Episode 3: Mageismoiras

Chapters

Prologue and Chapter 1: The first 48 hours
Ara, Crater, Octans
The Monster's Creation
Pink Lady
The First Nightfall
Spike's Nightfall
No Regrets
Agents of Chaos
The Choices
Epilogue: Flutterage
Lypouni Flower, Broken Vessel

Prologue and Chapter 1: The first 48 hours

Prologue

A lamp lay in pieces on the floor next to the nightstand, and the quilt on Fluttershy’s bed lay crumpled in a heap against the wall, covering just a fraction of Fluttershy’s hind hooves. The glass in a small curio had been shattered, and pieces of glass animals lay strewn in the debris. Blood pooled around Fluttershy’s head, turning parts of her mane red in the process.

Rarity stood still in the doorway for a moment. Her lips were frozen and her mouth remained in the shape of an ‘o’. She ran to Fluttershy’s side and finally began to scream.

“Fluttershy!” Rarity yelled, “Fluttershy, no, no, no, this can’t be right! Fluttershy!”

Rarity’s aura enveloped Fluttershy’s head, but when she lifted it up, the shock caused her to lose her concentration, and the pegasus’ head fell to the wooden floor with a thud.

“Rarity!” Rainbow Dash’s voice called from downstairs, “I told you not to go up there!”

Rarity went quiet again. She stood over her best friend’s body as tears fell onto the blood stained mane. The door behind her burst open and Rainbow Dash flew into the room, only to stop just as Rarity did when she entered.

“Sweet Celestia, why did you come up here?” She yelled.

Rarity’s hoof moved against Fluttershy’s back. Her body was cold; the muscles already began to stiffen. Rarity was pushed away by Rainbow Dash’s wings, and she watched as Rainbow Dash lifted Fluttershy up and cradled her in her hooves.

“Get up, Fluttershy!" Rarirty yelled, "Wake up! Wake up!”

“She…” Rainbow Dash quivered, “She can’t hear you.”

“Get Twilight!” Rarity yelled, “Get a letter to Celestia! Do something!”

Rarity’s knees wobbled and she fell to the floor. Something pierced into her neck. She reached up and pulled out a piece of glass in the shape of a horn. She looked up to see Rainbow Dash still holding onto Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash’s mouth moved, but the words turned into garbled sound in Rarity’s ears. Rarity turned her gaze to the corner of the room. A design had been burned into the wall; a series of lines radiating from the center surrounded by a circle. Her swoon continued until everything went black.

*****

Chapter 1

The Carousel Boutique was placed on the outskirts of the town bazaar, away from the food stands and a small store that sold only sofas and quills. The other storefronts were dark and covered for the evening, but the lights within the Carousel Boutique burned through the windows, letting the passersby know that its proprietor was still awake, still moving, and still creating. The autumn evening brought with it the curled wisps of cloud that the pegasi of Cloudsdale used to help with temperature control, but it still allowed for an open space for Luna’s Moon to shine down on the town of Ponyville. Thanks to the moonlight, the Carousel Boutique shimmered in the night like a beacon; its white walls called out to the two ponies that stood twenty strides away.

“Thanks fer comin’,” Applejack said, “Ah know how much Rarity means to ya.”

The figure that stood beside Applejack remained silent. Applejack turned from her companion and focused her attention on the boutique. Through the drawn shades, the shadows of fabrics flew through the air, and Rarity’s silhouette paced back and forth. Applejack shook her head. Even now, Applejack thought, Rarity’s still thinking about fashion. She took a few steps forward, but the hoot of an owl stopped her in her tracks.

“Y’all don’t suppose that’s Owlowiscious, do ya?”

The figure turned his head toward the source of the noise.

“Nope.”

“How can ya tell?”

“Ah’m good at listenin’, is all.”

“Ah guess that’s why Rarity likes ya so much.”

Big Macintosh easily caught up with Applejack, and together they made their way to Carousel Boutique. They stood in front of the door for a moment and looked at each other as though to silently argue over who’s knocking would be more welcome for the white unicorn that stood on the other side. Applejack nudged her head towards the door. Big Macintosh turned away and raised his hoof to the door. Though he tried to knock lightly, his heavy hoof made a deep pounding sound against the door.

The two ponies stood for a moment. The sound of fabrics and sewing tools as they fell to the floor came from the other side of the door. Rarity’s squeak broke through the sound of the inanimate objects, and the sound of hissing as her cat, Opalescence, was sent to another room. A moment later, the door opened, and the three ponies stood together. Rarity looked at her two guests through her red-rimmed glasses. A measuring tape was draped around her neck like a scarf.

“Oh Applejack, darling.” Rarity said, “How wonderful for you to come. I was worried, what with the time and all. And Big Macintosh, I’m certainly glad to see you, too.”

“You can just call me Mac, Miss Rarity.” Big Macintosh replied with a hint of blush on his face.

“I’ll stop calling you Big Macintosh the moment you stop calling me Miss Rarity.”

Applejack rolled her eyes as the couple continued on. Her brother was a gentlecolt through and through and would never allow himself to speak to a mare without saying ‘Miss’, and Rarity hated using nicknames, which she always called ‘diminutives’, unless she was referring to her cat. A smile crept on Applejack’s face as she entered Rarity’s home and turned around just in time to see her brother bow his head to enter as well. She couldn’t quite figure out what had brought these two together, but it made her smile to think that not only one of her best friend’s was happy, but so was her brother. Though he never said what was on his mind much, she could always tell when he thought of Rarity by the smile that always crept onto his face.

“So, Rarity,” Applejack said, “what are ya doin’ up at this time makin’ clothes?”

Rarity turned away from Big Macintosh and turned to her male ponnequins that she had lined up against the mirror at the back of the boutique. Each of them wore a pair of black slacks, each in a different design. On one of the ponnequin’s heads, however, was a shiny black cowpony hat. A purple aura surrounded the hat and it levitated over to Applejack.

“Oh, you know how I get sometimes,” Rarity replied, still staring at the ponnequins, “I just get inspired sometimes and I just have to create. I made this hat for you. It’s just a little something to let you know I’m thinking of you, is all.”

Applejack looked over to her brother, whose normally stoic eyes had taken on a look of concern. Applejack knew that since her brother rarely spoke to anypony that he was very good as reading body language and hearing what goes unsaid. She watched as Big Macintosh took a few hesitant steps towards Rarity. The purple aura surrounded one of the ponnequins and it hovered in between Rarity and Big Macintosh.

“Oh, and Big Macintosh,” Rarity said from behind the ponnequin, “I just had to make this for you, too. I know you aren’t much into fashion or anything like that, but I think you would look simply dashing if you were to go out on the town one night for dinner or something like that. You can’t just stay at the farm forever. You must go out and live a little.”

A box crashed in the workroom, and Rarity turned to run towards the sound.

“Oh, Opal,” Rarity called out, “I told you not to get into the jewelry box.”

Rarity rushed into her workroom, leaving Applejack with the hat on her hoof and Big Macintosh with a pair of slacks draped over his foreleg. The two Apple siblings stood in silence for a moment, but then Applejack broke the silence.

“Ya know this is just how she deals with things.”

Big Macintosh looked down at the slacks he held and then turned to Applejack.

“Eeyup.”

Applejack turned to the workroom, where the sound of jewelry being placed back into a box could be heard. Two days, Applejack thought, it’s only been two days. Upon the news of Fluttershy’s death, the visit from Princess Celestia had been immediate, but also swift. It was she, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle who were present when Princess Celestia arrived at the cottage and viewed the scene. Applejack hadn’t seen Twilight Sparkle since just after Princess Celestia’s arrival, or Rainbow Dash since just before Princess Celestia’s arrival, and Pinkie Pie had disappeared even before that. Princess Celestia spent only a few minutes in Fluttershy’s bedroom before she emerged and ordered the three of them not to say anything to anypony about the incident. She stationed a guard at the cottage and returned to Canterlot as swiftly as she had arrived. Applejack knew she shouldn’t have broken Princess Celestia’s trust by telling her brother about Fluttershy, but she knew that he would have eventually found out about it from Rarity.

“Rarity’s been in there a while.” Applejack finally said.

“Eeyup.”

“Think maybe we should check in on her?”

“Eeyup.”

The two ponies moved to the workroom and saw Rarity in the middle of the room. Most of the jewelry had been returned to the box, but a small mane pin hovered in front of her. The pin was of a blue butterfly. As Rarity’s aura surrounded it, a blue glow emitted from the pin. Opalescence sat by her owner’s side and rubbed her head against Rarity’s flank.

“Opal,” Rarity whispered, “You can just be so clumsy at times, can’t you?”

“Uh, Rarity?” Applejack asked, “Are y’all okay?”

Though Applejack spoke gently, she watched as the sound of her voice caused Rarity to leap to her hooves and turn around. The aura around the butterfly disappeared and the pin fell to the floor.

“Oh, Applejack, I’m sorry.” Rarity said, “I was just… putting up the jewelry that Opal had knocked over.”

Applejack and Rarity turned their attention to the butterfly pin. Rarity took a moment to pick up the pin with her hoof and placed it back into the jewelry box. The jewelry box levitated to the desk near the entrance, but Rarity continued to look at the pin that had been placed on top of the jewelry pile.

“Do you remember the night we all went to the Grand Galloping Gala?” Rarity asked, “All Fluttershy wanted to do was talk to the animals in the Royal Canterlot Gardens.”

A lump formed in Applejack’s throat.

“Yep, ah remember,” Applejack said as she made her way to her friend, “She couldn’t get none of ‘em to talk to her, and by the end of the night, she ended up grabbing a squirrel with her teeth.”

The two mares shared a small laugh at the memory, but as Applejack got closer, she could see small tears begin to form in the corners of Rarity’s eyes.

“How about ah make us some tea?” Applejack said, “Would ya like that, sugarcube?”

Rarity turned her head towards Big Macintosh and nodded. Applejack made her way to the door and was gone a moment later, leaving Rarity and Big Macintosh alone in the workroom. The red stallion draped the pair of slacks over a desk and went over to Rarity.

“Knowing Applejack, I’m sure she must have told you what happened, despite the order from Princess Celestia.”

“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh replied.

“Though, I’m sure she hasn’t told you everything, has she?”

“Nope.”

“As it should be,” Rarity said as she closed the lid to the jewelry box, “Come, we should go see if Applejack needs help with the tea.”

Rarity’s eyes squeezed shut for a moment, and a sniffle escaped from her lips. Rarity had made it just past Big Macintosh when she felt a hoof on her back. She turned around to see Big Macintosh staring right into her eyes.

“One time, down at the farm,” Big Macintosh said, “We had a problem with a cockatrice. Applejack and I tried to do what we could to get rid of it, but nothin’ we did worked. Then one night, Fluttershy came to the farm. Fluttershy didn’t even wince when she saw it. She just gave it a look and off it went as fast as its little legs could carry it.”

Rarity cocked her head to the side and continued to look on as Big Macintosh spoke.

“We all remember Fluttershy a little bit different. Ah know she’s gone, but if we all bring together what we remember of her, it’s like puttin’ her together again.”

Rarity’s eyes widened and she leaned in to give Big Macintosh a kiss on the cheek.

“You always know what to say, Big Macintosh,” Rarity said, “Which is why it makes me sad that you talk so little. Why don’t we all sit down over a nice cup of jasmine tea?”

Rarity and Big Macintosh left the workroom. On the desk, the blue butterfly pin glittered in the light from the main room that bled into the workroom. Rarity closed the door, and the workroom was enveloped in darkness once more.

*****

Twilight Sparkle sat in the study on the top floor of the Golden Oak Library. The sound of leaves as they rustled in the wind whispered above her head. She looked out of her window for a moment to look at Luna’s Moon as it rest high in the sky. The moon edged upwards higher until it finally disappeared completely from the window’s view. A series of candles surrounded the edges of the desk, and she turned her attention back to one of the books that Discord had given her in the alicorn-locked section of the Crystal City Library. She continued to read on into the night, and the light from the candles sent shadows of her own form against the wall. The silhouetted reflections danced with one another, combined, separated, and disappeared. The sound of the leaves was accompanied by the occasional turn of a page. A dark purple aura surrounded a quill that rest on the edge of the desk next to a scroll. The aura enveloped the scroll and it unwound. Twilight Sparkle remained silent as the quill’s scratches against the scroll joined the chorus of leaves.

“Geomancy,” Twilight Sparkle began, “Originally began as a form of divination using lines and figures connected between geographic features. The most common form of this magic was through the utilization of locations within the element of earth, but when unicorns developed magic powers over the other elements of air, water, and fire, so, too, did the ability to divine events from said elements. Separately, these became known as aeromancy, hydromancy, and pyromancy. As the powers of unicorns became more controlled, there came to be a power where certain unicorns could divine the fates not just through interpreting said geographic features, but by manipulating them at their most basic levels. When taken together, these forms of magic became known collectively as “alchemancy”.”

Twilight Sparkle lowered the quill and placed a hoof on her chin. Permanently altering an object’s basic makeup, she thought. Twilight Sparkle was no stranger to altering different objects for her magic studies – she could make moustaches appear out of thin air, change rocks and sticks to top hats and canes, even changing a frog into an orange – but this seemed an alien concept to her. It had never occurred to her that the ability to change objects could be permanent. This was definitely a subject that she would have to get back to later on, but for now, she needed to find the magic that Discord had told her about two days ago.

If they know that there are ponies who can create death, then they know that there are ponies who can create life.

The pages flipped with increased speed as Twilight Sparkle’s eyes skimmed over the words of each section. Finally, her eyes stopped at a word whose meaning was immediately known to her.

“Necromancy,” Twilight Sparkle whispered, “A form of magic most commonly associated with communication between the spirits of those who have passed, but can also include the physical raising of said spirits through the medium of an unbroken vessel. An unbroken vessel?”

A knock at the door caused Twilight Sparkle to fall from her sitting place. The door opened at the bottom of the staircase, and Twilight Sparkle listened as Spike made his way up the stairs.

“Twilight,” Spike asked, “You mentioned earlier about an experiment you wanted me to help you with?”

“Of course,” Twilight Sparkle replied as she rolled up the scroll she had written upon and blew out the candles, “I was just rereading something to make sure I knew what we needed to find.”

“Yes ma’am, that’s me,” Spike replied, “I can help you find anything.”

“There’s something that I need to get from Fluttershy’s house. However, there’s a guard stationed outside of her cottage.”

“Whoa,” Spike said, “What’s a Royal Guard doing outside Fluttershy’s place?”

“Oh, you know,” Twilight Sparkle lied to her assistant, “Sometimes Discord just gets unruly and Fluttershy’s really the only pony who seems to have any sway over him.”

“I see,” Spike replied as he raised an eyebrow.

“Yep,” Twilight Sparkle continued, “Anyway, the guard isn’t allowed to let anypony in, so I’m going to need you to distract him while I go in and get what I need.”

Twilight Sparkle made her way down the staircase to the main room of the library. Her eyes darted around the room as she mentally prepared herself for what she was about to do. The darkness in the room was interrupted as two yellow eyes appeared in the corner. She went to her second assistant.

“Just tell the guard that you need to see Fluttershy about Owlowiscious.” She said to Spike, still staring at the owl.

“But, Owlowiscious isn’t sick, Twilight.”

“I know that,” Twilight Sparkle replied, “But you just need to distract him for a few minutes while I go in and get what I need.”

“And what is it that you need?”

“An unbroken vessel.”

Twilight Sparkle continued to pace around the room while Spike began to scratch his head at that she had just told him. Spike said nothing, however, as he went over to Owlowiscious to lift him from his perch. Twilight Sparkle stood at the door of the library and was joined by Spike and Owlowiscious. Her eyes, which only a few moments ago darted back and forth as though reading from an invisible book, now remained motionless as she reached up her hoof to open the door. Unbroken vessel, Twilight Sparkle thought, I just need to put her back together again. Twilight Sparkle opened the door, and they entered the darkness as they made their way towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

Ara, Crater, Octans

Twilight Sparkle hid behind the chicken coop in front of Fluttershy’s cottage as she watched Spike walk up to the front door with Owlowiscious on his shoulder. The guard simply watched him as he made his way closer. With each step she watched as the guard’s eyebrow rose higher.

“Uh, excuse me,” Spike said, “But Princess Sparkle’s pet bird is sick, and she wanted me to bring him over to Fluttershy to see what she could do.”

“There is no entry allowed into Miss Fluttershy’s cottage, by order of Princess Celestia.”

“And I completely understand that,” Spike replied as he tried to put his best charm techniques to use, “But you know how these princesses are with their birds. Surely you know what happened when somepony tried to heal Philamena on her own, right?”

The guard remained motionless.

“Right?”

“There is no entry allowed into Miss Fluttershy’s cottage.”

Spike scratched his head and turned to Owlowiscious, who simply hooted at him.

“How about if I just let Owlowiscious try to fly into the cottage without me?”

“I thought you said he was sick.”

“Well, yeah, but,” Spike stuttered, “I don’t think the problem is with his wings, I think there’s something wrong with his neck.”

Spike reached up to Owlowiscious’s head and spun it around in a complete circle. He turned back to the guard and gave an awkward smile.

“Owls do that normally.”

“Oh, right.”

“Who,” Owliscious hooted.

“Owls do,” The guard replied, after which he immediately placed a hoof on his forehead, “Listen, I know Princess Twilight Sparkle wants you to bring her owl to Fluttershy, but I am under strict orders by her Royal Highness Princess Celestia not to let anypony in.”

“Hmm,” Spike thought, “Yes, and Twilight is a princess, too. So, what happens when two princesses give two conflicting orders?”

The guard opened his mouth to speak, but froze before he could begin his sentence. His eyes twitched nervously from side to side. Spike sighed, grateful for the opportunity to distract the guard for a moment.

Twilight Sparkle watched from the coop and decided that this was her chance. She closed her eyes and teleported into the cottage. She materialized in the main room. When Fluttershy was alive, the entire cottage was filled with the sounds of creatures as they scurried and slithered on the floor or fluttered through the air. Twilight Sparkle remembered that, even at this hour, when she would spend the night, the sound of creatures sleeping would fill the cottage. But now, the cottage was silent. After Fluttershy’s death, the creatures that she cared for left the cottage, most of them relocating to the Everfree Forest. The birdhouses above her were empty; each dark hole that once held life now contained only emptiness.

Twilight Sparkle shook her head and climbed the stairs to Fluttershy’s room. When Princess Celestia arrived, she had placed a stasis spell on Fluttershy’s body. Twilight Sparkle looked at the form of her friend. A faint white glow surrounded her as she stood in place in front of the bed. Two small bumps protruded from her back where her wings once were. Her barrel had been wrapped with bandages, but after the attack, they lay next to the bed. Twilight Sparkle edged closer to better inspect her friend’s body. As she circled her, she levitated a notebook from her saddlebag and made quick notes of her observations.

Flutter

Flut

The patient shows signs of minor head trauma. An open wound on the barrel indicates possible removal of organs. This must be investigated further. Blood loss is severe and considering the pegasus blood type will have to be reintroduced via transfusion. The wings were removed prior to the incident.

Twilight Sparkle continued to speak to herself like this until she completed her initial observations. Luckily for her, upon closer inspection none of Fluttershy’s organs had been removed, but they were severely damaged. She made a mental list of the other places she would need to visit before she could begin to reconstruct her friend. She knew she could obtain vials of blood at the Ponyville Hospital, but there would be no way for her to collect a pair of wings from another pegasus from the morgue without raising suspicion. Her only option was the Ponyville Cemetery. Content with her work, Twilight Sparkle closed the notebook and placed it back in her saddlebag. She focused her energy on Fluttershy and transported her to the basement of the library. She then began to cast the spell to transport outside, but a small book on Fluttershy’s desk caught her attention. It was her journal. Twilight Sparkle gulped and immediately grabbed the book and placed it in her saddlebag before leaving the cottage.

*****

“So you see,” The guard continued, oblivious to the bored expression on Spike’s face, “That decision brought about the Guard War between Princess Celestia’s Royal Guards and Princess Luna’s Lunar Guards, which was essentially the precursor to the Lunar War, which took place in year 3 Meta Anax Discord.”

Spike took a moment to look up into the window of Fluttershy’s room. A purple glow filled the room for a moment, and then was gone. Please, let her be finished soon, he thought.

*****

The front doors of the Ponyville Hospital were already open when Twilight Sparkle appeared in front of them. As she ruffled her feathers and entered the building, she watched as Doctor Stable and Nurse Tenderheart made their way to the front desk. Doctor Stable was looking over a small chart, his eyes moving to the places that the nurse pointed to.

“As far as she is concerned,” Nurse Tenderheart said, “The shock of white hair had to have come from some traumatic experience.”

“The glossolalia would have been a side effect, as well. But there appears to be no physical damage to her; at least, not from what I’ve seen so far. We have to keep her for closer observations, there’s no way around that.”

"Have the others been able to tell us what happened?"

"None of them are speaking, doctor."

“Doctor,” Nurse Tenderheart asked, “She was bucking and screaming as she was brought in by the orderlies. You and I both know how strong of a flyer she is. Are we going to have to-?”

“You know the protocol as much as I do,” Doctor Stable replied as he placed a hoof on his forehead, “We cannot make any exceptions. If she shows signs of being a danger to others, we have to.”

“Very well,” Nurse Tenderheart said, “I’ll prepare her.”

Twilight Sparkle watched as Nurse Tenderheart turned and made her way to the psychiatric ward of Ponyville Hospital. Doctor Stable sighed. When he turned and saw Twilight Sparkle, he gasped.

“Miss Twilight,” Doctor Stable said, “How did you already find out?”

“Find out what?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Oh, so you haven’t found out.” Doctor Stable let forth another sigh.

Doctor Stable began to make his way to the recovery ward. He motioned for Twilight Sparkle to follow him. As they made their way down the hall, Twilight Sparkle took notice of the room to her left with the biohazard symbol on it.

“Your Highness,” Doctor Stable began.

“Please, just call me Miss Twilight.”

“In order to discuss this particular patient’s status, I have to refer to you using your title.”

“What’s wrong?”

The two ponies passed a window. Doctor Stable continued to look at his chart, but Twilight Sparkle looked over and saw a small white unicorn colt with a splint on his horn. A black spark emitted from the tip, and the colt flinched in pain. Another black spark emitted from the horn, and a chill ran up Twilight Sparkle’s spine as a tear formed in the colt’s eyes.

“He’s not going to be able to use active magic anymore, is he?”

