Labyrinth: Return of Discord

Twilight and the rest arrived at Fluttershy's cottage in no time at all.  The alicorn was the one to knock on the door.

"Fluttershy?"

"Go away!"  the pegasus's voice shouted from inside.  "You're the last pony I want to talk to right now."

Twilight winced.  "I... I understand that, but you're the only pony I want to talk to right now, so please let me in."

"Well, I refuse.  I want to be alone."

Applejack rolled her eyes.  "Fluttershy, we ain't got time for this!  Yer only actin' this way 'cause of that Discord character."

There was a pause.  They could hear her hoofsteps draw closer, but the door remained closed.  "Discord?  So now you want to acknowledge he was real?  A little too late for that, don't you think?"

Pinkie flopped down onto the ground and nosed a flower with her snout.  "It's never too late for friends!"

"Except I don't have any friends."  The hoofsteps withdrew.  "Go away."

Twilight put her hoof against the door.  "Fluttershy..."  She paused to take a deep breath and said as quickly as she could, "I'm really sorry that I ignored you when you came looking for help and I'm sorry I sent you to Canterlot and let this happen to you but I really need you to come out so we can go back to Canterlot and stop Discord before he does any more harm to anypony, including and especially you!"

"Stop Discord?"  They heard a laugh, and though they knew it was Fluttershy, the unfamiliar tone gave them chills.  "If I went to him, it would be to thank him.  He had the decency to care enough to not lie to me.  He made it very clear that he wanted nothing to do with me!"

The words lifted Twilight's spirits.  She smiled, which caused the others to look at her strangely, but she ignored them.  "That's not true!"  She hopped on her forelegs, alternating lifting and dropping them, suddenly excited.  "Fluttershy, I know I didn't take it seriously enough at the time, but I remember what you said.  I listened to every word because I really do care about you!"

Her weight shifted to her hind legs as she put both of her forehooves on the door.

"He did lie to you!  You told me how he danced with you, how he sung to you...  How he begged you to stay with him.  You told me about the way he looked into your eyes!  But if he wanted nothing to do with you, then why would he do all of that?"

Her smile faltered some when she heard a stifled sob from the other side.

"Fluttershy...  Why don't you come with us and tell us how you really feel?"

Twilight dropped back down onto all fours and stepped away from the door, hopeful that it would open.  When a few moments passed and it remained shut, they started to look at one another helplessly and were startled by a soft creak of the door slowly opening.

Fluttershy peeked out from behind the door.  Fresh tears stained her still pale cheeks.

"Why...  Why would you remind me of that, Twilight?"  she asked in such a delicate voice that none of her friends could help but rush forward and embrace her.  She struggled against them.  "N-no!  Let go of me!"

"Not until ya agree t'come back with us to Canterlot!"  Applejack squeezed the pegasus's foreleg.

Twilight hugged her other foreleg.  "Please, Fluttershy."

"I can't handle our first ultimate amazing rescue showdown being a failure!"  Pinkie held on tight to Fluttershy's middle.  "But more importantly, I can't handle you being a big ol' meanie!"

Finally, the pegasus broke free of their hold and hurried back a few steps to put some distance between them.  Her eyes were filled with distrust and a lingering pain, but she lowered her head.  "I...  I will go with you..."  Her strength returned and her head lifted again.  "But when we're done, I never want to talk to any of you again."  She started to walk past them to leave the cottage.

Applejack put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder just as the alicorn started to speak.

"Ya know that ain't our Fluttershy talking.  Once we take care of Discord, we'll have her back."

"I...  I know."  She sighed.

Pinkie hopped after Fluttershy.  "I can't wait to meet this Discord!  He must be awfully special to make Fluttershy act like this!"

Applejack raised her brow and trotted behind her.  "Run that by me again?  We ain't goin' t'meet him.  We're goin' to defeat him."

"Meet, defeat, they rhyme, so they're close enough, don't you th-"

"Besides," Twilight interrupted.  "He's not special.  He's powerful.  And evil."

Rather suddenly, startling all of them into silence, Fluttershy whirled around to face them and yelled, "He is not evil!  He's just lonely!"  She scowled, turning back away.  "I wouldn't expect any of you to understand how he feels the way I do."

Applejack was the first to move after the outburst.  She hurried to walk alongside the pegasus.  "But Fluttershy, we've always been here for you.  So have yer animals.  When have ya ever been alone?"

"My whole life."  Bitterness made her voice cold and distant.  "I had thought Rainbow Dash was my friend, but she cared more about racing than noticing me when I fell from Cloudsdale.  Nopony did anything to save me or even noticed that it happened.  Nopony cared when I decided to stay in Ponyville."  Her pace quickened as the anger built within her chest.  "Nopony has ever cared about me!"

They walked the rest of the way to the train station in silence.  The air was thick with conflicting emotions.  Though they knew Discord was to blame for her current state, none of them could shake the feeling that not all of it was his doing.

