Chapters She felt the wind blow against her face, tousling her mane and tickling at her ears. In times past, this sweet and refreshing gale would have elicited a contented smile from the lips of Fluttershy, but today she did not feel like smiling. She felt something grasp at her foreleg and knew before she looked that it was Angel, wondering what was wrong.
What was wrong?
She was home, her sweet little cottage stood before her, the Everfree forest swaying lightly in the breeze just beyond the stream that graced her garden. It was spring and the bluebells were in full bloom, dashing up to meet the suns golden rays. Everything was perfect, just the way she remembered it. Just the way she remembered it?
Yes, things had changed in Ponyville. In fact, things had changed all over Equestria. How had it all happened?
Fluttershy could remember a time when things not only looked perfect, but they felt that way too. Of course there were small issues that arose from time to time, but nothing that the magic of friendship could not resolve. Friendship. That word had lost its meaning now. It used to be the special bond that held Fluttershy to her five dear friends in such an intimate way, and it didn’t stop there. It was as though Fluttershy and her friends were the stalwart trunk of a great oak, their friendship extending out from them to all the ponies around, a mist of harmony keeping them all together, one could almost say; alive.
But years passed and things, as they so often do, changed. A famine swept across the pony world leading nations to desperation. As the only realm where magic was still used to control nature, Princess Celestia’s kingdom remained prosperous, and this did not escape the notice of other ponies. With pleas for mercy the equines of Saddle Arabia, Prance and numerous other pony nations flocked to Equestria, seeking aid of the Princess. But Celestia was no longer the loving monarch she once was, and the price she put on her assistance proved too high. She demanded that ponykind submit themselves to her as their supreme ruler. In anger, the ponies turned to a different means of obtaining sustenance. East of Equestria lay the lands of Griffony and Dragonia, homes of the fearsome races which were the only likely contenders against the two pony Princesses.
In time, the ponies convinced the griffons and the dragons to rise up against Equestria and a battle raged on for a period of six years which nopony would ever forget. By the time the war had ended, Celestia stood victorious over a world almost entirely decimated. The famine continued and the fear and hatred that began as a result of the invasions did also. Equestria could not stand immune forever and eventually the ponies under Princess Celestia began to experience the pangs of rations and scarcity.
Fluttershy shuddered as all those years of pain and fear swept over her once more. Through all of it, she had tried so hard to keep a positive outlook, and to some extent she had succeeded. But she could not say the same for her friends. The hatred and mistrust of all things foreign had broken them down over time leading them to do horrible things that Fluttershy spent a great deal of energy suppressing. However, despite the fact that she knew her friends had changed, she could not bring herself to sever the link between them.
Well, that and…
In the distance she saw two of her friends trotting towards her, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie. Twilight was smiling, the corners of her mouth turned up in a soft and contented way, while Pinkie bounced behind her with a mischievous grin plastered across her face.
“Hey Fluttershy, what’s going on?” Twilight slowed her pace as she grew nearer.
“Oh, nothing much…”
“Pinkie and I were about to go and have a picnic when we thought that maybe you’d like to join us?”
“Uh-huh, the more the merrier!” Pinkie beamed.
Fluttershy’s heart leapt at the invitation and she was about to reply with a hearty ‘yes’ but she felt something niggling in the back of her mind that made her stop herself. “This is just a dream Fluttershy!” Fluttershy’s mind argued, “If you say yes, you’ll only be more disappointed when you wake up and realise how unlikely it is that you’ll ever spend time with your friends this way again….” She saw her friends still waiting expectantly for an answer and grinned sheepishly as her mind continued to mull, “but why should I deny myself even the joy of pretending I still have friends? It’s not fair… Why did everything have to change? Why can’t things be the way they were? Why?!”
Fluttershy’s heart won out, “Of course, I’d love too!”
As she trotted away with her friends who were busy recounting their mornings to her, she felt her mind ache with dread at the thought of the sorrow she would inevitably feel upon awaking.
******
Time passed effortlessly with her two friends. The three fillies lay spread out on a checkered picnic blanket relaxing under the warm sun, Fluttershy could still detect small bursts of flavor from the delicious dandelion sandwich she had just eaten. Pinkie giggled wildly as a butterfly landed capriciously on her snout.
“Fluttershy! What’s wrong, are you okay?”
Fluttershy turned her head away, “I-it’s nothing, I’m alright. R-really.”
“Fluttershy… You can tell us what’s wrong. We’re your friends…” Fluttershy looked up through her tears to focus on Twilight, her voice had been growing distant and muffled as she spoke, and despite the wateriness of her eyes, Fluttershy could see that the scene around her had begun to fade. At first, things fell away gradually, but the pace steadily increased. Within moments Fluttershy was alone in darkness, her tears falling into the deep void surrounding her.
