Can I... uhm... eat your brain?

by Fonypan

Rating: teen
Tags: Random, Slice of Life, Zecora, Main 6, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Fluttershy
Length: 5691

Fluttershy has come down with an illness, can she find a cure before its to late for her?

What to do when a kindness takes the opposite turn? That is the situation of our pegasus mare, Fluttershy, who came in contact with a stallion that bears an illness. Unable to bring herself to ask for help at the expense of others joy.

Written for One shotober.
Co-written by: Swiftnicity and Fonypan.
Proofread by: Fimbulvinter
Backspace119 also helped.

Published 2013-10-27 21:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-10-27 21:20:02 UTC

Trick or treat?

It was a nice autumn day and Nightmare Night was only few hours away. Fluttershy was not entirely fond of the holiday however; all those scary costumes and loud party games made her worried, so she decided to try to look for some things to keep the foals, fillies and colts away from her house. She even went so far as to set up signs that say, “Sorry, no candy here.” all around her yard.

As Celestia’s bright sun was beginning to set, Fluttershy was making her last rounds to all of her animal friends before she would go to bed. She had already checked on all her chickens and birds, but some of the others were taking a little longer than expected. Heading out to check on the cave that housed her bats, she thought she heard something rustling around in a bush near the chicken coop, but she didn’t see anything in the lengthening shadows. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that somepony was watching her.

The bat cave was easy enough to check and within a few minutes, Fluttershy had ticked off all of her bats and was ready to head back to her cottage where she would spend the rest of the night alone, not counting Angel Bunny. As she passed the chicken coop again something caught her attention. Out of the corner of her eye, something moved. She turned her head towards the movement, but nothing stood out, just the trees of the Everfree Forest that bordered her property. Fluttershy was just about to chalk it up to nerves when she finally spotted something.

There was a dark figure near the edge of the Everfree Forest that clearly was not another tree.

It moved again, this time her eyes managed to focus on the shadow. She took a few steps closer and could see it was shaped like a pony, a stallion, to be precise. “Uhm... hello?” Fluttershy called to the slow moving stallion. She froze as it came into clear view, revealing a variety of open wounds and clear bite marks across his body. Red matter coated the stallion’s mouth and front hooves, and Fluttershy wrinkled her nose at the foul stench reeking from his body. “D-do you n-need help? That doesn't l-look to good? In fact,” she paused, taking in the dreadful sight, “it looks really bad” she muttered to him as she slowly stepped closer.

“Urrghhhh...” the slow stallion groaned, most likely due to the pain of the wounds.

“Uhm... sorry, I didn't quite catch that...” Fluttershy stated as she crept closer still.

“...Hhhaaaiinnss...” the stallion replied as it slowly turned around to face the pegasus.

“Uhm... I-I don’t under-” Fluttershy’s words were cut off as she looked into the stallion’s very dead and soulless eyes. Her mouth refused to form any coherent form of speech as the cold, dead eyes focused on nothing, their milky white glaze showing plainly in the moonlight.

“...Braaaiiinnnsss...” repeated the stallion, increasing its speed as it sensed Fluttershy’s living flesh.

“I... think I-I should leave you be- AHH!” she screamed as the stallion leapt for her. She fell backwards as the stallion’s jaw snapped just inches away from her legs. She quickly tried to regain her footing, but was stopped by the dense leaf cover on the ground. The stallion leapt again, this time successfully clamping his maw on her rear left leg. The stallion began to drag the poor pegasus into the forest. Fluttershy dug what free hooves she had into the ground in a failing attempt to escape. “P-Please! Let me go! I-I won’t tell anypony!” her wings clamped tight to her side frozen from sheer terror as she begged for her life.

The stallion completely ignored her pleas for her life as he dragged his next meal into the dark forest. As he dragged her with his mouth clamped tight on her leg, he tripped on a root and stumbled down a small cliff, taking the terrified pegasus with him. The two rolled down the embankment, one still clamped firmly to the other’s leg. Fluttershy landed on top of her aggressor, and his neck gave a loud CRACK as her leg forced it into an odd angle. He lost his grip on her leg, and Fluttershy did not waste a second to quickly climb up the steep drop, heading as quickly as she could for her home.

