*Pitter* *Pat*
The sound of silence and nothing more. It was as if the half the world have stopped for eternity. Which eternity seemed like forever. The sound of rabbits nibbling on fresh carrots, and the wind, dancing around the trees. But in this very tree, was not a squirrel, nor a bird. It was a pegasus.
The yellow pegasus stretched her hooves in the air and yawned. The silence outside was deafening to the ear, which was why this very pony stayed inside. Not too long ago, in fact, about a good week ago was a hug mistake. Something that other pegasi did. No, this little pegasus was too afraid of controlling weather, but this didn't mean she was jobless. She cared for her animals, and many wild beast, which lived in her home.
Suddenly, a sound broke through the calm silence. The phone rang, and with a hoof, the pony picked it up with a hoof.
"Um, hello?" She asked, getting a few rustles and sound of bad connection coming through before the voice.
"Hey, sup Fluttershy! I was wonderin' if you'd like to hang with Twi and me today. We haven't heard from ya in a few days, so I wanted to check on ya." The familiar voice said. The pegasus put a hoof to her chin and thought for a moment, then quietly answered, "Oh, I'd love to. Just give a a minute, and I'll be there in a blink of an eye."
Fluttershy trotted towards the town, loud and cheery with the hassle of busy work ponies. Moving to and fro, they didn't think of other ponies who were crossing, also. The shy pony shrank down, quietly and politely begging to be let through. She looked overhead, watching a group of pegasi fly over the crowd with ease.
She spread her little wings and lightly flapped them. She soon rose to two feet, then four. Looking down cautiously, she gulped as she hovered over ten feet from the ground. Turning to her left, she saw her friend Rarity and her sister Sweetie Belle trotting along side the road. They stopped at a snack cart, laying bits on the tray for the young stallion.
Fluttershy pushed herself along to fly over the large crowd, staring down at the many mares paying for jewelry and colts searching for a gift for his mare. They pegasus , nearly bumping into a flagpole, caught a glimpse of Pinkie Pie skipping along the market, humming a happy tune as usual.
The sky seemed bright blue and almost as happy as her pink pony friend. The clouds in a neatly arranged fashion, and birds chirping a melody. To think this day was just a void of quiet, though it really was a peaceful day in Ponyville.
Looking towards the end of the market, she eyed a mare in a stand, tapping her table with her hoof. Flying downwards, she stared at the mare, realizing who it was.
"Cupcake?" The shy filly asked, her ears perking up. The earth pony looked up from the table and smiled.
"Hey, Fluttershy! You won't believe what I found in my sock draw!" She said. Fluttershy tilted her head, then had a word with the pink pony. Cupcake was a pink earth pony like Pinkie Pie, but her mane was short, and a slip of hair hanging over her face. Her tail was short and curly with a streak of black in it. Her cutie mark was a cupcake with swirls crossing over it, as a hugging position.
Cupcake let herself out the stand, putting up a sign which read 'Closed'. She tucked her phone into her red saddle bag, and headed off with Fluttershy. They trotted, chatting to each other about their favorite video games and the movies they watched last night.
By the time Cupcake dropped Fluttershy underneath Rainbow's house, she left with a box and told her, very sternly "Do not Open it until I say". Fluttershy obeyed, tucking the box into one of her bags, then waved towards the pony, wondering what could be so special in that box.
Rainbow passed Twilight a glass of hot cider and a plate of daffodil sandwiches. Thanking her, she took a sip of the cider, the warmth flowing down her body, towards her hooves. Rainbow adjusted the blanket set over her shoulders and sighed. Twilight took another sip, then a bite out of her sandwich. A faint sound came from downstairs.
Twilight's ears perked up as she turned her head towards the stairs. Shrugging it off, she picked up the glass with her magic, almost falling once she heard a louder, but still faint sound downstairs. Turning to the rainbow-maned mare, she pointed to the stairs, mouthful of food.
Rainbow Dash trotted down the steps, finally reaching the bottom. She stared at the hallway, afterwards moving to the end of it and getting to the living room. Opening the door, she met eyes with a yellow pegasus, who's mane drooped over half her face. Her ears flattened as she mumbled something.
Fluttershy put her bags down in front of the stairway, then going upstairs to see Twilight. Checking the guest room, she saw Twilight, who was looking down at an empty plate and a half-full glass of hot cider. Throwing down the blanket over her shoulders, she came to hug the shy filly.
