AN: Thank you for all of your reviews!

To FlamingFoxNinja-love the idea of Fluttershy explaining how she sees the world and explaining it to Discord, but we are taking a different approach here.

And to the Random Fan-Fluttershy doesn't have much right now for exactly the reason you said, she is in bed and there isn't much else to say. I try to incorporate her view point when I can, but right now she doesn't really have much that needs to be elaborated on. She has more solos in the upcoming chapters.

I'll be honest when I say this chapter is more to set up the next chapter, which I should have up in the next day or so.

As per usual-I don't own My Little Pony and never claimed to.

Chapter 11: Back to the Beginning

"So, what did ya find sugarcube?"

"Not much, AJ," Twilight provided with a sigh.

"What did it do?" Pinkie jumped over to look at the set up in front of the unicorn. Books lay scattered and opened around the room, with candles providing an eerie glow to the place. A bowl filled with water lay in the middle of a strange formation.

"It was supposed to help me see," Twilight explained.

"Well you can already do that, silly," Pinkie Pie frowned, "So why are you looking at yourself in a mirror? I thought you were looking for Fluttershy!"

"It was my idea," Rarity stated happily, "I finally found the scurrying spell in a book and Spikey and I convinced Twilight to give it a try since our little balloon trip didn't...well, you know…."

"It's called a scrying spell, Rarity," Twilight said softly, still upset that their trip to the woods had left them with nothing concrete on the whereabouts of Fluttershy, "I was trying to use a scrying technique to find Fluttershy. It was supposed to let me see things I am looking for, or the future, or...whatever. It was never very clear."

"Did you find anything? It seems like a waste of time to me," Rainbow floated above the group, too anxious to stay still for more than a few minutes at a time.

Twilight sighed, "Well, if it was supposed to show me anything, I really don't see it. All I keep seeing is clouds and smoke and dark shapes."

"Think it means anything?" Applejack asked.

"Not really. I think it is just reflecting the ceiling to tell the truth. Not even the mirror worked like it should! I keep seeing what seems like wings on my back, but that makes no sense at all. Most likely my mind was playing tricks on me. Don't know why I even thought it might work."

"Well, I appreciate it all the same," Rarity offered, feeling a bit down that her idea hadn't worked, "I guess sometimes doing something, even if it is pointless, is better than standing around and doing nothing."

Twilight gave her a half smile, before she frowned again, "I just wish the Princesses would contact me with something."

"Then how about we wait til mornin' then and pick up the trail again tomorrow?" Applejack suggested.

"Wait!" Rainbow yelled, "Anything could happen by then! We can't wait on this! I mean, think about what would happen if we waited to go after Nightmare Moon! Or-or Discord! Or to help the Crystal Ponies and Princess Cadence! What would've happened then?!"

"Now, now, Rainbow," Applejack frowned, trying to defend herself, "There is no use in sitting here thinking on what-if's and could-have-beens! What happened, happened! But we are getting nowhere just staying up all night and working ourselves up over this. Anyways, I thought we already talked about this need-to-sleep thing."

"I agree," Rarity added, "Some sleep will allow us to clear our minds and prepare for whatever is ahead."

"And it will allow time for Luna and Celestia to find something," Twilight said halfheartedly, as if testing the waters on the whole idea of sleep versus staying up.

"And time for me to get the town ready for a welcome back party for when Fluttershy returns!" Pinkie smiled.

"Maybe a quick nap," Rainbow conceded, "But then we are back to searching!"

Twilight looked around the group with a small smile. Of course none of them would give up so easily as with a lost trail in the forest.

"Then we should probably get some sleep then," Twilight said, "We'll meet up tomorrow, around 8?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Applejack smiled sadly.

Slowly all the other ponies left the treehouse, leaving Twilight alone. While rest sounded like a good idea, she just couldn't stop now.

With a sigh, she picked up another book and began to look over it. Maybe she just hadn't found the right spell yet.

Fluttershy stood upon a stage. The deep red curtains sat closed before her, keeping her away from the crowd of judging eyes. Somehow she knew that once those curtains opened, she would have to recite her lines, but she had only been chosen for the part today! She did not have the time to memorize that much! She couldn't do this. How could she possibly be expected to act for this crowd?

As she went to leave the stage, the curtains opened, revealing the audience beyond. Their waiting eyes showing a longing and a hunger that made her insides just turn to ice. She had to keep them entertained, or else.

Or else what? she asked herself, but she could not find an answer. She couldn't explain it, she just knew.

With a deep breath, Fluttershy went to speak, but found she had no voice. She tried again, and only managed a squeak. Her eyes began to sting as she kept trying to speak, but no sound was uttered. The audience, meanwhile, began to mumble in discontent.

