Fluttershy's Nature Show, Season Two

The camera clicks on to show a partially collapsed building. That is, there's a collapsed wall in the foundation, showing the open basement, with the wooden sill being the only thing holding up the wall, and an awning that completely blocks the front door from opening. As the shot pans across the horizon, the other buildings are faring little better. Windows and walls are broken or missing, some roofs are collapsed, and one building is completely inclined, having slipped into its own basement.

It continues to pan around until it finds Fluttershy on her knees, talking to a squirrel on the remains of a porch. "Okay, it's working now," calls Twilight. "Any luck?"

Fluttershy turns to the camera, smiles, and nods. "She says she's seen the bird we're looking for, and she's willing to go bring him back to see us. We just need to supply something for his nest as payment."

"You're bribing him?"

Fluttershy pulls a colourful ribbon out of her mane. "More like "enabling our messenger to act as a good guest by offering a supplication" than full-on bribery. Like bringing a bottle of wine when you first go over to somepony's house."

"Okay, so, when's going to be here?" asks Twilight as she tracks the squirrel bounding away with the ribbon in its mouth. "And shouldn't we follow her?"

"Oh, absolutely not," insists Fluttershy. "This is a very rare bird, and keeping its nest hidden is crucial to that. I realise that this show is aimed at academics, but this is information for conservationists only. For safety reasons, you understand..."

"Oh, I do."

Fluttershy walks up to a small well and peers down. "Nothing to do but wait. Out of curiosity, do you know what happened to this town?"

"Something about contaminated water, I think," answers Twilight. "I don't remember the exact details, merely that we shouldn't drink the water."

"Sounds fa-AA--!!"

As Fluttershy leans up against the stone wall of the well, the crumbled adhesive that bound it together collapses, and she falls backwards. When Twilight rushes over, some of Fluttershy's feathers are wedged in what remains of a bucket. Just as she reaches the wall and looks down into the inky blackness, there's a splash. "Fluttershy?!"

No answer.

"Fluttershy!!"

"I'm okay!" comes an echo. "I mean, I'm not, but I could be worse!"

"Can you come up?!"

"I hurt my wing! I don't think I can fly out, but I should be able to climb, if you have a rope!"

The camera is set down as Twilight unties the broken bucket. "I'm sending the camera down! It has lights on it, so it should help you see! Can you catch it?!"

"I think so!"

Twilight ties the camera to the rope and clicks on a light on the side, raising the intensity to be ultrabright before lowering it with the winch. It illuminates the well as it goes down, and Fluttershy comes into view, her left wing held all the way out and at a weird angle. She positions herself under the camera, and the screen zooms in on her cleavage as it comes closer and closer.

She turns the camera around, looking at the walls of the small cavern she finds herself in. It's fairly typical. The rocks are moist, the clay is damp, there's not enough sunlight for moss to form. It's just a pool of water underground, a metre and a half deep where she's standing.

"I have the rope!" she calls. "Pull me up!"

The camera stabilises a little bit as it begins to lift away from the water, but it barely goes more than half a metre before the line snaps and Fluttershy is dropped back into the pool. She manages to just barely keep the camera out of the water, moving out of the way just before the rope coils down on top of her.

"Sorry!" echoes Twilight's voice. "I thought that rope looked thick enough!"

"It's probably too old!" shouts Fluttershy back. "Can you find a new rope?"

"I'll be back!" calls Twilight. "Just don't drink the water!"

Fluttershy turns and starts walking off to one side of the pool. The water grows more shallow with every step until she finds a relatively dry rock to set the camera on. It even seems to be fairly flat and smooth.

As she steps in front of the camera, her wet shirt reveals that, for once, she's actually wearing a bra; a pastel green one beneath her white shirt. As she crosses her legs to sit down and wait, it's revealed that she has panties to match beneath her green pleated skirt.

She inspects her wing, and finds some minor damage. It's nothing serious, and she'll probably be flying again within the week, but it's still fairly sore, as evidenced by her wincing as she folds it back up. Some of the feathers are bent, but she'll be fine after some rest.

She sighs and leans her good shoulder against the wall. She looks over at the camera, leans in a bit, then looks out over the pond.

"There's an innate stillness to the water," she muses to herself. "It's the kind of thing that brings relaxation; a tranquility in knowing that the only thing to do is wait."

Some of the water on the wall suddenly becomes thicker, as if swelling. Fluttershy doesn't seem to notice, as it's happening in a direction she isn't looking.

"This situation seems dire," she continues. "With a clipped wing and no way out of here, it would be reasonable to panic. After all, there's no possible chance of escaping within the next hour. But that's okay." Her voice cracks, as if she's trying to convince herself, but failing. "That's all okay. Because I'm not really alone. It's true that there's nopony else at the bottom of this well, and nopony else but Twilight knows where I am, and even the triple-breasted grouse is unable to meet with us, but I'm not really alone. Because Twilight is with me in spirit. Even if she can't find a rope nearby, she can tell Rainbow Dash where I am, and Rainbow Dash will be able to pull me out of here, because Rainbow Dash is the best flyer in all of Equestria. And even if she's gone, Applejack has a rope. And Pinkie has a chain of scarves and a big bag of balloons. I'm not going to die alone in here. My friends will save me."

She swallows hard. "I hope..."