Prompt #274: "Mercy"

The cupboard door swung open with a creak, and two yellow hooves reached in. It was a small, simple crate. No markings of any kind were found on it, and it was sealed with a padlock. a key found its way in and unlatched it. The lock fell to the counter and the lid popped open. Slowly, the pegasus opened it fully, and pulled out a syringe.

Fluttershy really hated that box. Every time she would look inside, it would remind her of all the times she had used it before. And every time it got harder and harder to do. While it’s true, she has great skill in caring for an injured animal, her capabilities only go so far. There are some that she cannot save, some that cannot be helped. In those cases, she can only do what she can to make sure that there is as little suffering as possible.

She had been walking through a wooded area nearby her house, when she heard something. It sounded like one of her animals was in trouble and was calling out for help. Rushing over to see what had happened, she found a raccoon that had been caught in a snare. But this wasn’t just a snare that held its catch in place. Small spikes punctured the creature’s leg, leaving red trails running to the ground. By the time Fluttershy had gotten there, it appeared as if he had been there all night, as some of the blood had begun to dry.

She got a second item out of the box, a small bottle. Removing the cover, she put the tip of the syringe in and filled it about half way. Walking over to the table, she stood over a bowl of salad. She knew she had to do it, that there was no other way. She knew he would be better off, but still, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She managed to remove the trap, but she could not fully stop the bleeding. The nature of the injury was out of her league, and she dreaded that which she knew would have to happen. She was going to have to perform euthanasia once more.

She dried her eyes again, losing track of how many times she had done that today. She emptied the contents of the syringe over the dish of vegetables in front of her. Picking it up, she walked into the living room where the animal had been resting. She placed it in front of him and smiled.

As he began to eat, however, that smile faded into a frown. It was only a matter of time now.