Where's the Beef?

by Mare Macabre

Chapters

A Friend in Need
Rhyming is Hard Sometimes
A Lesson in Consent
Dinner with Dashie
Sarcastic Ending
Intro
Late Nights and Early Lunches

A Friend in Need

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________

Fluttershy paced anxiously through her living room, looking out the window every time she approached before forcing herself to turn back toward her phone. She trotted up to the device, fixed it with a hard stare, then quickly turned and retreated toward the window before catching herself. Angel watched from the kitchen doorway, his arms crossed and eyes half-lidded. She had told him about her plan to call Twilight for help, insisting he make sure she make good on her word, but all she’d actually allowed him to do thus far was watch in bored silence as she gathered up small bursts of courage before faltering and turning tail. She repeated the process nearly twelve times before he finally let out a long sigh and hopped his way over to the phone himself.

The phone, one of Twilight’s recent inventions, wasn’t optimized for use by a bunny. The crank that needed turning was stiff in his experience, the spring wound almost too tightly for him to dial in the numbers. With a fair amount of effort, he managed to put in the Ponyville area code before Fluttershy turned back to the phone and eeped as she saw him working.

“Angel, wait!” the yellow pegasus squeaked, rushing over and pulling him from the table. “I-I think I might do it tomorrow. Twilight’s probably busy toda—“

Fluttershy twitched, lowering Angel and looking down at the headset. She slowly set the bunny down next to her and inched closer to the phone, carefully reaching out to click the receiver and end the call.

the headset crackled, making the high-strung pegasus flinch again.

Fluttershy winced, reaching for the receiver once more, but a sharp jab in the flank from Angel made her grab the phone instead. She blinked, looking down at the bunny with a word on the tip of her tongue, but was interrupted by the operator.

the disgruntled mare said flatly.

“No wait!” Fluttershy snapped, then covered her mouth.

the operator mumbled.

Fluttershy shut her eyes tight and moved the hoof from her mouth to her forehead. “Um...C-could you connect me to...Twilight Sparkle?” she finished in a whisper.

the operator asked.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Fluttershy spoke up.

the operator nodded, exaggerating her syllables.

Fluttershy sat down beside the small post the phone rested on and let out a quiet sigh. She heard a click, a pop, and then the quiet hum of a phone ringing on the other end of the line. Fluttershy glanced sideways at the headset, considering hanging up if Twilight failed to answer at the second ring, then twitched as she heard an answer.

an enthusiastic voice sang, <You’ve reached the personal phone of Princess Twilight Sparkle. How can I be of service to you, my little pony?>

Fluttershy cocked an eyebrow as Twilight giggled on the other end, confused more than nervous for once, then shook the sensation off.

“Um...Twilight?” she ventured, hearing a gasp at the other end.

Twilight laughed, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Fluttershy bit her lip, glancing down at her expectant companion, then covered her face with her free hoof and let her muscles relax slightly. If anyone could help her, it was surely Twilight.

“I...need your help, Twilight,” she started. “I’ve been...um...”

Helpful though Twilight might be, she certainly didn’t want to start off by telling her she’d become a bloodthirsty predator. She rolled her head, trying to find a tactful way to describe her ailment.

“I...I think I have...a bit of an addiction,” she said at last. “A-an unhealthy one.”

Twilight joked, a hint of worry under her words.

“O-oh no, nothing like that,” Fluttershy assured her. She frowned, wondering if it might have been better if that were her problem, but shook the thought and continued. “I have an...eating problem. I’ve...kind of been binging lately and it makes me really sick afterward. I was wondering if I might be able to come by sometime for a little...therapy?”

Fluttershy heard an excited gasp and a quick round of clapping before Twilight was at the phone again.

<*Ahem* Yes. I can schedule something,> the purple princess said as nonchalantly as she could fake.

“Oh, w-well we could wait until you get ba—“ a jab in the rear made her jump and quickly backtrack in her statement. “L-later today works! That sounds great! I’ll be there.”

Fluttershy hung up the phone and let her head droop. She slowly deflated, letting her hoof slide off the edge of the table and onto the floor, and gently lay herself on her side by the desk. Angel hopped over and patted her head, quietly mumbling some praise of her efforts as she curled into a ball and let her eyes drift closed.

________

Fluttershy stretched as she made her way through the streets of town. She’d fallen asleep on the floor, making up for some of her lost sleep from the night before, and developed a crick in her neck and a stiff soreness in her right wing. Angel was insistent when he woke her, forcefully pushing her out the door and down the walkway to her cottage despite her objections and excuses. She knit her brow as she tried to shake the flatness out of her mane, reaching up and wiping a few of the sticky hairs from her face, and sucked in a breath through her teeth as a tilt a little too far to the left sent a bolt of soreness through her neck.

The butter colored pegasus yawned groggily as she approached the library, her tired stupor still outweighing her fear, but slowed as she drew nearer. Her mind was finally waking in full, the weight and seriousness of what she was about to do suddenly becoming clear, and her slow trot eventually came to a gradual stop. She blinked, staring at the door to the library in front of her. It was true she’d thought that seeking help from Twilight was her best option, but actually being face to face with the situation made her start to doubt. What if Twilight couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her? What if there wasn’t any kind of magic that could help fix the problem? What if...

’What if there’s nothing wrong with me?’

Fluttershy frowned, startled by the sudden thought. She knew that, as a pony, she was an herbivore, and that she was more or less unequipped to consume and digest meat. That being the case, though, why did she have such a craving for it? If, truly, she shouldn’t eat, or even want to eat meat, why would she have such a distinct taste for it? Fluttershy’s eyes focused once more on the door, the gears in her head quietly clicking away at the odd question.

’What if it’s not therapy I need...?’

Fluttershy’s thoughts were cut short as the door in front of her flew open and Rainbow Dash stepped through, almost bumping into the other pegasus before stopping.

“Whoa!” she yelped, jumping back from Fluttershy. “Oh. Hey Fluttershy. What’s up?”

Fluttershy pulled a smile over her face and shifted awkwardly. “Oh, uh...not much. Why are you...?”

“Just picking up the new one,” Dash smirked, holding up a copy of the latest Daring Doo book. “And...one or two others,” she said bashfully, turning to show her friend her heavily laden saddlebags. “Twilight’s got me hooked on some old future-fantasy thing. It’s pretty cool.”

“Is that Fluttershy!” a voice called from inside.

Fluttershy twitched again as Twilight flashed to life beside Rainbow and smiled brightly at her guest.

“Um...hi, Twilight,” Fluttershy murmured.

“What’s goin’ on, guys?” Rainbow asked, stepping back as Twilight ushered Fluttershy into the library.

“Fluttershy’s having a little—“

“I’m looking for a book!” Fluttershy cut her off.

Twilight blinked as she realized that she had probably almost let out something her friend wanted kept secret and nodded.

“Right!” she agreed. “She’s having a little trouble with some animals and wanted a book about...” she trailed off, glancing at Fluttershy for help.

“H-hunting,” Fluttershy offered meekly.

Her friends both turned to look at her, surprised looks on their faces, and Fluttershy shrunk from their shocked stares.

“Th-there’s a little fox cub I’m looking after, and his mother...she died,” she whispered, leaning closer. The other ponies winced, otherwise relaxing. “I’ve been trying to teach him to hunt, but I don’t know enough about it myself. I was hoping Twilight might have a book on hunting habits or...something.”

Twilight frowned, trying to remember if Fluttershy had mentioned the book before, but Rainbow Dash simply shrugged and started out the door.

“Well I hope you find it. We still on for Saturday?” she paused at the threshold, looking back.

Fluttershy’s nervous smile lost its edge, her cheeks quickly adapting the color of her mane. “O-of course.”

Dash grinned and winked at her, then turned and took off toward her cloud-house. Fluttershy glanced at the floor, her pink cheeks reddening slightly, but was snapped back to the room as Twilight shut the door.

“Did I miss you telling me about the book?” she frowned. “I guess I did get a little lost in my thoughts after you asked for help, but I think I’d remember something about a book.”

“Oh, well...no,” Fluttershy conceded. “It was just something I thought of on the way over. I was going to let someone else teach him, but he’s very attached to me right now. I thought it might be better if I did it.”

Twilight nodded, motioning with a wing for Fluttershy to follow her down to her lab. The two ponies filed down the spiral staircase through the inner tree, eventually stepping out of the tunnel-like stairwell into a large wooden chamber beneath the library proper. Fluttershy noticed Rarity’s couch had taken the place of Twilight’s blackboard in the corner of the room, and she glanced nervously at her purple princess friend. Twilight flicked her eyes back and forth between them, proudly waggling her eyebrows, then flashed over to a chair at its side, her mane arranging itself into a tight bun, and a clipboard and quill floated over to her from a nearby desk.

“Now, what’s this about an eating problem?” she said, patting the couch invitingly.

Fluttershy narrowed an eye at the sofa, considering the questions she’d had before entering the library, but pushed them aside and crawled up onto the plush seat, laying her head by Twilight’s side.

“Well...” she started, struggling to find a delicate way to explain her problem. “I...I’ve been eating....bad things recently. Things I really shouldn’t.”

Twilight nodded as she scribbled a note, making Fluttershy shoot her a nervous glance. “What kinds of things?”

The pink maned pegasus quickly averted her gaze, staring at the velvety red back of the couch.

“Um...”

Twilight noticed her scared expression and looked up from her notes. “You’re not stealing from the Cakes, are you?”

“No,” Fluttershy said quickly, “I would never...”

She blinked, frowning at the statement. ’I’d never steal but I’d kill left and right?’ Her frown deepened. ’I really do need help.’

“Well...about how long has this been happening?” Twilight asked instead. “How often do you binge? Do you throw up afterward?”

Fluttershy shook herself. “I...It started maybe...two months ago?” she looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember when it was that Harry had given her the damning fish. “Maybe nine weeks? I’m not sure. I-I only threw up after the first time, but I still feel terrible no matter how often I do it.”

“And how often is that?” Twilight asked, making notes.

“It...well it was a week before I did it again,” Fluttershy recalled. “But then I did it after...five days? It’s been pretty constant since then with five days between.” She paused, her hooves drifting down to her stomach. “But...I did it again yesterday, and it had only been two. I’m worried I might start doing it more often...”

Twilight nodded and hummed an agreement. “That sounds pretty typical of addict behavior. It starts slow, gets a little more common, and soon the object of addiction is just a part of your life.” She heard Fluttershy take a frightened breath and quickly corrected herself. “Well, not your life, but...y’know,” she shrugged.

“H-how do I stop it?” Fluttershy asked, turning to look up at her friend.

“It depends on the addiction,” Twilight mused, crossing her forelegs. “Though typically it stems from a feeling that something is missing from life. At least when there’s no brain-altering chemistry involved. You’re sure it’s not smoking?” Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I would never do that to myself,” Fluttershy protested quietly. “Or the animals.”

Twilight smiled. “I know you wouldn’t. I’m honestly surprised that you could be addicted to anything really. You don’t have an addictive personality from what I’ve observed.” She scratched her chin, looking over her friend with a critical eye. “You do look like you’ve gained a little weight though, if I may note.”

Fluttershy blushed and scowled at the couch’s back. “I know...”

Twilight smirked and put a calming hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder. “It’s not your fault, you know. Addiction changes the way a person thinks and metabolizes certain things. If we get this cleared up, that extra weight will melt away, I’m sure.”

Fluttershy glanced sideways at her friend, then felt her face flush and looked away again. “I...may keep the weight, actually.”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow, then the other, her confusion becoming amusement. “Dash likes it, eh?”

Fluttershy fidgeted and flashed her friend an awkward smile. “A little.”

The young alicorn smirked, savoring the chance to gossip about something other than politics. “Really? I’d have thought she’d want you to get more athletic.”

“Well...she still wants to help me get my speed up so we can fly together more, but...” Fluttershy covered her reddening face, now grinning, “She...she thinks I look cute with a little extra weight.”

Fluttershy’s blush rubbed off on Twilight as it intensified. “I see,” the alicorn mused, making Fluttershy fidget some more. “Does she know it’s because of...?”

Fluttershy’s smile vanished, her face still crimson. “N...no. I haven’t told her about it,” she confessed, looking down. “I wanted to fix it myself, but...I don’t think I can. I don’t want her to find out.”

Twilight cleared her throat, trying to return to the matter at hand. “I see.” Twilight tilted her head. “You think this binge eating might because of Dash’s preferences?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “It started before we actually started dating. I didn’t know at the time. I hadn’t even started putting on the weight yet.”

Twilight nodded and made some notes. “Well, what about now? Do you think that knowing about her liking the extra weight is what makes you keep doing it?”

Fluttershy frowned as she considered the question. “I’ve thought of that before, but I don’t think it’s related. I usually don’t even think of her until...afterward.”

“What is it specifically that you think afterward?”

Fluttershy crossed a hoof over the other, nervously rubbing her foreleg. “That...that I’m a monster,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “That she’d be ashamed of me. That you’d be ashamed of me.”

Twilight blinked. “Me?”

“All of you,” Fluttershy explained. “Everyone. I feel like a freak,” she whimpered covering her face.

Twilight lowered her notes. “Wh...why would any of us be ashamed of you, Fluttershy? Overindulging isn’t something we’d ever hold against you.”

Fluttershy clenched her eyes shut, pressing her hooves harder into her face. “I don’t overindulge, Twilight. I hardly eat anything anymore. I just...It’s not...how much I’m eating. It’s what I’m eating.”

Twilight moved her chair to face her friend, gingerly setting a hoof on her elbow. “What is it you’ve been eating, Fluttershy?”

The depressed pegasus uncovered her eyes, fixing her tear-blurred gaze on her lavender friend, then closed them and let hot shame stream down the sides of her face.

“A-ani-mals,” she choked.

Twilight’s face changed in some ineffable way, the joint in her extended arm locking for split second, but her voice remained neutral as she spoke.

“....What was that?”

Fluttershy sputtered and uncovered her face. “I-I’ve been eating a-animals,” she blubbered.

Twilight’s eyebrows came together in a mixture of fear, confusion, and concern. She lifted her hoof from Fluttershy’s arm, letting it hover above her for a moment, then allowed to fall limply at her side as she sat back in the chair.

“...Animals?” she parroted. “...Like...animals?”

Fluttershy sniffed loudly and nodded. “Harry gave me a fish one day, and I ate, and it was so good that...I couldn’t help myself...” She wiped her face again, lifting her gaze to the ceiling. “A week later, some squirrels brought their friend to me. He’d fallen out of a tree and broken his neck. I knew I had to put him out of his misery, but I thought...I thought maybe...” She clenched her eyes shut, pushing out fresh tears. “I took him to the cellar and...put him down...but then...I had him. And he was already dead. And...I thought, since it wouldn’t be hurting anyone...”

Twilight stared at her yellow friend in horror. “You didn’t...”

Fluttershy’s ears flattened against her head. “I couldn’t help myself!” she wailed. “I was so...curious and hungry and...” she stopped and clenched her teeth as she tried to control her volume. “I-I...I told them he asked to be cremated. I gave them some ashes from my fireplace. I don’t know if they believed me or not, but they took them and left. I got so sick that night I thought I was gonna die!” She shut her mouth again and struggled to keep her thoughts coherent. “I...I thought that would be the end of it...but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I couldn’t get the taste out of my mouth. I asked Harry to take me fishing sometime and we had a picnic with the fish a-and I think he could tell something was wrong then but he didn’t say anything and then...”

