Post by mannulus on Jul 22, 2021 22:54:46 GMT -5
THE LAST GIFT
“IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN!” Twilight’s words, magically reinforced, reverberated throughout the castle,
“ALL PONIES TO THE MAP ROOM NOW”
Within a matter of minutes the whole of the Mane 6 had tumbled into the Map room. To no one surprise, the oracles sphere was once again glowing. It was clear to everyone that another message was coming: another token was going to be bestowed.
Just as they gathered around the table, the sphere gave forth it’s typical flash of white light and a white orb popped out. Whirling around the table a voice rang out.
“To One Who Truly Understands Mercy”
The ball slowed and eventually came to sit right in front of Fluttershy.
“Huh, no big surprise” Said Dash under her breath.
Fluttershy looked expectantly at the orb, waiting for it to change.
Eventually it dimmed and contracted and on the table there was a clink of falling metal
Fluttershy looked down. Her formerly expectant face contracted into a mask of horror. There on the table sat a stiletto, five or six inches of steely bladed stabbing power.
“There, there must be some mistake, I mean I would never, the very idea…..” Fluttershy stammered
“Yes, of course we know you would never. I mean, you’re YOU, the element of kindness. To even consider that one would……well, the oracle has obviously made some sort of mistake.
“Yes, A mistake” said Fluttershy I think I need to go home now. And she trotted out without even saying goodbye.
Well, THAT was durn peculiar”, said Applejack “The idea of any of us needing a killin’ knife is redeculous, of Fluttershy using one, that’s durn right ludicrous.”
“Yes, ludicrous” said Twilight thoughtfully. Rarity caught the edge
“You’re thinking of that incident at the Courthouse, aren’t you? Twilight nodded.
“What Incident?” Said Rainbow Dash.
“Me, Rarity and Fluttershy were at the Canterlot courthouse a few weeks ago, taking care of filing a few papers for her sanctuary. And when we went in, for some reason, the entry spell flashed red over Fluttershy
“So?”
“So it’s only supposed to do that if someone who has blood on their hooves comes in. It’s part of the security system. No one who has committed a crime can enter the courthouse without everyone knowing. Saves having to appeal to the Gavel constantly.” They said it must have glitched, but I wonder….”
"Oh you can't be SERIOUS, Twi", exclaimed Dash, "This is FLUTTERSHY we are talking about, Little Miss Kind and Timid. I'd sooner believe the sun and moon rose of their own accord than that Fluttershy could kill ANYTHING."
"Then again," said Dash, "There are her animals. "I've seen her feed fish to some of them, and even I know that not every animal she has is a vegetarian like Tank is."
All four of the rest of them shook their heads.
"She does the same thing all of us with carnivorous pets do". Said Twilight. That meat comes from animals that die a natural death. A lot of people will their pets, or even their own bodies to be used in that way. It's considered a very natural way of disposal. You're a pegasus, surely you must have heard of a Sky Burial?"
"What are you....Oh yeah." Said Dash as her memory clicked into place.
Same thing with the fish, after they all die off from spawning, some of them are collected and frozen for piscovores.
Well, I guess there's only ONE way we can deal with this" Said Dash "We have to go and ask her."
The five of them were soon knocking on Fluttershy's door. After a few minutes Fluttershy opened it.
"Um, could you come back later, this really isn't a good time." she said
"Well, you seemed so upset when you left, we thought it might be a good idea to check on.... Twilight started, but Dash cut her off.
"We have some questions, Fluttershy, why did you get a dagger from the orb? Why did the light at the courthouse flash red. Are you hiding something.
"Dash!", Said Rarity, "The very idea. To accuse your friend like that."
"No, it's all right" Said Fluttershy. "I figured it out on my way home" As for the why for all of those, well you better come in."
As soon as they came in, the five of them could feel something was very wrong. With all her animal friends, Fluttershy's house was usually bustling with noise. But now it was quiet, scarily quiet.
Fluttershy led them into the room that they knew she did her medical work in. On the table was a very old dog, wheezing and in obvious pain.
"I had hoped he'd last long enough for Dr. Fauna to take this over, but she is out of town, so I guess it's my job again. Could someone do me a favor and hold him down?"