Fluttershy trembled as she looked at the whole group with their judging eyes. She couldn't do this! She could not speak! She did not know the lines! She did not want...this! She had to go, had to run, had to hide. The stage was no place for her, she had to get away! But when she tried to leave the stage, she found chains around her legs keeping her from moving, her wings felt heavy and unmoving on her back. She was trapped!

Fluttershy struggled against the locks, only to hear the crowd growing more and more dissatisfied. Their angry gazes turning evil as their eyes began to glow, their voices shouting in discontent as she fought against the chains on her legs.

Looking up for a minute, she saw the crowd had now transformed from a collection of shadowy figures that had morphed together into a large mass. The individuals had grown into each other, only their red glowing eyes remaining behind to stare and glare at her as she tried to escape.

Fluttershy gasped in fear as she watched the creature loom up above her, tears streaming down her face as she fought against the heavy weight on her hooves.

"Fluttershy!" Came a distant cry, and suddenly Fluttershy found that the manacles around her hooves were gone. Looking up to spot the voice, she thought she saw the distant shape of a winged unicorn, but couldn't make it out before the crowd creature began to start pulling itself up onto the stage.

Fluttershy felt her heart beat rapidly. Leaping into the sky, she went to fly away. She had made it a dozen feet into the air, when she felt something catch her foot. Looking down, she saw Discord standing there on the stage with a sad expression.

"Please," he said, "Don't leave me. I don't want to be alone! Please don't leave!"

Fluttershy began to kick and squirm to try and escape, but his grip held true, keeping her stuck upon the stage. The crowd loomed up above them like a tidal wave at it's peak.

Fluttershy screamed as the monster began to envelope her and Discord upon the stage.

As the world turned black, she heard the voice again calling her name.

Fluttershy awoke with a fright, out of breath and wildly kicking around.

After a second, she got a look around the room, recognizing Discord's cottage. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself, only for the door to the room to be slammed open. Fluttershy let loose a squeak and almost fell out of bed.

"Fluttershy! Are you alright!" Discord called out, wearing his pink robe and hair curlers, his sleep mask still attached.

"D-discord?" she asked, pulling herself up to see, "I-I'm fine. Thank you!'

"That's good," Discord began with a sigh. Snapping his fingers, the sleeping mask and robe disappeared, his hair elongating as the curlers removed themselves. His now long and fabulous hair flowing in a non-existent wind in the house.

Fluttershy gaped at him, thinking of how some of her friends would kill for hair like that.

"What? Do you not like?" Discord asked, flipping his hair around.

"N-n-no! Of course not!" Fluttershy said, blushing and looking away, "It looks quite good on you."

"So it does," Discord stated, looking at his new hairstyle in a mirror, "But, alas, I do believe that it distracts from our current matter at hand."

And with that, the luscious locks vanished from his head, returning to the usual mane that he had. Somehow Fluttershy found herself disappointed in their disappearance.

"Now, I must apologize for returning so late, my dear, but I had to talk to the good doctor over your current cutie mark issue," Discord stated matter of factly.

"Not the children?" she asked, slightly surprised.

"Maybe a few minutes with the children," Discord refused to meet her gaze. Somehow she was certain that it was more than a few minutes.

"But back to the matter at hand!" he called out, grabbing a stack of papers from nowhere, and creating a desk to sit at beside her bed. Twisting around in the chair, Discord spun away, only to spin back in a suit and glasses, like some sort of business pony from Manehattan.

"What we found," Discord continued, staring intently at her over his glasses, "Is that there may be a spell placed on you."

"A spell?" Fluttershy asked in confusion, "Why would anypony want to place a spell upon me? There's nothing special about me."

"Au contraire," he countered, "You have helped stop many evils around the realm! You and your friends have defeated many that desire to bring pain or suffering to the ponyfolk, myself included! It would only make sense that someone would come after you or your friends at some point in time."

"But that was my friends, mainly," she muttered, looking down at the blanket, "I never did much. Don't get me wrong, I am glad that they were willing to take me along. We had a lot of fun! I mean, that party cannon sure came in handy, but I was never that much of a help to them…"

"Really, Fluttershy?" his eyes staring at her in disbelief, "You, who calmed the wild beasts and dragons to protect your friends? You who wields the Element of Kindness?"

A sudden flag of Equestria unrolled on the wall behind Discord, as he stood up, taking off his glasses with a serious expression on his face, saluting with tears in his eyes and small fireworks in the background, "YOU! Who transformed a demented soul such as myself into a good, law abiding citizen?"

"I suppose-"

"Suppose nothing! You are an essential part of the equation, and your group of friends would be nowhere without you!"

