It was the most beautiful day. Well, actually, it had been the most beautiful day; but that was the previous day. Now it was something along the lines of the second most beautiful day, though considering just how many days has past since the founding of the world, and just how many of those days could have been considered beautiful, and how many of those beautiful days had been witnessed by mare, maybe calling every potential beautiful day the most beautiful day of them all might be considered quite the stretch. So for now, it could have been considered a promising day.
"Beautiful day Angel, is it not?" Fluttershy remarked to her pet as she trotted into town.
Angel simply gave her what was his best attempt at a disapproving look. That was really the limit of his silent expressions concerning her. For the alarming shift in Fluttershy's natural personality had been causing him no measure of distress. He was far more accustomed to being her centre of attention, but now she was always concerning herself with... well, herself. More than often, he had been the recipient of her many monologues as the pegasus found herself easily amused by the simplest of things, which naturally caused her to stop and remark upon a random assortment of things.
"You know something, dear Angel?"'Fluttershy said suddenly, demonstrating something he longed to forget. "I never knew the reasoning behind naming me Fluttershy. It seems awfully prophetic does it not? I wonder if that was my parent's intent, by simply giving a foal a name that included the word shy in it, that I would be willed into a life of natural shyness. Perhaps I should track them down and inquire. I'm sure I can remember where it was I buried them..."
That normally would have been a concern for Angel. But this sort of thing was merely routine to him by now.
"I kid of course, my pet." Fluttershy remarked, routinely chuckling at her macabre joke. "Now, to the business at ha... hoof."
She ambled her way into the central marketplace of Ponyville. As was custom, there was the usual bustle of mares and stallions going about there business, dragging carts laden with goods or slinging heavy packs over their bags. The sounds of haggling filled the scene with an uncoordinated clamour that could not be discerned should one care to try. This kind of scene was something that Fluttershy tended to stay out of, or look on from afar. But that was the former Fluttershy, not this new and improved Fluttershy, who was more than willing to give this busy scene a go.
Angel sat on her back as usual. One good thing he could say of his new owner was that she was far more amicable to letting him slouch on her back when she was not casually dismissing him. She would have most likely left him at home, had he not insisted on coming along for her little shopping trip. Angel would have normally loved the peace and quiet that Fluttershy's empty cottage afforded him; but somehow, his little bunny brain could not stand the idea of his owner going off on her own with her peculiar disposition and getting up to who knows what. His insistence at coming along was merely so he could keep an eye on her; quite an unusual tone for the little bunny. Maybe whatever spell his owner was under was rubbing off on him.
"Ah, I believe this is the kind of store we are looking for, wouldn't you agree Angel?" Fluttershy spoke back to him.
Angel noticed the stand that she wad gesturing to. A display of flowers of limited kinds attended to by a bored looking earth pony.
"What do you reckon, Angel. Think we might be able to get us some roses for the garden here?" Fluttershy asked him.
Angel was puzzled as to why she would inquire with him when he had knew just as much as she did in this instance.
"It is a good thing you cannot talk, Angel." She remarked. "Otherwise, who knows what kind of things you could say. You could confess to absolutely hating my guts for taking you away from your bunny family when you were little.. er. Why, I could be utterly blind to inflicting such a cruel misery upon you."
Angel naturally gave her no comment.
"Good, good. I shall let you continue your suffering in peace, shall I?" Fluttershy remarked. "Now, to business. I sure do hope my nerves don't get best of me here. You know what I'm like around other ponies."
Angel knew what the old Fluttershy was like around ponies. The new one, he could not be sure. At any rate, he could sense that she was a little tense when she made her way up to the mare attending the store.
"Hi." She started.
"Can I help you?" The pony went.
"Yeah, can I have a dozen red roses, please?" Fluttershy reeled off.
"Oh hi Fluttershy, I didn't know it was you." The pony replied, reaching behind the counter for her requested flowers. "Here you are."
"That's me." Fluttershy slowly remarked. "How much is it?"
"That'll be eighteen bits." The pony replied.
