Equestria's Ray of Hope

by The_Darker_Fonts

Warranted

Fluttershy’s heart was jumping all around her ribcage, her lungs barely retaining air as she breathlessly walked down the path, away from Ray’s house. Had she really just done that? Had she really just offered herself to him, just that easily? More crazily, why hadn’t he accepted? It was probably good that he hadn’t, because Celestia knows how far she’d have gone with him.

Where had that come from, she questioned herself in shock, face flushing at the thought of Ray and her together. What a thought it was. Her face turned a burning red and she continued to speed down the path. She definitely needed to talk to somepony about everything that had just happened, and one name she knew stuck up first. Rarity. Oh brother, this was going to be quite the evening.

With a huff of breath, she began marching off towards Ponyville, eyes picking out her friend’s shop from the other buildings in the town’s center. She kept her wings tightly clasped against her sides, trying to control her body’s excitement. For some reason, the thrill of seeing Ray alive after the complete confusion and fear of him being gone had awakened her feelings in a new way. She was buzzing excitedly, and it was in that moment that she knew she couldn’t get through losing him like that, for him to vanish without ever being seen again. She felt a tug in her fluttering heart at the thought of him passing on, and she vowed that she would do everything she could to protect him.

She was thankful that Otolo had at least been at his home when she’d turned up asking for him, and had been so kind and honest with her about not having seen her. She felt that the only reason the kind little bird was so teasing around Ray was because their personalities overlapped so much. They were both so unequivocally kind and honest with her, but around the others they seemed to be much more teasing, and frankly crass. They didn’t show each other’s true faces, except around each other and their other familiars, which in Ray’s case did not include the other ponies. Even when he broke down, Ray’s true face was hidden by this image of a self proposed monster, and despite her best efforts, she was able to detect the shine of lunatic depression in his eyes whenever he went into his rant of self hatred.

With a slow breath, she tried to think of something other than Ray, somebody else or something else, and she remembered Discord from earlier that week, on one of their usual tea banquets, his shining smile as he casually turned his own wings into cotton candy. She giggled at the memory, but it didn’t last as long as it should have, as the thought of what came immediately after came before she could stop it.

“So, I do believe we should have a rather long talk about our good old human pal,” Discord said flippantly, suddenly changing the topic of their conversation.

Fluttershy blinked in confusion, taking a sip of tea before saying, “sure, I guess. What’s going on with him? He seems to be doing quite fine here. Did you visit him?”

“Oh, he’s quite alright, believe me my dear, but I’m more worried about… well, his relationship with the ponies in general,” Discord explained tentatively. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at the nervous draconequus, taking another sip of tea. He continued, “The boy’s a good kid, but do you realize exactly who and what he is, right? He’s a killer, Fluttershy, and while I know that he can control it now, what after the war, after he’s killed a good few baddies? What if he develops an unhealthy bloodthirst that he can’t quench it? What do we do then?”

“We help him in any way we can,” she told Discord firmly. The draconequus gave her a sorry look, clasping his paw and claw around her hoof.

“Fluttershy, you know I hate to be the mature and logical one, but I don’t think even Twilight has thought of it, or a solution if the problem did arise. I mean, the whole reason he’s here is because ponies can’t fight, and everyone else is too untrustworthy to fight back. What do the Equestrians do then?”

Fluttershy paused for a dreadful second, thinking of the horrible thoughts. For some reason, it was always easier to think about such terrible topics when Ray wasn’t around. Probably because of those eyes, and that kicked puppy look he always had. Either way, she quickly found herself racking her brain for a peaceful, harmless solution.

“Well, what if we put him in a timeout, like having you put him in a little house in the middle of nowhere. We could go visit him and help him recover from it, and make sure he isn’t getting any worse. Nopony needs to get hurt, and who knows, maybe that’s exactly what he’ll need. But don’t worry about it. I’m absolutely sure that isn’t what will happen. After all, this is Ray. He’s a very, very strong stallion, and I’m certain he can control himself.”

