Dig, pull, scrape, push. Dig, pull, scrape, push.
FlutterShy fell into the comfortable rhythm as she scooped out a new tunnel. She was happy to be underground.
Yet she still felt uneasy. Aside from her name, she didn't know anything about who or where she was. And she couldn't shake the feeling that she was somehow missing something - missing a piece of herself.
But she pushed that worry aside. There was no sense in wasting energy fretting over what she couldn't control. All she could do was control what she could - like the digging.
FlutterShy powered her huge hoof forward through a rocky section of the tunnel wall. It met empty air instead of earth and rock. "Oooooh..."
Pushing through with a shower of stones and clay, FlutterShy found herself in a large cavern. In the center, a tower of rock ended in a flat stone platform. Atop it, a glow-stone shone.
'So there are others underground,?' FlutterShy thought. the idea didn't necessarily comfort her, while she didn't particularly enjoy being alone, the idea of being in the presence of other ponies made her stomach wriggle. Then she remembered that she needed somepony to help her figure everything out and perhaps they will have some answers for me. Taking more courage than she knew she had, she exited her safe little tunnel and entered the huge open cavern; her hoofsteps echoing off the walls as they shrunk back to the size of a normal pony's hoofs. She felt extremely vulnerable not surrounded by dirt.
She spotted another tunnel in the far wall of the cavern and followed it, feeling immediately better in the confined space. It felt a bit like the earth was hugging her to FlutterShy.
Turning a corner; she was startled to see a familiar-looking figure at the center of a large stained-glass window.
"Is that - me?" she whispered to herself, walking forward and reaching out to touch the image. It portrayed a powerful looking figure with a trio of butterflies adorning her flank and expanding shovel-like hoofs. The figure was standing among five other; similar figures.
"It must not be me," the cream-colored pony whispered sadly to herself, "I'm not strong ... I have no friends." She touched the mark on her flank, causing her hoofs to re-expand back to their shovel-like sizes. "Plus I only have one butterfly as my mark..."
As the pink-maned mare touched the lines of the glass, she felt a stance vibration in the wall. Stepping forward and shrinking her hoofs down to a normal size again, she put her ear to it; listening intently.
Thunka thunka thunka thunka thunka . . .
It was a steady rhythm. FlutterShy had no idea what it meant, and wasn't entirely sure she even wanted to find out, and yet something inside her made her go on. With one last glance at the image of herself, she turned and continued down the tunnel, keeping one hoof on the wall to follow the vibrations.
The pulsing grew stronger and stronger - and with the next twist of the tunnel, FlutterShy found what she was looking for. Another enormous cavern lay before her, lit by more glow-stones platforms. Dozens of stone columns stretched up to the high ceiling. Between these columns were paths made of cobblestones set into the earthen floor. Stone benches stood beside the paths, and a long line of train tracks stretched through the cavern.
'It must be - a town of some sort,' FlutterShy realized. 'But - down here? Why - and how?'
Stepping forward, she saw the train tracks ended at a small station. Just outside the station was a large stone sign where reddish-brown gem-stones spelled out a word:
Stonyville
Before she had time to think a figure suddenly galloped up to her from seemingly nowhere. FlutterShy leaped back as the earth pony spoke.
"You there!" she called. "Hey, Hello!"
FlutterShy shrank away into the earthy wall behind her. "Oh..." she whimpered, "Oh, oh ..." the sudden attention felt like a searing ray of burning light was focused on her. She found herself unable to speak as she suddenly started tearing up. The other earth pony frowned. Perhaps this new pony didn't speak the same language as she did. She cleared her throat then spoke.
"Hel-lo," she said as slowly and clearly as she could. "I'm - Bon Bon." she raised a hoof to her chest to indicate she was talking about herself; then pointed toward the newcomer. "What's your name?"
"FlutterShy..." answered the pink-maned mare; barely above a whisper.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that; what was it again?" responded Bon Bon politely.
"Um ... My name's ... FlutterShy..." repeated FlutterShy, again barely audible. This time however, Bon Bon heard her.
"FlutterShy..." she repeated, rolling the name around in her head. "FlutterShy..." she said again. Where had she heard that name before? Suddenly, she let out a huge gasp as it hit her. "FlutterShy ... FlutterShy? FLUTTERSHY!" she practically shouted as she remembered. "Oh, yes!" she cried, bending into a sort of hurried bow. "Oh - Eoh FlutterShy - we have been waiting for you for such a long time! Come, please - Mayor Mare will want to see you right away."
Too afraid and too embarrassed to refuse, FlutterShy followed her. Bon Bon led the way through a series of streets and alleyways. Soon, they reached the largest and grandest structure - the town hall.
"Wait here, please, Eoh." Bon Bon stumbled over her words in her excitment. She gestured toward a large stone bench near the door. "I will fetch the mayor." FlutterShy nodded as her vocal cords prevented her from saying anything as the Stonyville resident rushed off. FlutterShy waited for little less than fifteen seconds before she heard somepony behind her. Turning, she saw an earth pony much like Bon Bon, but wearing a collar and a green frilly lace cravat. Her heavily-lidded bespectacled eyes held patience, caution, and great wisdom.
"I am the mayor of this town," the mare said in a slightly pompous tone, bowing. "Welcome, Eoh FlutterShy. We have been awaiting you."
"I've ... heard ..." whispered FlutterShy, finding her voice again. "Could you tell me, that is, if you don't mind, who I am, and why I'm here?"
"The scrolls said that would be the case." Mayor Mare said. "They said that the Eoh, when they arrived, would remember very little."
"When 'they' arrive?" echoed FlutterShy. "Are there - are there others like me?" she asked.
The grey-maned mare nodded. "There are five others." she said. "Each of you draws her power from a different element of harmony - yours is kindness. Your purpose is to use that power to face and fight a mighty evil - Big Macuta."
The thought of fights and facing great evils sent a chill through FlutterShy. An image floated into her mind - dark green, blank eyes in a blood red face with a wheat stalk protruding from the mouth.
"Big Macuta?" FlutterShy repeated meekly as this image floated away. "Who or what is this Big Macuta?"
"He is the physical embodiment of darkness, the essence of chaos, emptiness, and fear, the spirit of destruction," the beige-coated earth pony replied in a trembling voice. "It is said that only the Eoh have the power to stand against him."
FlutterShy didn't much like the idea of standing against anypony; yet alone the embodiment of darkness. Nevertheless she answered with a soft, "I guess I could ... Try ..."
"Oh course, Eoh." the mayor said. "For that is your duty, and the power that flows from your cutie mark of kindness is mighty indeed."
"My - my cutie mark?" FlutterShy touched a hoof to her flank, she felt the familiar surge of courage and strength as her hoof rapidly expanded.
The bespectacled mare nodded somberly. "The mark gives you power - great power," she said. "But one Eoh will not be enough..."