//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Pieces // Story: Waking Up // by Betty_Starlight //------------------------------// So I was flying out in the open air over Equestria! After all that time spent in stone, I gotta admit, it’s certainly wonderful to stretch out the ol’ wings! I continued to flap in silence, knowing I was heading towards Canterlot. I close my eyes for a moment and feel the wonderful breeze going through my fur and the feathers of my wings, in majestic wonder… After flying for I don’t know how long, I finally looked back to my right, where Fluttershy was flying… Except I no longer saw Fluttershy… I saw a brown serpent with pink hair and a pink tail, sticking out his other serpentine tail, flapping along with big yellow wings, instead… “Gee Fluttershy! You got ugly!” I exclaim! Discord frowns as his snaggle-tooth goes the other way, “Well, I’m still prettier than you!” I suddenly feel pepperoni on my face as I say, “Nice comeback! What did you want?” and two of the pepperoni slices fly off of my face, into the breeze behind me to fly away… His body goes back to normal, “I’ve come to extend an olive branch!” and he holds out a 2-foot long olive branch with his lion paw. “And to talk to you about Fluttershy… “ I frown, “What about her? And just what did you do with her, anyway?” His mouth finally normalizes, “She believes she’s still flying with you.” My eyes widen, “She’s not talking, is she?” His eyes go skyward, “Ugh! Cozy, relax! I assure you, your precious relationship with Fluttershy will not be tarnished by this little meeting of ours!” Relationship with Fluttershy? “You know, that still doesn’t tell me what you want?” He’s silent for a moment before finally asking, “What is she like?” I frown, “What?” We continue flying towards Canterlot and he scoots closer to me as we glide forward, “What I mean is, what’s talking to her like, Cozy?” I widen my eyes and glance forward to make sure before going back to the serpent, “Well, she’s very sweet, and caring, and she’s also a tad on the anxious side, but not quite as much as I was expecting. I think all the development she’s done, since young adulthood is likely still there, although there’s at least a couple of things I’m still not sure about.” I say, before wondering why I’m speaking to him. He giggles and smiles, “Oh, ho ho ho, that does sound like the sweet Fluttershy I know! She was always so considerate!” “Why are you asking me this?” He stares at me intently, “Because I need to make sure my love is alright!” “Why don’t you ask her yourself? I mean, you can talk to me just fine! Why don’t you talk to her?” “I uh…” Discord looks over to the right… I frown, “What’s wrong?” He stares at me fiercely with a scrunched, albeit oddly shaped brow, “NOTHING! Nothing is wrong!” My eyes widen, “Oh, golly! A-are you nervous?” He opens his mouth to an aghast O shape, “What? ME? NERVOUS? NO! Absolutely not! Out of the question, Cozy!” I’m silent for a moment… “You’re totally nervous, huh?” before averting my gaze back forward, so the draconequus doesn’t see the smirk on my muzzle… He’s silent for a moment… “W-well, yes! The truth is, I am nervous… Would you like to know why?” After quickly deciding that not really, was probably not the best response, I widen my eyes, sigh, and concede defeat, “Go on, Discord?” He’s silent once more… “I hadn’t spoken to Fluttershy in years when she finally passed away… “ I widen my eyes, “What? Really? I only know what I learned working at the School of Friendship, but I thought you two were close?” “Well, after you were frozen to stone, Fluttershy became one of the rulers of Equestria. Advisor to the Princess, they called her official title, and well… Well, I didn’t see much of her after that… “ “So what then? You feel guilty about not being there now, and want a redo?” “Well, uh… “Discord clears his throat, “Technically, that is to say, yes!” I sigh, “See now, my Discorded friend? Life need not be complicated!” and turn my head right to look back at him, “So uh, what did you tell Twilight exactly?” The yellow pegasus mare flapping her wings there widens her blue eyes to me and says in a squeaky, feminine voice, “Uh, what? No! I-I haven’t spoken to Twilight yet! We were just on our way there, remember?” I frown at the other pegasus, “Oh uh, yes! Of course! Right! How silly of me!” before staring back forward and frowning… I really hate Discord! <*****> We finally fly into town, over the majestic platform of a city that is Canterlot! You know, flying in like this with my new freedom makes me think about a lot of things… It makes me think about what I did… And it makes me wonder about what I’m doing now? Oh, golly! Why do I care so much? This doesn’t make sense! I blink as we cross over the platform and I can soon see my own shadow below on the streets of Canterlot just 40 feet below me and I suddenly remember the reforming spell… Makes me wonder if I’ll learn anything else new about myself? I hear Fluttershy to my right, “So um, the castle is uh, further into the city, close to