Her name was Fluttershy and she was a murderer. If sins could be measured, hers were among the worst ever attributed to ponykind. She was a killer, a pony who had broken the laws of Equestria and ended the lives of others. She had killed Tirek, a dangerous monster, but one imprisoned. That was in its own way, worse than killing out of rage.

While ponies could be violent, selfish, cruel, they were not killers. Any killings that occurred in Equestria were almost exclusively acts of incredible passion, and the perpetrators often became suicidal upon realizing what they had done. These sad ponies were often put in the care of hospitals and kept from ending their lives.

But calculated murder in cold blood? That was an entirely different story. There were always individuals in every society that were capable of such feats, and they earned a different sentence entirely.

For her crimes, Fluttershy would be imprisoned in the same place as the creature she had killed. Until eternity rotted into the void Fluttershy would be condemned there, another ancient evil among evils to be forgotten.

That was, if she had really done it.

Celestia stared at the small pegasus huddled in the corner of the dungeon cell. It did not seem possible. Fluttershy sat with iron manacles around her hooves, looking as though she was about to burst into tears. It hurt Celestia’s heart just to look at her in such conditions, but if her information was to be believed it was Fluttershy who had orchestrated the death of Tirek.

But how? Celestia still had no idea why Fluttershy, legendary shy pony of ponies and Element of Kindness could commit such an act. Nevertheless, all the evidence pointed to Fluttershy.

There was no helping it. Celestia took a deep breath and entered the cell. Her shod hooves rang out on the cobblestones and caused the shivering pegasus to start in panic.

“W-who’s there?” Fluttershy quavered. “I-I’m innocent! This is all a terrible misunderstanding, I swear! Please, go to Princess Twilight; I’m a friend of hers! She’ll explain everything, and we’ll laugh about it and I can go free…right?”

Fluttershy looked up with a mixture of hope and fear, which turned into more hope and a little more fear when she saw Princess Celestia. The Princess carefully closed the cell door and waved away the two Canterlot Royal Guards. They left, somewhat reluctantly, but they were at least smart enough to know when not to argue.

Celestia waited until the heavy tromp of hooves had died off before approaching Fluttershy. She put a smile on her face, her regal I’m-very-concerned-about-you smile she used as a convenient mask in Canterlot and when dealing with ponies she hated. It was an automatic reaction after centuries of political maneuvering and it allowed Celestia to focus entirely on Fluttershy’s face.

The pegasus pony was shivering, although not with cold. She seemed bewildered, relieved to see a familiar face, but still full of apprehension. Classic Fluttershy, at least from Twilight’s accounts of her. But was there something more to her than that?

“You may be wondering why you have been arrested,” Celestia said.

“I—I was wondering that, your highness,” Fluttershy said, nervousness practically rolling off of her small frame. “Was it something I did? I’m sure I must have done something simply awful, but I can’t figure out what it was.”

“It may be my little pony,” Celestia said. “I normally wouldn’t ever imprison one of my lovely subjects even for a moment, but you see, something terrible has happened. Earlier this day Tirek was killed in his cell, mere hours after his capture.”

“Oh no!” Fluttershy’s manacles clinked as she put her hooves over her mouth. “How terrible!”

Celestia eyed Fluttershy. Was that sincerity in her voice?

“Yesterday at just past twelve in the morning a spell alerted me that someone had breached the maze and entered Tartarus itself.”

“A spell?” Fluttershy looked blank.

“A protective spell designed by Starswirl the Bearded to alert me if such an occasion ever arose,” Celestia said. “It has proved useful in the past – such as the time when Cerberus left Tartarus. However, the spell can be fooled by magical beings such as Tirek. However in this case the spell was clear: I arrived too late to find Tirek dead outside of his cell. Ripped apart by Cerberus.”

Fluttershy’s face, already pale and clammy turned white. “How awful!” She exclaimed. “But why would Cerberus do something so terrible? Unless—” her eyes widened. “Oh no. You don’t think I told Cerberus to do such a horrible thing, do you?”

“The evidence speaks for itself," Celestia said. Her eyes had never left Fluttershy during their conversation. The other pony had reacted just as Celestia would have expected of an innocent pony; turning pale, gasping, sweating and even swaying on her hooves at the mention of how Tirek had died. She seemed innocent.

