Fluttershy strode through the forest kicking plants out of the way. Longfoot and the other animals followed her warily; they hadn’t dared speak to her after Fluttershy had hastily excused herself from Zecora’s hut.

Holes in the memory. Fluttershy shook her head again as she trotted through the Everfree forest. She was forgetting things. Ever since the Battle for the Everfree – how much did Zecora know? She’d seen through Fluttershy’s act in a second. Even Fluttershy’s best friends had been taken in but Zecora had—

What else had Fluttershy forgotten? She’d been indisposed. Well, broken and healing really, in the Ponyville Hospital. It had been unpleasant, and even now thinking back on the events of that day Fluttershy…

Longfoot hopped forwards before he realized Fluttershy had stopped. He looked up inquiringly into the pegasus’s face and then flinched back at her expression.

What she remembered was—

Something beneath her hooves writhed and screamed and twisted with all its strength. It struck her wildly, hooves flailing, and Fluttershy felt bones break. The fire raced along her hair, and she felt herself begin to burn. It didn’t matter.

Pain came for her, telling her of broken bones, torn flesh, burning skin, but it didn’t matter. Pain was a weak thing compared to the agony in Fluttershy now. Gradually, the thing Fluttershy held began to weaken, and the barrage of blows striking her body began to slow, and then stop. She held it there, even so.

Something was saying something. Fluttershy listened. It was faint, above the roaring in her ears. It came from the thing she held in the fire. It sounded like ‘please’. She ignored it.

Fluttershy’s cottage was filled with darkness and light. The darkest part of the night had begun, right before dawn, yet the deep shadows in her home were wrought by twisting shapes, struggling, fighting. A faint orange glow emanated from a fireplace, but it was obscured by a dark silhouette that writhed and screamed in the night.

Darkness. Burning. Fire. Pain.

“Stop. Please.”

Fluttershy jerked back to reality as burning pain raced up one side of her body. Her hooves immediately went to her side, her face, her eyes, feeling for the broken flesh, the mained skin.

Nothing. Just memories.

Fluttershy took one shaky breath, and then another. Holes in the memory. Fine. That was fine. But she still remembered the important bits.

Angel. The rabbit named Angel. Her friend. Her followers. Her army broken and burnt. Death. And that terrible monster with a smile like a demon.

Never again. Fluttershy bit the inside of her mouth until she tasted blood. She wouldn’t let that happen again. She was Fluttershy. She took care of her animal friends. It had been so…hard to talk to them after the fire. It was almost as if she’d forgotten how to speak to them, as if she’d killed that part of herself in the violence.

But now she’d brought the animals back. Ponyville was full of wildlife, the changelings were dead, and Fluttershy had a mission.

Protect Ponyville. Protect Equestria. Protect her friends.

The pegasus started walking again, back towards her cottage. Yes, that was it. Her friends. She hadn’t seen them in a while. After getting out of the hospital they’d left her alone. Respecting her privacy while she healed. Not that she didn’t want to be with her friends but she had work to do.

The animals needed to be trained to fight. They’d lost nearly all their knives and weapons in the fire – new ones had to be found. Patrols needed to be sent out and reports needed to be gathered. There was no enemy – yet. But something in Fluttershy demanded an army. The Ursa Major was just one example. She needed a force to fight with. She couldn’t remain peacefully idle. She needed—

Fluttershy stepped out of the Everfree, intending to grab a quick bite to eat before she talked with Longfoot. But she stopped when she saw the two ponies outside of her cottage.

One of the ponies was Rarity. Fluttershy could recognize her even at a distance simply by her perfectly styled mane. She was looking quite cheery as she chatted to the other pony, whom Fluttershy also recognized.

Fluttershy smiled and talked happily to Rarity, holding the door open as the unicorn walked out. She looked the spitting image of health; a young pegasus finally healed of the tragic incident with a changeling a few weeks ago.

The real Fluttershy’s heart was pounding out of her chest, but not with fear. She could barely sit still and Longfoot had to grab her warningly before Fluttershy leapt out of the forest and at the imposter. His touch calmed Fluttershy down though, and she reassessed the situation.

Fluttershy backed further into the forest and motioned for the other animals to circle around the cottage while she crept closer. There was a slight incline behind the cottage. Fluttershy used that to get closer until she could hear what Rarity was saying.

“—And of course I didn’t want to disturb you from your rest darling, but I felt you simply had to join us! Twilight’s having a little soirée and I thought what better time to see how you were doing and invite you over! Thank you for the tea by the way. You are an expert.”

