My Little Draconequus: Wishing is Chaos

by taterforlife

Standing Ground

My Little Draconequus: Wishing is Chaos

Chapter Nine: Standing Ground

Chapter edited by and dedicated to MissytheAngle, who always supports me and gave me the confidence to publish this chapter. Thank you, Missy. Truly. You will always be acute to me.

It started with a whisper.

She didn’t actually say anything, but her lips moved with the suggestion of words. Words that no one could hear. No one but her butterflies, who didn’t need to hear her in order to listen.

The adolescent foals, on the other hand, did their best to hide their voices as they watched her from a distance.

“Can she really not talk?”

“My mom said she’s been mute since she was born.”

“So not only did Coach drag us to this completely boring place for no reason, but the mare who runs the place can’t even talk to us about it?”

“Ugh, this is so pointless. Why aren’t we in the field practicing? That would be a better use of our time!” a bright blue colt whined.

The others agreed more than enthusiastically, cheering the colt on. “Yeah, I think I’ll go right over to Coach Golden and give him a piece of my mind!”

“A piece of your mind, huh? Well go on then, I’m right here.”

The foals froze in fear at the sound of his voice, and the colt slowly turned around to face him, his earlier boldness gone.

There he stood, tall and bright, the sun rays cascading down on him through the glass roof of the butterfly house. The light made his coat shine like the sun itself, his cutie mark of a flaming chariot glittering on his flank. Under the gaze of such a stallion, the colt could see the glint of a challenge in his eyes, watching as his coach began to smirk.

“Well, go on, Stratos. Please, I’m psyched to hear it! Tell me about how this place is a waste of time for the class. I mean, it’s obvious that you think you can do my job better than I can, even though I’ve taught this class for only five years and I’m already the head of the gifted program! But go on, go.” He put a hoof on his cheek. “Enlighten me.”

Stratos scowled slightly as he heard a few classmates chuckle and stomped a hoof. “Fine, I’ll tell you! This place is stupid, coach! I mean, maybe if we were in an aviary with super cool fast birds or something, that would make sense, but a butterfly house?!” He waved his forelegs in the air. “What’s so great about butterflies? They’re not fast, they’re not strong, they’re not nothin’! Their wings are like, paper thin! They’re boring.”

His classmates were impressed with his gusto, and were quick to agree, making their coach furrow his brow.

“...You’re right, Stratos.”

His class gasped at his words. The coach actually agreed with him! That was unheard of. Stratos was the most surprised of them all. “I am?”

He nodded. “You are. After all…”

He held out a hoof, and a butterfly landed on his hoof. “They’re so fragile. So weak. Why, I could so easily hurt this creature, if I really wanted to.”

The brown mare, who had long stopped whispering to her winged beauties to listen to the conversation, looked worried. She slowly began making her way over to them, zeroing in on the stallion as he held one of her friends on his hoof.

“...But why would I? A butterfly has every right to the sky, just as I do. We both live our lives in the wind, setting our own course towards our goals. And besides, look at it!” He gestured towards it with his wing. “You think I could look that beautiful flying? Pffft. Have you seen my hair after handling a wind storm? Ha, I don’t think so.”

This got a laugh from the kids, and the stallion lightened up. The mare was only a few yards away from him. He caught a glimpse of her from the corner of his eye and turned to smile at her.

“Butterflies have their own kind of strength, anyway. They’re a big part of life despite their small size. They help flowers grow and give the world a splash of color, no matter how bleak things get in the world. Just because they’re weaker than us, different from us... doesn’t mean they don’t matter. And because they fly like we do…”

He turned and set the butterfly down on a flower. “We have to learn to share the sky with them. We have to share the sky with all flying creatures. Because there is no better place to be than the sky... none.”

He looked back at the mare. “And that’s why Miss Wing has been kind enough to let us visit her butterfly house. She’s the reason we have it; it’s the first one that Cloudsdale has ever had. She studies them. And I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty cool. Come over here, Miss Wing! Please, we wanna thank you.”

Whisper Wing’s eyes widened slightly and she blushed. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. No one had ever... appreciated her work the way he just did. Her fellow Pegasi hadn’t really understood why Cloudsdale had even needed a butterfly house. Most of them were too big-headed, believing it to be a waste of time. Even though it had been thousands of years since the First Hearth’s Warming, Pegasi still had an arrogant pride about them...so why worry about butterflies?

But this stallion...

She straightened her cargo vest, zipping it up as high as it would go, before going over to join him with a gentle smile on her face, her freckles bright orange as she stepped out from a canopy of greenery into the sun rays.

“Hi there, Miss Whisper,” the stallion greeted, offering her a hoof to shake. “I’m Coach Golden. Golden Chariot. Thank you so much for letting my little class of horrors,” he shot the class a teasing look, “visit today. They really needed this. Obviously.”

Whisper chuckled, and Golden couldn’t help but notice how lovely she looked while doing it. She happily gave him her hoof to shake, before a filly came up to them and looked at her.

“What butterfly is your cutie mark, miss?” she asked, glancing at the large orange and black butterfly on Whisper’s flank.

The butterfly keeper smiled wider and took a card out of her vest pocket and handed it to her.

My cutie mark is the likeness of a Monarch Butterfly. Did you know that these butterflies eat mainly milkweed? They eat it from the moment they’re born as larvae, and it gives their wings a toxin that makes them poisonous to predators if they’re eaten.

The foals all gathered around her as they took turns reading the card and were fascinated by what they read. They forgot the fact that their guide could not talk and were more impressed by her preparedness for it. She had a card for every question they had, it seemed, as if she could read their minds.

She showed them dozens of butterflies and taught them how to stand completely still and quiet, to whisper gentle greetings to befriend them and offer themselves as a place for them to perch.

She showed them milkweed, squeezing the leaves until a white substance emerged, causing the monarchs to land on her hoof and feed on the plants. She gave each student a small milkweed plant as a gift, explaining on a card to plant it somewhere the next time they visited the ground to help keep the butterflies thriving.

By the end of the day, the class had a change of heart in regards to the trip. Whisper had been an amazing teacher without speaking a single word, and the butterflies had mesmerized them. And watching the way they flew gave them encouragement to fly as gracefully as they did, so perhaps they one day could be just as eye-catching as a butterfly.

“Well guys, what do we say?” Chariot asked after they all packed their saddlebags, their milkweed plants safely tucked inside them.

“Thank you, Miss Whisper!” they chanted, making her blush and smile sweetly at them, with a nod.

She pulled out a blank card with a pen in her mouth and wrote: It was my pleasure! If you’d like to come back, I actually have some other winged friends I could bring along to introduce you to. I can’t communicate with them like I can with butterflies, but I befriend them all the same.

She tapped her chin and added as an afterthought: If Coach Chariot approves, of course. She raised a brow at him, slightly smirking as the foals suddenly surrounded him.

“Can we?! Can we, Coach?”

“I wanna see some birds!”

“And Miss Whisper is so cool!”

“We’ll practice extra hard the rest of the week, we promise.”

Coach returned her smirk after glancing at her for a moment. “Well, perhaps we could make this a weekly thing. That is, if Miss Whisper has enough friends to occupy you for so many classes.”

Her next card simply said: You have no idea. Come the same day next week. I’ll have everything ready by then.

And so, it became a daily class for them, on every Friday of the week. Chariot would bring them to the butterfly house, and Whisper would have a brand new set of cards each time, and some new friends for them to meet—birds, flying bugs, even a flying squirrel at one point, just to show them that they didn’t really fly.

At first, the other coaches scoffed at Chariot for wasting so much class time with the field trips. He was the head coach of the advanced classes, and he was hampering his students’ progress, keeping them from reaching their full potential until it was too late.

But after about three months, his students weren’t just improving—they were dominating over the other advanced classes, and had needed less instruction from their coach than ever. The other coaches were astounded.

But in response to the shock, Golden Chariot would merely shrug witha smile and say: “She shows them how different birds and insects fly; it helps them with their own technique, and I don’t have to do a thing.”

By the end of the year, it wasn’t just his class taking trips—all the advanced classes began visiting the butterfly house, and learned all they could from Whisper Wing and her flying friends. And soon enough, the other classes were improving too.

They were all so impressed that at the end of the last trip of the school year, Chariot had a proposition to make.

“They want to hire you and make you a teacher. What you’ve done for the foals is incredible. Showing them your friends do more than what I originally set out to do. They’re not just more aware, they’re flying better than ever before. You could have your own class, and we’d move your butterfly house to the campus to make things easier. What do you say?”

He grinned at her, hoping beyond hope that she would accept. He had grown quite fond of her—
the way she spoke without saying a thing, the way she did everything gracefully and gently. She expressed herself in ways that words never could, and Golden Chariot had never met anypony like her. She had grown to be one of his friends, and to actually work together? A dream come true.

But she seemed hesitant, and his ears swiveled back against his head. “What? What’s wrong? You...don’t want the job? Is it the money? We can offer more, we—”

She put a hoof to his mouth to shut him up, before grabbing a stick and writing in the dirt on the ground.

Can you move the house without harming the butterflies?

He blinked. “Oh!” He grinned excitedly. “Yes, no problem! I can get my best graduated students to help fly it over and—” He stopped, watching her shake her head, making words soundlessly with her lips. “What? What do you mean that won’t work? Of course it will, it’s safe enough. I don’t know why—”

If we could get some unicorns up here…

“Unicorns? What do we need unicorns for?” he sniffed. “We Pegasi can do it all on our own. There’s no need to—”

She shot him a warning look. She had known him long enough to know that while he was never outright rude to what he called ‘grounder ponies’, he had a bias towards his own kind. She was working with him on it, but times like these made it harder.

Unicorns can move it even more safely with magic than Pegasi can with wings. They can do well enough to move it without me having to relocate my butterflies somewhere else until it’s moved. If you can’t, then I won’t take the offer.

“What! But Wisp…” he groaned, calling her his nickname. But Whisper was a pony that didn’t change her mind once a decision was made, and he knew better not to argue. He sighed. “Fine... we’ll get some unicorns up here,” he groaned. “Any other demands before you can take the job? Because I gotta tell ya, if you don’t take it, the school board will say it’s my fault and have my head.”

She gave a tiny smile and wrote one more message. Will I see you more if I do?

His heart jumped at the unexpected question. “You mean...you want to spend more time with...with me?”

She gave a small giggle, a sound that made his ears flicker, and she leaned forward and nuzzled his cheek for a moment before stepping back and nodding a yes, smiling sweetly at him.

“I…” His face felt like it was on fire. “... I’d like that.”

---

And so Whisper became a teacher at the flight academy. It was a bit rocky for her as she tried learning to work with other ponies she didn’t know. Her inability to talk made it awkward at first as she tried to make friends. Many ponies scoffed at her and accused her at being ‘inept’ at her job, but she continued on and did her best to make it work. She made a friend in a teacher named Comet Tail, who knew Chariot well and was willing to work with Whisper when nopony else did. With Comet and Chariot, she was able to gain more respect as time went on, and soon enough, communication got easier with her.

Thankfully the school allowed her to choose her own office as a part of the job offer. She didn’t hesitate to choose the one next to Chariot’s, and from then on, they spent nearly all their free time together. But between work and other hobbies, it wasn’t as much as they would have liked. As a result, they started a tradition of writing to each other about their day when they were busy, about what happened during work or anything else going on during their week. Each time they did, they left it in each other’s offices, on their desk.

Several months after Whisper Wing took on her new job, Chariot received a very special letter from her. It was evening, and classes had ended. The students were set to compete in a day of races against other flight schools from around all of Equestria, and he was working them hard, giving them each individual attention and doing his best to keep them motivated, but he was exhausted. And stressed. He needed coffee.

He brewed a cup and went to his desk to sit and was surprised to find the letter there. He knew from his name on the envelope that it was from Whisper, but normally she left him letters after he left work, giving him something to read in the morning unless she saw him afterward. This was new.

He opened the letter and began to read.

Dear Golden Chariot,

I wish I could tell you what happened throughout my day, but the truth is, I really can’t recall much. I did the normal things of course—took care of my butterflies, taught a lesson (today was hummingbirds), watered the plants...But I can’t give you specifics.

And the reason for that is because today, all I could really think about while doing all those things...was you. No matter what I did, all I could think about was you, and the day I met you. I remember the first time you visited with your class and a butterfly landed on your hoof. I heard you talk about how butterflies were important, about how they matter despite how ‘weak’ they seem, even though they aren’t weak at all. That meant so much to me, and I never told you that. We Pegasi are such a proud race, and so many of them don’t care about the other creatures of the sky. But thanks to you, we can change that. You know what I was trying to do. And I was so happy hearing that. I never thought anypony would understand that, or understand me.

You do.

I’m coming in early tomorrow before school starts. And I wouldn’t mind if you came in early too, just so you could come visit me in my office and kiss me.

I wouldn’t mind that at all.

Love,
Whisper Wing

He did just that.

Six months later, he proposed to her. Six months after that, they married.

---

Two years passed.

Things were going well for them. They continued to teach at the flight academy, each with increased wages thanks to the fact that the academy was going into its third year in a row as the top school in the nation for flying. Things were going so well, that they eventually decided they wanted to have a foal.

It took them a while, to the point where Chariot was very nearly afraid that something was wrong with him. But a few months after Hearts and Hooves Day, his wife came home from the doctor’s with the good news. She was pregnant.

At first, everything went well. The doctor’s visits had positive results, and Whisper did everything as she needed to, sticking to a healthy diet and not overexerting herself. She hired an assistant to help with her classes and took over for her when she started her pregnancy leave.

She had been pregnant for about ten months when she started showing signs of issues. She woke up one morning to wet sheets, only to find that she had been expelling milk from her teats. That’s not supposed to happen, she lip-synced to Chariot when he woke beside her, her eyes wide with fear. I shouldn’t be expelling milk yet.

Golden Chariot did not hesitate. “The doctor. Now. Let’s go.”

He was a wreck when they arrived at the hospital. What if something was wrong with Whisper? What if she was sick? Would she be all right? Was the foal okay? What if there was more wrong with her than just the milk, and she was at risk of abortion, or worse?

A nurse, an elderly dark green Earth mare named Fertile Fields, found him pacing and biting fervently at his hooves, his mane and tail frazzled and his coat brushed unevenly. “Nurse Fertile!” he exclaimed, rushing to her and practically shoving his muzzle into her face. “What is it? Is she all right? Will my wife be okay?”

“Calm down, Chariot, please…”

“No, you calm up! That’s my wife in there! With my kid! She told me, she... she told me that it wasn’t normal! Please tell me she was wrong, tell me that it’s all fine and—”

Fertile stomped the ground. “Buck up, stallion, good grief! Your wife needs you, she’s giving birth now!”

His eyes grew so big they seemed to take up half his head. “What? But she’s not due for another two—”

She grabbed his face before he could finish. “You think we don’t know that? Young stallion, it’s placentitis! The infection caused an early delivery.”

“Is—?!?”

She shoved her hoof over his mouth to shut him up. “You must stay calm, Chariot. You don’t want to stress your wife nor the foal during the delivery. It could affect the outcome in a big way. Do you understand me, young stallion?”

He nodded; it was all he could do.

“Good. Now take a deep breath and give your wife the support she needs.”

---

“You’re doing awesome, honey, really great...I love you, I love you so much...You’ll be okay, I promise…” He tried not to cry.

Whisper was happy her husband was there, clutching her hoof in his own. She had been terrified. She was worried about her baby, the foal the two of them had wanted for so long. There had been a time where she didn’t think anypony would want a foal with her, and now that she was, she wanted it more than anything. She couldn’t lose her baby now, and was determined to push on despite her fears.

It only took about thirty minutes until the foal came out. It was tiny; quiet. The coat was overly silky and short, and it seemed to be struggling for air. It was put onto a gurney with an oxygen tank and rushed off to the ICU before Chariot could do more than glance at her.

Whisper wished she could shout for her baby, but no one could hear her.

---

She was under a heating lamp, with various tubes and wires attached all around her.

“It’s not as critical as it could be. She doesn’t have a suckling reflex, but her bones aren’t as underdeveloped as we feared. There have been cases where they weren’t ossified at all,” Nurse Fertile explained.

Whisper nodded her head, but her eyes didn’t leave her foal. She had felt fine when she woke up after delivering, and had demanded to see the filly with the determination of a wild bull. And the doctor didn’t try too hard to fight her. For a silent mare, her eyes were louder than a siren, and she was likely capable of setting the entire hospital on fire.