But.

“Cerberus would never harm those he is sworn to guard.” Celestia began to pace back and forth, keeping her eyes on Fluttershy all the while. “Only if the prisoners tried to escape would he harm them and never to such a degree. Besides which, Tirek is far too clever to try something so suicidal. Thus, the only being in Equestria who could ask such a thing of Cerberus would be someone who could talk to him. Order him. Aside from Luna and myself, the only other pony capable of that would be you.”

“B-but!” Fluttershy burst out with all the force of a gentle sneeze, “I could never do such a terrible, horrible thing! Cerberus is my friend, and only a puppy besides! Making him kill Tirek—” Fluttershy broke off, half-gagging. When she had recovered she added, “and I certainly don’t recall going down there. I’ve never been to Tartarus – I don’t even know where it is!”

Celestia frowned just the tiniest bit, which caused Fluttershy to cease babbling and cringe. If this was an act, it was a performance worthy of any stage-pony. Well, time to drop the moon on her. “Nevertheless, you are the only suspect that came to mind after the event.”

Fluttershy’s voice was a cross between terror and confusion. “But I didn’t do it. I mean, I’m sure I didn’t but if you say I did, I might have. But—”

“Please.” Celestia held a hoof up. “Allow me to explain. Even taking out the fact that Cerberus could only be commanded by you, I would still never dream of accusing an Element of Harmony, much less a friend of Twilight’s of such a crime. Not without evidence.”

Fluttershy’s expression of terror was complete. She was shaking slightly, and she looked about ready to faint. Was it acting? No. Yes. Watch her carefully, now.

“You see,” Celestia said, “I have proof.”

There. Fluttershy’s wings stiffened at tiny bit at Celestia’s words. Shock? It was such a faint motion – it could be shock. But perhaps it was guilt.

“P-proof?”

“Naturally I cannot simply go back in time or look backwards,” Celestia said, gently pulling on the dungeon’s lampshade for a better fit. “Tartarus is guarded against time-travel attempts as well as any other kind of magical infiltration. However, that doesn’t mean those within are immune to magic.”

“But if Tirek is dead—he, I mean—can you talk to…dead ponies?” Fluttershy whispered in horror.

“No,” Celestia said, “but I can look into the minds of animals.”

It took Fluttershy a few seconds to work this out. Then she stiffened in realization. “You don’t mean—”

“A memory spell,” Celestia said softly. “I went into Cerberus’s memory too see what had caused all this. Do you know who I saw?”

Fluttershy was paralyzed, her expression a frozen mask of horror. Celestia advanced, crossing the small jail cell until she was nose-to-nose with Fluttershy.

“I saw you, Fluttershy. As I walked among Cerberus’s past I witnessed you entering Tartarus, asking Cerberus to kill Tirek, and then you luring an enraged Tirek out of his cell.”

Fluttershy’s mouth as agape with horror, but she was already mouthing protests. Celestia cut her off.

“Believe me, I wouldn’t believe it myself, but Cerberus’s memory was in no way altered, and his senses cannot be deceived. You were there. You committed the crime, and I have all the evidence I need. Denial is pointless.”

Fluttershy’s manacles clanked as she slowly retreated to the cell wall. Celestia advanced, eyes fixed on Fluttershy’s. The other pony didn’t blink, even though she shivered and practically vibrated with terror. Another clue.

“Well Fluttershy?” Celestia whispered into darkness, into the silence. “Do you have anything to tell me?”

The small pegasus was silent. She shivered, trembled, that false actor, that killer wearing a mask of kindness.

“It’s okay.” Celestia’s voice was soothing. She placed one hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder, feeling the pegasus flinch as she did. “You can tell me. You killed him, didn’t you? Because he was evil? Because you hated him? Tell me Fluttershy, why did you do it? It’s safe to tell me. I can keep a secret.”

Celestia leaned forwards and whispered, “after all, there’s no one here but us monsters.”

Time stopped. In that moment the world ceased to turn, and Celestia stared into Fluttershy’s eyes. It was a moment of eternity gone wrong. Fluttershy’s eyes widened at Celestia’s words, and her mouth opened. Silence. Everything stopped.