Well what now, Fluttershy thought with a shudder. What now that he had openly admitted to murdering, no, killing that other stallion that had tried to harm him? Was he really going to become what Discord had unfortunately predicted might come to pass? It couldn’t be though. Ray had cried for the pony he’d killed, had called himself a monster, had even denied her love because he feared the same thing Discord did. He feared himself, of killing others. That caused a different thing to fear, as well, though.

What if he lost his will to fight, his will to kill because he didn’t have the strength to do so without becoming the bloodthirsty monster Discord had described? Would he refuse to even go out to the war, to fight? What would Twilight do then? Would she force him to fight? Would that be the proverbial tipping point that drove him into rage?

Fluttershy was so caught up in the turmoil in her mind that she didn’t realize she’d reached her destination, only stopping as her head bumped into the door. She stumbled back, slightly dazed by the collision of her head and the door. Wincing a little at the smarting part in the middle of her hair, she rubbed the spot, looking up. As she did, the door suddenly opened, revealing a slightly disheveled Rarity in the opening.

The mare instantly smiled at the sight of her friend, bringing her in for a quick, gentle hug. “Fluttershy, how good to see you,” she squealed. “What brings you by, especially at this hour? Please, come in!”

Fluttershy complied, slightly disturbed by her friend’s unusual energy. Rarity was usually more tepid, but right now she was halfway to being Pinkie. She walked into the living room, sitting herself down on one of the sofas while Rarity hovered over her shoulder. However, right before Rarity sat down, she seemed to have a moment of thought, before standing fully and asking, “Have you had dinner yet?”

“Um, no, I haven’t,” Fluttershy answered curiously.

“Well, I haven’t either, and I’m not in much a mood to cook,” Rarity explained. “Would you like to go out to grab a bite? It’s been a bit since the last time we’ve been out, and I was hoping to catch you anyway!”

“Yeah, sure, dinner would be nice,” Fluttershy admitted, smiling softly. She knew that, based on her eagerness, unsurity, and pure energy, she probably had a great deal to talk about. She wouldn’t be surprised if she’d spent the entire day sewing and drawing some new dress designs, possibly baking a few sweets too. As it turned out, she had a lot to talk about as well.

“Just give me a moment to grab my purse,” Rarity called as she practically ran out of the room, just barely clearing the doorway before she was racing back, Fluttershy barely having the time to react. “Right, I forgot I left it right here,” she told her with a slight giggle, reaching beside the couch Fluttershy was getting off of, producing her purple satchel.

“If you haven’t noticed,” Rarity began to say as they left her house side by side, “Which I’m sure you have, I’ve been a bit distracted.” Fluttershy nodded in conformity, beginning to fly up in order to keep up with her hasty friend. “You see, Spike and I, we, well, broke up. It was really a long time coming, and the both of us realized that the feelings that had started our relationship were just a sort of nostalgic memory, not real passion beyond friendship. We decided mutually to end it before it became a burden, and, well, we’re happily just friends!”

“Um, uh, well, I’m not sure whether to say I’m sorry or congratulations, but whichever is appropriate for the situation, I wish you the best of it,” Fluttershy tried.

“Oh, that is indeed most appreciated,” Rarity thanked her graciously. “I think that this is definitely a more positive situation than negative. Spike really has grown to be quite the young drake, and very mature as well. We had both been feeling the fading of the temporary ‘love’, but it was actually him that came to me about it all. It was rather surprising, to be sure, that he was the one, but I feel like it made the whole ordeal a lot easier. In fact, by the time he was leaving, we were laughing about the good old days and sharing memories of when he was a still ‘little Spikey Wikey’.”

“I’m glad the two of you could end it like mature adults,” she commended her, looking to the ground. If only it wasn’t so prevalent in her own life what she and Ray were doing wrong, and the troubles they were going through, and were going to go through, if they wanted their relationship to work. And then there was the whole mess with Discord.

“So, anything interesting going on with your love life,” Rarity asked cheekily, almost as if she’d read her mind. “Things heat up between you and Ray, perhaps? I could only guess by how your clenched wings were when you arrived, but something must have really gone down to get you in such a mood. Or maybe it was Discord that has you like this?