Doctor Stable looked up from his chart to Twilight Sparkle, and then through the window. He focused his magic, and on the other side of the window, a brown aura enveloped the curtain and slowly drew over the colt, blocking him from view.

“Approximately an hour ago, at ten o’clock, Miss Pinkie and my brother came in with Rainbow Dash and Edger. My brother-”

Doctor Stable paused for a moment and took a deep breath. His eyes closed, and Twilight Sparkle watched his body tremble for a moment.

“My brother looked as though he had been to the gates of Tartarus and back. They wouldn’t let me perform the operation on him. I had to get Doctor Hippocrates to come in. Luckily, he looks like he’ll survive his physical injuries.”

“And Rainbow Dash?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“The main reason I’m telling you this is because I know how important Rainbow Dash is to you, as one of the Elements of Harmony, and I would hate to think of what would happen to Equestria if we were to lose one of you.”

Twilight Sparkle’s eyes shifted from side to side. Luckily for her, Doctor Stable didn’t seem to notice.

“Rainbow Dash had to be restrained by two orderlies when she came in, she kept speaking incoherently, except for when she repeated 'destiny'. We have to-”

“Doctor!” Nurse Tenderheart shouted from the other side of the hall, “We need you in East Ward.”

“Is it Rainbow Dash?”

“Please hurry.”

“Wait!” Twilight Sparkle shouted, but Doctor Stable stopped her.

“I will give you an update soon enough, your Highness.” He said before galloping to join the nurse.

Twilight Sparkle stood alone in the hallway, unsure of which direction to go. Twilight looked at her saddlebag and then turned around to the room she had passed earlier on. She looked back and forth down the hallway to make sure that nopony was watching. If the books she read on hospital orientation were correct, she knew exactly where in the room the blood supplies would be. She knew that they always placed pegasus blood types on the top shelf and they were marked with blue toppers. She could gallop in, grab the bags necessary, and then disappear without anypony noticing. Twilight Sparkle hoped that the hospital would have enough bags, considering the large pegasus population that resided there. She opened the door but stopped when she heard a sob. She turned around and saw the silhouette of the colt as he turned his head back and forth. A buzzing sound filled the air, but nothing happened. Finally, the buzzing stopped, but the sobbing continued as a small hoof emerged from the side of the curtain and began to pull it away. Twilight Sparkle covered her muzzle as she entered the blood supply room.

*****

Spike’s eye began to twitch as the guard continued his speech.

“And using a more humorous anecdote, during the first year that Princess Luna had returned, she had decreed that all of the Lunar Guard were to return to the formal uniforms from the time before she was banished to the moon. Needless to say, those uniforms were a bit more... elaborate... than the ceremonial uniforms of today. And since it was summer, those poor thestrals nearly fainted from the heat. Princess Celestia obviously had to command them to change back to the modern uniforms, but Princess Luna would not hear it.”

Spike’s attention went to the chicken coop, where he thought he saw a figure slink away into the Everfree Forest. Please, Spike thought, let it be a timberwolf that can put me out of my misery.

*****

Luna’s Moon was directly overhead as Twilight Sparkle entered the Ponyville Cemetery. Row upon row of whitewashed stone greeted her, and Twilight Sparkle couldn’t shake the feeling of walking into the multi-toothed jaw of some unnamable animal. The wind began to pick up speed, flipping her hair carelessly in the wind. The dirt path wound throughout the cemetery, and Twilight Sparkle turned from stone to stone to find the fresh grave. She knew that a pegasus had been laid to rest somewhere not long ago, and it would be her only opportunity to find a pair of wings.

Twilight Sparkle’s hooves stopped when she came across the statue of The Hostler. She had read a book once on the subject of Concordian Era art. The Hostler was the mare that would lead all ponies to their final destination. Her right wing and hoof rose into the air, leading good ponies to the Fields of Elysia. In her left hoof she held a riding crop to banish evil ponies to Tartarus. Her stone visage looked down at Twilight Sparkle. Though the eyes were meant to be calm and objective, Twilight Sparkle felt another chill run down her spine. She shook her head and continued down the path. In the distance, Twilight Sparkle found what she was looking for – a fresh plot of earth. She went to the newly created grave and looked over the gravestone.

Airheart
July 24, 994 M.A.D – September 11, 1006 M.A.D
Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace

Twilight Sparkle’s breathing became shallow. She closed her eyes and focused her energy on the six strides of earth that lay before her. A purple aura surrounded the bed of soil, and small lines broke it into little cubes. The cubes of soil rose into the air and were set back down next to the grave until Twilight Sparkle looked at the black coffin at the bottom of the grave. A final burst of magic and the coffin lid levitated open, revealing a thin pony with almost white fur and wings save for a hint of pink. Twilight Sparkle knew that the wings could be dyed easily with such pale plumage. Exhaustion overcame Twilight Sparkle as she prepared herself to transport the final piece she needed to begin the operation. The familiar purple aura surrounded Airheart’s body, and a moment later, it disappeared. Twilight Sparkle closed the lid of the coffin and moved the soil back to where it originally was. She shook her head as a throb of pain rose in her skull. She knew she had overdone it with the magic she had used that night, but she hoped she could at least try to close the distance between herself and Spike so they could return home. Twilight Sparkle sighed and prepared herself for one more spell. When she reappeared, Twilight Sparkle found herself on top of a hill overlooking Ponyville.

She remembered this hill.

This was the hill where she and her friends had gathered to watch the centennial meteor shower. It was the night she met her pet, Owlowiscious. The wind continued to blow, and Twilight Sparkle allowed herself to let her head flow with its ebbs and flows. A lump formed in her throat as she remembered the bursts of white light that streaked across the sky. She took a few steps forward and placed a hoof at the edge of the hill, where she had sat with Fluttershy to teach her about the constellations.

*****

“Oh, and which one is that, Twilight?”

“That one is called Ara, The Altar.”

“And that one?” Fluttershy had asked as she pointed towards the horizon.

“Crater, The Cup.”

“And that one?”

“Wow, I can’t believe you see that. That one is called Octans.”

"I always feel like I get smarter when I'm around you, Twilight."

"Fluttershy, you are smart. don't let anypony tell you otherwise."

"..."

"Fluttershy, promise me."

"...okay."

*****

Twilight Sparkle remembered how she felt when Fluttershy looked up into her eyes. The way her eyes lit up, Twilight Sparkle had wondered at that time whether anypony had given her praise before. As she had gotten to know Fluttershy better, she began to make it a point to compliment her any chance she got. She loved to watch the smile that lit up Fluttershy’s face every time she said something nice. Twilight Sparkle shook her head and left her memories. For a moment, though, her heart fluttered. Twilight Sparkle continued down the hill. Sweet Apple Acres appeared in front of her, and another mile beyond that would be Fluttershy’s cottage. As she trotted down the path, two familiar figures approached her.

“Howdy, Twilight.” Applejack said, “What brings y’all ‘round these parts? It’s almost midnight.”

“Oh,” Twilight replied as she shuffled her hooves in the dirt, “I was just thinking about things.”

“'bout Fluttershy?”

Twilight Sparkle froze just as her hoof hit the ground. She immediately looked up to her friend. Applejack simply nodded and reached forward to embrace her. Big Macintosh looked on and then back to the two ponies.

“I was up on the hill.” Twilight Sparkle said after a few moments.

“The hill where ya taught Fluttershy about the constellations?”

“Yes.” Twilight Sparkle replied, “That one.”

“She really appreciated how smart ya made her feel.”

Twilight Sparkle jerked her head back and glared at Applejack. Applejack and Big Macintosh both gave Twilight Sparkle a confused look.

“I didn’t ‘make’ her feel smart, Applejack,” Twilight Sparkle snapped, “She was already smart, but nopony even took the time to appreciate her for it.”

“Ah-Ah didn’t mean it like that, sugarcube,” Applejack stammered, “What I meant was-”

“Fluttershy is the kindest and most dependable pony that I know.” Twilight Sparkle continued, “She always made sure to put others first, no matter what. I am not going to let her down. I am not going to let her go like this.”

Twilight Sparkle took off in a gallop towards Fluttershy’s cottage, leaving a shocked Applejack and Big Macintosh in a cloud of dust.

“What in the hay was that about?” Applejack asked.

“Ah haven’t the foggiest.” Her brother replied.

“Did she say that Fluttershy is the kindest and most dependable pony she knows?”

“Eeyup.”

“Y’all have any idea what she meant by that?”

“Nope.”

Twilight Sparkle continued to gallop until she came near the chicken coop near Fluttershy’s cottage, where she could hear the guard speaking to Spike. As she approached, she could see Spike’s eyes as they drooped closed and opened more slowly each time. She took a series of calming breaths before she emerged from the shadows.

“In short,” the guard concluded, “That would be my guess as to what could happen if two princesses say something that contradicted the other.”

“Sergeant Longwinder,” Twilight Sparkle called out, “I’m so sorry, has Spike been bothering you?”

Spike shot a glare in Twilight Sparkle’s direction as Owlowiscious left Spike’s arm which he had turned into a perch and flew onto his owner’s back.

“Not at all, your Highness. I was just giving Spike here a brief history lesson.”

“Oh, well that’s always fascinating, isn’t that right, Spike?”

Twilight Sparkle turned to her assistant, only to see that he was already fast asleep. Good, Twilight Sparkle thought, now I don’t have to worry about any interruptions. She nodded to the guard, who saluted her, and then she turned around to head for the library. She remembered Doctor Stable’s words.

I would hate to think of what would happen to Equestria if we were to lose one of you.

The Monster's Creation

Vessel… check.

Blood packets… check.

Wing donor… check.

Twilight Sparkle placed the third check mark on the small scroll that levitated in front of her and set it aside. Inside the laboratory of the Golden Oaks Library, Twilight Sparkle listened to the sound of the scientific instruments that surrounded her. A small graph machine in the corner of the room released reams of paper that piled onto the floor. The ECG and EEG monitors stood at the head of a metal table in the middle of the room, waiting for use. Airheart’s body lay prone on the table in front of Twilight Sparkle. The table was fitted with special wing fixation equipment, and they were already connected to Airheart, splaying her wings up into the air. Next to the table stood a book on top of a pedestal – Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical, by Henry Bray. Next to that, Fluttershy’s body stood in the statant position with a clear view of the remains of her wing structure. Another smaller table lay on the other side of Twilight, but it was empty, save for a single scalpel.

Twilight Sparkle shook her head and was reminded of the headache she had gotten from the amount of magic energy she had used. She turned her attention to the shelf of vials she kept next to her writing desk. Her attention turned to a small vial with a purple stopper on it. The liquid inside had a faint purple glow to it. Twilight Sparkle removed the topper and slowly consumed its contents. A moment later, she felt the effects as her magical energy returned to her. Twilight gave a sigh and returned to the table. Twilight Sparkle’s horn lit up, and she focused her energy on the corner of the room. She knew that the sounds of the machines weren’t necessary to listen to until the time came to work on Fluttershy.

“No distractions.” Twilight Sparkle whispered to herself as she levitated a small needle, “Today is too important.”

The needle fell and landed on the small record that lay on the phonograph. The music of Frederick Horseshoepin’s Nocturne’s filled the room, drowning out the noises of the machines that were unnecessary at this time. Twilight Sparkle adjusted her position so that she stood next to Fluttershy. The nubs that remained were encased in dried blood.

“First things first,” Twilight Sparkle said, “I need to clean the area to find out what parts Fluttershy needs from the donor.”

The tear of the bones had occurred at the location of the coracoid, near the acromion process. If she removed the remains of Fluttershy’s coracoid, she could better attach the entire wing from Airheart’s body and reattach it without running the risk of too many bones being mismatched.

“Fluttershy’s spinal column appears intact,” Twilight Sparkle said, “But it is clear that I will have to reattach the biceps and triceps muscles from the donor. In regards to the reattachment of the arteries and veins, it would be best to keep as much of Fluttershy’s intact so as not to rely too much on the donor.”

Twilight Sparkle turned from Fluttershy and to the body of Airheart. A purple aura enveloped the scapular and lesser covert feathers, and they fell, one by one, to the floor below. Twilight Sparkle had to make sure that she removed enough feathers to ensure a clean cut, but not too many to Fluttershy a strange appearance. The fur that rest in the area between the shoulder blade and the coracoid was next to go. They, too, joined the pink feathers on the floor. Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath and the scalpel levitated centimeters between her eyes and the bare skin that attached Airheart’s wings to her body. Judging from her position in the casket, Twilight Sparkle was correct in her unstated assumption that the blood flow had already left the wings for the most part. As she sliced into the skin, only trace amounts of blood oozed from the wound. She stopped for a moment to collect a tiny sample and place it into a vial that rest near her head and then continued with the incision. Twilight Sparkle was greeted with a series of arteries and veins that moved from the areas around the spine and the coracoid. Rather than risk having them be too short, she chose to make her cuts as close to the spinal column as possible. One by one, they were cut.

As she stared at arteries and veins, Twilight Sparkle remembered once when Spike had pulled an earthworm out of a muffin that Applejack had made when she tried to buck an entire field of apples in one harvest season.

The thought of Spike slurping down the earthworm made Twilight Sparkle wretch, but she immediately set down the scalpel and turned her mind back to the music. Was this opus 9, number 3, Twilight Sparkle asked herself in an attempt to distract the thought, or opus 15, number 1? Twilight cleared the previous thought out of her mind and resumed her work. The main parts of Airheart’s wing had been removed, and now all that was left was to remove the bone itself. Twilight Sparkle turned her attention to the connecting point at the spine and the coracoid, slowly pulling away the tendons and ligaments in such a way that they didn’t disrupt the function of the wing itself. Upon inspection, Twilight Sparkle realized that she had pulled away a little bit more than she would have liked from the spinal area, but she would manage. As she final vestiges of ligament were removed, she sighed in relief as bone finally detached from bone. A purple aura surrounded the wing and Twilight Sparkle set it down on the empty table.

Twilight Sparkle looked up to the clock. It was nearing one o’clock. She had spent the better part of an hour working on just the one wing, but now that she knew what to expect, she could get to work more quickly on the other one. Better make preparations for the second part, Twilight Sparkle thought as she turned to the packets of blood and pulled a small scroll from her desk.

“Let’s see,” Twilight Sparkle muttered, “According to the study done by Brunhilde Hoofensohn, the volume of blood a pony contains should be approximately seventy-one-point-five milliliters per kilogram, give or take six-point-two-eight. Of course, this study was done on earth ponies, so the actual volume for Fluttershy should be less, given her race and size. Still, it’s best to triple check rather than simply double check and miss something.”

Twilight Sparkle looked at the notes she had taken. Fluttershy weighed one hundred and twenty-seven kilograms, so a liberal estimate would be nine thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight-point-zero-six milliliters. Twilight Sparkle lifted up a bag of blood. The package of blood states four hundred and fifty milliliters, so that means I need twenty-one-point-nine-five-one-two-five bags. She turned to the bags she had retrieved and counted out the twenty-two bags she had taken from the hospital. Twilight Sparkle pointed her head in the direction of a machine and wheeled it over to herself, where she attached the bags to an assembly line of holders. The machine whirred to life, and each bag began to drip blood into a large vat. Each time a drop hit the bottom, Twilight watched as the counter on the machine moved up by one digit. Now that the blood was being prepared, she turned back to her work on Airheart’s second wing. In no time, she had made complete work of the body, and she used her magic to wheel a small gurney from the corner of the room and placed the body of Airheart onto it.

“Ah,” Twilight Sparkle sighed, “Opus forty-eight, number two; definitely a favorite.”

As the music continued, Twilight Sparkle began to focus her concentration onto Airheart's body. She imagined the path that led up to the empty grave that lie in the Ponyville Cemetary, just a little past the statue. She opened her eyes as the aura surrounded the body. A moment later, the body was gone.

Twilight Sparkle moved Fluttershy from where she stood to a supine position on the table where Airheart’s body lay moments ago. Twilight Sparkle realized that the first thing she needed to do was to clean up the tear from the attack into a proper incision. The gash in Fluttershy’s barrel slowly turned into an ‘I’, and Twilight Sparkle took a closer look at the organs once more. The main organs that had been damaged were the liver and the cecum. Twilight Sparkle levitated a small tray from the desk and set it beside her. The aura surrounded the gossamer thread and needle and she went to work piecing together the broken organs. As the time drew on, sweat began to bead down from Twilight Sparkle’s face, but they were immediately picked up by a swipe of her wings. She threaded each piece of Fluttershy’s organs back together, taking only the occasional glance as her friend’s face. Ever since she had died, Fluttershy’s eyes had remained closed. Twilight Sparkle couldn’t wait to be able to see Fluttershy’s blue eyes again. After the organs were repaired, she closed the wound using the thinnest thread she could to reduce scarring.

Twilight Sparkle had completed the work on Fluttershy and was now prepared to reattach the wings. She levitated the severed wings from the table and placed them into the wing fixation equipment, and then lowered it until it was close enough to connect with Fluttershy’s body. Twilight Sparkle began the work of attaching each artery from Fluttershy’s body to the wings. Twilight spell levitated the book of Bray’s Anatomy to her side so she could see it while she worked as she connected the veins, as well. She scrutinized each page as she determined the appropriate place for the tendons and ligaments. Once they were determined, she aligned the coracoid with Fluttershy’s spine and began attaching ligament and tendon to bone and muscle. Once completed, she performed an experimental flap using her magic as gently as possible. When the results seemed satisfactory, she placed the wings against Fluttershy’s sides.

The machine behind Twilight Sparkle beeped. She turned around just in time to see the vat reach nine thousand nine hundred milliliters. She immediately wheeled over a defibrillator and attached it to Fluttershy’s barrel. Twilight Sparkle knew that it wasn’t to try to restart her heartbeat, but it was the only way she could think of to get the blood to flow through the body. Judging by the speed at which she could set the defibrillator, and if she connected an IV to each of her six major arteries, she could cycle the fresh blood in less than an hour. Twilight Sparkle levitated a dropper to the vat and pulled up a single drop. She then made the motions to compare it with the coagulated blood she had retrieved. The match was perfect. Needles levitated through the air and attached themselves into Fluttershy’s arteries. An empty vat was placed next to the full one, and when Twilight Sparkle started the defibrillator, she watched as the tubes began to fill with the coagulated blood. They travelled through the tubes and emptied, drop by drop, into the empty vat. Soon after, the tubes connected to the vat of fresh blood made their way into the IV attached to Fluttershy’s barrel. She continued to watch as each pulse pushed Fluttershy’s barrel down and then retreated.

Twilight Sparkle ascended the stairs to the main room of the library; the corners of her lips trembled as a faint smile appeared on her face. She opened the door to wait for the transfusion process to complete and trotted next to the shelf of poetry books. She traced her hoof along the back of each book until she came to the two she wanted: Collection, Vol. 1, by Edger Allegore Poeny, and The Collected Poems of Sylvia Plath-Hooves. She levitated the books across the room and onto a small reading table that was empty, save for a wooden pony head sculpture. Twilight Sparkle heard the binding creak as she opened each book. It’s such a shame that these books don’t get more use, she thought as she flipped through the pages of each one. Twilight Sparkle turned her attention to the small sofa in the corner of the room and closed her eyes as she remembered when she and Fluttershy had started reading them. It was the day after the Cutie Mark Crusaders had learned about Fluttershy's stare.

*****

“And then I said, ‘You should be ashamed of yourself. I have a mind to find your mother and tell her what you've been up to, young man. Now you go over there, and turn Elizabeak and my friend Twilight back to normal, and don't ever let me catch you doing this again. Do you understand me?’”

“And you say you aren’t brave.”

“Oh, no… it was just that I had to. I-I couldn’t just let you stay that way.”

“Fluttershy, don’t you see that that is what makes you so brave? You have fears, but you stand up to them, so much more often than the rest of us. Most of us only have one or two fears, and we let them get the better of us more often than not.”

“Really? And what fear do you have?”

*****

Twilight Sparkle shook her head as she turned back to the two books that were on the table. There were bookmarks in each one at the last poem that they had read together: Twilight's book was opened to Poeny's Sestina Fourteen, and Fluttershy's to Plath-Hooves I Am Vertical. She traced her hooves over Sestina Fourteen. She noted each mark that she had made on the poem as Edger had read it to her; he was the writer, and he was the one who knew every stressed and unstressed syllable, when to pause and when to continue through each line break:

Maybe I should simply sit here tonight,

listen as the music’s notes float through air,

while I wonder where you are until light

of morning reaches towards me once more.

Even now, I feel beams of Luna’s moon

caress my face, softly as could your hoof.

Twilight Sparkle scratched her head as the noises downstairs shook her out of her reverie. She turned to the clock on the wall. An hour had already passed. She turned and ran down the stairs to the laboratory to see that the empty vat was halfway filled with old blood and that the once full vat was nearly empty. The machine that counted down the milliliters of blood was dangerously low. Everything must be perfect for this to work, Twilight Sparkle thought, she must be complete. Twilight Sparkle held her breath. The counter should have stopped at twenty-two milliliters, but now it was at the single digits. Twilight Sparkle’s eyes widened as the counter to beep.

beep… eight milliliters.

beep… seven milliliters.

beep… six milliliters.

Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes and waited for another beep from the machine, but sighed when no sound came out. She removed each IV from Fluttershy and levitated her into a statant position once more. She levitated the defibrillator back to Fluttershy, but this time, she placed it on her spine near the newly attached wings. If the experiment was successful, Twilight Sparkle thought, everything should be connected properly, and an electrical pulse should give some reaction. She energized the defibrillator and listened as the sound of the electrical impulse moved through Fluttershy’s body.

Nothing happened.

Twilight Sparkle placed the defibrillator onto Fluttershy’s back and repeated the shock.

Still, nothing happened.

Twilight Sparkle twisted the dials of the defibrillator to the highest setting and placed them on Fluttershy’s spine once more. The energy from the defibrillator resounded through Fluttershy’s body and Twilight Sparkle had to hold back a laugh as both wings jutted out ever so slightly. As Twilight Sparkle fought to contain her joy, her wings jutted out and she hovered midair for a few moments before she calmed down and fell to the floor again.

