Skyfall

by Viktor Lionheart

Changeling

Skyfall

Concept and writing by Viktor Lionheart

This is my first fanfic ever, so I would greatly appreciate any feedback you could give me to help me improve my writing. Thank you all for your time!

Chapter 3: Changeling

“Well, the burns aren’t too bad. Mostly first degree, though it will take some time for your fur to grow back.”

Dr. Grey pushed his glasses up with one hoof – a nervous habit of his – and eyed the pegasus before him with concern. Fluttershy sat quietly on the old couch in her living room as she waited for the doctor to continue his examination.

“Can you tell me anything about what happened?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know wha – ouch.”

Fluttershy winced as the bandages chafed against her wounds.

“…don’t know what happened. The last thing I remember, I was saying goodbye to Applejack at the train station.”

Fluttershy turned to look at the other inhabitants of her living room. Rainbow Dash wore a sour expression on her face and was fidgeting in mid – air, obviously anxious to teach who or whatever had done this to her friend a lesson. Rarity was busying herself in the kitchen with a pot of Fluttershy’s favorite tea, and Pinkie was…

“Uh…Pinkie? Are you alright?” Fluttershy arced an eyebrow.

For no apparent reason, Pinkie was smiling, or at least, she appeared to be, judging by her eyes. It was a bit difficult to tell since her lips had become severely puckered and twitched slightly in a frantic series of tiny convulsions. Meanwhile, both of her ears twirled crazily about like little pink propellers. The overall impression was that of a large, pink bird that was trying desperately to swallow its own face.

With an audible pop, Pinkie’s features returned to normal and the sound of her infectious giggling filled the room.

“Of course, silly!”

She hummed merrily to herself, beaming widely as though Fluttershy had said something terribly funny, but the joke seemed to be lost on everypony else in the room. Rainbow Dash, in particular, wasn’t amused.

“What the hay are you so happy about? Can’t you see what’s going on here?! That jerk who did this is still out there and there’s no way of knowing when or where he’ll strike next!”

Rarity’s disapproving tone floated in from the kitchen.

“I fail to see what you hope to accomplish by shouting about it. I, for one am simply relieved that we found Fluttershy before anything more dreadful happened to her.”

“Me too! If my Pinkie sense hadn’t told me you might be in trouble, you could have been out there forever!”

Once again, Fluttershy found herself cocking an eyebrow in Pinkie's direction.

“Oh…well thank you, Pinkie, everypony…was that what you were doing just now?”

Pinkied tilted her head to one side, her mouth drooping in a puzzled frown.

“Huh?”

“That twitchy thing with your ears – was that what you felt?”

“Oh, that.” She smiled again. “Naw, that’s something new. Dunno what it means yet, but whatever it is, I’m just glad you’re safe!”

Fluttershy waited, but it soon became clear that Pinkie wasn’t going to explain herself further, apparently fully satisfied with her vague response.

“Here you are, darling, drink up!” Rarity placed a cup of tea on the table before the couch on which Fluttershy lay. Dr. Grey got to his feet, adjusting his glasses again.

“It is indeed fortunate you’ve got such a good group of friends to look after you.”

He sighed, turning to dig through his bags.

“Unfortunately, until your memory returns, we don’t have any way of knowing who or what caused this. The only other lead we have in the meantime is this.”

The tall, slate-colored unicorn produced a small lump of metal from his saddlebag.

“Pinkie tells me you were holding this when they found you outside. Can you tell me anything about it? Where it came from, perhaps?”

In the center of the oddly shaped chunk of silver metal was a small, black jewel. It appeared to be some sort of pendant. Fluttershy took the strange bauble, turning it over and over in her hooves. No matter which way it turned, she noticed, it never quite seemed to catch the light.

“Sorry…I’m afraid I’ve never seen this before in my life, Dr. Grey. I have no idea where it came from. You…you said I was holding it?”

He nodded.

“I’ve seen and treated magically inflicted burns before. There are many cases of artifacts or trinkets that, for purposes of mischief or protection, have been adorned with spells. I thought perhaps that this pendant had contributed to your burns or even your apparent memory loss, but as far as I can tell there are no traces of magic about it. Either its magic has already been depleted, or it's just an ordinary gem.”

Fluttershy looped the pendant’s chain around one hoof and lifted it so that the gem hung spinning before her face.

“It’s kind of pretty…”

Rarity blanched.

“Oh darling, that tacky thing? You must be worse than I thought!”

“Well…” Dr. Grey began re-packing his saddlebags. “I’m afraid I must be off for the time being – I’ve an appointment with one Miss Scootaloo. Apparently she had a rather nasty disagreement with a certain bramble patch on her way to school.”

“She’ll be okay, though right?”

Dr. Grey nodded without turning to face Rainbow.

"Doubtlessly. A few scratches and bruises to be sure, but I've visited the little filly frequently enough to know that she'll be right as rain in a matter of minutes."

Dash loosed an exasperated sigh, shaking her head vigorously.

"No, doc, I mean Fluttershy. Fluttershy's gonna be alright, yeah?"

“Ah, yes. She’ll be just fine, thanks to you. And I doubt that our attacker will be returning.”

“What makes you say that? You saw what he did to her – what if he wants to finish the job!?.”

“Rainbow!” Rarity huffed indignantly in the pegasus mare’s direction. “That’s hardly the sort of talk Fluttershy needs to hear right now. She’s been through enough already!”

Without pausing for breath, Rainbow rounded on her, wavering anxiously in midair.

“There’s no point sugar-coating something like this! If it’s gonna happen again, we need to be ready.”

