Rebuilding a Rainbow

Rainbow dropped out of the sky, landing right in front of the train's door and walked through. She'd arrived right on time because got on right before the door was locked by an employee and started off. She didn't have any time to congratulate herself though because she found herself face to face with Twilight as soon as she was fully through the door and she didn't look too happy.

"You almost missed the train," she said with a sigh.

"I know, I just lost track of time," Rainbow said, shrugging off the issue like it was nothing. "So, where's everypony else?"

"Apple Jack, Rarity and Fluttershy are in another cart, but Pinkie and I are in this one," she explained. "Now come on. Come sit with us," she added, tilting her head to the right, signaling Rainbow to follow.

"Okay, but why are we in different carts?" Rainbow questioned, walking beside Twilight.

"The others just left us," she said with a sigh. "I don't know why, but they've been quite distant with Pinkie and I all day, preferring to stay with each other. When we did attempt to join them they got real quiet, so we gave up. Well, I did, Pinkie's still at it," she explained, glancing over at Rainbow once more.

"That's weird," Rainbow mumbled as she walked along. The two stopped in front of Pinkie who was perched on a train seat. She smiled at Rainbow and greeted her.

"Hey Rainbow, I haven't seen you in like all day!" She said with a chuckle, patting the seat to her left with a hoof. She certainly looked cheery, but not the Pinkie Pie kind of cheery, a regular pony kind of cheery, meaning something was wrong. "Sit with us," she said.

Dash smiled back at her and sat where she had patted. "Are you okay, Pinkie?" She asked, glancing to the pink pony as Twilight took a seat beside her.

"I'm super duper!" Pinkie said, still smiling, though it seemed slightly smaller than it was before.

Rainbow scrunched up her face, still not believing the pink pony was okay, but she didn't get a chance to question it because Twilight spoke up instead. "Just tell her what happened Pinkie," Twilight said with a sigh, leaning forward in her seat so that she could see Pinkie past Rainbow.

Pinkie's smile faded for a moment, as if holding it there was hard work and then forced it back onto her face as she said, "Well, I saw Fluttershy yelling at you and noticed how upset she looked, so I went after her. I called her name and she turned around to say high. I said hi back and then tried to cheer her up, when I felt really tired all of a sudden. She chuckled with me and looked like she was cheering up, but I felt really super duper tired and it kept getting worse until Twilight and Spike walked in," she explained, glancing over for Twilight to continue the story.

"I had found Angel stuck in her saddle bags and really hungry. So, I fed him and brought him back to her. She seemed happy to see him, but he didn't want anything to do with her, running back to me and climbing onto my back, his arms folded. She tried to coax him over to her, but he refused to go, which was strange, but that wasn't the weirdest thing. For a minute there a green magical aura surrounded him, starting to tear him off my back, but as soon as I noticed it disappeared and Fluttershy took off," Twilight explained, looking away from Pinkie and at Rainbow.

"Was anypony else in the room, like a unicorn or something?" Rainbow questioned and just got a shake of Twilight's head for a response. "So, then who was using magic?" She questioned.

"It had to be Fluttershy."

"But, she's not a unicorn."

"Exactly, she's a changeling," Twilight said with a sigh. "We were looking for Chrysalis the whole time and she was Fluttershy."

"No, that's not right, Twilight. She was acting fine until today and Pinkie saw Chrysalis weeks ago, she wouldn't just get lazy now, maybe you just missed a guard or something," Rainbow said, trying to find an explanation for all of this. She didn't want to believe her best friend had been taken and replaced with Chrysalis.

"Well, maybe she got lazy today because she thought we were leaving the castle, so she'd be safe. Or maybe she just slipped up, using magic is kind of natural to me and I figure it would be no different for her," Twilight responded.

"No, you’re wrong."

"I'm not wrong, just look at poor Pinkie. Fluttershy drained the love from her," she said, pointing a hoof over at Pinkie. She was slumped back in her seat, gazing off in front of her. She looked tired, really tired as tired as she was when the baby cakes had been teething and keeping her up all night. Sure, she tried to ignore it, smiling and acting as happy as always, but it was obvious she was tired. Her smile would start as big as it usually was and then fall slowly, her voice would start loud and loose volume and her eyes would even start to droop, all obvious sighs that this mare was beat.

