Labyrinth

"Discord!"  Fluttershy cried out, wracked with guilt for rejecting him, but it was too late.  The world around her was falling like shards of glass that fractured into smaller and smaller pieces until there was nothing left.

"Who?"  came a familiar but distant voice.

She looked around the darkness to try to see the owner of the voice.  Unable to see anything at all, she closed her eyes and reopened them.  A blinding light filled her vision and she had to wince and squint to adjust to the unexpected brightness.

When her vision cleared and she could see again, she gasped at what she saw.  It was her ceiling.  She felt her bed beneath her.  The smell of flora and fauna was in the air.

She was home.

Above her was the face of a concerned but happy and unmistakable purple unicorn, Twilight Sparkle.

"What... happened?"  Fluttershy asked, her voice weak and strained.

Twilight cleared her throat.  "Well, nopony had heard from you this morning, and when your woodland friends came looking for you in Ponyville, we realized something was wrong.  We found you on the floor, soaking wet and passed out, so..."  She frowned.  "What were you thinking?  If we hadn't found you in time, this could have been much more serious!  Luckily, you just had a fever, which is-" She paused to test the other's temperature by putting a hoof to her forehead. "- just about gone now."

Fluttershy started to sit up, but the unicorn stopped her by putting a hoof on her shoulder.

"You're still weak and need your rest.  We've been taking turns watching over you, and it's almost noon, so Applejack will be by with some lunch in-"

"Hey, she's awake!"  The southern pony walked through the door with a big smile.  "Ain't that the best news I've heard all day."  She set down her saddlebags, which Twilight opened, and went to the bed.  "I still think we should'a taken ya to the hospital, but Rarity said ya were 'fraid of it."

The pegasus flinched back into her pillow.  "Oh, no, I very much prefer to stay home..."  The idea of waking up in a strange, unfamiliar place like a hospital room terrified her.  Thankfully, Rarity was one of her closest friends and knew her well enough to protest.  She made a mental note to especially thank her when she saw her.

"Well, I brought some extra apple pies just in case ya woke up.  Ya hungry?"

A rumbling stomach was all the reply she needed.  Fluttershy blushed while the other two laughed and put a pie on the bedside table.

Twilight carried one of the pies along with her using her magic as she headed to the door.  She broke off a slice, which floated over to her.  "Thanks for lunch, Applejack," she said just before she took a bite.

"Oh, ain't nothin' 't'all!  Thanks fer watchin' our sweet li'l sugarcube."  She beamed and looked back at the pegasus after the unicorn was gone.  "Now, is there anythin' ya need?"

Fluttershy took a dainty bite of pie and shook her head. "Oh, no, I think I've caused enough trouble as it is..."  She sighed.  "Was it just a dream?  Really?"  She looked up at the confused pony.  "It felt so real..."

"Well, I reckon it did, considerin' the fever ya had goin' on."

"So...  the Goblin King...  he really is just an old mare's tale?"

"Who?"  Applejack tilted her head.  "Ain't heard of him.  What sort of dream did that cute little noggin of yours conjure up?"

The Goblin King wasn't real.  Discord wasn't real.  This should have relieved her guilt, but somehow she felt even sadder than before.  How could she dream up such a lonely creature?  She pulled the blankets closer, seeking comfort from them, but her chest ached with pity for him.  He felt real to her, as silly as it seemed.  The expression on his face as she spurned him was burned in her mind's eye.  His voice still echoed in her ears.

"Well, since ya're up, I'll give ya some privacy.  I'll be downstairs if ya need anythin'.  Just holler."

"Thank you, Applejack."  She took another bite of the apple pie.  "Oh, and, um, thank you for the pie.  It's delicious as always."

The orange pony winked.  "'Course it is!  Our secret recipe never fails.  You just eat up and rest, pumpkin."  She shut the door behind her as she left the room.

Fluttershy's smile dropped once the door closed.  She set the pie on the table and curled up under the covers.  No, she couldn't feel guilty.  She had made the right choice.  Her friends would always come first...  wouldn't they?

She felt something jump onto the bed and poked her head out from the covers to see what it was.

"Angel!"  Her eyes lit up and she scooped the bunny up into her hooves.  "Oh, Angel, I'm so happy to see you!"

The bunny cried into her mane, apologizing in a way only she understood.  On the edge of the bed was a plush carrot toy, his favorite of all his toys.  He pointed at it, then up at her.

"You're giving it to me?"

He nodded.

She smiled and patted him on the head with one hoof.  "Oh, Angel, thank you, but I don't need it... I'm just happy that you're okay."

The bunny looked up at her, confused, since as far as he was concerned, he was the one happy that she was okay.  He shrugged it off and cuddled close to her as they both snuggled into the covers and fell asleep.  This time, she had pleasant dreams, much more mundane and simple than the previous.

Outside the window, a mismatched owl watched with unblinking eyes.  It cooed softly, then took flight and flew away.  Over hilltops and countryside it soared, never pausing for a rest until it reached Canterlot.  There it circled above the royal garden, lowering with every few flaps, then landed atop a lone statue.  The owl finally closed its eyes and vanished in a flash of light, the same light radiating from the statue of a draconequus, forgotten by all outside the entrance to the hedge maze.