“Dingdingdingdingding!” Pinkie Pie yelled as Rainbow Dash wobbled, keeled over backwards and fell with a resounding splash into the lake.
The pegasus came up sputtering, wiping her sodden mane away from her eyes and glaring at Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. “You cheated!”
“Nopenopenope!” Pinkie Pie replied, shaking her head as she steadied Fluttershy’s hind legs on her shoulders. “Fluttershy beat you fair and square!”
“There ain’t no cheating in Shoulder Wars, sugarcube.” Applejack chuckled. “She knocked you off my shoulders fair n’ square.”
“You let go on purpose! You sabotaged me!”
“Hon, do I look like the sorta pony who’d do any such thing?” Applejack huffed. “I’d be insulted if I didn’t know you were just bein’ a sore loser.”
“I am not a sore loser! You guys are just cheating!” Rainbow Dash pointed an accusing hoof at Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. “I demand a do-over!”
“Oh, um. I don’t know. I was thinking about just taking a nap, um. I-if that’s okay with you. I mean, I don’t have to, but…” Fluttershy yawned. “We’ve been swimming a lot, and, um. I thought that a break might be nice.”
Rainbow Dash sputtered. “You’re just being a sore winner! You guys are being unfair!”
“Rainbow Dash.” Applejack snapped. “It’s Fluttershy’s birthday! If you don’t stop tryin’ to bully her into doin’ something she doesn’t want to do, I swear I’m gonna-”
“Hey, Girls!”
All four ponies turned towards the lake shore. Twilight Sparkle stood there, wearing a set of bright yellow water wings and a humongous grin with equal levels of goofiness.
“Hi, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie yelled back, reaching up to wave at her and almost sending Fluttershy toppling over into the water. “Are you done studying with Starlight Glimmer?”
“Yes, I am! She did a wonderful job on her friendship lessons today, and I thought that the two of us could take a break. What are you girls doing?”
“We’re playing a game where you’re trying to knock other ponies into the water, and then you try to convince Rainbow Dash to stop being a grumpy pants when she loses! Want to join us?”
“I am not a grumpy pants!”
“You totally are!”
“I am noooooooooooooooot!”
“That sounds like fun!” Twilight replied, wading into the water. “But don’t you already have two teams?”
Applejack shook her head. “Fluttershy was gonna get some rest, so we’ve got an open slot. Here, get on my shoulders and I’ll teach ya some of the strategizin’ you’ll need to win.”
“Okay! I’ll take Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie chirped, letting go of Fluttershy’s hind legs. Gravity took hold, and Fluttershy tumbled back, splashing into the warm, clear water. Her mane swirled as she sank, strands of pink tracing curved lines through the lake’s surface and lacing into her view of the brilliant blue sky.
Fluttershy floated for two seconds, drinking in the rush of sensation and the euphoria of relaxation, before swimming back to the surface. The pegasus drew in a shuddering breath, but any sense of alarm in her action was belied by the brilliant smile on her face. As her friends splashed about, explaining and arguing and giggling in a milieu of noise, Fluttershy paddled back to the shore. Tucking her mane beneath one of her ears, the Pegasus eyed the lush grass in front of her...
...and, after a couple of seconds of thought, decided against it. The noise from her friends might disturb her slumber, and it wouldn’t do to bustle about with her friends while tired. It would be easier for her to rest in her bed, anyway - and her friends would doubtlessly know where to find her if she snoozed for a teensy bit longer than she planned. Tiptoeing around Rarity (sprawled over a towel, beneath a parasol, fast asleep) and Spike (sprawled over a different towel, fast asleep, surprisingly not using the opportunity to covertly gaze at Rarity while she slept), Fluttershy trotted back towards her cottage.
It was a beautiful walk. A slight wind rustled the leaves on trees, filling the air with a soothing susurrus. The grass beneath her hooves was soft, and ever so slightly ticklish; the colors of every last bit of flora around her almost popped with color, saturated with summer sunlight. As she approached her cottage, the rustling of the leaves was accompanied by the familiar burbling of the brook next to her cottage-
-and the unfamiliar babble of conversation.
“I don’t suppose that faking a prophecy is out of the question?” Discord muttered, from somewhere behind her cottage door.
“She’s familiar enough with obscure texts and magical items that she’d be able to detect a fake. This is the alicorn that figured out that my ‘magic staff’ was fake in a matter of seconds, remember?” Starlight Glimmer replied.
“How could I? I wasn’t exactly there.”
“Good point.”
Fluttershy’s breath hitched in her throat. As quietly as she could manage, Fluttershy crept closer to her door.
“So is there anything that our textbook-addled friend isn’t familiar with?”
“I’m sure there are some legends that she hasn’t examined yet. The problem is finding a way to trick the Cutie Map itself.”
“That bothersome bit of boardroom banter? I could break it in a matter of seconds.”
“She’d probably lead us on a quest to fix it. It’s too valuable to ignore.”
“Of all the - why can’t she “banish herself to the library” for a thousand years? She’d probably find it far happier than Luna’s imprisonment on the moon doubtlessly was.”
“Speaking of libraries - do you think we’d be able to get into Starswirl the Bearded’s archives? There might be documents in there that would be helpful.”
“After the incident with Sunset Shimmer? Hardly. You might be able to manage it, possibly, but I doubt that Princess Celestia would let me come within a thousand meters of it.”
“But I’d need to convince Princess Celestia to let me in without letting Twilight know about it.”
“I thought everypony from Canterlot to Manehattan trusted you.”
“More than Twilight Sparkle? Princess Celestia doesn’t.”