Fluttershy suddenly fell silent, wracked with quiet, sniffling sobs. Twilight continued to stare, baffled as to how to feel about or react to all the information that was being dumped on her. She hesitantly lifted a hoof, holding it toward Fluttershy, but ultimately put back at her side. She wet her lips, trying to think of how to continue, and remembered her notes.

“Uh...” she started, making Fluttershy flinch, “Um...Wha-how...” She closed her eyes, organizing her thoughts. “Why do you think you...do this?”

Fluttershy let her forelegs fold over her chest, her eyes searching the ceiling. “I...I just...” She narrowed her eyes, pointedly looking away from her friend. “I love it,” she admitted quietly. “I feel...powerful. I feel like a predator, like something dangerous.” She chewed her lip. “I feel confident when I’m hunting. Like nothing can stop me. And the taste of—...the taste is just so...amazing,” she sighed. “It’s divine! No matter how sick I get after eating it, I—or...after eating...them,” she forced herself to say, “All I can think of is that taste. And that texture. And the feeling of blood, hot steamy blood, running down my face and my throat, filling my nostrils with its acrid, metallic scent, the cracking of bo—“

Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder, making Fluttershy jump, and she quickly stopped herself as she saw her friend’s horrified face. Her cheeks burned with fear and embarrassment, her forelegs nervously fiddling with each other, and mumbled an apology.

“I just...I do it because...I love it,” Fluttershy decided quietly.

The purple princess pony let her notes float to the floor, her hair somehow unknotting itself as she sat back in the chair again. She studied the timid pegasus, her thoughts muddled and confused, and tried to put words to her concern.

“That’s...” she trailed off. Fluttershy glanced down at her, making her flinch and look somewhere else. “Uh, that’s...” She heaved a long sigh. “I...don’t even know what to say...”

Fluttershy closed her eyes, taking a long, slow breath to calm herself.

Then another.

“I...don’t know what I expected,” she admitted as she opened her eyes. “I think I might have just wanted to tell someone.” She looked back at Twilight, who simply nodded slowly, then frowned. “But...no, I have questions.”

Fluttershy sat up on the couch, flexing her sore wings, and faced her friend and therapist.

“Why would I want to eat...animals,” she managed to say. “What would drive me to do that? I’m a pony, ponies shouldn’t even like meat. But I crave it! It’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten!” She fixed Twilight with a confused stare. “Why would I think that?”

The purple alicorn frowned, the question cutting through the fog of thoughts and giving her a focal point. “Huh. That’s a good question,” she murmured, lifting a hoof to rub her chin. “Ponies really shouldn’t have a taste for meat. We’re not designed to handle it. I mean, we can,” she mused, motioning to Fluttershy, “obviously. But not easily. You’ve been eating like this for two months?”

Fluttershy lowered her head and nodded. “About, yes.”

Twilight titled her head, her confusion returning to concern, and she finally placed a comforting hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how this has been for you.”

The pegasus sighed heavily. “I don’t imagine so.”

Twilight absorbed the comment, her mind still rolling the bizarre situation over again and again looking for answers. After a moment of thought, she straightened up, her expression pensive.

“It...does kind of make sense that, if anypony ever was going to end up being a carnivore, it would be you.” Fluttershy lifted a frown to her, and Twilight raised her hooves defensively. “I don’t mean that as an insult, Fluttershy, I just mean...well think about it. Who else spends so much time in and around the Everfree forest or with all those carnivorous animals? You’ve been surrounded by predation for most of your life, so it only makes sense that you would pick up a few things about it.”

Fluttershy righted herself, glancing sideways in thought. “Probably. I doubt I’d even be able to hunt at all if I hadn’t spent so much time with Willow or Drew...” She noticed Twilight’s questioning look. “Uh, a weasel and a fox I know. I’ve been fishing with Harry before too, but I never actually ate the fish before he gave me that one. I guess he just assumed that I fished because I ate fish. I really only did it for my animal friends before then.”

“Well that explains his behavior then,” Twilight nodded, “but not yours. I’m going to look through some books and see if this has happened before. Do you have anywhere you need to be?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Angel said he’d arrange dinner for everyone. I’m not sure how, but he’s done it before.”

Twilight paused on the steps. “...Does Angel know about...?”

Fluttershy nodded somberly. “He’s been very helpful. I don’t know what I’d have done without him.”

Twilight smiled a little sadly and continued up the stairs. “That’s good to know. There’s some tea in the kitchen if you want it, and Spike should be back from Sweetapple Acres soon. I’ll be in the main...” She stopped again, thinking. “...You should probably come upstairs. I don’t not trust you or anything but...y’know, chemicals,” she shrugged, pointing at the alchemy station she had set up.

Fluttershy nodded and wiped her eyes again, hopping off the couch and following after her host. They emerged from the lab in silence – Twilight wandering to a lectern and taking several books with her as she went, Fluttershy retreating into the small kitchen off the main room. She carefully poured some hot water from the stove over a cup of tea leaves, then sat at the table and waited for the tea to steep. She was quiet as she watched the deep reddish brown of the tea seep into the steaming water, her mind occupied but not necessarily burdened. It had been a relief greater than she expected just to tell someone about her problem, and it made her feel much more relaxed to know that Twilight was in the next room looking for something that might help her.

The pegasus cautiously lifted her cup, blowing across the surface of her drink, then daintily sipped at the spiced tea. She felt better certainly, but not absolved. The guilt of her hunts still hung over her head like the steam over her tea. She set the cup down, a little harder than she’d meant to, and returned to the main room. Twilight had an array of books hovering in front of her, each of them flipping several pages at a time before stopping while she scribbled notes on their contents. Fluttershy felt a touch of admiration for her ability to read, write, and memorize with such speed and efficiency, but forced herself to focus. She wasn’t going to sit by while her friend did all the work for her. She’d let herself get so far gone, and she was going to at least try to help herself.

________

After hours of searching, Twilight finally closed the last book she’d pulled from the shelves. She blinked slowly, her eyelids fluttering as she opened them, and gradually began to work the feeling back into her limbs. It had been a long time since she’d had a power-study session and she was nowhere near as used to the mental, magical, and physical strain that came with them. Slowly she focused on the room, looking down at the lectern to organize her papers. Spike had evidently returned at some point and begun feeding her fresh sheets, otherwise she would’ve exhausted the few she started with very early on.

The thought of Spike made her turn from the podium, cracking several of her joints as she did. The young dragon was nowhere to be found, but Fluttershy was sitting over by the door to the kitchen, a book just barely held up by her tired hooves. She watched the exhausted yellow pegasus lift a teacup to her lips, tilt it, then glance at it in a tired stupor as she realized, probably not for the first time, that it was empty. Twilight smirked, gathering up her own stack of notes, and wandered over to her sleepy friend.

Fluttershy groggily wiped her face as Twilight approached, slow to notice that she had finished her own study, but tried to blink the sleep from her burning eyes as she realized that the alicorn was standing at her side.

“Oh, Twilight...” she yawned, stretching out her forelegs and wings. “I...I found a...thing...”

Twilight glanced at the book Fluttershy was holding, recognizing it as one of the earlier books from her own research, and chuckled as she floated the stack of notes into her friend’s lap.

“I think this should have enough information for you,” she yawned herself. “I copied down everything I could find on ponies and predatory behavior.”

Fluttershy stared blankly at the notes before turning her tired eyes up to her friend. “Everything?”

Twilight nodded. “I kind of went on autopilot after a while – looking for keywords and copying down passages, but it should have a fair amount of useful information.”

Fluttershy looked back down at the thick stack of papers for a moment before flashing Twilight a closed-eyed smile. “So this is how you did so well in school, huh?”

“Yeah,” Twilight yawned again, “It’s pretty cool, I know.” She looked out a window, frowning and rubbing her eyes as she realized what hour of the night it must have been. “Sorry for taking so long with all this. I’ll go make up the guest bed.”

“You do’ haf to,” Fluttershy yawned long and hard, tears forming in her eyes, then clicked her tongue. “Or...okay. Thank you Twilight.”

Fluttershy took Twilight’s wing as she helped her to her hooves and followed her up to the living quarters of the library. Twilight lit up her horn, making the necessary arrangements for her guest as they made their way up to the small sleeping space. Fluttershy crawled into the cool moonlit bed with a deep sigh and shiver, mumbling another thanks to her host as she stumbled over to her own bed. She heard the rustling of papers settling on a nightstand beside the bed, but didn’t react to them.

Soon, the soft, cool texture of the bed, mingling with her fatigue from the day, carried her off to sleep.

Rhyming is Hard Sometimes

Breakfast was quiet. Or rather, Fluttershy was quiet at breakfast. Twilight and Spike chatted casually about plans for their stay in Canterlot, talking about ponies and places that Fluttershy remembered them having mentioned before. She, all the while, was quiet, considering her omelet carefully each time she sectioned it with her fork.

It was made of egg. And egg from a chicken. Possibly an egg from one of her chickens. Had the egg been fertilized, and had it then been allowed to hatch, it would have become another chicken. Another creature.

She pushed the cheesy egg into her mouth.

Of course, she knew all this already. It was something she’d considered many times before. But it was also not something she took too seriously. She ate eggs all the time in baked goods. Without the pasty texture and subtle flavor of eggs, most breads and cakes and muffins and...really anything baked, simply wouldn’t be palatable. They wouldn’t be outright disgusting, but every attempt she made to find an alternative ended with results that were just...not as good.

Fluttershy glanced at her hosts, wondering if they ever considered eggs in such a light, but quickly shot her focus back to her plate as Twilight looked her way.

Angel watched silently from the doorway, crossing his arms as Fluttershy flipped a page from the top of one stack to the other. She had seemed happy when she returned from Twilight’s house early that morning, but had become quiet and serious once she began to read. He glanced at a window, noting that it was already late into the afternoon, then wandered into the kitchen to retrieve a snack for his distracted friend.

Fluttershy, for her part, was diligent. The uppermost pages of the information Twilight had provided her with were mostly articles published by zoologists about various species observed in the Everfree or old periodicals about pony/dragon culture clashes. Past those, however, Twilight had copied down some passages from large works on psychology about binge eating and habit-forming foods. It was closer to the mark, especially with some of the quotes from patients suffering from habitual eating disorders, but ultimately did little to help her.

The tired pegasus let her cheek rest on her hoof as her eyes continued to scan the papers laid out in front of her, her eyelids drooping and breathing slow. She gradually came to realize that this was the section of the stack after Twilight had switched to auto-copy, transcribing anything that had whatever trigger words she had decided to use as reference. Fluttershy had considered skipping to a random point in the middle of the stack, but quickly realized that she had no idea when this trend in note-taking began or how much potentially helpful information she might miss by doing so. In the end, she decided to at least glance through every passage for anything that stood out. She owed Twilight at least that for taking all these notes to start with.

A gentle prodding in her side made her flinch and sit up, finding Angel sitting beside her with a carrot in-paw. She let out the startled breath, taking the offered snack with a smile, and leaned back in her chair as she took a break from her exhausting study. She bit into the carrot, the firm snapping sound and hard texture reminding her of bone, and felt an involuntary shiver make its way down her spine. She closed her eyes as she shifted the segmented vegetable to her crushing molars and, very slowly, very forcefully, put pressure on it until it split with a resounding crunch.

Her muscles jittered again. Color flooded to her face. The pastel pegasus took a long, slow breath as she repeated the process, compressing the firm yet spongy root beyond its breaking point and twitching slightly as she heard and felt it snap inside her mouth. She opened her eyes, her lips titling at the sides into a smile, then opened her mouth and brought her jaws together like a hammer on the carrot, ripping and crushing another piece off of it. She chewed quickly, hungrily, and swallowed the jagged mass with a powerful shiver, then began gnawing on the blunt end of the root in her hoof.

Fluttershy moaned as she chewed idly on the carrot, happening to glance back at the floor, then straightened up and spit it out. Angel was still standing beside her, watching with a cross between worry and something Fluttershy couldn’t place. She winced as she looked at him again. Angel seemed like he wanted to run from her, but tentatively inched forward and put a comforting paw on her side. Fluttershy deflated from her stark upright position, letting out her held breath, and gently patted his head.

“Thank you, Angel,” she said quietly.

The rabbit nodded and left the room, somewhat obviously forcing himself to look nonchalant. Fluttershy watched him leave, a sad smile on her face, then turned back to her notes. The projectile carrot had knocked the stack of papers into disarray, her current place lost in the sea of loose-leaf that fanned out across her desk. Fluttershy brought a hoof to her face and loosed a long sigh.

“I guess it’s just as well. I wasn’t finding anything useful at the top,” she mused.

She picked the carrot off her desk and returned to idly chewing on the end. Her head drifted down to her other hoof as her eyes lazily scanned the now exposed articles and passages. She wondered in passing if it had been Angel’s intent to see how she would react to the carrot – if he was testing to see if it was safe to be near her – and then if she had passed the imaginary test. Given his face when she looked at him, she guessed not. She reached down with the carrot and stirred the papers around on her desk, exposing new sections and obscuring old ones, then brought it back to her mouth, but paused. She righted her head, letting the supporting hoof lower from her face, and gripped the carrot in her teeth as she sat up and pushed some papers out of her way.

Fluttershy frowned as she picked up a particularly wordy sheet of paper. She read the title again, twice, then slowly moved the carrot from her mouth to the table.

“This potion...” she read in a whisper, scanning the recipe, “...the user the ability...take the form of a wol—“

Fluttershy stopped, her eyes wide. She slapped the paper down onto the desk and stood up, wandering to the middle of the room and dropping onto her rump. She looked around the room, ensuring Angel was away or otherwise occupied, then rested her head in her hooves.

“This...this must be from when Twilight was on auto-pilot,” she decided, lifting her head. “She wouldn’t...I-I shouldn’t have this.”

She turned back toward her desk and stared at the paper. Her wings fluttered thoughtfully. Her lips pinched together. She shot a glance at the kitchen door, then quietly stood and tip-toed back to her desk. Her eyes remained fixed on the kitchen as she picked up the paper and brought it close to her face, waiting for any sign of her rabbit friend, then quickly began sweeping over the rest of the page.

“Change is complete...lasts an hour for every ounce consumed...three hours to brew...” Fluttershy’s face flushed and she anxiously glanced at the kitchen again. “Oh...No!” she snapped suddenly, throwing the paper down. “No, I shouldn’t! I won’t!”

She trotted away from her desk and over to her door, opening it and starting outside, then paused. She lifted a hoof, meaning to continue on her way, but set it back where it was. She set her jaw, her lips clenched and brow furrowed, and glanced sideways. Her saddlebags hung from a rack on the wall just by her door, the breeze she had let in making them subtly swing on their hook.

Fluttershy looked forward. Her eye twitched, a bead of sweat seeping out of her coat and sliding down the side of her face. She lifted her hoof again, determined to exit her house, but suddenly swung it around and grabbed her saddlebags. She threw them on quickly, her eyes shut tight and face screwed up in anger and regret, then rushed back to her desk and grabbed the recipe before bolting from her house and slamming the door behind her.

Fluttershy sat quietly, facing away from the rounded door to the hut behind her. She had found a few of the items on the list of ingredients on her own, but there were some she’d never heard of before, and the copied passage had no pictures or descriptions to help her find them. She’d realized quickly that only Ponyville’s “local” apothecary and mystic would have the knowledge she needed, but she also knew that she couldn’t simply walk in and show her the recipe. Even if she explained that it was for Twilight for some kind of experiment, her paranoia convinced her that the quick witted zebra would be suspicious.

She looked at the list again, then back at the door. She stood, studying the list one last time, then stowed it in one of her saddlebags.

“Maybe if I just ask for the ingredients, she won’t know...” she murmured as she hesitantly tapped on the door.

