Easy as Pie

by bahatumay

Chapter 6

Owlowicious flew through the air, wings pumping furiously.

His target soon came into sight. Fluttershy looked up. “Why, hello-“

“Hoo!”

Fluttershy gasped. Her eyes narrowed as her wings flared. “Take me there.”

---

Owl feathers are designed for silent flight, not extended flight, so Fluttershy let the exhausted Owlowiscious ride on her back as he guided her through the forest. He didn’t even need to make any sounds. Just leaning to one side or the other was enough for her to understand his directions.

Before long, a familiar green and white cart came into view, with a purple unicorn resting against it and a pie on a spring bouncing gently above it.

“Tempest? Are you alright?”

“Fluttershy,” Tempest said coolly, quickly pushing herself up. “I’m fine.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Is that… blood? Is it yours?” she asked, her voice raising into a squeak.

Tempest stood tall and did her best to maintain her aloof composure. “Mine?” she chuckled. “Don’t be a silly little pony. I’m…”

And then her eyes rolled back in her head, her legs abruptly gave out, and she collapsed flat on her face.

---

Tempest’s eyes flickered open. She realized she was no longer in the forest, which was comforting. Instead, she was on a couch, wrapped in a blanket. She looked around, trying to recognize where exactly she was. Her head hurt. She was thirsty.

Another rustling made her look over—and quickly regret the motion. She let out a soft grunt of pain.

Thankfully, this rustling was from a familiar and friendly face. “Tempest,” Fluttershy said, hurrying over. She brought a steaming cup over. “Here. Carrot soup. It’ll make you feel better.”

Tempest gratefully took the cup and raised it to her lips. She took a small sip and grimaced. It was not good. Maybe she had used old carrots. Still, she didn’t want to be rude, so she forced herself to swallow. “How did you find me?”

“Owlowiscious got me. He came just in time.”

“I’ll have to thank him,” Tempest said. She was still thirsty, and this carrot soup wasn’t doing it for her, but she gamely took another sip.

“He’s napping. Owl feathers are designed for silent flight, not endurance.” Fluttershy smiled, but it faded slightly. “I took your cloak off,” she continued. “It was covered in blood. I hope you don’t mind.”

“But blood’s my favorite pants,” Tempest said, trying to crack a joke but knowing it had come out wrong. That hadn’t even been funny in her head.

Fluttershy gave her a courtesy smile anyway, and then looked down. “I’m not a great seamstress, but maybe Rarity can help repair it.”

“I’m not too worried about it,” Tempest said.

She fidgeted. “Um, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but, when I took your cloak off, I noticed your flank.”

“Mm,” Tempest said.

Fluttershy licked her lips and looked down, clearly uncertain how to proceed.

Tempest let her stew for a bit before chuckling. “Yep. Blank flank,” she confirmed, taking another small sip and wincing at the rancid flavor. “I… I never got my cutie mark.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that,” Fluttershy said gently.

Tempest’s eyes flicked over to Fluttershy’s flank. Three butterflies. “Yeah,” she said. “It doesn’t bother me.” She set the still-full cup down, her eyes still drawn to the butterflies. Those looked really nice.

“I understand,” Fluttershy said. “It’s important to be happy with yourself, no matter what you have on your flank. But if you ever did want to give it a try, my friends the Cutie Mark Crusaders would be more than happy to help you discover your talent. It’s fascinating. They all have nearly identical cutie marks. We’d never seen anything like it.”

That was all well and good, but that butterfly cutie mark was really, really interesting. “I’ll consider it,” she said, her tongue flicking out subconsciously.

“Well, I think you’re very talented, regardless of what’s on your flank,” Fluttershy said, busying herself with a little tidying. “And very kind, too. That was a long trip for ponies you don’t even know.”

Tempest pushed herself up off the couch, the blanket falling behind her.

Fluttershy heard her get up. She looked over her shoulder. “Tempest, you shouldn’t be up yet,” she said chidingly. “You’re still…” Her voice trailed off. “Tempest? Tempest, what are you-?” She took a step back. “Tempest, you’re scaring me. Tempest? Temp-!”

Comments

[Shrinky Frod]

Huh. Was the mother of all cliffhangers the goal, or is there more coming eventually? It just seems like an odd place to end after the rest of the story.

[Thought Prism]

I was not expecting the turn at the end there. Some great genre-shifting here, both done well.

[Hobbestc]

So was that the monster or did Tempest become one of them?