The Following

Chapters

Chapter 1: Eyes in the Everfree
Chapter 2: It Follows
Chapter 3: Crystal Charoite
Chapter 4: Emotional Support
Chapter 5: Kidnapped
Chapter 6: Back to the Forest
Chapter 7: Final Confrontation

Chapter 1: Eyes in the Everfree

"Come on, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "There's no way you're going to get better at flying if you don't at least try!"

"Sorry," said Fluttershy, curled up as far away from the edge of the cloud as possible. "It's just that, it seems a little... dangerous."

"It's not dangerous." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "This is basic flying. I do this stuff all the time. The ability to dive through some hoops, do a loop de loop and smash through a cloud is something that every pegasus should be able to do at some point."

"Also," Fluttershy continued. She walked over to the edge of the cloud and peered down. "We're really high up."

Rainbow Dash slammed her hoof into her face. "For Pete's sake!" she said. "You're a pegasus! You've got wings! You can fly!"

"Maybe I might know how to do it if you did a demonstration?" Fluttershy suggested, kicking the cloud with a hoof.

"I've shown you how to do it five times already!" Rainbow Dash snapped. Her eyes bulged from their sockets, and she was covered in sweat. Fluttershy could tell Rainbow was losing her patience. It was probably best just to do what she said to make her happy. She took a deep breath.

"Ok, I'll do it."

Rainbow Dash sighed with relief.

"Finally!"

Fluttershy approached the edge of the cloud and looked down. It wasn't a pleasant sight. She would have to fly down a very sharp slope, almost directly downwards through a bunch of rings made of clouds. Not too far from the ground she’d have to navigate the rings and perform a loop, with enough speed and momentum to destroy a cloud specifically placed at the end of the path. No sweat... if you were Rainbow Dash, or some other pegasus obsessed with speed and action. But Fluttershy wasn't that type of pony. She didn't even know why Rainbow Dash was making her do this in the first place, she didn't even want to learn how to be a faster flyer. She turned back towards her friend. The rainbow-maned pegasus was still standing there, and looked extremely impatient.

"Sometime today might be nice, Fluttershy," she said. Fluttershy took another deep breath and braced herself.

"Ok, on three," she whispered to herself. "One... two... three!" She jumped off the cloud and was hit by a sudden adrenaline rush. As she sped downwards, she attempted to point her wings behind her in order to gain speed. Apparently this was a part of the method Rainbow used to perform the Sonic Rainboom. But a sudden burst of speed, in Fluttershy's dictionary, wasn't exactly flying but more straight up falling. Panicking, she spread her wings out and flew back up onto the cloud she was standing on a second ago.

"What happened?" asked Rainbow Dash, with a look of disapproval on her face.

"I—I can't do it," said Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash groaned loudly and fell over, crashing back first into the cloud they were standing on.

"You're hopeless, Fluttershy," she said in frustration. "Hopeless!"

"Sorry, Rainbow," she said quietly, trying to sound as sincere as possible. "I guess I was just... scared."

Rainbow Dash sighed.

"That's it!" she said. "I give up!"

"Um, I guess I'll just head back down then?" said Fluttershy, slowly descending downwards.

"Might as well come with you," Rainbow Dash acquiesced, leaping back up and following her. "Got nothing else to do."

As much as she wanted to, Rainbow Dash refrained from bolting straight to the ground and past Fluttershy. While it was annoying that Fluttershy was too frightened to do some simple flying tricks, she understood that she was very sensitive and that it would be rude to just zip ahead of her. The trip down wasn't easy, though. Fluttershy wasn't lying when she said they were really high up, and she was taking her merry time getting down. At this rate, Rainbow Dash knew that reaching the ground was going to take a while.

After a good five to ten minutes of an irritatingly slow descent, they landed a few feet away from the Ponyville town hall. Somewhere between getting off the cloud and onto the ground, they had fallen into an awkward silence. Grasping for something to cut the tension, Rainbow opened her mouth to ask Fluttershy if she was alright. Before she could utter a word, somepony else's voice interrupted her.

"Fluttershy! Dashie!" yelled a high-pitched, excited voice from behind them. They both recognized who it was without having to turn around. Exchanging relieved smiles, they looked back and saw a pink-colored, bushy-maned Earth pony bouncing forward to meet them.

"Hey, Pinkie Pie!" said Rainbow Dash with a happy smirk. “What’s up?”

"I've been looking for you two!"

"Why's that?" asked Fluttershy, curious at Pinkie’s behaviour. The excitable party pony was hopping eagerly in one spot, almost giving her whiplash with how fast she was going.

"Because you’re invited to my party, girls!" Pinkie replied excitedly, bouncing up and down with a huge, joyful grin on her face.

"Another one?" asked Rainbow Dash, looking amused. "Didn't you already have one a week ago?"

Pinkie Pie let out a huge gasp.

"It’s been that long already?" she asked. "Well, I'd better get this one going pronto!"

"Excuse me, Pinkie Pie," said Fluttershy. "But what's this party for?"

"Well, you see, I was casually strolling through Ponyville like I usually do, and I saw somepony that I didn't recognise, and if I didn't recognise her then that means she's new, because as you know I know everypony and I mean everypony in Ponyville! And if she's new then she hasn't met anyone yet, and if she hasn't met anyone yet, then she mustn't have any friends, and if she didn't have any friends then she must be lonely, and that made me so sad. Then I got this great id..."

"Ok..." Rainbow Dash interrupted; she was now using her wings to hover above the ground. "So what you're saying is that somepony new has just moved to Ponyville, and you're doing the same thing with her as you did with Twilight when she first came to Ponyville?"

"Yup!"

"When is this party?" Fluttershy asked.

"I actually haven't figured that out yet," said Pinkie thoughtfully, dropping to her hooves and settling into a serious pose. "You're the first two ponies I've invited, but I'm thinking about setting it for this afternoon."

Fluttershy lifted her eyebrows.

"This afternoon?" she said. "You mean as in, this afternoon, this afternoon?"

"Yeah!" Pinkie confirmed cheerfully, losing her grave demeanor. "Why’re you asking? Let me guess, you've got something planned already!"

"I do," Fluttershy answered cautiously. "I promised Zecora that I’d visit her.”

"No problem!" said Pinkie, throwing a leg around her shoulders. "I'll just set the party for tomorrow night."

Fluttershy nodded, relieved. “Thank you, Pinkie. Tomorrow works.”

"Tomorrow sounds good to me too," Rainbow Dash agreed, moving closer to them. "I'll be there."

"Okie Dokie Lokie!" Pinkie released Fluttershy and turned. "The party’ll be right here in the town hall," she informed them, pointing with her hoof. "That reminds me, I'm going to have to make a lot of muffins! Either of you able to help me?"

"Sorry, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash apologized, rubbing her neck sheepishly. "I'm not really good at baking, like... at all. Remember what happened last time I tried to help out?"

"I'll help you, Pinkie Pie," said Fluttershy kindly. "If we can do it tomorrow morning."

"Sounds like a plan to me," she replied happily, pinning each of them with brief, enthusiastic hugs. "See you later then!" With that, she bounced away. Most likely off to invite... well... everypony else in Ponyville. There was a small moment of silence before Rainbow turned her attention back on Fluttershy.

"Can I just say how proud I am of you, Fluttershy?" she said smiling. This question really threw her off guard. What exactly did she just say or do for Rainbow to be proud of her?

"Proud?" she asked. "What for?"

"You may be hopeless at flying, but at least you're facing some of your fears. Not only are you able to spend quality time with Zecora, but I never thought I'd see the day you'd willingly go into the Everfree Forest alone!"

The very mention of those two words caused Fluttershy to go pale.

"Oh no! I forgot about the-the-the Ever-f-fr-fr-free Forest!"

"I shouldn't have said that," Rainbow Dash mumbled to herself. "Fluttershy, you'll be fine! Just follow the main path we usually take and you shouldn't have any issues. It's been a really long time since anypony’s gone in there and been in serious danger." Despite her attempts, Fluttershy didn't feel any better. In fact, she now felt even worse.

"Will you come with me?" There was an unnerved and shaky edge to her voice. Rainbow Dash stopped hovering in mid-air and landed back onto the ground, tucking in her wings in the process.

"You have nothing to worry about, Fluttershy," she said reassuringly. "I promise, nothing bad’s going to happen to you."

"I hope you're right," Fluttershy murmured quietly, steeling her nerves.

Fluttershy had spent the last hour or so in her cottage, trying to decide on how to deal with going into the Everfree Forest. She didn't want to cancel her visit with Zecora, but she had to come up with a strategy to make the journey easier. Zecora lived deep enough in the forest that her house was practically invisible from the sky, so chances were she wouldn’t be able to fly over without missing by a large margin. Going through by hoof was risky at the best of times, but it was safest around noon. Her plan was to leave for Zecora's around midday, spend the afternoon with her, have dinner early, and then quickly make her way back to Ponyville before dusk. She would take the widest pathway, by far the safest one there was, where she’d be least likely to run into timberwolves or any other eldritch abominations. With that in mind, she ensured her critters had enough to eat for the day, convinced Angel Bunny to watch over them until she got back, and left her cottage for Zecora's.

Halting at the edge of town, Fluttershy stared at the forest for several minutes. There was something deceivingly alluring to the wild flora and dark greenery, something that—if she was honest with herself—called to her with a loving and almost hypnotic pull. Something that whispered to her in deepest reaches of her brain, the dark places she tried to ignore. A shiver rattled through her wings. She took comfort in the fact that she was going through the forest in broad daylight, and that a close friend was waiting for her at the other side.

There was one other reassuring thought that entered her mind. Rainbow Dash was right. She and her friends had been in the Everfree Forest numerous times, and the occasion of something bad happening to them was pretty rare. Furthermore, Rainbow had asked the rest of their friends to hang around the rim of the forest this evening. When she got home, her friends would be there to greet her and make sure she was okay. With that in mind, she took a deep breath, braced herself, and walked into the dense greenwood.

Roughly thirty minutes later, Fluttershy spotted Zecora's hut and was flooded with a sense of joy. Apart from the occasional growling of a bear or snapping of a tree branch, her trip had fortunately been uneventful. That didn't stop her from being relieved that she was finally at her destination. Sitting just outside the cottage was Zecora, who looked like she’d been waiting for her.

"Ah, my dear friend Fluttershy, it is so nice to see you," she said. "Please tell me, how do you do?" Fluttershy smiled as she walked onto her porch.

"Hey, Zecora," she said, trying to push the forest out of her mind. "It's great to see you too."

"You seem troubled, my dear," said the zebra, giving her a concerned look. "Did you have any problems getting here?" Fluttershy glanced back at the forest behind her, then turned back towards Zecora and shook her head.

"It's nothing," she answered.

It didn't take long before Fluttershy was so absorbed into catching up with Zecora that she completely forgot about her worries. They talked about a wide variety of subjects. Zecora went on a massive tangent about her potions—new ones she’d recently discovered, their ingredients, how to brew them, how they tasted, and most importantly, what each potion did. Fluttershy discussed random insignificant things that had happened to her recently. Zecora was particularly fascinated when she brought up her friendship with Discord, and had many questions on how she was able to befriend a being of that nature.

After an incredibly long conversation and a lovely dinner, Fluttershy was in utter shock to realise that she’d completely lost track of the time. She’d been at Zecora's for seven hours. She glanced out the window, hoping her suspicions weren't true, but it was just as she feared. Night had fallen.

She spent the next few minutes frozen in her seat, staring outside in dread. What was she going to do? How would she get back safely? The Everfree was a lot less safe at night, because of the monsters and carnivorous beasts that came out hunting. Even with her special talent, coming across one of the forest’s dangerous predators would be very hazardous to her life expectancy.

Zecora returned from the small alcove that served as her bedroom, and glanced at Fluttershy. Observing her panicked expression, she moved forward with well-practiced grace and placed a hoof on the pegasus’s shoulder. "Fluttershy, you have nothing to fear." She rubbed her back reassuringly, calming her down slightly. "If you like, tonight you may sleep here."

It felt like a huge weight was lifted off her back, and she beamed.

"Thank you, Zecora!" she said happily. "Thank you so much!" A second later, the weight returned. "But I can't. All of my friends are waiting for me. If I don't show up, they’ll think something awful happened."

The zebra nodded. She proceeded to lift her eyebrows and stare into oblivion, looking somewhat comical as she did so. Fluttershy felt a bit awkward watching her, and glanced away politely so as not to interrupt. After at least one full minute of blank staring, her face lit up and she turned back to Fluttershy.

"I think I know what you can do," she said. "For I have an idea that may appeal to you."

Her ears perked up, and she focused intently, determined to hear every word she had to say.

"What is it, Zecora?"

Zecora said nothing. Instead she stood up, walked out of the room, and came back with a rolled up piece of paper in her hoof. She dropped the sheet of paper onto the table, and spread it out with her forelegs. Fluttershy tilted her head to look at it, and her eyes widened. It had no title, but the dense greenery and swamps dotted across it made it easily recognisable. It was a map of the Everfree Forest!

She walked over and studied it carefully. Zecora gestured to a brown area towards the bottom of the map, where it was written Zecora’s Hut. She then placed her hoof at a spot just outside the forest on the other side of the map. There was an arrow there, denoted with the words To Ponyville.

“This is where your friends are likely to be,” she stated, before tracing from the top down a wide but relatively windy pathway. “And this is the path you took, if I stand correctly?”

Fluttershy nodded wordlessly.

Smiling at the confirmation, Zecora then pointed towards a much slimmer pathway not too far to the right of the the original one. The trees on either side seemed much thicker, and therefore harder to spot danger through, but there was one advantage it had over the wider one. It was a shortcut. With how much shorter it was, she’d be able to cut down her travel time by at least half. It should only take her about ten minutes, fifteen at most, to get back to Ponyville.

"This is perfect!" she said, getting excited. "If I take this route, I should be home in no time. Thank you, Zecora!"

"It was the least I could do," said Zecora, smiling at her exuberance. "Anything, I would do for you."

After thanking her over and over again, Fluttershy said goodbye to Zecora and left the hut. As she stepped outside onto the porch, she looked around for the path Zecora had indicated. She walked alongside the trees until she spotted a narrow pathway curving into the forest, cutting a deep chasm into the dark, shrubbery and twisting out of sight. This was it. She took a long, deep breath, gathered her nerves, and ran forward.

Little did she know, Fluttershy had just made the biggest mistake of her life.

***

The trees towered over her, the thick leaves blocked the moonlight, and her environment became much darker. She could have sworn she heard the sound of hoofsteps coming from behind her, but she didn't turn back to look, nor did she care. All she wanted to do was get out of that forest... and fast.

Roughly five minutes had passed. Fluttershy suspected she was now roughly halfway home. It was still incredibly dark, the tree trunks were thicker, and the leaves swayed back and forth in a quiet, cool breeze. The air was cold, and if it weren't for the heat she was generating as she ran, she’d have been freezing.

She hadn't slowed down since entering the pathway, despite her increasing exhaustion, and the growing stitch in her side. It was sharp and hurt like a needle plunged into the chest, but she carried on regardless, never faltering, never relenting. The sound of trees swaying in the wind, and crickets chirping on the forest floor, were drowned out by her thumping heart, her constant panting, and the sound of her hooves pounding on the rocky dirt. She was moving so fast it sounded like she had eight legs instead of four. What she failed to realise, however, was that four of them were completely out of sync with the rest.

The trees became thicker and thicker as Fluttershy ran, shrouding her in darkness and making it harder to see where she was going. Tripping over a large, jagged rock jutting from the ground, she came to an abrupt and unpleasant stop. Her left foreleg scraped across the protrusion, sending a sting of pain up her thigh that made her shriek. Panicking, she flew forward and crashed hard into a tree. For a minute, all she could think about was the aching in both her foreleg and her throbbing head. It took her a while to realise she could still hear hoofsteps, approaching her quietly but still loud enough to hear. A thrill of fear raced up her spine. She wasn't alone.

Fluttershy shook her head and climbed to her hooves. With difficulty. Putting any pressure on her injured foreleg was incredibly painful. She lifted it up and squinted, attempting to gauge how bad it was, but the darkness made that endeavor practically useless. Between the choking darkness, the eerie silence, and her stinging foreleg, she was starting to wonder if this had been a bad idea. The hoofsteps had stopped, but that was the least of her worries. Her only focus was to get back to Ponyville as soon as she could.

She could no longer run, and was therefore forced to limp the rest of the way. She hoped that somepony would be able to look at it when she got back home. Maybe Nurse Redheart or Doctor Horse, if they were still at the hospital when she arrived. Moving at a slower pace allowed her to catch her breath. The stitch was gone, her heart was calming down, and the sound of her hoofsteps were much more gentle than before. Unfortunately, slowing down also meant the cold air was finally reaching her, and she couldn’t stop shivering as she walked. Being that much quieter, she was able to take note of the noises of her surroundings. That's when she heard a branch snapping.

Fluttershy jumped, coming to a sudden stop, and looked down to check under her hooves. Despite being unable to see well in the darkness, she could work out that there was nothing beneath her except dirt, grass and a tiny bit of mud. It certainly wasn't her that stepped on that branch. She glanced over her shoulder, but all she observed was a trail of dirt covered hoofprints, the ones she herself had left there, and walls of trees that almost blocked out any view of the night sky. Her ears twitched at the sound of leaves rustling to her right, followed by more hoofsteps. Her heart rate was rising again.

"Hello?" she stuttered in a shaky voice.

Silence.

"Is anypony there?"

She waited. Still nothing.

"Anypony?"