The door opened almost instantly, making Fluttershy rear back and spread her wings.

“I had wondered when you would intrude,” Zecora mused in her usual lyrical tone. She ushered the startled pegasus inside and closed the door. “Tell me, friend, what can I do for you?”

Fluttershy cursed herself for not being more aware of herself as she stepped into Zecora’s hut. Once inside, her eyes began scanning the large main room, searching for anything that might be what she was looking for, but Zecora had stepped in front of her and was waiting for a reply.

“Um...W-well, I...” she stared, nervously rubbing her shoulder. “Twilight is off in Canterlot, but she has a...something she’s working on. She asked me to get some ingredients for her.”

Zecora nodded and wandered over to a cabinet. “Always working, that silly mare. Did she give you a list? Is that it there?”

Fluttershy quickly glanced at her saddlebag to see that the edge of the paper was sticking out, and covered it with a cough. “N-no! That’s...a grocery list. For later,” she lied, starting to sweat. “Uh...I know what she needed though. It was...um...” Fluttershy furrowed her brow, suddenly finding it difficult to recall the recipe. “Uh...mugwort...clove...um...dragon’s breath...” She looked up and found Zecora eyeing her with a touch of suspicion, and quickly looked at something on her wall. “Um...blue...blue something. Blue grape...hyacinth?”

Zecora’s eyebrow slowly drifted upward as Fluttershy finished her list. She looked at her cabinet, singling out each of the ingredients with her eyes, but turned back to her guest.

“Their uses together are surprisingly few,” she said, meandering back toward the increasingly uncomfortable pony. “What is it that Twilight intends to do?”

Fluttershy looked from one spot to another, carefully avoiding looking directly at the zebra. “Sh-she didn’t say...” she mumbled, shifting uncomfortably.

Zecora stepped up to her nervous guest, shifting her head to make eye contact with her, but the panicked pegasus looked elsewhere.

“Why will you not meet my eye?” Zecora asked sternly. “Do you fear something, Fluttershy?” She cocked her head as Fluttershy stammered quietly, then continued. “Is it me that has you stunned? Or is it what you have become?”

Fluttershy’s jaw stopped moving. She stared ahead for a moment, then slowly turned her head to meet Zecora’s gaze. The zebra let her expression soften slightly, a knowing look flashing across her face.

“H...h-ho-how d—“

“Contrary to what you may believe,” Zecora interrupted, “I know most all that happens among these trees.”

Fluttershy’s face turned crimson as she dropped onto her rear, her tensed muscles loosing, and her vision was suddenly blurred by a pool of welling tears. “You...you know what...” She grit her teeth. “You knew what I was doing?”

Zecora raised a hoof defensively. “I had heard there was a monster in the woods. Had I known it was you, I’d have helped if I could.”

Fluttershy relaxed her jaw, then turned her eyes to the floor. “Can you help me?”

The mystic became pensive, studying her downtrodden guest, then stood and trotted over to her worktable. She looked at a number of bottles and vials on the upper shelf, titling her head left and right as she shifted her attention from one to the next. Eventually, she picked a small vial out of a rack and returned to her guest.

“I might be able to see what’s amiss. But first I must ask that you drink this.”

Fluttershy took the tiny bottle of clear liquid with a frown. “What is it?”

“Beast of burden they call it, you see? It will allow me to examine you properly.”

Fluttershy looked up from the vial, her frown now one of concern. “That...that was kind of reaching for it,” she said quietly. “Y-you can stop rhyming if it’s a bother.”

Now Zecora frowned. “Rhyming is a part of my personality. To stop is simply not a possibility.”

Fluttershy considered pointing out that personality and possibility don’t technically rhyme, but decided instead to focus on the potion in her hoof. She uncorked the small container, lifting it to her lips, but hesitated.

“Does it taste bad?”

Zecora opened her mouth to respond, then paused, then simply shrugged. Fluttershy frowned at her response, but continued regardless. She threw her head back and downed the little bottle in one gulp, hoping to spare herself of whatever flavor it might have, but still found herself gagging on an aftertaste similar to sweat.

“Eugh. What’s in this?” she grimaced.

“The brew is not important now,” Zecora shrugged. “Only what it does, and how.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow, one again conflicted about whether she should speak, but jumped to her hooves as a sharp tingling sensation flooded her body. She jittered uncomfortably, wincing as paresthesia filled her muscles, then gasped as those muscles began to expand. She looked back at herself, her eyes widening as her extra fat was replaced with a thick, powerful layer of muscle. The startled pony spread her wings, flexing her newly invigorated body.

“O-oh...” she murmured, looking over her expanding forelegs, “Oh my...”

Zecora watched as the potion did its work, making the meek and slightly chubby pegasus into a brawny tank of a mare. Eventually she stopped inflating, her rolling expansion petering to a halt, and the herbalist began to circle her, studying her now incredibly pronounced anatomy. She narrowed an eye and cocked her head, leaning in closer to the bulky pony’s flank and examining the rippling fibers beneath her coat. Fluttershy blushed as she continued to circle, pausing to study her hind legs as she looped around to the other side. After a full rotation, the zebra broke orbit and wandered to a shelf covered in books, papers and scrolls.

“Some interesting things I already see,” she commented, pushing papers aside and checking titles. “You may have something...different in your family tree.”

Fluttershy blinked and looked at herself again. “What do you mean?”

Zecora returned to her side with two scrolls. She unrolled them both, evidently looking for something, then held each up in front of herself, looking from the scroll, to Fluttershy, and back. She did this a few times, rolling through one scroll constantly, until she apparently found what she was looking for and nodded slowly.

“Hmm,” she mused, stepping around to Fluttershy’s back.

The reddening pony started to turn, but a firm hoof on her left haunch kept her in place. Fluttershy looked back at her examiner, tucking her tail between her legs, and let out a breath as the zebra finished making her comparisons and moved to her other side. She leaned in close to Fluttershy’s wing this time, holding the often-adjusted scroll next to it, and clicked her tongue as she folded it and continued to the pegasus’ face.

“Open your mouth, if you please,” Zecora asked, rolling to a new spot on the scroll. “I will be quick, and compliance will let me work with ease.”

Fluttershy hesitantly opened her mouth, and Zecora gently pulled it open wider. She tilted and bobbed her head, studying every corner of her guest’s mouth, and consulted the scroll constantly as she hummed and nodded with her discoveries. After a few moments, she guided Fluttershy’s jaw shut and looked intently into her eyes. Fluttershy leaned back from her slightly, but let her work, following her hoof as it waved between them. The herbalist gently took a hold of her client’s head and steered it left, right, up, and down, then released it. She looked over her notes in the scroll one last time, comparing it to the one that had remained open to the same spot, then murmured something to herself and returned them to her bookcase.

“I believe I know why these changes have occurred,” Zecora finally said as she wandered back. “For some reason they were repressed while you matured.” Fluttershy frowned, about to ask questions, but was quieted by a raised hoof. “What made this begin, I cannot explain. As for what’s happened, the answer is plain. Your blood is not pure – not pony, anyway. But this is no curse, though it may seem that way.”

“But what am I then?” Fluttershy blurted, just barely noticing Zecora’s poor rhyme.

“From all of what I can see, there is some gryphon in your history.”

The musclebound pegasus poised herself to speak again, but stopped. Her brow dropped, her open mouth stretching into a confused frown, and she lowered her raised hoof to the floor.

“Gryphon?” she asked, as though testing the word. “In...I’m...what?”

“Only part,” Zecora nodded, “And a small one too. But enough to cause great trouble for you.”

“But...no, no hold on,” Fluttershy shook her head. “How could I...I mean, there aren’t any gryphons in my family.”

“None for a long time, I would guess,” the zebra agreed. “But of all answers I can find, this fits the best.”

Fluttershy looked at the floor and turned the idea around in her mind. Gryphons, she had heard at least, were typically mountain dwellers or lived in forests, and had a much less technologically advanced society than ponies. They preferred to live like that; they enjoyed the wild and all the perils and serenity it had to offer. They were loners, living on their own or with small family units, and typically bonded with only a few others in their lives.

Pegasi, by contrast, were very social creatures. In truth, much fewer than were employed in any given town could manage the weather, but the interactions between others made it much smoother and much more enjoyable work. Their cities, the few they built, were industrious and metropolitan – designed and engineered to create a very close-knit society no matter how spread out amongst the clouds individual dwellings might drift. They almost always lived in the sky, very rarely settling for landforms with high-altitudes, and considered themselves unlucky if they found themselves in a forest for any reason beyond flying practice or fun.

Fluttershy continued to stare, but the confusion and anger slowly disappeared from her face. She had hated living in the sky – what she could remember of it, at any rate – and, almost more than that, had hated living in such a tight-knit community. When she eventually built up the funds, the first thing she had been sure to do was move to a nice spot on the ground and ensure that it was as far away from the mainstream of her community as possible without actually being in the wild. It was a relief when she finally extracted herself from the bustle of crowds and awkwardness of her general dislike for social situations, and she reveled in the fact that she had so much room to herself and so few troublesome neighbors to deal with. Were she a bit braver, she might have even set her cottage further into the wild, actually placing it within the borders of the Everfree.

The muscular pegasus blinked slowly. Another, final, detail she realized that she shared with her winged kin was the fact that, while they could eat fruits and vegetables, they almost always preferred to hunt rather than forage.

She lifted her head and met eyes with Zecora, silently passing on her revelations, and the zebra gave her a somewhat sad smile.

“I am sorry things have ended up this way,” she said softly, placing a hoof on Fluttershy’s beefy shoulder, “But I promise you, it will be okay.”

Fluttershy sagged slightly, appearing battered and defeated, and sighed. “How?”

Zecora removed her hoof from her shoulder and returned to her ingredient cabinet. Fluttershy watched her pick something out of a cup beside it, then reach inside and fiddle with something until the cabinet let out a loud click! The herbalist sat back and opened the back wall of the cupboard, careful not to let the herbs inside fall from their places, and withdrew two differently colored bottles of liquid before closing and locking the case again. She returned to her workbench, setting the two brews next to each other, and motioned for Fluttershy to approach.

“Two options you have in such a case,” she explained as her guest stepped up beside her. “Either tame or wild, a new life you must embrace.” She pointed at the bottle of green liquid. “A drink of this, and pony you’ll be. Changes will be few – and to your tongue mostly.”

Zecora picked up the bottle of pink liquid and held it cautiously, showing it clearly to Fluttershy and focusing a serious gaze on her.

“This will change a little more, though, from the outside, you’ll look no different than before. A drink of this,” she set, setting the bottle back on the table, “will make you an omnivore.”

Fluttershy’s eyes grew wide and she leaned away from the potion. “A...what?”

“Animal or vegetable, apple or boar, one can eat anything as an omnivore,” Zecora explained quietly.

Fluttershy fixed the bottle with a hard stare. ’If...if I drink that...I won’t get sick anymore?’ Her brow dropped lower, her face contorting with focus. ’But then...I would just eat animals all the time...Wouldn’t I? I want to stop eating meat, not make it so I can eat it all the time!’

She turned her attention to the bottle of green liquid, urging herself to reach for it, but found her muscles wouldn’t obey her. Her focus wavered, her eyes darting to the pink potion and then back, and she urged herself once again to move. Her hoof lifted off the floor, hovering momentarily, then rose between herself and the table. She gave herself a faint nod of approval, ignoring how much the raised hoof shook, and commanded herself to pick up the green bottle a third time. To her surprise, however, her hoof veered off-course, slowly and anxiously reaching toward the pink potion instead. She bit her lip, a thin film of sweat forming at her hairline, and she tried once again to control her foreleg.

A soft touch made her jump and squeak. She looked sideways at Zecora, who gently covered her hoof with her own and guided it back to the floor.

“This decision must not be made lightly, or in haste,” she said, quiet but firm. “When one is drunk, the other will go to waste. They cancel each other once consumed, so only one can ever be used.”

Fluttershy’s muscles tensed and she returned her eyes to the pair of bottles, the full weight of the choice before her finally settling on her shoulders. To take one, to choose one path, would mean that she could never return to the other. She took a long steadying breath as her mind worked through what it would mean to choose one or the other, but Zecora again pulled her attention away from them.

“You need not, should not, decide this now,” she emphasized. “Just know that the option exists...young...frau.”

Fluttershy’s internal debate was cut short by the odd, unfitting rhyme. Zecora’s meaning had gotten through, though, and she nodded slowly, taking one last glance at the potions before standing.

“Thank you,” she breathed. “I...thank you so much.”

Zecora nodded, her calm smile returning. “This is the least I can do for a friend such as you.”

Fluttershy hopped forward and hugged the zebra, quickly releasing her as she gagged on the unintentionally strong grip.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” she apologized. She glanced down at herself. “O-oh...Um...how long will I be like this?”

“Beast of Burden,” Zecora started, rubbing her sore throat, “lasts no longer than an hour, but you can deplete the spell quicker with a shower.”

Fluttershy cocked an eyebrow. “A shower? Really?”

“The potion is meant to boost strength for work. A shower is seen as the end of a long day’s...”

Zecora suddenly shut her mouth and frowned. Fluttershy flinched and looked behind herself, guessing that something had caught her attention, but found nothing there. She looked back at her host, mildly concerned at the intense look of concentration that was frozen on her face, then felt herself relax slightly as she realized what had the zebra troubled. She tilted her head, about to speak, but a quickly raised hoof kept her silent. Zecora lowered her gaze to the floor, her lips pursed and brow furrowed, and slowly closed her eyes as she thought. The silence quickly grew awkward and Fluttershy glanced toward the nearest window to gauge the time. After nearly a minute, Zecora let her hoof fall to the floor and let out a defeated sigh.

“...work,” she finally spat.

Fluttershy glanced around awkwardly, looking for some means by which to excuse herself, then flinched as Zecora dismissively waved a hoof. She shrunk away from the annoyed zebra before turning to the door and opening it, but paused in the doorway.

“Um...really,” she said, looking back, “Thank you.”

Zecora looked up at her and quietly pushed a smile onto her face and nodded. Fluttershy half-expected her to speak, but took it as a sign of her time to leave when she did not. She returned the nod before silently stepping outside and closing the door.

Author's Note

I'd considered continuing this part with the next scene, but it really does feel like the end of the thought for this chapter. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it, and I don't really have a focus group or pre-reader, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

A Lesson in Consent

A cool breeze tugged at reddened and browned foliage, picking leaves here and there and sending them fluttering to the ground. Some, a random few that floated on just the right currents of air, were swept up in a warm draft of air that rose from the small cottage’s chimney. Inside, dried wood crackled and sparked under the pensive gaze of a cream colored pegasus, her baby blue eyes focused intently on the embers that glowed beneath the fire proper. She lifted a mug to her face, gently blowing across its surface to cool the opaque brown liquid inside, then quietly took a sip of her drink.

Fluttershy set the cocoa on a coaster beside her and extended her wings, letting the fire slowly work its warmth into her extremities. It was cold for such an early day in fall, more so than Fluttershy had remembered it being in years, but it certainly didn’t break any records. It was, however, still cold enough to push her to unpack her winter clothes and dawn an old favorite sweater of hers. It was a gift from a friend, one that had recently become more than a friend, and she had worn it fondly and often while it was new. Now, with her added mass, it had become snug around the middle, but she refused to let herself wear anything else.

This thought idly passed through her mind, making her nuzzle her chin into the plush collar of her turtleneck, but a pop from the fire drew her back into her previous occupation.

