Nevermoreby Julian McQueenChaptersViolationConsiderationConfrontationViolationShe never expected it to happen to her, nor did she deserve it. She was a good pony. Kind, selfless, thoughtful, and not to mention incredibly beautiful. She was loved by nearly everypony as much as she loved everypony. And for the longest time, she felt serene and peaceful. Until that day… There was a special celebration that day, Princess Celestia's birthday to be exact. And the Princess had launched a huge celebration at her castle in Canterlot. It was a celebration that everypony enjoyed. Celestia had even managed to hire a band, "Death Cab Cutie Mark", to play live during the party. Pinkie herself was ecstatic, literary bouncing off the walls in excitement. Luna was given loads of attention by various Colts, thanks to the advice Rarity had given her. Applejack was hired as the main chef, and supplied delicious apple and apple accessories for the entire party. Fluttershy finally connected with the castle's animals, and spend most of the time in the garden, talking to them. Spike actually managed to get to dance with Rarity, and relished it completely. Even Twilight managed to get a few words with Celestia, as they discussed about magic, amongst other things. Twilight and her friends were given V.I.P passes because of Twi's connection with the queen. So after the band's last performance they actually got to meet them. Laughs and stories were exchanged between the band and the mane cast. Even Fluttershy laughed loudly, which she admitted that only her pet rabbit, Angel, was capable of doing. One of the band members, an earth pony named "Nevermore", chuckled, and whispered to Fluttershy that he also had a pet rabbit. Nevermore was a grim-looking pony. His coat was a deep, dark purple, darker like Luna's. His black mane was straight and to the side, just looking at it reminded her of when Pinkie Pie was depressed. His tail, which matched his mane, had two streams of red on it, one darker than the other. His cutie mark was a cartoon skull, complete with sparkling eyes and two rosy cheeks. But the thing about Nevermore that unnerved Fluttershy the most was his eyes, which were pumpkin orange. They looked menacing and cruel, no matter what expression he had on at the time. "Unfortunately," Nevermore continued. "He's a bit under the weather, so he can't come out right now. Eventually, the party died down, and the entire population of ponies in the castle slowly diminished. Celestia retired before the guests did. Eventually, even Pinkie was exhausted, and out of the six ponies, eventually Fluttershy was all that remained. She was so busy helping a group of mice leave the castle; she didn't even notice the pair of eyes that watched her, hungrily. As Fluttershy finally escorted the mice out the castle, she heard the rushed clopping of hoofs behind her. Turning around, she saw Nevermore with an anxious expression head towards her. "Y-you have to help me." Nevermore spoke, slightly out of breath. "M-My pet rabbit has stopped breathing. I think he… he…" Fluttershy gasped. Almost instantly, she asked where the rabbit was, and she followed Nevermore to their destination, which was Fluttershy's biggest mistake. Normally, she would have been suspicious of such things. Despite the wild conversation that the band had with Fluttershy and her friends, he was still a complete stranger. However, Nevermore knew from Fluttershy herself that she had a soft spot for animals, and he knew he only had to say a few words to get her eating out of his hoof. As they reached one of the guest bedrooms, Nevermore opened the door and gestured Fluttershy in. "In here, quickly! I don't think he's gonna make it much longer!" Fluttershy dashed in and her eyes darted around the room searching for the rabbit. It was a rather small room, with only a dresser, a bed fit for one pony, an end table, and a lamp. It was the kind of room that one would use for one night visits or simple naps. Where they could rest without anything disturbing them, as such rooms usually carried keys. Finally, Fluttershy's vision caught onto a box-shaped object with a green towel covering it, sitting on a dresser. Fluttershy rushed to the object and in a quick flourish removed the green covering. "It's okay little rabbit, you're going to be fi-" Underneath was an empty cage, no rabbit, no carrots, nothing but a single, yellow note with two words written on it. "Behind you." As Fluttershy looked in confusion at the note, she suddenly heard a sudden click behind her. As she turned to find the source of the noise, she found Nevermore standing in front of the door, smiling a rather wicked smile, with a key hanging off his neck. His orange eyes glared directly through her cyan ones, and he licked his muzzle in anticipation. "Gotcha Fluttershy." He said calmly, and began to approach her. "This is going to be fun." Fluttershy quivered as she began to back off, only to bump against the dresser and knock the cage to the floor. "Wh-What do you want?" She asked nervously, her eyes wide with fear. Nevermore shook his head and sighed. "I wanna spend some personal fun with you, Fluttershy. Just you and me, with nopony around…" Fluttershy's wings locked at the realization of what he meant. He was going to breed with her, whether she wanted it or not. The two of them stood still for a few seconds before Fluttershy headed towards the door, but Nevermore stopped her, and he ended up chasing Fluttershy around the room. "I knew something like this was going to happen the moment I saw you Fluttershy." He laughed as he chased her. "And as you and your friends talked, that prediction grew into a certainty, and I simply had to…" Nevermore shuddered in delight, preparing himself for what could possibility happen next. "I just can't believe it was so easy! All I had to do was make some lie about a stupid rabbit and you instantly fall into my hooves. It's as if you wanted this… How hilarious." Fluttershy needed to escape. She finally managed to reach the door, but soon realized it was locked. Turning her head, she saw Nevermore approaching her, laughing, and the chase began again. What was she going to do? She tried screaming, but her voice wouldn't come out. Tears began to well up as she realized the inevitable was soon going to jump on her any minute now… Her hoof caught the cage and she tripped, banging her head against the dresser. She fell to the floor, wings splayed. She wasn't even on the floor for a minute when Nevermore stood on top of her, his eyes examining his prize. Fluttershy quivered, she could feel the blood trickling down her forehead, and Nevermore's warm breath on the back of her neck, which blew in small bursts as the earth pony chuckled to himself. "P-Please…" She begged, paralyzed with fear. But all she heard was a sinister chuckle above her. "Don't worry." Nevermore snarled in the Pegasus' ear. "I only wanna do this once…" And then he pushed himself in. Fluttershy finally made a loud cry as she tried to pull away. Her winds expanded and flapped vigorously, but were unable to move with the weight on top of her, he was simply too heavy. She cried loudly as she felt herself get pierced again and again, the pain echoing in waves. Nevermore grunted loudly and scraped his hooves against Fluttershy's sides. She tried her best to think of something different, to take her mind off what was happening, but she suddenly felt a painful pinch on the back of her neck. "Hey, you awake? I want you to remember this. It's your special moment, pony whore." Fluttershy felt the trickling of fluids run down her forehead, and her legs. Even with a slight glance, she knew for certain it was more blood. Suddenly, Nevermore stopped and turned his head towards the door. Fluttershy's eyes rose with hope as she heard not one, but two hoofsteps approaching the door. She was about to shout for help when a hoof covered her mouth. "Shhh." Nevermore hissed quietly through his teeth into the Pegasus' ear. "If you say a word, or bite me, I'll make sure by tomorrow that you'll regret it." Fluttershy whimpered, praying that they were royal guards that heard her screams. There was a knocking on the door. "Yo, Nevermore. You awake, I need some 'toothpaste'." The sound of a mare giggling squeezed through the door. Nevermore yawned loudly, trying to sound tired. "Go away, Eldorado, I'm sleeping." Fluttershy remembered Eldorado, he was Pegasus with a light brown coat, a deep, chocolate brown mane, and sunglasses he wore on all occasions. She decided not to talk to him because he seemed though and rigid, more than even Rainbow Dash, and decided to stick with Nevermore. Big mistake. There was a pause, followed by more giggling exchanged between Eldorado and the mare. "Kay then, I'll be in the trailer. Night" Fluttershy let out a muffled whimper as she heard her last glimmer of hope walk away from her. "Now." Never more said after a few seconds of silence. "Where was I?" Fluttershy cried out more as her innocence continued to be destroyed piece by piece, the frenzied grunts of the dark earth pony reminding Fluttershy . Nevermore was right. How could she have been so stupid? She should have been more careful and cautious, but she let her pathetic love for animals get in the way of common sense and it resulted in this. It was her fault she got in this situation. Her fault. HER. FAULT. