FLUTTERSHEAR
A "What if" Tale
Twilight Sparkle looked out over the rapidly passing landscape outside the train as her friends talked and laughed behind her. The happy voices of Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash bubbled up throughout the car, talking about old times and cracking jokes. Everyone but Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle was enjoying the ride.
Unlike the other ponies, Fluttershy sat in the back of the train, a scowl on her face as she glared at the seat ahead of her for apparently no reason. She hadn't been herself lately. Ever since Iron Will had given her lessons on assertiveness, she never took no for an answer, preferring to bash, smash or generally bully other ponies out of the way of her goals. When she yelled at Pinkie and Rarity, the others had decided to give her some time, hoping that she would realize the errors of her ways.
That was apparently not the case.
A few hours later they heard that Iron will had left town suddenly. When Twilight inquired to Fluttershy as to why, she simply told her that he "couldn't stand up to such a strong independent mare like her". When Fluttershy said that, she said it holding her head high, like it was some sort of achievement, but there was still a cruel tinge to her voice, as if she reveled in her cruelty.
Twilight had thought about sending a letter to Celestia concerning the issue, but this had gone on long enough.
"Hey Twi," Rainbow Dash called over to her, "do you remember that time the dragon was smoking up Equestria with his snoring?"
"Oh he was SUCH a brute!" Rarity piped up with a laugh before putting a hoof to her chin and murmering, "I would have loved to snatch one of those gems though..."
Pinkie Pie gasped, "Can you imagine how much cake he could have eaten?!"
"I don't think he would have been interested in the cake, Pinkie." Applejack Chimed in with a laugh, "I reckon he would have eaten you up just as fast!"
She continued to make munching sounds as the others laughed.
"Ya and then Flutter-" Rainbow Dash stopped as Fluttershy looked over, "Oh, sorry Fluttershy, I know you don't like being talked about."
Fluttershy glared at her a second more before seamlessly blending her face into a sweet, innocent "Fluttershy" smile.
Twilight had seen this many times before.
"It's okay," Fluttershy grinned, "looking back I should have done more."
Rainbow started another sentence, "Like wh-" but was quickly cut off by Fluttershy's throaty growl.
"LIKE RIP HIS BUCKING GUTS OUT HIS MOUTH!" Fluttershy screamed, quickly resuming her innocent smile, "Like Ironhide said, When somepony hurts your friend, give them a bend.
The train car was dead quiet for the rest of the trip.
Twilight led the group through the halls of the castle, ornate art, wonderful architecture and exquisite botany flowed around them. It was true, sometimes Twilight missed the awe-inspiring sights of Canterlot, but she was devoted to her studies in Ponyville, and as much as she missed seeing the Princess every day, she enjoyed the time with her friends much more.
Well, she used to. Ever since Fluttershy had become...whatever she was, the group had found it quite difficult to cope with Fluttershy's outbursts of anger and violence. It was tearing them apart.
Twilight was beginning to wonder if Fluttershy was going to tear them apart literally.
The conversations were thin, avoiding memories where they would have to bring Fluttershy into the conversation.
As they approached the large grand doors that entered into Celestia's throne-room, Twilight turned to her friends.
"Are you ready?" She inquired bravely.
"Ready!" They responded in unison.
All but Fluttershy.
The large doors opened as the guards heard them approaching, and they walked through into the view of Celestia.
The room was quiet aside from the bubbling of the fountains under her throne.
The ponies took several steps in as Celestia addressed them.
"Hello students!" She said with a grave look on her face, "I wish we could meet on better circumstances."
The ponies stayed silent. A plan was at work.
"Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Applejack," the Princess called out, "Leave the room please."
They bowed and left as Fluttershy gave a cold stare at Celestia.
As they left Applejack whispered something to Twilight.
"Do you reckon it'll work?"
The doors closed behind them with a loud clang of metal on metal.
"Fluttershy." Celestia said softly as she gracefully walked down the steps of her throne, "Whats wrong?"
Fluttershy was taken aback.
"Nothings wrong Princess." She said as her teeth clenched, "I'm perfectly fine."
