“Fluttershy, Fluttershy, where are you?” The voice was faint and distant.

The despondent pegasus peeled her face off the tree and looked around in a daze. She knew she'd been crying there for a long time but it was jarring to see the sun so low. She felt weak and generally miserable.

“Fluttershy–”

Rainbow Dash's tail skirted past an opening in the tree's canopy. “Dash, I'm here,” she said, or at least, tried to. Her voice was faint and weak. She shook her head and cleared her throat to try again. “Dash, I'm here!”

Twigs snapped and leaves fluttered down as Rainbow Dash tore through the canopy and landed next to Fluttershy. “There you are. I've been looking all over for you.”

Fluttershy looked up. She dreaded the answer, but she had to ask, “Did you find Linky? Did you get my cutie mark back?”

Rainbow Dash looked aside and frowned. “No. We never found her.”

Though she expected it, it still pained her to hear that answer. Fluttershy clenched her teeth and tried not to cry again. Dash put her hoof under Fluttershy's chin and forced her head up to look into her eyes.

“Are you okay? You look terrible.”

Fluttershy rubbed her cheek and knocked loose a piece of bark that was stuck to it. “No, I'm not okay. My cutie mark is gone and the thief got away. Why would you think I'd be okay?”

Fluttershy scowled and Dash winced as if she'd been hit. “I should have been faster.”

“What?” Fluttershy raised her eyebrows. “You're the fastest pony I know.”

“Yeah, but it's because of this, isn't it?” Dash pointed at her cutie mark.

“Huh?”

“Look, I had some time to think while I was flying along the roadways. I can't really help it. I always think when I fly.” Rainbow Dash broke eye contact.

“What are you saying?”

“What I'm saying is that I may not have been flying as fast as I could have. I meant to, but–” Dash frowned and rubbed her cutie mark “–quite frankly, the thought of loosing this was terrifying.”

“Dash!” Fluttershy jerked back. She wobbled and flapped her to wings. Rainbow Dash grabbed her but let go once she was steady again.

“It's not like me. I never stop to think. I always rush in headfirst and hope for the best. But this time I just couldn't do that, I... I–”

“I understand, really. I'm sorry. You startled me. That's all.”

“You don't have to apologize. I'm the one who messed up.” Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs and turned away when her eyes stared to mist up.

“Dash, the only pony who messed up was Linky when she stole my cutie mark.” Fluttershy sniffled.

“That's right!” Dash hopped off the branch and flipped on the air. She smacked her forelegs together and gnashed her teeth in front of Fluttershy, who leaned against the tree while the branch wobbled. “And boy did she pick the wrong pony to mess with! When I catch her, I'm really going to lay into her for hurting you.”

“Oh no, please don't hurt her.” Fluttershy turned to look away, but Dash grabbed her chin again to stop her. The conversation lulled while they looked each other in the eyes.

“Fluttershy, I know kindness is like your thing and all, but that seems a bit much even for you. You'd whollop her yourself if it'd get your cutie mark back.”

“No! I'd, um, well...” Fluttershy held her hooves in front of her mouth and flushed a bit. “You're right. I would. I'd, um, ask first, though.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “That'd be a sight. Rawr! I'm going to beat you up, you big meanie for stealing my cutie mark! That is, um, if that's okay with you.”

Fluttershy laughed as well. It was short-lived, though, and she frowned when the birds started chirping again. It was evening and they were settling down in their nests for bed. She could tell that much, even if she couldn't understand them like she used to. She sniffled.

“Aw, cheer up, Fluttershy. We'll fix this and get your cutie mark back.” The two of them squinted as the sun sank lower near the horizon and shined in their eyes through the trees. “Just... not today.” Dash sighed. “Are you okay to fly back on your own?”

“Huh? Yes. I'm okay. Why do you ask?” Fluttershy looked ruffled. Her mane was frayed, her eyes were bloodshot, and her cheeks were still wet.

Dash frowned, but didn't comment on Fluttershy's appearance. “That's great, because I thought I saw some wreckage a bit further down the road that I'd like to check out. Head back home and I'll meet up with you later.”

“O-okay.” Fluttershy took off and flew north back to town. Rainbow Dash watched her for a while before flying in the opposite direction.

The trip back was uneventful, but Twilight was waiting for her when she got home.

Twilight's eyes lit up when Fluttershy landed in front of her. “Fluttershy, I'm glad you're safe. Where's Rainbow Dash? She was supposed to be with you.”

“Thanks, Twilight. Dash stayed behind to investigate some wreckage. Somepony must have had an accident further down the road.” Fluttershy frowned.

“That's terrible! Well, if other ponies need help, I can't really blame her for leaving you on your own.” Twilight sighed. “Though I wish she didn't have to. I wish I knew what gray eyes meant and how raw magic could mysteriously cure them. Frankly, that whole business had me really worried. Did your headaches come back? Is that was took you so long? Did you see anypony out there? What happened?”

“Oh, well, my headaches didn't come back. Er...” Fluttershy rubbed her temple. “Not like before, anyway–”

“Fluttershy!”

