Out of the many things that I've seen, think that the one that interests me the most is in a little universe, on a little planet, in a little country, in a little village. The universe has no name. Nor does the planet. The creatures in the little village only know of three countries: they're own, Griffonia, and the Land of the Dragons. This country is called Equestria. And the little town is called Ponyville.
I remember coming here many years ago to take two grown ponies. One was a mare and one was a stallion, each wearing the same ring. These ponies have traits that I myself could never understand. I took one of the souls in my hand just before his daughter could realize it. And I took the mother's life just months after.
The little filly was someone that I could never quite get rid of. Whenever I needed to take someone, there she was. Whenever I had another job to do, there she was. And whenever I was just about to leave from a job that needed not to be done, she was there. Staring coldly at the air. Just staring.
It was up high in the sky, on a cloud faraway from the village she is in now. There was a lonesome little filly with no friends. Her parents died when she was little, the first time I saw her, and ever since then wherever I was she was there too. On one particular morning, there was a mishap at one of the weather factories. A whole lot of lives lost, and one big job for me to get done. Standing just outside the accident was the little filly, staring coldly into the factory, and she was just staring. Hiding under her long, pink locks, and just staring. Her light yellow coat was just her light yellow coat. She knew it too. There was nothing special about her, at least not yet, not for many years.
* * *
Years had past. The filly turned into mare, and she had a filly of her own. Now she was what you might call middle aged. She walked along the little sidewalk to pick up her daughter from her school. She held a less cold gaze, and less tension in her muscles. I was already late for a job, but I didn't care. I needed to see this.
The mare clip-clopped along the dirt road steadily. She waved hello to a few of her closest friends on her way to the schoolhouse. She reached the front door and was about to walk inside to meet the teacher when she heard little voices.
"Oh, look at you!" the nasally voice would taunt. "Look at your hair, all done up pretty like ours."
"Leave me alone, Sapphire Gem!" the meeker voice would whimper back. "What did I ever do to you?"
"You nearly got us expelled, you little rat! We just want to talk," another high-pitched voice shouted.
The mare was listening silently. These were the younger fillies, her daughter was inside the classroom. She knew the voice of her good friend's niece.
"Golden Star, why are you doing this? We used to be friends!" the younger voice cried.
"Because you nearly got us expelled!" Golden Star replied.
The mare shook her head lightly. She knew she couldn't do anything. She wouldn't do anything.
Taking a deep breath, the mare walked into the schoolhouse. I followed her inside, floating like a meditator.
"Hello, fillies and gentlecolts," the mare smiled very warmly. Her daughter's eyes sparked with pride. Normally a teen like her wouldn't respect her parents, but everyone loved Moon Blossom's mother.
"Hello, Ms. Fluttershy!" the young teens would reply.
"I'm here for family appreciation day, and I am an old friend of Ms. Cheerilee!" the mare said kindly and lightly, with that soft, rolling voice of hers. "I'm here to talk about the very first time I harnessed the Element of Kindness, when I destroyed Nightmare Moon!"
The foals all gasped and smiled brightly at this. The mare smiled back even livelier! But I could tell that she hid her poison underneath. I knew the truth of Fluttershy. I knew the utterly, desperate truth.
Who am I? You will all meet me one day. Maybe tomorrow, maybe not for many years, but when the time comes you will know my face and you will accept your fate.
Who am I? I am the one, and the only, Death.
What is most peculiar to me is this mare's friend. She seems to defy all things logical! The mare does not seem to mind though. Can she not answer the question?
Oh, well, just a little thought of mine.
It was another time when I saw the mare. She was playing with her filly and suddenly: clouds. Dark, plump, gray clouds. They were pushing onto each other and making loud rumbling noises like they were hungry.
And it started raining. Bright, colorful droplets splashed onto the two mares. The water droplets exploded one by one on the ground. Silently. Until they were all making so much silent splashing that it turned noisy, and it sounded like hoof steps pattering a million times over.
