Shy Can See

Fluttershy placed her forehooves onto the invisible barrier. A dim light emitted from the force field as her hoof made contact. She exhaled heavily as she pulled herself away from the barrier. Angel stayed close by her side, keeping her company. Being isolated from the rest of Equestria has made her brooding; Even more-so when Sombra leaves. She can only imagine how being imprisoned for years takes a tole on one's mental state.

The night was quiet and dreary. All that could be heard were the Everfree trees rustling and howling with each passing gust of wind. The stars in the sky were hardly visible that night. Fluttershy propped herself back against the force field. Her mane and coat were getting more unsanitary as time passed, along with Angel's once fluffy coat.

A long sigh escaped her lips as she shifted and turned positions in an attempt to get more comfortable. "I'm sorry this happened." she frowned. Angel's ears twitched slightly from her words. He placed one of his paws on Fluttershy's foreleg and smiled at her reassuringly. She managed smiled back, even though she wasn't as optimistic. She laid her head on the grassy floor, and slowly shut her eyes. Angel soon slid under her messy pink mane to join her.

* * *

An unusual echo was produced from the force field, along with hoof steps. Fluttershy managed to wake up this time around. She opened her eyes quickly raised her head up to find King Sombra, coming through the barrier. He wasn't behaving as his usual self. He moved awkwardly with a limp, holding his left hoof over the right section of his rib cage. Not a single glance was given to Fluttershy. He plopped down on the ground as soon as he was fully inside the prison. Blood dripped down both the king's hoof and his side. His eyes were half closed, but his blank expression still remained on his face. Angel's slumber was soon interrupted as Fluttershy got up and cantered to Sombra. The bunny yawned wearily as he got up and followed her.

"What happened to you?" She murmured questionably. Now she was next to the king, eyeing at his covered injury. "Oh my Celestia, you're bleeding..."

Sombra turned his head and looked at her with his red eyes. His voice was lifeless and monotone. "It's a minor flesh wound. Leave me be." he huffed as he pressed down on his wound harder. Fluttershy wasn't convinced that it was as minor as he claimed. She gestured for the king to stand up. He folded his ears downward and growled, but slowly raised himself up without any objections. She gently moved his blood-stained hoof off of the injury. Twilight caused a considerate amount of damage from her spell. The flesh on the right side of his rib cage was completely exposed. Fluttershy gasped and looked away from the sight, as did Angel. "Apparently she was more pissed than I initially thought." Sombra mumbled to himself.

"Who do you mean, 'she?'" Fluttershy looked back at Sombra, who had placed his hoof back over his wound. "Who did this to you?"

"Your benevolent princess." Sombra sneered as he laid down once again, his back facing Fluttershy. She trotted around back in his vision, and laid in front of him.

"Which princess are you talking about...?" She croaked.

Sombra scanned Fluttershy over with his eyes, postponing answering her question. Silence shrouded both of them in the midst of night, making her feel rather uneasy. Sombra leaned in close to her. He tilted his head slightly as his eyes closed half-way. Fluttershy's heartbeat sped, but she didn't back away. She remained frozen, unsure of what to do. Sombra's lips stopped merely a couple inches away from Fluttershy's. "It's nothing of your concerns." He pulled away and chuckled.

Of course.

Fluttershy's body eased up, and she sighed. It was decided that she temporarily change the subject. She knew there was no point in trying to get Sombra to tell her. Being an annoyance towards him wouldn't bring her any closer to leaving Everfree. "Can't you use the same spell you used to heal Angel, to help heal your wound? You can't just neglect something that major." She said, nodding at his side.

King Sombra glanced at his injury, then turned his attention back to Fluttershy. "Take a moment to use your brain. What do you think would happen if I were to do that?"

Fluttershy frowned and lowered her head. "O-Oh, right..."

The wound on Sombra's side came to Fluttershy's mind, followed by an idea. She smiled at Sombra, who raised an eyebrow in response. "I guess I'm going to have to take care of it myself." She concluded.

Angel wore an expression of bewilderment as he stared at Fluttershy. For a change, the King looked just as surprised. "You care about me; a relative stranger who you know very little about." A smirk spread across his lips as he waited for her response. Fluttershy blushed once again, turning away from him.

"Uhm... I guess you can say that." She breathed.

"Well, as I've said before: It's a minor flesh wound. I don't requi--"

Fluttershy stood up and stomped her front hooves on the grassy ground, cutting Sombra off from his statement. "Stop being so stubborn! You are going to take me out of this prison right now, and I am going to patch up that wound of yours. No arguments!" Fluttershy barked as she trotted behind him, towards the edge of the prison. She then lowered the volume of her voice back to her default, but maintained her stern tone, "Now get up and let me through. We don't have all night."

Sombra scowled at Fluttershy's backtalk. He took a deep breath, and exhaled through his nose. His eyes fell back down upon his wound. Though he wouldn't openly admit, it could use some tending to."Playing the dominant role, aren't we?" Sombra snickered quietly, taking care not to let Fluttershy hear him. He slowly and stiffly rose onto his hooves, trying to make the task as painless as possible. He turned around and came to Fluttershy's side whilst charging his spell.