Chapter 3
Struck by Magic
“Hey Twilight! No, that won’t do,” said Fluttershy as she rehearsed her greeting. “’Sup Twi? No…that doesn't sound like me at all.”
Fluttershy then rested her head against the door in frustration.
“Come on Fluttershy,” she said to herself. “She’s your friend for crying out loud! True, she is an alicorn, and a princess, and Celestia’s apprentice…”
Fluttershy curled back in fright. Quite frequently, Fluttershy couldn't face the pressure of being friends with a princess who knew the supreme ruler of Equestria. She recalled the day she and Twilight first met.
It was a perfectly normal day in Ponyville. She was getting ready for The Summer Sun Celebration by rehearsing with her bird choir. During the festival, they would celebrate the end of spring and the beginning of summer, which was symbolized by the first sunrise on the first day of summer. She heard that the Princess’s apprentice would be visiting on this special day, and she wanted to impress that pony, whoever he or she was. She’d set up a little bird choir to sing a song for the event, and one of the blue jays kept singing off key. She was right in the middle of thoughtfully lecturing the blue jay when she heard somepony.
“Hello!”
Fluttershy jumped, frozen in shock, but still able to flap her wings. The pony was a unicorn, which Fluttershy had never seen before. Her mane was violet with a dash of purple and pink. Her skin and horn were bright violet, while her eyes were dark purple.
The pony apologized as Fluttershy cautiously floated down to the ground.
“I just came here to check on the music, and it sounds wonderful!” the pony exclaimed. An awkward silence followed with Fluttershy too timid to say anything to the stranger.
Finally it was broken when the pony said, “I’m Twilight Sparkle! And your name is?”
Too nervous for her own good, Fluttershy was unable to talk clearly. Twilight, unable to stand the uneasiness of the situation, decided to move on. But before she left, Fluttershy couldn't help but notice a small infant dragon following her. Losing control of herself, Fluttershy flew towards the dragon while unintentionally ramming head-on into Twilight.
The dragon had light violet scales all across his body, and green scales followed from the back of his head all the way to his tail. Fluttershy was amazed to discover that dragons had the ability to talk and began to ask it several questions.
The dragon’s name was Spike, and he was Twilight’s personal assistant. Twilight picked him up with her magic and placed him on her back. Fluttershy followed them into town while continuously asking questions.
Before she knew it, they were at the old library. Then it hit her; the Princess’s apprentice would be living at the library. It was then when she started to suspect that this pony in front of her was indeed the apprentice, but she was too distracted by the dragon to ponder on this thought for long.
Twilight turned around suddenly and said, “Oh, I’m so sorry, but how did we get here so fast? This is where I’m staying while I’m here at Ponyville.”
Fluttershy eyes widened greatly. There was no doubt about it; the pony standing in front of her was indeed Celestia’s apprentice.
“And my poor baby dragon needs his beauty sleep,” she added quickly. As she said that, the dragon fell off of Twilight’s back.
“Awww, look at that,” Twilight cooed, “he’s so sweepy, he can’t keep his wittle bawance.”
Fluttershy gasped; if this pony was the Princess’s apprentice, then that meant her dragon must have the up most care. Fluttershy swooped down and scooped the dragon up into her hoofs. She tried to get Spike into bed, which was on the second story of the library, but Twilight prevented her from taking a step forward. Twilight then closed the door, bidding her goodnight.
Fluttershy waited, then calmly walked inside and started socializing with her best friend in the whole world: Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash was a bold, confident, and strong pegasus who wouldn't let anypony knock her down. She had light blue skin, and her mane and tail were covered in all the colors of the rainbow. She was well known for her stunts and daring nature.
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had always been friends as far as they could remember. Fluttershy had admired Rainbow Dash for her bravery and confidence. She could never get over how the blue pegasus had always been able to save her from sticky situations, like bullies and her fear of heights.
