A Withering Fleur

I awoke to darkness, the stench of excretion thick in the air, causing me to gag instantly and lose the little food I had eaten prior to the modelling show. I backed away from where I thought I'd vomited only to step in something far worse, the smell of it removing any disguise the darkness may have given it. Disgusted, I dragged my now covered hoof across the ground to get as much of it off, only to slip over in the puddle I had made just before and coat myself in the vile fluid. I groaned defeatedly as I lay in the filth, waiting to be rescued from my plight.

I lay there for what felt like hours, but judging by how the fluids had only begun to dry on my coat I knew that wasn't the case. The pitch black room failed to get any lighter and the deathly silence was almost maddening. I could hear my heart beat, my stomach gurgle and every breath I made, creating a symphony of life. I heard the faint sound of hoofsteps from outside, accompanied by soft, padded steps and a click of claws. I had lived near Prance long enough to recognise that noise - gryphon.

The click of the door lock broke me out of my idle thoughts and I rolled up to my hooves as it cracked open. A small band of flickering orange light suggested that they were holding torches, and as it slowly expanded I caught a glimpse of the two outside. One was a unicorn with a green coat and grey mane who I swore I recognised but couldn't be certain, and the other was a gryphon with black feathers and coat. My eyes locked with the unicorn before I realised I was standing completely in the light through the door. Madness flickered across his eyes and formed into a grin as I tried to cast a spell, only for my magic to explode and toss me against the back wall and into another pile of Celestia-knows-what. The unicorn laughed at my attempt and the gryphon remained stauesque.

"Feedback rings." He said, pointing a hoof at me. "Aren't they wonderful? Magically locked on, too, so only I can remove it if I so desire. Toss her in." The last three words confused me for a moment before the gryphon pulled a filly out of a bag behind the door frame and threw her straight at me. I tried to catch her with my magic instinctively, only to result in another explosion and me breaking the filly's impact with my ragdolled body. We both hit the floor, and all I could do was lie there and cradle the unconscious body, tears quietly running down my face as the door closed again to leave us in the infinite darkness.

"Well done, my puppet. You have fulfilled my wishes, so consider your wife and fledgeling released." His voice came through the door as he addressed the gryphon. "Of course they might not be as you remember them, but they are largely unharmed. Physically." He added as an afterthought. I didn't like the sound of that from what I'd experienced so far. The gryphon grunted in response and they headed off down the hallway again.

The next few hours I spent curled up with the filly in whatever it is we'd fallen in. I'd grown used to the smell and it provided a little extra warmth in the cold stone room. The filly was a pegasus, and a rustling of her wings told me that she was awake.

"Mum? Is that you?" She asked, turning around to face me. I thought about it for a second - I could say yes and deal with the crying later, or I could get it over with now.

"I... N-No. I'm Fleur, what's your name?" She scrambled away from me, stopping in the middle of the room if my hearing was accurate.

"W-Where's m-m-my m-mum? W-Where are w-we?"

"I... I don't know." I stood up and slowly made my way towards her, stopping once I could hear her breath below me. I ran a hoof through her mane and she recoiled from the touch, but didn't run away this time. "We'll find out though. I'll be here for you." She broke down into tears and I sat beside her, holding her close to me as she wept into my side.

Another hour or so later and she'd stopped crying, as well as told me her name. Gentle Breeze. Her talent would be with weather, I predicted, if she ever got out of this room. Parents tended to have a keen sense for those things, and foals never seemed to realise it until their talent came to light. I never mentioned those thoughts, it takes the fun out of finding it when you know what it is you're finding. Eventually I heard the familiar hoofsteps of the stallion coming down the hallway, and judging by how Breeze sidled up against me she did as well. The door didn't open this time, instead a thin slider gave way to his piercing gaze, lighting the room with his magic.

"Ah, you've made a friend. Good... good... everything is travelling accordingly. I suggest you sleep as much as possible, you'll need it."

"Who are you!?" I shouted desperately. "What do you want?" The stallion chuckled at the questions before quickly cutting back to a serious glare as if at the flick of a switch.

"To you, I am your master, and you will address me accordingly. To her, I am her mother's master."

"Where's her mother!?"