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Nevermore let out a loud groan and emptied himself inside of her, before pulling out. Fluttershy whimpered again, curling up in a ball. She felt several different emotions at once, none of them pleasant, and simply felt like vanishing forever. Nevermore gave a satisfied sigh and walked towards the door, grabbing the key with his teeth and opening the door. He paused in the doorway, looking at the miserable Fluttershy, who was sobbing quietly on the floor. "I hope you enjoyed that too." He sneered. "Just be glad I took some precautions beforehand, in case you popped out any fillies. I don't want this to lead back to me." He turned to leave again, but didn't. "Oh, I recommend not telling anypony. You don't want anypony to find out what a dirty tramp you are now, do ya?" Fluttershy gave a sniffle, followed by a quiet, "No." "Wonderful, have a nice night." And with that, he left. Fluttershy didn't remember how she got home, but she probably did it quickly, to avoid being seen. She opened the door quietly, as to not awaken Angel. Every step hurt. She headed straight to the bathroom and turned the light on. Looking in the mirror, she saw the damage that had been done. There was a hideous bruise on her forehead, thanks to the dresser which also gave her a black eye. Her sides were scrapped so badly that they were scabbed. Her lower back was bruised badly, as well as her legs. She didn't dare check between them, she was too scared to. Her wings were bruised, but were thankfully unbroken. She was covered in grime, to the point where her yellow coat was now darker and uglier. Either it was dried blood… or…. his… his… Fluttershy turned towards the toilet and vomited. She continued until she had nothing left in her belly, and she ended up spewing bitter bile. She was sobbing loudly now, as the horrors of the night took her in completely. He violated her. She was a clear, beautiful pond that was poisoned with his toxic, putrid filth. She remembered a time when she was a filly with her parents, on a boat in the middle of a lake. As she watched the blue waves, she noticed a bug, drowning in the water. She tried to grab it with her hooves, but only managed to push it away. She kept trying until a fish swam up and swallowed it. It soon dawned on her that she was like that bug. Drowning, unable to escape from the fish that was going to swallow her whole. She felt trapped, with no way out. It was going to be a very long, long night… ConsiderationIt was a wonder how Fluttershy got up that morning. As she awoke from her slumber, Fluttershy groggily examined her surroundings. It only took her seconds to remember where she was, and what happened last night. She thought for a brief second that it was a horrible nightmare before a sudden pain in her thighs proved otherwise. Realizing that what happened actually happened, Fluttershy buried her head in her pillow and began to weep, loudly. Angel, awakened by the sound of Fluttershy's sobs, approached the crying Pegasus, but could do nothing but stand bewildered about Fluttershy's plight. Fluttershy stared at her reflection in the lake. She had spent several weeks in her cabin with only her animals to comfort her. Her bruises were now starting to discolor, the scabs that were at her sides gleamed in the sunlight, still fresh. She had fallen into a deep depression and stopped eating, so her body became thin and her bones were starting to become visible under her yellow coat which was now darker because she neglected to remove the filth from that night. Fluttershy slowly crawled into the lake to bathe, to try and remove the filth that clung to her frail body. Fluttershy watched as the clear water surrounding her became brown and stagnant with her filth, only to become clear again. As she watched the filth dissipate, she bit her lip in jealousy. Oh how she wished to be capable of removing the filth and grime within her body, but no matter how much she scrubbed, she didn't feel even the slightest bit clean. As she continued scrubbing, she was too busy to notice that the animals were approaching her with caution, as if they never saw her before. Even the birds kept their distance. These animals were bonded to the yellow Pegasus, and they knew when something happened to her. They knew immediately that something happened that night that shook Fluttershy down to her core. But what could they do? Fluttershy finally noticed as a baby duck swam up to her, its eyes looked up to her, and Fluttershy blinked in surprise. The duckling had a saddened expression, and Fluttershy knew that the duckling was trying to comfort Fluttershy, despite its nativity to how serious the situation was. The duck flinched at a teardrop fell into the pristine water that surrounded them, followed by another. "T-thank you." She whispered quietly between choked sobs. "But I don't think I'm strong enough to bear this…" "Fluttershy?" Fluttershy turned in surprise only to see Twilight Sparkle, the sensible unicorn who was also one of her closest friends, standing at the edge of the lake. Fluttershy quickly forced a smile. "Oh, h-hey Twilight." She managed to say clearly. Twilight gave a concerned expression. "We haven't seen you in weeks; I decided to check up on you. We were a bit worried." Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "Have… You been… Crying?" She said after a few seconds of examination. Fluttershy glanced at the baby duck and quickly formed a lie in her head. "O-oh, I was just…" She scooped the duckling and held it before Twilight. "Admiring the ducklings, they were just born yesterday." It was a simple lie. Fluttershy knew that lies were bad, but it was either that or having Twilight find out about her secret and hate her forever. As Fluttershy walked out of the lake to show Twilight the duckling, the purple unicorn gasped. "Fluttershy, your sides! What happened?" Fluttershy looked at the crimson lines that went across her yellow coat. "Oh, I was trying to… Fix a bird's nest and tripped. I put some antiseptic on it already so there's nothing to worry about." More lies. But still, better than the alternative… Twilight cocked an eyebrow, letting Fluttershy's story run through her head. "Okay then. Listen, why don't you finish up here and we can head on down to the Sugarcube Corner? Applejack wants to tell us something." Fluttershy hesitated for a second before placing the duckling down. As she trotted away with Twilight, Fluttershy hoped that nothing would let her friends find out about her secret. Like Nevermore said: "You don't want anypony to find out what a dirty tramp you are now, do ya?" The thought of her friends abandoning her almost made her cry again, but she managed to reduce it into a quiet whimper before Twilight could notice. "And I then told Derpy, 'If you push it in like that, all of Ponyville's going to melt!'" At the Sugarcube Corner, Fluttershy flinched at the sight of all her friends, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie Pie, as well as a rather nervous Caramel, sitting at a single table. The Pegasus gulped before joining them. They all asked Fluttershy where she was all this time, and Fluttershy simply told them the same story she told Twilight. They mostly believed her, but Applejack seemed hesitant to believe her, if not skeptical. Pinkie Pie then resumed her story. "And then, Derpy is like, 'ICE IKE NOW SYRUP, LICK FLU A LICE SET A YAWN WAY TIN!'" This resulted in most of the ponies at the table to burst into laughter, except Twilight, who seemed angry, Caramel, who was too nervous to laugh, and Fluttershy, who didn't respond. "Cut it out, Pinkie." Twilight barked at the pink earth pony. "You don't need to make fun of Derpy like that." Rarity nudged Twilight with her elbow. "I don't know darling, seemed rather funny to me." Dash went stiff, like a robot, and repeated Derpy's phrase in a robotic manner, resulting in more laughter in the group. Twilight sighed, turning to Applejack. "Ok, AJ, we're all here, what did you want to tell us?" Applejack chuckled, grinning like she was winning a card game. "I didn't wanna tell you nothing'." Applejack said in a cheerful matter. "But mah cousin Caramel here's got a few words ta say." All eyes turned to Caramel, who in turn, looked to Applejack in panicked desperation. "Relax, sugarcube." She said quietly. "Just remember what we said." Caramel gave the Cowpony a nod of affirmation, and looked at the others. "Ok. Uh. Here goes. I'm…" He took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm a-a… colt-cuddler." Everypony stared at him; blank, unsurprised looks were on their faces. "That's it?" Rainbow Dash muttered. "Lame." And repeated her mockery of Derpy. The next hour was full of laughter and merriment as the ponies, with the exception of Fluttershy, who said or did nothing, talked about their own relationships, and engorged themselves with Pinkie's cupcakes. Even Caramel was engaged in the conversation, talking about a "certain, fan-holding, colt" who he met at one of Rarity's fashion shows, which fashionable unicorn to take a sudden interest in the colt. Pinkie went ballistic about her new boyfriend. "Well, he says he a doctor, but not the kind that's like, "Lets takes your temperature." and stuff like that, and he travels around in a blue box, which I really find weird, because he'd probably be safer in a carriage, and he said that he saw how Equestria was made, and he the lord of something, but I can't remember what it was, and he..." As she carried on, however, Twilight was suddenly asked by Applejack if she could speak with her privately, and they walked into the restroom of the restaurant. "What's up AJ?" Twilight asked cheerfully. Applejack looked around carefully before speaking. "Hey, is there somthin' wrong with Fluttershy?" Applejack asked, her eyebrows raised. Twilight glanced at Fluttershy, who was seemingly off-focus despite looking at Pinkie. "Not to my knowledge…" She muttered. "But now that you mention it, she does seem rather off today." Applejack looked surprised. "'Off?' We don't see her since Celestia's big party and suddenly she changes like this! She hasn't laughed to a single one of Dash's jokes, which she usually does. She hasn't partaken in a single bite of Pinkie's cupcakes, which she usually does. She hasn't even said a single durn word the entire time, which ah believe is strange even for HER! And just look at her, she's barely skin and bones." Twilight thought about it for a moment, these were thing she barely even