"Hey you go, keep the change." She said, dumping about twenty or so bits upon the counter, before collecting her roses and hurriedly leaving.
"You're my favourite customer." The pony called out to her.
"Thanks a lot, bye." She called back.
She heard the pony call her goodbye back, by she was well enough away.
"Whew. That wasn't too bad, was it Angel?" Fluttershy spoke back.
The bunny simply sat on her back, quite baffled by the rapid transaction he had just witnessed.
"Now then. That's roses out of the way." Fluttershy announced, apparently to herself. "Now for the rest."
And just like that, she was off once again into the marketplace, Angel on her back and a shopping list in her mind, because she was that good.
"Hi doggie." She said to a dog sitting by the road as she brushed past it...
"Indulge me a moment would you?" Fluttershy said. "I had a dream last night. And in that dream I was standing in front of a mirror, and in that mirror I was looking at a pegasus. For some peculiar reason, I felt that this pegasus was, and was not myself. And she stood in front of a mirror and in that mirror she saw a pegasus that was, and was not herself. I have no doubt that I am Fluttershy. Yet, I have no doubt that I am not Fluttershy. How can this be? Am I an entity that is not Fluttershy, occupying her body. Or am I Fluttershy occupying the body of another, similar pegasus. Or is it the world around me; do I exist within a realm that exists, but is different from the one I belong to. Or, do I belong within a realm that is different to the one I exist within. Is this real life, or is it merely a fantasy setting where I do not belong, mmm?"
The mare behind the counter with her pinkish coat and blond mane took a while to digest what Fluttershy had just said to her. It was much to take in...
"Well I..." She slowly said. "I'm not quite sure I'm exactly qualified to give you an answer there, miss."
"No. Of course you are not. And I should not expect an answer from the you in this world, or any other." Fluttershy explained, dismissively. " But this... state at which I exist within is puzzling me to no end."
"Umm... are you worried that all this is merely you dreaming, is that it?"
The mare made an attempt to enlighten her.
"Yes. And no." Fluttershy answered. "I feel as if I am dreaming. But what exactly am I dreaming about? This world around me feels real, it is real. Whether or not I am real is another matter entirely. I exist here talking to you, so I must be, should I?"
"Do you feel real?" The mare asked her.
"Yes..." She said.
"...And no?" The pony guessed.
"Yes." Fluttershy said. "I feel as if am I the real Fluttershy. But then, I also feel that I am far from what she is like. The most easy thing to guess is that I am the real Fluttershy made different. If that is the case, then why do I feel like am I not her. And that sense, why do I look and sound like her. Where does the real Fluttershy reside. Is she tucked away up in my head. My head that is, and is not the real Fluttershy. Does she exist in another world entirely. Or has she simply been wiped from existence, and I am her empty shell walking and talking in her stead. It is such a mystery, is it not?"
"Yeah it is." The mare said.
"But... it is irrelevant discussing it. Now, on to business. Remind me again, why am I here again?" Fluttershy asked, brushing off her existential crisis quickly.
"Oh umm... I think you were asking me about the flowers?" The mare informed her.
"Ah yes, the flowers." Fluttershy said. "And I believe I was inquiring as to whether you were in possession of daisies, were you not?"
"Yes, I have daisies." The mare informed her, fetching the requested flowers and fastening them into a bouquet for the pegasus.
"Ah these will do nicely." She remarked, upon the pretty sight.
"If I may..." The mare asked. "What exactly are you planning on doing with these flowers?"
"Funny you should ask." Fluttershy said. "The thing is... I do not seem to know for certain."
"You don't know?" She said.
"Yes. No. Yes I do not... know." Fluttershy chuckled to herself as she repeated it. "Sometimes, I feel as if there is a reason for me collecting such a random assortment, but when I stop to think, I find I am unable to recall it."
"Maybe it has something to do with your err... predicament?" The mare suggested.
