Many know Fluttershy, timid yellow Pegasus who is afraid of her own shadow. What many don't know, is the why. When an old soldier enters Ponyville with a letter for Fluttershy, she is forced to shatter her well earned peace and return to the secret world she had left behind.
‘Code Red All units must be reinstated as of yesterday. I want an evac team to the Gryphon kingdom stat. And I don’t want to hear any hobtrop about how ‘impossible’ it is, if one mare can do it, so can you private!’
“Ok Angel, here is your salad, just as you like it.” Fluttershy put the plate down gently, gracefully landing and crouching down to smile warmly at her pet. Angel took one look at the food, and flipped it in Fluttershy’s face.
“If that’s not what you wanted, I’m sorry. I can make you something else if you like.” Fluttershy waited as Angel opened up a cookbook, and slapped it open to a page showing a carrot cake. Fluttershy shook her head gently.
“I’m sorry Angel, but that really must be eaten after dinner. You’ve got to have 3 meals before then. Please?” Fluttershy sighed softly as Angel stamped his foot, and folded his arms. There would be no arguing with the rabbit. Standing up, Fluttershy relented. Surely it was ok to have a carrot cake for breakfast once in a while, right?
“I will be right back with the ingredients. I’ll leave a fresh salad over here if you get hungry.” Fluttershy carefully prepared another salad, and placed it down on the floor. Picking up her saddlebags, she put them on and counted the amount of money she had to spend. There was plenty, she would definitely be able to afford a simple carrot cake.
“Hey Fluttershy, have a daisy, on the house.” Roseluck pulled a fresh daisy from the bouquet, and tossed it to Fluttershy, who caught it with her hoof and smiled gently at Roseluck.
“Why, thank you so much.” Fluttershy’s smile grew as Roseluck chuckled, and returned it. Putting the daisy in her mouth, she let the unique treat go through her tastebuds. Fluttershy knew Roseluck had been extra nice as of late, and with winter right around the corner, Fluttershy knew just how to make it up to her.
“Fluttershy, how’s that devil with pure white fur doing.” The salespony winked, and held out the ingredients as Fluttershy listed them off, placing them one by one in her saddlebag as she shook her head.
“Oh, Angel is perfectly fine, he’s really not as bad as people make him out to be. Why, sometimes he’s a regular...well, angel.” Fluttershy smiled awkwardly as the salespony raised his head to the sky and laughed.
“Right, sure. Anyway I’ll see you same time tomorrow.” The salespony chuckled as Fluttershy shrunk back slightly, putting the bits on the table and giving a smile in return. The salespony did see her almost every morning, due to the diet of one bunny. Fluttershy didn’t mind, however.
“Excuse me Miss, are you a one; Fluttershy?” Blinking in surprise and jumping back, Fluttershy dived for the nearest bush, peeking out as she realised she was in no danger. Smiling sheepishly, she carefully stepped out of the bush. The pony said nothing, and Fluttershy got a good look at him.
“Uhm, yes,” she spoke, taking in the armor worn by almost every guard under Celestia’s rule. Any message from Celestia would go straight to Twilight, and Fluttershy could tell this wasn’t for all of them, and was only for her. The guard levitated out a letter, and saluted.
“Maam!” The guard turned, and marched away, catching the eye of everypony, who turned their attention to Fluttershy. Shrinking under their gaze, she put the letter away and quickly shrunk back home, glad none of her friends had found her yet. They would likely have heard about the commotion, it would only be a matter of time. Angel had eaten the salad, and was thumping his foot in annoyance.
“I’m sorry Angel, this won’t take long.” Fluttershy put her saddlebags down, and picked up the letter, opening it and sitting down as she began to read.
‘Private Butterfly, you are hereby ordered to resume active duty. You will report to Location X in Canterlot in 24 hours upon receiving this letter. Failure to do so will not only rescind your right to paid leave, but we will also be forced to release your exploits to family and friends.
Welcome back Soldier.’
“Oh-Oh dear.” Fluttershy let the letter drop as Angel leapt onto the table and looked down at it. After a moment, he raised his head, looking to Fluttershy, and grinned.
“I-I d-don’t t-think I c-can do thi-this anymore A-Angel.” Fluttershy looked away as Angel glared, and winced as the rabbit lightly slapped her. Angel was right however, they had no choice. And it did mean she wouldn’t have to make a carrot cake. Fluttershy breathed out and her highly effeminate voice lowered, becoming more adult-like as her eyes took on a hard tone.
“So be it.” Fluttershy turned and leaned behind the couch, pressing a button and revealing a secret compartment. Pulling out the large duffle bag, she swung it around her shoulders, adjusting to the new weight. Leaning into the compartment, she pulled out a pair of sunglasses, designed to fit her head perfectly and never fall off, and put them in the duffle bag. Turning, she crumpled the piece of paper, and tossed it in the big. Finally, she sat down to write a letter to her friends.
‘I’m sorry everyone, Angel wants me to take him to the bunny migration down in Rainbow Falls. I won’t be back for quite some time. I’ve asked Zecora to take care of my animals for me, so you don’t have to worry.