"Well, then why didn't you tell Celesta, huh? If you’re so convinced she's Chrysalis, why didn't you just turn her in?!" Rainbow questioned, getting loud with Twilight. She attempted to shush Rainbow, but failed, only seeming to make her madder and louder. "She's my best friend, Twilight! Don't you think I would have noticed if she was a changeling?! I'm not stupid!"

"I know you’re not Stupid, Rainbow. Just please, be quiet and listen to me," Twilight pleaded, glancing around nervously as the other ponies started to stare.

"No! I'm not going to listen to you," Rainbow said, folding her forelegs across her chest, angrily.

Twilight sighed and gave up, turning away from Rainbow. She wasn't going to continue having this conversation with everypony staring. It was supposed to be a quite, secretive situation, not a loud one.

Once, Rainbow had noticed this she sat back in her seat, looking away from Twilight and attempting to clam herself down. That's when Pinkie's head landed on her shoulder. She had fallen asleep and was leaning against Rainbow. She took this opportunity to look over her pink friend who really did look tired. She sighed and glanced back to Twilight, ready to start their conversation again, but more quietly.

"Fluttershy has been acting strange," she said and Twilight's purple eyes flickered to her once more.

She nodded and said, "Yeah she has and I would have turned her in for it, but I just didn't have enough proof that she was in fact Chrysalis. You know? Maybe I had missed a guard in the room, but then again why would he or she try and rip Angel off my back? So, I’m asking you to help me. Help me get some proof on this whole thing. Then, we can go to the princess if we're right and catch Chrysalis once and for all."

"Why me?" Rainbow questioned, confused as to why she would ask her out of all her friends to help her.

"Rainbow your her best friend, if anypony's going to notice anything going on with Fluttershy, it's you. So, it's only logical to have you get proof, proof that we can trust is correct," Twilight explained. "So, will you do it, for everypony's sake?"

Rainbow smiled and said, "Of course egghead," hitting Twilight's shoulder lightly with one of her hooves. "But, did you tell the others?"

Twilight shook her head and said, "I don't want to worry them if it's nothing. Pinkie only knows because she was being affected by it, besides the others haven't talked to me at all today anyway. So, can you keep it between us three, at least until we find out a little bit more about it?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Rainbow recited, going through the motions of a Pinkie Promise as best as she could without disturbing its creator who was sound asleep on her shoulder. Twilight just smiled back at her and nodded, clearly satisfied with her decision of choosing Rainbow to help her.

"Dam it you fool, I thought you knew how to play Fluttershy," Chrysalis, who looked just like Rarity currently said in a whisper. She was just outside the door of the cart Twilight, Rainbow and Pinkie were sitting in, where the bathroom was, listening to their whole conversation."Your done. Done. Just go back to the hive and send a replacement tonight, until then keep your stupid mouth shut," she sneered, glaring over at the changeling who was currently disguised as Fluttershy.

The changeling nodded and said, "I am sorry my Queen. I just forgot I was playing a pegasus and that pink pony was so filled with love I figured she wouldn't notice the extra love I drained from her," he said in an attempt to defend himself.

"Yeah, well we're doing that slowly so that they don't notice it and you almost blew it. Do you want the hive to starve?" Chrysalis questioned.

"No, ma'am, I’ll just go get my replacement tonight," he added, glancing down at his hooves.

"Send the one for Twilight Sparkle too. That pony is just going to make this whole plan blow up in our face again if we don't take her now," Chrysalis said with a sigh. "I know we planned to take her last, but plans change when certain changelings mess up, so just do it and I’ll take care of the real Twilight. Hopefully, her impersonator is more prepared than you were," she added with a roll of her eyes. "Do you understand your instructions?"  She asked, wanting to be sure he didn't screw this up as well. He nodded and she lifted a hoof to pat his head. "Good, now you go out there and don't say another word, then you will have no punishment for your mistake," she said affectionately with a smile.

He nodded once more and then walked out of the door, heading back to the cart where the others were seated. Chrysalis sighed and sat, waiting a few minutes so that by the time she left it didn't look like Rarity and Fluttershy had been standing in the same bathroom together. She had chosen to be nice tonight because she didn't like to be vile with her subjects, but she wasn't so sure she could be so nice if one of them screwed up again because this plan was just too important to her and them.

They needed to feast and she needed revenge on these ponies that caused them to starve in the first place. So, this plan had to go right, that or she would loose all her subjects to starvation and a queen would never want that to happen. Plus, revenge on them for all they did, was just too sweet to resist.