Chariot, on the other hand, raised a brow at the nurse, asking for clarification.

“They’ve not completely hardened yet. The bones start out as cartilage and harden into bone once the foal is ready to be born. Earlier she tried to crawl.” Fertile smiled. “She’s too weak for it now, but she tried her darned hardest, that’s for sure. We had to catch her before she fell. She’s a warrior, that one.”

He smiled at that, and looked back at his beautiful little filly. “And her wings?”

Fertile fought to roll her eyes. “They’re still softer than they should be, and they’re drying. The heat lamp is helping. But Mr. Chariot, I hope you understand... I know flying is important to you, but your filly—”

“As long as her wings will dry out and form normally, then that’s all I’m worried about,” he countered. “She’ll fly just fine. She’s a warrior, after all. My little warrior…” He looked at her fondly. “My little…” His eyes widened and he looked back at Whisper. “Wait; we haven’t named her yet!”

Whisper didn’t seem to hear him. She was too lost in her own thoughts as she stared at the fragile yellow filly surrounded in glass.

My angel. My precious foal. I already love you so much. And here I didn’t think that love at first sight existed... She stroked the glass, wishing she could hold her and press kisses all over her sweet face.

My Fluttershy…

“Whisper? Honey? Honey, I asked you a question…”

---

They took Fluttershy home after two weeks. She was finally crawling and was able to suck on a bottle with some assistance. Her wings were dry, and her body was able to regulate its own temperature without a heating lamp.

She was still weaker and clumsier than she should have been. She couldn’t walk for very long, and she couldn’t hold a bottle on her own like most could.

But they didn’t care. They were just so happy that she was okay.

And little Fluttershy had plenty of visitors, most of them being past and present students of the school. Everyone agreed that she was a sweet young thing. And so quiet. Even when she cried, her voice was soft. The only time she ever really cried was if somepony tried separating her from her mother without warning. Whisper herself had a hard time separating from her baby, afraid that perhaps somepony would drop her, or squeeze her too tightly, or Celestia forbid, shake her. The only one she trusted to hold Fluttershy at first was her husband, and Chariot often had to take the foal from her to hand her to somepony else. Fluttershy would cry at this, but with her mother nearby, she would eventually calm down and relax.

On Fluttershy’s first trip to the butterfly house, the butterflies were ecstatic to see their pony keeper again after so long, and even more excited to meet her foal.

They were so excited that Whisper had to place Fluttershy on the floor so they could greet her properly. The first one landed on her nose, tickling her snout. Then another on her ear. One more on her leg... and another, and another, and another…

“Whisper, can’t you tell them to knock it off?” Chariot said, getting nervous. “We don’t want her to get upset and—”

But he was interrupted by the sweetest sound—a gentle, high-pitched giggle, from a foal so covered with butterflies that only her eyes could be seen, along with the outline of her body.

She laughed, and she smiled, and she had never looked happier as the butterflies softly kissed her, their wings brushing against her, softer than flower petals.

“She’s definitely yours, that’s for sure,” her father laughed. “A natural butterfly expert.”

But Whisper was too happy, too overjoyed by the scene before her, to laugh along.She had been nervous to bring Fluttershy to the butterfly house, afraid that the butterflies wouldn’t accept her. But that had been all for naught. Proud tears gathered in her eyes, and Chariot smiled softly before giving her a soft kiss, making her close her eyes, and the tears ran freely down her face.

Fluttershy followed the butterflies. Her first friends.

“Buff-fly!”

Her first word.

---

Little Fluttershy grew into a master of communication, verbal and non, by the time she was eight.

She was always quiet, however, and when it was just her and her mother, she didn’t speak at all. The two could have a whole conversation without saying a word. Fluttershy could read her mother’s lips as well as her father, perhaps even better, and they spoke in much more than just yes’s and no’s.

Which is your favorite butterfly, Fluttershy? She asked as she tended to the butterfly weeds.

Fluttershy only made a small ‘o’ with her mouth as she shook her head viciously to and fro. Translation: I could never choose a favorite! She pointed to her mother, then back to herself. I’m just like you, remember?

Her mother laughed. How could I forget?

She hid behind her hair, looking nervous. Translation: But that’s okay, right, mama...?

Whisper scooped her daughter into her forearms, nuzzling her lovingly and kissing her on the forehead. Of course it’s okay, sweetheart. It doesn’t matter to me, as long as you’re you. Because that’s all you should ever be, honey. You.

Fluttershy blushed, and bit her lip. To Whisper, this meant: But I don’t know who I am.

She smiled. You don’t know who you are yet because you’re only six. You’re too young to worry about that. All that matters… She touched Fluttershy’s chest softly, right over her heart. ...is this. This right here. Your heart. You have a big heart, sweetie. And you must always remember to listen to it.

Fluttershy cocked her head. She tapped her head, and mouthed the word ‘daddy’.

Whisper scoffed. It’s good to listen to your head, but sometimes your heart is the one who knows best. Daddy just says that to you because he wants you to protect your heart from getting hurt. That’s what daddies do.

Her daughter titled her head even more, and pointed to her. But what about you? Aren’t you worried about my heart too?

Her mother surprised her with her answer. Not at all. A heart that’s truly broken doesn’t work—and a heart that doesn’t work doesn’t care for anypony.

She reached out with a hoof and a Monarch landed on her. Fluttershy smiled as her mother touched hooves with her so it could climb up the filly’s foreleg and onto her withers.

But hearts don’t really break; they crack, but they don’t fall apart. They are stronger than butterfly wings. They are what makes YOU strong. Your heart is your biggest weapon. You will grow up to be a mare that will never stop loving, Fluttershy. You already fought for your life the moment you were born, and you made it. And ever since then, you have always been strong.

Fluttershy raised a brow at her, and Whisper laughed. Don’t look at me that way. It’s true! You may not be strong physically, but you are not weak. She lifted her daughter’s chin to look at her. Remember that. No matter what anypony tells you. You are strong. Say it.

Her eyes widened, and she pointed to her lips.

Yes, out loud. Say it; say ‘I am strong’.

“......”

Whisper made a show of pretending to yawn, opening her mouth wide and patting her hoof repeatedly against her mouth.

“...I-I’m strong…”

That wasn’t very convincing.

“I’m strong...”

Louder.

“I’m strong.”

LOUDER!

“I’M STRONG!”

The butterfly flew away in a panic at Fluttershy’s sudden outburst, and the filly blushed and covered her mouth, embarrassed.

She and her mother looked at each other.

And both burst into laughter.

---

Her relationship with her father was not quite as harmonious.

“Daddy, yay!” She scrambled to the door as he got home. He had worked late after school hours writing up progress reports and didn’t get home until mid-evening.

“Fluttershy!” he exclaimed, his tired eyes lighting up at the sight of his little filly. “How’s my favorite ace?” He opened his arms wide and Fluttershy jumped right into them. “Did you stay up just to see me?”

She flushed happily and gave a tiny nod. “Uh-huh. And I made you some tea; it’s in the kitchen.”

“Awww, thanks pal,” he said, kissing her right between the eyes before putting her back down. “Did you do your wing exercises today?”

Oh no. She had been so excited to see him that she had forgotten to prepare for that question. “Um…”

“You’ll be going to flight school in two years, you know. It’s important that you start early so you can get into the advanced school. The stronger your wings are, the better!” He patted her on the withers.

She ducked behind her long bangs and looked away. “I... I tried…”

His smile vanished and he froze in bewilderment before raising a brow, deep lines forming between his eyes. “You mean you tried, or you gave up?”

“I…”

“How many times did you flex them?”

“Um…” Her face turned hot and she started to feel clammy. Her father’s gaze pierced right through her like an x-ray, right to her soul. “...T-T-T…”

Her father began to smile. “Twenty? Oh, hey, that’s not too bad. Just ten more and you’ll be caught up with Rainbow Blaze’s little girl.”

She swung her hoof back and forth against the floor. “Um, D-Daddy…?”

But Golden Chariot put a hoof to his chin, ignoring her. “What was her name again..? Rainbow Flash? Nonono, it was...Dash! Rainbow Dash!” He grinned. “She’s the same age as you, you know. You should meet her. I know you struggle making friends, but trust me, you two are going to end up spending a lot of time together in flight school…”

This was the problem with her father. When it came to flying, her father could talk non-stop for hours, never letting anyone else get a word in. Most of the time, Fluttershy was okay with this. Teaching others to fly was his passion—he was the chariot that carried young Pegasi towards their dreams, who supported them until they were ready to go off on their own to meet their own horizons. She loved to watch him whenever he talked of his work at the university and his students’ progress. It made his eyes twinkle. He had an intense passion for what he did, and Fluttershy would always find herself excited for him whenever he had a success story to share.

But when it came to her own skills, she just wanted to run away so she didn’t have to listen to him anymore. It was too much. Too much pressure, too many expectations.

“Daddy…”

“She would be a great influence on you. We’ll have to set up a playdate, and she can show you how she does it. With her help, I’m sure you’ll be able to—”

“I didn’t do twenty!” she shouted. It startled herself more than it did her father, her front hooves over her mouth as she looked up at him warily.

He stopped and leaned down closer to her. It was at such an angle that it looked like one eye was closer to her than the other, as if he were giving her the stinkeye. “What do you mean?” His voice was low and suspicious. Like his daughter was a criminal-in-hiding. Like she did something wrong.

She gulped, but nothing went down. Her mouth felt dry, and her throat was tight. She had already known that this would happen. She had been silly to think it would go any other way. She should have just gone to bed. At least then she wouldn’t have to feel like this until morning.

“T-T-Twelve…”

She watched his face, but it was blank. No emotion.

“Twelve. You could only flex your wings twelve times.” His voice filled her with shame, despite how flat it was.

Her whole entire body seemed to sag, her head facing the floor and her hair touching the ground. “I-I’m sorry…”

“You’re sorry.” He stated it like it was a fact.

“... Yes…”

“For what?” Now his voice was harder, his mouth a hard line against his face, like a single slash of a thick black marker. “For not trying? For being lazy?”

Her head whipped back up at his accusations. “N-No! Daddy, I—”

“I’ve told you time and time again, Fluttershy, that there are no excuses for not practicing!” he barked, slamming a single hoof against the floor. “You’re behind because you don’t do it enough. You just do it when you feel like it. As if flying isn’t important to you. But you’re a Pegasus, Fluttershy. This is what we’re built for!”

Her eyes grew shiny and her father felt a smidge of guilt as he noticed the tears building up, but he held firm. He lectured with his students like this all the time, and this was no different. She had to learn.

“I-I-I…!” Her voice was cracking and she wanted to run to her mother. Her mother would understand. She always understood. Her mother always let her be whatever she wanted to be. She wouldn’t even have to say anything to her, because she would know. She always knew. Especially when her dad was like this. When she felt like a failure.

A hoof softly touched her back, and she looked over. Her mother was there, like an angel, smiling down on her.

She pointed to the stairs, her signal for It’s time to go to bed.

“Wait, Whisper, I’m not finished talking to her yet,” her father said. “This is important, she needs to learn that—”

She shot him a glare that made him freeze. He didn’t speak another word as Whisper knelt down to give Fluttershy a tender hug. Fluttershy returned the hug with as tight a squeeze as she could muster, lingering there for a moment and burying her face into her neck. Whisper felt warm tears on her coat, and let her stay there until the tears were dry. Fluttershy did her best not to cry around her father. She didn’t want to give him any more reason to think her weak than he already believed.

When she was ready, she gave her mother a kiss, and looked to her father, asking him the silent question of whether he would say goodnight or not. Whisper’s eyes were hazel warning lights behind her.

“... Goodnight, Fluttershy.” He wrapped a hoof around her neck and gave her a quick nuzzle. “We’ll talk about this later.”

She nuzzled back hesitantly and kissed his cheek. “Yes, Daddy...Goodnight.”

She went up the stairs towards bed.

Towards being the key word. She was quiet in all ways, hoofsteps included. She wasn’t normally an eavesdropper, but she wanted to know what was happening. She knew they were about to talk about her. She just knew it. Her father had lectured her so many times over the past year about preparing for flight school, and the burden he was putting on her was getting heavier and heavier. And her mother knew that.

She needed to hear this.

“Stop looking at me like that, Whisper. I’m only doing this for her own good.”

Fluttershy sat at an angle where she could still see her mother’s mouth, and watched them carefully. Anypony could see just by Whisper’s face that she was angry. Maybe even furious.

For her own good or for yours? She’s not built like other Pegasi are, Chariot. You know that.

“She doesn’t look any different from other Pegasi that I can see,” he said firmly. It seemed that her mother’s looks weren’t intimidating him as much as they had before. “You’re just using that as an excuse. Why aren’t you helping me with this? She’d practice more if you were there with her. She needs encouragement!”

Fluttershy had to stop herself from gasping as she swore she heard her mother growl, jabbing a hoof into her own chest. I was with her when she practiced. And if I hadn’t stopped her at twelve, she would have hurt herself! And as her mother, I just can’t let that happen.

“You’re the reason she stopped at twelve?” His mouth stood agape before he himself grew angry. “Her goal was thirty. And even then, I would have accepted twenty. You’re being too easy on her, Whisper! She has to learn—”

This time Whisper stomped her hoof on the ground. Fluttershy’s heart raced as she continued to watch from the top of the stairs. She had never seen her mother so angry before.

Her wings looked like they were ready to fall off of her back by the time she hit ten! I should have stopped her sooner, I was so worried about her! She was so sore afterwards that I put a heat pad on her so she could relax. She did her best, and you’re making her feel shame for something that isn’t her fault. And I will not let you do that to my daughter.

“She’s our daughter, Whisper, not just yours. Ours. And everypony gets sore after doing exercises they’re not used to. She has to fight through it.”

And what if she doesn’t want to?

Fluttershy really did gasp at that, unable to stop herself this time. Luckily for her, nopony appeared to hear it. She wondered if her mother’s words rang in her dad’s head, too. She didn’t think either of them expected that, but she was secretly glad that they were said.

Because the truth was... she didn’t want to. She didn’t care about flying. All she really wanted to do was play with butterflies all day. Be a butterfly. She was certain she could at least one day learn to fly like a butterfly. And that would be more than good enough for her.

She and her father just didn’t care about the same things, but he wanted her to. But she never wanted to tell him.

What happened as a result was a hard laugh from Golden Chariot. “Hah! That’s crazy, Whisper. Of course she wants to. She’s my daughter, isn’t she? And I’m her father. And I make flying pros out of all the Pegasi I teach.”

Now her mother just looked tired, though the anger was still there. It had just dulled somewhat, like an old knife. She wasn’t looking to cut his nonsense out anymore. She knew that nothing would come out of it. Not yet, anyway.

She’s not your student, Chariot. She’s your daughter. And she needs you to love her no matter what she can or cannot do. You need to accept her as she is…

She turned away and Fluttershy swore she saw her glance up the staircase.

She turned one more time to look at her husband. ...Just as you accepted me. She left the room.

Fluttershy began to hope.

---

Her father began to find a little bit of time, every day, to help Fluttershy with her exercises. He was much more understanding and patient with her at first. He saw firsthand just how difficult it was for her to do the exercises. With her wing-ups, she would only reach to five before she started trembling, and by ten she was sweating.

“I had no idea it was this bad, ace,” he said, patting her and handing her a moist towel to cool her face with. “I’m really sorry about that. But don’t worry.” He put a hoof on her and cracked a smile. “We’ll go at your pace, and with my help, you’ll improve in no time. By the time you start your first year at flight school, everypony will know just by your skills whose daughter you are.”

Fluttershy just gulped and slowly nodded.

She really did try to improve to please her father. It was one of the few things she could do to try and make him proud of her. Sometimes, she would lay awake at night, staring at the glow-in-the-dark butterflies plastered on her bedroom ceiling, and worry about what would happen if she didn’t improve. Would her father not love her anymore?

Maybe if she had been born just a little bit later, she would have been fine. She had known ever since she was old enough to understand that she was a bit weaker than most because of her untimely entrance into the world. Her parents had always assured her that it didn’t matter to them, but lately, it seemed like only her mother meant it.

And making her father proud was her only motivation for torturing herself with wing exercises. In all honesty, she didn’t really care about flying, at least not so well that she’d make a life out of it. But what she did want was her father’s approval. She and her mother always went to the competitions that Golden Chariot’s students took part in to support him; which meant that she would watch her father out in the field with his class as he gave directions and pumped them up for whatever task laid ahead of them.