She turned back to face the doctor and repeated her question.

“How can we know she’ll be safe? Shouldn’t somepony stay here with her?”

Dr. Grey took a deep breath, blinking calmly as he responded in his typical slow, stiff drawl.

“That’s entirely up to Fluttershy. Honestly, if the attacker had wanted to harm her further, nothing could have stopped him from doing so. Besides, it’s clear to me that she wasn’t left for dead – her wounds may cover a large area, but they’re actually far less serious than the bandages make them look. In fact, All things considered, we have no evidence to suggest that she was attacked in the first place. Not that I intend to mitigate the gravity of what you must be feeling right now…” He gave a quick nod in Fluttershy’s direction. “…But this could simply have been some sort of accident.”

Rainbow didn’t look particularly satisfied with his reasoning, but she chose not to argue. Instead, she and the rest simply watched in silence as the doctor packed his things into his saddlebags and arranged a series of small, brightly colored bottles on the table in the center of the room.

During the entire exchange, Fluttershy had simply sat in silence on her couch, by all appearances completely oblivious to everything that was happening around her. The gem still hung from one outstretched hoof, dangling mesmerically before her eyes as she stared intently into its depths, searching for something, anything within its smooth, dull surface.

It felt to her as though there was something, something ever so small but nevertheless distinctly there, just beyond her vision, as though it were staring back from a place she could not see.

Having finished gathering his equipment, Dr. Grey turned to face his patient on the couch. He paused for a moment, cocking an eyebrow, then reached slowly for the lazily swinging gem.

“NO!”

Dr. Grey blinked in surprise. Fluttershy sat frozen for a moment, then blushed, embarrassed at how loudly she had spoken.

“I...Oh, my...I-I-I’m sorry…I Just…"

She coughed, clearing her throat.

"...I just thought that I should have my friend Twilight look at it as soon as possible. She knows more about magic than anypony…no offense, doctor.” Fluttershy grinned sheepishly.

Dr. Grey simply stared at her for a few seconds, then shrugged, adjusting his glasses as he did so.

“…None taken...I’ve heard quite a lot about your friend. She’s the pony who vanquished he Ursa Minor a couple of years back, right? It certainly couldn’t hurt to have somepony like that take a look.”

Turning stiffly about, he moved to the door.

“In the meantime, lots of rest and daily application of the salve I gave you should have you up and about in three or four days at most.

“Th-Three or four days?" she sputtered, nearly dropping the pendant in her alarm. "But...But I can’t possibly…”

“Don’t worry, Miss Shy…” He waved a hoof lazily through the air. “I’ve been told that your dragon friend – Spike, was it? – would be more than happy to help you care for your animals.”

Dragon….dragon…for some reason that particular word stuck in her mind.

“If that is all, I’ll leave you in the care of your friends. If you should remember anything, anything at all, please let me know immediately.”

Donning his hat and with a curt nod to the room in general, Dr. Grey was on his way, his tall, lean body casting a long shadow in the light of the sunset.

As the last of the doctor’s words faded from her thoughts and the door to her cottage swung softly shut, Fluttershy released a heavy sigh, taking a long draught of the tea that Rarity had placed on the table before her. She remained silent for a few moments, her eyes looking past her teacup into the floor. Something tugged at the edge of her thoughts, something she couldn’t quite remember that had leapt to her attention at something the doctor had said, then just as quickly vanished before she could grasp it.

It wasn’t until she felt Rarity’s weight pressing into the cushion beside her that she realized that each of her friends were staring at her in concern.

“Are you feeling alright, darling? Is there anything we can get for you?”

She shook her head, suddenly embarrassed.

“Oh, no…really, I’m fine.”

“You sure?” Rainbow zoomed over to the side of the couch. “Just say the word. I could go and get one of Twilight’s books to keep you occupied. Or some food maybe?"

“Ooh! Ooh! I know! I’ll run over to Sugarcube Corner! There’s some fresh baked Carrot Cake that I made this morning still in the display!”

Fluttershy blushed, her eyes darting nervously from face to face. She suddenly was feeling somewhat claustrophobic.

“N-n…N-n-no, thank you, really I’m just-“

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy. You can count on us. We’re here for you.”

“Anything you need, dear, we’ll make sure you get better as soon as you can.”

Pinkie had already made it to the door and was just now stepping outside. For a moment, Fluttershy hesitated, and had been about to respond when she felt her words being softly swept away by the tingling beginnings of an enormous yawn. She blinked sleepily, looking around to each of her friends as the earthy scent of her tea seemed to flood her mind like a fog.

“Ac…” Another loud yawn. “Actually, girls, I think I just want to get some rest, if that’s okay…”

Pinkie stopped in mid-skip, drifting slowly down to the ground like a deflated balloon and looking somewhat disappointed as she did so.

“Thank you all so much for your help. You girls can go, if you’d like. I’m sure the ponies in town need you much more than little old me.”

Rarity gasped, looking at her as though the very idea was absurd.

“Nonsense, darling! We can’t just leave you all alone after something like this!”

Rainbow Dash growled, “Exactly. And don’t you worry, Fluttershy, I’ll find the jerk who did this and teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget. Ooh when I get my hooves on that punk…” She didn’t finish the sentence, but the gesture she was making left little to the imagination.

Pinkie put her two cents in, but her exact words were lost to the others as she had resumed her spastic puckering. Nonetheless, her concern was apparent in her eyes as she and the others stared in her direction.

Donning her most convincing smile, she waved one hoof in the air, stifling another yawn.

