“Twilight?! What’s going on?”
“Fluttershy, something really weird is going on in town.”
“Weird? Wh-what do you mean?”
“I… I don’t even know. But I’ve heard nothing back from the Princess, and everyone else is at the library freaking out.”
“Um… should I go with you, then? Just let me sort out my animals and I’ll-”
“Fluttershy, there… there’s really no time…”
“I’m not going anywhere without making sure the animals are going to be okay. I’m… sorry, Twilight. Um, how about I follow you after I’m done? It won’t take a second.”
“…..
“Fine. I’m going to wait outside the cottage, okay? Just please, please, hurry up.”
“Don’t come out!”
“Wha- Twilight? A-are you okay out there?”
“Fluttershy – ah! – don’t come out here – urh! – just stay inside!”
“Oh my goodness, Twilight, what are you-”
“Twilight! Where are you? Oh gosh, oh gosh, TWILIGHT!”
“… T… Twi… light?”
Fluttershy couldn’t remember waking up, nor could she remember when she had fallen asleep. An icy tendril of wind blew through the air, sending a painful shiver down Fluttershy’s spine. Within seconds, she was trembling with an unpleasant, crisp cold that reached every part of her aching body.
Why was it so cold? Had she forgotten to close the window? It was unlike her to forget something so simple, especially in the winter, and most especially with her animals to consider…
She opened her heavy eyelids, allowing herself a moment to blink the sleep out of her eyes, before raising her head to take in her surroundings. Her blood ran as cold as the air. She wasn’t in her cottage. She was lying entangled amongst a thick cluster of scraggly bushes, caked with dirt and early morning dew. She felt her muscles tighten in fear as her eyes darted left and right, taking in everything she could in a rising panic. She didn’t remember coming outside. She could feel thorny branches digging into her hind legs, and a chunk of hair had been ripped from her mane. She didn’t understand, couldn’t understand….
Okay Fluttershy, breathe. Just remember to breathe. Maybe… maybe I just fell asleep while feeding some squirrels, or something like that. Yeah, that must be it. Maybe I took a fall and hit my head. Everything will come back in a minute. You just need to calm down and get back to the cottage.
She gingerly eased her front hooves out from underneath her torso, and placed them in front of her. She pulled forward. Biting back a sob as a burst of pain erupted from where her hind legs had been cut by the thorns, she managed to break free of the branches’ hold, some of them snapping and remaining embedded in her fur. After a moment’s confusion, Fluttershy managed to locate a path through the branches towards what she hoped was a clear patch of grass.
With a pained grunt, she started towards it. Every single branch and twig snapped at her skin, some hard enough to draw blood. Fluttershy felt her cheeks dampen with tears, but she urged herself to continue.
Eventually, Fluttershy lurched forward, freeing herself completely. For a moment, she let herself flop, her chest rising and falling in a rapid pant. Curling her hooves around the tall grass, she felt a strange urge to laugh.
“I’m sure this is all just some weird accident…”she told herself gently. She could have sworn that Twilight had been here. Or had that been a dream? It was hard for her to tell right now. Just get inside and everything will be fine.
Fluttershy stood up on shaking legs. She looked up; small clouds were strewn haphazardly across the otherwise clear sky, with varying levels of water content. That wasn’t right. The weather ponies were usually never this sloppy when they arranged the clouds in the morning. Perhaps they just weren’t finished, or they were on a break, or maybe even an emergency pulled them out of the job before they could finish.
It wasn’t important right now. Taking a moment, Fluttershy stretched her limbs. The cuts and scratches adorning her body were hurting much more now; she could even feel a slow trickle of blood work its way down her right flank.
Taking a breath, Fluttershy began a slow trot. The bushes she’d woken up in were at the bottom of a small hill, next to a bubbling river. She was beginning to get a feel of where she was now, and if she wasn’t mistaken, once she reached the top of the hill she should be able to see…
The cottage. Fluttershy sighed happily, picking up the pace. She was only a few metres away from her home. She was glad that she knew where she was now, but the fact that she’d found herself such a short distance away from her home was still nagging at her. She was sure now that it had just been an accident while feeding some animals but there was also something… off. She couldn’t put a hoof on it.
“Angel?” she called out, stopping at the front door. Oh, I hope he’s okay. He does get worried if I’m out for too long.
A small squeak burst from her mouth when she looked at the door. The wood was splintered and cracked, as if it had been crushed, but the worst thing was the colour of the wood itself. A dark, dried splatter of maroon took up the center of the door, and it was then when Fluttershy finally worked out what made her feel so uneasy.
Everything smelled of blood.
Fluttershy began to breathe heavily. She was beginning to notice blood everywhere; not only on the door but sprinkles of it on the doormat, the path, and the windows at the front of the cottage. Turning on the spot, things began to present themselves. The way the flowers and grass looked as if they hadn’t been taken care of for days, the now unmistakeable stench of blood floating on the breeze, and most prominently, the stillness. There was not another pony or even an animal in sight.
“Celestia…” she whispered, trying her best not to hyperventilate. “Wh-what’s happening… oh, gosh, where are my animals? Whose blood is that?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she bolted for the door. Trying not to look at the blood, she flung the door open and shot inside, slamming it behind her with as much force as she could muster.
Panting, with aching muscles at the sudden use of energy, Fluttershy stood with her back against her door. She was only slightly afraid to look up, for she had just been staring at the wooden floor since she came in; even that wasn’t right. The wood hadn’t been moulding and dirty when she’d last seen it. Darting looks around the rest of the room told her everything she needed to know, and confirmed everything she had been starting to fear; the whole cottage was rank with desolation and the stale stench of blood, cupboards were open and their contents, what was left of them, were strewn across the floor, dust danced in the sunbeams that shone through the dirty windows. One cabinet had even been tipped over. Almost every cage was open and empty. There was silence. No squeaking, shuffling, the tell-tale pattering on the floorboards that should have greeted Fluttershy as she came in. The house was empty.
Fluttershy’s knees buckled, and any strength she had been rebuilding after she’d come inside died. She curled into a ball, wrapping her hooves around her head and sobbing into her mane.
To herself, she whispered between her sobs. “T-this… is a dream… it’s all a dream. You’re hallucinating, F-Fluttershy. Just hallucinating. You’re going to wake up soon, safe, and all the animals will be safe too. You… you’ll see… you’ll see…”
Her heart pounding against her chest, muscle spasms shaking her body, Fluttershy lay there for a long while. She lost track of time. After a while, hundreds of possible scenarios started racing through her mind all at once, making her head throb, but by then she was out of sobs. Her throat was rasping and dry. But then it hit her – she couldn’t stay here, like this, when her friends were still out there for her. They could tell her what happened. She could fly over to see Rarity, or Rainbow Dash, and they would tell her everything, she was sure. But right now, doubt and fear were creeping at her thoughts.
Everything was making her senses scream with terror. Right now, with an urge that seemed alien to Fluttershy’s mind, the last place she wanted to be right now was the ground.