Twilight Sparkle’s aura enveloped a vial of yellow liquid and a small brush. She uncorked it and placed a small amount on the brush. It’s funny that Fluttershy’s the one who taught me how to preen, Twilight Sparkle thought as she placed her hoof on Fluttershy’s new wing. She had taken out a few more scapulars than she had wanted, but they would grow back once she was alive again. For now, she focused on the upper layer of the median coverts. With each brush she saw that the color change from pink to the familiar yellow. She continued on with the greater and the primary coverts, and finally traced each tertial, secondary, and primary feather with the brush, separated each outer feather so she could cover them one at a time. She went to start on the underside and noticed that most of the feathers underneath were pure white. That’s interesting, Twilight Sparkle thought as she lifted her own wings. Hers were all one color. Oh well, she thought, it is easier to dye. She made the same motions on the underside as she did on the upper side. When she finished, she placed the vial away and stood back to admire her work.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight Sparkle said, “I promise I won’t let my fear get the better of me anymore.”

Bray’s Anatomy was closed, and the Mageismoiras was set in its place. The pages fluttered as she moved to the section that she needed. A piece of white chalk levitated to the center of the room. She drew a small circle and then made a line, ending it with a flourish. She slashed an ‘X’ through the middle of the first line and then ended each of the four new lines with five more at different angles. Twilight Sparkle took a step back and levitated Fluttershy into the middle of the glyph that she had drawn. She returned to the book and read over the words, translating them from Old Equestrian – The altar and the vessel, once broken now becomes whole. Return the force I seek to me, I implore you.. Twilight Sparkle placed the chalk at the edge of the circle and began to draw a circle clockwise.

O vomos kai to skafos

Molis spasmena pleon synolo

Epistrepsete ti dynami

i epidioxei na mou sas ekliparo

Twilight Sparkle dropped the chalk as she completed the circle. A bright flash surrounded Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle shielded her eyes. The light reached the ceiling and the library shook. The shaking lasted only a moment, but once finished, a new sound echoed through the laboratory. The white light crackled and then the sound grew deeper until it resembled the sound of a raging fire. She watched at the white light seemed to entwine upon itself like thread and it wrapped itself around Fluttershy’s body. A moment later, the light vanished, leaving Fluttershy still standing in the center of the circle. Twilight Sparkle hesitated. She didn’t want to move for a moment. Twilight Sparkle took a step forward.

Fluttershy took a step forward.

Twilight Sparkle gasped.

Fluttershy’s mouth opened to mimic her, but no sound came out.

Tears formed in Twilight Sparkle’s eyes and she leaped forward to grab onto her friend.

“Oh dear Celestia, I did it!” Twilight Sparkle shouted, “Fluttershy. You’re back! Fluttershy, I-”

“What is going on down here?”

Twilight Sparkle jumped as a candle moved down the stairs, carried by Spike. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he squinted his eyes to see what was happening.

“What’s Fluttershy doing here?” Spike asked, “And what happened to her eyes?”

Twilight Sparkle turned around and gasped as Fluttershy slowly backed away with each step Spike took towards her. During her embrace, Fluttershy’s eyelids had opened, but all that Twilight Sparkle could see were two sets of blackness staring back at her.

Author's Note

Airheart is the pony persona of Amelia Earheart. The epitaph is from her poem "Courage".
Frederick Horseshoepin is the pony persona of Frederick Chopin. The songs are Chopin's Nocturnes.
Sylvia Plath-Hooves is a play on the poet Sylvia Plath-Hughes. The poem will have extreme significance.
Brunhilde Hoofensohn is taken from the studies of Wolfensohn (2003) on the blood sample volumes of laboratory animals.

Pink Lady

The Apple family had been in the east field of Sweet Apple Acres since daybreak, and the buckets of apples at a small table was proof of the hard work of the two older Apple siblings. Though Applejack’s bucking skills were less powerful than Big Macintosh’s, she moved more quickly, thus ensuring that the chore of apple bucking was split evenly between the two of them. Big Macintosh lifted a hind leg and bucked a tree, sending all of its fruit tumbling to the bucket beneath.

At the small table, two mares sat and inspected each apple for imperfections. Granny Smith and Rarity looked at each apple for a moment and then immediately placed them into the appropriate container. Their matching red glasses reflected against the early morning sun.

“Good’n, good’n, good’n, bad’n…”

“Lovely, horrid, lovely, lovely…”

“Ya know y’all don’t have to worry ‘bout goin’ too quick,” Applejack said as she set down another bucket of apples, “Ain’t like we’re competin’ with Flim and Flam again.”

“Very funny, Applejack.” Rarity replied.

“We’re just tryin’ to keep up with you two whippersnappers.” Granny Smith quipped.

Rarity glanced up at Applejack, who was smiling back at her. The smile was small, but her eyes were squinted, and Rarity knew Applejack was thinking about something. She would have to ask her about it later. Applejack picked up an empty bucket and returned to her brother’s side. Rarity and Granny Smith continued with their inspections, and the chorus of hooves on trees, falling apples, and the two quality control mares’ comments continued on through the morning.

“So y’all really do got a keen eye for this,” Granny Smith said as she held another apple up to her muzzle.

“Thank you so much, Missis Apple,” Rarity replied as she spotted a hole in an apple and tossed it into the discard bucket.

“Shoot, y’all can just call me Granny Smith, or just Granny.” Granny Smith continued, “With the way you and my grandson look at each other, I get the feelin’ you may be part of our family sooner or later. If things work out, that is.”

Rarity’s eyes widened, but she tried not to let the comment break her composure. Sure, she and Big Macintosh had been dating for a while, but she wasn’t expecting such a comment to come from Granny Smith so easily. She held up another apple to her muzzle and considered it. A green hue covered the top half of the apple, and the spotted blush of red met it in the middle, where the little red dots speckled its perimeter. She cast a sideways glance at Big Macintosh as he lifted his hind hoof and once again bucked the tree and sent all of the apples cascading in one attempt. She watched as the muscles of his legs scrunched together as he prepared another kick. The stifle and flank muscles connected, and his gaskin flexed. Rarity sighed but moved her attention to Big Macintosh’s face when she realized he had stopped in mid-buck position. It was then that she realized that he had been looking at her from the corner of his eye, as well. His eyes half-lidded for a moment, and a small smirk appeared. Rarity’s white muzzle soon matched the blush of the apple that still hovered in front of her, and she quickly turned her attention away from the stallion.

“Ya know,” Granny Smith said as she set an apple in the discard bucket, “The Pink Lady is a funny little apple – first to bloom, but one of the last to be harvested. It’s really crisp, and what’s the word?”

“Tart?” Rarity replied.

“Yeah, that’s it,” Granny Smith replied, “Tart.”

“I see. There’s so much to learn about apples. Before coming out here regularly, I used to know only a few varieties. But learning the names of your extended family has really helped me.” Rarity laughed.

“That’s how we all remember ‘em all, too,” Granny Smith replied as she looked ahead, “Each variety is special in its own way, just like each member of the Apple family is special in their own way.”

Rarity smiled at Granny Smith as she continued with her lecture. Big Macintosh and Applejack occasionally appeared to drop off another bucket of apples, only to catch a few words and then move on. Rarity stopped her inspections when she noticed that Granny Smith’s gazed had lingered on one of the apples for too long.

“Missis Apple,” Rarity asked, “Is something the matter?”

Granny Smith placed the apple in both of her hooves and split it in half. Though the outside of the apple had appeared perfect, most of the inside was brown, and in the core of the broken apple was a dead worm.

“Sometimes, critters can worm their way into an apple without leavin’ so much as a mark on the skin.” Granny Smith continued, “It takes a really keen eye to make sure those apples are discarded.”

Granny Smith tossed the apple pieces into the discard bucket. She then turned to Rarity.

“Ya see, one bad apple spoils the bunch. That’s why only the best ones can be considered Apple Family apples.”

A lump formed in Rarity’s throat as Granny Smith continued on with her inspections. She looked back at Big Macintosh and Applejack. She watched as they worked silently with each other. Rarity cleared her throat and stood up.

“I do apologize,” Rarity whispered, “I think I need to use the little fillies room.”

“Mm hmm.” Granny Smith replied, still focused on the apples in front of her. “Good’n, good’n, bad’n.”

Rarity smiled at everypony as she left and trotted towards the farmhouse. Her smile faded with each step she took, and by the time she reached the front porch, her smile had gone away completely. Her hoof trembled as she pushed open the door and made her way inside and up the stairs to the bathroom. The door closed behind her and she stared at herself in the mirror. A leaf was tangled in her mane, and she brushed it away. She placed a hoof under each eye and winced at their puffiness.

“She’s right, you know,” Rarity whispered to her reflection, “The Apple Family founded Ponyville. Only the best can be considered Apple Family apples. Look at yourself. You don’t belong with somepony like him. He deserves somepony who can-”

Rarity’s monologue was interrupted by a knock at the door. A purple aura surrounded the sink as Rarity turned on the faucet and splashed cold water over her face.

“Just a mi-nute.” Rarity sang, “Just washing my hooves.”

She turned and opened the door, only to see Big Macintosh standing on the other side.

“Oh, why Big Macintosh, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”

Big Macintosh looked down into Rarity’s eyes for a moment. Rarity blinked and put a smile on her face.

“Sugarcube,” Big Macintosh asked, “Is everythin’ all right?”

“Of course it is, darling,” Rarity replied as she kissed his cheek, “I just needed a moment.”

“Ya know,” Big Macintosh said, “Ah was able to hear what Granny Smith said. And Ah know it bothered ya ‘cause ya used yer fake smile when ya left, just like yer doin’ now.”

Rarity paused. Big Macintosh lifted a hoof to her cheek.

“How come ya never told me about yer allergy?”

“How did you know?” Rarity asked.

“Ah’m a farmer,” Big Macintosh replied, “It’s not too hard to tell when somepony’s havin’ an allergic reaction to things like grass or pollen.”

Rarity closed her eyes and turned from Big Macintosh. Her breathing came faster as she tried to step to his side. Big Macintosh inched over to block her.

“Ya wanna tell me what’s botherin’ ya?”

“It’s just…” Rarity began, “You are quite possibly the sweetest, kindest, and smartest stallion that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Most ponies don’t know that last part, because you never speak. But the conversations we have are wonderful.”

“So what’s wrong?”

“Just look at me,” Rarity said, “I have puffy eyes, I’m allergic to basically all forms of plant life, I’ll never be hard working like Applejack…”

“Ah don’t want y’all comparin’ yerself to mah sister, now.”

Big Macintosh raised his hoof again to embrace Rarity, but she moved to the side again and closed her eyes.

“That’s not what I meant,” Rarity continued, “I’m just a dressmaker when it comes down to it. It’s just that sometimes I feel as though there could be much better mares out there and-”

Rarity let out a small gasp when she felt the warm lips of Big Macintosh on hers. As their lips parted, she opened her eyes and saw that Big Macintosh was staring at her with half lidded eyes and a lopsided grin.

“Why would ah want another mare when ah have you?” He asked, “And what makes y’all think yer not hardworkin’? Ya own yer own business. Yer determined, and ya know what ya want in life. Yer a good pony, Rarity. And yer so generous that even after coming here so many times to help us on the farm, ya still think yer not givin’ enough of yerself.”

“I do feel that way, Big Macintosh,” Rarity replied.

“Rarity, there’s only one part of yerself that I need ya to give to me.”

Rarity looked back up into Big Macintosh’s eyes.

“And what’s that?”

Big Macintosh bent down his neck to give Rarity another kiss.

“yer heart.”

*****

The light began to seep into the basement of the Golden Oaks Library as Twilight Sparkle levitated a small chisel over Fluttershy’s elemental necklace. She glanced over to the glyph drawn in the pages of the Mageismoiras. The glyph had to match the one she drew on the floor exactly. There was no room for any mistake. Finally, as she completed the flourish at the bottom of the glyph, she set the chisel down and turned to her friend.

Fluttershy’s eyes were still black. Twilight Sparkle moved over to face her. The eyes weren’t gone, but it was simply that her pupils had dilated to the point where nothing else could be seen. Not her irises, nor the white. She lifted Fluttershy’s mane so that she could connect the necklace. The smell of Fluttershy’s mane infiltrated Twilight Sparkle’s nostrils. Even though it hadn’t been washed in days, she could still smell the scent of the earthbound pegasus’ aroma. It smelled of air just after a heavy storm. Tears formed in the corners of Twilight Sparkle’s eyes as the necklace clicked shut. She then turned to the glyph that had been drawn on the floor. Twilight Sparkle’s aura surrounded the glyph and a force field appeared over it. She wouldn’t let anypony near it. Not after what Spike had almost done that morning when he had found them together. She couldn’t let anypony destroy the lines. It was too important to her.

The glyph was protected. The glyph that had been chiseled into Fluttershy’s necklace would ensure that if she needed to go beyond to borders of this basement, she would be able to. Twilight Sparkle laughed in delight as she imagined the shocked looks on her other friends’ faces when she told them about how she saved Fluttershy. She knew that the Elements of Harmony needed to remain intact, and that in doing so, would ensure the safety of Ponyville as well as all of Equestria for years to come.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight Sparkle asked, “Do you want to come up with me for breakfast?”

Fluttershy said nothing but followed Twilight Sparkle up the stairs to the main floor of the library. Twilight Sparkle opened the door, but when the morning light entered the room, Fluttershy moved back a step. The light continued to pour into the room, and Fluttershy continued to move back into the darkness of the basement. Twilight Sparkle turned to Fluttershy. Right, she thought, Fluttershy’s eyes must still be sensitive to light.

“It’s all right, Fluttershy,” Twilight Sparkle said, “You can stay down here.”

Fluttershy turned around and made her way back down the stairs. Twilight Sparkle sighed and decided that she would need to go see Rarity about a pair of protective contact lenses that matched Fluttershy’s eye color. Fluttershy disappeared into the darkness, and Twilight Sparkle shut the door behind her and made her way to the kitchen. The saddlebag she had from last night lay on the table, and the corner of Fluttershy’s diary stuck out of the bag. Twilight Sparkle looked around the room, and when she was sure that Spike wasn’t awake, she took the diary out of the bag. She opened the diary to one of the later pages.

January 19, 1006

It has been another wonderful day. I made a new friend in Discord. Yes, it started out as an assignment from Princess Celestia, but she placed her trust in me to help reform him, and as I looked into his eyes, I knew immediately what he needed. He needed a friend. I knew that look the moment I saw him. I knew that he was lonely. I never believed that he was evil, even when he first tried to destroy my friends. I know they only saw him as an agent of chaos, but I know there’s something else there. Even after today, I’m going to find out what it is. Even after he said he wanted to be my friend, I know there is something he is still hiding. You can’t see through anypony, but if you look into their eyes, you can see into their hearts and minds. I’ll have to use my stare again to get to him, is all.

Twilight Sparkle set the diary down. Is that how her stare works, she thought. She had never paid much attention to her friend’s staring abilities before. She had always assumed that it was simply some form of hypnotism that she used on animals. Twilight Sparkle levitated a small scroll from her saddlebag and began a checklist.

1.) Continue Mageismoiras to learn how to get Fluttershy to speak again.
2.) Speak to Fluttershy about “staring” ability.

Twilight Sparkle turned her attention back to Fluttershy’s diary and flipped back towards the beginning of the book. Apparently, Fluttershy wrote through approximately one diary per year. The first entry, however, was scribbled out. Twilight Sparkle had to work through them to read what she could.

February 11, 1005

You’re going to do it today. You’re going to gather up your courage and tell Big Mac you want him to be your special somepony. Just remember what Rarity said. You’re beautiful pretty. Any stallion would jump at the chance be happy to have you as a special somepony.

Will Big Mac want to kiss me when I tell him? What if he says no? What if he says yes? Big Mac is shy, so I know that he’ll know that I won’t try to do anything to make him uncomfortable. I’m going to do it.

Twilight Sparkle looked up from the diary for a moment to think about the scribbled out entry before she continued with the intact. Fluttershy had apparently taken to writing her entries in different color inks.

It’s okay. I went by Sugarcube Corner. When I think about it, Cheerilee is perfect for him. She’ll be much better at helping Big Mac come out of his shell. They’ll be a great couple.

Twilight Sparkle closed the diary and placed it back into her saddlebag. Why hadn’t Fluttershy told the rest of us about Big Mac, she thought. She turned back to the date. That was the day the Cutie Mark Crusaders had stolen the book about Hearts and Hooves Day that she had been reading and made a love potion.

“Fluttershy…”

Twilight Sparkle whispered to herself, unable to complete her own thought. She shook her head and looked to the clock. Dawn had already broken, but with Spike being awoken last night, he was still asleep upstairs. She made her way back to the main room and looked at the poetry books she had laid out. She turned to the door that led to the laboratory and made her way down the stairs, where she saw Fluttershy standing in the corner, as far away from the doorway’s light as she could. Fluttershy stood behind a large bookcase filled with vials. Twilight Sparkle stopped at the table where she had brought her friend to life and looked at the Mageismoiras. At the bottom of the page was a small epigram.

The Lypouni flower blooms in the vessel

Whose soil can feed its desire for sorrow to full

Twilight Sparkle made her way to the other side of the bookcase, watching Fluttershy’s body morph and change to the shape of each vial and beaker that lined its shelves. She reached the end and immediately made her way to Fluttershy’s side and held her in her hooves.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight Sparkle asked, “I know you’re in there somewhere. I’m sorry for the pain that you have felt. When this is over, I’ll help you get Big Mac. You don’t have to worry about anypony – not me, not Cheerilee – not anypony. I will do whatever it takes to make you happy.”

Twilight Sparkle reached up and brushed her lips to Fluttershy’s cheek and she whispered into her ear.

A shadow stands beneath the moon. A hoof

falls. The air catches in my chest. Tonight,

I know that there is no more light but you.

Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes, but the blackness in Fluttershy’s eyes remained unmoving.

Author's Note

After this, I'm going to write a blog that gives a basic breakdown of all of the creatures that I have made for this series, so far.

The First Nightfall

Rarity concentrated her magic on the tree in front of her; more specifically, the branch that hung lower to the ground than the others. A purple aura surrounded the dead limb and it popped off of the tree and floated to the ground. Beside her, Applejack lassoed an errant branch and yanked it off with one tug from her teeth. As they looked over their work in the late afternoon sun, Applejack turned to Rarity.

“Ah can’t believe y’all stayed out here to help the whole day, Rarity.” Applejack said, “I’m proud of ya.”

“Ah may not be as hearty as an earth pony,” Rarity replied as she smacked her lips together, “But Ah’ll have you know that Ah am capable of working a field.”

“Yer voice sounds kinda funny,” Applejack, “What’re ya chewin’ on?”

“Oh, Peppermint leaves,” Rarity replied, “Big Macintosh gave them to me. He said they help with allergies.”

Rarity watched as Applejack smiled again before she pulled down another branch from the apple tree.

“There’s that smile again,” Rarity continued, “Care to tell me what’s on your mind?”

“It’s just that I never in a thousand years ever pictured you and mah brother together,” Applejack replied, “You two are total opposites. You work with all yer fancy dressmakin’, given’ speeches to all of those Canterlot ponies, and mah brother barely even strings two sentences together.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow and smiled, happy to know that there was a secret that both she and Big Macintosh shared.

“But ah can see that y’all make him happy, and ah can see that he makes y’all happy, too.”

Rarity turned her attention to a branch on a tree that lined the path to Sweet Apple Acres. As her aura surrounded the branch, the tufts of leaves began to vibrate, until they shifted and formed the shape of two hearts. Satisfied with her work, she turned to Applejack, who simply looked at her with annoyance.

“Rarity,” Applejack said, “How many times do ah have to tell y’all that we can’t just go about prettifyin’ these things?”

Rarity mocked a look of shock and indignation.

“Well, sometimes it can be a good thing to place a little beauty in this dusty place.”

Rarity turned back to Applejack, who now stifled a laugh. The corners of Rarity’s muzzle twitched, and the two soon fell to the ground in a fit of laughter. They didn’t notice the sound of hooves approaching until the ponies to which they belonged were nearly upon them. Rarity’s ear twitched in the direction of the sound and turned her attention towards it, followed by Applejack. At the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres stood Miss Cheerilee, flanked by Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. They watched as the three fillies were trying to talk to Miss Cheerilee, but Miss Cheerilee looked straight ahead and trotted down the path towards the two mares. Rarity and Applejack stood to their hooves and brushed off the errant patches of dust from their coats as Miss Cheerilee approached.

“Why, Miss Cheerilee,” Applejack said hopefully, though she could tell from the look on the teacher’s face that it wouldn’t be good news, “What brings y’all to these parts?”

Rarity turned her attention to the three fillies, whose attention had moved from their teacher to the pebbles on the ground.

“Good afternoon,” Miss Cheerilee replied in a dry voice, “And good afternoon to you, too, Rarity. It’s good you’re here. I assume you’re wondering why your sisters are so late?”

Rarity gasped and looked at the Ponyville clock tower in the distance. It was already nearing five o’clock.

“Oh my, I didn’t even notice the time,” Rarity turned to the little white filly, who was trying to hide behind her teacher’s foreleg, “Sweetie Belle, what kept you so long?”

For a moment, none of the ponies spoke. Finally, Scootaloo’s wings began to buzz and she hovered in the air for a moment.

“Well, you see,” Scootaloo said as he eyes darted back and forth, “We were trying to get our cutie marks in hair styling again.”

“Did ya really think that y’all could lie to the Element of Honesty that easily?” Applejack said through gritted teeth.

Scootaloo’s eyes widened. The buzzing of her wings stopped and she fell to the ground with a soft thud. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom looked at each other and took a deep breath as they looked up to their teacher once more. Miss Cheerilee simply shook her head.

“No,” Miss Cheerilee said, “You need to take responsibility for what you’ve done. You are going to tell them.”

“We only did it ‘cause Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were bein’ mean to us again!” Applebloom yelled.

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle squeaked, “They keep making fun of us for having blank flanks, and it’s not fair!”

“What did the three of you do?” Rarity asked.

The three fillies sighed and pushed closer together. They all looked up to Rarity and Applejack at the same time.

“It was arts and crafts day…” Sweetie Belle started.

“And they were sittin’ in front of us, whisperin’ ‘bout our blank flanks.” Applebloom continued.

“And the scissors were just sitting right there...” Scootaloo trailed off.

Applejack took her Stetson and lowered it over her muzzle. Rarity’s eye began to twitch as her jaw fell open.

“So… you…” Rarity paused between each word, “Cut… their… manes?”

As the three fillies began to nod their heads, Rarity’s chest began to heave in and out. Applejack placed a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder.

“Rarity, why don’t we get some nice tea?” She turned to Miss Cheerilee, “Miss Cheerilee, y’all come in, too. We need to discuss what to do in order to fix this.”

“Why, thank you, Miss Applejack, I’d be delighted.”