"It's you. As for what I want, it's nothing you can give me... yet. Here's your dinner." A slab of something came through the slider, impacting the ground with a wet slap. "Sleep well, my toys." The small window shut with a metallic clink and I cautiously made my way to where it hit. It didn't have a smell I recognised, and a tentative lick left a metallic taste in my mouth. I picked it up with my teeth and carried it back to Breeze, attempting to tear a bit off to little avail. After much struggling and six hooves worth of effort I managed to tear a piece off, albeit a small one.

It was difficult to chew, my flat teeth not able to leave a notable mark on the food. I swallowed the piece whole, the lump threatening to get stuck in my throat. Thankfully it didn't, allowing me to tear another piece off, this time to give to Breeze. She struggled with it as I did, but ended up spitting it out in frustration.

"C'mon, you heard what he said. You'll need the strength for whatever he has planned."

"Nup." She said bluntly. "Nothing that hard is worth it." I felt around for the piece and picked it up, placing it back in her hoof.

"Eat. It's that, or any of the piles of whatever is causing this smell." She rolled her eyes - or at least I expected her to - before popping it back in her mouth and chewing it again, once again finding the difficulty in the simple task. I managed to bite off and swallow two more bits before she finished it. She refused to eat any more, understandably, but I used my amazing influential powers to feed her two more bites before she locked her mouth closed and left me to finish the rest.

We found a clean spot to sleep and curled up for the warmth. Sleep found Breeze quickly, yet seemed fleeting for me. I closed my eyes and listened to her breathing and felt her small body rising up and down, a smile creeping onto my face. My career had never left room for me to have a foal - and were this under different circumstances I would be thoroughly thrilled with this experience, but I could at least enjoy the small pleasures of being a mother before anything bad happens to either of us. No matter what happens, I'll always protect her from... him... until I can't any longer.

__________________________

I stood alone in a grassy field, the green expanse extending far beyond my field of vision and seemed to fade off into a grey mist. The distance between me and the fog wall was equal the entire way around, and when I ran towards it it never seemed to get closer. There was a cool breeze that caused my mane to flutter gently, but that slowly died away as the world around me darkened. I looked upwards to see a swirling black cloud overhead, crackling with electricity. The sky rumbled, and lightning struck the ground around me, igniting the grass and trapping me in a ring of fire. I spun around in a panic, coming face to face with a shadow version of Luna and screaming in surprise.

"Fleur de Lis. You are still in Equestria. After your actions, one would think you'd have fled." Her gaze was stern, and she radiated superiority. This was her realm, and as long as I was in it, I couldn't escape. I tried to form words, to protest, to explain what had happened to me, but no sound came out as the fires had dried up my throat.

"Your gryphon blood is curious. Did you seek to challenge me? The princess of the night?" Once more I found myself unable to respond. This time I indicated my problem to her and with a flick of her wing, the ring of fire extended outwards to reveal an oasis. Instantly I ran over, drinking down as much water as I possibly could.

"Now that your thirst is quenched... ANSWER ME!" the booming voice knocked me into the water and as I clambered out, I realised the water didn't stick to me at all but instead rolled off my coat as if it were metal.

"I... I'm s-sorry... I was angry..."

"I was angry once. Do you know what happened to me?"

"N-No princ-"

"I WAS SEALED INSIDE THE MOON FOR A THOUSAND YEARS!"

"You're not compari-" This was too far. She wasn't thinking clearly, so I had to stop being fearful and put my hooves down.

"I am also angry now! Give me a reason not to have every guard in Equestria hunting you down with a kill first, ask questions later policy!"

"Because you'd have to find me..."

"IS THAT A CHALLENGE!?"

"It's a request." Her composure dropped for a split second, and I knew I had her attention. "I don't know where I am..."

"What do you mean you don't know!?"

"I was foalnapped after I escaped Canterlot, knocked out and now... Now I just don't know."

"Can you not see outside?"

"I can't even see my nose, or the foal that was tossed in with me."

"There is a foal involved!? Tell me everything!"

"Well the room is... filthy. Uncleaned from after however many ponies have been kept here. The stallion keeping us here calls us his toys... said that I'm Breeze's mother."

"Breeze?"

"The filly. Cute little thing, stubborn."

"The stallion?"

"Wants me to call him "master". Dark green coat, grey mane. Called a gryphon his puppet and had the wife and child held hostage. He locked something called a feedback ring on my horn, so my magic explodes whenever I try to use it."