"Pinkie, we're here," Rainbow said, poking the mentioned pony with one of her forehooves gently. She was still sound asleep on her shoulder, not that Rainbow minded much, but they were arriving at their stop in a few minutes and she had to be up if the two planned on not missing their stop tonight.

The pink pony shuffled slightly and then lifted her head off of Rainbow's shoulder. She lifted her forehooves to her face and used them to rub at her eyes, letting a small yawn out. Once she'd finished that her big blue eyes spring open and over to Rainbow, a smile on her face. "I'm a big sleepy head," she said with a chuckle. She seemed to have literally jumped awake in just a few seconds, but what else could you expect from Pinkie Pie.

"Yeah. I know," Rainbow said with a chuckle, "But, we're almost home," she explained.

Pinkie nodded and went back to stretching herself out a bit more before she had to walk back home, Rainbow on the other hoof brought her attention back to the pony sitting on the other side of her, Twilight.

The two had been talking practically the whole train ride, not having really hung out together in awhile. Rainbow had asked Twilight about flying and gave her few more pointers on the whole process. Naturally, Twilight had taken a bunch of notes and was now scanning over them, making sure she understood all she had been told. By the time Rainbow looked back to her she had finished looking them over and came up with a few questions. "So keep my wing beats in rhythm with each other?" She questioned, her purple eyes flashing up from her notebook and back to Rainbow.

"Yeah, if you plan on going anywhere. Irregular wing beats won't get your far, but they will get you a ruff, sweaty landing," Rainbow responded with a chuckle. Twilight just nodded and went on to asking her next question.

"Oh and I have to preen my feathers regularly?"

"You cut your mane regularly, right?"

"Yes, I like to keep it in the same style."

"Then, preen your feathers regularly too. It's like a mane cut for your wings."

"So, I cut my feathers when I preen them? I imagine that would be rather painful."

"No! That would hurt," Rainbow explained, face hoofing herself. Really, this confusion was all her fault, after all she'd mentioned preening, but hadn't really taught Twilight how to do it herself. She and Fluttershy had instead done it for her and apparently the fact that they chatted the whole time didn't really help the alicorn learn anything.

"But, you just said to preen my feathers like I cut my mane," Twilight said, her face scrunching up in confusion.

"You know what, never mind. Just, stop by my place on the weekend and I’ll show you how to do it, alright?"

"Alright," Twilight said with a nod, scribbling a few things down and then levitated her notebook and pencil back into her saddlebags with her magic. "That's all the questions I can think of," she explained with a smile. Rainbow smiled back at her, glad she didn't have any more questions for her. She was just about to bring up the latest Daring Doo book, which was set to come out soon, but was interrupted by Pinkie.

"Are you two coming?" She asked with a smile, snapping both Rainbow and Twilight's eyes back to her. She looked a lot better now that she had napped some and had time to fully wake up. Her signature smile was still on her face and she was standing by the door holding it open.

"Yes, Pinkie. We're coming," Twilight said with a reassuring smile as she got off the seat. Rainbow followed her actions then the two walked to and out the door Pinkie was holding open.

Outside the door the rest of their friends were waiting for them. Rarity and Apple Jack seemed to be deep in a conversation and Fluttershy was just staring down at her hooves quietly. Dash sighed and approached the other pegasus, "Hey, Flutters," she said with a smile, trying to get the pegasus to say something back to her, but she just got a glance and a smile. She was convinced her friend was a changeling, thanks to Twilight, but just the sad expression Fluttershy or whoever this was wore was the one her best friend had so many times before, and she couldn't help, but feel sympathy for her, him, it?

"Look, I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier, b.." Rainbow began again, but was cut off my Twilight who rested a hoof on her shoulder.

"Just give her some time, Rainbow," she said with a smile. Dash knew she was just trying to get her away from the suspected changeling, and didn't really mean what she said, but she figured it was good advice anyway. She nodded and turned walking over to where Rarity, Apple Jack and now Pinkie were standing.

Apple Jack and Rarity were talking, and Pinkie was trying to communicate with them, but she seemed confused by their conversation. They were talking about their earlier dinner, something no pony, but them had been to and so when Rainbow and Twilight joined the conversation they too were confused.