noticed. "Well… Maybe she's not feeling well." Twilight hypothesized for a moment. "And don't think I didn't see them scratches on Fluttershy's sides! Now where the hay did those come from?" "Well, she said she got hurt fixing a bird's nest…" "Uh-uh. Those ain't the kind of scratches you get from fallin' down. Those there are fightin' marks. I should know. I get into spits with Big Macintosh now and again." Applejack glanced at Fluttershy, who was now listening to something Rarity was talking about, but still seemed distant. Applejack's brow furrowed. "Something ain't right with our girl. I can feel it." Twilight suddenly remembered something. "Wait, when I went to get her this morning, she was in the middle of the lake." Applejack nodded in conformation. "Uh-huh." "And she was crying." Applejack said nothing more, and simply walked over to Fluttershy. Twilight watched as the two ponies exchanged words, and then Applejack walked back to Twilight, with Fluttershy right behind them. "Oh, hey Twilight." Fluttershy said "cheerfully". "How can I help you guys?" Twilight raised an eyebrow; she was not suspicious of her friend's situation. "Fluttershy, are you okay? You don't seem to be acting yourself." Fluttershy froze, but managed to retain her smile. "I'm fine, Twilight, why do you ask?" Applejack suddenly butted in. "Cause the entire time you've been here, you haven't said a single word, and you didn't eat any of Pinkie's cupcakes. And we know you love her cupcakes almost more than anypony in Ponyville." Fluttershy felt a nervous twinge begin to grow within her belly, her smile disappeared. "Well, I… I haven't been feeli-." Applejack cut her off. "And where in tarnation did you get those there scrapes? And don't go telling me 'It was an accident. I fell down.' Cause I know those can only be caused by hooves!" "Fluttershy." The yellow Pegasus turned to Twilight, who gave a look of concern. "Is there something you're not telling us?" The unicorn paused before speaking again, choosing her words carefully. "D-did something happen at Celestia's party?" The minute that Twilight mentioned the party, Fluttershy automatically winced. The two other ponies saw this and instantly realized that their assumptions were correct. Something was wrong. Fluttershy turned away quickly. "I-I have to go. My animals, t-they need me." "Fluttershy, wait!" Applejack and Twilight silently watched as Fluttershy walked away, quietly muttering to herself, and headed towards the front door. But as she reached the door Pinkie stood in her way. "Where're you going, Fluttershy?" She asked. "The party's still going on!" Fluttershy trembled, there was an earth pony blocking the door. She found Nevermore standing in front of the door, smiling a rather wicked smile, with a key hanging off his neck. "P-Please…let me go…" Fluttershy asked quietly, trying hard to keep herself calm. Sadly, she spoke so quietly, and Pinkie Pie immediately decided to bring her back to the others. "C'mon silly." She giggled. "The party's this way." "I wanna spend some personal fun with you, Fluttershy. Just you and me, with nopony around…" Fluttershy squeaked in fear and turned towards the back door, running past the others. However, Pinkie immediately thought that Fluttershy was playing, and skipped after her. Fluttershy turned and saw Pinkie heading towards her. He ended up chasing Fluttershy around the room. Fluttershy's wings locked as she reached the door, but unfortunately, Pinkie Pie was right behind, her and grabbed her with her front hooves. "Gotcha Fluttershy." Fluttershy's back legs coiled up. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" Everypony watched as Pinky Pie went flying across the room into a wall, they then watched as Fluttershy stood still for a few seconds before running out of the door. As Rarity and Twilight tended to the pink earth pony, who now had two hoof marks on her forehead. Applejack ran out the back door in pursuit of Fluttershy. "Cad atá… suas doc?" Pinkie muttered in a daze. "Bhí an… Spraoi…" Fluttershy flinched as she heard her front door open with a loud bang. Applejack, angry and confused, turned to the cowering Pegasus. "What the hay is goin' on with you?" Applejack asked rather forcefully, her anger rising. "Why can't you tell us? We're your friends!" As she approached Fluttershy, the Pegasus in return backed off, until she reached a corner in her house. As Applejack made one last step towards Fluttershy. The Pegasus cowered in fear, preparing for the worst. She expected Applejack to leave in anger, to say she never wanted to be associated with her, to hate her. Instead, she felt a hoof lightly rest on her shoulder. As she lifted up, she saw Applejack, kneeled down next to her, with an expression of not anger, but of concern, of compassion. She realized that Applejack cared for her friend, and wanted to help her no matter what. She remembered how Applejack helped Fluttershy up the mountain when the ponies went to confront the dragon. How she supported her even when the others didn't. She realized that Applejack was a true friend, that they were all her true friends. And they would support her and help her, no matter what. Tears began to form behind her eyes, and she looked away. "C'mon, Fluttershy, talk to me. I'm your friend, I wanna help." The dam burst. Fluttershy immediately embraced the cowpony, crying loudly into her shoulder. "I'm s-sorry." She choked. "It's just been so har-har-hard…" As she continued sobbing, Applejack returned the embrace and rocked her slowly, consoling her. "Shh. It's okay sugarcube, everything gonna be okay. Just relax." They sat there for about an hour before Fluttershy calmed down. Applejack pulled away and sighed, her shoulder was damp with tears. "Ok." Applejack said calmly. "Now I want you to take a deep breath, and explain to me what happened." ConfrontationBack at Sugarcube Corner, the other ponies were still confused over Fluttershy's outburst. Never once had any of them see Fluttershy react in such a way, despite her encounter with the dragon of course. It was very surprising, almost frightening. As Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Caramel, Spike, and Pinkie Pie, who was now unconscious from her concussion, sat in an awkward silence. All other ponies except for the five were removed from the building by Mr. and Mrs. Cake under Twilight's request, so they could discuss what happened privately. Spike was the first to speak. "So… Anypony gonna explain what just happened?" Spike asked. "Uh… Cuz I think I'm missing something here." Twilight looked over at the baby dragon with a concerned look. "I'm just as confused as you Spike. All I know is that she was in her lake crying, and then there were those marks on her sides." Twilight bit her lip in anxiety, a habit she developed long ago. "Applejack said she'd talk to Fluttershy, but now I'm worried. What if this is something really, really bad." The group returned to their silent poses for a good few minutes before the front door to the Sugarcube Corner opened with a light ring. "Um… Sorry, but we're clo-" Mr. Cake began to speak, but stopped. "Oh, heh, it's you guys… Sorry." He gestured to the group with his hoof. "Come on in…" The group turned to see Applejack and Fluttershy walk towards them, except the comatose Pinkie. Applejack kept a brave face, but anypony could see the feelings of anger and retribution that dwelled inside many a cowpony went something is wrong. She also was not wearing her cowboy hat, which surprised the group. Meanwhile, Fluttershy, who WAS wearing Applejack's cowboy hat, was by her side, her head was lowered and she was looking away shamefully. Applejack looked at the saddened pony and smiled at her, but Fluttershy only whimpered softly. "Do ya want me to tell them?" Applejack whispered to the Pegasus. Fluttershy didn't even hesitate as she nodded. Applejack merely sight in response. "You're gonna be okay, sugarcube. We'll get ya through this…" As the duo sat at the table, Applejack almost instantly laid her front hoofs on the table and looked straight into the group with a serious expression. She looked at Fluttershy, who nodded back to her, before she spoke. "Listen up, everypony." Applejack spoke. "We'ves got ourselves a big situation here…" Twilight Sparkle couldn't believe her ears. Never once in her life was she aware of such a thing happening. Such an act wasn't even listed in the Equestrian Criminology Almanac, so it almost seemed impossible to the intelligent unicorn. "Forced… mating?" She said quietly to herself, her nose crinkled up. "That's horrible, disgusting even." Fluttershy winced at the words and whimpered, only to feel the hoof of a pony on her shoulder. Fluttershy glanced out from under the brim of her hat to see Rarity, who was sitting next to her, with a horrified, almost sympathetic, expression on her face. Fluttershy remembered that Rarity was kidnapped by a band of Diamond Dogs long ago, and it now crossed her mind if they had tried to do the same that one day. The yellow Pegasus only had to look into Rarity's eyes to know the answer. "Fluttershy…" Rarity asked, her voice was quiet and shaky. "Who is the bucking ruffian that did this to you?" Fluttershy shivered as she mentioned every detail about Nevermore, from the color of his mane to where she was, "attacked." As she spoke, she noticed that she began to feel better inside. She suddenly felt lighter with each word, and she could feel that inner grime break away. As she finished, her speech was quickly followed by Rainbow Dash slamming her hooves on the table. "AUGH!" She lamented. "I knew that guy was fishy. I mean, I tried not to judge him on appearance, but…" "RAINBOW." All the ponies turned to face Pinkie Pie, who was now fully awake. Her mane was completely down and her coat was darker, as her pupils were smaller and fiercer. Her face was in a mixture between a grimace and a scowl, and judging by her appearance, she was clearly