“OHMYGOSH!!!OHMYGOSH!!!OHMYGOSH!!!” Fluttershy was at a full sprint as she slammed her back door open then slammed it shut as she slipped inside. Adrenaline was pumping through her body and heightening her senses. She had never been attacked like that before. As soon as she was inside she began running around locking windows and closing curtains. The bite on her leg was starting to burn and the skin around it itched like ants were crawling under her fur.

A ballistic carrot flew across the room and nailed Fluttershy right in the side of her muzzle. “GAH! What was that?!” She screeched and spun around to see Angel Bunny standing on her couch, thumping his foot rapidly with impatience for his owner’s antics. “Oh Angel!” she cried as she darted across the room and, to Angel’s dismay, she tackled him and held him in a deadly embrace, “Oh Angel! I was so scared! I thought I was going to die!” Angel looked at her with a face that read, What, again? as his owner nearly hugged him to death.

Fluttershy let go just before Angel passed out from asphyxiation, then ran to her bathroom, “I’ve got to wash this out before it gets infected” Fluttershy yelled as she dashed over to the tub to turn on the water. After waiting for it to fill partially, she eased herself into the warm embrace of her bath and she began to tend to her wound. All her years of treating animals’ injuries had left her with enough knowledge to handle a simple avulsion.

She eagerly scrubbed around the wound with a washcloth, pouring some hydrogen peroxide in the wound. She fought through the pain as she agitated the sizable tear in her leg’s skin, wincing as the cloth drug against the raw nerves. Soon she noticed her chest began to feel odd almost like a numb sensation, the coat on her chest began to fade to a dull grey yellow quite quickly. As she watched in curiosity, her skin began to dry rapidly. In a mild panic, she began to pour water on her chest to moisten the fur and hide.

The skin on her chest began to crack and flake, almost like it was rejecting the life giving water. Small pieces began to fall away, as she dabbed her chest with the washcloth. Withdrawing the washcloth, Fluttershy could see her own ribs exposed and white. For a moment she remained calm in morbid fascination, getting a first hoof look at her own internal organs. Suddenly, as she gained full realization of what was happening, she shrieked and kicked the knob to turn off the water so hard she nearly broke it. Fluttershy ran out of the bathroom trying to escape her own body, her eyes glued to her chest in disbelief as she stumbled out of the bathroom tripping and tumbling down the stairs.

She lay on the floor of her living room for a moment in a daze as she tried to comprehend what had just occurred. Before she could fully work through the preceding moment’s panic, there was a knock on her door Oh no. “Just a second!” she squeaked and ran back up to her bedroom to quickly throw on a shirt to cover her exposed ribs. The shirt was a red and black flannel work shirt. She cracked the door open and a cyan pegasus greeted her, “Oh, Rainbow Dash, what brings you here?”

“I was just checking- whoa nice costume!” her train of thought abruptly halted as she took in the site of her yellow friend. “Did Rarity help you with that?” the lithe mare extended her hoof to poke at her curiously.

“O-Oh, no Dash. I-I made it myself, I guess,” Fluttershy stretched her hoof to brush her away, but it fell off landing on the doorstep with a sickening thud. Both ponies stopped to stare at the stump that was Fluttershy’s wrist, the exposed flesh already decayed and rotten.

“Whoa, that’s,” Rainbow Dash paused, “something alright,” and reached to pick up the detached hoof. It twitched and slapped Dash on the end of her muzzle. “Ack, hey! What’s the deal with that?”

“I-I’m sorry Rainbow. I’ll try to be more careful,” she squeaked. Fluttershy reached forward with her open wrist and her hoof reattached with a loud click as the bones snapped back into their proper place.

“Yeah... anyway, can you guess what I’m going as this year?” Dash asked as she gave a twirl to give Fluttershy a good look.

“Uhm... you look like a Wonderbolt”, noted the timid pegasus.

“Wrong! I’m a Shadowbolt!” cheered Rainbow, oblivious to Fluttershy’s state of decay. “So, you ready to go trick-or-treating?”

“Uhm... not really...I was planning on-” she tried to argue as Rainbow interrupted her.

“Great! Let’s go!” Dash dragged her out by her tail into the nice cool evening air. Thick strands of hair fell out as Dash pulled, leaving her rump looking ragged.

“W-wait, wh-where are we going?” She asked, as she tried to regain her footing.

“Isn’t much of a treat without friends to go with!” Dash exclaimed, dragging Fluttershy to Sugarcube Corner. Fluttershy tried to form a response as she was drug, but was unable to do so until it was too late.