“Oh, it was nothing,” the Fake Fluttershy said to Rarity cheerfully holding open the door to her cottage. “I was very glad to chat with you. Your news about the boutique was amazing – I had no idea you were planning on expanding your business”

“Well, it’s all in the future for the moment – I’m still holding out for one particular location – but if all goes well I might soon be selling my designs in Canterlot!” Rarity did a little dance and gushed, “I can’t wait, but of course, I must!”

“Of course,” the other Fluttershy said, smiling politely. “Let me know all about it. Until then, I’ll see you at Twilight’s for dinner?”

“Oh yes, the little get-together she’s got planned.” Rarity rolled her eyes. “I dread to think how many books we’ll talk about, but it should be quite enjoyable if we can get the topic off literature for a few moments.”

“I’ll see you then, then.” Fake Fluttershy smiled and waved Rarity off. She remained at the cottage door with the smile on her face until Rarity had disappeared down the road. Then, in an instant it was gone and Fake Fluttershy stood stock-still in the doorway, not moving an inch.

“Go inside,” Fluttershy growled in the changeling’s ear.

Very slowly, the changeling disguised as Fluttershy turned and walked inside. The squirrel on its back kept the knife steady, point pressed right where the Fake Fluttershy’s heart would be.

Fluttershy closed the cottage door behind her and the Fake Fluttershy halted in the center of the room. Only then did another animal switch the lights on. The room was suddenly illuminated and revealed a bunch of animals. All of them held weapons and all of them stared at the imposter pegasus with cold hatred.

And a lot of fear.

“Stand down,” Fluttershy told them. The animals hesitated but did as she instructed. “Matilda, keep watch with a squad. Longfoot, I want every bird in the air. Let me know the instant something approaches the cottage.”

The bear and rabbit nodded and left the cottage. Fluttershy le the other animals draw back to the walls until only she and the other Fluttershy were in the center.

“Matilda tells me she didn’t even realize you were a fake until I came back. That’s impressive. Now, you have one chance to convince me not to kill you. Make it good.”

The Fake Fluttershy hesitated. “Are you—?”

Fluttershy grabbed the Other Fluttershy by the throat and smashed her face into the hardwood floor. The Fake Fluttershy cried out in pain and tried to get away but Fluttershy was on her in a flash. Two hooves were at the fake’s throat and Fluttershy pressed down. Not enough to strangle, but hard enough to make breathing very difficult.

Every instinct in Fluttershy told her to choke the life out of the changeling, but she had to know.

“No questions.” Fluttershy whispered to the changeling. “You do not ask questions. I ask questions. Now. Why. Are. You. Here?”

The fake Fluttershy choked and tried to speak. Fluttershy loosened her grip the tiniest hair.

“I was h-healing in the forest after the battle. I came back when I could move, but my burns—I came back here to—”

“To what?” Fluttershy pressed the imposter’s face into the ground. “To mock me? To try to kill me for you queen? She’s dead, and so are all the changelings with her. Except one.”

“But I—” The fake changeling whispered. “I’m not—!”

“One. Reason.” Fluttershy’s voice was a whisper. “One reason why I shouldn’t crush you.”

“T-there’s more of us.” It was a painful rasp and the fake Fluttershy choked and tried to draw breath around Fluttershy’s stranglehold. “In the forest. More.”

“How many?” Fluttershy didn’t loosen her grip.

“F-fourteen. They’re like me. Hurt. Afraid. They were…afraid of me, but I talked to them. They won’t attack.”

“Fourteen?” Fluttershy’s mind was racing. That was a large number; enough to do some real damage if they infiltrated Ponyville. In a stand-up fight even her untrained animals would be able to crush them by weight of numbers, but she couldn’t have them loose even a moment longer.

“Take me to them.” Fluttershy demanded. “Do that, and I’ll spare you and you alone.”

“I – we don’t want to fight,” the changeling Fluttershy choked out. “Please. We just want to live. Please, we’ll obey your every order. Just don’t—”

“Kill you?” Fluttershy tightened her grip on the other Fluttershy, causing her—it to gasp in agony. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t? You tried to kill me and every other animal in the forest.”

“I—I could pretend to be you—” The other Fluttershy whispered. “I’m good at pretending to be Fluttershy. Not so much the other forms, but I—”

“Pretend to be me?” Fluttershy pressed the other Fluttershy against the ground so hard she heard the changeling’s bones creak. “You think I’d ever trust you alive, let alone to impersonate me?”