Celestia came closer, a genuine feeling in her eyes as she said, "No Fluttershy, you are not okay. This isn't like you."
Fluttershy unclenched her teeth slightly, responding to the emotion in Celestia's eyes.
"Are you judging me?" Fluttershy responded, her body language becoming more and more threatening by the second.
"No one is judging you here." Celestia stopped a few meters away, "We just want to help."
"Who's we?" Fluttershy looked around at the guards, positive that they didn't care.
"Your friends!" Celestia raised her voice in despair, "They care about you! They want to know what you're going through!"
Fluttershy scowled.
"They're liars! Don't listen to them!" She growled in a low tone, alarming the four guards with her aggressive stature.
"No Fluttershy, something is wrong, and we want to-" Celestia started before being rudely cut off.
"Help me!?" Fluttershy screamed, taking everyone aback, "You want to control me! Change me!"
The guards were poised now, ready to react. There was a cold stony silence in the room now, and unfriendly and intrusive tone. Fluttershy was tense, and the Princess was rapidly trying to recover the situation.
But Fluttershy wouldn't let her.
"Look out Princess!" Fluttershy innocently called out as she pointed to the air behind Celestia. As the heads turned, Fluttershy shot into action. This was her game now. No more taking orders from anyone.
"When somepony tries to change you," She said as she flew through the air hooves first, straight at Celestia's neck, "run them through!"
Fluttershy's back hooves caught Celestia in the back of the neck, knocking the Ruler to the ground before she could react. The guards spun into action, sprinting towards Fluttershy with all due speed.
"Fluttershy!" Celestia screamed out in anger as the little yellow pony clambered to her neck. Her horn began to glow, signalling a spell.
"Oh no you don't princess!" Fluttershy said as she gave the alicorns thin horn a hard reef with her hooves, cracking it slightly. The Princess let out a horrific scream of pain, light beginning to shoot out from the crack at her horns base. With another jerk the horn came free, a massive beam of energy shooting from its tip. Fluttershy maneuvered it towards the guards, obliterating them under the force of the discharge and welding the ornate door to the throne room shut.
The room was empty, but not quiet as Celestia continued to scream in pain, he eyes welded shut with tears. A severed horn was the most painful injury a equestrian could attain, made that much worse by the magical of the individual.
"Awe poor widdow Princess!" Fluttershy mocked her victim, "Not too powerful without your horn are you?"
The gold door vibrated as something bashed into it from the outside. Fluttershy had been waiting for this for a long time. A very, very long time. She held the horn in her shaky hooves as the door was bashed again, the noise ringing through the empty throne room. She pressed the end of the horn to her forehead, feeling it singe the flesh. Suddenly, the door was enveloped in a purple aura and forcefully ripped from the wall, her friends breaking through the rubble of the falling ceiling.
Twilight Sparkle placed her hooves over her mouth as she observed her mentor on the ground, moaning in pain.
"Oh my...Fluttershy! What have you done?!" Twilight screamed in fear and rage as Rarity threw up and Pinkie's hair deflated. Rainbow Dash huffed out loud.
Suddenly a bright light exploded from Fluttershy's. body, blinding the others and forcing them to cover their eyes for fear of being permanently damaged. A heat wave forced its way outwards, casting the feel of an oven on the ponies faces. When the light subsided, Twilight looked up to see a horrific sight.
A black crater mark was now visible at the bottom of the throne, enveloping Celestia's now burnt body.
She wasn't moaning anymore.
Inside the charred blackness, a tall figure rose up, caked in soot, as the creature shook, ashes fell from its form, falling like feathers to the ground as a yellow body began to reveal itself. The pink mane came next, bursting forth from its head and flowing out behind it. A horn glowed from under the ashes, enveloping the figures full form, including it's majestic (yet horrifying) wings. It looked like a alicorn, but more...evil...
Twilight stood in shock, so many emotions running through her mind.
"You look stunned Twilight." The creature spoke, it's voice reminiscent of the pony it used to be, but a lower more menacing undertone rippled through it's words, "Didn't you read about transference in your stupid little books?"
