Chapters She wasn’t going to make it. Her body was feeling heavier after each movement: she was exhausted and completely lost in that inhospitable part of the land. The huge amount of rain coupled with the darkness of the night was making any attempt to locate herself completely useless. Even the full moon had somehow decided to stay hidden behind the clouds, only to show itself once in a while as if to taunt her with its pale light.
The same pale light the mare could see at that moment. A distant light, that she knew couldn’t help her. She was about to give up completely and accept her fate, but she noticed something quite unexpected: the light wasn’t disappearing as it had so many times before. It was faint, it was pale, almost inexistent at that point, but it was still there.
The mare fixed her gaze on the light and convinced herself that, if she could reach it, whatever was there would save her. So she mustered up her strength to move again, but failed. She tried again and failed once more.
She was going to make it.
Once again, she moved, and again, and again. Each time crawling through the mud, but each time a little faster, a little further and with it the hope becoming bigger and closer.
She could see the light way better now. It was still distant, but she could identify it. It was a home, a little cottage to be exact, but clearly inhabited, and certainly able to shield her from the cold and the rain. For a second, she felt her strength declining however, but for a second only as the proximity of that house triggered a new reaction that filled her with energy as if she had been struck by lightning. With great effort, she managed to stand up and began to run towards the cottage. A smile appeared on her face as it became near.
But in her state, she didn’t see the stone in her path, hit it and, under the violence of the shock fell on the ground, paralyzed. It had used the last of her reserves. In despair, she looked at the cottage, so close to her, then at the stone, whose silhouette she could see very clearly from where she way laying. A very clearly carved silhouette, rectangular, like a little door put there only to close her way to life.
She closed her eyes, knowing it was going to be the very last time, but then heard a voice:
“Miss? Are you hurt? Miss?”
With difficulty, she opened her eyes again just long enough to see the face of another mare, with yellow fur and a pink mane.
“Oh my, oh my!” said the voice in panic. “Quick.” She added, as if she was speaking to someone else. “We have to take her inside.”
But already, the mare had lost consciousness.
It was feeling warm and kind of soft. Like a bed. She was in a bed. And she was feeling way better. She opened her eyes and saw the interior of a very little but cozy room. It was quiet in there. It was feeling safe: it was feeling peaceful.
“Oh, you’re awake.” Said the voice of the pony that she had seen before passing out.
The mare could see her at the door of the room. For some reason, she didn’t seem to want to intrude into the room, even if it was obviously her own house they were both in.
“All thanks to you miss.” Said the mare. “I don’t know how I could thank you enough.”
The other mare blushed, but didn’t reply, at least not in a way that could be heard.
“My name is Lula.” The mare explained. “What is your name?” she asked.
She couldn’t hear the answer the first time. Or the second time. But at the third attempt, she heard:
“My name is Fluttershy.”
“That’s a beautiful name.” Lula stated.
Everything was beautiful to her at this point. She couldn’t believe she was having such a nice discussion with such a kind pony in such a quiet house.
“Excuse me, but…” began Fluttershy, with her usual hesitations. “… what were you doing outside during such a storm?”
Lula looked down. She didn’t really want to think about it, yet she couldn’t refuse an explanation to her hostess.
“I was trying to get to Apple Loosa.” She explained. “I heard that the plague hasn’t struck there yet and I couldn’t stay where I lived anyway.”
“Why is that?” asked Fluttershy, curious, before thinking she was becoming impolite. “I’m sorry.” She added. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s okay, you have the right to know.” Lula told her.
But then she stopped. It wasn’t a good idea to tell the reason why she had left in the first place. She could just lie, say it was because of the plague, or invent any other reason whatsoever. Then again, she wanted to trust that kind pony, and she wanted that kind pony to be able to trust her too. Like friends would trust each other. Like in the past. And that required her to tell the truth.
“I fled Vanhoover because I was accused to be a witch.”
“A witch?” Fluttershy asked, surprised at the simple concept.
“They said I was causing the plague. That’s why they imprisoned me and did this.”
Saying those words, she lifted a part of her mane to show her forehead where the remnant of a horn could be seen.
“It’s horrible!” stated Fluttershy, outraged by such barbarism.
“I hated them for it.” Lula said. “But we were all afraid. I guess I shouldn’t blame them…”
“Well I do blame them!” Fluttershy affirmed with the upmost conviction, one that was very unusual from her for those who knew her well. “Nopony should be treated that way, no matter how afraid one can be.”