Rainbow Dash loved being friends with Fluttershy mainly because she had no other friends of her own. Along with being brave and confident, Rainbow Dash was also a giant sluggard. She would always fall behind in the Cloudsdale Flying Academy for Beginners because she wouldn't do her homework. She was an excellent flyer, but she thought she was “too good” for homework.
“Rainbow Dash,” her coach use to scowled “How do expect to join the Wonderbolts if you just sleep in clouds all day?”
The Wonderbolts were the top flyers in Cloudsdale and were highly respected. Of course, Rainbow Dash just thought the Wonderbolts would see her awesome flying skills and be so amazed that they would just have to accept her. As a result of her pride and laziness, Rainbow Dash was held back…a lot. She soon discovered that she wasn't the only pony who was being held back, and, lo and behold, that pony was Fluttershy.
Apparently, Fluttershy would refuse to fly because she was terribly afraid of heights. Fluttershy admired Rainbow Dash for not being afraid, which was an ego-boost for Rainbow Dash because somepony was looking up to her. Usually, Rainbow Dash would take Fluttershy for granted, but one day, she saw two mean colts bullying Fluttershy.
Rainbow Dash was heated up with rage. She would never let any pony treat her like that. So she swooped in and told the two colts to leave Fluttershy alone.
“Oooooh, what are you going to do Rainbow Crash?” they taunted.
There was no doubt about it; they weren’t going down without a fight, and that was just how Rainbow Dash liked it. She was ready to kick some flanks, and she knew just how to do it. She would challenge the two colts to a race. If she won, the bullies would have to apologize. If she lost, then they could make fun of her however long they wanted to. When the race began they flew with great speed, they accidentally pushed Fluttershy out of Cloudsdale.
All of the fillies and colts in Cloudsdale gathered around to see the race. Rainbow Dash, determined to win the race, flew with such swiftness that she broke through the sound barrier, and then what she did after that surprised even herself. With great strength and determination, she was able to reach the speed of light, causing an explosion of color called a Sonic Rainboom. As a result, she earned her cutie mark: a thundercloud shooting out a lightning bolt with the colors of the rainbow.
Little did she and the other fillies and colts of Cloudsdale know that Fluttershy was earning her cutie mark as well. When she fell in the outskirts of Ponyville, she was entranced by all of the little animals. She just had to care of them all! It was then that she earned her triple-butterfly cutie mark.
Fluttershy felt so much compassion for the animals that years later, she convinced her parents to buy her a cottage in the outskirts of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash was devastated when she heard her best friend was moving away. Devastated, that is, until she saw a “help wanted” ad for a weather pegasus in Ponyville. Sure, it was an amateur’s job, but Rainbow Dash would do anything to reunite with her friend again.
So after years of friendship, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash found themselves at the party of the year. Soon, it was time to see the First Sunrise of the summer. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Twilight, Spike, and all the other ponies left the library and entered City Hall to the see magnificent sight.
The sun was about to rise when something shocking happened. Purple smoke came out of nowhere, and there stood the horrifying Nightmare Moon! She announced that she had kidnapped Princess Celestia and that Equestria would be shrouded in darkness forever! As if on cue, the Summer Sun went back down, bringing the night to rule again.
The ponies were filled with shock and terror. Fluttershy was so sacred that she was desperately looking for Rainbow Dash for strength. She flew out of City Hall to see if she could find her. It took her a moment, but she finally saw Rainbow Dash following Twilight back to the library. While following Rainbow Dash, she noticed three other ponies bellow her. It seemed like they were following Celestia’s assistant as well.
After going inside the big library, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash acquainted themselves with the other three ponies: Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. They soon discovered that Twilight knew this would happen, and she was sent to foil Nightmare Moon’s plans. In order to defeat her, she needed to find the Elements of Harmony: Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and a sixth element that was unknown to them at the time. According to her books, the elements were hidden in an ancient castle, which was in a dark and deteriorating place called the Everfree Forest.