“No really, I’m fine. After all, I’ve got Angel here with me.” Fluttershy smiled down at the sleeping form of her long – eared companion. “And besides…all of my animal friends got back from Sweet Apple Acres earlier today – they’ll be more than enough to keep me company and watch over me. You’ve all got important work to do in town.”

Nopony spoke, but neither did any of them seem too convinced.

“You girls go. I just wouldn’t feel right if I hogged all of you when there are other ponies in need.”

Rarity pouted. “Ohhh…very well, if you insist. But promise me that if you need anything for any reason, you’ll let us know, won’t you?”

Fluttershy nodded, smiling despite the pain in her chest. “I promise”

“You sure you don’t need a body - guard? At least lemme take that creepy necklace thing with me – I don’t like the look of it.” Rainbow Dash eyed the pendant suspiciously.

“No, I think I’d rather keep it for now, if that’s okay. Twilight will be back tomorrow, and in the meantime, it might help me remember what happened.”

“Hmph…fine. But Imma take a quick look around outside before I leave.” In a prismatic blur, rainbow Dash shot out into the darkening sky.

Rarity lingered for a moment, staring pointedly into Fluttershy's eyes.

"And remember, darling, at the first sign of trouble, just send Angel shooting our way and we'll be here faster than you can say "Darjeeling.""

With that, the other two followed behind Rainbow at a somewhat slower pace, Pinkie puckering all the way, until the door finally closed behind them with a soft click.

The cottage was now eerily silent, save for the lively crackling of Fluttershy’s fireplace. She sat for a while, blowing on the tea and enjoying the earthy aroma of her favorite blend, but couldn’t quite bring herself to drink it. Some tiny shadow of a thought tugged at the edges of her consciousness – something that the doctor had said still bothered her, but try as she might, she couldn’t seem to concentrate hard enough to bring it into focus.

“Dragon…” She whispered to herself, sending ripples across the smooth crimson surface of the tea. “Dragon…”

“YOU! WHO ARE YOU? EXPLAIN YOURSELF!”

The worlds cleaved through her consciousness like a razor. The teacup shattered on the floor, staining the carpet with its contents.

“YOU! WHO ARE YOU? EXPLAIN YOURSELF!”

She clasped her head in her hooves, writhing in agony. The voice boomed within her mind, careening off of the inside of her skull with explosive force. In her spasms, both Angel and the pendant were knocked to the floor. Angel’s face contorted in anger at the rude awakening, but his expression was quickly replaced with one of shock at the apparent suffering of his mistress. He tugged at her hooves, trying desperately to discern what was wrong.

Fluttershy was vaguely aware of a faint pressure on one of her legs, but it was all but obliterated by the combined pain of her burns and the merciless booming in her head. She felt fear, she felt despair, but she also felt rage. Invigorating, terrifying, passionate, depthless rage, at nothing and everything.

“SHUT UP!” She bellowed. “SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!”

All was silent.

Angel stared slack-jawed at the pegasus, his eyes filled with confusion and hurt.

Fluttershy panted, shuddering from the recent emotional surge. She opened her eyes slowly, and saw Angel standing in a puddle on the carpet below. She wanted desperately to apologize to him, but the shock of what she had just experienced rendered her speechless. She reached each of her hooves to her head, massaging her still aching temples in slow, circular movements.

She remembered everything – meeting the dragon, trying to revive him, and the pendant…

Her eyes slid to the dull gem lying amongst the jagged pieces of the former teacup. Fluttershy blinked, and once more she was at the edge of the Everfree Forest, standing over the breathless form of the baby dragon. He had grasped the gem, and in a flash of light, she had felt a strange warmth wash over her. The stared at each other in heavy silence for what seemed like an eternity, and Fluttershy watched as the life drained out of those brilliant silver eyes. For a moment, his lifeless body had remained still before it burst suddenly into flame, vanishing in an instant. Caught off-guard by the dragon’s transformation, she had been burned and subsequently collapsed.

As the realization began to sink in, she felt her stomach constrict violently in a spasm of grief. She choked before finally finding her voice.

“No…I couldn’t save him…Oh Celestia, no…”

All traces of his confusion swept away by her sudden sadness, Angel quickly jumped up to comfort her, patting her gently on the hoof. His eyes eagerly searched her face for any sign of what was troubling her, for any hint of what had caused to act so strangely, but she was too consumed by her emotion to respond as the tears began to flow.

“But you did save me.”

Flutershy’s sobs ceased abruptly. In an instant, any lingering traces of exhaustion vanished as her mind sprang to full alert at the intrusion of a paralyzingly familiar voice.

Nearly knocking Angel from her lap once more, she whipped painfully about, searching for the voice’s source
Silence greeted her in every direction. She sputtered weakly, wondering if she had simply imagined it.

“Wha…?”

“It’s all right, Fluttershy…I’m right here”

The voice came from within her mind, and yet, she felt her gaze being pulled toward the pendant once again. For several seconds, she simply stared at it in horror, as though expecting it to suddenly grow legs and scuttle up the side of the couch. Nervously, she reached to pick it up.

“Please don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.”

The voice grew somewhat louder as she gazed into the black heart of the pendant, but did not rise above a gentle whisper. She flinched slightly as the sound of its words seemed to echo off of the inside of her skull. She knew that voice, but… but this was impossible…

“You…you can’t be…is this…some sort of magic?” Fluttershy stammered, half-afraid that she was going mad. It was the voice of the baby dragon, she was sure of it, but it was not angry, nor was it pleading for help. Now, it resonated with a reassuring kindness.

Angel cocked an eyebrow at Fluttershy, wondering who in Equestria she was talking to.