Fluttershy stared at Discord in awe. No one had ever really spoken so highly of her before.

"I-I guess...you are right," Fluttershy blushed, staring at the blankets to avoid making eye contact.

"Of course I'm right," Discord's voice even sounded like it was smirking, "But we are distracting ourselves again! We believe that a spell has been placed upon you by some unknown force!"

"So...what does that mean," she asked.

"It means we must find the counter-curse or spell or whatever," Discord rolled his eyes.

"What? Like...like some sort of old ponytale kiss from a prince or lord?" Fluttershy squeaked out, using her hair to hide her blush.

Discord's eyes widened as he backed up, effectively making his illusion of business office and suit disappear.

"Well," he said, blushing and staring at the ceiling, refusing to look at her, "I-I suppose if all else fails...perhaps we could try that."

"Wha-? Oh!" Fluttershy gasped out, realising what he was saying, "N-no! W-we don't need to d-do that! I-I was just asking! I-I mean...I wasn't thinking w-with you or anything! O-or...what I meant was...oh my!"

"That is just fine, dear! I wouldn't want to force you into something like that! Just a misunderstanding is all!" Discord laughed, a large smile upon his face. But deep down he felt slightly disappointed that she wouldn't want to kiss him...though he wasn't completely sure why….

Fluttershy gave an embarrassed smile up at him, hiding behind her hair again. It only made him feel even more confused.

"A-anyways!" Discord exclaimed, trying to get away from the awkward topic and ignore all the strange feelings going through the pit of his stomach; had to be the burrito from last night! Perhaps less chocolate sauce…

"I had an idea of trying to trace the spell back to its owner! At least, if you recognize the cutie mark we might be able to find out their agenda."

"Al-alright," Fluttershy said cautiously coming out from behind her hair, "What do we need to do?"

"Sit still," Discord moved towards her.

Fluttershy stood stockstill as he got down to her eye level and a few feet in front of her face. She blushed and closed her eyes as he began to reach for her head. Only to gasp a bit when she felt him remove a hair from her mane. Opening her eyes, she watched as Discord slurped up the hair like a spaghetti noodle.

"Hmm...tastes perfumey...like wild flowers," Discord muttered before he had a large belch that reminded Fluttershy of Spike whenever he received a letter from Celestia. The flames and smoke from the burp began to roll in circles, before a mark appeared, glowing in the air above them.

They both stared in silence, unable to fully comprehend what they were seeing.

Fluttershy broke the silence first, whispering in a nervous voice, "That looks alot like Twilight's cutie mark…"

Fluttershy looked over her shoulder at Discord, to see him sitting as still as a statue, a look of pure rage slowly forming upon his face.

"D-...Discord?"

Yet he only sat there in silence, his body slowly changing to red from the feet up.

Fluttershy nearly jumped out of her skin when he stood abruptly and disappeared with a loud crack. She could only look at the spot he once occupied in confusion, her mind whirling about in the consequences of what they had just discovered as the light from the floating mark in the air above her faded.

"What is this nonsense!"

"Well write her back and tell her no such spell exists!"

Voices drifted from the library into the halls around Canterlot Palace.

"Something wrong, Librarian?"

The group of ponies gathered in the library froze as the voice of Princess Celestia came from behind them.

"Why, nothing at all your Highness," he squeaked, as he turned to face her, "Just going through the mail! Some doctor over in Manehattan is asking about diseases or spells that affect cutie marks!"

"What?" Celestia asked.

"I know, I know!" the librarian stated, mistaking her interest as disbelief, "The library at her hospital would give her full knowledge of diseases, but a spell! I was getting ready to have a letter written to her to inform her that no such spell exists! Such a silly idea-"

"No," Celestia interrupted him, "Such a spell does exist."

"W-wha?" the librarian asked dumbfounded, the rest of the group disbanding at Celestia's look, "B-but how did I not know! I am a librarian in the Royal Canterlot Libraries of Magic! How is it that I do not know of such a spell."

"It is quite simple really," Celestia interrupted his rant, "It is kept secret so that it cannot fall into the wrong hands."

With that, Celestia walked past him towards the letter in question, "Interesting. I was thinking something would turn up at some point, but in Manehattan..."

"You," she continued, looking at the librarian who gulped in fear, "While I do not believe in harsh punishments, it would be for the best that you and your fellow librarians do not go spreading this news around. I do not like to openly cause my subjects pain or harm."

"I-I understand your Majesty," he stuttered out, bowing and backing away as fast as he could.

Celestia smiled softly at his retreating form. She didn't fully mean it…

"Make my carriage ready at once," Celestia ordered as she turned to one of the nearby guards, "I have a trip to make."