I…I can’t go any farther.

No please! You have to keep running, we can’t stay here!

Darling please… it’s over for me.

NO! Don’t say that… please don’t say that…

You can still escape.

The snow white unicorn placed a delicate hoof to her face, the tears running freely from her eyes as she smiled, the blood poured freely from the wound in her chest, Fluttershy looked on in horror.

No…no, no, no…

It happened… during the volley… such a shame too, if only I’d been shot a few weeks earlier, back when red was all the rage.

W-we can get you to a doctor! W-we can… we can.

No honey… no we can’t.

Angered shouts and thumping hooves could be heard off in the distance, quickly closing in on them, the Pegasus paid it no mind, still staring down at her injured friend in shock.

They’ll be here any minute, y-you have to go now… you can get away, I know you can.

The tears ran freely from the unicorn’s eyes, her beautiful blue irises wide and pleading.

I-I can’t…

Yes you can, I know you can.

Not alone… I can’t do it alone Rarity… please just… please.

Shh… there’s no time for this sweetheart. You have to go…

But I’m meek… and helpless… I need you.

I’ll have none of that; you’re strong Fluttershy, stronger than you know.

Rarity…

Over here! I heard voices this way!

You have to go darling… now, or our friends will have died for nothing. You… you’re the only element left…

The light began to fade from those sparkling blue eyes, Fluttershy couldn’t stop crying.

…You have to stop her… f-find a way, Fluttershy… go.

The unicorn pushed her away, the shouting was louder than ever and she could feel the vibrations in the earth from dozens of pounding hooves. With one last tear streaked look, she turned, running as fast as her weakened legs allowed.

///////////////////////////////////////////////Blood///////////////////////////////////////////////////

The assassin awoke with a start, yanked from her nightmare as the cart she’d been travelling in came to an abrupt halt. She lay there in silence for a moment, the sound of plodding hooves approaching the rear of the cart prompting her to stay hidden in the back. The guards were looking for her now, and she didn’t want to chance attracting any attention to herself while a guard conducted an impromptu searching of her cart.

She lay completely still against the itchy wool blanket she’d been sleeping on, reaching up and pulling the heavy metal mask she wore back over her face, hiding the majority of her features from view. Her hidden blades sprang to life with a flick of her hooves, she was grateful she’d decided against removing them while she slept. Her mentor had advised to wear them as much as possible, and she’d heeded his advice.

She could hear the whistling of the wind outside and hear the thunder crackling in the distance, and if she strained her ears she could pick up on the distant sound of falling rain. It was raining again…it was always raining these days.

The flap at the end of the cart was pushed aside, a ray of pale grey moonlight filtering in through the opening, shining on her face, the silvery cold steel of her mask glinting in response.

“Um… miss.” She heard the feeble voice of the young stallion she’d hired to pull the cart mumble, his voice cracking just slightly. She let herself relax, no guard sounded that young. “We’re here.”

The assassin rose from her place in the back, steadying herself on a shaky leg and nodding an affirmative to him as she pulled up her black hood, hiding the majority of her bright pink mane from view and covering the rest of her face in shadows.

With a barely audible grunt she rose from her seat, her muscles aching from both a combination of her sleeping surface and the strenuous physical activity she’d undergone only a few short hours ago. It wasn’t pleasant, but along with the aches came another sensation, a twisted sense of satisfaction. Last night she’d succeeded in slaying her first target, the researcher Wesson was dead, by her hoof… and now she was one step closer to getting the retribution she so ravenously craved.

The colt moved aside as she slipped out the back, keeping his eyes averted as she looked him over. He was young, couldn’t be more than fifteen, maybe sixteen. Normally a colt this old wouldn’t be ferrying strangers for cash, but Twilight’s new taxes and economic meddling was making it difficult for hard working ponies to hold their own. Poverty levels had risen, families were forced out of homes by soldiers, and pretty much any bits they could bring in went directly to the crown. It wasn’t really surprising to find a colt as young as this working as hard as he could to bring in bits for his family.

“We’re uh, right outside of town, just like you wanted.” He mumbled, gesturing with a point of his hat down the old road the cart had been trundling down only a few short moments ago, now slick and muddy thanks to the constant pelting rain, it’d be difficult to walk on, but it was safer than heading into town with a cart and risking undue suspicion.

She didn’t say anything in response, reaching inside her coat pocket and handing him a hooful of bits. She wasn’t going to thank him, the extra fifty or so coins she’d given him would do that for her.