“Yes, Fluttershy, a magic more ancient than any of your generation would know. That is why your doctor friend failed to recognize it.”

The voice was soothing, almost hypnotic. It’s words did not seem to make much sense in and of themselves, but it spoke in more than simple phrases. As the voice resonated within her mind, it seemed to weave a thread of emotions as well, as though she were not simply hearing it speak but hearing it feel as well. The sensation was bizarre, and it was not at all something that Fluttershy was prepared to cope with. She balked at the speed with which this was happening, her mind instinctively focusing on the first question that came to mind, her lips nonetheless tumbling over each other as they tried to ask several things at once.

“But…how? What…where are you? Why can I hear you…why can I hear you in my head?"

“Please, do not be alarmed. It can be a very jarring experience, I know, though I must admit I’ve never seen it from your perspective before.”

As calm as the voice was, Fluttershy could not bring herself to find any comfort in it. She was beginning to panic.

“Breathe. Come on Fluttershy, just breathe, breathe with me. You can feel my intentions, I know you can. You can sense that I’m not going to hurt you. Just…breathe…”

She wanted to scream. Her entire body shuddered with each breath as Angel bounced anxiously away on her lap, chittering desperately up at her. She felt distinctly violated, hearing an alien yet familiar voice inside her head, and though some part of her wanted to trust it, she was far too afraid to listen to her gut at the moment.

“…Hang on, this might be a bit…”

As suddenly as her episode had begun, she felt all of her fear being instantly swept away as her living room seemed to evaporate around her. Without understanding how she had arrived there, she found herself outside, lying by the edge of the Everfree Forest, while just above her…

She gasped, utterly shocked by what she was seeing. There, outlined by the dim radiance of the stars in the deep purple sky above, she saw…herself. The silver chain of the pendant hung about her neck as her other self looked tearfully down upon her, her mouth silently forming a series of frantic words, as though she were begging for something. It was as though she existed outside of her own body - her consciousness hung limp and weightless from the hooves of the other Fluttershy, and as she watched, she felt a peculiar surge of energy bubbling within her gut.

It began as a sharp tingling sensation, almost painful, but slowly seemed to grow and change, filling her with warmth. The black stone in the pendant’s center glinted in the moonlight, swinging tantalizingly before her face as she saw one tiny, emerald - scaled claw rise shakily from somewhere off to her right, grasping weakly at the misshapen bauble. As the tiny fingers began to close over the gem’s surface, it became clear – she was happy. Happy beyond words, and filled with a hope that she thought she would never feel again. As the little green claw finally took hold, the vision faded, and she found herself sitting once more in her living room, breathing heavily as Angel stared pleadingly up from his spot on her lap.

Instinctively, she raised a hoof to wipe her cheek. When she drew it away, she was surprised to see that her fur sparkled gently with a large quantity of what appeared to be tears. They were no longer tears of sadness – somehow she knew this to be true. Rather, she knew they could be nothing other than tears of…

“Joy? I…what?”

“Joy, yes. Joy that you cannot imagine – or, perhaps you can. Sorry about that, not giving you any warning I mean, but I had to show you what I felt when you rescued me. It was the only way I could think of to calm you down.”

Fluttershy simply blinked. Angel was squeaking now as loudly as he could, but she lacked the strength to pay him any heed. She just drooped there, her entire body numb from shock.

“That…that was what you…”

“Breathe, Fluttershy…just try to relax and concentrate on what I showed you…”

This time, without hesitation, she obeyed. For felt like the first time in a very long time, she took a long, shaky breath, and immediately felt her heart begin to slow. Several more times she repeated this rhythm, breathing in great volumes of the chilly night air that wafted in through her open window and exhaling through her mouth.

Soothed somewhat that she had begun to relax, Angel ceased his ludicrous dance, but his expression lost none of its anxiety. He poked at her with one tiny snow – white paw, squeaking softly.

As Fluttershy opened her eyes, her hoof automatically rose to stroke Angel’s long, white ears. The sensation of his fur against hers was pleasant, but she was far too preoccupied to focus on that for the time being. She took one last, steeling breath, and attempted to collect her thoughts, the voice remaining mercifully silent as she did so.

"The dragon..." she thought. "…The dragon that I met last night died and now he’s speaking to me from inside my head…

The thought sent a momentary chill running up her spine, but she suppressed it, stroking Angel’s head a bit more roughly. Slowly, she forced herself to remember what she had felt moments ago, what she had seen through his eyes as she had cradled him in her hooves.

She still was far from being calm, but her nerves had cooled enough to allow her to begin to come to a semblance of terms with her situation and to voice the question that leapt foremost to her mind.

“You…that was you last night when I-”

“Yes.” said the voice, its tone slow and deliberate, but not patronizing. “That was when you saved me.”

“Then…then how?”

“I will explain everything in time, but first I need you to relax and allow yourself to sense what you already know. I mean you no harm.”

She paused, swallowing hard. Giving Angel one final pat on the head, she placed each hoof at her side, bracing herself against the couch.

“Are you ready?”

Not yet sure if she could trust herself to speak, she nodded slowly, holding her breath.

“I’m sure this is extremely unsettling for you, so I’ll let you ask the questions as they come. Just be sure to ask one at a time, and we’ll both get through this as easily as possible. If it helps, bear in mind that this experience isn’t exactly comfortable for me, either.”

She ran over its words several times in her head, somewhat surprised at the thought that the voice was having difficulty adjusting to this…whatever the hay was happening to her. It sounded so calm and confident as it spoke, she almost felt ashamed of how she had reacted. But such thoughts could wait – she needed answers if she was going to make sure that she wasn’t going completely insane.