the center!” Obviously! “Well, lets fly that way then Fluttershy! Uh, how do you feel?” Her voice gets slightly lower as she says, “Honestly, I’m nervous!” We fly further into the city towards the large spires in the distance as I say, “What? Nervous? Why would you feel nervous, Fluttershy? Isn’t Twilight uh, you know, your best friend or whatever?” Then, the yellow mare shocked me, “Um, n-no! Not really! We hadn’t spoken in years by the time I died!” I look back right at her and frown, “Say what now?” She sighs, “Yes, all of our friends had separated years ago… We just uh, I don’t know? Lost interest in each other, I guess?” I stare at this yellow mare flapping her wings next to me and I also remember that Discord wasn’t there… “Gee, did you have ANY friends at all, when you passed away?” She widens her blue eyes to me, “W-well! That is to say, um, I had squirrels, and birds, and beavers, and bears, and chipmunks?” I stare forward with wide eyes when I suddenly realize this mare has been deprived of genuine equine companionship! I sigh as we float over the gates and towards the large central spire of the Canterlot Castle… I land on the wooden balcony of the tower with a slight clack as my hooves meet the wood of the floorboard… I hear a similar clack right next to me as Fluttershy lands and I stare forward at the entryway into the tower… I know that if I walk into the tower and turn left, I’ll go into the castle, where I can meet Twilight… I also don’t really know what I’m trotting into… <*****> We both make it to the entryway into Twilight’s throne room in silence… Once we’re at the door, I’m floating to the left of Fluttershy as she trots on her hooves… She stares up at me and says, “W-what do I say to her?” I look back down at the other pegasus, “Well, you could try telling her the truth?” “W-well, I know that! I know, but, uh… “She gulps, “it’s been so long!” I frown down at her, “The longer we spend her talking about it, the more nervous you’re gonna be! You know, you should really just open the door and trot in, and see what’s up!”before smiling reassuringly, “It’s like taking off a band-aid! It hurts for like, a second, and then it’s over! Relax! Just a second, okay? Then, it’ll be over!”and nod to her… She smiles up at me, “Thanks Cozy! You sure are a good friend!” before turning back to the door and opening it with her right hoof, before trotting in… I float silently behind the small yellow mare as she trots towards the throne, where a silent alicorn stares on with enormous purple eyes… “I uh, what? Who are you?” She asks the yellow mare… Fluttershy looks up and barely squeaks out, “I-I’m Fluttershy… “ As I’m landing, I decide to raise my voice and head to move this along, “It’s Fluttershy, as a young mare!” Twilight blinks and frowns, “What? How can that be? That’s simply not possible!” “It is when Discord makes her young and turns her to stone!” Twilight turns to me, “W-what Cozy? Why would he do that?” I stare at her blankly when I realize that Discord never told her a golly damned thing! I sigh, “Well, he didn’t want Fluttershy to die, and so, he turned her to stone at the moment she was supposed to die! Since he didn’t want her croaking later if he let her go, he made her young! We’re talking young adult here, although my questioning would suggest some development, albeit probably not up to the level she was before Discord got to her!” Twilight’s eyes widen, “What are you talking about, Cozy?” I sigh again, “She’s a young adult and probably still has most of the social developing she did after she met you!” “Ahem!” The pegasus behind me clears her throat! I turn around to see a demure looking pegasus mare who smiles meekly, “I’m uh, I think I’m ready to speak now?” “Well, spit it out!” Twilight bellows behind me! I stare at her with wide eyes, “Uh, go as slow as you need to Fluttershy! It’s okay and we’re all here for you!” and smile at her to reassure her… Twilight starts, “I uh, I’m sorry Fluttershy… Uh, what did you want to say?” She smiles, “Um, yes! I’ve been thinking it over and I’ve decided that I’d like to start again!” she frowns and stares forward weirdly… She adjusts her gaze back up to the throne, “U-um, what I mean is, since I have to be a young adult right now, and since Twilight is immortal, and Cozy Glow is still young, that provides a good chance for me to begin once more, with Twilight and um, maybe one more friend?” before staring at me and adding to her grin… Twilight says, “Very well then, Fluttershy! Since your cottage is just a memory now, you can stay on the 3rd floor, down the hall from Cozy Glow!” “Oh, golly!” “Hey!” I turn from the purple alicorn and raise my gaze to see a white alicorn filly with a distinct two-toned mane behind the yellow pegasus… She looks up at me with enormous lilac eyes, “Where did you go?” before turning right to look at the young adult pegasus mare, “And who are you?” She’s turning her head left when she smiles nervously at Hyacinth, and squeaks, “I-I’m Fluttershy!” Hyacinth frowns, “What?” … Oh, Golly… (To be continued… )