//------------------------------// // Fluttershy // Story: The Witch of Everfree // by Mudsymate //------------------------------// Chapter 3: Fluttershy A high-pitched steam whistle pierced the cold winter air, followed by the roaring engines of a train as it sped past the cold northern landscape, snow covering the ground as far as the eye could see. In one of the many coaches the train pulled, a cream-yellow bat mare sat inside, staring past the snow-covered trees whizzing by the barren landscape and to the mountains beyond. Behind her, ponies of all tribes chatted merrily, yet she tuned it out, uninterested in whatever they said. The trundle of wheels and occasional whistle drowned out the voices, something she welcomed. Fluttershy lurched forward as the screech of steel on steel cut through every other noise in the car, grating on her sensitive ears as the train came to a stop a few moments later. "Did something happen?" A stallion next to her asked. Or was it a mare? Fluttershy's hearing hadn't fully come back, and she didn't bother to turn her head and look. She scratched at her tufted ear with a hoof, keratin tapping on metal in an uncomfortable way, but it was better than taking her helmet off. "Umm… No clue. I can't see anything from here." Fluttershy pressed her face against the cool glass of the window before an explosion shook the coach violently. Flaming debris and molten metal rained from the sky as Fluttershy saw the locomotive derail itself from the explosion, falling to its side with a thunderous crash dragging with it its tender and two other coaches. Several of the other soldiers in the coach frantically sprung into action, grabbing rifles, spears, bayonets, and sabers. Several others whipped their heads around in panic. Fluttershy had barely managed to grab her sidearm before another explosion threw her to the wall, blacking out her vision. When the bat pony came to, she was face down in the snow, right outside a gaping hole in the coach. Her head rang and her armor felt heavy, but she felt hooves hook themselves under her shoulders as she was dragged to cover. "Spec! Spec!" The pony who had dragged her yelled. According to the patch on his cloth barding, he was a private. Fluttershy blinked to clear her head long enough to hear what the private was saying, muttering a quiet "What?" "It’s an ambush! The Reds got us trapped! Sarge bought the farm, and so did-" Before the colt finished his sentence, a bullet blew through his temple, splattering blood on Fluttershy. "Shit, Sniper!" She yelled on instinct, ducking under the little cover she had. Another set of hooves grabbed onto her shoulders and dragged her to the defensive lines as war horns signaled the enemy's charge- A steam whistle snapped Fluttershy out of her flashback, and she found herself on a train again. Rather than her combat armor, she wore her dress uniform, saber sheathed at her side. In her hooves were two wooden boxes, one of which contained the medals she received from Princess Luna hours before for her service during the Stalliongrad revolt 5 years ago. In the other was a new pistol, a gift from a superior officer who she had once saved from bleeding out in the field. Fluttershy didn't need it. She put the boxes into her bag as a tug on her coat caught the mare's attention. She looked down to her side, where Angel was tapping his forelimbs on Fluttershy's side, asking if she was ok or not. "I'm ok, Angel." Fluttershy smiled, took her hoof, and patted Angel on the head. "Just... some bad memories..." She took a deep breath and hummed a lullabye, one of the few ways she uses to deal with her episodes. Fluttershy looked out the window to see the rolling green fields of late springtime rather than the cold and bloodsoaked snow of the northern winters. "Hush now, quiet now…" She sang as a gray pegasus quietly trotted up to her seat. "You don't look too good, Lieutenant." Ditzy took the seat next to Fluttershy, with Angel scooching closer to his owner to make room for the older mare. Fluttershy jumped in surprise and quickly switched her attention from the outside to Ditzy. "Oh, Ditzy! You startled me." Fluttershy smiled, facing towards Ditzy and putting a hoof up in salute. "Put that hoof down, 'Shy. We're not in Canterlot anymore... Besides, you outrank me. I should be saluting you." Ditzy laughed, reaching for her eyepatch with a wingtip and pulling it off, exposing her lazy eye. Fluttershy found it uncanny how Ditzy could go from retired army sergeant and courier to Ponyville's bubbly mailmare with only one small accessory. "Sorry, Ditzy. It has been an entire week of doing nothing but that. Speaking of, thanks for coming with me to the award ceremony... You and Dinky both," Fluttershy said with a grateful blush. "It was nothing. I had been planning a week off in Canterlot anyway, so Dinky could go visit her sister. And it was good to see some old friends, both from your regiment and mine."  