//------------------------------// // Soliloquy of Flowers, Part 1 (Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy) // Story: The Life and Times of Everypony // by Leafdoggy //------------------------------// Fluttershy tapped a hoof restlessly as she found herself thinking over the situation she was in for the hundredth time. She was sitting in a rickety wooden cart that looked older than anything on Applejack’s farm, yet still was packed with more cargo than she would have put on the sturdiest cart in the world. It was pulled by an old blue pony, a ghost of a stallion who wore a thick black overcoat and never opened his left eye. He hadn’t said a word to Fluttershy during the entire several hour long ride. She didn’t even know his name. The cart rattled ceaselessly as it tumbled along down the path, threatening to collapse with every pebble that crossed it. She’d met the cart in Manehattan, but they didn’t stay there long. As soon as they were out of the city, the driver had swerved onto a dirt path she didn’t even notice and pulled her into the nearby forest. The forest quickly turned into a bog, and stayed that way for the rest of the trip. Thunder boomed endlessly off in the distance, constantly threatening a storm, but it never seemed to get any closer. The only sign of poor weather was the ghastly fog that rolled in shortly after they began and stuck to them for the remainder of the trip. With a final jerky shudder, the cart rolled to a stop before a massive stone wall. It stretched off into the fog, and the imposing archway that marked off the heavy wooden doors skirted the canopy above. A pair of brutish earth ponies stood guard. They were well dressed, aside from their clothes being worn down from age, and they held their spears with a practiced ease. Fluttershy hopped down from the cart. Her hooves dug into the soft ground. She turned to the driver and gave him a warm smile. “Thank you very much, Mr…” He nodded. “Don’t forget your passenger.” When he spoke, Fluttershy spotted the glint of fangs. Unlike hers, they were sharp and sleek from frequent use. Fluttershy gave him a puzzled look. “Passenger?” He nodded to the cart, and hesitantly, Fluttershy made her way around to the back of it. A heavy tarp was laid over the load, and with a shaky hoof she reached out and pulled it up. A pink face popped out of the pile of junk and beamed at her. “Hiya, Fluttershy!” Fluttershy yelped and leapt back. “P-Pinkie? Why are you—No, how are you here?” Pinkie giggled and tumbled off the cart and onto the ground. As soon as she landed, the driver started turning the cart around to head back the way they’d come. “I was curious where you were goin, so I hopped on before you left!” Fluttershy bit her lip. “Pinkie, you’re not supposed to be here. It’s dangerous!” “Is it?” Pinkie tilted her head and looked past Fluttershy at the tremendous wall. “Looks fine to me. I mean, I’ve been here before.” “You—” Fluttershy stopped short and blinked. “What?” “Yeah, I love Trotsylvania!” Pinkie laughed. “Well, okay, maybe last time I was here they threw me out, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. They were all ‘Never come back!’ and I laughed and was like ‘See you Monday!’ and then I showed up on Monday and they pointed their spears at me and so I tried to break in and—” Fluttershy stuck her hoof on Pinkie’s mouth to make her stop. “Pinkie, you’re doing a very bad job of convincing me you should have come along.” Pinkie shrugged. “I mean, I’m already here. It’s kinda too late to stop me now.” Fluttershy sighed and shook her head. “You could have at least talked to me on the way here.” She turned and made for the door. “And miss a chance to be a stowaway? As if!” As they approached the doors, the guards crossed their spears and glared at them. “State your business,” one said. Fluttershy jumped a bit. “Oh, um, I-I was invited?” The guard who had spoken looked at the other, who in turn pulled out a scroll and checked it. “Fluttershy?” “Mm-hm,” Fluttershy hummed and nodded. “Hmm…” He eyed her suspiciously. “Show me your teeth.” “O-Oh, um…” Nervously, Fluttershy opened her mouth and showed off the long, sharp fangs inside. The guard nodded. “Checks out. You’re vouching for the pink one?” Fluttershy looked back at Pinkie, then grinned sheepishly at the guard. “Uh, yeah…” He sighed and tapped his spear lightly against the door. With a mighty creak, like the sound of a thousand year old tree being toppled, it opened just enough to let them inside. “Go on in,” the guard said. “You’re responsible for her, though.” Pinkie laughed and bounded ahead. “She’s used to it!” “Pinkie, wait!” Fluttershy grunted and nodded to the guard, giving him a quick thanks before running off after her friend. After a few strides, Pinkie slid to a stop and let Fluttershy catch up. She grinned wide. “I can’t believe they let me in!” Fluttershy sighed. “You’re lucky she at least likes me.” Pinkie laughed and kissed Fluttershy on the cheek. “I’m lucky I like you.” Fluttershy smiled. “That you are.” Finally, Fluttershy looked up and took in the place she’d found herself. Trotsylvania, the home of, among other things, Equestria’s small cavalcade of vampires. It was a strange sight. The cobblestone streets were old and rustic, nothing like the smooth pavement of Canterlot or other cities, and the buildings were similarly dated, but between it all the town was filled with modern conveniences. Shops sported bright neon signs, advertising all manner of drinks and entertainment, streetlights cut through the omnipresent fog, taxis carried ponies across town. It was as