"Maybe." She remarked. "Maybe, it is me attempting to remedy this internal and external dilemma I find myself in. Maybe when I have gathered enough of these flowers I will find an answer to these thoughts plaguing my mind as to the nature of my existence in this world. But how could such a thing possibly make any sense regarding the logical laws I find myself constricted by?"
"Err, sure. Maybe." The pony said. "Well good luck with that."
"Indeed." Fluttershy replied. "By the way, young miss. What is your name if I may ask?"
"My name. Oh it's Lily." The mare answered. "Sometimes people call me Lily Valley."
"Lily. Lily of the Valley." She mused. "Such a meaningful name, considering your profession. Far more meaningful than Fluttershy, though I recall a time when Fluttershy was so very meaningful as it fitted my apprehensive nature."
"Have you considered changing it to something that suits you more?" Lily suggested.
"That is a possibility." Fluttershy remarked. "But what name could possibly be more fitting of this nature I have adopted?"
"Umm..." Lily struggled to answer.
"Ah. And there lies the problem." She said. "Oh well. Well, good day Lily of the Valley. This has been... enlightening."
"Yeah, you too." Lily replied.
And with that, Fluttershy had paid for her flowers and was off once again on her epic quest to... obtain more flowers... and do something with them.
"Excuse me miss?" Fluttershy asked in her distinct voice to the pony slouched against the counter.
The pony in question, with a fairly ordinary rose coloured mane over a pale yellow coat did her best to acknowledge the pegasus. Some force had taken hold of her however, for she raised her head very slowly off the counter in response, murmured something fairly incomprehensible, and immediately dropped it back down. It was quite safe to say that she apparently considered their business concluded.
"I say, dear girl." Fluttershy said. "But this tardy behaviour seems hardly appropriate for a salesmare, does it not?"
"Well... excuse me... madam I..." The mare mounted an attempt to reply, but could only manage a few loose words before she promptly nodded off once more.
"Deary me, this seems quite dire. quite dire indeed." Fluttershy remarked. "Angel, I believe this mare may be suffering from some measure of exhaustion. Definitely not the appropriate display for a mare running a stall."
The bunny on her back observed the mare in question. Indeed, from the way she was slouched against the counter it was fair to say that she was in fact suffering from some immeasurable sense of exhaustion. Not that a bunny could possibly identify that alone.
"You know something, Angel?" Fluttershy remarked. "I can't help but feel a sense of... kinsmareship towards this particularly poor soul."
All Angel knew that when his owner started up her little speeches and musings, there was little that could be done to stop her. And since Angel was but a bunny incapable of speech, she was practically talking to herself. So at this point, Angel was particularly bored out of his little bunny brain and was simply hoping that whatever Fluttershy was up to, she would get it over with fast. Though he was quite certain that promptness was not a strong suit of this particular pegasus.
"Okay, let me think. You just stay where you are miss. Don't exert yourself anymore than you already are, okay?" She asked of the slumbering mare.
As if that was a requirement. Fluttershy closed the gap between them and placed a hoof upon the mare's mane.
"Ah yes. Yes. There is something at work here. You madam are under some powerful aliment." She said. "I know this because I myself are under the same aliment, but of a different shading then yours. In my case, it is a sense of placement and displacement. I both belong, and do not belong. But in your case, my little mare, it is quite different. Can't you feel this power Angel, my dear?"
The bunny could not feel this. And the sleeping mare made no attempt to respond to the fact that another was prodding her unceremoniously, which made Fluttershy's monologue all the more stranger.
"Let me think." She continued, observing the scene around her. "Let's see. Flowers. Lillies and their varients. But you are no lily salesmare. Your coat and mare betray you. Yellowy and rosy... Ah, now I know..."
Her hoof let the mare, and fished about in her bag slung over her back. She bought out the dozen red roses she had procured earlier, and held them before the slumbering mare.
"Miss?" Fluttershy asked. "I believe I may have something that may interest you here?"
