— Chapter Twenty-Three —
--- Of Remedies and Recollections---
"Remember when I said I got a little too curious last night?... I might've gone to Warden's Keep... and I might've found something... unsettling..."
The fear was plainly shown as the color drained from Fluttershy's face. There looked to be conflicting thoughts floating about her headspace at the moment, one half of her wanting to know more and another half wanting to forget what she had heard. Thankfully for her, she would never have to make that choice. As at that moment, Zecora had decided to return from the adjacent room. Rather loudly, at that.
"But worry not, for I have found a remedy!" Zecora blared with an almost gleeful tone, clearly enraptured by the fact that she had an audience. "Be it temporary or not, a solution I have found through my chemistry!"
And as she strode back into the room with a proud smile, it became evident that she wasn't alone. Being towed behind her was a large red wagon, not unlike one a foal would tug around. Filled to the brim with what looked to be small-sized logs. The kind that one would keep around for use as firewood. Though with the way the zebra was showing them off, it implied that there was more to this than just simple firewood.
Absolute silence followed the zebra's display, the two ponies and lone dragon simply staring onward with blank expressions. To say that there were questions that needed to be asked was an understatement, yet nobody seemed to be willing to ask them.
"... Okay, I'll bite," Spike meekly broke the silence, "What's that for?"
"I'm glad you asked, my reptile friend!" Zecora beamed as she turned towards her wagon, lightly sifting through the pile of timber for a moment or two. Soon after she retrieved a specific, far more refined piece and placed it gently upon the ground. "With the use of these, we'll be able to leave those beasts condemned."
Twilight, stricken with curiosity towards the presented piece of wood, approached with a raised brow as she began to investigate. A moment's glance was all it took to deduce that it was in actuality a wooden stake that looked to have been lovingly carved and engraved with swirling striped patterns that were common in Nchi's culture. Something like this must've taken quite a great deal of time to make, though how this was going to help with the timberwolves was still a mystery.
Or at least, it was a mystery. Or it was until Zecora unceremoniously swiped at the stake with a hoof, sending it flying through the air before landing in the cauldron with a wet plop. She pumped a hoof into the air with a short "woo," signifying her glee at succeeding with her little stunt.
"The plan is to lock them away within that place," Zecora turned her attention back to the wagon and starting to take pieces out of the pile, "It's not ideal, but it will keep them from putting the forest through further disgrace."
"Oh, I get it," Twilight replied with a sly grin, "Bigger pieces of wood means they can suck up more of that juice. Ergo, the wards will be stronger."
"Exactly! And the brew itself is strengthened by the forest's own wood, no substitute would suffice in case you've misunderstood." Zecora's glee was only matched by her confidence in this plan of hers. The unbridled optimism was a refreshing change of pace. "Now hurry, we must work quickly if we're too deliver the forest its cure!" Moving with speed enough to startle Spike, thanks to their size difference, and stopped swiftly before one of her shelves. Just as quickly she retrieved a series of carving tools and began to pass them around.
"Zecora... didn't that first one take you three months to make?" Fluttershy asked as she gingerly took the small wood-working knife in a hoof. It was obvious at this point that the zebra was planning on having the four of them sit here and carve more of these out, something that could very easily take quite a bit of time if Fluttershy's accusation was accurate.
Thankfully, Twilight was already privy to a way of shortening the process exponentially.
"Which is why we must hurry!" Zecora was very excited about all of this, presenting Twilight with a carving knife before moving over to Spike. Though she stopped just before giving the tool over, looking to Twilight with a perplexed expression. "Uhh...?"
"Please don't, he doesn't need to be playing with knives," Twilight requested as she magically claimed the third carving tool, placing it back up on the shelf where it had originated. "And... not to be rude, but I believe I have a simpler answer. Can I see the one you already made?"
Zecora's excitement was diluted with the same confusion her three guests had previously shown, yet she still gave a slow nod in response. Thus began the task of fishing the long-since sunken stake out of the sludge. She used her long stirring stick to poke around the bottom of the cauldron until eventually, she was able to force the wooden stake back out. Now bleached white much like the other repellants forged by the zebra, it was gently tossed over towards Twilight and swiftly caught by a whisp of magenta light.