Fluttershy's ears twitched again as she listened intently for any hint of a reply. There was still no response. Her mind was nearly frozen, struggling to figure out whether somepony was indeed out here or if she was completely alone. She couldn't decide which would be worse. Everything was dead quiet.

Too quiet.

She couldn't even hear the tree leaves rustling anymore, but what unsettled her the most were the crickets.

They had stopped chirping.

All she could hear was the sound of her heart thumping again, her heavy breathing, and the sound of her teeth chattering. Her body was still shivering, and it wasn’t because of the cold. She wanted to run, but she couldn't move, not because of her injured leg, but because she was stuck. Stuck in place, as frozen mentally as she was in body, counting down the seconds as her terror rendered her as defenceless and vulnerable as a baby duck. She stood in the same spot like a stone statue, unable to move, as if she’d been paralysed from head to hoof.

'What's happening to me?' she wondered. Her heart was pounding harder, and harder, and harder. The shivering was getting out of control. She was now visibly shaking, her tremble increasing with every passing moment. A low growl emanated from the forest around her. It was coming from her right.

Fluttershy was terrified to look, but her curiosity overtook any sense of caution. She turned her head to the right to see who... or what the growl was coming from. Just a few inches in front of her were some bushes, but beyond that, there was nothing but shadows. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

'Don't worry, calm down, Fluttershy, it's nothing, it's just nothing. You're going to be ok. There's nothing there, there's nothing there!' Fluttershy kept repeating this to herself over and over, forcing her heart to calm down and her legs to stop trembling. Once she got a better hold of herself, she opened her eyes again.

That's when she saw them. She wanted to scream, but nothing came out when she opened her mouth. Directly in front of her, staring at her from the dark abyss, two round, glowing eyes pinned her to the spot, piercing her right to the very soul. They were red as blood, as vivid as the full moon. Feeling rushed back into her legs, and she took a step back. The eyes blinked.

Scrambling away as fast as possible on three good hooves, Fluttershy's head was flooded with only one word.

Run!

Chapter 2: It Follows

Fluttershy ran like there was no tomorrow, fast enough that staying off her injured leg was impossible. The pain was in was astronomical, and it only increased each time she placed even the tiniest amount of pressure onto it. Something wet and thick trickled down her leg. But she didn't care. She ran as fast as her three good legs could carry her, crying quietly. And not just because of the burning sensation of her injury.

Those two evil, red, glowing eyes staring into her soul. The eyes that looked like they belonged to some beast straight from Tartarus. What was that thing? Why was it staring at her like that? Fluttershy's hooves continued to pound on the ground as she pushed herself to avoid slowing down, no matter how exhausted she was, or how badly her leg hurt. She continued to sprint for the forest’s exit, refusing to look back. The last thing she wanted was to find out that thing was following her.

Her leg throbbed dully, her heart beating at a million miles an hour. She was panting uncontrollably, and her tears were blurring up her vision. But despite the darkness of the forest, and her teary eyes, Fluttershy could see something in the distance.

Something bright.

Something orange and yellow.

She squinted at it. It was a campfire, set up roughly fifty feet out of the forest. Sitting around it were a bunch of blurred colours—white, pink, orange, cyan, and lavender. Recognizing them immediately, she felt a wave of relief flow over her, and quickened her pace. Her friends were waiting for her at the fire! Barely even noticing a jolt of pain as she accidentally stumbled over a fallen branch, she bolted towards them without hesitation.

"Weird." Twilight glanced up at the forest canopy, which was only a couple yards away. "The sun went down about an hour ago, and there's still no sign of Fluttershy."

"You seem to be worried, darling," said Rarity.

"I am worried," Twilight replied. "I expected her to be back by now. I sure hope she's ok."

"Look on the positive side, sugarcube," said Applejack. "Maybe Fluttershy just got all caught up with Zecora and so she's just running late."

"I sure hope so," said Twilight, casting another anxious glance at the trees. "I just don't want anything bad happening to her. I'm starting to think somepony should’ve gone with her."

"Relax, Twilight," said Rainbow Dash, who had just returned from her own scan of the forest’s treetops. "If she isn’t still at Zecora’s, she’d probably have flown out by now. She probably just lost track of the time. I'm sure she's gonna be alright."

While the others were talking, Pinkie had been staring at something in one of the narrower paths between the trees. After a moment, she began jumping up and down excitedly.

"Look! There she is!"

The other ponies looked. She was right. To Twilight's delight, Fluttershy was galloping towards them. But something was very wrong.

"Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, concerned. Fluttershy was running, but also limping. Her foreleg was bleeding. Badly. And she was sobbing. She’d only made it about halfway between the forest and her friends before her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, crying and hyperventilating.

"Fluttershy!"

Without thinking, Twilight rushed over, her other friends not far behind. Within seconds, she was able to see her distressed friend up close. She looked terrible. Her mane was a complete mess, her hair sticking out everywhere, and full of grass and dirt; her eyes were bloodshot, soaking with tears, and had black marks under her eyelids. Fluttershy wasn't just crying, she was having a panic attack. Twilight knew that Fluttershy was always a very timid pony, but never had she seen her so destroyed. Something terrible must have happened in that forest. Twilight placed a comforting hoof around her.

"Fluttershy," she said softly, making sure to sound completely calm. Fluttershy did not need her friends exacerbating her anxiety. "Why are you crying? Can you tell me what happened to you? ?"

Fluttershy's eyes widened.

"It saw me!" she gasped under her breath. "It saw me!"

"Fluttershy, what happened?" Twilight asked again, motioning Rainbow Dash to keep quiet. The pegasus, who’d been about to interrupt, nodded quickly and moved to their friend’s other side, supporting her bad leg.

Unedited:

Fluttershy couldn't answer. She was breathing uncontrollably. She gagged and coughed, gasping for air. A tear slowly ran down Twilight's cheek. Watching her friend suffer like this was painful. She was now looking for ways to tackle the situation. The first thought that came to her mind was trying to calm her down, since panicking herself would probably just make the situation worse. Twilight lied down to meet Fluttershy's eye level, and took a deep breath.

"Breathe," she said as calmly as possible. Fluttershy just kept gasping uncontrollably. If she remained like this for much longer she was likely to pass out. "Breathe in," Twilight slowly breathed in, setting Fluttershy an example. With some difficulty, Fluttershy was finally successful in taking a large gulp of air. "Breathe out."

Nopony else dared to speak. They didn't want to intervene. There was nothing they could do except watch as Twilight tried to comfort her.

Over the span of what felt like a few minutes, Fluttershy's crying went more quiet, and her breathing slowed down. She was now taking big, long gulps of air as supposed to hyperventilating. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to ask Fluttershy what was she so frightened of, but Twilight glanced her a look indicating that now wasn't a good time. Dash was able to stop herself from asking the question. There was an awkward silence between the six ponies. Nopony knew what to say.

"Are you alright, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. Fluttershy looked up at Twilight's concerned face. She closed her eyes as another tear generated from her eyelid, before launching at Twilight, grasping with all her might in a tight hug. Twilight returned the hug, and said nothing. Just behind her ear, faint crying could still be heard, although it was nowhere near as intense as it was before. This crying had a different tone to a few minutes ago. While earlier it was a cry in terror, this was a cry in relief. Twilight just sat there with her forelegs wrapped around Fluttershy, giving her all much time she needed to let her emotion out. Without saying a word, Fluttershy managed to answer Twilight's question. She was just glad to see her friends again.

Nopony knew how much time had passed when Fluttershy was able to come back to her senses, but she eventually was back to her normal self.

"How are you feeling?" Twilight asked.

"Better," said Fluttershy. She looked up to her other friends. "Thank you all so much for being her for me."

"Everything alright, sugarcube?" said Applejack. Fluttershy glanced back at the forest. There was nothing there but trees and pitch black darkness. While she couldn't see anything, she still had a dreaded and unnerving feeling that she was being watched. Unable to see anything, she turned back to Applejack.

"I'm fine," she lied. She didn't want to tell her friends about what had happened. She probably lost that thing somewhere in the forest, so she was most likely completely safe, and it wasn't worth scaring her friends over it. Fluttershy glanced at the moon, which glowed in the very deep blue sky full of stars. Despite the nearby fire, the air, while nowhere near as cold as it was in the forest, still had a cool breeze. "It's getting very late."

"Fluttershy's right," said Twilight, addressing everypony else. "We should all be heading for bed."

After saying goodnight to each other, Twilight cast a spell defusing the fire, and they all left for their homes. Fluttershy slowly started to walk home, but hesitated after just a few steps. She didn't want to, and she felt like she had no reason to since there was nothing there, but she couldn't resist. Fluttershy turned her head back towards the forest.

She immediately regretted that decision, as for what she saw next sent her shivers down her spine. At the very edge of the forest, right from where she came out, were two cold, glowing, blood-red eyes staring directly at her.

The next morning, Fluttershy headed over for Sugarcube Corner, remembering her promise to Pinkie Pie. Her walk through Ponyville that morning was quite pleasant. It was beautiful weather outside. The sky was very bright, a very warm but pleasant ray of sunshine was beaming on her back and face. She also enjoyed the peaceful whistling and singing from the birds that were flying nearby. While everypony was just walking around going about their day to day lives, everypony was still smiling and looked like they were having the time of their lives. Needless to say, Fluttershy was in a great mood.

It helped that she slept like a log the night before. Her sleep was very peaceful, with no interruptions. She also had no nightmares, instead of dreaming about a horrific and terrifying creature chasing her through the everfree forest, she dreamt about having a peaceful picnic with her friends on a beautiful day just like today. Between her sleeping, and the gorgeous scenery, Fluttershy was almost able to forget about what happened to her last night, and by this point she just saw it as a harmless nightmare that she had.

Fluttershy's mood immediately deteriorated upon a sight that made her stop dead in her tracks. Far in the distance within the crowd of ponies trotting back and forth, was a pony that was completely black. He... she... or it, was silhouetted by the light of the sun. Aside from being the shape of a pony, presumably an earth pony since there were no visible horns or wings, its only distinct feature were two familiar red glowing eyes watching her. Fluttershy's stomach dropped. But then a thought occurred to her. Was it staring at her? Was she positive that it wasn't just looking at somepony else, or something behind her?

Fluttershy shifted several feet to the side. The eyes followed her. She shifted back to where she was standing. The figure continued to eyeball her. She slowly lifted herself into the air, and its eyes followed her as she took flight. Fluttershy crashed back onto the ground. There was no denying it. It, whatever it was, was undoubtedly watching her.

One thing Fluttershy found perplexing, was how absolutely nopony was reacting to it. There was this incredibly creepy looking pony in the middle of Ponyville, and everypony was casually passing it without even giving it a glance. Could everypony seriously not see this thing?

"Hey, Fluttershy!" called a voice. The voice was loud and sudden, making her jump, startled by the sudden attention. It was coming from Fluttershy's side. She turned to her side to see who it was coming from. Looking at her with crossed, but perplexed yellow eyes was a grey pegasus with blonde hair.

"Oh, hi, Derpy," said Fluttershy.

"Are you alright?" Derpy asked. "I saw you fall." Fluttershy chuckled to herself, slightly embarrassed.

"You saw that?" she said.

"Yeah," said Derpy.

"I'm fine," said Fluttershy, looking up to where the figure was standing, only to realise it was gone. How did it disappear so quickly? Where did it go?

"What are you looking at?" said Derpy, raising an eyebrow. Fluttershy snapped out of her train of thought, shook her head and turned back to Derpy.

"Nothing," she said. "It's just nothing."

Derpy smiled for a brief second, but her eyes scrolled down and she frowned.

"What happened to your leg?" she asked. Fluttershy looked at her injured foreleg. It was now wrapped in a bandage that she had applied the night before, and it had a small patch of blood seeping through it. The bandage certainly helped, and her leg wasn't hurting anywhere near as badly as it did when she first scrapped it.

"Oh, this?" she said, lifting her leg in the air for Derpy to see better. "I just scraped it against a rock."

"Ouch," said Derpy, wincing. "I hope it recovers soon."

"It should," said Fluttershy.

After exchanging goodbyes the two pegasi separated and Fluttershy continued down the road towards Sugarcube Corner.

Fluttershy had now spent roughly an hour at Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie Pie, helping her make as many muffins as possible. The bench was covered with bags of baking powder, dough, butter, sugar, milk, eggs and muffin trays. The room was warm, and was decorated with bright and inviting colours and pictures that hung from the walls. The muffins were making great progress, almost ready to place the first batch into the oven, and they smelt wonderful. Pinkie Pie had spent the whole hour with Fluttershy being her usual upbeat and occasionally eccentric self. However, despite all of this and Fluttershy's attempt at putting on a fake smile for Pinkie's sake, all Fluttershy could think about was that thing. She tried to enjoy herself and focus on baking, but many questions she had, and the paranoia she was experiencing with the possibility that it could be following her was too distracting to enjoy her time with Pinkie.

"So," said Pinkie Pie. "All we need now is just to add some chocolate chips to the muffins, and then they're ready to put into the oven. Can you get them for me please, Fluttershy?"

It took Fluttershy a couple of seconds to realise she was being addressed.

"Huh?" she said. "Sorry, what was that?"

"Chocolate chips," Pinkie repeated.

"Oh yeah," said Fluttershy. "The chocolate chips. Sure Pinkie. Where are they?" Pinkie Pie pointed her hoof at a small cabinet with a mirror door hanging from the ceiling.

"That pantry over there, top shelf," said Pinkie.

"Ok," said Fluttershy. "Thanks." Fluttershy flew over to the pantry Pinkie pointed to, opened the door, and saw a plastic bag full of chocolate chips sitting on the top shelf like Pinkie said. She grabbed it with her hoof and shut the door. What she saw next made her drop the bag of chocolate chips. In the reflection of the mirror on the door of the cabinet, was that damn figure with the glowing red eyes, sitting in the corner of the room. She dropped to the floor and turned around to the corner where the figure was sitting. There was nothing there except an empty chair and pictures of the Mr and Mrs Cake with their fillies.

"You didn't have to drop the bag, silly!" Pinkie Pie giggled. Her words just went in one ear and out the other. Fluttershy slowly approached the corner of the room.

Pinkie Pie picked up the plastic bag and sprinkled some chocolate chips to each of the muffins sitting on the tray. Fluttershy took no notice.

She was staring intently into the corner. She could have sworn she saw it sitting there in the mirror. Fluttershy's thoughts were interrupted by a voice. A voice that felt like it was coming from inside her head. A voice that absolutely chilled her to the core. It was quiet, almost as if it was whispering, it was very low, and quite raspy. It did not sound friendly.

"I'm watching you," it said. Fluttershy instantly turned around behind her, to see the figure outside the window, staring right at her. "Fluttershy!"

Fluttershy froze. How did it know her name? Why was it watching her? What did it want from her?

"All done!" said Pinkie Pie, looking very pleased with herself. "Can you please place our first batch into the oven, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy didn't respond. As far as she was concerned Pinkie wasn't even there. Her voice was muffled, and soon was completely muted, only replaced with a loud ringing noise. The voice was flooding Fluttershy's head as it kept talking.

"I'll always be with you," it continued.

"NO!" Fluttershy cried. She fell onto the floorboards as her vision went cloudy.

"No?" said Pinkie Pie. "What's wrong? It's just putting muffins in an oven." Fluttershy shut her eyes tight and tried to block out the voice by covering her ears with her hooves. This didn't help in the slightest, in fact, if anything plugging her hooves into her ears only made the voice louder.

"Everywhere you go," it said. "I'll be watching you, Fluttershy. Always watching! Watching!" The word 'watching' kept repeating over and over in Fluttershy's head so clearly she swore it was being said aloud. It was all she could hear.

"No!" she cried again. "Please! No! Stop! Please make it stop!"

Fluttershy's sudden change in behaviour finally caught Pinkie's attention.

"Fluttershy?" said Pinkie Pie.

The voice continued to repeat in Fluttershy's head.

"Watching! Watching! Watching!"

"Please! Get it out of my head!" Fluttershy continued, now on the edge of screaming. "Make it stop! PLEASE!"

"Watching! Watching! Watching!"

"Please! Shut up!"

Pinkie's eyes widened and her mouth dropped at Fluttershy's sudden language. There had been very few occasions where she heard somepony say 'shut up,' and Fluttershy was the absolute last pony she ever expected to say it. Yet here she was, on the floor with her eyes shut tight, her hooves in her ears yelling it. Pinkie Pie looked around the room looking for a sign of anypony she could be talking to. They were completely alone, and nopony else was in the building except for the two of them. Not even the Cakes were home. Why Fluttershy was acting like this was beyond her. Pinkie Pie's ears twitched as she listened Fluttershy continue to panic. Pinkie Pie walked over to her and watched, not knowing how to tackle the situation. She placed a hoof on Fluttershy's cheek. She didn't notice her.

"Fluttershy," she called. She waited, but received no response. It was like she didn't even know she was there. Pinkie Pie cleared her throat, and tried again, only louder. "Fluttershy!" she yelled. Still no response. Pinkie stomped her hoof onto the ground, startling Fluttershy as she finally jumped up to her hooves, eyes bursting open staring at Pinkie Pie.

"Snap out of it!" Pinkie shouted. The voice had stopped. Fluttershy's eyes rolled as she stood there dazed for a brief second. She blinked a few times, shook her head, then rubbed her eyes with her hoof.

"Sorry, Pinkie," said Fluttershy, as her vision came back into focus. "What happened?"

"What happened?" said Pinkie. "I was going to ask you the same question. I asked you to put the muffins in the oven, and then you completely lost it. Covering your ears with your hooves, crashing onto the floor, yelling out things like 'stop,' 'please' and 'no'. And you did all of that over nothing. It was really freaky."

