Chapter 1: Just an ordinary day
Fluttershy was tending to her animals. Animals that included meat eaters.
She heard some rustling in the leaves behind her. Perfectly normal; but identifying what it was mattered. After all, just because she could talk to them didn’t mean they would listen.
Of course, this time it was just a deer, eating some leaves. "Excuse me Mr. Deer, but I need to feed the bear in this area. You really should go and eat your leaves somewhere else."
She found a suitable place for the dead pig to be placed. Give the bear a challenge, but solvable. Make sure it was solvable.
Not like that again.
She continued tending to her animals. Some snakes would need to be eating in a couple of days, and she needed to make sure that the field mice had given birth. No point talking to them.
It would do no good to get to know them only to see them eaten.
Fluttershy knew death; she worked with it every day. Every feeding. Some ponies thought her world was all kindness; no. Kindness was what she had to bring to her world of death.
That, her wits, and her awareness.
Her stare was a last resort. If she needed it, she had messed up. After all, it did no good to rely on something that required you to be able to meet someone in their eye, have the time to be able to catch their attention, not be caught by surprise, and have enough time to address them with speech.
Most ponies didn't realize just how risky that ability of hers actually was.
Most ponies thought she got her pigs from the Apple Farm. They didn't produce enough. No, if ponies really understood how many pigs she went through -- pigs, fish, and a variety of other animals -- they would probably be revolted.
Being social.
Interacting with other ponies. It was less of an issue now. Years of being around her fellow element bearers. Years of saving Equestria.
A sense that maybe they wouldn't attack her if they knew.
Interacting with other ponies. Letting them understand exactly what she did. Letting them understand that the bearer of kindness was also the mistress of death.
More noise from the leaves. Different this time. Not a deer. Identify.
"Mr. Cougar, your meal is on the hillside. You haven't been a big fan of hunting in the forest before, so I made sure to put your meal in the rocky section of the hills. Would you like me to change your hunting area for the next meal?"
Turns out, the cougar was just trying to be playful. This time. He went off to the hillside, without any problems.
This time.
This was Fluttershy's normal.
Dealing with other ponies was a chance for them to decide that she and her animal sanctuary was a potential problem. Something to be gotten rid of.
Dealing with other ponies scared her.
Dealing with wild animals that eat meat scared her less.
Being with her friends meant that she could let her guard down. But too much of that and she would not be able to take care of her animals.
Technically, what she did wasn't really necessary. She was not really necessary. The animals could survive on their own if no one took care of them.
Some of them anyways. Others would go poof. Fluttershy did not want to go poof.
What if others decided that she was a danger to them?
What if she did not pay enough attention to the animals around her?
Oh there were some things that she did not have to worry about anymore. The weather ponies made sure that she was not snowed in. After all, one day without food was manageable. Two days was potentially problematic. And no one wanted to do another three-day episode. There was a reason that story was not told to foals.
Equally, the Earth ponies made certain that there was plenty of fruit on her trees year-round. After all, nopony in Ponyville wanted her to run out of fruit. Again.
Especially not Luna.
This was her normal.
This was the normal for the Mistress of Death.
Chapter 2: Just a not-so ordinary day
It was late one afternoon, after another busy day of saving Equestria from something that you would think the two elder princesses would be able to handle in just a couple of minutes. Instead, the Princess in training, and her five friends, all with heavy magical augmentation, needed almost a whole day. Typical.
"Pinkie, would you be able to give me a hoof with the animals tonight? I want to make sure that everyone gets fed before it's too dark"
Rainbow Dash replied, "If you need it done fast, why not ask me? I'm sure I can get them all fed 20% faster."
"Thank you Rainbow, but I fear that you would scare the animals. There is such a thing as being too fast," responded Fluttershy.
Applejack said, "That's something I can understand. I've got my own farm animals to feed, but Big Mac should have taken care of most of it already."
<Pronk> <Pronk> <Pronk> "Ohh, this sounds like fun. Lead the way," answered Pinkie.
"So it's pretty much just make sure that all these food items get out to different places for the different animals?" asked Pinkie Pie.
Fluttershy replied, "More or less. I've got to fly other foods out to the hills, as well as things at the tops of the trees to check out for the various birds and other creatures that live in the trees."
"So what things should I be watching out for?"
"Simple. Don't let them eat you."
Pinkie looked at Fluttershy. Looking for some sign of humor in the normally quiet, reserved pony. Fluttershy looked back at Pinkie. Slowly, a smile came to her lips. The smile unnerved Pinkie. Something about it seemed unusual. Slightly off. Uncanny.
Like it was forced.
"Okey-dokey Loki," replied Pinkie.
The sun was setting. The pale yellow of the sunset turning to orange; the pink color showing up on the mountainside. Pinkie had just finished setting out the last of the food she had to put out, and none of the animals had given her any trouble. "Silly Fluttershy. None of the animals were trying to eat me." Clearly, Fluttershy's behavior was nothing more than weariness after the day.
Speaking of which, where was Fluttershy?
Pinkie heard some rustling from the tree tops nearby. "Hello?" she called. The noise moved to a nearby tree, like a large bird was flying, but staying out of sight.
"Fluttershy? Is that you?"
The voice answered as the sun was sinking below the horizon. And the moon was rising. The voice that answered was definitely a little off.
"Did you avoid being eaten so far?"
"Fluttershy, what sort of question is that?"
Fluttershy swooped down past Pinkie Pie. Quickly, then back into the trees. And yet... Pinkie Pie looked up at the sky. The full moon was rising.
Pinkie realized that Fluttershy had been working in the mountains, and treetops. She would have been exposed to the moon sooner than herself.
"Fluttershy, what's your fruit situation like?"
"Oh dear. I was so busy today I forgot to mention it. I checked on them this morning, and some sort of fungal rot has destroyed my trees. Forgive me Pinkie, but I figured you were most able to deal with me tonight."
Pinkie looked around. The edge of the Everfree Forest. The town was on the other side of Fluttershy's hut. This area might not be a magical, deadly forest, but it was still a forest.
And it was already dark inside the tree line.
"Fluttershy, this isn't you. Or rather, this doesn't have to be you. Or rather, this is you, but you don't have to behave this way. We can get you some fruit very quickly. I know you can control this, it's been two years since your last episode.
"Fluttershy?"
Silence.
Tail-twitch; dive towards a tree.
Flutterbat screeched through the space Pinkie had been in just a moment before.
Pinkie Pie poked her head out from behind another tree. This was going to be a long night. "All I have to do is find someplace to hide long enough to fall asleep, and then I can contact Luna."
"Fall asleep? Why would I let you do that?" echoed the voice of Flutterbat from somewhere in the trees.
The next day, ponies from the Apple family, the Pear family, and the Pine family all came out to heal the trees on Fluttershy's property. Regular checks were increased from once a month to once a week.
"Eyes... those eyes... can't look away..." Pinkie muttered, in repeat mode.
"Will she be all right?" asked Twilight.
"Worry thyself not. When she sleeps, we will address her dreams and she will be fine," replied Luna. Thinking about what she would see in those dreams. Pinkie's dreams.
"Can't sleep... the Bat will get me..." uttered Pinkie.
And so ends the tale of the Joking Pony meeting the Bat Pony.