And his class almost always won. It was no secret that Golden Chariot was one of the best flight school coaches in Equestria, if not the best. No matter how many times they won, however, he and his students would celebrate as if it was the biggest victory in the world, and Fluttershy watched every time. Her father always looked happiest after a win, hugging and cheering and noogie-ing his students, lavishing them in praise and looking so proud. She even saw him cry tears of liquid pride a few times, if the competition had been particularly challenging or high-tier.

But with whatever Fluttershy did, whether it was successfully raising her very own caterpillars into butterflies, or breaking her personal record of consecutive wing-ups in a single session... he never looked at her like that.

He would congratulate her and pat her on the back before moving her onto the next thing. It would take five, maybe ten seconds, and then he’d be done. After that, he just pushed her further.

She wanted so desperately to be a daughter he could be proud of, just like his students. But she hated the exercises. It made her sore and sweaty and by the time it was over each day, she would need at least thirty minutes to recuperate. Whisper Wing would always coo at her and praise her for her hard work, and try her best to make Chariot let up on the training, but he insisted that the pain was normal, that he had gone through the same thing himself as a young colt and that there was nothing to worry about.

But her father’s level of patience with her was never the same each day. There were days where he didn’t have much of it at all.

He certainly didn’t much of it on the day when his daughter came up to him and Whisper with a book in her forelegs against her chest.

“Mama, Daddy? I-I got a really wonderful book at the schoolhouse today. It’s Miss Horizon’s book, but she brings them into class for us to look at sometimes during free time. She saw that I liked this one so much that she let me take it home, and well…” She bit her lip, trying to think of how to bring this up.

Her father chuckled. “So then what’s the matter, Ace?” He reached a hoof out. “What book is it? It can’t be that bad if it belongs to your teacher, right? Let’s see.”

Reluctantly, she handed it to him, and he looked at the cover while Whisper leaned over to see it on his lap.

“Life is Wild: An Animal Encyclopedia for Foals,” he read out loud, and smiled. “Neat. Did you look up E for Eagle? I always loved those birds, let’s look for it…”

“Oh, but um, I’ve already read every page, Daddy. A-And I only brought it up because... it reminded me of something.”

“Oh yeah?” He closed the book and handed it to his wife, who wanted to leaf through it herself. “What’s that, kiddo?”

Fluttershy felt her throat tighten. They were smiling, and her mother put the book aside to look at later, giving her daughter her full attention just as her father was. For some reason, she felt that this question was a risk, but wasn’t sure why. But she had to know.

“Why have we never been on land before?”

Her father stiffened, and Fluttershy knew at that moment that she shouldn’t have asked.

He confused her by laughing, putting a hoof to his mouth as he chuckled. “Why haven’t we ever been on land? Hah, isn’t it obvious, sweetie? We don’t need to be on the ground.” He got off the couch to stand before his daughter and spread out his wings. “We’ve got these, remember? The sky is where we belong. Land is for the Earth ponies and Unicorns. Not Pegasi.”

“Not even to visit?”

Another laugh. “Well, I mean, sure, every Pegasi gets a reason eventually to go down there. But not for very long. I know I don’t like it there. It feels so limited, to have the ground underneath your hooves. And personally, it makes me feel heavier, like gravity is stronger down there or something. And dirt is definitely not the same as walking on a nice cozy cloud.”

She bit her lip again. “But...a-aren’t there Pegasi who... who live on the ground?” She looked up innocently at her father.

His smile was gone, and Whisper was quick to intervene. Don’t you start, she warned him with her eyes. It’s a perfectly logical question, she mouthed.

Fluttershy felt a rush of relief at the sight of her mother smiling down at her, rather than her father’s cold stare that still remained from behind. Luckily, her mother’s head blocked it out as she spoke to her. There are many Pegasi who live on the ground. Some of them really love living there. Just like these animals do. She reached for the book and opened it to a random page. Do you want to go down there and see them one day?

Fluttershy gasped. “Oh my goodness, yes! Could we, Mama?” She reared on her back legs and folded her front ones against her mother’s chest. “Could we please? Because I had no idea that there were so many cute things there! Like…” She got off her mom and turned the the S-section. “Squirrels! A-And…” She turned to the R’s. “Rabbits, and rats! And jackalopes and mice and bears and cats and dogs and all sorts of other creatures! They all look so cute, Mama. I want to go see them!”

Whisper had never seen such excitement in Fluttershy before, and she felt her heart squeeze in joy at seeing her daughter express so much passion for something. The ground could be dangerous, but as long as she was there to protect Fluttershy, then it was a risk she could take. Of course, sweetheart, we can definitely…

A loud thump made the floor shake. Whisper whipped her head back in surprise at Chariot, whose mouth was twisted into a snarl. Fluttershy had never seen him look so angry before.

“No. Absolutely not.”

Whisper slanted her brows angrily at him and stamped a hoof back. Stop it, Golden Chariot. This is not the time nor place…

“It’s the perfect time and place, Whisper!” he countered, poking her in the chest. “Now I don’t mind if our daughter has a fondness for animals and reading about them, but it’s time she learned that there is a place for everything in this world, and that Pegasi do not belong on the ground.”

She batted his hoof off of her. You don’t get to decide that, Chariot! She can do what she wants when she’s old enough!

“And until then, I’m going to teach her how things are and then she’ll make the right decision when she IS old enough. It’s for her own good.”

You don’t KNOW what’s good for her, Chariot!

“I am her father, Whisper. I know exactly what’s good for her!” He passed her and towered over Fluttershy. “Look at me, Fluttershy. Look at me. You’re not in trouble. But you have to understand something very important.”

Fluttershy glanced at her mother, who shook her head no. Listen, but don’t pay attention, she mouthed. He’s wrong.

“Fluttershy, look at me, not your mother.”

“Y-Yes Daddy...” She obeyed. Her father looked calmer now, but she still didn’t like how he stood before her. He was tense and his eyes were intense, as if they were boring down on her.

“It’s great that you like animals and find them cute, but you have no need to go and see them. That’s what the books are for. The only ones you need to worry about are the animals that fly with you, the ones you share the sky with. Just like your mother does.”

In Fluttershy’s peripheral vision, she could see her mother shaking her head again. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

“You are a Pegasus, Fluttershy. You are a part of the skies, the heavens. To be on the ground is to live beneath your full potential. You don’t make the clouds rain, but you get rained on instead. We Pegasi are proud ponies, Fluttershy. To leave us, and go live on the ground… it’s the biggest insult you could ever make against your own kind.”

Fluttershy felt dizzy, her breathing getting short and heavy, her heart racing.

“And my daughter will not be that way. You are not to go down there while you are living in this house. And that’s all there is to it. Now go to your room. I think you need some time to think about what I’ve said.”

He didn’t need to tell her twice. She was already sobbing and running up the stairs before Whisper could stop her.

She cried so loud that she didn’t even hear her mother come in. But her eyes were too busy leaking to read her mother’s lips, so Whisper just held her. When her tears had subsided, her mother gently lifted her chin up.

Your father was raised in a family that’s very prejudiced against anything that’s on the ground...including other ponies. He’s nice to them, but he thinks that everypony has their place, and that they should stay in it. And for him, Pegasi should be in the sky, and nopony else.

“So it’s b-bad to go to the g-ground? Even for just a day? That seems just...just...!” Fluttershy shook her head, not sure how to finish her sentence. There was a hint of anger in her voice and expression, but Whisper was pleased by it. She wanted her to feel that way.

Whisper shook her head. No. It’s not. Your father took it too far. He always does. I’ve been trying for years to get him to see the wrong in what he things, but he’s stubborn and proud. I love him very much, but I could not disagree with him more on this.

Fluttershy was amazed. “But I-I thought...th-that you liked everything about Daddy.”

Her mother silently giggled. No one is flawless, sweetie. Your daddy drives me mad sometimes, but I do love him. He may not understand that we’re all ponies, whether we’re skybound or not, but he is, underneath it all, a good pony who wants to help others meet their dreams. And he always cared about the butterflies. She winked at Fluttershy. And you know how much that matters to me.

Fluttershy giggled despite herself. “A-And he doesn’t mind that we’re quiet, either…”

Whisper grinned. No, though sometimes I wish he were a little quieter.

This made the two of them burst out in light titters, hugging and laughing until the moment passed, and Fluttershy yawned with heavy eyelids. Whisper picked her little filly up and opened the covers, slipping her into bed. She kissed her forehead and nuzzled her face, but Fluttershy reached out and gingerly touched her mane before she could turn away.

“Mama, I really wanna go to the ground, but I don’t want Daddy to hate me.”

Her mother swiftly turned to stare at her daughter with wide eyes and an open mouth. While she knew that Fluttershy wanted to prove herself to her father, she never thought that her daughter feared of a day where her father hated her. She came to her daughter’s side and stroked her face.

He will never hate you, sweetie, Whisper insisted. You’re his baby. That will never happen. And I promise you, Fluttershy… She took her daughter’s hoof and laid it over her heart.

One day, I will take you to see the ground.

---

Over the next year, Fluttershy started to grow. A lot.

It was as if her body, once so small and underdeveloped, decided to take a year to catch up with nine years of developmental delay. It happened so fast that it worried her parents, especially Whisper, but the doctor had assured them it was normal. It seemed like one day, Fluttershy was tiny and frail, and the next day, she was tall and extremely awkward looking. She was thin and gangly, with a long neck and long legs, and her head seemed to be the biggest part of her entire body.

This made her clumsier than she used to be, and she seemed to tower over all her classmates at the schoolhouse, which only made it harder for her to go about the school day without being noticed. It also didn’t help that while her body was changing, the rest of her wasn’t. She was still shy and quiet, with no idea on how to make friends with foals. Like her mother, she was a homebody, and didn’t go no playdates. And unlike other foals, Whisper did not let Fluttershy go into town on her own. If Fluttershy ever went into town, it was to run errands with her mother. And she still had no cutie mark, while a lot of her classmates were beginning to get theirs.

And of course, it made exercising with her dad harder as well, especially with flight school looming so near. While her father grew more excited at the thought of his daughter going to flight school, she dreaded it. She didn’t need to try flying to know that it wouldn’t come easy to her. But her father was so confident in her future success that she never had the heart nor the nerve to tell him that.

On her ninth birthday, her father gave her white, red-striped sweatbands—one for each of her legs, and one for her head. “They’re the same brand and style as the ones I had when I was your age. Oh, Fluttershy, just you wait.” He put a foreleg around his daughter, who was desperately trying to look thrilled by the gift. “By the time you’re flyin’ high in the deep cerulean sky, those sweatbands will be brown from years of practice, a symbol of all the hard work you put in to become the flyer you’re meant to be. Why, I even still have mine, though it’s far from being white and red anymore.” He laughed at his own joke, while Fluttershy scrunched her nose and her mother stuck her tongue out in disgust.

But on the night before flight school started, Fluttershy sat on her bed, with her new sweatbands adorned on her lanky legs and her slightly large forehead, looking out the window at the moon. Fluttershy swore that the moon was colored in such a way that it looked as if there was a unicorn’s face on it. At first, it spooked her, but then she had started to see the Unicorn as a sort of guardian—somepony she could talk to besides her mother, somepony to whisper her secrets to, without worry of having them spilled.

Somepony to pray to.

“Please please please let me just get through school. Please let me learn to fly, and make Dad proud…” Her fears were so great that she could feel her eyes welling up with tears, a result of the anxiety bubbling in her stomach. Two teardrops fell and stained her comforter, but those were all she needed to feel a little bit better.

“And...m-maybe a friend would be okay, too. Maybe one that can help me get through school a little easier... one who doesn’t care…” She breathed in as she began to yawn, and she laid down and snuggled under her blankets. “...whether I can fly well or not... one I can’t disappoint…”

And the moon watched over her as she slept.

---

It was hard getting Fluttershy out of the house as Whisper fretted over Fluttershy, making sure she had all her supplies, including a tiny emergency aid kit in the side pocket of her saddlebag. She gave Fluttershy numerous pep talks, encouraging her to make friends but to look out for herself and check with her teacher when something went wrong. Luckily, Whisper had made a special request to put Fluttershy in a class with a teacher she trusted, and hoped that Comet Tail would be able to watch out for her well enough.

Whisper wanted to walk Fluttershy to school personally, but Chariot was adamant that she stay home. “You’ll just be freaking out the whole time and making Fluttershy nervous. There’s no need to worry though. This is flight school! It’ll be the best time of her life. Trust me. Stay home. I promise I’ll get her home safe.”

With a little more assurance from her husband, Whisper was able to calm down enough to give her daughter one last hug before saying goodbye, watching the two of them leave from the door. Oh, she hoped it went well…

The sun beat down on Fluttershy as she walked beside her father to school, her saddlebags packed, with her sweatbands just under the flaps. Her dad was far more excited than she was. He was practically skipping.

And embarrassing Fluttershy everywhere they went.

“Me and my daughter coming through! She’s got her first day of flight school, you know. Yep! This filly, right here, walking next to me. Fluttershy’s her name, and one day flying will be her game. That’s right. My little ace, ready to take on the world by storm. Fluttershy, daughter of Golden Chariot, is going to the Cloudsdale Flight School on this very day, on her way there right now, make no mistake! That is who she is, and that’s where she’s going! And I couldn’t be prouder!”

Fluttershy knew she should have brought a paper bag with her.

Her father took her to the beginner’s class for the youngest students, all around eight or nine years old. “Now, my students are older, so I’m on the opposite side of the school, but don’t worry. I’ll use all the free time I can get to come and see you practice.”

Fluttershy gave him a hesitant smile. “Y-Yes Daddy... but... don’t feel pressured to…”

He gave her a slap on the back that almost sent her to the ground. “No pressure at all! Not when it’s my little ace we’re talking about!”

She heard snickers from the door behind her. Oh no.

But she distracted herself by looking back at her father, and was surprised by the look of tenderness on his face. He reached over and slid her towards him into a warm hug. “I’m so proud of you. I know you struggle with your exercises, but I know you’ll catch up and be the flyer that I know you’ll be. I love you.”

Fluttershy’s own face reflected his expression. Surely, this was something that none of his students ever got. This tenderness. This love. This total confidence in her abilities. And for one single moment, she thought that she could meet his standards. “I love you too, Daddy. I’ll do my best.” She hugged him tightly.

“I know you will.” His eyes caught sight of the clock next to the door. “Oh, but I’d better go. They tend to get antsy if you keep ‘em waiting. I’ll see you later, ace!” He gave her a kiss on the forehead and rushed off, and Fluttershy was alone again.

She knew that it would be a lot like the schoolhouse, except this would focus primarily on flying, with no real cutoff. Students in flight school got to choose how long they attended after learning their basic skills, some moving on to more-focused classes, like air aerobics, beginner’s weather control, and the advanced classes for those who wanted to go above and beyond in their performance. But for those, you had to pass a test. For classes like her father’s…

She wondered if she’d be even able to fly a short distance with such a huge weight on her withers.

Even more scary were the brand new classmates. She didn’t recognize any of the ones in her class; there was more than one schoolhouse in a town as big as Cloudsdale, and apparently, nopony cared as to whether she recognized anypony or not.

Not that it matters. I don’t have any friends anyway.

What was even scarier was that her class seemed to be full of colts. It was one thing to deal with strangers, but colts made her feel somewhat uneasy. She at least could have small talk with a filly if she absolutely had to. But colts? Who knew what in the world colts were thinking of?

It didn’t help that she was the tallest and lankiest pony in the room, either. She could just feel all their stares, judging her and thinking, who is this weirdo?

And the first to approach her were two colts. Of course they were colts. How could she have expected any less? Just the smirks on their faces were enough to make her hide behind her bangs, praying to whatever god or goddess there was to give her the strength to not run away and hide.

“Awww, are you the little Daddy’s girl we heard from outside the door?” a light orange colt with a brown mane and three basketballs for a cutie mark asked mockingly. “Are you sure you’ll be all right in here without your daddy to take care of you?”

The dark brown one, with bangs that flopped over his blue eyes and a dumb-bell cutie-mark, snickered. “Heh heh, yeah! ‘Cause if he ain’t here, then who’s gonna tuck you in for your nap time at noon, huh?” The two burst out into laughter, along with most of the other classmates.

Fluttershy felt her lips wobble and helplessly watched her vision blur with tears.

