With the Best Intentions

Chapters

Act One
Act One, Part Two
Act One, Part Three
Act Two, Part One

Act One

With the Best Intentions
Act one

Fluttershy awoke to find the sun shining on her face through the window. The rays of light danced with sparkling dust. She snuggled further into her pillow to avoid the light that had so rudely invaded her sleep. When it became clear that sleep was not going to happen she sighed and lay straight on her back. She stared at the ceiling for a while to allow herself to fully wake up. The fan above her spun slowly in a circle and generated a low buzzing sound.

Her bed made groans of protest as she lifted her body onto the wooden floor of her bedroom. Once on the floor she stretched each limb out while yawning quietly. She walked over to her mirror on the wall. Her hair was a mess of tangles and knots from rolling around in her sleep. “Oh boy.” She mumbled and fished around in her drawer for her brush. Having found the brush she began to untangle the mess of her hair as angel bunny walked in. Or, rather, hopped.

“Oh. Good morning Angel. I’ll get you your breakfast in a second. I need to unknot my mane first.” Angel Bunny began stamping his paw on the ground repeatedly in impatience. “Please be patient Angel.” Fluttershy pleaded with the bunny as she hurried to unknot the stubborn rat’s nest that had appeared in her hair overnight. The bunny refused to wait however and hopped up onto her back, took the brush right out of her hoof and threw it across the room with all his bunny strength. Fluttershy sighed and walked down the stairs to the kitchen to make Angel’s breakfast. Angel followed with a smug look on his face. ‘Angel sometimes I could just strangle you.’ Fluttershy thought. ‘No. What a horrible thought!’ she scolded herself. ‘I’m sure that Angel will eventually see reason.’ She opened the cupboards in the kitchen to get the ingredients. “Okay let’s see. Carrots, celery, cherries, lima beans-“ At the mention of the beans Angel stomped and stuck his tongue out. “O-okay. No lima beans.”

Fluttershy brushed the last tangle out of her hair gently. She tossed her mane to the side in the mirror and looked herself over. ‘Not bad Shy.’ With Angel satisfied she could get on with her day. As she trotted down the steps of her humble home she heard Angel bunny gulping down the last of his food. Fluttershy didn’t have any other animals that need taking care of lately so she could head out early. She put on her scarf to keep her toasty in the chilly autumn air. She was about to open the door when she heard a soft ‘ahem’ from behind her. She turned to see Angel standing with his arms crossed next to his empty breakfast bowl. “Oh no Angel, only one bowl for breakfast. We don’t want you to get a tummy ache.” She said sweetly. Angel only continued to glare at her. “I’m sorry angel but that’s how it is. You will get more when it is lunch time.’ Fluttershy said in her best stern voice. Angel kept up his unmoving offense on her will. It took every fiber of strength in the yellow pony’s being to keep from giving in. After about a full minute of tense silence, angel turned and hopped to the kitchen. ‘Did I actually beat him?’ Fluttershy was overjoyed for a moment.’ I knew that if I was kind but stern he would listen.’ Fluttershy gave out a squee of happiness that was drowned out by the sound of something smashing.

Fluttershy galloped into the kitchen to see what was going on and gasped at the sight of Angel bunny throwing plates on the floor. “Angel! What are you doing? Stop!” Angel did not heed her as he smashed a flower vase onto the floor. “Uh, please stop? She asked in her sweetest voice. Angel looked up at her and presented the bowl for his breakfast. At that moment something in Fluttershy snapped. ‘He broke my plates for seconds?! He thinks he can push me around for my whole life?!?’ Fluttershy’s rage built until it showed on her face. Angel did not falter however. Fluttershy began to shake and grind her teeth until she could not hold it in any longer.

“NOW YOU LISTEN HERE, FUZZBALL! I AM IN CHARGE AND IF I SAY YOU DON’T GET SECONDS YOU ARE NOT GONNA ARGUE! I WANT YOU TO CLEAN UP THIS MESS AND GO TO YOUR ROOM NOW!!!” The cannery Pegasus exploded as a volcano would, spewing burning words in the place of magma. Angel bunny stood stunned, Fluttershy had never spoken like that. Fluttershy sat, breathing heavily for a long time. After she had cooled down, she realized what she had said. “Oh Angel I’m- I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” She said to the still paralyzed bunny. Angel looked into her eyes and began to move his paw toward her. ‘he forgives me.’

*SLAP!!!!!!!!!* Now it was Fluttershy’s turn to be stunned. She raised her hoof to her red cheek that the bunny’s paw had connected with to inflict a burning pain. The pain was not physical, for Angel wasn’t a very hard hitter being a bunny, but emotional. Tears welled up in Flutter shy’s eyes as her face contorted to a look of agony. She could feel her throat beginning to close up and she could not bring herself to speak. So she ran. She ran out the door, across the lawn, and down the road. She had no idea where she was going and she didn’t care. The crisp air did nothing to help the uncomfortable warmth in her face and yet it burned the tears into ice crystals on her cheeks. She soon began to see buildings along the road and before she knew it she was in the center of town. In the early hours of the Sunday morning few ponies were outside to see her tears. Not that she would have cared. She turned street corners at random and hardly bothered to look where she was going. This proved to be a bad idea when she ran smack-dab into the wall of the Ponyville library. Stunned and out of breath, all she could do was lay there and cry.

Twilight Sparkle had been eating a particularly yummy breakfast of hay pancakes that morning when she heard the smack of something running into her building. Twilight sighed. That was probably Rainbow Dash. This was not the first time the dare devil had run into her tall home and Twilight had to treat her wounds. “Spike, get the first aid kit would you?” She said as she trotted to the door.

“You got it Twi’.” The purple dragon rushed upstairs to get the requested item. Twilight opened the front door mumbling.

“Dash, one of these days I am going to leave you for dead out here.” She turned to the left and then right to see if her friend had fallen to the ground. What she saw was not a cyan pegasus but a yellow one. “Fluttershy?” Twilight hurried over to her sobbing friend who lay on her back on the ground. “Oh my gosh. Fluttershy are you okay? Sorry, that was a stupid question. Come on we need to get you inside. Can you walk?” In answer Fluttershy slowly got up on four hooves and walked into the tree/house without a word.