affected by what Fluttershy said. "Oh Celestia…" Caramel murmured. Rainbow Dash tapped Pinkie's shoulder. "Uh, Pinkie Pi-" The pink Earth pony sharply turned her head at Rainbow Dash. "NO!" She gave elevator eyes at Rainbow Dash, and grinned widely for a second before frowning again. "It's Pinkamina! Pinkamina Diane Pie!" Pinkamina shook her head. "Never mind, forget about it. Not important." She calmly looked at Fluttershy. "For the record, I find you to be probably the bravest pony I've ever met." Pinkamina spoke coolly. The others simply watched in shock. "However, I would think that simply talking about it isn't enough. You're going to have to get…" She paused for effect. "Justice." Fluttershy trembled. "B-but how could I do that? Just thinking of him…" Fluttershy squeaked and hid underneath Applejack's hat. "I-I'm scared…" She muttered barely over her breath. Twilight smiled, "Don't worry, we'll be alongside you. With us, you'll find the courage to do anything." "Twilight's right." Rarity chimed in. "I think it's high time we showed this buffoon who's boss." "If he start messin' with one pony." Applejack spoke up. "Then he's messin' with all of us." "Wait till I get my hooves on that pile of horseapples!" Rainbow Dash shouted, smashing her two front hooves together. "I'll make him see rainbows!" Pinkamina's hair proofed back into its original form and her color became lighter. Pinkie grinned happily. "Hey guys! What'd I miss?" The plan was a success. Thanks to Twilight's connections with Princess Celestia, the managed to locate the next concert that "Death Cab Cutie Mark" was playing at: in Appaloosa. "Once we get there, we'll need a confession from Nevermore before we can do anything. So you'll have to be patient and carefull." Rarity was able to purchase the tickets with bits she earned from dress purchases. "On any other occasion, I would never do such a thing. However, it is different in your case." When the group arrived in Appaloosa, they were instantly greeted by Braeburn, who they knew would stick to them like marshmallow paste, making it harder to get backstage at confront Nevermore. However, Applejack distracted him by introducing Braeburn to Caramel. "Braeburn shouldn't be a problem now that he's met another coltcuddler. This should keep us from getting undetected." Pinkie Pie and Spike would distract the security ponies while Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy would sneak into the backstage. "You can count on us, Fluttershy!" Spike spoke proudly. Pinkie Pie only giggled in agreement. And lastly, Rainbow Dash would be alongside Applejack and Fluttershy in case the confrontation became too ugly. "I can't wait to clop his face in. LET'S DO THIS!" "That last song rocked! We did fantastic!" Nevermore smiled as he watched his fellow band-mates, Eldorado and Tamerlane, laughed and talk about what happened on stage, like always. They were in their trailer backstage, which consisted of three beds, a small desk with a mirror on it, a lamp, and a small table. The band was getting ready for the after-party, in which the fans actually met the band. "And Nevermore, your drum solo was perfection! Have you practiced while we weren't looking?" Nevermore looked away bashfully. "Maybe…" Tamerlane placed a hoof on Nevermore's shoulder. "Well, great job. I can't wait to see how we do on our next gig." "Which is in… Ponyappolis, if I'm not mistaken." Nevermore said thoughtfully. The two ponies began to walk out of the room as they turned to Nevermore. "Hey dude, you're not coming? There are mares EVERYWHERE. You could get lucky…" Nevermore smiled warmly, pausing for a moment before speaking. "Nah, I don't feel like it tonight." Eldorado grinned. "Then how about we send over a filly here, then? You'll have fun." Nevermore's eye twitched for a spit second. "Sure, why not?" Eldorodo and Tamerlane smacked whooves. "ALRIGHT! THE QUEST TO GET A MARE FOR NEVERMORE!" They ran out of the trailer, laughing like little fillies playing a game. Nevermore made a small sigh as he watched them leave. He then turned and began brushing his raven-colored mane with a brush that rested on the desk. He stopped when he heard the trailer door open. "Oh, hey. By Luna's tail they worked fast. What's your na-" Nevermore turned to see Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash standing before him. He merely had to glance at Fluttershy to realize what was going on. "Ah." Rainbow Dash smashed a hoof into the floor. "Alright you no good hoofpaste!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "I'm gonna kick your plot so hard you'll be a blank-flank." Nevermore cocked his head and smiled. "Oh, hey Fluttershy." Nevermore said directly to the yellow Pegasus. "You up for another go?" Fluttershy squeaked and shielded herself. "Leave her along, Nevermore." Applejack shouted. "You'll answer to us." "By Celestia's name, Fluttershy. You are pathetic." Nevermore continued smiling. "You managed to tell your friends about your disgusting habit…" "YOU CAUSED IT, YA APPLEROT!" Applejack shouted, her anger slowly rising. The dark pony continued. "…And now they're defending you out of pity." "We're defending her because we're her friends!" Rainbow Dash countered. Nevermore looked at her with a suggestive look. "Tell you what. How about I sign you all a poster and we forget all about this?" Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth. "ARE YOU INSANE? DO YOU THINK WE'LL JUST SELL OUT FLUTTERSHY LIKE THAT?" Nevermore sighed. "Then go ahead, hit me. Earn your revenge. You'll only get yourself kicked out. I'll win, and 'widdle Fwuttershy will keep being da vunwerable pony-whore she is'." Fluttershy was trembling now, and Nevermore, noticing this, decided to add a cherry on top of his so-called "victory speech": "She deserved it." The trailer was completely demolished as Nevermore was flung around it by what looked like a rainbow. When he finally landed he slowly lifted his body up and spat out a tooth. "Why you little fillyfooler. I'm going to kill you! I'm-" He never even had a chance to finish his sentence, as he was quickly smashed in the face be another hoof. "This is for!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she attempted to punch Nevermore, only to get her attack blocked by the azure pony, who then socked Rainbow Dash in the chest. Luckjly, Applejack quickly interfered and bucked Nevermore with her back hooves, resulting in a grotesque snapping sound come from the pony rapist. "AUGH!" Nevermore clenched at his side. One or two of his ribs were broken. But that didn't stop Applejack, who then proceeded to drove her front hooves forward, punching Nevermore rapidly in the face. "This." Thwack! She scraped Nevermore's forehead. "Is." Bam! Nevermore gave out a cry as his none went ninety degrees. "Fer." Smack! One of her hooves tore a bit of his cheek. "Hurtin.'" Fwack! There was a pop as his other cheek broke. "Mah." Pow! Nevermore staggered as his vision began to blur. "FRIEND!" Buck! Nevermore fell on his back from the uppercut Applejack delivered, breaking his jaw. As Nevermore fell to the ground, blood oozed out of his nose, eyes, and mouth, along with various other gashes and scrapes brought on by Applejack's assault. He groaned and attemped to get up only to get pushed down again by a unknown force. As Nevermore he looked up, he noticed the bright glow of an Alicorn standing before him, her shimmering eyes stared daggers into Nevermore's very soul. Nevermore shivered. "Good day, Lady Cele-" "SILENCE!" Celestia boomed. It seemed as if the whole world shook around Nevermore. He glanced over and saw Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and his band-mates looking at him. Eldorodo and Tamerlane had mixed looks of shock and confusion on their faces. Celestia began to speak again. "Nevermore Poeny, the crime you have committed is despicable and brings great shame to Equestria!" Nevermore managed to stand up, only to get pushed down with great force by Celestia's magic. "I believed that, due to the heinousness of your crime, that you are hereby sent to the Equestrian Royal Prison for the remainder of your days." Nevermore gave a desperate smile towards his ruler. "B-but your majesty, I'm innocent. She-" "Silence." Celestia's voice suddenly became harsh and venomous, her face was hardened and fierce. This was a side of Celestia that nopony had ever saw, not even Discord himself. She was angry, and Nevermore was about to receive the brunt of that anger. Nevermore gave out a sharp cry as the pain from his wounds suddenly intensified in pain, perhaps intentionally, from the force of her magic. "Don't you even dare think of defending yourself. There is more than enough evidence that you are responsible for this crime. I rule this land, Nevermore. I hear all that is said in Equestria, and I am now aware of your foul deeds." Celestia's horn glowed, and a ring of light surrounded Nevermore. "Farewell." Nevermore managed to let out a single, "But…" before vanishing in a flash of light and smog. The very next day, Fluttershy was greeted by her friends at Sugarcube Corner, Angel by her side. She merely had to look at them to begin crying. She ran up to the group and embraced them, whispering "thank you" repeatedly between her sobs, especially to Applejack, who without her this probably would have never happened. Her friends tearfully accepted the gratitude, and the all sat down to talk about Caramel and Braeburn's suddenly new relationship. Fluttershy realized at that moment that if she had told her friends about her predicament from the beginning, then they would've helped her out. They were her true friends, and would always stand by her. She felt slightly guilty for not speaking up before, as well as confronting Nevermore directly. But that wasn't what was important. The important thing was that Nevermore was gone, and that Fluttershy was finally free. She slept soundly that night, and she did the same ever night for the rest of her life.
