"I made sure to get you some groceries in case you needed something to eat. I also finally remembered how to put out food for all the animals after I got some help from Applejack. There should be plenty of water set up for them as well and I put some in your refrigerator in case you want any for yourself. Uh... I didn't touch your laundry... that felt like an invasion of privacy. Was there anything else you needed?"
"Thank you Rainbow Dash, it's more than enough." Fluttershy said to her in response, resting on the couch with Angel cuddled up into her lap. The imp that had grown comfortable with her as well from her adventure in the hedge maze was also curled up at her side as they dutifully protected their mistress.
"Okay... I just want to be sure you're alright." She said, looking at her worriedly. "Are you certain you feel good to stay here by yourself?" To her question Fluttershy's eyes looked downward to where her carpet had been removed from the hardwood floor. Previously stained by a mixture of her blood and the venom that had been injected into her neck by her attackers. Rainbow Dash had made it a point to take it out of the house and see if it could be cleaned before she'd allow it back where Fluttershy could see it.
"I'll be fine." Fluttershy said quietly. "I'd rather sleep here than in the hospital. The doctors and nurses are nice but it feels... too cold for me."
"Did you need more blankets?" Rainbow Dash asked and Fluttershy smiled at her softly.
"Not that kind of cold. I mean it's too sterile. There's not enough nature there to help me relax."
"Oh. Yeah, I guess that's true. Well... if you're still unsure I can sleep over." Rainbow Dash suggested, noticing the perk up in Fluttershy's expression. "I don't mind crashing on the couch while you rest in your room." And just as quickly her face turned downward again into the tired expression she had before.
"You've been wonderful to me, Rainbow. Thank you for doing everything you have while I was away."
"It's... it's the least I can do to help." She said, though that didn't feel true to her. There was never enough she could do to help Fluttershy at this point. From her perspective this was still all Rainbow Dash's fault. Had she been there that night of the changeling attack something different may have happened. Perhaps she could have fended them off or scared them from ever approaching. But instead she failed to appear and to Rainbow Dash that was the worst sin of all for a friend.
"You should go home and get some rest. I'm sure there's a lot you have to get done for yourself too after taking care of everything for me."
"Well... y'know... not really, I guess." Rainbow Dash mumbled. The truth was she would have to get back to work soon, using her own magic to help manipulate the weather over town. Ever since Fluttershy had ended up in the hospital she'd been too distraught to think of work and the idea of just going back like nothing had changed didn't sit well in her stomach. And then there was the unspoken issue she'd been avoiding.
"It's okay, Dash. I'll be fine." Carefully picking up Angel and setting him down on the couch near her, she got up and approached Rainbow slowly. Extending her arms out she moved in for a hug that Rainbow Dash accepted and held with her for a while. "Thank you, really, so much. I don't know what I'd do without your help."
"Just... doing what I can." Rainbow replied, being awarded a kiss on her cheek from Fluttershy. A kiss she herself didn't return even after she could feel Fluttershy's eyes on her. Awkwardly their arms slipped off one another, making eye contact as both were expecting something to happen that wasn't coming. So she did all she could think of. "I'll be back tomorrow, I know Pinkie Pie is dying to have a party for you to celebrate you getting out of the hospital."
"Yeah, she's wonderful like that." Fluttershy said, taking a few steps back. "Well... see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow." Rainbow replied, stepping out of the house and carefully closing the door behind herself. Taking a few steps away from the door her wings appeared on her back and she flew into the sky, smacking herself in the head. "Arrgh! Why am I so dumb! I offered to stay the night and I got her hopes up. What's wrong with me!?" Flying higher into the sky as her frustration built, Rainbow Dash glided over the town looking to free herself of her own guilt. Even though Fluttershy had been brave enough to admit she had feelings for her, Rainbow Dash still hadn't answered back that she didn't have the same romantic feelings for her dear friend. The longer it was drug out the worse she felt and the idea of just confronting it while also feeling responsible for her friend's injuries was tearing her up inside. "If only I'd just gone to dinner that night and not been such a coward..."
Looking down at the town there were lights still on in various homes and businesses even at this hour. Like a reverse set of stars in the dark below. Gliding through the air she let her wings carry her along as she took in the sights below. Eyes eventually landing on something that was out of place compared to the other buildings. "What the... is that a circus tent?" She could see light coming out of the openings on the sides of the tent and a hole at the very top where a pole was holding it all up. Circling around a few times Rainbow came down on the grass near a familiar looking cart. "Oh yeah, I remember that flyer the girl gave me today said something about Trixie. No wonder her cart is out here. Kinda weird though."
Eyes gazing up at the large tent Rainbow didn't know how it was supposed to fit into this cart with other passengers inside too. Trixie's old traveling vehicle hadn't changed at all even if the size of her performance did. Standing near one of the entrances she could hear music playing from inside that was a pleasant tune. Still bombastic like she would expect from a circus but something about it was just appealing to listen to. Actually… Now that she thought about it, why not see the show? She was here after all and could spare an hour or so. Before she had even considered the time of night her feet were already carrying her inside of the tent. All thoughts aside from staying for the show left her mind as she filed into the standing room audience next to what seemed to be most of the town. One of the women next to her was in a nightgown as if she'd just gotten out of bed and another man in front of her was in his work clothes from the market, apron included. As if he'd gone right from his grocery stand to the tent. None of that really mattered to her though. The beautiful women in the center of the tent were performing magic tricks and Rainbow Dash couldn't take her eyes off of them.
Laying in her bed in the dark, Fluttershy stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom with the covers pulled up over herself. It felt nice to be inside of her home again instead of the hospital. She had been telling the truth when she said getting out of there and back closer to nature provided her some comfort. Though the reality was the place she once felt secure and safe just wasn't either of those things to her anymore. After that night she'd been attacked she realized just how vulnerable she was. Everyone had always told her to be careful of the wild animals or the insects or any manner of beasts in the woods. But in the end none of those had been what put this fear in her. It was the monsters in the dark that were more like people than beasts.