Something moved in the dark nearby which caused Fluttershy to jump up in surprise. She searched frantically for somewhere to run as she felt something begin circling her tensed body. An evil laughter emanated from the darkness and she realized that it was not one, but three figures which advanced upon her, the shadows hiding their forms. She felt their hooves greedily snatch out towards her and she cowered away only to find herself in the grasp of another. Her breathing grew shallow and quick paced and she attempted to back away, only to find herself more confined with every step. Three pairs of hooves reached out to restrain her and her heart thumped madly against her chest. With a dizzy feeling she felt a rush of blood to her head and her chest constrict as she let out an almighty scream!
She was still screaming as she awoke, the bed sheets around her soaked in a warm and sticky sweat. Fluttershy leapt up, clutching her hooves around herself, closing her eyes tightly, so grateful that it had only been her imagination. She was fine. It hadn’t happened. She was safe…
Fluttershy felt her blood cool and her breathing settle as she opened her eyes again with a sigh of relief. All too soon the constricted feeling returned as Fluttershy took in her surroundings…
Where was she?
Author's Note
I made sure to upload a couple of chapters so you can see where I'm taking this.
This was not her house. She was in a room with no windows and a very dim light hanging overhead, the bed she was lying on was simple and plain, a dark timber bed head and blue bed sheets. The walls were a factory style brick that lay exposed between piles of books and documents of varying genres. There was the faint sound of music coming from the hallway outside the closed door opposite her.
Fluttershy pulled the sheets around herself trying to remember what had happened. The last part of her dream came to mind... Perhaps that had happened. No. She was certain it did happen, but something had stopped those colts from getting their hooves on her. She felt a shiver run down her spine.
******
It was past eleven when Fluttershy had received a summons from Celestia to report immediately to the Stone Tower, a prison in Fluttershy's district which, unbeknownst to most ponies save the ultra elite, held the 'troublesome Princess Luna captive.
The streets were unsurprisingly bare. Curfew had passed an hour ago and the streets were officially the domain of the Magic Colts. They were sworn in under Twilight as defenders of ponykind and keepers of the peace, but it was an in-disputed fact that most disturbances caused at night were directly linked to these so-called heroes. Fluttershy didn't think that she would need to worry under such circumstances, being on an errand for the Princess. But she forgot that unlike the other elements, she did not flaunt her position and her timidity had kept her out of the spotlight. At times this had been a blessing, but Fluttershy felt nothing but regret over it now.
They had approached her from a side alley, an evil glint in the ringleaders’ eye. The words they spoke had become a blur, drowned out by the absolute terror that Fluttershy felt. They circled her, and she tried unsuccessfully to escape them. In a final moment of desperation, Fluttershy fell to the ground clutching her hooves above her head as if to block them out merely by wishing it.
But they never did reach her.
A commanding voice snatched out at the miasmic scene surrounding Fluttershy. She didn’t catch the words it spoke but she noticed that it diverted her attackers attention.
"Who goes there? Show yourself!"
The voice laughed for a moment, a surprisingly lighthearted chuckle considering the situation. Perhaps he intended for his laugh to catch his opponents off guard for this was the effect that it had. Each of the Magic Colts gave a cautious side-glance to each other, and Fluttershy saw one of them begin to shake a little at his knees. In curiosity she too glanced up. In the shadows only a few feet away stood a pair of menacing red eyes, their whites were a dirty shade of yellow and spoke of a deep seated malice. Fluttershy felt that moment of safety slip away from her and took a deep gulp. She wasn't sure who should be more afraid of...
"My apologies, gentle colts..." the voice trilled playfully and they all gasped as a dark pony stepped forward from the shadows, his coat was charcoal and his mane a deep brown.
"Hands up scum bag!" Shouted one Magic Colt with a slight stammer; he raised a pistol up in the stallions direction.
The dark stallion only laughed again, this time he closed his eyes as he laughed, as though the hilarity of the situation was building. Fluttershy made as though she were about to move only to be pushed back down again by the Magic Colt standing nearest her. Her face hit the floor with a thud and she felt a trickle of blood run from her muzzle.
"I fear", the dark stallion growled as Fluttershy cried out in pain, his eyes narrowing," that you have just made a mistake that you will quickly regret, good sir."
In an instant the stallion produced a shining dagger that he hurled swiftly at the Magic Colt responsible for Fluttershy's injury. She did not see the rest of what happened for she fell upon her face again with a cry of terror and lay flat against the cold ground.
The Magic Colts fired their pistols off, round after round, but Fluttershy could hear them trembling and knew that they were unsuccessful as she heard two fall to the floor with stifled shouts, the sounds of a blade making a quick and deep incision before being pulled back ruthlessly echoing through the night.
