Fluttershy scanned the horizon. Her heart raced. She sniffled and blinked to clear the tears from her eyes. She felt helpless, but it was too soon to give up. Unexpected vertigo made her head spin. She shook herself and flapped her wings to straighten out. The world spun and she flew low for safety's sake.

With a harsh whistle, Fluttershy paused near an old oak tree. She smiled when several birds flew up to greet her. “Okay, everybirdie, I'm looking for a light blue earth pony with gray hair who's probably wearing a cloak and left in a hurry. Have any of you seen, um...”

“Cheep. Cheep. Cheep,” a birdie said.

“Tweet,” a robin commented.

“Caw,” a crow cawed.

“No, no no!” Fluttershy's eyes darted around. The birds flew around her making bird noises. A horrible realization gnawed at her from the pit of her stomach. She couldn't understand any of them.

Her head throbbed and she latched onto a nearby tree branch to steady herself. She almost let go. A wave of despondence washed over her and she wanted to succumb to gravity. Still, she held on.

“No.” She shook her head. Tears flowed again but she raised her head in determination. The birds milled around her in confusion. “I'm sorry, but I can't understand you right now. I'm going to have to ask my pony friends for help instead.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath and jumped back into the air. The world tilted gradually to the left, but she remained airborne and didn't crash. Her rising panic drowned out her growing headache as she willfully fought against the vertigo.

Ponyville wasn't exactly bursting with activity, but even on a normal day dozens of ponies would be out wandering the streets. Fluttershy's vision was watery from tearing up but her newly found resolve stifled her tears. She blinked to clear her vision and scanned the crowd for any signs of Linky. There weren't any.

Looking up, she did see Rainbow Dash, though. The lazy pegasus was asleep on a cloud.

“Dash, Dash! Wake up. Something terrible has happened to me.” Fluttershy flew up and shook her friend. She nearly had a panic attack when Dash made horse noises.

“Neigh?” Dash whinnied and snorted as she shook off the fog of sleep. Her eyes cracked, then popped open when she saw Fluttershy. “What? Fluttershy!?”

“Oh, thank goodness you can talk. For a moment I thought I couldn't understand you either.” Fluttershy swooped in to grab Rainbow Dash for a hug.

“What?” Rainbow Dash contorted her face. She looked incredulous for a moment, but her worry won out. She grabbed Fluttershy's shoulders and gently pushed her away, holding her at hoofs-length. “What's going on? Did somepony hit you? Is that why your nose is bloody? Is that why you've been crying? Who do I need to clobber?”

Fluttershy reflexively reached up to check on her nose. She flecked dried blood off her muzzle when she did so. It still sore, but the bleeding had stopped. If only the bleeding in her heart could stop as well. “Dash, please, you've got to help me. Linky stole my cutie mark and–”

“What?”

“–she can't have gotten that far yet and–”

“Hold up a sec. She stole your what?”

Fluttershy rather sadly twisted herself and raised a wing to show off her side. “My cutie mark, it's gone.”

“They can come off?” Dash's jaw dropped in disbelief. “How is that even possible?”

“I don't know! But it did, and if we don't hurry she'll get away and I'll never get it back!”

“Well you can count on me!” Rainbow Dash tossed Fluttershy a salute and broke into a dive. She flew back up a moment later. “Uh, who's Linky?”

“Her real name's Shoeshine. You know her, right?”

“Miss Backgroundmare?” Dash asked.

Fluttershy nodded. “She was also wearing a black cloak and ran off carrying a large jar that probably has my cutie mark in it.”

“How does–” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Nevermind. I'm sure we'll get our answers when we catch her.” Dash dove again, but came back a moment later. “Do you know which way she went?”

“Uh, no.”

“No?”

“No, I don't!” Fluttershy yelled. She glanced down at the ponies who looked up at her and eeped. She lowered her voice. “It hasn't been that long; she can't have gotten very far.”

Rainbow Dash twisted her moth to one side in a half-grimace. “Okay, I'm going to do some quick scouting along the main roads. Try searching in town and gather the others while you're at it. If she's out there, wham! I'll knock some sense into her and get your cutie mark back.”

Fluttershy nodded and grabbed the cloud after Dash dove away for the last time. She didn't like the thought of violence, but trusted Dash to restrain herself. Her cutie mark was far more important than a bloody nose.