Sitting up in bed she looked down at the covers bunched up in the grip of her fingers like a security blanket. Maybe she should have accepted Rainbow Dash's offer to stay over to give her some peace of mind. But doing that meant confronting another thing she was scared to face because even if they weren't talking about it, it was obvious that no matter how much affection she showed to her, Dash wasn't returning it back. Of course she was looking out for her and helping her but… that wasn't what Fluttershy was asking for. Not only had her invitation to Dash fallen flat but she made a fool out of herself today when she screamed in fear when being approached by a stranger.
"Am I really going to be this way forever? Even more timid than before?" She asked the dark room, not expecting an answer. Though two small friends came to her words as Angel and the imp climbed up onto the foot of her bed. Fluttershy smiling gently and clearing a spot under the covers for them to sleep next to her. Settling down with her small protectors at her side and letting her body relax. Things would be okay, she just had to make it through the night.
That was when all three of them heard the noise downstairs.
Her eyes shot open wide and she sat up in bed, listening closely for another sound. Everything seemed to become even more silent than before, as if the night itself was holding its breath. Hesitantly Fluttershy climbed out of bed in her nightgown and her two companions climbed on to either side of her shoulders as she stepped to the door and opened it as quietly as she could. Taking careful steps she peered out down the stairs to the living room she'd been in just a few hours ago with her friend. Noting there were two other women standing there now in the spaces she and Rainbow Dash occupied before.
"Did you actually hit your foot on the table?" One of them whispered to the other. "Are you trying to announce we're here?"
"Sorry, I didn't see it. I didn't shout so she probably didn't hear anything." The other home invader replied. Fluttershy had no idea who these women were but she recognized their outfits. It was the same showgirl costumes that the women with the flyer had handed to her earlier today. Pulling the door closed Fluttershy looked around the room in a panic.
"They're coming for me. They're coming for me again. They're coming again!" She repeated, her hands raising up to hold over the bite marks on her neck under the bandages. "I'm trapped I'm trapped I'm trapped and they're going to get me again! There's no escape there's no-!" her rambling was cut off when she felt Angel tug on her hair and motion towards the window of her bedroom. It took Fluttershy longer than she wanted to admit to remember her magic allowed her to fly. Forgoing the concern of decency while in her nightgown and opening the windows to leap out of her home and take to the sky.
She didn't look back as she flew higher, her little friends gripping tightly to her long pink hair to keep held in place as she soared. Fluttershy wasn't very good at flying, her magic had always been weak in this regard and for what talent she had in it she didn't practice often. But with this motivation she found herself moving more quickly than in the past and was soon over the town proper. "Maybe… I can go to Rainbow Dash? Or Twilight? No, Rainbow said she wasn't in town… Rarity then? She should know what to do." As she continued to fly, the sight of the circus tent caught her eye. "That's where that girl said the magic show was happening. Why would they sneak into my house?" Stopping herself in the air, the magical wings flapped and kept her hovering in place. Her night gown billowed in the wind as she tried to decide her next move. "Maybe… Am I misunderstanding something? It couldn't hurt to take a look in on what they're doing, right?" Asking the question mostly to herself and getting a nod in affirmation from her traveling companions she lowered towards the tent. Landing on the canvas top and peering in through the hole in the middle. There was a support pole keeping the tent up in the center and she used her wings to lower herself down and clinged onto it to get a better look.
"Thank you for coming out to see us tonight!" Trixie shouted to the crowd down below in the center of the ring. The townspeople all standing around her and watching but not cheering or clapping. "We have the show of your lives tonight, history in the making from the Great and Powerful Trixie herself! Magic and illusions as performed by me and my lovely assistants." Facing the crowd around her the other two girls in costume were performing card tricks and simple illusions for those that watched them. All of which went without a single bit of applause yet the girls carried on. Fluttershy wasn't sure what to make of all of this but it felt unusual to her. Suddenly two more girls in costume came into the tent from one of the entrances as if they were in a hurry. "It's about time you showed up, we've had to keep the crowd entertained without you."
"Sorry we're late, but we couldn't find her." One of the girls confessed.
"Couldn't find her!? Well where could she have gone!?"
"I dunno, but her window was open in her bedroom. Maybe she flew away?" The other girl shrugged, Fluttershy feeling her heart skip a beat as she realized they were talking about her.
"Fine, we'll get started without her and find her after the fact." Trixie said, walking to the center of the ring at the base of the pole that Fluttershy was currently holding on to with her arms and legs while letting her magical wings keep her from slipping downward. There was a wooden box set next to it and Trixie retrieved it, walking back to her assistants and opening it up. It was difficult to see from her position but as far as Fluttershy could tell they were all pulling out chokers to wrap around their necks. In the middle of each was a small crystal but Fluttershy couldn't make out any other details of it.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let us get started with the main event. For this trick we're going to need some volunteers. Any brave souls willing to try their hand?" Trixie called out, the crowd as silent and still as ever before. "No takers? Well that's alright, girls please choose some volunteers for us." Trixie said, backing away as the four assistants brought out a chair each and set it down. The first performer pulled out a large hoop, displaying it for the audience to see and then lowering it down over and around the chair, when she lifted it back up a person began to appear beneath it, until it was removed completely and she had a volunteer in the seat.
"Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy said to herself worriedly, noticing that she was dressed exactly the same as she had been when she left Fluttershy's house. "She never made it home, they got her before she could."