“Well, we’ll leave y’all to figurin’ out what to do.” Applebloom said as she and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders tried to escape, but were stopped when a purple aura surrounded the three of them.

“Oh no,” Rarity said through gritted teeth, “You are going to sit and listen.”

The three mares and the three fillies trotted down the path to the farmhouse as Celestia’s sun began to touch the horizon.

*****

The sky was black. Twilight Sparkle shivered as the familiar sound of creaking metal filled her ears, but she couldn’t tell the source of the sound. She began to move, her hooves felt as though they landed on cobblestone, but no sounds came from the meeting of hoof and stone. The wind clutched at her chest, and it became difficult to breathe. Twilight Sparkle was moving upward, of this she was certain. The creaking metal continued, but as she moved, the creaking became faint. The noise was replaced with the sound of something cracking against the sky. Twilight Sparkle continued her ascent on a hill that she could not see. She could not tell how close she was to the peak, or if there even was a peak. The hill simply continued to ascend into the black sky. There was no moon, no stars, just a vast expanse of blackness that offered no light to give her any sense of direction or gradient. Twilight Sparkle called out, but no sound left her muzzle. She felt the vibrations in her throat, the air as it left her muzzle, but still nothing.

Another crack filled the air, and Twilight Sparkle turned around just in time to see a pair of eyes behind her. The sound of beating wings filled the air and the cracking sound echoed once again. She turned around to run but saw a field of white tongues waving back and forth against a field of green. Twilight Sparkle was in a cemetery. As she passed by the graves, the ground opened in front of each gravestone-turned-tongue. The ground opened next to her, and dismembered pieces of a pony rose into the air, white furred and pink maned. She was joined when another piece of ground opened up by a mare with dark pink fur and yellow mane as well as another pink pony with green mane. The sky opened for only a moment before Twilight Sparkle, but it was just enough to catch a glimpse of a vast green field. The vision disappeared as soon as it had arrived.

Twilight Sparkle ran, and as she did, the ground opened once again. She looked down but saw only blackness. In the distance, she could hear the sound of a dog barking. As the sound echoed up the hole, Twilight Sparkle realized that it was the sound of three dogs barking. The ground closed once more, and Twilight Sparkle continued to run. The sound of flapping wings moved closer to her. Twilight Sparkle realized that the cracking sound was that of a riding crop. I saved Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle tried to yell, but still no sound escaped from her muzzle. She turned her head and saw the eyes once more. The eyes were blue, like the sky. In fact, the eyes looked similar to…

Twilight Sparkle stopped and turned once more. As she turned away from the vision that was chasing her, she turned towards the vision of Fluttershy as she sat near the statue of The Hostler. She sat there silently and looked forward. She wore her elemental necklace, but her eyes were still black. A series of chains wrapped around Fluttershy and held her to the statue. Twilight Sparkle could no longer hear the sound of flapping wings or cracking crop, but as she looked up at the statue, The Hostler’s blue eyes stared down at her. Twilight Sparkle watched as the statue’s right hoof rose to the sky, followed by her right wing slowly stretching until it was fully displayed. Another patch of ground opened, and a disfigured pink pony rose from the ground and into the sky. Another bright flash appeared in the sky and the fields revealed themselves again. The fields disappeared once more as another patch of ground opened. Everything around Twilight Sparkle turned to black as the sound of barking grew louder and louder. Twilight Sparkle felt herself falling. She was falling. Twilight Sparkle screamed, and this time, the voice left her muzzle and echoed in the blackness.

Twilight Sparkle landed on a wooden floor. She looked up to see that she was in her own room and breathed a sigh of relief. Staying up all night, Twilight Sparkle must have, at some point, come up to her room to nap. She looked out the window and saw that the sun was setting, and that night time was only moments away.

“Spike?” Twilight Sparkle called out, “Spike?”

There was no response. Twilight Sparkle shook her head and made her way down the stairs to the main room of the library. The library was empty, and Spike had placed a closed sign over the window. Spike must have gone out, she thought as she turned to the door of the basement laboratory. She knew that Fluttershy was down there. It had to be Fluttershy. She had performed the ritual perfectly. She had double and triple checked the list to make sure that nothing went wrong. She had replaced every body part that Fluttershy had lost, even down to the last milliliter of blood. Twilight Sparkle edged towards the door and pushed it open. The dim light of early evening bled down the basement steps, but Twilight Sparkle couldn’t bring herself to take the steps down into the basement. Fluttershy is down there, Twilight Sparkle thought to herself, it has to be Fluttershy down there. Twilight Sparkle shook her head and closed the door as a tear fell down her cheek.

*****

“So it’s settled, then.” Applejack said as she emptied her cut of tea.

“Yes, I do believe that is a satisfactory punishment.” Rarity agreed.

“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh added.

“But don’t they have to get punished fer makin’ fun of us?” Applebloom moaned.

“I will talk to their parents about insulting their schoolmates,” Miss Cheerilee replied, lowering her teacup, “But the way you three reacted is completely unacceptable.”

Miss Cheerilee moved to head towards the door. Applejack and Rarity stood up to join her.

“I’m sorry,” Miss Cheerilee said, “But I must get home. I have tests to grade. I just don’t know what to do about those fillies. They torment each other nonstop.”

“I have my own talk that I must have with Sweetie Belle,” Rarity added, glaring at her younger sister.

“Thank you so much for having me over,” Miss Cheerilee said as she crossed the threshold, “Girls, I expect you three to apologize to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon on Monday.”

“Y’all have a good night then. Good luck with the tests and all.”

Cheerilee nodded and stepped onto the porch. The door closed behind her and she made her way down the path of Sweet Apple Acres. Luna’s moon began to rise into the sky, white clouds curled in the darkness above her. Off to her side, Miss Cheerilee could hear the sound of a few chickens clucking, but the clucking ceased as the chickens became silent, one by one. Miss Cheerilee nodded her head at the thought of the chickens falling asleep. Before she got too far, Miss Cheerilee turned once more to the farmhouse. She thought of how close Big Macintosh and Rarity sat together. Though the three fillies had forced them together that one time, Miss Cheerilee knew that the two of them would always be good friends. She was so happy that he had found a special somepony. Miss Cheerilee paused for a moment in the middle of the path, and as the light of the moon began to shine on her face, her eyes slowly turned their gaze downward, and the smile faded. She shook her head and began to trot down the path once more until she reached the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres.

The path now ran along the Everfree Forest, and as she made her way home, she heard the distinct sound of bushes shuffling. She turned her attention to the bush in question and found a small, white feather on the ground. The bush trembled again, and Cheerilee took a step back, turned around, and began to trot away. Even as she sped up, the sound of shuffling bushes continued to follow her. The wind began to pick up, and Cheerilee heard the sound of ruffling feathers join with the bushes. Her trot turned into a gallop, until she could finally see her house in the distance. Her house was near the schoolhouse, away from the Everfree Forest. She continued to gallop away, her breath heaving as she sound of feathers continued behind her. She galloped past the clock tower just as the bell rang six o’clock. The six rings echoed into the new night air. She reached her house, too terrified to turn around. The door flung open and as she entered her house, she slammed the door closed. The ruffling of feathers continued for a moment, and then stopped. Miss Cheerilee turned her attention to the kitchen and noticed that the window was open. She crept into the kitchen and shut the window. A sigh escaped from Miss Cheerilee’s muzzle as she turned towards the kitchen table. A pair of eyes stared back at her, and then everything turned to blackness.

*****

Rarity paced in front of her little sister in the main room of the Carousel Boutique. Every few moments, she would stop and then turn to her sister.

“I have half a mind to cut your own mane to see how you like it.”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes filled with tears.

“Rarity,” Sweetie Belle asked as her voice trembled, “Why do Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon get to be so mean to us?”

Rarity stopped pacing and instead turned to her little sister. Sweetie Belle had fallen to her haunches and the tears were streaming down even faster.

“Is it… is it because we’re blank flanks that everypony lets them do it?”

Rarity sat down next to Sweetie Belle and wrapped a foreleg around her. She began to hum a song to her.

There used to be a little mare without a mark

Sometimes at night she would stare out into the dark

From her window in a house outside a park

She’d stare out at Luna’s sky.

And though awake she would pretend that she could dream

About the one thing that would this whole world seem

That it wasn’t cruel or as unfair as she had seen

She looked up to Luna’s eye.

Rarity’s voice grew more powerful as she made it to the chorus.

“Why am I not special yet?

Why is it I cannot get

A mark to show the world that I

Am special, Luna, you know I try.”

Stars… Cry… Stars… Cry

Rarity began to hum to her sister again as she returned to the melody.

And as the mare continued on about her prayer

She paused and took another glance into the air.

And smiled with happiness because as she stood there

A white star began to fall.

And then a little mark that matched what she just saw

Appeared on her leg and then she stood in awe.

As her cutie mark now appeared without a flaw

And then she began to call.

Sweetie Belle’s tears began to stop as Rarity reached the final chorus.

“Mom and Dad, I’m special now

I did it, thought I don’t know how.”

Her parent’s both gave smiles and sighs

And said “You’re always special in our eyes.

Starcry… Starcry…”

Rarity continued to rub her hoof along Sweetie Belle’s shoulder. Soon, her little sister’s trembling had ceased completely. Sweetie Belle looked up with red eyes.

“When will I get my cutie mark?”

Rarity laughed a little.

“Be true to yourself, little sister. Stay true to your name. The way you acted is not how sisters like us behave, now is it?”

Sweetie Belle shook her head.

“Are you going to apologize to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?”

“Yes,” Sweetie Belle replied, “But they’re so mean to me.”

“Well then, you just keep your head held high and never ever let yourself stoop down to their level again, do you hear me?”

Sweetie Belle nodded. Rarity nuzzled her little sister.

“Good,” Rarity said, “Now get ready for your bath and then bed.”

Sweetie Belle ran up the stairs, leaving Rarity alone in the main room. She aligned a few of the ponnequins into the back of the room, but stopped when she noticed a glint in the work room. She entered the work room and flipped on a light. There, in the middle of the room, a small, blue, butterfly-shaped mane pin lay on the floor. Rarity turned to call out to Opalescence, but stopped when she turned to the box of jewelry that she had placed the mane pin inside of. The rest of the jewelry was exactly where she had left it. Not even my Opal is that crafty, Rarity thought as she placed the mane pin back into the box. She looked around the room, and then turned around and closed the work room door. As the door closed, a small white feather fluttered along the floor and landed beneath the desk.

Spike's Nightfall

Spike tapped his claws on the kitchen table as he glanced up at the clock again. It was three o’clock in the afternoon and Twilight Sparkle still hadn’t awoken from her sleep. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Twilight Sparkle had spent many nights awake during her studies, and not once had it caused her to sleep in. He looked down at the dinner that he had prepared: the bowl of lentil soup had long since cooled, and the sandwich had had made was ruined, the dandelions were wilted, and the cucumber juiced had seeped into the homemade bread. Owlowiscious stood perched on the faucet of the kitchen sink; his eyes darted back and forth.

“Yes, I know,” Spike sighed as he picked up the now inedible sandwich, “I’ve never seen this happen before, either. But Twilight Sparkle must have been working really hard on that magic to fix Fluttershy’s eyes. I’ve never seen them like that before.”

Owlowiscious cocked his head to the side.

“They were completely black.” Spike continued, “And there was an awful smell down there. I don’t know it if was a curse. Maybe it’s a side effect of her staring ability. Who knows?”

“Who?”

“I’ve already straightened up the book in the main library, Owlowiscious,” Spike replied with yet another sigh, “This place is practically immaculate.”

Spike picked up the bowl of soup and began to pour it down the drain and Owlowiscious took to flight to avoid any of it to splatter onto his feathers.

“Sorry,” Spike said, “I’m just not really focused today, am I?”

Owlowiscious landed on the back of a chair and simply blinked back at him. Spike cleaned the two dishes and put them up before returning to the table. He picked up a small ruby from his bowl of gems and tossed it into his mouth. His gaze turned towards the door that led to the basement. He knew he didn’t want to go down there again, so instead he walked towards the front door.

“Who?”

“Nopony has come here all day,” Spike replied, “If Twilight doesn’t think it’s important to be awake to greet ponies, then I may as well close the library and go out.”

Spike flipped a small sign over the front window to the library to CLOSED, opened the door, and walked away. Owlowiscious continued to stare through the window, then slowly turned his head around to the basement door, and then to the door at the top of the stairs. He took to flight and landed next to the door to Twilight Sparkle’s room where the sound of her whimpering could now be heard through the door.

*****

Spike found himself walking unconsciously towards Carousel Boutique. He passed by Quills & Sofas, but didn’t register the sound of a stallion calling out his name.

“Spike,“ Davenport called, “Got your head in the clouds, son?”

“No, Mr. Davenport," Spike replied, “Just thinking about things.”

Davenport looked down at the little dragon and placed a hoof on his spines.

“Don’t worry, Spike,” Davenport replied, “The Mayor said that the timberwolves were found, and that she has even started a Timberwolf watch group to help patrol at night. The flower girls’ deaths won’t be in vain.”

Spike looked up to Davenport, but then turned away.

“Come on in and sit a spell.” Davenport said, “I just got in a vintage Gustave the Fourteenth beech wood settee straight from Prance.”

Spike shrugged his shoulders and entered the store. Sofas of various shapes and sizes surrounded him, some minimal in design, while others were downright gaudy. On the wall was a shelf of quills, ranging from goose and owl feathers to the larger and more expensive swan feather. There was even a phoenix feather in the center of the shelves, but beneath it read a sign that said FOR DISPLAY ONLY – NOT FOR SALE. Spike followed Davenport to the center of the show room, where an older looking sofa sat on top of a round platform. Davenport sighed as he looked upon it.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Davenport replied, “The griffons of Prance really knew what they were doing. This was made during the Grand Siècle, when-”

“See a clay?” Spike asked.

“Sorry,” Davenport replied as he sat down softly on the cushion, “Grand Siècle, the Great Century, when King Gustave the Fourteenth ruled over Prance.”

Davenport smiled at Spike and placed his hoof on the other cushion. Spike mimicked Davenport’s motions and sat down as delicately as possible. The cushions were made of a combination of silk and wool, and Spike slid effortlessly to the back. He watched as Davenport traced his hoof against the intricately carved wooden hoof rests.

“What makes this sofa so special, Mister Davenport?”

“Just look,” Davenport pointed to the hoof rest again, “All of the beech wood is original from the shores of the Alce region, where the Alce Griffons resided. The silk and wool are originals from the Clawrraine region of the Opinicus Griffons. All of this was history long before our time, of course. During the Equestrian Reneighssance, when The Diarchy began to unite the Griffon and Dragon Kingdoms.”

Spike rolled his eyes. Please, Celestia, not another history lesson. He began to slide away from the settee before Davenport stopped him.

“I’m sorry,” Davenport said, I didn’t mean to bore you. I just get so excited. There’s so much history, even in furniture.”

“Yeah…” Spike mumbled as he looked as the faded cushions, “history. It looks really old. Why don’t you just fix it up?”

“You can’t do that.” Davenport replied, “You can’t simply replace a piece here and there. It’s not the same. It can never be the same.”

“But you can make it better.” Spike said, “It’ll be newer and it can last forever.”

“That’s not the point.” Davenport said, “Look at each little scratch, each little design. It tells the story of it. You can’t just rip off a piece of it and put in a new one.”

“Would anypony really notice?”

“I would,” Davenport said, “I know that this piece won’t last much longer. I don’t plan to sell it, either. Nopony would really appreciate it like I would. I just wanted to have it here in my collection, even if just for a little while.”

Spike furrowed his eyebrows for the second time that afternoon. Davenport sighed and placed his hoof on Spike once again.

“Spike, I know you’re young, and you haven’t really seen ponies around you die. The flower girls are gone, but just think of the beauty they brought to us while they were alive. The beautiful flowers, so many beautiful flowers. But more fillies will be born with cutie marks like theirs. It’s the way of life. Mares and stallions will meet, and they’ll have foals, and the cycle will continue. Hey, there will even be a pony like me one day who collects furniture. It’s the way things work for us ponies.”

“And what about me?” Spike asked, “Don’t dragons live for hundreds of years?”

Davenport remained silent for a moment, and Spike could tell he was at a loss for words. Spike eased his way off of the settee and made his way towards the door.

“Does Miss Sparkle need any quills?” Davenport called out.

“No, Mister Davenport,” Spike said, “Have a good day, sir.”

The door closed behind Spike and he continued towards the Carousel Boutique. As the sun continued to set, the sounds of the bazaar grew quiet as fewer ponies wandered about. But the time he reached Rarity’s home and business, he frowned when he saw that the lights were off, and a small sign in the window read CLOSED. She’s down at Sweet Apple Acres again, he thought. His eyes squinted and he placed a claw to his chest. He looked around and saw the large tree that stood next to the boutique. His claws trembled as he clutched at the base of the tree and began to climb up.

He had done this many times before, and each time, he became more ashamed that he did so, especially after he learned why Rarity spent so much time at Sweet Apple Acres. A single limb reached out and almost touch Rarity’s window, but not quite. He nestled himself into the crotch of the tree and looked into the window. There was the four poster bed that he had seen in his dreams numerous times. And there was the wall of fabrics that were lined in order of hue. But what always caught his attention was the vanity in the corner of the room. On the vanity was a fire ruby inlaid within a gold band in the shape of a heart. Spike’s chest tightened as he continued to look on at the gemstone he had given Rarity. He thought about the words that Davenport had just said.

It’s the way things work for us ponies. Spike thought of the flower girls, and then of Rarity. He turned to the setting sun, and just as it touched the horizon and began to disappear, the tears began to fall from his eyes. The tears were uncontrollable. He didn’t cry for just Rarity, but for all of his pony friends. He would outlive them all. He would outlive Fluttershy, and he would outlive Applejack and Rainbow Dash. He would outlive Pinkie Pie. Will I even outlive Twilight, he thought as he tried to contain the sobs coming from his mouth. The sobbing turned into a hiccup and a small flame emitted from his mouth. He jumped down from the tree; it was not a good idea to be near anything flammable while he was like this. His legs quivered as he began to walk away, but a figure in the distance caught his attention.

Spike could only see Fluttershy’s as a hint of a building, but a large creature hovered over it, its lithe body twirling around the top as it entered a window. Discord, Spike thought as he ran towards Fluttershy’s cottage, trying to avoid Sergeant Longwinder, he tiptoed behind the cottage and managed to find a small hole where the bunnies usually entered. He squeezed into the tight hole and found himself inside the main room of the cottage. Upstairs, he could hear the sound of Discord trying to sneak around as quietly as possible. The door was open, so Spike snuck up behind Discord to see what he was up to.

When he entered the room, he could only see the back of Discord as he stared against a wall. Spike moved as quietly as he could to hide beneath a desk. Spike looked around the room. Fluttershy’s curio of glass animals was broken, and pieces of glass lay strewn on the floor, but Spike noticed that Discord continued to stare at the wall. Discord’s paw pointed at the wall, and a figure began to glow where he pointed. He watched Discord’s eyes as they moved back and forth to study the image. Finally, Discord’s paw clutched into a fist and he hit the wall. A small book landed in front of Spike, and he couldn’t help but look down at it.

May 6, 1004,

I can’t believe I’m actually going to the Grand Galloping Gala with my friends tonight. I’m so glad Rarity forgave me for not accepting the first dress she made me. I can’t believe I was so selfish. Rarity’s dresses are always perfect. I’m such a loudmouth. But I guess I got what I deserved when I walked out that one night with a bird’s next on my head.

Everything will be perfect. Applejack will make money for her family. Pinkie Pie will have the time of her life. Rarity will meet a special somepony. Rainbow Dash will meet the Wonderbolts. Twilight will get to spend time with Princess Celestia. I’ll get to meet the animals, so I’ll be out of everypony’s way. I do hope the animals love me. It’s so easy for animals to love me. Easier compared to ponies, I suppose. Animals won’t judge a pegasus who can’t fly.

The sound of the downstairs door opening caught his attention, and he looked up as Discord turned away from the wall. The figure disappeared and Discord crossed his arms and waited for Sergeant Longwinder to ascend the stairs. Spike’s attention fell down to the next entry.

May 7, 1004

I know she said I didn’t ruin anything, but I saw it in her eyes. I saw it in all of their eyes. I know they laughed about it at Donut Joe’s, and I tried to smile at the jokes, but I couldn’t. The Canterlot ponies just didn’t like apples. Pinkie Pie was just confused about what a ‘gala’ is. Rarity’s Prince just turned out to be a bad pony. The Wonderbolts were just busy with all of their fans. Princess Celestia had to greet all of the nobility. They all had excuses.

The animals hated me. I’ve tried to think of an excuse. Was I too loud? Did the ruffled in my dress make a noise that frightened them? The only thought that comes to my mind is that one, and it keeps coming back to me. The vultures cowered in the trees. The bunnies shivered.

The animals hated me.

“What are you doing here?” Sergeant Longwinder shouted, “There is no entry allowed into Miss Fluttershy’s cottage.”

“Where is she?” Discord asked, “She was placed here in a stasis spell. I know this.”

“I am not at liberty to say anything.” Sergeant Longwinder replied, “I had no knowledge of any stasis spell, all I was told was to ensure that nopony disturb Miss Fluttershy.”

“Send a letter to Princess Luna,” Discord shouted, “I know that she had something to do with this.”

“I will do no such thing, Discord,” Sergeant Longwinder replied, “You are now a subject of the Celestial Sisters, and you will comport yourself as such.”

“I may have devoted my powers for good, but so help me, if you do not find Fluttershy right now, I-”

Spike emerged from the desk, much to the shock of the draconequus and the guard.

“Fluttershy’s at Twilight’s, Discord.” Spike said, “She fixing a problem with her eyes.”

Discord’s eyes popped out of his head, and he had to bend over to retrieve them, much to the disgust of the guard.

“I beg your pardon, Spike,” Discord said, “What problem with her eyes?”

“Is that why you were here last night?” Sergeant Longwinder asked, “To distract me?”

“Well, yes,” Spike said as he tried to shrink into a small size, “Twilight mentioned something about a vessel, and-”

“Get a letter to Luna immediately.” Discord shouted.

“Not until I see Miss Fluttershy.” Sergeant Longwinder replied, “The only order that I was given was to make sure that nopony disturbs Miss Fluttershy. So far, I have two stories – one from a lying little dragon, and one from an agent of chaos. I am not going to trust either of you reptiles until some of this starts making sense.”

Both Spike’s and Discord’s eyes narrowed into slits. Their forked tongues both instinctively slithered out of their mouths.