"Please no! Don't kill me! I didn't want to hurt anyone! H-honestly..." She heard the last colt backing up against the side of the alley as he begged for his life to no avail. With a single slit his pathetic existence wiped out along with his comrades.
Fluttershy did not dare to lift her eyes. She was shaking uncontrollably as she sensed the dark stallions hoof steps approach. As he came closer, Fluttershy whimpered almost noiselessly and continued to tremor. A steady hoof fell upon her left shoulder, stopping her trembling in an instant. His hoof felt so soft against her coat, almost as if it were padded...
"You have nothing to fear any longer. You are quite safe, mademoiselle!" The stallion uttered dramatically.
Fluttershy lifted her head cautiously and caught the stallions eyes. They seemed to smile for an instant and then went oddly misty, as though the stallion were recalling some sad memory. He quickly turned his head away and made to leave.
Fluttershy sat dumbfounded. Was that it? He really just came in to save her from the Magic Colts and was going to leave? Perhaps her hopes were to be realised! Perhaps kindness still existed in the hearts of ponies!
"Wait!" She cried out suddenly, not knowing where that cry had come from.
The stallion stopped in his noiseless tracks and turned back to her, his eyes filled with curiosity, despite the fact his face remained unchanged. His eyes... Something seemed so familiar about them...
"W-who are you?" Fluttershy asked nervously, again, she didn’t know where her voice was coming from, but something in her heart drew her to those eyes. Where had she seen them?
As she asked him this, the stallion seemed to relax a little, although Fluttershy could not fathom why he would be tense around her. "Who am I?" He repeated, chuckling playfully again. "I believe you meant to truly ask what am I?" Fluttershy did not understand this and her confused look made him step closer to her as if in answer to her query. She now saw why his hoof had felt so soft against her shoulder and why his face had not changed expression. His charcoal fur was not a coat at all, but rather a suit, which lined his whole body, this only became apparent as she saw the way it ill fitted his mouth so that it barely moved as he spoke.
He laughed again as he saw her eyes widen. "Yes, I'm afraid there is not much use in asking a stallion who is masked as to the nature of his identity. If I had wanted ponies to know, would I not have simply worn my own skin?"
Fluttershy tried to grin a little at this, but it was awfully strained.
"What I am is perhaps much easier to reveal...” the stallion continued jovially, he paced back a step again. "I fear we live in times when to have an ideal is tantamount to suicide, that is of course, if you are idiotic enough to couple that ideal to your true self. Your identity." He clarified glancing sidelong at Fluttershy, "so that is why I have chosen to disassociate myself from who I am and become that which I would have the world be... Do you not agree that our world needs change?" He raised his voice at this question, which made Fluttershy flinch. She knew that at every turn a microphone listened in on what was being spoken at any given time, and such a question was considered utterly radical.
The stallion noticed her flinch and his gaze settled upon her curiously. "No, I don't suppose I could expect an answer to that." He whispered with a pause. Fluttershy caught a nasty glint in his eye as he spoke his next words proudly, carefully annunciating each syllable, "particularly not from the element of kindness herself, eh, Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy bolted up, her pupils dilating as she felt the most terrible urge to pounce upon this masked stallion. Did he realise what he had just done?
He didn’t seem to care, "Why do you look so frightened Fluttershy? Because of Celestia!? Because of what she might do to you?!" His voice grew shrill and wrathful as he spoke her name. "Damnation upon that disastrous despot, devoid of all devotion and diaphanous to all. It is well past the day when I was due to denounce her disgusting diatheses and diatribe the dictum of a nation determined to remain dyspeptic!
Fluttershy felt dazed at his outburst and a little lightheaded. All that he had said was true. Celestia was a terrible ruler, and harmony had not reigned in Equestria for so long... But did that excuse speech like that? Murder? Anarchy?
Fluttershy paled and went weak at the knees but the stallion moved forward swiftly and caught her in his hooves. Her eyelids twitched open after a few seconds and she gazed at him drowsily. Her mouth moved as though she were about to speak, but no words came.
"You may call me D." The stallion said after a moment. D helped Fluttershy to her hooves gently, holding her upright while she checked her balance. In the distance, the sound of hooves could be heard galloping towards them. A siren burst out through the silence of the night. " It was only a matter of time," D sighed with annoyance. He glanced at Fluttershy who was still looking slightly dazed. "You had best come with me, my dear."
Commander Rainbow Dash trotted heavily along the narrow hall. Her head was lowered and from time to time she gave off a grunt or a snort.
Whiskey Malone saw her tail twitch. He took a deep breath and stood at attention.
"Commander Dash, permission to speak."
Rainbow Dash paused and snorted again as she regarded the Corporal wryly. "Permission granted..."
