Incubus

Yesterday was one of her lowpoints. How could she deal with the idea that... Rainbow and Lilith might've been doing things behind her back. The dreary whistle of a steam engine kicked her into gear. The mare rubbed her tired, turquoise eyes and stared briefly at her reflection. Same, cute eyes that liked to droop. Same, endless quality to them as before. Only now, they were restless and dragged about heavier bags. Fluttershy left the train with her wishes behind. It was not a week ago she came home and found Lilith holding Rainbow. No matter what they said, she couldn't listen. It was too obvious. She must've been cheating on her. Wasn't that how ponies were. They got close and stepped all over you. Losing someone she cared for was... impossible to recover from. So she ran. And she didn't look back.

A soft drizzle and lingering mineral scents only bolstered her sobering depression. Rain was usually a sign of rebirth. But here, in Manehatten, she belonged to a cold city. Whoever said she was so weak before didn't understand how exhausting care was. Her own pace, lost in the whirs and honks of taxi carriages, deafened her ears. In ways, she was lost. But in another way, she understood her destination. To die, she thought sometime ago, was the easiest and most efficient goal. No more sorrow. And no more heartache. Just... peace. If it were Fluttershy from three weeks ago, she might've said 'not yet.' But this Fluttershy was a different creature. Her head hung low amid the crowds staring at her frail form, some for hunger and others for reasons she knew all too well. To be taken advantage of. And, maybe, to be bound against her will. Fluttershy was lost in her habits. In her bloodied home all before the simple joy of feeling someone against her.

Droning radio noise soon faded into slow, drawling music, complimentary to the cheap coffee and grease polluting the air. In her typically reserved and quiet fashion, she struck the tiling beneath with little noise. A warm smile greeted her from behind the counter, unknowingly settling her shaky legs.

"What can I get you today, sugar?" She asked, folding back some of her black mane.

"... I... I'll have a coffee. Black coffee." Fluttershy whispered, keeping her droopy eyes low and heavy.

A soft chuckle came from across the counter. Whatever it was about her, the cashier and seemingly waitress didn't mind. They mingled well for such disparate company. She took it as a mocking gesture, however and soon seated in a corner position. What happened there was hidden by shadow. It was perfect for her. And perfect for her goal. No one... would notice such a hidden presence. Waiting for her coffee slouched her back, stuck Fluttershy's cheek against the window and blinded her to the urge for urination.

When she came to, Miss Fluttershy had her medium coffee and stared into it. The tip was already given. All five bits dropped in easy, dead motions. Not a single roll or jingle inhabited her lost items. For some reason, she missed them. Looking into her coffee, she realized she had never said goodbye.

Soon, she stayed staring at her drink. All the steam had gone home. Fluttershy watched in silence while the coffee became saltier and her cheeks grew wet.

She couldn't feel her heart beating, even if she was alive.

Who was she.