Chapters The Springtime sun shone down on Ponyville on this wonderful day. Everypony was at their usual toil if they weren't at play, including two little pegasii who flew side by side one another as they raced over meadows, hills, and mountains. Rainbow Dash, an adventurous and spunky filly, had called out to her friend. "Fluttershy!" she called, "You're laggin baby girl, c'mon!"
The yellow equine smiled to herself, 'watch this', she thought to herself. Fluttershy, now giving 100%, zipped passed Rainbow Dash with great speed. Ever since she had trained for her flight to aid Cloudsdale, she saw herself as an exceptional ace... not the weak flyer she had been as a foal. But then, out of nowhere, Rainbow Dash sped off like a shot finishing with a vibrant sonic rainboom.
Fluttershy had coasted to a stop and hung her head. "Of course" she murmured, "One step forward and two steps back". She felt herself growing tense while she pursed her lips and clenched her teeth.
"Hey Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash zipped over to Fluttershy.
"Yes?" immediately Fluttershy shifted her tension to a bight and cheery smile
Rainbow Dash returned the same grin, but Fluttershy could sense the usual smug undertone in the blue one's voice. "I gotta say hun, you really gotten some guts last time we flew together; but, in the end, only this filly stands as reigning champion."
"Oh, well, congrats Rainbow Dash. But, you know, I can only do my best." she gave a little chuckle.
"Ay! It’s all good, girl. We still had fun" Dashie smiled
"Oh, yes!" Fluttershy, with her hard-plastic smile, concealed her true emotions. 'Yeah, you're just a hotshot aren't you, airhead?' the thought boiled in her head like piping hot pitch; 'I'd like to see you do a sonic rainboom with two broken wings, you stuck-up bimbo!' It was the very image of Dashie's wings snapping in Fluttershy's hooves served only to fuel her hidden animosity towards this egotistical glory hog.
Rainbow Dash always seemed to be ahead of all the rest and Fluttershy was forced to live in her shadow. Then again, it was like that with the other ponies, as well. Pinkie Pie, an effervescent extravert, had different friends in different circles and seemed to live the party life almost constantly, while Fluttershy was just restricted to five ponies, a rabbit, and a boring existence. Rarity and AppleJack both were very successful business owners, Fluttershy... not so much. Twilight was a star student, very intelligent, and a born leader while Fluttershy was somewhat naive and had barley the voice of a leader. And finally... Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash was an exhibit; as in, she was loud-mouthed, bigheaded, dim-witted, and full of crap!
Thoughts like this plagued Fluttershy in the darkest depths of her soul. She always felt insecure and tended to resent these girls time and again. "Fluttershy. Hey. You listenin girlfriend?"
"Oh" Fluttershy looked up with a start, "I'm sorry, what was that?"
Rainbow Dash shook her head, "I said, Pinkie Pie wants to meet up with us down at Sugarcube Corner later on so, I'll see ya in a few, 'kay?"
"Okay" Fluttershy replied. Fluttershy turned and started for home, it was time to feed the pets. She stopped at her door and put on her smile again as thought she were auditioning for a lead role in a play. She pushed open her door and walked into her convention of critters. Fluttershy always felt there was a sort of void in her life and knew not what would fill that void; except, she had so many animals to make her feel somewhat appreciated.
Angel hopped over with a large book in his paws, "Oh, Good Day Angel!" Fluttershy smiled and knelt down by the little bunny, "Are you hungry? Because, I made you a delicious salad with lots of fresh, crunchy carrots." Angel opened the book and pointed at a picture of a delectable carrot cake, "Oh my! It’s much too early for carrot cake angel. But, try this salad first and then we can have carrot cake." Angel just threw the book at her hooves and then pointed forcefully the image of the moist indulgence. "Angel" Fluttershy placed the bowl beside the stubborn white creature; "I made this especially for you... I just want you try it."
The rabbit wouldn't relent; he crossed his front paws and tapped his foot against the ground. 'I just about had enough of this, you snotty little brat!' was all that hung in the back of her mind; finally, she pursed her lips and stared the little rodent down hard. The bunny's blood had run cold and the poor things legs began to give out. Fluttershy clenched her teeth and her eyes widened even more, the little white critter's head started aching while his fur became soaked in cold sweat. Fluttershy smiled "What's wrong Angel, am I being a real pain?" the rabbit couldn't breath, his eyes now bloodshot.
The angered filly raised her head and widened her eyes looking down as thoughts of cruelty and malice flooded her mind. Suddenly, Angel started convulsing as his eyes rolled back into his head. Immediately, blood began to run from the little nostrils of the dying bunny, followed by little streams from the ears. The creature began gagging heavily as a crimson pool began to form in his mouth and then splash to the floor where Angel finally fell lifeless. Once a cute bunny with a stubborn attitude... now an empty, hideous vessel with full rigor mortis.