Twilight took her time examining the piece of wood, doing her best to hold her breath as to avoid the stench that now permeated about the object. It was a very basically made wooden stake, with most of the craftsmanship laying in the intricately carved patterns that lined the entirety of the small post. Whether these spiral designs held any arcane properties or not was something Twilight didn't know for sure—maybe they were just an elaborate way of letting the green goop seep into the wood faster—but it was better to be safe than sorry. With what she was planning on doing.
"Okay... I think I can do this." She squinted her eyes as she began to concentrate, weaving together the various magical energies needed for this particular spell. More arcane light manifested around one of the logs Zecora had just brought into the room and it too was brought to float before the cloaked pony. "But you three might want to stand back... I haven't done this since I was twelve." The immediate space near her was vacated, and the three looked on with obvious concern.
"H-haven't done what?" Fluttershy asked with her head close to the floor and her ears as far down as they could go. She looked as if she was ready for a bomb to go off if her posture was anything to go by.
"Nothing special, just something from an old wood-working class I took..." Twilight closed her eyes and initiated the spell, the log in her grasp spinning around at a high velocity.
The sounds of a buzzsaw cleaving through wood echoed about the room as sawdust poured from the log like water out of a bucket. This lasted for about thirty seconds before the process was complete, the log now replaced with a second wooden stake, identical in all ways to the one Zecora had offered previously. Well, in all ways except for coloration, that is. But that would likely be fixed by a quick soak in Zecora's arcane stew.
"... I needed the elective credits," Twilight explained with a shrug and a chuckle, presenting her copy to Zecora for inspection. "Never thought I'd find a use for that spell, though. It's not every day you need to make a copy of a wooden sculpture that you already have."
"Incredible..." Out of the three witnesses, Zecora was by far the most awestruck by Twilight's magical feat. She overturned the stake in her hooves over and over again, desperately searching for some kind of flaw or imperfection. But the look of wide-eyed shock was enough to say that she wasn't able to find a single fault before looking back to Twilight. "How many of these can you make?"
"How many do you need?"
"... I'mma go find more dead trees..." Zecora muttered as she almost limped towards the front door, the shock from Twilight's accomplishment having been that impactful on her. She stopped for just a moment to claim the axe that had been leaning by the doorframe with her teeth. "We're gonna need a lot more wood..."
Nothing further was said before Zecora vanished behind the veil of beads without delay, fully committed to her mission of finding whatever fallen trees she could to fill out her unknown quota. And if Zecora needed more logs for this endeavor, then it was easy enough to assume that she was going to need a lot of these stakes. If that was the case, then it was better to start now instead of waiting. She walked on over, took a seat, and began the task she had unwittingly signed up for.
"Okay, what was that?!" Spike asked, raising a claw to point towards the long-gone zebra.
"Have you never seen a zebra before?" Fluttershy tilted her head in response. "They're kind of like... distant cousins—"
"No! The way she was talking," The dragon placed great emphasis on that last word, "Almost everything she said rhymed!"
"I was wondering about that too," Twilight interjected as she finished the second stake, "Can't say I've met many people who talk like that regularly."
"Oh, that. She does that to entertain herself," Fluttershy sighed, "When you spend a lot of years alone in the woods, you need to find some way to keep your spirits up."
Twilight couldn't exactly argue with that reasoning. Isolation was a powerful thing, and it could greatly affect one's mind if submerged in it for too long. In fact, if she didn't have Spike along with her during this two-year trek across the world, Twilight rationalized that she would have lost her mind long ago. But that was a grim thought that was better left unthought, as there were far more relevant topics to dwell on. Especially now, as Twilight was going to have quite a bit of time to kill with this carving business. And it seemed Fluttershy had a similar opinion on this matter as she hesitantly approached the cloaked pony, a pensive look upon her face.
"So... you said our problems might be... connected?" She almost shuddered with the question, almost unwilling to even ask it even.
"It's just a theory," Twilight grimaced as she added another stake to the pile, "I need more information before I can know for sure. Care to help out with that?"