"Over nothing?" asked Fluttershy. "You seriously think I was flipping out over nothing?"

"Yeah," said Pinkie. "I mean, we're the only ones in here."

"You seriously saying you didn't hear that?" said Fluttershy, astounded.

"Hear what?" Pinkie asked.

"You seriously didn't hear that incredibly creepy, and really scary voice, telling you that it's always watching you?"

"No." Pinkie Pie placed a hoof over Fluttershy's forehead, raising her hair, as if she was checking her temperature. "Are you feeling ok?"

How was this possible? How did she not hear that incredibly creepy voice? Fluttershy rushed over to the window and leaned outside, looking for any sign of the black figure.

"What are you looking for?" said Pinkie. Fluttershy didn't answer. Why couldn't Pinkie see it? Why couldn't she hear it? Was it even real? Or was this just in her head? That just begged another question. If this thing wasn't real, then why could she see and hear it? Was she going insane? "Are we going to finish these muffins or what?"

All Fluttershy wanted at this point was to take her mind off her current situation.

"Coming," she said, leaving the window and getting back to her baking.

After several hours of baking muffins with Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy left Sugarcube Corner and headed straight for her cottage. Her walk home was nowhere near as pleasant as her walk to Sugarcube Corner. The cheerful crowd, the beautiful greenery, and the warm sun went unnoticed. She was visibly shaking, and was turning her head in all directions as she slowly walked. Her head and ears twitched at any insignificant sound, and at the slightest sign of movements. The silhouette of a pony disappeared behind a building right as it caught Fluttershy's eye. Fluttershy bolted to the edge of the building to see if it was what she thought it was, only to realise that it was just Lyra out on a walk with Bon-Bon. Fluttershy sighed and continued walking with her head hanging low.

Fluttershy decided to take a short break from walking by resting next to the water fountain near the town hall. Fluttershy enjoyed the sound of the water splashing in the fountain, as she found it quite relaxing. Fluttershy sat there in complete silence trying to decipher what was going on. Was this thing real? Was it actually there? Or was this thing just a fragment of her imagination? If this thing was real, then why couldn't Pinkie Pie, or anypony else see or hear it? If it was just her imagining things, then why could she see and hear it so distinctly? That voice was so loud and clear in her head that it simply must have been real. If it was just a fragment of her imagination, did this mean she was going crazy?

Fluttershy hung her head down feeling defeated, not knowing what to do, or who to ask for help. As some tears formed from her eyes, Fluttershy rested her chin onto the edge of the fountain. In the water she could see the reflection of a sad looking yellow pegasus hiding behind her pink hair, lost and alone. Upon staring at her reflection for a good minute, in the reflection, Fluttershy spotted a black figure with red glowing eyes emerge from behind her.

"I'm watching you, Fluttershy!" said the voice in the same terrifying voice that flooded her head. "Always watching!"

Fluttershy jumped and looked behind her.

"Why are you following me? What do you want?" she cried as loud as her shaky voice would allow her. She looked right where the figure had been standing in the reflection, only for the figure to be completely gone. Fluttershy was taken off guard by everypony, who were once casually going their day to day lives, now all stopped dead in their tracks, staring blankly at Fluttershy. She quickly realised how that must have looked from everypony else's point of view.

"Um, sorry everypony," said Fluttershy as her ears dropped. "I'll just, go home now."

Fluttershy made her way back to her cottage. When she got home, she locked the door, and closed up all of her windows. She spent the rest of the day spending time with her pets like Angel, and quietly reading books on her couch. With the peace and quiet, the company of her pets and the warm cosy environment of her home, Fluttershy was finally able to relax and enjoy a peaceful afternoon. After all, if she was locked up in her home, she was safe...

Right?

Chapter 3: Crystal Charoite

Many hours had passed, to the point where Fluttershy had lost track of time. This was her intention, trying to let her reading distract her from the world around her. The sunlight that once seeped through the closed curtains had died down, and Fluttershy was forced to turn her lights on. After turning on all of the lights and feeding Angel her dinner, Fluttershy went back to her couch and continued to read.

As she was quietly reading on her couch, she was startled by her clock chiming. Fluttershy looked up towards it. It read six o' clock.

"Oh my," said Fluttershy. "I forgot about the party." Fluttershy got off the couch and headed for the door, but then she remembered the figure. If she was to leave her house, she was positive she was going to encounter it, whatever it was. Fluttershy backed away from the door and rushed to one of the nearest windows. She pulled back the curtain ever so slightly, and peeped out. Seeing outside was difficult. Due to the light in the room, the most of what Fluttershy could see was the reflection of herself and the curtain, and what she could make out of the outside was just pitch black. Fluttershy hesitated, then opened the window. She was immediately met with a cool breeze blowing through her mane and coat. Aside from the wind and crickets chirping, she couldn't hear anything. Despite the darkness of the night, Fluttershy could at least see a fair distance outwards, and she was able to see that her yard was completely empty.

Hang on. What was that? A new noise was sounded, though Fluttershy failed to see where, who or what it was coming from. It was the sound of something moving through the grass, which soon changed to the sound of hoof steps on the gravel outside her house. Fluttershy strained her head to look as far over to the gravel to see where it was coming from. She spotted the black figure of a pony, silhouetted by the moon approaching her front door. Fluttershy slammed the window shut, locking it and shoved the curtain back across it. Fluttershy went dead silent. She didn't see the red eyes on the figure, but she didn't want to take her chances.

That's when she heard the knocking at her door.

Fluttershy scanned the room, looking for a place to hide.

The door knocked again.

"Fluttershy, I know you're in there," said a voice. Fluttershy instantly recognized it. This was not the figure that had been haunting her for the last day. While the voice of the figure was low, raspy, and definitely the voice of a male, as well as being able to hear it inside her head, this voice was the voice of a female, muffled by the wood of Fluttershy's front door. It was the voice of a friend.

"Twilight?" said Fluttershy, wanting to confirm it was her.

"Yes, it's me," said Twilight. "Can you please open the door?" Relieved to know it was just her, Fluttershy went back to the door and opened it. Twilight walked into the cottage. "I was heading over to the party, but I wanted to stop here first."

"How come?" Fluttershy asked.

"To check on you," said Twilight. "How's your leg?" Fluttershy lifted her - still bandaged - foreleg for Twilight to see. There was still a blood stain on the bandage from where she initially scraped it, but it felt as though the blood had dried up. Though her leg was still feeling a little sore, she could walk properly. But she still had to be careful when walking on that specific hoof.

"A bit better, thanks," she said. "I should be able to get this bandage removed in a few days."

"That's good to hear," said Twilight. "But all things considered, I haven't seen you all day. About an hour ago Pinkie Pie had just been discussing with me about what happened to you at Sugarcube Corner. Add that to what happened last night and... Fluttershy, I'm worried about you. Are you alright?"

Fluttershy didn't know what to say. It was clear to Twilight something was very wrong, maybe it was wise to tell her. Fluttershy wanted to tell Twilight what was going on, but at the top of her head it was incredibly difficult to figure out how to explain it to her, or where to start. In addition, they were running late for the party. Not knowing how to tackle the subject Fluttershy just said the best thing that she could come up with at the top of her head.

"It's complicated." Fluttershy wanted to tell Twilight about what had been happening, but she didn't think now was the right time. "We're late. We should probably head over to the party."

"Good idea," Twilight agreed. "But promise me we'll talk about this later."

"I promise," said Fluttershy. This was a promise she intended to keep. She just needed more time.

Twilight and Fluttershy agreed to walk over to the party together. While it was Twilight's idea, Fluttershy agreed to it in a heartbeat. Having her friend by her side made her feel that much safer during the walk to the party. Throughout the entire trip Fluttershy kept looking in all directions, looking for any signs of the figure.

Not far from the main hall, the sight of the shadow of one pony made Fluttershy jump, but sighed in relief when she found out it was just Colgate.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Twilight asked. "You seem rather jumpy tonight." There was a moment of silence before Fluttershy responded.

"Do you ever get the feeling you're being watched?"

"No," said Twilight. "Not really, though I think Pinkie Pie does. She once told me she feels like we're constantly being watched by an invisible source, and she like to 'break the fourth wall." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Whatever that means. It's probably just Pinkie Pie being, well, Pinkie Pie. Why do you ask? Do you get the feeling you're being watched?"

"Unfortunately, I do," said Fluttershy. Fluttershy turned her head to look behind her. In the distance, she spotted the same red eyes watching her. Just like it promised it would. She gulped.

"What's wrong?" asked Twilight.

"Can't you see that?" said Fluttershy, not taking her eyes off of its eyes. Twilight turned and looked directly at the red eyes. "You can see it, can't you?"

"See what?" said Twilight.

Fluttershy's mouth fell open.

"How can you not see it? You're looking right at it!"

"I can't see anything."

Fluttershy blinked, and the next thing she knew, the eyes were gone.

"Never mind," said Fluttershy. "It's gone now, I think." Fluttershy glanced back at Twilight, who looked really concerned.

"Fluttershy," said Twilight. "You're really starting to scare me. I can't put my finger on what, but I think something is incredibly wrong. You need help."

"I do," Fluttershy agreed. "I really do."

"We have got to talk about this further in the morning," said Twilight. Fluttershy nodded.

The rest of the trip was spent talking about the new pony that has just moved to Ponyville, the reason Pinkie was throwing this party in the first place.

"So,"said Fluttershy. "Have you met this new pony?"

"Yeah, I have," Twilight replied. "Granted, I didn't talk to her for very long. I said hello to her but that's pretty much as far as it went, because I didn't want to come off as invasive. When I first came to Ponyville, everypony wanted to be my friend, and since everypony was right up in my face, it made my first few hours in Ponyville quite uncomfortable. So I was being cautious to make sure she didn't feel the same way."

"Did it work?" asked Fluttershy.

"I don't know," said Twilight. "I hope it did."

"What's she like?" said Fluttershy.

"From the little time I've spoken with her," said Twilight. "She's really nice. She was rather calm and reserved, but she also seemed quite friendly. I think you'll like her."

"What's her name?"

"It's been a few hours," said Twilight. "So I can't really remember. You'll probably know her when you see her."

Their conversation abruptly came to an end upon arriving at the town hall. There weren't many ponies with them approaching the entrance, most of them most likely had already gone inside. After all, they were running late.

Upon entry Fluttershy was startled by the huge crowd. In front of her was a sea of ponies, filling almost every available bit of space in the hall. She would have thought that Pinkie Pie had invited everypony in Ponyville, though, knowing Pinkie Pie, she probably did invite everypony in Ponyville.

The first thing Fluttershy noticed walking in aside from the gigantic crowd was the music. Playing on the speakers was an instrumental song that sounded like it was in the pop, dance genre, with a hint of dubstep. And it was loud! So loud in fact, for a split second Fluttershy had the urge to cover her ears.

She emerged through the crowd. In the centre of the room there was a massive bright and colourful dance floor. It was surrounded by a large portion of the ponies in the hall. They appeared to be watching somepony dancing. Upon further glance, Fluttershy spotted two large spotlights shining down on two ponies that were taking up the dance floor. Everypony was surrounding the floor, watching Applejack and Rainbow Dash trying to out dance each other. Judging by the massive smiles on their faces, they appeared to be having the time of their lives, despite their intense competition. Their dance moves were highly energetic and very over the top. It matched the music they were dancing to perfectly.

In the corner of the room, Fluttershy was able to see the source of the music. DJ-P0N3 was at his disc jockey, mixing the music that was booming from the massive speakers that surrounded the room. He was bobbing his head in sync with the music, and of course doing all of this while wearing his headset. Sitting a few feet away from her was Octavia Melody. She was dressed in her usual formal attire, with her cello in a suitcase next to her. She seemed pretty bored, most likely because she wasn't a fan of the genre of music DJ-P03 was playing.

Behind the dance floor was a long table full of all kinds of food. Roughly in the middle was a pile of the muffins Pinkie and Fluttershy made earlier that day, along with a bunch of other sweets, including cakes, and a plate of cookies that Pinkie must have made after Fluttershy left. The rest of the table was filled with what seemed like apple related deserts. Apple fritters, apple pies, apple sodas, everything. Fluttershy assumed those were baked by Applejack.

The entire room was decorated with ribbons, balloons and confetti. Fluttershy guessed those were set up by Pinkie Pie and Rarity.

As Fluttershy was observing the room, she heard a very familiar high pitched voice.

"Twilight! Fluttershy!" They turned around in response to their names being called. Pinkie Pie was bouncing towards them, her face beaming with excitement. Despite the blaring music Pinkie Pie was so loud and energetic that hearing her over the music required little to no effort. "So glad you two could make it!"

"Thanks," said Fluttershy quietly. Too quietly, as her voice was drained out by the music, unlike Pinkie's.

"So am I," said Twilight. Fluttershy could faintly hear Twilight trying to say something else, but her voice was too being drained out by the blaring music.

"I'm sorry, I beg your pardon?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"I said, you've really outdone yourself this time!" Twilight yelled.

"Thanks!" said Pinkie. Fluttershy slowly moved away from Twilight and Pinkie. Trying to talk to them over the music was proving to be too difficult for her. She walked passed the dance floor, which Applejack and Rainbow Dash were still dancing on, while the rest of the crowd watched and cheered them on.

She made her way towards the table full of treats and desserts, and helped herself to a glass of punch. Upon pouring her drink, she watched Derpy wolfing down the muffins as fast as she possibly could. If anypony else wanted a muffin, they just lost their chance.

After finishing her drink, Fluttershy backed away from the table. She spotted somepony sitting down near the table, eating a slice of apple pie. Fluttershy didn't recognise her. She was a purple unicorn with a curly mane, and violet eyes. Her mane and tail consisted a mixture of lavender and white, and she had a white stars for a cutie mark. Was she the new pony everypony was talking about?

Fluttershy didn't notice Rarity walking up to her side.

"Hey, Fluttershy!" Rarity yelled. "How are you doing?"

"Ok, I guess," said Fluttershy.

"What?" Rarity called.

"I said I'm ok!" Fluttershy said as loudly as she could, which wasn't very loud by her standard. She wasn't very good a raising her voice.

"Have you spoken to that pony yet?" asked Rarity, looking towards the purple unicorn Fluttershy was just watching. Fluttershy didn't want to attempt battling music again, so she just shook her head.

"You really should!" said Rarity. "She's quite devine, an absolute gem."

"That's nice," Fluttershy said, or at the very least tried to.

"You should go talk to her," said Rarity. "She's really nice." Fluttershy shook her head again.

"I don't think I should," she said. "I wouldn't know what to say."

"Relax," said Rarity. "You've got nothing to worry about. It'll be fine."

"But..."

"Go on!" Rarity used her front hooves to shove Fluttershy closer to the purple unicorn. There was no backing out now. Fluttershy cleared her throat, and approached her. The purple unicorn looked up to Fluttershy and smiled.

"Hello!" she said. By her moving lips, Fluttershy knew she was trying to say something else, but just like before, her voice was muffled by the painfully loud music.

"What?" Fluttershy yelled, moving her mouth in a way so the purple unicorn could at the very least read her lips. The purple unicorn raised her voice.

"I said, what a lovely party!"

"It is," said Fluttershy.

"What's your name?" the unicorn asked.

"Um, I'm Fluttershy," she said, but once again her voice was drained by the music.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" said the unicorn.

"My name is Fluttershy," Fluttershy said again.

"Didn't quite catch that!" the unicorn called out.

Fluttershy sighed and gave up.

"I'll talk to you later," she said, not knowing whether or not she could hear her. With that, she turned around and walked away. 'Now that was pathetic' Fluttershy thought to herself shaking her head.

Fluttershy spent the rest of the night sitting in the corner of the room near the front door, completely isolated from the rest of the group. Despite the party, and Pinkie's intentions, Fluttershy wasn't having a very good time, in fact quite the contrary. She spent the night feeling defeated, unable to push that thing out of her mind.

What was it? Why was that thing targeting her? What did it want from her? However, out of all of her questions, this was what confused Fluttershy the most; how did that thing seem to know exactly where she was one hundred percent of the time? Everywhere she's gone, no matter where she was, or what direction she looked, it always managed to know exactly where to look, and it was always eyeballing her. Not once could Fluttershy remember an occasion where she saw those eyes, and they weren't looking straight back into hers. The knowledge that it came from the Everfree Forest, and nopony else seemed to be able to see it gave Fluttershy all the more reason to stay as far away from that thing as possible.

Fluttershy was able to think to herself more clearly, since while she was sitting there DJ-P0N3 finished playing her music and she had packed up her gear. Now the music was being played by Octavia, who was playing a much more calm, classical style of music. The calmer music was more relaxing, but Fluttershy was still burdened by her current situation.

After sitting in the corner for what felt like a long while, she was eventually joined by Applejack.

"Hey, Fluttershy," she said. Fluttershy looked up.

"Oh, hey, Applejack," Fluttershy replied in an unenthusiastic voice. Thanks to the calmer nature of Octavia's music, they didn't have to yell and they could hear each other perfectly fine. Applejack wiped her sweat off her forehead.

"Wow, that dancin sure was fun," Applejack glanced back at the dance floor, which nopony was using. "Pinkie Pie really went all out this time, didn't she? I hadn't had this much fun in ages."

"That's nice," said Fluttershy, in such a monotone voice she almost sounded sarcastic.

"What's the matter, sugarcube?" said Applejack.

"Well, it's just... I... I, you see," Fluttershy stuttered. Fluttershy was at a loss of words, much like she had been with Twilight earlier that night.

"Is everything alright?"