Celestia gazed into a young pegasus’s eyes. Kind eyes. Warm eyes made of sky blue and peace. Not violence. Celestia’s sureness wavered. She began to doubt. Was she mistaken?

And then, for just a moment, for a fragment of time cut into shards so fine it wasn’t even experienced but remembered as memory, Celestia saw something flicker in the depths of Fluttershy’s eyes.

A hint of blackness. A spark of blood.

Something looked back into Celestia’s eyes for that brief span. In an instant, the lovely corona of blue in Fluttershy’s eyes shifted and something twisted there.

Reaching up at Celestia with twisted hooves of blood. Dark dreams and thoughts of death came at her in knife-gouged flesh that tore at her mind and promised her pain and oblivion. The eyes of a killer looked at Celestia and saw her death. That was what peeked out at Celestia behind eyes as pure and blue as an angel’s.

Celestia had seen the same look in a few ponies over the millennia. The same look and the same feeling it conjured up. Her stomach fell through her hooves; even the Princesses’ infamous calm shattered for a moment as her mind put words to that terrible presence in Fluttershy’s eyes.

Madness.

Celestia jerked back and began to cast a spell. It was an automatic reaction; she instinctively felt she had to remove the creature in front of her. But even as the magic coursed up Celestia’s horn, the pegasus’s manacles fell to the ground, unlocked.

The pegasus leapt as Celestia reared back in sudden surprise. Celestia unleashed a wild burst of golden magic at Fluttershy but she was too slow.

Fluttershy’s mouth was around Celestia’s neck. The alicorn princess tried to move but the pegasus was too swift. Teeth bit down and Celestia felt her flesh ripped away. Teeth were in her throat. Lifeblood ran from Celestia’s throat and she choked as her throat was ripped away and then she was on the ground and a monster wearing pony skin was on her. Eating her. Biting her. Tearing her—

The image vanished. Time returned, and with it, a kind of reality. Celestia stumbled and nearly fell, still fighting off the illusion of Fluttershy. She caught herself and looked around. Fluttershy wasn’t on top of Celestia. She was still in her chains, still teary-eyed.

But the moment burned in Celestia’s mind. She took one step back from the chained Fluttershy and readied a spell in her mind. Had it just been a delusion? No. Surely not. What, then?

Celestia opened her mouth to demand new answers of Fluttershy, but at that moment pounding hooves interrupted the princess.

Both alicorn and pegasus turned as a royal guard burst into the cell, breathing hard.

“Princess, I have just received a report from our guards stationed at Ponyville!” He burst out when he had gathered his breath. “Ponies there claim that they saw Fluttershy in her cottage throughout the entire day today – even during the time Tirek was being murdered.”

“What?” Celestia turned from Fluttershy and stared at the guard in shock. “Are you sure of this?”

“Absolutely,” he replied. “Multiple ponies can collaborate this report, including two members of the Elements of Harmony. The other Fluttershy who killed Tirek may still be at large, your majesty.”

“Two Fluttershys? But—” Celestia caught herself. Think. Is this a trick? She glanced over at Fluttershy.

But no, the pegasus was looking at the guard in as much confusion as Celestia. But her eyes—no, Celestia couldn’t base her assumptions just on that. How could there be two Fluttershies? Celestia had only to ask that question before she spoke the answer aloud.

“Chrysalis.”

Both Fluttershy and the guardpony started in apprehension.

“Of course.” Celestia began pacing back and forth again, her mind suddenly awhirl. “It all makes sense. Chrysalis was the one who infiltrated Tartarus, looking for allies no doubt. She must have found Tirek, but negotiations broke down and ended with his death. And to use Cerberus, she adopted the form of the one pony he trusts besides myself and Luna.”

Fluttershy’s eyes were wide, and the guard pony’s were nearly as big as saucers. Celestia came to a rapid decision.

“Please bring one of the animals from the royal gardens,” Celestia told the guard. “Any one will do.”

The guard nodded and raced off. Fluttershy looked mystified.

“Do…do you want me to talk to one of your animals, Princess?” She asked hesitantly. “Is one of them sick, perhaps?”

“They are all quite well,” Celestia replied. “I just need one to confirm something for the moment. Naturally, the news of Chrysalis’s impersonation proves you were not the culprit after all, but I still need to be sure you are actually Fluttershy.”