The train's conductor trotted into the carriage, his deep voice loudly cutting through the train's rumbling. "We'll be arriving at Ponyville Station shortly! Please make sure your belongings are complete when you exit the train. Thank you!"  Some ponies gathered their things as the Conductor trotted to the next carriage. "I better go wake Dinky. Need help with your bags?" Ditzy asked.  Fluttershy shook her head in response, prompting the Pegasus to nod and head back to her daughter. Shortly after, the train came to a stop at Ponyville Station. Dinky excitedly hopped out of the train, followed closely by her mother and Fluttershy. "Well, this is where we part ways. You take care of yourself now, Fluttershy, y'hear?" Ditzy gave the bat pony a hug with both a hoof and a wing.. "Thank you again, Ditzy," Fluttershy replied as they parted. Angel also offered a wave of his own as Dinky came prancing over. "If you find the time, do come by the house for some tea and muffins. Dinky likes having you and Angel over." Dinky nodded at her mother's words before the two waved goodbye one last time. Fluttershy stayed at the platform a while longer, just until the mother and daughter were out of sight, before she turned and headed south with Angel leading the way. "Slow down, Angel! I know you're excited to get home," Fluttershy called out, trotting faster to catch up with the bunny. "I'm eager to see home too."  A soft smile graced her lips as she stretched out a wing, scooping up Angel and planting him on her back before galloping down the path that led to Sweet Apple Acres. Her galloping and her laughter left Fluttershy out of breath, forcing her to slow to a canter. "So, what do you think we should have for dinner, Angel? Something a bit healthier than all the donuts and hors d'oeuvres we've been eating for certain." Angel nodded at his owner before he tapped his chin in wonder.  He froze suddenly, pulling on Fluttershy's mane and stopping her in her tracks. Angel sniffed the air and growled in the direction they were going, putting Fluttershy on high alert. "What is it, Angel?" She asked before she looked at the pony coming up to greet them. "Fluttershy! You're back!" From down the path, Applejack yelled out as she galloped up to meet Fluttershy. She put her worries aside and smiled. She waved a wing at Applejack before the mares gave each other a hug. "So, did you get a lotta medals?" Applejack teased as she elbowed Fluttershy; the latter rolled her eyes and elbowed the former back. "As a matter of fact, I did," she said with a sing-song voice. "One for every letter of my name."  After a short pause, both mares laughed. "I'm kidding. I um… I only got two. The Royal Red Cross and a Silver Star…" Fluttershy said meekly.. "Hey, that's still good, right? And it's not like you really need so many. Ah know you ain't really the type to like medals much." Applejack patted the bat between her wings. Coincidentally, the mare’s stomach growled, earning another laugh from the pair. "I um… Sorry about that. I haven't had anything filling since I left Canterlot." "That's alright, Sugarcube. In fact, why don't you swing by the farmhouse? Big Mac's bakin' some pie; he can give you an entire tin or two if you want!" Applejack said happily, Fluttershy's stomach having already agreed to the offer before her mouth could. "That sounds lovely, Applejack... I missed everypony's cooking." She hummed, and Angel nodded in agreement as Applejack gestured down the path. "Well then, git to it then! Ah gotta head into town and help you-know-who come up with some new recipes for Sugarcube Corner. She said she was going for a fruit-themed menu next week." With that, the two parted ways, and Fluttershy eagerly took flight to get there faster. Meanwhile, Angel