“Oh no, Dumb-Bell, look at what we did,” the orange colt said, pretending to gasp with a hoof over his mouth. “We made the wittle filly cry!”

“Oh my gosh, you’re right, Hoops! What should we do about it? Should we apologize?” Dumb-Bell asked as he went along with the play-act.

“I got a better idea! Let’s get her daddy! He can take care of his ‘little ace’ and make her feel alllllll better.” The two started laughing again, causing a chorus of giggles all around the room.

“Hey! Knock it off, ya big lugs!” somepony said in a raspy feminine voice. Fluttershy looked up to see a sky blue filly with a messy rainbow mane and fiery cerise irises walk up to the colts, standing in front of her and glaring at them. She also noticed that this mysterious classmate was a late bloomer in getting her cutie mark, just like herself. “She just got here! Why don’t you go and do stupid boy things, huh? Or I’ll tell the teacher on ya!”

“No need to do that, Rainbow Dash.” In walked a mare with a red coat and a mane streaked with yellow and orange. “I’m here now. Hoops, Dumb-Bell. Get back to your seats or I’ll replace your first flight days with bookwork rather than letting you out into the field. And if I hear you harassing another student, I’ll see to it that you’re sent to the office. And trust me, you don’t want to go there.”

“Y-Yes ma’am!” the two said simultaneously, before rushing off to their desks.

The mare then set her eyes on Fluttershy and her savior. “Well? Bullied or not, I’m not going to wait for you to get to your desks either, young mares.”

Fluttershy bit her lip and rushed to a desk in the back, the other filly not far behind and taking a seat beside her. She did her best to focus on the teacher, who introduced herself as Comet Tail, and whatever lessons or introductions she had planned for the day. But it was hard to do, as she could hear the silent snickers from other students as they glanced at her, with Hoops and Dumb-Bell in her periphery.

As the teacher spoke and went over what they’d be doing over the year and the class rules, Fluttershy’s ears flickered at the soft, crisp sound of paper being laid on her desk. She looked down to see a note scrawled in messy hoofwriting.

Don’t worry about those losers. I’ve known them my whole life, and they aren’t anything special. Just stick with me and you’ll be fine. I’m Rainbow Dash, by the way.

Rainbow Dash. The name rang familiar in Fluttershy’s mind, and it took a moment to remember her father mentioning her and her strong wings. It made her nervous. If she was as good with her wings as her dad said, then what would happen when she saw how weak she was?

She glanced at Rainbow, who was already looking at her, and smiled. She pointed at her, and thanks to practice with her mother, she already knew what she was asking.

She wrote a quick message back, though Rainbow Dash had to lean over and grab the note herself. Fluttershy was too nervous to get caught by the teacher to hand it back, but Rainbow didn’t seem to mind at all.

My name’s Fluttershy. It’s very nice to meet you, Rainbow Dash. Thank you for helping me.

It was only a few seconds before the note appeared on her desk again, and she had to stifle her gasp at the reply.

No prob, friendo. We blank flanks gotta stick together. Gotta let ‘em know you don’t need a cutie mark to be totally awesome, ya know. Like me!

Fluttershy looked at her again, her eyes hopeful. Rainbow was smiling confidently at her, and she found herself shyly smiling back. She nodded once, and Rainbow nodded back.

She hadn’t needed to make a friend that day. Somepony had made a friend of her instead. And suddenly, she wasn’t as afraid anymore.

---

The first few weeks of flight school were pretty good for Fluttershy. Comet Tail was a sharp and attentive teacher that always seemed to have eyes on the back of her head whenever she was around. Every time Hoops, Dumb-Bell, or any other pony tried bullying her, or anypony else for that matter, she was there to carry out discipline for them. Fluttershy was extremely grateful for this, almost as much as she was grateful for Rainbow Dash. The two of them really took a liking to each other, and while Rainbow made friends with other foals as well, she always made time for Fluttershy.

She didn’t really understand why Rainbow liked her so much, but she didn’t ask. At first, she was afraid that Rainbow pitied her and was just throwing her a bone. But after a while, she realized that Rainbow always greeted her first and was always willing to help Fluttershy during gym as she struggled to tone and work out her wings. It wasn’t that Rainbow Dash just liked her. She was loyal to her, and while her shy mannerisms did occasionally annoy Rainbow, she never bullied her or made her feel bad for being the way she was. Sometimes she even apologized.

“Hey, I’m... sorry I rolled my eyes at you earlier. I didn’t mean it. I just don’t know what it’s like to be so quiet and shy and all that other stuff. But we’re good, right?”

And Fluttershy would smile and raise her hoof to give her friend a high-hoof. “We’re always good, Rainbow…”

In return for all of Rainbow Dash’s protection and loyalty, Fluttershy always helped her with classroom work. The first few weeks were nothing but books, notes, and videos on flying technique, with quizzes at the end of every week to test their knowledge. In addition, they also had gym to do exercises and improve on their overall stamina. The class always complained that it was stupid, that they’d learn much quicker if they just started right way. Rainbow was one of the biggest complainers of all. The only time she ever liked being in class was when they watched documentaries on the Wonderbolts. The first video they showed, going over basic safety rules when flying, starred the famous team of expert flyers, and Fluttershy quickly learned that the Wonderbolts were her friend’s idols. Her eyes always widened and sparkled when watching them perform, even if it was something as basic as demonstrating how to fly and look out for any possible hazards.

“They’re the coolest pegasi ever...and one day, I’m gonna be one!” Rainbow said every time they came into discussion. “It’s my dream!”

“Your dream…?” Fluttershy asked, cocking her head.

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah! It’s what I know I was meant to do. Being a Wonderbolt and making all these cool moves while soarin’ in the air, that’s my dream! And it’s gonna happen; I’m gonna make sure of it!”

Fluttershy had no doubt that she would. But the matter of the fact was, she was also a little jealous of her friend.

She didn’t know what her dream was, or what she was supposed to do. All she wanted was to make her father proud, and to sneak in as many books on land animals as possible without him knowing. Her old schoolhouse teacher had let her keep the Animal Encyclopedia as a gift, saying that she had never known another pony that loved the book as much as she did. And it was true. The book was dogeared after just five days of constantly reading it under her bed after dark with a flashlight.

But hiding it was crucial to keeping her father happy. If he knew that she had the book, and read through it every day, looking at all the animals and dreaming of meeting them one day... she knew it wouldn’t go well. ‘Grounder’ animals didn’t have anything to do with flying. And that’s the dream that her father had built for her. He didn’t care about what she wanted.

So she tried to want what he wanted, though deep down she knew it was impossible.

Rainbow Dash always made a big deal every time Fluttershy did just one extra wing-up more than usual, or managed to keep her wings outstretched without tucking them back in for just a few seconds longer. She’d jump around and flap her wings excitedly, sometimes hugging Fluttershy or giving her a light congratulatory noogie and make Fluttershy feel like she was just as awesome as a Wonderbolt.

Whereas it was never enough for her father whenever he joined her in gym to help when he had the time. He’d greet Rainbow Dash before telling her to go focus on her own exercises. “After all, a Wonderbolt has to keep in top condition! I appreciate you helping Fluttershy, but I’ll cover it for now.”

“Whatever you say, Mr. C!” she said with a salute before going to find a spot to practice. “Catch ya later, Flutters!”

But every time, Fluttershy’s heart would sink at seeing her friend leave and her father stay. Please don’t go…

Exercising with her father only disappointed the both of them. Just like old times.

“Fluttershy, come on! You gave up too early, you could have easily lasted another five seconds!”

“I know it hurts, but that’s a good thing! Trust me, you’ll thank me for it.”

“Fluttershy, you’re in flight school now. This is it. This is the time for you to learn this. If you don’t improve now, then you never will. I know you can do this. So let’s try for thirty again!”

But she never met her father’s goals, and he always left her with a look of disappointment on his face. By the end of the second week, he had made a promise to her. ““I’ll make an effort to come by during gym more often. Because clearly, you’re not getting the instruction and discipline you need. We’ll start doing it more at home too. Until then, go to class.”

That day after he left, the gym walls were loud with the soft echos of snickering behind her. Even Rainbow’s death glares didn’t stop them this time.

---

Rainbow was a great flyer, but she wasn’t very coordinated and struggled to remember all the rules of lessons on the field. The name ‘Rainbow Crash’ had stuck to her like glue the second she forgot to look both ways before crossing the track and ended up knocking over a trashcan, getting garbage all over her and feeling completely uncool. Fluttershy was the only one who didn’t make fun of her and washed her off with a hose afterward. Even Rainbow’s other so-called ‘friends’ in class started calling her that, and from then on, it was just the two of them, making them closer than ever.

But Rainbow’s little mishap was forgotten every time Fluttershy tried taking to the sky. In her first year, she was lucky to be able to hover for just a few seconds before crashing into the cloud below her. While this was to be expected for every new student for a while, by the end of the year, she only made a little progress, with the lowest scores in her class.

It drove her father to the point of fury, and instead of blaming her for it, he went to the school. Whisper insisted on going with him, because she was afraid of him taking it too far. And poor Fluttershy, who was still considered too young to stay home on her own, had to sit outside Miss Tail’s office door and listen from outside.

“You’re being too easy on her! You have to push her! She can do it, she just needs more motivation! More attention! It takes a village to get a Pegasus to fly, and I’m tired of being the only one who really cares!” she heard her father yell.

Fluttershy was impressed by how calm and collected Miss Tail sounded. “Chariot, you and I both know that there are just some Pegasi that take longer to develop their skills than others. Rushing her will only put pressure on her. I’ve been instructing her since day one, Chariot, and she tries her hardest to get results. The fact that her scores are the lowest means nothing in terms of how she’ll do in the future. She can get up a few inches, which at this age is enough to know that she should be able to get the basics down. She won’t go flightless like some Pegasi have to. Her scores are still enough to pass on to the next year.”

“I don’t care about whether it’s enough to pass! I want improvement!” Fluttershy flinched as she heard a hoof strike the desk, followed by a feminine gasp.

“Golden Chariot! How dare you! It’s times like these that you need to take what Whisper says into consideration. Don’t glare at us, we’ve talked about it before without you here to blow your head off. You’re hurting your daughter, Chariot. I’ve never seen you act like this with any of your students. You’re much more patient with them than you are with Fluttershy. You need to stop.”

“Stop what? Encouraging my daughter to be the best she can be?” By the sound of chair legs scuffing the ground, her father wasn’t sitting anymore.

“No. You need to stop forcing her to be the way you want her to be. I don’t think you realize how lucky you are to have a little filly like the one you’ve got, Chariot. She’s sweet and loving, and much too gentle to ever resent anypony, including a father that wants her to be something she’s not. But I would hate for your behavior to push her to the point where she doesn’t want to be around you, Chariot. She deserves more than that.”

“Don’t tell me how to treat my daughter! You’re the lucky one... lucky that she’s almost finished with this first year so I don’t have enough time to switch her out of your class. I’ll make sure her Year Two teacher actually knows how to do the job right!”

The door opened and out came her father. “Come on, Fluttershy. We’re going home,” Chariot told her sternly.

Her mother joined her by her side, touching her daughter’s back with a wing as she smiled. I’ll talk to Daddy some more, Fluttershy. Don’t worry. Mama and your teacher are on your side.

It was the first time that her mother’s words didn’t comfort her, because to her, that’s all they were. Just words.

---

For Year One students, the last day of flight school was a day for parents to come out and watch the kids show them their progress. At first, Fluttershy didn’t worry too much about it. Her father saw her almost every day in class. There was nothing she could do for him that he didn’t already know. She was very, very close to forgetting about ever making him proud. Miss Tail had been right about her. She really had tried her hardest and her best all year long, but her tiny improvements just weren’t what her father expected from her.

It was a depressing thought, a thought that sometimes left Fluttershy in tears at night. Not even her mother knew that she was starting to lose faith in herself and her relationship with her father. While Chariot loved Whisper and never asked her to excel in anything she didn’t want to do, she wasn’t of his blood. Fluttershy was, and his demands were taking a toll on her. She was getting tired and losing her energy. She suspected that if it weren’t for her butterflies, her animal book, and Rainbow Dash, she’d feel even worse, but those three parts of her life helped her get up in the morning. That, and her mother, who always gave her the love she needed when she only had her to go to at home. Her mother accepted her. Her mother was there.

At least her mother smiled and congratulated her in all her progress. Her father wouldn’t be proud, but she would. Fluttershy just had to learn that making her proud would have to be enough. She’d continue to love her father, as she knew he loved her too, but she had begun to accept that she was not good enough to be his daughter. That she would never be as good as one of his students.

That she would only ever bring him shame when it came to flying.

But she hadn’t fully accepted it yet. There was still a part of her that hoped that things would change. She hated that part of her, because that was the reason it still hurt, but it was true.

She let all her classmates pick their performance times, having no problem with taking the very last slot. If she was lucky, maybe most of the parents would go home before her performance started. She didn’t even want to perform. The thought terrified her. It was one thing to disappoint her father, but a big audience that looked as big as the whole entire world? What if they made fun of her for being so weak? What if they tried driving her out of town, too embarrassed to call her a fellow Pegasus? What if they hated her?

She was not like Rainbow Dash, who astounded the audience with a speed that was above and beyond her years and made everypony’s hair stand up from wind her wings created. The audience clapped so hard for her that Fluttershy had to put her hooves to her ears to block out the noise. They were all so impressed, and Rainbow took it all in with a smug smile before being pulled into a huge hug by her parents, who were so proud that they seemed to glow.

Fluttershy watched as all the parents did the same thing for their foals as well. They were all so proud of the progress their colt or filly had made, even if their performance wasn’t half as impressive as Rainbow Dash’s. They all looked at their foal as if they were the biggest winners in the world. Some even cried. And while some of her classmates would just pretend to act embarrassed, they never fought too hard, and took in the praise with absolute joy shining through their eyes.

Fluttershy wanted that too. Not just from her mother, but her father as well. She wanted that moment. She deserved that moment. All her hard work had to mean something!

Perhaps her father was right. Maybe, if she just forced herself to do better, then maybe she could finally make him proud.

So when her name was called, despite her trembling, she made her way to the center of the track, the parents watching from the stands. “Whoo, go Fluttershy!” Rainbow cheered, and Fluttershy blushed and waved at her.

I can do this…

It didn’t take long to find her parents in the stands. They sat in the middle of the center row, the best seat in the house. She gulped, but her mother just smiled at her proudly.

I can do this…

She unfurled her wings. She saw Miss Comet Tail, who also smiled, her eyes much softer than they usually were. She had stood up for her to her father, and also accepted her for who she was.

I can do this!

She shut her eyes before she could wimp out, and flapped her wings as hard as she could. She felt her hooves leave the soft clouds as she rose up higher in the air.

“Go Flutters! You can do it!”

She was already starting to tire but the familiar rasp of her friend’s voice made her flap harder. She would show her father...She would show him that he could believe in her…

She heard gasps and opened her eyes, seeing that she was higher than she had ever been before. She still couldn’t make loops or fly very fast, but she was higher than the rafters now. It was so high it was almost dizzying. Whisper bit her lip as her body went stiff, watching in anxiety as she flew up higher.

Her father wasn’t worried at all. “Fluttershy! Yes! That’s it! That’s my girl!” He rose to his hooves, grinning. “That’s my ace!”

Fluttershy’s eyes started to well up with tears. “Daddy…”

But no one noticed the winds picking up unexpectedly. It wasn’t terribly strong, but Fluttershy’s wings were weaker than most, and she was higher up than ever. The winds began to pull and push at her, and she didn’t know how to deal with it. She never had to before. She began to sweat as she struggled to stay put.

The others looked concerned, some even beginning to unfurl their wings to help. Whisper jumped to her hooves, but Chariot stopped her from going any farther with a foreleg. “Don’t help her! She can do this! Fluttershy, you’re doing great!”

But one little gust was all it took before she was too weak to fight it. It was so strong that it sent her careening off the other side of the field, away from the stands. The force of the gust was so strong that she couldn’t keep her wings out, and they folded against her back and froze, as if they were glued together that way.

Fluttershy was terrified, and she began to scream. “Help! Daddy! Mama! Somepony, please…!” She was blown away until there weren’t any clouds beneath her, leaving her to freefall.

Whisper could watch no longer. She shoved her husband out of her way and jumped off the rafters, flapping her wings.

“Wisp, no! Don’t help her,” he warned. “She can do this! She just needs to—!”