"A feedback ring is... old, banned technology. Deemed too violent just before my banishment. How he got a hold of one..."

"Oh, and he gave us a slab of... something to eat. Impossible to chew and tasted... different."

"Fleur... I think I know who you're dealing with. There have been other cases similar to this, lost ponies who had gone through Tartarus and back, only to die before they revealed anything. Do me a favour and not only stay alive, but stay... yourself. Keep the filly safe. We will contact you again when we can."

"Wait! There's nothing you can do?"

"Not yet. In time, Fleur, in time. For now... wake up."

__________________________

My eyes shot open and the first thing I did was expel my dinner. It didn't sit right in my stomach and I was thankful that Luna had woke me up before I choked in my sleep. I was also just in time to hear the hoofsteps of the stallion outside, so I lay back down and pretended to be asleep with Breeze. I heard the slider pop open but I didn't want to risk giving away my cover by looking.

"Just like a mother and daughter. It would be a shame to... Hah, listen to me getting all moral. It's too late for that now. Come along, my toy."

I was wrapped in a field of magic and pulled away from Breeze - who had proven herself to be a heavy sleeper. The sound of the door opening made me open my eyes, straight into the eyes of 'my master'.

"Good morning, my toy." He kissed me on the lips, and because of his magic I couldn't pull away from him. Any time I made a movement he would strengthen his grip before finally he broke the contact with an angered look on his face.

"Does my toy not respect her master?" He growled, and I shook my head. "Well then you will learn to!" He tossed me down the hallway, the impact with the stone floor smothering my left side in pain. He casually approached me as I struggled back to my hooves, facing him. "Ooh, a defiant little one!" I felt an overload of magic in my horn which triggered the feedback ring, the explosion sending me further down the hallway - after I'd hit the roof and a wall.

His magic opened the door to the room beside me and tossed me inside. I glanced around timidly to see a plethora of medical tools, a large cooler box and an old wooden table designed to hold a pony down. The instant he appeared in the entrance I was pulled up by his magic again, this time placing me on the table and strapping me down.

"Be a good girl for me and you'll get out of here in no time. Struggle, and you'll most likely die."

"What!?"

"That's 'What, master!?' to you!" His magic lashed out across my cheek, causing it to bleed. "This is a delicate operation, I can't have you ruin it!" I realised it was probably in my best interests to do what he said, especially considering the position I was in. I nodded meekly and he seemed to calm down a bit, floating over a scalpel. He made a precise cut above my right shoulder, opening up the fresh wound with his magic even further. It hurt, but no more than an earth pony punching your face would, so I made it a point to just grit my teeth and refrain from reacting further. He fumbled around for something beyond my view before returning to his operation, sticking something hard deep down into the cut he made. It shifted around a bit before popping into place and making 'master' elicit a gasp of excitement.

Some more rattling went on behind me as he searched for something else, a new pain coming to light as he stitched the wound shut. My face was screwed shut as the needle continually pierced my skin with extreme finesse, tears rolling down my face involuntarily. Finally he stopped, a new weight dropping down beside me and threatening to pull at the stitches. He then went to do the same with the other side, the pop coming much earlier than before due to his practised ease. Once again, the stitches brought tears to my eyes, and even managed to make me gasp in pain a couple of times. The weights on my side were now balanced out evenly, making me curious as to what they were.

He pressed his horn up against the stitches and it begun to radiate with heat, slowly becoming more and more intense before it started searing my flesh. I yelped in pain, but he didn't let up, cauterizing both sides.

"I'm sure you know the great thing about being a unicorn, my toy."

"Magic?" I responded quietly. My energy had been sapped from the operation he just performed, and the scalpel that was now pressed against one of my cheeks wasn't helping.

"That's magic, master!" He pressed on with the scalpel, slicing through my skin and coming through to the inside of my mouth. "Let me hear you say it!" I cried out in pain as he slowly drew the scalpel down towards my muzzle.

"Maaaaah-aagic! M-AH!-ast-EH!-er!" As soon as I finished speaking he flicked the scalpel the rest of the way, widening my mouth on the right side and coating both my face and the table in blood. I begun to feel faint as he seared the wound so that it would never heal closed, but forever remain as an extension to my smile. I hadn't lost enough blood to pass out, as much as I wanted to, and once he was done he continued with his talk.