"R-right... sorry, but it's been a really long time. It might not be very accurate information..."
"Anything you can tell me will help," Twilight pleaded with the utmost sincerity, "I don't want to fly in blind."
"I... really don't know where to start."
"The beginning?" Spike's question came with a smirk and a shrug, earning him the attention of the two ponies. There was a brief time where Twilight wanted to reprimand Spike for the sarcastic answer, but she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't thinking the exact same thing. Even if she wasn't going to say it quite that bluntly.
Fluttershy meekly sighed, her eyes falling upon the simple dirt floor of the cabin. One could see the subtle shakes and twitches that plagued the pegasus as she scoured her mind for details on the subject. She took long and deep breaths in an attempt to calm her nerves, but as time went on they became shorter and faster gasps. This came to a head in one final deep breath that was released in an overdramatic puff.
"Before I get going," the pegasus continued, "Have you met a pony in town named Rarity? Unicorn, about ye tall, a little too obsessed with Canterlot?"
"I've met her a few times. She seems nice." And obsessed is an understatement, Twilight thought it best to keep that comment to herself for the time being.
"She's, uh, an old friend of mine. We were about eight years old when... when..." Fluttershy stopped as the trembling that wracked her frame worsened. Her eyes shut tightly as she continued to shudder, small tears beginning to squeeze their way through the closed eyelids. This wasn't something that was easy for her, that much was obvious enough. For a moment, Twilight had considered telling the pegasus that she didn't have to continue, but Fluttershy managed to finish her statement with a squeak before the alicorn could make the offer.
"When I saw what he did to her..."
The log Twilight was about to rend fell to the ground with a thud, the cloaked pony's focus spoiled by that remark. There were many ways to interpret what Fluttershy had just said and how she had said it, that much was certain for sure. And if not for the things that she had been shown earlier this week, she might have jumped to an unpleasant conclusion about what Knox "did" to Rarity. Or a pleasant one, depending on what exactly had been done.
Regardless, Twilight surrendered her full attention over to Fluttershy and did her best to implore her into continuing without coming across as insensitive. Fluttershy, understandably so, took a brief moment to calm herself down before going on. And after another series of deep, calming breaths, the yellow pegasus began to recount the events of that fateful day as best she could.
--- Sixteen Years Earlier ---
Today was a day much like any other in the quiet town of Ponyville. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and a light breeze danced throughout the country village. The slight nip to the air dictated that summer was soon to end and that fall would follow suit shortly. The natural progression of the seasons was something that couldn't be stopped or denied, and it served as a dastardly reminder for the fillies and colts of Equestria and the world over.
The school year would be starting soon.
Something that no child ever wanted to hear, even if it was for their benefit. The proverbial loss of freedom that came with the end of the vacation was heartbreaking for the young hearts that longed to be free. Particularly those with a distinct disdain for the humdrum routines of social interaction and the noise and clamor of a classroom, those who would much rather spend their time connecting to nature and all its quiet wonders. Fluttershy was one such pony, and one of many who lamented the oncoming return of her educational pursuits, even if it was required for her dreams of caring for the cute and cuddly creature of the world for a living.
Which led the young pegasus to the Golden Oak's library on this fine summer morning. With the school year just around the corner, she would need to be ready for the trials and tribulations to come. And with a summer vacation that had been spent mostly in the great outdoors, a refresher course was a mandatory sacrifice to get her mind up and running. Mostly mathematics, history, and the various sciences were her topics of interest this day, biology and botany not included as she had those subjects down to a tee.
As she sat at one of the tables upon the facility's second floor, she paid little to no mind to the very few ponies who would come and go on their own business, and they, in turn, didn't give her much attention either. She was all but invisible to the world right now, doubly so as it was a rather slow day for the library, buried behind her reasonably sized pile of books and study materials. Even the lone librarian, a kindly old sarosian by the name of Knox Onwud, seemed entirely oblivious to the fact that she was even there. He had only spoken to her for a scant few moments when she had arrived and proceeded to let her go about her business.