“Okay…breathing…breathing…”

Without hearing his muffled squeak of protest, she pressed Angel’s fluffy body tightly against her chest, taking comfort in his warmth. As she sensed his frantic heartbeat against hers, she found the words to begin.

“…Are you dead?”

Without warning, the voice chuckled.

“An ironic first choice. Yes and no. I suppose that depends on what you mean by “dead.””

She remained silent, staring straight ahead.

“…Sorry. No, I’m not dead, at least, my mind is still alive. My body did perish however – I’m afraid that’s how you were burned.”

She paused, trying to process what he had just said.

“I am sorry about that, by the wa-"

“How are you talking to me?”

“Ah, that. I told you, didn't I? It’s magic.”

“Don’t lie. Dr. Grey said-“

“Dr. Grey would have no way of identifying this brand of magic unless he spent many years in extensive study. No offense to him – it’s not a matter of intelligence, but simply one of ignorance.”

A few hairs still stood on end on the back of Fluttershy’s neck, but as she listened to the young dragon’s voice, she could not help but begin to feel calmed by its smooth, reassuring confidence. The fact that its words were spoken in the voice of a child still unnerved her somewhat¸ but she did feel more than a bit relieved that the dragon was still alive, at least in a manner of speaking.

“So…did I do it? Did I save you?”

The voice sighed, as though sharing in her relief.

“Yes, you did. In truth, I would have most certainly died if you had not found me when you did.”

“But then…what did you do? What did you do to me…I mean us…I-I mean...me?”

“Don’t be afraid. As I said, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. You see, the form you encountered was a temporary shape at best – it could not have been maintained any longer regardless of the circumstances. But, had it not been for you, I would not have been able to preserve my consciousness in this manner. You saved me, Fluttershy” the voice repeated.

“But…so…” Fluttershy began uncertainly, trying with some difficulty to wrap her head around all of this. “You said that your mind survived, but how? Are you…inside the pendant?”

When he replied, there was a distinct note of hesitation in his voice.

“Not exactly…It seems that a part of me was transferred directly into your consciousness. But fret not…” the voice said, as if in response to Fluttershy’s apparent revulsion at the idea. “I have no influence over you or your actions. Besides, it is only a matter of time before I am strong enough to break free…"

He paused.

"Heh. Sorry, poor choice of words. That is, before I am strong enough to regain my original form. In the meantime, I wish to use what power I have to reward you for your kindness in trying to help me.”

As the last of his words began to fade, Fluttershy felt a familiar warmth wash over her body – the same warmth that she had felt just after he had touched the gem by the Forest. She shivered slightly as the heat seemed to intensify for a moment before leaving with a peculiar tingling sensation that seemed to linger around her bandages before disappearing entirely.

“There now, isn’t that better?”

“Isn’t what…?”

Suddenly, Fluttershy realized that she was no longer in any pain. In fact, she felt better than she had in quite a long time. Slowly, she released the frantically struggling Angel from her grasp, bending down to remove her bandages. Dumbfounded, she stared down at what had once been burned flesh, but was now perfectly healthy. Even her fur had grown back.

Imediately upon his release, Angel bounded to the floor where he fumed in a raucous tantrum for all of a second before he, too, was struck silent by what he witnessed. He sat with his jaw on the ground, rubbing his eyes in a desperate attempt to make sense of what he was seeing. One of them had gone crazy, he thought, but now he wasn’t sure who.

“How did...how is this possible?” she sputtered, experimentally poking at various spots on her chest in search of any trace of pain from what had once been bare, burned flesh.

“The same way that I am able to speak to you. The magic that binds my consciousness to yours allows me to sense your pain, and, to a certain extent, to mend it.”

“Your…consciousness? Then…that voice…was that you? The one who was so… angry?” Fluttershy felt a tinge of fear at the memory of the emotional outburst she had felt. “What…what were you so angry about?”

“Ah, yes…that…this may take some time to explain in full. Before I begin, it may behoove you to explain what is happening to your rabbit friend before he begins frothing at the mouth.”

“Huh?”

Fluttershy glanced down at the floor. Angel was eyeing her with a mix of fear and concern, and had developed a spastic twitch in his left ear. The poor little rabbit’s whiskers stuck out at odd angles, and though he could not speak, he looked as though he were seconds away from a complete nervous breakdown.

“Oh my goodness, Angel, I’m so sorry!”

With a suddenness of motion that made the rabbit leap backwards in alarm, Fluttershy moved to scoop him up in her hooves. After several seconds during which he eyed her hooves as though theye were about to explode, he only reluctantly assented, still twitching feebly.

“Oh dear…how to explain…”

She swallowed, stroking the rabbit’s head. Nodding to herself, she held him at a distance and fixed him with as calm a stare as she could manage.

“It’s…um…you see, I…It’s the dragon we met last night. I…I know it sounds strange but I can hear him. He used some sort of magic to…to put himself into this pendant…but it looks like it messed up and a part of him…is …um…inside…my head.”

The thought sounded absurd to her even as she said it. Angel simply blinked, his ear giving one more pitiful flop before drooping lifelessly to his side.

“I don’t really get it either, but…but…” Fluttershy swallowed, forcing a smile. “He’s still alive! He’s the one who healed me! Isn’t that wonderful?”

Angel eyed Fluttershy’s body, inspecting her for the ugly wounds that he had seen only moments ago. Suddenly, he jumped up to her shoulder, peering into her left ear, as if searching for the dragon who had supposedly lodged himself inside his mistress’s head.

Fluttershy swatted at her shoulder, giggling gently as his whiskers tickled the inside of her ear.