Whiskey cleared his throat, a curl from his salt and pepper mane falling loose across his eye causing him to tremble. Commander Dash was not a pony to be trifled with and she demanded strict discipline amongst her ranks. Whiskey licked his lips hesitantly and decided to ignore the curl. "I have just received news regarding Mistress Fluttershy..."
"Well?! Where is the pathetic Pegasus?" Rainbow shouted cutting Whiskey off and causing his knees to knock.
"Um... It seems, Commander," Whiskey licked his lips again, "that Fluttershy was involved in a disturbance this evening..."
"A disturbance?" Rainbow Dash sniggered and gave Corporal Whiskey a nasty grin. "Are you playing me for an idiot, Corporal?"
Whiskey felt a sweat form on his brow. "No, Commander, never! I only..."
"I know Fluttershy, Corporal. Fluttershy does not get involved in disturbances of any kind." Rainbow Dash stared down the nervous Corporal. "Why, that pathetic pony is afraid of her own shadow!" Rainbow Dash scoffed at Whiskey and felt a surge of satisfaction from the uncomfortable look on his face.
Whiskey opened his mouth to speak, but did not know how to go about continuing his report. Commander Dash grinned at him from across the room. The dim lighting above glinted across the medals on her breast pocket, reinforcing her superiority. It was as though the medals themselves were mocking him. Whiskey swallowed hard and pulled himself straight again. Staring off into the distance, he spoke as if reciting a drill, "Mistress Fluttershy was overheard consorting with a radical this evening after she assisted him in the killing of three Magic Colts, Ma'am."
"Impossible! Fluttershy is a leading member of The Party. She's the element of kindness not some... Terrorist!" Rainbow stepped towards Corporal Whiskey and glared at him. "Don't you ever come to me again with false reports! Princess Luna must be bought under control and Fluttershy is essential to taming her! Just because you colts can't be bothered looking for her properly, does NOT give you license to make up lies concerning Party members! No matter how pathetic they may be! Harmony is all we have and it is OUR job to make sure that doesn't change! UNDERSTOOD?"
Whiskey had arched his back in an attempt to protect himself from Commander Dash's wrath. His bottom lip had curled under his top row of teeth and his body shook as he nodded half heartedly, attempting to stand erect once more. "Y-yes, Commander..." He raised a hoof to his head and gave an irresolute salute.
Commander Dash continued to scrutinise him. "You must think I'm pretty stupid to even TRY to bring me that half baked rubbish!"
"No, Commander Dash, I swear. I was only reporting what I was told..."
Rainbow Dash leaned back and smiled evilly. "Ah, so now we are blaming other ponies are we, Corporal?"
Whiskey shuddered. "Commander, please! I would never..."
"YOU JUST DID, CORPORAL!" Whiskey jumped as her voice nearly buffeted him away. "And that means you lied to me again!" Rainbow Dash grinned again, her eyes narrowing on Whiskey. "Perhaps you need a lesson in honesty?"
"NO! Please, Commander Dash, I promise you I never meant..."
"QUIET!" Rainbow Dash raised her hoof and swiftly brought it down against Whiskey Malone's cheek, twisting his head down to his right shoulder with a loud slap. He immediately ceased shuddering and bit his lip to hold back a tear. "No more excuses! I don't care what you have to do to find her, just make sure she's here within the hour. Otherwise..." Rainbow grinned again as Whiskey's eyes widened. He nodded solemnly not needing to be told further of the consequences should the Loyalty Guard fail their Commander.
"NOW GO!"
********
Fluttershy could never recall a time when she had moved so quickly. Behind her, she could still make out the sound of the alarms ringing as a pack of Magic Colts arrived at the scene they were fleeing. Her mind was a blur of panic as she dumbly followed D who strode out ahead of her effortlessly.
She couldn't help but be amazed that she was actually following this stallion. After all, he had just murdered three ponies without a moments hesitation. Who was to say that she was any safer in his company than back there with the Magic Colts. Surely Twilight would look after her should she fall under their custody.
They had stopped, and Fluttershy was grateful. Her heart was thumping madly, so that she felt quite dizzy,and it had very little to do with her recent physical exertion. Fluttershy became acutely aware that her life may have just changed forever, and the shock of that was not likely to wear off soon.
"... , Fluttershy?"
"Wh-what?" She shook her head in an effort to shake off the dazed feeling she had.
"Do you like fireworks, Fluttershy?" D asked again, his voice calm.
"Wonderful!" D exclaimed, grabbing her hoof again and pulling her along once more.