glared at the Kirin with uncertainty, having smelled a lingering scent that the bunny was all too familiar with. And yet, it was still foreign to somewhere so deep into the heart of Equestria. "Thank you, Big Mac! Granny Smith!" Fluttershy waved goodbye to the two as she flew southwest, deeper into the orchard, with two tins of Apple pie and some bread and cheese inside a basket. Weaving down a well-trodden path through the apple trees, Fluttershy arrived at the little cabin the Apples had generously lent her, where she was swarmed by many an animal. All so excited to see their caretaker back home. "Hello everycritter! I'm so glad to see you all again!" She exclaimed excitedly as she put the basket down on her dinner table and her bags on the floor under the shelf on the far wall. Angel shooed the others off the food, especially the birds, while Fluttershy greeted every animal in her little shelter. Angel set the table up as he took a plate and utensils for his owner and grabbed a knife to cut the pie, which smelled so good it made Fluttershy pause for a moment, a napkin, and finally a cucumber for himself. Angel tapped the wooden table three times, announcing to Fluttershy that lunch was ready. The animals quickly dispersed to give the two their privacy, though they stayed close enough to strike up a conversation should Fluttershy have wanted. The two sat down and ate their food, talking to each other while they did. "Nothing beats being back home. I mean… It's not that I hate my regiment. I just… they can be rowdy, life of a soldier’s never easy, and all that." Angel nodded along with each bite of cucumber, offering his own opinions through a series of gestures only Fluttershy could understand. "What did you smell right before we talked to Applejack, though?" Fluttershy asked with concern, "You got very tense."  Angel put down his cucumber and started gesturing. To an outsider, it looked like unintelligible movements, but to Fluttershy, it was all too familiar. 'Danger.' "What do you mean? From Applejack? What danger?"  Angel gestured again, first drinking from a bottle, then a bowl, then mixing the bowl. "Alchemy? That can't be right… Nopony practices Alchemy this deep in Equestria, and especially not Applejack. Are you sure you just didn't smell cider?" Angel's brows furrowed as he crossed his arms at Fluttershy's comment, earning a blush from the latter. "Right, two whole seasons off... Okay, how about we ask Applejack tomorrow?" She suggested earning a nod from Angel, who took his cucumber and started munching again.  Fluttershy returned to her food as she thought of what Angel had just told her. He couldn't be wrong. After all, he was trained to sniff out these types of dangers. But what would prompt the scent of alchemy this far from the border…? The next day came faster than Fluttershy expected. Before she knew it, she had passed out, and a new day had started without her. She yawned, greeting Angel a good morning before she poured herself a cup of coffee. "I need to get that clock to Doctor Time Turner. That's the third time this month…" She said to nopony in particular as she looked at the timepiece on the wall, frozen at 6:00 am.  "What time is it, Angel? Angel ran over to Fluttershy's bag, pulled out a pocket watch, popped open its cover, and handed it to her. Fluttershy took the watch in with a wing, cringing as she realized she slept two hours past her usual wake-up time. "Captain Vigil would have my head if he found out I woke up so late…" She took a sip of her coffee before she put away the watch. A knock on her door caught both her and Angel's attention. Trotting to the door, Fluttershy opened it to find a purple baby dragon with a backpack that was more than half the size he was. "W-woah! I wasn't expecting an Oneiroi." The baby dragon exclaimed as he stepped back from the bat pony at the door with a nasty case of bed head. "A baby dragon!" Fluttershy gasped, "And you talk? I've never seen one of your kind so close to a town before! Oh wow, you're so cute!" She gushed, making Spike blush at the impromptu compliment. "Well, thank you! I'm Spike. You're Fluttershy, right?" "Nice to meet you, Spike! And yes, I am. Do you need something? Are you hurt at all?" Fluttershy asked, ushering the dragon inside. "Not that I know of. Applejack sent me to return the veterinary