sighed, took a bottle of whiskey and drank a little bit. It soothed her nerves a little, but her decision was clear. She would get out of here as fast as she could. Possibly as far away from the heartland as she could while she was at it.

She started gathering up her things, there weren't much; she never planned to settle anywhere for long so her things were always packed up for new travels. Besides, there weren't many things to carry around anyway – everything fit perfectly in her cape.

Everything was ready for her department. Fluttershy left some coins on the bed as payment, and headed for the Mayor's residence to receive her payment.

***

Mayor Mare was sitting at her desk, looking through some old documents. They were old trading contracts with several companies about the delivery of food. She hoped to renew them as soon as she possibly could – Sweet Apple Acres’ harvest this year was very poor, and the winter was drawing closer and closer. It was getting colder, and, probably, the first snow would fall out, maybe even this week.

Her concentration was interrupted by her secretary coming in.

"Oh, what the hell happened again? Don't tell me more complaints came!" Mayor Mare said in an annoyed voice.

"No, miss, the monster hunter came back. She says the job is done," the secretary replied.

Mayor Mare felt her heart rate increasing. She felt dizzy and started fidgeting around the table, looking for a bottle of cognac she recently put here. In her dizziness, she didn't notice it and pushed it off the table. The bottle fell on the floor and shattered.

"Miss, are you all right? Should I bring your medicine?" the secretary asked worriedly and Mayor Mare shook her head.

"Just give me a new bottle," she said. The secretary opened the cupboard where all the drinks were, took a new bottle of 'Raimy Martif', and placed it on the desk along with a glass. Mayor Mare opened the bottle and filled the glass almost to the brim, then proceeded to drink it all.

"Shit, this thing's good.... Anyway, wait a second,” Mayor Mare said, took keys out of the pull-out drawer of her desk, and proceeded to go to the safe which stood in the corner of the room. She opened it, counted out a big sum of money, put it in the bag, and gave to the secretary.

"Here's her payment. She may count – the entire sum is here, maybe even more," she said and secretary left her office. Mayor Mare sat in her chair and poured herself another glass.

If her mysterious 'friend' was just bluffing about his early threats to hang her on a tree with her entrails, she would certainly never get re-elected for the next year after the winter that would surely take away many lives. If she wouldn’t get re-elected, she might as well kill herself – there was nothing else she could do. This goddamn shady deal was her last hope, and it didn't work out.

Her life was slowly coming to an end. At least, she wouldn’t freeze do death, or starve and rot in the snow. However, that thought wasn't even a bit relaxing.

***

Fluttershy left the town hall after counting every piece of gold. There were several coins extra so Fluttershy left them at the secretary – she didn’t take charity, you paid what you owed, not a coin less or more.

As she passed through the streets, her mind was clouded by more and more thoughts. This place started to get to her – she had visited so many towns, big and small, and yet this hole was stuck in her memory. Maybe it was because of her meeting with Dash. Maybe it was because of Scootaloo.

When Fluttershy remembered Scootaloo, something in her chest started to hurt. Heh, she knew her only for several days, and yet, now she was stuck in her memory forever. Fluttershy started to think, what would happen if she left without telling her anything – it would be safer for her, as she would be in danger near Fluttershy. Besides, she was just a child... but wouldn't that be a betrayal? Just like the one Fluttershy suffered through?

Fluttershy stopped at the corner of some building and leaned against it. She started to understand – maybe back then, many years ago, Rainbow Dash had faced a similar choice. Maybe she too had to pick between friendship and the safety of her friend. The pain in the chest became more twisted and powerful. All this was taking its toll on her.

Fluttershy decided to finish this – once and for all. The only way to know the truth was to ask, ask Rainbow Dash right in the face. It had to be done – if Fluttershy left now, what point was there to live anymore? Right now, she felt like she had different goals – not mere survival, but truth. She had to find the truth and make a decision.

After several minutes of walking, she reached the Royal Guard station. The place was rather crowded with many Guards resting, and doing something in the yard. Fluttershy entered the building. Near the entrance, she was stopped by a patrol pony, who was on the shift here.

"Good morning, miss, can I—" he stopped when he recognized Fluttershy. He probably saw her when she first visited Dash.

"I need to talk to your commander, Rainbow Dash. No, I am not going to cause trouble, I just want to talk," Fluttershy said, predicting what he is going to ask.

"O...ok then. Go right ahead – upstairs and to the left," the guard instructed, and Fluttershy went to Dash's office.

The only remarkable thing she saw in these look-alike halls was the wall of honor where the pictures of the best officers hung. 'We are proud of our comrades' - it read in red letters above the pictures. Heh, must have writ reports faster than others. Every one of them seemed to Fluttershy like a milk drinker, an amateur – maybe in real life they looked different, but on these portraits they looked more like some kind of clerks in a town hall than protectors of life and enforcers of law.