“It's okay, Twilight. It's been getting better, anyway. It's almost gone now.” Fluttershy put her hoof back down and both ponies turned to face the sky when the sun set and the moon rose.

“We should go inside.”

Fluttershy nodded but hesitated when she reached for the door. Somepony had fixed it. “I...”

“What is it, Fluttershy?” Twilight looked between Fluttershy and the door. She raised a questioning eyebrow.

“I don't know if I can do this,” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Do what? Open the door?”

“My animal friends are in there and–” Fluttershy teared up “–I can't talk to them without my cutie mark!”

Twilight ran up and hugged her. Fluttershy sobbed on her shoulder. “It's okay, Fluttershy. I'm here for you.” With her magic, Twilight opened Fluttershy's door. “We're all here for you.”

Inside, some ponies were waiting to greet her. Fluttershy jerked, but relaxed when she saw that it was her friends. “You all waited here for me?”

“Of course we did, sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“What happened to you is just dreadful. We'll do everything we can to support you in your time of need,” Rarity said.

“I'm sorry we couldn't catch the meanie who did this to you, but don't worry. We'll find a way to make everything better.” Pinkie Pie's smile was too wide to be natural, but at least she tried.

Fluttershy sniffled and made a weak smile. “Thank you all so much for being here. It means a lot to me.”

They nodded and stepped back so that Fluttershy and Twilight could come inside. Fluttershy immediately noticed that they'd straightened the rug. It was an odd thing to focus on, but seeing it flat on the ground again made her feel more at home.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy frowned and absentmindedly scuffed the rug. It bunched up. “Honestly? No.”

The silence that followed was as awkward as a kazoo in a classical orchestra. Nopony really wanted to be the one to speak up about it either, lest she break the misplaced instrumentalist’s heart.

Fluttershy hung her head and clenched her eyes shut. She fought back against the sting of tears that was threatening to overtake them again. “–but I will.” Her voice was so soft that the others could barely hear it.

“You don't have to force yourself if you don't want to, dear. We'll understand.” Rarity levitated a teacup over to Fluttershy. “Some tea? You must be awfully thirsty after all that time outdoors.”

“Oh, thank you.” Fluttershy grabbed the teacup with her mouth and poured its contents down her throat. She hadn't realized just how thirsty she was until she'd emptied it and found herself wanting more. She gently set the teacup down and bit the pitcher instead. After emptying that too (albeit messily, a fair bit dribbled down her face and neck and puddled on the floor), she wiped her mouth and gave a content sigh.

“Well, everypony–” Fluttershy looked up at them “–I guess there's not much to say. You know what happened, and when I went looking for Linky I ran into Photo Finish instead.”

The door creaked open again and Rainbow Dash stepped in. “Sorry I'm late, but there was a pony trapped in that wreckage and I had to take him to the hospital.”

“Oh, dear.” Fluttershy frowned.

“Who was it?” Rarity asked.

“I don't know. I didn't recognize him.” Rainbow Dash scrunched her face as she recalled his details. “Gray earth pony, bluish-violet hair, brown beret, camera cutie mark–”

“That sounds like Snappy Scoop,” Pinkie said.

“Camera cutie mark?” Fluttershy asked, “Like Photo Finish?”

“Photo Finish doesn't have a camera cutie mark,” Rairity said. “Her cutie mark is a starburst, much like Twilight's. Her talent is ‘The Magic’ as she puts it, after all.”

Twilight blushed a little at the mention of her cutie mark. Fluttershy looked horrified.

“But I just saw her! And she had a camera cutie mark. A-and she said ‘Ze Magic,’ not ‘The Magic.’ ”

“Her accent's not that strong.” Rarity scrunched up her nose in distaste. “That sounds more like somepony trying too hard to sound like her than her actual speaking voice. I'm surprised you didn't notice that. You worked with her, after all.”

“Wait a minute!” Pinkie Pie put on her detective hat and blew bubbles from a pipe. “Photo Finish is also a blue earth pony mare with gray hair and magenta eyes. Just like the pony we were trying to catch.”

“That's true, Pinkie,” Twilight said, “But Linky doesn't have a camera cutie mark either. It still doesn't add up.”

“No, but Snappy Scoop does. And do you remember this?

“Look out for Linky,
so says Pinkie.
She's a meanie mare,
who will steal your hair,
and leave your flank bare,
and won't even care.

“Look out for Linky,
so says Pinkie.
Fluttershy's been robbed.
It's so sad she sobbed.
Her talent's been nulled,
and her eyes dulled.

“Look out for Linky,
so says Pinkie.
Do your part now.
You can help, here's how:
Look everywhere
for that mare.

“Look out for Linky,
so says Pinkie.
If you see her face,
put her in her place:
the county jail.”

“How could I forget?” Twilight rolled her eyes. “You had the whole town singing that.”

“You what?” Fluttershy squeaked. She buried her face under her wings.

“Aw, it wasn't that bad,” Applejack said.

“I thought it was pretty decent for an impromptu musical number,” Rarity said. “Mostly.”