“Oh!” Fluttershy’s expression brightened and then froze in panic. “Well, I know I’m Fluttershy, but I can’t prove it – but you have to believe me that I’m me! I wouldn’t lie about being me unless I was Chrysalis, but I—oh—”

“Please,” Celestia cut Fluttershy off gently. “There is no need to worry. Clever as Chrysalis may be, there is no way she can mimic a pony’s special talent,” Celestia explained. “She might be able to control Cerberus with magic, but not talk to animals.”

She heard the thumping of hooves and turned to see the guardspony dragging a very startled and very upset flamingo into the cell. Gently, Celestia prized the flamingo’s beak off the guards’ nose and turned to Fluttershy.

“I happen to know all of the animals in the royal gardens. Fluttershy, as a simple test to prove who you are, would you please tell me this flamingo’s name and a few details about her?”

Fluttershy gulped and walked over to the flamingo. She hesitated as the flamingo regarded her suspiciously, but then leaned forwards and began whispering to it.

Celestia watched Fluttershy with wariness and also a tiny bit of interest. She had never had the chance to full observe how Fluttershy truly communicated with animals.

To her disappointment though, all Fluttershy did was whisper to the flamingo for a minute or so and then listened as the Flamingo squawked something back. That should have been the end of it, but Fluttershy frowned and didn’t immediately translate what the flamingo had said.

Her lips moved and Fluttershy mumbled softly to herself, as if she were sounding out were heard from very far away. She seemed uncertain, which made Celestia even warier, but it was clear something was happening between pegasus and animal. But although Celestia waited and the second stretched out, Fluttershy continued to apparently think and converse with the flamingo.

Celestia felt her guardpony tense behind her. It was a noble but futile gesture; if it was Chrysalis in front of her right now, the changeling queen would wipe the floor with the entire Canterlot guard. Celestia would have to evacuate them first before dueling Chrysalis. The changeling queen might have bested her once when she was powered up on Shining Armor’s love, but this time Celestia would see if she was ready for two hooves to the face.

Seconds ticked down until a minute had passed. Celestia felt the magic in her horn building, and she prepared to fire a spell to immobilize Chrysalis the instant the queen broke her form. It was taking Fluttershy too long. Still, Celestia couldn’t attack if it was really Fluttershy.

But if she was the real Fluttershy—but why was she taking so long? Celestia counted the seconds by the racing of her heart, and knew she had to act. Two minutes passed, but Fluttershy continued staring at the flamingo, mumbling softly to it.

Celestia was about to unleash her spell when Fluttershy looked up at last.

“Um, she says her name is Raphael, which is a bit inconvenient since she’s not really a male,” Fluttershy said hesitantly. “And uh, she says you always feed her bits of corn whenever you visit in the gardens, but she prefers tomatoes more herself.” Fluttershy glanced back at Raphael and then looked anxiously at Celestia. “That—that is right, isn’t it?”

Celestia exhaled slowly in relief. She nodded to the guard who immediately began working at Fluttershy’s manacles. “No, you are absolutely correct Fluttershy.”

“I’m sorry it took so long,” Fluttershy smiled sheepishly. “My flamingo is a bit rusty.”

“That’s perfectly alright, my little pony.” Celestia felt her entire body relax as the tension drained out of her. “Your talent is utterly unique and wonderful; that you can talk to any animal, let alone so many is worthy of praise.”

Celestia extended a wing and helped Fluttershy to her feet as the guard unlocked the heavy iron manacles. And he did need to unlock them. Fluttershy definitely hadn’t managed to do any of the unlocking herself.

“Please, allow me to express my apologies for everything that has happened to you today,” Celestia said. “It seems for all my age I have acted with far too much haste and ignorance. I cannot express how saddened I am to have accused you of all ponies so rashly.” Celestia bowed her head low to the ground and the guard did likewise.

“Oh, it’s alright…I mean, nothing bad happened,” Fluttershy said nervously. “Oh, please don’t bow Princess, I should be the one bowing to you. You’re always so kind, and I really didn’t mind the dark cell or the heavy chains…”

“Allow me to apologize again. I will have you brought back to Ponyville immediately by flying carriage unless you prefer to travel by yourself…? Of course. Then, at the very least allow my guards to escort you out of the castle. And Fluttershy, although it pains me to ask this of you, I must request that you don’t mention what has transpired here to anypony. Not even your friends.”