equipment she borrowed." He carefully put the bag down on top of her living room table as Fluttershy came back from the kitchen with a gem she scrounged up from one of her drawers (Rarity wouldn't mind one of her gifts missing if it was for a greater cause, right?). "Well, tell her I said, 'Thank you' then. Oh, and here, a sapphire for your hard work bringing it all this way." Fluttershy gave the gem over to the dragon, whose eyes went wide and sparkling. "Oh well, thank you, and don't mind if I do!" Spike grabbed the gem and swallowed it in a single bite. "That makes the long walk worth it!" "Well, why don't you stay for a bit? I'd love to talk with you. I have so many questions! If… that's okay with you…" Fluttershy said with a hopeful look. "Well… If you have any more of those gems, I suppose Twilight doesn't need to be there inspecting the orchard with her." Fluttershy smiled widely before rushing to the cabinet, grabbing a box with an assortment of gems that Rarity had given her over the years, as well as a manebrush. "Oh, I have plenty of those! I've never met a talking dragon before, so I'm extremely curious!" "Alright!" Spike cheered, "What’d you wanna know?" "Absolutely everything!" ~-~-~-~-~-~-~ As Spike and Fluttershy sat down in the living room to talk, from the kitchen, Angel leered at the newcomer.  The dragon reeked of Alchemical stench to Angel. Not only that, but black magic as well. All his training had the alarms in his head going off, but he stayed put, if only for the fact that Fluttershy was so happy. Nevertheless, he kept a watchful eye on Spike, ready to protect his owner should danger arise. It was already three hours past noon when Spike returned from talking with Fluttershy. Not only was he full, he was very happy with the new friend he had just made! Even if the bunny (He thought he heard Fluttershy call him Angel) gave him the stink eye.  He didn't find Twilight or Applejack at the farmhouse, and according to Applebloom, they had flown back to the cottage after an emergency. When Spike got there, the place was in chaos. Twilight and Applejack frantically tore through the books in the cottage. "What's going on…?" Spike asked, catching both mares’ attention. "Owlowiscious is sick, and we have no idea what happened," Applejack said as she shut the book in front of her and pointed to the owl. He sat inside a cider crate wrapped in a blanket, looking worse for wear. "I've tried every potion and cure I have at my disposal. Harkenberry, Ambrosia Nectar, even tried Nullification Potions, but everything just seems to make it worse!" Twilight said this with frustration, slamming another book shut with enough force to make both Spike and Applejack flinch. The other mare put a hoof on Twilight's back. Twilight looked over to Owlowiscious sadly and sighed, burying her head in her forelegs, her hat obscuring her face. She felt like she was on the brink of sobbing. Spike hung his head in worry, going over to Owlowiscious before he stopped halfway as a realization hit him. "What about Fluttershy? She's a Veterinarian, right? Maybe she could help!" At Spike declaration, Applejack smacked herself with a hoof. "Ugh! Fluttershy, of course! How could Ah forget the one pony that's been our go-to for critter treatin’!" Applejack berated herself. Twilight immediately lifted her head out of her hooves, rushed over to Owlowiscious' crate, and summoned her broom. "What are we waiting for, then? Come on!" Twilight announced as she rushed out the door, the broom and crate trailing behind her, Applejack following close behind while Spike stayed to clean up the mess. Fluttershy was taking inventory of the equipment borrowed from her when Angel perked up and growled dangerously. Sensing something ahoof, Fluttershy unsheathed her saber with a wing and rushed to the door, planting herself beside it. Frantic knocking came, which only made Angel growl deeper. "Who is it?" Fluttershy said calmly. "Fluttershy, it's me, Applejack! We ‘ave an emergency!" The voice on the other side yelled. "Who's with you?" She asked one more time, lowering her saber and easing out of her combat stance. "A friend of mine… Twilight Sparkle. An animal needs yer help." At the mention of an injured animal, Fluttershy immediately sheathed her blade and unlocked the door, much to Angel's protest. She was shocked to see not