“W-wait! B-but- I-” Fluttershy stuttered as Rainbow Dash set Fluttershy down, in front of the door of the famous sweet shop.

As the doorbell rang the two pegasi were immediately consumed by a pink whirlwind, and yanked into the familiar sweets shop. They felt themselves being pulled down a flight of stairs into complete darkness. Ropes were roughly thrown over them as they were forced to sit. As Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy’s eyes were able to focus on their surroundings, they both found themselves tied to tables in the basement of the shop.

“Muwa ha ha ha!” Pinkie laughed menacingly while she twirled her dastardly mustache with a hoof. “You’ll never make it out of here alive!”

“No! I’m gonna miss all the free candy!”, the cyan pegasus screamed in genuine fear.

“W-what’s h-happening?” the yellow pegasus trembled as she began to pull at her restraints, “Pinkie what do you mean we won't get out alive?”

“She’s going to make us into cupcakes...”, Rainbow stated flatly, “…just like she tried to do to me last year…”

“Awe... no fair... you gave away the trick...” Pinkie plopped down with a humph.

“W-wait you mean she really is going to kill us then cut us up into meat and make us into baked goods?” Fluttershy asked as she began to pull harder at her bonds. The ropes cut into her skin, leaving ugly open wounds along her legs.

“What? Oh no no no... I hide you down here for the night and give out cupcakes that have frosting colored to look like you two and then ponies freak out because they haven’t seen you all night,” Pinkie stated matter-of-factually as she untied Fluttershy then Rainbow Dash, “Where’d you get the idea I was actually going to hurt two of my best friends for a prank?”

“Yeah...” Dash stated as she rubbed where the bonds held her in place, “And we get to miss out on all the candy.”

“O-oh... that’s okay, I don’t like candy that much...” muttered Fluttershy under her breath looking at the broken skin caused by the restraints. Just looking at it made her feel as if she was in pain, even though she didn’t actually feel anything at all.

“Y-y-you don’t like candy? Who in their right mind doesn’t like candy?!?!” Pinkie began to ramble as her imagination took over her rational mind as it seemed to do far too often.

Fluttershy backed away silently as she looked at the gashes on her wrist. A sizeable flap of skin and muscle hung open, revealing the tendons and bone inside. As she stared at it, Rainbow Dash drug Pinkie back upstairs.

“I-I’ll just, go home, and-” Fluttershy stated as she tried to make her way for the door.

“Wait!” Dash interrupted, “You have to come with me and Pinkie to get apple cider from AJ before she runs out. Trust me you’ll love her special Nightmare Night blend.”

“R-really? What’s so special about it tonight?”

“She puts red dye in it so it looks like blood! Isn't that just the coolest?” Pinkie Pie chimed in.

“U-uhm, yeah it’s okay I don’t want to slow-h-hey wait!” She tried to protest, stomping a hoof only to fall over as Pinkie and Rainbow carried her out and along the path.

“Oh, hello girls!” a rather refined, but friendly voice called out to them from behind, which caused the trio to stop and look back glimpsing a pearl white pony with giant butterfly wings that stood off of her back.

“Hi Rarity!” Pinkie bellowed out, startling both Dash and Rarity while nearly giving Fluttershy, who quickly made a mental note to check if she had a pulse, a heart attack.

“Hey Rarity”, Dash added as the mare drew closer, “We were just headed to get cider from AJs. Look who decided to tag along with us”, she gestured toward the rotting mare in the back.

“Hmm? Oh hello there Fluttershy! How are you darling?” Rarity said, watching how Fluttershy seemingly used Pinkie as a wall to hide behind. “I thought you didn’t come outside on Nightmare Night.”

“O-Oh uhm no, I d-don’t normally,” she paused for a moment, considering a question, “Rarity, c-can you help me with something?” Fluttershy asked as she stood up, the injured leg proving no issue as she still held full control of even the severed tendons.

“Why of course darling, I’d love to help you with your...erm…costume!” Rarity replied with a charm in her voice “Why must you pick something so... revolting for Nightmare Night?” The white unicorn gestured to the yellow pegasus’ shirt.

“Well I just neeEep!”as Fluttershy stepped closer to Rarity, both of her front hooves detached, one at the wrist and the other at her elbow, which caused her to trip and land with the bottom of her chin on Rarity’s chest. Her de-hooved legs were left gripping at her sides in a hug for support.