Not that she minded, of course, Fluttershy had always been one to avoid any unnecessary social interaction if she could help it. She couldn't point out why, but talking with other ponies just made her feel uncomfortable. Doubly so if it was someone she didn't know in the first place, but that was something that everyone suffered through. Or so she had been told by her parents in their attempts to get her to open up more. But Fluttershy didn't really feel the need to do that, she had plenty of decent-to-good friends amongst a few select ponies, and the rest of the gaps were filled in by the many animals she had come to care for over her life thus far. Even the ones her parents knew nothing about. Especially the ones her parents knew nothing about.
"Oh, why hello there, Fluttershy! It's been a while!"
And speaking of friends, Fluttershy nearly leaped from her skin at the sudden greeting from one of them. After letting out the world's quietest exclamation of terror and surprise, and after finding her way out of the book she buried herself under in an act of self-preservation, she finally recognized one of the few ponies she had added to her social circle. Rarity stood off to the side with a worried and guilty look upon her face.
"Oops, sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare you..."
"I-it's okay." Fluttershy sighed in relief upon figuring out the interloper's identity, offering a wearily kind smile in return. "It's good to see you... how have you been?"
"Oh, just trying to enjoy the scant few remnants of our summer. But seeing as how Applejack and Rainbow won't stop whining about it, I decided to take some needed time away from them. You understand, yes?"
Fluttershy shook her head at that. Everyone in town knew just how rowdy those two got when they weren't in a good mood. Or when they were in a good mood. Or when they felt like causing trouble. Or were in the same general location as one another. The point was that those two had something of a reputation as trouble makers and Fluttershy was glad that she had chosen to spend today in the one place that the two would never go unless they absolutely had too.
"So what have you been up to?" Rarity's followup question was enough to bring Fluttershy back from the hypothetical thoughts of how today could have gone. "It isn't like you to coop up inside all day. Especially here. Is something wrong?"
"Oh, not at all. I was just trying to get ready for school." She gestured to the collection of books and papers she had amassed over her stay here with a slight blush. "I kind of needed the refresher course..."
"My, that's very responsible of you! But... you wouldn't happen to have picked up any books about gemstones though, did you? I've been looking for one all afternoon, but I can't find the one I'm looking for."
"I... don't think so..." The inquiry prompted the two fillies to quickly search through Fluttershy's amassed collection. And while the pegasus had gathered a few books that covered the topic of geology, Rarity made it clear that she had something far more specialized in mind. Soon enough their search was complete, with Rarity's desired book still unfound. "Nope, it isn't here. I'm sorry, Rarity."
"Oh, it's fine." It didn't exactly sound fine based on the sigh that followed that statement, and the way that the unicorn's ears fell over didn't help to sell the facade either. "Looks like someone already checked it out. I'll just have to wait until they return it... whenever that'll happen."
The feeling of guilt and regret that Fluttershy felt as she watched her dejected friend slowly walk away. While it wasn't her fault that Rarity couldn't find the book, she still felt like she could have done more to help her out. It was that feeling that fueled the idea that suddenly popped into her head. She galloped for all she was worth to intercept the departing unicorn with a bright smile on her face.
"Wait! Have you tried the third floor yet?"
"There's a third floor?" Rarity stopped, her upset demeanor being replaced by a curious expression.
"Well... yeah." Fluttershy gestured with a wing towards the staircase at one end of the room. And much to Rarity's surprise, it did indeed lead up to what could only be the library's third floor. "I've seen Mr. Onwud go up there with some books a few times today already."
"Oh! Perhaps he moved up there!" The unbridled joy and hope in Rarity's voice combined with the wide smile she donned were very reminiscent of a certain pink pony that everyone in town was familiar with. "Thank you very much, Fluttershy!"
"Do you want help finding it?" She offered a sincere smile alongside the kindly offer, taking the time to push her mane aside so her whole face could be seen. "I needed a break anyway."
There wasn't even an attempt on Rarity's part to refuse the help, instead, she cheerily took up Fluttershy on that offer and the two made their way towards the neglected staircase. The steps creaked and groaned quietly as they ascended, the light from the second story windows fading from view as they stepped on up into a much darker part of the library. The darkness wasn't an unusual thing, the staircase leading from the first floor to the second did much the same, it was just how the building was made.
