Chapter 35: Alpine
The tension was so thick in the air right now. Fluttershy had opened X’s bag, which drove all three ponies through an intense reaction. Rainbow Dash growled in anticipation to how Fluttershy was about to feel. X whined out as she looked away, shivering violently.
When Fluttershy saw what was in X’s bag, she couldn’t even gasp to describe how she felt. Her eyes and body were practically paralyzed at what she saw. There was actually quite a lot of supplies inside the bag, most of which she couldn’t recognize. Some of the ones she did recognize was the cannon used for launching Sly, an injector, probably the antidote used to cure her from Sly’s venom, and one last thing, which was barely sticking out.
Fluttershy’s hoof shakily reached out for that item in disbelief. It was a miniature flower vase. These flower vases could hold both water and flowers inside in such a way, they could keep the flowers nurtured without spilling its water. The flowers themselves though, there were three of them, and Fluttershy couldn’t believe X was hiding this. Purple petals, a light yellow floral disc…
These were the flowers that cured her from Rainbow’s… from a tatzlpony’s toxin…
Fluttershy held this vase in her hoof and turned to X. She slowly walked to her. Rainbow snorted as she saw that look in Fluttershy’s eyes. It was a pure look of utter betrayal, a look that Rainbow would never want to be directed with.
When the butterflies saw the expression that was on Fluttershy’s eyes, their face drew pure fear. Both of them were shaking, nearly falling out of the air when their wings locked up for a second. Slowly, they backed away from both her and X as Fluttershy closed in. They suddenly felt like they were in the presence of a predator, and the prey would be them if they set her off.
Even Sly was shaking right now. He backed his head away as far back as he could, like Fluttershy’s Stare was being directed at him. For the first time, his body tied to X gave him the feeling of being just as trapped as X was. When Fluttershy reached X, she asked in a deep and serious tone, which was the voice of a demon to Sly and the butterflies.
“Where did you get this?” But X didn’t answer. In fact, she kept her head turned away from her while whimpering. Rainbow shook her head with a big ‘no no’ coming from her mind. Walking up to X as well, she stuck two of her tongues out to grab X’s head, forcing it to turn to Fluttershy’s eyes. X’s struggle was futile and she was now forced to stare into Fluttershy’s angry eyes.
“Do you know what this is?” Fluttershy asked in a tone that sounded like it would explode. Grasping breaths escaped X as Rainbow pulled her tongues back. Her expression hadn’t changed. She was already angry with X. Now Fluttershy was too.
“These flowers cure a tatzlpony’s toxin. You asked us if we found more, but you’ve been hiding the ones you found. Why?” X still wouldn’t answer. The more Fluttershy asked, the more X shrank back from the tree she was stuck to. Sly wanted to ask to be untied now, but was too scared to. And the butterflies had to hide themselves behind branches from the blockade.
“Where did you get them,” Fluttershy asked deeply once again. “Tell me.” Rainbow was starting to growl at X again, like a predator ready to pounce at its prey. X hyperventilated her breaths, still refusing to answer. Her head was slowly shaking left and right, whimpering at a higher pitch as the seconds passed.
All of a sudden…
”TEELLL MEEE!!!”
Rainbow shot her three tongues to X’s body. After a yelp, X bursted into laughter. Each coil was licking along sensitive parts of X’s body. One was underneath her left foreleg while another was underneath her right. Her tongue with the knot licked along X’s neck, leaving saliva trails along every surface they slid.
X was flailing in laughter for as much as her binded body was able to. Both her forehooves and wings couldn’t move, but her hind legs flailed back and forth while her head practically tried to escape her body.
“Tell me where you got them!” Fluttershy demanded. X was already in tears from her laughter.
“AAHAHAHH!!! AH-I… C-C-CAHAHAN’T! Aha… GAAAH!!! AHAHAAAHAA!!!”
Rainbow Dash moved her two side tongues over to X’s hind hooves, one on the left, one on the right. X burst into an even louder hysterical laughter when they touched, licking up and down her hind hooves. As much as X flailed her hind hooves around, they couldn’t escape the licking.
