Rarity knocked on the door briskly and waited for Fluttershy to answer, carefully avoiding the dirt on the heap of gardening tools piled haphazardly by the side of the front step.
“Oh, hi Rarity. Come in, I’ve made a pot of tea.”
Fluttershy opened the door and moved back to the sofa, and Rarity could see just from the slow, cautious way the pegasus moved that this conversation was not going to be the intimate little discussion she’d hoped for.
Late yesterday, Rarity had received a letter from Fluttershy, which was unusual in itself. At first, she’d thought it was just an apology for missing their last spa date, but the letter had been brief and the hoofwriting was extremely sloppy.
‘Please come and visit me tomorrow. I don’t know what to do.’
Rarity had considered simply dropping the letter and cantering out there as soon as possible after reading such a distressing note, but then she’d consoled herself. The letter didn’t say to visit right away, so there couldn’t be any danger or an immediate problem. There must, instead, be something that Fluttershy wanted to discuss. So what could Fluttershy need to talk about that was so personal she didn’t feel safe leaving the confines of her own-
“Oh!” Rarity gasped, and smiled to herself. This was almost certainly a romantic issue! That must be it, surely; the delicate little thing would want advice on how to proceed. Ooh, but whom could it be that Fluttershy would be interested in? Perhaps Applejack’s big brother, he was a strapping young stallion and certainly wouldn’t be too brash for her. Or maybe she was so nervous because she had developed a secret crush on one of her friends? That would be just darling, so long as it isn’t me. Oh, don’t be silly, Rarity! If it were you she would have made certain to make time for the spa date last week.
Rarity fell asleep that night gleefully imagining the various romantic relationships she could assist her shy friend in pursuing. It would be so lovely, she thought as she fell asleep, for her friend to finally have somepony who belonged to them.
So today, in the glorious sunshine of an early fall day, Rarity had had a spring in her step as she’d trotted over to see her long-time friend. That little bubble of joy in her had immediately soured when Fluttershy had opened the door. She seemed so downcast. She’d hurt herself as well, Rarity noted as she saw the bandages around Fluttershy’s left foreleg.
Rarity moved into the cottage to sit down by Fluttershy’s little sofa, and Fluttershy shook her head, pointing to her garden.
“It’s such a lovely morning I thought we’d take the tea outside,” she said as she lifted the tray. “I made us a nice peppermint.”
“Oh, allow me, please.” Rarity lifted the tray with her magic and the two friends walked outside. Rarity got a whiff of the tea as she walked, and it almost made her eyes water. Fluttershy had certainly made it strong today. That wasn’t the only thing that was a little off- Rarity’s ears were half-itching in the house, and as they opened the back door Rarity finally identified why. It wasn’t a noise, but a lack of one. There hadn’t been a single animal sound, a chitter or chirp, anywhere in the cottage.
Before long, the two of them were sat in the garden, enjoying the sun and the clean air, and after a couple of minutes of watching Fluttershy stare at her tea Rarity realised she’d have to take the lead in this particular conversation.
“Darling? I received your letter last night and I must admit it worried me. Whatever is the matter?”
“I don’t know where to start. I’m frightened of telling you.”
Rarity was about to brush off Fluttershy’s worry, as she had so many times in the past, but something in her friend’s downcast stare stopped her. She’d never seen Fluttershy like this before. Worry or fear usually made the shy pegasus seize up, stuttering over her words or faltering, and right now she was just slumped. Her wings hadn’t snapped to her sides in the way that Rarity recognised as a sign that her friend had wound herself too tight- they hung limply, swaying a little in the breeze, like the pink hair that Rarity realised with a start hadn’t been brushed today.
“It’s okay that you’re frightened,” Rarity said carefully. “I think you should tell me anyway, though. You’re starting to scare me a little too.”
In the silence, Rarity took a sip of her tea and grimaced at how strong it was, setting it aside on the table.
“Okay.” Any remaining resistance seemed to flee Fluttershy as she spoke, and she sagged even more into her chair, never looking Rarity in the eye.
“Do you know anything about changelings?”
“The vile little things that ruined the wedding? I can’t say I’m an expert, my dear. They’re perfectly horrid, and that’s the extent of my knowledge on them.”
“Oh. Well, the ones we fought in Canterlot aren’t the only kind, you see. There are a whole bunch of different ones, and some of them are more like animals than anything else. There are kelpies and aughiskies and redcaps and- and other things too. I was interested in them after we got back and Twilight lent me a book.”
I found one, Rarity. I found one and it was hurt.”
Fluttershy sipped her tea, wincing at the taste. Her eyes watered as she took a deep breath and carried on.
“There’s a type of changeling called a bloody bones. It’s not a bad creature. It’s more like a fox or a cat than anything else. They usually hunt little animals, and they take the skin and live inside it until they grow out of it. Like a hermit crab. Then they act just like the animal they ate.”
This one was on the edge of the Everfree forest. It was a really big one, nearly the same size as a pony, and it didn’t have a skin. Its leg was all broken and it made such a sad little noise- I brought it back here.”
The leg was alright. I know how to set bones, and they heal fast so long as they get enough food and there’s no iron near them, I checked Twilight’s book. The other animals didn’t like it, but that’s what I expect when I have to look after a predator for a little while. It was just- I’ve had trouble getting it anything to eat, because it can’t hunt and I didn’t know any animals big enough that had died recently, so I checked the book again.”