"Who will our next volunteer be?" Trixie asked the crowd as a purple blanket was thrown over the second chair and then pulled back up again to reveal Rarity beneath it. Though she was dressed far less conservatively. In fact, aside from her panties she was completely naked. Still despite this the crowd didn't say a word or react. The third assistant snapped her fingers above the chair, a pink cloud appearing that revealed Pinkie Pie sitting in it wearing just a T-Shirt and shorts. Finally the last assistant revealed to the crowd a basket of apples, which she poured on to the chair and it revealed through the descending pile of fruit Applejack in her flannel pajamas. "Amazing, truly amazing skill. I think they all deserve a round of applause, don't you?." Trixie said, the audience for the first time raising their hands to all clap in unison for the performance in front of them.
"Something is really wrong here." Fluttershy said, looking at all her friends that were sitting in the chairs motionless. "What can I do to help? I… I have to do something, right?" As she considered her options she saw that their performance wasn't over. Each of the assistants walked up behind the girls in their chairs and put their fingers against their temples. Magical light began to glow from their fingertips as different colored energy flowed up from their arms to the chokers at their necks.
"What a beautiful display of color. The very essence of the Elements of Harmony, drained right out of the ones that possess that power into specially crafted jewels of my own design. Isn't it a grand sight to behold everyone?" Applauding her again at her command Fluttershy watched helplessly as her friends writhed beneath her, groaning in pain as their magic was stolen from them and funneled into those crystals.
"This is crazy. Why would Trixie do something so cruel to us?" Fluttershy watched in horror. "I have to get help, I have to tell Celestia and Luna." Flapping her magical wings Fluttershy began to climb the support pole out of the tent through the opening she'd come in by. Though her exit was cut off suddenly as she was surrounded by explosive fireworks all around her. Letting out a shriek of surprise she let go of the beam and began tumbling down towards the ground. Managing to land hard on her behind but without major injury thanks to her wings they popped like colorful magical bubbles on impact. "Oww… my butt."
"Well well well, here she is!" Trixie said with a gleaming smile as she and her assistants surrounded her. Fluttershy quickly got to her feet and looked about in a panic as the girls stood in a circle around her. The crystals on the four assistants' necks now all glowing with the power they had stolen from her friends. "How ever did you manage to keep yourself from falling for my hypnosis?"
"What… what are you talking about?" Fluttershy asked, looking around nervously and feeling a sickening dread in her heart. A fear deeper than she could understand. "Why are you…. why…. why…?"
"Why? Oh, all of this you mean?" Trixie said, motioning to her unconscious friends. "It's awfully greedy of you to keep hold of all those magical powers yourself, don't you think? Not even using them to the best of their ability. Isn't that purple haired one the Element of Generosity? I'm sure she wouldn't mind letting us take this off her hands."
"Catch you… Celestia will catch you." Fluttershy said, gripping herself tightly as she hugged her arms around her chest. Breathing felt difficult and she couldn't explain why she was responding so severely to them but the very sight of these women terrified her.
"Oh I don't think she will. After all, if there's no one left here to tell her what we did, how will she ever know?" Trixie said confidently. "Now, why don't you be a good little girl and let me have some of that magic of yours?" Approaching her Trixie's hand dropped on to Fluttershy's shoulder and that's when the tension within her snapped.
"NO! STAY AWAY!" She shrieked, her wings manifesting again with her own magic and causing all of her attackers to back up from the startling reaction. Her mind didn't even process that she was off the ground when she began flying towards the opening of the tent and out of it swiftly.
"After her!" Trixie called out. "Do not let her get away!"
"How are we going to catch her?" The assistant with the rainbow colored gem asked. "She's in the air and has a head start." To answer her question though Trixie grabbed hold of the girl's black hair and yanked it to pull her closer.
"Either you catch her and bring her element back to me or I'll rip that choker off your neck for myself, and I won't be gentle about whatever comes off with it." Pushing her towards the tent's entrance all four of Trixie's assistants departed, chasing after the pink haired girl as she flew towards the Everfree forest.
"This is so stupid." The girl with the rainbow crystal choker complained. "We wouldn't be going through this right now if you two had brought her in like you were supposed to."
"Don't blame us!" The girl with the orange choker shouted back. "We were doing our best but somehow she slipped out before we could get a hold of her."
"We shouldn't have had to get her in the first place." The girl with the purple choker spoke up. "She should have come to the tent by herself like everyone else. Why didn't the spell work on her?"
"It doesn't matter." The one with the pink choker said. "She's the Element of Kindness, right? She's gotta be the weakest one of all of them. Just pin her down and drag her back by that stupidly long hair of hers."
"I see her!" Cried out the girl with the rainbow choker. In the distance they could see a female figure descend from the sky to the edge of the Everfree Forest. She stopped for a moment to look back at her pursuers before slipping into the darkness of the trees. "Idiot, she would have been safer if she kept in the air." Catching up to where she had entered the four women walked into the darkness and began their search. "Sure is hard to see in here."
"Where is she even going to go? Why run into the woods?" The girl with the purple crystal asked. "Uck, I hate the woods. Bugs and plants and dirt. Going to give her a hell of a spanking for making us do all this."
"Would you all shut up? You're going to announce us coming." The girl with the orange crystal said, walking slower than the others and listening. "She's just some scared little girl running for her life. Force her to make a mistake."
"Hey, footprints." The rainbow choker one spoke up, calling the other girls over. Certainly they were the tracks of a barefoot woman running through the dirt. Heading even deeper into the forest. "Guess she was in too much of a hurry to pay attention."
"Good, I don't want to go back empty handed." The pink choker girl said. Following the trail quietly the girls tracked their prey, the footprints continuing for a distance. The strides of the steps began to slow as they went from a run to a walk.
"I think she's getting tired." The orange choker one said. "You can see that the steps are closer together.
"I know I am." The purple choker one complained. "These shoes we got for the performance aren't good for chasing people through the woods."
"Where is she even going?" The pink choker woman asked. "There's nothing out here but wild animals."
"And the witch." The rainbow choker one added. "She might be trying to find her. Maybe get her to help save her friends?"