“Ooh, that’s a neat trick!” Pinkie blurted out seeing Fluttershy’s hoof and leg lie dead in the dirt road.

“Oh my…dearest Fluttershy! I did not know you had such... emotions for me.” She put her hooves gently on both sides of Fluttershy’s face.

“Yeah. These almost look real...” Dash said as she looked closely at the hooves.

“O-Oh my! N-No Rarity, I-” Fluttershy stammered, trying to regain her balance.

“Oh but I simply m-” the white hooves snatched themselves away from Fluttershy’s face as she cringed, “Ew! Such a horrible shade of green!” she quickly backed away, and Fluttershy fell to the ground. “What happened to your beautiful lemon chiffon coat? And why is it all dry?”

“R-Rarity, I-I was just-” Fluttershy approached Rarity by worming her body to her. “W-Wait, beautiful?”

“Fluttershy my dear that is just revolting!” Rarity shrieked, nearly raising her voice to a squeal, “I, I’m dearly sorry bu-but,” she ran home with her face turning slightly green herself.

Fluttershy scooted to her two front hooves that still lie in the road and she struggled to get on her hind legs. Balancing herself, she angled her stumps just right to get both hooves reattached when she fell onto them.

“Okay, that was pretty convincing.” Dash smirked.

“No more chit-chat! Time is candy!” Pinkie recited then dashed off to Sweet Apple Acres.

“Yeah, come on Fluttershy!” Dash said as she took off to catch up with Pinkie, who was already there.

She sighed to herself as her friends left her alone.I need to figure out what’s going on with me.She looked toward the tree at the center of town.

I think I might know a good place to start.

With her mind set, Fluttershy turned around and made her way back to town, keeping to the shadows to avoid being recognized by the colts and fillies wandering around in their hunt for treats.

As she made her way closer to the library, she picked up her pace. As she jogged towards the tree, she noticed something strange. Normally she could feel her heart beat when it was elevated like it should be, but she felt nothing at all. She stopped for a moment and confirmed that she no longer had a pulse. She quelled her panic as she looked up at the library, thankfully and hopefully wishing for the best.

She was beside herself with joy as she stood on the doorstep of the library. She slowly reached a hoof out and calmly knocked three swift knocks and waited patiently. And waited... and waited… worry started to nag at the back of her mind, and she started to knock desperately. Still, the door remained shut and the library quiet.

“Uhm... Twilight, are you home?” She asked the library door, she looked in the windows and realized that no lights were on, not even Twilight’s solitary reading candle that could usually be found in the upper balcony window.

“No, no. Wh-why,” Fluttershy thumped her face on the door in frustration, she then felt a stretching sensation in her neck, the skin was dry and beginning to crumble. She sighed again and it seemed to leak out from the opening in her neck, “Twilight... I... I think... I think I’m dying,” she breathed as she slumped to the ground with her back to the large crowd of happy young ponies going about in their quest for candy.

I should enjoy what time I have left in the comfort of my friends.

She stood up and turned herself around to go meet her friends. If not for her rotting tear ducts, she believed she would be crying as she headed to see them one last time.

As she neared Sweet Apple Acres, apparently half the town was there as well. She noticed an odd feeling she had in her belly.

It almost feels like I’m hungry…

She stepped through the arched gateway the Apple Family had decorated with fake spider webs and plastic spiders hanging all over. She mentally scoffed at the spiders, as she thought how silly it was that she could be scared by these obviously fake toys.

“ABLOOGY WOOGY WOO!” Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle jumped out screaming at Fluttershy, who fell over as she screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes as wide as possible. Her eyelids, unfortunately, were the last things holding her eyes in her sockets, and one fell out and rolled in the dirt.

“Ewe...” The three fillies breathed, taking a step back, as the eye came to a stop looking up at them.

“Okay... how’d you do that?” queried Scootaloo.

“Yeah... it looks so…life like... ” added Sweetie Belle, lowering her snout to sniff it.

“Naw, its gotta be made of candy of some kind, right Fluttershy?” Applebloom stated.

“Yes... it’s made of candy.” Fluttershy said real slowly, not believing what she’s saying.

“Sweet, can I eat it?” asked Scootaloo.