In several minutes, she reached Dash's office. She opened the door and looked inside – it was a very simple office, compared to the one Mayor Mare had. Most of the room was occupied by cupboards which contained towers of papers. Rainbow Dash was sitting in front of her desk, made out of oak, and read something. The creak of the door disturbed her, and she looked up, right at Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy? Surprised to see you here," she said, and, with a gesture, invited Fluttershy to come in. She closed the door behind her, found a chair, moved it to Dash's desk, and sat down.

"Do not get used to it. I just need you to tell me something," Fluttershy said, looking at Rainbow Dash with all seriousness.

"Well, sure, what do you want to know?" she replied.

"I need you to tell me – why did you leave me behind many years ago?" Fluttershy asked, and Rainbow Dash sighed.

"Since when did you start to care?"

"I didn't. It doesn't concern you – I just need to know."

"Listen, don't think I am some kind of a heartless bitch. I imagine you must have suffered through a lot... but it was hard for me as well."

"By the sun, Dash, quit your whining! I need a direct answer – why!"

"Uh… I thought that would be better for you... When Pure Heart offered me to go with him, I thought what you would say... how you would react... I couldn't bring myself to tell you that I'm leaving. You were always so... sensitive. I thought that any bad news could outright kill you... so I didn't tell anything... I just left."

Fluttershy sat there, weighing every word. Now she understood, now she knew what was what. Now, she knew what to do.

"Listen, if it is possible... could you ever... forgive me?" Dash asked. Fluttershy continued to look at the wall, and then, suddenly. went to the exit. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm going to not repeat your mistake, Dash. However, I can tell you for sure – you can sleep with a clean conscience from now on," Fluttershy said, and left quickly.

Dash sighed with relief. She didn't know what Fluttershy was talking about, why she needed to know the reasons, but she felt so much better after this short conversation. It was like dropping a mountain from your back after carrying it for the majority of your life. Maybe she would find Fluttershy after some time and they'd sit around together as friends, tell each other stories...

Dash found a clean piece of paper and started writing an order on it. She remembered the disguised changelings, and her decision to conduct an investigation. They were disguised as her officers – so she would start checking her own comrades first.

***

Fluttershy was walking fast to the hospital. Many things were clouding her mind, but at the same time, she felt much better. She was glad that she made the right choice and talked with Dash – now, she would not repeat her mistakes; she would not let another child fall.

She made her way fast, without paying too much attention to the surroundings now. This entire rabble didn't matter anymore. Fluttershy finally saw the chance to accomplish something really big. She saw her chance to drag somepony out of the abyss, the abyss that hid near you, waiting to swallow you. She would save Scoots, like Amos saved her many years ago.

Finally, she made it to the hospital. She rushed through the grey corridors, quickly going to the orphanage wing. However, she did notice that it was awfully quiet. She didn't see any nurses or nannies in the corridors. That seemed very strange to her – usually there were more sounds. Fluttershy knew that she was probably being paranoid right now because of the changeling attack, but she still prepared herself for a fight if necessary – the wristblade on the recovering hoof was ready.

She made it to the playing room where all the children were at the time. She carefully opened the door and took a peek inside. To her relief, everything was just like she would expect – children were playing, several caretakers were watching over them. Fluttershy entered the room as the children stared at her. Out of this crowd of children, Scootaloo ran and approached her.

"Hello there, Scoots, how's it going?" Fluttershy asked.

"Pretty good. I didn't think you would come again, but I was stupid to doubt you! You're even more awesome than I thought!” she said, smiling, and Fluttershy tried to smile in return.

"Kiddo, I will leave the town very soon, maybe even today," Fluttershy said, and Scootaloo turned very pale. "But I have a proposition for you. Tell me, child, would you like to come with me?"

"Come..with you? You mean, like, forever?"

"Yes, forever"

"Forever-forever?"

"Yes, forever times infinity. So, do you want to?" she asked, and Scootaloo suddenly jumped at her, encasing her in a hug.

"Yesyesyesyesyes," she squeaked very quick.

"All right, good. Don't take anything with you – everything you have from your previous life must go away, because you will live a different life from now on. Let's go," Fluttershy said, and finally she noticed something really weird – the caretakers were all looking straight at her, with eyes showing no emotions whatsoever.

"Scoots, right now I need you to do exactly as I say," she whispered to Scootaloo. "Follow me, and don't look back. Keep up, and don't fall behind."

"Okay..." she whispered back, and they slowly started to walk to the door, but the path was blocked by one of the caretakers. However, he was unaware of Fluttershy's disregard for common rules of behaving, for he didn't expect her to violently push him away. She and Scootaloo, who looked around scared, got out of the room, and were cornered by at least five 'doctors'.

Fluttershy suddenly felt very dizzy, and the world started to whirl around her. She couldn't control herself anymore as she fell down on the floor. The world started to turn black. She couldn't do anything, as she fell deeper into the sleepy abyss. The last sounds that reached her ears were the screams of Scootaloo, as she tried to fight back.

"Let... her...go..." Fluttershy uttered her last words, before she completely lost herself in the dream.