Secret Meeting - Suffering
Path of Kindness and Blood
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Chapter 6
Secret Meeting
Part 4 - Suffering
“Now wait just a moment,” Fluttershy said with a weak stomp. “You may be stronger than me, older than me, and much more experienced…” she gulped, “but even you cannot overcome my magic that lets me control my blood to heal.”
Sharp Eye smirked. “Oh, can’t I?” His horn flashed as it caused Fluttershy to flinch. The saddlebag that he carried opened as broken blades and several silver bolts levitated from it.
Fluttershy’s eyes opened widely as she took a few steps back, her body shivering in fear. She pled with a squeaky voice, “C-can we p-please talk about it…?”
“What was that?” Sharp Eye said while looking around in mocking gesture.
Fluttershy’s heart sunk as her life was in grave danger, and not just hers. She looked back at Applejack who also stood her ground, but without her equipment and in the darkness of the room, she could barely defend herself. Fluttershy grit her teeth as she mustered all the courage she could. If she died here, Applejack and her family would be next.
Sharp Eye looked between Fluttershy and the farm mare. “Still, I’m conflicted. If I will focus on eliminating the traitor, the huntress may escape and warn her family, and I would hate to have to pick off the stragglers.” He smiled devilishly as he pointed at his flank with a dark heart as his cutie mark. “Allow me to demonstrate the special talent that caught my master’s attention, a talent he raised alongside my other skills.” His horn was surrounded by a dark aura as a skull shaped summoning runes appeared on the floor. With one swing of a silver bolt at his own foreleg, several drops of blood fell onto the rune, making it flash a bright red.
With the room brightened and her target more visible, Applejack galloped at the unicorn vampony, plank in her teeth and ready to strike. With a jump and a swift swing of her head, the wood struck against the head of the unicorn who was too focused on the spell to react. Applejack turned around and aimed her two strong legs for a decisive strike, but the unicorn jumped back in time to evade the attack.
If being a vampony had any benefits, it was the significant increase of one’s natural abilities and better control over dark magic, letting even a unicorn keep up in a physical fight with a seasoned earth pony. Applejack learned it first hoof as her attacks were deflected by the vampony’s hooves.
With increased reflexes, the unicorn ducked in time to avoid Applejack’s rear hooves striking his horn, and next delivered an uppercut into the huntress's belly, pushing Applejack into the ceiling as she bounced off onto her back. After shaking her head, she looked at Fluttershy who just stood in place like a statue. “Why ain’t ya attackin’ him when he’s exposed?
Fluttershy looked at the earth pony as an “Oops” left her mouth.
Applejack facehooved. “Yer really bad at fightin’, aren’t ya?”
“She’s bad at everything,” Sharp Eye said with a frown as a dark vortex formed on the summoning rune. Slowly a beast’s shape emerged from the blackness as its features brightened and became clearer.
Even in the darkness of the room with the moon and stars outside the window as the only source of light, Applejack recognized the shape. “Chimera!”
“That voice?” the tiger’s head spoke sharply.
“Is this not our little huntress again? It’s such a displeasureee...” the goat’s head said.
“How isss… our parting gift treating your dog? Hisss…” the snake’s tail said and hissed.
“You!” Applejack shouted in anger. “Ya nearly took Winona’s life. Ah’ll make ya pay!”
“Big words coming from the one who invaded our territory and tried to slay us,” the tiger’s head responded with a firm and intimidating tone, searching the dark room for his prey.
“You nearly cut off our paaaw, how would you like if we bit off yooours?” the goat head added.
“Ah was sent to kill ya because you were stealin’ food and tried to eat merchants and travelers. Fire swamp is an important trade route.”
“They were trespassing on our hunting grounds. We need to feed too, you know,” the tiger’s head responded harshly before smirking. “I don’t know how I got here, but honestly, I don’t care,” the chimera raised his paw and exposed his claws, “because I am about to have the sweet taste of vengeance."
Fluttershy looked between the chimera and Sharp Eye in panic. How was she going to defend herself and Applejack at the same time, especially in such a small room? She focused on the thestral spy as her eyes flashed and ears twitched. She could sense his heart beat, and its rate increased significantly, same with his blood pressure. His breathing became heavier and he clearly had a fair amount of sweat on his forehead. The conclusion was simple; he was tired, but not exhausted enough.
“How did you do this?” Fluttershy asked.
Sharp Eye laughed. “I see you’re impressed and terrified, as you should be. Normally, I would never give my target any information unless it’s already one hoof in the grave, but for a weakling like you I can make an exception.” He took a step forward, causing Fluttershy to take two back. “I was always good at sensing hostility. Fake smiles and compliments never fooled me. A black heart as a cutie mark symbolizes my ability to find sworn enemies.”
He pointed at Applejack who jumped to the side as sharp claws left a mark on the wall. “Ever since my master discovered my talent and nurtured it, turning me into a thestral, I could command dark arts as if it was second nature to me. Guess what happened when I mixed my talent and summoning runes with my master’s teachings?”
Fluttershy gulped.
“That’s right. I can sense one’s hate and hostility to another, and then summon their enemies to serve me. When I offer them the chance to kill a foe they hate so much, they are very cooperative and determined.”
“B-but summoning spells are very draining, and your reserves should be burned out from using Veil of Darkness. How are you still standing?”
He wiped sweat from his face. “Pfff… like I need to be at my full strength to deal with the likes of you.”
A sudden cracking noise caught Fluttershy’s attention as she looked to the side at a small hole in the wall. This momentary distraction proved to be a grave mistake as three silver bolts flew in her direction. Her ears twitched as she flapped her wings with great strength, the wind pushing two bolts out of Sharp Eye’s levitation field, but the third pierced her right hind leg.