The mare still slumbered away. But slowly, her ears twitched, followed by her head rising up, and her eyes fluttering open. She observed the bouquet of red roses in Fluttershy's grasp for a few seconds, observing them with some peculiar look. Until suddenly, her face contorted from a sleepy pose in one of relief, signified by a particularly prominent smile that filled Fluttershy with a strange of satisfaction.
"What is your name, miss?" She asked the rejuvenated mare.
"Rose. Sometimes Roseluck." She replied.
"Ah of course. I wouldn't have it any other way." Fluttershy replied expectantly. "Well in that case, Rose. I would like to purchase some lilies from you. Waterlilies if you have any..."
Angel was bored. He was also a bunny, but that was fairly irrelevant to his state of mind. The point being, he was bored; but he had been far more bored today. The fact that he was considerably less bored could only mean one thing; that Fluttershy was finally done with her little shopping trip and was heading on back to her private little slice of comfort on the outskirts of Ponyville. Whether this was truly a blessing, Angel was not entirely sure, for he had had quite enough of Fluttershy's monologues and longed for a good long rest, and preferably something to eat. Whether she was amiably to that idea or not was what was deeply concerning him. He certainly did not fancy the idea of being stuck with her in private for hours on end.
"You know something, Angel my dear." She began once again. "How did a mare like me ever afford such a cosy little cottage like this in the first place? That sounds like something I should know; but I don't. If I had to guess, I'd say that I was given it as a means to look after so many animals far away from all the town hassle. Does that ring true to you? Or it is but one of the many of the great mysteries of our past that life has chosen to withhold from us?"
The funny thing was, Angel did in fact know how Fluttershy had come into ownership of her cottage. Such a shame then, that he had no way of communicating that to her.
"Oh well." Fluttershy said indeed.
By now, they had reached the boundaries of her little residence, looking only a little worse for wear than how they had left it. Fluttershy yawned immensely to herself as she opened and crossed the threshold of her home. Angel promptly hopped off her back, fully intent on lounging in his little comfort zone, preferably some distance away her and her little musings.
"Now, what to do with this assortment we have assorted?" Fluttershy began, as she opened her pack and laid out the collection of flowers upon the table, only slightly damaged by the cramped storage.
Angel did not pay her any attention. Or at least, he was attempting to; there was little in the cottage that was safe from her voice.
"Daises, lilies, and roses." She mused. "What does it all mean? Perhaps it is a way of fixing this strange external and internal crisis I am under? But how does collecting random flowers factor into that? And now that I think about it, are this really flowers, or merely plants? And why these in particular, for there are many other flowers, and even many other different kinds of these particular flowers. Oh, why so many questions and so little answer. Or are these even questions, and not merely asinine ramblings of an exceptionally confused soul? Who am I even querying in the first place, myself? Then how can I expect to answer if it is me asking the questions? Perhaps something else other than myself occupies this space? Oh, why is everything so confusing?!"
She sunk to the floor in despair. Angel might have felt a little sorry for her, had he not been driven mad by her ramblings like the conflicted pony she was. The situation looked dire, strange and immensely irritating all at the same time.
Just then, something happened to disrupt their little predicament. Up through the open window a squirrel, of all creatures entered. It took Angel a moment or two to realise there was another in the room, but Fluttershy, too busy mopping in self defeat, did not care to register her furry friend. That is, until it jumped up on the table in front of her and started up its squirrel talk at a frantic pace.
"I say, you furry fiend, can't you see I'm in situation that demands privacy?!" She angrily scolded it.
The squirrel did not register her brushing it off. It obviously had information for her that could not wait.
"Oh fine, I will make an attempt to understand you cretin." Fluttershy relented. "Hmm, you say... something terrible has happened... and naturally you want me to investigate. Well why not?"
Fluttershy stood herself upright, sweeping up her flowers back into the pack and slinging it across her back, for some reason. The squirrel dashed right back out the way it came, while she made a slower exit out the front door. She did not notice that Angel had immediately hopped back on her back as well; whatever this development was, it had troubled and engaged him enough to want to find out more.