Fluttershy stood for a moment and looked upon the heap in it's stinking death pool. The first thing she realized was that she wasn't the least it sorry for what she had done, no guilt or remorse; but she felt like she had lifted a burden from her shoulders. Second, she began to recall something from her foalhood. It was during this time she was just starting to realize her true potential.
As she remembered, it was one day at flight school that a much older pegasus who had tripped her in the halls had assaulted her. She had gone careening into a pillar face-first, and ended up with a bloody nose and one of her eyes swollen. There was no one else around to witness this, just her and the assailant. The sound of that laughing wench always stuck in her mind to this day. Fluttershy who was always known to be the weakest was often an object of ridicule and a target for impromptu attacks.
Fluttershy, flaring with rage, made eye contact with her and stared with her face contorted with fury. The older filly's laughter was cut off by cries of intense pain as she had gripped her chest. She remembered how the bigger and brutish pony fell to her knees and began to sob in severe agony. It was when she had broken eye contact that the bully began to stabilize; but she wasn't laughing then, infact the image of utter horror on her face, along with teary eyes, stuck in Fluttershy's mind.
That whole day, she pondered the whole ordeal as she flitted home. But on the way she was met with the oddest of strangers. "Good day, child" called an elderly, brown-colored pegasus. The old colt had rain-rotted fur, two milky blind eyes, and missing teeth... what had remained were brown and barely managed to hang onto his blackened gums.
"I know you're probably wondering just what took place today, little one," he had said in a whiny, raspy voice, "but, know this... there is a great power in you and it is up to you to use this power wisely."
Fluttershy just stood there as she looked into the stone eyes of this mysterious pony as they peered into her soul. The elder pony lowered his head, "Should you fail to do so... it could mean your death dear one."
It was time for Fluttershy to come back to reality. Although, her flashback made her realize the full extent of her power, she never understood what the old pony said about 'it could mean your death'. She had used the stare on many separate occasions and nothing ever happened to her. If anything, she intimidated others most of the time.
She lay there on her bed and pulled a razor- sharp, stainless steel boning cleaver from under her pillow. This very knife however, wasn't kept there for self-defense. Rather, she would play with it from time to time while pondering whether she should use it on her wrists in the tub or on her little throat while looking out the window. Today was a different story, though.
'Why should I be the one to die?' she thought, she tightened her grip around the hilt of the deadly implement and plunged into the headboard with such fury that only half of the blade remained exposed.
'They must die... They will die!'
Later that day, around mid-afternoon, Fluttershy waited at Sugarcube corner with the rest of the gang. All of them, except for Pinkie Pie, of course. "My, my! What is keeping that girl?" the white coated Rarity grew impatient by the minute while she twirled her navy blue mane in her hoof, "I understand being fashionably late, but this is getting ridiculous."
'Well, you're fashionably late yourself... for your own funeral!' Fluttershy maintained her usual composure while she sat and went over her plans for murder over and over in her own mind.
AppleJack took off her cowboy hat and brushed her blonde mane to side and looked toward to door. "I reckon she'll be here any minute, that gal might be caught up in something."
Rarity nodded her head; "Indeed"
"I hope she's okay." Said Twilight Sparkle
Rainbow Dash sighed, "Yeah, Pinkie's probably gonna do something random again like usual and-" Suddenly, out of nowhere; a bubbly, electric pink equine with a lavender mane that hung in tight curls hopped upon the very table they had sat around. Then, the effervescent pony began to dance, jump, skip and sing:
I hope you're in the mood for what I've got in store.
Oh yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! It's our play date.
Confetti and streamers fell from above, while firecrackers and bottle rockets frightened anypony and everypony within earshot. The girls were quite startled by Pinkie Pie's random outburst, although this was commonplace for the neon filly. "Dagon, sugar, ya sure know how to make an entrance." said AppleJack
"Why thank you AppleJack, I had been practicing all week. Because you girls are totally worth all the time and effort since you're all my bff and e and e and e and e-"
"Oooookay Pinkie Pie," Dashie butted in, "we got it"
For a brief moment Pinkie Pie noticed Fluttershy appeared a little distracted, "Hey Fluttershy, you're in your own little world over there hun." Pinkie smiled "I bet you know everybody there, say high for me, will ya?"
The other ponies laughed in good fun and Fluttershy just wore her sweetest smile, 'Laugh while you can because it'll all be over soon.' All the while Fluttershy had sat there; she formulated her plan to put these equines on ice. "So, Pinkie Pie, what you wanna do today?" Twilight asked
"Well," Pinkie Pie smiled "I thought that today is the perfect day for a game of Hide and Seek. It's gonna be the biggest, greatest Hide and Seek ever in the Everfree Forest!"
'Yes,' Fluttershy was ecstatic, though she covered it with a look of uncertainty, 'it's just too perfect.'
Fluttershy shrank in her chair, "umm... I don't know Pinkie Pie, it sounds kinda scary and dangerous."