He looked down at the tiny mountain of gold in his hoof, his youthful green eyes widening in shock. “Mi-miss are you sure you wan-” He looked up, but she was already gone.

//////////////////////////////////////////////Tyranny//////////////////////////////////////////////////

The rain was falling hard, sinking through her coat and chilling her to the bone. The wind wasn’t helping matters, powerful gusts tore at her body and threatened to bowl her over, probably would if she wasn’t stronger than she used to be. The dirt trail she walked was covered in puddles and every step she took splashed her with muddy water, for a moment she worried that the mud may damage her blades, but they were of durable make, and nothing short of dismantling them piece by piece would ever get them to stop working.

In the distance she could see Ponyville start to slide into view, the rain blurring her vision and making it difficult to see. She longed to enter the town, to sit down at Sugarcube Corner and have a delicious cup of hot chocolate while Rarity fussed with her mane and Pinkie talked her ear off about... whatever it was Pinkie liked to talk about.

But that would never happen again... Never again would she feel Rarity’s silky hooves play with her luscious mane, or listen to Pinkie’s cheery voice...

Still, she would have liked to enter the town, to walk its streets if only to see a familiar sight for once. But she couldn’t, not today at least, probably not ever again, after the stunt she’d pulled earlier tonight she’d be spotted in an instant, Twilight more than likely already had guards scouring every inch of Manehattan in order to find Wesson’s killer, when they return with nothing to report, it’s likely that she’ll send out patrols all across the countryside. Twilight needed to keep her authority asserted, and this act of rebellion couldn’t go unpunished... lest the ponies she abuses see that she and her ilk aren’t nearly as untouchable as the good queen would like them to think.

“Welcome to Ponyville...” The assassin read aloud, her voice barely audible over the sound of rolling thunder and pounding rain. She stood before the welcome sign into town, her emerald eye scanning the beat down sign with a sad sort of remembrance, it was as if the entirety of the world had changed and shaped itself to match that of Twilight’s wicked rule.

The trees held no color, the sky was always dark, the sun never shined, the moon never sparkled, the animals, the poor sweet animals, they cowered and scampered away to the dark corners of the wild. Fluttershy... as she used to be, always held a direct connection with nature and its beauty, to see it perverted by Twilght’s magic... it made her sick.

She sighed and shook herself out of her thoughts, it was getting colder by the minute, and she had to find a place to bunker down for the night. Trudging through the Everfree is a dangerous thing to do in the dark, even more so when it is raining, the pegasi’s eyes were sharper than most, and still she’d make easy prey for any animal or monstrosity willing to pounce. At least in the daylight she’d have a better chance of seeing them coming.

She’d have to circle around the town, stay away from it altogether to avoid arousing any suspicion. Her outfit helped her blend into the shadows, not crowds, and, nighttime or not, curfew was no longer in effect, ponies would be waking up any minute now to go to work to try and earn enough bits to stay afloat in the tumbling economy.

Luckily, there was a little path she knew about that few others did on the outskirts of town. She used to use it to ferry skittish animals around to different wild places nearby, it kept them from causing any trouble, and kept her from having to deal with all the stares.

Following the path from here would dump her out in the middle of Sweet Apple Acres. Maybe then she could sneak into a barn to catch a few extra hours of sleep, she was still woefully tired, the trip to Manehattan and back filled with worries and self doubt, the strenuous physical activity she’d undergone during the assassination itself had taken more out of her than she’d thought it would, and the fact that her sleep as of late was filled with nothing but nightmares and tense unease didn’t help matters.

With a goal in mind she set out down the road, reaching up with a yellow hoof and tugging her hood down low.

It was going to be a long, cold, walk.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Betrayal////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Are ya’ll goin’ ta work already?” The sweet sound of his little sister’s voice stopped Big Macintosh in his tracks, his head drooping a little as he let his hoof fall from the door. He heard the sheets slide away as the little filly sat up in the bed they shared.

He turned back to her, walking over and bending down, smiling at her. “Ah gotta get ta work early ta make sure we get enough harvested.” He reached out with a hoof and gently pushed her back down on the bed, she giggled a little in response to his gentle touch. “Ya’ll just go right back ta sleep, ah’ll be back in time ta make ya breakfast, promise.”

Applebloom snuggled into her warm covers. “Will ya make those apple pancakes Granny used ta make?” She asked innocently, unable to see her older brother frown at the memory of his lost relative.

“Sure Applebloom, ah will.” He bent down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead, brushing a stray strand of her colorful red mane out of her face... just like her older sister used to do. “Now ya’ll get some sleep.”

