Author's Notes:

Since Jason is currently not lucid enough to understand what's going on around him, this chapter will be told in 3rd person.

Spike stretched out in the old Cutie Mark Crusader's clubhouse, half-asleep. The girls themselves had abandoned the treehouse a few years back, after Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo earner their own marks. Sitting up, the young drake grumbled and hopped down, landing rear-first on the grass.

He stood without issue, his draconic resilience easily insulating him from such a minor fall. I'm starving... He looked between Ponyville and the Apple Family's home, frowning at both choices. I...don't think I'm ready to face Twilight again. And Applejack would just drag me back anyway. He groaned, idly scratching at a skewed scale. So who to go to...

Rarity? No, that's the first place Twilight would look. As much as he hated to admit it, it wasn't a good idea.

Pinkie Pie? He'd have to pass right by the library to get there. Too risky.

Fluttershy? He looked towards the Everfree, a small smile spreading to his scaly mug. Perfect!
-----

Not perfect. Every time Spike had gone to Fluttershy's home - an admittedly low number - he'd been accompanied by Twilight, and had talked the entire way. Meaning? He had no idea where she lived. Aside from 'on the edge of the Everfree.'

"Fluttershy?" He yelled, wandering along the edge of the dark forest. "Hello?"

"Cheheheheheheh..."

Spike froze, looking around. "Who was that?!" It had sounded vaguely like laughter, but...off. "Pinkie? Is that you?"

A dark, hunched shape shifted slightly behind the first row of trees, low to the ground. "I-I'm fine...I'm fine...I'm fine...I'm fine..."

The dragon gulped, tiptoeing towards the...thing. It didn't seem to notice him until he was right beside it, when he realized that whatever it was wore a dark, heavy cloak. The dragon gulped, trembling as he reached over to pull back the hood.

The thick fabric glided roughly over the figure's mop of unruly, choppy dark hair, but it...no, he didn't seem to notice. Spike blinked, taking a step back. "...Jason?" He whispered, his face pulling into a worried, almost scared expression.

The worn, skinny man was almost unrecognizable. His usually dark brown hair was a jet black, falling around his face in random, messy locks. His skin was a pale grey, as if he had been leeched of any color. The man paused his giggle-fit, turning and looking at the young dragon with stormy slate-hued eyes surrounded by dark rings.

Spike screamed, his body attempting to scurry away on autopilot. The awkward, jumbled attempt left him falling on his face, though he just as quickly got to his feet and sprinted away.

"FLUTTERSHY!!!"
-----

It took half an hour for him to stumble upon the cottage, and it was already early in the evening. Spike ran up to the door, pounding on it with both fists. "Fluttershy! Jason! Everfree! He-he-heeeelp!!!"

The door creaked open, and a single startled eye peeked through the crack. After catching sight of who it was, Fluttershy opened the door fully. "Spike? What're you doing out so late? Shouldn't you be with Twilight?"

The name immediately put a sour look on the dragon's face, to which Fluttershy slowly scooted behind the door. "If...you don't mind me asking..."

"There's no time for that," he dismissed, shaking his head violently. "Jason's in the Everfree, I think something's wrong with him!" He immediately took off, not bothering to check if she was following. "Come on!"

It took far less time to return to the spot Spike had found the disturbed human, and luckily for him, he hadn't moved. Fluttershy landed silently beside the dragon, slowly creeping up on Jason's crouched form.

"Jason?" She whispered, moving around to his front. His hood was still down, exposing his colorless face and hair. "Are...Are you alright?"

He looked up, locking eyes Fluttershy. The latter's expression quickly melted from worry to terror, as Jason's tight, strained grin glared at her.

"I'm...just...fine..." He responded, his voice shaky and resembling the growling of an animal. He stood to his full height, staring down at Fluttershy with rapt attention. "Everything is perfectly fine."

Gulping, Fluttershy forced herself to continue. "Then...can you do something for me?" When Jason's expression remained static, she added, "If you would follow me...I'd be very, very grateful. Can you do that for me?"

"...That's fine." He muttered, fidgeting with the edges of his cloak. "It's fine."

Fluttershy nodded with a quick, soft 'thank you' and started walking towards her cottage.
-----

Fluttershy guided Jason to a couch, setting him down. Spike sat awkwardly as fas away from him as he could, but Jason didn't seem to notice or care.

"Would you like a snack?" Fluttershy asked, Jason's eyes flitting to her before returning to looking at nothing in particular.

"I'm fine." Jason insisted.

"But you look positively starved," the pegasus mare pushed, fluttering off to the kitchen. "I'm gonna get you something just in case." Jason didn't respond.

Fluttershy returned a moment later with a pair of sandwiches, giving one to Jason and one to Spike. Spike immediately chowed down on his, but it took Jason a moment to realize what was in his hand. Once he did, he wolfed it down in three bites, ignoring any concept of manners or grace.

Jason ignored any further attempts at conversation, fidgeting and clawing at his cloak. His eyes moved as if watching something, but there was nothing Fluttershy or Spike could see. The only time Jason reacted was a half hour later, when Fluttershy had tried to get his attention by tapping his arm.

Jason shot up off the couch, almost leaping to the opposite side of the room. "Don't touch me!" He hissed, face twisted into an almost wolfish snarl. "Don't touch me!"

"Okay!" Fluttershy settled her belly on the floor, eyes closed and wings clamped tight to her sides in a practiced movement to make herself seem as small as possible. Jason stood his ground for several tense moments, before his face relaxed.

Again, his eyes wandered around the room aimlessly. They began to droop after a moment, and within three minutes Jason collapsed to the ground out cold.

"...What happened to him?" Spike asked, hesitating to approach him.

"I keep sedatives for my more grumpy critters," Fluttershy explained. "Sometimes they don't like ponies being near them when they're sick. It helps them relax."

"Yeah...He's relaxed, alright." Spike poked Jason's cheek with a claw. "How much you give him?"

"He looks a bit like a bear, so..."