Hundreds of ponies were sitting in front of desk monitoring readings of the Thaumic core, an elderly yellow pegasus mare with a pink mane tied into a bun wearing a lab coat and glasses was reading over some papers. Her ears flicked as she her heard the sound of galloping, she frowned as she looked up to see a young white mare with a blue mane, she frowned “Blue Belle, why are you in such a hurry?”

Blue Belle took a deep breath “Professor Fluttershy, Princess Twilight has come to see you.”

Fluttershy’s eyes shot up, she took the air excitedly flying through the large white corridors of the facility at speed that many thought would be impossible for a mare of her age. A large purple Alicorn was wrapped in a fierce hug “Twilight!”

Twilight gasped out “Please, too tight.”

Fluttershy let go her cheeks glowing red “I’m sorry, I was just so glad to see you again. It’s been a decade.”

Twilight having recovered her breath smiled “I understand that but you are still really strong even after all these years, it is quite impressive.”

Fluttershy smiled “Well I try to keep in shape, besides I don’t feel a year over five hundred.”

Twilight shook her head “Remember when things were simpler, when it just the six of us. I was a mere librarian and you were Ponyville’s animal caretaker. Things were so much easier back then, Rainbow crashing into the Library.”

Fluttershy giggled “It was a better time, I still can’t believe it’s been nearly three thousand years now. We were heroes but now we have been at peace for so long, the changelings are our allies, we overcame the Storm King together.”

Twilight nodded “Starlight has been doing a good job of running the school, the fact she developed an immortality spell is quite impressive. Although she has kept it secret on how to cast it.”

Fluttershy smiled “Anyway do you want to go over some plans I’ve made to improve the facility? I have figured out a way in which we can get a twenty percent increase in efficiency while still being well within safety parameters.”

Twilight shook her head “I’m not here for that, Rainbow’s birthday is coming up soon.” Twilight begged “You have been working in Canterlot for centuries, it’s time for you to come home please Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy grimaced “Ponyville is not my home anymore, I may come back for the party but I left part of me behind. It’s very reason I came to Canterlot, all my animal friends are long gone and my cottage is used to house those who care for the animal sanctuary. I am a scientist Twilight, it’s really all I have left.”

Twilight nodded “Then lead the way, I would like to have a look at the machine after I read your plans.” Fluttershy smiled as she lead Twilight back to the room where she left her notes.

She passed the notes to Twilight, Twilight frowned “Are you sure this is stable, if we make a single mistake it could overload the core?”

Fluttershy frowned “I noticed that too, I mean once it would be set up it would within parameters but the set up is risky. I have been trying to solve that myself but I haven’t had much luck.”

Twilight smiled “I’ll happily have a look at the core, and maybe we can come up with a solution together.” The pair slowly trotted through the large white corridors, large cables carrying incredible amounts of magical energy led into a massive golden room with steel reinforced walls. A huge circular steel orb floated at the end of the room, it was lightly humming with power.

Twilight and Fluttershy approached the console in front of it. Just as they approached, Fluttershy shouted “Twilight stop!” Twilight flinched putting hooves up, she screamed in agony as two razor sharp blades cut her front legs clean off.

The stallion clad in pitch black armour was too busy laughing that he didn’t see the yellow blur slam the front of her hoof tearing through the the stallion helmet and through his head. Five other stallions jumped down all in black armour, Fluttershy rolled her withers as she used her wings to stabilise her self on her back legs “I’m a little rusty, it’s been a while since I’ve used my training.”

Twilight looked up “How did do you do that?!”

Fluttershy frowned “It was a law Celestia made, it dictated that all personnel on site should have advanced combat training. That includes me.”

She leapt at one dodging his sword before knocking him out, before firing a lightning bolt out of her wings at another two. One of the remaining two Assassins fled, the other threw his sword at the core. He laughed “Now you will die.”

Fluttershy growled “You idiot!” she ran over to the console “There is enough power in the Canterlot Core alone to level Equestria.” The stallion’s eyes widened as Fluttershy began frantically messing with the console trying to stabilise the core.

Blue Belle burst in frantically “What’s wrong?!”

Fluttershy shouted “I need you to get Twilight out of here, now!” Twilight was about to protest when Fluttershy turned to her “The only way to save Equestria is to patch the core directly, I can limit the damage to Canterlot" she smiled weakly “tell everyone I can’t make it to Rainbow’s birthday and that I will miss them.”

Blue Belle grabbed Twilight and dragged her away, Fluttershy gritted her teeth as she flew towards the core and pulled the sword out before squeezing her way inside. Her body was assaulted with thaumic energy as she stayed in the core, pain wracked her body as she pulled in the containment rods.

Meanwhile outside Twilight was in one of the twenty airships leaving Canterlot when the core exploded sending out a massive explosion consuming all of Canterlot in the Core’s thaumic energies. Twilight was sobbing about the friend that gave their life for Equestria.

Meanwhile as pink and yellow puddle laid in the ruins of the core facility, a skeletal frame far different from a pony’s began to form. It was larger, it had eight legs ending in claws with a study stocky rib cage with two massive wing frames extended from the back. Soon the creature was fully formed, it had ten small eyes and a long muzzle full of razor sharp teeth, it’s long thick tail providing balance.

It looked over itself “How am I still alive” it around to see Canterlot ruined as ferocious twisted remnants of ponies, their bodies contorted part of their bodies turned inside out. It’s mouth watered and before it even knew what it had done, it had consumed the whole group. It’s eyes widened as it realised what it had done “I’m a carnivore!”

It then heard the sound of magic and took to the skies, it saw Princess Celestia and Luna facing off against more twisted ponies. Luna growled “What are these foul apparitions?!”

It dove downward crushing one under it’s claws before letting out a bestial roar that sent the twisted remnants packing, Luna was about to attack but Celestia noticed the three pink butterflies on her flank “Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy nodded “Yes it is me. As for why I’m like this it’s because the core was damaged by someone who tried to assassinate Twilight, I had to go into the core to limit the damage to just Canterlot but it exploded when I was inside it.”

Luna growled “Why should we believe that?!”

Celestia frowned “Sister, that is Fluttershy’s cutie mark so it makes sense it is when combine it with the fact that no shapeshifter would do such a poor impersonation of what the original looked like. Plus even if she is an impostor, she is the only living thing that has not tried to kill us on sight.”

Luna sighed “Fair enough.”

Fluttershy frowned “I assume you have a bunker of some kind to hide in, otherwise you would have been twisted as well.”

Celestia nodded “We’ll show you, maybe with your help we can come up with a plan of action.” Fluttershy followed as they would come with a plan so that all three of them could come up with a survival plan in the ruined capital.

Author's Note

I wrote this chapter a while ago, I hope you enjoy it.