Fluttershy blushed, turning her head away and hiding behind her long pink mane. “W-well, that’s actually why I wanted to talk to you this late,” she admitted fretfully, dreading what her friend’s reaction would be.

Rarity gave a little giggle of apprehension, before squealing, “Oh do tell. And don’t skim any details. I want the full tale, and nothing less!”

“Well, um, we’ve arrived at the Barley Palace,” Fluttershy said quickly. “I think that we should order some food and something to drink before we go all the way down that rabbit hole…”

“Ah, so it’s a raunchy debacle then,” Rarity whispered to her with a smirk as the waiter approached them.

“Rarity,” she exclaimed with a shocked look to her friend, landing. Glancing to the questioning waiter, she apologized. “Sorry about that. Um, we’ll take two seats, preferably outside, if it’s okay?”

“Of course that won’t be a problem,” the stallion told her, before leading the pair over to a set of wooden chairs and a table, the umbrella still open despite it being night. “Please, take a seat, madames.”

The two did, and the waiter asked for their drinks. Fluttershy ordered a cucumber water while Rarity ordered a strawberry lemonade. After the waiter left, Rarity sighed and muttered, “I really should stop eating so many sweet things. I’m going to gain too much plumpness.”

“Too much,” Fluttershy asked, leaning back against her seat while waiting for the drinks.

“Why of course, my dear Fluttershy,” Rarity uttered incredulously. “You need just enough weight on you to look more than just skin and bones, but just barely not enough to become a butterball. It’s the perfect look for attracting all of the stallions! But anyways,” Rarity continued, leaning onto her hooves with a lidded, partially interrogative smile, “back to the matter at hoof, that being that wonderful human.”

“Yes, um, well, where to start,” Fluttershy began, trying to stall for a bit more time. She could hardly think straight as all of the things tumbled around her head in a culmination of crying and talking and kissing. “Um, did you know that Ray was missing for the past few days?”

“I was notified of the situation by Sweetie Belle,” she stated as their drinks arrived. They each took their own drinks and ordered food before turning to their attention back to their conversation. After taking a sip of the sweet liquid, Rarity asked, “Whatever did happen?”

After checking the surrounding area for any ponies listening in on the conversation, she leaned in and whispered, “Skalos, the Fallen he’s working with, had to take him back to Tartarus to deal with a problem within their little nation.”

“Hold on a minute,” Rarity requested. “Who are these Fallen, and what are they? I don’t think I ever caught that conversation.”

“Yeah, I think only Applejack and I know, except for Twilight of course,” Fluttershy said thoughtfully. “They were ponies from a very long time ago, ponies who can fight and… kill. But they aren’t ponies, or well, not really. They’re like physical ghosts!”

“Oh well that’s just horrible,” Rarity commented with a shudder after taking another sip of the lemonade. “They’re the ones that Twilight was talking about defending us?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy confirmed, before once again checking for any passer-bys. Seeing none, she continued, “There was a faction within them that didn’t want to fight, and said that they shouldn't be forced to fight a war that wasn’t theirs to fight, or something like that. Ray, well, he didn’t exactly explain everything to me. Anyways, these Fallen were led by somepony named Cohin, and he was talking with Ray and trying to make Ray see that he was in the wrong for supporting Twilight.”

“Poor fool didn’t realize that Ray wasn’t supporting Twilight, or just didn’t care to note that,” Rarity asked intelligently.

“I don’t know, but whatever he thought, he thought Ray was unworthy and a bad leader, and that there was to be no war against the minotaurs… or there would be war among the Fallen.”

“Oh, that’s horrid,” Rarity responded, gasping at the news. She set her cup down, her brows furrowing as she carefully asked, “Was there a war?”

“That’s where things become a bit… muddled,” she hesitantly continued. “You see, from what Ray told me, the two began to get into a rather heated yelling match and the leader of the ones that wanted to leave attempted to stab Ray.” Rarity seemed to be at a loss for words, leaning back against her seat as her jaw gaped open. Gulping, Fluttershy fearfully continued, “The pony managed to stab Ray in the shoulder; you can see the stitches. But Ray, well, Ray killed him. Stole the s-spear and… did it.”