Fluttershy was about to tell her no, but realised that there was no point in trying to burden Applejack with the knowledge that she wasn't ok if, she couldn't even tell her what was wrong.

"I'm fine," she lied.

"Fine?" Applejack repeated to herself. "You sure about that?" Fluttershy nodded. "Then why are you sitting here all by yerself?"

"I just don't do well in large crowds," said Fluttershy. "You go ahead."

"Suit yerself," said Applejack, and with that disappeared back into the crowd.

Fluttershy stopped to think to herself. When Pinkie Pie throws a party, Fluttershy usually has a blast. She couldn't put her hoof on why, but there was something about this party that felt incredibly off to her. Maybe it was just the concept of being with everypony in ponyville when she really just enjoys being with her friends. Maybe the music just wasn't her cuppa tea, or maybe the fear of that thing showing up again at any time prevented her from enjoying herself. Unable to pinpoint the main reason, there was one thing that was clear. This party wasn't doing anything for her, so there was no point in staying. With that, Fluttershy stood up, walked out of the town hall, and headed for home.

Much to Fluttershy's surprise, the figure didn't show up once during her entire walk home. Though in her eyes, that was a good thing. Fluttershy didn't get much to eat at the party, so she cooked herself a nice hot meal for dinner, had a shower and went to bed.

The next morning, the weather was just as pleasant and beautiful as it was the day before. Throughout her entire morning routine, Fluttershy was contemplating whether or not to leave the house at all, despite the beautiful weather. Staying at home all day would mean she wouldn't encounter that creature, or beast, or figure, she didn't know what exactly to call. Anyway, since she has never seen it when she was at home, she speculated that in theory, that meant she was safe at home. As a result, spending all day at home was tempting. However, staying home all day also had many drawbacks. For starters, Fluttershy promised Twilight she would tell her more about what has been going on, so she would eventually have to go out to find her. She also couldn't just stay cooped up in the house for the rest of her life. Unless this thing just decides to go away, she wouldn't be able to hide from it forever. After about an hour of self debating, despite her temptation, Fluttershy decided against staying inside.

Fluttershy had no major plans for the day, so she decided to just spend some time under the sun. After casually walking through Ponyville for a good hour with little to no consideration on where she was going, she finally stopped in the centre of the town near the town hall. Fluttershy spent a good five minutes sitting nice and quietly, listening to the splashing of the water fountain nearby. A noise that Fluttershy had always found relaxing. The sun was blazing Fluttershy with warmth, and she closed her eyes sniffing the fresh air.

"Fluttershy!" yelled a high pitched voice. Fluttershy opened her eyes to see who it was.

"Hey, Pinkie," said Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie was bouncing towards Fluttershy from the entrance to the town hall.

"I've been looking all over for you," said Pinkie.

"Really? You have?" said Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Why?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, shortly after we stopped the dancing, we set up the tables to prepare for a feast," said Pinkie. "Everypony sat at the table and a bunch of ponies made a toasts to Ponyville's new civilian. Soon she made a toast herself stating how thankful she was for us going out of our way to welcome her, then we ate, and we all had a great time. We also saved you a seat, but when I was rounding everypony up for the feast, I was informed that you left. Applejack told me how you weren't acting very happy and must have left shortly after you spoke with her. When Applejack told us this Twilight wasn't the same for the rest of the night. She's really worried about you."

Fluttershy immediately felt a great weight of guilt on her back for leaving so abruptly. She bent her head down.

"Oh, Pinkie, I'm so sorry. That was very insensitive of me, I shouldn't have left like that."

"It's ok," said Pinkie. "If you had something going on you could have just told us you had to go. We would have understood."

"Thanks, Pinkie," said Fluttershy.

"I'm just curious to know why you left so suddenly in the first place," said Pinkie. There was a moment of silence while Fluttershy thought of the appropriate way to respond.

"It's complicated."

"I understand," said Pinkie. "Did you at least get to meet the new pony."

"I tried to," said Fluttershy. "I just wasn't sure if it was her or not. I don't know everypony in Ponyville like you do Pinkie. Even if it was her, I tried talking to her but it didn't end well. The music was too loud, and we couldn't hear what we were saying."

"You should try again," Pinkie said. "She's just over there by the water fountain." Fluttershy looked over to where Pinkie was looking. She was right. Right next to the fountain was the same purple unicorn from last night. She was lying on the grass, her horn glowed blue as she was using a levitating spell to read a hardcover of a purple book.

"I don't know," said Fluttershy, turning back towards Pinkie.

"What's wrong?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"I guess I'm just, nervous," said Fluttershy. "What should I say to her?"

"Hello usually works," said Pinkie. "Come on, Fluttershy. What's the worst thing that could happen?"

Come to think of it, there really wasn't anything that could happen that could be any worse than what Fluttershy had already been through over the last couple of days.

"Alright," said Fluttershy. "I'll give it a try."

Fluttershy walked towards the fountain. She stopped about three feet away from the purple unicorn, who was still reading her book. Fluttershy cleared her throat.

"Um, hello?"

The purple unicorn looked up from her book.

"Oh, hi," she said in a surprised, but uplifting tone. "I remember you, you're that yellow pegasus from last night."

"Yeah, I am" said Fluttershy.

"I'm sorry, but I never got your name," said the purple unicorn.

"I'm Fluttershy," said Fluttershy.

"Nice to meet you, Fluttershy," said the unicorn. Her horn stopped glowing as she placed her book down, leaving it open on the page she was up to. "My name's Crystal. Crystal Charoite." Crystal leant out her hoof. Fluttershy shook it with her opposing hoof.

"Hi, Crystal," said Fluttershy. There was a moment of silence. Fluttershy looked over to Crystal's book.

"What are you reading?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Oh, this?" said Crystal, glancing back at her book. "It's an excellent book. It's called 'Harry Trotter and the Philosopher's Stone' by A.K. Yearling. Though for some reason, back in Canterlot, it's called 'Harry Trotter and the Sorcerer's Stone.' I have no idea why, but it's a fantastic story, I highly recommend it."

Fluttershy's eyes widened.

"That was written by A.K. Yearling?"

"Yeah, it was," said Crystal. "Have you heard of her?"

"I thought A.K. Yearling was known for writing 'Daring Do'," said Fluttershy, puzzled.

"She is," said Crystal. "While 'Daring Do' and 'Harry Trotter' happen to be her most popular books, A.K. Yearling actually writes quite a wide variety of books.

"Harry Trotter and the Philosopher's Stone," Fluttershy repeated to herself. "I'll have to tell Rainbow Dash about that one."

Fluttershy was about to ask Crystal more questions about 'Harry Trotter', like what they're about, and how many books are there in the series, but Crystal seemed to be distracted by something else.

"What happened to your leg?" Crystal pointed to Fluttershy's bandage on her foreleg. While the pain was still getting better, her leg was still quite sore, the blood stain was still on the front, and she still had quite a while to wait before she had completely recovered.

"I scraped it against a rock," said Fluttershy. Crystal's eyes widened.

"Oh my goodness," she said. "Sounds painful."

"It was," said Fluttershy. "It's slowly getting better though."

"Let me take a look at it." said Crystal. Before Fluttershy could say anything Crystal grabbed her injured leg, and her horn glowed again as the bandage slowly began to unwrap itself.

"Crystal, what are you doing?" Fluttershy asked nervously.

"Shh," Crystal said gently, as if to say 'Calm down, you can trust me.'

Fluttershy's leg stung as the bandage continued to slowly unravel. The bandage was stuck to her coat, and was pulling on her fur as it peeled off her leg, like removing a band-aid. As the pressure on the bandage loosened, Fluttershy could feel the injury underneath it. A large scab had formed from where she scraped her leg. Eventually the bandage came off the wound, ripping the scab off her leg, causing the wound to bleed.

"Ow!" Fluttershy yelped.

"Sorry," Crystal said quickly. Finally, the bandage was completely removed. There was a patch that was a brighter yellow compared to rest of Fluttershy's coat where the bandage had been, and the wound was incredibly swollen. "Oh dear, this looks awful! This is worse than I thought."

"Do you think I should go to the hospital or something?" asked Fluttershy. Crystal continued to study the wound.

"That won't be necessary," she said. Crystal closed her eyes and her horn glowed once again, as she lowered her glowing horn closer and closer to Fluttershy's wound. Fluttershy squirmed for a minute unsure of what Crystal was doing. "It's alright, trust me."

Crystal's horn made physical contact with Fluttershy's wound. For a minute, her wound stung upon the contact, however, Fluttershy almost immediately felt a great sensation flowing through her body, and into her foreleg. The next thing Fluttershy knew was her pain. It was fading. She watched in astonishment, watching her wound disappear before her very eyes.

After what felt like a minute, Crystal's horn stopped glowing, and she stepped away from Fluttershy's leg. Fluttershy looked at it in amazement. She was no longer bleeding, her scab was gone, and she now felt absolutely no pain in her foreleg. Her leg had completely healed, as if she never injured it in the first place. She placed her hoof back onto the ground with her mouth wide open.

"How did you do that?" she asked.

"It's a healing spell," said Crystal. "It's very advanced magic. I studied it when I was still living in Canterlot."

"You lived in Canterlot?" said Fluttershy.

"Yeah," said Crystal. "I grew up in Canterlot, I grew up training to be the best at magic as I possibly could."

"Then why did you leave?" said Fluttershy, "If you don't mind me asking."

"It just wasn't for me," said Crystal. "I was doing excellent in my studies, I just found the living style of Canterlot way too formal for my taste, and I wanted to move somewhere more casual. I did some research and I heard Ponyville was one of the friendliest places in Equestria, so I decided to move here."

"Fair enough," said Fluttershy. She smiled at Crystal, and Crystal smiled back, but Fluttershy's smile quickly dropped into a frown. Crystal lifted her eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

Fluttershy could feel heavy breathing on the back of her neck, giving her a tingly sensation through her entire body, her hair standing up. The breathing was hot, and very humid, followed by huffing and puffing. Fluttershy's eyes shrunk, as she slowly turned around to see what it was. Right smack in front of her face was the pitch black figure with glowing red eyes that were piercing into her soul. Fluttershy's head was flooded by the loud, low and raspy voice.

"Always, watching!"

Fluttershy screamed, and the next thing she knew, she was running for her life. She ran for her cottage as fast as she possibly could, and she didn't dare look back.

Chapter 4: Emotional Support

Just locking the door and closing the curtains wasn't enough for Fluttershy this time. This time she took her security one step further. After locking the door, Fluttershy pushed a bunch of furniture in front of it. She then found some fire wood, a hammer, and some nails, and used them to board up every window in the house. There was no way Fluttershy was letting that thing get into her house. As soon as she finished boarding up her house, she flew into her bedroom, locked the door, and hid under her bed sheets. As she curled up under her blankets in her soft bed, it wasn't long before she was warm and cosy, almost forgetting that she was hiding. She was finally able to relax, and being as warm and comfortable as she was, Fluttershy slowly but surely dozed off to sleep. After all, she boarded up the house. It's not like that thing could get in... could it?

It was well passed midnight when Fluttershy was awoken by a sound coming from down stairs. Hoof steps. Tapping on the wooden floorboards, getting louder and louder. Somepony was in her house. Fluttershy remained under her bed sheet, staying as quiet as possible. She didn't speak, she didn't panic, she didn't rustle the sheets, she didn't even breathe. Fluttershy tried to calm herself down by imagining the best case scenario.

'Maybe it's just Twilight,' she thought to herself. 'Maybe she just came over to check on me, and since the door was locked she used a teleportation spell to get in.' Fluttershy shut her eyes tightly, hoping it was true, as the hoof steps grew louder. Whoever, or whatever those hoof steps belonged to, was coming closer. The sound of the hoof steps soon changed, and by the sound of it, was now climbing the wooden stairs that lead to her bedroom.

'It's coming closer!' Fluttershy thought. Despite her efforts to control herself, she was visibly shaking. 'Please be Twilight. PLEASE be Twilight.' Fluttershy snapped out of her thinking when she noticed the hoof steps have stopped, and was being replaced by the sound of her doorknob rattling. 'Don't look, Fluttershy! Don't look!' Fluttershy ignored her own warning and poked her head from her bed sheets. The door knob was violently shaking, making a loud rattle sound in the process. Fluttershy tried to tell herself that it couldn't get in, but she had a hard time believing it. She locked her front door and placed heavy furniture in front of it, so if it was able to get through that, it certainly would be able to get into her bedroom.

Fluttershy didn't waste any more time. She got out of bed and flew up to her window, desperately trying to remove the wood from it. She wrapped her hooves around the largest plank of wood and pulled. She was pulling as hard as she could, but the wooden plank wouldn't budge. Fluttershy's ear twitched when she noticed the door had stopped rattling. Her head turned around to see the door was still shut.

"Phew," Fluttershy sighed before she could stop herself. She took a step back, trying to analyse her options on how to get through. She studied the wooden planks, and noticed the nails. They were ever so slightly sticking out of the wood. If she was able to remove at least some of the nails, she just may have a chance of escaping. Fluttershy looked over to her desk, only to see there were no tools resting on it. That's when she realised she accidently left her hammer down stairs. Now what?

Fluttershy walked over to the window, and realised what she had to do. She grabbed a nail with her teeth, and pulled. After a few hard tugs, Fluttershy successfully removed the nail from the plank of wood. She turned to the side, and spat the nail out of her mouth. She selected another nail from the other side of the wooden plank, and repeated the process. It didn't take long before she was able to remove that nail as well. She was about to go for another one when she heard jingling coming from behind her. She turned to look, and saw the keys she used to lock her bedroom door was now floating in mid-air at its own will. The keys hovered from her desk where they were sitting, and were slowly moving across the room towards her door. Fluttershy watched in horror, as the key slid into the lock and rotated, creating a clicking noise.

Fluttershy was breathing heavily, her heart rate increasing, as she watched her bedroom door slowly open accompanied by a loud creak. All she saw behind the door was darkness, and two blood red glowing eyes.

"No!" Fluttershy said in disbelief. The hoof steps started again, as the red eyes proceeded to come closer and closer. "No, no, no, no!" Fluttershy's heart was now pounding, as she turned back to the window, and heaved on the wood with all her might. Removing the nails had loosened it, but it still wasn't getting off that wall without a fight. Fluttershy's shivering became more and more violent with every proceeding hoof step, as each one became louder and louder. "Somepony help!" Fluttershy screamed, giving the wooden plank another hard tug. The wooden plank loosened. She tugged again. "I don't want to die!" After one particularly violent tug, the wooden plank finally broke free. Fluttershy threw the wooden plank at the figure, but it just went straight through it. The figure didn't even flinch. She squeezed through the other wooden planks and fiddled with the lock at her window. Eventually, she was able to loosen it and the window flung open.

Fluttershy slid through the window enough to be able to spread her wings. She flapped them hard, but she didn't take flight. A sharp pain in her tail was preventing her from flying off, and she felt an invisible source pulling on it, trying to pull her back through the window. Fluttershy looked back, to see the red eyes right at her window where she had been standing, with her tail still stuck inside the window directly underneath the red eyes. Fluttershy flapped her wings harder, and harder, but it was no use. She was being pulled back into the house.

"LET GO OF ME!" Fluttershy screamed at the top of her lungs. Fluttershy felt her rear legs making contact with her windowsill. Soon her entire backside was back inside the house. "HELP!" She used her forelegs to grab both sides of her window. Fluttershy looked at her surroundings. Despite the commotion she was making, nopony was anywhere to be seen. The creature tugged harder, creating more pain in her tail. The force pulling her in was getting stronger, and she didn't think she could hold onto the window for much longer. "LET ME GO!" After one very violent tug, Fluttershy no longer felt like something was pulling on her. A huge chunk of the hair in her tail had been ripped out, but she didn't care. Fluttershy took off before it had a chance to get another grasp on her. Flapping as hard as she could, Fluttershy flew away from her cottage, and disappeared into the night.

Fluttershy found a small cloud in the sky. She plopped onto it, panting hard. As she struggled to catch her breath, she reflected upon what just happened. For the longest time, while she had been afraid of this thing, there was always a thought at the back of her mind indicating a slight possibility that maybe it didn't want to hurt her. But after tonight, her greatest fears were confirmed. Whatever this thing was, it was not friendly, and Fluttershy now knew that she had to do everything in her power to make sure it did not catch her.

It was everywhere she went. Always turning up when she let her guard down, or when she least expected it. Now it was going as far as breaking into her house in the middle of the night and trying to grab her. If it was able to get to her despite locked doors with furniture in front of it, then that did that mean there was nothing she could do to stop it? Was it just going to keep coming after her until it got her? What did it want from her? What was it going to do to her if she was caught?

After she was able to calm down, the low temperature managed to reach her coat. Fluttershy was shivering, ruffling her wings and huddling her legs together trying to stay warm. She didn't want to stay there, but her house wasn't safe anymore. Fluttershy buried her face into the cloud she was lying on, crying.

"What am I going to do?" she asked herself, receiving no reply. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something. Something tall. Fluttershy looked up, to see Twilight's castle nearby. If there was one pony who could help, it was her.

Fluttershy made her way to Twilight's castle. She raised a hoof to knock on the door, but hesitated. Twilight was most likely asleep, since it was the middle of the night. Waking Twilight up would have been insensitive, but Fluttershy's life was in danger, and she needed her help. Fluttershy took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. The knocking was loud, and Fluttershy could hear the knocking echoing throughout the castle. She waited, but nothing happened. She knocked again.