Fluttershy embraced the hug, later getting a seat on a nearby armchair. Hours passed as the Pegasus stared at paintings and a book Twilight passed to her less than an hour ago.
She read the book, soon finding a slip reading "Do NOT cross this page. (For your sanity) -Arrow Tale" Staring at the note once more, she ripped it out, swallowing it whole. She smirked, finally doing something that nopony would judge her for. She finally felt like a brave pony. She felt happy, now that she had finally done something worth it in her life!
Turning the page she started reading, soon captured by the amazing detail. She read as hours passed by, and then she stopped at a page. It was a gore story, but for some reason, the filly felt as if she were enjoying it. Smiling wider, she read on.
Rainbow Dash and Twilight peeked over into the room at a widely smiling friend, which made them smile. Turning back to the dining table Rainbow shuffled her stack of cards and stared at them. Fluttershy, not daring to take her eyes off the book, she smiled wider than Pinkie Pie at her climax of a dance party.
Her cheeks reddened and her joyful smile turned to a creepy smile, with the ends of her mouth just below her eyes. She looked onto the last chapter, as Fluttershy's eyes pinned to the book and she read the more goriest thing of all as a finale. Her eyes flashed green, then Fluttershy blanked out, everything white.
Voices echoed in her head as tears streamed from her white eyes. She felt as if she was burning, but she couldn't stop smiling. Her heart seemed to shrink and her whole self seemed to grow more powerful. The filly screamed and then came back to reality.
She looked over to the table, the two ponies staring at her. The alicorn trotted over, with caution. She lay a hoof over Fluttershy and sighed.
"Are you Okay? You were screaming in your sleep." She said. Fluttershy looked over at the book, feeling like she could just rip it apart. She nodded towards her friend, who walked away.
'Just a dream... it's not real.... it couldn't be...' the filly thought to herself. Her face tensed as she thought about the overpowered character in the story who went around killing ponies. She got up from her laying positions, then a familiar look spread across her face.
'...and i'll have to make sure of it...'
A knock came from the guest room door, as Fluttershy quickly slammed closed the book just as it opened. She stared innocently at the door, and a blue pegasus emerging out. She gave a slight smile, sitting next to Fluttershy. The shy filly looked down at her hooves, humming softly. Rainbow lay a hoof over her back, looking at her in worry.
She got up and turned on the T.V with the volume low. Turning back to Fluttershy, she opened her mouth and mumbled something.
"W-what?" The yellow pegasus quietly asked. Suddenly, the cyan mare leaped onto the couch, in one jump from one side of the room to the other. She had angry tears in her eyes as she put her hooves firmly on Fluttershy's shoulders, knocking her down into a laying position.
Rainbow's face looked sad, worried, and angry all at once, then she made her grip on her shoulders tight, as she growled at the back of her throat, scaring her little yellow friend. Her rainbow mane, wet from sweat, dripped slightly on her face, hiding her tears.
"N-no- what's wr-rong with y-you! What is it?!" She said, lowly, to quiet for the sleeping alicorn down the hallway to hear.
Fluttershy sobbed, soon crying, then into a full ball. Her tears stained the couch and almost every area in the room smelled like salt. Rainbow still had a firm grip on her shoulders, then she nearly fainted once she saw what the other pony was ready to do. She wrigled her hooves free from Rainbow's tight grip, then putting her hooves on her shoulders, making a cracking sound in Rainbow's shoulders.
With a yell of pain, she took her left wing, smacking Fluttershy, bruises under her eyes, barely seen through her thin fur. She lifted her hindlegs and smacked her again, with both legs this time. Fluttershy backfired, doing the same back, then shoving Rainbow to the carpet.
Feathers, strands of hair and fur and blood littered the ground, as the two wrestled on the floor like little fillies. Vases shattered, and tables cracked, and to put it together, the place look like a tornado hit.
Rainbow Dash soon got to the point of punching Fluttershy, and Fluttershy at the point where she was attempting to try crack her bones. Couch cushions where out of place and the rug was all wrapped up in a messy roll.
Getting up, Fluttershy pinned down the other, staring at her with half smirk and half frown. She stamped her hooves on her chest, hearing the cyan mare start to sob. Rainbow's energy came back as she limped passed Fluttershy mumbling, "Dirty mare..." Her mouth barely moving.