just Applejack, but a Unicorn mare in full Witch's regalia. Her shock quickly subsided as the worried mare floated a crate with a sick owl inside. Dropping her saber by her coat rack, she immediately took the crate with a wing and asked, "What happened? Tell me everything." "I… I don't know. We were foraging the orchard for potion ingredients, and I sent him out to look for some. When he came back, he was like that..." Twilight replied nervously as Fluttershy gently laid the owl down on a pillow. "Symptoms?" "Uh… Coughing, extreme lethargy, loss of focus, imbalance, and dehydration," Twilight listed as she went up to Fluttershy's side to comfort her sick pet. "Coughing? Dry coughing? If so, when you used any type of magic on him, did the symptoms worsen?" Fluttershy asked as she performed various checks. "Do potions count? Because he reacted negatively to all of mine… Ones that really shouldn't have affected him like that." Twilight carefully stroked the owl's head, though he shivered under her hoof. "Hmm… all symptoms point to acute Sandylion poisoning… How many potions did you give him?" Fluttershy pushed herself away from the table and trotted over to her bags, taking a piece of paper out of a small booklet before pinning it to the table. On it was the detailed procedure to treat said poisoning. "Around eight in total, but I gave the doses in small increments." "I see… He'll live, but he's gonna be in pain until we flush out the Sandylion from his system... Angel, get the vomiting tonic, please. The one for birds... Applejack, you get a wash basin with water from the kitchen, a small bucket, and some rags." Both Angel and Applejack sprung into action, while Twilight sighed in relief at Fluttershy's professionalism. Twilight gave Fluttershy a thankful look, but the latter didn’t seem to notice, too busy preparing herself to treat Owlowiscious.   "What's… Sandylion?" Twilight asked. It wasn’t every day that she didn't know what sounded like a significant magical plant. Fluttershy kept her focus on the owl as Angel and Applejack returned with the items they were tasked with grabbing. "Sandylions are a type of magic, flowering grass that have a magical siphoning response." Fluttershy explained as she took some of the vomiting tonic into an oral syringe, "They grow by pulling magic from the earth or other organisms in combination with all the other things plants need... They have fine, powdery pollen with the same properties in pods, not unlike poppies, actually. They’re very sensitive and can burst at the slightest disturbance." Twilight nodded along as she watched Fluttershy attend to her work. The bat pony poured the tonic into the owl's mouth, causing Owlowiscious to start vomiting up the contents of his stomach into the small bucket. "They make animals very sick, though ponies aren't excluded. Anything with an innate magical pool can be infected..." Fluttershy then scowled, unnerving Twilight as she comforted the owl. "During the Winter Uprising, the Red Army's 'witches' and sappers would coat mines in Sandylion pollen to slow our mine-sniffing bunnies. They even slipped them into our coops to get our carrier pigeons out of action… The bastards… those poor animals suffered more than they should have." Fluttershy's cold, steely gaze would then fall onto Twilight, which made a shiver run down the mare’s spine. "I'm not too fond of 'witches' because of that." Fluttershy stated coldly as Angel joined her in scrutinizing the unicorn, "Do you have a reason for me to think differently, Miss Twilight?" Twilight had started retreating behind her hat before Applejack decided to step in. "Alright, hold on now. There's no reason to be hostile to Twilight, Fluttershy. Ah can assure you she's a friend to everypony," Applejack said. “She’s a threat.” Fluttershy said harshly, the tone making Applejack flinch. The farmmare had never heard this side of her friend. From under Twilight's hat, the mare quivered like a leaf. She worried, as this soldier didn't seem like the type to just fall for the confident act she's been putting on. Having left the Lunar Seal, which identified her as the Princess' student, behind in her haste, she didn't have a way to identify herself and feared that she could be accused of lying… or maybe worse.  