The ponies gathered together and went into the forest in search of the abandoned kingdom. They faced many trials, a majority of which have been previously mentioned. When the ponies came upon a broken down bridge, Rainbow Dash apologized to bring it back up by pulling the rope on the chasm. When she was about to pull the rope, pegasi from the Wonderbolts appeared. They tempted Rainbow Dash to come and join them; little did she know that they were illusions set up by Nightmare Moon. Unfortunately for Nightmare Moon, Rainbow Dash did not give in and continued helping her new friends, thus proving her unwavering sense of loyalty.
Finally, when they arrived at the ancient castle, they quickly searched for the elements. They found five necklaces, allowing each pony, save for Twilight, to put one on. This was good, but they were missing the very last one. Nightmare Moon suddenly appeared from the shadows, intending to kill them all. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and the others used the power of the necklaces to protect Twilight. It was then that the sixth element showed itself in the form of a crown. They would later find that this sixth element was the Element of Magic! Twilight put the crown on, and with the magic of the crown, she was able to bring all the elements together and turned Nightmare Moon back into Princess Luna.
After their triumph was over, the ponies couldn't help but noticed that each of elements resembled the shape and color of their cutie marks. When the Summer Sun rose, Princess Celestia came to congratulate them and to inform them that they were living testaments of the Elements of Harmony. Rainbow Dash’s element was Loyalty, while Twilight’s element was Magic.
From then on, they were known as the protectors of Equestria, the Mane Six, and the Ponies of Ponyville. Through many other events, Twilight discovered that she was destined to be a princess once she became an alicorn, just like Celstia and Luna. What an exciting life, Fluttershy would often think to herself.
It was then that Fluttershy realized that, through all the adventures, Twilight was still her friend, princess or not. So, with her new found confidence, she opened the door.
“Ummmm…Twilight?” she inquired bashfully.
Suddenly, she felt something hit her straight in the chest. She gave out a small screech in terror. Whatever had just hit her possessed the electrical energy of a lightning bolt. Her tail and mane stood on end. She shook with such vigor; her screech sounded more like the sound of a wild boar being slayed. With one last gasp, Fluttershy fainted.
***
When Fluttershy came to, she groaned softly. Her head was spinning, and her chest was aching. As she slowly opened her eyes, she was shocked with what she saw. There were computers everywhere making sharp, jarring beeping sounds.
“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh,” Twilight panicked at the sight of her bedridden friend.
“Twilight? What’s going on?” Fluttershy asked in a daze.
“Good, you’re conscious,” she said with a sigh of relief. “How do you feel? Fuzzy? Lightheaded? Tingly?”
“No I feel fine,” replied Fluttershy, despite that the statement was only half true. She did feel a bit drowsy, but she didn't want to make her friend feel any worse.
“Okay,” said Twilight. A buzzing sound became audible. Twilight rushed to the printer and took out the piece of parchment.
“Vital signs: normal. Blood pressure: normal. Brain activity: normal,” she recited as she read the piece of paper. “You sure you’re feeling fine, Fluttershy?”
“I’m fine,” Fluttershy reassured. As Twilight took off the helmet resting on Fluttershy’s head, she explained that she had been testing a new spell when Fluttershy had arrived. Apparently, the spell was to turn wood into metal, but since Fluttershy opened the door, the spell hit her instead of the door. Fluttershy blushed; she would usually knock on the door instead of barging in unannounced.
“I’m just glad you weren't turned into metal, or disintegrated like all the other stuff that I accidentally hit with my spells,” said Twilight with relief. “Come to think of it…Spike! Write this down! Mellawood Spell does not affect ponies!”
“Got it,” rang Spike’s voice from above.
“Anyway,” said Twilight curiously, “Is there something you need, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy began to tell Twilight about Rarity and how she’d assigned her to bring the homemade blankets to her so that she could choose which one she liked best.
