“Has anypony seen Fluttershy?”
Equestria’s newest princess looked around the library, a teapot and six cups and saucers held in her magic. She now realized, however, that there were only five ponies. It was certainly strange. Twilight had made sure to personally invite each of her friends to her tea party, especially as the tea to be served was of special magnificence; Zecora had told Twilight about it—a special Southeast Neighsian blend that was only harvested twice a century—and she had used a little of her royal clout (which she was still getting used to) to obtain some.
Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash all exchanged inquisitive looks, and each shook her head.
“I don’t think I’ve seen her all day, actually,” said Rainbow Dash.
Everypony echoed this sentiment.
“You’re right, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “The last time I saw her was yesterday, when I invited everypony to the tea party.”
Rarity bit her lip apprehensively. “I do hope nothing dreadful has happened.”
This comment set off a chain reaction. Soon everypony (mainly Pinkie Pie) began to guess what sort of dreadful things could have befallen their shy friend. Everypony, that is, except Applejack: she listened for around forty-five seconds, until she could stand no more, then spoke up.
“Quiet, y’all!”
They all stopped talking and looked at her.
“That’s better,” she went on calmly. “Now, s’cuse me fer sayin’ this, but y’all are actin’ silly. Y’all know Shy just as welll as Ah do, so ya shouldn’t be worried. She’s probably just got a critter up at her cottage that needed patchin’ up, and lost track o’ time. Ain’t no need to fret till we got somethin’ to fret about, got me?”
Just as Rarity had set them off, Applejack had quelled their fears. Each couldn’t believe how silly she’d been. Of course it was an animal. Fluttershy would never go to a party if there were a single bent-beaked bird or coughing cat.
They sat around talking, laughing, drinking the tea (which was every bit as good as Twilight had hoped). Every so often, one of them would let her eye wander to the door, wondering whether Fluttershy had yet managed to mend her menagerie, allowing herself to worry just a little. Then, an instant later, she would remind herself of Applejack’s words, chide herself for being foolish, and get drawn back into the discussion.
An hour passed, during which many topics of conversation were exhausted, all the tea was consumed, and Fluttershy remained absent. The group’s talk grew more sparse and hesitant with each passing minute.
Rainbow Dash ended a particularly long silence, saying, “Man, Applejack, that animal must be in pretty rough shape, whatever it is.”
Applejack chuckled. “Ah guess so.”
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie raised a hoof in the air like a schoolfilly.
“Yes, Pinkie?” Twilight said.
“I think we ought to go to Fluttershy’s cottage to check on her. And maybe cheer her up. Because if one of her animal friends is hurt really bad, she will need cheering up. And even though Applejack said not to be worried, I am worried. Super-duper worried,” Pinkie said without once pausing for breath.
It was quickly agreed that Pinkie’s idea was a good one. They all prepared to depart, and Twilight disappeared into the library’s kitchen for a few minutes. She came back out with a pair of saddlebags on her withers, stowing something inside them.
“I figured I’d bring Fluttershy some tea bags, since she missed the party,” she explained. “Is everypony ready? Good. Let’s go.”
The five stepped out of the library’s door and started to make their way through Ponyville. They hadn’t gotten much past the town square when they saw something small and white pelting toward them.
Rarity squinted. “Is that... Angel?”
It was. The rabbit sprinted right up to Twilight and beat desperately on her forelegs for a few seconds, then began a pantomime. He repeatedly fell over backwards, tongue hanging out of his mouth exaggeratedly, his eyes closed as though napping.
“Fluttershy’s... sleeping?” Rainbow Dash guessed. “Huh, that’s not like her to nap in the middle of the day. That’s more my thing. She must be really tired for some reason.”
“I don’t think he means ‘sleeping,’ Rainbow,” Rarity said distractedly, still scrutinizing Angel. “Is it—has she—she’s—yes, I’ve got it—she’s fainted. The poor dear! Something must have frightened her terribly.”
“What do you think, Twilight?” Pinke asked.
Twilight swallowed. “Whatever it is, I don’t like the look of it. We’d better get to Fluttershy’s as soon as possible. Hang on, girls!”
She screwed up her face and sparks of magical energy arced from her horn. Soon, these transformed into a mauve aura, which grew until it encompassed them all. A final surge of effort from Twilight, and they vanished.
They rematerialized in front of Fluttershy’s front door. They heard chirps and squeaks and the occasional unnerving, guttural growl from the nearby Everfree Forest. Angel urged them forward. Twilight put a hoof out and pushed open the door.
It was dark inside, save for the shafts of sunlight coming through the impeccably clean windowpanes, dust motes drifting in them. But no lamps were lit. The group stepped slowly over the threshold, their faces moving in and out of shadow. They listened for a sign of their friend, but all was unnaturally still, the kind of silence that makes one afraid to break it.
Applejack spoke first. “F-Fluttershy?” she called quietly, even her brash tones no match for the eerily oppressive silence.
There was no answer.
“C’mon, Fluttershy, we’re here to cheer you up!” Pinkie announced, her voice at only half its usual energy level. She then pulled a pink heart-shaped balloon out of seemingly nowhere. It floated there, undeniably foreign in the somber atmosphere that permeated a house ordinarily so full of life.
Rainbow Dash was about to call out next, when the ponies noticed Angel at the foot of the stairs. They hadn’t seen him scamper away, but they could all make out what he was doing now: frantically pointing them to the second story.
They followed him up the stairs and down a dim corridor to what they knew was Fluttershy’s bedroom with a growing sense of foreboding. They stopped in front of the bedroom door. With her dread reaching its climax, Twilight pushed it open.
Pinkie Pie’s balloon popped; it would have been almost comical, were it not for the sight before them.
Only in this room had the lights been left on, casting a harsh glare on a grisly scene. Hanging from a ceiling beam, noose around her neck, was Fluttershy. She was swinging almost imperceptibly, the rope creaking slightly with each movement. Directly beneath her, a stool lay tipped over on its side.
Twilight, her mind and heart icy and numb, moved farther into the room. The others followed. Fluttershy was hanging with her back to the door, and they walked around to her front. Now they could see her face. The eyes were closed; the mouth gaped open. The tongue lolled out, no longer the orange color of life but a sickening bluish-purple in death. A nasty black bruise was spreading from where the rope had cut into her throat. Her midsection was also bound in rope, something Twilight hadn’t noticed at first, but found perplexing.
While Twlight continued to stare, morbidly mesmerized, at the body, the others spread around the room in silence. The silence, though torturous, seemed appropriate to Twilight. After all, she had read more books and had a larger vocabulary than anypony here, and even she didn’t have words for what she felt right now. The closest thing she could think of was an abyss inside her, but even that didn’t feel quite right.
The only sounds to be heard were the rope still creaking, and the soft sobs of Rarity, who was the only one to be able to cry so far. Through her tears, she saw a slip of paper lying on the pillow on Fluttershy’s bed. She picked it up.
Seconds later, the silence was broken by Rarity’s tearful stammering, “Soo—soo—soo—” before dissolving into wails, letting the paper fall.
Everypony moved toward her. Twilight saw the paper, picked it up with her magic, and read:
Dear Girls,
I’m sorry. I know I was never a very good friend, always holding you back by being so scared. I don’t want to do that anymore; I love all of you too much to keep letting my life get in your way.
Goodbye,
Fluttershy