“I-I understand, princess,” Fluttershy said bravely. “You can count on me to say nothing, which is easy really. I’m sort of a world champion of not speaking.”

“I shall count on it then.” Celestia smiled warmly at Fluttershy and motioned to her guards. “My apologies again, and I hope your night is a bit more restful after this.”

----

Celestia watched Fluttershy go, escorted with much more kindness and carefulness by two of her royal guards. She was pleased to see Fluttershy didn’t appear too traumatized by the events of the last hour.

Celestia exited the one cell in the castle and proceeded upwards, heading towards the highest and furthest point from the cells – her royal apartments, which were calling to her at this time of night. As she walked though, Celestia’s mind was awhirl with thoughts.

How could she have been so foalish? Celestia mentally berated herself as she strode back to her rooms, her guards following in her wake. She had nearly attacked an Element of Harmony – exactly ac Chrysalis had planned it no doubt, and would have failed to uncover the deception in time if it hadn’t been for luck.

Well, she’d been lucky once but she wouldn’t count on it twice. Celestia would ensure that the real Fluttershy remained safe as would Equestria. Now that she knew Chrysalis was moving, Celestia could formulate her own plans. Chrysalis might be a good chess player, but Celestia had helped invent the game so many thousands of years ago.

She’d have to send out guard patrols, alert Luna, Cadence and Shining Armor – maybe Twilight although that might be a mistake. Defense plans would have to be reviewed, thing tanks would have to be thought of, and counterplans for the inevitable changeling attack would need to be instituted.

But still. Celestia’s memory flickered back to what she had seen. Something had been there. Something had looked back at Celestia, and though it had been the briefest of moments, that contact had terrified Celestia. Even the immortal heart of an alicorn can stop.

Celestia turned to her guard. It might be paranoia, but…better to be certain.

“Get me special agent Sweetie Drops. I have a new mission for her.”

----

This time Fluttershy didn’t even bother with pretending to fly slow. Taking the chance that Rainbow Dash would be in the middle of her mid-morning nap, Fluttershy flew back to her cottage as quickly as possible.

This time two rabbits came out of the cottage to greet her as she landed. Fluttershy began issuing orders before her hooves even touched the ground.

“Longfoot, report. Has anything happened while I was away?”

Longfoot shook his head.

“In that case, send out heavy scouting parties to patrol the Everfree for ten miles around this area. Flying teams only, and at least ten birds per team. They’re to fly back if they spot anything unusual, and I want at least one bear awake and ready to head out with a squad at all times.”

Longfoot nodded. Angel, standing by his side nodded too, but more hesitantly. He seemed surprised, either by Fluttershy’s attitude or her orders, but there was no time.

“Also, double all the guards on our special units and make sure they’re out of sight. Celestia will no doubt be monitoring the cottage, and we can’t let any pony realize they’re here. Disguises must be in place at all moments, and if any of them so much as try to sneak off…”

Longfoot nodded again, and tapped his foot twice. Anything else?

“I want a word with myself,” Fluttershy said grimly. “Have…it come out here to give me a report.”

Longfoot glanced at Angel once. The other rabbit’s expression, never a picture of happiness in general, was quickly turning into the annoyed-and-confused phase, which often led to violence.

Longfoot began hopping away, chattering to the birds flying overhead as Fluttershy turned her attention to Angel.

“I’m sorry Angel, I know this is all so sudden, but there’s a lot going on right now. Celestia suspects I killed Tirek, and she’ll be sending watchers to spy on us no doubt. I just need to confirm nopony saw anything but—” she hesitated “—the…thing you’re about to see, just remain calm, okay?”

Angel hesitated, searching Fluttershy’s eyes, but nodded at last. On cue, the door to Fluttershy’s cottage creaked open and Fluttershy spotted the pink flash of a mane and a scared set of eyes peeking at her form inside.

“Come out,” Fluttershy growled.