Because of Twilight's presence, they were given their own private cabin.

Fluttershy sat down first.  Twilight sat beside her, but the pegasus scooted to the very edge away from her.  Applejack and Pinkie sat in the booth across from them.  Spike sat in a booth of his own with a book he had brought along and quietly read.

It was awkward at first, but Applejack broke the silence by turning her head and smiling at Pinkie.  "So, how was yer super duper party tour?"

The pink pony's eyes glittered with glee.  "Super duper amazing!  Cheese Sandwich sure knows how to throw a party!"  She put a hoof to her chest.  "It makes me so proud when he uses one of my tricks.  I'm like his party mama!"

Applejack's smile fell lopsided.  "Err...  That's, uh, good?"

She giggled.  "Well of course it is!"

The southern pony turned her gaze to Twilight.  "And what 'bout you?  Ain't seen you much lately."

"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary."  She tapped her hooves on her knees.  The normalcy of the conversation only made her more nervous as she tried to avoid looking at Fluttershy.  "At least, not for me these days.  Meetings with ambassadors, planning meetings with ambassadors, planning to plan meetings with ambassadors..."

"Well, as long as yer happy."  Applejack paused before she leaned forward.  "Hey, have ya heard anything 'bout the Gala yet?  What kinda stall are we gettin'?"  She grinned.  "Come on, I've been dyin' t'know!"

While they discussed the Gala, Fluttershy looked out the window on the other side of the cabin to avoid giving any of the three her indirect attention.  Her ears remained facing forward as well.  Her mind was a storm of chaos:  anger, pain, sadness, frustration, and...  loneliness.  These ponies she once called friends only wanted her as the Element of Kindness.

There was a cry of surprise from Spike as his bag rustled on its own and out from the top popped a little white furry head.  All four mares looked over to see Angel Bunny climb out, dragging an orange carrot plush with him.

"Angel?"  Fluttershy blinked, startled.  "What are you doing here?  Didn't I tell you to pack your things and leave?"

The other ponies and dragon turned their surprised expressions to her.  "You told him to what?!"  they all cried.

"But you can't-  Angel is-  What?!"  Spike watched the bunny hop along the floor over to the pegasus.

Fluttershy sneered and turned her head away.  "He's the one who got me into this horrible mess in the first place...  If it weren't for him, I would have never met Discord and could live happily in ignorance of the lie of kindness."

Angel chittered sadly.  He sniffed and held up the plush toy.

She kept her gaze elsewhere, but her ear swiveled to acknowledge him.  "... What?"  She glanced briefly at him.  "Say that again?"

The little bunny hiccuped before he squeaked again.

Her ears fell.  She turned her head and slid down off the booth.  "But, it's yours..."

The bunny shook his head.  He pushed the toy toward her.  Fluttershy was silent and unmoving.

Finally, Pinkie exclaimed, "What is going on?!"

The pegasus picked up the toy in one hoof.  "He says...  I need it more than he does..."  Her expression was muddled.  "But, Angel, it's your favorite."

He shook his head again.  He ran toward her and tried to wrap his little arms around one of her hoofs and squeezed as best he could.

"I'm your favorite?  But..."  Her voice trailed off as she choked.  She squeezed the plush toy and flinched when it gave a loud squeak.

Twilight felt a burst of hope rush through her when she saw a spark of color run through Fluttershy.  It shot down along her back like a flash of lightning, but faded away just as soon as it appeared.  The hope vanished with it.

"Fine, I'll keep it, but I'm not keeping you."

The bunny pulled back, tears in his beady black eyes, and ran to Spike for comfort.  Spike was the closest thing the bunny had to a friend other than Fluttershy, as he was the only one who could petsit him.  The dragon reached down and picked him up.

"Hey, it's okay, little guy.  She's just under a spell.  We'll bring her back."

The bunny buried its face against the scales on his chest.  Spike rubbed his back and looked to the others sadly.

"To make her reject everything she used to love..."  Pinkie slumped down in her seat.  "He must be really special."

Applejack nudged the crook of her foreleg into Pinkie's side.  "Would you cut that out?"

"What?"  She frowned.  "It's gotta be true!  Whenever I lose faith in laughter, it's because of something super important to me!"

This caused Applejack and Twilight to glance at one another.  The alicorn's gaze drifted over to the yellow back facing her and she reached out a hoof to gently touch her shoulder.

"Fluttershy, did he cast a spell on you...  Or did he hurt you that bad?  What really happened?"

Her wing twitched to try to push the hoof away, but it was a weak attempt.  "Let's just make it to Canterlot."  She sighed.  "That's all I agreed to."

The others fell into silence and looked out the window, though each one glanced at Fluttershy with worry and uncertainty.

Fluttershy kept her back to them, but Spike could still see her.  He watched as she stared down at the floor and hugged the toy to her chest.  He watched as her lip trembled and her eyes grew darker.  He stroked his claw gently down Angel's back.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered to the bunny.  "At least, I think so..."