Blaze woke up. He sometimes wished he didn’t have to. He had nothing to live for. He had failed Minerods last request. And he had to leave Ponyville and, more importantly, Fluttershy. He sighed. He had got to know her so well. This is why he shouldn’t have fallen for her. He sighed sadly again and walked into the kitchen. He was running out of food, but he had enough to last him for 3 more days here, but he would need to get more for his trip to Hayton.

He didn’t want to go back there. He didn’t want to see the disappointment on the remaining ponies faces. He had been their last hope.

He tried not to think about it. It would just depress him more, but it was playing on his mind as he got the last of the hay. As he made his way up the stairs to his somewhat cleaner study, planning to play his guitar, he heard a squeak outside the front door. Knowing it as probably Hammy, he put the bowl down and went to check on him. Sure enough it was Hammy asking to be let in, sneezing. Poor guy was probably ill. Blaze brought him in.

“Poor little guy, are you ill?”

Hammy stared at him and sneezed again.

“I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll take you to see Fluttershy I a bit.”

Hammy again stared at him and pointed at a scarf on the coat stand.

“Guess you’re right, it is too cold out for you to travel while ill. I’ll ask Fluttershy to come round here.” He thought about what he had said. “Too cold outside… hmm.” he muttered to himself. He walked over to the coat stand and grabbed the scarf Hammy had pointed out and pulled it off the stand, then proceeded to wrap Hammy up in it.

“You keep that on ‘til I get back with Fluttershy.”

With that, he walked out the door to go get Fluttershy.

Fluttershy woke up. She felt ill. Her head was aching so badly, like she had been bucked in the head. The small crack of light coming through the window was blinding her. She didn’t want to get out of bed, but she had to attend to her animals. She brushed her normally fine mane into place and walked downstairs to get some breakfast. Was it her, or was it very hot? As she passed the mirror she checked herself. She was pale. She turned and saw Angel looking at her worriedly.

“Shhh, its ok, I’ve just got a cold.” she looked at the mirror again, trying to convince herself as much as Angel. She ate some breakfast, but her headache just got worst. She wondered if she had any medicine that could help. As she got up from where she was sitting to go and look when she heard a knock on the door. She went over and opened it, revealing Blaze standing there sadly.

He gasped once he saw how pale she was “Are you ok Fluttershy?”

“I, I-I’m fine. Just a headache.” with that she walked into her house.

“Are you sure?” Blaze asked, following her into the house.

“O-Oh yes. I was just going to look for some medicine when you knocked.”

“Well, if you’re sure… I came round to ask if you could check Hammy, he seems sick, and I didn’t want to bring him out

into the cold.”

“Of course. I just have to tend to my animals first then I can come over.”

“Would you like some help?” Blaze asked “Seeing as you’re sick?”

“Oh yes please, thank you.”

She suddenly felt dizzy.

***

“Oh yes please, thank you.”

Blaze was worried. Fluttershy looked sick.

“Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Y-Yes, just a little d-d-dizzy.” With that she fainted onto the floor.

“Fluttershy!” Blaze ran over to her. She was breathing, but she was hot. It was like a fever. Blaze’s eyes widened and then he ran out the door, leaving Angel to nudge the unconscious Fluttershy, feeling scared and alone.

He ran down the road towards his house as fast as possible. He would grab his ambulance and doctor’s bag and come back. In his time as an emergency doctor, he had been taught to always have a doctor’s bag at the ready in the ambulance, and, well, old habits die hard. He ran up the gravel path to his ambulance and threw the harness on. He hoped he wouldn’t need the ambulance, but he was going to take it just in case. He saw Hammy looking at him from the window.

“Hammy, stay here.” with that, Blaze ran down the drive, pulling the old ambulance faster than was probably safe. The

ambulance made him slightly slower, but he ran as fast as his legs would let him. As he arrived at Fluttershy’s gate a few minutes later, he took the harness off and got the doctor’s bag from the ambulance before checking on Fluttershy. He sat down next to her unconscious body and pulled out a stethoscope. He checked her chest and was rewarded with a rasping noise. Next he took her temperature. 41 degrees. This was bad. He packed up his equipment, put the stuff back in the bag and put the bag in the ambulance. He went back to Fluttershy and, slowly, nudged his head under her until she was on his back. He slowly carried her out to the ambulance.