"Twilight?" she whispered. She waited again, and she still received no response. She knocked for a third time. "Twilight!" she called again, even louder this time. At last, the door opened. What Fluttershy saw caught her off guard, despite the fact she should have seen it coming. Standing behind the door was Twilight, but she was a complete mess. Her mane about as messy and all over the place as you could get, her eyelids were half closed, and she had bags under her eyes. She had obviously been sleeping.

"Fluttershy?" Twilight croaked slowly and weakly. "What are you doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"I'm so sorry, Twilight," said Fluttershy. "But I really, really need your help. You know how you've been worried about me?"

"Yeah," said Twilight.

"Well," said Fluttershy. "I think I'm in terrible danger." Twilight shook her head, and opened her eyes wider, trying to wake herself up.

"Danger?" she said, able to speak more clearly.

"Yes," said Fluttershy. "Not even my house is safe anymore."

"What exactly are you in danger of?" Twilight asked.

"It's a long story," said Fluttershy. "But in short I think I'm being chased by some sort of beast." There was a fresh look of worry in Twilight's eyes.

"A beast?" she asked, trying to clarify that she did indeed hear what she thought she heard. Fluttershy simply nodded. "Come inside. Quick!" Fluttershy did what Twilight told her to do. They headed down the hallway for the bedrooms. As they walked Twilight continued to speak. "As much as I want you to tell me, if you tell me what's going on now, the info is just going to go in one ear and out the other. Can you tell me what's going on in the morning?"

"Sure," said Fluttershy. Twilight stopped and opened a door to their side.

"In the meantime, you can sleep in here," she said. The open door revealed a spare bedroom with a small bookshelf, a desk, and a single bed with a window above it. "This spare bedroom is the closest room to mine."

Fluttershy entered the room, and turned back to face Twilight.

"Thank you, Twilight," she said.

"No problem," said Twilight. "Anyway, I'm going back to sleep. If you need me for anything, and I mean anything, don't be afraid to come and get me." Fluttershy smiled, and Twilight smiled back. Twilight was just about to head back to her room when Fluttershy stopped her.

"Wait," she said quickly.

"What is it, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. Fluttershy hesitated before asking her question.

"Before you go," she said. "I would like to ask a favour, but it's going to sound a bit strange."

"Go on."

"Well, um, I was wondering if you knew any spells that could lock doors, in a way so the door can't just be opened with a key?"

Twilight was thrown off by Fluttershy's question, but went along with it anyway.

"As a matter of fact," she said. "I do happen to know a spell that can do just that. Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if you could use it for this room, to stop from anything coming in."

Twilight's jaw dropped at Fluttershy's suggestion.

"Fluttershy," she said. "If I did that, you wouldn't be able to get out unless I perform the counterspell!"

"I'm more worried about something getting in," said Fluttershy. "Please, Twilight."

Twilight hesitated for a minute, before taking a deep breath.

"Alright," she said. "But are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure," said Fluttershy.

"Ok," said Twilight. "But I'm unlocking your door first thing in the morning, ok?"

"Ok," said Fluttershy.

"Goodnight, Fluttershy."

"Goodnight, Twilight."

With that, Twilight's horn glowed as the door closed. The door itself glowed, as a loud noise was sounded from the other side of the door. Fluttershy assumed it was Twilight performing the spell. The pink glow faded away, and Fluttershy approached the door. She pulled on the handle. It didn't open. She pushed at the handle. The door remained shut. The door was locked. The next thing Fluttershy knew, she could hear Twilight's hoof steps going quieter and quieter, followed by the sound of a door closing. If Fluttershy wanted to change her mind, it was now too late.

Fluttershy climbed into the bed, wondering whether or not she had just done the right thing. Sure, the only reason it got into her room last time was because it had access to keys, and the lock on this door was protected by a spell that only Twilight herself can break. However, what if that thing was still able to get in here? She would be trapped. 'Don't worry about it' Fluttershy thought to herself. 'Twilight's room is right next to yours. If something goes wrong, just call her, and she will come to help.' Knowing that she had a close friend nearby, and was protected by a locked door, Fluttershy was finally able to relax. Fluttershy closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

Fluttershy was fortunate enough to have had a peaceful sleep. She slept like a filly, and woke up feeling nice and refreshed. Fluttershy climbed out of bed, yawned and rubbed her eyes with her hoof. When she was able to gain a clear vision of the room, her sense of peace instantly came to an end. She couldn't explain how, but the figure with the red eyes was standing in the corner of the room. It had been watching her sleep. How long had it been standing there for?

The figure didn't stay there. It was now approaching her, one hoof step after the other. The bedroom door still being shut indicated that it was still under Twilight's spell. There was only one thing Fluttershy's instincts told her to do.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping she could hear her. The figure continued to approach, coming closer, and closer, and closer. "TWILIGHT!"

Within seconds, Twilight's muffled voice could be heard from behind the door.

"I'm coming, Fluttershy! Hang on!"

The figure was still coming closer.

"HELP!"

The door glowed for a brief second, before being bucked open by Twilight.

"I'm here!" said Twilight. "Are you alright?"

Fluttershy could no longer speak to Twilight. All her attention was on this, this, this creature. It was now halfway between the corner it was standing in, and her. Fluttershy was backing up, her eyes shrunk with terror, as she watched the creature proceed to come closer and closer.

"What do you want?" she said to it. The creature didn't answer. It just took another step closer, and made a giant grin in the process. The smile spanned from cheekbone to cheekbone. Its teeth was pure white, and were razor sharp. "Why is it smiling at me like that?" It took another step forward. She took another step back. "Stay away from me!" The creature took another step closer. Fluttershy was now pressed against the wall, unable to back up any further. Her eyes were wet with tears, as she curled into a ball and buried her face into her legs. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Fluttershy?" Twilight cried in confusion. What was happening to her friend? While Fluttershy could see a terrifying creature as clear as day, all Twilight saw was Fluttershy backed up against the wall in the fetal position, acting terrified of seemingly nothing. From Twilight's perspective, Fluttershy was just talking to thin air. If there really was something there, there was nothing Twilight could do about it. Watching her friend suffer like this stung her in the heart. What was she so afraid of?

The creature was now right in front of Fluttershy. Without thinking, she tried the exact same tactic to escape as she tried last night. She grabbed her tail with her hoof, flew to the window, opened it, and flew away.

"Fluttershy! Wait!" Twilight called.

Fluttershy dropped onto the ground and ran as fast as she could. By now, it didn't matter where she was going, or how far, she just had to run. From thin air, Twilight teleported directly in front of her path, and she was only just able to stop herself in time to avoid crashing into her.

"Fluttershy," said Twilight. "This is getting out of control. We need to talk about this, now. What is going on?"

There was no point in trying to prolong it any further, it was time she knew. Fluttershy sat down, and told Twilight to do the same. She took a deep breath, and she told Twilight the whole story. From finding the red eyes in the Everfree Forest, about seeing the figure everywhere she went, about the voices inside her head, about the attack she had last night, as well as what just happened a few seconds ago.

She told Twilight everything.

When she finished, Twilight was horrified.

"You mean to tell me that this thing has been after you ever since you left the Everfree Forest the other night?" Fluttershy nodded. "What do you think it wants?"

"I don't know," said Fluttershy. "You don't suppose, that maybe, it wants to, to..." Fluttershy couldn't finish her sentence. She didn't want to consider it as a possibility, but it was the one that made the most sense to her.

"Fluttershy," said Twilight. Fluttershy looked up. "We have to find out what's going on. The things you're experience cannot be a good sign."

"I know," Fluttershy agreed. "So what do we do?"

Twilight placed her hoof on her chin and looked into the sky thinking. Eventually she looked back to Fluttershy as if she was hit with an idea.

"My library," she said. "Come on, let's go."

They made their way back to Twilight's castle. Being careful to make sure they didn't accidently encounter the creature again, they eventually made it to Twilight's library. Twilight selected a few books on supernatural creatures, passed one to Fluttershy, and they started reading.

Many hours had passed, and there were more books on the floor then there were on the shelf. They were piled up on top of each other, creating a mountain of books. Twilight closed up another book and her horn glowed as she tossed it into the pile.

"It's no use," she said. "I havn't found anything that describes the kind of thing you've been experiencing. Any luck, Fluttershy?"

"Nothing," said Fluttershy. "We've been through practically the entire library and I've still found nothing."

"Then we'll have to think of another plan," said Twilight. "This is obviously not working."

"Like what?"

Twilight stopped to think.

"What about Discord?" Twilight suggested. "We all know how powerful he is, and he would do anything for you."

Fluttershy frowned and shook her head.

"Discord can't help," said Fluttershy. "He's the embodiment of chaos, so he can physically alter things that already exist. But unfortunately, he cannot completely wipe something from existence. Besides, I seem to be the only pony who can see... it, so how is Discord supposed to deal with something that's completely invisible to him? Even if he wanted to help, he wouldn't be able to."

"I think I have another idea," said Twilight. Fluttershy's face lightened up.

"What is it?"

"You're probably not going to like it," said Twilight. "But I think we have to pay a visit with Zecora." Fluttershy's face went into a look of terror, since she knew what that meant.

"No way!" said Fluttershy. "I promised myself never to go into that forest again!"

"What other choice do we have?" said Twilight. "Zecora has had a ton of experience with supernatural creatures and beings. If there's anypony, or in this case any zebra that knew what was going on, it would be her."

"I know," said Fluttershy. "But the Everfree Forest is how this thing found me in the first place remember?"

"True," said Twilight. "But if we go now, we'll be able to get there and back before it gets dark. Plus, I'll be right by your side at all times. Fluttershy, I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you." Twilight placed a comforting hoof behind Fluttershy's hair. "I promise."

Fluttershy closed her eyes. She always felt safer when Twilight was around, and Zecora was her best way of finding out what exactly it is that's being pursuing her. She sighed, opened her eyes and looked at Twilight.

"Ok," she said reluctantly. "Let's do it."

Just like Fluttershy's last trip to Zecora's, much to her surprise, the trip was completely uneventful. Before entering the forest Twilight told Fluttershy that if she saw any sign of the creature, then tell her immediately. Twilight organised a plan so if the creature did show up, she would conjure a shield around them so it wouldn't hurt Fluttershy. However, Twilight didn't have to perform the spell once, and they managed to reach Zecora's undisturbed. They also took the same path way Fluttershy took to get to Zecora's, instead of taking the shortcut.

After roughly thirty minutes the two finally arrived at Zecora's house. Fluttershy walked onto the porch followed by Twilight, and knocked on the door. Within seconds the door flew open, and Fluttershy was greeted by Zecora.

"Ah, Fluttershy, back so soon?" said Zecora, somewhat surprised to see her. "Tell me, what brings you here this afternoon?" Twilight emerged from behind Fluttershy.

"Hey, Zecora," said Twilight.

"Greetings, Twilight," said Zecora. It wasn't long before she spotted on Fluttershy's face that something was very wrong. "You seem troubled, Fluttershy. Are you alright?"

"No," Fluttershy sighed. "Zecora, I really need your help."

Zecora's face went from looking pleasantly surprised to a look of concern.

"Both of you, please come in," she said. "And tell me the troubles you feel deep within."

Twilight and Fluttershy made themselves comfortable in Zecora's dining room as she fixed them both with a hot beverage. When she finished she sat at the table to join them.

"Now, please tell me what troubles you," said Zecora. "And if there's anything I can do."

"Well," said Fluttershy. "It's kind of hard to know where to start." She turned towards Twilight. "What do you think I should tell her?"

"Everything!" Twilight said sternly. "Tell her absolutely everything you told me."

So that's what Fluttershy did. Just like she had told Twilight earlier, she explained everything to Zecora, starting from what happened right after she left from her last visit. When she finished Zecora took a large sip from her beverage, and placed it onto the table with a sigh.

"Before your departure on your last visit, I suggested a shortcut you could take," Zecora bent her head down feeling guilty. "That decision, I greatly regret, for that was a big mistake."

"Mistake?" said Fluttershy.

"Right after you left, I realised that the danger in that shortcut was great," said Zecora. "I ran out of the house to warn you, but by then, it was already too late." Zecora got off her seat and walked over to a bench, grabbed the map of the Everfree Forest, and placed back on the table. She rolled out the paper and pointed to the shortcut Fluttershy had taken with her hoof. "It's true that this is the quickest route. But a dark and twisted legend has it, for anypony who steps hoof on this trail, a sinister entity will take pursuit."

Fluttershy gulped.

"Do you know anything about this entity, Zecora?" said Twilight.

"While it's quite vague in the detail," said Zecora. "I have once spoken with a traveller, who told a very similar tale. He told me that he to was being chased by an entity with a twisted nature. It was a creature, with very sinister behaviour." Fluttershy and Twilight looked at each, then payed their attention back to Zecora as she continued. "He told me how he always had to beware, wherever he went, it would always be there."

"That sounds exactly like what's happening to me," said Fluttershy.

"However, it wasn't until he discovered its greatest desire," Zecora continued. "When he was filled with much more terror than any concern he had prior."

"What happened?" Twilight asked.

"He discovered that this creature is one of many mysteries," said Zecora. "Like being able to catch its prey, without being seen by potential enemies."

"So you're saying that this is a creature that possess supernatural abilities, such as only being visible to its victim?" said Twilight.

"The facts are not yet concrete, and the evidence is yet to perfect. But as far as we know, yes, that would be correct."

"What happened to this pony?" said Fluttershy.

Zecora hesitated.

"I prefer not to say, for I would hate to scare you my dear," she said. She took a deep breath. "But for your safety, it's something you should probably hear."

"What is it?" said Fluttershy.

"This poor stallion was terrified, telling me how this thing was chasing him every day," Zecora took another deep breath. "And sadly, just a few days later, he passed away."

Fluttershy instantly quivered, and fell to the floor as if her legs had lost all of their strength. Twilight instantly jumped down to her level.

"Fluttershy!" she cried. She could see Fluttershy was curled up, shivering and crying. "Fluttershy, it's alright. Everything's going to be ok."

"That's going to happen to me," Fluttershy wailed.

"No it's not," said Twilight, grabbing Fluttershy and pulling her in for a tight hug. "Because I'm not going to let that happen! We'll think of something... eventually."

"I must warn you two to be very cautious," said Zecora. "This is something you must know, even if it makes you feel nauseous. I may not know much about this beast, but I do know this to say the least. This is something that can't bargained with, and it can't be reasoned with. This won't be something you'll want to hear, but it must be said. This thing will not stop, until you are dead."

"Zecora, stop it, you're scaring her!" Twilight snapped, trying to comfort Fluttershy.

"Providing you this news gives me great dread," said Zecora. "But like I already stated, it had to be said. You must find a way to defeat it, because there's no way this thing is going to quit."

"Ok," said Twilight. "So what do we do?"

"That, I cannot say," said Zecora. "I've told you everything I know. So unfortunately, you're on your own, in terms of how to beat this foe."

"Well, thanks, Zecora," said Twilight, standing up and helping Fluttershy to her hooves. "I guess we'll see you later then."

"Farewell my friends, and take care," said Zecora. "And please remember, to beware."

After exchanging farewells Twilight and Fluttershy headed back down the trail they came.

Just like the trip there, Twilight and Fluttershy managed to get through the forest without any trouble. They spoke to each other as the exited the forest.

"Ok," said Fluttershy. "So we now know that this creature is indeed after me, I'm the only pony who can see it, and for some reason, it wants to kill me. What are we going to do?"

Twilight sighed.

"I don't know. We'll just have to figure something out."

"There you are!" said a familiar sounding voice. Twilight and Fluttershy looked up. It was Crystal, looking relieved, and annoyed at the same time. "I've been looking all over for you, Fluttershy. All I have to say is, what happened? What the hay was all that about?"

"What are you talking about?" said Fluttershy.

"I'm talking about yesterday afternoon," she said. "There we were, having a nice casual conversation, and then suddenly without warning, you scream and run away. Then you disappear for an entire day! What gives?"

Fluttershy quickly realised how bad that must have looked from her perspective.

"But... I... it's just... I," Fluttershy stuttered.

"Give her a break, Crystal," said Twilight. "Fluttershy's in a really stressful situation right now, and the last thing she needs is somepony to be on her case about something."

"Really?" said Crystal, sounding skeptical. "Tell me, Fluttershy, what exactly is happening to you that's so bad that you feel obligated to scream, run away mid conversation, and disappear for an entire day?"

Fluttershy sighed.

"I'm being chased by some sort of creature," she said. "It's a black figure with red eyes, it's following me everywhere I go, it came from the Everfree Forest, it's really scary, and I think it wants to kill me. It saw me when I was talking to you yesterday, but for some reason, only I can see it."

Crystal stared at Fluttershy with a dumbfounded look on her face. She turned to look at Twilight.

"And you actually believe her?" Crystal asked in disbelief.

"Yes I do," said Twilight. "I can't wrap my head around it either, and I've never seen anything like it. But as a pony who's studied friendship, I've learned that one of the most important elements of friendship, is to have their backs, and take their feelings seriously. Even if it doesn't make sense. I don't understand what this thing is, or how to get rid of it, but if it's scaring the living daylights out of one of my best friends, then you can bet your hoof that I'm going to have her back!"

"Thank you, Twilight," said Fluttershy. Twilight kept going.

"Fluttershy has been freaking out lately, and something has been terrifying her for the last two or three days. So if she feels like she's in some sort of danger, then I fully support her. Clearly, you don't."

Crystal's eyes widened.

"You know, Twilight," said Crystal. "You've just taught me a very valuable lesson."

"What's that?" said Twilight.

"I've learned that you ponies are crazy!" Crystal said, and with that, she ran away.

"Crystal, wait!" Fluttershy called, but she kept running.