Fluttershy's normal kindness seemed to come back as she took a hoof and pulled her mane back in place, a smile on her face. She trotted over to hug Rainbow.
"Oh, I'm so glad your okay! I-I'm so sorry what I did..... I didn't mean it." She said, rubbing her hoof shyly with the other. Rainbow took a good look all over her, then notice something.
"Uh, Shy, since when did you start wearing contact lenses?" She asked, her her tilted. Fluttershy trotted towards the bathroom, looking in the mirror at her glowing green eyes. Gasping, she turned from the mirror, leaving the bathroom.
Her eyes faded back to her normal teal, as she lay on the couch. Rainbow then took a quick stop at the bathroom to clean her..... whole self. She got some cotton balls and rubbing alcohol, dipping the cotton onto her cuts and bruises. They burned badly, but faded away soon enough.
She fetched a small washcloth, wiping her face and her mane clean from sweat and blood. She thought carefully about the past event, while cleaning herself up. Why would Fluttershy do this? Or, is something wrong? Rainbow's thoughts were interrupted when a calm voice came from behind her.
"Good morning, Rainbow. Uh, some breakfast, may I?" A lavender alicorn asked, as she trotted into the bathroom. Her face turned from the way it would normally, to a frightened 'I-Just-Watched-A-Horror-Movie' kind of face.
"Woah, what in Equestria happened to you? Are you hurt? I could call a doctor.... or something!" Twilight asked, frantically. Rainbow sighed sadly, knowing that she couldn't keep a secret from her best friend. Twilight had always been like a sister to her, and she couldn't hide anything from her.
She breathed in, calming her nerves, but most where hyper and nervous at the same time. They soon showed clearly on her face. Rainbow hung her head down, feeling a hoof on her chin, lifting her head up.
"How about some tea, then we could talk about it. That fine?" She asked, getting a soft nod from Rainbow.
The two sat on the dining table, cups of tea on platters, and some buttered toast on their plates. Rainbow's mood seemed to grow as she ate, and she calmed with some chamomile tea. Twilight then brought up the subject once more.
"So...... uh, about you-know-what..." Twilight said, looking at the cloud ceiling. Rainbow fixed her position in the chair, then took a few deep breaths, counting to herself.
"Well, um.. Fluttershy.... had a fight..." Rainbow looked up to the shocked face of her friend, knowing that she wouldn't believe her.
" A fight? But-but you can't make me picture a fighting Fluttershy! She's always so calm and sweet..... and... Fluttershy!" Twilight said, throwing her hooves in the air. She looked towards Rainbow who was starting to get teary-eyed. Twilight got off the chair, walking to the other side to hug Rainbow Dash.
"I'm sorry, Dash, but it's just hard for me to believe....... alright, fine." She said. Rainbow looked up, then hugged her back. Rainbow felt her fur, thinking back to her big brother, Rainbow Blitz, when she was a filly. The way his fur felt was really wonderful and felt like hugging clouds. Twilight felt the same way... but even better.
Rainbow let go and smiled. She then had a short talk to Twilight, considering an idea. She picked up the phone, dialing a number she hadn't dialed in such a while, then waited for an answer.
"Yo, down low, Lyro speaking yo. What up, yo?" The voice said, in a terrible accent.
"Uh. Lyra?"
"Yo, Sparky, yo, just got a- wait Twilight?"
"Heh, yeah... about that 'yo' thing... it's akward.."
"Um, change of subject, what can I do for you?"
"Well, I need business at Rainbow's place."
"Man, did Dashie pick a fight again? I don't have much room for-"
"Well, you see.... Fluttershy started the fight this time, so... you got room?"
"Uh, yeah. Let me check my records...."
"Um, okay.... I guess..." Twilight listened to the music playing on the phone. It was jazz. It was also pretty soothing, and peaceful, more than the usual type of it. The phone music stopped, a sound coming through.
"Okay, Sparky, I got some more room here."
"Oh, thank Celestia. Lyra, your a life saver!"
"Daww, you make me blush! Run along now, and our staff will meet you there." The phone beeped off, signalling for the two ponies to get going. They soon got Fluttershy to come outside, promising a 'nice hotel' to stay in. Not knowing what was going on, she went with them.
