Author's Note

Sorry for the lack of updates, life has being throwing quite a lot at me recently and because of that I am putting this story on hiatus for a while. I don't honestly know when I will be able to seriously continue. For now enjoy this chapter. The next chapter is semi-written so I may post is soonish.

Putting Your Hoof Down A Little Too Hard

I stalked my prey to the mouth of the cave it had entered but a few moments before. According to the darkings there was a dragon at the depth of the cave and I would capture them before they got to the dragon.

After a few seconds, I made visual contact with it. It was wearing a dark gray suit with two bat like wings, one of Luna’s thestrals. Unlike the one in the ruins this one was wearing some kind of full body suit. I honestly thought it was leather but it didn’t look right. After making some headway in terms of learning about enchanting, I could now tell that the suit was enchanted, but I couldn’t tell with what until I looked closer at it.

He was making his way slowly deeper into the cave because he was inspecting every wall. Likely looking for hidden entrances to my secret base. Which was no where near here, which was why I had chosen to get some information from him. Even if he missed a check in, it still wouldn’t matter to me. I also liked that there was a dragon, in case he went… missing.

Now, I could have just sneaked up behind him and use the stun spell from before, but I had a better idea, and one that was far more fun for me. I sneaked closer and just as I got within spitting distance, I activated my VoidTerror.

His head spun so fast that I was sure he got whiplash.

“Hello” I said with the best sadistic smile I could muster.

Now I was expecting him to get into some kind of fighting stance or at least try to make a break for it. Instead, he promptly fainted.

Well that was anticlimactic I thought to myself

I used ‘Revise’ to make an empty square room and dropped a chair and some rope that I had captchalogued. It was time to get some answers and try another psychomancy spell. If the spell worked as intended it would make lying impossible when under it’s effect.

I also took the liberty of taking a closer look at the suit. Specifically the enchantments on it, apparently in the beginning I need to follow Skyrim logic. Find something with the enchantment and then I can enchant other things with it. I hoped that at one point I would be able to make my own unique enchantments, from what I had learned about playing with my magic so far it was a definite possibility.

From the suit I had learned quite a few enhancements, things like making the suit harder to cut through, muffle steps, enhanced senses, enhanced stamina, basically things to help with stealth and some generic things too. I also learned that while Skyrim enchanting destroys the item, here it seems to drain the enchantment, meaning my new friend was now wearing a suit that was not special in any way.

It seemed I was just in time too, my captive began to awaken.

“Uh, wha-” he murmured as he began to regain consciousness.

I had tied him to the chair with the rope I had brought. He was squirming as he began to realize his situation.

“Hello, I'm Dr. Jackal! What's your name?” I say

“My name is Nitebloom” he said monotonously, then looked surprised at himself for saying that

“Well Nitebloom, it’s nice to meet you. I assume it was me you and the others have been searching for?”

“Yes, we were ordered to search certain areas that we believed you may be hiding.” he responded in the same monotone as before

“Wha- What’s happening?” he then said, his voice no longer monotone

“I am asking you questions, and you are answering them. Understand?”

“Yes” comes the monotone response

“How are you doing that to me?!” he said in a panic

I simply grinned

“Who do you work for?” I asked

“I am a member of the Shadow Corps” he said in monotone

“And what is that?” I said before he could say anything else.

“The Shadow Corps is a clandestine organization within Equestria that only members and the Princesses themselves know exists”

“How do the Princesses communicate instructions to your leaders, I have it on good authority that there is no face to face meetings” I say

“I do not know, I received orders from my superiors, who received them from their superiors, then complete my orders and report back.”

Hmm, it must be some type of telepathic communication or secret messages

“How do you communicate with your superiors?”

“A special gem enchanted with a one way communication effect. The gem breaks after it is used. I receive a new gem through a secure teleportation once a day”

Wow that is a decent method. It will also make it harder to deal with them...

“Do you ever meet your superiors face to face?”

“Only once, when I first joined”

I suppose that this guy isn’t going to be able to give me any more useful information

“Thank you this has been most informative” I say honestly

“Are you going to kill me?” He asks with calmly

I was a little surprised about how calm he had asked that.

“No.” I say simply “You will have no recollection that any of this happened and continue exploring the cave you were in.”

I placed my palm on his head and used the same spell as last time. However, this time I simply removed all of the memories of what happened since he woke up, instead of altering them as I did last time. As I was doing this I had my darklings cut the ropes and I walked him out of the room I made. I put him right at the corner where the tunnel split. If I did this right, he will simply continue exploring like nothing had ever happened.

‘Master, Iron Will has entered Ponyville’

I smiled

This will be interesting

I had originally decided to just make today a lazy day and just lay in bed all day, but this would be so much more fun.

I got up and left my room, flash stepping my way to Ponyville. I arrived just in time to see the start of Iron Will’s seminar. Iron Will didn’t look much different than he did on the show. I supposed minotaurs already looked human like, the goats also looked just as they did in the show as well.

Overall the whole seminar went just as it did in the episode. Iron Will entered with smoke, music and fireworks. The crowd cheered. He talked for a while, got the audience all riled up in the process. Chose Fluttershy as the volunteer, despite the fact that she did not volunteer in any way. Then proceeded to show her how to be cruel to others, with the crowd roaring in applause as she did. Iron Will then continued, bringing up other volunteers, who actually volunteered this time and continued his seminar.

It was when the seminar began to wrap up that I noticed a slight problem with my plan.

Shit, it’s getting dark… I thought this all happened over the course of a single day...

‘Ok follow Fluttershy home and let me know when she leaves her cottage in the morning.’ I tell my darklings.

‘On it Master’ came the reply

I decided to simply head back to the ruins for the night and start fresh in the morning.

