//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 // Story: Return of Disharmony // by Forefront1 //------------------------------// Chapter 12 Rarity blinked her eyes for a moment before sitting up in bed. Last night felt like one of the best rests of her life. She stretched and yawned and looked out the window. It was a pleasant summer morning in the crystal empire, for everywhere else not so much. Rarity then, turned her head to wake up Fluttershy. "Good morning, Fluttershy." she said as she looked over to the pillow. Much to her surprise, Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen. "Fluttershy?" She said curiously looking around. "Fluttershy!" she said becoming more frantic. Rarity looked all around her, under her pillow, under the sheets; but Fluttershy was nowhere to be found. Oh Celestia, I must have crushed her! She thought as she shifted her position in the bed. She was about to, call Fluttershy’s name again until she saw he hair flop in front of her face. Although messy, her hair kept its overall shape; and in her mane curl she saw Fluttershy still sleeping. Rarity slowly reached out and poked Fluttershy in the stomach. Fluttershy began to wake up and yawned. "Good morning, Rarit- gah!" Fluttershy exclaimed as she saw herself hanging upside down by Rarity's hair. "Wha- what the?" Fluttershy stammered. "Oh my- heheheh." Rarity said beginning to giggle. Fluttershy also began to laugh nervously until it became a chuckle. Rarity couldn't stand it any longer, she finally burst out laughing with Fluttershy joining in. They laughed until they had tears in their eyes then eventually Rarity composed herself. "Ahh, alright, hehe, let's get ready for breakfast." She said lightly pulling Fluttershy out of her hair. The two friends then got out of bed and got ready to go meet the others. Rarity of course took her daily ten minute hair styling session, but Fluttershy didn't mind. They left the room rested and happy as they headed down to the dining room. However, they did not see the pair of malicious yellow eyes, which stared at them from under Rarity's hat, looked at them as they left. =============== "Oh boy, pancakes!!!" Pinkie shouted with joy. Everyone but Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy was already at the table enjoying a real breakfast for a change, since none of them had eaten much in the past few days and yesterday they only had dinner, they were famished. "Ahm starvin', hey, Rainbow, pass the syrup!" Applejack said mouth full. "Alright," Rainbow Dash said grabbing the syrup jar. "Pinkie hand me some strawberries." "Okie dokie loki." She said as she grabbed the bowl. Celestia simply looked at everyone enjoying themselves and smiled. Desite the impending doom, everyone was still happy and full of hope. I made the right choice when I made them the bearers of the elements. She thought, and she was right. These six friends were truly the rightful bearers, not by their everyday actions, but by the actions that determined their overall characters. With that thought she continued eating her pancakes that her niece had graciously provided her. "So Applejack, where's Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Still sleeping, She said somethin' 'bout rechargin' her magic." Applejack said before taking another bite. "What for?" Luna said as she jumped into their conversation. "Maybe it's to help one of u-umph!" Pinkie said as Rainbow' hood covered her mouth. "Well I guess it's a mystery heheheh." Rainbow nervously chuckled. Her response was met by 4 quizzical stares from Shining Armor, Applejack, and the princesses. The look from Cadence was more of shock and anxiousness. Rainbow guessed that she knew about Fluttershy. Apparently, Cadence and I are the only ones who know what a secret is. "Rainbow, are you not telling us something?" Applejack asked. "No." Rainbow Dash said, quickly stuffing her face again. "I may not be the smartest pony around, but I do know what a liar is when I see one. Now, talk." Applejack said, crossing her arms. "I have nothing to say." Rainbow said sliding down in her chair. "Yes you do, ah can see it in your eyes." Applejack said. "No you can't." Rainbow said closing her eyes and sinking down in her chair. "Rainbow!" Applejack said raising her voice. "Applejack!" Rainbow replied. "Oh for crying out loud, it's Fluttershy!" Cadence shouted. At this outburst, everyone looked toward her with more confused looks. Cadence then collected herself and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry for shouting, but when your special talent is bringing out the love in people, you have a thing against fighting. Anyways, something happened to Fluttershy which is why Twilight is resting, to build up her magic, to reverse it." "What happened?" Applejack asked. Cadence mumbled a bit to try to think of how to tell everyone. She was about to speak when Rarity walked