Traitors. Everywhere she seemed to look there were traitors, and the news she had received in the past half hour from across Equestria only seemed to strengthen this thought. Hoofington, Trottingham, Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Vanhoover, and several other towns and cities were rioting violently. Las Pegasus and its neighbouring towns were separating themselves from the rest of the country to form their own. As was Appleloosa, Dodge Junction and the other towns that rested in the deserts, forming a new country, a “republic”, they called themselves. They were traitors, traitors all. And now her beloved sister and niece were among them.
“Princess Celestia.” Celestia turned from the window to look at her Captain of the Royal Guard. The Captain walked up to the steps leading to the throne, then took off his helmet and nimbly bowed his head. “The squad I sent to Ponyville to search for them has returned. We searched every place we thought they could hide, but somepony told us she saw them head south towards the desert about half an hour ago.”
Celestia walked down the steps to tower over the smaller unicorn. She gave him a warm smile. “You did well, Captain. You acted fast.” The smile quickly faded. “It’s just a pity that you weren’t fast enough. Are you sure they were heading south?”
“Myself and others asked several other ponies and they all said the same thing, your highness. They’re probably heading to join this southern republic and take the fight to us.”
Celestia shook her head. “They won’t find friends there, or anywhere in Equestria. They are just running blind, for they have nowhere else to go.”
“Send me with two battalions of the Royal Guard, your majesty, and they will come back within the week in chains.”
“Yes, and half of Equestria destroyed in the process, no thanks,” she said scornfully. “They might be traitors, Captain, but I want to re-unite my country without needless bloodshed. The Royal Guard will be deployed across Equestria to keep the peace in the loyal towns and cities, while diplomats will be trained and dispatched to deal with these separate states so they could try and bring them back to us.”
“But what of your sister and niece, and their accomplices?”
“I will send a smaller force of ponies that could find them, and stop them before they could fulfil whatever plans they have in mind.” She turned around and let out a small, sad sigh. “You have my permission to go.”
“Thank you, your majesty,” he replied, bowing his head once more. He spun around and galloped out the room, closing the door behind him.
Once he’d left, Celestia walked over to the window and looked out at her country with sorrowful eyes. ‘How could they all do this to me? Haven’t I been faithful to them? Have I been cruel?’ The throne room stayed silent for a long time, with Celestia gazing out the window, forgetting that her student and her friends were in the room.
Twilight looked at each of her friends for a moment, and then took a nervous step forward. “Princess?” The Princess turned towards them. “What about us?”
Celestia moved away from the window, and looked at her and her friends emotionlessly for a moment. “That depends on if you are with me or not, Twilight Sparkle. Are you with me?”
Twilight stepped forward once more, keeping her head held high. “You know I am always with you, Princess.”
“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash moved to hover beside her. “You know you can count on us for anything, right girls?” She looked back at her friends.
“For Equestria!” they shouted in unison, stomping the ground with a hoof and their heads high and proud.
Celestia smiled. “Why did I even doubt you?” She walked up to the throne and sat on it. “Then I will give you and your friends this task. Do you think you can handle it?”
“We’ll get them back for you, Celestia,” Applejack said. “In stone or in body-bags.”
“Preferably in stone, Applejack. But your devotion has been noted.” Celestia powered up her horn to glow its bright golden colour. After a moment, the blue case containing the Elements of Harmony appeared in front of the ponies.
“Then, with the Elements of Harmony,” Celestia commanded, even as tears ran down her face, “I task you to hunt down the traitors, Princess Luna Nocturnus Solaris, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Spike the dragon, and Fluttershy Firewing, the Dragonlord.”
Last of the Dragonlords: A Good Mare Goes To War
Seven days earlier…
The sudden knocking on the door made Fluttershy shoot her head upright. The moment she did so, however, she regretted it. She thought something heavy had snuck its way inside and was tapping at her skull like it was a drum. Not to mention the rest of her head felt like it was on fire – which would be a miracle, considering what she was. She put a hoof on her forehead and groaned. The knocking on the door persisted, making Fluttershy groan as each knock made her head and ears ring. “The door’s unlocked,” she called as loud as she could. “You can come in… if you like.”
The door of her cottage swung open, and the smiling faces of Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow and Pinkie greeted her. “Hi, Fluttershy,” they chimed upon seeing her. The four ponies made their way towards her, closing the door behind them gently. Fluttershy wished she could get up and greet them properly, but felt like she couldn’t.
“Are you all right, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, her small smile fading to give her a look of concern. She immediately felt stupid for asking it, for everyone could see Fluttershy looked anything but all right.
Fluttershy was lying on her couch with a blanket covering her body, with bits of her mane sticking out like branches on a tree. Large black sacks were under her eyes, and when Twilight put a hoof on her forehead, it felt like she could boil an egg on it. “I just feel a little bit under the weather at the moment, Applejack,” Fluttershy replied. She smiled comfortingly. “I should be better by the morning.”
“Just a hot temperature,” Twilight said, pulling her hoof away from her friend’s head. “Something everypony has every now and then, so it should pass quickly. Although I’ll recommend you to stay here and rest.”
“Tell us something we don’t know, Twilight,” Rainbow chided, crossing her forelegs against her chest and giving Twilight a little glare. She then gestured with a hoof towards the door. “Come on, let’s leave her to rest. We’ve got a party to organise.” The four friends said their goodbyes and well wishes and turned to leave.
“Wait,” Fluttershy called with a raised hoof. The four ponies turned around to look at her. “What party?”