Fluttershy let out a loud scream of pain as she lost her balance and tripped over some rubble. She quickly raised her head and looked at her hind leg to examine the damage before glancing upon her assailant who was now towering over her.
“Any last words, traitor?” he asked as several bolts levitated in his aura, ready to rain down on his prey. “If you bow and beg, I will make it painless.”
Fluttershy looked at the assassin with utter terror. Was her life going to end here and now, by the hooves of her own kind? Killed by her own weakness and kindness, just as her parents? She closed her eyes and braced herself for the finishing blow. Much to her surprise, instead of feeling pain, she heard a yelp of confusion. She slowly opened her eyes and noticed Angel holding Sharp Eye’s horn in a vicegrip while his paws were pulsing with dark power. Black mist was covering the horn with several tiny black crystals. “Angel!”
***
“Get off me, you stupid bunny!” screamed the assassin before pushing Angel from his horn with a swift strike of his hoof, though the familiar performed a somersault in mid-air and landed on the floor on his two feet.
With the aura around the silver bolts weakening and the assassin distracted, Fluttershy decided to take the opportunity to strike. She took a very deep breath and next opened her mouth widely as a powerful sound waves spread across the room. Glass windows shattered to small pieces. The aura around the bolts vanished as they fell to the ground with weak thumps while the spy who wanted to kill her was now desperately trying to seal his sensitive ears with his hooves.
With a firm flap of her wings, Fluttershy pushed the bolts away, a few striking the stunned spy who yelped in pain before losing his balance. Fluttershy didn’t have time to celebrate as noise from the fighting coming from the outside caught her attention.
Sharp Eye stood back on his trembling legs and hissed. The wounds on his body were numerous, but small as not a single bolt was stuck in them. He quickly turned to the source of his failure, a small bunny, rabbit, or whatever this creature was who dared to interfere and cause victory to slip from his grasp. “I was about to rid the world of this traitorous weakling, but you interfered!”
Angel stuck out his tongue before turning around and shaking his tail in a mocking gesture.
Sharp Eye exposed his fangs in anger, but quickly calmed himself with a few slow breaths. He carefully touched his horn as he felt that something was odd. He smirked before saying, “Impressive. Dark magic on this level means that you must be a very powerful familiar.”
Angel exposed his chest, patting it in satisfaction as Sharp Eye examined him. “I feel that I have seen you before… Now I remember,” he said with a swift raise of his foreleg. He pointed at the bunny who jumped back and took a fighting stance.
“You are that famous familiar who served under many masters. I saw you more than once serving the masters of Manehattan, Los Pegasus and when I was a few decades old, you assisted my master’s wife, Mistress Fleur.” Noticing a firm nod of the bunny’s small head, he faked shock. “What are you doing here? Serving under this poor excuse of a pureblood?”
Angel relaxed a bit and shrugged.
Sharp Eye approached slowly and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to fight you,” as his horn flashed in a dark aura, the tiny dark crystals fell off onto the floor and turned into dark puddles that slowly vanished into nothingness. He knelt and faced the rabbit with eye to eye contact. “I can sense a lot of aggravation towards your current master. Surely you would find servitude under a more deserving one much more satisfying.”
Angel’s hostile glare melted as it was replaced by one of curiosity, his little ears straightened. “I can give a good word about you to my master. Comfort, power, servitude to someone worthy. Surely it is better than being this filly’s pet?” With the familiar distracted, as planned, Sharp Eye’s horn shot a thin beam of magic, knocking Angel unconscious. He picked the bunny with his magic and whispered, “Do not worry, once I will kill your master, you will no longer be obligated to serve her. You will flourish under my master as I did.”
***
Fluttershy quickly found Applejack who was trying to ride on the chimera’s back as if she was in a rodeo of some sort. “Applejack!”
Barely seeing anything and without her equipment, Applejack relied on her other senses, her ears catching the hissing of the snake’s head that tried to strike her leg. With a quick dodge and solid kick, she knocked it out, or so she thought. Applejack grabbed the tiger’s head in a vice grip, only for the goat’s head to bite her foreleg while the snake’s head pierced its fangs into her hind leg. With her leg becoming numb while poison slowly spread in it, her hold over the beast weakened and she was quickly thrown to the ground before a huge paw pressed against her back.
“Not so tough without your toys, aren’t you?” the tiger’s head spoke before licking his lips. “Let’s make a game out of it, shall we?”
“Stop it right there!”
All three heads turned to the source of voice and saw a bat-winged pony hovering above the ground, her forelegs crossed while her eyes were firm and filled with disappointment.
“What do you think you’re doing? You should be ashamed of yourself, hurting others like that. Hasn't your mother taught you any better?”
“Our mother taught us how to survive,” the tiger’s head responded harshly.
“She is no longer with uuus,” added the Goat’s head.
“Oh… I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said as she raised hoof towards her mouth, her tone suddenly calm and filled with concern while her ears dropped. “I feel sorry for your loss. I lost my parents too,” she added before pointing at Applejack who tried to force her poisoned leg to move. “She lost hers as well and was just trying to follow their hoofsteps. Surely you both should stop fighting. Haven’t we all suffered enough?”
The tiger’s head examined the speaker carefully. “Didn’t we meet before? Aren’t you a thestral who once explored the fire swamp and asked us for directions?”
The pureblood slowly descended to the ground and nearly lost her balance on her pierced leg. After a moment to stabilize herself, she nodded. “Yes, that’s me.” She smiled warmly despite her pain and asked, “How is your neck, Mrs. Goat? Have the burn marks healed yet, Mr. Tiger?”
All the heads nodded as the goat head stretched her neck and spoke, “Much beeetter, thank you.”