“NO!” barked Fluttershy, scaring the fillies half to death as she scooped her eye up and wiped the dirt off of it. She stuffed it back into its socket, twisting it a bit to make it fit. “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just that... uhm...”

“It’s your candy eye and you want to eat it, we understand.” nodded Applebloom as the three fillies resumed their positions to scare their next victim.

“Right... you three have a fun night.” Fluttershy said in a dreary tone as she continued on her quest to find her friends. After all, this would be the last Nightmare Night she shared with them, in fact, the last night period.

“Howdy there Fluttershy!” a familiar scarecrow waved to her.

“Hey,” Fluttershy walked over to Applejack, “What are you...doing?”

Applejack sank her head down into a wooden tub of water and came back up with an apple in her mouth, “Bmbbmng fmr mpplms!”

“What? I can’t understand you with your mouth full like that!”

The earth pony looked confused and ate the apple, “Fluttershy? Y’alright?”

“O-Oh, I-I’m sorry,” Fluttershy shrank back down and apologized further.

“Sugarcube, don worry ‘bout it. We all get worked up sometahms,” She invited her over to bob for apples. Fluttershy came over and bobbed sadly for a few moments before jerking her head up at a familiar voice behind her.

“Hi girls! Nice party right?” a lavender unicorn dressed as Starswirl the Bearded asked as she stood near Rarity.

“Ya know it!” Applejack exclaimed as Fluttershy hid behind the wooden tub, “Sugarcube?”

“Yes my deare-”

“Not you Rarity,” the earth pony interrupted as the white unicorn let out a ‘hmpf’, “What happened to Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy scurried away and bumped into Pinkie Pie who had a pink brain strapped on the top of her head, “Hiya Flutters! Wanna play?”

“Pl-play? Play what?”

“It’s like tag but the ‘it’ pony tries to eat the candy brains off the others! It’s delicious! Wanna try?” Pinkie Pie takes a chunk out of the brain and gave the piece over to Fluttershy who took it greedily and ate it.

It doesn’t taste...right.

“Soooo, how is it?” Asked Pinkie.

“It’s good but,” Fluttershy thought for a moment, “it’s missing somethi-”

“Like what? It has to be yummylicious!”

“Pl-please st-”

“Did I put too much sugar and it’s too sweet? Wait! There’s no such thing as too sweet, what about flavor? Does it not taste good?”

“Will you please stop interrupting me?!” Fluttershy raised her voice enough to attract the attention of many ponies around her.

After a few moments of dead silence as all watched the yellow mare, Pinkie Pie spoke, “Uhm, what is it, you know, missing?”

“S-sorry, it doesn’t seem... right,” Fluttershy shrank back down into a crouched position. “I-It’s too sweet... and the texture is all wrong.”

“Maybe you just don’t like the flavor I have! Go ask around for other ponies if you can try the different flavors!” Pinkie Pie walked along with Fluttershy when a pony accidentally spilled the blood colored cider on her mane. Fluttershy glared at the pony as he apologized quickly and ran to a different section of the festivity.

“Sup Fluttershy, just prepping up for zombie tag,” Rainbow Dash chugged from her cider mug with a purple brain strapped to the top of her head, “Made your costume a little better huh?”

Fluttershy looked at herself, she had a dull tone of yellow and a bit of dull green, a red and black flannel work shirt, a cut open dried neck, patched together front legs and dried blood colored spots on her mane. “Ye-yes,” she replied.

“Come on Fluttershy,” Pinkie nudged her, “ask her!”

“Oh, uhm,” Fluttershy stood next to Pinkie, “Can I… uhm… try some?”

“Huh? Oh this?” Dash pulled a piece off of the purple brain and gave it over to Fluttershy who put it in her mouth and chewed it. The candy brain did taste good but she wanted to taste something more.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight walked up behind her and Fluttershy jumped into Rainbow's arms, who then dropped her with a slightly irritated expression.

“U-Uhm, yes?” her ear fell off as she got up, “D-do you need anything?”

“Rarity told me a few…strange things that don’t make any sense. Do you mind if I have a look at you?” Twilight looked at the fallen ear with a perplexed expression as she levitated it toward her.

“U-uh, can you, speak up?” Fluttershy asked as she turned her other ear to the lavender alicorn.

“Fluttershy, Rarity told me that you had limbs falling off and that you’re some sort of, ‘beast’,”

“Twilight, s-speak up,”

“Fluttershy! Rarity told me that you have limbs rotting off of you! I want to take you to the library to try and find out what’s going on!”