"Oh, hello Twilight, Rainbow," Rarity greeted with a smile. "Did you have a good train ride? I always love going on those things. The seats are uncomfortable at best and the train carts are decorated quite badly, but the landscape is always so gorgeous! Just looking at it makes me want to start on a few new designs back at the boutique," she said.

"Hiya guys," AJ greeted once Rarity had finished speaking.

"It was fine," Twilight said, nonchalantly and Rainbow agreed with a nod.

Pinkie shrugged and said, "I don't know how it was because I was out like a candle on a birthday cake after everypony sings Happy Birthday!" She finished off with a chuckle. "Speaking of birthday cakes, I've got to start baking one now! Pumpkin and Pound's birthdays are tomorrow and I have to make sure they have one! And! They can't just have any cake; they have to have a Pinkie Pie, extra special little cakes' cake!" She explained before waving and then taking off, leaving nothing, but kicked up dust behind her.

The others laughed. "For some pony who was exhausted literally an hour ago, she's moving pretty fast," Twilight noted.

"She's Pinkie Pie," Rainbow said with a shrug, as if that was a reasonable explanation, which it wasn't for Twilight. She opened her mouth to say just that and then remembered that the pony they were talking about was in fact Pinkie Pie, which meant just saying, she's Pinkie Pie was a very reasonable explanation. It was also one that she had learned not to question the hard way. So, she closed her mouth and just nodded.

"I should be goin too," Apple Jack said. "I've been away from mah farm for so long and I just feel terrible leavin Big Mac ta do all the work," she said with a sigh. "I'll catch ya'll later," she added, before turning to walk off.

"Well, it seems as though everypony else is leaving and I should be on my way as well. I have to package and send out a bunch of dresses and suits I finished while in Canterlot. But first, Twilight would you mind coming back to my boutique with me for a quick fitting. I know that Princess Celestia's birthday bash is coming up rather soon and I already drew out a design for the dress I would like you to wear to it. I find it very fitting not only for you, but for as big of an event as the Princess' birthday. All I have to do now is get some measurements on you and I should be good to go," Rarity said with a smile, looking a bit too eager to get Twilight's measurements, but then again this was going to be the princess' first ever birthday bash and she was very excited to have been invited.

"Wait, Rarity. You’re making dresses for everypony to wear?" Rainbow asked, having not heard of this before.

"Why of course! I can't have you all wearing anything, but what I have specifically designed for you to Princess Celestia's first birthday bash ever! And don't worry Rainbow, I don't need your measurements, I have them saved from last time, but I had to discard Twilight's when she got those wings of hers," Rarity began. "But, I will need everypony to come by the boutique so that you can try on your dresses before the event, just to make sure they fit correctly, of course," she added, smiling at Rainbow who she knew wouldn't be too thrilled about doing that. As predicted the cyan pony sighed, but nodded understandingly. "So, Twilight could you come back to my boutique with me?"

"Sure," Twilight responded with a smile and with that the two started on their way to Rarity's boutique. She turned before she left to say goodbye to Rainbow and Fluttershy, but noticed the shy pony had taken off while they were chatting. "Remember what I asked you to do Rainbow," she said, before turning to walk off with Rarity again.

Rainbow nodded, just having noticed Fluttershy or whoever it was' abstinence. She then called her goodbyes to Rarity and Twilight before heading back to her house.

"So, how are the other dresses coming along?" Twilight asked, sitting in a chair at the Carousel Boutique.

"Oh, they're not done yet. I just didn't have any inspiration for them yet, but yours looks magnificent and it'll look even better when it's all done," Rarity called from her back room. She had gone back there to get what she needed to take her measurements and of course a pen and notebook to write them down on, but she had been gone for quite some time now.

"Well, have you started your dress?" Twilight questioned, not really too keen on sitting there silently like she had been doing before.

"Well, no, but again you can't rush creativity," Rarity called. The call was followed by a crashing sound that alarmed Twilight.

"Oh, Rarity are you okay in there?" Twilight asked, her ears perked up on her head as she started for the backroom.

"Oh, yes dear I am fine. I just knocked over a ponyquinn that's all," Rarity said as she jumped out from the room and closed it, blocking Twilight's view inside. "Now, please be a dear and sit over there. I don't want you to see my room it's a very unpleasant mess," she said with a forced smile.