Another stallion near him slapped him in the face. “Do you not see the huge hot-air balloon heading her way? If someone doesn’t grab her, it’ll ram right into her! Go get her!”

All Chariot needed to do was look back over to where Fluttershy was to see the big red hot-air balloon headed towards the school. The wind had picked up more than anticipated, and the ponies in the balloon seemed to have trouble navigating through it.

Whisper had seen it before anpony else. In a burst of speed that neither her husband or anypony else had ever seen her demonstrate, she began to zoom towards her daughter.

She wished she could yell that she was coming, but all she could do was pick up speed as Fluttershy continued to fall.

Fluttershy was certain that she was going to die. “Mama!” she cried. “Maaaama!” She saw the hot air balloon coming, and wondered how much it would hurt if she hit it.

The ponies riding the balloon hadn’t noticed her until she screamed, and were trying desperately to get out of her way.

But it was no use. The winds were picking up even more, and there was nothing they could do. It was out of their hooves.

Fluttershy closed her eyes. I am a butterfly, and I am stronger than I seem. I am a butterfly, and I am stronger than—

She felt hooves hug around her chest, and she opened her eyes to see her mother as she pumped her wings. “Mama!” she cried, burying her face into her chest. Safe. She was safe. Nothing would hurt her now.

But Whisper herself was out of practice, and her adrenaline rush was slowing down. A strong crosswind pushed against her, and she pumped her wings harder to move forward. The balloon grew larger in her periphery, and she noticed Comet Tail rushing to meet them. With as much strength as she had, Whisper forced herself to tear Fluttershy away from her, and tossed her towards Comet. Fluttershy screamed. “Mama!”

Comet didn’t even have to think to react. She caught Fluttershy easily and swooped upward, her wings plenty strong against the gusting winds, before hearing something crash into a basket.

“No! Whisper Wing!”

A hoof blocked Fluttershy’s eyes before she could see anything, but it didn’t matter. She passed out before she could process anything else, everything going black.

The last thing she heard was the sound of a stallion screaming.

---

She woke up in a hospital bed, with various wires and clamps attached to her. It was not a welcome sight; she knew this was the hospital, and she had obviously gotten her own room, but she didn’t know why. Why was she here? What had happened? She couldn’t remember. “H-Hello…?” she squeaked, hoping somepony familiar was around. “Mama…? Daddy?”

Somepony answered her call, but it was not who she expected. Luckily enough, she knew Nurse Fields well, as she was an old family friend of theirs. She sighed, feeling the tension release. She still wanted her parents, but at least she wasn’t all alone, or with strangers.

“Oh, Fluttershy, I’m so glad you’re awake, sweetie,” Fertile Fields said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes as she came to her bedside. “You had quite a tumble, from what I heard. How do you feel?”

Fluttershy was ready to tell her that she felt fine until Fertile’s words finally struck her. You had quite a tumble, from what I heard. Memories struck her brain like a hammer on molten metal.

Suddenly, she sat up. “Mom. Dad. My teacher. W-where are they? I need to see them! I need to—”

Nurse Fields touched her withers, and Fluttershy looked up at her face, looked closely. Not only was her smile not quite right, but her eyes were far too shiny. Her face seemed even older than she already was, as if the weight of the world made her wrinkles deeper, made them sag.

Something was wrong, and Fluttershy felt an anxious buzzing at the pit of her stomach.

“Fluttershy, honey…”

“Stop.”

Fluttershy titled her head to look past the nurse, though by his voice, she already knew who it was. “Daddy…?” She gasped. “W-Why are you…?”

She had never seen him cry before, and his face was wet from tears as more streamed down his face. He stood rigidly at the door, his face hardened despite his crying. When he spoke, his voice was pained.

“I’ll tell her, Fertile. Could you give us a moment?”

Fluttershy began to tremble, and Fertile looked hesitant as she bit her lip. “Chariot, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea…”

“Please, Fertile,” his voice growled, but he looked desperate. “Please. I need to tell her alone, or I’ll never be able to, and I don’t want anypony else telling her.”

Fertile sighed, but nodded, and turned to lay a hoof on Fluttershy’s withers. “It’s all gonna be okay, honey. You’ll see.” She placed a kiss on her forehead, wishing she could soothe the girl and coo at her, but she knew nothing would help take away the pain that Fluttershy was about to feel. If she wasn’t feeling it already.

She turned and left as her father sat beside her.

Fluttershy was afraid to ask, but couldn’t help herself. “Daddy...w-where’s…?”

Her father didn’t answer right away. He just looked at her. He looked at his little daughter, all wired up and covered in blankets with a vase of flowers by her bedside, with her big turquoise eyes that were the exact same shape as Whisper’s. He moved a hoof and stroked a tendril of her pink hair, as soft and long as Whisper’s. She is so much like her mother…

His brave face shattered. Trembling lips. Tightly shut eyes. Falling tears. All of these things were things he tried avoiding in front of her. He failed. “Fluttershy…”

We failed.

“Your mother....She...She’s....”

His hooves rose to his eyes and he began wracking in sobs, his teeth clenched and his back bent over, as if kneeling to pray. But he had no prayers left. They had been answered, once, but it seemed that even those could be taken back.

Fluttershy’s heart cracked straight down the middle, fractured but never broken. But it felt as if it had.

She sobbed so loudly that nopony could hear it. Not even her father.

Her mother had been hit by the balloon, and the impact had broken her spine before she landed on a cloud below, lifeless.

Her mother was the true angel that ascended into heaven. Not Fluttershy. But as she cried into her father’s chest, she wished that she had been.

---

Whisper Wing, beloved wife and mother, reflected the sunset as it went down, amidst a tearful company giving her their final goodbyes.

She was in an urn now. It was tradition. Pegasi were once thought to be the children borne of wind and sky, melded from clouds of cirrus, nimbostratus, and a dash of cumulus. Because of this, ancient ponies had believed that once a Pegasus left the living world, they belonged to the sky—to become one with the infinity above. While modern Pegasi no longer believed this, they carried on the symbolic tradition that had gone on since the beginning of their kind—to take the vessel of the pony’s soul, turn it to ashes, and release it into the wind for one last flight.

Today was the day that Fluttershy’s mother was being released.

The funeral was a small affair. Fluttershy’s hair was up in a ponytail again, adorning a simple black dress with sleeves that were far too puffy and made of a material that made her itchy. But she didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything as she sobbed against Rainbow Dash’s chest. Rainbow stroked her back as she cried small tears of her own. Her parents hadn’t wanted her to come, but she had insisted that she go with them. Fluttershy needed her.

And she had been right, because Rainbow was the only one who supported her.

Her father hadn’t looked at her for three days. Hadn’t spoken to her. Hadn’t done anything.

When they had gotten home from the hospital, he went straight to his room. His room. It was only his now. He had to sleep alone that night. He’d have to sleep alone for many nights, and as far as Fluttershy knew, maybe for the rest of his life.

It had been a week since Whisper died, and Chariot had done nothing but plan the funeral and sit alone in his room. He wouldn’t even look or talk to his daughter. He had embraced her and sobbed with her when he told her what happened, but it was as if a switch was turned off when the moment ended. They walked home in a silence that, unlike before, wasn’t comfortable. It wasn’t comfortable at all. And it stayed after they returned home and never left.

And now, his eyes could only focus on the urn that stood on a table, sitting next to a picture of Whisper for all to see. She had been so beautiful, so full of love and life and a love for life. She had been amazing. And now, ashes. Just...ashes.

But it was still her, and he couldn’t stop staring. That urn was Whisper now. It was almost chilling, the way he stared. But ponies didn’t comment on it. They let him be. They poured their condolences on Fluttershy instead, or tried to. She could barely speak, and anypony that tried to speak with her had to be sent away by Comet Tail, who seemed even fiercer as tears sparkled in her eyes. Miss Tail and Rainbow were the only ones Fluttershy was comfortable with. Them, and of course, and her butterflies.

They were her butterflies now.

She took care of them, and she could tell that they knew what had happened. The first day Fluttershy came back, they came to her and covered her body with their tiny feet. Softly, they drank her tears away and brushed her with their soft wings. They seemed less energetic and more focused on the filly that now took on her mother’s role. They suffered from the loss; they had loved her mother as if she were their parent too.

But now they were all motherless, and all because Fluttershy had made a mistake.

She tried not to think of it. Everypony had already told her it wasn’t her fault. Miss Comet Tail was especially adamant about it. Now that Fluttershy wasn’t her student, she made herself a guest at the house every day since the accident, to take care of Fluttershy and keep her company, since her father was too busy mourning to do it himself.

“Now you listen to me, young mare. What happened was not your fault. I know exactly what you were thinking and what you were trying to do, and I don’t blame you in the least. You did nothing wrong, and you have nothing to feel guilty for. I want you to remember that, no matter what anypony says. Do you promise me?”

Fluttershy didn’t answer at first, looking doubtful. But Comet Tail held firm, and Fluttershy promised to remember her words.

She tried remembering them as the ceremony began. She sat front and center, next to her father. He looked wretched, but he was even worse before the funeral. Before it started, Rainbow Dash’s father, Rainbow Blaze, and Comet Tail had to force him into the bathroom to clean himself up. Before that, his mane had been unkempt, his coat had grown dull, and his wings had needed some preening. That was fixed as the ceremony began, but his face was still so haunting that had he been anypony else, Fluttershy would have found him scary. His eyes were red and watery, and the shadows underneath them seemed to have shadows of their own. He looked weak and frail, as if he could barely handle the burden of his own weight. And though his coat had been scrubbed and cleaned, it didn’t glitter with a metallic golden glow as much as it usually did. It looked more like a dark yellow than anything else.

Could you lose a parent without actually losing them? That’s how it felt like with her father. And actually losing one was devastating enough. But Golden Chariot didn’t seem to care, and that gave Fluttershy another reason to cry.

Ponies noticed this, and they tried hard to either ignore it or fight the urge to strangle him. In the end, ignoring it won.

The ceremony was too short and too long at the same time. Ponies took turns saying things about Whisper, and while it made Fluttershy cry all the harder, she listened hard to each and everyone one of them. They spoke of how gentle she was. How kind she was. How strong she was despite all she faced, both as a filly and a mare. Ponies had mocked her and hurt her for her disability, but she had never backed down and never lost sight of who she was or what was important to her.

And each and every one of them spoke of how good she was at loving others. She loved without fear and never lost sight of what she cared about. They spoke as if she were an angel and a saint.

So many spoke that Fluttershy needed to be tapped on the withers a few times before she took notice of Comet Tail. “Do you want to say something, Fluttershy? I know it might be hard for you, but you are her daughter. We’d love to hear…” Comet swallowed and fought back tears. “...what you have to say.”

Fluttershy hadn’t expected that. They wanted her to speak? Her surprise was evident in her face. “But...I-I thought...only adults…”

“Anypony can speak about her if they want, Fluttershy. And...I know you want to say goodbye... and she…” Tears escaped Comet’s face. She had been Whisper’s best friend. She herself was fighting grief. “She loved you more than anypony else. I’m sure she’s waiting to-to hear you right now.”

Fluttershy gasped, before leaning forward and giving Comet a hug. Her old teacher was hesitant, but eventually hugged her back. “You’re so much like her, Fluttershy…” she murmured, stroking her hair a few times before taking her withers and pulling apart from her. “Go on. It’s your turn.”

Fluttershy was trembling as she stood and walked slowly to the front. She looked to the urn, decorated with a single etching of a Monarch Butterfly in commemoration of her, and felt strength inside of her despite her falling tears. She glanced at Rainbow while taking a steady breath, and Rainbow smiled and nodded.

A stallion adjusted the microphone for her so she could reach it, and she spoke.

“I...I have...” Her throat felt stuck, and she had to sob for a moment before composing herself, the audience smiling encouragingly at her. She swallowed, took another breath, and tried again.

“I have a voice. I can talk. I mean, you can hear that right now, of course…” She blushed in embarrassment at her obvious statement but continued. “...But Mama…” A choked sob. “Mama...she talked in a different way. She didn’t use words. She used other things. Things like smiles, and hugs, and the way she moved around. She whispered, even though you couldn’t hear it. That’s how she could talk to the butterflies. And I can talk like that too, because I’m her daughter. My mama...She…” She sniffled and wiped her eyes. “She’s not...not here anymore, but she’s my hero. She’s everything I want to be, one day. I want to be able to talk without speaking. I want to say a lot without words. I want to be kind, but I want to do it quietly. Because that’s how my mama was. She was quiet with her kindness. To her butterflies, to ponies, to everything. And I-I will be just like her, one day. Because because that’s who I am. Who I want to be..."

Her tears fell silently as she turned to the urn. I hope you heard that Mama. I hope you know that you’re my hero, and that I love you…

“...You’ll never be like her, Fluttershy.”

The voice was deep and full of pain, but far too recognizable to Fluttershy’s ears. She didn’t need to turn to figure out who it was, even though she did anyway.

It was as if her father’s face was overtaken by shadows. “I’m sorry. But nopony could ever be like her. Not even you...Though you’re just enough like her for it to hurt whenever I look at you.”

He stood up, and the crowd was tense. Fluttershy thought he was going to approach her, but he walked right past her, right to the urn.

“And I can’t lose all I’ve got left of her.”

Suddenly his golden wings flared out and he grabbed the urn, hugging it close to his chest. “I won’t let you talk her away from me!” he shouted, his eyes now large and full of bitter, painful anger as he stood on his two hind legs and jumped, pumping his wings and taking off.

The crowd was stunned, and Rainbow was about to take off after him before her father grabbed her by the tail, yanking her back into his lap. “Don’t even think about it,” he warned.

Fluttershy could barely believe her own eyes as she watched her father fly into the horizon, gliding like a fiery chariot. The stand where her mother’s remains had been stood empty, and it looked incredibly wrong that way. The emptiness was as loud as the silence that occupied her house ever since Whisper had died.

What her father had just done...Stealing the urn, keeping the ashes to himself, and never giving Whisper the freedom of the wind, owed to her in death…

It was one of the most shameful things a Pegasus could do.

Her father, always so proud and so revered among the citizens of Cloudsdale, had broken one of the most cherished and revered traditions of the winged ponies.

He would never be looked at the same way again.

---

He refused to return the urn and allow the ceremony to finish. He was adamant on it, to the point where the look in his eyes was haunting. Instead he kept it over the mantle in the living room, where he spent all his time he speaking to it. Over the summer, as Fluttershy did her own silent grieving, she heard him speak to the urn plenty of times. He never tried hiding it. Sometimes he spoke to it as if it were any other day, as if she had never died, laughing and talking about cherished memories or any news of the day. But many other times, it was heartbreaking. He would sob loudly, making his pain known to all near enough to hear him...which was usually just Fluttershy.

Often, he begged her to come back. It was sad, and even a little scary.

But he did other things besides just that. He locked himself in his room for hours on end, where Fluttershy knew he either sat there and did nothing, or prepared for the upcoming year in school. Despite the scandal he had caused by stealing the urn, his skills in teaching advanced flying for foals were too valuable to fire him for. And he was in mourning, so some ponies weren’t surprised by his actions. It wasn’t as if he were mental, after all.

But the house was nothing but miserable for Fluttershy. She hated waking up in the morning, expecting to see her mother’s loving face in the kitchen making breakfast, only to find a sink full of dirty dishes. As time went by, Fluttershy noticed something else too.

Dirty mugs, sticky with what smelled like old cider.

She didn’t think much of it. Adults were adults, and they could do what they wanted. Fluttershy knew that her father was mourning just like she was, and if drinking after she went to bed helped him, she wasn’t going to stop him. Besides, there were never enough mugs to make it alarming. Just one, sometimes two.

During the summer, at least.

It was the first time in Fluttershy’s life where she did everything she could to stay out of the house, whether it was to go to the butterfly house or spend time at Rainbow’s. The family had told her that their door was always open to her, and while at first she felt bad for taking advantage of it, the Rainbow family told her not to worry, that they loved having her around.

But as much as she tried to stay out, her father still left his room frequently enough to help her practice flying. And while it was nice for her to see him come out of his room, the practice was hardly pleasant.

“No no no! You’re doing it wrong, Fluttershy! You need to spread your wings farther apart, see? Like this!”

“You’re going higher but you’re not going faster. I need you to improve your speed, not your height. Go around the track again, and this time I want at least thirty seconds less than your original time.”

“Five more laps!”

“One more time!”

“We’ll finish when I say you’re finished, young mare! And by the looks of it, you’re not even close!”