The tiger’s head looked at Fluttershy’s leg and said with less intimidating tone. “Shouldn’t you worry more about your leg? Wait, is this a silver bolt?”
The pureblood shook her head. “It’s not as bad as it looks like,” she lied. Even with her natural resistance to pain, she barely could keep her mind away from the wound, and it was going to get much worse the moment she tried to pull it out.
The chimera quickly turned to Applejack and growled. “I see that we weren’t the only targets on this huntress's list.”
Applejack decided to ignore her numb leg and stood on three legs as she faced the beast. “Ah won’t lie. Ah tried to kill Fluttershy tonight, and will have to try again another day if Ah don’t kick the bucket right here and now.” The beast growled with even more rage while Applejack pointed at pierced leg, “But Ah ain’t responsible for this.”
“Enough,” the tiger’s head shouted and bent his legs, ready to jump at the farm mare.
With swift flap of her wings, Fluttershy flew between Applejack and the monster.
“Get our of the way!” the tiger’s head warned before jumping, his paw ready to strike.
***
Applejack’s POV
***
“Fluttershy!” Applejack shouted in worry. Wait a darn moment. Why’m Ah worried about her? She’s my enemy and Ah’ll need to kill her mahself, she thought, but something inside her kept telling her to get this innocent pony out of harm’s way.
Much to Applejack’s shock, Fluttershy grabbed the paw and slammed the beast against the ground with a loud thump. The monster wriggled in its attempt to stand, but was quickly paralyzed by Fluttershy’s stare, its anger quickly replaced by fear...
“Now calm down this instant before you will hurt somepony or yourself. Do you understand?”
The beast’s heads just nodded at the Fluttershy’s words, acting like a scolded kitten in front of an angered master who smiled warmly and spoke, “It’s okay, I’m not angry. I’m sure it is all just a one big misunderstanding, and that if we talk it over, we will find a satisfying solution for everyone.”
Applejack’s mouth was hanging widely open as she wondered if her eyes were deceiving her, that maybe what she saw in the middle of the night with nothing but moon and stars as sources of light was just her imagination, but even lack of visibility couldn’t fool her ears.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Sharp Eye’s voice caught Applejack’s attention, who growled at him angrily. “This my dear huntress is a true power of a pureblood. A young weakling like her forcing a beast to submission with nothing but her bare hooves and eyes.” He hissed. “Just imagine how mighty she would have become if she wasn’t raised to be such a weak-minded fool.”
“Ah don’t care about yer stupid power struggles. Ya can kill each other for all Ah care,” Applejack responded while walking backward, her weakness hidden behind a mask of bravery. “Ah ain’t goin’ down without a fight.”
Sharp Eye chuckled as he pointed at her curled leg. “It will be a very short fight, I assure you.”
“Ya coward,” the huntress responded before pushing a rock with her foreleg, only for the projectile to be blasted to pieces. “You send a monster to dole out a beatin’, and now ya claim an easy win.”
Sharp Eye slowly approached with silver bolts levitating by his side and ready to strike. “I merely summoned you a foe to play with while I was dealing with the traitor.” He looked at Fluttershy who was still talking with the summoned beast. “All that has changed is that we switched our foes.” He launched a bolt towards the Applejack’s head, who moved to the side just in time to dodge it. “Also, I must thank you for giving me an excuse to kill that poor excuse of a vampony.” He made a fake bow. “You have my deepest gratitude.”
“Ya can keep yer gratitude to yerself, you freak!” Applejack said before galloping on her three legs, easily evading two bolts that flew towards her. With the distance from the target reduced, she stood on her forelegs and delivered a kick.
Sharp Eye smirked before taking the hit to his stomach as his legs held their ground. He quickly grabbed the hind leg in a vice grip.
Unable to move, Applejack could only watch as her not poisoned hind leg was pierced by two bolts. Her following scream scared several birds in the nearby cottage.
After being pushed away alongside the bolts, the huntress stared at her foe with gritted teeth as she lied defenseless in front of him. Both her hind legs refused to move, her mind telling her to get up, but the pain said otherwise.
“Are you good at digging holes?” he asked.
“A w-what now?” Applejack said in confusion, wondering if her mind was fooling her because of the pain.
“Besides the one you already dug yourself into.”
She frowned before being caught by her neck and slowly levitated upward, barely catching any oxygen into her lungs. “Now time to send you crying back to mommy.”
Applejack struggled a muffled response, “Mah p-parents are… d-dead,” as tears slid down her cheek.
“I know.”
The farm mare closed her eyes and murmured, “Apple Bloom… Big Mac… G-Granny. Farewell… Ah’ll wait for ya…on the other side. Ma, Pa… Ah’m comin’.”
When another bolt was about to strike her neck, blood from under her hooves shot upward like a whip and struck Sharp Eye’s eyes.
“Use this!” Fluttershy’s voice reached her ears as she landed on her forelegs. A silver bolt covered in blood bounced towards her hooves.
Without hesitation, Applejack grabbed the bolt with her teeth and ignored the disgusting taste of her friend’s blood. With the help of her forelegs, she pushed herself towards her foe’s face and struck it with the bolt, forcing the vampony to jump back a few meters. She gave Fluttershy a thankful nod before focusing on the spy again. Ah can’t deny it any longer. Fluttershy may be mah enemy, but she’s still a friend.
***
Fluttershy's POV
***
The chimera stood back up and shook the dust from its body. After all three heads took a deep breath and recovered from the stare, Snake’s head asked, “Why did you ssstop usss…? Don’t you want vengeance? She isss an enemy of your kind.”
The pureblood shook her head and responded, “Not in the slightest. Applejack is my friend, and even if she hates me now, I wish her no harm.”
“And what about uuus? She want us deeead,” the goat’s head responded.
“Only because you steal food and hunt ponies passing your territory.”