The squirrel led the two round the back of the cottage where Fluttershy kept her part-farmhouse, part menagerie of various animals. Instantly, it was clear that the scene had been disturbed. Several specimens were scampering about the scene in distress; squirrels, beavers, rabbits and the like, whilst birds circled overhead like vultures. They investigated a little more, and soon discovered just what had occurred.
The chicken coop was noticeably absent of many chickens. The sight alarmed Angel, but only districts Fluttershy.
"Now what has happened here, while I've been gone?" She remarked, looking about for an answer.
What she could find was a trail of feathers; chicken feathers to be exact, leading off in a disorganised trail right into the Everfree Forest.
"Now that is a development." She said.
Angel found her attitude quite disturbing. That is until Fluttershy stated up a gallop and pelted off into the forest thicket.
The forest was surprisingly well lit considering the number of trees all around them. Angel grew afraid, for the forest was naturally a place he stayed away from. His owner in the other hoof was determined to get to the bottom of this, and simply delved further and further into the twisting and turning pathways, while her bunny held on for dear life.
When suddenly, the pair broke the cover of tress and emerged on a high rise, almost like they had emerged right on the other side of the forest. That could not be; yet they stood at the start of a very wide slope that led right into a valley.
"I knew it!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Parasprites. Parasprites! How dare they! So they think they can steal my livelihood, can they. Well, we'll just see about that..."
She reared her legs, Angel clutching for neck for dear life. When to his astonishment, Fluttershy let out a neigh far beyond her years; less of a neigh and more of a roar. He imagined it echoing wide and loud all around the forest.
"Angel my dear." Fluttershy began. "Our business is with certain critters tonight. We are going down to the valley. All of us!"
The leaves in the trees behind them rustled. Angel turned around, and before he knew it, a whole host of animals were emerging from the shadowy cover. All the small little farm animals flocked to Fluttershy's hooves; above, flocks of crows and ravens circled ahead. Immense eagles perched themselves on the tops of the trees, awaiting the go. Finally, a gargantuan bear lumbered through the trees, breaking what it could not brush aside.
"Come my friends!" Fluttershy announced to the hordes. "We are marching!"
Angel was not sure what was going on. But as he held on to Fluttershy tight, he got the impression that he was going to enjoy it.
"It is likely that many of us will jot survive the night." Fluttershy spoke gravely. "I may be uncertain if many things, but I know this for certain. I ever so hate Parasprites."
And with that, she marched off, leading her little gathering off down into the valley...
The sky over the Everfree Forest was initially a calm and tranquil blue as the evening was turning into the night. Down in that valley, all was still, a brisk wind filled the scene, but all was well.
That is, until a loud rumble filled the valley. The leaves in the few tress scattered about rustled fiercely in the wind, instantly turning from a merely brisk breeze to a powerful gale. The valley however, was safe from intrusion, for it lay behind a mighty dam of thick wood, containing the forest's many streams and denying entrance to any would be assailants. But then, far above, a thick murder of crows flew right over the wooden dam and circled the valley's perimeter, their cawing creating a sickening symphony that supplemented the fierce wind upon the shaking trees. And then, the might dam started to crack, under attack by some powerful force. The steams that had been blocked off by the wood were starting to leak and spill into the disturbed valley, until finally...
An immense sound, like that of the most powerful explosion shattered the earth and shook the whole valley as a massive hole was blown right through the wooden dam. In an instant the contained streams, now free, poured torrential in all directions, flooding the valley as a horde of various creatures of all sizes poured in, riding the currents right into the breached valley.
From beneath the earth, another tremor trembled, and suddenly, fissures violently cracked all over and swarms of the valley's defendants, the parasitic Parasprites flew out in every direction to combat the aggressors.
"Friends, allies!" The voice of a yellow pegasus with a pink mane called out to her horde. "Destroy these Parasprites!"