“Oh, you know… the one for Rarity,” Pinkie said, a little excited giggle escaping from her mouth just after.
Fluttershy’s ears pinned upright. “Oh,” she said, a little grin forming across her lips. She suddenly willed herself the strength to get up; not even feeling ill would make her miss this day. With a groan she lifted herself off the couch and groggily walked up to them, ignoring her friends’ protests for doing such a thing. “Oh, I would love to help out with this party if that’s what you wanted in the first place.”
The four ponies looked warily at each other. “Ya sure, Fluttershy? I mean I wouldn’t turn ya down if ya weren’t ill. But since ya are, would ya be all right?” Applejack asked.
Fluttershy nodded. “I think so. It might be nice to get out for a bit. I’ve been cooped up here all week without much fresh air, so it might help to be out for a while.” Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but was stopped by a firm but gentle hoof from the pegasus being placed on her mouth. “I would love to help, and no buts will keep me down.”
After a moment of silence, Twilight reluctantly agreed with a nod. Grinning, Fluttershy put her hoof down, and quickly made herself look presentable by brushing her mane and tail straight with a hoof. “Shall we?” Pinkie said with a gesture of her hoof towards the door, her tone not bothering to hide her excitement.
‘It’s Pinkie after all,’ Fluttershy thought, ‘so of course she would be excited about a party.’
Fluttershy smiled and nodded, then swiftly followed her four friends outside. ‘No, not my friends,’ she thought to herself. ‘They’re my family.’ The day was another typical midsummer’s day – warm with a nice breath of wind to allow ponies to walk about easier. The moment she stepped outside her house she wondered why she hadn’t done this before. She felt much better than she did inside, for the breath of wind hit her in the right places, making her feel like there was nothing wrong with her. Startled squeaks made her turn her head slowly towards the noise, only to find herself looking at Angel’s daughter.
She sighed sadly as she thought about Angel. It had been five months since Angel’s daughter was born, and three months since he’d passed on. She was upset that he had gone, but didn’t cry at his loss. The signs were coming for ages that he was getting old, and she kept expecting him to go to sleep one night and never wake up, which was the way he went in the end.
“It was going to happen eventually,” she had said to her friends as they crowded around her in comfort, after she had laid Angel to rest.
“You all right, Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked, hovering just above her.
Fluttershy looked up at her and nodded assuredly. “I’m okay. I was just thinking about Angel. I do miss him sometimes.”
Rainbow gave her a small, sad smile. “Well of course you would. I mean you were with him since you first came to Ponyville. But hay, you have his daughter to remember him by.”
Fluttershy agreed with as sharp a nod as she could muster, and then looked back at Angel’s daughter. The little white bunny, named Rosemary, in her mother’s memory, was very different to what Angel was like. She was sweeter, kinder, and didn’t boss her around like her father did, mostly because she had brought up the little rabbit herself. But, admittedly, that’s what Fluttershy missed most about him. In some ways he was a little brat, but other times he was her backbone, the one that made her turn around and do what was necessary.
The small white doe tilted her head at the pony, her face expressing her concern. “I’ll be fine, Rosemary,” she said sweetly. “If I feel any worse I’ll just come back. See you later.” She waved to the little bunny, who waved back, and then walked with her friends over the bridge and towards Ponyville.
Pinkie let out a squeal of joy. “I can’t believe this is happening!” she squeaked, bouncing with delight as they walked between the first of Ponyville’s buildings. “I never expected it to last, to be honest, but those two go really well together and are a match made in Paradise!”
“Yeah, and from what I’ve heard, we have you to thank for givin’ her the courage to ask,” Applejack said, glancing at Fluttershy with a wry grin.
“Oh, I did nothing,” Fluttershy said modestly. “All I did was say it’s always okay to ask.” Another thing she omitted from saying was that she hid in a bush to lend support, giving Rarity the courage to speak her feelings.
That was nearly nine months ago that happened. In fact, so much has happened in the past two years since she had returned from Horsca after learning her family heritage and what she was, that it was hard to keep track of it all.
The five ponies were soon walking through Ponyville’s main street, stopping every now and then to say hello to a pony and friend. About halfway through, Fluttershy’s ears twitched at her name being called. “Fluttershy!” the voice called out again from her left. Fluttershy stopped and looked around to see Roseluck behind her flower stand, looking at her with a wide, amiable grin.
“Hello, Roseluck,” she greeted the earth pony with a warm smile as she walked up to her. Her eyes drifted to the white roses in front of her stand. “Gosh, those roses look lovely this year, as they always do.”
“Thank you, Fluttershy, you are too kind. Would you like one?” She tilted her head a little. “You look like you need one.”
“Oh, I would love to, but I don’t have any money with me to pay for them. Sorry,” she replied, lowering her head and rubbing her foreleg with her other hoof shyly. It was something that she had done for all her life, and she said to herself it would be something she would never be able to grow out of, even if she was a Dragonlord.
“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Before Fluttershy could protest, Roseluck walked around her stand, and placed a bundle of roses on her back. “Here, these are on the house.”
Fluttershy looked shocked at the gesture. “I… I can’t take these, Roseluck. I don’t have anything to give in return.”
“And you will never have to, Fluttershy,” Roseluck said, smiling. “You saved my daughter’s life, and so many other ponies from that dragon attack two years ago, that anything I give to you would be nothing compared to what you saved for me; my family.” She reared up and hugged the pegasus. “So thanks again, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy lifted a hoof up and awkwardly patted the earth pony around the shoulders; she was still getting used to talking to everypony. “There’s no need to thank me anymore, Roseluck. Just be happy and loving with everypony and everything. That’s all the thanks I could ask for.” She looked back at the flowers on her back and smiled. “Thanks for these. I’m sure they would go quickly at the party, though.”