“Fine,” Spike replied, “Then let’s all go to the library.”

“Done.” Discord replied as he snapped his claw.

*****

Twilight Sparkle sat at the kitchen table and stared at the sandwich she had made for herself. The petals of the daisies hung limply over the side of the crust, and the cucumbers felt slimy. She shook her head and levitated the sandwich to throw it away; she wasn’t hungry anyway. She turned her attention to the epigram she had found on the page of the Mageismoiras. She had transcribed it to another sheet of paper.

“The Lypouni flower blooms in the vessel whose soil can feed its desire for sorrow to full.”

Twilight broke each of the words. She knew that Fluttershy served as the vessel, but the rest was a riddle to her. The only hint came from a small section in the other book Discord had given her, Empolemitheon, which spoke of ponies with specific personality types who could serve as vessels for shadows to reenter upon the vessel’s death. She had seen the shadows while Edger was in Ponyville thanks to the magic he had used, but they were nothing like Fluttershy. Fluttershy would never act violently. Perhaps the shadows feed off of the vessel’s body until they were sated? Lypouni, Twilight Sparkle thought, Old Equestrian root is lypoumai, so a pony of regret? Twilight Sparkle turned to the basement door. Something was still missing, and Twilight vowed to get to the bottom of it. Before she could reach the door however, a bright light filled the room. Twilight Sparkle turned and saw Discord, Spike, and Sergeant Longwinder standing in her library. Her eyes widened as the glanced from face to face. Spike cowered behind Discord’s goat leg, Sergeant Longwinder looked ready to commit to a public lashing, and Discord’s eyes had turned nearly red.

“Where is she?” Discord asked.

“Pardon our intrusion, Princess Sparkle,” Sergeant Longwinder said, “But I am simply trying to get to the bottom of things. Princess Celestia ordered me to ensure that Miss Fluttershy was not disturbed. I found these two in Miss Fluttershy’s cottage, but Miss Fluttershy was gone. Do you have any idea as to her whereabouts?”

“Spike,” Twilight Sparkle asked nervously, “What exactly did you tell them?”

A list of thoughts ran through Twilight Sparkle’s mind. Most of them ended with banishment.

“I told him what I saw, Twilight,” Spike replied, “And Discord knows something, too.”

“What is happening here is none of your concern, little one.”

“Enough!” Sergeant Longwinder shouted, “Princess Sparkle, if you don’t mind, I would really appreciate it if I could perform a quick inspection. I’m sure you have nothing to worry about, but as for these two.”

Sergeant Longwinder turned to both Spike and Discord.

“If there is any evidence that this is a conspiracy to hinder an investigation as to the whereabouts of one of the Elemental Bearers of Harmony, then I’m sure Princess Celestia can be easily convinced that public lashings are appropriate.”

Spike clutched against Discord’s goat leg. Discord’s eyes softened for a moment, and then he lifted Spike up to his shoulder.

“He will do no such thing,” Discord replied, “Besides, it’s evening, so I’m pretty sure I know what’s happening.”

Twilight Sparkle cocked her head to the side and silently pushed open the basement door. Sergeant Longwinder reached up to turn on the light switch. Twilight Sparkle went to stop him, but Discord reached out a claw and stopped her. Outside, the town clock rang six o’clock. The light switch turned on, and Sergeant Longwinder descended the stairs. The alicorn, the darconequus, and the dragon remained on the main floor. Discord continued to glare at Twilight Sparkle, who in turn, glared at Spike. Spike simply looked down at the ground from his perch on Discord’s shoulder.

A few minutes passed, and Sergeant Longwinder reappeared at the top of the stairs.

“I would get somepony to look into those strange smells.” Sergeant Longwinder said, “As for you two, there is no evidence of Miss Fluttershy being down there. I am going to report this to Princess Celestia.”

“No!”

Twilight Sparkle covered her mouth. Sergeant Longwinder gave her a questioning look.

“Spike is my ward, and I will see to it that the issue is dealt with,” Twilight Sparkles wings fluttered as she spoke and her voice took on a more official tone, “And as for Discord, he is now the ward of the Elements of Harmony as well as the Princess hood, therefore, I shall also deal with him. You may take your leave, Sergeant Longwinder.”

“But-”

“I am sure Fluttershy will turn up.” Twilight Sparkle kept up her composure, “Until then, try to search for clues on your own.”

Sergeant Longwinder bowed before the princess.

“Yes your Majesty.”

Sergeant Longwinder turned and left the library. The door closed behind him. Twilight Sparkle levitated Spike from
Discord’s shoulder and placed him at the top of the stairs to her bedroom.

“Spike, go to bed. Now.”

“But I-”

“I said now, Spike!”

Spike quivered for a moment, but then he hunched his shoulders and retreated into the darkness of Twilight Sparkle’s room. When the second door shut, Twilight Sparkle and Discord both asked their question at the same time?

“What did you do?”

No Regrets

Twilight Sparkle stood, once again, at the entrance to the Ponyville Cemetery. The small, rolling hills lined with tombstones beckoned her inside. Once inside, Twilight Sparkle watched as the tree limbs waved in the wind, yet no matter where she looked, it seemed as though all of the tree limbs bent towards her, as though the wind itself had chosen Twilight Sparkle as its vortex. She took a few hesitant steps forward, but as if to confirm her suspicions, the tree limbs continued to move in her direction.

The sky was purple, and Luna’s moon hung just above the horizon. In the distance, Twilight Sparkle saw the familiar figure of a yellow pegasus sitting at the top of a hill next to the statue of The Hostler. Each hoof clop that she made echoed into the night, until the sound began to rise like thunder. Twilight Sparkle shook her head in an attempt to ignore the sound, and her trot turned into a gallop as she climbed the hill to reach Fluttershy. Just as before, graves opened to her left and right, and the sound of barking dogs joined in with the sound of her hooves.

“Fluttershy!”

Twilight Sparkle called for her friend over and over again, but Fluttershy didn’t move. Twilight Sparkle continued to run upwards, but was stopped by a hoof grabbing her own. She looked down and found herself staring into Airheart’s eyes. Her orange mane was matted against her head, and the wounds from where Twilight Sparkle had severed her wings bled out. Twilight Sparkle began to drag herself away, but Airheart’s grasp only grew tighter. She began to buck at Airheart, whose body had only begun to crawl out of the newly opened grave. When Twilight Sparkle felt as though she was finally free of Airheart’s grasp, Airheart leapt out of the grave and clamped her teeth onto Twilight Sparkle’s tail. Twilight Sparkle screamed.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight Sparkle cried, “Help me, please!”

Fluttershy remained still. Twilight sparkle noticed that her attention was drawn to a house in the distance. As she struggled to free herself form Airheart’s hoof and teeth, she tried to see what Fluttershy was so focused on. As if it were a mirage coming into focus, the familiar farmhouse of Sweet Apple Acres came into view. Twilight Sparkle opened her mouth, but another hoof wrapped itself around her and pulled her into the darkness of the open grave.

*****

Spike sat at the top of the stairs and rocked back and forth. When Twilight Sparkle had come in the night before carrying a saddlebag full of notebooks, she had told him not to disturb her under any circumstance.

That was almost sixteen hours ago. Spike looked at the clock, which read just past four o’clock. He had tried to sleep downstairs, but every time he closed his eyes, the sound chalk scratching against a chalkboard pricked at his ears. Twilight Sparkle had been writing something furiously in her studies, and Spike had resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn’t sleep that night. The near constant scratching of chalk had finally stopped almost an hour ago, only to be replaced by the sounds of Twilight Sparkle’s moans and cries.

Spike stood up, steadied himself, and pushed open the door to their room, the room Twilight Sparkle had chosen to further whatever studies it was she was doing for Fluttershy. What can possibly be so wrong with Fluttershy’s eyes, Spike asked himself as he stepped into the room.

Spike looked around the room in confusion as pages of handwritten letters littered the floor. Some of the pages were written in blue or green ink, but a few had splotches of red on them. A pile of notebook bindings were stacked in the corner of the room next to the chalkboard. Some of the bindings had pictures of animals on them, while others had detailed picture of flowers and plants. Spike took another step into the room and felt a piece of paper crumple under his claw. He reached down to look at what he had stepped on.

Spike held in his claws a picture of a family of rodents. The larger mouse was waving in the picture, but was trapped in a wheelchair, while the mouse’s wife stood lovingly by his side, looking off into the corner. The mouse pup sat in front of the larger mouse, who Spike deduced was the mouse pup’s father.

Wait, Spike thought, I’ve seen this family before. And this is Fluttershy’s hoof writing. Spike dropped the picture on the floor and looked around at the littered pieces of paper. Most of them began with dates, followed by Fluttershy talking about her day. These are all pieces of Fluttershy’s diaries; Spike grimaced as he looked up to Twilight Sparkle’s bed.

The chalkboard caught his attention, however, and he turned to it. Numerous pages of Fluttershy’s diaries had been taped onto the edges of the chalkboard. A series of dates and names lined one side of the chalkboard, with a line that connected to each red inked page of diary on the other side. In the middle of the chalkboard, in large letters, Twilight Sparkle had written ELEMENT OF KINDNESS, with two lines going to ANGER and REGRET.

Surrounding the main diagram were a series of illustrations showing filled-in ponies and hollow ponies. One of the ponies had two smaller ponies above it, with arrows in different directions. Another pony was crossed out. The words FATE and MAGIC appeared in numerous locations across the chalkboard.

Another stifled moan echoed in Spike’s ears, and he climbed the final flight of stairs to the bed that Twilight Sparkle was sleeping in. He watched as Twilight Sparkle grimaced, and then began to toss and turn. Her wings fluttered beneath the quilt, and sparks of magic erupted from her horn. Spike began to raise his claw to try to wake her up, but Twilight Sparkle shrieked and jolted upright in her bed. Spike froze. He watched as Twilight Sparkle’s mouth motioned to speak, but no sounds came out. He then watched as she lowered back onto her pillow and resumed her troubled sleep.

Spike inched forward and lifted the quilt as his lip quivered. Twilight Sparkle’s wings were fully displayed, and she lay prone on the bed. He lifted his body as gently as he could onto the bed and then nestled his body into the space between her barrel and her wing. Spike felt Twilight Sparkle’s body stop trembling and her wing immediately wrap itself around him. He squeezed his eyes shut, and tears began to fall out of them. Now it was his body that trembled.

Please don’t leave me, Twilight.

There was a knock at the door downstairs. Spike sighed, and then he left the bed. He winced when he heard Twilight Sparkle begin to whimper again, but he had no choice. The library was open again. Maybe he could just tell whatever pony was there that they were reshelving. Spike trudged down the stairs to the front door and opened it. The wind had picked up since that morning. Grey clouds hung overhead, spread haphazardly across the sky. Spike would have made a comment to the visitor about how it must have been Rainbow Dash’s day for weather patrol, but his eyes widened when he saw who it was.

“Why, Spike, darling,” Rarity said as she entered the library, “You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

“I haven’t,” Spike croaked out, suddenly feeling awkward about his appearance, “Twilight’s been doing some serious studying. But she’s sleeping now.”

“Oh, well then, maybe I should try to come a little bit later,” Rarity replied, “I so wanted to speak with her about something. Oh, you poor thing. Why don’t you just get some rest? I can always come back another time.”

“Thanks,” Spike smiled, “It’s just her working on this issue with Fltutershy and all.”

Rarity’s head quirked to the side.

“So, she told you about what happened?”

“No, not really,” Spike replied as he held back a yawn, “Something about her eyes, though. Twilight’s been keeping her in the basement until she finishes whatever spell she’s working on.”

Spike couldn’t help but look on in confusion as Rarity’s eye began to twitch and her mouth began to fall open.

“I’m sorry, dear,” Rarity replied, “But could you repeat that?”

Spike nodded and then turned to the basement. As he opened the door, he turned to Rarity.

“We have to keep it pretty dark.” Spike said, “Something about her eyes and being really sensitive to light.”

*****

Twilight Sparkle didn’t know how long she fell. But she could feel the hooves surround her. Not just the hooves of Airheart, but countless hooves, all reaching out just to touch an inch of her body. Every time she tried to call out, a hoof wrapped itself around her muzzle. Beneath her, a tiny pinpoint of light appeared. She continued to fall, and the speck of light grew. Twilight Sparkle landed on a hill. It was the hill that she often went to in her dreams, because it was the same hill where she and Fluttershy would meet for stargazing. She looked down and saw that Fluttershy was there, nuzzled against her barrel. A smile spread along her nuzzle as she wrapped one of her wings around Fluttershy.

“You’re going to be a great Princess, Twilight.”

“As long as I have you, then it may happen.”

“I’m not as important as the others.”

“You are the most important to me. Fluttershy, I want to tell you-”

The ground opened once again, but this time, it was Fluttershy who was dragged into the darkness. Twilight Sparkle found herself frozen as hooves wrapped themselves around Fluttershy and pulled her away. Fluttershy disappeared, and everything turned black.

*****

Twilight Sparkle awoke in her bed. She immediately felt that it was afternoon, but as she looked outside, all she could see were sheets of grey clouds dotting the sky. She turned her attention to the small telescope at the window. Saturday, September fourteenth, she thought, the day before Princess Luna created the first asteroid. Fluttershy would love to see it.

An odd sensation rushed through Twilight Sparkle’s body. The left side of her barrel felt warm. It was the same side that Fluttershy had leaned against in her dream. Twilight Sparkle smiled as she stretched her wings and made her way back to the chalkboard she had been working on. The pages from Fluttershy’s diaries littered the floor, and she checked over them a third time to make sure that she hadn’t forgotten a passage that would indicate anger or regret. As it turned out, Fluttershy had a system of organization, as well. The entries written in green were meant for Fluttershy describing her daily events – going to the bazaar, tending the animals, or travelling through the Everfree Forest. The entries written in blue were when she wrote to herself – building confidence, mainly. But it always seemed to be after the blue entries that the red entries would appear. Twilight Sparkle turned to the chalkboard and shook her head. She hated the knowledge that so many of her attempts to break out of her shell ended up with these red entries.

February 4, 1004,

I didn’t mean to. I really didn’t mean to. Why did I have to tell Rarity about the problems with the dress? I should have known it was perfect. Just because I took a class on the History of Fashion in college, I just had to go and show her what I knew. I just didn’t want her to think I was stupid.

But she asked. She kept asking. She wouldn’t stop. Even when I asked her to. She made me do it.

There was a push pin on the entry, with a piece of string that went across the board and attached to another push pin that held Rarity’s name. One of the previous passages she had read already had a string leading from Cheerilee to Big Macintosh.

April 8, 1004,

Why didn’t Princess Celestia just say she was a phoenix when I first saw her? Are there secrets about all of her animals that she keeps? Is that why they don’t like me? Is that why they won’t love me? She knows I care for animals? How could she show such a thing to me and not expect me to try to help it? I will learn about the animals. I know about all animals. I will get her animals to love me.

A shiver ran up Twilight Sparkle’s spine as she attached a push pin both to Princess Celestia and Royal Garden Animals. She turned her attention to another passage, dated for when she had forgotten to write a letter to Princess Celestia.

October 15, 1004

I just laughed at her. I should have seen the fear in her eyes. I’m such a terrible friend. Twilight Sparkle has been so wonderful to me, and I just laughed at her. She never laughs at me. She never laughs at how useless I am. She never laughs at how weak and helpless I am. And I laughed at her.

Twilight Sparkle placed her hoof on the passage as a small sob escaped from her lips. You aren’t weak and helpless, Fluttershy,Twilight Sparkle thought, you just need somepony to let you know how wonderful you are, just as you are. She slowly wrapped a string around the pushpin and strung it over to her own name. There was one more red passage that Twilight Sparkle needed to go over, and she had already attached a string to Pinkie Pie and Rarity.

March 3, 1005,

Iron Will was not the monster. All he taught was assertiveness.

I’m the monster. I liked the feeling. I liked the way the ponies looked at me. How they all ran to the back of the line. I felt so strong. But why did I feel so happy doing it. I was mean, and I enjoyed it. Even when I yelled at Pinkie Pie and Rarity, I enjoyed it. I finally-

The passage had been torn in half, and Twilight Sparkle could make out the shapes of teeth marks at the bottom of its remnants, as though Fluttershy had seen what she had written and immediately wanted to get rid of it.

Twilight Sparkle scratched her head. All of these passages seemed to express regret. Twilight Sparkle couldn’t figure out the reason why the fact that this was the passage that was ripped off, but she knew that there had to be anger in it.

The sun had disappeared. Twilight Sparkle felt that it must have been five or six o’clock. She was starting to get hungry. She opened the door to the main level of the library, only to find Spike and Rarity sitting on a sofa, sipping tea. As soon as the door opened, Rarity’s eyes turned straight up to Twilight Sparkle’s. Twilight Sparkle slowly descended the stairs.

“Oh, hey Rarity,” Twilight Sparkle said, “How long have you been here?”

She reached the bottom of the stairs just as Rarity set down her cup of tea. She could tell that Rarity was tense, given how her muscles moved. She must not have been focused, though, because she leaned forward and set the tea cup on the table using her hoof instead of her magic. Rarity sat upright and took a deep breath.

“Not long.” Rarity replied, “I was hoping to get some advice from you, but then I learned that you are already trying desperately to help out another one of our dear friends.”

Twilight Sparkle cringed. Rarity may not be a Canterlot pony, she thought, but she is certainly good at letting a pony know what she knows without telling them that she knows.

“So Spike tells me that Fluttershy seems to have a problem with her eyes?” Rarity asked.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. At least she hadn’t told Spike about what happened. She turned to Spike, who simply looked straight up at her. For the first time, she couldn’t read his eyes. She took a seat in a chair in front of the two of them. Her eyes darted from Rarity to Spike, and she thought about whether or not to simply tell them both about what was happening. If I tell them, Twilight Sparkle thought, I can get their help with Fluttershy. But they don’t know about fate magic, so how can they help? She knew that Rarity knew Fluttershy was dead. She knew Spike thought she had a problem with her eyes. Do I tell Spike that I’ve been lying to him, Twilight Sparkle thought, or do I play along? Surely Rarity wouldn’t want me to tell all of this to Spike.

“Yes,” Twilight Sparkle replied, giving Rarity a knowing look, “But I have learned a very particular kind of magic that can fix Fluttershy to how she was.”

“Her eyes, you mean?” Rarity asked.

“Y-Yes,” Twilight Sparkle continued, “Spike, you’ve seen the work I’ve been doing for Fluttershy, right?”

Twilight Sparkle stared at Spike for a moment. He didn’t speak. His eyes turned to Rarity’s for a moment, and then back to hers.

“Yes,” Spike replied, “I have seen the work you’ve been doing for fix Fluttershy’s eyes. She’s been working really hard, Rarity.”

Twilight Sparkle watched as Spike and Rarity’s eyes met. Show them the board, Twilight Sparkle thought, show them how you’ve been working to save Fluttershy. Tell them… tell them…

“Well,” Rarity said as she stood up, “I had come over for something, but I must admit I forgot what it was, so I’ll be going. If you need me, I’ll be at Sweet Apple Acres.”

The moment was gone. Twilight Sparkle watched as Rarity began to head towards the door.

“Would you mind if I… saw you out?” Spike asked.

Rarity turned around.

“Oh Spike,” Rarity replied as a small smile appeared, “You are such a gentledrake.”

Twilight watched as the two walked towards the door. They opened the door and walked out. The door slammed shut. Twilight Sparkle looked at the door to the basement and immediately ran towards it, using her magic to open it. She ran through the door and slammed it shut.

*****

The wind had picked up significantly since the sun had touched the horizon. Rarity and Spike looked out at the trees as their leaves scratched against one another. A few ponies trotted about, but since Mayor Mare’s address in regards to the timberwolf problem, most ponies preferred to remain indoors any time sunset drew near. The Ponyville fountain still spurted out water; each cascade that landed on the cement sent a crashing sound outward into the evening air. Rarity looked down at Spike, who had started shaking. She knew that Spike couldn’t feel cold due to his scales, so she gently wrapped a hoof around his shoulder. Spike looked straight ahead, his body still shaking.

“I’m sorry, Spike.” Rarity said.

“Twilight…” Spike began, “Twilight… lied to me.”

Rarity bent down to place her muzzle to Spike’s cheek, but he jerked away. Rarity pulled away and tilted her head.

“Rarity,” Spike said as he scratched his claws together, “I… I just want to say that I am happy for you and Big Mac.”

Rarity could see that Spike had now turned his attention to the ground. His body still shook. Rarity took a breath. The leaves continued to scratch against one another, as though they clawed each other and against the limbs they were attached to in an attempt to escape.

“Spike,” Rarity said, “You are a wonderful dragon. You are kind and loyal, even by pony standards. A dragoness would be lucky to find you. And thank you for the advice.”

Rarity leaned down and kissed Spike before he could have a chance to react. Spike looked up to Rarity, opened his mouth to speak, but instead turned and went back into the library. Rarity looked at the now closed door. Spike, Rarity thought, if only that one thing were different. Rarity turned and made her way to Sweet Apple Acres.

*****

Twilight Sparkle sat in the darkness of the basement, the only light being the series of candles she had set around the room. Twilight Sparkle had discovered that the light of the candles was weak enough to not affect Fluttershy as badly. She sat in front of Fluttershy; each time she cocked her head, Fluttershy did the same. Canterlot Garden animals, Twilight Sparkle thought, and she watched as Fluttershy’s head drooped downward. Hearts and Hooves Day, Twilight Sparkle thought, and she watched as Fluttershy’s head drooped down once again. Twilight Sparkle’s horn glowed, and the chalkboard materialized a moment later.

“Most of Fluttershy’s bodily reactions to telepathic linked messages brings similar results: the drooping head indicated regret, but without the ability to see Fluttershy’s eyes, I cannot ascertain the motive behind the head droop, thus leaving my assumptions to regret or anger at each suggestion.”

Twilight Sparkle’s experiment was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. She looked up and saw Spike at the top of the stairs. Even from here, she could see an odd look in Spike’s eyes. He descended the stairs slowly, but his eyes never left hers. As he drew closer, the look became clearer. She had seen that look before. She had seen it in Discord’s eyes. Spike reached the bottom of the stairs and turned his attention from the chalkboard to Fluttershy. He then looked back into Twilight Sparkle’s eyes.

“Twilight?” Spike asked, “What’s going on?”

Twilight Sparkle could see it in his eyes. He knew. She closed her eyes and sighed. Before she could say anything though, Spike continued.