Before he could even turn around Applebloom was squirming again. “Uh... big brother?”

The stallion repressed the urge to sigh. “Yeah AB?”

“Ah...” She curled up a little underneath the covers, and her sweet little smile morphed into an upset frown as she did. “Never mind.”

Big Macintosh, eager to see his little sister happy, pressed on. “Go ahead and tell me what it is AB, ah’ll listen to whatever ya’ll have got ta say.”

“Ah... Ah’m gonna be awful lonely all alone in the house.” She squirmed a little. “C-can ah go into town to see Scootaloo? Or Sweetie Belle? It’s been an awfully long time since we done any crusadin’.”

Big Mac frowned, it wasn’t the first time he’d heard the request. It was true, Applebloom hadn’t had a chance to see her friends in an upsettingly long amount of time, he knew how close they were, and it hurt him to have to keep her at home. But the town was a dangerous place as of late, with armed guards patrolling the streets, and crime increasing with every passing day as the ponies got more and more desperate. He’d already lost two relatives... he wasn’t about to lose a third.

“Ah think it’d be best if ya’ll stayed in today Bloom.” He spoke, trying to keep his voice upbeat, despite the look of utter disappointment on his sister’s face.

The filly deflated, the blankets falling a little lower as she let out a sigh of defeat. “Alright...”

He offered her a tiny smile. “Hey now...” He walked over to her, her orange eyes half lidded, from a mix of both exhaustion and disappointment. “Don’t mope AB.” The filly’s eyes widened a bit as her brother bent down, and she could feel a few bumps and rattles as he fumbled about for something beneath the bed. “Aha! There she is.”

Applebloom giggled as her brother held up a familiar looking patched doll. “Smarty Pants?” She questioned, giggling as his face turned a slightly darker shade of red.

“Hey, jus’ cus ah’m a boy don’t mean ah can’t play with dolls too.” He playfully chides, holding out the filly’s toy for her to take. “Here, Smarty’ll keep ya company while ah work.”

Applebloom sheepishly reached out and took the toy from her brother’s hooves. She liked to consider herself too old for little kid toys, she was, after all, a big pony. But... she’d snuggle with the doll, for a bit at least, she needed some sort of companionship right now.

“Thanks Bi-Big...” Her sentence was cut off by an earth shattering yawn, and the little filly felt her eyelids grow incredibly heavy. And before she could even finish her sentence... she fell asleep.

The big red stallion smiled at her, reaching down and planting an affectionate kiss on her forehead, pulling up her blanket, and shutting the blinds.

He sat there for a minute, staring down at his sister with a sad sort of affection in his eyes. Things were bad... real bad. The loss of his sister and granny had been a terribly traumatic ordeal for the siblings, but along with their departure from this world came another infinitely more practical problem. The farm was in trouble, with the economy plummeting he was making a fraction of the bits he used to come harvest season, he could barely meet the demand necessary to keep the two of them fed, let alone pay off the new taxes that had gone into effect recently.

Those damn taxes... he swore, they cropped up like weeds, deal with one, and seven more rise to take its place, it had gotten to the point that he could barely keep them straight anymore. And he’d always miss one or two come collection time. Something the new guard force was swift to remind him of during every available opportunity.

But he had to pull through, he had to do AJ and Granny proud... he’d do it for their memory, and for his little sister. Whenever the work seemed to much or the taxes too heavy he thought of his dear little Applebloom, and how much she must be suffering with the loss of her big sister and Grandmother.

He’d pull through... he’d pull through for her.

No matter what it took.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Vengeance///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

She was hungry.

The realization had hit her like a full speed punch to the gut. She’d been so wracked by anxiety and caught up in the planning of her first kill that she’d neglected to actually eat anything before, during, or after the job was completed. That meant it had been what? Three days since she’d actually eaten anything?

She wondered why her body hadn’t been alerting her to the problem earlier. It was, after all, important to keep her strength up, she never knew when she’d need to perform intense physical activity after all, and it’s difficult to run across a rooftop or swing a blade when your body is weakened from hunger.

She figured it was because her mind had been too busy wracking itself with planning and coordination to send her warning flags concerning her hunger. And after the assassination had been completed, she’d been too worried about avoiding capture to consider her need for sustenance, but now that she’d found herself in a relatively safe place, a place she recognized and thought of as a sanctuary of sorts, she had freed her mind of those plaguing worries long enough to concern herself with baser needs.