"Would she even do that for her?" The pink choker woman asked. "I mean this place is full of wild things. I can't imagine any of them would want to come back to that town."
"Hey!" The orange choker one called out. "The tracks ended."
"Ended?" The rainbow one asked, approaching to see that indeed the tracks in the dirt had stopped abruptly. In fact instead of just walking and disappearing there was a clear sign that she had stood in place before seeming to just vanish. "How could they just end like this in the middle of the trail?"
"She can fly!" The pink crystal woman spoke up. "She could fly the whole time! Why did she ever leave tracks at all?"
"She… I dunno, maybe she forgot she could fly?" The rainbow one suggested. "There's no reason she'd just lead us out here, right?
"What if she was trying to throw us off to go back to the tent?"
"By herself? Think about that, there's no way she could handle it alone."
"So… then what? Why do all this?"
"I'm sick of this!" The purple crystal one yelled. "Why are we even the ones doing this? We have our chokers. Let her fill up her own with magic and we can just take these ones ourselves and get the hell out of-" Her words were left unfinished as the women watched a large, dark figure leap out of the trees into the trail they had been walking along. Whatever it was it snatched up their ally with the purple crystal without a second for anyone to react and ran into the trees on all fours the opposite side from where it had come. The women watched in horror as the place where their comrade had stood was now empty and quiet. The sound of paws hitting dirt fading into the dark before disappearing completely.
"...run." The orange choker girl said as they all got off the trail and ran the opposite direction of where the beast had gone. Dashing into the trees they began to move quickly without thought of where they were headed or why. And soon after the one that had given the suggestion to run away found herself alone in the dark. Catching her breath she looked around herself, listening carefully. "Hello? Girls?" Kneeling down she picked up a nearby stick, wielding it like a club as she looked around herself. "Girls!? Hey!? Where did you go?" Gripping the stick tighter she searched frantically, until finally she heard footsteps rapidly approaching her position and struck out. "YAAH!"
"Whoa!" The girl in the pink choker ducked the strike as the stick snapped against the tree it collided with. "Hey, watch it!"
"I thought you were that thing!"
"Do I look like I walk on all fours!?" She shouted in return. "So it's just you?"
"Yeah… I didn't see the others."
"Me either. So… we go back now, right?"
"I dunno, going back like this we're sure to get punished." The woman with the orange choker said as she scanned the woods again, discarding her weapon now that it was broken.
"And you think we should stay out here with this thing!?" The girl with the pink choker asked. "That's crazy, and you're crazy if you want to keep doing this. I say cutting and running while we have what we want is the right idea. Who's gonna come after us?"
"You think she won't come after us?" The girl with the orange choker replied. "She'd stop at nothing to punish us if we tried to steal these away. Probably kill us too. I don't even know how to use this thing yet and I'd like to keep my head on my neck before that happens. You get me?" She asked, greeted only with silence. "Hey, do you get-"
"Mmmmf!" The girl in the pink choker cried out, her comrade watching as a giant snake coiled around her body and dragged her upwards into the tree it had been hiding within the branches of. All she was able to make out was the glint of pink from the magic crystal around her neck as she faded into the dark tangle of leaves above. "Hlllp! Hlllp!" Her muffled cries rang out but soon stopped. Not wanting to be the next meal, the one with the orange choker ran deeper into the woods. She had a basic idea on how to get back to the town and decided she would deal with whatever came of that rather than stay in this place. Running frantically between trees, feet crushing twigs and leaves beneath her she kept going until her lungs forced her to stop. Leaning against a tree she let her muscles rest, panting in raspy breaths as she was trying to think of her next move.
"Forget it, they're all as good as dead anyway in this place." She decided, standing up and turning back from where she had run. "Sorry but it's everyone for themselves now. Survival of the fittest." She proclaimed, deciding there wasn't anything left she could do for them anyway. Escaping with her life was her first priority. That was when something sharp and pointy stuck into her arm on her left side. "Ow! What… what!?" Looking down she could see a large, scorpion-like stinger had lodged itself into her bicep. Pulling itself out of her skin sharply and disappearing behind the tree she'd been leaning on as it left a discolored wound in her skin. Turning her head to the right she could now feel the heavy steps of the manticore that was coming around from its hiding spot. A deep growl in its lion like throat as it bared fangs at her. "Sur… vive… Must… survive..." She muttered, feeling the venom taking effect as her legs gave out on her and she collapsed onto her knees. Her focus was becoming hazy and she attempted to move away, but when she did a human hand came up from behind her and there was only blackness afterwards.
After they had retreated from the monster that had taken their ally, the girl with the rainbow crystal had been running through the woods almost constantly. She couldn't find the other girls and she didn't remember how to get back to town so the only option that made sense was to keep moving. Eventually she'd find some way out of these woods if she kept going and that was enough to convince her not to sit still. But after the non-stop pace she had no choice but to quit so she could recover.
"I hate this. I hate it… I want out of here. Why are we even doing this?"
"Why?" A voice asked in the dark. The girl spun around to see who was talking. "I thought you all knew exactly why you were doing this?"
"Who's there!?" She shouted, eyes searching the dark but unable to find anything. It wasn't until she held still that she could hear the sound of something eating. Looking above she spotted the figure of a woman sitting on a tree branch. The moon light illuminating her shape in the dark against the starry sky. Her curvy figure was silhouetted by the sheer fabric night gown she wore over her body. "You!"
"Mmm… yum. Sorry about that, all this running around got me so hungry." Fluttershy said, dropping an apple core on the ground beneath the tree. In fact there were several eaten apples below her, some of which looked less eaten and more drank of all the liquid within by two puncture wounds in the apple's flesh. "But it's almost over now. I haven't had a night in the woods like this in some time."