“Was everything you said just a lie?!” Fluttershy yelled. “Do you really just want to capture Rainbow Dash so she can spread her poison further?!”
X struggled a response. “AHAHNNN!!! NNGH N-NOHOHOOO!!!” Her tears were pouring out faster. Rainbow continued to lick her hind hooves and lick her neck with no signs of slowing down. Even the saliva trails that were left behind were tickling her as they trickled down.
“THEN WHY WERE YOU HIDING THIS?!” Fluttershy yelled again. Sly was gritting his jaws against his mouth. He wasn’t sure what was worse, Fluttershy’s terrifying rage, or the immense pressure coming from X’s struggles.
“P-P-PLEASE!!! HAHAHAAA!!! ST-ST-STOOOHOHOP!!!” Rainbow shifted her knotted tongue, moving it down to X’s belly. “GN!!! AAAAHAHAHH!!! AAAAAH!!!” X’s laughter turned into screams so loud, her uvula could be seen shaking in plain sight to both of them. Her tears were now pouring out like a fountain.
Each tongues’ motions were like a blur to Fluttershy. The two licking X’s hind hooves moved up and down in a semi-symmetric pattern, going opposite of each other every pass, all the while staying attached despite the flailing of her hind hooves. But the knotted tongue had a different motion on X’s belly. It pressed in a rough manner, making sure her tongue could feel the bones and muscles underneath that coat, even if it meant pressing the knot on her tongue deep against that belly.
Fluttershy snorted and shook her head, watching X agonize over the intense tickle torture. It was clear she couldn’t take much more of this, yet she refused to answer. There wasn’t anything she could do about that. She wanted... she needed answers.
“X,” Fluttershy started. “I can’t make this any easier than I already have,” she spoke casually as if the intense torture and laughter coming from X wasn’t happening at all. “If you don’t tell us where you got these flowers from, then…” There was a pause as Fluttershy looked away. “I’ll have to turn my back. Once I do, I won’t have to know what Rainbow Dash will do to you.”
Rainbow Dash’s hairs stood up from those words. It was scary, but at the same time, exciting. Fluttershy was practically giving Rainbow absolutely free reign to do whatever she wanted to X. And as long as Fluttershy didn't have to see it, she wouldn't care.
X’s laughter didn’t change, but her decision was decided.
“NORTHWEST AHAH!!! N-NORTHWE-HEHEEST!!!” Rainbow didn’t stop. But she slowed down the tickling to make it easier for X to tell more. “THERE’S A LA-HARGE GARDEN OF THOSE FLO-HOWERS… N-NORTH-AHAH, NORTHWEST FROM WHE-HE-HE-RE WE ENTERED THIS CLEAR-HING!!! AHAH!!! AHHH!!! IT’S A FEW MILES AWAHAHAY!!! AAAHHAAHHH!!!”
Fluttershy listened to the information that X was telling carefully. When she told enough, she placed a hoof on Rainbow’s mane, signaling her to stop. Rainbow obliged. She stopped the motions of her tongues and retracted them back to her mouth, leaving X’s body soaked in her saliva. X was gasping for breath, and now, crying. Her crying sounded like a little filly who just received a spanking from her mother.
The torture had stopped as Fluttershy promised, but she had to lift a hoof to her mouth to think over what X said, holding the flower vase in her wing. There was a missing piece of information she needed to know. So she asked.
“Northwest from where I entered, or from where you entered?” But of course, it wasn’t that easy. In the middle of her sobs, X slowly shook her head and pleaded.
“P-P-Please… I’m be-egging you… Don’t gohoho…” Her eyes were filled to the brim with tears, more hurt than scared right now.
A strange pang of guilt spread in Fluttershy’s heart right now. But Rainbow didn’t seem to feel a thing. And who could blame her? After everything she did to them, why should they feel pity for her? Yet... when Rainbow was ready to continue with round two with the torture, Fluttershy held a hoof out to stop her, confusing Rainbow.