She’d been steadily making her way through the orchard for a good ten minutes, and the sight of several large and fairly ripe apples had certainly done nothing to help alleviate her ravenous appetite. And, since she knew it’d be another night at least before she was able to appease her hunger, she’d picked out a luscious looking tree or two and had plucked herself a few apples.

She now sat with her back against the wet trunk of a tree, letting a tiny sigh slide past her lips as she allowed her weary hooves a moment to rest. Trudging through the mud, rain, and wind was turning out to be about as easy of a task as she’d expected.

That is, it wasn’t easy at all.

The mud clung to her legs and hooves like a thick coat of paint, and she was grateful for the fact that her cloak’s sleeves were made of magical thread, therefore, it couldn’t stain. The mud itself, no matter how dry, would dissipate soon enough, even faster if she were to give the jacket a good scrubbing. Which was nice, it meant she wouldn’t have to replace it or fuss over it any more than was necessary.

She shivered a little as a powerful gust of moist, cold, air blew past. She’d been dealing with that since she’d left the cart carrying her from Manehattan. Thankfully, the tree was wide enough to block out the majority of the stabbing wind. Offering her the slightest of reprieves. She wiped off her muddy hooves on the front of her coat and brushed a strand of her rain soaked pink mane aside.

She reached out and clasped a hoof around one of her freshly picked apples, her mouth salivating at the thought of finally getting some food into her system. But, as she held the fruit, she found her heart somewhat plagued by guilt. This was stealing... wasn’t it? Granted, it seemed like a silly thing to be upset about, after all, just last night she’d committed a considerably worse act.

But... well, this was Sweet Apple Acres. A farm owned by ponies she kn-, used to know... Was it right to take this from them? Deep down it felt like she was insulting Applejack’s memory with this petty crime...

But what could she really do? She needed food, lest she be too weak to travel into the Everfree, and she knew no other way to attain it without causing trouble or exposing herself. Perhaps... perhaps she would leave some bits in the house before she left after the storm. As compensation for the theft, she knew not how much was appropriate, after all... she hadn’t been able to actually shop and see how prices had fluctuated as of late. She’d leave as much as she could, at least then she wouldn’t have to worry about it, and she wouldn’t have to deal with the guilt of dishonoring her lost friend’s orchard with the theft.

And so she ate, and it was rather... unpleasant. The fruit didn’t taste the same... it was like the orchard had lost part of its own luster after Applejack’s death... perhaps it mourned for her as well...

She shook her head, her heartfelt sigh caught by the wind and swept away. There was no use dwelling on them... her friends, they were gone and nothing would change that. Slowly she got to her achy and sore hooves, though she had the smallest of comforts in the feeling of a full stomach. She unfurled her jacket and stretched her legs, readying herself for more... what was that?.

*Pat*

*Pat*

*Pat*

Her wings unfurled she had t-

*Thwump!*

Too late! It was like she’d been hit by a freight train, the impact had knocked the wind out of her lungs and thrown her to the ground, and she now lay face first in mud, breathing in dirty water and grass as she tried desperately to fill her body with air. Her mind was in a haze, her head throbbed with pain and her sore limbs ached, screeching at her to cease her movement, less they threaten to give out.

Again she heard the pounding of hooves, and she could feel the ground shake as her assailant came barreling towards her. But she was prepared this time, her body acting more on reflex than anything else as she bent down low and rolled to the right. She felt the displacement of the air as her attacker barreled past, and her assailant, having realized he’d missed his target, attempted to skid to a halt.

Fluttershy’s eyes were blinded by a searing hot whiteness as lightning tore through the sky, and they refocused just in time for her to see her attacker fall forward, slipping in the mud, crashing face first into the wet dirt below.

She wasted no time, leaping forward and pouncing upon his back, he let out a single low cry of disdain as she pressed her weight down atop him, she was stronger than the average mare, and with the right placement of her legs and weight, managed to restrain him. .

“Ya damn thief!” He blubbered, face full of mud and water. “Le’ me go!”

The mare’s hidden blade slid free, and she pressed the cold steel against his throat. “Stop.” Her voice was quiet, as it often was, but the stallion could tell the threat was far from hollow.

Her assailant immediately stopped his futile attempts to throw her off, his body loosening up.

“Sh... Shy?” The name shot through the assassin’s head like a bullet, she blinked once, as if in disbelief.

“Big Macintosh?”