To Fluttershy’s surprise, Lula began to laugh. Not because it was funny, but because it was all feeling so weird, to have met that weird mare that was still able to feel outraged by something that had become so normal.
“I’ve prepared some tea. Would you like some?” she asked her guest.
“I wouldn’t want to impose.” Replied Lula, who was just being polite as she would have killed for a good cup of tea.
“Don’t be silly.” Replied Fluttershy. “I’ll go get it.”
A few minutes later, they were both enjoying a cup of tea and some biscuits on a table that Fluttershy had brought near Lula’s bed.
“I’m glad the critters didn’t prevent you from sleeping well.” Fluttershy said in the middle of the conversation. “They can be pretty boisterous sometimes.”
“The critters?” Lula asked, curious. “You’ve got domestic animals here?”
She loved animals, so she would have liked to see some.
“Of course.” Fluttershy replied. “Who do you think takes care of all of them?” she asked while pointing to the whole room with her hoof.
Lula looked around, but saw nothing other than a few pictures of animals. She smiled awkwardly, thought it was all rhetorical and asked:
“So, will you present them to me?”
Fluttershy was more than happy to present her little friends to her new mare friend.
“Well, that’s Swen.” She said, pointing to a corner of the table. “He is a squirrel, but he doesn’t like nuts a lot, quite a difficult one to handle, but he is very nice.”
Lula looked at the table, but there was nothing else than the teacups, the teapot and the biscuits.
“Those two are Ivan and Stephan.” Fluttershy said with joy, pointing to the extremity of the bed. “The first one is a salamander. Be careful, he loves to tickle. The second one is an otter.”
Lula began to wonder if this was some sort of game.
“And this one?” she asked, pointing to another random direction.
“Which one?” asked Fluttershy.
“The big one?” Lula asked, having no idea what was going on.
“Her name is Melindra: she is a pelican.”
It was probably just a weird game, but quite a creepy one still. Lula tried to change the subject and they spoke about her journey and the region.
“I never expected for somepony to still live around here.” Lula explained. “I thought that those lands had been deserted long ago.”
“Well, I’m still here.” Fluttershy sighed. “I couldn’t leave just like that. I’ve lived there my whole life. And besides, who would have taken care of my little friends if I were gone? Speaking of which…”
The yellow Pegasus stood up.
“I’m deeply sorry, but I have to feed them. I should also check on Arthur. He hasn’t been feeling very well lately.” She said. “Please try to sleep a bit, you still need some rest. But do feel free to wander around as much as you want. You’re here at home. Just please don’t go into the third room upstairs. My friend Rainbow Dash is sleeping there and I wouldn’t want for her to be disturbed.”
Two mares? Lula began to think that even a little village might have been founded again in that part of Equestria. With some luck, she could hope to stay. The future was looking brighter than ever before.
“Yes, I’m coming, I’m coming!” Fluttershy said, seemingly speaking to the air around her while giggling. “I swear, when they are hungry, they can become quite troublesome.”
Lula watched her leave the room with a concerned look. Fluttershy was a very nice mare, but a strange one nonetheless.
When she woke up again, Lula got struck by the huge silence reigning in the room. She moved and the bed creaked a bit, then the silence came back again in its impressive hegemony.
She got up, almost fell as she was still weak, but recovered very quickly and estimated that she would be able to walk for a while. So she went out of her room and began to explore the house.
There was a kitchen, full of all sorts of foods, which was quite impressive, a big bathroom, a lot of empty cages and bowls all around. The living room was very pleasantly arranged with some cat trees that seemed to have been scrapped by panthers or a bear, but everywhere the same silence and quietness was dominating. There was no trace of Fluttershy.
Lula went up and saw the three doors. Two were opened, leading to a room, which was probably Fluttershy’s and another bathroom, way smaller than the first one. And finally, there was the third room in which Rainbow Dash was sleeping.
“Fluttershy! Please, it hurts!”
The voice was coming from the third room. It was faint, but still there. Or maybe not.
“Fluttershy!” said the voice, before adding: “Help me. Please help me, it hurts so much.”
Lula felt a quiver run through her spine. That voice wasn’t happy. It was the opposite of happiness. In fact she had heard those intonations of violent pain a lot of times since the plague had appeared.
“Lula, is that you?” asked Fluttershy’s voice from downstairs.
The unicorn took the opportunity to flee the floor and go down to her new friend.
“I was looking around, but I didn’t go into the third room, I swear!”