There was a gasp, a brief moment of hesitation, and then the door opened. For the first time the other pegasus, the other Fluttershy stepped out into the light. She was like Fluttershy, but slightly different.

The real Fluttershy was actually a bit bigger than this Fluttershy. It wasn’t a huge change, but there was a degree of muscle on Fluttershy that this Other Fluttershy lacked. Time had changed Fluttershy’s body so the old copy of herself looked far frailer and weaker by comparison. Despite that, the Other Fluttershy was a spitting image of the real Fluttershy, except for the scars.

The Other Fluttershy had burn scars, invisible except for if you looked for them all across her body. Unlike the real Fluttershy who sported her own collection of scars, this pegasus was marked by a huge burn pattern that carried all the way up from her face down to her cutie mark. Time had healed her well though; the burns were truly invisible unless looked at in the right light or from extremely up close.

But other than that slight imperfection, here stood another Fluttershy, except this one cringed whenever the real Fluttershy so much as glanced at her. Not that Fluttershy did that often; her gaze strayed away from the Other Fluttershy and when it landed on her it was full of contained hatred. But Angel’s reaction was different.

The rabbit’s white fur when even whiter and his entire face froze completely in shock. At first, Angel stood stock still, staring at the other Fluttershy, the fake Fluttershy. Then he turned and looked at Fluttershy, and his face broke into sudden and horrified comprehension.

“Yes, that’s right,” Fluttershy said. “A changeling.”

Angel nodded hesitantly, still staring at Fluttershy’s face. He glanced back at the other Fluttershy, who was staring at Angel just as intently.

“Report!” Fluttershy’s voice made Other Fluttershy cringe against the floor. It was a perfect mimicry of how the real Fluttershy acted, but it only made Fluttershy angrier.

“U-um. No ponies came by except the guards, and I hid from them,” Fluttershy whispered. “They mainly went into Ponyville and asked other ponies questions. All of the special units stayed out of sight, and then they went away.”

Even her voice was a perfect match for the real Fluttershy. That was the true travesty of it. The pegasus was such a complete copy of Fluttershy that without the burn scars, there would be no way to tell the two pegasi apart. That was, pegasus and changeling pretending to be a pegasus in point of fact.

“Fine. Good job. Get out of my sight.” Fluttershy pointed and the Other Fluttershy leapt into the cottage. Angel watched her, it, go intently, but then followed Fluttershy inside.

It was getting dark. A squirrel lit a match and got a fire going as the other animals helped set up the cottage. Dinner was served courtesy of a team of beavers and mice while other animals went to rest, eat, or mill about quietly.

Fluttershy say in the center of the room, facing away from the fire. Normally she would be up and about, but her limbs were so tired today. It must have been the flight, or the exhaustion of battling Tirek catching up or…all Fluttershy knew was that she was tired to her very bones.

Angel sat with Fluttershy, next to the pegasus. But something was wrong. It wasn’t the same. Fluttershy felt it should feel different, to have Angel at her side. Her memory was…fuzzy, but she didn’t feel the same warmth from Angel she used to. Because he had come back?

She held him, but he didn’t snuggled up against her like he used to. Because she was different? Or had she just forgotten how they used to interact? Fluttershy felt the words pressing against her mouth, and felt Angel’s eyes on her. Even so, it was a while before she found the courage to speak.

“It’s been a long time Angel.” For a moment, Fluttershy’s wings felt as heavy as lead, her hooves like stone. “A very long time.”

Angel nodded.

“I’ve had to kill.” Fluttershy said softly. “Tirek was the last, but there were others before him. Chrysalis was the first, but another monster appeared later.”

“Sombra.” The candles flickered low as if in response to the name, and the animals around Fluttershy drew together. “He, well, it’s hard to explain, but he was the soul of a pony so evil that death couldn’t hold him. He awoke along with a kingdom of ponies in the far north. My friends – my pony friends – and I stopped him with a magic known as the Crystal Heart, but it wasn’t enough.”

Fluttershy’s head lowered. “It’s never enough. Sombra was banished, wounded, but not entirely destroyed. So I had to finish the job.”