“Spike, are there any blankets by the door?” Twilight asked.
“Let me check,” said Spike. A few seconds later Spike came back.
“No blankets, though there are some metal slabs,” he announced.
Twilight winced, knowing what the metal slabs had once been.
“Write this down,” Twilight instructed. “It appears that the Mellawood Spell may affect fabrics as well as wood. However, more tests need to be conducted in order to completely prove this hypothesis.”
“Got it!” affirmed Spike.
Twilight and Fluttershy walked up the stairs out of the lab and into the library.
“Could you, uh, let Rairty know that I’m deeply sorry for turning her blankets into stone?” asked Twilight nervously. “And tell her that, if she doesn't mind, could she send in new ones just like them?”
“Sure, it won’t be a problem,” said Fluttershy, slightly afraid of what Rarity’s reaction might be. Fluttershy knew that the possibilities could range from anger, sadness, or even just sympathy. Spike was just about to greet Fluttershy when the sound of the upstairs window opening was heard.
“Twilight, Twilight, Twilight!” cried a bold voice from upstairs; no doubt it was Rainbow Dash.
“What is it, Rainbow Dash?” asked Twilight looking up the stairs. “And what happened to using the door, like I've constantly reminded you?”
“Sorry,” said Rainbow Dash flying down the stairs, “I must have forgot. Anyway, that’s not important now. Oh hey, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy nodded her head in response.
“Anyway,” said Rainbow Dash, “you gotta come see this! It’s a new trick I just preformed that I don’t think any of the Wonderbolts have come up with yet! I call it the Front Tail Turn-Around! Come on, you guys just gotta come!”
“I can’t wait,” Fluttershy declared with glee; she was proud to see her friend so excited.
“Well, it sure sounds exciting,” chuckled Twilight, “but I have to continue practicing these spells.”
“Spells, shmells, they can wait can’t they?” reasoned Rainbow Dash.
“Well, if the fate of Equestria can wait, then sure,” quipped Twilight dryly.
“So you’re coming?” asked Rainbow Dash excitedly.
“The fate of Equestria is never going to stop,” said Twilight. “There will always be evil ponies and beings wanting to threaten this land, so until all threats are gone, then no.”
“Oh please,” said Rainbow Dash rolling her eyes. “Stop being a worry wart. You can take a break every once in a while.”
“No,” said Twilight, “I have to be ready so the evil won’t get the upper hand. Are you even listening?”
Twilight’s eye lids sunk as she saw Rainbow Dash watching a fly buzz across the room.
“What? Oh yeah, yeah,” Rainbow Dash reassured. “Uh, you’re still coming right?”
“Rainbow Dash,” huffed Twilight , “I said no, and no it is!”
“Alright, alright,” said Rainbow Dash, annoyed. “If you didn't want to go, you should’ve just said no in the first place. Come on, Fluttershy; I bet I can beat you to the hill top over there!”
With that, Rainbow Dash sped on by, forcing the books to come crashing down off their shelves and onto the floor. This left Twilight very annoyed. She didn't know what to think of Rainbow Dash. Sometimes, she was patient and understanding, while other times, she was impatient and impulsive.
“I’m sorry Twilight,” Fluttershy apologized profusely. “Do you need me to help?”
“No, you go on,” said Twilight, obviously irked. “I needed to get my spring cleaning done anyways.”
Fluttershy was going to remind Twilight that spring had ended two months ago, but realized that wouldn't be appropriate to say for this situation.
“Well, I’ll see you later, then,” said Fluttershy, leaving the library.
“Remember to go back and tell Rarity about the blankets!” Twilight reminded Fluttershy.
“Will do,” Fluttershy announced, already out the door.
As she flew past the library and to the hill where she was to meet with Rainbow Dash, she couldn't help but a feel a little fuzzy. Like something was moving up and down her legs and flank. She glanced back to see that nothing was on her and decided to dismiss the feeling as a prank her mind was pulling on her.