Fluttershy laughed. She was finding very cute how close Lula was reacting to a little child.
“Don’t worry.” She told her. “I told you you’re here at home.”
Lula began to relax. Still, the tone of the voice, and the seriousness of the situation were making her uneasy.
“I heard your friend’s voice through the door.” She told Fluttershy.
“Oh, Rainbow Dash is awake? What did she say?”
“She asked for help.” Lula explained. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know she had been struck by the plague. All my condolences.”
It had become the norm to accept the death of one struck by the illness before he or she would have passed out. But to her upmost surprise, Fluttershy began to laugh like it was all a big funny joke.
“Rainbow Dash isn’t going to die.” The Pegasus explained. “She has just eaten some berries she shouldn’t have, and now she is complaining about it. But the stomachache is going to pass. That is why she needs to stay as quiet as possible.”
It was a relief, but still a surprising one. Lula was certain she had recognized the marks of the dying ponies in the voice’s tone. Or maybe she was just too used to hear those dying voices everywhere.
“Come now, you should be in bed too.” Fluttershy told her. “You may feel strong, but you still need some rest too.”
Lula accepted to lie back in her bed, drank the medicine Fluttershy gave her and soon closed her eyes.
“You’ll see, you’ll feel way better when you wake up again. I won’t be far away, I just need to find my little friends. I guess they are feeling a bit shy about you, but soon they will accept you as a friend too.”
Lula didn’t hear the rest of what Fluttershy was saying, as the medicine was making its effect and she fell into a deep restorative sleep.
“Where are they !?” shouted the voice in Lula’s ear.
Slowly waking up from the medicines, the mare found it difficult to remember where she was or what had happened.
“What have you done with them? Tell me! You’ll tell me!” the voice kept on shouting.
And this time, Lula woke up entirely. It was Fluttershy’s voice she was hearing, and the violence with which the kind pony was suddenly expressing herself was the sign something very wrong was going on.
“I can forgive you.” Fluttershy said. “I’m sure you had a good reason. All I want to know is where you’ve hidden my little friends and why you did it!”
The critters. There were no critters. None whatsoever.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lula replied, telling the truth.
“I’m talking about my animals. You made them disappear, I want them back, all of them, and you better not have harmed them in any way, or by Celestia I swear I won’t respond of my actions!”
“I didn’t make them disappear!” Lula defended herself, frightened by the threat. “I never saw your animals to begin with. I did nothing, absolutely nothing.”
“Liar!” shouted Fluttershy.
And the pegasus’s eyes took a new expression, a very menacing one, the same a bear mother would have when her offspring is being threatened.
“I know it’s you!” Fluttershy said. “It can’t be Rainbow Dash, and it can’t be me, that leaves only you.”
It was logical in the most illogical way possible. Understanding that she wouldn’t be able to reason with the Pegasus, Lula quickly glanced around to find a way to escape, but Fluttershy noticed it and it angered her even more.
“You’re not going anywhere until you tell me where my animals are!” she yelled. “I’ll find them, and when I do, you better pray not one of them is even remotely hurt!”
Fluttershy locked the shutter of the window with a padlock, then left the room, shut and locked the door behind her. But as soon as she had left, Lula heard her call the name of her critters with a voice that had no intonation of wrath anymore, but only sadness and anxiety. The simple sound of that voice broke Lula’s heart. She understood Fluttershy was only worried sick for her imaginary creatures, like a mother searching her children. It wasn’t making the threat less present though. It was clear that she had become the scapegoat again. Whatever was happening, she had to find a way to escape as soon as possible and flee far away, before the anxious Fluttershy would decide to use some more drastic measures to obtain the information she wanted from Lula, and that Lula just didn’t possess.
She checked in her mane and let out a sigh of relief. It was still there, the two little sticks of metal she had used to escape the first time. For a moment, she had feared to have lost them during her long journey, or that Fluttershy might have found them during her sleep.
Still, it wasn’t won yet. Lula immediately began to work on the door lock and after a few tries, eventually managed to open it. She glanced outside and saw nopony, but heard the calling of Fluttershy in the distance.
But she hadn’t even entered the living room that she heard Fluttershy’s voice very near, probably just outside behind the door.
Still, she had to hide again. It was still possible that Fluttershy would come up to look for the animals. Also, Lula wanted to go inside one of the room, just to stop hearing that terrible sad voice calling all those names with that vain hope she might find them.