Rarity’s jaw snapped shut as she stared down at the table in both contemplation and confusion. “How had this happened?” read all over her face and she seemed to have been hit by not only a brick wall, but a good deal of Pinkie madness as well. She began laughing nervously as she asked, “Surely he was exaggerating, right? He was distressed and thought he’d killed the stallion when all he’d done was knick him? I mean, the worst that came out of that was a scratch and a ruined shirt…. Right?”

Fluttershy licked her dry lips, her throat tight as she shook her head. “This isn’t even the first time he’s killed somepony,” she slowly told her, eyes growing absent as she remembered what Ray had told her before. “Back in his old home, Earth, he killed two boys his same age. He kept calling himself a monster, and now with this, he’s firmly set in the mindset that he’s the bad one in all of this, and I’m not sure how to convince him otherwise....”

“Because you don’t know exactly either,” Rarity finished for her, giving her a sorry look. “Fluttershy, dear, you do realize who exactly he is, right? He’s meant to the very thing we can’t be, to do the dreadful thing that we can’t. In order to be his friend, and anything more, you’re going to have to accept that this is what he is. As uncomfortable and terrible as it is, without him, we would be destroyed by the real monsters! Just, try to remember that, okay? He’s going to do some things that will make us squirm, but that’s only because it’s what he can and must do in order to protect us. Do remember he is doing all of this of his own volition. That he made abundantly clear.” Rarity reached out a hoof, which Fluttershy took, telling her, “Stay strong, Fluttershy. It will be alright, in the end.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” she slowly gave, a smile spreading across her face slowly. “The road ahead is just so rough, it’s sometimes easy to forget that this is all going to be okay, in the end.”

“It is,” Rarity agreed. The waiter arrived with their food, and each took their respective meals and began to eat silently. Finally, after several minutes, Rarity regained her cheeky smile and asked, “so, what happened when he returned?”

“Well, I had gone to his house because I was getting really worried. He hadn’t shown up anywhere, and Otolo hadn’t managed to spot him from the sky, so I figured that eventually, if he was returning, it was going to be at his own home. He did return, probably not even two hours ago, and, well, I sort of lost control over myself.”

“Ooh, do go on,” Rarity pleaded, eyes twinkling.

Fluttershy blushed deeply, turning her head away from her friend as she continued as asked, saying, “Well, I threw myself right at him. I just… I don’t know, seeing him again, after fearing that I might never actually see him again, it just awoke something in me. I really, really enjoyed that hug, because I could feel him, and his skin, and I knew that this wasn’t some sort of illusion.”

“You got him out of his clothes that quickly,” Rarity asked, genuinely curious.

“No,” Fluttershy yelped frantically, earning a look from a pony crossing the street. Gulping and leaning in, she whispered sharply, “It wasn’t like that. He just returned without his shirt, because of his stab. Of course, I didn’t know about him being hurt, so when he said something rather dimwitted, I hit him on the shoulder. The shoulder that was stitched close.”

“Now Fluttershy,” her friend reprimanded. “An abusive relationship is not as strong as it sounds. But I digress. Do continue, and please try to skip over the unfortunate part about my wonderful shirts being destroyed.”

With an eye roll and a small smile, she continued, “He and I had a little talk about where he’d been, and he said that we probably wanted to sit down before we talked about what had happened since he’d left. He was really reluctant to say anything, and looked almost lost, so I asked him if he was alright, and he said no. Then, we began to talk. He told me where he’d been and what he’d been doing, and- and…” She paused to take breath and swallow then the rest of her water, throat tight. “And then he told me about how he’d killed somepony who was supposed to be his ally.”

“Oh dear,” Rarity muttered. “And how did that go?”