"Just ignore her," said Twilight. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fi..." Fluttershy whimpered, and the next thing Twilight knew, Fluttershy was lying on the floor curled up onto the grass. Her eyes were shut tight, and her hooves were plugged into her ears.

"Fluttershy?"

"No," Fluttershy panicked. "No! Not again, please stop! Make it stop!"

"Fluttershy, what's happening to you?" said Twilight, starting to panic.

"That voice!" said Fluttershy. "I can't get it out of my head! Stop!"

"Fluttershy, please tell me, what is going on?"

"I can hear it. It's voice is in my head! It's talking to me!"

"What is it saying?"

Fluttershy went quiet, as if she was listening to the voice in her head. That's when she said it.

"It's saying, 'Your time is running out, Fluttershy'."

Chapter 5: Kidnapped

"This is not good," said Twilight.

"I know," said Fluttershy. The voice had stopped, and she was able to stand back up. "But what are we going to do about it? This thing is after me, and yet I'm the only pony who can see it. I know you told me about your shield, but your shield can't protect me forever. We have to do something about this thing."

"What do you suggest?" said Twilight.

"I don't know," said Fluttershy sadly. It was at that moment, Twilight had an epiphany.

"Fluttershy," she said. Fluttershy looked up at Twilight. "I think now is the time we informed Princess Celestia."

"Princess Celestia?" said Fluttershy. "What would Princess Celestia be able to do?"

"I don't think she'd be able to do much," said Twilight, who was now pacing back and forth. "But keep in mind that Princess Celestia is the most powerful pony in all of Equestria. If there was anypony that could protect you, it would be her. She could send out guards after this thing, maybe she could cast some sort of protection spell on you, maybe she could put you in a safe and top security location protected by guards. I don't know, anything."

"Are you sure that's the best course of action?" Fluttershy asked.

"Got any better ideas?" said Twilight. Fluttershy's eyes widened, and her pupils shrunk. "Was it something I said?" Fluttershy didn't respond. Twilight waved her hoof in front of her face. "Hello." Still nothing. "Fluttershy?" That was when Twilight realised Fluttershy wasn't looking at her, she was looking at something behind her. Twilight turned around, but didn't see anything out of nature. "It's right over there, isn't it?"

"Yep," said Fluttershy. "It's just over there in the distance."

"Ok," said Twilight. "Come with me, back to my castle, and I will get Spike to notify Princess Celestia."

"No, Twilight!" said Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy, what are you..."

Twilight then saw the state Fluttershy was in. Every time this thing apparently showed up, Fluttershy's eyes would shrink as they were full of fear. But this time, her eyes weren't full of fear, but rage. Fluttershy was gritting her teeth, her forehead was sweating, and her nose was scrunched up.

"This ends now!" Fluttershy snapped, before gunning it at presumably the creature.

"Fluttershy, wait!" Twilight called, but Fluttershy ignored her. She kept running, her hooves stomping with every step. The creature was now just a few metres away. Fluttershy pounced at the creature, only to fly through what felt like a puff of black smoke, before crashing into it. After rolling into a heap, Fluttershy was successful at pinning it down, or, more accurately, she was successful at pinning her down.

"Derpy?" Fluttershy asked, confused. Derpy stared blankly at her, her eyes facing different directions as usual.

"Er, what just happened?" Derpy asked.

"Sorry, Derpy," Fluttershy said, quickly trying to get off her. "I thought you were..."

"You thought I was, what?" said Derpy, but Fluttershy didn't answer. Her ears were twitching and she was facing the other direction.

Fluttershy was staring at the red eyes that she had become way too used to seeing, but this time this entity appeared different. Every time Fluttershy saw this thing, it was always meeting her at eye level, but now the eyes were floating in mid-air, high above the ground. Fluttershy had to bend her neck slightly upwards to see it. That wasn't the only thing about it that's changed. This creature always to some extent resembled a pony that was just jet black, but now it was hovering above the ground, taking the shape of a large distorted cloud.

"You shouldn't have done that!" The voice filled Fluttershy's head again, but this time she made no attempt to block it. Fluttershy was still sweating, and her heart was pounding. She was unsure of whether she should be furious, or terrified. "You really shouldn't have done that!"

Mystery solved, Fluttershy now knew how to feel: terrified.

"Now it's time to pay the price!"

Fluttershy looked away and closed her eyes, preparing for what was to come next. This was it. Fluttershy's entire life flashed before her, as she braced herself. Time slowed down, as Fluttershy took what she believed to be her final breath.

But what was taking so long?

Fluttershy opened her eyes to look, only to see the cloud of smoke flying away at high speed. That was it? Did it just want to scare her or something? No. Fluttershy knew full well what this thing's intentions were. If it was going away, then it must have been up to no good. But what did it mean by, 'she had to pay the price?' Fluttershy studied the pathway of which the beast had gone. It was a pathway that lead to Sugarcube Corner. At that moment, Fluttershy instantly knew what it meant by 'The Price.' Fluttershy bolted for Sugarcube Corner. She had to warn her friends, and fast.

The entire time Fluttershy kept alternating between running and flying, trying to determine whether it was faster to run, or fly. She ultimately chose to run, since she was still a pretty slow flyer. A stitch formed in her chest as she ran. She hadn't run this fast since the creature first found her in the Everfree Forest. Despite her stitch, Fluttershy didn't slow down. If anything her speed increased. Her friends were now in grave danger, and it was all her fault.

Within minutes, Fluttershy arrived at Sugarcube Corner. She barged through the door, panting. Behind the counter were Mr and Mrs Cake, who appeared to be working on some sort of sugary dessert. Mrs Cake looked up at Fluttershy as the doors flew open.

"Is there anything we can do for you, Fluttershy?" said Mrs Cake.

"Have - either of you - seen - Pinkie Pie... " Fluttershy blurted out under her breath.

"Sorry, Fluttershy," said Mrs Cake frowning. "But we haven't seen Pinkie since yesterday."

"Do you - know - where she - is... " said Fluttershy, still gasping for air. Mrs Cake shook her head.

"I have no idea where she is, is everything alright?"

"You can't find her?" said Fluttershy. "This is terrible!"

Fluttershy ran upstairs into Pinkie's room, hoping she was in there. The room was completely empty, filled with nothing but a messy bed, decorations all over the floor, and her pet crocodile Gummy sleeping on the windowsill.

"Pinkie Pie?" said Fluttershy in a shaky voice, hoping for some sort of response. She got a response all right, just not the response she wanted to hear.

A response that flooded her head.

A response that spoke in a cold, low and raspy voice.

A response that sent her chills down her spine.

"One down, five to go!"

It was taking them out, one by one, and there was no doubt in Fluttershy's mind it was saving her for last. Fluttershy wanted to ask what it had done with Pinkie Pie, but she knew there was no point. Not only would it not respond, but Fluttershy had other things to worry about. She may have lost a friend, but there was still a chance to save her other friends. It didn't even occur to her to wonder how this thing knew who her friends were. All she could think about was which of her friends she should warn first? Who was its next target?

Fluttershy ran to the window and peeped out, looking for any sign the beast. She spotted a familiar black puffy cloud rushing through Ponyville, which appeared to be rushing towards an isolated but fancy looking house.

"Rarity!"

Fluttershy knew she had no chance of getting to Rarity first if she tried getting there by hoof. If she cut through the town by flying, she just might be able to warn her in time. She opened the window, jumped out and took flight, heading directly for Rarity's house.

When she finally arrived outside Rarity's, there was no sign of the beast. Fluttershy didn't know whether or not she beat it, but she hoped like anything that she did. She ran inside much like she had done with Sugarcube Corner. The place was completely deserted. Mannequins have fallen over, some have even broken apart. Dresses, materials, fabric and random tools such as scissors were scattered all over the floor. Clothes were flung everywhere torn and ripped, and worst of all, lying there in the middle of the carnage crying, was Sweetie Belle. Fluttershy didn't even have to ask what happened, she already knew. She was too late.

"Sweetie Belle!" Fluttershy cried, coming to her aid. Never before had Fluttershy actually been glad she was the only one who could see that thing. She could have just imagined how much more traumatising this incident would have been for Sweetie Belle if she did see it. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not." Sweetie Belle's voice was weak, and she sounded like she had trouble speaking due to her crying. "Rarity was just trying to teach me how to make a certain kind of dress, and then without warning, an invisible force barged into the house. Everything flew across the room. Fluttershy, it took Rarity!"

Fluttershy's heart sank. The fact she was losing her friends was bad enough, but Sweetie Belle was Rarity's younger sister. Since she was still a filly, this must have been way more traumatising for her. There was only one suggestion that came to Fluttershy's mind.

"Why don't you just go and see your friends, Scootaloo and... " Fluttershy was interrupted by the same sinister voice that always filled her head.

"Two down, four to go!"

Fluttershy gasped.

"Applejack!"

Without thinking, Fluttershy took flight and headed straight for Sweet Apple Acres. She was about halfway there when she heard somepony calling her from down below.

"Fluttershy!"

Fluttershy looked down. It was Twilight, running after her. At least there was one friend Fluttershy could warn. She flew down to meet Twilight in eye level.

"Fluttershy, what is going on?" asked Twilight. "You've been running all over Ponyville for the last ten to fifteen minutes. This wouldn't have anything to do with that creature would it?"

"It would," said Fluttershy. "It's stepping up its game. It's kidnapping our friends!"

"What?" said Twilight with a look of horror on her face.

"It's already got Pinkie Pie and Rarity, and if I'm not mistaking, Applejack is next! We've got to warn her!"

Twilight held a straight face as she nodded.

"Then we have no time to waste," she said. "Let's go."

It wasn't long until Fluttershy was back in the air, with Twilight flying close behind. They could see Sweet Apple Acres just ahead of them.

"Hurry!" Fluttershy said urgently, flapping her wings as hard as she could. It was right about now when Fluttershy wished she shared the same flying speed as Rainbow Dash.

Eventually they both made it to the ground just outside the barn. Much to Fluttershy's dismay, there was no sign of Applejack. Twilight kept calling out Applejack's name over and over, in hopes to hear a response. Fluttershy just remained silent, closed her eyes, and waited for the voice to say it.

"Three down, three to go!"

"There's no use, Twilight." said Fluttershy. "It's taken Applejack too."

"Where is it taking them?" Twilight asked.

"I wish I knew," said Fluttershy. "I keep speculating who's next and they disappear before I have anytime to warn them."

"Who do you think will be the next target?" said Twilight.

"Well we're together, and it has already taken Pinkie, AppleJack and Rarity," said Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy, you don't suppose it's after... " Twilight was interrupted by a high pitched but raspy voice screaming in the distance.

"Somepony help!"

Fluttershy and Twilight looked up, to see a black cloud plummeting towards the ground at high speed. The cloud was pulling a cyan pegasus by its rainbow tail, dragging her towards the ground, flapping and screaming for help as she was plummeting downwards.

"RAINBOW DASH!!!" Twilight and Fluttershy screamed in unison.

"Come on!" Twilight said quickly, as she bolted for the spot Rainbow and the cloud was heading towards. Fluttershy followed. With every step, and every blink of an eye, Rainbow Dash was even closer to crashing into the ground. Twilight continued to run, however, Fluttershy struggled to keep up. With all of this running and flying, Fluttershy's stitch has gotten worse. At this rate she was completely out of breath, and her legs were growing incredibly weak. She had to rely on her wings to help support her weight. She was just lucky she was no longer dealing with an injured leg to make things worse.

Despite her pain and over exertion, Fluttershy tried her best to keep up with Twilight. Then it happened.

Rainbow Dash slammed body first into the ground, creating a small creator under her weight. She remained there, lying on the ground, not moving. She didn't even look like she was breathing.

"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy cried, as she flew over to her to see if she was ok. She was perfectly still, eyes shut, not breathing. Fluttershy was tearing up. "Rainbow?"

There was no response.

"Rainbow, please, wake up!" said Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash remained on the ground completely motionless. "Twilight, you don't suppose she's..."

Twilight placed her hoof over Rainbow Dash's neck. She closed her eyes, as if she was concentrating on something. She opened her eyes.

"She has a pulse," said Twilight. "But she's unconscious. We have to get her to a hospital. Fast." Twilight's horn glowed as Rainbow Dash lifted from the ground. She levitated from the ground and Twilight gently placed Rainbow Dash onto her back. Twilight felt a sudden increase of gravity, as she struggled to stand up straight with Rainbow's weight.

"I should've gotten an earth pony to carry her." Twilight hissed through her gritted teeth. As Twilight started walking towards the hospital she heard a groan coming from behind her.

"Look, she's waking up!" said Fluttershy beaming. Twilight came to a dead stop.

"What happened?" asked Rainbow Dash in a low and tired voice.

"Something pulled you down to the ground and you crashed," said Twilight. "We were just taking you to the hospital."

Fluttershy froze.

"Speaking of that something," said Fluttershy, investigating her surroundings. "Where is it?"

"Where's what?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Only a couple of seconds had passed after Fluttershy asked the question when it showed up. There it was, a large, black, puffy cloud with red glowing eyes. Fluttershy knew exactly what it was here for.

"Oh no!" Fluttershy cried. "It's here!"

"Where is it?" said Twilight frantically looking around. "What's it doing?"

It's red eyes were squinting with rage. However, for the first time ever, its eyes were not focused on Fluttershy. They were focused on Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow, Twilight, Run!" Fluttershy yelled.

Too late.

The beast launched at Rainbow Dash. In its cloud form, it grabbed Rainbow Dash by the tail, threw her off Twilight's back and dragged her kicking and screaming away from the two of them. Twilight and Fluttershy dived to catch her by grabbing her front hooves, but they only just missed her, crashing into the ground.

Rainbow Dash was being dragged by the tail across the ground at high speed. She flapped her wings, kicked and dug her hooves into the ground, desperately trying to break free of the beast's grip.

"Twilight, Fluttershy, help!" Rainbow Dash screamed. Fluttershy and Twilight scrambled to their hooves and chased after Rainbow. Running felt useless, since she was being dragged three times the speed they could run. That didn't stop them from trying though.

After chasing her through the streets of Ponyville, their pursuit came to an end. The mystery of where this thing was taking Fluttershy's friends was finally solved. Rainbow Dash let out one final scream for help, before she disappeared tail first into the Everfree Forest.

"Rainbow!" Fluttershy called as she watched her disappear before her eyes. That's when she heard it again.

"Four down, two to go!"

"Twilight," said Fluttershy in a calm but shivery voice. "I think you're next."

Fluttershy and Twilight had now spent about an hour locked up in Twilight's library. She cast the same locking spell on the door that she had tried before, among shifting a ton of furniture in front of it for good measure. Neither of them thought it was going to be very effective, but at least they were trying to be cautious. They both agreed it was wise to stay in the same room together, and not let each other out of their sight. They weren't even allowed to turn their backs on each other. They spent the last hour sitting on couches opposite one another in the centre of the room, trying to come up with plan.

"For the last time, can somepony please tell me what is going on?" said Spike, who hadn't been told anything about the current circumstances. Twilight explained the situation. When she finished she paid her attention back on Fluttershy.

"Listen," she said. "We have got to tell Princess Celestia about this."

"I agree," said Fluttershy. "But what are we going to do about our friends?"

"I hate to say it," said Twilight frowning. "But I think we have to venture into the Everfree Forest if we're going to have any chance of rescuing them."

"I was afraid you would say that," said Fluttershy. "I'm just concerned about it getting you too."

"Don't worry, Fluttershy," said Twilight. "As long as we stick together, we'll be fine. Besides, that thing shouldn't be able to get through the door."

They both glanced at the door, still glowing from Twilight's spell and still piled up by the large abundance of furniture in front of it. Fluttershy turned back to look at Twilight.

"Do you really think that?" asked Fluttershy. Twilight fell silent. Fluttershy glanced back at the door and gasped.

"What the..." said Twilight. Squeezing between the cracks in the door was a black cloud. As it entered the room, two red, glowing eyes emerged from the abyss. Twilight gulped and was now pacing backwards. "What, is that thing?"

Fluttershy's mouth fell open.

"You can actually see it?" said Fluttershy stunned.

"Of course I can, clear as day," said Twilight.

"That's it," said Fluttershy. "This is the thing I've been talking about!"

"This is the thing that has been after you this entire time?" Twilight asked in utter shock.

"Yes!"

"Fluttershy, I am so sorry."

"What in the name of Princess Celestia are you two talking about?" said Spike, looking in the same direction Twilight and Fluttershy were looking. "There's nothing there."

By this point Fluttershy and Twilight were both backed up against the wall.

"Nothing there?" said Twilight. "How do you not see that?"

A massive grin emerged underneath its red eyes. It's smile looked just as evil and sinister as the last time Fluttershy saw it smile like that.

Twilight gulped.

"This, can't be good," she said.

The creature launched, and in the blink of an eye Twilight was trapped inside it.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy yelped. Within seconds the cloud had flown out the window, dragging Twilight by the tail behind it.

"Fluttershy, help!" Twilight yelled. Fluttershy didn't hesitate. She took pursuit.

Minutes had passed. Twilight wasn't being dragged across the ground anywhere near as fast as Rainbow had. Twilight was always close enough to Fluttershy to motivate her to keep running as fast as she could, but still moving fast enough to always be ever so slightly out of reach. This thing was teasing her! Fluttershy came to a dead stop, as she watched Twilight screaming for help as she too disappeared into the Everfree Forest.

"TWILIGHT!" Fluttershy screamed. Her scream was loud, and filled the air. She listened to the sound of her scream echoing over and over, getting more faint, and softer every time. Then everything went quiet. Everything, that was, except for one, low, raspy voice that filled Fluttershy's head.

