Fluttershy has always been the one out of her friends to have fear constantly claw at her mind and drag her down into its deep abyss. From stage fright to nightmares, Fluttershy cannot escape it. She can only have the compassion of her friends to reassure her and slowly fight fear off.

But one morning, after having a pleasant sleep, she awakens in the majestic castle of Canterlot. At least the ruins of it. She wanders around and tries to find out what happened...

...while being hunted down by fear's true living manifestation.

Red Team had been given an assignment. It wasn't the usual sort of assignment. They were assigned to defend their base 'until further notice'...and then never received notice. All announcements sounded pre-recorded, and enemy assaults were few and far between. The enforced inactivity was slowly fraying the bonds of the team...

...until something unexpected arrived. A tiny creature appears one day in their fortress, in need of compassion and care. Somehow, she finds that in this group of strange individuals, as she becomes their baby.

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Crossover with Team Fortress 2.
Part of the PWNY-verse.

Edit: Since I get these comments a lot, I will say here, I've never played the game and don't intend to include much in the way of game mechanics, so please don't suggest such things.

Edit 2: FAN ART! for chapter 9 by G_Haze. Makes me so happy.
Edit 3: More fan art from G_Haze, This guy's amazing!
Edit 4: New fan art! by The Pyromanecer. Thanks so much!
Edit 5: More fan art by shiningkord98.
Edit 6: New Fan Art by The Pyromancer
Edit 6: More awesome fan art from G_Haze! So awesome!
Edit 7: New fan art by Pioneering Author

Fluttershy finds a young and scared Pegasus colt in a storm one night. Can she be the mother he so desperately needs?

Being the sensible farmpony that she is, Applejack knows that spiders are nothing to be afraid of. Fluttershy herself would tell her that. But that still didn't stop her from harboring a deep-seeded fear of those eight-legged critters. And when Fluttershy's spiders escape their homes, Applejack starts seeing them everywhere.

She promptly freaks out and runs away.

Sometimes growing up means more than just time passing. For some, it means letting go of what they hold dear and moving onto greener pastures. And for others, it means becoming what they never wanted to be in the first place.

Thanks to my editors Maskedferret, Door Matt, Razalon The Lizardman, and Titanium Dragon for all their help!

Reading found here.