"Oh, nonsense, we'll be safe. Besides, we'll all be together."
"Well... okay", Fluttershy would have to be careful not to draw too much attention,
As the ponies began to walk out the door Twilight noticed Fluttershy had her saddle bags with her which peaked her curiosity. "So, Fluttershy, what's with the bags?" she asked
Fluttershy instantly thought up a good lie. "Just some things to help in case anypony runs into trouble," indeed, they were there to help. To help her to help them run into trouble... guaranteed. "Better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them, right?"
Twilight giggled, "Oh Fluttershy, you care too much."
"It's what I do!" she blushed. However, that wasn't all she was going to do; infact, she had something for each of them. The ponies trekked through tall grass and rough underbrush through the Everfree Forest with Pinkie Pie leading the way and Fluttershy in the back. She spoke of the Perfect place to serve as home base for their game of Hide and Seek. "So how far is this place Pinkie?" Twilight inquired.
"Not very far, just a little way further, Infact; we're almost there." Pinkie Pie
Finally, they arrived to a large clearing not too far into the Everfree Forest, but far enough that Fluttershy could carry out her malicious plans. It was a large clearing where the afternoon sun shone down up a beautiful bed of brightly colored flowers. It stood out as a shining oasis amid a desert of shadow and impending doom, like a safe haven. At least, for the time being.
"Alright," Pinkie Pie turned to face her friends, "this will be our base; now, you can hide anywhere you like, because this is gonna be the biggest, best game of Hide and Seek ever." For Fluttershy, it was just getting better and better, 'She's making this way too easy.' the crazed yellow one, though posing scared on the outside, had a smile wider than a Chelsea Grin in the deepest darkest recesses of her mind. She felt her plans would go just swimmingly.
"So, who's gonna count while the rest go hide?" Twilight Asked
"I will! I will!" Pinkie shouted abruptly "I think, that I should do the honors since I put this all together."
Rainbow Dash shrugged, "I'm down with that!"
Applejack nodded in agreement, "Durn skippy!"
"I concur!" Rarity chimed
All eyes were on Fluttershy, the timid and wishy-washy yellow pegasus. "Fluttershy, are you in?" Of course, she was in... She was in from the start.
"Well, um... maybe, or... I guess so." she stammered.
"Great," Pinkie Pie squealed, "now I'll count from a hundred and everypony go hide."
The ponies all took off sporadically with virtually no idea where any good spots were. Pinkie's counting faded off as they barreled further into the darkness of the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy, however, caught sight of Rainbow Dash flying off to her hiding spot... wherever it may be. Fluttershy followed beside her from far off.
After some time of stalking her first prey, it was then that her multicolored mark settled down behind a big boulder with some brush growing around it. "Try finding me here Pinkie Pie" Rainbow dash giggled. But before she knew it, her vision went black and she felt something pressing the sides of her face. Suddenly, she felt her face being driven into the very boulder she chose to hide behind... it could very well have become her grave marker. Over and over, harder and harder... she felt her eyes begin to fill up with tears and snot as her ears start to ring. A hot, wet sensation started to crawl down her face.
Then, she felt herself being lifted up higher and higher and higher. And then the darkness had been ripped from her face followed by a familiar voice, "Guess who!" it sang. As she blinked her eyes to see through the blurriness, she had seen none other than Fluttershy, herself. She was smiling from ear to ear as she stuffed a soaking wet black sack into Dashie's mouth. The helpless pony tasted something like cold steel in her mouth and soon discovered it was blood, the same blood that dampened her face. She tried to summon her fight or flight instincts, but before she could even try to fight back she found herself looking to the eyes of the filly she thought to be her friend for so many years.
Fluttershy gritted her teeth and she gazed mercilessly into the eyes of her formerly competitive victim. She envisioned the set of wings that crowned her back snapping, crunching... splintering like glass. Rainbow Dash's agonizing screeches were muffled by the bloody bag crammed down her throat when she immediately felt her wings snap in three places and poke through the skin. She slammed her eyes shut as she felt sharp pains rip through her wings and up her back.
"Now do your sonic rainboom six feet into the ground!" Fluttershy dropped her from where she hovered and watched as the now disabled pegasus went tumbling down, down, down until she was out of sight from the foliage. She giggled to herself as she waved and whispered "Ta!"
"98... 99... 100! Ready or not, here I come!" Pinkie Pie called. She opened her eyes before she picked a direction and started off to find her companions. She knew she would have to go to some pretty great lengths to find them. Because, she had promised her friends that this was to be the biggest game ever. But, that didn't faze her at all, since the name of the game was just to have fun and be with friends. Besides, she wasn't scared of anything in the Everfree Forest. She hummed her favorite tune, No Fear, to herself as she picked a direction and bounded off. Occasionally, she would come in with a chorus:
But, there was something much more terrifying than the ghostly and the like out tonight, like someone close to you that knew your every weakness, every fear, and every possible thing about you. Fluttershy had caught sight of Rarity walking about gingerly, getting dirtier by the minute. "My word," she said in disgust, "She couldn't have us play in Ponyville where it's cleaner?" Fluttershy followed close behind Rarity, inching closer and closer with each step until... "Hey Rarity" Fluttershy whispered softly.