It took her a few moments to recognise where they were. The Ponyville station was not what it once was, much like the rest of Equestria. The station had been expanded somewhat during the war, but since then it had not been very well maintained. A tiled facade showed obvious signs of wear and tear, several tiles missing while almost all the rest had been either chipped or cracked. The original timber slats were stained and beginning to buckle. A large graffiti image of Celestia grimacing could still be made out against the side wall, the offenders had of course been jailed the day after and would likely never be seen again. A crew of cleaners had been hard at work on it during the day, but the paint was evidently quite strong.
Fluttershy followed D up to the platform. It was completely bare save three long steel benches and a swinging lamp hanging from the roof. On the centre of the inside wall was a poster encased in enchanted glass. It had a picture of two hooves intertwined at its centre, one blue, the other red. At the top of the image in bold lettering was the word 'HARMONY'. Beneath the hooves in smaller letters was the words 'IS STRENGTH'. Above this poster was a painted sign that contained the slogan of Celestia's new Equestria, which by law, had to be at every public establishment. It read; 'Strength in Harmony, Harmony in Obedience.'
Fluttershy grimaced as she read the poster and its counterpart sign. The repetition of these lines was relentless. And every time they were seen, it seemed only to remind Equestria's subjects of how false those words had become.
"ALL ABOARD THE FRIENDSHIP EXPRESS!" D chuckled heartily again after uttering the station masters words. Fluttershy jumped in alarm at the sound of his voice.
"Are you nuts? If you wanted to hand yourself over to the Magic Colts, you should have done it back there!" She hissed.
"Friendship," D said, unperturbed by her outburst. "is a magical thing. Friendship is synonymous with harmony. The state of being in mutual trust, of different pieces making a whole. And harmony.. Is strength. Do you agree?"
Fluttershy was flabbergasted. Who was this stallion? Had she just lost her life, everything she knew, at the hands of a mad pony?
D grew impatient of waiting. He was growing theatrical again, he began to pace agitatedly. "After all, that's what the posters say. The neon signs never lie. No, they light up truth, where books and speeches spread lies. What do honest hearted ponies know that catchy slogans don't?" D paused for emphasis, looking Fluttershy in the eye. "Strength in harmony, harmony in obedience!" He declared proudly.
Fluttershy watched him silently.
D turned as if to make an address to a vast audience, who weren't there. "Ahem! Ladies and gentle colts! Our society is founded upon a firm set of values. These values guide us through our day to day lives and maintain our societies high brand of morality and ethics. To be great ponies, we remember the importance of tolerance, respect and beneficence. But above all else, that which we esteem most, that which we treasure above all else, are our friendships. Friendships are the greatest gift we have. When we are friends, we do not need to be told to respect each other, give freely to and love each other. These things come naturally to friends. This is why friendships are solid, and form a strong foundation for our world."
"This train, is a symbol of that friendship we esteem amongst ponies. It is the thread linking the Equestrian states, though they be miles apart. This train means that when our loved ones live in another city, we can always be sure that our bond will remain strong because despite the distance between us, THIS train represents the eternal link that we will share. THIS train, assures us that we are never really far apart... "
Fluttershy had been listening warily to this speech when she suddenly gasped. A train was pulling out of the holding sheds and making its way towards the platform. The light from its face nearly blinded her as it began to slowly gain speed. But D, as before, remained unperturbed. Instead of pausing in his oratory, he merely raised his voice another several decibels higher.
"THIS train IS a direct symbol of our strength through harmony. Without this train, we are nothing. We are islands, separated by vast and in-traversable oceans! We are weak. We are broken. We are no longer harmonized. We are a cacophony of imbeciles!"
The train broke out into full speed and tooted loudly as it rushed past the station, tangling Fluttershy's hair across her eyes. She quickly began tugging at it, a growing anxiety building in her as Discord concluded.
"LADIES AND GENTLECOLTS! WITHOUT THIS TRAIN, HARMONY IS WEAKNESS!"
As he shouted his final lines, a loud cracking could be heard as within moments a giant burst came from the centre of the Friendship Express, bursting the sides of the central carriage. Two beams of purple shot up into the air and burst above into circles of colour. The train crackled loudly again as fire began to consume the carriages from the inside, more fireworks blasting out into the night sky.
The noise was deafening and within moments sirens were heard ringing out through Ponyville for the second time that night. Fluttershy was stunned, she felt her whole body grow numb and stiffen. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw D laughing hysterically, holding his sides in glee.
"I hope you liked the show!" He shouted merrily bounding up to her.
Fluttershy felt her jaw drop as all she could do was stare at him in disbelief. What had just happened? What was about to happen?
Fluttershy felt her knees begin to buckle and she prepared to curl up on the ground right there and begin begging for forgiveness now. But D suddenly squeezed her shoulder bringing her back to reality once more.
"Time to go again I'm afraid..."