"You make me lose, I blow my fuse!" Fluttershy growled at the tourist

She then proceeded to hammer throw the guy into a hay bale as his camera flew off and hit a bell.

“Fluttershy! What are you doing?! That's no way to behave!” Rarity said a bit angrily

“Didn't you see what he did to new Fluttershy? And he thought new Fluttershy was a pushover!” Fluttershy shot back

“No, sweetie, he didn't. We saw the whole thing. We think that you've taken your assertiveness training a little too far.” Rarity says gently

“What?! You just want new Fluttershy to be a doormat like old Fluttershy! But old Fluttershy is gone!” Fluttershy says angrily

“New Fluttershy? Old Fluttershy!?” Pinkie asks confused, grabbing her head in the process

“What happened to nice Fluttershy? We want that Fluttershy back.” Rarity asked in a worried tone

“No, you want wimp Fluttershy. You want pushover Fluttershy. You want do-anything-to-her-and-she-won't-complain Fluttershy!” Fluttershy said as she flew around her friends. Causing Pinkie’s head to go all exorcist.

If she wasn’t the bard I would call bullshit on that… I thought to myself

“Nyaaaaah! Too many Fluttershys to keep track of! Make it stop!” Pinkie begged

“Things getting too complicated for your simple little brain, Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy said as she poked Pinkie in the forehead hard enough that she fell backwards

“Now, stop right there! Let's not let things descend into petty insults!” Rarity said after she caught Pinkie

“Why not? I thought 'petty' was what you're all about, Rarity. With your 'petty' concerns about fashion.” Fluttershy says cruelly

Rarity gasps dramatically and starting to tear up

“Hey, leave her alone! Fashion is her passion!” Pinkie defends while pretending to model

“Oh, and what are you passionate about? Birthday cake? Party hats? I can't believe that the two most frivolous ponies in Ponyville are trying to tell new Fluttershy how to live her life when they are throwing their own lives away on pointless pursuits that nopony else gives a flying feather about!”

At this point both Pinkie and Rarity are a second away from crying and I knew it was my time to intervene.

“Ha! Well spoken Fluttershy!” I say with mock appreciation

“Wha-What?” she says to me, instantly losing all of her aggression.

“I was just complimenting you on learning the joys of cruelty and maliciousness” I begin

“A bit strange to be telling that to the Bearer of Kindness, but whatever” I say making it sound like I was talking to myself

C'mon, take the bait

“Ma-Maliciousness”

“Well the definition of maliciousness is to show malice, meaning to be intentionally hurtful, especially to those who never really deserved it” I answered casually

“What!? B-But I…” she stuttered

“You did just hammer throw an innocent tourist, then reduce two of your best friends to tears for no reason.” I continue

“NO! I.. I was being assertive...” she finished lamely, realizing that is indeed what she did.

I chuckle

“Is that what you thought you were doing? There is a difference between confidently aggressive and cruelly aggressive. You were doing the latter, the kind of assertive you wanted to be is former.” I say

It looked like she is struggling to understand the difference between them.

“The way Pinkie and Rarity were acting in the market yesterday was assertive. What you have been doing today is being malicious.” I continue “Basically you need to find a middle ground between new and old Fluttershy. That Fluttershy will be the one that is assertive but not cruelly so.”

There was a sparkle in her eye, I believe she figured it out.

“I… I think I understand now, Thank you” she finishes with genuine gratitude.

“Your welcome, I suppose. It seems my time has run out though” I say as a squad of Royal Guards make their way over to us.

I decide to hang around, keeping out of sight of the guard, and waiting for Iron Will to make his appearance. I needed to make sure she really did understand. It was an hour of tearful apologies to Pinkie and Rarity as well as some of the ponies that Fluttershy had been cruel to, before Iron Will appeared.

As they rounded a corner in town, they spotted Iron Will, who was standing on one of the goats.

What an ass

“Ah. Fluttershy! Word on the street is that you don't take no guff from nopony! So, Iron Will is here to collect Iron Will's fee.” he finishes while jumping off the goat and making poses as he spoke.

“No” she said calmly

Iron Will looked legitimately shocked before recovering with a snort.

“You were nothing but a doormat, and Iron Will turned you into a lean, mean, assertive machine! Now, pay Iron Will what you owe Iron Will!” He said with some more poses.

It was actually rather funny to watch

“I said no”

“Ohhh, I'd hate to be you right now, because Iron Will is gonna to rain down a world of hurt unless Iron Will gets his money pronto!” Iron Will shouted while making wrestling poses this time.

“As I recall, during your workshop you promised one hundred percent satisfaction guaranteed, or you pay nothing. Well, I'm not satisfied.” Fluttershy continued, unphased.

“What do you mean you're not satisfied?! Everypony has always been satisfied!” Iron Will said in shock

“Well, I guess I'm the first then. But since I'm not satisfied, I refuse to pay. It's as simple as that.”

Iron Will seemed to be speechless, before turning and starting a hushed conversation with his goats. Rarity had to close Pinkie’s mouth.

“Ohh, are you... sure you're not just a little bit satisfied? B-because maybe... we could cut a deal. I-I mean we're both reasonable creatures, aren't we?” Iron Will says, now in full salesman mode

“I'm sorry, but no means no.” Fluttershy says with finality

“No means no, huh? Nopony's ever said that to me before. Huh... I gotta remember that one. That's a good catchphrase for my next workshop.” Iron Will said to himself as he hopped back on one of the goats and began to leave

“You were amazing, Fluttershy! You totally stood up to that monster!” Pinkie cheered

“In fact, you didn't change at all! You were the same old Fluttershy that we've always loved!” Rarity congratulated

“The one we missed!” Pinkie added

I didn’t stay for the rest and took my leave back to the ruins.