"Okay? I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Twilight said, tilting her head in confusion. She knew Rarity's backroom was a mess, in fact she'd seen it first hoof before and Rarity had no problem with it, so why would she now? "It probably just got worse and she's embarrassed of it now," Twilight assured herself as she turned and walked back to her chair.

Once Twilight had walked away Rarity walked back into her room and closed the door. "You idiot! Why is it so difficult to fly through a window without hitting anything?! She hissed, hitting a changeling who had just pulled himself out from under a ponyquinn with her right hoof. "Hopefully you’re better at playing the stupid bookworm than flying," she commented with a roll of her eyes. "Now come on, we don't have all night," she added, turning to walk towards the door again.

When Rarity walked through the door Twilight stood up, ready to be measured, but she soon noticed that she didn't have a measuring tape, pen or notebook. "Did you forget the stuff?" She asked, glancing back at Rarity, but her gaze soon shifted when she noticed a changeling behind her. "Rarity, run! There's a changeling behind you!" She instructed, but Rarity didn't comply she just smiled and laughed.

"Why of course Twilight, I’m there queen!" Rarity said with a chuckle, her voice shifting into that of Chrysalis'.

"No!"

"Yes! Ha! How does it feel to be stupid?! You were so concerned about Fluttershy when you really should have been focusing on me and now what? You’re trapped," Chrysalis, who was disguised as Rarity said.

"No, I’m not!" Twilight said, using her magic to fling the door open and then turning to run for it, but right before she could get outside the door slammed shut.

"Poor little Twilight. You really should have spent more time on athletics than reading then you might have gotten away, but then again I did get Apple Jack and she's in pretty good shape. So, yeah you stood no chance anyway, she did put up a pretty good fight though," Chrysalis said with a chuckle as her changeling came for Twilight with a needle. "Now, sit still because quite frankly she could care less where she stabs you with that needle and we wouldn't want it to be your eye or something like that," she added with a chuckle.

Twilight tried to run and continued to struggle, but it was in vain because the changeling had already stabbed her in the foreleg with the needle and squeezed the liquid into her. Her vision got hazy, but she continued to try and fight it until she was too tired to move anymore. The last thing she saw was her right forehoof going up to try and swat the brown bag the changeling was throwing over her away and after that she was asleep.

"Good, now get into disguise and go home to the library. Oh, and remember don't freak out when you see the dragon he's only a baby now and isn't dangerous as long as you look like bookworm over there," Chrysalis said in her own voice before fixing it to match Rarity's. "Now, carry on dear. I've got to take care of this trash," she said with a smile. She then grabbed a hold of the bag Twilight was in and started tugging it into her backroom then out the backdoor. She glanced around for a moment and then flew off with the bag to where she was keeping the rest of the elements.

Twilight woke up rather unpleasantly. She could feel too hooves on the side of her face, but couldn't see them or who they belonged to because her eyes were shaking around in their sockets as her head was shaken roughly. "Just let go of me Chrysalis!" She yelled, flinging her hooves out to try and hit the pony shaking her.

"I'll stop shakin' ya, but I ain't no Chrysalis!" A voice answered as the hooves were lowered from Twilight's face.

"Apple Jack?" Twilight asked as her eyes started refocusing.

"Eyup!" Apple Jack said, flashing Twilight a smile as her eyes got back into focus.

Twilight then flung her hooves around the farm pony and said, "Thank Celestia your okay! Chrysalis told me she went after you, but the way she said it made me think you...you weren't with us anymore. A-and I thought the same thing was going to happen to me," she explained, tears forming in her eyes. AJ could tell this just by the way her voice sounded and she smiled as she rubbed her hoof against the purple alicorn's back.

"Well, ahm not dead and you certainly aren't, but with the fight I gave Chrysalis I’m surprises she ain't," Apple Jack said with a chuckle as she let Twilight go.

The purple alicorn rubbed the tears from her eyes and said, "I didn't see any marks on her, but she was disguised as Rarity when I saw her.

"Me too, I beat er' up as Rarity, so she should still look hurt," AJ said with a confused expression. "How would she be healed already?"

"Love! She has to be well fed on love and have enough to use for healing," Twilight explained. "But, the thing is, we're fine so where is she getting it from?"

"Well, she's got us," Apple Jack said, glancing over herself and then Twilight. "We're a little bruised up, but I ain't feelin like she's feedin off me," she added with a shrug.