I’ll be back as soon as I can.’
Fluttershy grabbed some sticky tape and opened her door, taping the note on the front. Leaving the house, she bent down as Angel dived into her hair, grabbing on. Closing the door, she turned and flared her wings, flying into the Everfree with reckless abandon. Slowing down, she knocked on Zecora’s door and bowed her head, voice once more normal.
“I-I need to you watch the animals f-for a while. I-I’ve got to go to Rainbow Falls.” Raising her eyes, Fluttershy saw the warm smile Zecora gave, and smiled in return, relaxing.
“Of course my dear, do not fear. I shall keep them safe and sound, while you go fly around.” Zecora bowed her head in farewell as Fluttershy once more took to the air at a slower pace, picking up speed once she was out of eyeshot of Zecora. Landing at the train station, she purchased a ticket, and stepped onto the train, taking a seat in an empty train car, and looking toward Ponyville.
“Goodbye,” she spoke, putting a hoof to the glass. Closing her eyes, she waited for the train to start on its journey, before opening them. Turning to her duffle bag, she opened it and pulled out the equipment. Putting on the black army pants, made of a tough material, she quickly tossed the jacket over herself, before pulling a cloak around her to hide not only her appearance, but the clothes.
Strapping on the knee pads and boots, she clipped a tiny speaker to her ear, and pulled out the final item. It was a small, thin weapon designed to shoot projectiles at amazing speed. Strapping it to her back, she glanced at the cloak to make sure it was hidden underneath it, and folded the duffle bag as small as she could, slipping it into a pocket.
“Okay Angel, your turn.” Fluttershy pulled off the hood and exposed her head, pulling her hair out as Angel opened a pair a scissors he had taken from the bag. Quickly slicing through her hair, her hairdo became much shorter, and less likely to get in the way. Angel stashed the scissors under the seat, and Fluttershy pulled out the sunglasses, and put them on, tossing the hood over her head.
“Activate,” she spoke, and her sunglasses sparked to life, showing her many different options such as night vision, infrared, and the location of any targets nearby. There was a pony two carriages down from her. After a moment, the options moved to one side, and she let her view scan the room. The sunglasses were also resistant to bright flashes of light, designed to adjust automatically to any light condition.
“If this is for some stupid reunion party, I'm going to shoot him in the head,” she spoke, settling down for the long trip to Canterlot. Angel tossed her hair out the window, where it blew in the breeze, before settling onto the train tracks. Brushing his hands together, he took a seat beside Fluttershy, and leaned back, closing his eyes.
Back at Fluttershy’s house, the note carefully placed on the door, ripped under a strong gust of wind, and fluttered into the Everfree.
Down a forgotten alleyway in Canterlot, stood a sign that once said a famous pony’s name, now crumbling in the street due to disrepair. Only the letter X remained visible on the sign, and only if you paused to stand close to it, squinting in the darkness of the alleyway. As the cloaked figure stepped into the street, rabbit bouncing behind her, she approached the sign and lightly pressed down in it, sending it further into the dirt.
With a soft click, a wall vanished, revealing a passageway leading down some stairs. Fluttershy stepped into the passageway, and continued walking as it closed behind her. Back in the alleyway, the sign slowly rose back into its original position, and silence returned to the alleyway.
“Passcode Timber Bravo,” she spoke as she walked, another wall sliding open as she finished. Stepping into it, it also closed behind her, revealing a dead end. Placing a hoof on the wall, a beam of blue energy passed through it, and it slid aside with another click, revealing the high tech facility hidden underneath Canterlot. Pulling off her hood, she trotted through the large area.
“Private Butterfly, what brings you to our neck of the woods?” A pegasus with a gun strapped to his belt leaned over the desk of the reception, and winked. An older pony, a unicorn with grizzled old hair, rolled her eyes. Fluttershy paused, and narrowed her eyes at the pegasus.
“Hey, since you came all the way out here an all, mind doing me a favor? My wing is a bit lopsided and I could really use someone to clip it, if you know what I mean.” The stallion raised a wing, giving a wink, and Fluttershy smiled warmly tilted her head as she reached under her cloak.
“Of course,” she spoke, bringing her weapon around in one swift movement and shooting her gun at the exposed wing, slicing through some of the feathers and yet missing the part of the wing that was bone and muscle, as it sailed into the wall behind the pegasus.
“Woah!” The pegasus leapt back, falling off his chair and falling to the ground. Fluttershy turned and headed for the elavator situated in the wall, entering it without another word.
“I told ya not to mess with those Privates, yer lucky she’s one of the nicer ones that dun shoot yer greenhorn head off ya neck.” The unicorn righted the chair for the pegasus as he stood up and rubbed the spot the bullet had sliced through his wing. He would be flying awkwardly for weeks.
“Shut it, she was cute.”