Though once they reached the peak of the steps, coming face to face with nothing but a door left slightly ajar at the top. Something that Fluttershy took notice of immediately, as that was a detail that didn't match the lower set of stairs. Furthermore, putting a door directly at the top of a flight of stairs just didn't seem right. At least, it didn't seem right to her, but she was an eight-year-old who'd never left Ponyville before, so maybe she just hadn't seen anything like this before. But as Rarity pushed open the old door with a creak, Fluttershy was suddenly hit with the overwhelming feeling that the two of them shouldn't be up here.
What windows there were in the space were blocked by heavy-looking tarps mounted in place of curtains. The only light in the room came from the flickering candles and lamps scattered here and there, casting whipping shadows that gave this floor an ominous aura. The shelves that lined the walls were mostly empty, only a few books sat on each one, odd enough for a library. There were other doors up here, ones that likely led into closets or other equally dreary rooms, and strewn about the chamber were various tables each home to a multitude of books—some open, some closed. Some of the tables had been adorned with large white sheets that looked like they were being used as tablecloths. As to why some tables had them and others didn't, Fluttershy didn't know. And in the center of it all was a much larger desk, much like one that you'd find in a school principle's office, cluttered to the absolute limit with books just like the others around it. This was the only place in the room where a chair could be found, a ragged old thing that looked like it would fall apart if you sneezed on it.
And Fluttershy looked like she would fall to pieces at a similar gesture. Her shivers and shakes went unnoticed by her unicorn friend as they both stared into the darkened space. Now, Fluttershy had never been the boldest of the young mares in town. At best you could call her a cautious and timid filly, at worst you could call her a downright coward. It didn't take much to frighten her—or even startle her, for that matter. Fright and unease were feelings that she had been long familiar with over the course of her young life, and sometimes they would beseech her at the most inopportune and unexpected times. Like now, for instance.
"Looks like he's in the middle of reorganizing," Rarity said in a shockingly optimistic tone, entirely oblivious to the fright that Fluttershy was experiencing as she passed the threshold. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we look around a bit. It'd be one less book for him to sort."
Fluttershy watched wordlessly as Rarity just walked on into the dilapidated room, unsure if she should follow behind or not. She felt like, at this point, she should go back down to the first floor and get Mr. Onwud to help them out. Or reprimand them for even coming up here at all, as that felt like a natural conclusion to this foolhardy idea. Yet against every rational thought and better judgment she came up with, she silently shuffled inward passed the threshold.
Best case scenario? Fluttershy was just being overly cautious and fearful, as she was known for doing in the past. Maybe there was nothing wrong at all. After all, why would the door be unlocked if ponies weren't meant to come up here? It was a public library, there couldn't be anything that dangerous here.
Worst case scenario? She couldn't just let Rarity go in there alone. And the sooner they found that stupid book, the sooner they could leave.
Fluttershy moved from table to table with silent haste scanning every book in sight with near feverish intensity, hoping to find Rarity'd desired gemstone text so they could evacuate without delay. But much to her dismay, not a single one of those books seemed to be what they were looking for. In fact, not a single one looked to be the object of their desires. Fluttershy couldn't even decipher most of them, with pages filled to the brim with long and complex words she didn't want even attempt pronouncing accompanied by what the pegasus could only call random shapes and squiggles. Maybe they had some meaning to someone, but they meant absolutely nothing to her. Especially in her frantic state of mind.
Rarity, in the meanwhile, took a much more calm and careful approach to her search, the blue light from her horn acting as a useful beacon for Fluttershy to keep track of her out of the corner of her eye. But with every book that came up as a dud, the more and more frustrated the young unicorn got. Furrowing her brow and puffing out her cheeks as if that would make the book she wanted magically make it appear before her. It was this frustration that led her search towards one of the other doors in the room—hoping that maybe her book waited within.
