//------------------------------//
// Reunion - Kindness 
// Story: The Mare who knew too much 
// by Cynical 
//------------------------------//

Reunion - Kindness

I needed an easy ride after that fiasco, and as I ticked off Pinkie from my earlier list, I was rewarded by seeing who was next in line for a visit. Fluttershy would never be mad at me, and her element couldn't be that hard to fix. I was in no doubt that Fluttershy was still the kindest pony around, it was probably something to do with the six friends splitting up which had caused her element to go dark.

Boy was I wrong.

But from looking at me that day, you couldn't have guessed it, I had a spring in my step, and I whistled happily, still in ecstasy from recovering the first of 5 elements and regaining a friend in the hostile environment. It was definitely a step in the right direction. But of course, I was practically crying out for a slice of reality courtesy of the universe, and it was waiting for me inside the cottage before me.

The cottage looked much the same as it had done the last time that I had been there. The same thatched roof and circular building, the same Everfree forest which bordered the house, albeit the trees seemed to have advanced slightly and still remained eerily quiet.

This last thought took a moment to sink in before I realised something, Fluttershys' house was never quiet, there was always one little animal or other making a racquet, and to have the house devoid of that was definitely worrying, Fluttershy would never throw out an animal in need after all… or even if it wasn't in need, but I knew that she wouldn't get anywhere by simply pondering about it on the path, and what was the worst that could have befallen the sweet, timid pegasus that I remembered from all those years ago?

Those were the questions swimming around my mind as I approached the door, yet not one of my assurances to myself could dissuade me entirely from thinking about what could have changed the poor pegasus within the lonely cottage.
A memory came back to me, washed up by my thoughts of Fluttershy. The memory was of a list, one with numerous checkpoints and scribbles dotted around the parchment. With no small amount of glee, I had mentally ticked off an entry which could have said 'Be assertive', or could have said something else entirely. All that mattered was that I was taking things into my own hooves now.

I walked up the path towards the cottage, trying to peek into the windows on my way to the door to no avail. All the windows were curtained, the cover, black, made sure that nopony could see inside and see the wreck of a mare that AppleJack assured me lived here.
I knocked on the door. When no reply came, I tried knocking again, louder this time. This at least got an effect… just not one I'd like to hear. Ever.
"Go Away!" came the cry from within the cottage, the force of the voice very nearly encouraging her to do just that. But she would see this through.  If just to shut AppleJack up about abandonment. What did she know about it. Still, it worried her that Fluttershy would raise her voice so towards passers-by and lone callers.

My second attempt to talk to her was more successful. I walked up to the door again, and knocked, this time calling out to Fluttershy as I did so.
"Fluttershy, it's me, Twilight! Can't you please let me in?"

This certainly got a response. Sadly, it was undeniably negative as could probably be gathered by the door to the cottage opening to reveal… a pony.
Her coat was a lacklustre grey which matched her hair, longer than both Pinkies and Applejacks manes. The only colour I could find were the twin pools of ice which went for eyes it seemed. She did not smile to me, nor did she come and try to hug me. She simply stayed there and watched me, pure unbridled loathing emanated from her, giving her an appropriately seething appearance that didn't exactly instil me with the confidence that Fluttershy was in a good mood.

"Erm… Fluttershy?"
A welcome home hug… did not occur.
Fluttershy did not suddenly undergo a colourful transformation.
The door swung shut in my face.

"Well that went well." I muttered to myself, looking around for a moment. I doubted that Fluttershy would let me back into her house of her own accord, but I also knew that Fluttershy needed help to regain her element. Not that it would make facing Fluttershy as she was any easier, but it was the only plan I had. Being a unicorn, I had always had the option to just teleport inside other ponies houses, except it was generally frowned on for a pony to invade another's privacy like that. Things were beyond desperate though, so I charged her horn once more, and teleported through the wall.

The room on the other side was as empty and lifeless as the mare within it was colourless. There were no small animals running to and fro about the place, not even her pet rabbit, whatever his name was, was around. Then again, he was probably dead by now. Bunnies were not known for their longevity after all.

Fluttershy was standing in the middle of the room, yet she wasn't looking at me, it was as if she'd frozen when I'd entered the room. She was simply watching the corner of the room which was darkened to the point that I couldn't see whatever it was she was staring at. I walked up beside her, for she was facing the far corner of the room, and tried to see what she was looking at, the odds of her starting a friendly conversation at the moment were slim at best. Yet still, the corner of the room was still shrouded in darkness and the object of Fluttershy's attention was hidden.

I started forwards, entering her field of view as I walked towards that darkened corner. She offered no response as I drew closer and closer to her point of interest, and continued her indifference when I lit my horn, allowing a shaft of light to pierce the darkened corner and to reveal the contents within. It revealed something white and furry, with two long ears and four white paws.

I knew what Fluttershy was going through… I think. I guessed that she was having trouble moving on. I expect I would have had the same feelings if I hadn't been estranged from Spike for a decade. I'd had a small enough dose as it was and I could relate to her loss. 
Except this was Fluttershy, kindest soul around. I guess this was what happened to her when she lost somepony, or somebunny in this case, close to her.

I found myself hoping that Fluttershy would be the first to leave the world; I doubt she would survive one of her closest friends dying.

With my association with her feelings came the answer of how to give her that bit of closure she needed. To close the book of her dear departed rabbit. She teleported out of the house, leaving the frozen mare behind her, still staring at the point where Angel, that was his name, lay in peace.

Five minutes later, I reappeared in the house of the mourning Pegasus with a small pile of twigs held in my magic which I quickly assembled into a small pile on the bare floor of the cottage a few metres in front of Fluttershy. From there I levitated the dead bunny onto the makeshift pyre and arranged him into the position of a sleeping bunny. I stood back and said all I needed to. "To Angel. A friend to the end."

Then I lit the fire.

And a tear rolled down Fluttershy's cheek. Her complexion gaining colour as she wept for the bunny she'd cared for since she first moved to Ponyville, and a pink light emerged within the ashes of the burning pyre until a pink butterfly lay in the middle of the remains of her poor Angel.

Fluttershy went forwards and picked up the necklace, not noticing me until she had secured the jewel around her neck and had murmured something into the ashes. She turned to me and simply said "Thank you."

And that was all.

A/N: I LIVE! Well, the fic does anyway, hopefully the updates will come a bit faster than the last gap I made people endure... maybe.