The moon high in the night sky, a cloaked figure journeyed through the Everfree forest. The light from the celestial beings in the sky made it easy enough to navigate the forest that was correctly in a thin fog. With a sigh the figure leaned down to pick up some herbs, the same herbs she had come every few nights to collect. As the figure used its mouth to bite the vegetation, it was rather harder to pick them up than usual. With a strong tug the herbs were ripped from the ground, but also made the figure fall backwards and landing on its hind. The hood of the cloak was pulled back by the sudden impact with the ground it a black and white face was revealed. Zecora, the zebra that lived in this oh so strange forest groaned as she stood up again, her flank in some pain from the abrupt fall. With bags under her eyes she placed the herbs into her saddle bag and began to make her way back to her hut.

The forest continued to make strange noises and sounds that would frightened any pony, but she was used to it all. If anything, she had proven time and time again how she was the scariest thing in the forest if angered. She had a certain way with magic even though she wasn't a unicorn, so her magic was one that was seen as 'exotic'. That being said, lots of ponies came to her for help with strange illnesses that she usually knew how to heal in seconds. The last few nights were no different, somepony would come and ask for help but it seems that this was a little….different. The zebra's hooves echoed in the forest, and as she approached her home the door opened with an orange pony waiting for her.

"Did you get what you needed Zecora?" The earth pony said with a southern accent. In response she nodded and said.

"I hope the trip was worth the climb, and that the remedy will work this time." Zecora spoke in rhythm as she walked in, setting her saddle down. Before her was her patient, the same patient she had for last few nights which had left her without sleep.

"Zecora my friend, you should really get some sleep, just look at those awful bags under your eyes. You'll get early age wrinkles if you keep this up." A pony said as she hung upside down from Zecora's ceiling.

"I am more worried about finishing my brew, and healing what ails you." The zebra responded as she walked around the pony and reached over towards a stack of apples. With her yellow hoof she picked it up and took a bite into it with her long fangs, sucking the apple dry and throwing it aside. Applejack, the one who brought the 'patient' ducked as the shriveled apple flew overhead, landing in a basket full of other apples that looked the same.

"But nothing ails me, I feel perfectly fine." To this Applejack interjected.

"But yar not fine Fluttershy. Every single night you keep turning back into a batpony." The pink maned pony stretched out her bat wings as she yawned.

"Oh silly girl, I'm not Fluttershy. Fluttershy comes back in the morning. I'm…oh what was it your friend called me? Flutterbat?" She said before giggling to herself and reaching up to undo the knot she had made with her tail, detaching herself from the ceiling, and softly landing close to her 'friend'. "Or are you perhaps mad that I keep sneaking into your farm to pick an apple or two?"

Zecora was just about to finish making her potion as she listened to the duo go back and forth.

"Fluttershy, I don't care that you get some apples from my farm, ah'm just concerned for your well-being."

"Flutterbat my dear, I'm Flutterbat." The batpony said as she circled around Applejack, holding a devilish grin on her face as she teased the orange pony with her tail, gently poking her nuzzle with it.

"This form you might adore, but it would be best if you drink this and be a bat no more." The zebra said as she stepped closer holding her finished brew. Flutterbat quickly maneuvered around and grabbed the potion with her tail, stepping a few feet away from the zebra and pony without making a sound.

"So I just drink this and poof, I'm back to 'normal'?" She asked as she eyed the potion rather intently. The last few times she had tried her remedies they never worked, so she seemed rather confident this one wouldn't work either.

"That is correct…if it has the right affect." Zecora responded rather hesitantly. She was quite stumped with how to cure her friend and her confidence in her potions working right had diminished ever so slightly over the last few nights. Without hesitating the yellow bat gulped down the potion, as she held up the cup and allowed the final drop to fall on her tongue, she dropped it and began to gag. Her body fell on the ground and coughed uncontrollably. The other two ran to her side.

"Fluttershy! Are you ok? Zecora is this suppose ta happen?!" The coughing soon died out and the limp body laid on the ground as both remained quiet, in both shock and suspense. In a sudden jolt, the batpony sat up, her eyes closed.

"Uh…Fluttershy?..."

"How many times must I tell you? I'm Flutterbat." She quickly responded as she opened her eyes, the red irises staring intently at Zecora, whom she directed the next statement to. "You really must work on the taste, that last one was horrid." Without missing a beat she quickly took to the air and stretched her arms. "Now that we're done, may I go? If I wait too much longer I won't be able to enjoy the cool night sky before morning."