“...Uhm, sure Twilight,” Fluttershy took the ear and put it back on.

Pinkie’s ear perked up, “Dashie! The game is starting!... Dashie?” she looked around for a moment and then shrugged heading off to join in the fun.

“H-How’d you know it wasn’t a costume?”, Fluttershy asked. Twilight gave her a sarcastic look.

“Since when did you start dressing up in elaborate costumes and heading out into Nightmare Night?” Fluttershy considered this for a moment before speaking.

“T-Twilight I couldn’t p-possibly make you leave the festival” she shrunk downward as she spoke, “I don’t know if there’s really anything we can do at this point”

The patience in the alicorn started to thin, “Fluttershy, your ear and legs have fallen off, one of your eyes is turning red, your coat is dry, and you’re not acting right! We’re going to the library to at least try to get you some help!”

Fluttershy felt herself grow weightless as a purple magic bubble appeared around her. Twilight jogged lightly to her home, as she levitated Fluttershy behind her, and turned on the lights to search for a condition that matched Fluttershy’s.

Fluttershy sat quietly at a table as she watched, for what seemed like hours. Books began to pile up as Twilight ran through the possibilities. Fluttershy’s vision started to gradually turn to black and white with only Twilight retaining color, and thinner colors that appeared through the walls in the shape of ponies.

“Tw-Twilight... something... new is happening...” the rotting pegasus mumbled urgently as she stood up slowly.

“What is it?” She asked as she pulled her nose out of yet another unhelpful book, to see Fluttershy slowly approaching her.

“Twilight... I-I feel... hungry,” she calmly mentioned as she closed in on her friend.

The lavender alicorn began to inch away from her, “What... uhm what are you hungry for?” she asked, afraid she already knew this answer.

“Can I... uhm... eat your brain?” Fluttershy asked as she put on heart wrenching puppy-dog-eyes.

“Oh... Fluttershy,” Twilight said almost crying, “I’m so, so sorry,” a tear trailed down her cheek as she began to charge her horn. In a flash of blinding light, it was all over.

Twilight had teleported them into the heart of the Everfree Forest. “Fluttershy! How did this all start? What is happening to you?” She yelled with sorrow in her eyes. Fluttershy had snapped out of whatever trance she had been in and started to reply.

“I-I don’t know! Nothing really happened today. I was taking care of my animals, got bit by a strange stallion, and have been dragged around town by Rainbow Dash and Pinkie. Nothing noteworthy happened today. I promise! I’m just dying.”

Twilight blinked, “Wait, what stallion?”

“W-well uhm, the stallion was this tall and-” Fluttershy was cut off as she gestured.

“No no, what condition was he in?” Twilight interrupted, “did he look…like you?”

“U-um, he was wounded around here,” Fluttershy put a hoof on her hind leg, “and here,” and put the hoof on her body. “I think he wanted to kill me and said something about braaiinns.”

“Seems highly unlikely as the pony could have died from bleeding out. Any more details I should know?”

“W-well it’s only a few minutes before I started to rot. I-I’m sure that’s important,” Fluttershy taps her hoof to her chin.

“If that really was the cause,” Twilight used her horn to lift Fluttershy up, “and it’s not in my books, then this is most like a much different kind of magic. I bet I know just who can fix you,” with her yellow friend in tow she headed over to another part of the forest with a smug look of determination in her eyes.

Their target was in sight, the humble hut of the friendly witch doctor. She trotted up to the door, knocked, waited a few seconds before she knocked again, then she slumped to her haunches. She stared at the door as if it was mocking her, knowing Zecora wasn’t going to answer it. Twilight let go of her friend, and let out a deep sigh of defeat. It was over. She couldn’t believe it. Her friend was indeed doomed to become a monster.

“I-I’m sorry... I don’t know how to help... and you’re probably not going to live to see tomorrow,” Twilight sighed, looking over to her friend who stood there, staring with soulless, hungry eyes. “And I suppose this is the part where I beg for mercy as you start ripping me to pieces and eat me, right?”

Fluttershy gave no reply and stepped closer, opening her mouth, the wretched stench of death and rot on her breath as she closed in on her prey. Twilight accepted her fate as her dear friend drooled in hunger, leaning in ever closer.