It was as if her mother’s death made him ten times harder to deal with during practice. He got meaner, more demanding. Sometimes he yelled in her face, asking her things she couldn’t find the answer to. Why wasn’t she improving? Just how lazy was she?

Before Whisper died, if she began sobbing, he usually relented and apologized for being so stern, hugging her and telling her that she could rest, that they could try again another time.

But that summer, Chariot stopped caring about her feelings. Instead, he got angry. So angry that he would stomp off and leave her sobbing, alone, and lock himself in his room. Sometimes he even spat at the ground in distaste before turning his back to her.

But that was only the beginning of the storm.

---

The second year of flight school was horrible.

The first thing that made it awful was the teacher. The only thing her new teacher, Swift Star, had in common with her old one was that she was stern. But she wasn’t stern with a secret heart of gold underneath it all. In fact, she just wanted to get her job done for the day and get paid. As long as they practiced what they were supposed to, she didn’t really care what her students did. Including bullying.

And as luck would have it, Fluttershy was once again in the same class as Hoops and Dumb-Bell. But on the bright side, so was Rainbow. Fluttershy was beyond happy when she saw her on her class list, and thanked the pony on the moon several times over for having the same class as her friend. It was the only good thing she had going for her, it seemed.

The flying lessons started right away, and each day’s lesson always took place in the same practice field, and Swift Star was more of a bad babysitter than an instructor. She pretty much left all the foals to their own devices—an open invitation for a bully to attack. Hoops and Dumb-Bell did some of their best work that year, coming up with mocking nicknames for anypony deemed worthy of it. Of course, Fluttershy was their favorite target. Whenever she attempted to fly a little higher, or make it through an obstacle course without falling, she usually failed, landing on her flank and feeling a little startled or dizzy. And every time she messed up, it seemed as if the two colts were always there, laughing their own flanks off and throwing as many insults at her as they could before Rainbow came to her rescue.

They eventually came up with the brilliant moniker of ‘Klutzershy’, a name that everypony but Rainbow seemed to find funny. It didn’t help that Rainbow Dash was still called “Rainbow Crash.” The two became victims of their own mistakes, all because of a horrible teacher and a couple of jerks who thought themselves better than everypony else. The blank flanks certainly didn’t help either.

However, Rainbow didn’t seem too bothered about her lack of a cutie mark. Whenever Fluttershy tried bringing it up, Rainbow would merely scoff at her, waving the problem away with a single hoof. “I’ll get mine eventually, I’m not too worried about it. I can feel it in my gut. Besides, I already know what I’m gonna be. A Wonderbolt!”

She always said this with such certainty, as if it were a fact and not a wish. It was something that Fluttershy both admired and envied her for, because Fluttershy had no idea what she was going to do. She knew what she liked, and had an idea of things that she would like to do, but they weren’t what her father wanted. And her father was the only real family she had left. Her mother’s side of the family was incredibly distant for reasons unknown to her, and she had never been a big fan of her father’s side. While her father was obsessed with flying, the rest of his family was obsessed with high society and their own social standing, and since her father had disgraced the family by taking his wife’s ashes and breaking tradition, they wanted nothing to do with either him or Fluttershy. But her dad didn’t seem to care, and Fluttershy didn’t really know any of them very well.

So if she pursued something her father didn’t approve of… she’d be all alone.

She never told this to Rainbow Dash. Her friend had already done so much for her. It was better she not burden her with this specific problem. She figured she could at least give her that one mercy, one less thing for Rainbow to protect her from.

But it hurt, having this fear and being unsure what to do about it. She wasn’t so worried about when she’d get her cutie mark, but what her talent would be, and what consequences would follow it.

But deep in her deepest heart of hearts, she knew what she wanted. She was just too afraid to go after it.

Only her mother would have understood.

Fluttershy sometimes talked to the urn herself, when she could. She never condemned her father too much for taking the ashes and keeping them for himself. The urn comforted her in many ways. It was a reminder that her mother was watching over her, guiding her through life in a way she never could have while alive. But Fluttershy did feel guilty on behalf of her father’s act. Her mother deserved to be free of the urn.

Just as she wished she were free to make her own decisions.

At least she still had her animal book. She was so enthralled with it. It was one of the few things she did back at home that truly made her happy, looking at all the animals. The pages were now worn with use, and some had articles taped to them, gifts she had gotten from Mr. Blaze. It was always hidden in her pillowcase, away from her father’s eyes.

But one day, after an especially tiring day at school—Hoops and Dumb-Bell had been especially brutal that day in their taunts, making her cry more than once until Rainbow came to the rescue—she came home to find papers on the floor.

At first, this made her curious. So many papers in the hall! Were these her father’s lesson plans? What had made them scatter like this? Had she or her father left a window open, letting the wind in and knocking them over? If so, she needed to clean them up and attempt to organize them before her father returned from work and—

But then she remembered. Her father had taken that day off, after complaining of a massive migraine and requesting another coach to fill in for him. So if these were his papers, he surely would have found them by now. Not only that, but they were ripped haphazardly, and when she took a good look at them, she noticed they had pictures.

She gasped.

Suddenly in a panicked frenzy, she picked up all the pages and clutched them to her chest, as if they’d sink through the floor and be lost forever if she didn’t. They were everywhere. In the hallway, in the living room, the kitchen…

Fluttershy only paused in her page collecting when she entered the kitchen, when the sight of the counter caught the corner of her eyes and beckoned her to look at it. Mugs. There were so many mugs. A sour scent hung in the air of the kitchen, and she noticed with alarm that one mug had apparently dropped and shattered to pieces on the floor.

Those mugs had not been there this morning.

“Fluttershy! Are you there? Come up here! Now!”

She jumped in terror at her father’s scream downstairs, some of the fur on her neck standing up as she felt goosebumps from his commands. His voice was rougher than it usually was, and he sounded absolutely infuriated.

Something told her that taking her beloved pages was not a good idea. She needed to hide them. She shoved them under the sofa in the living room before shakily making her way up the stairs.

“P-Papa…?” she called through the hallway, not sure which room he was in.

“In here.” He didn’t yell, but his tone was the same. Her room. He was in her room.

She made her way to her room, and her father sat on the edge of her bed, his eyes blazing at her.

More pages were scattered around the floor. The only thing her father held in his hooves was a now empty book cover, the bind to Fluttershy’s once favorite book of all time, a book that had felt like an old friend to her.

He held it up to her for her viewing pleasure. “You hid this from me?”

Fluttershy knew it was a stupid question, but she tried to answer it. She found she couldn’t speak. Her throat felt too tight and wouldn’t let the words escape. This only made her father’s eyes darken even more, and he gritted his teeth in anger.

“You hid this from me. You hid this from me, because you didn’t want me knowing, did you? Didn’t want me knowing how much you just loooooooved your little grounders, didn’t you? These non-flying animals.” Some of his words slurred, and he seemed to spit every one of them out as if they had a bad taste.

This time, her throat granted her a few words. “I-I love the flying ones too…” It came out as squeak, but her father heard it well enough.

“But that’s not all you want, is it, Fluttershy?” He slid of the edge of the bed and fumbled for a second, almost losing his footing before he was able to steady himself and get back on his four hooves, stomping towards her and towering over her. His eyes were bloodshot. “You want to see the ground, don’t you? Because you don’t…” He paused as a hiccup escaped his throat, and he had to start over. “You don’t wanna ever ever fly, because you don’t care. You’re too lazy to care! Even though I told you that you were never, ever ever ever, gonna go to the ground while you were in my! House!” He stomped against the ground at the last two words. “And this is still my house! And I am your father, and you are my daughter, and you are betraying me!”

She couldn’t believe it. “N-No! I’m not b-betraying you, Daddy! I...I really do want to fly! I...I want to fly, and make you—”

“Liar!” he screamed. “You’re a liar! You lied to me, and you lied to your mother, and to everypony you know! You hate being a Pegasus, hate being my daughter, and hate your wings! So much that you wanna shame me by going to the ground!”

Tears welled in her eyes. She hated the way he was looking at her right now. As if she were disgusting to him. As if she were nothing but a waste of his time. “That’s n-not—!”

“Well, guess what, young lady? You’re stuck with me, and I’m not gonna let you laze about and act like a...an earth pony!”

“But Papa, I’m not being lazy…! I really do want to try and fly!” As she spoke, she silently begged him to please, please understand. “I want to make you...I…”

Her father lowered his face until he was eye-to-eye with her. “Make me what?” His breath stank of cider and made her squirm, but she didn’t break eye contact with him.

“I just want to make you proud of me…” she choked out, gentle tears rolling down her face. “I-I...I don’t want you to hate me…”

“Well, hiding this ain’t gonna help you any! Which is why…” His mouth curled into the corners of his mouth into a chilling smile. “It’s not here anymore. ‘Cause I ripped it and made it go all away. Because like it or not, Ace…” He said her nickname without its usual warmth. “I won’t go having a daughter so weak that she can’t get herself off a cloud without falling flat on her face. You won’t shame me like that.”

He put a forceful hoof under her chin and forced her to look at him directly. “And you’re not gonna keep any more secrets from me, ever. From now on, you’re gonna come home, and you’re not gonna leave, ‘cause we’re gonna practice all the time, now. That’s right. All the time. Until you get your act together and...and we make you the flyer you should be. Because no daughter of mine will ever ever be a worthless, dirt-covered grounder pony.” He said the words with such disgust, and Fluttershy gasped at his candidness. He had never spoken so ill of non-Pegasi so directly before.

She didn’t know the pony who stood before her. This stallion was not the father who raised her. This father’s heart was breaking, and she was afraid at one point, he really wouldn’t love her anymore.

“And this book...is history. An’ I never wanna see you with this kinda stuff ever ‘gain.”

He took the cover in his hooves and slowly started to rip the binding.

“No!”

She leapt forward and tugged at the bottom of the cover, using what little strength she had to try and rip it out of his grasp, but that only made it easier for him as it ripped completely in half.

“My book…!” Fat tears slipped down her face as she realized what had been done. Now that the cover was ripped apart, she couldn’t get it bound back together again. And she knew that her father would soon dispose of the rest of the book too. “Papa, why…? Why? That book…” She rubbed her eyes, a tangle of emotions caught in her throat and making it hard to get the words out. “It...It made me happy…! It was important to me…!”

She knew her words meant nothing to him, but his reply still felt like her heart was being cored like an apple. “I don’t care. You knew what I wanted for you…”

“But what about what I want?” she shouted back. She had never yelled so loudly at him before, but she was desperate to be heard through her father’s stubborn ears. “What about what I want to do?! Why doesn’t that matter!?”

His face came to view suddenly, his wings flaring and wrapping around her to bring her against his face, his sour breath burning her eyes. “You’re too young and foolish and full of dreams t’know what you want, to know what’s good for you! And I do! So shut your mouth! Shut it!”

She just collapsed on the floor, her tears a puddle on the floor as she wept. This battle was one that she could not win. She could already feel the aches in store for her future once her father started to work her to exhaustion.

She heard her father stumble out of the room, picking up sheafs of paper with rips that made her body stiffen, as if he were hitting her rather than leaving.

“You’ll be a g-good girl…” He hiccuped. “Y’won’t disappoint me...You aren’t gonna fail....Not my daughter…”

And Fluttershy just stayed there, on the floor, feeling as if all her strength had left her. She cried to herself, and she cried for her mother.

“Mama...Mama…”

But nopony came to her aid this time. Nopony nuzzled her and told her that her father was out-of-hoof, that he was being silly and had no right to tear her book apart. Nopony came to tell her she wasn’t a failure, to assure her that her father loved her despite his harsh prejudice. Nopony came to let her cry against her shoulder. Her mother was gone, and her father was turning into a pony she no longer knew.

She had never felt more alone in her entire life; she blamed herself for it. The more she thought on it, the more she was convinced that she deserved what was happening to her, that her father was right all along. That she had been selfish this entire time, and she shouldn’t have kept the book a secret, or entertained the thought of going to the ground in the first place. Father knew best, after all. Isn’t that what ponies always said?

And by morning, she was sure that the only way out of her misery was to follow her father’s wishes, lest she be judged and hated by him and everypony else. And worse, if she didn’t make her father’s dreams come true, then he would only become even sadder, and it would be her fault.

She couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t bring such pain to him. Even after all he’d done to her, he was still her father, and she wanted to make him proud and happy. She didn’t want him thinking his plans for her didn’t matter. Was she really that selfish to do that to him? They both already lost her mother. She couldn’t take this away from him too. That would have been cruel, and she had to protect him from changing into the pony he was now completely. There was no one else to protect him, now.

It was a daughter’s job to protect her father, she was sure of it. Yes. Yes, that was her purpose. Her happiness didn’t matter, her father was right.

She was certain of this. Her mother herself had told her that she was strong of heart, and was always kind. And being kind meant putting her needs in front of others—including her father. Especially her father.

And her heart couldn’t break, or else she’d stop caring about anything. And she never wanted that to happen. A life without caring for others, be it a single butterfly, a best friend, or a parent… that wasn’t a life worth living.

It was even more important than having dreams of her own.

---

But her father’s dream was just so hard to accomplish.

Her progress had slightly improved, with her new motivation to protect her father’s happiness. She could now fly a little bit longer and ignore the burning in her joints a little less.

But it was difficult for her to take any pride in any of her progress; she could ignore the pain in her muscles all she wanted, but she could never ignore her classmates and the shame they made her feel for being so weak, just as her father often made her feel. But her classmates didn’t need her protecting like her father did. They didn’t care about her at all. And yet, they still kept her on their radars, much to her unhappiness.

Hoops and Dumb-Bell were especially relentless a few weeks after the book incident. It was possibly the most humiliating moment of Fluttershy’s young life.

She was attempting to fly through a hoop of cloud in the obstacle course. She had never been able to reach it before, and thought to give it yet another try. Flapping her wings as hard as she could, she drifted upward with her eyes closed tight, only to open them when she realized she wasn’t falling yet. She gasped in surprised delight when she found herself hovering in the hoop, ready to finally fly through.

Oh, her father would be so pleased to hear it! Maybe she’d even be able to bring a smile to his face. She couldn’t even remember the last time he smiled out of joy. Maybe today she’d be able to do it. Make him smile because of her! Maybe—

In her own excitement, she didn’t notice herself losing height and hitting her hoof against the bottom of the hoop, making her stumble and lose her focus.

Down she went, to land on her rump and slide down the slippery, cloudy hill, only to careen into the air on a slope.

She opened her mouth in terror, memories of her last accident fresh in her head, hoping no disaster would once again darken her life...She gasped as she saw something orange in her vision. Oh no. Ohnonononono—!

She collided into the fabric of the orange flag and fell flat on her face, the flag wrapped around her as if trying to imitate a blanket. By the time she wiggled herself out of it, Hoops and Dumb-Bell were already laughing their hooves off, flying down so they could tower over her and make jokes at her expense.

“Nice going, Klutzershy! They oughta ground you permanently!”

Fluttershy hid under her bangs. I don’t think I’d mind that…

“Ha! My baby brother can fly better than you!”

That one stung a little more. His baby brother? Even foals were better flyers than her? Just how bad at this was she, truly? She felt shame build and bubble up in her chest, ready to burst out in tears, when a familiar rainbow blur swooped across the sky, only to land in front of her. Just the sight of her was enough to give her the strength to sit up and eventually stand as her best friend stood up for her, demanding that they leave her alone.

Of course, Hoops and Dumb-Bell did not heed to her demands, and the three of them provoked each other to a race, determined to prove which one of them was the big shot of the skies.

“I’m gonna leave ‘em coughing in my dust,” Rainbow bragged as the two made their way to the start banner, with the two colts not far behind them. “Just you wait ‘n see, Flutters. I’ll show ‘em why they can’t mess with either of us.” When they arrived, Rainbow directed Fluttershy to her own little cloud and handed her a flag.

“Just ‘cause you’re not racing doesn’t mean you can’t take part. You wave the flag when it’s time, okay?”

“Oh, okay,” she nodded. “And Rainbow?”

“Yeah?”

She smiled. “Thank you. For saving me...again. I know you’ll win.”

Rainbow grinned back. “‘Course you do! You’re my best friend. So I’ll see ya after I show these dummies what real flyin’ looks like.” She flew off to the flag and Fluttershy readied herself for the race.

She had faith that Rainbow would win. She was the best in class, and nopony worked harder than she did when it came to flying. But she felt a bit nervous for her anyway. She hoped that the two colts would play fair.