The pegasus slowly sank onto the ground, burdened by the weight of memory. For a moment, Fluttershy was tired – so tired that it hurt to remember. So many battles…

Angel sat very still, staring intently at Fluttershy. The small rabbit noted how the pegasus’s body had changed since last he had laid eyes on her form. How strange she looked now. Gentle, soft, yet still full of danger. Fluttershy’s creamy fur coat seemed at first glance to be lustrously smooth and unbroken, but Angel could see below the hair the way patches had grown at odd angles, in sections, or where the growth of hair had stopped.

Scars. Below the fur, etched into the skin where no creature could see. That was what Angel saw, and when he looked at Fluttershy, he understood a bit more.

The rabbit hopped slowly closer to Fluttershy and rested a hesitant paw on her hoof. Fluttershy looked up in surprise, but Angel just tapped his foot once.

A question.

“How?” Fluttershy laughed softly. “How did it all happen, you mean?”

Angel nodded. He pointed back at the Other Fluttershy, still hiding in the shadows. He gestured around at the cottage, full of animals, and further back, lurking just where light met darkness, the other forms.

Fluttershy glanced over and nodded once. From the darkness changelings emerged, fourteen in all, black chitinous armor glowing in the fire’s light.

Angel stiffened and many of the animals recently revived reached for weapons they didn’t hold at the sight of the changelings. But Fluttershy and the other animals remained still. In fact, it was the changelings themselves who appeared most nervous. The Other Fluttershy hesitated, and then went to stand with them. She, it, unlike the others didn’t change back into the chitinous form, but merely cowered whenever Fluttershy looked at her.

“The changelings,” Fluttershy said, nodding at them and the fake Fluttershy. “They’re a big part of the story as well. Not one I like, but an important part nevertheless.”

From his corner of the room far away from the fire, Harry growled deeply. The changelings flinched as one, but Other Fluttershy did not. Harry’s sister put a paw on his shoulder and he subsided, yet his gaze still burned with fierce hatred.

“Don’t worry Harry.” Fluttershy’s voice was the only sound apart from the crackling flames. “These changelings are with us. I may not like it, but they’ve proven their loyalty. Whether that will hold up with Chrysalis’s return is a different matter, but…”

Fluttershy shrugged one wing. “It doesn’t matter either way. Chrysalis is a danger, but she’s not the threat she used to be.”

Both Harry and the other animals not in the know stared at Fluttershy in disbelief. The pegasus grinned once, a smile that was both tired and gently mocking, dark, and despairing.

“It sounds unbelievable, doesn’t it?” Fluttershy felt the aches of her body returning, but forced herself to continue. Angel’s eyes were on her, and the words came unbidden, wanting to be told. Needing to be told.

“I guess I should start from the beginning, shouldn’t I? I’ve told part of this story before – but you should hear the rest. I suppose the best place to begin is right after the battle in the forest – The Battle for the Everfree, some call it.”

Fluttershy smiled at the animals around her, who chittered or chirped or thumped their tails in approval. “But in truth, it wasn’t a victory we had. We lost so many, and the dead were everywhere. Chrysalis’s army was destroyed, but almost every animal in the Everfree had died, I was wounded, and you, Angel, were—”

Fluttershy’s throat closed up. Angel softly patted her on one hoof and nodded at her to continue. Fluttershy cleared her throat several times before she was able to continue.

“—you weren’t…around. There was so much to do, including making a cover story to fool all of my friends. But more than that, I realized something else was wrong shortly after I tried getting everything back in order.”

Her audience was hundreds of eyes, small and large, animals of every kind, of wing and claw, fur and scale, beak and tooth. They watched her, a silent audience to her tale. On the far wall the changelings listened to, their expressions unreadable, at least by any creature not like themselves. And the Other Fluttershy huddled in the shadows, face obscured. Her tale was part of this too.

Fluttershy took a deep breath, and felt the world turn around her.

“So, to begin: although I had fooled my friends, and recruited animals from far off to help guard Ponyville and act as we had always done, something was wrong. You see, our battles in the Everfree had escaped the notice of ponies, but the first enemy we faced wasn’t another army of invading insects lead by a great mastermind. It was in fact, a child and a mother.”

Fluttershy grinned once at the expression on Angel’s face. “Oh yes. I’m not sure if you remember the Ursa Minor that attacked Ponyville a while back, but let me tell you, the Ursa Major was a whole lot harder to deal with…”