The mare was inside with Moon Blossom now. She had the animals entertaining her. The mare just watched outside the window. The lightning crackled through air and the thunder snapped angrily in reply. The mare listened to the pitter-patter of the rain on her window sill. It fell through the air so still and lifeless until it splashed onto the clear glass of the window. The droplets turned into little balls of water which would slowly slide down the glass until it reached the end of the window. It would then disappear into the water collecting at the bottom. This was how Fluttershy got her water to give to the animals. And to water her flowers, of course.
But the mare just kept staring at the bleak, gray horizon. It was just clouds: light and feathery and gray as all of the life was drained out of them through the rain. The droplets created gray streaks through the rather still air. Fluttershy could just go and change the weather, or at least make it sunny for her cottage, since she was a pegasus. She could, but she wouldn't. Better leave the weather plans as is. Besides it helped her with her job. Many ponies thought that Fluttershy's local foal/pet daycare was her job. But no. When it was raining, Fluttershy went outside, in the cover of the falling silver sheets, and completed her real job.
"Mom, where are you going?" Moon Blossom called as her mother started to walk out the door.
"Nowhere," the mare answered suspiciously. I could tell Moon Blossom wasn't buying it. "I'm just off to work."
"But I thought you worked here?" Moon Blossom argued, standing up now.
"Like I said," Fluttershy stared coldly at the door being beaten by the pounding of raindrops against it. "I'm off to work."
Moon Blossom understood not to ask questions as Fluttershy exited the cottage. She was immediately soaked with pouring rain. But that didn't stop her from entering the bell tower on the other side of town.
Though I knew what Fluttershy did, I still wanted to follow her. How I found out? None of your business. But I do know that her boss wasn't a pony. Nor was it any creature she fought before. All I knew was that he wasn't friendly. Time to meet him for myself.
Fluttershy had already greeted him. She locked the door behind her and turned to face the shadows. I watched curiously as something moved in the distance. Its voice was thick and slippery, echoing naturally with every word it spoke and breath it took.
"Fluttershhhhyyy," it hissed like a snake. "You have brought me more?"
"Yes," the mare answered darkly. "But I almost got caught this time. If I get put into jail, I don't know what will happen to my daughter."
"You ssssssurvived at this age," the shadow creature hissed. You could see its glowing eyes and its putrid smile. It was wide and sickening. Some might describe my smile like that. "I think your daughter would do jussssst as well."
"I survived at this age because of he strength of my friendship," Fluttershy said cooly. "Moon Blossom may be friends with all of the other Element's daughters, but I don't think that the Elemental powers running through their blood is as strong as we were."
"Well, after you die who elsssse would harness the elements?" the creature smile that sick, dark smile again. He was like a jack-o-lantern, with the outside dark and pale, and the insides lit up with a single flame. This was a creature that I didn't even know. Fluttershy did not reply to the creature. "Well, I sssssee that we agree on ssssssomething?"
Fluttershy merely nodded.
"Good," there was that smile. "Now, hand them over."
Fluttershy pulled something out of her saddle pack. It was a shining rectangular prism, pointed with triangles at the end. There were three of them, all different colors: royal purple, aqua blue, and sunshine yellow. Crystals, I recognized.
"What will you do with them this time?" Fluttershy asked.
"Everytime you ask that, I have to remind you that I can't answer that question!" Fortunately, the smile disappeared. "It is none of your business."
"Yes, King," Fluttershy bowed. "Now give me my payment."
The shadow creature stared at the crystals and smiled again. I hated that smile. Gruesome and twisted, I just couldn't bear that smile. Mine might look like that, but since when does death have time to smile?
The shadow creature tossed a big bag of something to Fluttershy. She just took the rattling bag. She wouldn't open the contents, not until she was at home, in her room. She softly put it into her saddle pack and unlocked the door carefully. She turned around and glared at the shadow creature.
"King, I must say," Fluttershy said before opening the door. "I do enjoy bargaining with you."
And she was gone. As I turned to look, so was the shadow creature. And so were the crystals.