But she couldn’t keep them waiting forever, so once they were all ready and in position, she reared on her back legs and waved the flag.

The racers didn’t even hesitate as the flag went down, and Fluttershy had little time to react before the three of them blurred past her. They flew by her with such speed that Fluttershy got caught up in their winds, without the strength to keep herself steady amongst them. She whirled like a tornado before she realized the clouds were no longer beneath her hooves any more.

And nopony even noticed.

It was more terrifying than the first time she had gotten blown off course. There was nopony to save her now. Her father was working and her teacher wasn’t watching them. Her best friend was racing for her honor and her classmates were too absorbed in the excitement of the event to pay attention. And her mother…

Her mother…

She screamed at the top of her lungs as her wings froze shut against her back, refusing to come to her aid. Her limbs tried to compensate for it, flinging themselves in every direction in hopes of finding anything, anything, to hold on to.

She wondered how much it would hurt when she landed, wherever that landing would be. She couldn’t see where she was going, falling with her face towards the sky, watching the clouds shrink further and further away, as if they were mocking and rejecting her. We are not for you. We don’t want you here.

Her back would probably break. Maybe her neck. Or maybe she’d land in those large bodies of water she’d seen in books, making a giant splash before drowning and filling her lungs with water. This was it. There was nothing to do now but scream.

I’m sorry, Papa. I’m sorry Rainbow Dash. I’m sorry…Mama…

Her body rotated and suddenly she saw nothing but green and trees. Oh no. Her first glimpse of the ground would be her last and she was going to die there. Her forelegs whirled faster and her screams grew louder but she doubted anypony would hear her before the end of it. So much green, green green green, green everywhere, the color of doom.

She closed her eyes, ready for the inevitable, praying it wouldn’t hurt too much.

Poomph!

Her eyes shot open. Oh. Wait. It hadn’t hurt at all…“Huh?”

She rolled onto her stomach and found herself floating on something right over the ground. She bent her neck downward to take a closer look and found that it wasn’t something, but a whole bunch of somethings. Somethings that were...extremely beautiful. And familiar.

Butterflies! Wild butterflies! Oh, she had never seen wild butterflies before! She knew they existed, but wild ones never flew as high as the clouds back home naturally. The ones from home had been taken there by ponies. But these…

They had saved her life. And she could feel from the hum of their bodies and the way they flittered above the earth that they didn’t mind her landing on them. In fact, they seemed...relieved.

But why?

She wasn’t sure, but by that point she didn’t care. She looked around her and saw the real ground for the first time, and it was gorgeous. She never realized just how wonderful and vibrant the color green truly was to the naked eye. The trees looked so fluffy and proud, and the flowers were gorgeous.

Feeling the rhythm of the butterflies as they beat their wings, Fluttershy began to copy their movement without realizing it, and soon she was flying on her own.

The trees and flowers were beautiful, but what was even more captivating... were the animals.

Squirrels, birds, bees, bunny rabbits! Oh, they were all so cute and innocent! Their eyes were big and they seemed so happy, running and flying and crawling free far below the surface of the highest clouds. This. This was her dream.

Her dream of seeing the ground had finally come true, and she felt delirious in her happiness. How had she gone so long without doing this, without seeing this? How had her mother stayed away from this from so long? She had seen it too, hadn’t she? Wouldn’t she have loved this just as much, if not more?

She was skipping around and taking it all in before it all changed for her. The ground suddenly shook and Fluttershy stopped in her delight before a huge rainbow-streaked boom spread across the sky, making all the creatures around her scatter and hide in panic. Oddly enough, Fluttershy was the only one who didn’t feel afraid. She was concerned for all the animals, afraid for their well-being. Somepony needed to calm them down and help them feel safe. It was the kind thing to do.

She approached a bush, pushing the leaves apart.

“It’s all right, shhh. Everything is fine now. There’s nothing to fear,” she said to the rabbits and squirrels. The mammals looked up at her in awe, and she was surprised when she found that they understood her. And she understood them back.

“Really?” asked a gray rabbit.

“You’re sure?” prodded a squirrel.

She nodded. “Yes, don’t worry. Everything is okay, I won’t let anything hurt you.”

They hopped and scurried out at her assurance, and Fluttershy, in awe of what was happening, continued to look through all the forestry, even stopping to dip her head in a small pond to assure the frogs of their safety as well. She didn’t even hesitate to spread her wings and fly to the lower clouds to assure the birds that the coast was clear.

It took a while, but they all began to trust and believe the strange new yellow filly in their lives. When she finished coaxing them out, she sat on her belly as if to show that she was no threat to them, and they were more than happy to keep her company as they did.

And Fluttershy knew at that moment that this was what she was waiting for. This is what she wanted to do; this is where she wanted to be, always. The sky was a wonderful place, the place of her hometown, but the ground was a magical, unexplored territory that she was eager to discover, so she could befriend more animals. She finally felt like she could be herself here, without sacrificing her own happiness.

And her flank began to glow, and suddenly, there it appeared. Three pink butterflies, with turquoise bodies—her cutie mark.

She gasped. “Oh my goodness...Ohmygoodnessohmygoodnessohmygoodness!” she squealed, pink coloring her cheeks at her excitement.

Butterflies! Her Cutie Mark was butterflies! Of course. Just like...Just like…

“Mama…” she sniffled.

One very pregnant rabbit approached her with a concerned look on her face, patting her on the withers and cocking her head. Fluttershy laughed in appreciation and stroked the rabbit’s back. “My mother had a butterfly cutie mark too, you see. But she’s not here anymore…”

A butterfly that matched her cutie mark flitted to her face and landed on her nose, making Fluttershy blink. “Oh, hello. Thank you for saving me earlier. I’m oh so grateful for it…”

The butterfly gave her kisses with its antenna, and a thought occurred to her. If her cutie mark was like her mother’s, and resembled the very creatures that saved her life...And her mother had saved her life…

What if Mama had sent them for me, in that high place way above the clouds where all the ponies go?

“Do you know my mother....?” she asked, speaking softly. “Did she send you here…?”

The butterfly stroked her face with a wing and kissed her once more, before flying off to join its comrades in flight.

Fluttershy watched them as they went. She was smiling, with tears in her eyes.

“Thank you…” She looked at her new friends, who came close to her for cuddles and kisses and a place to perch on, and she looked as if she were glowing with not only happiness, but a sudden new strength she never knew she had until now.

“Thank you, all of you.”

---

“Papa! Papa! Papa, I’m home!”

She clacked her hooves against the locked door of her home, her wings flapping against her back in excitement as she waited for her father to come and open the door. It had taken her a while to make it back to Cloudsdale, with numerous breaks on random clouds, but she had done it. She could not only fly better than ever, but she had her cutie mark, and a pretty good idea of what it meant for her.

She felt the bar to the door slide back and the door opened, her father looking down at her. “Fluttershy!” he exclaimed, swinging the door further open to look down at her. “Where have you been? The school told me you were missing, putting everypony into a panic! I’ve been calling everypony asking about you!” He crossed his forelegs and scowled at her. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Her throat constricted and she took a deep breath before telling him exactly what happened—the fall to the ground, the butterflies, and her cutie mark.

“And as they carried me, my wings, they, they just started flapping!” she said with a growing smile. “They flapped, and I was flying. I can fly, Papa!”

To demonstrate, she unfurled her wings and hovered off the ground up to his eye level. “See? A-And I’m not...not exactly fast, and I still need breaks, but… but I can do it more easily now! It’s how I managed to get back here. That’s really good, isn’t it?”

She beamed at him, expecting him to break out in a giant smile and take her in his arms in a whirling, twirling hug, and maybe even finally tell her how proud he was of her, and make him happy. She had been waiting for this moment for as long as she could remember, and she was buzzing with excitement in anticipation for it. Besides the animals she met, it was all she could think about on the way back.

Her wings slowed as they beat the longer she waited, to the point where her hooves were planted back on the ground.

Her father wasn’t smiling. In fact, a shadow took over his entire face, with only his eyes visible behind the darkness.

“So you saw the ground and got your cutie mark.”

“U-Um…” She fought hard not to tremble at his chilling look. “Y-yes…”

“And what do you think it means?”

Oh.

Oh.

Oh no.

Suddenly, she knew that this wasn’t going to go well. She felt like banging her head against the wall for being so foolish. Of course her father wasn’t going to like what she got her cutie mark for.

She stuttered and fumbled with her hooves as she sat on her rump. “I...W-Well, I...That is, to say...The animals...I…” She looked away. “I can speak with them…”

She could feel his stare without turning her head.

His voice was flat. “You can talk to them.”

“A-And understand them, yes...I...Papa, I…”

“And now you want to go to the ground. Is that it?” He glared down at her. “You want to be grounded for life now, don’t you?”

“D-Daddy, you don’t understand!” Fluttershy said, getting back on her hooves, her eyes pleading for him to listen. “I-I think this is what was supposed to happen. B-Butterflies... they’re fragile. They’re not supposed to be strong enough to catch a pony, even a small one! B-But they were there, right before I hit the ground, like a...a miracle...And Mama always told me that…” Her voice dropped lower. “That she’d take me to the ground…”

Her head dipped to the floor, but there was no reply. She was afraid to look at his face for clues. It seemed like forever until her father finally spoke up.

“So you’re saying…” His voice drew closer. “That your mother sent those butterflies? Is that it?” His tone was so deep that it was a growl. A forceful hoof took Fluttershy by the chin and made her look up at him. “You think this was your dead mother’s plan, to send you to the ground so you could get your hooves dirty taking care of filthy land animals?”

Tears welled in her eyes. His hoof on her chin was pressing into her and it hurt. His voice was cutting into her heart like a knife, and his eyes were chilling to look into. Her heart was racing, but this time was far different from earlier when she received her cutie mark. She couldn’t speak until she was forced to.

“Well?” He grated his teeth in frustration and tilted her head higher, enough to make her neck hurt. “Do you?”

She let in a gasp. “Y-Yes…!”

He shoved her to the ground, making her fall over. Fluttershy’s eyes flew open in surprise. Her father had just hurt her. He wasn’t the nicest of fathers, especially as of late, but this...This was something she never thought he’d do. The tears continued but she didn’t even whimper. She just stared up at him in shock.

But this did not deter him. He towered over her. “Did it ever occur to you, ace…” He said her nickname with venom. “That because of you and your inability to fly, you’re the reason your mother is dead?”

It had at first, but so many ponies had reassured her that this wasn’t true. And after grieving a while, she had begun to believe them. She had no idea that her own father disagreed.

“She sacrificed her life for you so you could live and fly!” he yelled, his eyes burning with fury. “You killed her, and this is how you repay her, repay me? Your father, the one who loved your mother more than anything? After all we did for you, after all I’ve done for you? This is how you thank us? By becoming a pathetic grounder pony and completely abandoning your Pegasus culture? Did you--”

Something seemed to dawn on him as he stared down at her, his anger disappearing for a moment and his mouth making a surprised ‘o’ before he spoke again.

“You’ve been lying to me this whole time, haven’t you?”

Rubbing the tears from her eyes, she stopped to look at him. “W-What?”

“Your flying. You’ve known how to fly this whole time, haven’t you? It was all just an act.”

How many times would her father say things so preposterous that it made her gasp? “What? N-No! Daddy, that’s not true!”

“It IS! It IS true!” He pointed at her accusingly. “You never wanted to fly. You were always so fascinated with that precious little book of yours and the ground, so you just pretended you couldn’t fly in hopes of destroying our dreams together. Isn’t that right? Tell me!” he roared.

She shook her head wildly in protest. “No! D-Daddy, all I’ve ever wanted to do was make you proud of me!” She felt her heart begin to crack as she finally told him how she felt. “I always knew you were disappointed in my flying, and that you wanted me to become just as great as your students. I wanted to make you proud of me and make you happy! I just...I wanted us all to be a happy family, a-and not be so weak…!”

“You liar!” He stomped his hoof. “You always knew to fly! Getting caught by butterflies shouldn’t be enough to suddenly give you the ability to fly!”

“But Mama told me that’s the entire reason she worked as a teacher with you! Because you found out th-that learning about other flying creatures did help!”

He scoffed at that. “Yes, they did! Your mother was amazing, for all she did for my students. But those students had much more than the basics down before learning anything about butterflies and birds and whatever! They didn’t need them to learn how to fly altogether! Which is exactly what you’re saying happened, and I’m not buying it.”

“But it’s true!” she yelled in hopes of knocking some sense into him. “I’m not lying, Daddy! I would never do that to you; I love you Daddy. I just…”

There was no getting through to him. He wasn’t buying it. He did not look at her the way a loving father should at his one and only child. No, he stared at her as if she were nothing. Nothing or nopony important.

“...Get out.”

Her tears stopped and her eyes widened. “H-Huh?”

He turned away from her. “Get. Out. You want to go to the ground and be a grounder pony? Then get out of my house, and out of my face.”

Fluttershy barely had the energy to get off of the floor. “Daddy…?”

“You have five minutes to grab your junk and leave. That’s it.”

Trembling, she somehow got on her hooves. “B-B-But…”

He looked back at her with tears in his eyes and a scowl. “Are you deaf? Go pack your bags and go! You’re not my daughter anymore! Five minutes and you’re gone!”

“You...Y-You’re kicking me o-out?”

He reached forward and grabbed her foreleg, dragging her in an arc and pushing her in a slide to the stairs, making her crash against the first step. “Yes! Out, and out of my life forever! Now go get your junk and out of my house!”

She squealed, her forehead slightly red where she hit the step, and ran upstairs.

She barely had time to cry before she grabbed her saddlepack and started shoving it with her things. A pillow and blanket. A flashlight. A butterfly doll that Rainbow had gotten her for her birthday. Some paper and quill. Her sweatbands.

She left her room and slowly tread down the stairs, shaking with fear that Golden Chariot would hurt her or scream. At the tender age of ten, she learned that her father had changed, and no longer wanted her anymore.

The thought made her want to wail with pain, but she had to keep going before Chariot made himself known again, wherever he was. She carefully went into the kitchen and packed a few fruits and veggies to take with her, her eyes darting around for Chariot, before she finally made her way to the family room.

The urn gleamed as she entered, and fresh tears appeared. “I’m so sorry, Mama…” She sniffed. “I-I didn’t mean —I didn’t mean for...for all this to happen…” Her chest began to heave and she couldn’t help but start wailing again.

The sound of something papery made her stop. She turned and jumped at the sight of Chariot towering over her, with what looked like two ripped pieces of paper in his hooves.
He released the paper, and the two pieces gracefully danced in the air, before gravity won out and sent them to the floor. Fluttershy gaped when she saw what it was he dropped—the family photo of her parents and herself, the first one they ever took together. The memory came easily to her. She had been terrified at the idea of some stranger coming to the house and trying to take a picture of them, but her parents had consoled her, telling her the picture would be a memory and a treasure of the family for years to come. A photo to brag about to their friends about their loving family, especially their beautiful daughter. The entire conversation had ended in a group hug and kisses on both of her cheeks, before the photo was successfully taken.

After it was developed, the picture hung proudly on the wall by the door for all to see. At least, it used to be. Now, the frame was on the couch, empty, and its picture was torn to pieces. Fluttershy could see the perfect rip that separated Fluttershy from her parents in the picture.

Something else slid across the floor, and Fluttershy stopped to see it was a photo album. It wasn’t quite as thick as she remembered it, and she saw that there was a pile of photos on the end table, ones that had belonged in the album. She saw the top photo and it was one of her parents. She suspected that they were all like that, with none of them including her.

Later, she would find out she was right.

“Take it. I don’t want those anymore.”

She shook as she took it and put it in her bag, before she picked up the ripped photo and looked up at her father with large, watering eyes.

His face remained blank. “Your five minutes are up. So get out.”

But neither of them moved as Fluttershy’s eyes drifted down at the photo. She moved it so the ripped pieces joined together, and for a moment, it looked as if they weren’t ripped at all.

She looked at her mother, and then at herself. Her eyes glanced at her cutie mark.

She was her mother’s daughter. Her father may have abandoned her, but she knew in her heart what she believed was true. Her mother had been a part of this. Her mother would have supported her had this happened had she not died. She had not saved her once, but twice, and now it was her turn to save her mother.

“I—I am a useless pony, Dad…”

She flexed out her wings.

“But my Mama loved me anyway, e-enough to save me twice…”

She approached the urn before her father realized what was happening.