“Oh, as in Rarity’s party?” she enquired, her eyebrows flickering.
Fluttershy nodded. “You’re going to be there?”
Roseluck nodded. “Of course. How can I miss a party put on by Pinkie Pie?”
“Nopony can,” Fluttershy replied, grinning. “I’ll see you there.” She waved at Roseluck one last time, and then trotted after her friends, who were walking slowly so she could catch up with them.
Once she was alongside them, Rainbow fluttered back a bit, and then sneakily tried to grab a rose off her back. Fluttershy saw this in the corner of her eye and spun around just before the other pegasus could touch one. Fluttershy gently and playfully slapped Rainbow’s extended hoof. “Not yet. Wait until the party, missy.”
“Oh,” Rainbow sulked, her ears falling flat as she flew above her friends. “But they look so tasty, and I haven’t eaten yet.”
Fluttershy looked up at her and gave her a look of pity. Rainbow looked back at her with big, puppy dog eyes and trembling lips. Eventually, Fluttershy caved in. “Okay, just the one,” Fluttershy said. Rainbow grinned, and then took one off her back and stuck the whole thing in her mouth.
“Now that’s good,” Rainbow said, her voice muffled by the rose in her mouth. “Thanks, Fluttershy. You’re a good friend.”
Fluttershy smiled back. “And you’re a good friend as well.” Her ears suddenly pricked up when she heard a voice calling to her. She looked around and grinned to see a young filly and a young colt racing up to her. “Hello, Dinky. Hello, Rumble,” she greeted them. “What are you two up to?”
“We’re just going to Rarity’s to get our Nightmare Night costumes for this year,” Dinky replied. “Are you going to have that candy like you had last time, are you? Please say you are, please, please, please?” she asked, hopping on the spot. Rumble nodded eagerly as well, grinning sweetly at her.
“Of course I will,” Fluttershy replied. “How could I leave out the best candy for the best trick or treaters?” The two young ponies grinned at that. “Now go and get your costumes,” she added, indicating with her head towards the Carousel Boutique. “Best not keep Rarity waiting.”
“See you later, Fluttershy!” the two little ponies chimed, galloping away from them, leaving the five mares to continue towards the main hall. Years ago, Fluttershy never thought she would be able to enjoy Nightmare Night. However, thanks to a bit self-discovery, and the thought of, “only once can’t hurt,” she decided to go into town and see what it was like, with her friends close by her side. When it was over, she came back home merrier and regretting that she missed so much.
“Say, Twilight, do you know where it’s going to be yet?” Fluttershy asked.
“Not sure yet, Fluttershy, but I’ve been looking around for suitable places for the venue, and the after party, and I have a few in mind. I just have to ask Rarity what she thinks is best.” Twilight sniffed back a few joyous tears. “I just can’t believe this is going to happen.”
“I don’t think any of us can, sugarcube,” Applejack said comfortingly. “Like Pinkie said, I didn’t think it would last. Hay, I don’t think anyone thought it would last. But they surprised us all, and now they surprised us further by sayin’ they’re getting married.”
Fluttershy smiled at the memory of when Rarity told her the news.
“Fluttershy?” Rarity had started as she laid out on a flat table, awaiting a back massage, while Fluttershy was having hers. Rarity looked in her direction and just made her out in the large coal fire that the pegasus was lying prostrate in, seemingly asleep.
Not long after they had returned, Fluttershy made a ‘simple’ request for the spa twins in asking for a specially made table that would be able to withstand the affects and temperatures of fire. “Of course, if it’s a big problem, then don’t worry about it,” she had finished quietly.
The spa twins were confused, but found a table that matched Fluttershy’s odd request, and filled it with coal rather than wood, making it burn hotter, and longer. They asked why she wanted it, but the only thing Fluttershy said in response was, “You’ll see… if you want to.” When it was ready, she stepped into the fire and set herself on her stomach along it, breathing a heavy sigh of content. Upon witnessing this, the two ponies fainted.
In time, they had gotten used to it, but to them it still looked strange. It was even stranger to the other clients that used the Spa when they saw her in it. One pony dared to say that Fluttershy should be no longer allowed in the Spa, since the cackles of the flames were spoiling her relaxation time. When the Spa ponies considered, Rarity had stepped forward and told them, “If you ban her from this Spa, then you would lose not just one loyal customer, but two.” Afterwards, they had no more problems.
“Fluttershy?” Rarity called again.
This time the pegasus’s eyes shot open, and she looked up at Rarity in shock. “Oh my, did I fall asleep? Again?” Rarity nodded, a grin creeping across her lips. “Oh dear, I knew this would be relaxing, but I couldn’t have dreamed it would be this relaxing.” She shook her head again and looked at Rarity once more. “Sorry, Rarity. What was it you were going to say?”
Rarity looked around the room, looking for eavesdroppers and such. “Can you hear anypony close by? I don’t want anypony else to know what I am about to tell you yet.”
Fluttershy lifted herself into a sitting position, then flexed her ears about as she tried to see if there was anypony nearby. “I don’t think there’s anypony, Rarity. As far as I know we’re alone,” she announced a moment later.
Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. “Well… I don’t know how I’m going to say this, but you know Hugo and me have been in a rather happy relationship for a while now?” Fluttershy nodded. “Well, he came up to me yesterday at dinner and… and he…” She trailed off into tiny murmurs that even Fluttershy’s hearing couldn’t pick up.