The world felt like it was spinning again, although this time it turned out to be just the cloud. At least, she thought it was. The ground rotated even faster than the cloud did.

“Ooh.” She felt faint. She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing until she felt better. “I can't feel sick now. I have to–” the world spun again “–I have to get more help.”

Fluttershy looked at the ponies in the streets. None of them resembled Linky. She didn't expect to see her here, but her heart still sank all the same.

It'd probably be best if she saw Twilight next. Her unicorn friend might not be the fastest, but she was smart. She'd know what to do.

Aiming for the library, Fluttershy spread her wings and swooped into a nice, steady—

Spots blurred her vision as she moaned and struggled to stand up. A sharp pain dug at her side and she rolled off the broken remains of Twilight's mailbox. She flexed a few muscles to check her limbs. Although sore, nothing felt broken or terribly sprained.

“Are you alright, miss? I heard a crash,” a tan stallion asked.

Fluttershy looked behind her and struggled to stand up, much to the protest of her aching temple. She twisted her tail to conceal her blank flank. “I'm fine, Caramel. Thanks for asking.”

“Okay.” He lifted a a leg, but hesitated. He looked her up and down at at her again. “Are you sure you're okay? You're a bit rough. I can call a nurse to check you over. The hospital's not far.”

“No no, I'm... fine. I'll be okay on my own.”

“Well, if you're certain...” He shrugged and walked off.

Fluttershy felt bad for lying to him. Why had she done that? Didn't she need as much help as she could get? Why couldn't she remember passing out while flying and why didn't her crash landing awaken her?

As steadily as she could manage, Fluttershy walked the rest of the way to the library. She tapped on the oak tree's door.

“Come in.”

It was good to hear Twilight's voice. Fluttershy pulled open the door and took a few steps inside. The library was in a state of reorganization where most of the shelves were empty and innumerable books were piled up on the floor. A stack of them glowed magenta as they moved from one corner to another.

Spike grabbed one from the pile. “Wait! Twilight, these are cookbooks. They should go on that shelf over there.” He pointed across the room.

“Thanks, Spike. I don't know how I'd ever keep this place organized without you.” She started to move the books back, but dropped them all on the rug when her eyes caught Fluttershy in the door. “Fluttershy, what happened to you?”

“Oh, Twilight, it was awful. I–”

“Wait. Hold up a second.” Twilight walked up close and frowned. “Your eyes are gray. Are you feeling well?”

“G-gray? They're supposed to be blue.”

“Please answer the question.”

“Oh, um, no. I've been feeling dizzy, faint, and I've got a headache. I, um, may have passed out once, too.”

Twilight nodded as Fluttershy listed off her symptoms. “Spike, do you know where the book on magical maladies is?”

“I think it's in that pile.” Spike pointed at a snow-capped mountain of books. “Uh, somewhere.”

“Nevermind. I think I know what might be wrong, but I'll have to do a quick check first. Hold still please.” Twilight flared her horn and enveloped Fluttershy in a magical glow.

Fluttershy suddenly perked up. “Wow, thanks, Twilight. I feel so much better now.”

“What?” Twilight's magic fizzled and she looked wide-eyed at Fluttershy whose eye color had returned. “But I didn't even do anything.”

For a brief moment, Fluttershy looked happy. Then she inspected her flank. Her frown dropped so far that it nearly fell off her face. “It's still gone.”

“Gone? ... What?” Twilight's mouth hung open. She was at a loss for words.

“What happened to your cutie mark?” Spike asked.

“It was stolen!” Fluttershy felt the sting of tears and clenched her eyes shut.

“Huh?” Twilight scrunched her face up in confusion.

“Those things can come off?” Spike asked.

“No they can't!” Twilight blurted out. Fluttershy glared at her. “I mean, they're not supposed to.”

“Well it did, and you've got to help me get it back!” Fluttershy shook herself and stood tall. She narrowed her eyes and stomped a hoof on the floor. “Shoeshine stole it, though she's calling herself Linky now. She's probably wearing a black cape and has a jar with my cutie mark in it. I don't know which way she went, so we've got to hurry and spread out so we can find her.”

Twilight and Spike were taken aback by Fluttershy's unusual assertiveness. Well, that and the absurdity of cutie mark theft. They glanced at each other and back at Fluttershy, who stood impatiently huffing.