The white unicorn felt her heart nearly stop as she squealed with fright. She turned abruptly to see
"I'm sorry Rarity." Fluttershy gently wiped some dirt and pinesap from Rarity's face and behind her ears.
Rarity smiled, "Thank you darling, I'm not quite equipped for this nature thing." she cringed at that barbaric word... nature. Rarity gave a sigh, "I don't suppose you have a place to hide yet either, correct?"
"No" Fluttershy hung her head, "It's just so dark and scary in here, I'm afraid of being alone." Unbeknownst to Rarity, the latter was a lie. True it was dark and scary, the only one who would need to be afraid would the soon-to-be victim before her.
"Fear not Fluttershy, you can hide with me." Rarity looked down at her soiled form, "Hopefully somewhere much less filthy." Fluttershy had actually spotted a spring not far away while she was flying above the trees searching for her next kill.
"I think I know a place." Fluttershy smiled
Rarity shrugged her shoulders "Well, it's better than nothing at all. Shall we?"
Fluttershy led the way to the spring grinning and thinking to herself, 'I always wanted to bury a pony in a watery grave.' In short time they had arrived to the spring. The water was pristine and still as though it were frozen in time... untouched by civilization for eons. Rarity's eyes lit up like a freshly lit fire at Hearth's Warming Eve.
"My dear Fluttershy, you've chosen quite well," the white one cried, "this is a perfect!"
"I can watch for Pinkie Pie while you get clean... if that's alright with you" Fluttershy was being timid and wishy-washy as usual, at least in Rarity's eyes.
"Oh dear, that would be grand Fluttershy. I promise I won't be too long." Rarity gingerly lowered herself into the spring and let out a long sigh of relief. As promised, Fluttershy watched for Pinkie Pie, only because she didn't need witnesses for her murderous deed. Rarity began to nod off and close her eyes while Fluttershy moved in for the kill.
Rarity felt two hooves on the back of her head immediately followed by her face in the water. Shocked and disoriented, Rarity raised her head above the water gasping for breath and trying to scream before her assailant shoved her back down into the pool. Fluttershy turned her around from under the water and after some struggle locked eyes with Rarity through the ripples. Rarity felt paralyzed in the spring, her motor skills... shot! Fluttershy waited with heaving breaths as pampered equine's lungs began to fill up with water and the bubbles had stopped to show that all had faded to black.
The yellow monster her withdrew hands from the spring and let the waterlogged corpse that was once Rarity sank to the bottom. "Thanks for the dress, by the way," the sociopath pony uttered to the sinking body. She looked up to see sun sinking lower in the sky; dusk was soon to be upon them. Her smile faded into a stone face "Two down and only three more left... so little time."
Fluttershy had flitted swiftly and silently through the trees looking hard for the next one to fall, Twilight. How? She wasn't too sure but she knew that if she were to take her out she needed to quick before the game was to end at nightfall and it would be too dark to even continue. It wasn't too long until the purple pony was in sight with her pink highlights beckoning to Fluttershy like an innocent foal to a murderous timberwolf. But, out of the corner of her eyes she noticed a smiling, bouncing Pinkie Pie through the foliage, 'Crap!' she thought, 'I'm not gonna let her spoil this, not now!'
Fluttershy bolted down to Twilight like a bat out of Tartarus. Twilight looked up at a whistling in the air that was coming closer by the second. "What the...?" She turned around, and for a split second saw Fluttershy with a crazed look of rage in her eyes with hooves reaching right for her. All of a sudden, she found herself tumbling into a thick hedge of bushes where limbs scratched at her face and tangled in her mane and tail.
All of this happened so fast, but when she had opened her eyes, Fluttershy had one hoof over her mouth and other holding her by the wrists. The yellow murderess noticed her prey's horn beginning to glow, out of desperation she loosed her grip on the purple one's mouth and reached for the horn. "Pink-!" Twilight was cut off by another hoof that covered her lips. With her hands now free she tried to fight off her attacker, but Fluttershy's rage proved too strong. There was a sickening crack followed by a muffled scream that was mix of physical anguish and heart-breaking despair... failure.
Failure. That very word struck fear into the heart of Twilight Sparkle; she dreaded failure more than anything in the world. But, now failure would possibly cost her life since she couldn't defend herself with magic. She felt the horn pierce her left eye, the pain so great she could no longer scream, but groan and go limp. Fluttershy saw her victim begin to pass out, "No, if you're gonna die, you'll die how I want you to." She forced open her one eye and stared intently into her soul.