With a deep breath, she confessed, “He began to cry. A lot. There was a mare that was with the stallion he’d killed, and she began grieving him, and calling Ray a monster and evil. It… it took a lot out of him. He was completely heartbroken by all of that, I can tell. He had this weird sheen to his eyes, like even though he was destroyed by what he’d done, a part of him was okay with it, and was fighting against his regretful side. I watched his eyes cry and glare at the same time.” Rarity began to try and say something, but the words still began to flood from her mouth. “It was the most terrible thing I’ve ever seen. He was calling himself a monster, saying things that shouldn’t be true, but felt so just because of how much he believed that he was a monster. The worst part came when I tried to kiss him.”

“You what,” Rarity cried, shocked.

Fluttershy turned beet red but continued on. “I- I just couldn’t handle hearing him say so many horrible things about himself, and I couldn’t let him feel like a monster, so I just sort of, leaned in and puckered up,” she told Rarity truthfully. “It just felt like the most natural way to make him see that he wasn’t as bad as he thought he was, and to prove that he was no monster. But, when I leaned in, he turned his cheek. He didn’t let me finish the kiss, and merely accepted that it was only on the cheek. When I pulled back, he looked so pained, so alone, and… and I realized I couldn’t stay there. I was almost completely humiliated by what I’d done, and I couldn’t stand to stay around him. Maybe it was just the way that he was being so versatile in his emotions, or that he had been ranting about how terrible he was, but I couldn’t stay and hear and see him so distraught.

“That isn’t even the end of it, though. When I asked him why he was being so distant when it was something we both obviously… well, wanted, he told me he couldn’t let me love a monster. I-I-I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I just sat there and listened. I tried my best to stay calm, but I wanted to shout at him, to tell him to snap out of it, but there was just too much fear in me. Fear of if what he was saying was legitimately the truth or not, and it just silenced me completely. I didn’t even know what I was doing, but when he told me I should go, I just leaned in and kissed him on his forehead. Was that the right move? Probably not, but I thought that it would prove to him that I do still love him, that he still wasn’t a monster to me. I’m not sure if it worked, though. I left too soon to see.”

“So, to be clear, no actually lips on lips, and you were the one who initiated both times,” Rarity questioned.

“Um, yes,” Fluttershy clarified. “Why does that matter?”

“Hm, well, you see my dear, you’ve just played all of your cards and he has his hand still very much hidden from you,” Rarity explained. “Besides, I don’t think you exactly know what you’re doing. I mean, you’ve only ever dated Discord. Have the two of you ever kissed in your time together? I feel like I would remember if you told me, but I’m still a bit focused on the Ray ordeal.”

“No, Discord and I have never kissed on the lips, just pecks on the cheek as well,” Fluttershy informed her. “I’m still not sure why this matters though.”

“Sorry, I forget you don’t really dabble into romance and things of the romantic matter often,” Rarity apologized. “What I’m saying is that you have no advantage in the romantic field! Ray knows that you’re pining for him very hard, as well as how much you truly care for him, while you don't have a good measure of his feelings towards you.
And we haven’t even gotten into detail with your relationship with Discord yet! Honestly, you do have quite the messy love life, indeed.”

“Rarity,” Fluttershy groaned. “I don’t know anymore. It’s just a huge mess in my head, and I don’t want to think about it right now. I mean, with Ray, I love him very dearly. He's like a kicked puppy too innocent to know that it’s not his fault that he got kicked, but at the same time he’s so ruthless with his honesty and emotions that I can hardly bear to be around him. But with Discord, it feels like we’ve become more like an assurity, like Bon Bon and Lyra. The relationship feels almost too normal to be with the manifestation of chaos himself, and I can’t help but feeling both overwhelmed by him, and underwhelmed by what we are as a pair. Don’t get me wrong, I love them both, but both are such huge pains that need my help, and sometimes it seems my love as well. Oh, sweet Celestia, sometimes it feels like the fate of Equestria is all dependent on who I end up hooking up with.”