It's eyes glowed with a bright light, but the creature seemed darker in some way. Twilight spied dark black tips at the ends of its hair, with darker gradients of yellow fading to black around its hooves and eyes like strange gothic markings.
"Oh, I guess not." The thing said as it kicked Celestia's charred body to the side with its back hoof, "They're immortal, but not invincible. As you can see, the results of successfully killing one are..."
It brought a hoof to its face.
"Admirable."
"Fluttershy..." Twilight ventured softly, tears in her eyes for so many reasons.
The creature roared at her, wind and heat exploding from it's jaws.
"I am not Fluttershy!" It screamed with the voice of a million monsters, "I am Fluttershear!"
It raised its wings into the air, rising up a few feet from the ground.
"Sister!" Twilight heard a panicked voice call from behind the rubble.
A dark blue figure jumped over, the rubble behind them, gliding into action as she landed in front of Twilight and the others.
"Oh, more little critters to play with!" Fluttershear yelled excitedly, rivaling even Luna in volume.
"Vile creature!" Luna yelled in the royal voice, nearly choked by tears, "I will give you one chance to leave, and never return!"
Fluttershear laughed, her voice turning to the loud scratches of metal on metal.
"How about we play a little?" She inquired playfully in her creepy two-pitched voice as her horn began to glow and spark.
"Get behind me subjects!" Luna called out to Twilight and the others, tears seeping from her closed eyes as she charged her own magic, fearing she may not be powerful enough.
Twilight grabbed the still stunned Pinkie Pie and Rarity and ducked behind some rubble behind Luna.
"Where's Rainbow Dash and Applejack?" Twilight asked alarmingly as her protective instincts crushed her fear.
Suddenly a beam of golden light shot from Fluttershears horn, rushing towards Luna with frightening intensity. Luna screamed in rage as her own blue energy shot from her forehead, attempting to meet Fluttershears beam. Suddenly the golden beam swerved like a snake, sidestepping Luna's beam and crashing into the dark blue alicorn knocking her back in a smoking heap, either unconscious or dead. Fluttershear in turn easily dodged Luna's beam, which detonated on the back of the throne room, collapsing a wall and opening a path to the sky amidst blue flames and smoke.
"Did you see that Twilight?!" Fluttershear called out, "I'm so assertive!"
Twilight kept hidden behind the rubble as she formed a plan. No one spoke a word, too incapacitated by fear and grief. Twilight's mind had switched tracks entirely, the initial shock and fear pressed down deep inside to make room for her thinking processes.
"Twilight?" Fluttershear called out playfully, "Is this hide and seek?"
"Because,"
Fluttershear landed on her hind legs, her body larger than the average alicorn, fueled by rage and evil.
"you're really bad,"
She took a step forward, her horn beginning to spark again.
"at hiding!"
A beam began to shoot from her horn, but her focus was knocked awry as a cyan flash hit her in her ribcage. She grunted and almost lost her balance, but used her wings to stabilize her.
Rainbow Dash circled Fluttershear a few times before kicking her hind hooves into the monsters snout, causing Fluttershear to lose her balance and crash to the ground with a massive noise.
"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she approached the cowering ponies, "Applejack went to go get help! Run! Right now!"
"And where will you go?!" Twilight screamed to her as she flew away.
"You know what they say," Rainbow yelled back as she flew away towards a recovering Fluttershear, "The bigger they are," she rammed her body into Fluttershears back leg, causing her to stumble to the side and smash into the throne.
"The harder they f-"
Rainbow Dash was cut of as a powerful burst of pressure exploded from Fluttershear, knocking Rainbow off course and to the ground.
"Enough!" Fluttershear screamed in pain and rage, grabbing Rainbow Dash in her clawed hooves.
Twilight ushered her friends out the door, through the rubble.
"Go! Go!" She whispered in haste, trying not to attract attention.
"But we can't leave Dashie!" Pinkie Pie yelled to Twilight right before a concentrated beam of light hit her in the flank. Rarity released a guttural scream of horror as Pinkie Pie slowly disintegrated to charred bones in front of her eyes.