Fluttershy was still whimpering when Twilight entered the living room of her home. “Okay Fluttershy. Are you hurt anywhere?” She shook her head side to side. “Can you talk?” Again a side to side nod. “Why not, if you aren’t hurt?” Fluttershy sobbed a few times before opening her mouth.

“I-“ Her words caught in her mouth. Spike came rushing down the stairs with a red and white box.

“I got the first aid Twilight.” The baby dragon said between breaths.

“Thank you Spike, but it won’t be necessary.” Spike collapsed on the ground with a moan. She turned to her sniffling friend once more. “So do you think you are in the condition to tell me what happened?” Twilight said softly. Fluttershy sighed and nodded her head up and down.

“m-hm.” Fluttershy’s voice was even squeakier than usual. Fluttershy took a few breaths and told Twilight what had happened that morning. Twilight looked at the floor for a while before she spoke.

“Well Fluttershy, I don’t know what to say.”

“I just feel so bad.”

“Shy, you shouldn’t be feeling bad about how angel acted.”

“I feel…” Fluttershy was searching for the right word. “Angry.” She said silently. Twilight merely stared at her.

“come again.”

“I’m angry.” Fluttershy said louder. “I don’t want this kind of thing to ever happen again.” Fluttershy was speaking more confidently than normal.

“Well that’s good. I could suggest some ways to help your relationship with Angel-“

“I know how you can help.” Fluttershy was speaking in her normal tone once again only it was more authoritative. “I need a spell to make angel listen to me.”

“Um, that might not be the best idea Shy. You do remember what happened when you took those lessons from that minotaur right?”

“That was different. He was making me more assertive and I became a meany. If we change Angel to make him nicer we wouldn’t have any trouble.” Fluttershy said excitedly.

“Fluttershy, performing any spell on any living creature is dangerous and besides, making angel listen to you is a form of manipulation which isn’t allowed by the committee of magic.” Fluttershy’s pelt seemed to grow darker.

“Oh, I see, so making my manipulative and abusive pet listen to reason is breaking the rules.” Fluttershy spoke sweetly but her words were sweet like poisoned chocolates, filled with venom.

“No I’m saying- uh look Fluttershy, I’m glad that you want help with that menace of a rabbit but spells are not the way.”

“Of course not. Not when they’re actually useful and in demand.” Fluttershy’s voice had shed its sweetness and now only contained venom.

“Fluttershy you are being unreasonable. I will not use magic to control angel and that is final!” Twilight raised her voice a bit more than she had intended. She wished she could take it back but it was too late. Fluttershy stood and glared at Twilight.

“So when I pursue an interest despite what you believe it is ‘unreasonable’ huh?” Fluttershy had raised her voice now. “Oh dear. Fluttershy is thinking for herself? Well, we can’t have that can we?”

“Fluttershy please, calm down.” Twilight was getting frightened.

“You know Twilight. When you say please you remind me a little of myself. How pathetic I sound, begging and pleading. Well no more! You all like me because I’m easy to control, is that it?” Twilight was about to answer when Fluttershy interrupted her. “Of course it is. Oh, did I interrupt you Twilight? Now you know how it feels to be ignored, to not have your voice heard because you’re too timid to speak up.” Fluttershy turned to the door and wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck. Fluttershy tried to think of a clever parting phrase, something that would leave a wound that would not heal for a long time. “Nata-Finga.” She said as she slammed the door behind her and began to trek through the growing wind.

Twilight sat and stared at the door, dumbfounded. Spike spoke what was on her mind. “What, in Celestia’s name, just happened?” Twilight didn’t have an answer.

Fluttershy walked along the side of the road. Every few yards she came across a pebble that she would kick ahead. The pebbled clicked along the rocky dirt road. ‘Why in the world did I say all those things? She thought to herself.

‘Because they are all true.’

‘No they aren’t. My friends don’t only like me because I’m submissive.’

‘Is that a fact or a hope?’

‘It is a fact.’

‘Don’t lie to me Fluttershy. I am the voice that you thought up to make sense of how you feel, meaning I am literally you. I know you think that way about your friends even though you try hard to convince yourself you don’t. I know you want more than anything to speak without being interrupted and without being told what to do. You may not know but I do.’

Fluttershy smacked her face with her hoof as if to knock the voice out of her head. That wouldn’t make it any less true though. She did think that way. She did want to tell some ponies to go buck themselves. She did want angel to do what she wanted him to do and not the other way around. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

‘Well now I’m gonna be different. I’m going to be in charge.’ She sighed. Who was she kidding? She would just go back and get abused more by Angel. Angel, more like demon. She felt a small aftershock of her rage.’ That bunny has been running my life ever since I got here. He was never satisfied.’ She broke her back to tend to his needs twenty four-seven and how did he repay her? With more slave labor. She had no one to blame but herself though. Fluttershy sighed once more and noticed that the road had disappeared beneath her hooves. The dirt and gravel had been replaced by grass. Ahead of her stood the Everfree forest. The trees blocked the sunlight so that almost no light penetrated the canopy. The forest resembled more a cave than a forest. The trees seamed to growl at her. Fluttershy didn’t care though, she simply forged ahead.

Fluttershy didn’t know how long she had been wondering now. The lack of light made it hard to tell what time of day it was. She should have been terrified to be here, yet she wasn’t. She didn’t feel particularly brave, simply numb. She didn’t care if a bear came and gobbled her up. She didn’t care about anything. ‘Then why do I feel so sad?’ She thought. A sudden noise from the woods startled her. She stood still and listened for any signs of something following her. A snap of a twig sent her flying in a bush with a squeal. The bush shook along with her as she scoured the woods for an assailant. ‘Okay, maybe I do care.’ After nothing revealed itself and Fluttershy had not heard any noise for several minutes, she deemed it safe to move out of the bush. She decided to head back home. She took one step in what she thought was the way back when she realized. ‘This is the everfree. The forest that cannot be mapped. And I just walked into it with absolutely no sense of direction to begin with.’ She already began to feel the dread sink in. the shadows were growing darker and the noises louder. She began to curl up against a tree. She heard the howl of a wolf in the distance and the flapping of birds wings. ‘I’m going to die out here.’ She thought to herself.