And with that, the fighting commenced. It would have been a good contender for the single greatest clash in all of Equestria's history. It was a total anarchic kaleidoscope of chaos; with Fluttershy at the helm, her animals took to the Parasprites with a fury the likes of which had not been seen before or since. She delved right into the swarms of parasitic colours and wasted no time in whacking and smashing with her hooves at whatever they could reach. The Parasrites burst into brilliant flashes of whatever hue they resembled when struck, partially blinding her but she did not care. For Fluttershy was caught up in the swell of battle that all she cared to see were their sickening hues, and all she cared to think about was thoughts of wiping them from the face of the earth.
And her menagerie turned fighting force was more than willing to join in. Her farmyard flocks did their best to swipe at the devious fiends, though they were somewhat restricted by their small size. The scene above was another matter entirely, as the crows, now joined by ravens took to contending with their airborne contenders, creating a hellish racket as the sky was filled with the sounds of their shrieking and filled with the sights of the Parasprites going puff under attack. Eagles flew right up high into the air, and soared down with their talons sharp, enacting ariel dives upon the Parasprites, taking out a great many in a single dive.
But that was just the start of it. While Parasprites were hardly completely capable of spawning an instant copy upon utter destruction, they did have a sense of preservation that can be likened to the act of recycling. For every hooffull of Parasprites that burst into a fluffy mess, at least one Rose from the fluffy ashes, ready to continue the fight. Fluttershy and her kin were fighting an ultimately loosing battle, for they could not beat down the swarm's numbers. The Parasprites were hardly fighting themselves, but they were exhausting the beasts through continued battle. And with the valley filling with more and more water, they would be overrun.
"Angel!" Fluttershy screamed, though that was unnecessary for the terrified little bunny would not dare let go of her back. "We are going underground! We're going to cut off this beast's head."
Very dramatically, she stretched her wings and took flight into the chaotic sky. By now, the surface of the valley was filled with shallow water, still contained by the mostly intact wooden dam, but still coming through, pouring into the open fissures in the earth created by the Parasorites. Fluttershy flew low to avoid the conflict above, swooping low over the ground, until she found one of the particular large holes in the ground that was not completely flooded, before she took a deep breath and plunged right into the earth.
The sky above filled with the battle looked further and further away the more they dived. Water was leaking all around them, but these underground caves were immense, hardly in any danger of being completely submerged underwater. Angel had no idea what they were looking for, but Fluttershy moved with obvious intent in her mind. They saw no signs of any Parasprites, but they knew that something delved down there with them.
Eventually they came upon an exceptionally large cave, at the bottom of which a rocky ground could be seen. Fluttershy docked herself, and held position. Angel remained on her back, maintaining a cautious grip.
Suddenly, they heard a noise. A small noise that they almost missed; it could have been mistaken for the treacle of the streams still subtly falling it, or the creaking of the rook. Fluttershy turned to its source, and found it to be the clucking of chickens. She raced across the cave floor, and sure enough, found the very group of chickens that had been taken from her.
"My chicks! Oh thank the maker!" Fluttershy exclaimed in relief.
But before she could reach them, she heard another noise. A mighty rumble in the rock beneath her, and barely a second had passed before the rock shook and broke. A swarm of Parasprites flew out and were all around her in an instant, denying her access to her chicks.
"You thought you could take what I hold dear?!" She barked to the swarm, her voice thick with wrath and thundering about the cave. "Get out, sprites! You will not keep me from my chicks!"
The swarm did not disperse, but it did not descend upon her either. Instead, it started circling around her; still keeping her from reaching their captives. Then, Fluttershy noticed that the fluffy little bugs were morphing together, squashing themselves into larger hovering orbs of bright vibrant colours. And those larger orbs turned into even large orbs, until they started to form the colossal shape of a fluffy pony. The grotesque figure composed of deceptive bright shades of pink, blue and green stood right between Fluttershy and her chicks. And then, to her shock, it managed to twist the contours of its mockery of a mouth and utter a deepening cry.
"WHat ARE You GOINg TO Do now, PEGAssUSSSSS?"