The tiger’s head growled. “And what’re we supposed to do?”
Fluttershy closed her eyes for a moment, startled by scream of pain that left her friend’s mouth. Please Applejack, just hold up a little longer, she thought before speaking with growing confidence, “And what about agreement beneficial for both sides? You can ask for a fair fee in food and in exchange, escorting travelers through your territory and offer protection from other dangers.” She looked at her leg and grabbed the bolt that was coming out of both sides. She gulped before closing her eyes and mouth tightly as she steeled her mind for what was about to come.
With one quick move, she pulled the bolt with all of her strength. The blood splashed from her leg onto the ground as half of her hind leg was nearly torn off. Bone clearly visible as even the chimera turned its heads away from such sight.
With her eyes flashing in red aura, she focused on the pool of blood under Applejack’s legs and charged it with dark magic, blinding Sharp Eye temporarily with her next attack. “Use this!” Fluttershy shouted as she threw the bolt she just pulled from her leg before her mind had given in to the pain. She lost her balance and fell to the side as her attention focused on her own blood laying the ground.
Commanding the blood, she separated it from the dirt and returned into her injury as it pulled back the hanging part of the leg and mended the broken bone together. The mare slammed her foreleg against the ground several times as the healing process dragged on for many agonizing seconds. Her blood that regenerated the bone felt as if it was on fire. With sweat falling from her forehead as she took a few slow breaths, she stood and spread her wings.
“Are you going to protect her, the very pony that wants you dead?” the tiger’s head asked, making Fluttershy look at him and nod. “And you’re not afraid that your kind will turn on you, mark you as a traitor?” Fluttershy pointed at the assassin who hissed at Applejack while many curses left his mouth. His words caused Fluttershy’s ears to drop.
“I’m already marked as a traitor,” Fluttershy said, pointing at the hostile thestral. “He nearly killed me with weapons he took from Applejack. If it wasn’t for Angel, I would have bolts piercing more than just my leg.” She shivered from the idea before looking towards the hole in her cottage. “I hope that Angel is alright.”
“So youuu forgave a pony who tried to kill youuu,” the goat’s head started. “Put your neck out for heeer sake and gained an enemy who is trying to kill you. And you still want to protect herrr?”
Fluttershy lowered her head and said in depressed tone, “It’s either me, or Applejack and her family. I wish we never learned each other’s secrets tonight, but I would rather suffer than let my friend and her family die.” Her lowered head and wings raised while her legs buckled. “I would be very grateful if you could forgive Applejack... for me at least. If we survive tonight, we may try to come up with an agreement, a peaceful solution.”
Dust spread around Fluttershy’s hooves as she dashed towards Sharp Eye, her mouth opened to send sound waves against the assassin's ears. Distracted and with hooves covering his ears, he failed to defend himself and was tackled to the ground. With her fangs exposed and aimed against the neck, Fluttershy said, “Surrender! If you won’t, I will be forced to drain most of your blood, which will leave you greatly weakened.”
Sharp Eye opened his eyes as the burning blood was no longer covering them. “Seriously… How did you survive this long?” he asked before levitating two bolts into Fluttershy’s back, only to blast her away with a beam of magic. He stood back up onto his hooves and wiped the dust from his black stealth uniform as several holes were decorating it. “You had me and you hesitated. It just proved that you don’t deserve to live.” He levitated Fluttershy over and aimed a bolt at her neck. “What do you have to say for yourself before I kill you?”
Fluttershy coughed with blood at the assassin as it started to burn through his suit right into the chest. He ignored the burning liquid and looked coldly as the bolt was touching her neck, waiting for just a bit more magic to push in.
His ears straightened at a noise coming from behind. With a smirk, he jumped to the side and levitated Fluttershy at the attacker who was about to push bolt into his back, using her as a shield. Applejack ended up slamming herself into her friend. Luckily, she turned her head in time before the sharp part of the bolt could pierce Fluttershy’s chest.
Applejack murmured, “Fluttershy, yer completely useless. Why didn’t ya attack when ya had the chance? Dagnabbit. Ah cannot believe Ah have say it to a pureblood vampony, but stop bein’ so soft!” Noticing two bolts stuck in her friend's back, she grabbed them with her forelegs and pulled. Her friend’s cry of pain made her feel uneasy, but this was not the time nor place for that. “Use those powers of yers and close yer wounds.”
“She won’t get the chance,” Sharp Eye said as he levitated all of his bolts, ready to rain them down on both of his targets. “As enjoyable as it was, I feel that there is no more entertainment I can get from fighting you two.”
Fluttershy and Applejack looked back at him in fear, unsure if they could survive, when suddenly, the chimera jumped between them and the assassin.
“We don’t think so,” the tiger’s head spoke.
“You have to pass uuus,” the goat’s head added.
“Patch yourselvesss,” the snake’s head said while looking at the huntress and the pureblood.
Fluttershy nodded as her eyes flashed and the blood that was not on the bolts returned to her. Her legs started shaking and her breaths became heavier as she felt that her magic reserves were half depleted.
“Are ya feelin’ better?” Applejack asked in concern as Fluttershy looked back at her in shock.
“Did you just… care about me?”
“Ah need ya healthy to survive, don’t get the wron’ idea,” Applejack stated, desperately trying to hide her concern.
“Oh…” Fluttershy said before looking at her friend's legs, her senses and powers allowing her to see the blood movements and poison spreading in it. She lowered her head towards the middle part of the leg and exposed her fangs, but a silver bolt aimed at her muzzle blocked her path. She looked at Applejack who held the bolt with her foreleg and stared suspiciously. “Applejack, please. I know it is difficult for you, but I need you to trust me on this. Please, just trust me.”