“On the contrary, my friend.” Fluttershy froze as a voice whispered behind her. “Here is where you will be reborn.” She was paralyzed with fear. She dared not turn around to look at the source of this voice.

“Wh-who are y-y-you?” She heard the hiss of a snake behind her and felt something slithering onto her back.

“I am a friend Fluttershy.” The voice sounded like that of a young colt. It was soothing and hypnotizing. “A true friend.”

“I’m starting to lose faith in that phrase.” She said. An emerald green snake slithered into her vision to confirm her suspicions. It had a cunning look in its dark red eyes. “Who are you?”

“I go by lot of names and to answer your unspoken fear, Discord is not one of them. No, you may call me Slither, if you must attach a word to me. But above all I am your friend.” Fluttershy turn away from this creature.

“How can you be my friend after a few seconds when the ponies I’ve known for years don’t even care about me?”

“Ah yes, your so called friends. It is a sorry fact that most friendships are less than sincere and more like tactical decisions. Ponies make friends as a way of furthering their goals. I must admit that even I see no gain in us being friends as it stands. You are much too timid for my tastes. Nobody listens to you and nobody cares what you think.

‘Great. All he’s here to do is insult me and run me in circles with his philosophical horse apples.’

“But I can change that.” Fluttershy turned to look at the strange reptile. He was big. At least sixteen feet long, He had small rubies in patterns along his back, and it seemed as though there was a fire in his eyes. She didn’t know what to say. “You don’t have to say anything my dear girl. All you have to do is agree. Just a simple nod of your head and you will have all you ever desired.”

“And what’s the catch?” Fluttershy wasn’t stupid. She knew he was obviously trying to trick her.

“I am starting to see some promise in you after all Miss Shy. If you must know, this spell that I can perform does have a list of side effects including…” The Rubies on his back glowed bright and a list appeared in front of the snake. He cleared his throat before continuing. “… On and off migraines, paranoia, increased susceptibility to already established allergies, random urges to break into song and sing about yourself, and the list goes on darling. But can that all even hold a candle to the promise of your dreams coming true?” Fluttershy thought for a while. He could make them listen to her. There would be no harm in that right?

‘No, no he’s trying to trick you. Don’t do this.’ That was just what her “friends” would say. “Don’t do this and don’t do that.” Well no more. Slither appeared for her a contract and a quill. Fluttershy took the quill in her mouth and signed her name. The quill and contract disappeared in a blaze of cold fire. Slither began to laugh maniacally.

(Begin playing your favorite Disney villain song now.)

A burst of flame set the grass ablaze around them. The trees seemed to physically move away from the flames and revealed the sky, as red as blood. Slither had a crazy look in his eye as he stood to his full height. A pear appeared before Fluttershy. “Take it Fluttershy. Take it and eat and you shall no longer be trampled upon by the ponies of Equestria. You shall follow your own rules and so shall those around you. You will bask in complete loyalty of every pony and beast and your kingdom will cover all the world!” Fluttershys head swam with a mix of feelings. One was stronger than the others.

‘Take it.’ She bit hard into the pear. It did not taste like a pear though. It tasted like victory, like power. Slither began laughing again as the flames grew higher and brighter. Fluttershy joined in as thunder racked the forest. They laughed for a long time, and then things went black.

Act One, Part Two

Fluttershy opened her eyes to find herself in her bed. The sun shined through the window onto her bed just shy of touching her nose. She sat up and breathed deeply. The air in her home smelled of flowers. She noiselessly got out of bed and went to her mirror to find a picture perfect mare greeting her. No brushing would be needed today.' Where did my brush go anyway?' Her brush was still on the other side of the room where Angel had thrown it. Fluttershy had almost forgotten about that.

‘Did all that really happen?’She thought to herself as she remembered the surreal events of the other day. It seemed so much like a dream. ‘Of course it was a dream. To think that a giant snake with magical powers had given her some kind of power to make ponies do whatever she wanted was ridiculous. She must have dreamt it after- Then it occurred to her that her real memories of the events yesterday were not coming to her. ‘it had to be a dream. Then how did I end up here?’ She saw a note on her dresser and trotted over to read it.

Fluttershy.
After we talked at the library I got everypony else to help find you and cheer you up. We found you at the edge of Everfree, asleep, so we brought you home and put you in bed. Angel seems to be sorry for what he did. As far as we can tell anyway, we don’t speak bunny. I hope you feel better and come to sugarcube corner later for some special cupcakes Pinkie made.

Twilight.

Then it was officially a dream. There was no Slither and she hadn’t been given what she wanted. ‘I guess that’s a good thing really.’ Looking back at the other day, she realized how silly most of her accusations were. ‘I don’t need any powers.’ She thought to herself as she headed toward the stairs and Realized the confrontation that lay before her. ‘On second thought…’

When she reached the bottom of the stairs Fluttershy saw Angel bunny sitting across the room. He was giving her a blank look and she mirrored it. She really didn’t know what she wanted to say. One part wanted to make him go without food for the whole day while the other wanted to snuggle with him and tell him she forgave him. What she did was sit through a long and awkward silence. Angel blinked and nervously presented a bowl. Fluttershy was annoyed.

“So that’s all you can think of. No apology?” Angel quickly dropped the bowl and threw himself at Fluttershys feet, shaking. “Um, I guess that counts.” Angel was hugging her leg and sniffling. All her reserved feelings of anger toward the creature were dismissed. She picked him up in her hooves and began to rock him back and forth. “Oh, I’m sorry to. I didn’t mean to be so mean.” Angel looked at her with a smile. “What do you say we get you breakfast.”

Fluttershy wrapped her scarf around her neck as angel opened the door for her. This was strange behavior for Angel, although he did have a lot to make up for and it was a nice change of behavior. “Thank you Angel bunny.” She said as she exited her home. The leaves were almost all on the ground by now and the air was chilly. Fluttershy felt warm despite the weather and hummed to herself as she trotted down the road toward Ponyville.