Fluttershy stood before the gargantuan Parasprite pony, gazing at it gazing at her gazing at it. Angel cowered on her back, evidently he did not possess her fortitude. Fluttershy still stood before the beast, for as it turned out there was no plan in her head. All through this campaign she had been driven by a need to take back what was stolen from her. Never once questioning just how bizarre the whole ordeal had been. But now, she had but one little trick that she sincerely hoped would work.
"Angel my dear?" She began. "I don't suppose you could open that saddlebag there could you?"
The little bunny was initially too overcome with terror to answer her. When he became certain that the giant beast was still patiently waiting for them to act however, he composed himself enough and managed to regain his senses and open the lid of the bags saddled across Fluttershy's back. The pegasus reached in and sure enough, drew out the three sets of flowers they had spent the day collecting. She held them before the giant Parasprite and...
The colossal creature merely laughed a wicked laugh from its fluffy mouth in response. Fluttershy stepped back whilst Angel reaffirmed his tight grip on her mane. The giant pony mockery suddenly let out a mighty, mighty roar; a bellow that shook the ceiling of the underground caverns and sent Fluttershy flying far back and tumbling onto the rocky ground. Angel flew off her and hit the ground painfully too. Fluttershy raised her head and got back into a standing position, but the humungous Parasprite was instantly upon her, roaring wide and this time sending out a swarm of its much smaller brethren that shrouded over Angel, separated from Fluttershy by a small distance.
"Angel!" The pegasus screamed. "You give him back you..."
The mighty beast roared once again, making the whole cavern rumble uncontrollably. The ground beneath Fluttershy started to rock and shake under the pressure, and soon deep cracks that turned into wide fissures began sprouting up. She darted and dived to avoid falling in, as well as the swarms that were freely spewing from the giant's mouth. As if that was not enough, more Parasprites were beginning to fly freely out of the opening cracks in the rock. Fluttershy took to the underground skies and was now desperately trying to avoid virtually everything in the cavern. She suddenly noticed the captive chicks, sitting right in the middle of a rocky edge that was threatening to give way into the black chasms beneath.
Without thinking, Fluttershy dived right at them, landing on the inland, and scooping them up in her hooves. But at that moment of vulnerability, a giant swarm of Parasprites descended on her, managing to lift her larger form into the air, holding her and her chicks hostage.
Fluttershy could do nothing to free herself from the swarm without risking losing the chicks to the swarm. The huge pony swarm stood, or rather hovered before her in the air; the little form of Angel could be seem clutched in its mighty hand, evidently screeching but that was lost beneath the sounds of the swarms and the crashing rocks. Both the little tiny Parasprites and the monstrous pony one were now slowly descending into the sunken cracks beneath them, an abyss of blackness beneath them. Fluttershy struggled but try as she could it was hopeless. A slow realisation suddenly creeped into her head that all of what was happening was her fault; there was nothing she could do now, for she was at rock bottom, both mentally and physically, about to sink even further into total and utter despair. The situation was at its most dire...
When suddenly!
Fluttershy felt something other than the fluffy swarm around her. It was trickle of some kind; darting her head upwards she noticed that a steady stream of water from above had relented through the crumbling ceiling and was splashing the Parasprite swarms. It caused them some distress, but it was little more than a nuisance to them. But if more of the ceiling could be broken away, specifically by loud noise like the roars of the monster that held Angel, it might just be more.
"Listen to me, you monsters!" Fluttershy did her best to shout at the chaos. "Listen to me!"
It was no good, for the giant and the swarms were still descending into the blackness. The steady stream of water was still just that. It made her mad just to think at how she was being ignored, mad enough to give them a piece of her mind, mad enough!
"You big... mean... blue, pink green... fuzzy... little... MEANIES!" She bellowed, an unknown strength within her imbuing the courage within her to shout as loudest as she conceivably could.
Fluttershy's voice bounded all round the great, crumbling chasm. Right down into the deep it went, and finding nothing it came back up, right up to the ceiling. There was a rumble, like that of a great many big rocks turning into medium rocks turning into smaller rocks. And before the Parasprites could register it, the rocky ceiling above completely paved way, sending a great number of stones into the deep below, but more importantly, sending an entire river right behind them. The swarms holding Fluttershy and her chicks was absolutely drenched and scatters by the torrential water cascading down upon them. The pegasus felt it too, but through sheer willpower she managed to stretch her wings and break free of the swarm, her chicks held to her chest tightly with one hoof.