She had thought about the previous evening’s conversation non-stop since it had ended. Everything she did, she related to the question that she had been left with. Every minute action she questioned, debating if she would have done it similarly were she purely a pony or whatever her other option would make her become. She had greeted Angel distractedly this morning, and wondered. She had showered a little longer this morning than last, and wondered. Even as she ate her breakfast, a hearty salad with wild berries – a meal she still considered to be her favorite – she wondered if she would enjoy more or less depending on what potion she drank.

It had occurred to her that she didn’t, in fact, need to choose either potion. Truly, Zecora had simply informed her that the option existed, not that one or the other were necessary. She had implied that drinking one would help her, but in the end she still emphasized that it was a choice. Fluttershy considered exploiting this, contemplated simply not returning to the alchemist's hut, but she knew, and feared, that the result would simply be a continuation of the cycle of predation and sickness.

She took another idle sip of her cocoa.

As the day gradually aged to noon, Fluttershy looked to her door. She had asked Angel to invite any nearby animals inside to escape the cold, but thus far none had come. She had been hurt at first when he returned with a shrug and annoyed sigh, but she also knew she couldn’t blame any of them for declining. She imagined she wouldn’t be any fonder of the idea of being invited to a dragon’s den than they were of being invited to hers.

This was something she didn’t have to wonder about regarding her choice. Their trust in her had been shaken, and becoming a fully capable hunter would only finish ruining her relationship with them. She would be a monster to them, and, if anypony found out about her, she’d likely become a monster in their eyes as well. She lowered her head slightly at this thought, flinching as she heard Rainbow Dash’s scorn in her mind.

Fluttershy closed her eyes and folded her wings, letting her heated plumage warm her sides, and went to take another sip of her cocoa only to realize that the mug had been emptied. She frowned, annoyed by how this seemed to keep happening as of late, and stood to retrieve more chocolate before a knock at the door made her freeze.

The pegasus turned a cautious eye to her front door, quietly lowering her raised hoof to the floor. The sound was very distinctly not that of a hoof knocking against wood, but that raised the question of who or what could actually be on the other side. She narrowed her eyes and set the mug on a chair, then silently stalked over to a window beside the door and peered out. She blinked, and straightened as she recognized the visitor, and quickly unlatched and opened the door.

“Drew!” Fluttershy beamed as the fox hopped inside. “How are you? Oh it’s been months, hasn’t it?”

The ruddy red fox nodded excitedly, then trotted over to the fire and rolled around in front of it for a moment before sitting up and facing the approaching pony.

“Where have you been? I was worried something had happened to you,” Fluttershy sighed, sitting down beside her guest.

Drew pointed at a wall, motioning beyond it, and chattered about an oasis he’d discovered in the distant Everfree. Fluttershy nodded as she listened, her ears perking up as he mentioned exotic birds that had frequented the watering hole.

“Oh that sounds lovely!” the pegasus grinned. “You’ll have to take me there when the weather warms up.”

Drew nodded emphatically, then became still. He cocked his head to one side, then shifted a paw to touch Fluttershy’s foreleg. Fluttershy’s smile vanished, the expression on her friend’s face telling her that he knew something was amiss, and looked elsewhere as he asked her if she’d heard some of the rumors that had been spread about her.

“I...” Fluttershy blushed in fear and embarrassment, worried how the fox would react to the truth, “They...aren’t rumors,” she admitted, withdrawing her hoof.

What happened, Pup?

Fluttershy pursed her lips. “I...Harry gave me a fish, and...I ate it...and then...” she let out a sigh. “Things just kind of spiraled.”

It was nowhere near as difficult to tell the story a second time, especially to one of her animal friends, but she still feared his reaction. To her surprise, however, a look at Drew showed concern rather than any fear.

Is that it?

“Well...not exactly,” Fluttershy conceded. “I...Oh, I don’t know what to do! I can’t stand hurting any of my friends, but I just...I want to! So badly! I don’t understand it!” She rested her head in her hooves. “And what’s worse, Zecora can make it so I can do it without getting sick! That’s the only thing keeping me from doing it all the time! How can she expect me to make a decision like that?”

You mean...that zebra out in the forest? Fluttershy nodded. What is it she said?

Fluttershy uncovered her face and turned to face the fire. “Apparently I’m part gryphon. Enough to like the taste of meat but not enough to actually be able to digest it. Zecora can make it so I don’t get sick when I eat it anymore, but...” She shut her eyes. “I don’t want to be able to just eat meat whenever I want. I get cravings and urges all the time now, I don’t think I could control them if I knew there wouldn’t be any consequences.”

Drew frowned as he thought about this. You feel bad about it? Fluttershy nodded. Then there are consequences. Being able to do something doesn’t make you obligated to do it. You wouldn’t be a carnivore, you know.

“I know, but...” Fluttershy lifted her head. “...You are a carnivore,” she thought aloud. She looked at Drew, the fox nodding confusedly in confirmation of her thought, then turned to face him. “Why doesn’t everyone...hate you?” she asked cautiously. “Or, I mean...everyone’s afraid of me now. I understand why they would be, but you...you’re friends with almost everyone. And so was Willow. And Teddy and George and Susanne...why isn’t everyone afraid of you all?”

Drew seemed confused by the question. I...I’m a fox? he offered. I’m not sure what you mean.

Fluttershy frowned and tried to rephrase her question. “Why is it that...I mean, I’ve seen you hunt before. It’s so different from when I do it. They try so much harder to get away when I...” the thought made her choke on her words. “I mean...it seems so much easier for you. Why is that?”

Drew’s frown persisted, but his eyes widened slightly. I...ask permission, he said with a worried tone. You don’t just charge after anyone you see, do you?

Fluttershy went rigid. “P...P-permission?”

Drew nodded slowly. I don’t hunt unwilling prey. No one does. Or, no one but...timberwolves and hydras and such. That’s why everyone hates and fears them so much. They just rush in and ambush... The look on Fluttershy’s face made him stop. He leaned in closer, his face nervous. Fluttershy, please tell me you’re not hunting indiscriminately.

Fluttershy shook her head, slowly turning her gaze to the floor. “I-I didn’t...I didn’t know...” She frowned. “How could I have known that? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

It’s not really something you have to tell someone, Drew sighed. Usually. It’s something you learn as a cub.

“I was never a cub!” Fluttershy shouted, then covered her mouth. “I-I’m sorry.”

Drew waved her apology. No, you’re right. You weren’t a cub. Someone should’ve told you about this by now. He narrowed his eyes and broke eye contact with her. I’m sorry I haven’t been around.

Fluttershy shook her head and gathered his slim form in a hug. “You couldn’t have known. I don’t blame you. Or Harry. Please don’t be mad at him whenever you see him.” Drew tensed slightly, seeming like he might resist, but nodded in acquiescence. “Now, tell me about this,” she straightened up, her face serious. “How can you ask someone permission to...kill them?”

The question gave Drew pause. It had been such an innate function, so ingrained in him, it was awkward and clumsy to think the process through analytically.

Well...the way to start is by making your intention clear, he started. You don’t want to just pounce on someone and rip their throat out.

Fluttershy winced, remembering have done just that at least twice. “But...then, how do you...?”

It’s a lot like...uh... Drew creased his forehead, searching for words, It’s a lot like...pshh...sex, he finally said. Fluttershy blushed and frowned, glancing around the room, but Drew continued. Just hear me out. You know...like, there’s a dominant party, right? Fluttershy winced and nodded, quickly becoming uncomfortable with her friend’s continuation of the analogy. Well, that’s you. You’re in charge. You have to go to them and ask to start the hunt, and then the prey will either say yes or no. Or ignore you if they’re an asshole, he added under his breath.

“I-I don’t know if...this is really the best explanation to use,” Fluttershy stammered, shifting away from the fire to relieve the now uncomfortable heat of embarrassment.

Yeah, maybe not, Drew conceded. But...you get my meaning, right? As a predator, prey puts a great deal of trust in you to follow basic etiquette and standards, and if you don’t...well you’ve seen how everyone gets.

Fluttershy frowned and nodded. “So...if I had just followed the rules, no one would be afraid of me like they are?”

N-well...it’s a little weird to hear of a pony hunting like a predator, the fox admitted with a shrug. I think we could adjust to it though. It’s certainly not the strangest thing in the Everfree.

Fluttershy’s shoulders lifted slightly, a weight in her stomach lessening. “Really?”

Drew shrugged again. I guess. I can’t speak for everyone, you understand. There will probably still be a few that find the idea disturbing or have trouble trusting you, especially after breaking the code so many times, but I think...Yeah, I think they’d get over it if you made it clear that you’d learned your lesson.

Fluttershy smiled and let out a slow sigh. “That’s...such a relief to hear,” she nodded, a hoof on her chest. “I can’t tell you how much it means to know that.” She glanced at the fire, her earlier thoughts returning, and the smile faded. “But...doesn’t it hurt them?” She looked back at Drew, her expression tired. “Why would anyone agree to that? To die for someone else’s meal?”

Drew raised an eyebrow. I understand you don’t have to experience this, as a pony, but those of us that live in the wild learn from an early age that one day we may end up as someone’s lunch. It’s an eventuality that we prepare ourselves for for most of our lives. We understand that there are some who simply can’t survive on grass and hay, and that they need our bodies to sustain themselves. It’s...kind of an act of charity, he shrugged. You do it to be nice, mostly. It not really something anyone ever wants to do, but if it will protect someone we care about or if we feel like we’ve done everything we care to accomplish, we agree. That doesn’t mean we’ll make it easy, not by a long shot, but if we’re caught, we stand by our decision, and keep our promises.

Fluttershy breathed slowly as she absorbed this. “Even you?”

Drew smirked. I’ve been hunted before, he nodded. But the phrase ‘clever like a fox’ doesn’t exist for no reason.

The pink-maned pegasus reclined on her haunches as she considered this. “I never would have thought...” she murmured.

She considered her friend with a new light, studying his body with a critical eye. He was slim, small, and fit – a perfect shape and size to slip through tight spaces and leap long distances. He probably developed and maintained his physique with a lifetime of hunting and being hunted, toning and strengthening himself by learning through experience how best to chase down prey and outrun pursuers.

Her eyes shifted to her own body, to the tightly fitting sweater and soft, pudgy flanks that extended from its bottom. She was neither fit nor strong like her friend, ill-suited for the lifestyle of a predator. Were she to hunt normally, without the element of surprise, she suspected that she would never be able to catch her prey.

She turned her focus back to her friend, who had been watching with an amused grin as she compared her physiology to his. She fidgeted slightly as she realized she’d done it so openly and absentmindedly, but a laugh from her houseguest alleviated her worries. Fluttershy finally stood and retrieved the mug from her couch, looking back at her friend as she moved for the kitchen.

“Can I get you anything? I think I have a fish in the freezer.”

Cold fish? Drew mused with a smirk. That sounds like the perfect thing for a chilly afternoon.

Fluttershy pouted and flicked her head away, but both knew she was far from upset. As she trotted into the kitchen, she just managed to catch a glimpse of Angel as he slipped around the other way and up the stairs.

You’re sure you’re not hungry?

“Ugh...not even a little.”

Good.

Dead leaves cracked and crunched beneath nimble paws and awkward hooves. An odd duo wandered casually through the outer edge of the Everfree, one scanning their surroundings as they went while other shuffled along behind. The baby yellow pegasus looked around with a scowl, trotting every so often to keep up with her companion. Drew, however, had a smile on his snout as he glanced left and right. Suddenly he froze, his head turning to the direction his ears had swiveled, and his smile grew.

Here, this way, he called back as he hopped off the path.

Fluttershy groaned and followed after him, annoyed that he would not tell her what it was they were doing. He’d insisted she eat a big lunch, waiting patiently until she had stuffed herself, then dragged her out the door with a wide grin, but mums had been the word as to his reasons. She had made guesses as they walked, mostly about him taking her to Zecora, but he had only shook his head and hushed her on occasion. As she trailed him through the brush, she began to wonder more seriously about what it was he was doing. They were nowhere near Zecora’s hut, Sweetapple Acres, or really anywhere else.

Stepping around a tree, however, brought a plump squirrel into her line of sight, and Fluttershy felt herself tense as she realized that the rodent was their destination. She glanced at Drew, noticing him nod reassuringly to her, and quietly swallowed a lump in her throat as the squirrel took notice of them. She frowned, looking from one to the other as they approached, and carefully set the acorn in her paws down to address them as they stepped up to her.

Not hungry, Drew said casually, waving a paw.

The squirrel shot a glance at Fluttershy, making the pony shrink slightly, then focused on Drew again.

Okay?

I assume you know of what’s been happening to our poor caretaker, the fox went on, motioning with a paw to his companion.

Poor caretaker?? the squirrel spat. She ate my nephew last week!

Fluttershy gasped, about to apologize, but Drew cut her off.

I’m sorry to hear that, he said solemnly. I’m sure, knowing that, that you understand the danger of an uneducated predator.

The squirrel straightened up, eyeing the fox suspiciously. You don’t need to lose someone to know that, she said harshly. You’re not going to try and tell me that she did that to teach me some kind of lesson, are you?

Absolutely not. Quite the opposite, Drew explained, placing a paw on Fluttershy’s shoulder. In fact, I’m teaching her the lesson. I’d like to ask you help in that.

The squirrel glared at him, then at Fluttershy. What are you trying to say?

Drew rolled his eyes, muttering something about squirrels, then cleared his throat. What’s happened is unfortunate and terrible and we don’t want it to continue. Fluttershy doesn’t know about proper hunting etiquette and I want to teach her.

The squirrel blinked, the simple explanation clicking in her head, and nodded. I see. She looked at Fluttershy, sizing her up, then glowered and stepped closer to her. I hope you feel terrible for what you’ve done.

Fluttershy shuddered and lowered her nose to the ground in an apologetic bow. “I do,” she whispered. “I didn’t know the rules. I’m so sorry for acting like...like a monster.”

The squirrel’s righteous indignation drained from her as she saw tears forming in the pony’s eyes, but she refused to let herself forgive the pitiful pegasus. Good. I suppose I’ll help you then.

Thank you, Drew bowed. Fluttershy, pay attention.

He stood and stretched, then began circling the squirrel. He dipped his head as he circled, and the squirrel’s face suddenly dropped. She gulped, watching the fox intently as he slowly orbited her, gradually drawing closer with every rotation. Her ears flicked to her right and the fox froze, both of them standing perfectly still. Fluttershy looked back and forth between them, sensing the growing tension, unsure of what might happen.

In a second, the squirrel had spun on her toes and bolted in the direction her ears had pointed. Drew, equally quickly, had pounced, diving ahead of her in the path she had chosen and tackling her as she passed underneath. They collided with a combined yelp, tumbling over each other, but stopped just as quickly as they’d begun with Drew pinning the plump squirrel beneath a paw. He snarled at the squirrel, baring his teeth and raking the ground by her head with his free claws, and leaned in close to her.

Do you yield?? he growled.

No! the squirrel screamed as she struggled against his paw.

Do you yield!? Drew barked, stomping the ground by her head.

NO!! GET OFF ME!!

Drew snapped his jaws shut, growling one last time, then lifted his paw. The squirrel coughed and rubbed her neck as she sat up, glaring at the fox as he seamlessly composed himself and turned to the stunned observer.

See? he shrugged. It’s easy.

Fluttershy stared dumbly at him, shocked by what he’d shown her. While it was true she’d accompanied him on hunts, she had never actually followed him to a kill. She simply walked and talked with him until he caught a scent he liked, and then they went their separate ways. Having seen the whole act unfold, rushed and superficial though it had been, gave her an uneasy feeling.