She shut the door behind her and found herself caught into a very dark room. Still, she could discern a bed in the middle of the room, and in that bed a silhouette formed by the blanket.
“Fluttershy? Is that you?” asked the voice.
“Shhhhhh.” Said Lula, who had forgotten about Rainbow Dash and was just now understanding her mistake.
“Please, Fluttershy, make it stop, the pain, it hurts so much.”
“I promise the pain will go away, just stay quiet.” Lula responded, looking for a way out.
“It hurts, please, do something, anything! Fluttershy! Please!” began to shout the distorted voice as the silhouette was beginning to convulse very violently.
“Shut up! She is going to hear you!” Lula begged.
“Make the pain go away. I can’t stand it anymore! You have no idea how much it hurts!” shouted the voice of Rainbow Dash even louder.
“I told you to shut up!” yelled Lula herself, losing control and grabbing the pony in the bed to make her stop.
But to her horror, she didn’t feel any flesh at all: it was all bones.
The door opened and the light entered the room, showing clearly the skeleton that was lying in the bed.
“No…” said Fluttershy at that sight. “Rainbow Dash. Celestia no… What have you done?” she asked Lula, who let go of the bones she was holding.
“I didn’t do anything, I swear. She was already dead.”
There was no way the Pegasus would believe her. Actually, even Lula couldn’t believe it. She had heard the dead pony talk to her just a few seconds ago.
“You killed her…” stated Fluttershy, overwhelmed by her sadness.
“I didn’t!” shouted Lula, as much to convince Fluttershy than to convince herself.
“You got rid of my little animals, and you killed my best friend… why?” asked the poor yellow Pegasus.
Lula was too confused to answer.
“You brought the plague with you!” began to understand Fluttershy. “You really are a witch. You infected all the critters, and you infected Rainbow Dash, and now you will kill me as well. You probably have infected me already!” she affirmed.
It wasn’t making any sense. It wasn’t possible. Lula wasn’t a witch. She would know if she was one. And even so, she didn’t have a horn anymore to do any witchery anyway.
The yellow Pegasus didn’t leave her any time to explore the matter any further. In an unexpected blow, Fluttershy hit her directly into the stomach, then into the head, almost knocking her out.
“You killed them all!” shouted Fluttershy in despair. “You killed all those who were dear to me! You murderer!”
Lula, on the floor, tried to get up, but the blow to her belly had completely incapacitated her.
“You may have condemned me, but I’m going to make sure you won’t hurt any creature ever again!” assured her Fluttershy, before hitting her one final time on the head, making her lose consciousness.
And then, the Pegasus just fell on the floor too, incapable to do anything else than crying. Everything was lost. All those she had sworn to protect, all those that were dear to her. Her own life. Not that she cared much about it anymore.
Now that it was lying there, knocked out, the feeling of threat was slowly disappearing and the kind Pegasus began to wonder what she was supposed to do. Of course she wanted to avenge all those that had been murdered, and she knew that in one swift action, she could prevent more deaths. But whatever the circumstances, she just wasn’t a murderer herself.
“I’m sorry.” She apologized out loud. “I can’t do it.”
Still, she had to find a solution very fast. Or at least, decide what she was going to do before that mare would wake up again and be able to put up some new trick.
Then it occurred to Fluttershy. If she wouldn’t put an end to the threat, there were creatures in the Everfree forest that probably would. And even if she couldn’t accept the idea to directly hand her over to them, which would be the same at killing her herself, she could abandon her somewhere in the middle of the forest, as far as possible.
Once there, it was very improbable that the mare would find a way out. And if she did, well, then Fluttershy couldn’t be blamed.
That plan tasted sour in her mouth, but Fluttershy, feeling like she had no other alternative and decided to honor her lost friend’s memory, decided to carry it out.
But then, she hit something behind her. Surprised, Fluttershy let go of Lula’s tail and turned back to look at what it was and found herself facing the rectangular stone.
Lula slowly woke up. Her belly was hurting and so was her lower jaw. Still, the surprise of still being alive raised at the same time the memories of the last events were coming back to her.
She looked around and noticed she was laying on the ground, into some grass. There was the cottage so very close from her, and just behind her the silhouette of a mare, a Pegasus with a yellow fur and a pink mane.
At first, Lula thought of taking the opportunity to run away, leaving all the craziness behind, but another feeling took over her. It wasn’t curiosity for the fact Fluttershy was just standing there without paying any more attention to her. It wasn’t the pity she was feeling for the Pegasus, even if she had no idea what she was pitying.