ViolationShe never expected it to happen to her, nor did she deserve it. She was a good pony. Kind, selfless, thoughtful, and not to mention incredibly beautiful. She was loved by nearly everypony as much as she loved everypony. And for the longest time, she felt serene and peaceful. Until that day… There was a special celebration that day, Princess Celestia's birthday to be exact. And the Princess had launched a huge celebration at her castle in Canterlot. It was a celebration that everypony enjoyed. Celestia had even managed to hire a band, "Death Cab Cutie Mark", to play live during the party. Pinkie herself was ecstatic, literary bouncing off the walls in excitement. Luna was given loads of attention by various Colts, thanks to the advice Rarity had given her. Applejack was hired as the main chef, and supplied delicious apple and apple accessories for the entire party. Fluttershy finally connected with the castle's animals, and spend most of the time in the garden, talking to them. Spike actually managed to get to dance with Rarity, and relished it completely. Even Twilight managed to get a few words with Celestia, as they discussed about magic, amongst other things. Twilight and her friends were given V.I.P passes because of Twi's connection with the queen. So after the band's last performance they actually got to meet them. Laughs and stories were exchanged between the band and the mane cast. Even Fluttershy laughed loudly, which she admitted that only her pet rabbit, Angel, was capable of doing. One of the band members, an earth pony named "Nevermore", chuckled, and whispered to Fluttershy that he also had a pet rabbit. Nevermore was a grim-looking pony. His coat was a deep, dark purple, darker like Luna's. His black mane was straight and to the side, just looking at it reminded her of when Pinkie Pie was depressed. His tail, which matched his mane, had two streams of red on it, one darker than the other. His cutie mark was a cartoon skull, complete with sparkling eyes and two rosy cheeks. But the thing about Nevermore that unnerved Fluttershy the most was his eyes, which were pumpkin orange. They looked menacing and cruel, no matter what expression he had on at the time. "Unfortunately," Nevermore continued. "He's a bit under the weather, so he can't come out right now. Eventually, the party died down, and the entire population of ponies in the castle slowly diminished. Celestia retired before the guests did. Eventually, even Pinkie was exhausted, and out of the six ponies, eventually Fluttershy was all that remained. She was so busy helping a group of mice leave the castle; she didn't even notice the pair of eyes that watched her, hungrily. As Fluttershy finally escorted the mice out the castle, she heard the rushed clopping of hoofs behind her. Turning around, she saw Nevermore with an anxious expression head towards her. "Y-you have to help me." Nevermore spoke, slightly out of breath. "M-My pet rabbit has stopped breathing. I think he… he…" Fluttershy gasped. Almost instantly, she asked where the rabbit was, and she followed Nevermore to their destination, which was Fluttershy's biggest mistake. Normally, she would have been suspicious of such things. Despite the wild conversation that the band had with Fluttershy and her friends, he was still a complete stranger. However, Nevermore knew from Fluttershy herself that she had a soft spot for animals, and he knew he only had to say a few words to get her eating out of his hoof. As they reached one of the guest bedrooms, Nevermore opened the door and gestured Fluttershy in. "In here, quickly! I don't think he's gonna make it much longer!" Fluttershy dashed in and her eyes darted around the room searching for the rabbit. It was a rather small room, with only a dresser, a bed fit for one pony, an end table, and a lamp. It was the kind of room that one would use for one night visits or simple naps. Where they could rest without anything disturbing them, as such rooms usually carried keys. Finally, Fluttershy's vision caught onto a box-shaped object with a green towel covering it, sitting on a dresser. Fluttershy rushed to the object and in a quick flourish removed the green covering. "It's okay little rabbit, you're going to be fi-" Underneath was an empty cage, no rabbit, no carrots, nothing but a single, yellow note with two words written on it. "Behind you." As Fluttershy looked in confusion at the note, she suddenly heard a sudden click behind her. As she turned to find the source of the noise, she found Nevermore standing in front of the door, smiling a rather wicked smile, with a key hanging off his neck. His orange eyes glared directly through her cyan ones, and he licked his muzzle in anticipation. "Gotcha Fluttershy." He said calmly, and began to approach her. "This is going to be fun." Fluttershy quivered as she began to back off, only to bump against the dresser and knock the cage to the floor. "Wh-What do you want?" She asked nervously, her eyes wide with fear. Nevermore shook his head and sighed. "I wanna spend some personal fun with you, Fluttershy. Just you and me, with nopony around…" Fluttershy's wings locked at the realization of what he meant. He was going to breed with her, whether she wanted it or not. The two of them stood still for a few seconds before Fluttershy headed towards the door, but Nevermore stopped her, and he ended up chasing Fluttershy around the room. "I knew something like this was going to happen the moment I saw you Fluttershy." He laughed as he chased her. "And as you and your friends talked, that prediction grew into a certainty, and I simply had to…" Nevermore shuddered in delight, preparing himself for what could possibility happen next. "I just can't believe it was so easy! All I had to do was make some lie about a stupid rabbit and you instantly fall into my hooves. It's as if you wanted this… How hilarious." Fluttershy needed to escape. She finally managed to reach the door, but soon realized it was locked. Turning her head, she saw Nevermore approaching her, laughing, and the chase began again. What was she going to do? She tried screaming, but her voice wouldn't come out. Tears began to well up as she realized the inevitable was soon going to jump on her any minute now… Her hoof caught the cage and she tripped, banging her head against the dresser. She fell to the floor, wings splayed. She wasn't even on the floor for a minute when Nevermore stood on top of her, his eyes examining his prize. Fluttershy quivered, she could feel the blood trickling down her forehead, and Nevermore's warm breath on the back of her neck, which blew in small bursts as the earth pony chuckled to himself. "P-Please…" She begged, paralyzed with fear. But all she heard was a sinister chuckle above her. "Don't worry." Nevermore snarled in the Pegasus' ear. "I only wanna do this once…" And then he pushed himself in. Fluttershy finally made a loud cry as she tried to pull away. Her winds expanded and flapped vigorously, but were unable to move with the weight on top of her, he was simply too heavy. She cried loudly as she felt herself get pierced again and again, the pain echoing in waves. Nevermore grunted loudly and scraped his hooves against Fluttershy's sides. She tried her best to think of something different, to take her mind off what was happening, but she suddenly felt a painful pinch on the back of her neck. "Hey, you awake? I want you to remember this. It's your special moment, pony whore." Fluttershy felt the trickling of fluids run down her forehead, and her legs. Even with a slight glance, she knew for certain it was more blood. Suddenly, Nevermore stopped and turned his head towards the door. Fluttershy's eyes rose with hope as she heard not one, but two hoofsteps approaching the door. She was about to shout for help when a hoof covered her mouth. "Shhh." Nevermore hissed quietly through his teeth into the Pegasus' ear. "If you say a word, or bite me, I'll make sure by tomorrow that you'll regret it." Fluttershy whimpered, praying that they were royal guards that heard her screams. There was a knocking on the door. "Yo, Nevermore. You awake, I need some 'toothpaste'." The sound of a mare giggling squeezed through the door. Nevermore yawned loudly, trying to sound tired. "Go away, Eldorado, I'm sleeping." Fluttershy remembered Eldorado, he was Pegasus with a light brown coat, a deep, chocolate brown mane, and sunglasses he wore on all occasions. She decided not to talk to him because he seemed though and rigid, more than even Rainbow Dash, and decided to stick with Nevermore. Big mistake. There was a pause, followed by more giggling exchanged between Eldorado and the mare. "Kay then, I'll be in the trailer. Night" Fluttershy let out a muffled whimper as she heard her last glimmer of hope walk away from her. "Now." Never more said after a few seconds of silence. "Where was I?" Fluttershy cried out more as her innocence continued to be destroyed piece by piece, the frenzied grunts of the dark earth pony reminding Fluttershy . Nevermore was right. How could she have been so stupid? She should have been more careful and cautious, but she let her pathetic love for animals get in the way of common sense and it resulted in this. It was her fault she got in this situation. Her fault. HER. FAULT. