Azure Edge

by Leaf Blade

221. A Thorn in Her Paw

Fluttershy flew into a cave high in the Canterlot mountains, and she released Pinkie from her grip. Pinkie wanted to know how high up she was but she was worried that Fluttershy might lash out if she thought Pinkie was trying to leave.

Which is exactly why Pinkie walked to the mouth of the cave to check how high up she was; she needed to know just how far Fluttershy was willing and able to go if Pinkie was going to continue putting her trust in Fluttershy.

“Where are you going?” Fluttershy whimpered as she patched up the hole in her chest.

“Just wanna see how high up we are,” Pinkie said without looking back at Fluttershy, who didn’t seem to protest Pinkie’s decision.

Turns out, it was pretty high up! It wasn’t at like the peak or anything, but Pinkie sure couldn’t see the ground from up here.

She sat down on the mountain pass and took a deep breath. What had gotten into Fluttershy? She wasn’t acting like herself. Pinkie knew Flutters had a jealousy problem, or a possessiveness problem, but she never expected anything like this.

It was hard to accept that this was the Fluttershy that Pinkie knew, and with the idea of hypnosis floating around in Pinkie’s head thanks to Rainbow’s tale of the Big Thunder Mine mission, Pinkie refused to accept that it was the Fluttershy she knew until she was absolutely certain.

“Hey,” Pinkie turned back to Fluttershy, “how badly are you hurt?”

“I’m— I’m okay,” Fluttershy said. She was laying on her side and Pinkie could see the huge scar Tempest’s attack left on her chest and she wondered if it was gonna stick or if Fluttershy or Twilight could heal it later. “Thank you, um, for asking.”

“Of course,” Pinkie sighed. “I’m mad at you, but I still love you! Duh!”

“After I was so awful to you?” Fluttershy asked, unable to look Pinkie in the eye. “And, um, the people you care about too…”

“It seems like you’re calming down now,” Pinkie said softly. Dealing with a dragon under hypnosis wasn’t exactly Pinkie’s area of expertise, and she had no idea if Fluttershy was really coming back to her senses now or if this was like a trick. Heck, she wasn’t even sure still how much of Fluttershy’s behavior was hypnosis and how much was really her.

“Cuz you and I are together,” Fluttershy got up and coiled around Pinkie, who let it happen uncontested. “We’re safe now, and no one’s gonna try and hurt us anymore.”

Pinkie sighed.

“You really aren’t thinking about what I want at all, are you?”

“What do you want?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head innocently.

“Well I don’t wanna be kidnapped! For one!” Pinkie threw her arms up in the air and shouted. She wanted to try and stay calm cuz if Fluttershy really was being hypnotized it wasn’t entirely her fault what was happening, but Pinkie was at the end of he rope. “And I really don’t want you to try and murder my friends!”

“Tempest Shadow isn’t your friend,” Fluttershy said coldly, and Pinkie’s eye twitched at the utter gall of that statement. “You barely even know her.”

“It is not your place to decide who I’m friends with,” Pinkie said firmly, locking eyes with an increasingly bitter-looking Fluttershy.

“Do not talk to me that way,” Fluttershy raised herself up, looking down at Pinkie and growling.

“Oh! Oh! Now you’re telling me how I can and can’t talk?!” Pinkie scoffed and blew a raspberry at Fluttershy. “Absolutely not, Fluttershy. Absolutely NOT! You don’t get to say stuff like that to me! I’m your friend, not your damn property!”

Pinkie needed to talk to Twilight later. She needed to have a really thorough understanding of how much hypnosis or whatever messes with a person’s head, cuz if this was really the person that Pinkie was dating? That would be uhhhhh a problem.

But that couldn’t be, right? Fluttershy was sweet, and kind, and humble. She wasn’t this controlling, domineering jerk who literally tried to eat people! If that was the case she probably would’ve eaten Applejack a long time ago.

Pinkie was still really unsure about everything, so she made up her mind; she would talk Fluttershy down under the assumption that the sweet and kind Fluttershy was the ‘real’ one, and that something was seriously wrong with her right now. But she needed to focus on talking her down as soon as possible.

Fluttershy growled at Pinkie. Fluttershy was so angry, so galled and indignant at the way Pinkie had spoken to her, and yet Fluttershy couldn’t raise her voice in argument.

Because she knew Pinkie was right.

What Fluttershy was doing was horrible and wrong.

Or was it? Wasn’t it wrong for Pinkie to start dating other girls without telling Fluttershy first?

No, because they agreed beforehand that it was okay for Pinkie to do exactly that.

Wasn’t it wrong for Pinkie to go on a date with Tempest and only inform Fluttershy last minute?

No. Pinkie genuinely forgot to inform Fluttershy, and she couldn’t be mad at Pinkie for that.

Wasn’t it wrong for Pinkie to talk to Fluttershy in that defiant manner?

