//------------------------------// // Wonderful little toy. // Story: Stories told on the Hearth // by Alchemystudent //------------------------------// When I looked, it had two little eyes.         Fluttershy awoke with a start, sitting up from the floor that she had laid on. Blinkiing her eyes slowly, she began to make out four figure in the dim light of the room. After a few more minutes, she began to be able to make out the colors and features of the people that had surrounded her. Shaking her head for a second, she whispered, “W-where am I?” as she asked, she began to try and move her wings. With a tiny start, she looked behind her and noticed that bother her wings were broken in half, “MY wings! Somepony broke my wings. W-who could’ve done such a-” “Probably the same one who broke my arm,” said a grizzled old ninja, his arm hanging limp by his side. Sighing, he looked to Fluttershy, his yellow eyes looking down at her, “So who areyou kid? The names Shinobi.” “F-fluttershy,” Fluttershy whispered, he shyness overtaking her. “Where are we?” “Don’t know,” Shinobi said, leaning against the wall of the room. “We are all like you. One day, we just woke up in this dang cell with no recollection of how we got here.” “All I remember is that I was at a picnic with my friends, and then nothing,” Fluttershy said. “Why would somepony kidnap us?” “Some sicko, I can tell you that,” said a ballerina. “Look at me! I was a great dancer! I had big dreams, and now,” she whimpered and cried. Fluttershy looked at the young ballerina and asked, “What happened. OH my!” she gasped when she got a look at her companion when she hopped into the dim light. The Ballerina whimpered as she looked down at her missing legs, “Some monster held me down at a table and began to rip my legs off one by one. I have no idea why he did it to me, he just found it as some form of sick joke.” Fluttershy walked over and patted the ballerina's back as she began to cry. Shinobi chuckled at this as he took a small drink from a flask, “Think that is something, squeaky hasn’t barked in ages,” he said, pointing to a small puppy that just whimpered and hid. Then he pointed to a soldier that had his face covered, “And he’s gone mad.” “They’ll come for me. You’ll see, my friends,” the solder said, holding the side of his burnt off face in pain. “Then they’ll come for me and take me home. They won’t leave me behind.” “Buddy, I keep telling you, no one is coming for you. Your friends are all dead and buried, it’s just you. The only thing any of us has to look forward to is the darkness,” Shinobi said, drinking his bottle slowly and sighing. Fluttershy gave Shinobi a look that was a mix of curiosity and outright dear,” T-the darkness?” Shinobi nodded and looked up to the sky, pointing to the square circle above their heads, “There are only two ways out of here, up there. Or, “ he paused, taking a look at the four walls around him, “You wait for the darkness. A time when we all blank out and-” Before Shinobi could say anymore, the world for Fluttershy went black. When she saw the light again and the world returned to normal, she found that the ballerina and squeaky had disappeared-what happened?!” “It’s like I said, every once in awhile everyone here is overtaken by darkness and then one of us is whisked away,” he gave a low chuckle, “All except for me. I have seen way too many people being taken away and never seen again. Don’t complain thought. Means less heartbreak.” “They’re coming for me! One day, they’ll come and bring me-” “Will you shut up! No one cares about you, no one is coming and no one,” Befor the ninja could say more, Fluttershy interjected by walking to the soldier and hugging him. “I care,” Fluttershy said, holding the soldier tightly. “Somebody will come and help you, I promise. Then, maybe you can see your friends again.” “A little too hopeful, ain't ya?” asked Shinobi. Fluttershy turned around and smiled, “Why not, its a good time to hope. It’s hearth's warming eve, and I believe that as long as you have hope...anything can happen. You just need to fight for it.” “You don’t look like you can fight for anything,” Shinobi said, laughing. “You’re right. I am small, helpless, and weak. But my friends remind me that I am stronger than I believe I am. I know that and I know, that they will come,” Fluttershy said as the darkness came for her once more. When Fluttershy opened her eyes, she found the soldier gone. AS he smled warmly, saying a silent prayer to herself, Shinobi added in, “Whoa, so maybe you do have something to that whole, hope thing.” “It’s hard sometimes,” Fluttershy said, smiling softly. “But, if you try hard enough, you can find it. Then you jus need to hold onto it hard.” “”Heh, nice philosophy, maybe i shoul-” Once again, the darkness came and left, leaving Fluttershy alone.  Laying on her stomach, she gave a little sniffle as she felt the oppressive loneliness wash over her, “And here I am. Alone. I hope that my friends can,” before she could say any more, she felt a darkness wash over her, “No, wait. No, plea-” “Well now, would you look at that,” the young man said, smiling as he looked into the barrel. Reaching down, he pulled out the little Fluttershy toy and smiled. “Hey there little girl, why would anyone throw you away?” as he asked this, he looked the little toy over and said, “Oh, broken wings huh?” A man standing next to the barrel marked ‘Broken toys $1 each” grumbled, “Hey mac, ya gonna buy a toy or ain't ya?” “Hmm? Oh, yeah, sorry. I was thinking how i was going to fix this toy when I got home,” the young man smiled as he dropped the dollar in the bin and walked away with his little figure. A few days later, the young man came to a small house in the country. After stepping into the house and dropping off his coat, he was tackled by a little red head about 4, “Uncle Qrow!!!!” “Hey kid,” Qrow said, smiling as he knelt down to rub his little niece’s head, “Merry christmas.” “What did you bring me!?” asked the little girl as her uncle handed her a package. As she began to open it, she let out a little squeal of  “YAY!!” Taiyang walked up behind his brother-in-law and asked, “Tell me you didn’t get Ruby another gun. She had twenty of those.already.” “”Nah, figured i would help her out with her little collection,” smirked Qrow as he watched his little niece take out the little Fluttershy figure, her wings now metal scythes, and put it on a stand with her other figures. “After all, I had a my little pony collection growing up.” “Fluttershy!!! You made it home!” Pinkie Pie shouted as she hugged her friend.