Fluttershy knew exactly where this was going; she had read enough romance novels and seen enough films to see what Rarity was trying to say. “Did Hugo propose to you?” Fluttershy enquired, her eyes going wide in excitement for her friend. Rarity nodded meekly in response. “And what did you say?” ‘Please tell me you said yes.’
The only response from Rarity was a few little nods of the head. What followed was the loudest and most joyous squeal the Spa – and most of Ponyville, if it is to be believed – had ever heard.
Fluttershy blushed pink in embarrassment and giggled as she remembered. “What are you laughing about?” Rainbow enquired.
“Just remembering that squeal I let out when Rarity told me she was getting married.”
“Oh, yeah,” Rainbow said, nodding her head and smirking in remembrance. “I remember Rarity telling me about it not long afterwards. Told me her ears kept ringing for hours.”
“I said I was sorry. I thought I didn’t have it in me.”
“Well there’s a lot of things we thought you didn’t have in ya, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Defeating a burning dragon is one we never thought you could do.”
Fluttershy smiled at her. “Well that’s something I never thought I would do.” She looked ahead and saw the town hall, where Rarity and Hugo’s engagement party would take place.
At the sight of it, Pinkie disappeared in a cloud of pink and raced inside, too excited to wait any longer. The others followed quickly behind, excited as well by what was going to happen.
Fluttershy was the last to enter, having stopped and looked around in case Rarity suddenly appeared with her fiancée. After a moment, she slowly walked in and gawked at the decorations everywhere.
Half of the ceiling was covered in banners with the likeness of her friend and Hugo on them, staring into each other’s eyes, with love hearts dotted around them like stars in the night sky. Along the sides of the ground floor were tables full of food, courtesy of Sweet Apple Acres: apple tarts, apple fritters, apple pies and just plain apples. There were also a few jars of pickled onions and olives, as well as flowers of a wide variety, and especially the drinks: different types of punch, ciders and some red and white wine were scattered across the tables. In all it looked quite a feast, one that moistened Fluttershy’s lips and appetite just by looking at it all.
On the main stage at the back of the hall a few party games, thanks of course to Pinkie, were being stored for later. Bits of streamers that Pinkie already had sent off in her excitement were scattered across the floor, and she could just make out the tip of Pinkie’s most unique piece of party equipment; her party cannon.
“Gosh,” Fluttershy said, her eyes looking from place to place. “You’ve done a lot already.”
“Actually, Pinkie did a lot,” Twilight corrected her. “There was nothing here when we left.”
Fluttershy was about to ask how was that possible, but quickly shut her mouth when she realised she was about to ask about a pony that was impossible to explain. ‘Okay, fair point.’ “So what would you like me to do?”
Twilight gave her a look of concern. “Are you sure you’re up for this, Fluttershy?”
“I’m as certain as I could ever be, Twilight,” Fluttershy replied, smiling assuredly at her. “So what would you like me to do?” she asked again.
Twilight nodded, then gestured with her head to Rainbow Dash. “If you want, help Rainbow Dash with putting up some more banners. There's a few more we still need to put up.”
Fluttershy saluted, and then took to the air faster than she once used to. Ever since she was able to use her left wing again, Rainbow had been teaching her how to fly, and since then she had greatly improved; Rainbow said once that Fluttershy probably flies better than she ever used to at Flight Camp. She felt a bit dizzy for a moment for doing such a quick take-off, but Rainbow said it would pass over time once she continued practicing it – it was either that or the fact she was ill. She shook her head gently to clear her dizziness, and then levelled up to the other pegasus and her oldest friend.
Rainbow whistled, impressed by Fluttershy’s sudden take off. “Nice to see those lessons I’ve been giving you are paying off.”
Fluttershy stretched out her hooves, allowing Rainbow to throw the other end of the banner towards her. She caught it easily between her hooves. “Well it’s not like you’re going to teach me, and then I completely forget about it. I might need those flying lessons in the future,” she said, hammering her part of the banner into place gently with a hoof. She looked back at Rainbow Dash, and saw sadness in her eyes at what she just said.
Rainbow appeared to be taking it worse that Fluttershy was going to live longer than her or the rest of her friends. Since she came back, Rainbow had been spending more and more time with her, as if she was making up for the lack of time she spent with Fluttershy when they were fillies. Fluttershy loved spending time with her – she loved spending time with all her friends – but recently she began to fear she would never move on from Rainbow and the others when they do pass on. She feared she would be mourning them for the rest of her life, and that was something she didn’t want to do. ‘They wouldn’t want me to live in grief,’ she had thought repeatedly. ‘So I won’t.’ However, every time she said or thought those words, a flicker of doubt would cross her mind, keeping the fear stained in her head.
‘Now is not the time for thinking such things,’ Fluttershy thought. Her mind was right. This was supposed to be a joyous occasion, so she needed to suck up her worries of the future and focus on the present.
Fluttershy smiled at Rainbow as if that was all that was needed. And in this case, it was. Rainbow perked back up to her self once more. “Say, do you want another flight lesson tomorrow?” she asked, quickly adding, “if you’re feeling better by then, of course.”
“Oh, I would love to. How can I turn down such an offer?” Fluttershy answered, grinning.
“Great! Tomorrow, if able, I’m going to make you just a touch more awesome, by seeing if you have what it takes to break the sound barrier.” She threw another banner towards her friend.