Author's Note
Whiskey Malone is my friends OC, I promised he could get a special appearance in exchange for editing.
As I've already written the next chapter, it'll be up soon, just tweaking it a little ^.^
Nothing beyond that explosion was clear to Fluttershy. Somehow she had ended up here though. Wherever here even was...
The room was too comfortable to be a prison. So, she must have escaped being captured. But she found nothing familiar in her surroundings either. This must have been D's home.
D. That was what he had told her to call him, but that didn't make it any more of a name.
At first, Fluttershy had been equally as afraid of him as she had been of the Magic Colts that confronted her in the alley. But, as her fear had given way to wariness, she had played with the idea that this stallion could perhaps be trusted, could perhaps be good. But after the incident at the station, Fluttershy was more certain that he was mad than anything else.
The friendship express held many fond memories for Fluttershy. She sighed a little as the memories returned to her. She had lost so much... And yesterday, what little she had left had evidently been taken as well. Her freedom was gone. How long would it take before she was dragged away to; God only knows where! Doubtless, at this very moment, Loyalty Guards and Magic Colts where working side by side to track down Fluttershy and this elusive D.
D. Who was he? Something about his voice... Those eyes... Why did he remind her of some pony? Was it possible that she knew him?
Fluttershy felt a wave of bitterness sweep over her as she contemplated all these things. Whoever D was, she was not going to let him push her around like every pony else. Anger flooded Fluttershy's mind. Everything she had was gone? Then there was nothing left to lose. She had been pushed around for far too long! It was time to face up to this world before it consumed her. She would have one last stand!
Fluttershy felt her chest, which had been rapidly rising and falling as these thoughts coursed through her, begin to settle. She sighed again, this time exasperatedly. Who was she kidding? She would never have that sort of courage. She would disappear, perhaps within hours of this moment, and no pony would notice. Would her 'friends' notice? Would they care?
A tear ran down her cheek as she realised a startling truth. While Fluttershy had always known it deep down, there are some realities we daren't admit to ourselves at most times. Now, however, there was no hiding from the simple fact; she was entirely alone.
********
Commander Dash felt a wave of trepidation as she entered the room, a feeling she would never normally admit too. But, an audience with Princess Twilight Sparkle was no ordinary event, and no normal pony would ever feel comfortable with such a prospect.
The room was long and relatively narrow. Right at the opposite end to the entrance stood a wide desk which was elegant in style and showed signs of meticulous order. The walls were lined with bookshelves parallel to each other on the left and right of the desk, and behind the Princesses chair stood three imposing glass windows with lead designs snaked into their topmost frames.
Twilight was deep in conversation with another pony whom Rainbow Dash did not at first recognise. Applejack was not usually dressed so neatly, in a black suit which matched Twilights, and her hair pulled back from her face so that her features were not hidden behind her blonde masses of mane.
The two ponies paused their conversation and regarded Rainbow with some suspicion at first. Twilight's hair was cut shorter now so that it swung back and forth around her chin for a moment before stilling itself again. The coldness of her purple gaze caused Rainbow Dash to gulp before bravely steeping forward.
"I apologise for this interruption, your majesty. But, a situation has been brought to light which I feel you should know about..." Rainbow Dash bowed her head slightly as she speak so as to seem reverential, Twilight responded well to grovelling, and while it panged Rainbows ego, it never hurt to stay in the Princesses good books.
Twilight's sole reaction was a complacent blink. Rainbow Dash wondered if she should go on, but suddenly, as if from nowhere, Twilight said dully; "If, Rainbow Dash, you are referring to the incident at the station in Ponyville, then I assure you, I am already well informed."
Rainbow didnt quite know how to respond. Her jaw lowered and betrayed her inner conflict causing Applejack to snigger from her position at Twilights side. The Princess herself, remained emotionless.
"My Magic Colts may not be the most honest officers of the empire, but they are very thorough in relaying information to me."
"So what do we do about Fluttershy?" Rainbow blurted, immediately regretting it as she saw Twilights eyes narrow on her.
There was an uncomfortable pause which made Rainbow start to suddenly feel the tightness of her crisp white shirt beneath her commanders jacket. She tugged a little at her collar to relieve the pressure when Twilight finally responded.
"What does Fluttershy have to do with any of this?" Her voice took on a measuredly curious tone.
"But I thought?" Rainbows eyes darted between Applejack and Twilight for a moment as she gathered herself. "Well, you see your highness, the incident at the station was proceeded by a killing of three of your officers..." Twilight nodded, "which you of course already knew. And it seems, whoever the stallion was that is responsible for these killings, after the murder he was heard discussing radical political thoughts with a mare he clearly identified as Fluttershy..." Twilights eyes widened a little, "and video we have just received from the stations security cameras reveal that Fluttershy was again present when the same stallion detonated the Friendship Express 30 minutes after the incident with the Magic Colts." Rainbow Dash hesitantly stepped closer towards the desk and held out a file.