No. Because Pinkie Pie didn’t ‘belong’ to Fluttershy.

She slithered away from Pinkie to the back of the cave, clutching her head as she felt like it was going to tear her apart from the inside.

Fluttershy looked back at Pinkie with tears clouding her vision. She couldn’t bring herself to hurt Pinkie, no matter what. But there was no way for her to be with Pinkie without hurting her.

The tears kept flowing, Fluttershy lowering her head to the ground, eyes shut tight and claws digging into her skull as she wept. She felt something on her nose; something small and soft. Fluttershy opened her eyes to see it was Pinkie, gently putting her hand on Fluttershy’s nose.

“Wh—”

“Don’t ask me why I’m doing this, silly,” Pinkie let out a soft little laugh and wiped a tear from her eye. “It’s cuz I love you, duh.”

Pinkie Pie gasped loudly and Fluttershy’s eyes widened in alarm.

“What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked.

“That thorn!” Pinkie said, pointing to a small black thorn poking out of the skin between Fluttershy’s toes on her paw. “That’s like the thing Rarity and Rainbow told us about! That’s the thing that’s making you go all loopy!”

“What are you talking about?” Fluttershy said woozily. “It’s just a thorn. I must’ve gotten it stuck in my paw while I was in the gardens.”

“Let me take it out,” Pinkie said firmly, and all the hackles on Fluttershy were raised.

“No,” she said sternly, “don’t touch it.”

“Fluttershy,” Pinkie said, slowly moving her way toward Fluttershy’s paw, “let me take it out.”

“Don’t TOUCH IT!” Fluttershy snarled and recoiled, pushing herself against the back of the cave and growling like a feral animal at Pinkie Pie.

“Fluttershy,” Pinkie said, looking Fluttershy right in the eye. She smiled at Fluttershy and let out a tender chuckle. “Just trust me, okay?”

Fluttershy let herself relax, just a tad, as she slid her paw toward Pinkie Pie hesitantly, her body trembling. Every instinct in her was screaming at her to fight back, to not let Pinkie touch her no matter what, but after everything that Fluttershy did, the very least she could do was put her trust in Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie put her hands on the thorn and a shiver went up Fluttershy’s spine. She wanted to snap her jaws or scrape her claws at something, but she remained still, Pinkie taking a deep breath before—

“Pinkie Pie!”

A familiar voice echoed through the air, distracting Pinkie’s efforts.

Fluttershy recognized it too.

It was Applejack.

Author's Note:

If you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know by leaving a comment! I absolutely adore reading them!
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!

Comments

[ShadowLDrago]

Turns out, it was pretty high up! It wasn’t at like the peak or anything, but Pinkie sure couldn’t see the ground from up here.

Oh that's not good.

She wanted to try and stay calm cuz if Fluttershy really was being hypnotized it wasn’t entirely her fault what was happening, but Pinkie was at the end of he rope.

I really like this. Pinkie is a very nice pony, but even she has limits.

That would be uhhhhh a problem.

Big time.

Pinkie was still really unsure about everything, so she made up her mind; she would talk Fluttershy down under the assumption that the sweet and kind Fluttershy was the ‘real’ one, and that something was seriously wrong with her right now. But she needed to focus on talking her down as soon as possible.

You know, the trouble with this is, it's hard to comment on this beyond "This is very well written".

She slithered away from Pinkie to the back of the cave, clutching her head as she felt like it was going to tear her apart from the inside.

The contradictions are wreaking havoc on her mind.

“That thorn!” Pinkie said, pointing to a small black thorn poking out of the skin between Fluttershy’s toes on her paw. “That’s like the thing Rarity and Rainbow told us about! That’s the thing that’s making you go all loopy!”

Small thorn.

A familiar voice echoed through the air, distracting Pinkie’s efforts.

Fluttershy recognized it too.

It was Applejack.

Ah, crapbaskets. Worst timing.

[Kaleido]

She sat down on the mountain pass and took a deep breath. What had gotten into Fluttershy? She wasn’t acting like herself. Pinkie knew Flutters had a jealousy problem, or a possessiveness problem, but she never expected anything like this.

yess hmm wonder why

“Well I don’t wanna be kidnapped! For one!” Pinkie threw her arms up in the air and shouted. She wanted to try and stay calm cuz if Fluttershy really was being hypnotized it wasn’t entirely her fault what was happening, but Pinkie was at the end of he rope. “And I really don’t want you to try and murder my friends!”

yes those would in fact be nice

Pinkie needed to talk to Twilight later. She needed to have a really thorough understanding of how much hypnosis or whatever messes with a person’s head, cuz if this was really the person that Pinkie was dating? That would be uhhhhh a problem.

It was Applejack.

god DAMNIT right on time
couldn't have waited like 10 seconds!!!

[GKSJoe]

You really gotta cliffhanger us right there huh? You're a real demon sometimes haha