With a dramatic sigh, Rarity told her, “If only you didn’t have all of the good guys falling over you, right?” Then becoming a bit more serious, she asked, “In the moment, right now, who would you choose to be with forever?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she wailed helplessly, shaking her head as she lifted her hooves to cover her face. “This is so hard, and not being able to make a decision between one great stallion and another is making me want to say both! But at the thought of doubling up, I feel so promiscuous. Am I promiscuous, Rarity?”

“Not at all, darling,” Rarity comforted her. With an assuring smile, she told her, “Just think of it two exquisite opportunities!”

“Yeah, except whichever option I choose will have its own consequences, and one of the options will be left hurting,” Fluttershy exasperatedly complained. “In fact, I’m pretty sure that Ray is already suffering from all of this romantic drama on top of the whole reason he’s here. Oh gosh, if he hadn’t shown up, if this whole situation had been avoided, do you think it’d be for the better?”

“Absolutely not,” Rarity told her. “For every bad memory, a good memory will make up for it twofold.”

“Rarity, the world isn’t like that,” Fluttershy regretfully objected. “Ray has shown us that.”

“True,” Rarity agreed after a moment, giving her friend a frown. “Oh, I do hate how things have begun to change so quickly. Do you remember just three weeks ago, when life was simpler? My, it feels like months ago already. I do hope things start going by quicker, that we can just, enjoy the time but not squander in it. Tell me, Fluttershy, what do you think.”

What did she think? A lot. But right now the only thing she could think about was how life might’ve been without Ray, without having known him. She was sure that she would miss all of those pleasant memories, but disturbingly, there was a great deal more fear and sorrow in each memory of the human, even in the happiest of the memories. There was a darkness about that boy that equally scared and lured Fluttershy, like a dangerous glowing light in the Everfree. What if, for once, that light wasn't like gleaming off of some dew? What if this was the glowing of a Tmberwolve’s eyes, leering at its prey from only a few feet away, ready to consume its dinner?

The comparison made Fluttershy instantly hate herself. Ray wasn’t like some beastial creature that walked around with barely any consciousness of mind. He was a strong and noble human that was willing to fight for a species that wasn’t his own after the injustice he’d suffered thanks to them. There was nothing stopping him from walking away and into the wilderness, but he stayed in spite of the prospect of what was to come. He was a good one, probably better than a majority of the stallions that were native to Equestria.

“I think that this has gotten rather off topic,” Fluttershy asserted firmly. “I’m supposed to be Ray’s impromptu psychiatrist, so I should be worried more about him than my romantic life.”

“Au contraire,” Rarity objected. “If we don’t solve your romantic feelings towards each other, it will only leave tension, mayhaps even trust issues! I believe that, before you can properly examine and help a pony in need, you must first consider your feelings towards them, and theirs towards you and the help you offer! Remember Pinkie Pie and the poor old mule who moved here some time back? Celestia knows she was only doing the friendly and usual Pinkie Pie thing, but it really wasn’t much help to the old donkey. You don’t want to accidentally identify yourself as helping somepony when really you're oblivious to the harm you’re causing them.”

“You think I can harm him,” Fluttershy asked incredulously, sadly poking at her salad.

“At no fault of intention, I’m sure, but it is a sad fact of life that you can hurt anypony and anypony can hurt you,” Rarity lamented. “Unfortunately, the pain is only increased the more you know and love a person, so when they do even the most minor of things, you can be greatly hurt.”

“How do you know all of this, Rarity,” Fluttershy asked. Despite her friend’s proclamations of having gone out with a good share of stallions in her life, Fluttershy knew she didn’t have nearly as many dates behind her belt.

“Well, I learned a great deal of this from my family, actually,” Rarity told her. “I get called stupid and childish sometimes, and am told that some of my designs are, well, out of date by ponies from time to time, but whe Sweetie Belle says that she’s disappointed in me or that she’d rather be sisters with Applejack, well, it hurts a thousand times more than whatever any Canterlot snub can say.”

“And you think that this applies to romantic relations as well,” she questioned quietly.

“But of course, darling,” Rarity told her, her voice unusually cheerful considering the subject matter. “When you romance somepony, you should treat them as if they were already a member of your family. I’m not very good at it, but I do know that around your special somepony, there should be no masks and no lies. You shouldn’t need to protect each other from anything that isn’t physically a threat.”