The sun was shining bright on the fields of Sweet Apple acres as Fluttershy passed them. She saw Big Macintosh bucking the apples off a tree a few feet from the fence. She waved and called to him. “Good morning Big Macintosh.” He waved back rather vigorously. ‘Must be a good day for him.’ She thought and continued walking along the side of the path. She stopped before she almost walked right into a puddle. Before she could begin to move around the rather small puddle, Macintosh was already there next to her. He lay down on his belly in the muddy water in front of her. Fluttershy just stood there looking at this strange pony as he looked back expectantly. “What are you doing?” Macintosh blinked and jerked his head toward his back. “Um. Thank you?”

“Eeyup.” Said Macintosh as Fluttershy tentatively walked on top and over him and continued down the road. ‘Well that was sweet…and strange.’ She looked back to see him standing next to the puddle and watching her. She hurried her pace a little bit.

The Ponyville market was buzzing with ponies buying or selling at the diverse and numerous stalls set up along the street. On any other day Fluttershy would have been fighting the crowd to gain an inch in the correct direction. That is, she would be asking the crowd nicely to move and she would in turn accidentally get thrown to the ground by a clumsy passerby. Today was different though, nopony seemed to get in her way today. She was an icebreaker ship sailing steadily through the tundra and she found it unsettling. She was happy that everything was going well today but something seemed wrong. The ponies seemed to be purposefully staying out of her way. ‘What is with everypony today?’. In her deep thought she accidentally ran into a blue unicorn and his bags fell to the ground, dropping assorted groceries everywhere. “Oh my goodness. I am so sorry mister Blu.” She knew the pony as Gordan Blu, The head chef at Stallion’s delight. On any other day he would have been angry at her, but this seemed to not be any other day.

“My most sincerest apologies Fluttershy.” He said in his strange accent, as he began to pick up all the assorted vegetables on the ground. “I should have been looking where I was going.”

“No need to apologize. It was my fault.” Her words seemed to have no affect on him.

“I tell you what huh? I will give you a free meal at my restaurant sometime.” Fluttershy didn’t know what to make of this. All this because he bumped into her? She couldn’t just turn him down could she? Before she could decide what to do he had gathered up all his things and left in a hurry. Once more the thought entered her mind. ‘What is with everypony today?’ Fluttershy let all this strangeness drift to the back of her mind as she continued her trek to Sugarcube Corner.

The bell rang as Fluttershy entered Sugarcube Corner. The ginger bread house was the most well known sweets shop in Ponyville and was run by the Cakes and the even more well known Pinkie Pie. Looking to her right, she saw all of her friends sitting at a table by the window, sharing assorted cupcakes of many different colors. They waved and said hello as she walked up to them and sat down.

“So are you feeling any better Fluttershy?” Twilight said.

“I am. I’m sorry about the things I said yesterday Twilight.” Twilight smiled and nodded at her. She was forgiven. “I was just so a-“Pinkie cut in between the two, holding a tray of steaming cupcakes.

“Who wants another Very berry blazing bonanza cupcake?” She said in her sing song voice. Fluttershy glared at Pinkie Pie. How dare she interrupt her? Pinkie Pie saw the look Fluttershy was giving her and slowly backed down onto the ground. Suddenly her eyes flashed red and without a word she slammed her head against the ground like somepony had stepped on it. Pinkie fell unconscious to the floor as the others stared in disbelief. The tray of cupcakes clattered to the ground. Fluttershy stared, dumbfounded, at the pink pony on the ground as Twilight and Rarity got out of their seats to see if she was alright. ‘Did I do that?’ Of course she didn’t, how could she have? Once again her dream entered her mind. ‘No, no, it’s not possible.’

“Yes, yes, it is possible.” Said a familiar voice. Fluttershys heart nearly stopped.

“Oh no.” She said aloud. Her friends were now all gathered around Pinkie Pie.

“She’s bleeding. We need to get her to the hospital.” Twilight spoke to the others. Applejack turned to Fluttershy with a terrified look.

“Shy, what happened?” Fluttershy simply looked back in fear. ‘I didn’t do anything, at least I didn’t mean to.’

“Are you so sure about that?” The voice sang in her ear.

“I didn’t do anything!” she was screaming at the voice nopony else seemed to hear. To them she was responding to Applejack.

“ah don’t mean ta’ say that you did it Shy. I just wanna know what you saw.” They now had Pinkie Pie on Rainbow Dashes back. Her forehead had been ripped by the impact with the ground. Blood was trickling into her eyes . Fluttershy couldn’t handle the sight and fled to the bathroom. She ran past Applejack and slammed the bathroom door behind her. She leaned against the door, hyperventilating, as Applejack banged on the wood. “Fluttershy, what in the hay is wrong with you?” Fluttershy locked the door and ran to the stall across the oak wood room. She threw the door open and lowered her head into the toilet bowl. Her stomach heaved violently and pushed what food she had in her system up her throat and into the toilet. Every time she thought she was done the picture of her friend entered her mind. Pinkie, her face covered in her own blood. She heaved until there was nothing left and then heaved some more until her tears substituted her breakfast as the substance raining into the porcelain bowl.

“Oh my, I suppose that’s the nausea kicking in.” She knew that voice. “Did I mention that in the list of side effects?” She didn’t bother to look at the serpent leaning into the stall.

“What did you do to me?” She said.

“Simple. I did exactly as you asked. You wanted to be the boss and you got your wish granted. If you couldn’t handle having awesome powers you should have told me before hand. You’re hardly even using them anyway.” He spoke to her like an adult scolding a child. As if he had given her a toy and she had stepped on it.

“You made me hurt my friend.” Fluttershy had almost stopped crying now but still hung her head over the toilet bowl.

“I gave you the means to hurt your friend, I didn’t do that to her, you did. Besides, I think she was great practice.” Fluttershy slowly turned toward him.

“Practice?” Slither’s face bore a look of annoyance.

“You’ve gotta step on people to reach the top, kid, and damn my soul if you aren’t going to reach the top.”

“No. I don’t want this anymore. I made that deal when I was angry and stupid. I want out.” She said and stomped her hoof on the floor. Slither only laughed.