It said they can live on a little bit of pony blood for a long time.”
Rarity stood up, almost snorting in anger before regaining her bearing and pointing a hoof at her friend’s bandaged foreleg.
“Fluttershy, have you been feeding this thing your own blood? I know you want to help, but you must know that’s a foolish thing to do! It’s just going to keep coming back for more food once it knows it can get it, and once it’s strong again you could be seriously hurt.”
“I know. I just needed to- it was really hungry, Rarity. It was going to die. I wasn’t going to give it very much.”
“Well, I should think not! Fluttershy, this has got to end now. You’ve done the right thing in procuring my assistance. Where are you keeping the ghastly little beast?”
“I was- it’s in the cupboard under the stairs. Rarity, before you go and look at it you need to know what it’s going to look like, because it’s going to scare you. It’s been eating pony blood. It looks like a pony except it doesn’t have any skin.”
Rarity shuddered. The thought of such a vile creature lapping away at Fluttershy’s blood was grotesque, and Rarity knew enough of the meek pegasus that it was just in her to do something like this, to give too much. Now they had a changeling that had tasted pony blood on their hooves, and it would be the whole town’s problem if it got away.
Rarity considered her options and decided that she’d let Fluttershy show her the creature and then have a hard discussion with the gentle pegasus. They’d go round to Applejack’s, fetch her and her brother and then dispose of the beast. Even Fluttershy had to understand that an animal that had developed a taste for ponies couldn’t be allowed to live.
Fluttershy slowly walked into the house with the same slump in her shoulders and the same limply dangling wings, and led Rarity to the cupboard under the stairs. Before she opened it, she looked at the unicorn with tears in her eyes, and almost whispered.
“I’m sorry, Rarity. I didn’t mean to get this so wrong.”
She swung the door open, and Rarity recoiled at the sight in front of her. It looked exactly like Fluttershy had said- like a skinless pony, all exposed muscle and bone in a limp heap on the floor. There was a deep, alarming smell of blood in the cupboard that cut through the sharp peppermint aroma that still lingered in the air.
“I didn’t mean to give it so much blood.”
Fluttershy’s words entered the unicorn’s mind at the same time as Rarity realised something was wrong with the changeling. It wasn’t moving, and its eyes were open wide, staring at the wall. They weren’t like the eyes of the changelings they’d seen in Canterlot, insectoid and shining- they were pony eyes, still wet in their sockets, of a startling teal.
Fluttershy’s eyes.
“I didn’t mean to hurt myself. I swear I didn’t but I was so hungry and when I offered the blood- it was so sweet, I didn’t know. I couldn’t stop. I kept saying it was okay! I thought I’d stop when I’d had enough but I couldn’t!”
Rarity turned away from the macabre sight, the hair on the back of her neck prickling. Her stomach had tightened into a stone in her gut. Fluttershy- the thing that looked like Fluttershy, that said it was Fluttershy- was crying, fat tears coursing down her cheeks and hitching her breath as she spoke.
“It’s all gone wrong! I don’t know how to be me. I grew up in the forest and in Cloudsdale and I like rabbit meat and peppermint tea and I can’t remember how to make it right. I’m happy to be alive and I wish I hadn’t died and I’m so sorry I hurt myself, I know I shouldn’t have but I was so hungry.”
Fluttershy looked up at Rarity with the same eyes as the body in the cupboard. Rarity realised in a moment of appalling clarity that the corpse didn’t have wings, and that this thing in front of her wearing Fluttershy’s face hadn’t moved hers once since she’d arrived.
“I can’t fly. My animal friends won’t talk to me; they can smell that I’ve gone wrong. Angel bunny’s run away and won’t come back and you’re going to be so angry at me!”
The ‘Fluttershy’ slumped into a heap on the floor, sobbing into her forehooves, and Rarity almost reached to comfort her out of instinct before revulsion pulled her hoof away. Steeling her voice, she spoke as calmly as she was able.
“I understand. I’m not angry. You shouldn’t have taken so much of Fluttershy’s blood, but I’m going to guess that she didn’t pull away. Because you needed it.”
“I did need it. I couldn’t let myself die when I needed it so badly,” whimpered the pegasus. “I’m still me. I’m still Fluttershy, I just don’t know how. I don’t know what to do. I thought you might know. You know me best.”
Rarity took a deep breath, and reached out with her magic for the spade by the front door. Moving forwards, she lifted the changeling up and pulled her into a hug, feeling her skin crawl as she did so. Fluttershy had the softest coat. Even now. The changeling buried its head into her shoulder, sobbing.
“Hush, now,” Rarity said soothingly, trying to keep her voice level. “I know what to do, although I don’t know you best; I think maybe Applejack understands you the most. I just loved you best. You were my heart’s sister, Fluttershy, and I’m so sorry I let this happen to you.”
Rarity pushed the changeling away from her, and swung the spade hard. It hit the Fluttershy thing in the back of the head with a dull crack, and the creature staggered forward, confusion and pain in her eyes. It was the same expression that Fluttershy had whenever she found out somepony had taken advantage of her trusting nature, the expression she wore when she’d been betrayed.
“R-Rarity,” it whispered, and there was more pain in her voice than Rarity could bear.
“No,” Rarity whispered to herself, and screwed her eyes tightly shut as she swung the spade again. And again. And again.
Rarity sat down, and didn’t open her eyes, and cried until somepony came to take her home.