Applejack kept looking into Fluttershy's eyes as if reading her very soul. Was she trying to drink her blood to get stronger for the incoming fight? After a few more seconds of hesitation, she sighed. “Ah trust ya.”
Fluttershy smiled weakly before pushing her fangs into the leg as she felt Applejack’s blood flowing into her. It didn’t surprise her that the taste was one of the freshest apple cider she have ever had as the blood itself filled her with energy.
After the wonderful taste came the terrible one as the poison entered her body. Fluttershy’s mind kept telling her to stop drinking. Her stomach growled and mouth protested. Despite her body rebelling against her, Fluttershy gathered all her willpower and drank all the poison from Applejack and dropped to her knees immediately after. She licked the mark left by her fangs, and next the bleeding wound from the bolts on Applejack’s other leg before dropping to the ground. She pressed her hooves against her chest in pain.
“Fluttershy!” Applejack stood back to her legs and lowered herself to the vampony’s head. Much to her surprise, while her legs were shaking, they still cooperated. She was still feeling weak after the blood loss and pain from the bolts was still present, but she was tougher than that. Her earth pony magic prevented even enhanced silver bolts from breaking her bones while Fluttershy’s power closed the wounds. Applejack looked at the pureblood who was in pain, and next at her poisoned leg before the realization struck her like a hammer. “Ya didn’t just do what Ah think ya did, did ya?”
The pureblood struggled to stand as she breathed heavily, sweat dripping from her like from a fountain. She immediately vomited as the toxins were clearly visible among the blood. “I’m… fine.” She looked at her now standing friend. “Did it work?”
“It sure did,” Applejack said with a smile. As an apple bucking mare, her hind legs were very important in her life, legs that were just saved by her enemy. She looked at Fluttershy with sincere sadness as guilt overwhelmed her. How much suffering had her friend put on herself for her sake? How much more Fluttershy would endure to protect her?
Applejack stomped firmly. She wanted to say how grateful she was for all Fluttershy did for her. She wanted to say that she cared about her, that they are still friends and that she wouldn’t hurt her. The huntress shook her head. A pureblood and a monster hunter could never be friends. What was the point in giving the poor creature a fake hope, only to crush it later?
“That’s enough!” Sharp Eye shouted in his rage. His horn flashed in a dark aura, a large one. A summoning rune slowly formed on the ground. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you helping the huntress that tried to kill you?”
“The huntress?” the tiger’s head said before laughing. “I’m protecting the thestral. I owe her that for attending to our health.”
The snake’s head spoke towards the ponies behind them, “Once thisss is over, we want to negotiate an agreement.”
“Agreement?” Applejack asked in confusion as she looked between Fluttershy and the beast. “What kind of agreement?”
“It’s a long story,” Fluttershy said with an awkward smile. She quickly looked at the rune that grew on the ground.
The tiger’s head noticed dark magic overtaking its body as he spoke, “It seems we won’t be much of assistance after all.” He turned to ponies behind him and continued, “I can smell fear and sweat from your opponent. Victory is within your grasp.”
In an instant, both the beast and the rune on the ground vanished, leaving one enraged assassin facing two of his targets. “So you made an alliance with this monster, clever,” Sharp Eye said as his horn gathered power for yet another spell. “But you forgot that I am a summoner. I can banish my summons if they turn on me.”
The moment another rune showed up, Applejack responded by charging towards the spellcaster while Fluttershy spread her wings and flew into the air before following her friend’s example. “I already took a scent of your hate, Flutterbat. I can summon the one who you hate deeply within your heart to fight against you.” His words made Fluttershy stop her attack as she hovered in mid-air.
Is he going to summon that monster hunter? The one that took the lives of my parents? He’ll kill us both… Fluttershy thought before looking at Applejack, and next into the line of trees as her terrified expression was replaced by a thoughtful one. On the other hoof, Applejack is a huntress. All I need is to run away before the summoning is complete, and Shackles will help Applejack rather than search for me… Her eyes opened widely. But then Sharp Eye will be killed… I can’t let it happen.
Much to Fluttershy’s relief, the rune vanished before the summoning was complete as Sharp Eye collapsed to the ground. Silver bolts flew towards Applejack to stop her, but the farm mare dodged the attack and delivered a strike of her own, leaving a mark on the spy’s cheek. Fluttershy quickly focused on examining his breathing and heart-rate before quickly coming to a realization. So this is what the chimera meant. Veil of Darkness, the summoning spell, and now banishing his summon. He underestimated us and wasted most of his magic reserves. If he doesn’t drink somepony’s blood fast, he will have no choice but to surrender.
With a strong flaps of her wings, Fluttershy dove towards Applejack, hoping that her prediction was true. As she expected, Sharp Eye let the huntress strike his foreleg as a bolt was now stuck in it. His horn flashed as he grabbed Applejack’s neck with his magic and exposed his fangs. A last ditch effort to regain his strength, I have to stop him.
Despite the huge blood loss and exhaustion, Fluttershy found enough strength to tackle Sharp Eye’s belly and struck his neck with her fangs. Without silver bolts to levitate and magic nearly exhausted, he could only punch her as more of his blood was drained with each passing second.
Sharp Eye’s legs trembled before giving up, letting his body lie motionlessly as Fluttershy pulled her fangs away before licking the wound. His breath was heavy as he could hear the beating of his heart slow down to near death. “N-n-no...no… I can’t be defeated… not by you…” he said in a weak voice as he raised his tired foreleg before it slammed back to the ground. “Defeated by a weakling and one huntress, this isn’t happening, this isn’t happening! I’m better than you! Stronger! HOW DID YOU BEAT ME?!”
Applejack approached slowly as she barely believed her own eyes. They just managed to defeat a three centuries old assassin. “Ah’ll be damned, sugarcube, we beat this two-bit snake in the grass.”