"What… what are you?" She asked, backing away from the tree Fluttershy sat in. As her head turned to look at the woman, two large, bat-like wings spread out from behind her. Not the magical kind she had flown away with from the tent. Those had been solid but see through and ethereal, created from pure magic. These wings blocked out the light and cast a shadow below as if they were made of flesh and bone. Two beady red dots glowed where Fluttershy's eyes should have been in an unnatural way for a human.
"What am I? I am very angry." Fluttershy said. "You took something from my friends."
"Sorry! I'm sorry, please! Here!" Fingers raised up to her neck as she struggled with the clasp on the choker, pulling it off and tossing it to the ground. "You can have it! Just… just don't!"
"Don't?" She asked. "You invaded my home, hurt my friends, and you ask me for forgiveness?"
"P-please?" The girl begged, and was answered by Fluttershy's hand raising up and pointing at her. In horror she saw that it wasn't just her but other bat wings began to unfurl in the tree she sat in. One after the other the bats in the tree let go of their branches and took flight after her. The girl screamed into the dark as she ran again, as fast as her legs would carry her.
More than once she'd trip and fall. Other times running into a tree or rock in her path that made her stumble. But if she stopped running for even a moment the bats were upon her. Chasing her through the trees relentlessly. With pictures of the devoured fruit in her mind she was desperate not to end up like their food and kept on running. Even after she had finally cleared the trees and was back at the limits of the town. Collapsing on the grass she rolled on to her side.
"Dead… she killed them… she killed them all… they're all dead." She stammered, pulling herself up onto her arms and legs. "Have to run… have to run away before-"
"Too late for that." A gentle voice spoke from above. The girl looked up to see Fluttershy's figure against the moon, those bat wings spread out wide as she hovered there and cast her shadow down upon her victim.
"No… please…. NO! STAY AWAY!" She shrieked but it was in vane as the bats that had chased her through the forest erupted out of the trees and overtook her. The black of their fur blotted out the starry sky as she lost consciousness.
Inside of the tent Trixie was getting annoyed by how long her assistants were taking in bringing back the last girl needed for their performance. She'd been doing card tricks, juggling and even pretending to remove her thumb to keep the illusion up that the townspeople were under. As long as they were sufficiently distracted by some kind of spectacle it was enough to keep them all entranced but even the simplest tricks were becoming tedious to her. "I swear when those four get back they're gonna have hell to pay making me wait like this. About to resort to jingling keys in front of these brain dead idiots if this carries on much longer." As if to answer her prayers another woman finally did enter the tent. Though it wasn't the one she had expected.
"Hello Trixie. You seem to be putting on a good show." Fluttershy said calmly. The fear in her voice was no longer present from when they had met before. Trixie smiled and used her magic to make some cards dance in front of the audience so she could concentrate on her new guest.
"So you finally returned. Gave my girls the slip, did you? Still I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to come back here by yourself."
"Things didn't go exactly like that." Fluttershy said, holding up the four chokers that had the crystals within them that contained her friend's magic. "We had a disagreement and I decided to come back on my own." At that sight of this the smile left Trixie's face, looking the girl over cautiously.
"Impossible. There's no way you beat them all on your own. You're the Element of Kindness! The weakest one of the lot."
"Is it impossible?" Fluttershy asked, stepping forward and Trixie found herself stepping back. "Do you even understand what these elements are?"
"Power. That's what they are." She spat back. "Pure simple energy, pure magic! Some of the purest there is. I don't know how you harness it yet but this will work just as well. If you're going to bring them all to me I don't need anyone else to learn how to use them."
"It's more than just power." Fluttershy explained. "We're not just containers for the elements. We represent their aspects, we help define them. They came to us because we are the ones suited to wield them."
"Uh-huh." Trixie scoffed. "And all of that means what to me?"
"I am the Element of Kindness. That means I embrace kindness willingly. It's... what I want to be. What I strive to be. But..." Fluttershy approached her again and this time she did not stop. Instead she was soon upon Trixie, looking her in the eye. "I also understand the opposite side of kindness. As much as I understand what kindness is, I also understand cruelty. I've been in that element before in the past. And I know how to summon it to my aid just as effectively as the other side." Trixie flinched at the look in her eyes, holding her ground but her confidence was shaken. "I don't know why you decided to start doing this Trixie, but I don't care any longer. Surrender. Or else."
"Or else what? You'll do to me what you did to them? You're bluffing!"
"Am I?" Fluttershy asked, holding up the chokers the other girls had worn previously. "I don't mind finding out. My friends won't have to see what's necessary for me to prove it, you made sure of that for me. I don't have to hide anything to do what needs to be done." Staring up at her the two maintained eye contact, waiting for the other to make the first move. As Trixie stared her down her eyes dropped lower.
"Your neck…"
"My eyes are up here, try to keep focus." Fluttershy responded, though Trixie wasn't as shaken as before. Instead backing away now with a smirk.
"So that's how you managed to avoid my enchantment." She said, though Fluttershy didn't follow what she was referring to. "Fine, take your little victory for today. Good luck trying to catch the 'Great and Powerful Trixie' after tonight! You'll never find me." With a snap of her fingers there was a flash of light, as if someone set off a batch of fireworks directly where she was standing. Fluttershy shielded her eyes from the bright explosion and when she could see properly again Trixie had disappeared. Running out of the tent, Fluttershy checked the perimeter to see if maybe she had another scheme up her sleeve but for as far as she could tell the woman had made her escape.
"Just as well." Fluttershy said with a sigh, feeling exhausted. Magic chokers clutched in her hand she walked back to where her friends were all sitting motionless in their chairs inside the tent. The audience was still enchanted as well which for the moment worked fine for her. "I hope this works." Picking up the wooden box Trixie had held the chokers inside of, she dropped the one with the rainbow colored crystal in front of Dash on the ground and kneeled over it. Raising the box over her head she brought the edge down on the crystal with a strike that shattered the rock on impact. To her relief after the crystal was broken the magical energy inside flowed out of it like a gas and seeped back inside of Rainbow Dash. Who's eyes opened with a startle.