But Fluttershy didn't pay that much mind, she was far too busy trying to find that book as quickly as possible. This place was making her nervous more then it had any right too, and the longer she remained her the longer she felt like she shouldn't. Like there was some dark shadow hanging over her, following her about the room. Watching her every move with overwhelming intensity.
"My, what a beautiful little charm!" Rarity's voice beamed from the other room. It was obvious from her inflection she had found something that caught her eye more than the book she had come up here to find. "Where in the world did he get this?"
Fluttershy found herself intrigued by whatever it was Rarity had found, momentarily forgetting her worries and making her way towards where she heard her friend's voice echo from. She didn't get far, though, before she was quickly deterred by the events that happened next.
A loud and shrill shriek echoed outward from the other room Rarity had vanished into, alongside another sound that Fluttershy couldn't identify. It was calamitous like thunder, yet hushed like a kind whisper, an entirely unnatural noise that rang out in time with Rarity's ear-bleeding screech. Fluttershy couldn't even begin to describe what it was, all she knew for sure that she didn't want to find out.
In her already skittish state, these sudden and overwhelming unpleasant sounds were enough to send Fluttershy into full-blown panic. Her small body moved on its own as she dove underneath the nearest table, finding very brief joy in the fact that it was one that had been adorned with a white tarp. Maybe if she had more time to think, she would have gone to see if her friend was okay. But rational thought wasn't something that came easy when you were as frightened as Fluttershy was at this very moment.
"I need to get a damned lock for this damned door," a new voice viciously grumbled alongside a series of slow, methodical hoofsteps. It was Mr. Onwud's voice, Fluttershy could tell that much, but something seemed off to her.
She'd known the local librarian for about as long as she could remember, and Fluttershy had never known the kindly old bat pony to show any kind of anger. Mild frustration after stumbling into something? Definitely. But the utter wrath that his voice was slathered in right now? Especially after the door loudly slammed shut behind him, prompting the tiniest of squeaks from Fluttershy in responce.
"Come out now, whoever you are," He growled out again, "if you make me wait this will get messy.
Before Fluttershy could even ask herself what in the world he meant by "messy," further hoofsteps broke the silence. The frightened and confused pegasus found her curiosity getting the better of her, a trembling hoof slowly lifting up the tarp that concealed her beneath the table, only enough for her to see what was happening—and hopefully not enough to be noticed.
She saw Rarity walking towards the librarian with slow, shaky steps. Unnatural was the word that came to Fluttershy's mind, like a puppet on strings. And while the dim candlelight wasn't strong enough to give Fluttershy a clear view of what was happening. But she could still clearly make out Rarity's expression—wide and dull eyes accompanied by a slightly agape mouth. Utterly vacant of any and all emotion, just a blank slate of who she used to be. And unless the pegasus was mistaken, she could swear there was a twinkle of red light hidden in Rarity's glossed over eyes.
This was also when Fluttershy noticed her friend's horn, engulfed by an aura of blue. And something else shared this trait, a small object that Rarity was holding. Fluttershy couldn't tell what it was from this distance—some kind of necklace, maybe?
"Well? I'm waiting." Knox's demand was greeted by the object slowly floating over to his neck, a chain locking it in place with a definitive clack. And once it was firmly in place, a disturbing flicker of red danced about Onwud's frame for but a moment. "You'd think a unicorn would know better than to mess with magical items. Oh well, I've been behind schedule as of late—" he leaned in uncomfortably close to Rarity and cupped the unicorn's chin with a hoof with no signs of resistance on her part, the white of his teeth glistening in the candlelight as he gave a wide grin— "Your little intrusion is actually quite convenient for me. Thank you, Rarity."
Mr. Onwud swiftly broke the eye contact as his head snapped to the side—gaze firmly locked in Fluttershy's dirrection. She nearly squealed in fright at this, but she managed to stop herself when she noticed she was looking passed her hiding place. She was still unnoticed for the time being, thankfully enough.
Knox's eyes began to glow with a sinister scarlet hue, as did a large gemstone nestled into the accessory that Rarity had delivered to him. And much like how unicorn magic was accompanied by an audible hum, so too was this bizarre and unsettling display. Though this noise didn't sound quite the same as what Fluttershy had heard before, it was cold and metallic. Artificial and haunting. And not unlike the clamor that previously accompanied Rarity's earlier scream.