"Five down,"

In an instant, any energy Fluttershy may have had completely washed out.

"One pony left!"

Fluttershy's legs gave way. She collapsed to the ground, and cried. Upon her realisation, that she was now completely, and utterly alone.

Chapter 6: Back to the Forest

Fluttershy spent the rest of that afternoon locked up in her bedroom crying. She was positive that her locked door won't hold it. After all, this thing managed to get through a locked door three or four times already. Why would this time be any different? But now, Fluttershy was on the edge of not caring anymore. This beast has taken all of her friends away from her. It was only a matter of time before she was next. Fluttershy just hoped that when it came, it would just put her out of her misery.

There was a knocking on her front door.

This was it. This was the end for her. Fluttershy remained on the bed crying, waiting for it to come into her room to take her. She was tired of running. She just wanted this to stop. She was never going to be able to keep running from this thing forever, so there was no point in trying to prolong what was inevitable.

The knocking continued. Why was it knocking anyway? Didn't this thing usually just enter the room at its own leisure? Why wasn't it speaking to her.

"Fluttershy," said a muffled voice from behind the door. "Are you in there?"

To Fluttershy's surprise, this was not the voice of the beast. It was the voice of a mare. A very familiar voice of a mare. But Fluttershy had no interest in talking. In fact, she was the last pony she wanted to talk to after what she had been through. Whatever it was that she wanted, it was not Fluttershy's problem.

"Go away!" Fluttershy said with difficulty, as her throat had gone hoarse from crying.

"Listen, I'm not here about what happened earlier," said Crystal. "Can you please open up?"

Fluttershy didn't know what possessed her to do so, but she found herself reluctantly approaching the front door and opening it. As Fluttershy opened the door, Crystal walked in.

"I was just talking to Sweetie Belle," said Crystal. "She told me what happened."

"She did?" asked Fluttershy through her sore throat. Crystal nodded.

"She did," she confirmed. "Fluttershy, I'm sorry about Rarity."

Fluttershy tried her hardest to hold back her emotion so she could at least speak clearly. It was a losing battle.

"It wasn't just Rarity," she said, barely able to talk.

"Oh no," said Crystal.

"It also took Applejack," she continued. "...and Rainbow Dash... and Pinkie Pie... and..." Fluttershy lost any ability she may have previously had to speak. She couldn't take it anymore. Fluttershy fell to the ground as she sobbed.

"Oh, Fluttershy," said Crystal, tearing up herself. For the longest time, Crystal thought Fluttershy was just crazy or just making the whole creature thing up. To this point, even after hearing Sweetie Belle's story, she was still feeling rather sceptical. However, seeing Fluttershy suffer like this finally got the message across. Crystal lied down on the floor so they could see eye to eye. "Don't worry, everything is going to be alright."

Fluttershy wanted to believe her, but Crystal had no idea what she had been through.

"No it won't," she wailed. "All of my friends are gone, and it's only a matter of time before it gets me."

Crystal's heart sank. Seeing Fluttershy this upset finally opened her eyes, and the memories of how she had treated Fluttershy of late overwhelmed her with guilt.

"Fluttershy, I owe you a huge apology." Fluttershy looked up to Crystal, her eyes wet with tears. "I am so sorry about how I treated you. I may be a smart pony, who's well educated in magic." Crystal took a deep breath as she continued. "But I now realise that I tend to be very closed minded around things I don't understand. The last time we met, Twilight tried to tell me this, but I didn't want to listen. However, now that I see what you're going through, I want another chance to help set things right. I want to correct my mistakes, and, I want to be here for you." Fluttershy stared at Crystal as she apologised, her face full of emotion. "Fluttershy," Crystal placed a hoof over Fluttershy's. "Will you ever forgive me?"

Fluttershy closed her eyes for a brief second before launching at Crystal, grabbing her in a tight hug without saying a word. The two of them sat there in silence as Fluttershy cried over Crystal's shoulder. Crystal gently patted Fluttershy on the back reassuringly.

"There, there, Fluttershy," said Crystal in a soft, calm and quiet voice. "Just let it all out." Crystal sat there in silence, continuing to hold Fluttershy as she sobbed.

Day turned into night, and the two of them were sitting quietly in Fluttershy's lounge room as she calmed down. The afternoon was spent trying to come up with a plan. Fluttershy had explained to Crystal in thorough detail of what was happening to her over the last few days, in order to give her context of what she was up against.

"I don't believe it," said Crystal after Fluttershy had finished. "I've never heard or seen anything like it. If it wasn't for the fact your friends have been kidnapped, and it's made physical contact with you, I would have thought this was just a fragment of your imagination. A consequence of letting some sort of negative emotion bottle up inside of you and this is the result of your emotions finally erupting."

What Crystal was saying made a lot of sense to Fluttershy. If it weren't for her missing friends, there were many signs pointing to Fluttershy indicating that this whole thing was just in her head. But if it was just in her head, then what happened to her friends, and how was Twilight also able to see it when it attacked her? But now wasn't the time to speculate.

"Fluttershy, are you sure your friends aren't just being held hostage?" Crystal asked.

"When my friends were captured, I saw them being dragged into the Everfree Forest," said Fluttershy.

"The Everfree Forest?" said Crystal, alarmed. "I personally have never been in there, have you?"

"Yes, I unfortunately have," said Fluttershy. "It's a place that is full of supernatural creatures, monsters and entities. It's also known for being one of the most dangerous places in Equestria."

Crystal's face went into a look of fear, however it only lasted for a few seconds before it turned into a look of determination. She stood up.

"Well that's not going to stop us from doing something about it," she said.

"What are you talking about, Crystal?" Fluttershy asked.

"Fluttershy, our friends are in there," said Crystal urgently. "We've got to save them! Are you in?" Crystal leant out a hoof.

Fluttershy hesitated. Not only was Fluttershy terrified of the Everfree Forest, but that forest was the reason this thing was after her in the first place. Not to mention attempting to rescue her friends would put her in grave danger. Then Fluttershy realised something. This thing was coming after her anyway, so she was already in danger no matter what she did, besides, they were her friends. She wasn't prepared to let her friends down just because she was afraid. Fluttershy sighed, and placed a hoof on top of Crystal's.

"I'm in," she said.

One hour later, Fluttershy and Crystal were standing right outside the Everfree Forest, bracing themselves as they prepared to go in. Just like Fluttershy and Twilight had the last time they entered the forest, Fluttershy and Crystal had made arrangements for anything that could possibly go wrong. Since it was dark, it was almost impossible to see into the forest, so Crystal planned on using a spell she could use to generate light from her horn. That way, they could see where they were going. Crystal also knew the spell that could cast a shield, and they both agreed that Crystal was to create a shield around them both if Fluttershy saw any sign of the beat. The last plan they made was trying to organise a method they could use to track down their friends. They were standing in front of the entrance where Fluttershy saw Twilight and Rainbow Dash being dragged into earlier that day. It wasn't much to go by, but that should have at least put them on the right track. Crystal turned to Fluttershy.

"Ready?" said Crystal. Fluttershy nodded.

"Ready," she said.

Crystal closed her eyes, and her horn glowed as a light generated at the tip of it. Immediately, they both could see further and clearer into the forest.

"Let's go," said Crystal.

Despite Crystal's light, it was still relatively difficult to see. The path was narrow, the trees that surrounded them were dark, tall, and thick, and the leaves that towered above them blocked the night sky and the moon from view. The light at the tip of Crystal's horn was only strong enough for her and Fluttershy to see a few metres ahead. The two of them briefly shivered as the cool breeze blazed through their coats, but trying to keep warm was the last thing they were worried about.

As they walked, Crystal spotted something on the ground.

"Look," she said. "Somepony has been here before."

Fluttershy looked to the ground. She was right. Facing the opposite direction they were heading was a trail of hoof prints. The prints were deep, and far apart from each other, as if whoever created them was running. Fluttershy looked up ahead of her.

"Is that what I think it is?" she said running ahead. Crystal followed. Fluttershy eventually slowed down at took a closer look at it.

"What is it?" asked Crystal. Fluttershy was studying a particularly large and jagged rock that was sticking out of the ground. What caught Fluttershy's eye on it however, was its colour. Most of the rock was grey, but on the rock was a puddle of dry blood. Fluttershy quickly connected the dots between the hoof prints and the rock. It was at that moment that Fluttershy knew where they were.

"Crystal, have your shield spell ready," she said, trying to sound stern. They walked passed the rock and continued down the trail. As they walked, Crystal tripped and stumbled. They looked down. There was a fresh set of hoof prints facing the direction of which they were walking. Around the prints were trenches and marks, as if somepony had been digging at the ground while being dragged by something against their will.

"This is great," said Crystal. "I'm willing to bet these belong to our friends, and whatever this thing is. So theoretically, if we just follow these tracks, they should lead us right to our friends." Fluttershy's face lightened up at the idea of being able to see her friends again, but her face instantly went to dread.

"That also means these tracks will probably lead us directly to the beast," said Fluttershy. "I bet this is why it hasn't come for me yet. Crystal, you don't suspect we could be walking right into some sort of trap?"

"Yeah, I do," said Crystal. "But we have to try. We'll just have to roll with the punches, and hope for the best."

The continued following the trail. Fluttershy was now wondering how much further they had to keep walking. These trails and marks so far had just gone in a straight line. If they kept going straight ahead at this rate, they would end up at Zecora's place. After about five minutes of walking in a straight line, the marks and trails finally shied away from the main path. The marks and hoof prints took a sharp left turn into a set of bushes. Fluttershy came to a dead stop.

The bushes stuck out in Fluttershy's mind. These bushes looked familiar, as if she had recently seen bushes that looked very similar. Amongst them was nothing but darkness. The familiar image brought back memories. Memories that she wasn't fond of. It was weird looking into these bushes once again, only this time, no creepy eyes popped out. Just pure darkness.

"Everything alright, Fluttershy?" Crystal asked. Fluttershy quickly shook her head, breaking out of her train of thought.

"I'm fine," she said. "Let's keep going."

They walked through the bushes. The forest became darker, and walking almost immediately became much more difficult. While narrow, the path way they were previously on at least was clear and easy to walk through. Now they had to hop over logs, walk around thick trees, shift leaves and branches to the sides, and watch out for sudden slopes. Above all of this, they also had to keep a very sharp eye on the tracks to avoid getting lost. It didn't help that it was now raining, so the uneven ground they were walking upon was now wet, muddy and slippery. Before they knew it, they were both shivering, since the rain had drenched their fur coats, causing their fur to become thicker, heavier in density and colder.

Neither of them knew how long they were walking for before they saw anything that looked like they were getting somewhere, but they eventually found what they believed to be the lair of the entity that had been haunting Fluttershy this entire time. In front of them was a wide open space surrounded by trees. In the middle of it was a slope made of dirt that lead into an underground tunnel. The tunnel looked more like a hole that was made of dirt, although due to the rain it was more like mud than it was dirt. Surrounding the hole was wet grass. The hole didn't look very inviting, as it was pitch black inside. Not even the light coming from Crystal's horn allowed them to see what was inside.

Fluttershy took a step closer to the hole, now standing on the edge, and leaned over the entrance.

"Hello?" she called. Fluttershy listened to her own voice echoing through the tunnel, saying 'hello' over and over again, getting more and more faint each time. There was no response. "Can anypony hear me?" She listened to her voice echo through the tunnel again, and once again, there was no response. She turned to look at Crystal. "Do you think they're in there?"

"There's no doubt in my mind they're in there," said Crystal. "Look at these trenches and hoof prints, they go directly into this tunnel."

Fluttershy braced herself. While she was excited to see her friends again, she also knew full well what was at the other end of that tunnel, patiently waiting for her arrival. Fluttershy was now questioning the odds of getting out of this tunnel alive. They didn't look very good.

Fluttershy slowly breathed in, and out.

"Come on, let's go," she said. Fluttershy and Crystal stepped into the tunnel in sync. Their hooves landed on a wet, muddy slope. The slope was so slippery they lost their balance, slid down it and landed in a toppling heap at the bottom. The light at the tip of Crystal's horn went out as they fell. They picked themselves back up, now completely covered in mud. Crystal was spitting, gagging and coughing.

"Are you ok, Crystal?" Fluttershy asked.

Crystal gagged again, coughing as she spat a chunk of mud out of her mouth. "I'm fine," she wheezed. She took massive breath in, before letting out one particularly loud and unpleasant sounding cough. Crystal gasped. "I just think I got some mud in my throat."

"Gross," said Fluttershy.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy, I'm fine," said Crystal. "Give me a sec." Fluttershy looked at her surroundings, or, lack thereof. They were shrouded in darkness, and all Fluttershy could see was Crystal, and the entrance they just fell through. Fluttershy's attention was back on Crystal when light regenerated from her horn, as she recast her spell. Even with the light on the tip of Crystal's horn, there wasn't much to see. The tunnel was dark and gloomy, and everything from the ceiling to the ground was all made of dirt and mud.

The tunnel appeared to just go in a straight line, and what lied in front of them was an empty tunnel that lead into nothing but black. If there was a light at the end of this tunnel, as the saying went, Fluttershy certainly couldn't see it.

Fluttershy and Crystal started down the tunnel. The noises of their hooves squelching in mud filled the tunnel. The further away they got from the entrance, the further they got from the rain, allowing the ground to gradually turn into dry dirt. Though their hooves were still wet with mud. Soon the tunnel was just filled with the sound of standard hoof steps.

Many minutes passed, and they were still walking down the same tunnel. They had made no turns, walked up or down any hills or anything.

"How far does this thing go?" Crystal asked herself.

"I have no idea," Fluttershy responded.

The two of them glanced back down the way they came. They could no longer see the entrance, and their trail of fresh hoof prints that was directly behind them was now their only way of knowing which way they were going. Besides that, the way forward and the way back were identical. As they looked back the way they were heading, they saw something that made their eyes shrink.

"Fluttershy, I don't think our friends are very far from here," said Crystal. Fluttershy agreed. In front of them, there was a trench that somepony must have dug into the dirt with their hoof. The trench formed a message that was written upside down, as the word 'HELP' was engraved in the dirt. Underneath it were a bunch of symbols that looked like they were drawn by a twig. The symbols were a diamond, an apple, a balloon, a thunderbolt with a cloud above it, and a star. Fluttershy knew what this meant.

"Come on!" said Crystal. The next thing they knew, they were running down the tunnel. "We must be getting close, we can't let our guard down, and stay alert."

Immediately after saying this Crystal screamed and vanished in the blink of an eye. Fluttershy stopped dead in her tracks. Crystal had run directly off an edge, her light had gone out, and she had fallen out of sight.

"Crystal!" Fluttershy cried.

"Don't worry, I'm ok." Crystal's voice could be heard from the bottom of the cliff, though Fluttershy couldn't see the bottom through the darkness. "I just tripped, it's completely safe. Come down, but be careful. The slope is very steep, so watch your step."

"I can't see anything," said Fluttershy. Light regenerated from the bottom of the slope. Crystal wasn't lying when she said it was steep. In front of her was a slope that almost went directly downwards, and it didn't level out for a good few metres. At the bottom was just more tunnel, the roof of which was blocking Crystal from view. Fluttershy carefully slid down the slope, using her wings to give herself a slower descend. She slid to the bottom landing on her back.

She picked herself up and shook herself in an attempt to shake some dirt and mud off her. It worked a little bit, but not by much. At the bottom of the slope was Crystal, who had been waiting for her. They continued down the tunnel.

Finally it felt like they were getting somewhere. The tunnel opened up into a dome like area, and the room was massive. However, there was something incredibly wrong about this place. There were no other passageways outside of the way they came. There was nothing else but just a simple dome made of dirt. This was a dead end! What was even worse was the smell. The second Crystal and Fluttershy entered the dome, their noses filled with the stench of rotten corpses.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Crystal, trying to cover her scrunched up nose with her hoof. Fluttershy felt the same way. Her heart was thumping, and she was covered in sweat. She approached the other side of the dome in hopes to find another passageway, or at the very least find a clue on where her friends were. She was so focused on finding something hidden in the walls that she tripped on something cold and hard, and was placed in the centre of the room. She fell over, but she was glad to have not received a great injury like last time. Fluttershy turned her head back to see what it was she tripped over. What she saw next made her scream.

Fluttershy backed herself against the wall panting, blinking, staring in horror, hoping like anything that she wasn't actually seeing what she thought she was seeing. Lying in the centre of the room, staring directly at her, was the skeleton of a pony. Studying the structure of the skeleton, she could tell that this skeleton belonged to an alicorn. It wasn't the only one either. Fluttershy looked around the dome to see five pony skeletons scattered all over the dome. One was a unicorn, one was a pegasus, two of them were earth ponies, and then there was the alicorn in the centre.

Fluttershy placed a hoof over her mouth, as stared at the skeletons in despair.

"Oh, no," said Crystal as she made the same realisation. Fluttershy's eyes were suddenly flooded with tears. By this point she had lost it. She completely broke down, balling. Fluttershy crawled over to the skull of what used to be her best friend and hugged it tight, shutting her eyes, wishing she would just wake up from a bad dream. Or at the very least Princess Luna would come to save her. But neither of those happened. Crystal however, seemed much more frightened than upset.

"Fluttershy!" she said urgently. "We have to get out of here, now!"

Fluttershy ignored her. She refused to leave the dome, refused to leave the remains of her friends.

"We're, too late!" Fluttershy wailed, still clutching the skull as hard as she could.

"And we're probably going to meet the same fate if we don't hurry," said Crystal.

"I don't care!"