This was all wrong. Fluttershy had noted how X was a leader to a hunting group, but didn’t act like a leader at all. But it was a lot more than just that. It was more like X was literally a little filly in a full grown mare’s body. When she saw that fear in X’s eyes during their fight, she recognized it as a look of somepony who lost something very important to them. She was beginning to believe that that was indeed true. And maybe that spiraled X into becoming what she is now.
“X…” Fluttershy started in a gentle tone. “Why don’t you want us to go? What could be so important over there that makes you not want us to go?”
X sobbed and sniffed a few times before she could answer. “It… It’s the only garden we know about. T-The only one that’s left.” She moaned depressingly. “I-If you go there… there will be nothing left. Nothing…” Fluttershy glanced at the flower vase, ready to say something until X continued.
“O-Our client… showed me that garden before we began our mission. B-But only me! Not even Clang and Strike know about it! The flower patch that you found earlier… t-they were moved there from that garden. There’s a large gap in that garden that made up those flowers. They’re not growing back! I… I-I promised them that I wouldn’t tell. Those flowers may be able to cure a tatzlpony’s toxin, but they won’t be enough to provide for an entire town. O-Once they’re gone, n-nothing will stop the toxin from spreading! Nothing!”
X finished with painful sobbing moans. Fluttershy was a little surprised. It sounded like X spoke with her client more personally than Clang or Strike did. She was even trusted with information that the other two didn't learn. And all Fluttershy was doing was forcing the information out of her.
Fluttershy hummed. This was it then. X wanted to prevent disaster. If she could just convince X to trust them like she trusted her client, maybe she would be more cooperative. Right now, they weren't exactly providing a very trusting example with all this torture. That was why X wasn't trusting them right now.
Fluttershy moved closer to X herself to try a different approach. Kneeling down, she spoke.
"X. I can't speak for your client, but I assure you. We want to stop this disaster just as much as your client does." X blinked a few times to wipe away her tears. With all the saliva on her body, it was difficult to tell where her tears dropped. "If you tell us where that garden is, I won't let them go to waste."
"B-But... you will!" X responded after sniffing and whimpering a few times.
"What makes you think that?" Fluttershy asked.
"You... said it yourself. The flower patch that you found, you sent… her…” she looked to Rainbow Dash as she said that. “-to go get one of the flowers so that it would cure you. Only one was needed. B-But now… they’re gone…” For the first time, Rainbow’s expression changed to a hurt one from X’s words. Fluttershy noticed this, and it made her heart ache. “I… c-c-can’t… let that happen to the garden. Ple-ease…”
Fluttershy was at a loss for words. X certainly had a point there. Even Rainbow seemed to understand the situation. When they first discovered those flowers, they were careless as to how valuable they were. Rainbow said that it was because of the parasprites that that patch was now gone. If they let something like that happen again to the garden, there really would be nothing left.
Fluttershy looked to X firmly. “I won’t let that happen again,” she said. “I won’t.” X just looked at her fearfully, not providing a response. “The first time we saw those flowers, we had no idea how valuable they were. Now that we know, we’ll make extra sure that something like that won’t happen again.”
“X…” Fluttershy paused to bend back down to X’s level again. “When I find that garden, I won’t just eat them and share them with everypony else who gets infected. I’ll find a way to make them grow. If we can do that, we won’t have to worry about preserving them. And we won’t have to worry about tatzlponies anymore.”
Silence came after that, minus the silent whimpering that was coming from X. The way Fluttershy spoke, it was so soft and comforting, absolutely nothing like the way she was a few minutes ago when she was angry. It was quite… motherly in fact, which panged X. And the scariest part was, Fluttershy seemed to notice and understand that pang.
“H-H-How…?” X asked. “H-How will you do it?”
Fluttershy responded with a shake of her head. “I don’t know yet. But I will find a way. All I ask is that you trust me.” There was that word again. “Trust us.” Every time that word was spoken, X seemed to agonize over it in a depressing way. Something about that word left X very cold. But it didn’t seem to go any farther than that.
“Now tell us,” Fluttershy started as she stood back up. “Which way is the garden?”