The frightened filly soon caught sight of something enveloped in this same red light floating towards Knox, from the dirrection he was staring at. Whatever it was looked to be cracked and broken in some spots, from what Fluttershy could tell. She couldn't quite tell what it was outside of that, maybe some kind of rock or black crystal? Honestly, she didn't really care what it was. She didn't even want to know what he was going to do with it. The young mare could only watch as the item was placed in the sarosian's waiting hoof.
"Now then, Miss Rarity, I have a very important question for you." Onwud presented the stone to Rarity, cradling it gently like a stallion would present a flower to a mare. "Can you hear the Choir sing?"
"Y-y-e-y-e-yes-es-es-ss..." Rarity moved in slow jerking motions. Somewhere deep inside that blank slate of a mare, some semblance of herself looked to be fighting back against whatever had been done to her. But she wasn't strong enough, and she confirmed the question with a slow nod. A forehoof was lifted and ever so gently placed atop the black stone, once more bringing a shimmering toothy grin to Knox's face.
That was all Fluttershy could stand to watch and she quickly withdrew her hoof and allowed the tarp to fall back to the floor, only catching the briefest glimpse of the dark whisps that began to emanate from the black stone as an otherworldly chill filled the entirety of the library. The frigid aura of something very very old, and very very malicious. Something horrible. Something unknowable.
Though Fluttershy didn't want to know what they meant. She couldn't even bear to watch whatever terrible thing was happening to Rarity at the moment, the pegasus was far too focused on keeping her location a well-kept secret. Tears had long since begun silently streaming down the sides of her face, unable to understand what was going on.
Why was Mr. Onwud doing this?
How was he doing this?
Was he going to find her?
All these questions repeated endlessly in the filly's head as she waited and waited in the darkness underneath the tarped table. Sobbing in absolute silence for fear of being found by the older pony. She didn't know what he had done to Rarity, but she didn't want it to happen to her. So she stayed there in the dark and in the dust, hoping that she would never be found. It felt like an eternity before something broke the silence of her prison, Rarity's voice to be specific.
"Salutați corul."
Fluttershy didn't understand the unusual sounding words, but she had hardly noticed them at all in her panicked state. She spent the rest of the day under that table, laying there in absolute silence as the world went on without her. Occasionally she heard hoofsteps—Knox's, without a doubt—and the rustling of paper. If he knew she was down there, he made no attempt to confront her about it. And so she waited, the hours stretching on like centuries as she endured her self-made entrapment. She had lost track of how much time had passed before she mustered up enough false courage to venture out from her den.
She strode with the utmost caution, evacuating the third floor as quickly as she could without drawing any unwanted attention. The second floor was easier to traverse, especially seeing as how it was entirely abandoned. But on the first floor? Even more mortifying than the third, as that's where Mr. Onwud was busy doing his usual duties as Ponyville's lone librarian. Gazing upon him now she could only see the kind elder that she had known before being inadvertently introduced to his more sinister side earlier today. And thankfully, he paid her about as much mind as he had before the day's more intense events. Fluttershy didn't want to question this blessing and took the opportunity to leave without further delay.
--- — ---
"That was the last time I ever set hoof in that place..."
Everything just seemed to slow down to a halt as Fluttershy finished her story, and nobody said anything as the silence overtook the room. Twilight took the moment to take a break in her woodworking task, finding it difficult to concentrate on her magic after all she had just heard. It wasn't the most specific story, or the longest, but it did more than enough to convey just how serious this situation was. Or at least how serious it was to Fluttershy if nothing else. Even now, the pegasus sat there shaking like a leaf and doing everything in her power to maintain some level of composure. She was walking the fine line between a full-blown panic attack and a complete mental shutdown. This hadn't been an easy thing for her, to say the absolute least.
