A Newly Hooded Road to Walk

"Ugh! what am I going to do Angel?!" exclaimed Fluttershy exasperatedly to her pet bunny, "I mean I sort of want to, but I also don't, and I know that it's the wrong choice, but really? like, what else am I going to do with my life?!" she said in one breath, then collapsed onto her bed. "I love doing this, taking care of all of you," she said to Angel as if he could understand her, and though he couldn't configure the details, he knew what she meant as she continued, "but the thing is, I don't get paid for this, I can barely keep this place in one piece along with all the animals."

Fluttershy was now lying down on her bed when Angel jumped up onto her stomach so he could listen more directly, and talk to her, which was a sequence of squeaks that told her to get a normal job in town. "I know I know, a job right in town would be a lot easier for everyone including me, but I wouldn't go anywhere from here, and that's the way it would stay."

Angel squeaked some more in a sorrowful response, "and I will miss you too, a lot, and the most, but I feel that my life needs to start being about me." Angel now squeaked with the "wft really?" face.

"I'm trying not to think of it like that, I know that it may seem that way, but Silvershade clearly said only those who wish to harm any in anyway will be 'dealt with' as I think he put it."

Fluttershy began to pace around the room consumed in her frustrating contradiction, and tried to get down to the reality of this proposition she had been given. If she actually went through with this, then she would be completely crazy, she was saved by a hooded stallion who just an hour before had killed one of the three highest leaders in equestria, met up with him again so that he could convince her that he was somehow the good guy, then work with him just two weeks later. If she didn't, then everything would be normal again, plain, simple. Fluttershy felt trapped though, she didn't want this job, but she did.

If Fluttershy wisely avoided this mysterious opportunity, she would live like normal and probably live a lot longer. However, she didn't want that, her life has always been about animals, in and out, she has given so much and all she gets is their happiness, which as you can imagine, looses it's value. Fluttershy felt afraid, in both ways, she didn't want to be a trained killer, she couldn't ever imagine herself as such, she was scared that she would become this horrible killer and hurt those around her. She also felt afraid this chance would slip away, her rare chance to make something of herself, other than lonely fluttershy who cares only for animals, and always will, which was something she definitely didn't want.

knock* knock* knock*

Fluttershy was lying face first into her bed, with Angel resting on her shiny pink mane when she was nocked from her trance, she got up and went to investigate the knocks form downstairs, that had ruined her train of thought. She was at the last few stairs when the pony at her door knocked again.

"Coming!" she called softly as she walked to the door and cracked it open, "Hello?" she said in a shy but friendly tone.

"Hi Fluttershy, I just got done with a really good novel, but I got the post story boredom/depression thing goin' on, so I decided to see what you were up to." replied Twilight to Fluttershy's cautious greeting.

"Oh well, I'm sorry to here that," said Fluttershy awkwardly as she let in the purple mare, and they walked over to the living room to sit down.

"Should I brew up some tea?" asked Fluttershy

"No, I can do it, I am intruding randomly after all," responded Twilight with a smile.

"W-wait but..." said Fluttershy trying to intervene when she was interrupted by her guest.

"Nope, I can do it ok, don't stress yourself about it alright," said Twilight before Fluttershy could resist any more, and with a concerned look on her face, as if she could see the waves of stress and frustration flowing from her yellow friend, "besides, it's only tea!"

Fluttershy quietly groaned impatiently, as she waited for the tea. She flipped through a magazine looking for a picture interesting enough for her to focus on and not think, she found nothing and plopped it onto the coffee table in front of her. She looked around the room for something her brain could do, nothing in her peaceful little cabin seemed appealing, she began to shift around uncomfortably on her couch, she fiddled her fingers, bit her lip, shook her leg, and tapped her foot, all symptoms of the decision that currently tormented her.

Twilight walked in with a small wooden tray of tea, "Hey Fluttershy..." said Twilight looking at her twitching and unsettled friend, "are you feeling alright? is something wrong?"

Fluttershy snapped back to reality, and her calm gathered appearance returned, to a certain extant. "Oh! twilight y-you have the tea, good," said Fluttershy as she reoriented her thoughts, "I-I'm sorry, did you ask me something?"

Twilight looked at her friend suspiciously, worried about what was troubling her, "Fluttershy," said Twilight calmly as she placed a hand on Fluttershy's shoulder, "I ask you if something was wrong, or if anything was troubling you."

"What?! oh no! not me hehe, I'm just fine, nothing wrong with me!" said Fluttershy as quickly as possible, and presenting a horrid poker face in an attempt to cover her lies.

Twlight stared Fluttershy down in an attempt to gain results, "Fluttershy." she stated sternly, "What. Is. Wrong?"

Fluttershy knew she wouldn't wiggle her way out of this one, instead of lying again, she decided to buckle under the pressure, but vaguely explain her situation, so that any knowledge of her meetings with Silvershade wouldn't slip.

Fluttershy let out a sy, "Have you ever been in a situation where you have to choose between two things, but if you choose one, you loose the other?"

"Well yeah sure, it happens in magic sometimes."

"No, like life decisions, something that will change your life and who you are as a pony."

Twilight thought for a moment, "Well I guess whether or not I were to live here, or stay in Canterlot, I knew I should have stayed in Canterlot at the time so that I could resume my studies properly, but on the other hand, I would miss out on adventure, and friendship, and being able to have a life about me, not the library."

Fluttershy couldn't believe the connection between her's, and Twilight's stories, and they both had to choose between the old or the new, the boring or the fun, and life being about her, or not.

Twilight continued, "And well, I obviously chose the path where I could live, not just plainly live, if that makes any sense."

Fluttershy knew her choice, it was stupid, but Twilight reinforced the fact that to really live your life, you must live.

"Did that answer your question Fluttershy?"

"Yes it did Twilight, thank you." said Fluttershy as she leaned in and hugged her purple friend, "now I now my own answer to the question."

"I'm glad, so what is troubling you Fluttershy? you didn't really tell me," asked Twilight, now only curious since fluttershy was in a better mood.

"Nothing now Twilight," answered Fluttershy with an honest smile, "Nothing at all."