Everypony assumed the worst when Fluttershy didn’t come out of her cottage for three days. Through sheer dumb luck, Twilight had been the one to find her friend’s body. She wasn’t exactly sure what had happened. The house wasn’t very disheveled, leading her to believe Fluttershy knew the creature that had done the deed. Granted that didn’t mean much. Discord could pop in whenever he pleased, and he’d never said he was the only creature with abilities such as his. Everypony was just left to believe Discord was the only draconeques.

Sitting to the side, on a bench near Fluttershy’s front door, Twilight stared at the ground. The medical ponies had already carried Fluttershy away. Guards from Canterlot were sifting through Fluttershy’s house, narrowly avoiding Angel Bunny. The little rabbit clearly didn’t want anyone in his owners home, even though he clearly saw what had happened. Passing guards and medics who saw her assumed she was just sitting silently, having just lost her third friend of six. Any who looked closely would see her eyes flicking around, looking for any possible paw or hoof print leading to or from Fluttershy’s cottage.

“I can’t just look at this as coincidence now…” she thought to herself. “First Rainbow Dash, then Applejack, now Fluttershy. By all rights, physically, mentally and emotionally healthy ponies. Something is targeting my friends. Something dangerous. I looked at the bodies. Rainbow Dash didn’t die on impact with the ground because she was too tired or her wings were sore. Applejack’s neck didn’t look like she’d been crushed. She looked like her neck had been broken. Could someone really be targeting us?” she thought to herself as Fluttershy’s parents and brother trotted up from town.

They’d all gone to get Mayor Mare, who had instead sent her secretary. Twilight understood. The Mayor was buried in paperwork lately, with the deaths of Rainbow Dash and Applejack. She hadn’t been able to hear Twilight out about her suspicions. When they reached her, Mr. and Mrs. Shy sat beside her, their wings drooping. Breeze Chaser sat straight up, looking just as cocky as Twilight remembered him, despite the 5 o’clock shadow on his face being slightly more scraggly and his mane unkempt. Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut. After what Rainbow had told her about him, she didn’t much want him to talk. Ink Well walked over to Twilight and sat down in front of her, reaching behind her with a wing and pulling out a letter. “This was addressed to you… should anything happen to Fluttershy.” She said and Twilight looked up, sniffling as she took the letter.

Before Zephyr could say anything, his usually highly pacifistic father escorted him away. Fluttershy’s mom stayed with Twilight for a moment before following her husband and son to the carriage Fluttershy’s body was covered in. They would ride it to the hospital, where, maybe, Nurse Redheart could find out exactly how Fluttershy had died. Hearing someone coming up behind her, she turned and looked up into the bright red eyes of her newest guard. He remained in the shadows, as he was trained to do, but he was just close enough to bring her some comfort by his presence alone. Just knowing she wasn’t alone made her feel slightly better.

Shadow Stream was a black cloak with dark fur and dark energy flowing from below it. She knew he wasn’t just dark magic, because she could see his eyes. Ponies in town had called him “edgy”, but it didn’t seem to bother him. A soldier from Princess Luna’s personal guard, Shadow was trained with the Lunar Guard. A unicorn. At least in public. Shadow Stream was just the name used in public. No one, except for Luna, Cadance, and now Twilight knew what his real name was, as well as his real appearance. She’d assumed he was a changeling when Luna told her that.

The truth was much different. He had magic that allowed him to see different places in time. His special brand of magic made him important to the Lunar guard. He’d revealed himself to her two hours after becoming her new guard. Looking up at Shadow, she waited for him to indicate that he wasn’t listening in on her thoughts. A twitch of his ear gave her the go ahead and she opened Fluttershy’s last letter to read it.

“Dear Twilight,

“I really did hope to never have to do this. I didn’t write one for my parents because I know what it would do to them. I wrote one for Rainbow Dash, so I hope she’ll be there for them if anything happens to me. This is already hard to write, but you did tell me it would be a good idea. Incase anything happens, I only have a few things to leave behind. I’m confident Angel Bunny can take care of himself without me, but please help him get situated at the sanctuary. He needs to take care of the nurse that’s working there now. She doesn’t have the kind of touch I do with animals.”

Twilight smiled as Angel hopped up on the bench beside her, sitting silently beside her. She could only guess that Fluttershy had told him to go to Twilight if something happened to her. Looking back at the letter, she blinked, seeing small drops of blood at the bottom of it. Gesturing her guard over, he came over and looked over her shoulder as she read.