“Sorry sweetie, your contract is for life.”

“What?!” Fluttershy exclaimed. Slither made the contract appear in a burst of flame and floated it over to her. She took it in her hooves and read it over. There was hardly even a full paragraph on it.

He or she who signs this contract shall be granted their greatest desires and be subject to alteration by the contractor. The contract expires at the date of the contractees death or when the crontractor and contractee reached a mutually beneficial agreement.

It had her signature on it.

“I might understand if the rule were in the fine print but as it stands you obviously didn’t read it or didn’t care at the time.” Fluttershy stared daggers at Slither.

“And what the buck do you get out of all this?! Do you just like watching ponies suffer?!

“Well I do get your signature, which I would guess is going to be worth big money a hundred years from now.” Now he wasn’t making any sense.

“What in the hay are you talking about?”

“Well I’m just saying that ponies pay a lot for things like that. You should have seen how much my contract with Nightmare Moon sold for.” This snapped Fluttershy out of her rage and sobered her.

“N-n-nightmare moon?”

“Of course. You don’t think Luna just up and became Nightmare Moon overnight did you?” Fluttershy began to feel as if she was sinking. “Nightmare Moon, Discord, Star kiss the Impaler. I own them all. They all wanted something and they all got it, and in return they served me.”

“So you mean you-“

“Yes Fluttershy. Bad guys don’t grow on trees you know, and that is where I come in. I am the maker of villains.” Her head was spinning. ‘This can’t be happening, it can’t be.’ She looked up to see Slither looking at her with a victorious expression. It was all his fault, he. Would. Die.

“You bastard!!!” She screamed as she launched herself at the reptilian beast. She went right thru him and hit the mirror across the room. She landed on the ground with a thud and held her hoof to her head. Now she really felt dizzy. She looked into the cracked mirror and saw Slither sitting there calmly.

“I suggest you start thinking about an alias. Make it something regal, big boss.” He disappeared in a burst of flame and maniacal laughter. Fluttershy stared at the mirror in absolute terror. Her irises were blood red.

Act One, Part Three

Act One, Part three

The sun was beginning its decent from the top of the sky as evening drew near. The orange glow came through the windows and provided the only light in a dark room in the Ponyville local hospital. Twilight sparkle leaned over a bed that was occupied by an unconscious pink pony covered in gauze from her eyes up. The doctors had told them that the wound was not fatal, her brain had suffered very little damage and seemed to be recovering from the blow quickly. Her forehead had needed to be stitched and she had almost lost a critical amount of blood from her gaping wound. In the end, they had to have Rarity donate blood for a transaction and Pinkie would have to stay for continued monitoring.

" Miss Pie is a very lucky pony." The doctor had said. The others had left for home when they heard that Pinkie hadn't knocked herself dead. Twilight had stayed. She needed to think. The others hadn't seen it. They had not seen, in the half second it was there, the eyes of the party pony glowing bright red. Pinkie had not simply smashed her head against the ground on her own accord, that made no sense.' Maybe she had no control over herself.' As soon as this thought entered her mind, Twilight felt silly.

'Twilight, your being ridiculous. You actually think somepony made Pinkie Pie smash her head into the ground?' It was ridiculous, but so was the idea of Pinkie just up and trying to give herself a concussion. She looked at her curly haired friend. Her eyes were covered by the gauze , now stained brown with dried blood. She was breathing peacefully through her nose and her lip hung ever so slightly open. 'Oh Pinkie, if only you were awake to tell me what happened.' But she wasn't and Twilight was not going to get any answers by sitting around here. Her mind turned to Fluttershy. She had done just as Twilight would suspect her to do, run into the bathroom and puke at the sight of Pinkie's injury. What kept ringing in her head was the thing she had said just before that.

"I didn't do anything." Twilights thoughts were interrupted by Nurse Red heart.

"I'm sorry Miss Sparkle but visiting hours are over." She said from the open doorway. Twilight got up and left without a word. 'I think it's time I paid Fluttershy a visit.'

Princess Luna stood on her bedroom balcony and watched the sun as it began to fall. She spoke to the light brown pony, who was nervously sitting behind her, without even looking back."And you said you tracked him to the Everfree Forest?"

"Yes. Um, we couldn't follow him through the foliage, unfortunately, but we do know that he was heading due west."

"Toward Ponyville."

"It would seem so."

" Mr. Sands?"

"Yes princess?"

"Get me in touch with the best pony we have."

" Right, I'll send for the top agents in Cloudsdale academy an-"

"Better." She snapped. As she turned her head to look at him she blocked the light of the sun from his view. Ever since they had gotten word of this strange snake creature, Luna had been obsessed with finding it. For what reason, nopony knew, but they dared not question a princess, especially when she was like this.

"Princess there is no viable option better than th-"

"Get me the Arch Angel."

"Ma'am, with all due respect, the Arch Angel is unpredictable and-"

"Just do it Sands!" The earth pony's legs felt weak. He stood in silence for a few seconds.

"Y-yes, Princess Luna."

Fluttershy had been pacing in her living room for so long she had walked a small rut into the wood. She had locked the door and barricaded it with her sofa. Every time she looked into the mirror, it seemed her mane and coat were growing more and more red.

"What do I do? What do I do? Why is this happening to me?" Angel bunny hopped up to Fluttershy with a look of concern. She quickly turned toward him and snapped. "This is all your fault you stupid rabbit! If you hadn't been so spoiled I wouldn't be in this mess right now!" Angel cowered before this monster that had replaced Fluttershy. As he lay on the ground ,trembling ,she contemplated disposing of the annoying little fuzz ball. It took a few seconds for her to get a grip on her thoughts again. 'I really am becoming a monster.' She returned to her pacing with a groan. "Alright, I need to tell somepony about this. Somepony who can help me." She instantly rejected that thought.
' Oh yeah. Let's visit Twilight and ask her for her help with this predicament shall we? Guess what Twilight. I accidentally signed a contract with a demon/snake monster and now I'm turning into a villain. Do you have a book on that? Oh and I may or may not have made our friend kill herself.' Fluttershy had not yet heard anything about Pinkies injuries but ,from what she saw, it didn't look good. She suddenly heard a knocking on her door.