“You lied to me, Twilight,” Spike said as he held up a claw, “What did you do to Fluttershy, Twilight?”

Twilight Sparkle watched Spike make his way to Fluttershy, who remained motionless.

“Spike, Princess Celestia ordered us not to tell anypony. I-”

“She was dead, Twilight. And now she’s a zombie… thing.”

“She is not a zombie!” Twilight Sparkle shouted as she threw a hoof on the floor, “Fluttershy is in there! There is just… it’s hard to explain.”

Twilight Sparkle turned away from Spike. The candles continued to flicker in the darkness.

“Rarity and Applejack told Big Mac.”

Twilight Sparkle turned back to Spike.

“They did what?”

“Well, if you had a special somepony, or anypony important in your life, wouldn’t you want them to know? Aren’t I important to you?”

Spike shook his head and turned to climb the stairs. When he reached the top of the stairs, he turned once more to Twilight Sparkle.

“Maybe it is just how things work for you ponies.”

Spike closed the door, leaving Twilight Sparkle alone with Fluttershy. She wanted to chase after him, but something he said stopped her in her tracks. Special somepony? Twilight Sparkle turned to the chalkboard and stretched a piece of string in between Rarity and Big Macintosh. She turned to Fluttershy.

“Rarity is Big Mac’s special somepony.” Twilight Sparkle said as she tilted her head. Fluttershy’s head tilted along with hers.

“Every time you’ve wanted to talk with him, you’ve seen him with another mare.”

Twilight tilted her head in the other direction. Fluttershy followed suit. She looked over to the chalkboard. The words ANGER and REGRET called out to her. She turned to Fluttershy and looked down at the elemental necklace that she wore, and the while wondering what it would take to get this creature out of her. She wanted Fluttershy back. Doctor Stable's words entered Twilights head once again.

I would hate to think of what would happen to Equestria if we were to lose one of you.

Twilight Sparkle smiled and turned back to Fluttershy. She slowly nodded her head. Fluttershy eventually mimicked her movements.

“Cheerilee never hurt, you, Fluttershy,” Twilight Sparkle said as her continual nodding began to send strays of hair standing on end, “Rarity has not hurt you.”

Twilight leaned in until her muzzle was inches away from Fluttershy’s ear.

“Big Mac is the one who is hurting you.”

A white glow emanated from the floor, and Twilight Sparkle watched as the light began to consume Fluttershy. Moments later, she was gone.

Author's Note

As Twilight goes crazy, her ability to make rational decision is severely diminished. Also, remember, in "Return to Flatts", the lypouni pony (Edger's father) was not only a trapped spirit possessed by the shadow, but was also under the control of the pony who cast the spell. Hence, Fluttershy's reaction and link to Twilight Sparkle.

Agents of Chaos

The wind ripped through the trees, sending yellowed leaves flying through the night air. All of the houses of Ponyville were dark, and the curtains had been drawn shut on every last one of them. Luna’s moon, though now three quarters full, was constantly blocked by the quickly travelling clouds that had emerged from the Everfree Forest. The result was that the light of moon occasionally shone through, lighting up patches of ground on the roads like a searchlight.

Sergeant Longwinder had travelled through the bazaars, only to find they had shut down early due to the weather and fear of timberwolf attack. He travelled from house to house, only to be met with confused stares and questions of whether one of the Elements of Harmony needed help, to which he had to lie and state that he was merely seeing if Fluttershy had decided to meet any friends. Apparently, Miss Fluttershy doesn’t go to others’ houses much, Sergeant Longwinder thought. He had to fight his innate urge to delve into long stories at each house that he went to, but as the sun went down, he saw that fewer and fewer ponies would even answer the door.

He had even searched the borders of the Everfree Forest, where he met two particularly odd pegasi performing the nightly timberwolf watch rounds. After speaking briefly with the stallion named Thunderlane and the mare named Ditzy Doo, he realized that they had no idea where Fluttershy was, either.

It was at this time that Sergeant Longwinder found himself at the door to Fluttershy’s cottage once again. He took a few deep breaths and tried to think of any other location that Fluttershy would be.

Through the sound of the wind and leaves, Sergeant Longwinder heard the crashing sound of something inside the cottage. He immediately opened the door and looked around. As he made his way into the cottage the door shut behind him. He leaned against his fore legs and prepared himself to buck whatever was behind him, but sighed when he realized that the door had closed due to the pull from the wind outside.

Inside the cottage, Sergeant Longwinder could hear the sound of the wind as it wrapped around the house, as though it were moaning. The glass panes on the windows rattled against the wind, but Sergeant Longwinder continued his trek through the cottage. He scanned the ground for whatever could have fallen, but found nothing out of place, except for the empty holes of the numerous bird houses, which he felt should have been teaming with sleeping birds.

Sergeant Longwinder tried to remain silent as he crept up the stairs, but the sound of a creaking floorboard halted him in his tracks. He closed his eyes for a moment and held his breath, and when nothing else happened, he continued to climb the stairs.

The door to Fluttershy’s room opened and Sergeant Longwinder stood in the doorway. On the upper floor, the sound of the wind multiplied. What is the Pegasi Weather Control Team thinking, he thought as he flipped a light switch.

“What in Celestia’s name?”

Sergeant Longwinder trotted towards the corner of the room, where a collection of shattered glass figurines lay on the floor. But what caught his attention was the dried blood on the floor. He bent down to investigate it, only to see an odd drawing next to him. What did Discord do to Miss Fluttershy, he thought as he scrambled away. He backed away, but his hind leg tripped over something, and he tumbled against the side of the bed. Looking over, he saw what he had tripped over.

A small jewelry box lay on the floor, its contents smashed to pieces. He had landed on some of the pieces of jewelry, and they pierced his fur. He winced as the jagged pieces of metal pushed further into his flesh.

“Must… tell… the Princess.” He mumbled as he staggered out of Fluttershy’s room.

*****

“Dear heavens,” Rarity muttered to herself as she reached her shop, “This wind is wreaking havoc on my mane.”

Rarity paused at her doorstep.

“No, Rarity,” She chided herself, “You must not think about such trivial matters. You must go to Sweet Apple Acres to tell Applejack what you saw.”

Rarity opened the door to her boutique. She wanted only to check on Opalescence before heading out. She didn’t know what was happening, but she was worried that the remaining elements must work to fix it. How can we fix anything without Fluttershy, she thought as she closed the door, what if Twilight truly is trying to bring Fluttershy back to life? Rarity shook her head. It was wrong to think such things. Nopony, not even the Princesses, would think of using such magic.

Rarity took a few steps further into her boutique and paused. But isn’t that just what Twilight did, she thought. Twilight Sparkle had attempted to raise the dead. Rarity shuddered to think of how she got a pair of wings.

Something glistened on the platform in the center of the showroom, and Rarity immediately went to retrieve it.

“Opalescence,” Rarity cried, “I told you to stay out of mommy’s jewelry!”

Rarity held the item in her hoof. It was the blue butterfly mane pin. The thought of Fluttershy in her gown appeared in her mind – the two pins holding up the sides of her mane. She brought the pin to her barrel. The wind outside drowned out the sound of her sobs for a few moments.

Rarity stood and used her horn to hold the pin with her magic. She left the showroom and made her way to her workroom. The jewelry box sat on the vanity, just where she left it. She opened the lid and paused. Her horn dimmed, and the blue butterfly dropped to the floor. She reached into the box and pulled out the other pin. She levitated the other one and held them, side by side.

“This…” Rarity mumbled, “This is impossible.”

She placed both pins on the vanity and ran out of the workroom. She had to get to Sweet Apple Acres as soon as possible.

*****

“You know,” Discord said as he watched Twilight Sparkle pace about the room, “When I create chaos, I at least like to see the fruits of my work.”

Twilight Sparkle glared at Discord.

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

Discord suddenly multiplied himself in three and surrounded Twilight Sparkle.

“It’s really very simple.” The original Discord said.

“Every act, in a way, results in chaos.” The second Discord added.

“Sometimes, the chaos results in good things…” The third Discord continued.

“And sometimes, the chaos results in bad things…” The second Discord said.

“But my favorite kind of chaos,” Discord said as he snapped his fingers and the other two Discords disappeared, “is the kind that results in unexpected things.”

“What are you saying, Discord?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“I’m just saying that actions can have… unintended consequences.”

Twilight Sparkle eyed the draconequus, who simply shrank in size and took up residence on Owlowiscious’ perch.

“Where did you send Fluttershy, by the way?” He asked.

“That’s none of your business,” Twilight Sparkle replied, “Wait, how did you know she was gone?”

“Oh please,” Discord huffed, “As the spirit of chaos, I know when chaotic things are going to happen, even when I am not the cause, however much of a rarity that may be.”

Twilight Sparkle stopped moving. The way he emphasized rarity caused her concern. Rarity had said she was going to Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight Sparkle thought, she told Spike about Fluttershy, so naturally, he would have told her about what he knew. Twilight Sparkle shuddered. She didn’t want Rarity to be there if Fluttershy appeared. How would she explain it if Rarity saw Fluttershy there?

“I’m leaving,” Twilight Sparkle said, “And I want to go alone.”

“Okay,” Discord said as his eyes immediately began to roll around so quickly until they popped out of his head, “Sorry, that happens.”

“What happens?”

“When somepony tells me to do something that I have no intention of listening to, my eyes roll out of their head.”

Discord reached down and picked up his eyeballs, brushing them off before placing them back in his head. Twilight lifted the glass case surrounding the elements and placed the tiara on her head.

“So… to Sweet Apple Acres, then?”

*****

Rarity ran up to the gates of Sweet Apple Acres. The sky had darkened to the point that she couldn’t see, so she used a spell to light her horn so that she could see the way. Motes of dust stung her eyes, but she pushed through the wind to get down the road to the Apple Family farmhouse.

There was an odd crackling noise near her, and Rarity leaped back just as a purple orb of light appeared and Twilight Sparkle and Discord emerged from it. Rarity squinted her eyes at Twilight Sparkle.

“What have you done?” Rarity shouted.

“I am only trying to keep the Elements of Harmony together!” Twilight Sparkle shouted back.

“By creating that- that thing?” Rarity replied, “Spike showed me what you did, and I don’t even want to know how you did it, but something has happened to you, Twilight, ever since you became a princess.”

“I have to do what I can for my friends!”

“By doing that? What is she even? She didn’t move when I tried to speak to her. She didn’t blink those hideous black eyes. Not even once! You made some sort of shell, I’ll grant you that, but not for one moment will I-”

Lightning flashed through the sky. Something snapped in the distance.

“Ahh!” Twilight Sparkle screamed as her tiara began to glow.

Twilight Sparkle fell to the ground. The tiara glowed yellow for a moment, and then returned to its fuchsia color. Discord leaned against the post to the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres.

“What just happened?” Rarity shouted over the wind.

“I don’t know.” Twilight Sparkle said, “But we need to get to the farmhouse!”

They ran up the road towards the farmhouse, where they could see faint light glowing from the windows. But as they made their way up to the farmhouse, Rarity stopped in her tracks and looked off to the side.

“No!” Rarity cried.

Twilight watched as Rarity ran off into the field and followed her, but was stopped when a Stetson hat smacked her in the face. She looked on and saw where Rarity had stopped. In the field was a large branch. The large branch held two groups of leaves in the shape of two hearts.

Beneath the branch lay the body of a yellow pony.

Rarity quivered and mumbled to herself. She dug ferociously into the ground. Twilight Sparkle ran up to the branch and tried to push it with her hooves. Both of their minds were too caught up in the chaos to concentrate their magic effectively to move it.

“This is my fault,” Rarity said as her eyes grew wide, “I did this. Why didn’t I just cut the limb?”

I’m just saying that actions can have… unintended consequences.

“Discord!” Twilight Sparkle shouted.

Twilight Sparkle reached up a hoof to Rarity, but Rarity was unresponsive. Her eyes didn’t blink, even in the strong wind. Her eyes darted back and forth. Twilight Sparkle tried to shake her, but nothing released her from her catatonic state.

Another feeling entered Twilight Sparkle’s mind. Fluttershy is close, she thought. She could feel her. She could feel her heart beating. She could sense her breathing. She was close, but she was not in the fields. Twilight Sparkle’s horn lit up, and she was gone a moment later, leaving Rarity staring at the sight of Applejack lying dead beneath the tree limb that she had reattached to the tree.

*****

Big Macintosh stared into the fireplace with a mug of cider at his side. Why his sister had decided to go out into this weather was beyond him, so he simply took the moment of solitude to think. Granny Smith and Apple Bloom had been asleep for a while, so he sat there, alone.

Rarity’s been a blessin’, he thought, she’s always thinkin’ of ways to help out around the farm. There was still something that settled itself at the bottom of his stomach, and he couldn’t quite put his hoof on it. Or rather, he didn’t want to place his hoof on it. Rarity’s a wonderful special somepony, he continued to think, she’s generous, she’s beautiful, and she’s kind.

His mind stopped for a moment. Kind. Big Macintosh’s mind turned to the thought of Fluttershy.

He thought of the determination in her eyes when she stared down that cockatrice. He thought of the gentleness in her eyes as she cared for her woodland friends.

He thought of her long, pink mane. He thought of her canary colored fur.

Big Macintosh closed his eyes for a moment. But he must have dozed off, because though it seemed only a moment, when he opened his eyes again, the fire in front of him had nearly died. He lifted the mug to his muzzle and greedily drank the last drops. He frowned as he set the mug down on the table next to him and turned to get up. But a figure in the corner of the room caught his eye.

“F-Fluttershy?” Big Macintosh stammered.

He waited for Fluttershy to move, but she stood still and stared at him. The ciders that he had been drinking caused his vision to blur, but something seemed off about Fluttershy.

“Am ah still dreamin’?”

He watched as Fluttershy took a step towards him. His lips quivered as he took a step forward.

“Ah don’t know if Ah’m dreamin’ or not, but there’s somethin’ Ah’ve wanted to tell ya.”

He watched as Fluttershy took another step towards him.

“Ah know it’s too late, but ah just wished ah had the chance to tell ya…”

Fluttershy took another step towards him.

“Ah wished I had the courage to ask ya to be mah special somepony, Fluttershy.” He said, “I know other mares asked me to be their special somepony, and ah know ah said yes, but ah always hoped that y’all would tell me how y’all felt.”

Big Macintosh closed his eyes and waited.

He felt a soft muzzle brush against his. Big Macintosh squinted his eyes. The ciders he drank made the tears come out more easily. He reached out to touch Fluttershy, but he felt empty air.

Big Macintosh opened his eyes. Flutershy was gone. A dream, Big Macintosh thought, that’s all it’ll ever be.

*****

Twilight Sparkle watched the scene from the front window of the Apple family farm. Discord stood behind her with a bemused expression on his face.

“Oh, how wonderful,” Discord said, “It seems that Fluttershy felt only regret about her feelings towards our big, lumbering red friend.”

“She was supposed to be angry.” Twilight Sparkle replied.

“Twilight, I’m surprised.” Discord retorted, “You sound almost disappointed that her feelings towards him were that she never knew how he truly felt about her.”

Twilight Sparkle turned away from the window.

“But if she feels regret about not expressing her feelings towards somepony, then why hasn’t she-”

Discord’s arms fell to his sides as Twilight Sparkle’s eyes filled with tears.

“Oh my,” Discord said, “You brought her back because… oh, I see.”

Twilight Sparkle and Discord sat on the porch together. In the time that had passed, the wind had finally decided to die down.

“Are you ready, Twilight?” Discord asked.

“Ready to what?”

“Are you ready to let her go?”

Twilight Sparkle sniffled, but another feeling entered her mind. Fluttershy was still somewhere. She looked over to Discord, who nodded that he, too, felt it. She closed her eyes, and they teleported to the hill.

Twilight Sparkle looked around her and found Fluttershy just at the top of the hill. The clouds had just begun to clear up. She and Discord made their way up to the top of the hill, but Fluttershy simply looked straight ahead.

“Butterflies… butterflies… butterflies.”

Twilight Sparkle turned to look at Discord, who ignored her in favor of looking straight at Fluttershy. She watched as Fluttershy’s head turned to Discord. Discord took a deep breath and smiled. Twilight Sparkle looked at how Discord’s serpentine eyes softened as he snapped a claw.

Twilight Sparkle gasped in confusion as sticks of butter suddenly appeared around Discord and Fluttershy. The sticks of butter slowly separated into smaller squares, and they began to flutter around the two.

“Fluttershy,” Discord said, “Thank you. Thank you for giving me a chance.”

For the first time, Twilight heard Fluttershy breathe. She’s alive, Twilight Sparkle thought, she’s-

Another round of pain shot through Twilight Sparkle’s head. She looked up and saw the fuchsia glow turn pink, and then return back to fuchsia. She turned towards Fluttershy again, but noticed that she now lay on the ground.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight Sparkle cried, “Fluttershy, no!”

“It’s done.” Discord said. “The lypouni flower has bloomed. The vessel no longer needed. Your work saved two souls, Twilight.”

“But it killed Applejack!” Twilight Sparkle shouted.

“Did it?” Discord asked, “I don’t recall you shaping that tree into two hearts. Do you?”

I’m just saying that actions can have… unintended consequences.

Twilight Sparkle played these words over and over in her head.

“Twilight, really, I would have thought you would have known by now,” Discord said as he slithered around her, “I am the embodiment of chaos, not the god of it. All of you little ponies have the same ability to cause chaos as I do.”

Discord smiled and then disappeared. Twilight Sparkle heard Discord’s voice in his head once more.

But, then again, you are the one who wanted to learn of the magic that controls the fate of others. Maybe you should remember exactly how many ponies’ fates you can control at one time.

Twilight Sparkle stood alone, on the hill, and called out Discord’s name, but his voice never returned her cries. Twilight Sparkle looked down at the body of Fluttershy. The spell that she had placed on her was broken. Her elemental necklace lay shattered on the grass. The wings she had so meticulously sewn onto her fell off. But there was one thing that brought happiness to Twilight Sparkle in this scene.

Twilight Sparkle looked down and saw two beautiful, blue eyes. Another tear escaped from her eyes as she leaned down and kissed her dead friend’s cheek.

“Tonight, I know there is no light but you.”

The Choices

Rarity and Twilight Sparkle sat on opposite ends of the bench that lined the wall of the Ponyville General Hospital. Under normal circumstances, Doctor Stable would have turned away any visitor, stating that visiting hours had long since passed.

These were not normal circumstances.

The hospital itself was, for the most part, quiet. A few nurses rushed up and down the halls, glancing every now and again towards the two unicorns who sat as far away from each other as possible. Twilight Sparkle turned her gaze to Rarity, who stared blankly against the other side of the wall.

A heavier set of hooves made their way down the hall, and Twilight Sparkle watched as Doctor Stable made his way towards the two of them. He turned to Rarity first.

“Miss Rarity,” Doctor Stable said, “thank you for bringing Miss Applejack in.”

Rarity didn’t move.

“How quick was it, doctor?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Immediate, Your Highness.” Doctor Stable replied, “She didn’t feel a thing. The branch fell directly on her neck.”

Doctor Stable paused and then turned to Rarity once again.

“She didn’t feel any pain, Miss Rarity.”

Rarity continued to stare at the wall, but finally whispered something. Both Twilight Sparkle and Doctor Stable had to lean in.

“I’m sorry,” Doctor Stable asked, “But what was that, Miss Rarity?”

“Who is going to tell Big Macintosh?” Rarity asked, her eyes still staring ahead.

“Oh, I see.” Doctor Stable said as he pondered the question, “In my professional opinion, news like this is always handled best when delivered by a loved one.”

Rarity retreated into her silence.

“As for Fluttershy,” Doctor Stable continued as he turned to Twilight Sparkle, “You say you found her on top of Meteor Hill?”

“Yes,” Twilight Sparkle replied, ignoring how Rarity’s gaze slowly turned from the wall to her.

“She-” Twilight Sparkle continued, “She wanted to see The Alpha Asteroid that I had shown her one year. We told her that she needed rest after such a traumatic experience. Maybe the effort of walking up such a steep hill was too much for her.”

Twilight Sparkle saw Doctor Stable reach up and rub his muzzle. She noticed the bags under his eyes and knew that hadn’t gotten any sleep for a couple of days. Her eyes darted over to Rarity for a moment, only to find that Rarity’s gaze had become even darker.

“How is Rainbow Dash doing?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“She’s still the same,” Doctor Stable replied, “I don’t know how she’s doing it, but she keeps speaking in Old Equestrian. We didn’t want to have to enlist you to help us, so we’ve asked for a scholar from Canterlot to-”

“That won’t be necessary, Doctor Stable.” Twilight Sparkle interrupted, “I’m here, and I will stop at nothing to help my friends.”

Twilight Sparkle stood up out of the chair, but Rarity raised a hoof at Doctor Stable.

“Doctor, if you please,” Rarity said, “I just need to discuss with Twilight the best way to break the news to Big Macintosh. After all, she is the best out of us at helping ponies with their problems.”

“Very well,” Doctor Stable said as he bowed towards Twilight Sparkle, “Your Highness, I believe you remember where her room is.”

Twilight watched Doctor Stable turn and trot towards the East Ward of the hospital. As soon as she saw that he was gone, she turned to Rarity, only to feel a hoof slap against her face. She reached up to touch the newly formed bruise and turned to Rarity. Rarity’s eye began to twitch.

“That’s the story you went with?” Rarity muttered with a barely contained rage beneath her tone. “Fluttershy died because she wanted so much to relive a memory that she had with you that she let it kill her?”

“It’s the only story that places her on top of the hill, Rarity.” Twilight replied, “And we both know that nopony in Equestria is ready to know about the fact that old magic has reemerged.”

“How did you find that out, by the way,” Rarity sneered.

“Discord showed me the alicorn library in the Crystal Library,” Twilight Sparkle said, “He told me that the Princesses are discovering this magic, as well, and that I needed to learn about it.”

“And you trusted him, just like that?” Rarity yelled.

Twilight Sparkle looked around and saw that a couple of the night nurses had turned their attention towards them. Twilight Sparkle turned her head towards the door that led to the small garden in the courtyard.

The cold breeze hit them as they walked out, though it was nothing like the weather that was there before. The clouds had finally gone away, leaving only Luna’s moon. It was midnight. Another night at the hospital, Twilight Sparkle thought as she sat down on the single bench in front of the pond. A bright light lit up the horizon, but it wasn’t the moon, nor the stars, nor the sun. The Alpha Asteroid begins its course across the sky, she continued to think.