Twilight felt like her brain was melting; then, blood poured from her ears, eyes, and nose. A horrible gash began to show on her forehead and stretch to the back of her head. The top of her skull was now exposed to the open air. Her body convulsed as the bone began to dent and finally... it caved and then split.
Twilight was no more! The pony stopped moving and the brain lay on the bloody soil. Suddenly, she heard somepony approaching, it was Pinkie Pie. "Twilight? Twilight!" she called, Fluttershy stood silent in the bushes for a while as Pinkie looked around for her beloved friend confused and a little concerned. Fluttershy noticed the florescent colored equine turn her direction and begin to walk slowly toward the bushes where she hid. Her hoof quietly reached into her saddlebag and with each step the curious Pinkie Pie took; Fluttershy slowly withdrew from the bag. As Pinkie Pie reached out a hoof for the bushes she started to feel her guts tie up in knots as she inched closer and closer with Fluttershy ready to pounce.
"A mind is a terrible thing to waste, " she said, "too bad for you brainiac!"
Bloodlust... Fluttershy could think of nothing else. With three already dead, her tunnel vision had her tail spinning out of control on a downward spiral deep into the soul-sucking mouth of madness. She was now stinking with the life force of innocent ponies as it dried on her hooves and fur... it's scent drove her monstrous killer instinct to the outer limits of depravity. In her eyes, it was taking care of unfinished business that was long overdue. 'They needed to die... they were supposed to die' her mind raced miles a minute faster than she was flying toward the next target. That target was Applejack!
AppleJack was heading toward home base fast as she could sprint should Pinkie Pie catch sight of her. Fluttershy arrived way ahead of her with her back turned to her general direction that to hide her maniacal grin. AppleJack was yards away when she spotted her soon-to-be assailant alone in the middle of the flowers that adorned the clearing. "Phew! At least I ain't the last one." She sighed, "I reckon the others ain't too far behind."
The still-sprinting orange pony charged on as her hat struggled to stay on her head. Fluttershy listened to each hoof beat as they closed in. closer and closer. "Wooie! That’s how ya play Hide and Seek doll!" Applejack cheered, "You just get here or wh-". She was cut off by two rear hooves to her chest with a force great enough to send her back flipping in mid-air and her cowboy hat gliding to the ground.
AJ was winded as Fluttershy approached her while slowly pulling her treasured boning cleaver from her saddlebags. Applejack caught sight of the wicked instrument of death as it glinted out of the corner of her eyes. Immediately she managed to catch her breath as she grabbed for Fluttershy's ankles to pull fast and hard, sending her crashing to the forest floor spraining her wings. AppleJack grabbed for her wrist as struggled to disarm the pegasus; all the while she pounded Fluttershy's face with every ounce of roughneck strength she could summon.
With each blow she yelled, "I don't know what wild hair you got growin on your derriere, but you done messed with the wrong filly missy!" Meanwhile, Pinkie heard shouting from far away, "Applejack?" now she knew something was wrong, "Applejack, I'm coming!" she cried. Fluttershy had lost her grip on the knife allowing Applejack to capitalize on a golden opportunity to end this crazy wench's existence. The earth pony plunged the knife downward toward the pummeled and bleeding filly's larynx; but, a desperate, yellow forearm that sought to prolong the inevitable halted her.
Everything was a blur in Pinkie's peripherals as she charged head-on toward the struggle. 'Applejack! Please hold on!' the wind burned her face while her leg muscles were on the verge of exploding. Fluttershy managed to stare into AJ's eyes intently and caused her look away lest she fall to the power of her stare. Fluttershy clutched a rock that lay inches from her reach and laid the jagged stone on the right temple of the down-home, apple-fed pony... twice. The bludgeoned filly lay dazed on the ground, until her killer with unnatural Flutterrage lifted her with a single hoof to stare into the depths of her soul while she picked up the knife to swiftly plunge the blade repeatedly into orange colored chest of the helpless owner of Sweet Apple Acres.
Tears flooded AJ's eyes as her heart felt not only sharp stainless steel, but also the sharp pain of betrayal, lies, and blatant hate. Fluttershy envisioned that same heart detonating inside this girl's body, and so it was that the lights would fade for Applejack as the pounding through her breast immediately ceased. With that, Fluttershy flung the heap of gore to the ground before she wiped the blade on the sides of her demented, hollandaise visage and let out a blood-curdling, shrill scream that sounded almost inequine. It was at that moment, Pinkie Pie had caught sight of this.
She shook her head with disbelief... there was just no way she could possibly be seeing what she had just witnessed. A sanguine shadow of Applejack's former self lay in a beautiful bed of flowers as Fluttershy was slowly turning to see a neon image of her final objective. It just couldn't be real; the night was playing tricks on her delicate mind. But, when she saw the smiling lips of madness that framed clenched teeth and the eyes wide open... her worst fears were realized. Fluttershy was going to kill her next. She started to hyperventilate as Fluttershy slowly walked toward her, "You weren't supposed to see that'" she said, "you were NEVER supposed to see that."
