//------------------------------// // Epilogue Part One: Something in the Mail // Story: Something to Remember me by // by ChaoticHarmony //------------------------------// ---- Something to Remember me by ---- ---- Epilogue Part One: Something in the Mail ---- When you're alone, sometimes all you need is a letter to rid yourself of the feeling. Five Years Later Fluttershy walked away from the town of Ponyville, though it hardly earned the name of a “town” anymore. The bustling city was full of ponies, large businesses shooting upward from its roots of family-run stores and shops. The trail that she walked on, once dirt but now pavement, still lead out into nature; the land by the Everfree Forest that nopony else dared to defile and change. After a day of trying to navigate the once-familiar town, she found herself on the verge of exhaustion. Ponies jostling by without saying hello, buildings that reached so high that the clouds seemed lower than them, even the marketplace being filled with buildings rather than stands, it was all so much change. She shook away the unsteady feeling that found itself resting on her heart more often than not, still walking in her slow, measured pace back to her home. A wall of shrubs and plant-life could be seen a small distance away, blocking the view from the outside. As she stepped closer to it, her hooves took her away from the road onto a smaller dirt path that was packed hard with her everyday walking upon it. Soon the sight of the growing city behind her faded away behind the greenery that sprouted from every direction. She smiled at a grey stone that looked up at her from its place on the ground, the words that were carved into its surface slightly worn from the nature that surrounded it. Angel Bunny The best bunny friend I could ever ask for Rest in peace, my dear Fluttershy sat there for what seemed like ages, looking into the times long past, a smile creeping along her face as the fond memories made themselves known. Time lost all meaning as she stared at the grave, losing herself to the grains that composed the sands of time. The loud call of a bird drew her out of the folds of recollections with a start, making her look up in alarm. The sun shone far off in the distance, telling the world that it was weary of its trip across the sky and was ready to rest once more. She reached into her saddlebags and drew out one of her flowers, laying it down next to those already there and turning away. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled one last time at the tombstone. “Good night, Angel Bunny.” Once inside her home once more, she set the saddlebags down on the floor and stretched, relishing in the now-weightless feel of her back, her wings flaring outward with relief after being held down by the heavy straps. “Oh my, that feels nice.” She smiled as she finished her stretching, her wings folding back against her side. Picking up her brush, she set about rectifying the damage that had been done to her mane over the course of the day’s shopping. The tune that she hummed came easily to her mind, a wordless melody that she often sang aloud with the accompaniment of her animal friends that could provide it. Of course, most of her animal friends had fled into and past the Everfree Forest to escape the surge of pollution that plagues the natural world around Ponyville even today, despite the town’s leaders attempts to cut waste. Her brushing completed, she laid the bristled tool back where it belonged and looked at the mirror, flashing a small, shy smile to herself. “Hello there, Fluttershy.” A light giggle escaped her lips before she turned to enter her kitchen, unaffected by the silence that gripped her once-bustling-with-critters home. She opened her refrigerator and drew out a plate that held her meal to end the day with. She sat down at the table with the simple daisy sandwich and bit a large chunk into its side, giggling slightly as small crumbs of the bread toppled from her mouth onto the plate below. Taking another large bite, she found herself without another one to take after she swallowed, her sandwich a mere pile of crumbs on the dish below her. “Oh, my, I must have been hungrier than I thought. Oh well.” She picked up the plate and walked over to the sink next to the window, through which the sun shone with an orange light that peeked at her from over the horizon. Enraptured by the sight, she sighed contentedly as she put the now-clean dish onto a towel to dry before turning to stare at the diminishing glow. Without warning, a green light filled the room, accompanied by the sound of magical fire. “Eep!” She jumped backward with fright as something landed on her head, stopping only when she smacked into the opposite wall. Pushing herself up from her newfound position on the floor, she looked around for the source of her reaction. Her eyes roamed over the room once before finally settling on the pale, brownish-yellow of the parchment that lay on her floor in the form of a scroll, sealed with the Royal Emblem of Celestia. “Oh my, a letter from the Princess!” She grabbed the letter in her mouth and trotted into her living room, setting it on the table and gracefully hopping up onto her couch. “I wonder what she could want.” After a few moments of fumbling with the seal, as all pegasi and earth ponies did due to their lack of magic, the scroll sprung open. “Dearest Fluttershy,” she read with a quieter-than-usual voice. “Your presence has been requested at this year’s Grand Galloping Gala, in