X’s tears finally stopped dripping out. They soaked her cheeks just about as much as the saliva covering her body. The butterflies, still shaking from the rage Fluttershy showcased earlier, finally started coming out of their hiding spot with hope. Sly, who was also very relieved from the drop in tension, looked to X with hope too.
And Rainbow Dash walked closer to Fluttershy, putting her faith in her. After X mentioned about what happened with the flower patch, she wasn’t so sure about going to the garden anymore. But if Fluttershy still wanted to go, then she would too. All they had to do was make sure what happened to the flower patch didn’t happen to the garden as well. How hard could that be?
X was looking between both of them, still with pleading eyes. But the pleading in her eyes was faltering. They slowly turned into something that looked… trustful, like she was beginning to understand them. At the same time, it looked like she was trying to find a way to deny that trust, but failed.
In the end, X looked and released a sad moan. “Northwest… from when I entered,” she answered. She took a short look around the clearing, then pointed with her head to the east of where Fluttershy was to X. “I-It should be in… that di-Irection. I-It's a few miles away.”
Fluttershy took a deep breath and exhaled a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” she said to X. “Just… one last question though.” When she said that, X turned back to her. “What is the name of this flower?” She motioned the vase towards X as she said that. “Do you know the name of it?”
X took a moment to stare at the flowers, staying silent. After a few seconds, she looked away and frowned. Rainbow snorted. That pony just didn’t learn when to stop hiding things. But before she could make any other acts, Fluttershy held out a wing in front of her. Looking to Fluttershy, she was looking to X with hope written on her face. When she took a more thorough look at X, she could understand why.
X was scrunching her face and narrowing her eyes. It didn’t look like she was trying to hide it. Actually, it looked more like she was trying to remember it. Her eyes squeezed and she began to moan. She was in deep thought.
“Alpine,” X finally said. “T-They named it… Alpine.” After the answer, Fluttershy took in a deep breath, then released it with a bright smile.
“Thank you,” Fluttershy said. She looked down to X’s damaged hoof. “Now… here’s what's gonna happen.” X looked up to Fluttershy, noticing that she seemed to be waving to the butterflies, gesturing them to come over. They obliged, but very hesitantly. She then turned to Sly, slowing moving a hoof down to him.
“We’re gonna go to that garden to check it out. Meanwhile, you are going to stay here to recover.” X whimpered at that answer, and then noticed that Fluttershy was gently moving Sly’s head to look towards X. “Like I said, once I’m there, I’m going to find out how to make these Alpine Flowers grow. You’re too much in pain to be moving around, so…”
X whimpered even harsher when Fluttershy made her and Sly meet each other’s gaze. Sly had already begun the process of swirling his eyes to place X in a trance. She tried to look away, but Fluttershy’s hoof made her unable to do so. In the end, she stopped struggling as she gazed into Sly's eyes. Eventually, her eyes blinked, mimicking the swirling glow that Sly was emitting. Her quivering lips slowed to a stop along with her shivers. And then, her lips formed a smile again, completely fallen in that trance.
“While we are gone, these three are going to look after you and take care of you. Once we have made our trip, we’ll come back for you.” X moaned pleasantly and slowly closed her eyes in her hypnotized state. She slowly fell into a deep and peaceful sleep state, where she would have nothing but pleasant dreams as long as Sly kept the influence.
___
Fluttershy finished applying a bandage to X’s right forehoof while Rainbow was lapping up all that saliva covering her body. It was the least that she deserved after her cooperation. For safety, Fluttershy pulled out one of the Alpine Flowers from the vase, placing the stem in X’s mouth with the petals sticking out. She would be able to eat it at any time, should she need to.
The butterflies helped put Fluttershy’s medical tools away and back in her bag. When they were placed, Rainbow picked the bag up and strapped it back to Fluttershy. When they were done, both butterflies flew to X’s mane, burying themselves inside so they could rest, while at the same time, watching over X. If needed, they could untie Sly and release X at any time.