though the night life of Manehattan had been pulled out and transplanted into an old unicorn village. Towering over it all, at the very end of the main street that ran from the entrance through the entire town, stood the castle. The shadow of the original humble structure could still be seen, but around it more and more had been constructed over the years, and now it stood as a living record of the architecture of old. Another wall stood around the base of the castle, and the rooftops of more buildings could be seen past it, likely the homes of nobles or the ponies who worked in the castle, or whatever else the ponies of a hundred years ago may have felt the castle needed on its grounds. Ponies of all sorts wandered the streets. Vampires, changelings, kirin, nirik. Anypony outcast from society, or who didn’t want to be seen. The most curious were the regular ponies, those whose teeth were dull and life was fully intact. Each of them presented their own little mystery, a story that would remain untold. “I wonder if Fizzy’s home,” Pinkie said as she waited for Fluttershy. “Who?” “You know, Fizzlepop? From the Storm King stuff?” “She lives here?” Fluttershy stared at Pinkie incredulously. “Yup. She said she fits in better here. I told her that’s silly, she’d fit in perfectly well in Ponyville, but no dice.” Pinkie shrugged. “She seems happy, at least.” “That’s good,” Fluttershy said. She motioned towards the castle, and they started making their way there. “Is there anypony else I know?” “Don’t think so,” Pinkie said. “Other than the ones who visit. Y’know, Daring Do, Meadowbrook, Helsing, those types.” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know Helsing.” “You don’t?” Pinkie looked flabbergasted. “Have you never been to one of the Apple family reunions?” “Well, I’m not an Apple, so…” “What, do you think they check?” Pinkie laughed. “It isn’t a closed party!” “It just feels like I’d be intruding,” Fluttershy said. “That’s too many ponies for me, anyway.” Pinkie nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right there.” They made it to the second gate, which was much more reasonably sized. This one only had a single guard, with no spear and a freshly tailored suit, but her unflinching stance and sleek, polished bat wings made her more imposing than the others could ever have hoped to be. “Lady Fluttershy?” She asked. Fluttershy nodded. “Mm-hm. Oh, and this is my, um, girlfriend.” She gestured nervously at Pinkie, who grinned wide. The guard narrowed her eyes. “Pinkie Pie, you know she isn’t going to be happy to see you.” “Pfft, I don’t know that,” Pinkie said, “and besides, I’m gonna be happy enough to see her for the both of us!” The guard sighed and pushed the gate open. “Whatever, it’s not my job to keep you safe. I hope you have a good stay, Miss Fluttershy.” Fluttershy nodded and smiled. “Thank you very much. I’ll try to keep an eye on Pinkie.” “Good luck with that.” The guard let go of the door, and it slammed shut behind them. The gardens outside the castle were immaculate. Flowers and foliage of every type were carefully arranged along every path, while the spaces in between pathways were like tiny, exquisitely designed jungles, little individual habitats crafted with care and talent. Butterflies and moths, bees and beetles, insects of every type flew around all over this little paradise. A young, orange mare in a floppy sun hat was crouched by some flowers on the main path, carefully snipping at them with shears. She looked up as they approached, and lit up when she saw them. “Pinkie Pie!” She hopped up and ran over to give Pinkie a hug. “It’s been too long.” Pinkie giggled and hugged her back. “Yeah, sorry. I didn’t think I’d get killed, but I wasn’t really all that sure.” The mare stood back and looked at Fluttershy. “Who’s this?” “Oh, this is my girlfriend!” Pinkie wrapped a leg around Fluttershy’s shoulders and beamed with pride. “She’s a vampire.” “Ohh, you’re Fluttershy! The Lady said you’d show up today.” The mare flashed a toothy smile with a distinct lack of fangs. “How lovely to meet you. I’m Sable Spirit!” Fluttershy’s eyes went wide. “Wait, Sable Spirit as in—” She nodded. “Yup, from the Mistmane story.” “But how?” Fluttershy was baffled. “It’s been thousands of years!” Sable Spirit laughed. “Oh, I’m far from the oldest pony here, dear. The short explanation, though, is that restoring a pony’s youth isn’t a spell that’s easy to calibrate on your first try! Mistmane may have gone a bit overboard.” “So eventually you found your way here?” Fluttershy asked. “To be a gardener?” “To be the gardener,” Sable corrected. “The first and, if all goes well, the last. It’s a lovely life to lead.” Fluttershy smiled. “That’s very sweet,” she said. “Have you had a chance to see Mistmane since she got back?” Sable blinked. “She’s back?” “O-Oh.” Fluttershy bit her lip, suddenly worried about causing an unfortunate incident. “Yes, um, we brought the pillars back a year or so ago. She probably doesn’t know you’re here.” An excited smile started to build on Sable’s face. “I have to go see her! Oh, imagine the surprise! I-I…” She started looking around, trying to think through everything. “I need to talk to the Lady!” With that, she dropped her shears on the ground and sprinted into the castle. Pinkie laughed. “She’s fun.” Fluttershy looked at Pinkie for a moment, then broke out into a laugh as well. “Yeah. Are you ready to head in?” Pinkie nodded. “Let’s go annoy Dracula!” Pinkie ran off ahead, and Fluttershy sat for a moment, dumbfounded. Then her mind caught up, and she scrambled after her. “Wait, Pinkie, no!”