“I’m trying to hurry now… not sure how much damage that creature did to me but I can already tell one of my lungs has collapsed. It hurts to breath. Angel looks understandably worried, but I don’t want him getting hurt. Twilight, I saw what it is that’s targeting us… it’s a Chimera”Twilight trailed off, her eyes going wide as the word was blurred out, the entire rest of the letter smeared with blood. She couldn’t make it out, and even her guard couldn’t see it. Shaking his head, he padded over to Nurse Redheart, who shied away from him just slightly until he gestured to a golden badge on his chest. Lunar Guard still got golden guard badges on their street clothes when they were still on duty but not in armor. Twilight watched him for a moment before looking at the letter again.

Focusing her magic, she slowly lifted the blood off of the letter. “… a Chimera.” Twilight’s eyes widened and she looked towards the Everfree forest. She knew a Chimera, Katrina. The sisters who were also one. She was sure Fluttershy didn’t mean that Chimera. Katrina in the Everfree Forest was, of course, a predator, but even she wouldn’t do this to Fluttershy. Looking back up at the guard, she noticed him looking around the door of Fluttershy’s cottage. His nose was to the ground and he was sniffing around at the base of the door.

“What is he expecting to smell…? It’s Fluttershy’s house… she and other critters and ponies have been in and out of there a lot…” she thought to herself as she turned back to the letter. Looking it over, she hoped that maybe Fluttershy did actually know the name of the Chimera that killed her. It ended after the mention of a Chimera. Flipping it over, Twilight amended her statement. The back had more. Possibly the previous attempt.

“Dear Twilight,

“I hope you don’t have to get this, because it’s not something I ever want to put any of my friends through. I never want any of you to worry about me

“Dear Twilight,

“I’m writing this in the event

“Dear Twilight,

“I hate doing this. I hate writing this letter just in case something happens. I don’t want anything to happen. I want to stay with you and the girls until we’re all old and grey. I want to live a happy life, have fillies and colts, watch them raise their fillies and colts, and eventually end my days at my home, content in my old age. I shouldn’t need to write something like this at my age, without any children to my name. I shouldn’t need to leave my friends behind… I’m terrified. I guess that’s not surprising, I’m always scared. But ever since Rainbow died, I’ve been on edge. I know it was an accident, but something didn’t feel right.

“When Applejack died in a rock slide on the farm, where she was always safe, I almost knew that something was targeting us. Something that Discord couldn’t sense. If he could, he’d have gotten us all to safety. I think…” It ended there, with droplets of blood wiping out the rest of it. Whatever had attacked her, she hadn’t been able to finish her letter. Looking up, she saw her guard returning. Meeting his eyes, she stood and followed him off to the side, Nurse Redheart’s eyes following her for a moment before she went back to assisting Doctor Tenderhoof.

“What is it?” She asked and he looked around before drawing up to his full height, forcing her to look up at him.

“What do you know about Chimeras?” he asked and she shrugged.

“Not much. Applejack usually dealt with Catrina when she made deliveries to the swamp folk. She was… manageable. Why?” She asked and he looked over at a paw print near Fluttershy’s cabin window.

“Chimera’s are tough to deal with because they have virtually no blind spots. Nearly all of them have three heads. The main head, typically a big cat like a lion or a tiger. The second head, usually a goat or a ram. And the third head on the tail, always a snake. But that seems to be reserved for the ones that live in the Everfree forest or here in Equestria. In Saddle Arabia, Chineigh, and even Neighpon, there are other types of Chimera. Saddle Arabian Chimera are part lion, part ram, and part viper, so they’re venomous. Chineighse Chimera are panther, goat and scorpion. Neighponese chimera are the most dangerous of the four kinds. Wolf, Ape, and serpent.” He said and she looked up at him again.

“The wolf head has the ferocity, the ape has the intelligence, and the serpent head is venomous. Those three combined are more dangerous than any chimera here or anywhere else.”

“I’m guessing you’ve faced at least one of each of them.” She said and he nodded.

“I don’t much care to share the tale. But we should go. They’re transporting the body.”

“Fluttershy.” She snapped and he looked at her.

“It helps if you don’t call her by name. Makes it hurt a little less. Trust me.” He said and she stared at him for a moment before standing and walking with him towards the hospital. The morgue was in the basement, and according to Fluttershy’s will, she would be cremated. Her ashes spread at the base of a tree in town square to help it grow. They followed the cart carrying Fluttershy’s body, Twilight’s head hung low. Feeling a wing drape over her shoulder, she looked up and smiled a little. Despite how cold he seemed, he really did seem to care. Leaning against him, she walked with him to the hospital.

It paid to keep up the appearance that they were together. She didn’t feel ready to accept the advances of any stallions after what had happened. He never made a move on her either. Despite her telling him, twice, that she likely wouldn’t stop him if he tried. He did kiss her cheek on occasion, but it was a chaste sort of kiss. Something a brother would give his sister. When they reached the hospital, he peeled off to speak with one of the guards he personally had ordered to watch Fluttershy. She just hoped he wasn’t too hard on them.