Fluttershy knelt in front of her foe and said, “It’s true. Alone, I am weak. But I’m not alone. That chimera you tried to use, even my friend who hates me, we all worked together to defeat you.” She took a deep breath before continuing, “We may be weak and hesitant, but our kindness will be rewarded. The strength we lack individually, we will find in friendships we make. That’s what my parents believed, and that is what I have chosen to believe.”
Applejack rubbed her hoof nervously at her friend's words. With a much more gentle tone, Fluttershy asked, “Are you alright? I tried to weaken you, but I hope I didn’t drain too much.”
Sharp Eye then busted out into a big laugh, but soon hacked up blood midway before continuing again.
Applejack looked at Fluttershy in disbelief and said, “Are ya crazy? How can ya worry about that freak?” Without hesitation, she grabbed the closest bolt with her teeth and approached, but bat-like wing blocked her path.
“What are you trying to do, Applejack? He is too weak to be a threat.”
Applejack resisted the urge to facehoof as she took the bolt from her mouth and shouted, “Not a threat? His very existence is a threat. He wanted to kill us. He knows that Ah ain’t under yer control. He knows that ya betrayed yer kin to protect mah family. He knows too much to live!”
Fluttershy stood immediately, taking protective posture. “I won’t let you kill him.”
“W-what?” Applejack was taken aback. “Ah understand ya don’t want to take life, especially from a fellow vampony, but if ya spare him, he’ll come with his buddies and kill us all.”
Fluttershy stomped. “I… I will talk with his master and accept the consequences of my decision. But you and your family can still escape. As long as you stay away from Ponyville and Canterlot, you all will be safe.”
“And what ‘bout ya, sugarcube?” Applejack asked harshly. “If that master of his decides to get rid of ya and send his assassin again… We barely laid a beatin’ on him now, next time ya’ll face him alone. Do ya have a death wish?”
“And why do you care?” Fluttershy asked as tears formed in her eyes. “You want me dead anyway. Just take your family and run. If I will be hunted by my own kind, it will save you and your guild the trouble.”
Applejack bit her lips and looked to the side. She wished to deny those words, but Fluttershy was right. If she didn’t inform the guild about a pureblood’s presence in Ponyville, she herself would become a traitor. A muddy stain on her family’s good name.
“That’s hilarious,” Sharp Eye said as he levitated a white bunny from his saddlebag. “You still want to spare me, even after everything that happened?” He quickly levitated a silver bolt from Applejack’s hoof towards Angel’s neck and spoke, “I have a counter-offer. Instead of sparing my life. You will give yours in exchange for your familiar. You care about others more than about yourself after all.”
Much too Sharp Eye’s surprise, his magical aura vanished as both the bolt and the bunny fell to the ground. Before he could grab them with his hooves, a solid kick from Fluttershy pushed him away. The white bunny was quickly picked by her forelegs. With frustration growing in Sharp Eye’s weakened body, he slammed his hooves against the ground and collapsed. “Why… why did I have to be so wasteful with my magic? Defeating you both should have been so easy, and yet I failed because of my overconfidence.”
Applejack grabbed the bolt and pushed it towards the vampony’s neck, but Fluttershy’s hoof blocked the attack. “Get out of the way!” Applejack shouted and stomped firmly. “Killing him is our best solution. He is a threat to us and must be erased! A weed in the garden that will spread if ain’t dealt with.”
“So are you!” Fluttershy responded harshly as tears started to flow down her cheeks. Her ears and wings dropped. “You and your family were a threat to me. Killing you all would solve all of my problems like a charm. Letting you all live is what’s putting me in grave danger.” She made a few steps towards Applejack who didn’t dare to move. The moment their muzzles collided, Fluttershy continued, “But doing it was the right thing to do. Would you prefer if I killed your family rather than suffer myself after sparing your life?”
“B-but… this is different…”
“How’s is this any different?”
Applejack sat and stared back speechlessly. If she was in Fluttershy’s place, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill the hunter’s family. But not the mare in front of her. Pureblood or not, she was innocent like an apple tree.
Fluttershy lowered her head and tapped her hooves together. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just that I can’t take anypony’s life for my own sake. I just couldn't bare it, no matter how much it hurts me in the end.”
Applejack looked Fluttershy directly in the eyes, no longer terrified of those pink predatory irises. “Is that so?” Noticing a weak nod, she placed the bolt on the ground and sighed. “Ah can’t believe Ah’m doin’ this.” She turned around and continued calmly, “Go ahead, help that monster. Ah have had have enough of ya vamponies and yer stupidity.”
“T-thank you,” the words of gratitude left Fluttershy’s mouth as she turned to Sharp Eye, ready to treat his wounds and transfuse some of her blood back into his body. But he just laughed. That creepy laughter that made chill go through Fluttershy's bones.
“Was your victory not enough? You want to humiliate me by sparing my life. I knew you were a weakling, but to be that stupid?” He shook his head. “No, I am not going to face my master after such a failure. I don’t deserve to serve him.”
“W-what are you talking about?”
He raised his shaking head as his horn lit in a weak aura with leftovers of his magic. “You can keep your compassion and mercy, I don’t want it!”
Much to Fluttershy and Applejack’s shock, a silver bolt next to Applejack’s hooves levitated… towards Sharp Eye… again. Fluttershy got in the way, ready to block the bolt with her own body, but it just circled around her. The moment she turned around, the projectile had already pierced Sharp Eye’s heart.
“N-no… what have you done!?” Fluttershy shouted before galloping towards him. Her foreleg grabbed back of his head and raised it slightly while her eyes focused on the wound. With her shaking hoof, she pulled the bolt, but it just caused Sharp Eye to scream in pain. She exposed her fangs and pierced his neck as she send her own blood into his body, desperate to save him.