“Of course we'll help you, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “Do you have any idea of the general direction she went? How long ago was this?”

“Probably about half an hour by now, and all I know is that she ran down the walkway from my house. Past that, I have no idea.”

Twilight rubbed her chin. “That's not very helpful, and that's a long lead time. Any idea why she went after your cutie mark in the first place?”

“Wha? I... um, actually, she did say that she wanted to be an adventurer and, um–” Fluttershy clenched her eyes shut and squeaked the next part “–she was very interested in speaking to animals.”

Twilight frowned at the fresh tears on Fluttershy's cheeks. “Actually, that's quite helpful. It sounds like she's planning on exploring a wild, forested region.”

“You mean like the Everfree?” Spike asked.

Twilight shook her head. “No, the Everfree is behind Fluttershy's cottage. If she was going there, she would have started off running the other way. Aside from that, the next closest jungle region is the Snakefog Forest to the south.”

Fluttershy cringed. That region was largely considered impassible due to the thick tendrils of mist that wound themselves throughout the trees. If Linky went there, they'd never find her. “What about the other directions?”

“Well, The Everfree's to the west, and Froggy Bottom Bogs past that. To the north's Canterlot and past that's the Frozen North. There's absolutely nothing up there. To the east's Ghastly Gorge and past that you get to Manehatten on the coast. There are other forest regions, like ones in the far northwest, but it would take days of travel to go there. Our best hope would be to check south along the road that leads past the Snakefog region. Hmm.” Twilight paused and tapped her chin. “Find Rainbow Dash and tell her to fly that way. I'll look for–”

“I already talked to her. She said she was going to check the main roads.”

“Did she fly south?” Twilight asked.

“Um, I think she went north, actually, but she did say she was going to check them all.”

Twilight facehoofed. “Gah, that's way too much ground to cover, even for her. Fluttershy, you'll have to fly south on your own, if you're feeling up to it that is. If you feel faint again, just stop. It's not worth the risk of collapsing out there. And be careful if you do see Linky; we don't know what else she's capable of. I'll take over searching the town.”

Fluttershy nodded and turned around to leave. “Twilight, I am feeling much better now. I can do this. Thanks for that spell again, but I've got to get going.”

“You're welcome. Good luck!” Twilight waved at Fluttershy who flew off. She turned to face Spike. “I still don't even know what I did.”

“Shouldn't we start looking?” Spike asked.

“You're right. How about you–” If anything, the mountain of unsorted books grew since the last time she'd looked at it. Twilight shook her head. “There'll be time for research later. Spike, find Rarity and get her to question the ponies at the train station. I'm going to talk to Pinkie Pie. She knows all the hiding places in town and should be able to locate Linky if she's still here. After that, I'll stop by the farm to let Applejack know.”

“You got it.” Spike saluted and ran out the door. Twilight followed him briefly and split off to head for Sugarcube Corner.

Fluttershy soared as fast as she could. She whimpered as the wind whipped and beat her face. She could never go as fast as a pony like Rainbow Dash, but she could really move when motivated. The packed dirt road raced beneath her in a blur. Fluttershy squeaked. The ground was moving so fast that it made her nervous just looking at it. She decelerated to a more comfortable pace. She was sore from overexertion anyway and didn't want to wear herself out completely.

Her slower pace allowed her to examine the path. A row of daisies grew along the road. They would have looked nice if somepony hadn't trampled them. Off the path, the trees and undergowth were getting thicker and seemed to merge together into a looming wall of foliage.

Fluttershy really hoped she wasn't too late. She didn't know what she'd do if she couldn't get her cutie mark back. It was best not to think about that, but the lack of travelers on this road had her worried.

On the next bend, Fluttershy flew higher to get a better view. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw looming tendrils of fog arcing above the treetops. That was part of the Snakefog Forest. If she was going to catch up to Linky, she'd have to do it soon.

Down the road, a cloud of dirt marked the location of something moving in a hurry. Staying high in the air, she flew over it to see a covered wagon. It was being pulled by a cloaked figure.

“That has to be her! It has to be.” The black cloak was too concealing to make out any other details, but Fluttershy wasn't going to take any chances. She folded her wings and dove straight down. “I've got you now!”