Pinkie stood paralyzed with fear, but a little voice in her head called out 'RUN PINKIE! RUN!'
Fluttershy was strutting closer as she bit her lip and let out a wicked chuckle, "But, I have a remedy for that."
'PINKIE WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!' The mortified baker tried to muster up some motivation to run for her life.
"Just look into my eyes." The pegasus' pupils spilled from cornea to cornea till the eyes were like perfect onyx spheres set in her sockets.
That was probably the first time in equine history that none other than Pinkie accomplished the world’s quickest 180-degree turn. Fluttershy Immediately gave chase on foot, seeing her wings would be out of commission for some time. Pinkie Pie's shrill screams shredded the veal of the night air,
"IT'S NO USE PINKIE!" Fluttershy called from yards behind, "NOPONY'S GONNA HEAR YOU WAY OUT HERE." Fluttershy had to laugh a little. "HERE LET'S SCREAM TOGETHER!"
Fluttershy relentlessly taunted Pinkie Pie with maniacal, ear splitting as she gave chase. Her killer instinct was now burning with white-hot fury and oozing from every pore. Fluttershy toyed with Pinkie as the chase carried on through rising mists and down passages further into the darkness of the trees. But, the further they went the harder it was to lock onto her prize, because of the many twists and turns.
Pinkie Pie had looked behind her to see Fluttershy gaining ground; her still coal-black eyes had been fixed on her as she continued to make a b-line for the traumatized filly that sprinted aimlessly through the Everfree Forest. In short time, a spectral fog began to shroud the ground, which would leave Pinkie Pie in more of a predicament as the night waned further. However, the moon, as it struggled to shine through the trees, managed to light her way.
It was some time later that Pinkie saw a small brook in the distance upon further observation she noticed a bridge as she proceeded towards what could be her saving grace. With quick thinking and a desperate will to live she dove under the bridge, with no mind to how bad she'd been scraped up by the jagged rocks. There she had curled up into a ball and waited, trying very hard to conceal her heavy breathing, choking sobs, and wails of terror. It wouldn't be long until she heard the heavy hoof beats of Fluttershy pounding overhead, making her cringe in utter horror.
The maddened bloodstained filly saw the fog growing thicker and thicker in every direction. She had lost sight of her mark, but even she knew that Pinkie couldn't have gotten far. Infact, she may have had a good idea as to where she went. "PINKIE? MAYBE YOU CAN'T HEAR ME, BUT YOU'RE GONNA EAT THIS KNIFE WHEN I FIND YOU!!!" the murderess screamed. The crazed pony galloped away... further and further away.
Pinkie waited... just waited. For what seemed like hours, she stood under the bridge just rocking back and forth trying to calm herself down. A number of occasions she had nodded off to sleep only to rouse herself awake for fear that Fluttershy may comeback and find her. As the fog began to form a wall outside she decided she would make a break for it. The mist was so thick; you couldn't even see 5 feet ahead of you. To her this could be an advantage... or a terrible disadvantage. Shortly after, she had crawled out from under that wooden saving grace and stood up.
She looked around briefly and saw no sign of Fluttershy anywhere in sight; but, of course, she could hardly see a thing as it was. Pinkie Pie climbed out of the brook and onto the forest floor, she resolved to get help, should she escape. She would have Spike alert Princess Celestia to send the Royal Guard and put out a bounty on Fluttershy. As she walked onward, she cried silently thinking of how somepony she thought was a trustworthy, cordial, and caring friend turned out to be a mindless monster that had fooled everypony.
She reflected on the fact that AppleJack had been murdered and the likely possibility that all her friends were now dead in the darkness of the Everfree Forest. Her once bouncy curls now hung in straight, stringy locks to signal her heartfelt sadness for the loss of her beloved friends. As Pinkie quietly walked onward, she would stop for fear that Fluttershy was nearby in the shadows still bent on destroying her. After walking for sometime in the dense haze, the pony was face to face with nothing but trees for miles.
Pinkie Pie fell to her knees... she couldn't go any further. It just seemed futile to try and escape from this endless stretch of forest. She would die here, regardless of whether Fluttershy was out there still looking or not. Already, the timberwolves were howling in the distance, prowling around for unsuspecting prey. This supposed to be fun day... Today was supposed to be filled with joy, love, friendship, good times, and joyful memories. It turned out to be a day of madness, insanity, fear, despair, agony, and every blackened emotion ever to exist.
Suddenly, a twig snapping from behind her startled her. Before she could turn to see it, she felt something hard hit the back of her head and everything went black.
A couple of times, she had lapsed in and out of consciousness to see her being dragged somewhere. Sometime later, she awoke to find herself back in the clearing. It must have been in the small hours of the morning by then.