Fluttershy was about to look away when X started mumbling something. “S-Sis...ter…” she said softly with the flower still in her mouth. Her eyes slightly opened, revealing those still swirling rings going on inside. “I can’t… I-I’m scared… S-Sister…” When X closed her eyes, her breath sighed and she went back into her hypnotized sleep.
Fluttershy looked down at the bandage on X’s right hoof. She must’ve been influencing X’s dream when she was wrapping that. And from the sounds of it, she was dreaming about her sister. Was that where her fear was coming from? Did something happen to her sister?
Fluttershy sighed and looked to Rainbow Dash, deciding to figure that out later. Rainbow was looking to X and Fluttershy curiously. She was astonished by the decisions that Fluttershy was making here. After seeing the Alpine Flowers, she was convinced that X was lying the whole time, that nothing she would do or say would redeem what she did. And yet, here Fluttershy was, still placing trust in the words X said. It made her smile at just how forgiving Fluttershy was, but also a little worried. Just a little.
Fluttershy however wasn’t so sure about the decision she was making herself. After all, what if X really was lying? What if the garden that she was talking about was also a lie? Would they just be running into another trap?
Whether it was or not, they essentially didn’t have much of a choice. Fluttershy took a glance at the vase she was holding. They now held two Alpines, two safety nets, and that was it. She needed to hope that this garden did exist, and then she would figure out how they grow. Of course, that was easier said than done. From looking at these two, they didn’t have anything like seeds on them. At least, these ones didn't. So figuring out how they grew probably wasn't gonna be so simple.
“Okay, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said. “Let’s start going.” She looked to the direction that X gave. “She mentioned that the garden was a few miles away from here, and in that direction. If that’s true, it’s gonna be a long walk.” Rainbow nodded.
Fluttershy placed the vase in the bag and zipped it up. After taking it from Rainbow Dash, Rainbow gave her a smile. But Fluttershy just couldn’t smile back. All she did was start walking ahead, leaving Rainbow with a confused frown. She soon followed closely behind Fluttershy.
Fluttershy’s heart was still aching from the things she learned today. Learning about how she was really cured from Sly’s venom really took a blow to her fantasies. From the moment she discovered Rainbow Dash as a tatzlpony, she really liked the time that she had. And up till now, it really showed how much she would continue to enjoy it.
Rainbow Dash… she was intelligent like a pony, but obedient like a loyal pet. In fact, right now, she was so obedient that she would follow just about all of Fluttershy’s commands, and protect her whenever something dangerous came up. If she ever went wild, all Fluttershy had to do was tell her to calm down, and she would listen. That feeling... she wanted to keep feeling it... felt that it could go deeper than just being a loyal pet.
But all of this was wrong. Her fantasies were wrong. Rainbow Dash wasn’t a pet. She was a pony, a pony who was captured, turned into a toxic creature, and had her memories taken away from her. All of these fantasies of Rainbow being an obedient pet needed to stop. Their bond with each other wasn’t gonna solve anything. In fact, from what they were told, their bond would only cause more trouble. They needed to find a way to put a stop to the toxin she was spreading, and find a way to change her back.
Fluttershy approached the clearing’s bushes, finding a spot that was open enough for them to squeeze through. As she carefully navigated her way through the bushes, Rainbow followed after.
As they brushed through, Fluttershy continued to think. Did Rainbow Dash want to change back? After all, she was still wearing that black collar around her neck, never making an attempt to remove it. Would it be okay to leave her as a tatzlpony if she didn’t want to change back? Was it okay if she herself wanted to continue staying as Fluttershy’s pet?
Fluttershy had to pause her train of thought as they got through the bushes. Looking around, she faced the direction that X said the garden was. From here, all she could see was an endless amount of trees up ahead, growing thicker, and thicker. It was stunning for Fluttershy. In all the times they had traveled in the Everfree Forest, they never went THIS deep. And they were only going deeper. Zecora’s hut was already miles away from here, and this garden was gonna locate them even further.