Fluttershy was two seconds away from ordering Longfoot to take the fake Fluttershy outside, but amazingly, the other Fluttershy still found the courage – not to mention breath – to talk back.

“You…need me,” she said. “If I’m here you can do what needs to be done. No changeling can pretend to be Fluttershy as well as I can. And you can’t be here all the time if you’re going to protect your friends.”

“And I should trust something that killed all of my friends?” Fluttershy could feel the bones flexing beneath her hooves. Just one push was all it would take to break the creature’s neck. Just one push…

“Not that I could hurt you,” the fake mirror said. “Just…thought you’d…use…anything you could to protect…your…friends.”

Protect.

Friends.

The words echoed in Fluttershy’s mind. They reverberated in her soul. Suddenly, she looked up.

She was in her cottage. Her cottage. Fluttershy’s cottage. And around her were animals. Warriors—no—people who’d come to help protect Ponyville. For her.

Friends.

And they were staring at her, beavers, squirrels, rats, mice, gerbils, ravens, bluejays, cardinals, even the odd crow and larger animal. And Matilda and Longfoot. All of them.

They clutched weapons, but awkwardly. They weren’t fighters or even killers. Not yet. And they were watching—

They were watching Fluttershy as she choked herself to death on the hardwood floor. And something was in their eyes. Something Fluttershy had once seen before.

Reluctantly, very reluctantly, Fluttershy loosened her grip. The other Fluttershy gasped and began choking as air flooded back into her, its lungs. Even more slowly, Fluttershy stepped back.

“Keep it here,” Fluttershy ordered the other animals. “Don’t feed it, get close to it, or let it do anything until I get back. Just—just keep it here, alright? And if you see any sign of changelings…kill her first and then deal with them.”

Longfoot nodded somewhat shakily. Fluttershy wanted to say more, but she looked at the Other Fluttershy still gasping for air on the ground.

There were no words. Fluttershy left the cottage.

----

The dinner affair at Twilight’s was a simple yet extravagant affair. Simple in that it involved six friends who all knew each other and didn’t dress up with the obvious exception of Rarity. Yet it was also extravagant in that they had a waiter – Spike – a that this was an event put together by Twilight. Naturally, every detail had been planned out.

At exactly 5 PM five ponies gathered at Twilight’s library for the dinner. Dash was three minutes late for which she received a mild scolding. After a mandatory 10-minute chat over snacks the six friends proceeded to the dining table where their stomachs weathered a six-course meal of various foods laboriously whisked on and off the table by Spike.

All of this was of course, accompanied by a magically floating list as Twilight obsessively crossed off every detail of her Dinner Party checklist. It was a mark of the deep friendship that existed between the other five ponies and dragon that they merely sighed every time Twilight did this.

“Okay, our second greens course is completed, and that only leaves the regular dinner, special dish, after dinner munchies, desert, after-desert munchies, and drinks.” Twilight sighed happily as her quill danced on her parchment. “And now we should begin our next round of idle chit-chat or entertaining gossip.”

“That sounds…great?” Applejack munched on her tiny bowl of leaves. “So does this mean we’re getting our real food now or later?”

“Well, now Spike will bring us the regular meal, as well as our special dish.”

Spike emerged from the kitchen bearing a heavily-overburdened tray. “And today’s special dish is…”

“Rice pudding!” Twilight beamed as the dragon carefully served out bowls of sticky white jello to each of the six ponies.

“Why, this looks lovely!” Rarity clapped her hooves together. “Twilight, you’ve outdone yourself today!”

“Yeah! It looks pretty good!” Rainbow Dash stuck her face in her bowl and began eating the instant Spike put it down. “Tastes good too!”

Twilight beamed. “I’m so glad you like it. And I’ve received my mandatory food-related compliment for the evening so I can check that off!” Her quill scratched on the parchment with an extra flourish.

Fluttershy resisted the urge to snatch the quill out of the air and stab her rice pudding with it. It wasn’t that she hated Twilight – no, she was a dear friend after all. But that quill and the checklist had been annoying her all evening. Why not just remember all the details instead of obsessing over everything?

But Fluttershy plastered on a fake smile and carefully spooned some pudding into her mouth. It was tasty after all. It was just that she was not having a good time tonight, and she didn’t want that to show.

Quite precisely why Fluttershy was in such a foul mood wasn’t a mystery. She had a changeling in her cottage, fourteen more in the forest, and she had a thousand other things she could be doing, such as training the animals, making sure no other monsters were threatening Ponyville, and generally, not being here eating rice pudding and listening to that damn quill scratching.

