Fluttershy bowed her head, frightened, unable to move. She could have fled, yet both wings had instinctively snapped to her sides, each shaking leg felt like heavy blocks of woods. She hid her face behind her hair, knowing perfectly well the only thing it would hide was her line of sight. Yet within the hollow emptiness of the broken castle crumbling near the Everfree forest she could do nothing but listen to the eerie voice booming around her.
“There is nothing to fear here Fluttershy, nothing to flee from,” the disembodied voice rumbled, bouncing off ancient stone walls. “You will not be hurt. Not a single delicate yellow feather, not one strand of pink hair.”
“Please,” squeaked Fluttershy, her eyes shut tight. “Please let me go.”
“Nothing binds you here, but your own fear, my dear,” whispered the voice extremely close to her left ear; Fluttershy shrank away to no avail. “It’s a terrible thing to let run your life. Fear will root you in one spot. Fear will slow your life down, hinder your...freedoms.”
“Stop-stop talking to me, please, I’m so scared I-I, I just-” the thin yellow hairs of her coat went on edge, an unseen force brushing her long pink hair gently, removing it from her face.
“Would you like it, to never feel such needless fear ever again?” suggested the voice.
That particular question, that one question so far, piqued a flicker of interest from the unassuming yellow Pegasus. Cautiously, she opened one eye. “What, what do you mean?”
“A life, full of constant confidence,” whispered the voice seductively, gently brushing against her ears. “Where you will find power, strength, and bravery in yourself. Tell me, tell yourself, wouldn’t you enjoy that feeling?”
Fluttershy cast her eyes to the stone floor of the castle. She couldn’t list the times in her life she’d felt bad for herself, lack of confidence ruining situations that could have been mended had she the nerve. To stand up for her friends. For herself.
“Everypony would look up to you. Everyone would appreciate your presence, your actions, your decisions, your voice.”
The gentle, smooth strokes of that unknown presence continued pushing against her hair, her ear, calming her as she thought.
“Everypony would love you.”
Relaxing a little, and turning the idea over in her mind she ruffled her wing feathers.
“That…um, doesn’t sound so bad I guess,” she finally replied aloud, for the first time since she wandered in here after that frightened black jackrabbit she smiled. “Alright, okay, so how do I make this work?”
The invisible force removed itself from her hair, Fluttershy felt the magical presence surrounding her, followed by an immediate pushing sensation on her forehead.
“All you have to do is open up Fluttershy-” it said louder now, a harder edge to the disembodied voice. Fluttershy gasped, blue magical mist appearing in front of her, a magical probe prodding at her forehead, the pressing sensation amplifying strongly now.
“-AND LET ME IN!”
Screaming loudly Fluttershy fell forwards to the floor, the magical energies funneling through her skull, burying itself within her mind. It didn’t hurt at all, but she could feel new strange sensations worming through her, invading every aspect of her body as the endearing spirit, so full of promises and suggestions, snaked through her entire body and settled itself inside. Fluttershy kicked and writhed helplessly as the large blue shimmering cloud that was just hovering before her eyes channeled itself through her body until with the space in front of her was completely void of blue light.
She waited on the floor for what seemed like hours, eyes shut as her body pulsed and shook, parts of her stretching and expanding, growing, lengthening to encompass the new guest she had so readily invited inside. It finally stopped, prompting her to open her eyes.
“Oh-oh my! What? What am I?” she exclaimed looking down at her forelegs. On instinct she took to the air, nearly crashing into the ceiling with just two flaps as she inspected her longer, stronger feathery black wings. Mind racing, she circled the large empty room for a mirror, and finding one landed to examine her body.
Her lips trembled at the pony that stared back at her in the mirror. The pony was tall, impressive, jet black and sleek looking. A long spiraled horn was growing out of her forehead, now relatively short pink hair brushed aside as it extended above her eyebrows. Her cutie mark remained, scarily out of place compared to her new, dark form. What shook her the most was the eyes that stared back, once beautiful, turquoise shaded pupils now a paler, thinner set of slits. Like some sort of lizard.
Fluttershy stepped backwards, turning away from the image.
Like some sort of monster.
Do you like what you see?
“YOU?!” she yelped, turning her head around frantically “What have you done to me?”
Do not bother looking, I am here, with you now. You let me in. Such a kind thing you are you know that?
“Change me back! I don’t like this! I look like-I don’t even look like a pony anymore!” she shrieked anyway, spinning in frantic nervous circles. Frantic, she slammed her hooves into the stone floor.
“I don’t look like Fluttershy…”
We are something more now Fluttershy. Do you feel anything? Deep inside?
“I feel…” she closed her eyes again, taking deep breaths, trying to calm down. There was something, something new. She could feel some sort of intense buzzing running under her coat, tingling at her forehead. Flexing her long black wings, a shudder flew down her back. There was something running through her veins, like she’d been struck with electricity, but instead of searing pain the energy flowing through felt different. It didn’t hurt. It felt as she could fly for miles, or run a marathon.
“I feel…nice,” she finally said, opening her eyes back up.
I promised you that nothing would hurt
“No, it didn’t hurt, it doesn’t.”
You screamed
“I always scream when I’m afraid.”
Are you afraid now?
Fluttershy turned towards the small archway she had squeezed through when she entered this castle. By her will alone the archway cracked, then blasted itself apart allowing fresh moonlight to embrace her dark form. She trotted outside, taking a deep breath and walking through the Everfree Forest with her head held high.
“Never again,” she whispered to herself. Fluttershy spread her now impressive wings and took off into the inky black sky.
Good