“Which is probably why Ray can’t be the right choice for me,” Fluttershy concluded with a sad frown, laying her head down against the table. “I mean, he wears multiple different masks around everypony except Otolo, and even though she trusts me, Otolo won’t tell who he is behind the mask. I don’t want to be distrusting of him in any way, but somepony who can’t be honest in nature must lie in practice, right?”

“... Precisely,” Rarity obligingly agreed.

After a few moments of thinking, Fluttershy quietly asked, “Rarity, on the train to Canterlot, did you overhear Applejack and I’s conversation?”

Rarity bit her lip, glancing to the side. “I did hear a good deal of it, or at least, everything about Ray and Discord. I didn’t ever think I’d say this, but I’m glad that Ray and you haven’t become an official companionship romantically,” Rarity solemnly admitted, causing Fluttershy to deflate. “I mean, he’s such a wonderful gentlecolt, and he is a dear friend and Celestia knows the girls love him, but there is something about him that sets off the alarms in my head. When you told me that he had killed somepony, I… I wasn’t surprised by it. More, I was surprised that it had happened so soon. Ever since he’d asked me to make those clothes for him, I’ve been thinking about how grim he was, and how panicked he’d looked over little things. You’re right to say he has a darkness about him, but I regretfully would argue that he spreads a darkness around him.

“These past two weeks have been more hectic and emotionally rampant than those of any other before, and I can only credit that to him, and the unfortunate insinuations of his arrival. The great and terrible truth is that he isn’t one of us, a pony. With other species, that’s more natural because they are natives to Equestria, but Ray is from somewhere else completely. We know almost nothing but what he’s told us about his home, and he seems to give that information begrudgingly. You’ve said that he never drops his mask around anypony but Otolo, but the first time he came into my boutique, he was so intimidating with his distraught and dire appearance, that, well, for a moment I asked myself why Twilight would dare to bring such a monster to fight for us. I’ve hated that I’ve even had the faintest conception of that thought, but there is a good deal of my more rational side to those thoughts, a side I wish would just shush up.

“Fluttershy, this human is the greatest thing to enter our lands since we did, but at the same time, he’s probably one of the worst things happen to us. He’s too perfect of a person from his land to be an acceptable member of this society. He’s different from us in every way possible, and that fact doesn’t sit well with us, especially the matter that he can and will kill a lot. It’s unacceptable to us, yet unstoppable. He is as much of a hero as he is a villain to us, because he does things to save us that are worse than anything Cozy Glow, Tirek, and Chrysalis have ever done. Quite frankly, I’m halfway to saying stay away from him, just because of what he is, but at the same time, I see who he is.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath, wiping a tear from her eye. Why was the truth so painful? “Oh, Fluttershy, I didn’t mean to be so harsh, I just… I just spoke my mind, and it came out all wrong,” Rarity apologized. After a moment, she reached over the table to bring Fluttershy in for a hug. The small pegasus accepted the embrace, crying softly into the unicorn’s shoulder as the cool night air blew through the open streets. “Fluttershy, dear, it is getting rather late, and we’re both done with this food… and quite frankly I feel like we’re done with this harsh conversation. I’m going to check us both out, if that’s alright.”

“That’s fine,” she murmured into her friend’s shoulder, slowly leaning back. “I think I just need some sleep.”

“Yeah, you do that,” Rarity encouraged her with a pat on her shoulder. “Goodnight, Fluttershy.”

“Goodnight,” she returned.

That night was not a good night, and in the morning, she had to get her sheet laundered from how many tears she’d cried.

Author's Note:

Well, here it is. Four new chapters on the day that the first four chapters were released. Been a good ride since, and it'll be a good ride continuing. For all you still reading this, thanks for sticking so far!

Comments

[Even Evil Has Standards]

Well at least A Friend Indeed was referenced in...I don't know what the word is I'm looking for.

[The_Darker_Fonts]

10801742
After thought?