The five of them didn't say a word, but gather round and gently held the dog down, they already had an idea of what was going to happen.
Fluttershy took a bottle from a shelf, along with a syringe. Carefully, she filled the syringe, came over and gently injected the dog. Its breathing became more ragged and labored and it began to convulse. Soon however it gave out a sigh, it's breathing tapered off, and it was still.
Give me a hand tidying up, and then we can talk. She made motions toward a small wooden box, but Twilight, working out what was next, stopped her. "Let me do it this time" Using magic, she lifted the dog into the box, and put the cover over it.
In her living room. The Mane Six gathered quietly. Given what just had transpired, everyone was at a loss for words. Fluttershy oddly, was eerily calm.
Finally Twilight broke the silence
"So THAT'S why the courthouse flashed red on you"
Fluttershy nodded "And I imagine, why I got the dagger. Of course, I don't use anything like that, Dr. Fauna always provides me with a vial for emergency cases like this."
"Somethin' tells me this ain't the first tahm y'all have had to do this, ain't it." said Applejack.
Again Fluttershy nodded, "Mercifully I don't have to do it often, but it does come up time to time."
But WHY, Shy" Said Rainbow Dash, shaken. You always seemed like someone who couldn't do something like that. Your the element of Kindness, for Celestia's sake."
"And that's WHY I have to do this." Said Fluttershy, with an unusual amount of firmness in her voice. Like the orb said, I understand mercy, REAL mercy. And REAL mercy isn't always nice. I swore when I started I would do ANYHTING to help my animal friends though their lives. And sometimes, "helping them through their lives" means helping them out of them at the end. It's the last gift I can give to them, an exit with as little pain as possible."
The five of them bowed thier heads, cowed for a moment by the sheer weight of what Fluttershy had said, and what she must have to go though every time this happened. Twilight recalled what the Prince of Manegolia had said about Fluttershy when he met her "She may be soft on the outside, but inside, she's all iron."
"Only thing I don't know." Said Fluttershy, is why a dagger. I never use that.
"The orb works in mysterious ways", said Twilight. As if in agreement, Applejack touched the stone in her hatband.
"I think you may find out eventually."
“IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN!” Twilight’s words, magically reinforced, reverberated throughout the castle,
“ALL PONIES TO THE MAP ROOM NOW”
Within a matter of minutes the whole of the Mane 6 had tumbled into the Map room. To no one surprise, the oracles sphere was once again glowing. It was clear to everyone that another message was coming: another token was going to be bestowed.
Just as they gathered around the table, the sphere gave forth it’s typical flash of white light and a white orb popped out. Whirling around the table a voice rang out.
“To One Who Truly Understands Mercy”
The ball slowed and eventually came to sit right in front of Fluttershy.
“Huh, no big surprise” Said Dash under her breath.
Fluttershy looked expectantly at the orb, waiting for it to change.
Eventually it dimmed and contracted and on the table there was a clink of falling metal
Fluttershy looked down. Her formerly expectant face contracted into a mask of horror. There on the table sat a stiletto, five or six inches of steely bladed stabbing power.
“There, there must be some mistake, I mean I would never, the very idea…..” Fluttershy stammered
“Yes, of course we know you would never. I mean, you’re YOU, the element of kindness. To even consider that one would……well, the oracle has obviously made some sort of mistake.
“Yes, A mistake” said Fluttershy I think I need to go home now. And she trotted out without even saying goodbye.
Well, THAT was durn peculiar”, said Applejack “The idea of any of us needing a killin’ knife is redeculous, of Fluttershy using one, that’s durn right ludicrous.”
“Yes, ludicrous” said Twilight thoughtfully. Rarity caught the edge
“You’re thinking of that incident at the Courthouse, aren’t you? Twilight nodded.
“What Incident?” Said Rainbow Dash.
“Me, Rarity and Fluttershy were at the Canterlot courthouse a few weeks ago, taking care of filing a few papers for her sanctuary. And when we went in, for some reason, the entry spell flashed red over Fluttershy
“So?”
“So it’s only supposed to do that if someone who has blood on their hooves comes in. It’s part of the security system. No one who has committed a crime can enter the courthouse without everyone knowing. Saves having to appeal to the Gavel constantly.” They said it must have glitched, but I wonder….”