"What!? What… what's… going on? Where am I?"
"Thank goodness!" Fluttershy said, wrapping her arms around her friend tightly. "I was worried that it wouldn't work."
"Fluttershy? Wait, isn't this the circus tent? Why am I… Why are you in your nightgown?" Looking around she noted the audience looked eerily quiet and was staring directly at them within the circus ring from all sides. "Everyone's staring at us… whoa, why is Rarity naked!?"
"I guess that's how she sleeps." Fluttershy explained calmly, standing up and picking up the blanket that had been used in the magic trick earlier to cover Rarity where she sat.
"Fluttershy, what happened? After I left your house I can't really remember what I did next."
"It was Trixie, I don't know why but she tried to steal our magic." Dropping the purple crystal at Rarity's feet, Fluttershy knelt over it and held the wooden box again. "Hey Rainbow Dash? I'm going to need your help to get Rarity and Pinkie Pie home so they're not sitting her exposed in front of everyone when they wake up."
"I… okay, yeah, I guess I can." Rainbow Dash agreed, noticing that Pinkie was also just in a T-shirt and shorts that were rather revealing. "Are you okay? Did something happen to you?"
"A lot happened to me." Fluttershy admitted. "Maybe it was all for the better? I don't really know yet, but that's not important right now. First I have to help my friends. We'll take care of the rest later." Raising up the wooden box Fluttershy brought it down with a swift and determined strike, splitting the rock into pieces as she continued her mission.
"You beat all of them by yourself!?" Pinkie Pie asked Fluttershy in amazement, all of the girls currently sitting at one of the tables inside Sugarcube Corner and enjoying a warm drink of their choosing. On the house courtesy of Pinkie Pie and Mr. and Mrs. Cake after Fluttershy's heroic deeds that freed the town from Trixie's enchantment. Rarity was sipping a flavored coffee and Applejack an apple cider. Fluttershy herself was just enjoying a simple tea while Pinkie had gotten herself a hot chocolate with all the fixings. "How did you even do that? There were four of them and they all used magic, right?"
"I guess, but it's not like they were as strong as Twilight. They didn't seem very good at magic beyond simple tricks." Fluttershy explained.
"So how'd ya do it?" Applejack asked curiously. "Ah know ya can tame a wild beast with just a few words but ah never seen ya take down another person before."
"Well it's like you said." Fluttershy explained. "I had to enlist some help from the monsters in the forest. Not tame them but ask them. You remember the drake that helped you in the hedge maze, right? He was the first one I ran into and after explaining my situation he was eager to help out. Then I met a nice snake who also caught one of them for me so I didn't have to do much. Of course I said I'd get them some food later as a reward for their help but they were nice enough just to be there for me."
"I remember that drake." Rarity said, sipping her coffee. "Had a fondness for pretty girls, no surprise he'd be eager to help out Fluttershy when she was a damsel in distress." She pulled her robe tighter around herself, having appreciated Fluttershy waking her out of the enchantment before the rest of the town so she could get covered up.
"That doesn't explain the other two though." Pinkie Pie said, finding this story exciting and only a little sad she got to miss out on the adventure.
"There's a sweet manticore we met a long time ago that lives in the forest. Just a little prick of his tail isn't enough to kill someone so I asked him to help me put her to sleep so I could get that magic crystal from her."
"And that last one we found in the field?" Applejack asked. "She was shrieking and hollering that ya'll were a dang vampire trying tah drink her blood while ah was hog tying her for the royal guards to pick up."
"Oh, well she was kind of right about that." Fluttershy said, the other three girls' eyes growing wide. "I'm not a vampire, but I did find some nice vampire fruit bats that were willing to help me chase her out of the woods. I let one of them sit on my back so it looked like I had bat wings and reflective eyes." Fluttershy said, spreading her hair out behind her to mimic how she had used her bat friend to scare their attacker. "I'll have to buy some apples from you though to give them as a thank you."
"Heck, ya can have 'em fer free! Ah owe them critters mah life." Soon after their discussion the fifth member of their group came back as Rainbow Dash entered the building. "Howdy Dash, ya'll get them guards of Luna's tah round them troublemakers up?"
"Well… not exactly." Rainbow Dash admitted. "Actually Fluttershy, they want to talk to you." Confused but willing to help, Fluttershy rose from her chair and exited the building with all of her friends following behind. As they walked out onto the street they were met by a woman with long green hair in black armor, emblazoned with Luna's symbol on the breast plate.
"Hello… your knightness?" Fluttershy said meekly, not sure how exactly to address her. "Did you need something more from me?"
"You're Fluttershy, correct?" She asked and Fluttershy nodded in response. "Hello, I'm Nightshade. The current commander of Luna's division. I wanted to ask you some more questions about what went on here tonight."
"More questions?" Rarity asked, sounding offended. "The poor dear poured her heart and soul out to your subordinates not even a half hour ago. What more could need to be said?"
"That's true, you did give us a statement but I wanted to clarify some things. Now you're saying it was a street performer named Trixie who started all of this?" Nightshade asked, the sound of doubt clear in her voice.
"Well… yes. We've had altercations with her in the past but she'd never done anything like this before." Fluttershy explained.
"Mmhmm… and what were these altercations like?" Nightshade asked curiously.
"Well she nearly destroyed the town once after she found some evil artifact thing." Applejack explained. "And the first time we met her she basically insulted everyone she came across and then demanded we give her money for her show." Applejack crossed her arms as her attitude was souring just remembering it.
"So you all had a grudge against her?" Nightshade asked cautiously.
"I think a 'grudge' is going a bit far." Rainbow Dash said. "But I never liked her! She was always a jerk and this just proves it. Who knows where those assistants of hers came from? Can't think of anybody that would want to spend time with her."
"What assistants?" Nightshade asked and all five girls looked dumbstruck.