Fluttershy never caught it. She was glued in the air, with her forelegs at her sides, looking at Rainbow Dash as if she had just told her she loved her. “You mean… you’re going to teach me the s-so-Sonic Rainboom?”
Rainbow shook her head. “Of course not. I’m going to teach you to do an ordinary sonic boom. Boring by my standards, but it’s still a cool trick to pull off. No, the Sonic Rainboom is my move and no pony else’s. If I catch you doing it, I would congratulate you and then fine you for copyright.”
Fluttershy tilted her head like an overly confused puppy. “You don’t claim copyright to the Sonic Rainboom, Rainbow Dash.”
“I do, and I can prove it.” She took out from behind her back a long piece of parchment, stating her legal ownership of the move, and showed it to Fluttershy.
Fluttershy took it from her hooves and scanned it quickly. “‘This document states the claim of the possession of the Sonic Rainboom to the one and only Rainbow Dash. The most awesome pegasus known to ponykind,’” she uttered under her breath. It didn’t take too long for Fluttershy to recognise Rainbow’s mouth writing. She raised an eyebrow at it, and then gave it back to Rainbow. “Fair enough, I suppose. But how are you going to teach me a sonic boom?”
“Easy,” Rainbow said, although the term ‘easy’ was lost to Fluttershy, “we’ll start slow, and then go faster and faster until you can build up enough speed to smash that sound barrier to little pieces. And then you would do it all over again, and smash those pieces up into littler pieces. And then–”
“I think I get it, thank you, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy interjected, smiling. She flew back down and picked up the other end of the banner, then put it in place next to the other one. They continued until the last of the banners were in place. Fluttershy hammered it into place then backed off, wiping the sweat off her brow with a hoof. With the banners set up and in place, the party was just about ready; all it needed now was the two main guests.
“Oh, yeah!” Rainbow cheered as she flew next to her, her eyes going over the whole setting. “We did good, Fluttershy.” The two hoof-bumped each other. “Bump–!”
“–Cha!” Fluttershy finished, grinning and pulling her hoof away.
She set herself back down to the ground and tucked her wings back to their sides. She was glad she was back on the ground, for her wings, especially her left wing, were beginning to ache from the heavy work. “Wow,” Twilight said, walking up next to the pegasi. “Great work, you two. Now, Fluttershy, do you think you could look out for Rarity and Hugo for us while we finish off?”
Fluttershy nodded slowly but eagerly. “Of course.” She took to the air once more and went through the high window to the balcony outside. She set herself down and rested her head and hooves on the railing, sighing in content as she watched the rest of Ponyville go about its business.
She glanced to the right and saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders galloping past the town hall, giggling about something as another one of their schemes was about to be carried out. The three girls had certainly grown in the last two years: Scootaloo was taller than the three by a hoof, and was beginning to fly at last; Applebloom began to show some long, thick legs like her brother’s, and Sweetie Belle was the smallest, but she had begun to learn the simplest of magic spells. Yet despite their ages, they still lacked their cutie marks. ‘One day,’ Fluttershy thought with a giggle.
Fluttershy watched them go with a small smile, until she reached a spot that made her mind flash back to two years. The spot looked insignificant; it was just a patch of grass between the town hall and some buildings. But to Fluttershy and her friends, it was where the pegasus had died; killed by the fire of a large red dragon with burning eyes, only to rise up again and send the dragon packing. She shuddered at the memory that had burnt into her head, the agony she felt as her coat, skin, and mane was ripped off her and her whole body burned like a plank of wood.
As she looked at the spot where her old life ended and her new one began, she wondered how many ponies that lived in this town who were there that day, feared that a great evil was coming to claim them, and lay waste to their town and country. She wondered how many ponies predicted the apocalypse Heimdallr would create should he had escaped. She wondered how few ponies believed, or would ever believe, she was the only one that could stop him.
But she was, and she did. She wasn’t the pony that would whimper and cry over every little thing anymore, nor was she the pony that could be pushed around so easily. She might have a heart filled with kindness and love, but she had the blood and soul of a Dragonlord, a warrior without peer. She giggled to herself at the thought. ‘Me? A warrior? I’m just a pony that looks after animals and helps out my friends.’
She was a warrior, though. She had fought in battles – albeit reluctantly, if that made any difference – and had a little scar that ran from below her right eye to the corner of her nose, and the long pink scar that ran down her back where Heimdallr’s sword had slashed into her to prove that claim. She understood, and accepted, what she was now, but she didn’t have to like it. Moreover, she knew she couldn’t hide who she truly was, but she could keep it to one side and ignore it for a while. So that’s what she did; put her warrior blood aside and be who she wanted to be until she had need of being a Dragonlord again.
“YOU HAVE GOT TO BE JOKING, MY DEAR?” an easily recognisable voice echoed across Ponyville, making Fluttershy giggle. Her ears pricked up as the voices got closer.
“I’m not joking, sweetheart. I just think that brown and purple could go really well together,” another voice, a stallion’s, said persistently.
“Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no!” Rarity said frantically. “That sounds like a dreadful mix! Brown should only be used for accents, and purple can only go well with pink. If you want to know, ask Twilight when we see her.”
“Of course I will. In fact, I was going to ask her to be the model for this little experiment of mine.” Fluttershy suddenly made out the two unicorns coming towards the town hall. Rarity was on the left, while a shorter, dark grey stallion with a light grey mane and tail with a cutie mark of a tie was on the right.
Fluttershy smiled sweetly as the two of them got closer. She couldn’t believe the first time she had heard of Hugo was in Horsca as the two of them climbed the steps of a great fortress under siege to find the fifth key that would open the doors of Heimdallr’s prison and allow her to face him in battle.