Trembling, Fluttershy pressed her ear against the door.
“Perhaps I could sneak in? I heard Twilight did that once before.”
“Would you know where to start looking? The archives are way bigger than they look on the outside, and not well organized. I think that’s on purpose, honestly.”
“I don’t think anypony would care if we disappear for a bit. Let’s just arrange for it on a day where you aren’t studying under Twilight’s lessons. I disappear all the time, and hardly anypony questions me about it.”
“But they’d question me. And almost everypony is good at picking out lies, so I don’t think I’d be able to bluff them all out.”
“Please. If I plead innocent to Fluttershy, I’m positive that they’d take everything I said as the unadulterated truth.”
Eyes wide, Fluttershy came within inches of letting a gasp escape her throat.
“It would take a while with both of us. No offense, but I think it’d take even longer if you went alone. Princess Celestia probably has patrols that examine everything, and I’m sure that they take that particular job very seriously. It’d be a huge risk.”
“Riskier than doing nothing? We have no idea how short of a clock we’re on. Unless you’ve got a better idea on how to disband the Elements of Harmony forever?”
Fluttershy gasped.
The conversation fell silent. The wind still blew through the leaves, but the only sounds that mattered to Fluttershy were absolutely still. For a second, Fluttershy froze on the doorstep, limbs frozen in place, body trembling.
Then she turned and ran.
But not quickly enough.
With a small popping sound and a flash of turquoise, Starlight Glimmer materialized in front of Fluttershy, a huge and undeniably fake grin on her face. “Fluttershy! How wonderful to see you again!”
Fluttershy turned back to her cottage. The hinges on her door creaked, and the door swung open. With an equally large and equally fake grin, Discord stared back at her. “Ah! Fluttershy! What a pleasant surprise! Do come in, won’t you?”
Bolting to her right, Fluttershy ran for the river. Her wings spread wide, then unwillingly spasmed and contracted. The grass under her hooves suddenly grew slick, then more slippery than grease, and Fluttershy slipped and fell snout-first into the earth.
“Don’t make us silence you okay?” Starlight Glimmer’s voice called cheerfully from behind her. “If you’re a good mare and don’t try to call for help, I promise that we’ll invite you inside like an honored guest.”
Fluttershy turned around, took in a mouthful of air and tried to scream-
-and Discord’s arm extended, claw shooting out and latching around her mouth. The pegasus shrieked, but her muffled yells were no louder than the rustling of the leaves; she struggled, but her movements had no more impact than the bending of a blade of grass.
“Tch. Where are your manners, Fluttershy?” Discord chided. His arm retracted, dragging Fluttershy over her lawn, until she came face-to-face with the leering draconequus. “Now, let’s do this properly, shall we? Do come inside, friend.”
Discord lifted Fluttershy into the air. As she dangled and ineffectively lashed out with her legs, Starlight Glimmer calmly walked past her and entered her house. Still holding Fluttershy in the air, Discord followed behind her, and calmly shut the door behind him. With uncanny nonchalance, Discord snapped his fingers; as one, the curtains in her living room drew themselves shut, and the door locked itself behind the three of of them, dousing the room in half-complete darkness. As Starlight turned to face the two of them, Discord strode through Fluttershy’s living room and dropped the pegasus on top of her couch.
“Don’t move, and don’t try to scream.” Starlight Glimmer ordered, voice taking on a bitter tone. Her horn glowed, and strands of turquoise light traced over every seam in the room. “Nopony will be able to hear you, and I doubt you’ll be able to escape us. I’d rather not have to hurt you, okay?”
Part of Fluttershy wanted desperately to yell, to run, to try and do something to escape. The part of her that was scared slightly less witless sat on her couch, fully aware of how impossible attempting to escape was. Body trembling, Fluttershy nodded.
With a hefty sigh, Starlight Glimmer’s shoulders slumped. The smile on her face disappeared; in the gloom, it was difficult to make out her new expression, but she seemed almost…
Despondent?
“I really hate doing this, Discord.” Starlight turned to face the draconequus, rubbing her eyes with one hoof.. “I mean, I know we have to act like the bad guys if something like this happens, but even if it’s just an act-”
“I’d rather not be the bad guy, either.” Discord shook his head, smile gone. “You’re forgetting that I’m a former villain, too? On multiple counts, no less.”
“I know. It still feels like backsliding into being an actual villain, though. Like, what if it starts to feel easy again?”
“I’ll make sure to keep you in check, don’t worry. After all, she’s Fluttershy. You know what that means, don’t you?”
“U-um.”
Starlight Glimmer and Discord turned back towards Fluttershy. The pegasus gulped, drawing her body up as tightly against her as she could.
“I…” Fluttershy mumbled. “I...I don’t...wh-why are you doing this?”
“Shh. shh. It’s going to be okay, I promise.” Discord raised his arms, as if indecisive about attempting to hug her. “I’m sorry that we had to scare you. Believe me, if we didn’t have to convince that we’re absolutely serious, we wouldn’t impress on you like this.”
“I don’t...I don’t understand.” Fluttershy’s voice cracked, a tear trickling down her cheek. “Wh-why are you...wh-why...wh-what are you doing?”
“I’m going to assume that you heard us mention breaking apart the Elements of Harmony?”
Mutely, Fluttershy nodded.
“But that means that you haven’t heard the important part. Which, I suppose, is our fault. We haven’t exactly been open about this endeavor, but it does sound awful, doesn’t it?”
“And trust us,” Starlight Glimmer added, “We wouldn’t even dream of doing it if the alternative wasn’t letting some of us die.”