Easy for you, maybe, the squirrel groaned as she stood. You could’ve given me some kind of warning.

Surprise begets authenticity, the fox shrugged, grinning coyly. He ignored the squirrel’s glare and wandered over to Fluttershy, wrapping a paw around her back. You think you can do that?

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “D-do...n-now?”

Of course. You’re not hungry, so there’s no worry of you eating her, and I’m here in case you lose control. It’ll be fine, he assured her, pushing her toward the squirrel.

Fluttershy eeped as she stumbled forward, catching herself just before bumping into the squirrel. She looked up at her exercise partner, sheepishly smiling, then gulped as the rodent met her with an unamused stare.

“Um...I-I promise I won’t eat you,” she offered quietly as she stood.

I don’t really trust your word, you’ll understand, the squirrel mused, crossing her arms. You have a reputation. Fluttershy’s forced smile faded from her face, and she flinched as the squirrel pointed past her. But he just proved I can trust him. So...I guess that’s good enough. ...You better not eat me though, she finished with a glare.

Fluttershy nodded quietly, then began to mimic the stretches she’d watched Drew perform before his short hunt. The squirrel rolled her eyes as the chubby pegasus awkwardly rolled her shoulders and stretched her limbs. She glanced to her coach for approval, but he urged her with a look to focus on the hunting rather than the preparing. She complied quickly, taking instead to circling the squirrel like her predecessor had. The squirrel uncrossed her arms, starting to consider the pony seriously as she began to stalk in circles around her.

Fluttershy studied the squirrel as she crept, her head tilting and eyes narrowing. The effect was clearly an imposing one, as the squirrel focused more intently on her as she walked, turning her head further and swiveling her ears fervently as the pony passed through her blind spot. The predatory pegasus slowed her movements, gradually coming to a stop at the singular point the squirrel’s eyes couldn’t see her, and licked her lips. She watched closely as the squirrel’s ears continued to swivel for a moment before one fixed on her position. She angled her head a little more, trying to decide how best to approach.

Before she could decide, the squirrel tensed, making her flinch, then spun around and darted through the stunned pony’s legs. Fluttershy yelped and jumped out of her way, then stumbled and fell onto her rear with a thud. She winced, tasting the sting of the impact, and picked herself up with a shake. She looked around, trying to find the squirrel again, but quickly realized she had completely lost track of her. The pegasus looked to Drew, who had tightly clenched his mouth shut to keep himself from laughing, then blushed and angrily looked away.

That was...a-about what I expected, the fox choked, fighting back a laugh.

Fluttershy frowned and brushed the dirt from the hem of her sweater as her friend cleared his throat, then flinched as an acorn bounced off her head. She looked up, glaring at the squirrel as she found her sitting on a branch above her.

There’s no way you could’ve caught my nephew fairly, she growled, making Fluttershy swap her anger with embarrassment and guilt. You’d better count yourself lucky if I decide not to go around talking about this.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened and she took to the air, quickly darting up to the branch and snatching the squirrel from her perch. “Oh please, please, you can’t tell anyone! Please!”

Both pony and squirrel blinked, slowly processing what had happened, then looked down. Fluttershy’s surprise turned to pride, and she fixed the squirrel with a grin as the rodent realized she’d been caught. Fluttershy dropped to the ground, throwing the squirrel down and pinning her under a hoof, and the squirrel let out an angry cry at having found herself captured again.

“S-submit!” Fluttershy ordered, then shook her head. “I mean...do you?”

Are you serious? the squirrel groaned, palming her forehead.

“DO YOU SUBMIT!?” Fluttershy roared, making both fox and squirrel flinch in surprise.

N-no, the squirrel stammered. L-let me go.

Fluttershy stamped her hoof next to the squirrel, then leaned in and roared again, this time wordlessly.

“DO YOU SUBMIT TO ME?” Fluttershy screamed again.

A paw on her shoulder made her whip her head around, nearly throwing Drew to the ground with surprise as she fixed him with a hard stare. He raised his other paw between them in a disarming pose, lowering himself and then approached again.

Y-you did it, Pup, he said quietly, reaching for her hoof. The exercise is over.

Fluttershy blinked, then looked down at the terrified squirrel in her grip. She quickly lifted her hoof and backed away, murmuring a frantic apology as she sat down and looked elsewhere. The squirrel slowly pushed herself to her feet, watching Fluttershy with caution and fear, then carefully turned her focus to Drew. The fox glanced at her, waving her away, and the squirrel grabbed an acorn or two before rushing out of the small clearing.

Drew returned his attention to Fluttershy, approaching her cautiously, and put a gentle paw on her back. Fluttershy looked at him, her eyes full of fear, apology, and tears.

“I-I was just doing what you did,” she explained frantically. “You yelled at her, so I...I was—“

I get it, Drew sighed. He ran a paw down his face and looked sideways. I didn’t really set the best example did I? I’m sorry about that.

Fluttershy sniffled and looked at the ground. “I...did it again, didn’t I? I broke the rules?”

Drew frowned. Uh...I don’t think so. In fact, I think not. Most predators can’t fly, so that was surprising, but since you can, I mean...I guess there’s nothing against it. He looked back at her, his face gentle. But what matters is that you asked. That’s the important thing. If nothing else, always ask.

Fluttershy sniffed again, but smiled. It was true she’d lost control of herself for a moment, but she had remembered even in that power-drunk state that she needed permission. In fact, it was the only thing on her mind – getting the okay to sink her teeth into the squirrel’s neck. She closed her eyes, unhappy with the end goal, but proud that she had remembered the process.

A prod from Drew drew her attention, and she cocked an eyebrow at his odd expression.

I’ll be honest, I was skeptical, he admitted, then smirked, but...I believe you about the gryphon thing now.

Author's Note

Is the way animal speech is typed confusing or hard to read at all? I'm iffy on it, but I can't tell for sure.

Dinner with Dashie

Fluttershy let a long, slow breath seep from her parted lips. Hot, humid, metallic air vented from her throat and diffused into the wind, spreading the morbid smell with the light breeze that swept over her. The tip of her tongue poked out, pushing her lips further apart, and traced a careful circle along the edges of her mouth, dampening the dark red that stained her bright yellow coat. Her eyelids drifted together, another complacent sigh slipping out as she let mixtures of endorphins and the cooling sensation of evaporating sweat wash over her tired body.

Rather than slip into distracted contemplation or depressed anger, however, the predacious pegasus smiled as she trekked through the woods toward her home. She licked her lips again, savoring the sharp, salty taste of blood that spattered her muzzle with a quiet moan of satisfaction. A bird caught her eye, and she waved to it as she passed underneath. The tit seemed confused for a moment, but was quickly disarmed by her warm smile and tweeted a greeting in return, and Fluttershy felt a subtle warmth in her cold limbs.

She returned to her yard to find it populated with few members of her feeding time tradition, but she felt no bitterness toward those who were not present. With the weather changing so quickly, many had already made their dens for the winter and settled in for their season-long nap. What few had made an appearance were cautious when they saw the pony’s bloodied maw, but relaxed slightly as she greeted them cheerfully and warmly.

Fluttershy trotted through the small crowd to the door, then turned and beckoned with a orange-toothed smile.

“Come on in everyone,” she invited, “It’s too cold to be eating outside.”

The gathered critters hesitated momentarily before filing into the kitchen of the cottage. Fluttershy took a bowl from her favored rabbit and began scooping out rations of food to her guests, still smiling warmly at them all as they got their fill. The forest creatures wandered into her den once they’d collected their food, chatting and whispering to each other in confused and thoughtful tones while Fluttershy took a rag from the sink and scrubbed around her mouth.

She looked up at the doorway to the den, watching it for a few seconds, then lowered her snout to the bloodied rag and took a deep whiff of its scent. She sighed as she released the breath, then tossed the rag into the sink and made her way into the main room of her cottage to converse with her guests.

Fluttershy turned and tilted her head, scrutinizing her reflection carefully in the mirror of her bathroom. She hadn’t done anything extraordinary to her mane, but she could not for the life of her find a place for her barrette that she liked. The sound of flapping wings around her house made her freeze up and peer out the bathroom, just catching a glimpse of a prismatic tail swooping down past her bedroom window, and she eeped and snapped the barrette in place where it was. She started for the door, but hung back another second to think if it was really the best placement of the accessory. A knock jolted her from her thoughts, and she rushed to the stairs.

“Coming!”

The pink maned pegasus flitted down the stairs and landed softly at her entryway, taking a moment to look back and smooth out her dress, then opened the door to greet her date.

“Hi, Rainb—“

Fluttershy was interrupted by a pair of cyan lips catching hers mid-thought. She blinked and twitched, her wings unfolding at her sides, but quickly relaxed and met the kiss with a gentle pressure of her own. She pulled back her head and grinned at the pegasus outside her door, Rainbow Dash smirking as she opened her eyes, and the other pony’s expression shifted from smug to surprised.

“W...whoa, Fluttershy,” Dash breathed, drinking in her image. “You...uh...”

Fluttershy shrunk slightly, suddenly self-conscious. “Did I overdo it?”

Dash ran her eyes over her date, taking in the slim, short-hemmed black dress that hugged her body. It was clearly a piece of Rarity’s creation, one of a more intimate and formal tone than the rainbow maned pegasus was used to seeing but also one that she quickly decided she wouldn’t mind seeing more often.

“Not. At. All,” Rainbow nodded, focusing on her friend. “It looks stunning. Er, y-you look stunning. Uh...Kind of feel like I underdid it now...”

Fluttershy giggled as Dash awkwardly shifted on her stoop and looked over the black flight jacket she had decided to wear.

“Well I think you look quite dashing,” she offered, making the other pegasus smile and roll her eyes.

“You’re never gonna get tired of that, are you?” she moaned.

“Mm-mm,” Fluttershy hummed, leaning out and kissing the bemused pegasus again.

Dash blushed and fidgeted, her face suddenly hot despite the chill in the air, and cleared her throat as she produced an object from inside her coat.

“Eh, well...ahem, I uh...got you something.” She smirked. “And hey, if we stand out here all night, we won’t even have to ice it.”

Fluttershy gasped and stepped backward out of the doorway. “Oh, you’re right! I’m sorry! Come in!”

Rainbow Dash trotted into the warm cottage and shook some of the cold out of her body, then looked around as an appetizing aroma wafted to her nose.

“Did you cook something?” she asked, looking back at her date. “I thought we were going to Baker’s Street?”

Fluttershy paused as the door clicked shut, her face flushing, and slowly turned to face her companion.

“Well...I actually wanted to make things a little more...private,” she explained, twiddling her hooves. “I...cancelled the reservation.”

Dash’s ears dropped. “You canc...but we made that reservation a week ago,” she frowned. “Why did...is something wrong?”

“Uh...well, not...anymore,” Fluttershy said carefully. She took a breath to continue, her eyes focused on the wall, but let it out after a brief pause. “I have something I wanted to talk to you about over dinner. Something I really don’t want anyone else to hear about just yet.” She chanced a look at Dash to find her leaning closer, her face full of concern, and quickly straightened up. “I-I’m not breaking up with you! I mean, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Dash seemed to relax a bit at that. “Well...that’s nice to know, but I’m more worried about you,” she laughed nervously. “Are you okay?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes. In fact I’m better now than I was yesterday.” She stepped forward and nuzzled her head into Rainbow Dash’s neck, making the other mare blush and run her chin along her head. “I just want to tell you privately,” she murmured.

Rainbow Dash took a slow breath, letting her disappointment at their lost reservation seep out as she exhaled, then smiled and kissed her marefriend’s ear. “Yeah, alright. I’m Dash with that.”

Fluttershy snorted, then leaned back and giggled at the other pegasus’ continued attempts to make her name a popular turn of phrase. Dash laughed with her, glad to have broken the tension, and followed as the other mare wandered into her kitchen. Fluttershy retrieved a boiling pot from her stove and strained it in her sink, steaming hot pasta flopping into the readied colander, and the pot was set aside to cool. She sifted it dry with a pair of wooden forks, making Dash’s mouth water as its scent, and that of the bubbling tomato sauce on another burner of the stove, made her aware of her hunger. The butter colored pony served out two plates of pasta, drizzled them with the steaming red sauce, and fluttered out to her den to den to set them at either side of a small table set up by her fireplace. Rainbow Dash looked over the romantic setup, a giddy smile slipping over her face as she trotted over and sat down.

“Do you want ice in your water?” Fluttershy asked, leaning in from the kitchen.

Dash chuckled as she lifted the small package from her jacket and set it on the table. “Ah-ah, no water tonight,” she grinned. “I brought something special.”

Fluttershy looked from the long, cylindrical parcel to her dinner guest and back, her smile fading.

“But...?”

Dash sighed and raised a disarming hoof. “Just a little, okay? This stuff wasn’t cheap, it’s not the kind of thing you wanna down all at once.”

Fluttershy looked pensive, staring at what she knew was a bottle of wine, then bobbed her head and slipped back into the kitchen to retrieve some more appropriate glasses.

“Only a little,” she emphasized as she set the glasses on the table, flashing her date a firm look.

“Promise,” Dash nodded.

Fluttershy smiled warmly as Dash set a hoof on her arm and winked at her, then flitted around and sat across from the other mare. She poked a small twig into the fire, letting the tip light, then brought the little flame to a candle that rested between their plates on the small table. She blew out the flame, glancing at her date as she did, and felt heat rush to her face as Dash wiggled her eyebrows as she watched. She giggled, drawing a soft chuckle from the weather pony, then cleared her throat and motioned toward the parcel with her head.

“So what are we drinking tonight?”

“Something I probably can’t say right,” Dash laughed, tearing the top of the wrapping off and showing Fluttershy the bottle. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at the bottle of blue liquid, looking between it and the rainbow maned pegasus, and Dash smirked at her reaction. “I know, not like me, but I figured it was cool enough. I mean, it it's blue freakin' wine.”

“Vin Lunaire?” Fluttershy frowned, carefully taking the bottle of blue wine. “I've never heard of it before.”

"That's 'cuase it's special," Dash grinned. "I got it from Twilight. She said it's Princess Luna's secret brew."

Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah. Apparently she used to make this stuff once a year at the harvest moon and store it for decades, sometimes centuries, and then she'd break out a bottle at meetings with foreign royalty or dignitaries or whatever."

"Wow," Fluttershy mused, "How much did you pay for this?"

“Nothin’,” Dash shrugged. “Twilight owed me a favor. Not hard to get Luna’s special brew when your friends with her...niece? What are they to each other now? I still don’t know,” she mused.

Fluttershy held the bottle away from herself, as though worried it might strike her. “You...got this for free?”

Dash cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, why?”

Fluttershy looked down at the bottle again, reading its label, and suddenly became pale.

“R...Rainbow?”

“Yeah?”

“This says...bottled in 309EE.”

She slowly looked up when Dash didn’t respond, finding the other pegasus watching her with an amused expression.

“Dashie, we can’t drink this,” the yellow pegasus practically whispered. “This is...this is a thousand and fourteen years old.”

“Twilight made sure it was safe,” Rainbow assured her, then frowned and added, “somehow.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, I mean...we...this is what...queens and empresses would drink, royalty. This...we shouldn’t have this.”

Dash leaned across the table and placed a hoof on her date’s foreleg. “We can totally have this,” she grinned. “’Cause you are royalty.” Fluttershy looked up at her with a worried face, wondering if Dash meant to tell her she was a lost noble from some diminished family tree, but the cyan pegasus reached her other hoof over and took Fluttershy’s in both of hers.

“’Cause you’re the queen of my heart,” she finished with a wink.