It took Fluttershy a minute before she’d realized Twilight had asked her something. Probably another ‘mandatory question’. How had Fluttershy forgotten how annoying Twilight could be sometimes? She was her friend but…had she just never realized it until now?

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Fluttershy looked up at Twilight and gave her a smile. “I was uh, just thinking. What was that?”

“I was just asking how your animal friends are doing,” Twilight said. “Anything interesting come up recently?”

Apart from battling an Ursa Major and a manticore in the same day? “Nothing much,” Fluttershy said. “We’re all happily getting along as usual.”

“And how is Gerome doing?” Twilight asked Fluttershy politely. “Did he enjoy my book on tactics?”

Fluttershy’s expression froze for just a fraction of a moment. Who’s Gerome?

“Um, Gerome? Oh, uh, he’s doing fine. Just fine.” She coughed lightly and took another bite of rice pudding. She hoped the conversation would steer away from the topic immediately, but her instincts told her it would not.

“Who’s Gerome?” Pinkie Pie was already finished her bowl of rice pudding and snatched another off the tray. “I’ve never heard of him. Is he an animal?”

“Well, duh.” Rainbow Dash was on her third bowl of rice pudding alreadyd, and Spike was running to keep up with the stream of empty dishes. “All of Fluttershy’s friends are animals. But yeah, do you know Gerome Twilight?”

“Oh, I haven’t met him, but Fluttershy was telling me all about him just a few weeks ago. She borrowed a few books on military tactics so she could read to him.”

“She did? Why in the hay does anypony need a book on military tactics?” Applejack looked incredulously at Fluttershy who tried to keep a straight, smiling face. She didn’t remember any of this, but she had to ride the conversation. Had she borrowed books on military tactics? Yes, actually. They were in the kitchen. But she didn’t remember getting them from Twilight.

The holes in her memory. Fluttershy silently ground her teeth together. This could be bad.

But Twilight interjected before Fluttershy had a chance to make something up.

“Well, Gerome’s a major military buff so that’s why he wanted the books.”

“What?” Rarity raised her eyebrows in polite disbelief. “That sounds like quite an unusual character. Why don’t I remember meeting this Gerome fellow myself?” She turned to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy was sure now that she’d made Gerome up. She fumbled for an excuse. “Well, uh, you see, he’s quite private, and he’s—”

“A lobster,” Twilight cut in. “Gerome’s a lobster, which is probably why you don’t see him that often. Lobsters live in salt water, and so he must be from pretty far away.”

“Now how’d you go meeting a lobster all the way in Ponyville?” Applejack looked at Fluttershy in surprise. “The nearest sea’s miles away.”

“Well, he was visiting his cousins for a few weeks, and so I wanted him to feel as comfortable as possible,” Fluttershy lied. “They invited him over and I got to know him then.”

“Who are his cousins?” Rainbow Dash grinned and tossed the eighth finished bowl of rice pudding onto Spike’s tray as the small dragon sighed. “Shrimp? Centipedes?”

“Actually, he’s distantly related to Tank and a few other turtles. But mainly, he’s related to Cidney.”

“Who’s Cidney?” Pinkie Pie slammed down her bowl of empty rice pudding and Spike rushed over with another. “I don’t know him either! And I know lots of animals!”

“He’s a crab. He keeps out of way most of the time.” Fluttershy’s eye was trying to twitch. She didn’t let it.

“Riiiiiiiight, because that doesn’t sound made up at all.” Pinkie Pie’s eyes narrowed as she munched down on her rice pudding. “Gerome the Lobster and Cidney the Crab, huh? I’ll have to look those guys up when they’re next in town.”

“I’ll introduce you to them then.”

“We’ll look forward to it!” Twilight grinned as Spike, wheezing with exhaustion, brought in another platter of delicate peach-lemon tarts. “Oh good, desert is here and right on schedule! Fluttershy, next time Gerome visits Ponyville, do have him come over. He and I can discuss tactics and famous battles, like the Siege of Trottingham during the Sixth Dragon-Pony war.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Fluttershy said politely, and handed Spike her finished bowl of rice pudding. “Um, but he probably won’t visit for a month or two. A pity. But uh, what’s this desert?”