Crystal noticed an increase in wind. Wind was circulating the perimeter of the dome, and black particles were wisping around them.

"FLUTTERSHY, COME ON! WE'VE GOT TO RUN!"

"Just go!" Fluttershy snapped.

"What?" Crystal gasped in shock.

"Just go on without me."

The amount of black particles were increasing. The wind was getting harder, and the roar of the wind was getting louder.

"Fluttershy!"

"Go! Run!"

Crystal hesitated for a moment, and ran for the exit. Fluttershy stayed exactly where she was. Lying in the middle of the dome, eyes shut tight, crying and clutching the remains of what used to be Twilight Sparkle. The roaring wind continued to increase, and there were so many black particles it was becoming difficult to see past them. Fluttershy knew what was coming. She knew it would arrive in any second, but she didn't care. She didn't see the point in living anymore. This was it. It was all over. She had lost.

Crystal ran for the exit, but a massive gust of wind propelled her backwards, crashing into the wall of the dome. The exact opposite side of the dome to the exit.

"Where do you think you're going?" A loud voice boomed from nowhere.

Fluttershy recognised that voice anywhere. It was here.

But there was something strange about it. The voice wasn't in her head like usual. It sounded like it was speaking out loud.

"Getting out of here!" said Crystal.

Did Fluttershy just hear that right? Did Crystal just respond to it? Fluttershy opened her eyes and looked up.

For the longest time Fluttershy didn't have a specific defining word to describe this thing. She described it as a beast, a creature, an entity, but the black particles had formed into what Fluttershy could now only use one word to describe it: Monster.

The figure was a huge distorted shape with razor sharp claws where its hooves should have been. It had a wide mouth with jagged teeth, dripping with venom. Its eyes were bulging, much larger than before. They glowed, illuminating the entire dome in red.

"Time's up! Fluttershy!" the monster boomed.

'This is it!' Fluttershy thought to herself. 'I'm going to die!'

Chapter 7: Final Confrontation

"Leave her alone!" Crystal snapped.

"Or what?" the monster hissed.

"I... I will... I'll..." Crystal stuttered.

"You'll do what?" said the monster.

"Listen," said Crystal. "If you want to get to Fluttershy..." She stepped in front of Fluttershy, blocking her from the monster. "You'll have to go through me!"

"That will be something that can be easily arranged!" said the monster, giving an evil grin. Crystal turned of her light from her horn. The red light generated from the monster's eyes was bright enough to see. The monster formed into a cloud and launched at Crystal. Right before it hit, Crystal conjured a blue shield with a horn. The shield was just big enough to cover both herself and Fluttershy.

The monster was only just too late. It tried to scratch at the shield with no effect. It formed its claw into a fist and tried to smash it. That too had no effect. With each hit, Crystal was grimacing, and at times was groaning in pain.

"Crystal, are you alright?" Fluttershy asked.

"This shield can't hold us forever," said Crystal. "We need to do something."

"Like what?" said Fluttershy.

As the monster tried to hit the shield again, Crystal groaned again, even louder this time.

"Anything!"

Fluttershy's mind was moving at rapid fire, trying to think of way to escape. She came up with nothing.

The monster gave up trying to hit the shield and was now trying a new tactic. It turned back into a cloud of black dust, as it propelled itself around the outside of the shield. Its speed kept increasing, zipping around the shield faster and faster. Eventually it was moving like a cyclone, and neither Crystal nor Fluttershy were able to see outside the shield. Unlike the scratching and the banging however, this tactic was actually working.

Crystal and Fluttershy felt the ground vibrate beneath their hooves, as the wind generated from outside the shield roared loudly. Then they heard it. The noise of what sounded like ice cracking, except it wasn't ice. It was the shield. Cracks were generating in the shield from all directions. Crystal had to squeeze her eyes tight, crouching to the ground yelling in pain.

"I don't think I can hold it for much longer!" she yelled. Fluttershy continued to think of a plan, but it was no use. They were screwed.

In seconds, the dome was completely covered in cracks.

"Oh, no," Fluttershy said under her breath.

At that moment, the shield shattered.

The monster flew directly into Crystal. The impact sent her flying across the room, crashing into the wall, before falling body first onto the ground unconscious. She lay there still, eyes closed, completely motionless. Much like how Rainbow Dash had crashed hours ago.

"CRYSTAL!" Fluttershy screamed.

Fluttershy ran to come to her aid, but was almost immediately blocked by the monster. Its glowing, bulging red eyes stared at Fluttershy with rage. Her heart sank, as it felt like it was looking into her soul.

"Poor, Fluttershy!" It boomed. "Scared, vulnerable, frightened, and all alone!"

It was right. She was alone. At this point, Crystal was all she had left. Now it was just her, and it. Fluttershy's heart was pounding harder than ever before, and she was visibly shaking. She closed her eyes, and prepared herself. She knew what was coming.

"It's time to die!"

Before Fluttershy knew it, she was consumed in a cloud of black. Wind was howling, and it felt like it was bursting her ear drums. Black particles scraped through her coat, mane and tail, stinging her as if she was standing in the midst of a sandstorm. Then she felt it. Razor sharp jagged teeth sank into her foreleg. Fluttershy let out another scream, as she instantly felt her entire leg burning up, boiling to a critical degree.

The black cloud had calmed down, and reformed into its physical form, blocking the exit. Fluttershy kept her eyes shut tight, and grimaced, as she felt like the inside of her leg was on fire. She tried to take a step forward, and that's when the pain stopped. Instead of feeling an agonising burning sensation in her leg, now she couldn't feel her leg at all, as if her leg had completely gone to sleep. Her leg couldn't support any of her weight what so ever, and she fell over as she tried to step on it. She couldn't move her leg at all. Fluttershy opened her eyes to look.

Her injured fore leg had teeth marks, and she was bleeding. Then she saw what she felt like was the cause of her leg going to sleep. Under her skin, she saw her veins going black, and the black veins were spreading throughout her entire leg. It didn't take Fluttershy long to realise what had happened to her. She didn't bother trying to get up. Instead, she just lied there on the ground, wondering how long it would take before the venom spread through her entire body and killed her.

Fluttershy glanced over to the monster, which was just sitting at the exit with a massive smile on its face. Fluttershy couldn't believe it. This thing was actually enjoying the experience of watching her lying on the floor suffering. It was enjoying watching her die.

Fluttershy placed her head on the ground, and closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. She could already feel the poison spreading to her other three legs. She tried to recollect all of her cherished memories that she had with her friends. Rainbow Dash standing up for her when she was picked on in Cloudsdale. Meeting Twilight for the first time. The many amazing dresses Rarity had made for her. The countless occasions Pinkie Pie made her laugh or smile. The delicious meals that Applejack used to make with the apples in her farm. As Fluttershy was reminiscing the many fond memories she had with her friends, her thoughts were interrupted by a noise.

She stopped focusing on her memories to listen. The noise was coming from underground. She twitched her ears, listening intently to work out what it was. While it was very muffled, and almost impossible to hear, Fluttershy was soon able to work it out. It was the sound of yelling and screaming. It sounded like it was coming from several ponies, though she struggled to hear what they were saying. As she listened closely, she was able to work out a few key words.

"Fluttershy... no... and help... "

As she continued to listen, some of the voices became more distinct, one was loud and high pitched, while another was raspy. It was them!

"Oh my," Fluttershy said as her face lit up. "They're ok!" Fluttershy looked over herself. She had completely lost her legs, but she still had wings at her disposal. She rolled into a position that allowed her to spread her wings, before launching herself into the air.

"THEY'RE OK!" she shouted, overwhelmed with joy and relief. Fluttershy wondered how to explain the skeletons if her friends were still alive, but that was the last thing to think about.

The monster stood tall, once again looking deep into Fluttershy's eyes with rage. Fueled by her determination to get her friends out of here, for the very first time, Fluttershy didn't quiver in fear.

"Am I supposed to be intimidated by that?" Fluttershy snapped. From the little of its face she could see, she could tell that she hit a nerve. It was most likely taken off guard by her question.

"I know you are," it said. "I've taken your friends, and now my venom is slowly killing you." Fluttershy looked down at her body, black veins were now spreading into her body. She didn't have very long to live. "Tell me, are you afraid?"

"I'm terrified," said Fluttershy. "I'm terrified for my life, and my friends. But that's not going to stop me from trying to save them. I'm not letting my fear control me anymore!"

Fluttershy couldn't tell if it was just her wings flapping so hard that she was getting higher or what, but the monster appeared to have gotten smaller. It was at that moment Fluttershy made a realisation. Everything now made sense. She knew what this thing was, how it worked, and most importantly, how to defeat it.

"You can't hurt me," said Fluttershy.

"I literally poisoned you!" the monster boomed.

"I meant, you can't hurt me anymore," said Fluttershy. "All my life, I have always been vulnerable. I was always easily frightened, and I let it get the best of me. I used to let my fear control me. Rainbow Dash once tried to teach me how to improve my flying, and I didn't do the tasks she set because I was afraid to do it. I've always been the quiet one who sat in the back corner of a room at a party because she was too afraid to make a new friend. I let a creepy figure that was always following me control how I lived my life cause I was too afraid to stand up to it!"

"And your point is?" the monster asked.

"Fear is a natural and very important emotion that is needed for survival. That's how I was able to detect the danger in you. However, I made the mistake of letting it control my life. Well not anymore. When you first found me in the Everfree Forest that night, you saw this in me, and I was the perfect victim as a result. I noticed the more afraid I became of you, the stronger you got, am I right?"

"That is correct," said the monster, which was still getting smaller.

"I've observed that this is in your nature. My fear is what gave you strength, and that's why you were after me! You also thought I'd be more vulnerable if I was isolated from my friends, so you used magic to only be visible to your victims. You're only seen by those of which you want to be seen."

"Exactly!" the monster hissed.

"Clever plan, but you made one teeny, tiny mistake."

"And what was that?"

Fluttershy's face instantly filled with rage, and any sign of fear she may have previously had was gone. She was gritting her teeth, scrunching her nose, and her eyes were bulging.

"YOU TOOK MY FRIENDS!" she exploded. Using every muscle she had left in her body, Fluttershy dived into the monster. She crashed into the ground, and looked up to see where the monster was, only to see there was no more monster. As she dived, whatever strength the monster may have had disappeared, and it crumpled to dust. She did it. It was gone.

While the monster itself was gone, she was still poisoned, which was now seizing up her neck. Fluttershy tried lifting every muscle she could to get up, but her entire body had gone to sleep. Even her wings were now infected. It seemed like the only thing she could move was her head. Her time was almost up. All she wanted to do was rescue her friends, who were still down there, trapped underneath a heap of dirt. She was so close.

In the distance, Fluttershy could her groaning behind her. She couldn't turn her head to look, but she guessed Crystal was coming to. Then she heard gasping.

"Fluttershy!"

Yep, just by her voice alone, Fluttershy could tell it was definetly Crystal. Crystal ran up to Fluttershy, staring in horror to see her bleeding leg, the teeth marks, and the black veins that were all over her body.

"Fluttershy, are you ok?" Crystal asked.

"No," said Fluttershy weakly. "I'm dying."

"Oh my, Fluttershy, what did it do to you? Speaking of which, where is it?"

"It's ok," said Fluttershy. "It's gone now."

"You actually defeated it?" said Crystal.

"Yeah," said Fluttershy. Crystal looked down at Fluttershy and smiled. She was beaming, her eyes shining with pride.

"Oh, Fluttershy," said Crystal. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Crystal," Fluttershy said softly, before closing her eyes and remained absolutely still.

"Fluttershy, no!" Crystal cried. "No, no, no! This can't be happening!" Crystal placed her hoof over Fluttershy neck and checked for a pulse. She found nothing. Crystal's horn glowed, as she placed it on Fluttershy's bleeding teeth marks, trying to cast her healing spell. She kept it there for a good few seconds before pulling it away. She stared at down at her. Fluttershy remained completely motionless.

"Fluttershy, please!" Crystal pleaded. "Don't you die on me, please!"

Then she noticed the black veins. They were clearing up. The black veins slowly disappeared, and the teeth marks in her leg soon followed. Fluttershy coughed, and opened her eyes.

"Fluttershy! You're ok!" Crystal cried, as Fluttershy woke up, and slowly climbed back onto her hooves.

"Thanks, Crystal," said Fluttershy.

"Don't mention it," said Crystal, smirking. "Now then, let's get the heck out of here."

"Wait, we can't," Fluttershy said quickly.

"Why not?" asked Crystal.

"Our friends are in here..."

"Fluttershy," Crystal sighed. "We have to let them go."

"No, you're not understanding me," said Fluttershy. "I meant they're in here as in they're alive, and I'm not leaving without them."

"They're alive?" said Crystal. "But where? How do you know?"

"I heard them screaming for my help from under the dirt," said Fluttershy.

"You mean they're actually in the ground?" said Crystal alarmed.

"Yes!" said Fluttershy.

"Then what are we waiting for? We need to get them out of there! Where were you when you heard them?"

Fluttershy ran over to the spot she recalled hearing them. She placed her ear to the ground and listened. They were screaming out her name, with a few uses of the words 'Help us' thrown into the mix. Fluttershy marked an X with her hoof where she placed her ear.

"They're over here," she said. Crystal trotted over to where Fluttershy was standing. Crystal looked straight down.

"Hang on!" she yelled. "We're coming!" She looked up to Fluttershy. "How are we going to get to them?"

"I don't know," said Fluttershy. "Do you know some sort of spell you can use to dig?"

Crystal shook her head. Fluttershy was now pacing as she tried to think of other ideas. As she paced she quickly stopped when she heard a loud squeak under her hoof. She lifted her hoof of the ground, then placed it back on, followed by the same squeaking noise. It sounded like the squeak you'd hear on a wooden floorboard. Crystal's horn glowed as she used a spell to create enough wind to blow a bunch of dirt from under their hooves. Shifting the dirt revealed the massive trapdoor that they were standing upon. The two of them were wandering around the room trying to find a handle.

That was when Crystal spotted the alicorn skeleton. Using a telekinesis spell, she tore the skeleton from its place. Underneath it, covered in dirt, was a large, golden ring. This must have been the handle for the trapdoor.

"I don't get it," said Fluttershy, looking at the alicorn skeleton. "If our friends are really alive, then how would you explain the skeletons, and the smell?"

"Well," said Crystal. "The skeletons are most likely fake, and the smell, well, creating a simulated smell is one of the easiest spells a unicorn can pull off. That thing probably did it to throw you off, to make you more afraid of it.

"Well, it almost worked," said Fluttershy.

Crystal used her telekinesis to grab the handle of the trap door. The door slowly but surely lifted, until it completely opened and crashed onto the floor on the other side of the dome. Underneath where the door was lying was a cubicle hole that sat underground. Trapped in the hole, covered in dirt and soot was Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight. Fluttershy beamed at the sight of them, to see that they were ok.

"Fluttershy!" Pinkie Pie leaped out of the hole and was the first to squeeze Fluttershy in a tight hug.

"Pinkie!" Fluttershy yelled, returning the hug. Never had Fluttershy been so glad to see her, never had she been so glad to see any of them.

"Fluttershy, you saved us!" Before Fluttershy knew it, Rainbow Dash was too hugging her, just as tightly as Pinkie Pie.

"I'm mighty proud of ya, Fluttershy," said Applejack, climbing out of the hole and wiping the dirt and soot off her hat with her hoof.

Twilight stepped out of the hole. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were finally able to let go, so Fluttershy and Twilight were able to look at each other eye to eye.

"I knew you could do it!" said Twilight, smiling. Fluttershy launched at Twilight, hugging her.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Twilight," she said. "You were there for me the whole time."

"Well, not the whole time," said Twilight, backing away. "But I heard what you said to that monster, and I couldn't be any prouder of you. Learning to respect your fears, without letting them control who you are, is a very valuable lesson to learn."

Twilight and Fluttershy were interrupted by the sound of complaining, though Fluttershy more wanted to describe it as whining.

"Oh, good heavens!" Rarity gasped. "I'm completely covered in filth, and this place looks absolutely horrid, and what in the name of Equestria is that smell?"

Ok, to be fair, the stench was a genuine thing to complain about.

"Um, excuse me," Crystal cleared her throat. "But don't you think it's wise that we got out of here?"

"Good thinking, Crystal," said Twilight. "Come on, let's go."

As they walked through the tunnel, Fluttershy and Crystal told them about what happened, and what they were doing while they were trapped under the door. When Fluttershy finished talking about how she figured out the monster's weakness and defeated it, Rainbow Dash was full of excitement.

"So you managed to take on that thing all by yourself?"

"Yeah, I did," said Fluttershy.

"Awesome!" said Rainbow Dash.

"That reminds me," said Fluttershy. "Do you think we'll be able to try that flying exercise again later today?"

"You really want to try that again?" said Rainbow Dash. "Are you sure about that? I thought you were too scared to it."

"I am," said Fluttershy. "But I'm not going to let that stop me." Fluttershy recoiled all of the times she experienced over the last couple of days where she had wished she was a faster flyer. "I could really use the practise."

"My goodness," said Rarity. "How far does this thing go?"

"Far enough," said Crystal. As they kept walking, Fluttershy spotted the end of the tunnel. At the other side she could see the daylight that awaited her. It was no longer raining, and any mud there had been had dried up. Even though they still had quite a distance to go, the weather outside looked beautiful. Fluttershy saw the light that awaited her as a representation of her future. She learned how to conquer her fears, she made a new friend, and she had saved her old friends. With the knowledge of what she had learned that night, she planned on putting the rest of her life putting that lesson to practise. Her future was looking bright.

All was well.

The End