The stallion managed a tiny nod, then flinched as the mare retracted her blade, she felt an apology dance on the end of her tongue after noticing his reaction, but didn’t say it. She quickly removed herself from his back, and helped him to his hooves, his legs wobbled and shook just a bit, adrenaline was probably still pumping through his system.

“Ah... Ah can’t believe it’s you.” His words came out as a breathy whisper, and the assassin could plainly see the look of utter disbelief on his face. “A-Ah thought, everypony thought!”

“That I was dead?” She asked, her voice catching the stallion off guard.

“Yeah...” He looked her up and down, Fluttershy nearly flinched under his gaze, but managed to hold her ground. She could see the scrutinizing glint behind his eyes, and knew what he was about to say, before he even said it. “Ya look a lil’ different.”

Fluttershy felt a smile play at the edge of her lips, but didn’t let it slide through. That wasn’t all that surprising to hear, she did indeed look different, though Big Macintosh was likely being generous when he used the word ‘little’. She was a far cry from the shy, demure, cowardly little pegasus she used to be. Now she was strong, deadly, powerful...

It was frightening in a way, how much she’d changed over so little a time.

“I suppose I do.” The mare’s eyes darted downwards as she reached up with a hoof and tugged at her billowing black jacket.

Big Mac was at a loss for words. A strange mixture of feelings danced through his head, he and Fluttershy had grown... close up until the time of her disappearance. Nothing romantic, at least, it had yet to become romantic. He didn’t know what love was, at least, he wasn’t sure if the feelings he’d felt had been love.

He’d hoped that one day, with enough time, and with enough coercing, their relationship could maybe blossom into something more.

Then, he’d lost her... losing Shy had been almost as bad as losing his sister. But now here she was, the mare he’d... cared for, standing before him, clad in black, bearing weapons, and stealing his produce. He wasn’t sure what to feel. Surprised? Frightened? Glad? He was torn between wanting to hug her close and kick her off the farm.

“I, um, apologize about the apples.” The stallion snapped out of his thoughts as the mare opened her mouth, forced to strain his ears to hear her voice over the pelting rain and howling wind. “I intended to pay but, um...”

“I-it’s fahne!” He spoke up, cutting her off. He took a few steps closer, and forced himself to give her a reassuring smile. “Ah’m the one who should be sorry, ah attacked ya out of the blue like that. If ah’d known it had been you ah would’ve... well, not done that.”

The mare nodded, a lock of her long pink mane falling free, drenched in rain water and flecked with speckles of mud. “It’s okay, I understand your reaction. Things have been hard around here, haven’t they?”

The stallion offered her a single, somber, nod of his head.

Fluttershy frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that.” The mare felt an ounce of her previous bashfulness return, scuffing a hoof against the ground as she opened and shut her mouth a couple times, trying to find the best way to word the request in her mind.

“Is there somethin’ ya need Shy?” The mare snapped back to attention, a smile breaking across her face.

That was one of the reasons she liked Big Macintosh, he’d always been able to tell when she needed something. When she’d choke up others would just brush her off as being, well, Fluttershy, but he was different, he could tell.

“I’m really... tired.” The mare looked him in the eyes, letting her shoulders droop a tad, his face softened as he picked up on her obvious sign of fatigue. “Can I stay in the barn for a few hours? At least until the rain stops?”

“A’course ya can Shy, come on, ah’ll walk ya there.”

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Tyranny////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The walk had been quiet, both Fluttershy’s fatigue and Big Mac’s soft spoken nature keeping their chatting to a minimum.

The assassin managed to keep her mind preoccupied with idle thoughts and cursory glances around the farm, drinking in the familiar sights, however disheartening they may be, with a sort of glee. She’d spent months cooped up in the Everfree Forest after her escape from Canterlot. And she was happy to see Big Mac as well, the stallion had become one of her closest friends up until Twilight’s betrayal. And she’d spent so much time alone since then, having him here, somepony she knew, somepony she trusted, it was comforting. Even if their reunion was to be short lived, she’d savor it.

Big Mac on the other hoof, was wrestling with a desire to sit Fluttershy down and interrogate her. She was alive. Which could mean... Applejack had been buried in Canterlot along with the rest of her friends, and he’d attended the funeral, he’d seen the body himself. No, she wasn’t alive... even Fluttershy’s miraculous survival wouldn’t be enough to convince him otherwise, he could tell she knew, just from the way she walked, the way she looked. There was a sadness in her heart, and a steel resolve behind her eyes...