Twilight wasted no time in grasping it with her aura and removing the contents which she eagerly scrutinised. Applejack was also clearly interested as she tried to subtly peer over Twilights shoulder at what Rainbow had brought with her.
The papers dropped to the desk. And Rainbow held her breath as she awaited a response.
The Princess had however returned to her original stony composure. "I thank you for bringing this to light as quickly as you have done, Rainbow Dash. It is evident that the element of Kindness can no longer be trusted and we must therefore put out for an immediate capture of her before she is involved in any more terrorist activities."
"Applejack, you will of course appropriately organise a broadcast of this disturbing news to the public, making them aware of the urgent need for her arrest, as well as the heinous nature of the explosion of an Equestrian landmark and the murder of three honourable heroes of our nation. Pinkie Pie should have a speech prepared to offer in memory of the Friendship Express and the inauguration of an impending new railway. It must be stressed that we are turning this disaster into an opportunity to create more work and combat our low, but none the less existent, unemployment rates."
Applejack nodded firmly and took down a detailed list of notes as Twilight dictated. Rainbow Dash grinned as Twilight denied unemployment in Equestria. No matter how big a problem was, the Empire always maintained their policy of denial until ponies become too tired of fighting against the lies and accept whatever they are told as truth.
"What about this stallion?" Rainbow Dash asked, breaking the silence.
Both ponies glanced at her again as they had when she entered the room.
"They are both fugitives now, whoever he is beneath that disguise, Fluttershy will be with him. They have bound themselves together now, for better or for worse." The corners of Twilights lips curled upwards into a nasty smile. She quickly corrected herself and returned again to being expressionless. "How is Princess Luna?"
"She's had another turn, I had hoped that Fluttershy could soothe her, but it seems that the Princess won out on her own."
Twilight nodded blankly. "Ladies, you will have to excuse me, I must speak with Celestia."
Twilight ushered the two ponies away from her, each bowing in their turn as Twilight called out for her secretary to take down a letter.
Once outside the room, Rainbow Dash looked towards Applejack, "What happens when we lose an element?"
Applejack looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and giving Rainbow Dash a complacent glance, "we find another one."
"Can we do that?"
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Not the brightest apple of the bunch are ya?"
Rainbow grimaced at Applejack. "Excuse me? This coming from a country pony." She snorted proudly.
Applejacks eyes narrowed, "I'll try to forget you said that. No need for us to lose two elements in one day..."
Before Rainbow Dash could respond, Applejack had stalked away, her hoof steps even and calm.
What did she mean about losing elements? If anyone knew what was going on here it was Applejack. Next to Twilight, Applejack, who headed the empires propaganda, was best informed. She controlled a team of earth ponies who kept tabs on all activity everywhere.
Rainbow Dash shook her head. She had learned long ago that questions now, were generally best not asked. This was out of her jurisdiction anyway. Her job was solely to stand by at the ready to handle invaders, and protect the royal sisters. Whatever happened to Fluttershy, she would have to get it out of her mind. There was only one way that things went anymore. Celestia's way.
*********
Her hooves flew to her mouth, trying to pull back the scream she had just released. But it was too late, it echoed off the high ceilings of the empty foyer she stood in and off into the rooms beyond.
Fluttershy had left her room only to be confronted by a huge menacing face. Only now as she looked at it more closely did she realise that this was no face, but a tribal Zebra mask. The room contained various others hanging from different parts of the high ceiling. A set of Griffin hunting spears lay in a cross on the centre wall to her left. Everything on the base of the room was black, even its carpet, but it was so heavily adorned in paintings of various scenes, like the lament of Celestia over The mare in the moon, sculptures of changelings caught between transformations, fine pieces of ancient pegasi furniture, and most curious of all, in the very middle of the room in a large vase covered in intricate designs which Fluttershy didn't recognise as belonging to any culture she knew, was a mass of small blue flowers which tainted the air surrounding them with a misty blue aura; it was anything but dull.
Fluttershy stopped staring so intensely at the jarring mixture of colours and designs which spattered the room when she realised she was not alone. By a door on the far left stood a tall wooden chair which was carved so as to resemble the natural knots and twists of a tree and it contained the ever mysterious and unreadable D.
She took a step back feeling suddenly very vulnerable again.
"You are likely very confused as to how you got here." D said abruptly. "I'm afraid I cannot have the location of my Chaos Gallery found out, therefore it was necessary to drug you while you slept."
Chaos? That was a word Fluttershy had not heard for quite some time. It made her ears flicker momentarily as she recalled a friend she had had before the war...