“How can you do such a thing to Twilight?” Rarity complained. “I’m certain she will not like it.”
“Well how about we have a bet? If Twilight does like it, then I win. And if she doesn’t like it, then you win. How does that sound?”
Rarity contemplated it. “Hmm, sounds tempting, but what are the stakes?” Hugo leaned over and whispered something that Fluttershy couldn’t make out, but from the look she could see on Rarity’s face, she was thankful her hearing wasn’t that good. “Oh…” Rarity giggled. “Okay, darling, you’re on. But be ready to lose.”
Hugo gave his fiancée a little nuzzle on the neck. “I don’t mind either way. Right, come on, there’s something I want to show you in the town hall.”
Taking that as her cue to warn the others, Fluttershy shot back through the door leading to the balcony, and flew down the stairs as fast as she could. She stopped on the landing and saw that her friends were finishing off with the last of the party preparations. “Twilight!” she called. Twilight didn’t hear her. She was too engrossed in the checklist hovering in front of her to notice, ticking off everything that had been done, and being sure they weren’t missing anything.
“Twilight!” she tried again. Again, to no avail. Despite her newly found courage, Fluttershy still had problems raising her voice to be heard from time to time, and everypony would act like she hadn’t said a word. Nevertheless, she kept on trying. “Twilight!” she called out.
This time, Twilight brought her nose out of the checklist, and looked up at the pegasus. “Sorry, Fluttershy, didn’t hear you there. What is it?”
“Rarity and Hugo are just coming down the road from Rarity’s house. They’ll be here in a minute.”
“Eek!” Twilight squeaked, throwing her list under a table and out of sight. “Come on, everypony, places! Rarity and Hugo are coming!” She began to jog on the spot in a building panic. “Oh, I do hope they like this party!”
“I think she will, Twi,” Applejack said comfortingly. She tugged Twilight’s tail, breaking the unicorn out of her panic. “Come on, under ‘ere!”
Rainbow shot up to one of the rafters and made herself comfortable. Fluttershy quickly flew up to join her. Pinkie dived onto the stage and pushed her party cannon behind the curtains, intending to fire it once the couple came in. While Applejack and Twilight hid under one of the tables, with their tales peeking out on the other side. Once everypony was in place, Twilight used her magic and killed the lights, shrouding the room in darkness.
Five pairs of eyes stared at the door; waiting anxiously for the door to open and Ponyville’s latest talked about couple to come in. But nothing happened. Seconds turned into minutes, and they still didn’t open the door. “O–kay,” Twilight said, crawling out of her hiding place. She flicked back on the lights. “I thought you said they were coming this way, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy fluttered out of her hiding place, a perplexed expression on her face. “I… I don’t understand. I saw them coming this way and heard Hugo say to Rarity to come to the town hall with him, so what happened?”
“I’ll go and look outside,” Rainbow said, darting off towards the higher windows to look outside. A minute passed, with everypony’s eyes on Rainbow Dash. “I can’t see them!” She called back. “They might have turned back at the last minute.”
At that, the sound of ponies moving came from behind them, and the lights suddenly turned off by themselves. The five ponies screamed out in shock. “Did ya just do that, Twi?” Applejack asked.
“Of course I didn’t. Did you see my horn glowing?” Twilight replied. They went silent once more as creepily placed hoofsteps came closer. “Who’s gonna check that out?”
“I vote Fluttershy,” Rainbow said. A few murmurs from the others agreed to this.
Fluttershy squeaked in response. “Why me?”
“Because you are the fearless warrior of the group,” Pinkie replied.
“Um, the fearless warrior’s not in today. Said something about having a day off… either that, or she’s ill.”
Fluttershy felt something press against her backside to nudge her forward. “Just go and check it out,” Rainbow whispered.
Fluttershy swallowed the lump in her throat. “Okay,” she whispered, and stepped forward.
She didn’t make it far, however, when the lights suddenly turned back on and the smug faces of Rarity and Hugo were looking down on them from the stage. “Surprise!” the two ponies chimed, trying not to laugh.
The tense breathing from four of the five ponies ceased. They gave the two unicorns sharp, but friendly glares. “Rarity!” Twilight yelled. “Don’t you ever do that to us again! You nearly gave us all a heart attack!”
Rainbow, however, was laughing hysterically. “That was brilliant, Rarity! I didn’t know you were capable of such a thing!”
“Well, that’s what happens when you hang around with the best prankster in Ponyville a bit too much,” Rarity said as she walked off the stage. “Oh, and I’m sorry but we just couldn’t help ourselves,” Rarity added, trying to sound apologetic and failing. “When I forced Hugo to tell me about this surprise party you planned for us we just had to turn it around. And by the way, it was all his idea.” She pointed accusingly at Hugo, who held his hooves up and gave them a look of innocence.
It didn’t matter to them who did it, they were just glad everypony was here. As one, the five ponies jumped up and hugged Rarity. Hugo’s ears flattened at being left out, but he was suddenly pulled in to the group hug by Pinkie.
“I am so happy for ya, sugarcube,” Applejack commented, once the ponies pulled away and dispersed to enjoy the party that had now officially begun according to Pinkie. “I can’t believe this is really happening.”
“Neither can I sometimes,” Rarity admitted. “Every day I think I’m about to wake up and find myself in my bed alone. It takes a while but then I have Hugo beside me to help me out.”
Fluttershy smiled, and was about to speak when two grey hooves covered her eyes. “Guess who,” Hugo whispered playfully.
“Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy guessed teasingly, grinning.
“I don’t know whether to be feel flattered or insulted.” The hooves were taken away, giving Fluttershy the ability to see again. She turned around and jumped Hugo in a hug. “How’re you doing, Fluttershy? It’s been a while,” Hugo asked, pulling away.
“Not too bad, thanks,” Fluttershy replied. “Not feeling too good at the moment, though, but I’m sure it will pass.”
Hugo’s smile faded, giving him a look of concern, and he put a hoof to Fluttershy’s forehead. “My word, you’re burning up.” He pulled his hoof away, and gave her a wary stare. “You should be in bed resting, missy.”
Fluttershy pouted. “How can I miss the engagement party of one of my best friends?”
“One of your best friends? Don’t I count?” he teased, giving her a wry grin.
Fluttershy gave him a playful tap on the shoulder. “Of course you count as a friend, Hugo. But Rarity is one of my best friends.”
“Huuugo?” Rarity suddenly called in a singsong way before Hugo could reply.
Hugo grimaced at the sound of her tone. “Sorry, Fluttershy, looks like the future misses is calling. Talk to you later.” With that, he trotted over to his fiancée, who was next to Pinkie, who was welcoming ponies who had been invited by the party pony – which was everypony in Ponyville.
Fluttershy watched the events unfold with a small smile, then sat down and rubbed her forehead upon feeling a headache coming on. “So much is changing,” she muttered to herself.
“Yep,” Applejack agreed. Fluttershy jumped when Applejack spoke; she had forgotten the earth pony was right next to her. “First you become a warrior monk, then suddenly everything happens at once. My brother gets married, Twilight becomes a junior mage, Rainbow Dash is told she could be starting in the Wonderbolts soon, I’m put in charge of Sweet Apple Acres, Pinkie could be openin’ up her own shop soon and now Rarity’s getting married. So much is changin’ indeed. But these changes are definitely for the better.”
“Oh, I agree,” Fluttershy said, nodding. “I am just so happy for all my friends that everything is going right for them.” A smile crept across her lips. “How long do you think it’ll be until a foal comes along?”
“Uh, I-I don’t want to think about that,” Applejack replied nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. “Thinkin’ about that sort of thing tends to give me really bad images.”
“I can’t stop thinking about it, though. Sure most of it isn’t pretty, but the smile on Rarity’s face when she has a foal wrapped in her forelegs is one I would love to see.”
“We all want to see that, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “But don’t get too excited for it. It may not last that long.”
Fluttershy glanced at Applejack for a moment, her smile fading slightly. “Even if it doesn’t last long, let’s try and enjoy the moment together while it lasts.”
Applejack gave a sharp nod in agreement. “That sounds like a good plan, Fluttershy.” The two ponies’ ears pricked up when they heard Rainbow calling in their direction.
“Hey, AJ!” Rainbow Dash called, waving her over. “Want to try bobbing more apples than me?”
“You’re on, RD!” Applejack called back, smirking. She turned back to Fluttershy. “Sorry, sugarcube, I gotta run. Duty calls for me to kick Rainbow’s flank.”
Fluttershy giggled. “Metaphorically speaking, I hope.”
Applejack looked confused at the word. “Uh… yeah, what ya just said. See you in a bit.” With that, Applejack turned away and trotted over to join Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy stayed where she was, watching everypony be happy as the party began in earnest.
An hour later, the party was in full swing. The centre of the hall had become a dance floor, which nearly everypony was dancing on. The tables had all been cleared out of food, save a few bits here and there, and the floor was a mess with confetti and spilt food. While everypony moved about and mingled, one pony sat in the far corner of the hall, content with just watching everypony be happy.
Fluttershy felt like she didn’t need to enjoy herself by dancing and chatting to the ponies in the room, for she felt happy where she was. Sure some ponies came and talked to her, and she talked back, but she never moved to mingle with other ponies, nor did she want to. She was content to just sit and watch her friends enjoy themselves. She felt happy because her friends were happy.
Ever since she and her friends had returned from Horsca, she had relished every chance she could have with her friends. She helped them out with their own problems when she could, and helped them forge new relationships, which unfortunately never lasted, save Rarity’s. She saw it as not just as trying to be a good friend, but also as her duty as a Dragonlord – a peacekeeper and protector of life – for she knew that this wouldn’t last, in more ways than one.
At that moment, her mind suddenly drifted back to nearly two years ago, just after she had defeated Heimdallr, and her last conversation with the dragon Vidarr.
“What will you do now?” Vidarr asked suddenly.
Fluttershy thought about it for a moment. “In my room there’re two bracelets and a pair of small blades that fit over my wings. When I get home I’m going to find a sack, put them in it and store it away so nopony could find them, and I never have to use them again.”
Vidarr frowned at her, then looked to the stars. “I wish I can share your optimism, Fluttershy Firewing. But I can’t. There will be a point where you will have to take up arms once again to defend your friends and their loved ones. I don’t know when, and I don’t exactly know why, but you will take up arms once more.”
Fluttershy looked up at the dragon with a look of confusion and fear. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not entirely sure yet, Fluttershy Firewing. But I fear something dark and terrible is coming. A hammer fall so large and powerful it will split Equestria into chaos and violence it hasn’t seen in thousands of years. When that time comes your friends will need you, more than ever. Always be vigilant, Dragonlord. Always be ready.”