“Oh, here we have a classic dish made courtesy of Sugarcube corner. I thought it might be too ostentatious to go with a fudge pie like my book on dinner parties says, so I…”

Fluttershy exhaled softly as Twilight began another rambling lecture-explanation and her friend’s attentions wandered. She sunk back in her seat and began cursing her bad memory, the dinner party, and especially peach-lemon tarts.

----

The pony that looked like Fluttershy, acted like Fluttershy, but was probably an animal-slaughtering changeling was sitting quietly in the cottage. She wasn’t alone of course – she was surrounded by a platoon of animals who were not quite pointing their weapons at her. It would take only one sudden move for her to be diced up, stabbed, and squashed by Matilda’s paw.

The door slammed open and every animal in the room jumped. Not coincidentally, so did the imposter Fluttershy, only narrowly dodging the five knives that stabbed towards her.

“Alright,” the real Fluttershy growled, “you’ll act as my double. You deal with my friends and other ponies 24/7, and report back to me. I’ll have watchers on you at all time, and ‘guards’ to help you remember your job—”

She cut off as she saw Other Fluttershy quivering, a tapestry of knives embedded in the floorboards around her hooves. The other animals looked sheepish and quickly collected the bladed weapons.

“Ignore it,” Fluttershy ordered. “I don’t like them any more than you do, but if I can use the changelings, I will.”

Longfoot stared at the fake Fluttershy with hostility mixed with fear. He hadn’t been there – none of the animals had. They hadn’t fought against the changelings, but they knew what they’d done.

Still, it was one thing to know and another to associate the creature that looked exactly like Fluttershy with the insect monsters she had fought against.

“That form—” Fluttershy forced herself to turn to the changeling, although she didn’t look into its eyes. “That is me.”

“Um. Yes, but—”

“If you do anything to ruin my friendships or hurt those I hold dear, I’ll tear your limbs off myself. You’re my cover – you pretend to be me at all times.” Fluttershy thought for a second. “If I’m in public, you stay indoors or out of sight. How many forms can you change into?”

“I’m n-not too good at changing or fighting. I can do, uh, you, but—”

“How about the other changelings?” Fluttershy cut off the changeling’s stammering reply brusquely. It had what she supposed was Fluttershy’s meekness down, but hearing it was…that wasn’t her anymore.

“The others are warriors but can’t change for long periods of time. I could pretend to be you—”

“Fine. Keep that form then.” Fluttershy waved a hoof at the changeling. “You’ll be my double. Now, take me to the other changelings. If they can’t disguise themselves that well, I’ll use them as fighters.”

“Um, now?” The Other Fluttershy was clearly taken aback at Fluttershy’s sudden change of mind.

“Yes, now.” Fluttershy wasn’t in the mood for idle chitchat. For a moment she wanted to leap on the changeling and hit it until her hooves bled, but she restrained the urge. Don’t break your tools, even if you hate them.

“Take me to them. I won’t kill them unless they try to attack. But if they want to live, they work for me. As for you, you’ll pretend to be me starting tomorrow.”

“O-okay. I can do that, I think.” Fake Fluttershy held open the door to the cottage. Fluttershy strode past her, Longfoot, Matilda, and a squad of animals following.

“Good. And your first task as me will be to find a lobster and a crab. Name the lobster Gerome, and the crab Cidney.”

“Um—”

“Shut up. Do it.”

“Okay.”

----

The Everfree Forest was a dark and scary place to all ponies. It was common knowledge that this terrible place was cursed; clouds moved on their own, animals cared for themselves, and not least, a bunch of terribly horrific monster made their home there.

Yes, the Everfree Forest was a place of terrors for any pony. For changelings though, it wasn’t nearly as bad. The darkness of the forest was pleasant to them; the creeping vines, humid temperatures, and heavy foliage reminded them of their natural homes. No, the changelings would have loved the Everfree Forests, predatory monsters or not.

It was the memories that lurked there that scared them.

Here was the grave of the changelings. Not in one particular place; no, this was the mass death of changeling, the end of their race. To the last insect they’d been hunted, ambushed, killed, and finally, burned. Even their invincible queen had been slain by a single pegasus.

So if there were any place changelings truly feared, it was the Everfree. Nevertheless they stayed in the center of the forest, a group of fourteen warriors tense with nerves. Because they had nowhere to go. And irony of ironies, the pony they were hoping to see was the one who had destroyed them.

Fluttershy.

She emerged from the forest, a squad of animals at her back. Not many; Fluttershy would have loved to scare the changelings, but making a bunch of seasoned warriors jumpy would not be a good idea. Besides, she needed them. However much she hated it, she needed creature that knew how to fight. And whatever Chrysalis’s army had been, Fluttershy could admire their military prowess.