She tried to get up and move, but there was a sharp pain that shot from her knees and into her flanks. Her loud gasp was followed by an anguished whimper, 'Oh no, it can't be' she thought. She lifted her head and first noticed her legs were bloody, but as she craned her head higher she noticed how disfigured they were. Two broken legs! Broken legs were any equine's worst nightmare, because it meant either death by starvation or euthanasia.
One broken leg meant that there was a slim, slim chance of recovering from the lameness and returning to normalcy. But, two broken legs? It was inescapable death! Pinkie's quiet sobs turned to painful wails of hopelessness. "I knew you'd try to run away, so I took extra measures to remedy that." Fluttershy walked over to Pinkie Pie with knife in hand.
"Just kill me now!" Pinkie Pie whined for she had no fight left in her. She was powerless... utterly defeated. There she was lay on the ground, broken in more ways than one, and hanging on the razor's edge of dying and awaiting her last breath before the coming of the reaper. Fluttershy sat down beside her smiling and stroking Pinkie's mane. "You poor girl," Fluttershy needed to toy with Pinkie further, "not so bouncy anymore. Just a scared lonely pony all tattered and torn inside and out."
"Just do it!" Pinkie demanded, "no more of this crap, you have me. I'm ready to die"
"Shhhhh," Fluttershy put a hoof to Pinkie's lips, "I want you to feel this, just like everypony else."
Pinkie Pie pursed her lips a breathed heavily, "Feel what?" she growled, "Pain? Hurt? The fact that I'm about to be killed by a CRAZED WENCH!"
"No!" Fluttershy scooted closer, "I want you know how I've felt for the longest time. I want you to know what it feels like to be helpless. What it feels like to be alone with somepony towering over you."
Pinkie Pie sadness turned to anger with some confusion, "What are you talking about Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy went on to tell Pinkie about having to live under the shadow of the glory hogging, arrogant Rainbow Dash for so long. Then, there was AppleJack and Rarity, always parading around their airs of success like they were captains of industry and their chips didn't stink; far from it, they were just a dress-maker and a farm filly with an orchard. She couldn't forget about Twilight Sparkle... A lording intellectual who, at the same time, was just a teacher's pet trying to make other ponies feel inept, Fluttershy especially.
"And then there's you!" Fluttershy squealed, "Happy-go-lucky, bubble-headed Pinkie Pie. You don't have a single care in the world, because everyday for you is just one party after another and some of us just live a bland existence." Pinkie Pie just gazed up at the sky into the dull gray moon while Fluttershy cut her down with her cruel words.
"You know what I can't seem to understand?" Fluttershy laughed, "Is how you can take everything with a grain of salt and look at life as something so peachy."
Pinkie Pie swallowed hard while she just let tears stream down her face, "Do I look like everything is okay right now?"
"Not Really, but now you know who I feel." Fluttershy lay back beside Pinkie, "Like the low pony on the totem pole, the lowest of the low." Fluttershy played with her knife while she made her speech.
"You guys were always the ones who had to be gifted, successful, or just blissful. While, I was on the outside looking in... I had nothing, except talking to animals."
"You're just so put upon aren't you?" Pinkie Pie sniped
"What?" Fluttershy was perplexed and infuriated by Pinkie’s remark.
"You don't think we would've helped you become something great?" Pinkie turned to face Fluttershy, "You don't think we would've been there to give you strength bring you joy?"
"Okay Pinkie Pie, you're done talking" Fluttershy stood up, knife in hoof.
"I thought you were a caring pony, but it seems you're just somepony who wears a mask around everypony else, but when the doors are closed you're a monster."
Fluttershy pinned the crippled pony down and pictured the filly going mute... something she wanted to do for so long. Pinkie's voice cut out and she began to panic while staring into the eyes of the pastel victimizer. Fluttershy drove the knife into Pinkie's chest and watched as her face contorted with anguish, as she wanted to scream out in pain. Fluttershy's grunts and screams with the ringing of the cleaver’s blade composed a macabre and sinister symphony of brutality.
Pinkie Pie could feel blood start to pool in her lungs as the blade sank beneath her flesh and through bone. Fluttershy broke eye contact as she withdrew her knife from Pinkie Pie. Pinkie now being able to speak tried to utter something, but Fluttershy couldn’t make out a single word.
"Oh! Something else you wanna say to me?" She craned her head down till she was face to face with Pinkie Pie. Pinkie reached up and kissed Fluttershy on the cheek and said these words:
"Thank you for being such a good friend!" Fluttershy stood up with her hoof to her cheek. Then, with every ounce of rage she could summon, she brought the huge knife down across the throat of the laughing victim and watched the pink head roll to the side. Fluttershy picked up the head of the butchered corpse that was once Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy now had the last laugh.
It was her time.
Fluttershy danced with the severed head that was her prize in that field of flowers in the dense fog. Laughing. Twirling. Leaping... She was on cloud nine the whole time. A smile spread across her face with each and every bound and skip in those flowers as she whipped blood upon them. She stained them in the crimson gold spoils of her triumphant war against those who were obstacles holding her back from her true potential.