"The… the girls that were with her." Rarity explained. "We told one of your men where to find one of them exactly."
"We didn't find anyone. Not this Trixie, not her assistants, I didn't even see that carriage you described by the tent." She explained, all the girls looking panicked.
"You let them get away!?" Fluttershy asked.
"Now hold on!" Applejack spoke up. "We found one of them girls in the field just outside the Everfree Forest. Ah tied her up mahself tah make sure she wouldn't run nowhere. And yer tellin' me she just slipped right out from under yer nose?"
"Well, now that you mention that, I've got a difficult case on my hands here." Nightshade continued. "What I've been told is the entire town was put under an enchantment that took them into a circus tent five women erected in a single day and then four of the six Elements of Harmony were subdued and robbed of their magical powers. Then after that, somehow Ms. Fluttershy was immune to this enchantment that overtook your entire town and she single handedly defeated all five of her attackers?"
"Not single handedly." Fluttershy clarified. "The animals in Everfree helped me."
"Right… and after that you broke the spell. But first on all four of your friends before anyone else. Only then did every other witness have the enchantment broken on them?"
"Ah don't like what yer puttin' down here, Nightshade." Applejack said. "Ya'll know who we are and yer actin' suspicious of us?"
"Yes, Ms. Applejack, I know who you are. The Element of… Honesty, correct? As such I'd hope you'd appreciate me seeking out the truth." Nightshade clarified and Rarity had to put a hand on Applejack's shoulder to keep her from losing her temper. "But the story I have now is a street magician kidnapped an entire town's citizens, except Ms. Fluttershy who defeated them by taming some monsters-"
"Asking." Fluttershy clarified. "I asked them for help, I didn't tame them."
"Right. Asked some monsters for help. Then afterwards you woke up all your friends and then got the Royal Guard who had been on the town's borders but didn't notice any of this happening. And the criminals who did this are out there, but they've disappeared without anyone seeing them escape with an entire show cart."
"That's… correct." Fluttershy said hesitantly. Rainbow Dash was scowling at the knight and her lack of help in this matter.
"Y'know, as far as I can see this is all your fault." Rainbow said, earning a glare from Nightshade. "I mean clearly something happened here, right? You can't even begin to deny that. But you didn't notice a thing? What are you guys the royal guards of exactly? The dirt you're standing on at that moment? Cause it seems you're all staring at your feet while my friend had to do your jobs for you." The girls were glaring down at the guard captain who was holding her position against them but losing her temper.
"Correct, Ms. Rainbow Dash. I can't deny that something happened here. Whatever that was though it's becoming less and less clear for me and without anyone to collaborate with your story or even confirm your statements and character you're still my primary suspects."
"Oh c'mon!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "What are you gonna do, arrest us for saving everyone? We've done that for the whole kingdom like three times now."
"Maybe some questioning back at the castle, away from here, would be helpful." Nightshade said, her confidence in her authority coming back. "Unless you all have something more to add?"
"I do." A male voice spoke up as he approached the women on the street. Much like most of the crowd tonight he was dressed in pajamas. Though his were made of a fine fabric and seemed to be even more expensive than some of the normal everyday clothing of the town's citizens. Not only that despite having been pulled out of bed tonight his hair was somehow still fabulous. A few recognized him right away and Nightshade was the first to actually say his name.
"Prince Blueblood!?" She spoke up, startled by his sudden appearance. "What are you doing here of all places?"
"I hardly think that matters. As a prince I can go where I please." Blueblood said, hands behind his back as he looked over everyone around him. "Now if what I heard as I approached was true, you think these young women here are the suspects in your case?"
"I… well, you see your… highness." The last word was almost hissed out of her mouth, as if she was forcing herself to use it. "There isn't much other evidence to support their claims otherwise."
"They're the Elements of Harmony and work directly for my aunts. That is all you need for your evidence." Blueblood explained, letting the words settle in as no one seemed to know how to respond to his simple proclamation. "That's not a problem for you? Is it commander… Nightshade I believe your name was? Am I going to need to remember your name for later when I return to the castle, commander?" He asked, the threat in his tone barely hidden.
"...no, you won't, your highness." Nightshade said, bowing to the elements and apologizing for bothering them before taking her leave. All of the girls watching her walk away and then looking at Blueblood in disbelief.
"Well… I guess that was kind of cool." Rainbow Dash admitted reluctantly.
"Yes, thank you for coming to support us, your highness." Fluttershy said, approaching him. "I don't know why she was so angry with us."
"She did say all the bad guys got away, right?" Pinkie Pie asked. "That's a pretty big deal isn't it? After everything they did shouldn't we be worried that they're still out there?"
"I wouldn't give it too much thought." Blueblood said confidently. "They can be rough around the edges but the royal guard is quite capable. Especially Aunt Luna's troops, a terrifying bunch that's proud of their reputation as such. If they're on the hunt for a criminal I'd hate to be the one they're searching for."
"Say Blueblood." Applejack spoke up. "Why are ya here in town? Ah didn't hear nuthin' about royal family arrivin'. Matter of fact ah thought the roads were closed down cause of the changel-" Applejack caught herself, remembering Fluttershy was right there and it was her incident that caused the scare in the first place.
"Because of my attack." Fluttershy finished. "Thank you Applejack but it's okay, we can talk about it."
"I was quite alarmed to hear such a thing happened to you." Blueblood said to Fluttershy. "Not only am I happy to see you recovered but you also apparently saved us all. It seems I'm in your debt again as a member of the Elements of Harmony." The praise was actually more embarrassing for her than the conversation about her injuries as she shyly backed up after getting the compliment.
"Well… um… you're welcome, your highness."
"Ah yes, why am I here! That was the question Miss Applejack asked. Well Miss Rarity invited me." Blueblood explained and everyone's eyes shot over at her. This time it was her turn to sink away shyly as she used the poofy trim of her robe to hide her blushing cheeks. "She said she could make me an expertly tailored suit and I took her up on the offer."