"Well, where's Rarity?" Twilight asked and AJ just shrugged and she sighed. "Then, she's feeding off of Rarity..."

"Poor Rarity, she don't deserve that," AJ said with a sigh as she thought about how tired and drained her friend must feel right now.

"I know," Twilight said with a sigh as she hung her head. "Hopefully Rainbow, Pinkie or Fluttershy figured this whole thing out before it gets to be too much for her. I just wish I would have overlooked Fluttershy's strange behavior and just focused on Rarity, then we might not be in this mess."

"Did ya notice I was gone?"

"No, Chrysalis has a changeling playing you," Twilight said with a shrug, "Why?"

"Well, if Fluttershy was acting weird maybe that's because they got her too! They just got someone covering for er!" AJ said. "So, we've just gotta hope Rainbow and Pinkie figure it out," she added.

"Your right! Twilight said with a smile. "I guess it's a good think I told Rainbow to watch Fluttershy then because maybe she'll figure it out," Twilight said happily.

"But, that's another problem."

"What is?"

"We don't know where Flutters is either," Aj said with a sigh.

Twilight sighed and said, "They must be feeding off Rarity and Fluttershy." AJ nodded and Twilight glanced away from her sadly. "Then, that means we're going to get fed off of too," she added with a sigh. AJ just nodded silently again.

"Can you," Rarity began, but was cut off as a fork full of food was magically shoved into her mouth. She chewed the food swallowed and began again, "Could you stop that!" She complained before another forkful was shoved into her mouth. "Oh, what a gentlecolt," she said sarcastically as soon as she had swallowed that bite. Right after she'd gotten those words out another bite was shoved into her mouth. "I'm trying to tell you something!" She said, swallowing the last forkful quite quickly. He then went to shove another forkful into her mouth and she used all of her strength to swat it away with her magic. "Stop it!" She shouted, wiggling her captured forehooves to try and get free. "I am tired and this stupid, tacky cocoon is making all the blood rush to my head. So, I have a horrible headache! Now, please be a gentlecolt and cut me down from here so that I can brush this filth off of me!" She yelled from the position she was hanging in. Around her was some sort of cocoon that previously been covering her entire body, but was brushed away when a guard came in to feed her. Of course she took this opportunity to complain about her condition, but the guard kept shoveling food down her throat and not listening to her. So, she grew aggravated with him and complained even more because a tired and in pain Rarity was not a happy Rarity.

The guard rolled his eyes, put the plate of food down on the floor and then recovered the cocoon over her head. Rarity screamed as he did it, but he ignored it and covered her anyway. Once it was covering her the screaming stopped and every muscle in her body did as well. He smiled, waved goodbye and left the room as fast as he could.

Rarity watched him leave and if she could move right now she would have let out a sigh, but she couldn't. She just looked down at the food he was feeding her and thought that she should have been nicer to him because she really was hungry. But, now all that she could do was hang here motionlessly and try to get some sleep, either that or sit there and get more tired. So, she forced her eye lids shut and tried to forget the headache she had and the hunger she felt so that she could get some sleep. Her face had developed some pretty large dark circles and was pretty puffy by now. Her mane was also a disaster, her make-up badly smudged from the tears she had shed and quite frankly she could really care less about it because she just wanted to get out of this situation alive and nothing more.

Fluttershy was in a much different situation than Rarity. She hadn't been put into a cocoon and was instead seated on the room's bed. Sure, being here was quite boring, but she wasn't being harmed and every so often one of the changelings would come in and chat with her. He had a crown on his head, though she didn't know why, but he was easy to talk to and just being able to talk to somepony after being locked up all alone in an empty room all day felt amazing. Actually, he was had just walked into the room with some food floating beside him for her. "Hello, Fluttershy," he greeted with a smile.

"Oh, hello," she greeted with a smile, sitting up straighter to talk with him.

"I brought you a rose sandwich," he stated, floating the plate over to her so that she could see.

"That's very sweet," she said with a smile, looking over the plate of food before reaching out to grab it. She took a bite, swallowed and then said, "It's very good. Did you make it yourself?"

"Of course, anything for you," he said with a smile, inviting himself to sit beside her as she ate. Usually, she would have not been comfortable with him sitting so close to her, but she'd grew used to him and actually considered him a friend, so she didn't mind.