“Private Butterfly, as punctual as ever. You will be briefed momentarily, we are just waiting on a greenhorn to get her pathetic ass here.” The commander was a short, brown earth pony with dark black hair and a military outfit on. Slapping Fluttershy over the back, he quickly led her through the long tunnel as she opened her mouth.
“You’re sending me with a greenhorn? For you to contact me this is probably another suicide mission, are you trying to get somepony killed? What did she ever do to you Sarge?” Fluttershy looked down as the commander raised his head, and barked a short laugh.
“As astute as ever Private Butterfly, and trust me, it ain't my idea. High Command ordered this party be a group of five, with at least two unicorns and frankly, we only have greenhorns left. I figure her best bet of survival is with the mare who single handedly defended a base from an entire army by enlisting the help of a rabbit.” The commander once more laughed, shaking his head as he glanced back to the critter in question.
“With that out of the way, meet your team Private. All are ordered to obey your commands for the upcoming mission.” The commander opened a door and allowed Fluttershy to step inside of a small cinema room, seeing three ponies sitting on the seats. Fluttershy glanced them over, and smiled as she recognized two faces.
“Boombox, Stringer, I’m surprised they called you in.” Fluttershy trotted over to the mare with a white coat and blue mane sporting a vinyl cutie mark. Next to her was a gray mare with a music note cutie mark. Both smiled and stood up, greeting Fluttershy as they brought her into a hug, and razzled her on the head.
“Butterfly, why they haven’t called you in on a mission for years now. We were thinkin you retired, what with that devil bunny of yours.” Boombox smirked at the rabbit as Stringer winced, and sighed.
“I do have to apologise for Boombox. Those late nights partying as her cover have affected her personality, what was there to begin with at least.” Stringer glared slightly at Boombox, who chuckled as all three turned to the new face.
“So, what’s your codename?” Fluttershy recognized the gray pony with the buttercup mane instantly, even without the bubble cutie mark. Normally, her eyes were criss crossed but as she saluted them they were straight, and her wings flared as she lowered her hoof.
“My codename is Muffin, Maam!” Muffin took a seat beside the three as they began to reacquaint with each other. Fluttershy smiled warmly and looked to Angel, who glared and tapped his foot. Straightening up, she once more let her eyes grow cold and stern.
Finally, after twenty more minutes, the unicorn stumbled in the door as all four looked to him. The unicorn in question had bright orange hair and a yellow coat that was similar in color to Fluttershy’s. However, it wasn’t that fact that gave the four reason to pause. It was the fact that this unicorn was a baby.
“Is there something on my face?” She spoke, rubbing her hoof to check she had nothing. Her body was dressed in very light baggy clothes that were similar to Fluttershy’s, but designed for her. Boombox stood up, and laughed.
“Pumpkin Cake? You’re kidding right? Are we gonna have to change ‘er diapers too now?” Boombox raised her head back and laughed as the foal narrowed her eyes, and pulled out a miniature shotgun and fired, right beside Boombox’s ear, shaving off just enough to cause it to bleed.
“I believe she’s made her point. Private Butterfly, this is the finest recruit in our unicorn division. Graduated top of the ranks, and at the lowest age we have ever seen. Her codename is Lantern, I will now begin the briefing.” The commander moved to the front of the room as Lantern took a seat beside Fluttershy, Boombox taking a seat as well, glaring at the foal.
“Right, 54 hours ago a covert group headed into the Griffin Kingdom to receive a package of intel. This group consisted of five ponies, one of them being my daughter. At exactly midday, their radio went silent. We have sent to teams after them, both failed. We’ve lost good ponies trying to reclaim that intel.” The commander’s ears flopped down as he looked away.
“I won’t sugarcoat it, those ponies are most likely captured, or worse. Your mission is twofold; find the intel and return it to us, and search for those who went missing. That intel has top priority, and should be transported via unicorn magic as soon as it is in your possession. Are we all clear?” The commander paused, and all saluted.
“Then I leave how to tackle this mission to you Private Butterfly. You all know where the armory is. Saddle up, your teleportation spell leaves first thing in the morning. Diiiismissed!” The commander saluted, and all stood up, saluting back. As the Commander left, all turned to Fluttershy as she quickly pulled out a map, pointing out the location they had lost radio contact with group Alpha.
“I want silencers on all low power guns, and bring something powerful in case it ends in a gunfight. Everypony is to pack two medkits and unicorns are to keep their magic to healing and protection spells unless otherwise stated. Pack light, but bring plenty of ammunition as we may not see much chance to regain it. With all that said, get some rest, and don’t be late.” Fluttershy glanced to Lantern, who saluted, giving a nod. All turned and left the room, heading for the elevator.
“Yo Fluttershy, I was wondering if you know what Tank would like for his birthday, is there some special Tortoise treat?” Rainbow Dash knocked on the door, blinking as no answer came. Opening it, she found it unlocked, and looked around inside. Closing the door, Rainbow Dash flew into the air and peeked in all the windows.
“That’s strange, Fluttershy is never out at night. Something feels fishy, I better go get Twilight.” Rainbow Dash turned, and flew to Twilight’s house.