“Angel stop it! That tickles!”

But Angel only continued his inspection with increased vigor. He darted all over the pegasus, searching in her ears, her eyes, even her mouth for any sign of ailment. Finally, he came to the pendant, and, with a sour look, attempted to yank it from her grasp.

“Wha…Angel what are you – ouch, that hurts!”

He simply tugged harder, ignoring her plea.

“Hey…stop it! Stop pulling so hard!”

She reached forward to swat him away, but he nimbly dodged her hoof, jumping beside her on the couch and yanking the pendant along with him.

"Why in Equestria is he acting so strangely?" she thought. "Wasn’t he trying to save that dragon too? He should be happy…"

“Angel, it’s alright! I feel perfectly fine, there’s no need to panic, if you’d just listen…”

Angel glanced briefly up to her face before vigorously shaking his head, resuming his endeavor to pry the pendant from its chain.

Without completely understanding why, she was rapidly losing patience with his antics. She glared down at her little friend, speaking with as much authority as she could muster.

“Angel, I said STOP! You’re acting silly!

Angel yanked harder.

“ANGEL, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

Fluttershy heaved on the pendant’s chain, sending the tiny white rabbit flying behind the couch. She deftly swung the chain over head, glaring down at her friend as he tumbled to a halt against the far wall.

Angel simply stared, all traces of his former furor gone. He couldn’t believe it. His mistress had never treated him like that before, nor could he remember a time that she had looked at him as she was doing now.

For several seconds, Fluttershy stared furiously down at him without a word, too angry to speak. It wasn’t until she realized what she had done that her expression suddenly defrosted.

“Oh, Angel…I’m so…” she stuttered, searching for the right words.

“Sorry…I’m so, so so-“

But she had no time to finish. Without a second glance, Angel bolted from the room and hid in the tiny house that Fluttershy had built for him, slamming the door with surprising force.

“…Why?” she whispered, staring down at her hooves and the pendant that hung between them.

“Why did I do that?”

As she spoke, her lip began to quiver threateningly.

“I’ve never done anything like that, not to anyone.”

“Don’t let it worry you.”

The voice gave her a start as it floated through her thoughts, its presence suddenly alarming after having been absent for the past few moments.

“You’ve been through a lot and he was acting a bit silly. I must apologize…even under the best of circumstances the binding process can be a bit…draining to the bindee. I’m sure you must be feeling it as well.”

“Oh…Oh, I feel awful…I’d better apolo…”

“…I don’t think that would be wise.”

“What? But I…he was only trying to-”

“No.”

“But…”

The voice sighed.

“How will he learn to listen to you if you are not more forceful? I know that you are a kind soul, Fluttershy – it is because of that very kindness that I still live.”

Fluttershy gazed uncertainly at the tiny rabbit-house.

“But if you are too kind, you will invite others to take advantage of you. I’m sure I’m not the first to tell you this.”

She fidgeted for a moment, then finally ran to the door of Angel’s home.

“Fluttershy, n-“

“Angel, I’m so sorry! Please, please forgive me! I should never have treated you like that! Please come out!”

The door opened.

“Oh thank-

WHACK

A half – eaten carrot bounced off of Fluttershy’s muzzle onto the floor.

“Wha…I…” Fluttershy stuttered, her lip trembling. Her eyes darted first from the tiny door to the gnawed remains of the carrot and back again.

“Well…Well FINE! STAY in there for all I care! I care for you and feed you every day, I make sure you get lots of exercise and try to make you happy, but if you think for one SECOND that I’m going to let myself be taken for granted, you’ve got another think coming, mister!”

Fluttershy panted, her chest heaving wildly with the sudden rush of emotion. She felt angry, but also…relieved, as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It felt good, even as the persistent pangs of guilt called to her from the door of Angel’s home.

A knowing “tsk-tsk” sound echoed in her mind.

“I tried to warn you. Kindness is a wonderful thing, but too much and it can become quite harmful, to all parties involved. Now, why don’t you leave him to his tantrum and make yourself comfortable, I’m afraid my story is rather lengthy.”

Fluttershy walked back to the couch, still annoyed. The dragon was right – she was angry for letting herself be manipulated like that. With a huff, she plunked down on the couch and snatched up her teacup, but didn’t take a sip. She simply sat there, trying to think of some way to change the subject.

The dragon…come to think of it…

“What’s your name?” She was surprised at the realization that she hadn’t known it thus far.

Once again, the voice chuckled softly in her head.

“Yes, always a good place to start. My name is Acheron, Prince of the Emerald Keep.”

Fluttershy’s jaw dropped, her wings stiffening suddenly at her sides.

“Y…Y-Y-You’re a p-prince??”

She straightened involuntarily in her seat.

Acheron laughed, a full-bodied guffaw this time. The sound was pleasing to Fluttershy, the sort of laugh that made one want to laugh right along with it.

“Relax, Fluttershy, there’s hardly any call for such niceties. I haven’t been a proper prince for some time.”

“What? I…what do you mean?”

“Well, I’m afraid there was a rebellion in my kingdom, quite some time ago – long before you were even born.”

“But-“

“But I’m just a baby?” Acheron chuckled again, and this time, Fluttershy giggled a bit it response. She wasn’t sure why, but she was starting to like this dragon. Perhaps it was his voice, or the gentle warmth of his presence in her mind, but she was beginning to get the strange feeling that she had known someone like him for many years.

“As I said, that form was temporary. An accident, really.”

“Accident? How could something like that be an…accident?”

“It’s a bit of a long story, and a large part of it has to do with the same magic that allowed me to bind myself to you. You see, a dear friend of mine was…tempted by a power beyond both our understanding.”