"Oh. Well that's not as juicy of a story as I was hoping for." Pinkie Pie said and got a little slap on the behind from Applejack for speaking out so openly about such suggestive things.
"Ahem… well… be that as it may we've still got a few more hours to get some sleep. Did you ladies need any accompaniment home?"
"Ah'm good." Applejack stated plainly. "Big Mac and Apple Bloom are waitin' on me and ah got chores in the mornin'. Night everyone, see ya around yer highness." As she departed Pinkie waved to everyone too.
"We still have to open the store tomorrow so I'm going to head back in. Night everybody!" Pinkie Pie gave big, open hugs to everyone in the group. Including Blueblood who was taken by surprise with her open display of affection with her friends but still let it roll off his back.
"Well I suppose it's only proper that I have an escort." Rarity said aloud, almost too openly as if she wanted them to know this was the only reason she was accepting it. "Unless you need one more than me, Fluttershy dear?"
"It's okay, Rainbow Dash will come with me." Fluttershy said confidently, Rainbow having not mentioned it previously but also didn't argue with the statement. With that the two pairs said their good nights and separated, Rarity and Blueblood on foot while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy took to the skies. With the excitement earlier in the night they could see a few lights on in the houses below them still, everyone either trying to get back to sleep or settling down from the unusual events they'd just experienced tonight. Rainbow kept close to her friend and watched her glide through the air.
"You're flying more confidently than you have before."
"Really? I guess I hadn't noticed." She said, watching the ground below. "You know, there was a moment there tonight when I wasn't sure what was going to happen to everyone."
"What do you mean?"
"After I ran her off, when all of you were sitting there and not moving. I broke those crystals to bring you back but that was just me being desperate. I didn't know if it would really work."
"Well... I don't know a lot about all that magic stuff either. So I guess we're lucky that smashing was all it took to fix everything." Rainbow said, feeling true relief about it. "It was pretty nuts though. The guards didn't notice a thing and Applejack said the roads were closed off, so there had to be checkpoints right? Plus Twilight was gone at the castle and without Spike we had no way to notify anyone in an emergency at the capital. It's sorta like... if you hadn't been there we would have been done for without a chance."
"Like someone planned all of it?" Fluttershy asked and Rainbow Dash didn't have an answer. That sort of thing was also beyond her, never having been the strategic type herself. "I hope not, otherwise I don't know what that would mean." Neither did Dash and they decided dwelling on the topic wouldn't help either of them. Stopping in midair Fluttershy used her wings to hover in the sky, looking down below. "Well... this is my stop."
"Hey, Fluttershy? Do you want me to stay over? I know I asked before but this time... something really did happen. So if you need me to do it just let me know and-" Fluttershy floated over to her friend and hugged her tightly.
"I'll be okay." She said, Rainbow returning the hug and holding her just as tight. "Thank you for worrying about me."
"Of course I worry about you."
"I know." Separating their hug she held hands with Rainbow Dash while they stayed in the air together. The small beating of their magical wings made her nightgown flutter about her legs as they hovered. "Besides, there's a group of monsters that are looking to get a good breakfast made for them tomorrow as a reward for helping me. I'll have a lot of security tonight."
"Okay, if you're sure." Rainbow Dash went to release her hands but found they were still held tightly by her friend.
"Dash... I'm sorry." Fluttershy said.
"Sorry? What would you have to be sorry for?"
"I'm sorry I confessed my feelings like that to you. That day in the hospital when I woke up. After you've been watching out for me this whole time, it was selfish of me to say that." Fluttershy said, tears building up in her eyes. "I just thought that... you know, we don't have forever in our lives. So at that moment it seemed like a good idea to just... to just..."
"Hey now! It's okay! I'm... I'm just slow to get it, y'know. I don't really catch hints or anything like that. So you don't have to apologize or anything."
"Rainbow Dash... you don't love me like that, do you?" Fluttershy asked and Rainbow Dash gripped her hands tighter, her eyes reflecting a fear far greater than having nearly lost her own life tonight. "I know already. It was so obvious. I should have caught on sooner but I just kept holding out hope because... well I guess I just hoped you might come around. But that wasn't fair to you."
"That's not fair to you either!" Rainbow Dash said, both girls unable to stop the tears falling from their eyes now. "I didn't want to hurt you. And you already got hurt so bad and... and if I'd just shown up that night and talked to you... if I'd just been an adult instead of avoiding everything then maybe you wouldn't have... wouldn't have..."
"Or they might have hurt you too." Fluttershy said. "They might have hurt us both... or killed us. Who knows what would have happened that night. But I'm here now and so are you and if we're going to be friends I knew that I had to talk to you about this."
"Even if it hurts?" Rainbow Dash asked, her own hands shaking as Fluttershy held them in her grip.
"Yes... even if it hurts. Because if I'd lost you tonight, any of you, that would have been a pain greater than this."
"Yeah, I guess I can understand that." Rainbow dash said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "You know… I think it's really messed up. We don't deserve to get hurt as much as we do. For everything we do we don't deserve it."
"No, we don't." Fluttershy agreed. "But that's why we have our friends to help us get better." They hugged again, longer this time. As if they were afraid to let the other one go out into the world alone again. "So are you still the girl that will always protect me when things get too scary?"
"Always. Still the girl that will help me when things get too frustrating to deal with?"
"Always." Fluttershy said, the two letting their embrace go and parting their separate ways. Out of all the things she had faced tonight, that conversation had been the most terrifying for her. And even though she was happy that she still had her beloved friends by her side and that they were all going home safe and sound, tonight when she curled up into her sheets again it wasn't the fear of being alone in her house that kept her up. Instead it was the tears on her pillows at having to let go of a potential future with someone she had loved even deeper than just a friend and realizing how deep that loss meant to her.