Just as Fluttershy snapped her jaw shut, a wooden spear stuck into her side and sent her reeling to the ground, a familiar zebra stepped out of the shadows.

“Zecora! Ohmygosh! Why’d you do that?” Twilight shrieked in horror.

“Are you completely okay, Twilight? You do not want this monster to bite.” Zecora rhymed as she stepped closer to the corpse with wide eyes as it slowly sat up, the spear going through her chest. “Oh my, what has happened to sweet little Fluttershy?”

“I don’t know, she’s been showing progressively worse symptoms the entire evening.” Twilight said with a whimper under her breath. “Can-can you help her? Do you know what is ailing her?”

“Aye, it is a sickness quite strange to me, she has been transformed into a zombie.” stated Zecora as she tied Fluttershy’s mouth shut using some nearby vines. She lifted her onto her back and carried her inside.

“A zombie? I thought that they were just a myth to scare fillies.” Twilight said as she followed Zecora into her home.

“You’ve good timing and notions, for I have just restocked ingredients for potions.” Zecora stated with a whisper of glee as she laid Fluttershy down in the center of the hut and carefully pulled the spear out of Fluttershy’s body. Twilight was almost curious as to why there was not a single drop of blood from any of the many wounds. Zecora took a blue bottle from a shelf and set it on a flat wooden table.

“Let me start a brew, it needs little time to stew” Zecora said as she dumped some things onto the table with the bottle. She used mortar and pestle to work them into a powder as she lit a fire under a small pot to cook them in.

Her task complete, she dumped the liquid into the blue bottle.

“Now that we have the potion,” Zecora pulled the cork out as Twilight hovered the potion over Fluttershy’s body, “let us hope it works to its expectation.”

Twilight poured the thick purple liquid all over her body, covering Fluttershy completely in it. As they watched, Fluttershy’s natural buttery color returned, and her skin became smooth and alive. Her eyes started to change back into a medium tone turquoise and the torn skin on her legs started to reconnect. Her chest started to reform new hide and her torn throat pulled itself together.

“Mmrgg,” Fluttershy groaned through her tied muzzle as she sat up. Zecora quickly undid the knot, “what, what hap- Twilight! You’re… safe? I thought I ate you!”

“Yes and so are you Fluttershy,” Twilight levitated Fluttershy up and set her down as she stood with an overwhelming sense of relief, “come on Fluttershy, we still have a night to celebrate!” Twilight gestured towards Sweet Apple Acres as Fluttershy turned her head for a moment to Zecora, “Th-thank you,” and followed quickly behind Twilight.

“A sight that will make one cringe, to those who are friends in the end,” Zecora put the potion bottle back to the shelf.

Fluttershy hugged the zebra, coating her in purple goo.

“Maybe we should get you a bath,” Twilight said stifling a laugh at Zecora’s expense.

“Oh... oops,” Fluttershy giggled looking at Zecora, who was wearing her ever-present smile.

“It is no trouble my dear, just be more careful next year,” Zecora said as she lead them to her door.

Most of the ponies already left Sweet Apple Acres by the time they got back. Twilight quietly found a place to sit down on a pile of hay next to a wooden table as she pulled out a piece of paper and a bottle of ink to write a friendship report.

Dear Princess Celestia,

In this Nightmare Night, Fluttershy had a condition which made her into a zombie. She kept it to herself and risked her health for the sake of not wanting to ruin the festivities for her friends. Today she learned that when there is a problem, it is better to ask others for help when a pony can’t solve it on their own.

Sincerely, Princess Twilight Sparkle.

As Twilight finished her letter, Spike sent it to the princess and walked back to the library. Twilight heard a faint whinny of a mare right behind her. When she turned around, a pair of soulless red eyes stared back at her. She screamed and turned the other direction and took off, a yellow hoof pulled the pair of candy eyes back, “Um... too much?”

“There’s no such thing as too much scare on Nightmare Night!” Pinkie Pie landed from a jump next to Fluttershy.

“S-so, I did good?” Asked Fluttershy, slightly worried.

“Happy Nightmare Night everypony!” Pinkie Pie cheered.

“P-Pinkie… Who are you talking too?” Fluttershy turned her head to Pinkie.

“That stallion walking funny over there, groaning at foals. You’d really would think his neck is broken,” Pinkie said as she turned into a bat and flew away.

The End.