"You can't run away from me anymore pinkie!" Fluttershear screamed as she held a wriggling rainbow dash in her claws.
"Oh buck! Oh bucking Celestia!" Rarity swore, abandoning her high-class attitude and replacing it with the mouth of a sailor at war, "I will bucking end you, you flank-headed mother-"
Rarity charged back through the rubble at Fluttershear, a suicidal look in her eyes.
"Wait! Rarity no!" Twilight tried to warn her as Fluttershear wound up a kick for the charging dressmaker.
Before the kick connected, Rarity attempted to do a reversal and kick her opponent with her hind-hooves, apparently with no care for her safety. The kick rammed the brave mares legs up into her body, crushing her internal organs and forcing a small amount of blood from her mouth. The mare held a blank stare and she skidded a short distance before falling in a heap, a pool of blood forming.
Twilight's mind was siezing up. Celestia, Luna, Pinkie, Rarity. Who else?
"Oh Rainbow Dash," Fluttershear screeched softly, nearly cooing, "the most loyal of us all, but never able to live up to anyponies expectations. What a sad, sad-"
Suddenly a purple bolt of energy hit Fluttershear in her side, scorching some flesh and causing her grip on Rainbow to loosen enough for her to escape and fly higher to safety.
Twilight looked down the long hallway that stood before the throne room, more bolts firing from the distance.
"I'm coming Twily!" She heard an all-too-familiar voice call from the direction of the bolts.
Shining Armor and Applejack were leading the charge of several groups of guards.
"No! Turn back!" Twilight tried to warn them, "She's too powerful!"
"Would you bucking leave me alone?" Fluttershear screamed like a banshee at the incoming hordes. More and more energy bolts pelted her, but she shrugged them off, "You can't kill a goddess!"
Twilight watch from amidst the rubble as Fluttershear floated over her head towards the guards and her friends. Twilight began to charge at Fluttershear, rage running through her mind like a drug, but she was tripped, falling to the floor painfully.
"Twilight..." The weak voice of Luna whispered to her from nearby as the magic released his foot, "you can't save them..."
Shining Armor screamed as he released a shield around him and his guards, trying to protect against whatever attack was coming. Fluttershy simply screamed out a boom, the sound wave traveling through the shield and shattering the bones of the ponies inside.
Twilight screamed in horror as her brothers body fell to the ground limp, next to Applejacks and the bodies of the dozens of warriors.
Fluttershear returned to the center of the throne, looking to the sky.
"Come out Dashy!" It called out to the sky, "Don't make me come up and-"
A whistling filled the air, high pitched and increasing.
"What?" Fluttershear let out confused as a streak of rainbow shot down directly on her muzzle, ramming her form into the ground in a cloud of rainbow dust and smoke. The pressure was enough to shift the rubble in the door way by a small degree, a rainbow blast of energy erupting from the throne room.
Twilight took a brief moment to wonder if it was done. If the beast had been slaughtered, and the world was closer to being right again. She quickly peeked up over a boulder, only to be drug back down by Luna's magic.
"Listen to me Subject!" She said bravely as Twilight surveyed her wounds. Her entire hind leg was missing, burnt off and cauterized from the beam, "You need to take my power."
Luna's words were getting weaker, and Twilight could tell that her life was fading.
"But it won't be enough Twilight." Luna continued.
"I can save you Princess," Twilight said hurriedly, trying to fix things. Make them right, "I'll heal you!"
"No Twilight." Luna coughed, blood wetting her muzzle, "I need you to kill that vermin. Protect Equestria from an evil greater than any before."
Twilight listened with wet eyes as Luna explained.
"Take my horn," Luna squeezed her eyes shut as she shuddered again, "transfer my power."
"No Princess I-"
"Silence!" Luna Boomed, "Cut it off! Now!