“So,” Rarity said as she ran a hoof through her mane, “You immediately trusted Discord when he advised you to look at these books…”

“It’s not…” Twilight Sparkle replied, “It’s not as simple as that.”

“Of course it isn’t,” Rarity replied, “All unicorns who have attended Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns learn that there are certain spells that you do not do. I didn’t realize that Discord had put them all in one place.”

Rarity leaned in closer to Twilight Sparkle.

“But,” Rarity continued, “You actually used the magic that had been forbidden ever since Discord was overthrown. I wonder, what could have been so important about Fluttershy that made you willing to throw away all of your power, not to mention your royal title, just to bring her back?”

Twilight Sparkle stared at Rarity. Rarity laughed to herself as she stood up to leave.

“You see,” Rarity said, “I have always had a keen eye for detail. I don’t think the others noticed, but I did. And now you have created a perfectly tragic ending for her, haven’t you?”

Rarity stood at the door and turned back to Twilight Sparkle, ignoring the anger that built in her eyes.

“No longer a story of those horrible shadows and you desecrating her, it is the story of poor Fluttershy being attacked by timberwolves, who loved her friend, her dear Twilight Sparkle so much that she killed herself from exhaustion just so she could relive a memory she had with you, only to die before you could even see this wonderful astronomical event. It truly is tragic, isn’t it?”

Twilight Sparkle looked down at the ground, her breathing growing heavier by the moment. Rarity turned with a huff, but before she could push open the door to reenter the hospital, Twilight Sparkle stood up and turned to Rarity.

“Rarity, wait.”

Rarity turned around.

“We still haven’t discussed how you’re going to tell Big Mac about how the branch that you didn’t take down because you were too interested in making it look pretty killed his little sister.”

Rarity’s eyes filled with tears, only falling once she blinked.

“You’re a monster.”

Rarity ran through the door. Twilight Sparkle raised her hoof and began to shout out to her, but Rarity’s sobs were louder than her voice. She listened to the sound of Rarity’s hooves as she ran away. She held her hoof up to her face and began to tremble. She sat back down onto the bench and stared into the pond. The words of Rainbow Dash returned to her.

Traitor… traitor… traitor.

And now, Rarity’s voice joined in the chorus of her friends turning away from her.

You’re a monster.

Soon, the voices in her head began to escape her own muzzle.

“I’m a monster… I’m a monster… I’m a traitor.”

I told you only to read and understand what it is that we were going to face, Twilight.

Twilight Sparkle’s eyes closed and she gritted her teeth.

I never told you to actually perform any of the magic in the book. Though, in all honesty, it did end up saving Fluttershy from a worse fate. Not to mention that nameless shadow that you saved. Such is the nature of chaos.

Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes and stared at the small statue that stood in the middle of the pond. The statue slowly turned towards her and smiled.

But I suppose this experience will make you realize just what it is that the Celestial Sisters are doing, and how dangerous it truly is.

“What are you talking about?”

The statue in front of her began to move its lips.

“Twilight,” the statue said through Discord’s voice, “Have you read any part of the books other than necromancy?”

Twilight Sparkle’s lips quivered and she turned away.

“I guessed as much,” the statue replied, “Just know this; if the Celestial sisters manage to find the vessels who can contain this old magic, then it will open the way for the Old Gods to return.”

“And Helioselene is one of these Gods?” Twilight Sparkle asked, remembering a part of Edger’s story. “And Edger is one of the vessels?”

“You are already out of your league, Twilight.” The statue replied, “Read the books. It may even help the Element of Loyalty escape her fate.”

“What do you mean, ‘her fate’?” Twilight Sparkle replied.

The statue stopped moving. Twilight Sparkle leaped through the pond, using her magic to allow herself to walk on the water. She reached up and began to shake the statue.

“What do you mean?” Tell me!”

“Your Highness!” A voice shouted behind her.

The magic left Twilight Sparkle’s horn and she plummeted into the water. She reemerged and shook her mane and trudged through the flank high water until she reached Doctor Stable, who stood expectantly for her.

“And to whom were you speaking?” Doctor Stable asked, to which he added, “If I may ask?”

Twilight Sparkle looked back at the statue and turned back to Doctor Stable, only to see him taking notes.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Sorry, your highness,” Doctor Stable replied as he put away his pen and paper, “force of habit. But you were speaking to somepony out here; somepony that I do not see. If you’ll forgive me, but I am only looking out for your welfare, Your Highness.”

“Take me to her, doctor.”

“With all due respect, Your Highness, I’m not sure if-”

“I have to free Rainbow Dash!”

Doctor Stable immediately bowed to the ground and nodded his head.

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty.”

Doctor Stable and Twilight Sparkle made their way down the halls, they turned a corner and Twilight Sparkle immediately recognized this area. She turned to her left and saw the blood supply room. You’re a monster…

The beep of a monitor shook her concentration for a moment, and she turned to her right, only to see that same unicorn colt from a few days ago. His curtain was open once again. He was sleeping. The only thing that drew Twilight Sparkle’s attention was the fact that his horn had been shorn off. A brown aura enveloped the curtain, and once again, the colt was hidden once more. She turned back and saw Doctor Stable staring at her.

“He’s already going to have a hard enough time in life as it is, now. Please, Your Highness, don’t gawk at my patients.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded and lowered her head. As they made their way to the East Ward, Twilight Sparkle tried to think of any way that she could fix this mess. Maybe there is a better time travelling spell in that book than the one I found in the Starswirl the Bearded Archives.

“We’re here, Your Highness.”

Twilight Sparkle could hear the faint sound of breathing on the other side of the door. She looked at Doctor Stable.

“We will have orderlies here in a moment. We will all be on this side of the door should we hear any signs of a struggle. Just try to get information out of her.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded, and with a flash of magic, she slowly opened the door and entered the darkness.

*****

Rarity stood on the front porch of Sweet Apple Acres. Though none of the lights were on, she had a feeling that Big Macintosh was still awake. Still, she hesitated to knock on the door, for fear of waking Winona, and in turn, Applebloom and Granny Smith. I worked so hard to get them to like me, Rarity thought, what are they going to say when I tell them I’m the reason she’s dead?

Rarity stomped a hoof on the ground. You’re being selfish, again, Rarity. This is your fault, and you will do whatever it takes to seek forgiveness. If you have to close up shop and move to Sweet Apple Acres to help with the harvests, then so be it. A tear fell down Rarity’s face as she thought of closing her shop. All her life, she had sacrificed so much to increase her business. A life for a life, I suppose.

A shadow fell on the porch, and Rarity screamed as she turned around, only stopping once she realized that it was Big Macintosh.

“Miss Rarity?” Big Macintosh asked. “What’re y’all doin’ here? Applejack’s… well… Ah don’t really know where she is.”

Rarity began to tremble as she took a few steps towards Big Macintosh. With each step she made, she tilted her head up a little bit more. But she also noticed Big Macintosh’s eyes widen with fear. What could he be afraid of, Rarity thought, has he already figured it out? Rarity closed her eyes and placed her muzzle against his.

Big Macintosh closed his eyes as Rarity leaned forward for the kiss. Ah’ve seen this before, Big Macintosh thought, was it a message? Was Fluttershy tellin’ me it was okay?

Rarity leaned back form the kiss. Her eyes were still red and swollen. She had been crying.

“Miss Rarity, what’s the matter?”

“Big Macintosh,” Rarity began, “there is something that I must tell you. Can we please sit down?”

“Of course, sugarcube.” Big Macintosh led them to the two rocking chairs on the porch, “There’s somethin’ ah need ya to know, too.”

Rarity knew she needed to tell Big Macintosh. She knew he needed to know what happened to Applejack.

“Please,” Rarity said, “You first.”

Big Macintosh rubbed the back of his neck with his hoof.

“Ah not sure how to put this…” Big Macintosh replied, “Ah had a dream. At least ah think it was a dream.”

“Oh? And what was this dream about?”

“It was about… Fluttershy. She was at the house last night. It had to have been a dream, ‘cause her eyes looked strange.”

Rarity’s eyes widened, but she let Big Macintosh continue.

“Ah told her how much ah wished Ah had the courage to tell her how Ah felt about her. And then, she kissed me. And then, ah woke up.”

Rarity remained still for a moment. Big Macintosh jumped out of his chair and placed his head on her lap.

“That doesn’t mean ah don’t love ya, Rarity.” Big Macintosh continued, “Ah know it was just a dream, but I wasn’t true to ya, Rarity. Ah feel guilty even lettin’ that dream in.”

“Darling,” Rarity said as she lifted Big Macintosh’s head, “we all have to say goodbye to those we love in our own way.”

Rarity cringed as she spoke the words, knowing what she was about to say.

“I love you, too.”

Rarity continued to cradle Big Macintosh’s head in her lap as she rocked back and forth. What was that monster doing here? Rarity thought, and why did Twilight bring her here?

She couldn’t keep it in any longer. She had to tell Big Macintosh.

“Darling?” Rarity asked.

Big Macintosh raised his head.

“There’s something I need to let you know. It’s about Applejack. Perhaps it’s better if I just show you.”

Big Macintosh nodded and lifted himself from the porch. Together, they made their way down the path of Sweet Apple Acres. There, in the distance, was the offending tree branch.

“Ah don’t understand.” Big Macintosh said.

“You see,” Rarity began as her heart raced, “last night, while you were in the house, your sister was out here.”

“Yeah, Ah know that.” He replied.

“And the wind was really strong. Twilight and I were here, looking for her, too.”

Rarity sighed and leaned up against Big Macintosh, afraid of his reaction.

“This… this is where we found her.”

“So she’s in the hospital?” Big Macintosh asked.

“Darling… what I’m trying to say is that… she didn’t make it.”

Both Big Macintosh and Rarity froze. Rarity was afraid to look up into Big Macintosh’s eyes. He could see that the branch was one that Rarity had created. He had to have seen the remnants of the two hearts she had made.

“Why was my sister out here in the first place?”

“I don’t know, darling. I’m so sorry.”

Rarity began to sob quietly, only to feel a muzzle pressed against hers. She finally opened her eyes and looked at Big Macintosh, who simply wrapped a fore leg around her neck.

“Why are y’all sorry?”

“Can’t you see that it was the branch that I made that fell on top of her? I’m the reason she died, Big Mac, I’m the reason-”

Rarity felt another kiss on her cheek, though she couldn’t help but feel that Big Macintosh’s fore leg began to tremble.

“Don’t y’all go blamin’ yourself Rarity, “Big Macintosh replied, “Ah don’t know why mah sister was runnin’ about the fields in the first place, but don’t go blamin’ yourself. If we’re goin’ to go down that path, we may as well say that if Ah hadn’t pulled up a certain stump, she would have turned a different direction.”

Rarity pulled away from Big Macintosh. She could see that he was holding back his tears.

“Big Mac,” she replied, “if you need to let it out, you can. That’s why I’m here.”

“No,” Big Macintosh replied, “Not yet, Rarity. Ah need to go see mah sister, and ah’ll be the one to tell Granny Smith and Apple Bloom. We work as a family, and we mourn as a family.”

“You do realize that you called me Rarity?”

“Y’all called me Big Mac first.”

Big Macintosh turned back to the farmhouse and motioned for Rarity to follow him.

“Don’t you want to see her?”

“Ah don’t think either of us have the strength to make it to town and back.” Big Macintosh said, “Besides, we need to make sure that we’re strong tomorrow, especially for Apple Bloom.”

The two walked side by side, back to the farmhouse. They entered as quietly as they could. As they made their way up the stairs, they took extra precaution to avoid the squeaky step. As Big Macintosh opened the door to his room, he immediately fell onto the bed. Rarity took her place next to him and let him wrap his fore leg around her once more. She felt his muzzle press against her back. His grip became tighter than usual, and Rarity slowly stroked his fore leg with her own as she felt his sobs go into her fur so the sound wouldn’t wake anypony up.

Epilogue: Flutterage

Sergeant Torchlight made his way down the main stairway of Canterlot Castle just as Luna’s moon began its descent beneath the horizon. A few moments later, he turned his head towards the east to watch Celestia’s Sun rise into the sky. As the light from the sun entered the castle, he turned off the light that shone from his horn. Dawn patrol, he thought as he continued outside, finally, after weeks of Midnight patrol, some peace.

The first place he needed to go to was the Canterlot Gardens. Technically, the Canterlot Gardens were now called Princess Celestia’s Garden of the Sun. When Princess Luna returned, she had designated an area of Canterlot Castle as Princess Luna’s Garden of the Moon. One thousand years of calling them the Canterlot Gardens was going to take a while to change in the minds of the citizens, however.

An iron door swung open, and Sergeant Torchlight took his first step into the gardens. In the distance, he could hear the sound of a small fountain. Undoubtedly, many of the animals would be at the nearby pond for their morning water. As he approached the fountain, however, he couldn’t find any of the animals there. Small lotuses began to open their white blooms towards the sky, but beyond the ripples of the water, nothing disturbed its surface.

Odd, Sergeant Torchlight thought, I distinctly remember being told that the first task of the Dawn patrol was to ensure that Her Majesty’s creatures didn’t get too pushy when it came to drinking from the pond.

Sergeant Torchlight continued on his way through the gardens, though now he was on a mission to find out where the animals were. He passed by a wall of rose bushes and froze. His mouth dropped open.

Princess Celestia is raising the sun, he thought, I must find Princess Luna.

*****

Princess Luna peered over her tower and looked over the horizon. Her moon sank down and then disappeared. Rather than turn her head towards the east, however, she turned to the north. She smiled as the asteroid she had created a thousand years ago continued its path across the sky. She had created it so that it would make in between Celestia’s sun and Equus every hundred years.

I’ve missed you, Alpha, Princess Luna thought, it is much better seeing you from Equus than from the moon. She turned around and closed the curtains as she reentered the room, catching the tail end of the conversation her students were having.

“So you saw it?” Shale asked, “You saw the Helioselenian Stone?”

“It’s more of a crystal,” Edger replied, “A dull, grey crystal. A pegasus touched it, and her eyes went completely white. We had to carry her out of Flatts.”

“Where is it now?” Shale asked.

“I…” Edger began, “I don’t know. All I remember is Script staying behind, and then when the three of us got to the tracks, there was some bright light.”

Luna watched as Leila sat in the corner of the room and shook her head.

“That is enough of that.” Luna said. “Edger, you are not to leave like that again, do I make myself clear?”

“Are we prisoners here, Your Highness?”

“No, you are not,” Princess Luna replied, “Think of yourself as being part of a class for exceptional unicorns. Your skills need to be honed properly. Besides-”

“And what about Script?” Edger asked.

“Edger, you need to-”

The doors to Princess Luna’s room crashed open and she turned her head to see who had disturbed them. Sergeant Torchlight stood at the doors, and his panicked eyes scanned the room until they locked onto hers.

“Your Highness,” he said, “It is an emergency. I need you to come with me immediately.”

Princess Luna sighed. Of course something would happen as my sister raises the sun.

“Of course, sergeant,” Princess Luna said as she walked by the doors, “And could you two try to make sure that Edger stays here this time?”

The two thestral guards on either side of the door simply nodded their heads. Princess Luna left the room, and the doors closed. Leila turned her head towards the door and began to speak.

“Two threads have been severed. One rapidly unravels.

Oceans become deltas, and the deltas turn to streams.

Until the chosen path for the pony who travels

Its path has no choice but to destroy the source’s dreams.”

Edger and Shale looked to each other and then back at Leila. Leila simply turned her back towards the two stallions.

“I’m not saying anything,” Leila continued as she stared at the wall, “I’m just rambling.”

Edger continued to walk towards her, but Shale reached out his fore leg to grab Edger’s hoof and shook his head. The two of them simply turned to the other corner of the room, where Aloga focused on his stone, turning it into a ball of flame, then into a block of ice, before returning it to a stone.

*****

“How did this happen!” Princess Luna shouted, “I thought you were part of the Midnight patrol!”

“I’m part of the Dawn patrol now, Your Highness,” Sergeant Torchlight replied as he trembled, “I knew Princess Celestia was busy, and I wanted one of you two to know immediately.”

“How many are there?”

“Nine, Your Highness.”

Princess Luna walked past the walls of roses to the scene that Sergeant Torchlight was just describing to her. She had to use a great deal of her trained stoicism not to wretch at the scene. A pair of loons lay side by side, their ribcages crushed and their eyes pushed out of their sockets. Next to them was a toucan with a crushed beak and broken wings. A green jay and a pink jay were now nothing more than a bloodied bundle of green and pink feathers. All of the bodies surrounded a large bear whose neck had been snapped. On top of the bear lay a flamingo whose legs and neck were broken at numerous places, as well as another toucan. The most disturbing of all was the squirrel on top, or what was left of it.

“Where is the squirrel’s head?” Princess Luna asked as she tried to retain her composure.

“I don’t know.” Sergeant Torchlight replied. “But I do know that this had to have occurred sometimes last night before dawn. The guards reach this point at the beginning of their shift. Therefore, it had to have taken place between midnight and six o’clock. The other animals are hiding, too scared to come out yet, I suppose.”

“So there is something out there that is strong enough to take on a bear, and capable of flying to capture birds, all while doing it quickly and quietly enough so as to not cause a big enough disturbance to arouse the guards’ suspicion?”

Sergeant Torchlight could only nod at the assessment.

A white orb appeared before them. The orb grew until Princess Celestia emerged. She turned to her sister. Sergeant Torchlight bowed his head.

“Luna, we have to get to Ponyville immediately.” Princess Celestia said, “I’ve received a note from-”

Princess Celestia stopped talking when she saw the sight before her. Her eyes widened at the sight of the dead animals. She circled the pile and then made her way back to Princess Luna. She handed her the scroll that had been sent to her. Princess Luna unwrapped the scroll and began to read it.

Princess Celestia,

Please come to Ponyville as fast as you can. I don’t know how to explain it, but Twilight has done something to Fluttershy. I only now just found out because she had told me that she was just fixing a problem with Fluttershy’s eyes. It wasn’t until Rarity told me about Fluttershy’s accident that we both agreed I needed to contact you.

Princess Celestia, I don’t know how much of this I can write. I feel like I’m betraying Twilight by doing this, but I know it isn’t right. Something happened to Twilight ever since she became a princess. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I’ve lost somepony who I always considered family.

I’m just a dragon, Your Highness. I know that I’ll never really be a pony no matter how many times Twilight says I am a real part of this family.

I don’t feel it anymore.

Please come to Ponyville. Maybe you can talk to Twilight. Maybe you can help her. I don’t think I can anymore.

Spike

Luna looked up from the scroll just in time to see a bright light surround the animals. A moment later, the animals disappeared, leaving behind only the dried blood. Luna approached and saw that the blood had formed an eerily familiar pattern. She and Princess Luna looked at one another.

“It would seem that Twilight has been given some new reading material.” Princess Luna said.

“He shouldn’t have done this.” Princess Celestia replied as she tried to contain a sniffle. “But what is done is done. Unless we can get Leila to-”

“No.” Princess Luna cut her sister off, “Besides, even we don’t see what she sees. We don’t know what would happen if we used her like that.”

“I see.” Princess Celestia replied as she turned to Sergeant Torchlight. “Sergeant, Princess Luna and I are leaving for Ponyville. Until we return, I want a guard posted at both gardens. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Sergeant Torchlight replied, “I shall tell the charioteers to-”

“That won’t be necessary.” Princess Luna replied.

The princesses disappeared into two orbs – one blue and one white. A moment later, they arrived at the Golden Oaks Library. The lights were off. Princess Luna made her way to the light switch, but Princess Celestia stopped her. She pointed her hoof in the corner of the room, where a pair of yellow eyes began to open. Princess Luna rolled her eyes and flicked the switch. She turned back to face the eyes, only to find that they belonged to Owlowiscious.

“A bit jumpy, dear sister?”

“This is not a time to joke around, Luna.” Princess Celestia said, “If I am right, then the creature that Twilight created is very dangerous.”

Princess Luna pointed towards the door to the basement. Princess Celestia nodded. They opened the door and flipped the light switch. Rather than walk the stairs, they flew to the floor, the wind from their wings reached the empty beakers. The sound of howls echoed through the room as the air passed the beakers’ glass lips. They stood on either side of the glyph that had been drawn onto the floor.

“A rudimentary protection spell was created over this.” Princess Celestia said, “Easy enough to break.”

A white aura shone from Princess Celestia’s horn, while a blue aura shone from Princess Luna’s own. A flash of white light shone through the room, followed by a flash of blue light. The glyph on the ground disappeared.

“Didn’t you say that there was a glyph at Fluttershy’s cottage, Luna?”

“Yes,” Princess Luna replied, “But that one was different than this one. Twilight is merely mimicking the spell. The one back at Fluttershy’s was different.”

“I’d like to see this glyph.”

“Don’t you think we should try to find the book first?”

“Yes, sister, that we should.”

The two alicorns began trotting around the room. They looked beneath the metal tables, through the shelves of beakers and books on advanced magic practices. There was no book. The two sisters rejoined and made their way up the stairs and slammed the door shut. With their magic, they began to take the books down, one shelf at a time. It became clear, however, that the book they were looking for was not here either. Finally, they made their way upstairs.

“What is this?” Princess Celestia said as they entered the room.

They trotted towards the board that Twilight Sparkle had made. Princess Luna looked down on the floor at the mess of papers that littered it. She looked closer at the dates and the writings.

“This is how Twilight learned about Fluttershy,” Princess Luna said, “She stole her friend’s diary once she placed the shadow into her.”

“Not only that,” Princess Celestia said as she pointed her hoof at the journal entry regarding her animals, “I think we can ascertain who killed the animals.”

“But that doesn’t make sense.” Princess Luna replied, “Fluttershy loved animals.”

“No,” Princess Celestia corrected, “She loved being loved by the animals. I saw her the night of the Grand Galloping Gala as she ran through the ballroom. She had actually grabbed a squirrel by the teeth. The look on her face as she chased the animals was terrifying.”

“Then what other things has she done?” Princess Luna asked.

“Nothing, from what these diary entries indicate.” Princess Celestia continued, “It seems that Twilight was pretty accurate in discovering what parts of Fluttershy were filled with regret, though.”

“Does that mean it is over?”

“We need to find Twilight to find that out, sister.” Princess Celestia said. “And we need to find Discord.”

“But first, you said we need to go to Fluttershy’s cottage?”

The two of them teleported once more until they were at the front of Fluttershy’s cottage. Princess Luna looked around.

“Didn’t you station a guard here?”

“Yes.” Princess Celestia replied, “I did.”