“Princess Twilight. Welcome. I wish this were under better circumstances.” Nurse Redheart said and Twilight smiled a little.

“I’m just here to help her final wishes be met.”

“Cremation so her ashes could be used to fertilize a tree. Something for the critters she cared so much about.” Twilight nodded as Nurse Redheart lead Twilight and Shadow down the hallway to the room Fluttershy was located in. As soon as they walked in, Twilight froze in the doorway. Laying peacefully on the bed, eyes closed, as if she were asleep, was Fluttershy. Her injuries had been expertly stitched closed, and a black choker around her neck hid the jagged slash that had ended her life.

Shadow stayed at her side as she stared at Fluttershy. “She looks like she’s sleeping…” She said and he nodded.

“That’s what they do. They make it look like the deceased is merely sleeping. My family calls death ‘taking the long sleep’. Unfortunately, she won’t wake up, no matter how hard you try.” He said and Twilight walked over to her friend slowly. Seeing her like this made losing Rainbow Dash and Applejack seem like a dream. Rainbow wasn’t in very bad shape, but Applejack’s funeral had been closed casket. There wasn’t much left after her body was crushed under the boulder after all.

Taking a shuddering breath, she just stared for a moment as Shadow draped a wing over her shoulders. She didn’t even listen as Nurse Redheart and Doctor Horse went over details. Shadow answered for her as she looked at her friend. She didn’t even listen. She couldn’t hear anything. This was the first time seeing one of her friends in the morgue. When Doctor Horse finally got her attention, she looked up at him and wiped a tear from her eye.

“I know this is hard, Princess. But I need you to sign for the effects she had on herself at the time of her death.” He said and Twilight nodded as he levitated over a clip board coated in his light brown magic. Lifting a pen, she signed her name and passed the clip board back to him. He nodded as he took the clip board aside, handing it to a nurse. “Thank you Princess. We will contact you before we comply with her wishes, so you may be there.” Twilight nodded and she and Shadow turned to walk out of the hospital. Standing outside was a highly subdued Pinkie Pie, supported on Rarity’s left side.

“Thank you for staying with her darling…” Rarity said as she leaned up and kissed Shadow’s cheek. “She will need you” She said as she hugged Twilight before walking into the hospital with Pinkie. So the two of them could see Fluttershy.

Later that Night.

“I’m sure…” Twilight said as she sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the floor. Shadow closed his eyes as he sat on the floor in front of her. Her horn glowed dimly in the darkened room. Leaning forward and touching his forehead with her glowing horn, she dispelled the illusion spell Princess Celestia had cast over him so he would appear to be a unicorn stallion to others around them. As the spell faded away, she watched as the unicorn stallion disappeared, replaced with a wolf. He and his people were on the other side of the Frozen North, across the water in a land very similar to Equestria.

He had come to Equestria on a pilgrimage. To find a new home for his people as the land he was in was slowly dying. A scourge had come to his homeland, poisoning the water and chasing the animals his people hunted and fed on away, diminishing their provisions drastically. He had already reported back to them that Equestria, though it had ample provisions, was not that safe of a place. Tirek, Discord, Changelings, and the vast variety of inhabitants that Twilight and her friends had stopped were only a few of the threats Equestria itself faced. He had also informed them of his intention to remain, despite the lack of safety.

“I need to be more used to your natural body.” She said as she climbed off of her bed and moved towards him. He sat perfectly still as she approached. After they had finalized Fluttershy’s wishes, Twilight and Shadow had gone drinking. He’d been against it, but she had forced him, pulling rank. “I am your princess, you are here to guard me. You are required to guard me from making a stupid decision if I get drunk.”

He sat completely still as she moved closer to him. She was drunk. Very drunk. But he couldn’t fight. She had ordered him to stay still. Keeping his eyes straight ahead, he flinched a little as she rubbed herself against him, nuzzling into his neck, her horn dangerously close to his eye at a couple of points. When he swallowed nervously, she kissed his throat, nuzzling into him. “Princess, you’re drunk…”

“And if you try to stop me… I’ll shut your mouth with my magic and ship you back to Luna…” She said then hiccupped and stared up at him. He just nodded as she nuzzled into him, practically pushing him over. He held himself straight until she really pushed into him, finally managing to get him on his side. He looked up at her as she crawled over him, nuzzling against him as she fell onto her side. Instinctively, he threw his forelegs around her and she collapsed against him, breaking down into tears. “Why is this happening… if something is targeting my friends… why is it doing this…?” He didn’t answer. He held her as she cried against his chest.