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Nevermore let out a loud groan and emptied himself inside of her, before pulling out. Fluttershy whimpered again, curling up in a ball. She felt several different emotions at once, none of them pleasant, and simply felt like vanishing forever. Nevermore gave a satisfied sigh and walked towards the door, grabbing the key with his teeth and opening the door. He paused in the doorway, looking at the miserable Fluttershy, who was sobbing quietly on the floor. "I hope you enjoyed that too." He sneered. "Just be glad I took some precautions beforehand, in case you popped out any fillies. I don't want this to lead back to me." He turned to leave again, but didn't. "Oh, I recommend not telling anypony. You don't want anypony to find out what a dirty tramp you are now, do ya?" Fluttershy gave a sniffle, followed by a quiet, "No." "Wonderful, have a nice night." And with that, he left. Fluttershy didn't remember how she got home, but she probably did it quickly, to avoid being seen. She opened the door quietly, as to not awaken Angel. Every step hurt. She headed straight to the bathroom and turned the light on. Looking in the mirror, she saw the damage that had been done. There was a hideous bruise on her forehead, thanks to the dresser which also gave her a black eye. Her sides were scrapped so badly that they were scabbed. Her lower back was bruised badly, as well as her legs. She didn't dare check between them, she was too scared to. Her wings were bruised, but were thankfully unbroken. She was covered in grime, to the point where her yellow coat was now darker and uglier. Either it was dried blood… or…. his… his… Fluttershy turned towards the toilet and vomited. She continued until she had nothing left in her belly, and she ended up spewing bitter bile. She was sobbing loudly now, as the horrors of the night took her in completely. He violated her. She was a clear, beautiful pond that was poisoned with his toxic, putrid filth. She remembered a time when she was a filly with her parents, on a boat in the middle of a lake. As she watched the blue waves, she noticed a bug, drowning in the water. She tried to grab it with her hooves, but only managed to push it away. She kept trying until a fish swam up and swallowed it. It soon dawned on her that she was like that bug. Drowning, unable to escape from the fish that was going to swallow her whole. She felt trapped, with no way out. It was going to be a very long, long night…
ConsiderationIt was a wonder how Fluttershy got up that morning. As she awoke from her slumber, Fluttershy groggily examined her surroundings. It only took her seconds to remember where she was, and what happened last night. She thought for a brief second that it was a horrible nightmare before a sudden pain in her thighs proved otherwise. Realizing that what happened actually happened, Fluttershy buried her head in her pillow and began to weep, loudly. Angel, awakened by the sound of Fluttershy's sobs, approached the crying Pegasus, but could do nothing but stand bewildered about Fluttershy's plight. Fluttershy stared at her reflection in the lake. She had spent several weeks in her cabin with only her animals to comfort her. Her bruises were now starting to discolor, the scabs that were at her sides gleamed in the sunlight, still fresh. She had fallen into a deep depression and stopped eating, so her body became thin and her bones were starting to become visible under her yellow coat which was now darker because she neglected to remove the filth from that night. Fluttershy slowly crawled into the lake to bathe, to try and remove the filth that clung to her frail body. Fluttershy watched as the clear water surrounding her became brown and stagnant with her filth, only to become clear again. As she watched the filth dissipate, she bit her lip in jealousy. Oh how she wished to be capable of removing the filth and grime within her body, but no matter how much she scrubbed, she didn't feel even the slightest bit clean. As she continued scrubbing, she was too busy to notice that the animals were approaching her with caution, as if they never saw her before. Even the birds kept their distance. These animals were bonded to the yellow Pegasus, and they knew when something happened to her. They knew immediately that something happened that night that shook Fluttershy down to her core. But what could they do? Fluttershy finally noticed as a baby duck swam up to her, its eyes looked up to her, and Fluttershy blinked in surprise. The duckling had a saddened expression, and Fluttershy knew that the duckling was trying to comfort Fluttershy, despite its nativity to how serious the situation was. The duck flinched at a teardrop fell into the pristine water that surrounded them, followed by another. "T-thank you." She whispered quietly between choked sobs. "But I don't think I'm strong enough to bear this…" "Fluttershy?" Fluttershy turned in surprise only to see Twilight Sparkle, the sensible unicorn who was also one of her closest friends, standing at the edge of the lake. Fluttershy quickly forced a smile. "Oh, h-hey Twilight." She managed to say clearly. Twilight gave a concerned expression. "We haven't seen you in weeks; I decided to check up on you. We were a bit worried." Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "Have… You been… Crying?" She said after a few seconds of examination. Fluttershy glanced at the baby duck and quickly formed a lie in her head. "O-oh, I was just…" She scooped the duckling and held it before Twilight. "Admiring the ducklings, they were just born yesterday." It was a simple lie. Fluttershy knew that lies were bad, but it was either that or having Twilight find out about her secret and hate her forever. As Fluttershy walked out of the lake to show Twilight the duckling, the purple unicorn gasped. "Fluttershy, your sides! What happened?" Fluttershy looked at the crimson lines that went across her yellow coat. "Oh, I was trying to… Fix a bird's nest and tripped. I put some antiseptic on it already so there's nothing to worry about." More lies. But still, better than the alternative… Twilight cocked an eyebrow, letting Fluttershy's story run through her head. "Okay then. Listen, why don't you finish up here and we can head on down to the Sugarcube Corner? Applejack wants to tell us something." Fluttershy hesitated for a second before placing the duckling down. As she trotted away with Twilight, Fluttershy hoped that nothing would let her friends find out about her secret. Like Nevermore said: "You don't want anypony to find out what a dirty tramp you are now, do ya?" The thought of her friends abandoning her almost made her cry again, but she managed to reduce it into a quiet whimper before Twilight could notice. "And I then told Derpy, 'If you push it in like that, all of Ponyville's going to melt!'" At the Sugarcube Corner, Fluttershy flinched at the sight of all her friends, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie Pie, as well as a rather nervous Caramel, sitting at a single table. The Pegasus gulped before joining them. They all asked Fluttershy where she was all this time, and Fluttershy simply told them the same story she told Twilight. They mostly believed her, but Applejack seemed hesitant to believe her, if not skeptical. Pinkie Pie then resumed her story. "And then, Derpy is like, 'ICE IKE NOW SYRUP, LICK FLU A LICE SET A YAWN WAY TIN!'" This resulted in most of the ponies at the table to burst into laughter, except Twilight, who seemed angry, Caramel, who was too nervous to laugh, and Fluttershy, who didn't respond. "Cut it out, Pinkie." Twilight barked at the pink earth pony. "You don't need to make fun of Derpy like that." Rarity nudged Twilight with her elbow. "I don't know darling, seemed rather funny to me." Dash went stiff, like a robot, and repeated Derpy's phrase in a robotic manner, resulting in more laughter in the group. Twilight sighed, turning to Applejack. "Ok, AJ, we're all here, what did you want to tell us?" Applejack chuckled, grinning like she was winning a card game. "I didn't wanna tell you nothing'." Applejack said in a cheerful matter. "But mah cousin Caramel here's got a few words ta say." All eyes turned to Caramel, who in turn, looked to Applejack in panicked desperation. "Relax, sugarcube." She said quietly. "Just remember what we said." Caramel gave the Cowpony a nod of affirmation, and looked at the others. "Ok. Uh. Here goes. I'm…" He took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm a-a… colt-cuddler." Everypony stared at him; blank, unsurprised looks were on their faces. "That's it?" Rainbow Dash muttered. "Lame." And repeated her mockery of Derpy. The next hour was full of laughter and merriment as the ponies, with the exception of Fluttershy, who said or did nothing, talked about their own relationships, and engorged themselves with Pinkie's cupcakes. Even Caramel was engaged in the conversation, talking about a "certain, fan-holding, colt" who he met at one of Rarity's fashion shows, which fashionable unicorn to take a sudden interest in the colt. Pinkie went ballistic about her new boyfriend. "Well, he says he a doctor, but not the kind that's like, "Lets takes your temperature." and stuff like that, and he travels around in a blue box, which I really find weird, because he'd probably be safer in a carriage, and he said that he saw how Equestria was made, and he the lord of something, but I can't remember what it was, and he..." As she carried on, however, Twilight was suddenly asked by Applejack if she could speak with her privately, and they walked into the restroom of the restaurant. "What's up AJ?" Twilight asked cheerfully. Applejack looked around carefully before speaking. "Hey, is there somthin' wrong with Fluttershy?" Applejack asked, her eyebrows raised. Twilight glanced at Fluttershy, who was seemingly off-focus despite looking at Pinkie. "Not to my knowledge…" She muttered. "But now that you mention it, she does seem rather off today." Applejack looked surprised. "'Off?' We don't see her since Celestia's big party and suddenly she changes like this! She hasn't laughed to a single one of Dash's jokes, which she usually does. She hasn't partaken in a single bite of Pinkie's cupcakes, which she usually does. She hasn't even said a single durn word the entire time, which ah believe is strange even for HER! And just look at her, she's barely skin and bones." Twilight thought about it for a moment, these were thing she barely even noticed. "Well… Maybe she's not feeling