“We really need to have a meeting with the Captain of the Royal Guards about the mental capabilities of our guards.”

“Prince Shining Armor isn’t the captain, anymore.” Princess Celestia replied, “But you’re right. We need to discuss that with him. Maybe we can get him to come back for drill instruction.”

Princess Luna opened the door, and the two immediately entered and made their way up the stairs. When they opened the door and turned on the light, Princess Luna immediately pointed to a patch of blood on the floor near the bed.

“That patch of blood is new,” she replied, “Maybe the guard had some struggle with an enemy?”

“Or,” Princess Celestia replied, “He just tripped over this jewelry box.”

Princess Luna placed a hoof over her face and sighed. She then pointed to the corner of the room where the glyph was located. Princess Celestia examined the glyph in detail. Her sister was right. The magic that was used with this glyph had a very distinct energy signature.

“The only being that can even closely match this energy signature is Discord.”

“Discord would not have allowed for this to happen,” Princess Luna replied, “However, I do remember feeling a similar energy signature when I examined the cell that held Script.”

Princess Celestia whipped her head towards her sister.

“Then that would mean that he is a vessel.”

“Not only that,” Princess Luna continued, “But I overheard Edger saying that Script was with them in Flatts when they went to retrieve the Helioselenian Stone.”

“Then that has to mean – Ah!”

Princess Celestia winced as she walked over a piece of broken glass. The sudden pain sent her forward and she bumped into her sister, who then tumbled into the desk, knocking over the wastebasket.

“Sorry, sister.”

“It is quite all right.” Princess Luna replied, “What is this?”

Amongst a pile of crumpled papers, Princess Luna levitated a single sheet of paper.

“It looks similar to the sheets of paper on Twilight’s floor.” Princess Celestia noted.

“And the date is only a little more than two months ago.”

July 13, 1006,

“Ah don’t think y'all should,” she told me, “He’d probably want somepony a little heartier.”

It hurts. It hurts. I find out that he’s with her now. I’m not upset about that. I finally had the courage to say something to him.

If it hadn’t been for… her.

The two just read the piece of paper, unsure of what to think about it. Before they could ponder much longer, they heard a deep voice begin to cackle.

“Oh, look at the two of you,” Discord said out of nowhere, “thinking that you have all of the pieces of the puzzle...”

In front of them, a ghostly image of Discord began to form as though he, too, were a puzzle. The puzzle completed itself, with the exception of Discord’s head.

“Only to realize that you are one piece short...” The disembodied head continued as it floated in between the two sisters.

“Where are the books?” Princess Celestia asked.

“Where are the vessels?” Discord replied.

The two watched as Discord’s head floated to his body and reconnected.

“Tell you what,” Discord said as two briefcases appeared – one in front of himself, and one in front of Princesses Celestia and Luna, “Why don’t we play hide and seek? You have one day to find me, and I’ll be sure to leave little clues. If you find me, I tell you where the books are. If you don’t, then you tell me what you have been teaching the unicorns.”

Two tiny Discord’s appeared in front of each of the suitcases, presenting them as though they were on a game show.

“Do we have a deal?”

“No.”

The little Discord in front of the princesses’ briefcase opened it, revealing nothing. A small horn played in the background, as though they had lost.

“Oh, what a pity,” Discord replied as everything else disappeared, “You do realize that you need me, right?”

“We both know that the appearance of these unicorns is proof that the cycle is spinning again.” Princess Luna replied.

“And you do realize that your ‘Princess Twilight’ knows about your other ‘students’, right?” Discord continued.

“Why did you tell her that?” Princess Celestia asked. “She did not need to know that. Not yet.”

“I believe that she does.” Discord replied, “You two have no idea what it is that these unicorns portent. The cracks in your world are beginning to show.”

They watched as Discord began to crack and splinter, only to crash into a million pieces. Just as quickly as they fell apart, the pieces realigned once again.

“This time, no games,” Discord said, “You two cannot do this alone. You need both Twilight and me for what you are preparing. You know it. I know it.”

“No.” Princess Celestia said.

“Very well.” Discord replied, “I guess you’ll just have to catch me then.”

“Then how will you give Twilight the rest of the books?”

“You’ll just have to catch me to find out.”

Discord laughed and then disappeared.

“He went to the Crystal Empire to get the books.” Princess Luna said.

“The door is magically locked.” Princess Celestia replied.

“I get the feeling he’ll find a way.” Princess Luna answered.

As she dropped the piece of paper to the floor and disappeared in an orb of light, Princess Celestia followed her sister and did the same.

*****

Twilight entered the library and shuddered. She didn’t want to think about what she had just experienced in Room 47 with Rainbow Dash. Her eyelids were barely open as she trudged up the stairs to her bed. The sheets of paper slid beneath he and she began to slip around. Finally, she simply teleported to her bed and fell down. She didn’t noticed that a note had been placed on her pillow, nor did she noticed that the force of her falling down sent the sheet of paper flying until it landed beneath her bed.

Dear Twilight,

There is not an easy way to tell you this. You are going down a path that I can’t let myself follow. I don’t have the strength to get you out of it, either. Maybe it’s because I don’t really know the pony way of doing things.

I always felt of you as my mother, and that I just had a collection of crazy aunts… and Rarity. I know that we can never really be family, because I’m a dragon and you’re all ponies. But I thought families were supposed to go through hard times together. I thought we could weather anything as a family, with you as my mother.

Until now.

You lied to everypony, Twilight. You not only lied to everypony, but you’ve changed. You aren’t my mom, and you never will be.

Goodbye.

Lypouni Flower, Broken Vessel

Twilight Sparkle stood in the corner of the basement and watched as Discord took his time inspecting the glyph that she had made on the floor. They had made sure that Spike had fallen asleep before going down into the basement to ensure that he would not interrupt what was about to take place. After the comments made by Sergeant Longwinder, she had taken the time to thoroughly clean and sanitize every area of the laboratory, from the now empty table that once held the bodies of both Airheart and Fluttershy to the instruments she had used to perform the blood transfusion. Most of the smell had gone by now, but Twilight could tell that by the occasional grimace from Discord that his more acute olfactory senses still picked up traces of blood, sinew, and semi-decomposed body.

“So, you placed a simple force field over the glyph,” Discord asked, “Which you placed on the floor, so that the inscription couldn’t be damaged.”

“I felt it necessary,” Twilight Sparkle replied, “After Spike had nearly touched it, I wasn’t sure what would happen to Fluttershy.”

Discord froze in place for a moment and then looked up to Twilight Sparkle. He then stood up straight, so that Twilight Sparkle had to crane her neck upward to see him. The dim light in the room made it difficult to see into his eyes, but even in the darkness, she could still tell that there was a look of disappointment on Discord’s face.

“Twilight,” Discord said, “What part of Magismoiras ever gave you the idea that the creature you created is Fluttershy?”

Twilight took a step backward, but the bottom stair stopped her, and she fell onto her haunches.

“It’s one of the basic skills of necromancy, Discord,” Twilight Sparkle replied matter-of-factly, “It is clearly the magic of utilizing a vessel to bring forth the spirit that once resided within it.”

“And here I thought it was time to go ahead and give you the lessons,” Discord scoffed, “I don’t know how you could have misread the section of necromantic skills, but this… I had expected more from you, oh Element of Magic.”

As he spoke, the glyph began to glow. Discord took a moment to stroll over to Twilight Sparkle and push her further away from the glyph. The lines of the glyph continued to glow until they connected with one another, at which point, the entire circle glowed with a white light. A moment later, the light died down, revealing Fluttershy standing in the center.

“You think that this-” Discord raised a trembling claw to Fluttershy, “Is the same Fluttershy you know? The same Fluttershy that taught me-”

Discord’s claw dropped, and his eyes turned away from the scene. He began to whisper to himself, but it was so low that Twilight Sparkle could barely hear him. She took a few steps closer.

Butterflies… butterflies… butterflies…

“Discord?” Twilight Sparkle asked, “What did I do wrong? How can I make it right? How can I bring Fluttershy’s soul back into this body?”

Discord’s mouth twitched, and his mouth opened. He finally turned to Twilight Sparkle and began to snap his fingers. At once, they were transported to the top of a mountain that seemed to have been high in the Crystal Mountains. Twilight Sparkle shivered from the cold, but could take her eyes away from Discord’s eyes. Discord’s eyes had turned pure red once again. Twilight Sparkle continued to tremble as the shards of ice pricked at her skin.

Discord snapped his fingers again, and they were in the middle of a desert. The sun beat down, and a sandstorm rolled in, pelting Twilight Sparkle’s body with bits of sand as sharp as glass.

“Discord, please.” Twilight Sparkle said as she squinted her eyes.

Discord snapped his fingers again, and they were in complete darkness. Twilight Sparkle’s eyes widened as she heard the sound of a riding crop and the sound of barking dogs.

“Discord, enough!”

Twilight Sparkle shouted as she focused her energy to return them home. But she didn’t need to. Discord snapped his fingers again, and they were once again in the safety of Twilight Sparkle’s basement.

“Where did you take me?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“What you have done to Fluttershy,” Discord replied, “Is immensely worse than what you experienced for just a few brief moments. Where is the book?”

Twilight Sparkle levitated the book over to Discord’s expectant paw. He flipped through the pages.

“The lypouni flower blooms in the vessel whose soil can feed its desire for sorrow to full.”

Discord shut the book and turned to Twilight Sparkle. He then made his way over to Fluttershy, who still stood in the center of the glyph.

“You missed a few spots on her feathers.”

Twilight Sparkle trotted to Fluttershy and inspected her feathers. Not only were there still streaks of white on the underside of her feathers, but some more of them had gone missing.

“I don’t understand,” Twilight Sparkle said, “I read every anatomical book on the subject. I refilled her blood with her precise blood type. I sewed every muscle and sinew back in place – Perfectly. I double checked. I triple checked.”

Discord smirked and snapped his claws. Twilight Sparkle found herself sitting in a chair, wearing an old dress that looked like something her mother would wear. In front of her, Discord sat perfectly upright, wearing a top hat and monocle, wearing a blue tuxedo vest.

“Discord,” Twilight Sparkle said through gritted teeth, “This is no time for playing around.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Discord replied, “I thought we were going to have an academic discussion on the book that you read. Obviously, such a precious student of Princess Celestia would understand every detail of a book about a magic that she was given that she had never even heard of before trying it out on somepony.”

Twilight Sparkle looked over to Fluttershy, whose eyes still remained black as coal.

“But, I would suppose not.” Discord continued before removing all of the illusions he had created.

“Discord,” Twilight Sparkle asked as a tear formed, “Please, just tell me what I did wrong.”

Discord sighed and returned to Fluttershy’s side.

“Don’t you want to know where Fluttershy has been, Twilight?”

Twilight Sparkle smacked herself with her hoof. The fact that Fluttershy had just materialized in her basement had completely eluded her due to her discussion with Discord.

“What did she do?”

“First, you must know what this is,” Discord motioned around Fluttershy, “This is what used to be known as a ‘Lypouni’. Usually, when a pony dies, they are sent to Elysia or to Tartarus, depending on whether or not they were good or evil.”

Discord closed his eyes and licked his lips before continuing, as though what he was about to say dried out his throat.

“S-Sometimes,” Discord quivered, and Twilight Sparkle noticed that it was the first time his emotions had bubbled to the surface, “Sometimes, there are ponies who die that are filled with so much regret or anger, that it keeps them trapped in this plane.”

Twilight Sparkle watched as Discord bent down to wrap his paw and claw around Fluttershy’s neck. She watched as he swallowed a lump in his throat. He then turned back to her.

“I never imagined that Fluttershy’s soul would be filled with so much regret or anger that it would make her a vessel for the shadows, but-”

“Wait,” Twilight Sparkle interrupted, “The shadows are the things that Edger saw and that attacked ponies. That has nothing to do with this.”

“Oh, but it does,” Discord said, “You see, the shadows want to act out on their feelings of regret, of anger, of violence, and so they try to infest living bodies. But most ponies don’t have enough of those emotions in them to form a connection. Apparently, Fluttershy did.”

“What are we supposed to do?”

“You can fix this right now, actually.”

“How?”

Discord slithered his body around Fluttershy and tapped at the Elemental necklace around her neck.

“If you destroy this, you destroy the Lypouni.”

Twilight Sparkle took a step forward, but Discord help up a claw.

“If you destroy the Lypouni, you destroy the soul that used to inhabit it.”

Twilight Sparkle stopped in her tracks.

“The Lypouni and Fluttershy’s soul are linked, Twilight,” Discord continued, “And if you destroy that link before Fluttershy’s soul has had the opportunity to rectify her feelings of regret or anger, then you will destroy her absolutely.”

“Why did you give me that book?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

Discord waved his claw and a series of blue screens appeared in front of Twilight Sparkle. On one of the blue screens that popped up, a sentence read QUESTIONS THAT WILL RESOLVE THE SITUATION IN WHICH TWILIGHT SPARKLE FINDS HERSELF. A buzzer beeped off to the side, and Discord shook his head.

“That’s too bad, Twilight,” Discord said with a hiss, “You have turned Fluttershy into this, and now you have to make the choice. You must either let the Lypouni act in Fluttershy’s stead to release her regret or anger until the vessel is full, or you destroy the Lypouni and destroy the vessel that contains it. This is fate magic, Twilight Sparkle. It is the ability to control the world.”

Twilight Sparkle charged towards Discord, who immediately disappeared from the room. She was alone with Fluttershy, who hadn’t moved still. Images of the nightmare from last night returned to her. She concentrated, and soon the Magismoiras hovered in front of her. She flipped through the pages under the necromancy section, but nothing even began to detail what had occurred. The only mention was the simple epigram. She looked back to Fluttershy and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“What did I do to you?”

Twilight Sparkle looked into the blackness of Fluttershy’s eyes, but the question had been directed to herself. Fluttershy gave no indication that she could hear her.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight Sparkle began, “If-if you’re in there, I just want you to know that I’m sorry. I’m sorry I did this to you. I just wanted you back. I just wanted to tell you-”

There was a heavy knock at the front door upstairs. Twilight Sparkle turned away, and then back to Fluttershy. She stared back into the blackness before teleporting to the front door. When she opened it, Pinkie Pie rushed into the room.

“Twilight!” Pinkie Pie yelled, somehow ignoring that she had just run past Twilight Sparkle.

“I’m right here, Pinkie. Twilight said.

“Twilight!”

Twilight Sparkle looked up at Pinkie Pie, but noticed that she had her good ear turned away from her. She trotted to the other side of Pinkie Pie and spoke into her good ear.

“I’m here, Pinkie,” Twilight Sparkle said, “What is it?”

Pinkie Pie’s hair began to deflate, and then Twilight Sparkle remembered the other day when she spoke with Doctor Stable.

“Where’s Rainbow Dash?”

“She’s still at the hospital. Something bad is happening. I’m getting strange twitches that I’ve never gotten before.” Pinkie Pie huddled close to Twilight Sparkle, “It’s scaring me.”

“What happened to her, Pinkie?”

*****

The walls of the East Ward of Ponyville Hospital were painted half white on the top and half yellow on the bottom. Instead of the steady sound of gurneys, there was only the steady sound of crying in certain rooms, yelling in certain others, and sometimes, the occasional scratch against the door. Twilight Sparkle stood at the beginning of the hallway, flanked by Doctor Stable on her left and Pinkie Pie on her right.

“We’ve had her under observation for twenty-four hours, Your Highness.” Doctor Stable said, “At this point, I have determined that there is no indication of physical trauma. Whatever is happening…”

“Must be mental.” Twilight Sparkle concluded.

“It could just be some spell,” Pinkie Pie said, “It happened after she-”

Doctor Stable and Twilight Sparkle turned to Pinkie Pie.

“What did you say?” They both asked.

A pony screeched in the distance. Pinkie Pie turned her head to the source of the noise, but the other two continued to look at Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight Sparkle said, “You have to tell us what happened.”

“Well, you see,” Pinkie Pie began, “Edger and I went home. But home was all strange, like there were weird bat ponies flying in the air and everypony was all mean and they were all scared and oh my gosh Twilight it was so horrible and they took Caramel and beat him and they took Script and tied him up and then Rainbow Dash burst in and touched the stone and there was something about Helioselene and then this thing came through the roof and we all had to-”

“Stop,” Twilight Sparkle interrupted and placed a hoof up to Pinkie Pie’s mouth, “What was that last part? That name you said?”

“I don’t know if I’m saying it right, but Helioselene.”

Well now, this is interesting.

Twilight Sparkle’s eyes twitched as the familiar voice crept into her mind.

The cracks of the cycle are appearing at ever greater speed.

“What do you mean?”

Twilight Sparkle looked back and forth to Doctor Stable, but fortunately, he had thought she was responding to Pinkie Pie.

So Rainbow Dash touched the Helioselenian Stone. Poor thing.

“When can I see her?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“I was really hoping that we could have Fluttershy here, since she’s good with-”

“Were you about to call Rainbow Dash an animal?” Twilight Sparkle yelled as her wings flared out.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Your Highness,” Doctor Stable replied as he bowed down, “I simply meant that Rainbow Dash is not in her right mind right now. She needs somepony who is gentle.”

“Don’t worry,” Twilight Sparkle replied as she trotted confidently down the hall.

“If it is a powerful spell that she’s under, shouldn't the other Elements be here, Your Highness?”

Twilight Sparkle scoffed. She remembered saving her friends all by herself when Discord appeared. She remembered being the only one to see through Queen Chrysalis’s disguise and saving them all again. She would save Fluttershy on her own. She would save Rainbow Dash on her own.

I just need to let whatever lypouni bloom, and then she will be free, Twilight Sparkle thought, Right Discord?

Her question was met with silence. Twilight Sparkle stood in front of a door – on the door, the number 47 was painted on it. Doctor Stable met up with Twilight Sparkle.

“Why are you letting me go in?” Twilight Sparkle asked, “If she is a danger, then why let anypony visit her?”

“Well,” Doctor Stable replied, “She is heavily sedated.”

“And?”

“There's that,” Doctor Stable replied, “And nopony else really speaks Old Equestrian.”

“Excuse me?”

“We know that’s what she’s speaking, but none of us understand her. We knew that you, being a scholar of, pretty much everything, actually, that you would be able to help us.”

“I see.”

“Miss Pie, if you will stay out here with me, I would like to ask you more about this event that you say triggered Miss Dash’s response.”

“I don’t know if I-”

“Pinkie!” Twilight Sparkle shouted, “Answer his questions! This could save Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight Sparkle watched as Pinkie Pie’s hair finally deflated in its entirety. The brightness of her eyes dulled away, and her smile faded, as well.

“Of course, Twilight.” Pinkie Pie replied, her head drooping to the floor.

Twilight Sparkle turned back to the door and began to push it open.

A little harsh on her, weren’t you?

“Shut up.” Twilight Sparkle whispered.

“Did you say something?” Doctor Stable asked.

“No, it was nothing.”

Twilight Sparkle went to the other side of the door, where she saw Rainbow Dash asleep on the bed. A tiny, barred window lay horizontally at the edge of the ceiling and allowed a tiny sliver of light to fall onto the bed. The bed sheets were white, and they were still tucked into the sides because Rainbow Dash had apparently dozed off on top of them. She looked at Rainbow Dash’s polychromatic hair and immediately noticed the streak of white where red used to be. Twilight took another step, and that was when Rainbow Dash’s eyes opened. Her fuchsia eyes immediately darted about the room and settled onto her own. Rainbow Dash’s wings immediately splayed open.

Twilight Sparkle lifted a hoof to her muzzle. All of Rainbow Dash’s primary wings had been slashed away. Her wingspan took up nearly half of the space that it used to. Even parts of the secondary and covert feathers had been chopped, leaving jagged spaces where there was once an undulating flow of cyan feathers.

Rainbow Dash had been clipped.

Twilight Sparkle began to speak, but was interrupted by Rainbow Dash yelling.

“Pou echete erthei gia mena!”

You hear that, Twilight? She thinks you have come for her.

Twilight Sparkle shook her head to get the sound of Discord’s voice out of it. Her mind immediately pored over the memories of her studies of Old Equestrian. There was no way Rainbow Dash, of all ponies, would know Old Equestrian. Something was definitely off about her. She watched as Rainbow Dash looked up to her wings, letting forth her second shout of the conversation.

“Mou ftera!”

Poor thing has just realized she’s been clipped.

“Shut up!”

“Antistratigos Adrastos!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she made her way towards Twilight Sparkle.

What did she just call you?

It was clear that the heavy sedation was wearing off. Rainbow Dash stood a few strides away from Twilight Sparkle and looked around. Twilight Sparkle tried not to move for fear of upsetting the clearly unstable mood of her friend.

Twilight, please leave.

Twilight Sparkle mentally cocked her head. The tone of Discord’s voice had changed drastically. The sarcasm in his voice was gone completely from the previous statement. It was a request, a desperately pleaded one.

Twilight, please leave.

“Emeis prepei na xefygoun afti ti fylaki.”

Prison, Twilight Sparkle thought, help her escape from a prison?

Twilight, please.

Twilight Sparkle took a few steps back, but before she could reach the door, Rainbow Dash had already pounced on her.

“Opou Chimaira?” Rainbow Dash asked, her muzzle pressed close to Twilight Sparkle’s.

The door swung open and two orderlies filed into the room and pulled Rainbow Dash off of her. Twilight Sparkle watched as Rainbow Dash struggled with the orderlies. She bucked one of them in the muzzle, and she could hear a small crunch as a bone was broken. Doctor Stable rushed into the room and trotted up to Rainbow Dash. The orderlies finally managed to cover enough of her body to where she wasn’t a threat to Doctor Stable. He pulled out a syringe and immediately injected Rainbow Dash with more sedative. Rainbow Dash’s movements became less erratic, and then they slowed. Before her eyes closed, she looked to Twilight Sparkle.

“Prodotis… prodotis… prodotis.”

Rainbow Dash’s movements finally ceased. The orderlies placed her on the bed, and the four ponies filed out of the room. The word Rainbow Dash had spoken immediately translated themselves in Twilight Sparkle’s mind.

Traitor… traitor… traitor.

Twilight Sparkle leaned against the wall and began to sob. Doctor Stable began to trot towards her, but she held up a hoof and started to walk away.

Discord, Twilight Sparkle mentally asked, why did Rainbow Dash call me a lieutenant general in Old Equesrian? And what is Chimaira?

Twilight Sparkle waited for a moment for a response. Once again, she was left with silence as her answer. Her chest heaved as she began to trot away from room 47, too tired to even teleport herself home.