//------------------------------// // Silence // Story: There Will Come A Day // by Glimglam //------------------------------// To not feel the gentle early morning breeze was, at one time, an unknown feeling to Fluttershy. On the days that she would walk in her yard, she had grown accustomed to that soft caress of air, letting its often cool touch relax her—even on the most stressful of days. She had loved the way that the leaves of the trees, including those on her very own house, would blow and sway in the wind. And there were the birds, of course; how their songs would carry on with the breeze, letting their tender melodies be heard over great distances with the wind’s aid. But now, her yard had fallen silent. Fluttershy didn’t understand it. For all of her life in Ponyville, the winds would blow and the birds would sing without fail. But now, in the fourth year of the Red Moon, they had stopped. Almost as if they had never started in the first place, bizarre though the idea might seem. “Where did all the little birdies go?” she wondered aloud. “Where could they have gone?” She checked her birdhouses – she had quite a few of them – all one by one, but they were empty. “Oh, I hope they’re okay…” As for Fluttershy’s other animals, they were still alive and well. Physically well, in any case. Most of them seemed afraid and anxious still; every now and again they would get agitated like this. Only, it seemed, when the Red Moon was at its brightest in the sky. The kind pegasus knew well of this celestial anomaly, of course. It had been in the sky for four years now. Since its arrival, there have been unnatural and uncontrollable weather patterns, shortened warm seasons, and even a terrible famine that was still claiming lives from here to Manehatten. They had been trying to keep everything a secret before, but now… Fluttershy sighed. It wasn’t Twilight’s fault, of course. Nor was it the princesses’ fault, either. She understood their reasoning, and knew that ponies would have perhaps panicked if they all knew what was really going on. But on the other hoof, they had been delaying the inevitable. The truth may hurt sometimes, but the sooner that it could be revealed, the sooner that it could be accepted. Even so, she wouldn’t blame her friend for what was happening. She wouldn’t blame her for the starving ponies. And nor would she blame her for the disappearing birds. Sighing again, Fluttershy slowly approached the last animal house that was in her yard. Stooping down beside the house, she undid the lock on the door and opened it, letting a small brown ferret scamper out. It eyed her curiously, and with a hint of worry. This worry was quickly dispelled when Fluttershy pushed a little food bowl towards it, and it quickly set to eating the contents without a care. The pegasus smiled weakly. It still felt good to show kindness to a needy soul. Even as simple an act as feeding a small animal with good food. The last of her food. “Eat up now,” she encouraged, patiently watching the ferret as it contently chowed-down on its meal. “You need your nutrition.” In no time at all, the little animal had finished, and yet was still licking the bowl for any scraps of food that might have been leftover. It was still hungry, Fluttershy noticed. She frowned ever so slightly, upset that it was still wanting more. But in this day and age, food was not a thing handed out like candy anymore. Even the more mundane meals now cost more and more, as agriculture failed and many once-common sources of sustenance were becoming scarce. She understood this. Just like how she understood that it wasn’t Twilight’s fault. It wasn’t Applejack’s fault, either; from what Fluttershy last heard, she and the family were adjusting fairly well to working in Fillydelphia—though, apparently Apple Bloom had injured her leg while working at one point. The work for what few farmers and other food producers that remained was highly exhausting and hugely demanding, as they needed to pick up the slack to restore the usual status quo of food output. But Fluttershy didn’t fully understand all of the numbers or logistics of such things. Therefore, she didn’t concern herself too much with the matter of it. What she was concerned about were twofold: her friends, and the animals under her care. For the matter of her friends, she was concerned that they would all stay friends through this ordeal. The last time she spoke to Rarity was several months ago. Applejack, even longer. Pinkie Pie, well… she was usually always around, being Pinkie Pie and all. But still, Fluttershy felt so alone nowadays. It was as if there had been some unspoken agreement that they not spend nearly as much time together as they used to anymore. As for her animals, she was simply concerned for their well-being. What would happen to them because of the famine? As much as she hated not being able to, she couldn’t afford to buy food for so many animals anymore. And even if she were to attempt to forage in the Everfree Forest—disregarding the entire fact that it’s a very, very dangerous place to be at all—there’s no guarantee that she could find enough food for both her and her animals. It was with this sad thought that Fluttershy took away the food bowl, gingerly pushed it back into the pet house, and shut the door. She then gently nudged the ferret with her hoof, urging it onward—away from her house. The ferret was, understandably, confused by this gesture. The pegasus insisted, nudging it away a bit more forcibly. At the animal’s puzzled expression, she gestured to its pet house and shook her head. She then pointed in the direction of the fields, and then nodded. Eventually, the ferret got the message. Without even so much as a squeak, it turned and scurried away into the distance. It was soon lost from her sight in the grass. Fluttershy sighed, and managed to crack a tiny smile. At least now, it would have a chance. A very slight one to be sure, but a chance nevertheless. She looked out across her yard again; all of the other pet houses were empty. She had already released the animals that once lived in there. The sun was going down, she noticed. The Red Moon had almost covered the sunset this time—like it had many times before—but tonight, it was free and visible. Fluttershy gazed upon the surreal beauty of the two-moon sky, with the sun setting underneath it between the distant hills overlooking what used to be Sweet Apple Acres. Now, it was merely a tree farm; producing the lumber required for both furniture, and firewood. But that was all in the past, Fluttershy knew. Nodding to herself, the pegasus slowly walked back into her home. It was exactly as she had left it—minus the animals, of course. Fluttershy felt sad, tired, and weak. But she was confident that she had done the right thing. At least, she knew that she only did what she could. And that was enough. As she walked into her bedroom, she finally took note of herself. How sore she was. How tired and overworked she felt. And how hungry she was. Her body looked as she felt; frail and thin. She released a drawn-out breath, shuddering as she did so, and coughed several times. “O-oh my… I hope I’m not sick,” she mumbled, knowing full well that she wasn’t sound at all. Fluttershy climbed into her bed, sighing with bliss as she wrapped the warm covers around herself. Her eyelids fluttered shut, and her mind grew foggier and foggier. She was already very tired, it seemed; there would be no trouble in getting proper rest. Normally, as she would fall asleep, the gentle sound of wind and the tune of the evening songbirds would help lull her along and relax her even more. Back in those days, it was peaceful. Happy. Carefree. But now, there was only silence that accompanied her as she fell asleep for the last time. She was alone, in more ways than one. But even before she slipped away, she condemned no one for what was happening. For she understood perfectly. “Mmm… Good night…”