“And I’m going to do the same for her!”

Her father leapt across the room to catch her, but in a burst of speed that would inevitably make her back ache later, she zipped past him and into the hallway before kicking the door open.

“No! No, don’t you dare….!” He jumped up at the doorway and flexed his wings, and chased her. “Come back here, Fluttershy! I’m warning you!”

But what else could he do? He wasn’t her father anymore. She was only her mother’s now. But that didn’t make her any less terrified. “Hold on, Mama…!”

Ponies from below watched the scene, and some recognized the object Fluttershy held as she passed.

Her wings began to burn as she rushed forward. Her father was catching up, and she had no idea how she managed to keep out of his grasp for so long, but hoped it lasted long enough.

Only a few seconds passed before she felt a breeze, one strong enough for her task. Looking back, she realized she only had a few seconds before Golden Chariot would catch her. She hovered in the air and wasted no more time.

“I’m sorry this took me so long. Thank you for everything, Mama. You kept your promise even when you didn’t have to, and showed me the beautiful ground…” she murmured to the urn, stroking it with love as a tear splashed against its surface.

She opened the lid as she heard Chariot scream, “No! No, please, no! Whisper! Not my Whisper!”

Fluttershy tilted the urn into the wind. “I love you!” she yelled as she watched her mother’s ashes fly into the heavens.

The wind stroked Fluttershy’s face, distracting her from Chariot’s screaming.

And she swore she heard it whisper in her ear.

I love you too…

And it was those winds that carried her home to the ground, where her animals were waiting for her.

Author's Note:

I know this was SOOOOO long. This chapter could have been a oneshot all on its own. I didn't plan for it that way. But I had such a detailed past for Fluttershy and I really wanted to share it with you and make it a part of the story.

Thank you as always for your incredible patience. An author couldn't ask for better readers.

I'm so glad this is finished. It was such a hurdle. This here guys, was a labor of love. Truly. And lemme tell ya, it still baffles me that this chapter is the longest so far, since it's all backstory. I didn't plan it that way, as I said. I hope you all didn't mind.

For some reason, I feel like Discord's backstory won't be quite as long. But don't worry, it won't be too short either. Since when do I ever write short things? *sighs*

Thanks for sticking with me, and as always, comments and constructive criticism are appreciated forever.

Shout out to Kittyglimmercat01, GarfieldthePony, and BestTitanosaurus for helping me earlier in the process with finding the names of the two bullies, Hoops and Dumb-Bell. You really helped me out.

Comments

[Dr midnight]

I hope to see whats next

[Poet Knight]

[DaydreamsOfAStranger]

Wow. Just wow...

[Twilight Kira]

Beautiful

[Amethyst_Dawn]

She barely had time to cry before she grabbed her saddlepack and started shoving it with her things. A pillow and blanket. A flashlight. A butterfly doll that Rainbow had gotten her for her birthday. Some paper and quill. Her sweatbands.

Her sweatbands.

Her sweatbands.

Wow...
Amazing...
I'll give my full view later... I need a minute to cry.

[Amethyst_Dawn]

Okay, after spending the last two hours recovering from reading this, I'll put a portion of my full view.

This fic, as far as it's gone, is an immense work of art! This was one that inspired me in several Headcanons, and this latest chapter solidifies it. Is it bad that I wish this was canon? It would explain her past a lot better than the canon actually did.

I take off my hat to you, Tater!
~Amethyst Dawn, at your service!

[Tephera]

This is on par with My Little Dashie feels right now.

I do not know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

[taterforlife]

7354784
Don't worry, you will. The story isn't over yet! (But oh boy, do I wish it were. I really should have finished this a long time ago.)

7355038
I have honestly never seen such a perfect sequence of emotion portrayed by pony emoticons. I am honestly impressed. I hope you aren't too sad though! Don't worry, she's happy with her animals and her friends now. (And her Draconequus, wink wink nudge nudge.)

7355283
I'm so sorry.

7355287
Thank you. I was hoping to write this well. And I fretted so much over this one, more than any of the others, so I'm really REALLY happy you think so!

7355299
I'm so sorry I made you cry...But I actually added that part in on my very last edit before posting. I almost forgot about them! And I don't know if people made the connection on the sweatbands...Did you?

7355503
You honor me with such a wonderful review, Amethyst. Thank you. I'm glad you think it explains more than the canon version. I thought her canon family was adorable, but I always wanted more to explain why she was so shy, other than it being because her family was shy or maybe even genetic (though personality and nature vs. nurture is a huge topic in psychology). Then again, most people in real life are shy just because that's how they are, but what can I say? I like storylines that are more interesting and emotionally investing. I'm happy you wish this were canon. TBH, I kind of do too. It's not bad though. Everyone loves it when their favorite characters suffer! (Seriously though, it's true.) But honestly, we just like interesting storylines, and as far as canon goes, she's just shy because...her parents are, I guess. But that didn't satisfy me, haha.
And my story inspired you and some of your headcanons? Oh. Oh wow. I'm beyond flattered. I'm so happy you like reading this so much! I was so worried about this chapter. And while I don't want to make people cry, I do want the readers to feel engaged in it, and what better way to do that then with feelings? Thank you again, so much, for such a wonderful review.

7355650 I've never read that fic, but I've heard it's a tearjerker. I hope you enjoyed it despite the sadness! Thanks for the review!

[Amethyst_Dawn]

7355716
I assure you, I cried because I was so engaged, and enthralled, even! You have kept everyone true to their characters, and that is the type of writer I aspire to be!

[Raven]

Damn. Spent an hour reading this. Would do again. Not many things can tug at my strings, but damn it did this do the trick. Very well done, good sir!

[flowergirl13]

Oh my gosh, that was intense. I was literally close to tears. Great chapter and I know your next one will be as equally as spectacular as your story has been so far!

[Marsara]

Anyone else feel Fluttershy's emotions all throughout this one? Cause I sure did.

[Majk]

Gah, manly eye fluids kept leaking during this chapter, i loved it.

[EverfreeSky]

I was estatic to see a new chapter out and it was so long. Please give your readers more to read, enjoy, and imagine. Keep this story going.

[aquasexualcat]

Damn...this was a new level of sad.. i had to take several brakes while reading this to cry.... but great chapter. Keep up the fantastic works. And congrats to missy!

[OpaliteWindTheCryptid]

Well I have just been emotionally wrung out by a fanfiction...my toddlers are looking at me in judgment XD congratulations you have succeded in making me cry like a little filly

[Hatter]

That chapter stabbed my feels. I liked how Golden had a mental breakdown, instead of just making him being sucky parent from the get-go.

[Majora]

You made my cry. How dare you. Not many can do that. This a grand story, keep up the good work.

-Sanity is Overrated

[Sidetrack]

I am weeping like a man-child. Check-mate, good sir.
elllo.org/Assets/images/P1201/1219-0-cry.jpg

[Havoc in the Midst]

One second, I'm choking in tears here.
*28 mins later*

Mk I'm good. Here's my thoughts on this chapter:
You good sir are the only person who has made me cry over a story, and DANGIT I WANTED TO SLEEP TODAY WITH A SMILE NOT A TEAR JACKED SIGH! Haha now that I'm done yelling for no reason, I deeply enjoyed this chapter, and I beg you to update as fast as your awesome tear jacking fingers can go

Also I hope Chariot dies in a pit full of hungry lions and poison daggers. :)

Oh, once more thing. Random peice of advice:

The best way to sneak up on someone is to sneak up on them without shoes.

HAVE A GOOD DAY AND UPDATE QUICK AS YOU CAN! :D

[nobody_in_particular]

I can't right now. I just can't. I felt like I was going deeper into depression while reading that.

[taterforlife]

7372468 Okay, I know that I haven't responded to a ton of reviews and I need to do that and I will, but first, are you okay? Do you need to talk to someone? I'm sorry if I made you feel worse if you're going through a hard time!

[nobody_in_particular]

7376098 Oh, it's good. just some irrational fear stuff about coming out...

[Amethyst_Dawn]

7355716
Oh, yeah. I don't know why I kept forgetting to answer questions, my apologies.

Yes, I made that connection with the sweatbands. That subtle callback alone brought me to bittersweet tears, and I loved it!

[taterforlife]

7378116 I don't mean to press, I am just innocently curious...Did you mean 'callback' by the story itself, or...this?!?
t15.deviantart.net/FjbD6HazY-ENOma0jkn4znhXN6w=/fit-in/700x350/filters:fixed_height(100,100):origin()/pre06/9c33/th/pre/f/2012/087/a/f/like_a_hurricane_by_doctor_g-d4u6qar.jpg

[Amethyst_Dawn]

7381060
Ohh, I completely forgot about that! I was referring to the story.

You took those from canon?
YOU ARE A GENIUS!!

[Wolfren]

The following are the emotions I felt reading this; excitment, amusement, and rage. What the buck is wrong with me?

[YewUnicorn]

Oh my. Oh my GOD. I seriously can't, just can't. This was... So hard to read. It started so lovely and then, so Damn tragically.
It reminds me... of my deteriorating relationship with my father...
God.
I need to... take a moment... to remember the good things in my life.
And... you are a good writer... but I don't thank you very much for this.

[taterforlife]

7355731
A writer couldn't want more from a reader than that, my friend. I'm so glad you found it so engaging; it's one of the reasons I keep writing fanfictions. It not only encourages me to keep writing, but it also helps to remember that there are things I'm good at. Since everyone sometimes thinks they're not good at anything. And I believe that you can become a great writer, my friend. Just keep reading and writing, and listen to those who take the time to read your work as long as they are constructive about it. I've improved so much thanks to everyone here who has helped me while writing this. I sincerely thank you.

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7365028
This is my official apology for all tears that were shed during the reading of this chapter. I really didn't think I'd make so many people cry, though I did try to make it an emotional chapter. I can't say I'm not glad that I got those emotions across. But I do apologize for the tears. But thank you so much for reading and reviewing, and I thank you for all your kind words on my work. I hope you continue to enjoy it!

7361355
I'm glad you appreciated and noted that part about Golden Chariot. He was a good dad. But with his consistent flaw of bias and the tragedy that occurs, not to mention his poor coping skills... well. It was bound to happen. But yes. I wanted to give him flaws but still be a pretty good guy overall in the beginning. Because Whisper wouldn't have dated, much less married, a 'bad' stallion. She knew better than that, and knew she deserved a great one.

7370780
First order of business: No shoes. Got it.
Second: I'm sorry I made you cry! I'm glad the feelings got across, but I certainly didn't mean to hamper your sleeping, my friend.
Third: Yeeeeah. Chariot isn't loved anymore after what he did. Knowing him, he's probably still miserable and drunk with a house that's quickly losing property value because he isn't taking good care of it.
It's a tiny chapter, the smallest I've ever written (only a lil' more than 2k) but I have updated and will work on the next chapter soon. ^_^ Thank you for the wonderful review, I'm excited that so many people enjoy this story!!!!

7384950
Nothing is wrong with you, my friend. I've gotten SO emotional over (most likely) at least one of every type of entertainment media there is. Movies, books, fanfiction, TV shows...And besides, I'm the one who wrote this, so if there's anyone that has something wrong with themselves, it's me! Eh. Oh well~ Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoyed it.

7377787
Well, I'm glad you're okay. I just had to check. I'd hate to trigger anything that might cause you pain. Feel free to tell me if I ever do, and I can hopefully fix it or make it better. And that goes for anyone else, as well.

7381092
D'awwww, thank you. I'm not really a genius. I just enjoy being sneaky with references.
Seriously though, you're making me blush.

7388033
I sincerely apologize if I triggered any unwanted feelings for my writing. I truly don't want to cause anyone any pain. I simply wanted to write a backstory to explain some of Fluttershy's traits and lifestyle. But hey, it's not canon, and Fluttershy really does have a lovely family in the show.
I really am sorry. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know. I hope you're okay and that everything works out. I'll keep you in my thoughts. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
And yes, that's a good idea. Remembering the good things. I think that's something people don't do enough, especially when we're upset. Good for you. You're awesome.

[stormdest1nyspeedart]

Just when i think i couldn't cry any more at this fan fic you surprise me yet again XD well played tater, well played ;)

But yeah AMAZING work yet again tater! The way you write is outstanding and so realistic i felt like i was literally living in the moment as flutters! i cannot wait to see what happens next :') + she took the sweat bands!!! perhaps the same ones used in the training montage in hurricane fluttershy? DUN DUN DUN

(oh yes quick update on the fan art! im soooo sorry its taking so long, my daughter of discord scenes have taken main priority at the moment but as soon as im done with my ep 5 scenes, which will hopefully be done in the next few days, i shall hopefully be able to finish it!)

Anyways keep up the AWESOME work! and as always i look forward to the next chapter! :D

[RandomHamster33]

I am crying so much right now. Just when I thought things were getting better, they got worse, and the tears would be flowing again.

Excellent job, author. This was a truly amazing chapter.

[Wandering Eye]

I.. I'm... I'm okay.. I'm okay.

..ahh who am i kidding! *SUPERBAWL*

She just wanted to figure herself out and make her parents proud! Thats ALL.... Sweet Chaos that twisted me up.

[socky_dude]

Thanks, now all I want to do is hug Fluttershy but I CAN'T because she's not real!!!
WHY DO YOU TORTURE ME SO??

She sobbed so loudly that nopony could hear it. Not even her father.

Can I just say that I love this line?? It is some amazingly clever that my soul died trying to picture it. This whole chapter made me cry, and I applaud you for the way you wrote this, it was beautiful.

[Firebrace101]

You are right, this could have been a story on it's own but I would have loved it all the same.
This is the saddest Fluttershy background I have ever read, enough to make me cry to sleep. The number of people who probably say this in the comments is almost too many (almost...there is never to many) but I feel I must say this. You wrote so well, it made me feel bad for a fictional character. I love it, how you went through the list to making me cry.
It is as follows:
-disapointment
-death
-grief
-bullying
-and loss, more like losing someone you haven't lost
(No curse words just spoilers for the chapter)
All of those smoothly came together to create the wonderful chapter of tears, happiness, and many more emotions. This is good enough to be a book, and I would gladly pay for it! You are an excellent writer and should never think any below. Please continue writing, you are amazing.

[Silver Starlight]

I started crying a little over halfway through, and kept crying until about ten minutes after I finished the chapter. Excellent work

[Draco Dei]

The sweatbands... I get both callbacks, but I want to be sure that her taking them means what I think it means:
Even in her despair and having been so rejected, she still subconsciously wants to keep improving her flying anyway.

7640197
I was decent as-is. Got a second draft for us somewhere?

[Artfenix]

I believe this is the first time I almost cried from reading a story. Good work dear author, good work. You managed to unfreeze my stonecold heart.

[novkit]

Almost lost it at the eulogy.

Rolled a natural 20 against the feels.

[AyanamiRei]

#1 Holy fuck! What did you DO to poor Fluttershy's parents??! T_T

#2 Really I feel this is all Projection, since deep down the Father knows it was HIS fault. He pushed his daughter too hard to be what she was not. He tried to prevent the mother from helping Fluttershy when she needed it. So then he drinks and feels miserable, because deep down he KNOWS this. However he can't handle the guilt and the alcohol just makes it worse, so he blames his daughter for her weakness and everything else. Truly he is a heartless monster.

#3 I feel that this was even better writing than the previous parts of the story. Then again maybe it's just be getting annoyed with Discord being so Tsundere that prevented me from enjoying it as much as this chapter. Fuck man, those feelings....T_T

#4 Fluttershy was NOT just shy because of her parents. She was also BULLIED and LAUGHED AT. If you look at the episode of Hurricane Fluttershy, you can still see the traumatic wounds over this are still strong. In fact when she pushes herself in the end, you can really get a good look at her actual potential. The problem is she still lacks a lot of self-confidence due to the abuse she suffered when she was young, in addition to her parents being kind of like doormats. So Genetics for Introvert, Parents who are OVERLY Shy & Confrontational, AND Bullying. A perfect trifecta for one uber shy pony who loathes confrontation and saying even a single mean or bad word about ANYONE.

Honestly as someone who was bullied in school a lot growing up. I STILL have problems in social situations due to my Social Anxiety that was caused by being an outcast and being verbally harassed n stuff.

[QuillMaster]

Ah...god this made me cry.
But I was so proud of Fluttershy when she took the urn at the end.

[Aether Spark]

Did this come out before fluttershys parents were introduced? cuz this is nothing like her an actual origin.