Beside her, Applejack kept cool, but the furtive and worried glances she gave Twilight were enough to show how scared she was. "Don't get me wrong; I'm not gonna deny you or your pet the medical attention they need. That's just not the way of a good medical practitioner." Fluttershy stated as she cleaned up Owlowiscious' beak with a rag, "But do realize I have some… Apprehension towards you due to the occupation you align yourself with." Twilight's eyes darted about as she thought of a way to defuse the situation. This was the pony that was helping her after all, and she'd rather not be on bad terms. From the corner of her eyes, her gaze fell on a familiar white and green armor set on a mannequin, and though most of it was behind a wall, she wasn’t mistaken that it was the armor of a Royal Knight regiment, so she had an idea. Raising her head and putting on a brave face, Twilight recited the Royal Knight's induction chant: "Pax Noctis; para bellum." Fluttershy's eyes widened, and her hooves froze in place. "How do you know that?" She asked cautiously, turning to look at Twilight with a suspicious, but curious, gaze. "From my brother... He's also a member of the Royal Knights… Does that help you think differently?" Twilight asked with caution as Fluttershy rolled up the rag. "Perhaps it does… What regiment does your brother serve?" Fluttershy stood up, staring down Twilight like a misplaced detail. The purple mare, meanwhile, wore a thin smile and stood as proudly as she could. "First Solar Knights… Ma'am," Twilight tacked on the honorific in hopes that it would sway the mare. "The Golden Gleaming Coltscouts huh? Your brother must be quite the big shot." Fluttershy's cold demeanor dropped a few notches as a closed, teasing smile graced her lips. "Still, simply revealing your brother serves the Pax isn't enough to let me fully trust you... But I suppose it's a start." Owlowiscious gave a weak hoot, and as if nothing happened, Fluttershy cooed at the owl, gently talking to him like a sick foal. Behind her, Applejack and Twilight sighed in relief, the latter flopping into a nearby chair.   The next time Twilight and Fluttershy met was a few days later, when the bat pony volunteered to help inspect the farm and find the patches of Sandylion, which likely grew from the magical surge of the recent Zap Apple harvest. Twilight worked very hard to earn Fluttershy's trust for the following days (without using the fact she was Princess Luna's student to give herself a challenge, though it didn't stay hidden long due to Rarity's penchant for gossip and storytelling). "These should be the last of the Sandylions," Applejack announced as she dropped a sack full of the infectious plant onto a cart that Fluttershy pulled. "Great job, everypony! Now everycreature on the farm can breathe a sigh of relief, pollen-free." "I've also gathered my samples for experimentation, and if all goes well, me and Madam Zecora should be able to synthesize a wide variety of cures and brews!" Twilight said excitedly, landing her broom in front of the two. Fluttershy took a cautious step back as Twilight landed, the cart behind her clacking. Applejack trotted up to the two, having finished tying the sacks down and covering them with canvas. "We best get these weeds burnt then. Fluttershy, you sure you can carry this all on your own?" She asked the mare, who nodded simply and spread her membranous wings. "It's just grass… I've pulled stretcher carts with heavier loads. I'll be fine." Fluttershy whispered, giving her wings an experimental flap. "Oh! Let me help. I've wanted to try out a new potion, and this is the perfect opportunity!" Twilight exclaimed as she pulled out two bottles of glowing orange liquid. "Alrighty then, we can go burn 'em at the edge of the orchard over yonder. Twilight, mind giving me a ride?" Applejack looked at Twilight expectantly. "Always," she replied with a firm nod and grin. Fluttershy flapped her wings, lifting herself off the ground with the cart in tow. "You know the spot to go with Applejack, so why don't you and Princess here lead the way?" "P-princess!? What's—that's not—I'm just a student…" Twilight mumbled as she turned her head away with a blush on her cheeks. Fluttershy rolled her eyes playfully. "You were right, she is kinda adorable when she's flustered," Fluttershy whispered to Applejack, who tried to stifle her laughter, which only made Twilight even more embarrassed.