The changelings drew back as one as Fluttershy approached. Their eyes flicked from the real Fluttershy to the cringing imposter changeling leading her. Fluttershy noted how they regarded the Fake Fluttershy with almost as much fear and suspicion as her. Perhaps her mere form was threatening to them. That was good.

Fluttershy stopped in before the changelings and held up a hoof. The animals took a while to realize that meant stop and spread out. Fluttershy waited patiently until they were arrayed at her back. Then she spoke.

“My name is Fluttershy.” Several of the changeling cringed back just at her name. “You know what I have done. I have slain your queen, and scattered your army’s ashes to the four winds.”

Fluttershy walked slowly down the line of changelings, staring at each of them. They shivered and refused to meet her eyes. Only the Fake Fluttershy at the end could even look at her, and she glanced away quickly, hoof over her burn scars. “I offer you one choice; work for me, under my rules, in the way I demand.”

Fluttershy stepped forwards and stared down the other Fluttershy, watching the changeling sink until it huddled on the ground with its comrades.

“Pledge to serve me now, just like your late queen. Or I will bury you with her.”

Silence reigned for a few seconds. The changelings were still, cowed, cowering. The Fake Fluttershy trembled, but raised her head. At that, the changelings moved.

As one, they bowed. Silently, their horns touched the ground.

Fluttershy smiled grimly. Apparently only a few changelings were noisy and annoying. Wonderful.

Fluttershy’s wings were heavy. She wanted to sleep, but there was no time. “Very well. Let’s get started. We have much to do.”

----

“And that was that.” Fluttershy stretched her wings and sighed, coming back to reality which was a lot more pleasant. For one thing, there was a nice warm fire, the comfort of Angel in her lap, and a thousand eyes on her, her friends.

Angel stared up at Fluttershy and poke her hard. It was a question.

“Yes, well, I used them to help train my army.” Fluttershy rubbed the spot Angel had poked absently. “I didn’t trust them completely of course; they were always guarded and even now I always have watchers on them. But they’re loyal.”

The fourteen changelings sat far away from the fire as possible. At Fluttershy’s words they all nodded as one, in perfect synchronization. They were all the same copy repeated; aside from a few scratches in their chitin or some dirt on their carapaces they couldn’t be told apart.

“I’m not sure how their loyalty will hold since Chrysalis is back,” Fluttershy glanced at the changelings who shuddered as one, “but I think the odds are on my side. They know what I can do, and they prefer working for someone who won’t kill them for annoying her.”

Angel nodded thoughtfully. He didn’t look happy at the idea of the changelings; none of the original animals did. Harry especially was giving the changelings an evil eye, and Fluttershy made a mental note never to leave him alone with them. Accidents happened, but she surprisingly didn’t want any accidents with the changelings. They had proven their worth.

After some thought, Angel pointed at the Fake Fluttershy, still maintaining her form as she hid in the kitchen.

“Her?” Fluttershy’s expression darkened. The Fake Fluttershy quivered. “She’s different. Something…well, something happened with Tirek. I’ll get to that, but it can wait until I bring you up to speed. Just think of this one as my decoy and leave it at that.”

Fluttershy nodded at the cringing Other Fluttershy. “Among the changelings, this one is the best at changing. Apparently, assuming another form takes a lot of energy, which is why only Chrysalis was able to mimic an alicorn princess like Cadence for a so long.”

Angel nodded slowly. He eyed the Other Fluttershy again and then glanced at Fluttershy. Then he tapped the floor with one foot. Fluttershy had to concentrate again to understand him.

“Hm? Oh, what happened next? Right, I suppose I should tell the rest of the story.”

She tried to collect her thoughts. “Well, training started and since I had a decoy that could free up my time, we got everyone trained up to proper fighting shape in a week or so. It was hard, but we were prepared. And just in time too; if we were barely ready for a threat then, it was the next trial that truly hardened us in blood and death.”

Longfoot crossed himself and the other animals turned pale and looked at the ground.

“I’ve stared murderers in their eyes, fought undead monsters, and even tricked the God of Chaos himself,” Fluttershy said, staring into the haunted shadows of her memory. “But what haunts my dreams even to this day is the…the…”

Angel was staring at Fluttershy, concerned. Fluttershy took a shuddering breath, taking solace and courage from his presence until she was ready to continue.

“The horror of…the pink.”