Light in the Shadows

by Shadowbot739

Fluttershy

I looked at the mare, “now if that stare is supposed to do something, I can tell you its not working”.

“Why did you kill it” the tan mare asked with her voice dropping.

“Why? why did I kill it? first of all it tried to kill me first. Secondly, if I didn’t stop that manticore it was a good chance it’ll harm or kill a pony” I responded.

“You didn’t have to kill it” she said with her voice fairly quiet.

“What you expect me to do, let it crush and kill me?” I asked the mare

“N..no” the mare stumbled out.

“Your response is flawed, you need to look at the possible outcomes as well. If it truly wanted to survive, it would of stopped attacking me and run off, but it chose to fight instead of flee” I said looking down onto the mare. “You seem to have yet to learn there are cases where something must die, I learned this long ago. Possibly too early some might say, but the past is sealed”

“You could've let it go when it was injured, but you just went for the kill like some sort of monster” the mare replied with her voice growing harsh again.

“Monster? You think I’m a monster? HA, that's a new one. I been called many things: pickpocket, thief, spy, murderer and outcast” I take in a deep breath, “you’ll never understand, you just can’t possibly“.

“You...you murder?” the tan mare said with great fear in her voice.

“There we go, just as it always happens, soon as one learns of what others have called me, its the same deal all over again” I said, “I guess I’ll have to add this place to the list of areas I should never come back to again”. I started to walk down the street.

“Wait, hold on” the mare called out to me, “maybe if you explain your side of the story, I might understand some more. Although I still don’t agree to killing”

I turned around “I would tell you some of my story, but I can guarantee you its longer then you have been alive. So I will not, for I don’t even know your name, I just don’t know if I can trust you”

“My name is Fluttershy, and why don’t you trust me?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well can assume you mean no harm but, after a lifetime of prejudice against me, along with other reasons, I just am unable to trust anypony when I barely know them” I answered

“I’m willing to listen”

“Fine I’ll answer SOME questions”

“ummm before we talk any more can we...go somewhere else” Fluttershy said while eyeing the corpse of the Manticore.

“I understand, but before we leave, I’d like you to meet a companion of mine. Fluttershy do me a favor and don’t be scared. Daisho come down here”

A happy roar came out from the roofs, and Daisho made his appearance. He flew down and landed on my back.

“It’s, it’s” Fluttershy eye’s widened, “ADORABLE!”

“Yes, I know Daisho is loveable” I replied “good thing she doesn’t know he’s from a estentally corrupted dragon flight, but like me, he isn’t like the others of his kind”. “Since I have no real home, I can only assume yours is the only private place to talk".

“Oh, umm I guess that will be alright, I’ll lead the way then” Fluttershy said.

Fluttershy started walking down the street, and I followed along. As we near the edge of town in silence, I started thinking “Just how much can I really say, I clearly cannot reveal that I’m not truly a pony”.

“Umm Accel?” Fluttershy spoke, interrupting my chain of thought.

“What?” I replied.

“You mentioned that your story be longer than I have been alive, just how old are you?” Fluttershy asked

“I stopped keeping close attention to my own age quite a bit ago, how long I been around no longer matters to most” I answered

“so you don’t even know how old you are?” Fluttershy said with shock

“Correct, I do not know. My sense on how long ago things were, in the case of long terms, is rather poor” I said. “I know a rough estimate, but my age shouldn’t be of concern to you”.

Fluttershy stopped suddenly and turned towards me, “stop assuming I don’t care, I do care”.

“Why do you? I am a complete stranger to you. You even considered me as a monster” I replied

“I was wrong to judge you without even knowing the kind of life you been through” Fluttershy said with sadness.

“You are different. How much further is this place of yours?”

“It’s right over there” Fluttershy said while pointing her hoof towards a small little house.

“You live awfully close to that forest, don’t you think thats a bit risky for one such as you?”

“My special talent is communicating with animals, I like to get to know any I meet” Fluttershy responded.

“I better not tell her that I work with leather without her asking first or this could get ugly” I thought. “Well what do you want to know about me? I’ll choose whether to answer or not”
“Umm... okay. Do you... kill... often?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly.

“That would be a yes, the thing is, when you're being hunted down to be killed or captured all the time that’s going to happen” I responded “though, I am very good at hiding, and I prefer to do so, but things are just not that simple”.

“Www...what would be hunting you down?” then her eyes widen “are they evil?”

“Most the time yes, or at least to a degree” I said, “you never know. In recent years, things have really gone crazy”.

“With Nightmare Moon, Discord, and that Changeling invasion... I have to agree”

“Umm...yeah... that was crazy” I replied as we arrived at Fluttershy’s house.

“You sound like you never heard of them” Fluttershy said as she opened the door and stepped in.

“I have, I have I just forgot for a moment” I responded defensively, “Oh how I love using half-truths”.

I stepped inside Fluttershy’s house and took a good look around. The room was very simple with a coach, a table and some chairs set around the room. I then notably spotted a rabbit hopping inside the room.

“What is that rabbit?” I asked

“Thats Angel” Fluttershy responded, “what is Daisho anyway?”

“He is a Dragon, apart of a dragon flight that been corrupted. I do not know what caused this corruption. Basicly it left him in the form you see now but, his mind remains untainted unlike most of the others” I replied, “honestly he is lucky, and I am lucky for that”

Daisho flew off my back and went over to follow Angel around. It was clear the rabbit did not like that and tried to push him away.

“Let him have his fun, I trained him so he doesn’t harm anything that doesn’t deserve it” I said.

“What I really wonder is, how did you make your weapons change color like that?”

“Huh?...oh you’re talking about this ability called shadow blades, it doesn’t really matter of what weapon I use, it maters on the user. In general, when its correctly used, it attacks with shadow. Don’t ask me how shadow can hurt, it’s too hard to explain” I said, “I’ll let you ask a few more questions before I leave”

“But you just arrived”

“I know that, but its nearing dusk and I like to sleep outside”

“Then umm, how you get your cutie mark?”

“There it was again, what in the world does cutie mark mean...all I can assume is they relate to what they are good at, and mine is the universal rogue icon...” I thought, “By being a rogue, a master of stealth and trickery. I’m giving you one last question”

“Umm I know I just met you but...”Fluttershy quickly became impossible to understand.

“No. I am not interested in a relationship”

“Not that I was just wondering if you wanted to come to Canterlot tomorrow with me and my friends”

“Good thing I have good hearing...and this would be perfect to get somewhere else with potential guides” I thought, “Alright I’ll come, but wouldn’t your friends mind?”

“No no, they’ll be fine with it”

“If you say so” I said while walking out the door, “Bye, and Daisho, come here”

Once the door was shut, I shadowstep to the roof of Fluttershy’s house and waited for Daisho to fly up. “Alright, you can go out and hunt for a bird or something, but don’t harm anything that seems like it belongs to one of these ponies got it?”

Daisho makes a small roar, and I took that as a simple yes.

“And leave some for me, I’d like something to eat in the morning”