He was quiet for a moment and his happy facial expression faded into a sad one as he let out a sigh. Fluttershy noticed this and asked, "What's the matter, Clyde?"

He sighed again and said, "They wanted to send somepony else in to cut your wings and I was trying so hard to stop them from doing it, but they just wouldn't reason with me," he shook his head and lifted his hooves to run at his face. "They want me to do it now and I don't want to do it, but I know if I don't somepony else will and they will hurt you more than they have to," he added.

"Oh," Fluttershy said, her green eyes falling from him to her own hooves. "I won't fly if they don't want me to," she offered, not wanting to have her wings cut anymore then he didn't want to cut them. She'd never had it done to her before, but Rainbow's were cut by the pony that kidnapped her and had told her about how painful it was. She'd compared it to having somepony cut your hoof off, something Fluttershy could understand because to pegasi wings were limbs just like hooves were.

"I told them that, but they still wanted me to do it," he said, letting his forehooves fall back to the bed. "I promise to try and do as gentle as possible and I’ll even get some ice for you," he said, glancing back to her.

"Oh, thank you," she said with a smile after she finished the last bite of her food. "So, do you have to do it now?" She asked.

Clyde nodded and asked her to stretch one of her wings out, she did so and he floated a pair of scissors in from outside the door. He sighed once more and separated her primary flight feathers from the others. "I'm starting now," he said and noticed her wing tense up a bit, but started to cut her feathers anyway.

Her wings tensed even more as he cut the feathers and she gripped the bed with her forehooves, tears streaming down her face. She was crying quite loudly actually and trying to keep her wing still for him, even though her instincts told her to pull it away now and get away. It started to get so painful that she let out screams and actually decided to listen to her instincts and yank her wing away, but he had it held their pretty good with his forehooves and now magic. He responded to her pain with a blank expression and said nothing to try and comfort her. Actually, all he did say was, "This one's done, give me the other one.

Fluttershy let her cut wing hang limply at her side and glanced back at her remaining one with a sigh and a sob as she stretched it out for him. "P-please b-be q-quic-cker," she stuttered as he grabbed a hold of it with his forearms and magic. He didn't say anything back; just continue on with his work.

Once Clyde had finished with her wings he left to get the ice he had promised her and she just sat there sobbing. She wanted to cradle her pained wings, but refused to move them because that made the pain worse. She was still sobbing and by now had given herself a headache because of it. She sighed and her body convulsed, causing a flood of tears to pour from her eyes all at once, she brought up a hoof to wipe them, but barley wanted to even move with the pain she was in. She wiped and wiped at her face, but the tears kept coming and so she gave up, letting herself lay on stomach, her head rested on the bed's pillow. As her tears continued to fall she stared up at the hoof marks on the bed's headboard to try and take her mind off the pain.

There was a bunch of hoof marks on the headboard and they were spread randomly about it. They were imprinted pretty deeply into the wood, which meant they must have hurt to make. This made Fluttershy wonder why somepony would make them in the first place, since Clyde said he had personally taken care of everypony in this room for years and made sure they were treated the best that the changelings allowed him to treat them. So, she couldn't imagine anypony under his care would become so mad to the point that they would pound their hooves into the headboard. Then again, some ponies get mad when they're in pain and if any other pegasi had their wings clipped here they would have been in excruciating pain like she was and gotten mad, so they took it out on the headboard. Yeah, that's what she was going with now, it made her feel better to think that she wasn't alone and that it had happened to other pegasi before her here, all of which had gotten out alive. Clyde had told her that and promised the same would be true for her, but she had to be patient and so she was.

She just hung out in the room quietly all day, playing around with her hooves or thinking, she'd eat when somepony came in to feed her and never complain about the meal, she'd even complement them on their appearance every once in awhile, that way they'd have no excuse to not let her go. She hoped they'd even let Rarity, the only pony she knew was being kept here with go when she was let free, but Clyde had said that was a matter of Rarity's behavior and if she knew Rarity she was whining and complaining about everything, which wasn't good. So, she was extra good, that way she might be able to bargain with them over Rarity and the two could be set free together, to continue on with their lives.

She thought about all of this as she waited for Clyde to return with her ice, too bad he never came and just left her to try and get some shut eye even though her wings were killing her. She ended up just staring at the hoof marks on the headboard and being lost in her thoughts all night long, not being able to do anything, never mind sleep with the pain her wings were causing her.