Fluttershy felt herself floating gently downward, and then her hooves—no longer sore from their scorching—touched the earth. She opened her eyes, and the white light all around her faded, revealing the silver-barked trees of the Everfree Forest. Something felt different, but she wasn’t sure what it was. There was a pool of still water before her, so she trotted over it, thinking that a glance at her reflection might clear things up.
Indeed, it did explain why she was feeling so strange, but raised many more questions in its wake. Fluttershy looked down and saw, in addition to her wings—which seemed to have grown quite a bit—a long yellow horn spiralling out of her forehead. “What in the world?” She gasped. And to her surprise, someone answered.
“All hail Fluttershy, Princess of Everfree.” She turned, and saw a familiar white face behind her.
“Athena!” And it was indeed the same owl who had led her to the Everfree, five years ago, bowing to Fluttershy with wings outstretched. “Athena, what do you know about this? Why…” she trailed off as she remembered something the owl had said on that first night they’d met. “I think it’s time for you to tell me how you knew who I was, all those years ago.” The owl nodded in response.
“Follow me, Your Highness.”
They flew over the treetops, Fluttershy adjusting as she went to compensate for the added length of her wings. Before long, however, Athena dove into a deep canyon by the ruins of an ancient castle. Fluttershy followed, landing a little roughly, but she hardly noticed as she took in the sight before her. A tall silver tree stood in a cave beneath the cliff, its branches trailing strings of silver spheres. It had a great, six-pointed star at its heart, and five orbs positioned along the largest branches. A clear, faint music issued from it, singing long chords that reached straight to Fluttershy’s heart.
“What is it?” She whispered, hardly daring to disturb the pristine harmonies that hung in the air.
“The Tree of Harmony,” Athena replied. “When I was young, I came here, as all owlets born in the Everfree do. I slept in its branches for one day, and while I dreamed, it spoke to me.
“It told me that one day, a pony would fall from the heavens with the ability to speak to other animals, a pony with eyes like the turquoise depths of the sea. It said that this pony would rise to become the Guardian of the Everfree, and that she would one day ascend to a form that would aid her in her battles to protect the land. And when I woke, I remembered the Tree’s voice, and I spent every night after that time watching the sky, searching the ground, and waiting for such a pony to arrive. Every night, that is, until your arrival. When I heard tell of a pegasus filly who had fallen from Cloudsdale that morning, I immediately flew over to find you—and you know the rest.”
“But I didn’t know Alicorn ascension was even possible,” Fluttershy wondered. “How did it happen to me?”
“Ascension can happen when somepony who has just performed a remarkable feat, tied to their destiny, is exposed to enormous amounts of magic. When you killed the Fire-Serpent king, all of his magic came pouring out in the smoke that had flowed through his veins. It was enough to trigger your transformation.”
“The Fire-Serpents! I almost forgot! What happened to them? Did we win?” Fluttershy yelped, looking to Athena. A surge of panic rose in her once again, but it was quickly quelled by the Barn Owl’s nod.
“Yes, indeed. You defeated their king, and the rest of them fled after that. The fires they ignited have been put out. You needn’t worry about them anymore.” Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief.
That night, the newly-crowned princess lay in her bed, unable to sleep. With Athena’s help, she had managed to cast a spell that hid her horn and made her wings look like they had before. Tomorrow, she planned to go to another village, hidden under a cloak, to commission a suit of armor and a sword. But there was still something troubling her.
I defeated the Fire-Serpents, she told herself. The Everfree Forest—my home—is safe, and so is everything living within it. I ascended to Alicornhood, for Faust’s sake! I’m a Princess! What is wrong with me?
But the answer came quickly. I killed, she thought. I caused living creatures pain, I led a dozen innocent animals to their deaths, and I murdered a sentient creature. I’ve never even squished a spider before. She grabbed her pillow and hugged it to her body, feeling tears leak out from her eyes and sobs wrack her body. I am a horrible pony. I may have doomed an entire species to extinction. But what else could I have done? Let the Everfree burn? I couldn’t do that. She lay awake for hours that night, until she finally cried herself to a deep, dreamless sleep.
In the years following, Fluttershy’s double life grew even more contrasted. She was renowned for her kindness and shyness in Ponyville, and though the Everfree was often peaceful, she grew bold and fearless. She practiced fighting with her sword, and grew strong and precise with her magic. She attached blades to her wings, and all who battled her fell. She strangled and beheaded would-be Minotaur invaders, blasted away the Harpies, and burned the Hydras. Sometimes, greedy ponies would come too, hoping to sell the Everfree’s wood and land. Those, she dispatched with a quick stab to the heart.
But as the years wore on, fewer and fewer enemies came. Perhaps she had simply killed them all, or perhaps they had heard of the fierce Warrior Princess of Everfree, and feared what they knew. But either way, Fluttershy’s beloved forest grew peaceful, and her secret self became more like her normal self by default—within her kingdom, only kindness was needed, and though she was confident and free, her vicious side slowly receded until it was nothing but a memory. And then the Crystal Empire returned, and even the memories were tucked away as she focused on her task and faded into emotionless routine.