well." Twilight hypothesized for a moment. "And don't think I didn't see them scratches on Fluttershy's sides! Now where the hay did those come from?" "Well, she said she got hurt fixing a bird's nest…" "Uh-uh. Those ain't the kind of scratches you get from fallin' down. Those there are fightin' marks. I should know. I get into spits with Big Macintosh now and again." Applejack glanced at Fluttershy, who was now listening to something Rarity was talking about, but still seemed distant. Applejack's brow furrowed. "Something ain't right with our girl. I can feel it." Twilight suddenly remembered something. "Wait, when I went to get her this morning, she was in the middle of the lake." Applejack nodded in conformation. "Uh-huh." "And she was crying." Applejack said nothing more, and simply walked over to Fluttershy. Twilight watched as the two ponies exchanged words, and then Applejack walked back to Twilight, with Fluttershy right behind them. "Oh, hey Twilight." Fluttershy said "cheerfully". "How can I help you guys?" Twilight raised an eyebrow; she was not suspicious of her friend's situation. "Fluttershy, are you okay? You don't seem to be acting yourself." Fluttershy froze, but managed to retain her smile. "I'm fine, Twilight, why do you ask?" Applejack suddenly butted in. "Cause the entire time you've been here, you haven't said a single word, and you didn't eat any of Pinkie's cupcakes. And we know you love her cupcakes almost more than anypony in Ponyville." Fluttershy felt a nervous twinge begin to grow within her belly, her smile disappeared. "Well, I… I haven't been feeli-." Applejack cut her off. "And where in tarnation did you get those there scrapes? And don't go telling me 'It was an accident. I fell down.' Cause I know those can only be caused by hooves!" "Fluttershy." The yellow Pegasus turned to Twilight, who gave a look of concern. "Is there something you're not telling us?" The unicorn paused before speaking again, choosing her words carefully. "D-did something happen at Celestia's party?" The minute that Twilight mentioned the party, Fluttershy automatically winced. The two other ponies saw this and instantly realized that their assumptions were correct. Something was wrong. Fluttershy turned away quickly. "I-I have to go. My animals, t-they need me." "Fluttershy, wait!" Applejack and Twilight silently watched as Fluttershy walked away, quietly muttering to herself, and headed towards the front door. But as she reached the door Pinkie stood in her way. "Where're you going, Fluttershy?" She asked. "The party's still going on!" Fluttershy trembled, there was an earth pony blocking the door. She found Nevermore standing in front of the door, smiling a rather wicked smile, with a key hanging off his neck. "P-Please…let me go…" Fluttershy asked quietly, trying hard to keep herself calm. Sadly, she spoke so quietly, and Pinkie Pie immediately decided to bring her back to the others. "C'mon silly." She giggled. "The party's this way." "I wanna spend some personal fun with you, Fluttershy. Just you and me, with nopony around…" Fluttershy squeaked in fear and turned towards the back door, running past the others. However, Pinkie immediately thought that Fluttershy was playing, and skipped after her. Fluttershy turned and saw Pinkie heading towards her. He ended up chasing Fluttershy around the room. Fluttershy's wings locked as she reached the door, but unfortunately, Pinkie Pie was right behind, her and grabbed her with her front hooves. "Gotcha Fluttershy." Fluttershy's back legs coiled up. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" Everypony watched as Pinky Pie went flying across the room into a wall, they then watched as Fluttershy stood still for a few seconds before running out of the door. As Rarity and Twilight tended to the pink earth pony, who now had two hoof marks on her forehead. Applejack ran out the back door in pursuit of Fluttershy. "Cad atá… suas doc?" Pinkie muttered in a daze. "Bhí an… Spraoi…" Fluttershy flinched as she heard her front door open with a loud bang. Applejack, angry and confused, turned to the cowering Pegasus. "What the hay is goin' on with you?" Applejack asked rather forcefully, her anger rising. "Why can't you tell us? We're your friends!" As she approached Fluttershy, the Pegasus in return backed off, until she reached a corner in her house. As Applejack made one last step towards Fluttershy. The Pegasus cowered in fear, preparing for the worst. She expected Applejack to leave in anger, to say she never wanted to be associated with her, to hate her. Instead, she felt a hoof lightly rest on her shoulder. As she lifted up, she saw Applejack, kneeled down next to her, with an expression of not anger, but of concern, of compassion. She realized that Applejack cared for her friend, and wanted to help her no matter what. She remembered how Applejack helped Fluttershy up the mountain when the ponies went to confront the dragon. How she supported her even when the others didn't. She realized that Applejack was a true friend, that they were all her true friends. And they would support her and help her, no matter what. Tears began to form behind her eyes, and she looked away. "C'mon, Fluttershy, talk to me. I'm your friend, I wanna help." The dam burst. Fluttershy immediately embraced the cowpony, crying loudly into her shoulder. "I'm s-sorry." She choked. "It's just been so har-har-hard…" As she continued sobbing, Applejack returned the embrace and rocked her slowly, consoling her. "Shh. It's okay sugarcube, everything gonna be okay. Just relax." They sat there for about an hour before Fluttershy calmed down. Applejack pulled away and sighed, her shoulder was damp with tears. "Ok." Applejack said calmly. "Now I want you to take a deep breath, and explain to me what happened."
ConfrontationBack at Sugarcube Corner, the other ponies were still confused over Fluttershy's outburst. Never once had any of them see Fluttershy react in such a way, despite her encounter with the dragon of course. It was very surprising, almost frightening. As Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Caramel, Spike, and Pinkie Pie, who was now unconscious from her concussion, sat in an awkward silence. All other ponies except for the five were removed from the building by Mr. and Mrs. Cake under Twilight's request, so they could discuss what happened privately. Spike was the first to speak. "So… Anypony gonna explain what just happened?" Spike asked. "Uh… Cuz I think I'm missing something here." Twilight looked over at the baby dragon with a concerned look. "I'm just as confused as you Spike. All I know is that she was in her lake crying, and then there were those marks on her sides." Twilight bit her lip in anxiety, a habit she developed long ago. "Applejack said she'd talk to Fluttershy, but now I'm worried. What if this is something really, really bad." The group returned to their silent poses for a good few minutes before the front door to the Sugarcube Corner opened with a light ring. "Um… Sorry, but we're clo-" Mr. Cake began to speak, but stopped. "Oh, heh, it's you guys… Sorry." He gestured to the group with his hoof. "Come on in…" The group turned to see Applejack and Fluttershy walk towards them, except the comatose Pinkie. Applejack kept a brave face, but anypony could see the feelings of anger and retribution that dwelled inside many a cowpony went something is wrong. She also was not wearing her cowboy hat, which surprised the group. Meanwhile, Fluttershy, who WAS wearing Applejack's cowboy hat, was by her side, her head was lowered and she was looking away shamefully. Applejack looked at the saddened pony and smiled at her, but Fluttershy only whimpered softly. "Do ya want me to tell them?" Applejack whispered to the Pegasus. Fluttershy didn't even hesitate as she nodded. Applejack merely sight in response. "You're gonna be okay, sugarcube. We'll get ya through this…" As the duo sat at the table, Applejack almost instantly laid her front hoofs on the table and looked straight into the group with a serious expression. She looked at Fluttershy, who nodded back to her, before she spoke. "Listen up, everypony." Applejack spoke. "We'ves got ourselves a big situation here…" Twilight Sparkle couldn't believe her ears. Never once in her life was she aware of such a thing happening. Such an act wasn't even listed in the Equestrian Criminology Almanac, so it almost seemed impossible to the intelligent unicorn. "Forced… mating?" She said quietly to herself, her nose crinkled up. "That's horrible, disgusting even." Fluttershy winced at the words and whimpered, only to feel the hoof of a pony on her shoulder. Fluttershy glanced out from under the brim of her hat to see Rarity, who was sitting next to her, with a horrified, almost sympathetic, expression on her face. Fluttershy remembered that Rarity was kidnapped by a band of Diamond Dogs long ago, and it now crossed her mind if they had tried to do the same that one day. The yellow Pegasus only had to look into Rarity's eyes to know the answer. "Fluttershy…" Rarity asked, her voice was quiet and shaky. "Who is the bucking ruffian that did this to you?" Fluttershy shivered as she mentioned every detail about Nevermore, from the color of his mane to where she was, "attacked." As she spoke, she noticed that she began to feel better inside. She suddenly felt lighter with each word, and she could feel that inner grime break away. As she finished, her speech was quickly followed by Rainbow Dash slamming her hooves on the table. "AUGH!" She lamented. "I knew that guy was fishy. I mean, I tried not to judge him on appearance, but…" "RAINBOW." All the ponies turned to face Pinkie Pie, who was now fully awake. Her mane was completely down and her coat was darker, as her pupils were smaller and fiercer. Her face was in a mixture between a grimace and a scowl, and judging by her appearance, she was clearly affected by what Fluttershy said. "Oh