Lula stood up, but Fluttershy didn’t even react. Hating that decision as soon as she took it, Lula came near her former friend and tried to find out what was going on, and then saw the stone.
“Here lies Fluttershy”
Lula felt the whole world crumbling around her, shook her head, and everything went back to normal. But the stone, with its inscription, was still there.
“Is it…?” began to ask Lula.
She didn’t know how to phrase that. She wasn’t sure there was a way to phrase such a thing to begin with.
“Yes.” Replied Fluttershy nonetheless with a tear. “It’s mine. I remember it now. I made it myself.”
“How are you feeling?” asked Lula almost mechanically, incapable of thinking of anything better to say.
“It hurt.”
“I understand.” Lied Lula.
“No.” explained Fluttershy. “I mean I remember the pain of the plague, the agony. It hurt a lot. But even more, I remember what happened before that. I lost them all to the sickness.”
The Pegasus stopped because of a deep violent knot in her stomach, and Lula thought she would pass out right there, but she suddenly kept on talking, even faster, with even more sadness in her voice:
“At first, I didn’t understand why some of my animals weren’t feeling well. And then, the news came from everywhere that ponies were getting sick. It was the plague. I tried my best, but so many were dying each day, I just couldn’t take it anymore and I shut myself in my home. And then Rainbow Dash came. She was sick too. She implored me to help her and I tried. I swear I tried!”
She stopped there. The rest of the story was obvious anyway.
“She infected me too and I couldn’t care for the animals anymore. They tried to heal me the best they could, but there was nothing to be done, so I told them to leave me.”
But then, Fluttershy’s tone changed.
“I died, I remember that very clearly, because the pain ceased. But I was still there. And so was my corpse. So I decided to bury myself, and then to bury Rainbow Dash. But when I came back for her, I guess I just couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t accept I was still there and she wasn’t.”
Lula looked down. She had some difficulties to imagine what the Pegasus could have felt at that moment.
“I’m sorry.” Fluttershy said. “I treated you so badly. I guess I’m a very mean and bad pony too, just like the others.”
It was true. And at the same time, it sounded off somehow.
“You know…” began Lula, not sure what she was about to say. “I can’t blame you more than I could blame them. Ponies do stupid things when they are frightened. And even more, there is one thing that makes you very different from them in my eyes.”
“What is it?” asked Fluttershy with a bit of surprise, trying to dry her tears with her hoof.
“I don’t hate you.” Replied Lula with a little smile.
Both mares looked at each other for a few seconds, then away from each other for a good minute.
“What are you going to do?” asked Lula.
“I don’t know." Fluttershy replied. Then she hesitated, looked down, sighed and suddenly looked back up with a new energy: "I should probably go bury Rainbow Dash. She deserves it."
A little silence ensued, then Fluttershy continued:
"It's a pity you two couldn't meet, she was such an awesome pony. I'm sure you would have been great friends. But it's time for her to rest."
Lula nodded silently. Still, something felt off in Fluttershy's tone.
"I wish she would get better. I miss her you know..." the pegasus added. "I should go see how she is doing. She is very sick: she needs me by her side. And my little friends too. I should go back see how they are doing, some have been feeling kind of ill lately and it worries me."
Those words scared Lula, but she slowly understood what was happening in the poor pegasus's mind. She had made her choice, Lula would have probably made the exact same.
“Yes, you should probably do that.” She just said.
“What are you going to do yourself?” asked Fluttershy with her kind and gentle voice.
“I’ll keep on living. Apple Loosa is still pretty far away, but that’s my best bet. Who knows, I might come back to visit you in a few years when there will be no plague anymore.”
“That would be great!” rejoiced herself Fluttershy. “I’m so glad I met you.”
“I’m glad I met you too. You’re a bit weird, but you saved my life. I’ll never forget that.”
They said goodbye to each other and were about to go their separate ways, when Lula suddenly turned back and added:
“Also, if somepony else were to come by…” she began.
“Don’t worry.” Fluttershy replied instantly. “I won’t forget what you told me. Never jump to conclusion, never let fear take over, never judge without proofs. I’ll keep your wisdom with me.”
Having said that, Fluttershy disappeared inside her cottage, and Lula only heard some last remnant of her voice saying hello to all her critters.
"What I told you... of course." she whispered.
She then smiled and, her strength renewed and with the warmth of having met a new friend, no matter how weird, in her heart, she resumed her journey to a better future that certainly lay ahead of her.
THE END