As he put her in the back he saw a shadow, but he hardly registered it. Instead he put the pull down door at the back of the ambulance down, made sure Fluttershy was secure and put the harness on. He slowly made his way back to his house, making sure he didn’t hit any potholes or stumps.

Rainbow slowly flew over to Fluttershy’s house, intent on convincing her to stop seeing Blaze. As she closed in, she saw a wagon outside Fluttershy’s house. She stopped and looked to see what was happening. Sure enough, she soon saw the mysterious Blaze walk out of Fluttershy’s house… with Fluttershy on his back! He was kidnapping her! She flew off at lightning speed towards the library to get Twilight. She would know what to do.

She crashed through the library door.

“Still haven’t got the knack of knocking, huh?” asked Spike.

“Where’s Twilight?”

“Uh, upstairs, why?” but Dash was already flying up the stairs.

She met Twilight at the top of the stairs. “What’s wrong Dash?”

“It’s Fluttershy, she’s being kidnapped!”

“Kidnapped!?”

“Yeah, come on, we have to help! I’ll tell you more on the way!”

Blaze pulled up at the front of his house. After taking off the harness, he ran and pulled down the door at the back of the ambulance and slowly but carefully put her on his back.

“Hammy, quickly, get a wet cloth.” he said, walking through the front door towards the stairs. He took her into his immaculate room. The only time he spent in his room was to sleep, all his other time was spent in the study, running experiments or playing the guitar. He gently laid her on the bed and pulled the blanket over her. He walked over and closed the curtains, making sure no light got into the room and lit a few candles. He turned and saw Hammy walk into the room with a wet cloth.

“Thanks Hammy.” Blaze took the cloth and laid it on Fluttershy’s forehead. He turned and walked down the stairs to get his treatment kit. He grabbed it from the spare room where he kept his unpacked stuff. He walked back upstairs with the kit and put it down in his doorway. He took out some equipment and walked over to diagnose Fluttershy.

Twilight was running down the road with Applejack, who they had picked up after she saw them running, by her side and Rainbow Dash keeping even pace with them above.

“So lemme get this straight,” Applejack said “You’ve been spying on this here fella cuz you thought he was acting weird-like, and now he’s kidnapped Fluttershy?”

“I told you, there’s something not right with him!” shouted Rainbow Dash

“It doesn’t matter girls, what does matter is that we help Fluttershy before he does something to her.”

“Look, this is his house here!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

Blaze wanted to cry. Not Fluttershy. Not here. How was it possible? He placed 3 purple candles around the room and lit one, which gave off a sweet, lavender smell. He placed the kit in the corner of the room and walked downstairs. He kicked the bottom step. Now what? He couldn’t find a cure, and now Fluttershy was ill as well.  A single tear rolled down his cheek, but he brushed it away. He went into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee, when suddenly he heard a crash behind him. He turned and walked into the living room where a purple unicorn, light blue pegasus and orange earth pony stood after apparently crashing through the door.

“You!” shouted the Pegasus pointing at him. Blaze felt himself being engulfed by purple light as the unicorn effortlessly lifted him off the ground and suspended him in the air. The Pegasus shouted again “What have done with our friend!? What have you done with Fluttershy!?”

“Please, what are-“ he tried to say, but got cut off by the earth pony.

“You better tell us, or I’m gonna get mighty angry.”

“Yeah, where is she?” asked the unicorn. Suddenly all 3 ponies were shouting at him.

“Look!” he shouted, making them all quiet. “I’m a doctor, and Fluttershy’s ill. I can explain everything.”

“Does that include why you’re a SPY?” asked the Pegasus.

“A what? I’m not a spy!”

“Then why don’t you go into town? And why do you keep going into the Everfree Forest with Fluttershy? And why don’t you use your wings? If they are real wings.”

“Like I said, I can explain everything, just, please, be quiet. Fluttershy is upstairs, but please, listen to what I have to say first.” he looked at the unicorn who was still holding him in the air.

She sighed and put him down. “Ok, start. Who are you?”

Blaze sighed. “To tell you that I’m going to have to start at the beginning. The VERY beginning.”