the hope that you might assist us with a matter that is of utmost importance. Yours Truly, Princess Celestia.” The letter went on further as to list the goddess’s many titles but Fluttershy had eyes only for the golden ticket that shone with a magical glow, no doubt a spell cast by the letter’s sender to ensure that it stay there until she was ready to use it. She grabbed the slip of plastic and pulled it away from the scroll, wincing at the harsh taste of the artificial material. Spitting it out into her hoof, she looked at it with both reverence and confusion. “What could the Princess need from me?” Suddenly a more-urgent matter made itself known as Fluttershy walked over to the calendar, another jolt of shock passing through her as she read the words The Grand Galloping Gala in the square that represented the very next day. “Oh no! The Gala is tomorrow!” Her hooves clicked on the tiles as she paced back and forth anxiously, her breath coming in pants as she fretted over her decision. “Oh, the Princess wants me to go to the Gala for something important! I can’t just ignore her!” Her mane waved as she suddenly turned and walked the other way. “But the Gala is tomorrow! I don’t know if I’m ready to go there again after what happened last time, not to mention all the ponies that will be there!” She turned again. “But if I don’t go, the Princess might be mad at me and make me go to the Gala!” Stopping suddenly, she clutched her head with both hooves, shaking it back and forth. “Oh, it’s so hard to decide!” It was at that moment another scroll decided to make a dramatic appearance before her, landing on the floor with a clatter. “Another letter?” She nervously pawed at the seal before pulling it away and allowing the rolled parchment to unfurl and reveal its contents. “P.S. I have, shall we say, told the castle menagerie to tolerate your presence.” She couldn’t suppress her squeak as she read the line over and over. “Oh, I just have to go now! All those little critters to spend time with? Aaah, I’m so excited I could scream.” Taking in a deep breath, Fluttershy released her pent up energy with a barely-audible shout of joy. A sudden realization shattered her joy, replacing it with anxiety. “Oh, but what am I going to wear? What can I wear?” She fluttered around her cottage, nervously scanning the room for any indication as to the answer for her question. She nearly flew into a wall as she darted another direction, her wingtips grazing the smooth surface. Veering away from the blank patch of painted plaster, she crashed into the table that had once been demolished by the Cutie Mark Crusaders in a vain attempt to get their Cutie Marks. Rubbing her pained head, Fluttershy huffed and tossed her head. After a few moments of staying still, she blinked hard and sighed. “Oh my. I have to calm down, I’m becoming like Pinkie Pie!” She let out a soft giggle before taking a deep, steadying breath and walking over to the closet that held her spa-buddy’s parting gift. “I know I have the perfect thing to wear.” Opening the closet door, she gasped as the light that filtered into the room shimmered on the dress that hung from the scarcely used hangers. She ran a hoof down the soft fabric, relishing in the feel of the supple cloth. “Thank you, Rarity, it’s perfect.” She backed out of the closet and shut the door with a soft snap, drooping with the sudden weariness that grasped her body. Looking out of her window, she was faintly shocked to see the moon resting high in the sky amongst the twinkling stars. “How did it get so late?” Suppressing a yawn, Fluttershy walked up the staircase and into her room. Setting the letter and the ticket on her mirror-stand, she sleepily read through it once more before clicking off her light. Crawling into bed, she finally allowed a yawn to escape her before descending back into the painful embrace of dreams; a place where her past became the present, though inexplicably filled with regret and longing. “The best night ever…” Her whisper was lost to the sounds of the morning, a few birds that had stopped to rest the night near her cottage twittering happily as they flitted around the bushes. She shook herself lightly, tearing her mind’s eye away from the night that had happened so long ago. “W-w-what time is it?” She yawned against a hoof and walked over to the window, small splashes of sunlight leaking in from behind the heavy cloth that was draped over them. Drawing back the curtains that hid most of the sun’s light from the room, she couldn’t suppress a gasp as the sun’s position, much higher than she had anticipated, made itself apparent. “Oh no! I’m going to be late!” Flapping her wings, Fluttershy literally flew down her staircase and into the main room of her cottage. She frantically scanned the room as she searched for a brush, grabbing one with her teeth when her watchful eyes spotted the simple tool. Wasting no time, she ran it through her hair as she completed the rest of her normal morning routine with a single hoof. Setting the brush down and sighing with relief, she walked back upstairs to her room and the bed that needed making. As she was rectifying the disarray her nightly tossing had inflicted on her blanket, a glint of gold caught her eye. She took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh before picking up the slip of plastic. Please note that this is going to be an Epilogue in two parts, and I am currently working on the last part of it, which should be released here sometime within a few days.