"Who are you?"
"Perhaps you remember less than I anticipated..."
D said nothing. Perhaps he was shocked that Fluttershy had cut him off. Perhaps he was merely annoyed. Nothing was evident from his motionless mask.
"I think I have a right to know." Fluttershy tried to sound confident, but at best, it came across with uncertainty.
"And why is that?"
Fluttershy felt that flood of anger spread through her again. "Why?" She stared at him in shock. As he didnt respond, she continued, "you may not realise it but what you did last night broke every law in this country! And you didn't do it alone! No! You implicated me in all of it! I have nothing left because of you!" Fluttershy gasped as she felt a tear form in her eye. She didnt want to cry in front of him, but it seemed she would have no choice.
"I am responsible for taking everything you had?" He sounded genuinely puzzled.
"Well... Well..." Fluttershy felt her anger rise again, "YES! Of course you are!"
"Come now Fluttershy. You're life was a shadow of what it once was, and those changes happened long before I came on the scene." D watched her process what he said. "Why is it that you submitted when it was Celestia who took everything, and yet you punish me when all I did was to break the already weathered tie you had with this world. You should thank me."
Fluttershy's eyes narrowed on the complacent stallion before her. "How dare you! It was never Celestia who intended for the war to happen! No one can be blamed for those losses, every pony lost things after that! But... But you took the last thing I had! You took my freedom!"
D chuckled again as he had last night and to Fluttershy's horror, he began to clap. "Marvellous! You're very spirited once you get going. And my, what a devout little follower you are!" D stopped clapping and laughing and became very stern. "But you are quite wrong. About both things." He added. "Celestia did intend for that war to happen, in fact, she planned it out with meticulous care. And when the war came, not only did she take your freedom, but every pony else's too."
Fluttershy shook her head in disbelief. "What are you saying!? Are you completely mad? Why would Celestia have caused a famine? We nearly lost the war! That doesn't make any sense! She loved us!"
"Loved?"
She paused, her chest was heaving. "Yes, she.. She still loves us, but she loved us then too..."
D slowly shook his head from side to side. "Tsk, tsk, and you were doing so well." He stood up then and walked a calmly towards her. "Face it Fluttershy, you don't believe in the empire. You know that what I'm saying is the truth. Once you accept that, you'll be freer than you've been in years."
She gazed up at the masked stallion before her. "I-I-I...." Her breathing became shallow and rapid. "I can't. You don't understand..."
Without warning he reached out and grasped her shoulders. "I do. You're afraid. But you don't have to be anymore."
Fluttershy felt her heart beat grow steadier. It was as though his touch had a calming effect on her. His touch was firm, and she felt certain that he might crush her in a moment, but simultaneously she felt sure that he wouldn't. She bought her eyes up to look into his. His gaze was steady. In that instant she felt sure she could trust him and he seemed to sense this, for he let go of her and said, "it will take time, but you will see, Celestia cannot hurt you anymore now. You said I had taken your freedom, but actually, I have given you leave of her hurtful world and the hold it had on you."
Everything he had said was true. But, Celestia had rewritten history and made it so that her revisionist ways were the only truths any pony had known. Fluttershy had learned years earlier from Twilight that Celestia was causing the droughts through her powers over the sun. The famine was a way of bringing others to her feet, begging for mercy. If only they had submitted to her rulership it might have ended sooner, but their pride stopped them and intensified the sufferings until it was out of even Celestia's control.
But the lies were so deeply ingrained, the fear so strong. Fluttershy was conscious of her brain demanding that she deny D's version, despite its being sure of his truths, to accept them was tantamount to suicide.
"I just can't." She uttered feebly. Her eyes swelled with tears. "I wish I could but... I'm not brave enough."
D laughed. "I'm hiding behind a mask. What's brave about that?"
Fluttershy wanted to laugh as well, and a smile did play upon her lips, but the tears continued to flow, albeit more gently now. She wiped her muzzle with her hoof. "Why did you save me?" She finally asked.
D seemed to ponder his answer a little too long. "You were in danger." He said simply.
Fluttershy gave him a scrutinising glare. "You mean to tell me you rescue every pony the Magic Colts assault?"
"Only the pretty ones." D laughed loudly but seeing she was not amused he coughed a little and stopped. He regarded her briefly before sighing. "There's no point in lying to you. I of course know who you are. And as such, I am aware that unlike the other elements, you have not so easily pushed aside your goodness for the false security Celestia offers."
"I cannot hide that I intend to destroy both Celestia and her nasty empire. And I believe that you may be of great help to me." D saw her gape at him in utter confusion. “Perhaps that is difficult for you to understand. Allow me to elaborate…”
Author's Note
Please tell me if you spot any mistakes!