"Fluttershy, let me in, I need to talk to you." It was Twilight. Fluttershy didn't want to talk to anypony right now. She wanted to be far away from her friends so they didn't get hurt.

'Maybe if I'm quite she'll think I'm not home.' Fluttershy stood stock still and waited for Twilight to go away.

"Fluttershy, I know your there, I saw you in the window." She sighed.

" I'm sorry Twilight, I can't let you in."

"Why not?"

'Because I moved that sofa ,running on reserve panic energy, bitch.' Fluttershy slapped herself for that thought. "I just- It's a matter of your own safety."

" Fluttershy, open this door now." Twilight's tone caused Fluttershy to growl a little. "Fine. If you aren't going to open this door then I will." A purple glow emanated from the lock on Fluttershy's door. The knob turned slowly and the door flew open... a few inches. Twilight leaned her head into the room thru the crack to see the sofa blocking the door. She looked at Fluttershy with a look of annoyance and got a smug grin in return. Twilight's horn glowed and the couch began to move to the side.

"Argh. You just don't give up." Twilight was now closing the door behind her. She finally turned to have a good look at her friend.

'Strange, Was Fluttershy's coat that dark this morning?' Twilight approached her friend with some apprehension. Fluttershy was staring daggers at her. "Fluttershy, I need to know what happened at Sugarcube corner." at the mention of the events of the morning, Fluttershy instantly underwent a change in stance. Her face became recognizable to Twilight as the face of the most loving mare in town.

"Oh twilight, is Pinkie okay?"

"She's going to be fine." Fluttershy's eyes were beginning to tear up. She jumped at Twilight and hugged her tightly. Stunned, all Twilight could do was return the hug. 'Well this is quite the mood swing.'

"I-*sniff* I thought I-I-" Twilight began to stroke the distressed mares mane. "Twilight. I didn't mean it, I didn't." Fluttershy's tears flowed upon her shoulder.

'This mare is having a total meltdown.' She thought as she shooshed and stroked her mane. After she seemed to have cried herself out, Twilight held her by her shoulders and looked her in the eye. She tried to hide the shock of seeing that her irises were bright red. Fluttershy averted her eyes. "Fluttershy, I need to know what's going on." Fluttershy couldn't help it, it all came spilling out.

"After we fought I went into the Everfree and I met a snake called Slither who offered to make everypony do what I wanted and I signed a contract and now my eyes are red and I can't control my thoughts and I'm going to turn into a villain." She covered her mouth with her hooves with a small 'eep'. It was too late though, Twilight had heard it all. The lavender mare stood like a deer caught in a cars head lights.

"So you made a deal with a strange creature to be granted powers that are now making you turn into a villain. Is that right?" Fluttershy nodded her head up and down. "Okay then. We need to tell the princesses about this, they will know what to do." Twilight began to move toward the door. "I need to send a letter to Celestia, I'll be right back." Twilight stopped halfway to the door. She couldn't move. She forced her feet to respond to her brain but nothing happened.

"W-we don't have to tell the princesses, right?" Fluttershy said nervously.

"Fluttershy, let me go." Twilight felt her muscles release and she fell to the floor. Fluttershy moved in front of her and got on her knees.

"Please Twilight, Don't tell the Princesses." Twilight coughed some dust out of her throat as she got up.

"Why not?" Fluttershy struggled for an answer.

"Uh... w-well I... I don't-"

"Fluttershy. You need help, serious help." Twilight pushed her face right up against Fluttershy's. This proved to be a mistake when she found she could not pull away from Fluttershy's eyes.

"I will handle this my way and no other way." Twilight began to feel a burning sensation. She could not close her eyes, she couldn't even move. Fluttershy's eyes burned into hers and seemed to be welding her into place. " Now you will do as I say. You will stay here and you will not interfere." Twilight's lips moved without her command.

"I will stay here and I will not interfere." Fluttershy Looked her over once and headed for the door.

"I'm sorry Twilight. I promise, by tomorrow morning I'll have this whole thing fixed."

Applejack walked calmly along the road to Fluttershy's house. At least, she was calm on the exterior. She knew, from the moment the words left Shy's lips, that something was wrong. It was probably nothing, she had just witnessed her friend smash her head against the ground hard enough to draw blood. Knowing Fluttershy, she was probably just scared and confused. Still, A.J. felt that she had to make sure her friend was all right. It seemed something was going haywire in everypony's minds today. When she got home she found Big Macintosh staring down the road and shivering. He had said he was helping somepony by the road and he fell into the puddle and afterward he just felt like staring down the road. Applejack didn't have to be the element of honesty to know her big brother was keeping a lot from her. She didn't push though, it had been a tiring day and the morning had only just ended.

Applejack walked up to the front door of Fluttershy's home. She knocked lightly. "Fluttershy, It's A.J. Can ah' come in." The door opened at her touch, creaking on its hinges. Applejack poked her head inside. "Shy? You home?" Applejack's eyes came to rest on a peculiar sight. " Twilight, what are you doin' here?" She closed the door behind her and walked up to the lavender mare.

"I will stay here and I will not interfere." Twilight said in the voice of one hypnotized. Her eyes stared into oblivion. Applejack waved her hoof in front of her friends face.

"Twi', are you okay." This elicited the same response.

"I will stay here and not interfere." Applejack gasped.

"Somepony musta' hypnotorized yah. Don't worry Twi' I've got an idea." Applejack ran to the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboards to find a cup. When she located one to her liking she filled it with water from the sink and ran back to Twilight. "Ah'm sorry about this Twi'." She threw the cup of water in the lavender unicorn's face. The results were favorable. Twilight sputtered and coughed as she wiped the water from her face. " Twilight, what happened? Who did this to yah?" It took a moment for Twilight to answer.

" S-something has happened to Fluttershy." Applejack was confused.

" Do you mean to say that Fluttershy did this to yah?"

"Yes. well, kind of. She's not in full control of herself and- I-I'll explain it on the way. Right now, we need to find Fluttershy." Twilight threw the front door open and began to gallop down the road. Applejack followed, leaving the door hanging open behind her.