With a sigh, Zecora nodded and went over to her desk with a journal in which she had written down the ingredients she had thought would have worked to restore Fluttershy to normal and crossed it out. Flutterbat smiled and flew out of the hut and into the sky to enjoy what time she had before the sun rises. Applejack walked over to her zebra friend.

"Oh dontcha worry, you'll get it eventually."

"I am sorry dear Applejack, the skills to cure her I seem to lack." She said, sadden by her failure.

"It's fine. Fluttersh- FLutterbat doesn't seem to be hurting anypony, and she turns back to normal in the morning. You don't have to beat yourself over it." Disgruntled, the zebra nodded and decided to stay up some more to work on the next potion. Applejack took that as her cue to go and she grabbed the basket full of sucked apples on her way out. She too was tired of this routine, but felt it wasn't too bad. After all, Fluttershy doesn't seem to remember her time as Flutterbat in the morning; the problem is keeping it a secret from everypony. She wasn't comfortable with doing so, but it was Flutterbat's sole request for coming to Zecora's home every night to drink her remedies and if she had any chance to keep her calm and in line she had to follow up with her demand.

Meanwhile, Flutterbat seemed to be having a very relaxing glide through the night sky. The clouds in the everfree forest were her favorite to fly in since they seemed to have a different texture to those outside of it. They were thin and moved on their own, not to mention that she could fly through them without hitting them like a surface, something her Pegasus heritage made it hard to do. She closed her eyes and allowed the cool wind blow against her face as she fell into bliss, her freedom of the night. Every day she would be trapped inside Fluttershy's mind, seeing everything she did but unable to control her body, but at night, when her other self fell into slumber, she was free to roam at her own leisure, at least, until morning came. For some reason the morning sun would push her back into the cage of Fluttershy's subconscious and there she would remain until unset. She didn't quite understand it, but she wasn't curious enough to ask Twilight about it, after all, she'd sooner use a spell to 'cure' her than answer her questions. She'd rather remain in the dark, so to speak, and enjoy her time.

Over time, her wings started to become tired, understandable since she and Fluttershy shared the same body, so the weak wing endurance was something they too shared. It was a little troublesome, but what else could the batpony do? Over time her wings would get stronger and get a longer flight time, so for now she would simply just take a break. Flutterbat softly landed just outside of the everfree forest. She looked around to make sure nopony was around to see her and began to walk down an empty field. The cool night breeze gently moved the grass. It was sad to her that most ponies would never get to see such a beautiful and relaxing sight. They would all rather sleep the night away. Princess Luna took no short cuts in making her nights as beautiful as ever, and tonight was no exception. The yellow bat laid down on the soft grass and looked up at the stars. Their light shining down at her, unlike the bright sun of the day, their shien was gentle enough on the eyes to allow ponies to look up at them without hurting their sight. The night was just so much better than the day to this little bat and as she thought this she cutely smiled to herself.

"Oh yes, the day has nothing on this beautiful night of yours Princess Luna." Flutterbat said to herself as she continued to gaze at the night sky. Her happy thoughts, however, were interrupted by the sound of hooves hitting the ground. Flutterbat's long ears picked up the sounds much sooner than she normally would have and had enough time to sit up and look for a place to hide…only, there wasn't one. She stretched out her wings and in own strong flap of them, propelled herself as far up as she could, if she could not hide from whom ever that was, she was to disappear from their field of vision. She continued to fly up as much as she could before coming to a halt. She gasped for air slightly as she tried to steady herself from such an abrupt take off. However, she could somehow still feel eyes on her. She was much too far from the ground for anypony to see her, and there was nothing in the air around her, but that feeling continued to creep on the little batpony.

Feeling like perhaps it was time to go back home, she began to fly in the direction of 'her' cottage. Sure enough, the sun was just about to rise as she made it through the front door, Fluttershy's animal critters were all fast asleep except for the bats she kept, which all were heading to bed themselves. Flutterbat yawned and flew up once more to tie her tail to a ceiling pillar so she could hang and sleep soundly. As she did, she could feel herself being pulled back into Fluttershy's mind, a rather unpleasant feeling. Her body began to numb until she no longer had control of her limbs as she hung. She slowly closed her eyes to allow herself to drift into sleep until the next night, perhaps Fluttershy will go to sleep early today and allow her more time to roam. Who knows?

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