"Yes, my ever obedient toy. Magic. It allows one to heal, or damage, another." His horn glowed and a faint warmth started up at my shoulders, relaxing my muscles as if it were a massage in the finest spa in Canterlot. "But it isn't always the physical wounds which need healing, is it?" I shook my head - my mouth hurt too much to move. He chuckled as he leaned down to my ear. "I, Doctor Fetlockstein, know just the spell to fix you right up."

He connected his horn to mine and suddenly a blinding pain hit my head, as if the past operation was all concentrated on my brain - cauterization and all. When he broke the connection I felt... wrong, yet strangely right, as he undid my bindings.

"Well my puppet, we have managed to save your wings for the most part - though you wont be able to use them for several weeks. You must take more care when trying out new stunts - the Wonderbolts don't accept crippled ponies." He levitated me off the table and set me down on my hooves. My wings drooped beside me, dragging along the floor due to their length. Ponies always used to comment that I had the wings of a princess, and that seemed to come as a mixed blessing.

"Th-Thank you doctor... I don't know what I would do if I couldn't fly." My mouth felt more dry than usual, and colder, but I passed it off as a post-operation side effect.

"Indeed, it would dampen your career choice. Nevertheless, be more careful in future. I will show you to your room." He trotted out the door and I followed him,  taking care not to tread on my limp wings. I tried folding them up as I walked, but I couldn't seem to co-ordinate the right muscles to do so. When they healed up a bit, I suppose. I wasn't able to remember why or how they got injured in the first place, so I assumed it was just a stunt awesome enough for me to knock my head and damage my wings. Hopefully I could master it one day, my imagination tells me it would make me a guaranteed Wonderbolt.

Finally we reached my room, where he directed me in to the darkness. It was familiar, both in scent and aura, yet once again I couldn't quite place the feeling.

"This will be your place of residence until I clear you, my toy. Food is delivered nightly, and there is a bowl for water by the door at all times." The door slammed behind me and locked shut before faint hoofsteps came towards me.

"Fleur? A-Are you okay? I... I woke up and you weren't there..."

"I'm fine, Breeze, he was just fixing me up."

"W-What was wrong?"

"I couldn't move my wings since the accident, he was mending them so that with enough rest and healing, they can get back to normal."

"You... You don't have wings..."

"Huh? Yes I do, I can feel them dragging beside me."

"Y-You didn't have w-wings..."

"You must have had a nightmare, Breeze, I've always had wings."

"A-A n-nightmare... I..." I crouched down next to her and held her close, stroking a hoof through her mane.

"Shh, it's okay, I'm here for you." We sat like that for hours, or at least a lengthy amount of time. Enough time to not realise how long we were like that until the sound of a metal slider and the slap of food hitting the floor broke us out of our stone-like pose. Once again Breeze refused to eat more than a few pieces, leaving the rest for me to stomach. It still didn't sit right, and I was worried about not getting enough nutrition for my wings to heal, but the doctor - nay, my master - seemed to know what he was doing so I had to trust his judgement.

After eating, neither of us were particularly tired since we hadn't done much to expend energy. Eventually the silence and relaxation got the better of me and pulled me away, leaving Breeze alone to her thoughts.

__________________________

"Do you know how I came to power, Fleur?"

"I know the Hearth's Warming Eve tale well - Canterlot assured me of that."

Luna smirked. It wasn't her shadow this time, so her facial features were easily distinguishable.

"That tale is but a watered down version of the true story. Whilst it did happen, it was not the end."

The grassy field we stood in vanished in a puff of black smoke, slowly reforming in to a frozen cave. Three ponies were encased in ice, angered expressions on their faces while another three were huddled together.

"The three races did come to an agreement, that much is true, however when the leaders had defrosted, they did not share the same compassions."

I looked back at the figures to see that the ice had melted, however their anger was now directed at their own squires instead of each other.

"How couldst thou bear to make contact with these... lessers?"

"The pegasi must never be seen like this! Up! Get up!"

"Get away! They art hungry and will consume thou!"

The leaders had continued to chastise their squires, but their voices dulled as Luna had begun to speak.