The other pony barely had time to react before they collided. The force of the impact snapped the harness and the two of them tumbled along the road, kicking up dust as they went. Fluttershy recovered first and tore the cloak off, revealing a light blue pony with gray hair. “Ha! You're mine!”

“What is the meaning of zis outrage?” The other pony tuned to look at Fluttershy. Her mouth opened in shock but she clenched it shut quickly.

When the dust had settled, Fluttershy could pick out more details. This pony had a short, flat mane instead of long, curly hair. She also wore (now cracked) wide, magenta-hued sunglasses and had a camera cutie mark. “Photo Finish!?”

“It is I. And who is it who so very rudely assaulted me?” Photo Finish got up and dusted herself off. When she did, so Fluttershy caught a glimpse of a silver horseshoe on her left foreleg. Well, if she was going to wear them, why not go for expensive ones?

“Um, nopony,” Fluttershy squeaked.

“Hrm?” Photo Finish raised an eyebrow, then her face lit up in recognition. “Oh, it's you, Fluttershy. I'd recognize such gracefulness anywhere. Such beauty, such charm! Have you come to resume your modeling career? It was such a shame that you cut it short, though there are better ways to get back into the business than a flying tackle.”

“No. Sorry, sorry.” Fluttershy backed off and hovered just out of reach. She looked at Photo Finish and past her at the wagon. “Um, what–”

“What is zis!?” Photo Finish moved in close and pressed a hoof capped with cold metal against Fluttershy's flank. “Why are you so bare?”

Fluttershy shivered from the touch and reflexively pulled away. “My cutie mark was stolen. I uh, mistook you for the thief. That's why I ran into you. I don't suppose you've seen–”

“Such tragedy! Who could do such a thing?”

“Her name's Shoeshine, but she calls herself Linky now.”

“This is an atrocity!” Photo Finish gasped. “The whole world must know of this.”

“What?” Fluttershy stiffened. She did not like the sound of that.

“Even in adversity, you are still the most graceful thing ever, but this is not about your image. Oh, no no no. Your story, it must be told.”

“No!” Fluttershy covered her mouth and glanced around.

“Oh yes, We must make with ze magics and show that bare flank to every stallion, every mare, and every foal in all of Equestria! Wait here while I get ze camera.”

“Ack!” Fluttershy flew away when Photo Finish turned her back. She didn't fly far; she found the nearest tree and hid behind it. She was close to hyperventilating and suffered nervous twitching. Nightmarish visions of thousands of disapproving, piercing eyeballs staring at her clouded her mind. The pale apparitions closed in, accompanied by hollow voices of mocking laughter. Fluttershy trembled and flattened herself on the ground.

Her vision broke when she heard the creaking and clattering of the wagon lurching off. She waited for the sound to fade before she dared to move. But as soon as she took a step, her mind went elsewhere.

A flock of birds flew overhead, chattering amongst themselves. Fluttershy looked at them as if she'd never seen a bird before in her life. In a way, she hadn't. Her headache started to come back, but it was only a dull ache and not the piercing, throbbing pain she'd felt before.

Fluttershy knew birds. She'd known birds all her life. Granted, they only visited Cloudsdale twice a year during their annual migrations, but even as a small filly she always loved to come out and listen to them chatter about their lives. She didn't know what berries were, or even what trees were, but from the way they gossiped she knew they were important. They were proud of how fast their chicks had grown and taken flight. Somepony had made nests out of pine twigs one year; they smelled nice, but the sap made them sticky and prone to pulling out tail feathers.

Regardless of what they chattered about, Fluttershy loved to sit and listen in on the random tidbits of avian life. Now, she looked up at the birds that alighted on a branch nearby. They chirped and cooed. It was... noise. That was it. She couldn't make out any sort of meaning to it. She'd been cut off. It stung inside. Her eyes started to water. She clenched them shut and tried to think. I should talk to them. I need to know if they can understand me or if that part's gone too.

She took a deep breath and flew up next to the birds. “Um, excuse me, robins, but please don't fly off. This might sound odd but–”

They flew off.

“No!” Fluttershy landed on the tree branch. She wrapped her forelegs around the trunk and pressed her face against the bark. She couldn't hold it back any longer. She choked up and started sobbing. She once knew birds, but not anymore. She never felt so alone in her whole life.