"Oh you can't be SERIOUS, Twi", exclaimed Dash, "This is FLUTTERSHY we are talking about, Little Miss Kind and Timid. I'd sooner believe the sun and moon rose of their own accord than that Fluttershy could kill ANYTHING."
"Then again," said Dash, "There are her animals. "I've seen her feed fish to some of them, and even I know that not every animal she has is a vegetarian like Tank is."
All four of the rest of them shook their heads.
"She does the same thing all of us with carnivorous pets do". Said Twilight. That meat comes from animals that die a natural death. A lot of people will their pets, or even their own bodies to be used in that way. It's considered a very natural way of disposal. You're a pegasus, surely you must have heard of a Sky Burial?"
"What are you....Oh yeah." Said Dash as her memory clicked into place.
Same thing with the fish, after they all die off from spawning, some of them are collected and frozen for piscovores.
Well, I guess there's only ONE way we can deal with this" Said Dash "We have to go and ask her."
The five of them were soon knocking on Fluttershy's door. After a few minutes Fluttershy opened it.
"Um, could you come back later, this really isn't a good time." she said
"Well, you seemed so upset when you left, we thought it might be a good idea to check on.... Twilight started, but Dash cut her off.
"We have some questions, Fluttershy, why did you get a dagger from the orb? Why did the light at the courthouse flash red. Are you hiding something.
"Dash!", Said Rarity, "The very idea. To accuse your friend like that."
"No, it's all right" Said Fluttershy. "I figured it out on my way home" As for the why for all of those, well you better come in."
As soon as they came in, the five of them could feel something was very wrong. With all her animal friends, Fluttershy's house was usually bustling with noise. But now it was quiet, scarily quiet.
Fluttershy led them into the room that they knew she did her medical work in. On the table was a very old dog, wheezing and in obvious pain.
"I had hoped he'd last long enough for Dr. Fauna to take this over, but she is out of town, so I guess it's my job again. Could someone do me a favor and hold him down?"
The five of them didn't say a word, but gather round and gently held the dog down, they already had an idea of what was going to happen.
Fluttershy took a bottle from a shelf, along with a syringe. Carefully, she filled the syringe, came over and gently injected the dog. Its breathing became more ragged and labored and it began to convulse. Soon however it gave out a sigh, it's breathing tapered off, and it was still.
Give me a hand tidying up, and then we can talk. She made motions toward a small wooden box, but Twilight, working out what was next, stopped her. "Let me do it this time" Using magic, she lifted the dog into the box, and put the cover over it.
In her living room. The Mane Six gathered quietly. Given what just had transpired, everyone was at a loss for words. Fluttershy oddly, was eerily calm.
Finally Twilight broke the silence
"So THAT'S why the courthouse flashed red on you"
Fluttershy nodded "And I imagine, why I got the dagger. Of course, I don't use anything like that, Dr. Fauna always provides me with a vial for emergency cases like this."
"Somethin' tells me this ain't the first tahm y'all have had to do this, ain't it." said Applejack.
Again Fluttershy nodded, "Mercifully I don't have to do it often, but it does come up time to time."
But WHY, Shy" Said Rainbow Dash, shaken. You always seemed like someone who couldn't do something like that. Your the element of Kindness, for Celestia's sake."
"And that's WHY I have to do this." Said Fluttershy, with an unusual amount of firmness in her voice. Like the orb said, I understand mercy, REAL mercy. And REAL mercy isn't always nice. I swore when I started I would do ANYHTING to help my animal friends though their lives. And sometimes, "helping them through their lives" means helping them out of them at the end. It's the last gift I can give to them, an exit with as little pain as possible."
The five of them bowed thier heads, cowed for a moment by the sheer weight of what Fluttershy had said, and what she must have to go though every time this happened. Twilight recalled what the Prince of Manegolia had said about Fluttershy when he met her "She may be soft on the outside, but inside, she's all iron."
"Only thing I don't know." Said Fluttershy, is why a dagger. I never use that.
"The orb works in mysterious ways", said Twilight. As if in agreement, Applejack touched the stone in her hatband.
"I think you may find out eventually."