The fear vanished from Fluttershy’s face, a completely dumbstruck expression replacing it. She stared at Rainbow Dash, her mouth hanging open, and began to shake slightly as the weather mare’s statement sunk in. She closed her mouth, straightening and withdrawing her hoof, and Dash’s grin broadened as she covered her mouth. The yellow pegasus lurched suddenly, suppressing a noise, and her dinner date’s smile shrunk as she realized what was happening.

Fluttershy’s hoof flew away from her mouth as her laughter finally struck her full-force. She set the bottle of wine on the floor next to her, trying to be careful not to drop it, and fell backwards as she cackled at her date’s horrible attempt at a romantic sentiment. Rainbow Dash’s face flushed scarlet and she turned a scowl at the fire as her marefriend howled and guffawed.

“Fluttersh-st-mmn,” she groaned, flattening her ears against her head.

“I, I sssorry, I ca—“ Fluttershy choked before doubling over again. “Ohhh, oh no...oh my gosh...”

She dragged herself up from the floor and supported herself with the table, still at the dying end of her laughter, and Rainbow shot a glare at her as she sat up. The rainbow maned pegasus’ eyes shot open as she watched Fluttershy laugh, her head slowly turning forward. Fluttershy wiped her eyes and looked up at Rainbow, trying to apologize for laughing so much, but her startled expression kept the words out of her reach. She frowned, still trying to shut up her laughter, then went rigid as she realized where Dash’s eyes were focused. She quickly closed and covered her mouth, her laughter stopping instantly, and the two wide eyed ponies finally met each other’s gazes.

Rainbow stared at the mare across from her, her mouth moving as though she were looking for a question, but no words left her. Fluttershy guessed what she meant to ask, and broke eye-contact. She winced as she looked back, awkwardly lowering her hoof from her mouth, then offered Dash an apologetic, toothy smile. Dash stared at her teeth, taking in the long fangs that filled the corners of her mouth, then blinked and raised a hoof over the table and pointed at them.

“That’s cool.”

Fluttershy blinked and closed her mouth, straightening as she processed her friend’s comment.

“It...is?”

Dash nodded quickly and leaned closer. “Yeah, let me see them!”

The yellow pegasus fidgeted nervously before pulling back her lips and displaying her striking new dental anatomy. Dash’s ears perked up and eyes opened wide as she studied them, her look of shock quickly becoming one of excitement and envy.

“That’s badass, Fluttershy!” she nodded approvingly. “Where did you get those? I want some!”

Fluttershy’s ears splayed and she shook her head.

“N-no, no you don’t,” she said quickly, reaching out to her date. “You don’t want this, believe me.”

“Why not,” Dash frowned.

Fluttershy made to answer, but paused. She started several words, letting each escape as a breath, then looked down at her plate. She ran her tongue over her teeth as she thought, taking a slow breath, then sighed and looked back at her friend.

“Can we eat before get into this?” she asked meekly.

Rainbow frowned, considering pressing for answers, but nodded.

“Yeah, okay.”

Embers of the all but forgotten fire littered the bottom of the stone alcove beside the table, glowing dimly as they lost heat. The table was cleared save for the unopened wine and the candle that remained at its center, the thick pool of wax having finally extinguished the tiny flame and left a smell of burnt wick hovering in the room. Two pegasus ponies sat side by side on a the room’s small sofa, one nervously twiddling her hooves while the other sat cross-armed and distant as she thought. Fluttershy glanced sideways at her couch-mate at intervals, wanting to ask what she was thinking, but could never bring herself to break the silence. Rainbow Dash, all the while, was silent.

After the burning smell had finally left the room, what felt like an hour since Fluttershy had begun her story, Rainbow Dash finally moved, reclining against the back of the couch and letting out a long sigh.

“So...it’s permanent?” she asked, still looking at the wall across from her.

“Mm hm,” Fluttershy nodded quietly.

Dash let that sink in, tilting her head slightly as she thought, then let out another breath. She scratched her face, glancing at the fireplace. “Huh.”

Fluttershy shot her another glance. “Do you...” Dash turned her head to look at her and she looked away. “Um...do you still...”

She silently moved her mouth, trying to push out the question, but with little success. Her throat stung and eyes were watering, fear of the other mare’s answer making her nauseous, and she let the gathered air for her question seep out of her lungs. She tried again, lifting her head, but a hoof on her chin cut her thought short. The hoof steered her face leftward, making her face the blue pegasus, and she flinched as Rainbow Dash answered her question with a kiss. Fluttershy stared at Dash’s closed eyes until her vision was too blurry to make out her shape, and she let the shut and returned the gentle pressure on her lips. Rainbow Dash leaned in a little more as she finished the kiss, then pulled back and smiled softly at her teary-eyed marefriend.

“Yes,” she whispered, forcing a relieved laugh out of the other pegasus.

“You’re...not mad?” Fluttershy sniffed as she wiped her eyes.

“Nnnn, w...Well I’m a little miffed you didn’t tell me before,” Dash admitted with a shrug, “But mad? No. Celestia knows I’m not the best pony to help with an addiction.”

“I still feel awful for hiding it,” Fluttershy sighed. “You put so much trust in me to help you; I should know that I can trust you just as much.” Rainbow Dash nodded, her expression betraying a little more annoyance than she alluded to, and Fluttershy winced as she noticed the suppressed ire. “I’m sorry, Dashie. I was so scared...”

“That I’d leave?” Dash scoffed, throwing a wing around her date. “That I’d be upset? I do think it’s a little weird that I keep finding myself getting close to gryphons,” she mused, making Fluttershy frown, “but I don’t have a problem with it. I hung out with Gilda for a couple of years, you know. None of this predator stuff is new to me.”

“I know, but...” Fluttershy shook her head and leaned into her companion’s side. “I just...I didn’t know what was going on, and I thought...I thought I was crazy,” she admitted, her eyes welling with tears again. “I thought I was going insane or addicted or that I was stuck in a dream. I felt like a monster...”

“You’re not a monster,” Rainbow murmured, nuzzling her face against Fluttershy’s. “You’re a butterflutter. Or a Flutterbutt,” she cooed, making the mare nestled against her snort and grin.

She pecked the top of her couch-mate’s head, and the yellow pegasus turned into her and pulled her into a tight hug. Rainbow returned the embrace, taking a deep breath of the other mare’s scent as they nuzzled against each other. They held each other close, content to let the seconds tick by in silence, until Dash cleared her throat and motioned with her head toward the table.

“Speaking of addictions, you wanna get into that wine tonight?” she whispered with a smirk.

Fluttershy hugged her tighter. “You don’t need it.”

Dash was quiet for a moment before letting out a sigh. “I know. I still want to try it though. You made out like it was some kind of fancy super-booze.”

Fluttershy sat up and fixed her with a bemused grin. “Really, you have no appreciation for good alcohol.” She looked pensive for a moment, then focused on Dash again with a glint in her eye. “Plus, I have haven’t made out at all tonight,” she added in a lower pitch.

Rainbow Dash’s smile shrunk as she processed the words, then flared with excitement. Fluttershy grinned as she saw her distraction tactic had worked and felt heat rushing to her cheeks as she lowered her head beside her date’s again and planted a firm kiss at the base of her neck. Dash twitched as her lips pressed into her and let out a quiet, nervous laugh. Fluttershy kissed again, further up her neck, and the blue pegasus fidgeted, her wings slowly unfurling and making her shift to give them room to extend.

Fluttershy moved to the base of her jaw, pausing in her kiss, then spread her lips and pressed her teeth into the blue pegasus’ skin. Dash gasped and gave her a gentle push, and Fluttershy jumped back from her.

“Oh! I-I’m sorry! Did that hur—“

Dash’s lips struck like lightning, making Fluttershy nearly choke on her question. The startled pegasus flinched as the other pushed her tongue into her mouth, but quickly lost her trepidation. Their arms slid around each other as their kiss deepened, each twisting and turning their heads as her tongue attacked the other’s and slid in and out of the other’s mouth. The mares rocked and leaned as their mouths locked and broke free of each other, deep, frantic breaths and moans filling the quiet left by the now-dead fire. Fluttershy suddenly tensed, emitting a gasping moan, and broke free of the kiss. Rainbow Dash withdrew her hoof, flashing her an apologetic smile, but the Fluttershy returned to the embrace with new fervor, moaning deeply as the other returned to groping her. Dash gasped as the ferocious yellow pony reached down and returned the touch, pressing harder and kissing more frantically than she could keep up with, and eeped as she was forced onto her back.

Fluttershy broke the kiss again, giving them both a chance to catch their breath, and made to start again before something struck the side of her head.

“Oh! Wha—A-Angel!” she squeaked, jumping off the blue pegasus.

The little white rabbit sat tapping his foot on the rug by the couch, his arms crossed and expression tired. Evidently he’d been woken up by the commotion, and was very clearly displeased by this fact. Rainbow Dash struggled into a sitting position and glared at the bunny.

“H-hey,” she panted, “can’t we get a little privacy?”

Angel spared her little more than a glance before chattering at Fluttershy, making her turn her focus everywhere else in the room, her face flushing beet red.

“S-sorry,” she offered meekly. “We’ll keep it down.”

“Oh come on,” Dash groaned, “We weren’t that loud.” Angel turned a cocked eyebrow at her, making her shrink slightly. “...Were we that loud?”

The rabbit pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded, then said something to Fluttershy and hopped back to the stairs and up to his basket. Fluttershy smiled at him as he left, then turned an apologetic expression back to her date.

“Sorry about that.”

Dash shrugged and wrapped a foreleg around her. “Ah ‘s fine. We can keep it down, right?”

Fluttershy giggled mischievously, but frowned. “Do you know what time it is?”

The blue pegasus winced. “Why?”

“I um...I have hunting lessons in the morning,” Fluttershy explained. “I-I really shouldn’t stay up too late.”

Rainbow Dash shot a glance at a small clock behind the other pony, then looked back at her with a worried frown. “How late is too late?”

“Ten? Ish?” Fluttershy offered.

Dash’s eyes flicked back to the clock, then to Fluttershy’s. She bit her lip, wanting to lie about the time, but sighed and flashed her date a defeated grin.

“I guess I should go then,” she conceded, pushing herself off the couch. “I have a thing with Scootaloo tomorrow anyway.”

Fluttershy followed her to the door, stopping her before she opened it with a soft kiss and warm smile.

“Thank you for understanding,” she murmured, nuzzling her cheek against Dash’s. “About...me.”

“What’s not to understand?” Dash chuckled. “You’re a Flutter, and I love those things. Not hard to get.”

Fluttershy sighed and shook her head with a bemused grin, but returned the final kiss that Dash went for before opening the door and taking to the air. She watched for a moment as the rainbow maned pegasus flew off toward her cloud-home before the chill of the night air forced her back inside. She threw a log over the smoldering embers, splashing it with a bit of oil, and tiredly trotted up to her room as the reinvigorated fire began to push back the cold that had seeped into her tiny cottage.

Fluttershy tiptoed through her nightly routine, brushing and flossing her teeth as quietly as possible, before letting her black slip slide off of her body and diving under the heavy blankets of her bed. She snuggled into the deep, warm mass of quilts, moaning softly as the feeling of cool fabric mixed the heat of her body, and, within minutes, was lulled into the first peaceful sleep in months.

Sarcastic Ending

Fluttershy was standing in her living room. There was precious little else to do with her time now that the major conflict of her story arc had been settled and I completely ran out of ideas for the main storyline. Sure eventually she would tell the remaining three ponies that matter to the narrative by means of having been mentioned at some point, but that would likely happen offscreen and be mentioned at a later date in a later, completely unrelated story.

The phone rang suddenly and distracted the vacantly staring pegasus from her nonexistent occupation.

"Hello?" she answered, as one traditionally does when a phone is ringing.

a voice on the other end responded.

"Oh hi, Twilight. How is being a princess going?"

the alicorn sighed.

"That sounds like something I might have said at one point, yes," the butter yellow pegasus nodded.

Twilight asked, examining her hoof.

Fluttershy stared vacantly at the wall across from her for a few moments before flicking an ear.

"Yes, actually, I think it is."

Twilight shrugged, shifting the phone to her shoulder as she really got a good look at that hoof.

"Right," Fluttershy nodded, a distant grin frozen on her face. "So... I pretty much struggled with crippling depression and mutilated myself for no reason, didn't I?"

Twilight confirmed, levitating over a magnifying glass to get a better idea of the properties of the hoof that she was examining. She sent the magnifier back to her desk in favor of something with more power.

Fluttershy nodded throughout her friend's long-winded speech, still smiling and staring at the wall.

"I see."

A moment of silence passed between them before Fluttershy cleared her throat and Twilight finished adjusting her hoof under a microscope.

"Twilight I'm going to have to call you back, I'm having a nervous breakdown," Fluttershy said politely.

the princess nodded.

Fluttershy set the phone back on its receiver without looking at it, her body save for the arm that had held the phone stiff as a board. She then set it across from the other, standing in a neutral pose, then flopped onto her side, the action accompanied by a perfectly appropriate and well-timed sound effect of wood blocks knocking together as her stiff body rattled against the ground.

I then wordlessly meandered into the room and scribbled the words "Non-Canon" over her face in sharpy before carrying the wooden horse into a similarly labeled cardboard box in the corner of the room, then sat down at her typewriter and started on a story about her being a vampire rather than whatever nebulous thing she was in this story.

Thuh Enn

Author's Note

In all seriousness, canon continues to disprove and confound me and I may or may not alter existing stories depending on whether I like what elements it would add and how that would effect the narrative. Also, the major arc in this story is done, but I may still come back to it later on with that dramatic reveal or some similar such thing.

In the meantime, it's officially finished. Right now I'm focusing on Parachronal and a little something to follow up I Can Explain.

So... hit and miss, basically. Or miss and hit, I guess. Either way, Happy New Year, y'all.

Jump to top

Intro

She would have been content to lay that way for a while longer – back to the soft grass, her wings outspread, her fore hooves slowly massaging her belly – but a reluctant glance at the sky urged her to her hooves. She was slow to comply, her legs shaky as she continued to recover from the vigorous bout of exercise the outing had afforded her, but, despite her wants, she eventually found her way onto her steadying hooves. She lingered a moment more, glancing longingly at a mess of red behind herself, before finally starting through the woods back to her cottage.

Fluttershy let her mind wander as her hooves carried her through the light vegetation of the outer Everfree Forest. She conversed idly with her inner voice, asking vague and sweeping questions and then answering them at length herself. She wondered about the start of her new pastime, and was reminded that it had begun simply with a gifted fish from her friend Harry. She’d accepted the gift politely, anxious about upsetting the great grizzly, but he had apparently been determined to see her eat it. She complied – hesitant, revolted, and mildly offended by the bear’s insensitivity – but, even after only her first bite, she knew she’d discovered something that might become her own ruin.

Fluttershy absolutely loved the taste of meat.

The pastel pegasus pony moved on autopilot, retracing her careful steps through the woods and arriving in her back yard within minutes. She awkwardly held a hoof to the side of her face and turned her head, avoiding eye contact with any of the animals gathered in her yard for their regular meal time. Some of them conveyed their discomfort with quiet chirps and chatter amongst themselves. Others flat out turned and took off, their respect and love for the kind-hearted pony turning to confusion and fear. Angel, who had waited in the doorway for her return, simply stepped out of her way as she entered the house, but Fluttershy noticed he gave her a wider berth than she remembered him having done before.