Fluttershy walked through the dim foliage of the Everfree forest purposefully. She did not bother to look behind her back for assailants. A fly buzzed around her head noisily and landed on her flank. Fluttershy took no notice as it burst into flame and fell off. She had been walking for at least a half an hour by the time she found what she was looking for. A small clearing stretched before her, surrounded by a circle of chard grass. She walked to the middle of the circle and stood. Around her, the forest stood like a crowd, watching and waiting, holding their breath. The trees leaned toward her in anticipation. "Slither!" Fluttershy called to the sky. "I know you can hear me you cold blooded wretch!" Fluttershy was graced with no answer. "I'm here about that contract." She said more quietly.

"So, you still want a refund huh?" She turned to see the ruby backed serpent lying, coiled up across from her. "Look kid, I gave you the powers, you signed the contract and there is nothing you can do about it." The contract appeared once more. "You are mine unless I give the word, case closed, no ifs, ands, or buts about it."

" You are going to give the word then." She stated this as a fact rather than a suggestion or question. Slither laughed a single, cruel laugh.

"Ha! And what makes you so sure about that sweetie?" Fluttershy displayed a vicious smile at this comment.

"Because I'm going to make you an offer that would be suicidal to refuse." Slither looked uninterested.

"So what? Your gonna kill me if I don't rip up the contract?" Fluttershy entered a fighting stance.

"That's about the size of it." With that, she launched herself toward him as fast as her wings would carry her. She landed in the leaves of a short tree. 'Idiot. That didn't work the last time and it's not going to work this time.' Fluttershy attempted to fly out of the tree only to find that she had caught herself in a mess of vines. Each movement she made only served to entangle her more. Slither made his way calmly toward the trapped pegasus. He nimbly maneuvered through the branches and vines until his face was inches away from hers.

"Oh, Fluttershy, Fluttershy. You disappoint me so." He whispered to the mare who was attempting to bite through the vines to free herself. "I should have known you would want your gifts back in the first place. What else could you expect from such a hopeless goody-two-shoes." Fluttershy was now struggling to get close enough to bite him." All you want is to help the poor little ponies who take advantage of your kindness and mock your fears. And when you finally decide to stand up for yourself you go soft again in the blink of an eye. I should do us all a favor and end you here and now." Fluttershy roared like a tiger defending its territory as the vines around her began to crackle and smoke.

Twilight trotted with Applejack through the thick bushes and vines of Everfree forest. Applejack paid the foliage no mind as she followed the trail left by Fluttershy. Twilight did not handle the environment as well. She let out a groan of frustration as she tripped over the fifth root this afternoon. "Are you sure she went in here?" Twilight said to Applejack.

" ah'm pretty sure." Twilight was breathing quickly from all the running. She had never been the athletic type.

"Applejack stop. I can't run any further." Twilight collapsed against a tree as Applejack walked over to her.

"Come on Twilight. We need to catch up to Fluttershy. If what you said was true then we need ta' keep her from hurtin' anypony." Twilight couldn't answer her. She was desperately trying to catch her breath. She lifted her head when she smelled a strange scent on the wind.

"Do you smell that Applejack?" Applejack took a deep breath and went into a coughing fit.

"Somethin's burnin'." She said between coughs. "Twilight, we need ta' find Flutter-" Twilight was no longer leaning against the tree.

"Come on A.J." Twilight call over her back as she ran along the tracks in the ground.

Fluttershy stood across from Slither in the clearing. The fire was beginning to spread from the tree she had been trapped in. She had the power to control fire, who knew. She didn't have time to celebrate though.

"I must say Fluttershy, you got much more powerful much quicker than I had anticipated. It's such a crime that you don't want to use it for anything useful." Fluttershy refused to let the reptile get inside her head. She had enough odds stacked against her without throwing careless rage into the mix. Slither disappeared in a burst of flame and reappeared behind her. Fluttershy turned and lashed out toward him. He quickly relocated to a spot a few feet away from her. "To slow." He mocked. She ran toward him only to reach smoke where a serpent had been. "I can keep this up all day you know." This was getting frustrating. Slither once again appeared in front of her, leaning down toward her. "Notice how I haven't even fought back." Fluttershy jumped and swung her hoof. He casually dodged the blow and it grazed the tip of his face. "You have your own powers." He wrapped himself around her body, quickly, and began to squeeze. He lowered his head so he was only an inch away from Fluttershy's face. "Use them." His grip became tighter with each passing moment. Fluttershy struggled to escape the constricting coil, to no avail. Flames licked at her vision. 'flames.' Fluttershy felt hot, she felt like she was surrounded by flame. She could hardly breath for the pressure on her lungs. She tugged at something inside herself, desperately, she found a small, cool flame and let it grow. She closed her eyes and thought of escaping the serpent's grasp. She opened her eyes to find herself standing a few feet away from her adversary. "Very good Fluttershy. But you still have a ways to go. Lets continue, shall we?"

Applejack was the first to reach the clearing. Twilight followed closely behind. They stared, mouths agape at the sight before them. Fluttershy had gone through a drastic change. Her coat was light red and her mane was bright red with dark black streaks in it. Her eyes blazed with the look of a mare who was powerful and knew it. She was engaged in a battle with a huge snake.

"That must be Slither." Twilight said. It was very hard for them to follow the fighting with their eyes. It seemed that the two were teleporting around the battlefield. The battlefield was also ablaze, of course. It was absolute, fiery chaos.

"Well, what do we do?" Applejack asked. Twilight didn't have an answer. If they went anywhere near that inferno they would be turned to ashes. They could only wait and watch.

Fluttershy studied the patterns of Slither's teleportation. She watched where he went when he evaded her blows. And she waited for the right moment to strike. The world did not exist anymore. All that was real to her was the fire, herself, and Slither. She would not be beaten. she would not be weak. She would be the victor today and every day from now on. And then the moment came. He appeared behind her. Just as she had anticipated. She had already begun to turn when he began his transition and when he appeared he was instantly met with the force of her back hooves.