Then she noticed the giant composition of Parasprites, forcefully breaking under the sheer pressure of water. But more importantly, she noticed her little Angel falling free of its grasp, now descending into the darkness at a much faster rate, aided by the rushing water. Like a mare possessed, Fluttershy dived down in his direction, as fast as she could remember flying in her whole life. She stretched out her free hoof, and scooped him right up in it, and like an eagle, she soared right back up. Her wings stretched from point to point, wrecked by the amount of water collapsing on them, but Fluttershy found a strength unlike any she had felt before, and soared up towards the open sky like an angelic being, with her Angel in one hoof and her chicks in the other.
Up and out of the biggest fissure in the earth, the pegasus rose back into the valley. The wooden dam had completely given way, nothing now stood to prevent the streams from flooding the valley as it became like a ocean with small islands where the ground was at its highest, the fluffy remains of the Parasprites that had once made it their lair washing away in the currents. Fluttershy rose as high as she could before she felt the air grow chill. And so, she flew right back down, heading far from the waters of the valley to the borders of the forest where her home resided.
Her animal army awaited her as she descended back down. The instant they saw her, they all erupted into cheering, a gratifying well earned victory cry that warmed her to her core. Fluttershy settled her chicks back down, who were quite composed considering the whole ordeal they had been put through, fiercely shaking themselves to get rid of the immense levels of water drenched into their feathers.
As for Angel, the moment he was free of her protective grasp and had promptly given himself a thorough rinse, he reared back and started to slap her face silly. Fluttershy took it in grace, for his weak and water drenched arms meant there was little he could do to actually harm her. She was just glad that he was in a position to do that.
"Oh my... goodness." She announced to the ensemble. "I don't think I've ever done something quite like that before. Such a shame to lose those flowers."
The sight of her animals, battered and bruised from the battle but no less worse for wear was having a very strange effect on Fluttershy. It warmed her to no end, despite how much she was shivering.
"I have to say." She continued. "I don't think I've ever quite felt this way to you before. The rush of adrenaline as we stormed that valley; the immense fear in front of that giant beast; the hopelessness, the sudden spark of an idea, it's all a bit overwhelming. I don't think I've ever been so sure of something before. I think I might be experiencing... experi... oh my goodness me!"
Suddenly, a blazing light burst from Fluttershy. A dazzling purple and yellow that struck the animals with terror, but none dared to approach. The sight persisted for some time, but finally the lights dimmed, leaving behind the same old pegasus, who promptly crashed to the ground. Angel rushed to his owner's side, a sickening feeling all about him. That feeling soon subsided however, when he saw Fluttershy open her eyes. She looked lost, and when she noticed that she was lying on the ground, she looked more lost; and when she saw the sight in front of her, she looked even more lost.
"Angel?" She said quietly. "Why are you so wet? Why am I so wet? Why are the rest of you so wet?"
Her animals simply observed her in silence. Slowly, Fluttershy got to her hooves, and somehow Angel knew that she was a different mare then when she had formerly stood.
"What happened to you all?" She continued. "Look at you, you're all so scruffy. Whoa... I feel really tired. Do the rest of you feel really tired?"
The ensemble reply in tones of acknowledgement.
"Well. Guess we all better get to bed then, huh?" She suggested.
Her animals all positively replied once again, and all soon started to depart, heading on back to their respective dens. All except for Angel, that was.
"Angel. You look hungry." Fluttershy noted.
The bunny nodded his head very enthusiastically. Something about that warmed the pegasus, but she could not quite place.
"Well, let's get you something, then okay." She said, before stepping over to the door to her cottage.
Angel followed. For the first time in a long while, he knew what was going on. And he was definitely going to enjoy it...