Celestia…" Caramel murmured. Rainbow Dash tapped Pinkie's shoulder. "Uh, Pinkie Pi-" The pink Earth pony sharply turned her head at Rainbow Dash. "NO!" She gave elevator eyes at Rainbow Dash, and grinned widely for a second before frowning again. "It's Pinkamina! Pinkamina Diane Pie!" Pinkamina shook her head. "Never mind, forget about it. Not important." She calmly looked at Fluttershy. "For the record, I find you to be probably the bravest pony I've ever met." Pinkamina spoke coolly. The others simply watched in shock. "However, I would think that simply talking about it isn't enough. You're going to have to get…" She paused for effect. "Justice." Fluttershy trembled. "B-but how could I do that? Just thinking of him…" Fluttershy squeaked and hid underneath Applejack's hat. "I-I'm scared…" She muttered barely over her breath. Twilight smiled, "Don't worry, we'll be alongside you. With us, you'll find the courage to do anything." "Twilight's right." Rarity chimed in. "I think it's high time we showed this buffoon who's boss." "If he start messin' with one pony." Applejack spoke up. "Then he's messin' with all of us." "Wait till I get my hooves on that pile of horseapples!" Rainbow Dash shouted, smashing her two front hooves together. "I'll make him see rainbows!" Pinkamina's hair proofed back into its original form and her color became lighter. Pinkie grinned happily. "Hey guys! What'd I miss?" The plan was a success. Thanks to Twilight's connections with Princess Celestia, the managed to locate the next concert that "Death Cab Cutie Mark" was playing at: in Appaloosa. "Once we get there, we'll need a confession from Nevermore before we can do anything. So you'll have to be patient and carefull." Rarity was able to purchase the tickets with bits she earned from dress purchases. "On any other occasion, I would never do such a thing. However, it is different in your case." When the group arrived in Appaloosa, they were instantly greeted by Braeburn, who they knew would stick to them like marshmallow paste, making it harder to get backstage at confront Nevermore. However, Applejack distracted him by introducing Braeburn to Caramel. "Braeburn shouldn't be a problem now that he's met another coltcuddler. This should keep us from getting undetected." Pinkie Pie and Spike would distract the security ponies while Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy would sneak into the backstage. "You can count on us, Fluttershy!" Spike spoke proudly. Pinkie Pie only giggled in agreement. And lastly, Rainbow Dash would be alongside Applejack and Fluttershy in case the confrontation became too ugly. "I can't wait to clop his face in. LET'S DO THIS!" "That last song rocked! We did fantastic!" Nevermore smiled as he watched his fellow band-mates, Eldorado and Tamerlane, laughed and talk about what happened on stage, like always. They were in their trailer backstage, which consisted of three beds, a small desk with a mirror on it, a lamp, and a small table. The band was getting ready for the after-party, in which the fans actually met the band. "And Nevermore, your drum solo was perfection! Have you practiced while we weren't looking?" Nevermore looked away bashfully. "Maybe…" Tamerlane placed a hoof on Nevermore's shoulder. "Well, great job. I can't wait to see how we do on our next gig." "Which is in… Ponyappolis, if I'm not mistaken." Nevermore said thoughtfully. The two ponies began to walk out of the room as they turned to Nevermore. "Hey dude, you're not coming? There are mares EVERYWHERE. You could get lucky…" Nevermore smiled warmly, pausing for a moment before speaking. "Nah, I don't feel like it tonight." Eldorado grinned. "Then how about we send over a filly here, then? You'll have fun." Nevermore's eye twitched for a spit second. "Sure, why not?" Eldorodo and Tamerlane smacked whooves. "ALRIGHT! THE QUEST TO GET A MARE FOR NEVERMORE!" They ran out of the trailer, laughing like little fillies playing a game. Nevermore made a small sigh as he watched them leave. He then turned and began brushing his raven-colored mane with a brush that rested on the desk. He stopped when he heard the trailer door open. "Oh, hey. By Luna's tail they worked fast. What's your na-" Nevermore turned to see Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash standing before him. He merely had to glance at Fluttershy to realize what was going on. "Ah." Rainbow Dash smashed a hoof into the floor. "Alright you no good hoofpaste!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "I'm gonna kick your plot so hard you'll be a blank-flank." Nevermore cocked his head and smiled. "Oh, hey Fluttershy." Nevermore said directly to the yellow Pegasus. "You up for another go?" Fluttershy squeaked and shielded herself. "Leave her along, Nevermore." Applejack shouted. "You'll answer to us." "By Celestia's name, Fluttershy. You are pathetic." Nevermore continued smiling. "You managed to tell your friends about your disgusting habit…" "YOU CAUSED IT, YA APPLEROT!" Applejack shouted, her anger slowly rising. The dark pony continued. "…And now they're defending you out of pity." "We're defending her because we're her friends!" Rainbow Dash countered. Nevermore looked at her with a suggestive look. "Tell you what. How about I sign you all a poster and we forget all about this?" Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth. "ARE YOU INSANE? DO YOU THINK WE'LL JUST SELL OUT FLUTTERSHY LIKE THAT?" Nevermore sighed. "Then go ahead, hit me. Earn your revenge. You'll only get yourself kicked out. I'll win, and 'widdle Fwuttershy will keep being da vunwerable pony-whore she is'." Fluttershy was trembling now, and Nevermore, noticing this, decided to add a cherry on top of his so-called "victory speech": "She deserved it." The trailer was completely demolished as Nevermore was flung around it by what looked like a rainbow. When he finally landed he slowly lifted his body up and spat out a tooth. "Why you little fillyfooler. I'm going to kill you! I'm-" He never even had a chance to finish his sentence, as he was quickly smashed in the face be another hoof. "This is for!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she attempted to punch Nevermore, only to get her attack blocked by the azure pony, who then socked Rainbow Dash in the chest. Luckjly, Applejack quickly interfered and bucked Nevermore with her back hooves, resulting in a grotesque snapping sound come from the pony rapist. "AUGH!" Nevermore clenched at his side. One or two of his ribs were broken. But that didn't stop Applejack, who then proceeded to drove her front hooves forward, punching Nevermore rapidly in the face. "This." Thwack! She scraped Nevermore's forehead. "Is." Bam! Nevermore gave out a cry as his none went ninety degrees. "Fer." Smack! One of her hooves tore a bit of his cheek. "Hurtin.'" Fwack! There was a pop as his other cheek broke. "Mah." Pow! Nevermore staggered as his vision began to blur. "FRIEND!" Buck! Nevermore fell on his back from the uppercut Applejack delivered, breaking his jaw. As Nevermore fell to the ground, blood oozed out of his nose, eyes, and mouth, along with various other gashes and scrapes brought on by Applejack's assault. He groaned and attemped to get up only to get pushed down again by a unknown force. As Nevermore he looked up, he noticed the bright glow of an Alicorn standing before him, her shimmering eyes stared daggers into Nevermore's very soul. Nevermore shivered. "Good day, Lady Cele-" "SILENCE!" Celestia boomed. It seemed as if the whole world shook around Nevermore. He glanced over and saw Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and his band-mates looking at him. Eldorodo and Tamerlane had mixed looks of shock and confusion on their faces. Celestia began to speak again. "Nevermore Poeny, the crime you have committed is despicable and brings great shame to Equestria!" Nevermore managed to stand up, only to get pushed down with great force by Celestia's magic. "I believed that, due to the heinousness of your crime, that you are hereby sent to the Equestrian Royal Prison for the remainder of your days." Nevermore gave a desperate smile towards his ruler. "B-but your majesty, I'm innocent. She-" "Silence." Celestia's voice suddenly became harsh and venomous, her face was hardened and fierce. This was a side of Celestia that nopony had ever saw, not even Discord himself. She was angry, and Nevermore was about to receive the brunt of that anger. Nevermore gave out a sharp cry as the pain from his wounds suddenly intensified in pain, perhaps intentionally, from the force of her magic. "Don't you even dare think of defending yourself. There is more than enough evidence that you are responsible for this crime. I rule this land, Nevermore. I hear all that is said in Equestria, and I am now aware of your foul deeds." Celestia's horn glowed, and a ring of light surrounded Nevermore. "Farewell." Nevermore managed to let out a single, "But…" before vanishing in a flash of light and smog. The very next day, Fluttershy was greeted by her friends at Sugarcube Corner, Angel by her side. She merely had to look at them to begin crying. She ran up to the group and embraced them, whispering "thank you" repeatedly between her sobs, especially to Applejack, who without her this probably would have never happened. Her friends tearfully accepted the gratitude, and the all sat down to talk about Caramel and Braeburn's suddenly new relationship. Fluttershy realized at that moment that if she had told her friends about her predicament from the beginning, then they would've helped her out. They were her true friends, and would always stand by her. She felt slightly guilty for not speaking up before, as well as confronting Nevermore directly. But that wasn't what was important. The important thing was that Nevermore was gone, and that Fluttershy was finally free. She slept soundly that night, and she did the same ever night for the rest of her life.