Applejack was dead, there was no hope for that. But he didn’t know the details, the official statement had been that the Elements of Harmony, save the Queen herself, had attempted to seize control of the crown for themselves. When the plot was uncovered, Twilight had sentenced them all to be arrested, of course, pleading for a peaceful solution.

She’d claimed that they all resisted, and that she’d had no choice but to defend herself and the queendom.

It was a lie, of course. Nopony actually believed it. Least of all Big Macintosh, but he was no warrior, no revolutionary, he’d had no way to argue for his sister’s innocence. So he’d bit the bullet and gone back to his farm. But now he had a way to get those answers he so ravenously craved... maybe, just maybe she’d be willing to share.

“Are ya sure ya don’t want ta come inside the house Shy?” The red stallion asked, shattering the silent atmosphere that had built around them. He craned his head backwards to look at her. “It’ll be a lot nicer than this dusty ol’ barn.”

The mare met the farmpony’s gaze, casting a weary look up towards the barn, then shook her head. “No, it’ll be better for everypony if I stay as far away from your home as possible.”

“But Shy...” The red stallion began.

“But nothing.” Fluttershy gently cut him off. “Trust me, I’ve slept in worse places.” She looked back up at the barn, her lips curving upwards into a tiny smile. “This could probably be considered an improvement, now that I think about it.”

The stallion, besides himself, managed to chuckle at that. With a shrug he undid the latch on the barn door and gave it a hard push, struggling a bit due to the mud below, which made it difficult to keep his footing. The door swung inwards, and he stepped aside.

“Thank you.” She mumbled, which made the stallion smile. The pegasus marched forward, and had to repress the urge to sigh as she stepped into the barn, the chill brought on from outside fading away as she basked in the warmth of the barn. “...Dry at last.”

She reached up with a hoof and tugged her hood back, letting it slide down over her neck and freeing her mane, the likes of which she’d been keeping tied into a tight knot beneath the hood. She shook her head from side to side, letting the long pink locks slide free, she could hear the gentle dripping of the water off of her soaked body as it struck the hay strewn floor below. She wasn’t technically dry, but it was still an improvement.

Her ear twitched as the door behind her slid closed, followed by a gruff throat clearing from Big Macintosh. She turned to look at him, she’d noticed him casting her sideways glances the entire walk, which she was readily willing to admit wasn’t all that surprising considering everything he must be going through. But she could ]tell when something was on his mind, and right now it was obvious that he was practically dying to get something off of his chest.

She was pretty confident she knew what it was already.

“You want to know. Don’t you?” Her gaze softened a little as the stallion’s expression registered surprise, then quickly morphed into one of tense unease.

A beat of silence passed between them as Fluttershy’s shining green eye bored into him, studying him. Would it be a good idea to tell him? Or would it put what was left of his family at risk? In all honesty it was probably best he know next to nothing about her, if she was smart she’d have knocked him unconscious and left without so much as a word. She didn’t want to add to his suffering any more than was necessary, and just her very presence in his barn was already heaping extreme amounts of danger upon him. Twilight would scour the earth to track her down.

She sighed. “Big Mac I don’t thin-”

“Please...” The word was quiet, barely audible over the sound of the pounding rain and howling wind outside. Fluttershy’s gaze softened, and he looked up to meet it, his green eyes round and pleading. “She was mah sis’ Shy... Ah... Ah gotta know.”

Again, silence... Big Mac stared at the mare, her expression blank as she focused on a spot on the ground. As if she was lost in contemplation. For the longest time she was silent, so silent that Big Mac was afraid he wouldn’t be getting the answer he so desperately needed.

“Very well...” The assassin watched as the stallion’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’ll tell you what you want to know Mac.” She reached up with a hoof and undid the clasp to her mask, the mechanism came undone with a click. This was going to take a long time... and there was no real point in keeping her face covered.

The mask slid off with ease, and she felt her vision blur and darken as the magical enhancements it provided faded away. She set the cold facewear aside, and, once her eye refocused, she looked at the stallion.

A shadowy scowl fell over her face, she reached up with a hoof, adjusting the eyepatch that lay over her right eye.

“I’ll tell you everything.”

Author's Note

I know, I know, you guys want backstory! I'm getting to it, I promise I am, but writing is a time consuming process, and I'm running short on free time and creativity as of late, the pains of having a job in addition to school ya know. I promise, next update, PURE backstory and lore, we'll see just what Twilight did to earn Fluttershy's ire, how her friends have died, and how Fluttershy became the hidden blade wielding badass she is in this alternate timeline.

Until then, Adios Amigos.