“I don't think the uneven cadence is what's bothering Fluttershy. You're more worried about the fact that the whole town already knows what happened to you, is that it?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy nodded.

Twilight sighed. “Don't worry about it. They'd find out eventually and this way they can focus their attention on the thief, not the victim.”

“If you say so.” Fluttershy folded her wings and looked down at her reflection in the puddle of spilled tea.

“Well, as I was saying–” Pinkie blew more bubbles “–She obviously stole Snappy Scoop's cutie mark and replaced her own with it to fool Fluttershy into thinking she was really Photo Finish.”

“But that still doesn't add up,” Applejack said. “Snappy still has his cutie mark.”

“No, no, it does,” Twilight said. “Linky gave it back when she was done with it.”

Fluttershy whimpered and watched her tears drip into the amber puddle beneath her. She turned her head. She didn't want to cry over spilled tea. “I-I had her, a-and I let her get a-away,” she sobbed.

Her friends frowned and avoided directly looking at her.

Pinkie tapped on her chin. “Wait a minute—this is good news.”

“Good news?” Rarity turned her head. “What makes you say that?”

“ 'Cause we know where she is now. We can go after her.” Pinkie slapped her hooves together and scowled.

“That's right!” Rainbow Dash hopped up and hovered in the air. “Let's go get her!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold your harnesses, everypony.” Twilight moved to block the door. “We can't just go traipsing about in the woods in the middle of the night and expect to get anywhere. The Snakefog Forest is huge. We'll need more specific details if we're going to be able to catch her.”

“Aww.” Pinkie and Dash's ears drooped. Fluttershy sniffled.

“Ya think Snappy might know something?” Applejack asked.

“Probably” –Dash frowned– “but he was unconscious the whole time I carried him back to the hospital. I couldn't wake him up.”

Twilight's head perked up. “Did he have gray eyes?”

Dash shrugged. “Dunno, I didn't force them open to take a look.”

“Well, if his condition was similar to Fluttershy's...” Twilight tapped on her chin and her eyes lit up. “Come on, eveypony, I've got an idea. I think I know how to wake him up. Let's go to the hospital and see what we can learn about Linky!”

Twilight stepped outside. Fluttershy's friends hopped off the couch, chairs, and stools and walked by her their way out. Fluttershy sniffled and weakly and shut the door after them. She bolted it.

Leaning against the door, her ears perked up and she turned her head to watch her bird friends return to their homes around her living room. Their chirping and scratching noises were no longer familiar to her. They felt completely alien.

Fluttershy buried her head in her forelegs and moaned. “I feel tired. So, so tired.”

A thumping caught her attention. She looked up. A certain white rabbit stood in the kitchen doorway next to his empty food bowl, frowning.

“Angel Bunny!” Her face lit up and a smile spread across her face. She ran over to greet him and nearly tripped over her rug. She flapped her wings to steady herself, and scowled at the the offending bump. With unusual force, she kicked the rug and it slid halfway across the room. Path cleared, she turned back towards the rabbit.

“Angel Bunny!” Her face lit up and a smile spread across her face again. Unimpeded, she raced across the room and scooped him up for an embrace. Angel deadpanned, but didn't struggle. She caught the flat look to his eyes and transferred her hug from her forelegs to cradling him with her wings. She stooped down to pick up his bowl and hopped into the kitchen.

There, she placed him on the wooden counter and dropped his bowl next to him. She looked him in the eyes. “I'm so sorry I ran out on you like that. You've been such a good boy and I feel like I should do something extra-special to make up for that. Do you want the carrot-ringed onion leaf salad with rose petals or the cucumber and dandelion salad with tomatoes and cherry on top?”

Fluttershy frowned when he didn't answer.

“Oh, right.” She cast her eyes at the floor. It was a plain wood floor with no rugs. She perked up again. “I know; I'll make both and you can eat whichever one you prefer.”

She hummed a tune to herself and set to work chopping up plants and arranging them in neat, symmetrical patterns. When she was finished, she had two heaping bowls filled to the top with the most delectable salads that Angel Bunny had ever seen. He looked at them with wide eyes and drooled.

“Okay, Angel Bunny, you can have whichever one you–”

He ate both.

“Oh–” Fluttershy giggled “–I guess you weren't picky after all.”

Angel flopped on his back with his rotund tummy looming above him. He patted it and let out a content sigh.

Fluttershy smiled. She leaned down and nuzzled him. He yawned so she gently scooped him up and placed him in his basket and tucked him for the night. Fluttershy yawned too and smacked her lips sleepily.

“You know, Angel, when I see the other animals they just make me feel sad and hollow inside. They remind me of what I'm missing, but not you. I mean, we still can't talk to each other, but it's different, somehow. It's almost like we were always meant to be together.” Fluttershy watched his tiny chest rise and fall as he drifted off into sleep. She yawned. “It's late. I guess I should get some sleep too.”

She left Angel be, and walked over to the lightning beetle lantern that was illuminating her room. “Flint, Stone, lights out please.”

They ignored her. She teared up.

Sniffling, she reached up and tapped on their jar like a common pony. The light went out. Sobbing, she crawled into bed.