This monster solminized with the voice of an angel that rang out against the darkness of the forest. The backdrop of the heavy mist with her ethereal voice created a haunting ambience that she could only describe as harmonious. After, her final twirl she fell upon a soft bed of flowers still holding fast to Pinkie's head. Although, time and again she knew that eventually they would come looking for the ponies and soon after come looking for her, she didn't care; because, right now she just wanted to bask in her glorious victory.
She would run away and leave everything behind. Ponyville, everypony and everything in it, was now completely obsolete to her. She would run far away, perhaps beyond the crystal empire and start fresh... a whole new life just for her. Never again did she have to live in another's shadow. Never again did she have to feel unsuccessful, inept, or faded into the background.
The coming of the morning light would mark a new day and a new era in the life of Fluttershy. But, then there was a sudden chill that came over her. The air was still warm even as the early morning dew began to settle upon the ground. Then there came sudden feeling of terror that turned her body cold when there came strange noises from all around.
From one direction she could hear the sounds of sickening pops and cracks and from another dripping sounds like a leaking faucet. The sounds were getting closer, but she couldn't see because the fog was so dense... it might as well have been like burial shroud over her eyes. All her life she able to fake emotions, including fear, but there was no faking this. She picked up her knife from where she rested and called out to whomever was out there.
"Whose there?" her voice had cracked, she still had Pinkie Pie's head in the crook of her arms and buried in the yellow fur of her chest. She saw some familiar shapes in the fog coming closer and closer and then there was movement on her chest. You may be thinking that it was the pounding of her heart, but you would be absolutely wrong. She looked down to see Pinkie Pie's already rotted head staring up at her with glowing white eyes and smiling with putrid green teeth.
"Hello Fluttershy!" the zombified head greeted. Fluttershy screamed as she dropped the head on the ground only to see it being picked up by it's original owner. All around her were more glowing ivory oculae that shone like floating tea lights. The now loud popping noises caused the terrorized pegasus to look behind her and see Rainbow Dash approaching with unnatural, jerky movements and horribly disfigured limbs from her terrible fall.
"Hey Fluttershy! Long time no see, babe." Dashie's broken wings bore foul smelling wounds. The exposed broken bones had leaked marrow. Fluttershy turned to run but came face to face with Rarity. The white pony grinned at Fluttershy through her mane that hung down in front of her face. "Did you miss me, deary." Rarity chimed.
Fluttershy swung her knife and cut through the soggy flesh of Rarities throat as she gasped and swung her head back. Instantly, stagnant water and blood spilled from the deep wound. Rarity chuckled, "don't you see darling? We’re already dead, but you knew that didn't you?" Fluttershy blindly swung her knife at all of them screaming for her life as she the reanimates continued to encroach upon her. Suddenly two strong hooves held her tightly like the coils of a sadistic serpent ready to feast on its kill. Fluttershy had lost her grip on the knife.
"I tell you what, sugar!" AppleJack's blood smeared over Fluttershy's back, "You gave me a run for the money, but right now... it looks like you done come up broke, honey." Fluttershy struggled under the grip of the earth pony that was now covered in it's own life force with blood still dripping from her mouth. With that, the other ponies were finally within reaching distance of the one they had intended to kill. They all grabbed her and forced her to the ground... all except one.
"No," Fluttershy cracked, "this isn't real. I'm going to wake up and this will all be dream. "
"This is no dream Fluttershy." Twilight shook her head still grinning, "This is the start of your nightmare where there is no waking up... ever." The other ponies laughed amongst each other as Twilight continued.
"You see Fluttershy, True Friendship is a bond that runs deep. You may have never been a true friend, but we were nothing but true friends to you. You chose not to see that, because really you're selfish and hateful." She said, "We stood by you in you darkest hours when you truly needed us, but in the end you never truly appreciated what you had."
Over and over Fluttershy frantically whispered with each breath that escaped her lips, "Wake up, wake up, wake up..." All the while Twilight proceeded with Fluttershy as she knelt down and rubbed her face with the cold knife, Fluttershy sobbed still chanting her desperate mantra. "You never truly cared about anyone but, yourself. You only sought to save yourself, satisfy your own desires, or manipulate others. Your jealousy and murderous cruelty will mean your death." It was then Fluttershy remembered the old pony from long ago. "It could mean your death." rang over and over in her skull with each 'wake up' she had spat out.
Twilight placed the unforgiving edge of Fluttershy's implement upon her jugular for a moment. "It hurts doesn't it, knowing you could’ve used you power for love, but you chose hate... you chose death." The edge started to dig into Fluttershy's soft flesh. Slowly. She could hear her own flesh cleaving apart as she closed her eyes and it dragged across her soft skin.
WAKE UP!!!