Fluttershy gulped and her ears dropped, shivering with anxiety. When Rainbow noticed this, she moved her head and licked across Fluttershy’s cheek to calm her nerves. Her ears perked as she looked to Rainbow. It did seem to calm her nerves, but why was she frowning?
This was what Fluttershy was talking about. The more Rainbow behaved like that, the more it edged Fluttershy into wanting Rainbow to stay this way, for their bond to continue going deeper in this direction. But she couldn’t think like that anymore. She had to focus on what was important, and that was staying on reality and figuring out what could fix Rainbow’s state.
“Come on,” Fluttershy said. “We better get moving.” Seeing Fluttershy frown like that made Rainbow frown. What was wrong her?
As they moved, Fluttershy only thought more deeply. And then there was Twilight. There was still that nagging thought that when she went to get Rainbow changed back, Twilight was acting a little strange. But... she didn't start acting strange until she had a good look at Rainbow. Why? Could she turn Rainbow back into a pony? If her first attempt was any indication, that answer was no. Unless... there was a reason why she didn't want to.
And then, there was that book… Two big questions lingered in Fluttershy’s mind as they traveled.
Did Twilight have any involvement in this whole thing? If so, what involvement did she have, and if not, why was she acting so strange?
___
Somewhere outside of Ponyville, miles, miles away from Ponyville, somepony was sitting down by a lake, staring at it with misery in her eyes. She had been looking at her reflection for the past hour, trying to relieve the pain she felt inside. But it could never relieve itself. It was only growing deeper.
She whimpered heavily as she stared at her reflection. On the left side of her neck, there was a bandage, a large bandage, large enough that it could take up half her face.
But what pained her more was the images she saw from the water’s reflection. It played out exactly what happened that day. She was in a dark room, completely devoid of lights. Somepony was in front of her. Hesitantly, she approached them, tears shedding from her eyes.
“N-No…” she said as she approached the pony, their body on the floor, eyes limp shut. She tried sparking her horn, but it flickered out, too scared to witness the body. But she already knew who it was. It was too late. Trying again, she sparked her horn again. It flickered again, but ended with it successfully lighting up. Shining her horn at the body on the floor, she whimpered even harder.
“N-N-No…” Her tears poured out harder, letting a tear drop down on the reflection of the fallen pony’s face.
That pony… was none other than the Princess of Friendship herself.
“I-It’s all my fault…” she said as she let more tears drop in the lake, dissipating that image completely. She shut her eyes tightly, and she cried, and cried openly into the lake, with no pony around to hear her.
She was in pain.
So. Much. Pain.
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Needless to say, Fluttershy is PISSED!
I need to know, is it really rainbow or an animal that made herself to look like her, I actually hope it is the latter, just because I would prefer it to be like that.
8789391
Sorry, I'm not understanding what you're asking here...
8789391
Sorry to bust that bubble, but as stated from the beginning this is actually Rainbow Dash... Rainbow herself reflects on that in this chapter
oh crap oh crap this could be bad!
8789641
I had a feeling it was meant like that, but to be honest it didn'T looked like it "had" to be Rainbow to me. Maybe it just looked different to me since english is not my main language, but okay thank you for answering, but there is no bubble to burst, I thought that may be the chase.
Well...I guess then I will maybe not read it, it probably is good, but I found it more interessting if it wouldn't have been the real Rainbow, I just don't want to read that shipping at the moment.
So...the real Twilight's dead?
8789641
8789760
Ahh. Now I understand that question. Yes, it's the real Rainbow Dash.
My gosh. I can't believe how many times that question has been brought up. I thought I made it very obvious that the Tatzlpony was the real Rainbow Dash from just the first chapter. And yet, people thought whether it was the real Rainbow Dash or not was part of the Mystery.
8789927
That is because they jump straight to the newest chapter without fully reading... I suggest adding that this is actually Rainbow to your short and long descriptions
I am a bit confused that the story doesn't have a Dark or Sad tag.
Especially after reading this chapter.
8880835
What exactly makes this Dark? For Sad, well, the recent chapters have been focusing on that, but it's not the entire focus of the story as a whole.