Once inside, she quickly made her way to the bathroom and showered, scrubbing the lingering reminders of her hunt from her face and neck. That done, she returned to the kitchen at the back of her house and began to prepare meals for all the little, and not so little, friends that had gathered behind her home. In minutes, she had made all the proper arrangements, and opened the door to allow her woodland guests to retrieve their food.

“Okay, everyone,” she beamed, leaning out the door, “Dinner’s ready. Could you all come make a line?”

The assembled creatures shuffled slowly into file, some of them hanging disorderly around the yard. Fluttershy’s expression dropped as she watched the animals nervously wander closer, none apparently wanting to actually approach her. Her wings folded at her sides, her head lowering, and she moved from the doorway and quietly sat down in her kitchen. She stared at the floor, her breathing slowly becoming labored and eyes stinging as she fought a losing battle against the tears that welled in their corners. A sound thud snapped the despondent pony from her thoughts though, her eyes shooting up and fixing themselves on Angel bunny as he carried a heavy bowl of food over his head out the kitchen door.

Angel stumbled as he made his way down the stairs, but managed to carry the bowl all the way out to the front of the line. He threw it down with a thump, glaring daggers at the squirrel that lead the line. The squirrel winced at Angel’s angry expression, flinching as the rabbit began to chew him, and then the other animals in general, out for acting the way they were. He gestured to the bowl, then to the house, demanding to know what, if anything, had changed about the mealtime tradition, and crossed his arms in a huff as some of the assembled animals started to reach for excuses. The pearly white bunny snapped his head toward a bird, his eyes narrowing to slits in response to the accusation it’d made. The cardinal faltered, looking away as Angel laid into him for suspecting Fluttershy of trying to fatten them up.

The squirrel at the head of the line turned to his fellows, exchanging looks of reassurance and nervousness, then stepped around the bowl so they could lift it between them and move to their usual eating spot in the yard. Other animals watched their example, looking at Fluttershy with downtrodden expressions of apology and regret, then began to file into the kitchen. Fluttershy offered them all meek smiles as they wandered past her, retrieving their meals and returning to the yard, and let out a long sigh once the last had come and gone. She looked to the door, waiting, but soon stood and wandered to the doorway. Her eyes scanned the yard, her brow furrowed, but she soon spotted the missing member of her posse.

Harry pushed a branch out of his face, flinching as it whipped his ear while snapping back behind him. He paused, glancing back at the yard as its usual lively conversations started, then sighed and started on his way once again. He stopped however, surprised, as a bowl of food appeared in front of his nose. He reared back from it, then looked past it at the smiling yellow face of the pony that offered it to him. Harry’s heart sank as he took in the forced grin, and he somberly refused the offered food.

“Harry,” Fluttershy chided, “You need to eat. It’s autumn.”

Harry stared at the offered food for a moment before hesitantly taking it, then looking up to start an apology. He was quickly cut off by a raised hoof.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Fluttershy said softly, her smile waning. “I don’t blame you. You were trying to be nice.” She watched him lower his head, his paw drifting up to run down the side of his face. “...For what it’s worth, I did like the present.”

Harry’s closed eyes tightened, his arm lowering and letting the food spill from his bowl. He leaned sideways against a tree, bringing his now empty paw to his face to join the other, and let the tension drain from his shoulders. Fluttershy flitted closer and rested a calming hoof on his arm, silently attempting to massage the guilt from her quietly crying friend. Harry slowly sunk to his rump against the tree, hesitantly putting a paw over Fluttershy’s hoof, and forced himself to control his breathing. He kept his eyes closed as he muttered an apology despite Fluttershy’s reassurance, then shakily got to his feet. Fluttershy helped him scoop the food from the ground back into his bowl and the depressed duo returned to her yard, meeting the now relaxed animals gathered around her house with smiling masks and friendly nods. Harry sat with his usual group of forest creatures. Fluttershy slipped quietly into her house.
____________

Angel drummed his fingers as he waited, watching the bathroom door with concern. It had been a minute or two since Fluttershy had finished brushing her teeth and the room had been quiet ever since. He began to worry, starting to push himself off the bed to assist, but stopped as the light beneath the door vanished and the lock let out a quiet click.

Fluttershy wandered into her bedroom, her eyes unfocused and gait somewhat erratic. Angel watched her stumble to the bed and slip under the sheets, clearing his throat as she almost rolled over him. This seemed to rouse the pink maned pegasus from her waking dream and drew her focus to the little white rabbit nestled into her bed.

“Angel?” she whispered. “What...you don’t want to sleep in the basket?”

Angel frowned, putting a paw on Fluttershy’s shoulder and looking up at her with concern, and the pony let out a long breath through a sad smile.

“I’ll be alright, Angel. You don’t have to worry about me.”

The rabbit turned away from her and pulled her foreleg over him, adamantly snuggling up to her chest, and Fluttershy felt a stinging sensation return to her eyes. She opened her mouth, wanting to reassure the bunny that she was alright, but eventually just let the air inhaled for the statement leak out in a shaky sigh. She tightened her grip on Angel, nuzzling her chin on the top of his head, and the rabbit winced as she carried on beyond his point of comfort. He made no attempt to stop her, however. Selfish though he may have been, he would never deny something he felt Fluttershy needed so desperately. She eventually settled, and Angel was able to relax, quickly falling asleep in Fluttershy’s grasp.

Fluttershy, on the other hand, lay awake long into the night reflecting on her morbid addiction. The act was an emotional rollercoaster every time, with highs higher and lows lower than any she’d ever experienced. The hunt was thrilling, yet the kill was heartbreaking. The meal was ecstasy, but digestion...

Fluttershy carefully released her bedmate and massaged her sore stomach. Digestion was a nightmare. Even if she never got as sick as she did the first night, she always counted herself lucky if she managed to keep herself from vomiting. She just couldn’t properly digest the meat she so hated herself for eating. After her first violent illness after the fact, she’d hoped she wouldn’t even be tempted again, but the bold, savory, tender, primal...

Well, needless to say, she was tempted, regardless of however unwell she felt afterward.

Physically or emotionally.

The moon was heavy on the horizon when Fluttershy’s churning stomach finally settled, her exhausted mind demanding that she do the same. She looked out her window, sleep tugging at the edges of her consciousness, and gave into the pull of her fatigue.

“I have to talk to Twilight about this,” she murmured as she slipped into the dark.

Jump to top

Late Nights and Early Lunches

Fluttershy had an itch. An unscratchable itch in the pit of her stomach. Her skin crawled. Her wings jittered. Her body twisted and writhed, coiling her heavy sheets tighter and tighter around her burning body. She rose from the mattress, her comforter falling away, and her frustratingly hot and sweaty body began to steam in the frigid air. The pegasus slipped from her bed, shaking as heat vented from her pores into the cold night, and silently crept to the stairs and down into her den. She scanned the room, ensuring that all was calm and quiet, then cracked the door only enough to squeeze through and slunk out into the night.

On many nights, the Everfree forest was far from quiet. The sounds of night birds and other nocturnal creatures would permeate the air and give the wood a sense of mystery and danger, even if there was none at hand. Distant sounds of scratching claws and thumping feet would echo to the ear and fill lost souls with unease and discomfort.

On this night, silence reigned. Not a bat chirped, not a rodent scurried, not a lone wolf cried at the heavy moon above. The forest was still, the wind barely daring to whisper as it swept through the many trees and picked the loosest of leaves from their branches. Word had gotten out quickly. Someone had seen the yellow terror slip from her home and disappear into the shadows of the forest.

The hunter was among them.

The creatures of the night that dared to venture out of their dens were cautious, stopping often to examine their surroundings and listen for disturbances. Bats and birds were ever-vigilant, watching for odd shapes in the darkness to warn their earthbound brethren.

A raccoon slunk from tree to tree, smelling at the sharp, cold air at every pause. He leapt from cover, swiping an uncollected nut from the forest floor, then darted back to place his back to a tree. At the outer edge of the forest, the twisted and gnarled roots were scarce, giving him little cover to do his work, but he hid as best he could between bouts of foraging.

A sound caught his ear. His body went rigid. The gathered rations were dropped immediately. His ears twitched and swiveled as he slowly turned his head, seeking out the source of the noise. He lowered onto all four paws, turning and searching less frantically as nothing stood out as odd in the woods. After a final sweep of the area he began to gather up his dropped nuts and wrote off the sound as paranoia. He picked up the final piece of his collection and stood, turning to return to his den, but froze.

In a gap in the trees, beyond a beam of moonlight, from within a harsh, black shadow, a steamy white plume of smoke wafted into the air. The raccoon’s grip on his gathered food items tightened as he watched the condensed breath disperse into the air, his ears turning fully toward his front to listen for whatever lurked in the dark beyond his view. He heard a shallow, shaking inward breath, crisp leaves grinding into the ground beneath shifting weight, the quiet tapping of saliva dripping to the ground, and finally, as the creature finally seemed to notice that he had noticed it, a very quiet, rumbling growl.

The raccoon remained fixed where he stood, his body rigidly resisting his attempts to move it. As he watched the shadow, another puff of hot breath seeped out into the moonbeam, and another shift allowed him to see a glint of silver reflecting off the creature’s eyes. He heard the nuts fall from his numb arms, his brain working overtime to regain control of his fear-addled extremities, then tensed as he heard a thumping sound off to his side.

His ears and eyes shot toward the noise, his head turning just enough to betray his distraction, and, only too late, he realized his mistake.

A pale yellow streak peeled out of the darkness in an instant, wings flared and forelegs outstretched, and crashed into the raccoon before he even heard the roar that accompanied her strike. She slammed down her hoof, pinning him to his back, and snorted as the force of her pounce dissipated and they slid to a stop in the shadows opposite her hiding place. The raccoon was shocked, too stunned even to respond to her attack, and the wild eyed pegasus took the opportunity to whip her head down and close her jaws around his throat.

The raccoon went rigid, his eyes wide and mouth hanging loosely open as he felt teeth touch his neck. His paws shot up to the hoof that held him down, his legs twitching for a moment, but he soon fell still. He breathed slowly, fighting the urge to pass out, and cautiously turned his gaze down to the pink maned pony that held him in her jaws.

Fluttershy remained still, her teeth pressing into the raccoon’s skin and jaw shaking. Her eyelids tightened around her closed eyes, the jittering of her jaw spreading down her neck, and very slowly twisted and lifted her head. She heard the raccoon gasp as she moved and stopped for a moment, her jaws tightening around him, but she quickly jerked her head up and away from the critter and clamped her teeth down on empty air. The muscles in her face and neck twitched and bucked, struggling to open her mouth again despite her efforts, and she had to clench her teeth to keep her jaws under control. After several seconds of twisting and turning and snapping her jaws shut, she eventually regained enough control to relax her neck and open her eyes.

Doing so brought her face to face with the raccoon. He stared at her, frightened and confused, and Fluttershy shied away from his scared, accusing glare. She tried to speak, but quickly clamped her mouth shut again as her head lurched toward him, making the raccoon flinch. Eventually she parted her lips and spoke to him through clenched teeth.

“D...Do you submit?” she whispered.

The raccoon’s narrowed eyes blinked wide. ...What?

Fluttershy blushed and turned her eyes away from him, but leaned her head closer. “That is, um...c-can I...eat you?”

The raccoon blinked again, staring dumbly at the bashful predator, then remembered himself and shook his head.

I...n-no, he answered slowly.

Fluttershy winced, expecting but detesting the answer, and lifted herself from her crouch. She tensed the leg that pinned the raccoon to the ground, lessening its grip, but hesitated.

“Um...are you sure?” she asked a bit sadly.

The raccoon nodded quickly. Please don’t eat me.

The pegasus bit her lip, looking as though she might ignore his order, but, with some effort, removed her hoof from his stomach. The raccoon continued to stare at her for a moment before slowly getting to his feet. He gave the predacious pony a once over, nervously backing away from her, then turned and gathered up the nuts he had foraged. Fluttershy’s muscles tightened as he turned his back on her, her body leaning slightly before she could stop it, and the raccoon quickly looked back at her as he heard her let out a tense breath. She looked away, fighting to turn her body with her head, and the raccoon stood and backed away from her before turning and disappearing into the night.

Fluttershy‘s entire body shook with the effort it took not to pursue him. Her hooves dug circles into the loamy dirt as she fought to keep them still, her jaw jittering with cold and strain as she kept it shut-tight. After she could no longer hear the scratching of the raccoon’s claws, she finally let herself relax, the tension instantly draining from her muscles and almost making her collapse. She heaved a deep, shaking sigh, shivering now more for the chill in the air than the heat in her body, and steadied herself against the tree beside her.

A whisper caught her ear and drew her eyes to a branch above. A bat hung from the tree next to hers, and it cocked its head as she looked up at it. Another bat on a nearby branch turned and whispered something into the dark, a bird-like shape dropping out of the tree and flitting off into the forest. Fluttershy followed it as far as she could see it, then blinked and turned as she heard more hushed conversation. A family of opossums ducked out of her sight across the clearing as she looked at them, but poked their heads out of the cover of a root and returned her gaze. A rat ran from the other side of the tree, squeaking and chirping as it vanished into the woods.

Fluttershy’s head swiveled in all directions as quiet noises filled the forest – whispers spreading through the trees in every direction and tiny padded feet skittering along the packed dirt of the forest floor. She felt eyes on her, spotted the glint of moonlight on black orbs everywhere she looked, and backed herself into the tree behind her. The whispers grew louder, more plentiful, and the panicked pegasus began to take quick, shallow breaths of the sharp, frigid air.

Through the thick haze of her rapid breaths, a face appeared, and Fluttershy froze where she sat.

Good job, Pup.

Fluttershy blinked. The fox flashed her a sly grin as he sat and nodded, a young badger poking its head out from behind him as he did. The pony looked down at the small rodent and the two regarded each other in silence. Tentatively, slowly, the badger crept out from behind his guardian and cautiously edged closer to the rumored monster. Fluttershy watched it approach and extended a foreleg as it neared. The badger flinched, expecting to be snatched up, but relaxed a bit as it saw that the hoof remained where it hung.

Fluttershy stared blankly, almost in a trance-like state of confusion and bewilderment, as the young badger finally leaned close and sniffed at her hoof. It shied away as she moved it slightly, making the pony pause, but was quick to return to examining it. After a few seconds, the badger took a final step closer and nudged the hoof with its head, and Fluttershy ran her hoof down its neck in a gentle pat.

A breath escaped the stunned pegasus, one she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, and, as it left her, it felt as though the entire forest had collectively released a breath of its own.

A bat flitted down from a high branch and landed next to the distracted pegasus, startling her, but crawled closer and stared questioningly until the other hoof came down and began to scratch behind its ear. It chirped happily, drawing another bat to its side, and its companion was greeted the same.

An opossum leaned out from around the tree, watching quietly as the badger that had approached was stroked like a cat, then shuffled out from its hiding spot and tugged jealously at the yellow pony’s leg. The stroking hoof paused, twitching, then shifted and rustled the fur on the back of the opossum’s neck.

Fluttershy looked around in a daze as the forest came alive, creatures of night, and even some of day, filing out of their hiding places to crowd around her and demand affection. She greeted them all with gentle pats and scratches, her body moving with muscle memory as her mind struggled to process what had happened. Eventually, her focus returned to the grinning fox, and he gave a calm, reassuring nod.

The pegasus felt a sudden pain in her throat. Her lips drew taught around her teeth, her nose scrunching and eyes narrowing as they began to sting. Her petting drew slower as her forelegs began to lose their strength and tremble, until they fell limply at her sides. The gathered animals shifted nervously, watching with concern as a long, shaking breath leaked out of their rediscovered friend and steaming tears began to trickle down her face. Fluttershy sniffed loudly, clenching her mouth shut to keep herself quiet. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against a skunk that had nuzzled against her face in worry, weakly lifting her hooves and placing them on whatever animal they found. The critters nuzzled close to her, comforting her, and Fluttershy felt the numbness in her extremities overpowered by the heat of their bodies and swelling warmth that filled her chest.