"As the squires returned to the hoof of their master, they shared a moment that the other three were oblivious to through their anger - a mutual agreement. It had been mentioned in between their tales, but none were truly serious until they realised there was no other way."

The world around them vanished in smoke again, this time reforming to a castle interior where the unicorn squire was speaking to a young wizard.

"The unicorn went behind her leader's back to enact the plan. Her most powerful magician - despite his young age - was to develop a spell that would bind multiple ponies to the one soul."

To my side a fire had begun to grow, a mound of mutated, twisted and distorted ponies coated by the flickering blue flames.

"There were many failed attempts." Luna closed her eyes solemnly for a moment. "But Starswirl the Young had succeeded."

The ponies - and the castle - once again vanished, reforming to the grassy plain we had started in, however this time at the base of the hills there were ponies in different styles of armour fighting each other relentlessly. Ponies were falling one by one, the blood that stained the grass slowly making it's way up the hill. I considered that for a moment before realising that it was still a dream and anything could happen.

"The leaders clashed atop the hill, accompanied by their squires. Starswirl the Young was hidden by an invisibility spell of his own creation, waiting for the moment he had been instructed to."

Upon their mention, the leaders charged at each other from the bulks of their armies. The pegasus wielded a spear, the unicorn her magic and their earth pony merely charged head on. Their squires followed behind, a look of sadness on their faces over the loss of innocent lives.

As soon as the leaders collided with one another, a flash of light enveloped them. Fleur could see the magical aura coming from Starswirl's horn, outlining his otherwise cloaked self. The three squires all grouped up as well, and they too became enveloped in a similar light. Magical energy began pouring out of Starswirl, not from just his horn. His entire body was coated in multiple layers of overglow as the two glowing lights pulsated. The armies had all stopped fighting to watch the spectacle, jaws agape and weapons dropped.

"That, is why Starswirl the Young is renowned as a great unicorn. He was in tune with his magic to cast the most complex spells."

A flash of light blinded everypony, myself included, before revealing the celestial sisters. They were young here, no larger than myself or Cadance, and their manes had no special flow to it.

"I was the leaders. While I had the voices of the three in the back of our mind, I had a new personality as well. One that I had to develop."

"Unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies alike! Hear our voice!" The newly formed Celestia boomed. "We cannot live with the distrust thou all carry. If we put down our hatred and worked together, the world would be a better place!"

Celestia continued her spiel, but was muted as the real Luna began to speak.

"We had too many conflicting emotions to speak here. Celestia - made from the like-minded squires - was in charge from the start. The leaders were... discontent to say the least."

"So that's why you refer to yourself in plural outside of dreams?"

"Indeed it is. We - no, I - came to accept that they would never truly be one, and after a multiple centuries they came to terms that they are equal, yet different. I acknowledge their presence with plurality."

"Did they lead you to become Nightmare Moon?" Luna paused, and I worried for myself.

"That... is a story for another time." I accepted her answer before another question came to mind.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"This spell is the only way a regular pony can become an alicorn. Of course, Celestia and I have come up with a more refined version - infusing one pony with the magics of the other races without sacrificing a pony or two, but it has been the only proven method, and only extremely powerful unicorns can perform it even if they could know the spell."

"And?"

"And I have a name. Doctor Fetlockstein. A highly renowned earth pony surgeon based in Canterlot. He matches your description."

"No... no no no!" I shouted. "He's a unicorn! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Fleur... all records show that he is an earth pony, including his birth certificate."

"It.. It can't be! You have the wrong pony!"

"How many times have you seen him?"

"Twice... I think. The first time was when he tossed Breeze into the room and the second was... today? I... I don't remember much of today... I think I... did I?"

"What are you thinking Fleur?"

"I could have sworn he tossed me down a hallway towards another room but... I'm not certain. Today's been... a blur, if nothing else."

"Your memories are jumbled so I cannot get a clear thought out of you. This isn't good, but... don't let it bother you. It will drive you to madness if you do."

"How can I not let it bother me!?" I exclaimed. "He's doing... SOMETHING to me, and I can't even remember what!"

"Fleur, I will do all that I can to catch him, but I need time. My Moon-Guard is a small force, and they have other duties to attend to, but I have every pony I can working on this. We will save you." The world around me burst into a cloud of shadow and I was left alone to float in the darkness.