And Twilight felt awful about it. Sitting here watching someone that she considered a true friend go through such turmoil was a difficult thing to do, even more so with the knowledge that she was the one who'd brought up the bad memories in the first place. It'd probably been years before she had given the sarosian a second thought, but then Twilight came around and began bringing him up, and it had all come to a head here. Yes, Twilight had gotten exactly what she had been looking for—the vague but ever valuable knowledge of that amulet and stone would be helpful in the long run—but there was no satisfaction here. There was no victory. There was only shame in making Fluttershy dig up these bad memories.
"Did you not tell anyone?" Spike's question wasn't very loud, but it shattered the silence like cannon fire. The dreary mood in the air was not lost on him, he was clearly uncomfortable just as the two ponies in the room were, but it seemed he still wanted a bit more clarification. "This sounds like something"
"I tried," Fluttershy meekly replied, slowly beginning to reclaim her composure. "I went to my parrents, Rarity's parrents, everyone I could think of... and... and..."
"Knox did to them what he did to Rarity," Twilight interjected in some attempt to alleviate the yellow mare's burden. "He used that... necklace, or whatever it was, to block out their memories. Keep them from asking questions. Right?"
"Y-... yeah..." Fluttershy took the time to breathe and calm her nerves, about as much as she could at the moment, before going on. "After that, they all just... forgot what I told them. When I tried to tell them again... they forgot again... after a while, I just gave up. I figured it would be safer if I pretended I didn't know anything... I didn't—I'm sorry..."
"You have nothing to be sorry about." Twilight stood from her sitting position and walked on over to Fluttershy with an apologetic grimace strewn over her face. "I... I'm sorry you had to relive that because of me..."
The disguised alicorn raised a hoof and gave an awkward smile, trying to convey the message that she was willing to help Fluttershy hug it out if need be. The message clearly wasn't lost on the pegasus, and Fluttershy was swift in taking up that offer. The room fell silent again as Twilight was essentially tackled by the other pony, who preceded to burry her face in the alicorn's cloak-covered shoulder and just began to cry. It wasn't loud, it wasn't intense, but it was clearly long overdue.
"Twilight, Fluttershy, I have returned with more wood!" Zecora proudly announced as she walked back into her home, "And I—"
She stopped herself short as she took notice of the emotional scene playing out before her, in her own home no less. Neither pony paid the zebra any mind and just continued to hold one another in an attempt to overcome this emotional episode. Zecora watched this in utter silence with a raised brow for quite some time, trying to parse what exactly had transpired in her absence. Eventually, she approached the only other person in the room—that being Spike—and leaned down to whisper.
"Did I miss something?"
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Excellent job on this latest chapter. The exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up were all well done in all the right places. I especially liked Zecora's reaction to Twilight's wood-working spell. And, yeah, really good detail concerning what Knox did to Rarity and why Fluttershy hasn't told anyone in years. Plus, Twilight's attempt to comfort Fluttershy following the bringing up of those bad memories was a beautiful touch.
Definitely looking forward to more of this.
Did you... delete the old chapter and upload this one instead? That deletes all the comments as well, you know.
10072341
I didn't delete it. But I did unpublish it and add an "Old Version" onto the name. So if you go scrolling through the comments on the story's main page, you'll see the comments from "—Chapter Twenty-Three— ((Old Ver.))" are still there. You just won't be able to access the chapter itself. I didn't want to delete the comments. I'm making no effort to hide the mistake I made.
Though I won't lie, the original plan was to just update the OG 23. Put Unpublishing and Republishing the chapter didn't send out a notification, so I opted for this route. I wanted people to know I made a change, so they wouldn't be lost come Next Chapter.
Hmm...ok. I think adding that scene in the end was a good call. Ties everything up nicely.
I just love this alt Zecora she's funny
10269809
I love her too. She was a lot of fun to write for.
Am I misremembering things or was it 3 years?
10352836
It's almost 3 years. They left in august, so a few months from now would be their 3rd anniversary.
First, Great Fic, I Love your worldbuilding, Second I feel like this fic suffers from Lavender Unicorn Syndrome
10370089
It does, I won't deny that. I remember going through and fixing most of those at some point, but I guess old habits die hard.
This story could be so much better.