A quiet growl made her flinch, all the animals jumping as the sound hit their ears. Fluttershy opened her eyes, looking around with an apologetic expression, then cleared her throat and sniffled again.

“S-sorry,” she offered meekly.

The animals relaxed, shooting glances at her stomach as they returned to her sides, and the pony felt a tiny smile creep across her face as they returned their attention to her. An opossum among them poked its head out of the group and stepped in front of her, then quietly squeaked an offer to her. The other animals quieted as they looked at it, then turned their eyes back to Fluttershy. Fluttershy twitched as it spoke, biting her lip as the thought crossed her mind, but found that the decision was actually surprisingly easy to make.

“Th-thank you, but no,” she said softly, petting the opossum. “I think...I think I’d rather have a salad.”

Twilight trotted happily through the central road of Ponyville, nodding and waving as what few of its residents still bowed or greeted her reverently did so as she passed. She spared little attention to invitations to tribute or offerings, politely waving them away as she tried to maintain her brisk pace through the market street. While it was true she still enjoyed the attention, even went slightly out of her way to walk through town rather than teleport to her destination or fly over it, she had a mission to complete that could not be set aside forever – information that she was giddy to share and hopeful would be of use to her psychologically addled friend.

Once she was through the streets and near the edge of town, she finally decided to focus her magic and jump the rest of the way to the dirt path outside the caretaker’s cottage. She galloped the rest of the way to the front door, pausing at the stoop to collect herself, then nocked and waited for a response.

“Come in~!” a voice sang from inside.

Twilight was taken aback. The voice was Fluttershy’s, but it sounded...odd. A bit louder than she would have expected, perhaps. She shook her head as she pushed in the door and stepped into her friend’s home.

“Fluttershy?” she called, looking around. She frowned as she noticed a bird peeking at her from inside one of the many birdhouses in the pegasus’ den. Then another.

“Oh, Twilight! Is that you?” the sing-song voice called from the kitchen. “I’m making a salad! You want a bowl?”

Twilight leaned around the door to find her friend aloft in the kitchen, flitting back and forth as she collected ingredients and threw them into a large salad bowl. She stepped into view, watching the pegasus hum happily and make light conversation with a few birds that fluttered around the room with her and some rodents that went about making their own food on the floor. The alicorn raised an eyebrow, confused by Fluttershy’s cheery demeanor, but felt the calm of the admittedly odd situation work its way into her.

“Uh...sure,” she eventually answered. “That sounds pretty good actually.”

Fluttershy glanced at her with a smile and flitted over to her fridge to retrieve more lettuce and Angel hopped out the door toting some silverware. Twilight followed after him into the back yard, her eyes darting around as she took note of the wildlife that seated around the yard. Some of the gathered animals were eating lunches of their own, while others were simply there to converse, the scene almost reminding Twilight of the many restaurants around Ponyville she had passed on her way to the cottage.

Angel hopped onto a mushroom-like table and deposited the silverware with a huff, then turned and hopped down to return to the kitchen. Twilight threw a hoof in front of him, catching the rabbit before he could return and eliciting an annoyed squeak.

“Angel, what’s going on?” she whispered, leaning close to the little rabbit. “Fluttershy’s acting weirdly happy. Is she...like, alright? In the head?”

The white rabbit glared at her for her accusation, but relented as he heard his housemate’s cheerful humming. He fixed Twilight with a tired smile and nodded, making the purple princess relax slightly and let him get back to his tasks. Angel hesitated for a moment before hopping back into the house, passing Fluttershy as she exited and flew over to the table.

“Have a seat, Twilight,” she invited. “I’ll get the other bowl.”

She flitted past her friend in the other direction, slipping around the corner as she entered the house. Twilight, meanwhile, wandered over to the table and sat at one side, eyeing the salad suspiciously. To her relief, the bowl contained nothing but fruit and vegetables with a light drizzling of olive oil. She licked her lips as she examined it, the sight actually making her hungry, and she grinned as her friend returned with two bowls and a set of salad forks.

“How was the summit, Twilight? Did you meet any interesting po- er, gryphons?” Fluttershy asked as she tossed the salad.

“I did, actually,” the alicorn nodded, taking her bowl in her magic and jabbing at it with her fork. “One that reminded me a lot of you, in fact. He was really...quiet.”

Fluttershy blinked at hearing that, pausing in serving herself. “Really?”

“Mm hm,” Twilight bobbed her head, her mouth full. “Guy was huge though. Head and shoulders taller than AJ’s brother.”

Fluttershy finally landed across from her friend and set her salad on the table. “Wow, really?”

Twilight continued to nod as she swallowed her food, then grinned at her friend. “And speaking of gryphons, I did a little more research while I was in Canterlot about...your uh...condition,” she said with a wince, reluctant to address the problem. Fluttershy paused in her chewing, staring at her guest, and Twilight thought for a moment that something seemed off about her face, but she continued. “Um...right, research. Well, while Celestia was talking to me about greeting the gryphon dignitaries, she told me that they roar at others to display their dominance. Kind of like lions,” she shrugged.

Fluttershy nodded. “I’ve read that a lot of big cats will do that,” she agreed.

“Right. But Celestia said that they only do that when they feel like their dignity or their dominance might be contested. The only reason they roared at us was because they wanted to gain control of the negotiations before they actually started. Celestia totally blew them away with her roar though,” the purple pony smirked, reclining slightly. “That was something to see.”

Fluttershy smiled brightly and covered her mouth to keep her food from spilling as she spoke. “I’ll bet. What does that have to do with me though?”

Twilight sat up. “Everything!” she said excitedly. “Fluttershy, gryphons will only challenge other gryphons for dominance. They don’t consider ponies to be worth the effort,” she scoffed. “But, you remember Dash’s ex-bestie Gilda?”

Fluttershy paused and looked up from her salad with a scowl. “Of course. I knew her before you did, you know. She was always awful.”

“I can imagine,” Twilight murmured. “But, you remember when she came to Ponyville? And ran into you in the market?”

Fluttershy frowned. “Yes?”

“She roared at you!” Twilight exclaimed, spreading her wings excitedly.

Fluttershy blinked, connecting the dots Twilight had laid out. “...You think...she knew...?”

Twilight grinned smugly, waving a hoof. “Well, I think she at least felt there was something there to be concerned about. She was kind of a jerk, but even so, she would have to be even more petty than Dash described to want to establish dominance over a regular pony. And the only other time she roared was in frustration at the party,” she shrugged. “Anyway, that gave me an idea. I got into the old history section of the royal library last night, and found quite a few interesting things back there. Did you know that Equestria and the Gryphon Kingdom used to have a shared territory to the Northeast? One over which a certain hub of the proud pegasus population used to reside?”

The yellow pony blinked and lowered her fork. “No, I didn’t.”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Then you probably also didn’t know that said collection of castle-like cumulonimbi once had a nearly even distribution of population between pegasus ponies and gryphons.”

Again Fluttershy blinked, a hoof lifting to her chin. “That...that makes sense...”

Twilight nodded. “Or that many families of the Old Kingdom had members of bo-...wait, what makes sense?”

“Well, that would explain how I’m part gryphon,” Fluttershy mused, looking up at her friend.

Twilight stared at her for a moment before sputtering gibberish. “W-I-y-h-how did you...what?”

Fluttershy blushed. “Well, I went to Zecora on Thursday after you left. You...left me something by accident I think, and I went to her for help making it...” she faltered at remembering what she had gone to the herbalist for, but shook herself. “But, she apparently knew that something was going on in the forest, and figured out that it was me that was causing all the trouble. She, um...studied me, or something, compared my body to some notes she had, and said I was probably part gryphon.”

Twilight shook her head in quiet disbelief. “That’s...wow. How does she do that?”

Fluttershy shrugged. “I don’t know, it amazed me too.”

She took a forkful of her salad and cocked her head, chewing thoughtfully, and Twilight once again got a sense that something was off about the pony sitting across from her. She was obviously Fluttershy, there was no mistaking it, but something...something about her just wasn’t right. Something about her face.

Fluttershy swallowed her food and continued.

“She offered to help me though. She had these potions locked up in...” she considered if she should tell her friend the location of the zebra’s secret stash, ultimately deciding against it, “um...well, she had a few potions already brewed, and she told me she could make me stop liking the taste of meat.”

Twilight perked up at that. “Really? How?”

Fluttershy shrugged. “She said the potion would change my tongue a little and make it so I didn’t like it anymore.” She frowned. “Or...no, actually, she said it would make me a full pony, and then the change would just happen as a result.”

Twilight’s eyes widened a little. “A...a genetic recombination formula? She has one?”

Fluttershy shrugged again. “I guess. I don’t really know what they were.”

Twilight’s eyes drifted as she considered her friend’s words, her ear twitching as she thought, then she frowned and looked back at the pegasus.

“...They?”

Fluttershy shied away from her guest, discouraged by her tone, but nodded. “There were two.”

Twilight set her fork down. “What did the other one do?”

“Um...” Fluttershy fidgeted, “She said...it would make me an omnivore...”

Twilight eye twitched. The word, omnivore, something about hearing it made the reason for her disquiet at the sight of her friend suddenly click in her mind. Her mouth – the shape of her jaw, the width of her muzzle – had changed since she’d last seen her. It was a slight change, one that anyone with ordinary powers of perception would likely miss, but one that threw Twilight into the depths of the uncanny valley. She leaned closer, propping herself on the table, and narrowed her eyes at the increasingly nervous pegasus’ snout.

“...Open your mouth,” she said after a moment of silence.

Fluttershy lowered her head slightly, but brought it forward and parted her lips. Her friend stood and leaned over the table, taking the initiative she would not, and used a hoof to peel back her lips and extend her mouth open.

Twilight’s eyes widened as she saw what had caused the change to her friend’s face. All of her teeth, even her jaw itself, had changed proportions. Her cuspids, what had been little more than nubs of bone extending from her jaw, curled menacingly upward and back, extending beyond her incisors like the fangs of a jungle cat. Her premolars, once resting at the base of her tongue, had shifted forward and closed the gap between her teeth, and now had sharp ridges and deep grooves. Her molars were right behind them, and, while they had not changed in shape, they had changed in size, and were marginally smaller than what Twilight had expected.

Fluttershy winced as Twilight slowly let her lips fold back into place, sinking back onto her haunches across the table. She stared blankly in Fluttershy’s direction, the gears in her head obviously turning, then clucked her tongue and ran a hoof down her face.

“Okay...” she sighed, crossing a hoof over her chest, “Uh...pfshh...why?”

Fluttershy toyed with her mane, refusing to meet her guest’s eyes. “I...Well...”

“Actually, wait,” Twilight cut in, raising a hoof, “I know why. You’re addicted. You couldn’t stop yourself. I just...” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I really wish you would’ve at least waited for me to get back. I could’ve helped you through this, you know.”

“But...” Fluttershy spoke up, then flinched as Twilight looked at her. “B-but I don’t think I really am addicted.” Twilight frowned and shifted her position, staring incredulously at her friend. “I think...I think I may have just...not known enough...”

“Fluttershy, this is going to kill you,” Twilight whispered exasperatedly. “You were crying your eyes out about this three days ago! Do you really think enabling this behavior is going to help you?”

“I’m not enabling though,” Fluttershy countered, sitting up a little straighter, “I’m learning. I felt guilty about what I did, yes, and I still do, but...Twilight, there’s a whole culture surrounding predation that I didn’t know about. If I follow the rules and behave responsibly I can do this.”

The alicorn brought her hooves together in front of her snout, and took a calming breath. “Okay, assume you do get over whatever trauma this has caused you already, can you really continue? Is it something you want to do for the rest of your life? Kill?”

Fluttershy set her jaw, scowling at her friend. “I don’t like that it has to happen, bu—“

“It doesn’t have to happen, though!” Twilight cut in. “You could have just taken the pony potion and been done with it!”

The yellow pegasus flared her wings suddenly, making Twilight fall away from the table.

“I am—“ Fluttershy blinked and folded her wings, lowering from her straight-backed position. “I’m...I’m not a pony though, Twilight. Not completely. Even if this is only a small part of who I am, it’s still a part. Wasn’t one of your first lessons something about being true to who you are?”

Twilight sat up, staring at her host in shock. “I did say something like that, but...Fluttershy, this is dif—“

The alicorn stopped suddenly, her eyebrows snapping together in a deep frown. She stared at her friend, her muddled thoughts rolling over each other, then slowly lowered her gaze to the table.

“No...No, I...guess it isn’t different,” she conceded. “You’re part carnivore. Eating meat should be natural to you.” She held her gaze at the table a moment more before looking up, her eyes full of concern. “Are you sure this is what you want though?”

Fluttershy narrowed an eye at the purple pony, but soon allowed herself to relax. “I think so,” she nodded, flashing her friend a smile. “I think...I think things are going to be okay now.”

Twilight glanced at the animals in the yard. “Do they all know?”

“Most of them,” Fluttershy sighed. “I haven’t made an announcement, but gossip travels pretty quickly in the woods.”

Twilight let this sink in. “What about...?”

“Everyone else?” Fluttershy pursed her lips. “I’m going to tell Dashie tonight. Other than that...I don’t know.” She watched an otter run through a group of its siblings, then squeal happily as they gave chase. “They deserve to know. I just don’t know if I can tell them.”

“If you want me to do it, I will,” Twilight offered. “You’ve been through a lot recently. You shouldn’t have to do everything yourself."

Fluttershy smiled and closed her eyes. “Thank you, Twilight. I think I should tell them though.” She returned her focus to the princess of magic. “I just need some time.”

Twilight considered her friend. Her back was straight, her chin was raised, her eyes were level – everything that made her seem weak or cowardly had faded away in her moment of relaxation, displaying to her guest what a truly profound effect resolving the issue of her so-called addiction had had. The young alicorn nodded and returned her friend’s smile. Fluttershy dipped her head as well, then turned her focus to the salad that had been forgotten as their conversation picked up.

“I think...I’ll ah...” she mused, pushing the bowl away from herself.

Twilight straightened slightly. “Now?”

The pegasus nodded, standing and stepping around the table. “It helps me think. And Drew said I should practice what he taught me as much as I can.” Twilight stood as well, taking her announcement as her cue to leave, but was stopped by a tight hug. “Thank you for helping me, Twilight. I only would have gotten worse without you.”

Twilight hesitated for a moment before returning the hug. “Just...be careful,” she whispered.

Fluttershy withdrew and nodded solemnly, then turned and meandered into the crowd of creatures in her yard. She looked back and forth as she went, meeting eyes with several of them, before stopping next to a gopher that seemed to respond to her in some way. She dipped her head, the gopher repeating the action, and then wandered out of her yard to the fence. The gopher turned and said something to its companion, then followed her to the edge of the yard. Just as it neared her, it started to sprint, and vanished into the trees beyond the pegasus’ home, and Fluttershy turned and bolted after it.

Twilight watched the exchange in quiet apprehension. It seemed oddly organized and formal the way it played out. She mulled over the thought of asking more about the ‘culture of predation’ Fluttershy had mentioned later that day, or possibly the next, but let the thought slip from her mind as she picked a cucumber slice out of her salad and excused herself from the table. She spared a glance at the animals, finding them surprisingly calm despite what she assumed they knew was happening, then slipped around the cottage and started on her way back to the library.

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