Twilight looked at the town beneath the three, then turned to Rainbow.
"Imagine how this place will look without HER here... probably an animal disaster." She said, quietly.
"Yeah, but it'll only be temporary, and Ponyville will totally be 20% safer!" Rainbow said, folding her hooves. Fluttershy was dazed out, staring at all the birds flying underneath her. She never had been this high in the air before, but with her friends, she felt safe.
The trio landed onto a soft blanket of perfectly treated, green grass. A few flowers sprouted here and there, as every now and then, a butterfly landed on one, then another. The buidling was sort of tall, but short at the same time. It had about the height of an oak tree, but it's width was nicely long, not too much.
They trotted inside, swinging open the door, seeing a smiling grey pegasus.
"Hey, I was waiting for you! I'll sign you guys up!" The pony said, trotting through a second pair of glass doors. They followed her, only Rainbow noticing the filly.
"Uh, Derpy works here? I thought she was a mailmare.. and a baker... and a part time pet-sitter!" Rainbow asked, confused. The other two soon caught on what she was trying to explain.
A bell rang, and their names were called up for them to go to the front desk. Fluttershy cautiously walked over, eyeing some ponies in cuffs and some forced to stay in the waiting room chair. Some smiled at her, some just didn't notice she was there. Before she knew it, it was time to.... whatever her friends were doing...
Lyra appeared in one of the rooms, asking for them to enter. Lyra sat on a chair in the small room, and pointed at another with a hoof. Fluttershy sat down, looking tense. Lyra smiled as she lifted a clipboard with her magic.
"So, Miss Shy, I'm only going to ask you a few questions. Is that okay? I promise it won't hurt."
"O-Okay."
"Do you have any problems with... emotions?"
"Um, not really... sometimes..."
"Are you comfortable with your friends, or feel a certain.... way?"
"No, but I do feel happy with them... mostly.... until now."
"Err, okay. Did you ever.... think of hurting anypony...?" Lyra looked from the clipboard, at an evenm more tense looking filly. She didn't have time to gasp once she saw Fluttershy's eyes turn glowing green, then pounce on her.
"WHO TOLD YOU THAT, LOUDMOUTH? I DEMAND AN ANSWER!" Fluttershy yelled, she rage filling her heart even more.
"I-I'm so, so sorry.. I D-Didn't mean t-to! It wasn't my fault, It was a question!" Lyra pleaded, feeling her fur being fiercely ripped off her skin. She screamed, getting a shocked look from Twilight and a cheeky smile from Rainbow.
"HA, I told you! In your... AHH too much blood, get me OUTOFHERE!" Rainbow yelled. Twilight, using her magic, detached the pegasus from her friend. The fur covering her arms and neck were mostly gone, and her tail had been mostly ripped apart, a bit of her her bone being seen.
Lyra flicked her tail, getting strands a back into place. She rubbed her eyes with the tip of her hoof, then watched as Fluttershy trotted over, and hung her head.
"I-I'm sorry.... I didn't know what got into me... I'm really, really sorry." She looked up with puppy-dog eyes, tears filled in them.
*One hour later*
"OK, shy. So you got the plans?" Lyra asked, adjusting her white coat. Fluttershy nodded, understandingly. She trotted into a room and turned on the lights. The floor was extremely clean, not a stain in sight.
There was a bathroom in the corner, near the door, and a mini T.V set by the wall. A window was next the the beds and a dresser with a clock in the center. Fluttershy looked at her friends for the last time in a while, almost crying as the door closed.
She sat on the bed, staring out the window for almost an hour, as the door opened. Lyra undressed and came towards Fluttershy. She turned out the lights, flicking on the nightlight, and laying down. Fluttershy looked at the clock carefully, noticing that it was only 5:00. She opened the microwave and inserted a plate of daffodil rice and bread, turning on the timer and closing it.
The room was silent, except for the snoring of Lyra, her new roommate and pony-guard, and the humming of the microwave. The sun was slowly setting, as she waited for her food to be ready. She listened the the final chirp of birds, comfy in their nests, and the screeching of bats, and flutter of moths.
A sudden beep came from somewhere in the room, of course the microwave. She finished her food, soon enough, then lay on the bed, tucked under the sheets. She was missing her friends already, hoping for they day she'd return home.