The spy chuckled before coughing up blood on Fluttershy’s wing. “Try all you like. My life will end, and there is nothing you can do about it.” He grit his teeth from pain before whispering, “I would rather die… than live… knowing that… I lost to a failure like… you.” He coughed once again, returning whatever blood Fluttershy gave him. “My master’s wrath… will end you all.” His eyes closed and his head became numb.
Fluttershy could no longer hear the beating of his heart. She no longer sensed breathing and felt that the blood in his veins was no longer moving. Sharp Eye just died in her very hooves. The pureblood could only stare at the bolt that had pierced his heart, a bolt that ended up in it because of her. For the second time this night, something in Fluttershy snapped as her sobbing was mixed with creepy laughter.
With her wings flapping firmly, she flew into the ruins of her cottage and placed the vampony of her sofa before sitting in front of him.
Angel slowly regained consciousness and followed Applejack inside the cottage as they both looked at the pureblood in concern. Applejack approached first and put a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder, only for it to be slapped away. She massaged her foreleg and spoke, “Fluttershy… it’s okay, it wasn’t yer fault.”
“Please, leave.”
“W-what...? But Fluttershy.”
“I said… leave me alone!”
Applejack barely recognized her friend as her voice was cold and harsh. “L-listen sugarcube. Yer not responsible for his death. He did it to himself.”
“I will face his master tonight and accept the consequences,” Fluttershy said coldly as her tears started to cover the floor. “If by tomorrow morning, I’m not back in my cottage, I want you to take your family and leave Ponyville. If I manage to survive, your family will be safe to stay. Now go away.”
Applejack looked around at the huge mess that was once a wonderful little room, and next at Fluttershy, a broken pony whose psyche failed to handle the pressure. How could she leave her now when she needed company the most? “W-want some t-tea, sugarcube? Ah know how it always calms ya.”
“I will ask one last time. Leave me alone!”
“Ah ain’t leavin’,” Applejack said firmly, but immediately regretted her decision as all the critters and even Angel ran outside a few seconds later.
Fluttershy turned and looked at her with bloodshot eyes as she took deep breath and yelled. “I want to be left alone, begone!” The strength of her voice nearly knocked Applejack from her hooves, only for one powerful strike of Fluttershy’s wings to throw her outside of the cottage while leaving a pony-shaped hole in the wall, rubble landing on the grass.
Applejack rolled for several seconds before shaking her head. Next to the blood loss and several closed wounds thanks Fluttershy’s saliva, she could now add an aching back to the list of injuries she had gotten this night. She looked at the cottage and rubbed the back of her neck. While Fluttershy proved herself to be a very kind pureblood with strong morals and a huge amount of forgiveness, she was still a powerful creature.
Applejack turned around and decided to leave, her head lowered and mind a mess after today’s events. She was relieved that her family was safe and that she could still walk on her four legs. However, she also had many regrets. The biggest one was leaving a broken friend without telling her how sorry she really was.
Meanwhile Fluttershy placed her head on Sharp Eye’s chest and cried. Cried, and cried until her eyelids became dry and sleep slowly overtook her tired mind.
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Oh, Flutters...
And here it is! Figured that Flutters would come out alive as would aj, while the rabid animal wouldn't. Just didn't figure he'd do himself in.
Well, aj needed a vamp to turn into her superiors, she's got one.
Shit just got real.
6756213
Then I am interested in seeing how you pull off resolving this conflict without killing any of the integral characters. As of now, that's what it looks like is going to eventually happen.
Sigh. Flutterbat, you really need to grow up. I understand that you don't want to be bad and you want to be like your merciful parents, but you are not your parents. Your parents were smart and had the resources to hide and protect themselves. You don't have that luxury. You got lucky with AJ for the most part.
6757617 Took the words right out of my mouth
6757640
And for that matter, what about Rainbow Dash. You know, her best friend who let her feed on her and has gone above and beyond to help Flutterbat and make her happy. If it was just Flutterbat putting herself at risk, that would be one thing. Does she think that these overzealous hunters and pureblood thestrials would stop at just her and not go after all those close to her. In trying to be like her parents, Flutterbat has lost sight of why her parents did what they did. To protect the ones they care about.
SHARP EYE!!! YOU SON OF A-!!!
Great chapter though...
Damn, that is heavy Fluttershy.
6756213
To be entirely honest, I don't want My OC here. I was Just saying that he fully fits in your story
Merry Christmas everypony!
6757153
That's a very long theory you got there. All I can do is to suggest you to wait patiently. We will get there sooner or later. And while NIghtmare Moon's return will happen, the lore behind her banishment will play a bit diferently. It is AU after all.
6757332
6757393
I am not sure Sharp Eye's boss will agree with your idea once he find out what happened.
6757435
To be fair, it got real from the start of chapter 5 part 2 confrontation. I think more suitable term would be "s**t just got heartbreaking"
6757609
Thanks.
6757617 6757640
I think it is no longer about Fluttershy following her parrent's hoofsteps, and more the result of her peaceful nature. For a pony who never killed any creature, what happened is indeed very devastating. Even if she is nearly a century old, Fluttershy have innocent of a filly. Give her time to adapt.
6757730
Rainbow Dash is a normal pegasus, a donor in thestral's terms. While Sharp Eye or other thestrals would target the Apple family since they are hunters, there would be no point for them to target Rainbow Dash. Same for hunters, as long as they don't know Rainbow Dash is involved, they won't bother her, and Fluttershy never stated that Rainbow Dash know her secret, so AJ don't know Dash know (if that makes sense).
6757819
"son of a sore looser" ?
Just kidding.