Twilight hesitantly closed her eyes and summoned a small, thin beam of energy to cut through the horn. With one tiny swipe she disconnected the horn about an inch from Luna's forehead. She screamed like no other pony she had ever heard, tears flowing from her eyes and magical discharge shooting from both the horn and Luna's stub. When the blast had subsided, Luna looked up, clenched from the pain.
"Twilight, you need the power of the elements." Luna gasped out as her mind faded from both pain and injury.
"Elements?!" Twilight yelled out, surprised, "My friends are DEAD! All of them! The elements are dead!"
"Haven't you learned yet?" Luna gasped out again, he face appeared more peaceful, "They don't live in stones, or gems, or vaults. They live in you."
Luna pressed a hoof to Twilight's chest, "They always live in you...loyal subject..."
And with that, Luna was gone. Just as quickly as the others. A victim of some strange anomaly of Equestria. Killed in the defense of the kingdom she loved.
Twilight levitated the severed horn in front of her as she heard a rumble from behind her, in the throne room. Fluttershear was recovering from the attack.
Twilight pressed the horn to her forehead, fusing her skin and bone with the magical device, and felt her body emulsified in liquid fire akin to a burning she had never known before. She felt the first layers of her skin break apart, and wings unfold from her back. Her body covered itself in a hard concrete, as she felt the heat subside.
She couldn't see, the grey wall blocked her vision. She shook it off, chunks falling away like dust and clumps of dirt. As she opened her eyes, the bright glow of Fluttershears eyes met her.
"Wakey wakey sleepyhead." Fluttershear taunted again as she picked up Twilight and tossed her across the room. Instead of falling limp like a ragdoll, Twilight instinctively spread her wings, stabilizing herself and hovering.
"Impressive," Fluttershear boomed out as she pointed to Rainbow Dash lying dead on the ground, a horn sized hole in her stomach, "too bad Dashie couldn't fly as well as you could."
Rage pulsed through Twilight like a second heartbeat, controlling her actions.
"Fluttershy! What did we ever do to deserve this!" Twilight screamed at Fluttershear, calling her by her original name.
"You controlled me! Called me shy and pointed out my flaws!" The creature spit back menacingly, its bright eyes still peering into Twilights, "I'm tired of being that shy little toy! I'm Fluttershear now! Ruler of Equestria!"
"You killed the Princess! You killed your four closest friends!" Twilight pleaded, her emotions still running high, "This is NOT YOU!"
"This is NEW Fluttershy! Fluttershear!"
"No, this is Night Mare Moon all over again!"
"There is no more Night Mare Moon anymore." Fluttershear screeched, shooting a loosely aimed bolt of energy at Twilight, which she easily dodged.
"You've gone mad with power Fluttershy!" Twilight begged her to understand, "You need to let go! I don't want to hurt you!"
"Oh ho ho!" Fluttershear mocked, "Big shot pony Twilight Sparkle is giving orders again?"
Fluttershear began to charge her golden energy again, ready to finally wipe her last friend off the planet.
"You really should just stand still Twilight, this will be much quicker." Fluttershear growled out in some sort of mock effort to help her last remaining friend.
As Fluttershears beam launched forward, Twilight quickly dodged, flying coming natural to the new goddess. Fluttershear scowled, preparing another bone shattering boom from before. Twilight a boom of her own, canceling out the wave of sound that erupted towards her.
"Die!" Fluttershear fired another powerful bolt of energy, collapsing the wall behind Twilight as she dodged. Twilight felt a clawed hoof wrap around her neck, starting to choke her. She fired random bolts of energy in a vain attempt to defend herself, but it was futile. Fluttershear leaned in and whispered to her captive, "You should have listened. Now this will be painful."
With another claw Fluttershear ripped open Twilights stomach, blood spilling out, along with other more important things. Twilight gasped as her eyes grew dim and dull.
Twilight quickly fell into darkness.
I'm so sorry girls...
Don't be sugercube.
It's not your fault Twily.
We're all here with you darling.
Just go be awesome.
Wait... Go?
Yeah silly! We'll be here when you get back!
Be strong subject.
Be safe, faithful student.
<<>>
Continue?
Y/N
:__