There was a pregnant pause as the voice fell silent and Fluttershy eagerly waited for him to continue.

“How can I explain it so that you can understand…”

Acheron hummed to himself for a moment, searching for the right words.

“It may be simplest, if not strictly accurate, to start with what you already know. I assume you are familiar with a magic known as the Elements of Harmony?"

Fluttershy perked up. “Oh, yes! Actually, I…well, it’s nothing really…”

“Go on. If we’re going to be sharing space for a while, we may as well get to know each other.”

She hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting about the room as if to avoid Acheron’s invisible gaze.

“Well, I…um…I’m actually…the bearer of the Element of Kindness…”

She blushed as she spoke, her voice trailing off absently. Acheron loosed a single sharp, barking laugh in response.

“Well that certainly explains a lot. When I found you, or…I suppose I should say, when you found me, I could sense the power of the Elements within you, though I could not be sure which Element you held. I apologize for my bizarre behavior at the time – I was quite a bit out of sorts due to my…condition.”

“Well, to be honest…I…was a little frightened, when you yelled at me, I mean, but when you collapsed…I-I was just so worried, I-I didn’t know…I couldn’t just leave you there.”

“I can see why the Element of Kindness selected you to be its bearer, Fluttershy, And may I say, I am quite honored to be in your presence."

“O-oh, I…It’s, um, I mean…i-i-it’s n-n-nothing, I was just…I mean anypony would’ve…”

Her cheeks reddened to the point that her coat appeared to be a deep shade of orange, her hooves working rapidly over and under each other as she fidgeted on her couch, suddenly unsure what to do with herself.

“Anyway…” Acheron cleared his throat, for lack of a better word, to punctuate the merciful return to topic.

“I suppose to be a decent houseguest, as it were, it’s only proper that I tell you a bit about myself.”

“Well, I-I mean, you don’t have to if…”

“Nonsense. I wouldn’t dream of imposing on you so heavily as a complete stranger. And besides, I’m not just doing this because I want to learn more about you, as well. I’ll tell you all you’d like to know, but I’ll respect your privacy if you so wish.”

She paused for a moment, her mouth hanging open in preparation for another round of polite protest, but chose not to respond. It may be impolite to pry, she thought, but she really did want to know more about the little dragon, especially seeing as how he was a prince, of all things.

“Okay…if that’s what you’d like.”

“In that case, I’ll begin. Just stop me if you have any questions, alright?”

He coughed, and she thought she could feel him settling in for a long speech. When he began, he spoke slowly and clearly, as though reciting a historical passage from one of Twilight’s books.

“I told you that my friend is responsible in part for my impromptu arrival on your doorstep, but the entire reality of the situation is quite a bit more complicated, and for that I must apologize in advance. The powers that tempted my friend were cut from the same source as your Elements of Harmony well over a thousand years ago. You see, He was a powerful pony, next in line for the throne of a neighboring kingdom. He and I studied the mysteries of magic throughout the world in our youth, and through our research we learned of a source of magic greater than any other in existence. When he learned of this magic - the "Element of Dominion" as we called it - he became obsessed with its power and what it would bring to his kingdom. One day, he simply disappeared, and did not resurface for several years. When he did, I was the first of my kind to see him.”

The fire sputtered in the fireplace, and darkness had fallen outside, but Fluttershy was too engrossed in the story to notice.

“He came to me one night as I flew over the gardens of my home in the Emerald Keep, perched on a distant cloud. He was changed from when I had seen him last, no longer the same small pony I had known. His body was tall, lean, and powerful, and he now had a sharp horn sprouting from his forehead as well as a pair of broad, feathered wings. He spoke to me, accusing me of betraying him, of hiding the element from him. I tried to tell him that I knew nothing of what he spoke, but he was mad – he would not or could not hear me. Supposedly, the treasure he sought was held deep within the Emerald Keep itself, hidden away to keep it safe. He was convinced that I had known, that I had hidden it deliberately to prevent him from gaining power. He attacked, and I defended myself. After our years of separation, I had grown into an adult dragon worthy of my office as prince, but even I had difficulty keeping up with him. We fought for hours, driving deeper and deeper into the castle – my brethren could not come near us such was the ferocity of our battle. At last, my strength failed me, and he burst past me to the place where the last piece of the Element lay hidden. His power, his fury was…incredible to behold. My kingdom burned around me as he and his armies marched through the cities of my kind.”

“My goodness…I never knew there even was a kingdom of the dragons…”

Fluttershy sat in awe of what she was hearing.

“How could…How could your friend do something like that? I…I’ve never known anypony to be so cruel…”

“He told me before his disappearance that his intentions were pure, but in hindsight, he was always the ambitious sort. I should have seen it coming. At least I can say that I did not completely fail in my efforts to stop him. That’s how I ended up here. The pendant you now wear is…was an artifact of great importance to my people. I knew that its power was my only hope in defeating him. I used the last of my strength to retrieve the pendant from my father’s vault and confront my friend one final time. The power in this pendant allows one to permanently seal the magic within another by combining it with magic’s opposite – Entropy.”

“En…Entorpie?” Fluttershy struggled with the unfamiliar word, staring down at the pendant.

“Entropy. You see, the word “magic” is a bit of a misnomer. There are actually several types of magic, though the two most prominent varieties are Entropy, and Order - the variety embodied by the Elements of Harmony. I attempted to use the pendant to stop him, but I’m afraid I lacked the strength and the knowledge to control it. The spell backfired, sealing not only his power but my own as well, reducing me to the form of a baby. For many centuries I slept, aware to some vague extent of the happenings around my resting place, but unable to act. Though I do not know what caused them, it was not until one of the recent earthquakes-“

“Earth…quakes?”