in. "Oh, Rarity can tell you." Cadence said with a sheepish smile. "Tell you what?" Rarity asked. "What happened to Fluttershy?" Asked Applejack. Rarity froze in her place. She couldn't think of what to say. Thankfully she left Fluttershy in their room to wait for Twilight, but now she needed to show her to the others. "Um... wait here." Rarity said rushing off. She returned a few moments later with the hat she had made the previous night. At first Applejack and the princesses were confused. Then Rarity spoke. "Alright, now just don't panic." Then she placed the hat on the table and slowly lifted it up. Underneath stood Fluttershy, cowering behind her hair. To say that shock was the only emotion in the room would be not only an understatement but also a lie. Not only was there gasps of confusion, there were also gasps of pity. "F-Fluttershy what happened to you?" Applejack asked. Fluttershy didn't respond right away. She simply crept back toward Rarity and hid behind her hair. Finally, she took a deep breath and quietly spoke. "W-well, when I was getting the cure for poison joke something happened and I stopped flying. I almost drowned. Because i was so big, Twilight used a spell that eventually shrank me down so she could pull me out." "Well, at least your safe." Applejack said. Her remark was met wit a weak smile from Fluttershy. "Oh, ahm sorry sugarcube." Applejack said picking Fluttershy up. "Ah know the past few days have been hard for you, and now...this happened. You must be terrified." "Actually, Rarity helped me calm down last night. I'm fine right now. That is mentally speaking." Fluttershy replied, smiling back to Rarity. "Ahm just happy you’re alright. As for you two." Applejack said putting Fluttershy down and turning her head to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. "Y'all knew 'bout this and ya still didn't help her?" "Well it was supposed to be a secret." Rainbow said rolling her eyes at Pinkie Pie. "We're sorry we didn't help, Fluttershy." Rainbow apologized. "It's alright." Fluttershy said. "Oh, Fluttershy," Luna said, "I couldn't fathom the trouble that this inconvenience must bring. I could barely handle my troubles and now yet another tragedy has come upon you." "What my sister is trying to say is that we can't imagine how you must be feeling right now because we have only had one bad thing happen to us while you have had two. She tends to go off in a tangent in her "old equestrian speech" when she gets emotional." Celestia said. "T-thank you your highness." Fluttershy said. "I just hope Twilight doesn't take too long." Cadence said. "I feel that she will be ready sooner than you think." Said a voice behind them. "Twilight!" Shouted her friends as they turned to find her. "Yes, and I think I am ready to perform the spell on Fluttershy." "Well, what are we doin'? Go ahead cast the spell." Said Applejack. Rarity then slowly lowered Fluttershy to the ground from the table. Although she had been small for a few hours, she stood in awe at the difference of her friends sizes against her. They towered over her, many times larger than her, looking down at her. Twilight walked up to her and lowered her horn. The bright lavender glow was almost blinding to Fluttershy, as she felt a jolt of magic run through her body. She then noticed her height increasing catching up to her friends. She finally reached her regular height and was bombarded with a hug from Pinkie Pie and cheers from her friends. "Alright, can we stop changing sizes, please?" Asked Twilight. Everyone laughed at her joke before getting back to breakfast. Once again, however, no one saw the two yellow eyes, glaring out from under the pancake stack. =============== “You have got to be kidding me!” Discord shouted. “What another one of your cotton candy clouds get stuck again?” Chrysalis asked mockingly. “No, I sent your changelings out to stop these fools and when I check up on them their poison joke is cured and they are at the crystal empire waiting to get here.” Discord complained. “What?!” Chrysalis shouted. “SLASH!!! Get in here!” She roared. The changeling general slowly made his way into the throne room. “Yes, your highness?” Slash said. “Care to explain why you can't seem to capture six pitiful ponies?!” Discord shouted. “Care to explain why an all-powerful god of chaos can’t seem to capture them either.” He retorted. “Why you…” Discord began. “Besides I put the spell on the two alicorns. What have you two done other than boss me around?” “You’ll see.” Chrysalis said looming over Slash. “Slash tell your changelings to get ready to guard over the prisoners.” “What are you two going to do?” He asked nervously “Whatever do you mean?” Chrysalis said winking to Discord. “Yeeaaaah,” Discord began. “We are only going to pay a certain group of ponies…a little…visit. Hehehe…hahahah…mwhahaha…BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”