6757878
Over all I could be way off base, but then, my theory is pretty tentitive and more like a model of what the future could look like based on what I as a reader knows. The twists and turns aside, I'm pretty confident in the one line that truly matters
Everything else i mentioned is just a vehicle for that to happen.
6757878
I get the feeling that as long as Fluttershy doesn't say exactly why he attacked her, Fancy Pants wouldn't be too bothered about it.
Gah, I hate it when someone is so block-headed about pride/tradition/revenge/whatever and just won't talk things over. And this happens in real life, too. What a senseless waste of
humanpony lifeNow. Is Flutters going to tell the truth. That she freed AJ. Or spin a lie, that the Assassin attacked without a reason. After all, he never told anyone anything. So all that the other vampires know, is that Flutters was attacked by an ally, which is probably a big no-no in the Vampire world, and had defended herself.
6757878 true...true
Lets
Tried
To. Unless he's punched hard enough that her hoof embeds itself in his internal organs.
Edit:
Pretty sure, but you can ignore it if you want.
Also you used 'bare' as exposed in place of 'bear' as to bear a burden.
Also, on a side note, Fluttershy is going to have to learn sooner or later that there are times in which always being an honorable pacifist will cause a lot more harm than doing what needs to be done up front and getting it over with.
Well, that's a way to do it. O.O He killed himself.
Hopefully Fluttershy won't get burned too badly, but I highly doubt it. Meanwhile, just where is Dash? Did she actually find something about that spa incident?
So, the creep decided to commits suicide, rather than accepted (or, in the least, tolerated) her kindness, and hurt the poor dear’s kind heart in the process. Hmph, never will understand that close-minded kind of pride, and I don’t really want to.
Poor Fluttershy, to have her heart broken like that once again, I just want hugged her so much. But, in my own opinion, I’m very proud of her as well. It isn’t easy being kind in a world divided by hatred, fear, and disharmony, but despites so many heartaches, she was strong enough to hang onto her principles, even when it would have been easier to let it go. All I can say at this point is simple: just hang on there, Shy; hang on.
And her kindness is definitely starting to show signs on AJ’s stubbornness. It is resisting still, but this chapter shows how much weaker it has gotten. Can’t wait for that wall to finally break down completely...well, she will still be stubborn, but at least it will be the less hateful kind.
Keep up the awesome work~!
C&Cs will be PM.
6758149 6758214
I suppouse she can hide the truth for her advantage. if she told that she freed AJ, all her sacrefices would be in vain.
6759154
It is rather dificult lesson to leanr for Fluttershy.
6759158
That's assuming that Dash actually have some detective skills, and we all know that it is more of Rarity's speciality.
6759388
That reminds me of Goku vs Freezer. Goku wanted to spare Freezer on Namek, and he just couldn't accept it and attacked, being blasted as the result.
Not everyone can handle defeat easy, especially those who view their enemies as inferiour and cannot stand lossing to them.
And yes, AJ struborness is crumbling. Now what she needs is either time, or something to push her opinions over the edge.
6758959
Fixed, thanks.
Also
Are you sure about this one?
This story is simply riveting!
fortressofbaileytude.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Got-Reference.jpg
Racist barn racist barn one two three four...
Good riddence I say. That guy was SUCH a huge CUNT.
Well, so far I'm hopeful that things could continue to change for the better, but it could go either way... I feel uncomfortable.
You know, reading this chapter I'm kinda iffy about AJ's turnabout. Not because showing kindness to Fluttershy is wrong, but because it implies that AJ may someday be 'ok' with Thestrals. The only problem with that is Thestrals as a whole are actually evil, not misunderstood. Fancy Pants, the nicest and noblest of Thestrals show so far, other that the Flutter's family, are still fucking evil monsters, even if they are civil. The singular act of how they 'recruited' Vinyl is a crime of such a magnitude that if Celestia ever found out they and their whole clan would probably be executed and that is not including any other of their acts.
The act of forcibly turning a free and sapient being into a different species then enslaving them is evil no matter how polite or 'fancy' you act afterwards. Every last member of the Canterlot Clan are Lawful Evil at best with Sharp eye being more honest about how much of a piece of shit he is. I would just hate it if I when Fluttershy helps with NMM and hopefully comes clean to Celestia anything less than a fucking crusade happens to purge Thestrals hiding amongst the populace and feeding off ponies. The only way that the Thestral problem could be solved in an actually moral and just manner would be mandatory registration of every Thestral and execution of any that refuse to peacefully and openly integrate into society. The right of innocent ponies to no be fed off of or mind controlled by Thestrals far outweighs their wants for freedom from oversight.
So far Fluttershy is literally the only Thestral alive that doesn't deserve imprisonment/death due to their actions, not species, and it makes me want to root for the hunters. If Fancy and Fleur are supposed to be some of the 'nice' thestrals that show they aren't all evil monsters it fails horribly, both of them deserve death for enslaving innocents and trying to kill a whole family of literal heroes just to protect themselves from rightful consequences for being fucking villains.
I guess Sharp Eye's self killing is coming from the reason that he was a proud warrior, in this way he is similar as Applejack when she was captured she would rather have died than to admit the loss against the thestrals. Sharp Eye is similar, a warrior who rather die than surrender and accept the loss/being spared (as Madarame Ikkaku in the Bleach after lose against Ichigo minus Ikkaku dont kill himself (i think it was the episode 26-27?)).
Another fan of Dragon Ball Z Abridged i see.
8483231
You got me there, but lets be honest, who is not a fan of that series?
Wow, it's a good thing the internet hasn't been invented yet or this guy would be all powerful.
Great, first Sharp Eye, now they have to deal with Freeza? What's next, is Kaiba going to bury them in money? Will Bowie-sensei-sama-kun barge in?
I give this chapter an Ow!/10