“Yes…is that not what you call them?”

“We call them “earthshakes.” At least, that’s the name my friend Twilight came up with. Nothing like them has ever happened in Equestria before, not that I know about, anyway.”

“Yes, well, they were somewhat commonplace in my time. Anyway, one of the earthquakes must have broken the seal on my tomb, allowing me to escape, which is when I found you. As for scaring you, I’m terribly sorry. I was rather frightened, myself, and seeing as how the last ponies I had met were trying to kill me…”

“Oh, there's no need to apologize. I understand completely.”

“You’re too kind. The anger you felt before was my fault as well. You see, I had not expected to become bonded to your consciousness to such an…intimate extent. I had thought that this was some sort of trickery on your part, but when I felt your sadness, your grief for me, I knew that you meant me no harm.”

“So…you can feel what I feel?”

“And vice versa, I’m afraid. But fear not, I vow to respect your privacy and, of course, I expect you to give me the same courtesy.”

Fluttershy swallowed. Acheron seemed pleasant enough, but she wasn’t sure she liked the idea of sharing her emotions with someone she had just met, and a small part of herself still hadn't managed to get past the fact that she had an individual of royalty living in her head.

“I know it’s not an ideal situation, but I’m afraid that that’s the hand we’ve been dealt.”

Fluttershy nodded, though she still felt uneasy. She decided to change the subject.

“What was his name, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“To whom are you referring?”

“Your friend…what was his name?”

“Ah yes, I forgot…he was called Chronus.”

“Chronus? I’ve never heard of anypony like that. In fact, I’ve never heard of any of this, not the war or the dragons, not even this…Dominion thing.”

Acheron sighed, and Fluttershy thought she detected a heavy note of sadness in his voice.

“I was afraid of that. If I might be so bold, might I ask who the current ruler of Equestria is?”

She blinked, momentarily surprised at the fact that he didn’t know before admonishing herself for forgetting that Acheron had been asleep for the past few centuries.

“The royal sisters, Princesses Celestia and Luna of Canterlot. They’ve…well, at least, Celestia has watched over Equestria for the past thousand years...It's a little complicated..."

At the mention of the Princess’ names, she thought she could feel something stiffen slightly in the back of her mind. When Acheron spoke again, there was a subtle edge to his voice.

“Hmmm…I’m afraid I’m not familiar with those names, though either way I can’t blame them for hiding a memory so painful for both our peoples.”

“…You mean the war?”

“Yes. And no. Chronus’s power, sealed as it is, is a terrible force indeed, and I would have erased all traces of it myself if I had had the chance.”

Another heavy sigh, resonating from deep within her thoughts.

“It seems there is much I need to tell you, and much more that I need to know. I’m afraid that not all of what I have to say is going to be pleasant to hear. I’m very sorry, Fluttershy, more sorry than you could ever know, but I’m going to need to ask for your help once again.”

“I…what?” she sputtered. Something in Acheron’s voice was making her uneasy again, and she squirmed inwardly as her thoughts raced with shades of what sort of “unpleasantness” he intended to deliver.

“How can I…I mean, what can I do to help you? Do you need me to tell my friend Twilight about you? I’m sure that she could think of so-”

“No, Fluttershy. I need your help, because you are the only one who knows about me, and it needs to stay that way if what I fear is happening is actually true."

“Fear? What are you-”

“I know it sounds bizarre, but I need you to trust me, Fluttershy. No one else can know that I’m here, because I’m the only one who can stop the power of Dominion from ever being used again. You didn’t just save me, Fluttershy, and despite what you might think, I’m not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that by your actions, you may just have saved everypony in this world.”

Comments

[Glassed]

Uuuuuhhh
This got interesting! But why do I feel like there's more to it? He seemed very surprised when he heard the names of the princesses
Can't wait for more of this
-Glassed

[Viktor Lionheart]

Thanks much! Chapter for should be up in a day or two. It's technically complete, but I'm still working out some the kinks.

[Viktor Lionheart]

324654
Thanks! Yeah Edaily was the first place I posted this, but as this was the first bit of serious fictional writing I've ever really done, (or maybe just because I'm an obsessive-compulsive perfectionist) I ended up not being happy with the quality of a lot of my work. I decided that, this being a community dedicated purely to the reading and writing of quality fiction, it would be a good place to repost the chapters after tidying them up a bit. I haven't abandoned the Edaily page, but I'm probably not gonna update it until I've had a chance to go over everything I've written so far and see if I can't bring it up to snuff.

[Viktor Lionheart]

333239
Glad you like it I don't know how I rank with some of the more seasoned authors around here, but it's always nice to hear that somepony appreciates my work!

[Cookies Need Love]

407515
Psh, no problem! I feel the same exact way whenever anyone comments/tracks my stuff Don't worry about how you compare with other authors, just enjoy the fact that people are enjoying your writings That's the thing to do, my good sir!

[Viktor Lionheart]

390061
I must have tinkered with the Flutter-Acheron Conversation dozens of times. Subtlety is not my forte, but I wanted to give the reader approximately the same level of trust in Acheron as Fluttershy would be feeling towards him. In other words, Acheron is a pleasant and cultured individual, but he does not feel comfortable sharing everything he knows with Fluttershy, just as Fluttershy would be likely to want to hide some things from him. When I first wrote the chapter, I felt like I was beating the reader over the head with this idea, but hopefully I've managed it a bit more gracefully this time around.