Slither hit the ground with the force of a train wreck. His vision was blurred and his head was fuzzy. Fluttershy appeared on top of him. "So, was it good for you to?" She growled in response. She reached out toward a rock a few feet away. It began to glow red and soon transitioned to bright orange as it melted down. The superheated stone slithered across the ground toward her. It slid up her leg, onto her arm and outward to form a fine edged, white hot blade. She pointed it at his throat and he quickly underwent a miraculous recovery. "My goodness. You certainly are powerful." Fluttershy looked him in the eye.

"Say the word." Slither did not acknowledge her.

"It felt good, didn't it? To have all that power at your command." He grinned at her and winked. Fluttershy faltered. 'It did feel good. I have powers beyond imagining. Nopony can tell me what to do now, and nopony can ignore me.' She looked at her blade and then to the blackened landscape around her. 'This is just the beginning.' She looked at Slither and she smiled back.

End Act One

Act Two, Part One

Act Two, Part one

Isaiah 9:18

For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

Applejack and Twilight looked out at the carnage from behind a tree trunk. Fluttershy and Slither had disappeared in one final burst of flame, leaving only the sound of the wind and an empty field. The ground was scorched to a blackened crisp and the trees surrounding the field were not much better off. Twilight cautiously stepped out from her hiding place.

"That was...quite a show." She said. Her mind was still attempting to process what she had just seen. She poked at the crisp earth with her hoof. It was cool, as if the fire had gone out hours ago. Applejack was now beside her, scanning the tree line.

"Where do yah reckon they went?" Twilight didn't have to put much thought into her conclusion. If the smile she had seen on Fluttershy's face before the two left was anything to go by, she had finally snapped. And her first target would be Ponyville. Applejack seemed to have had the same thought as Twilight. They nodded at each other silently and began their mad dash for town.

The two mares had not been the only ones watching the fight from the trees. As they left, a figure in the branches of a tall oak watched them dash into the forest toward the town called Ponyville. What sunlight reached it through the orange leaves of the trees met shining metal.

"Interesting." It said to itself in a voice sounding like gravel rolling around on the ground. "Teleportation, fire manipulation, and a feisty attitude to boot." This was an interesting one. He was tempted to disobey Luna's orders. He could still hear that pompous royal barking his mission objectives.

Find the snake, kill it, and avoid civilian casualties. But above all, kill the snake. She hadn't told him what to do about any cronies. Maybe he could say it was necessary? He would think about it later, now he would follow these ponies to the town. The snake was a hard one to track down, but something told him it would come for its creation. And he would be there in the shadows, waiting to strike.

The sky was painted red by the light of the setting sun. Ponyville was beginning to settle down for the night. Market shops were starting to close up and the markets were becoming less crowded. Ponies still wandered the streets in the fading lights, heading home or to late night jobs. It was a normal evening like any other.

Spike paced inside the library with his hands behind his back. It had been two hours since Twilight left to check on Fluttershy. She had promised to be back in time for dinner which was now on the table, cold.

'What could be keeping Twilight like this? She's never this late. Come to think of it, she's never late period.' Spike looked out the window, It was going to be dark in a half an hour or so. 'Maybe something went wrong? Oh no, What if something went wrong and Twilight needs my help?' Spike needed to go check on Twilight. He walked to the door and grabbed a coat.

"Owlicious, watch the library for me. I need to go look for Twilight." The bird stared at Spike from his chair perch.

"Who?" He responded. Spike groaned.

"Twilight. The purple pony who owns the library." Owlicious blinked. "Forget it." The baby dragon opened the door and slammed it behind him. The air was surprisingly warm for mid autumn. Spike began to sweat in his coat almost as soon as he exited the library. "Man, it's warm out here." He said to himself as he took his coat off. He found the path in the center of Ponyville that led to Fluttershy's house. Off in the distance he saw a light. He squinted his eyes to see what it was. " Is that fire?"

Fluttershy strode down the main road of Ponyville. Her eyes blazed with power. Wherever she stepped hoof she left the ground aflame. Ponies cleared a path for her as she strode down the street toward the town hall. She took her time. She saw them all trembling with fear at the sight of her, and she reveled in it.

A cabbage merchant hid behind his stall, only daring to poke his head out to see the frightening pony. Fluttershy grinned and jumped toward him. He leapt back just in time to avoid being engulfed in the fire ball that consumed his stand. The mare laughed cruelly and continued her march down the street. The merchant screamed to the sky.

"My cabbages!!" Ponies where now gathering around the streets to view what was going on. As she walked, a golden bit rolled out in front of Fluttershy. Soon after, a blue and green colt ran out to retrieve it and stopped in his tracks when he saw Fluttershy. She walked up to him and looked him in the eyes. He couldn't move in his fear, nor could he breath.

"Bow." She ordered. The hypnotized colt did just that. He whimpered as he lay on the ground. Some ponies in the crowd began to do the same. Others backed away. Fluttershy felt alive. This was what it meant to be powerful. She had been a fool to want to give this up.

She soon reached the town hall. Two white pegusi, adorned in bronze armor trotted forth. They stood in her way and silently apposed her. She snorted in frustration. "Stand aside." She could see in their eyes, they were battling their fear. Yet they had the resolve to stand tall.

'That's right, fear me.' She sent the two guards scrambling for the nearest water source they could find. She giggled at the sight of them running away, ablaze, screaming like girls. She ascended the steps of the hall slowly and blew the doors off their hinges in a fiery explosion. She walked calmly through the burning doorway, the fire not harming her one bit. In the center of the lobby stood mayor mare, attempting to stare Fluttershy down. She was not phased. The two stood, the mayor bearing a look of determination and Fluttershy, a look of arrogance. The mayor's knees began to wobble. She slowly began to bow. She fought the whole way down. Eventually she lay still.

"I am at your command Fluttershy. " The red mare turned to view Ponyville through the flaming hole. "Fluttershy is gone." As she spoke, her cutie mark began to change. The butterflies that adorned her flank burst into flame and were consumed. "My name is Wild Fire. And this town-" The walls of the hall began to smolder and from the fire grew flags adorned with her new cutie mark. "-is mine."