Fluttershy felt a great fear suddenly pass through her. Once was bad, but a second time…? But then she remembered her vow to Vidarr the first, the vow to defend her friends, and realised at some point they would be in trouble, and she would have to stand up for them. She looked back into his eyes, and grinned. “Then, if it’s to defend my friends.” Her eyes narrowed into determination. “Bring it on.”
They had felt like strong words then, as Vidarr had said, but now she felt utterly stupid for saying them. She didn’t want whatever Vidarr predicted to happen at all. She just wanted to enjoy her life with her friends while she could, for thanks to her dragon blood, she would live beyond the mortal age of all but a few ponies.
As well as that, every now and then she would find herself worrying about what Vidarr predicted, because from the sound of it, it sounded bad – really bad. She didn’t know if, when the time came, she could protect her friends, and help save Equestria as well.
She never wanted a life of war, adventure and death. She just wanted a life of peace and tranquillity. To be with her animal friends and her pony friends. To laugh, cheer, sing and cry with them when necessary. Never do the things she had to do two years ago. But she knew she had to, because she was the only one who could. And if Vidarr was correct, she would have to again.
She suddenly started to feel dizzy and hot again, and the room began to spin like a twister. ‘Since when were there two Twilights?’ she thought as the unicorn approached her.
“Hi, Twilights,” she said, smiling as she swayed about. “I didn’t know you mastered a duplication spell. When did you do that?”
Twilight’s smile faded instantly. She put a hoof on Fluttershy’s forehead and grimaced when she saw how hot she was now. “I knew this was a bad idea,” the unicorn muttered to herself. She picked up the sickly pegasus with her magic and levitated her to the exit. “Come on, I’m taking you home. You’re in no state to be here anymore.”
“I’ll be fine, once I get some air,” she said stubbornly.
“No, not just air for you. You’re going home, Fluttershy,” Twilight persisted.
“Don’t worry, Twilight. I’ll take her home,” Hugo offered, appearing in front of them. “I wouldn’t mind the walk, and it is a bit stuffy in here now.”
Twilight studied him for a moment, and then gently set Fluttershy down to the ground. “All right,” Twilight agreed. She pointed a hoof at him. “But no detours. Get her home and make sure she’ll be all right.”
Hugo bowed his head. “You have my word, Twilight.” He gestured with his head to Fluttershy to follow him. “Come on, you poor thing. Let’s get you some rest.”
Fluttershy didn’t want to; she didn’t want to disappoint Rarity and leave early. However, she quickly realised if Rarity was here now she would be saying the same thing. With reluctance, she willed herself forward and headed towards the exit. “Tell Rarity I’m sorry I didn’t stay long, and I hope you and the others enjoy the meteor shower tonight.”
Twilight tilted her head slightly, looking at her in surprise. “You know about that?”
Fluttershy nodded weakly. “I heard you talking about it to Rainbow and Applejack and Pinkie,” she explained.
“Oh yeah, I keep forgetting you have dragon hearing.” She gave Fluttershy a quick hug. “We’ll speak more in the morning. I hope you feel better soon.”
“Thanks, Twilight. Speak to you all later!” She turned around and, with Hugo, left the hall. Outside, the sun was finishing its day and was descending over the horizon, while the moon began to appear on the opposite side. The air had turned cooler, almost moist, with a fresh breath of wind.
It did no good for Fluttershy, though. She was in no fit state at all and certainly didn’t feel it. Almost as soon as they rounded a corner and lost sight of the hall, Fluttershy lost her balance and nearly collapsed. Hugo quickly saw this and caught her with his side. “Blimey, Fluttershy, it almost looks like you’ve had a bit too much to drink.”
“I don’t drink, Hugo,” Fluttershy said weakly. “At least, not anymore.” Her mind suddenly drifted back to the last time she tried to drink. It was last cider season, and after much encouragement from her friends, Fluttershy agreed to a drinking contest with Rainbow Dash. She recalled drinking about twenty pints of apple cider, and was still able to walk herself home that day as though she only had juice, while taking an unconscious Rainbow to her home to sleep off the cider’s affects. She learnt that day Dragonlords are immune to the affects of alcohol, which was a good thing and a bad thing when she thought about it.
“You don’t have to worry about getting me home. Just go back to your fiancée before she misses you,” she said once she got out of reminiscing.
“You can forget about that, Fluttershy. I’m gonna see you home. Besides, Rarity would kill me if I leave you halfway there in your state.” Fluttershy wanted to protest, but felt like she didn’t have the strength to. Therefore, with reluctance, and using Hugo’s body as a walking stick, she staggered home.
They were leaving Ponyville proper and heading up the road towards her cottage when Hugo spoke again. “Fluttershy, I’m glad that we’re together at the moment, because I wanted to take this chance to say thank you for bringing Rarity into my life.”
Fluttershy lifted her head slowly to look at the stallion, knowing if she went any faster the headache she was feeling would get worse. “I didn’t do anything, Hugo. I just gave her some words of encouragement. That’s all.”
Hugo looked at her doubtfully. “No, Fluttershy. You’re wrong. You did do something. You made Rarity and me very happy by helping us both out.” He gave her a quick, friendly nuzzle on the cheek. “So thank you, for bringing us together.”
Fluttershy blushed and looked away. “It was a pleasure.” She looked up and could make out her home in the distance. “Hugo?” she said before she could stop herself.
“Hmm?”
She didn’t know if she should say what was on her mind, but now that she started she figured she might as well continue. “If I may ask… why are you marrying Rarity? Forgive me if I sound rude, but when Rarity told me you had proposed to her – oh, don’t get me wrong, I was really happy for the both of you – it just seemed too–”
“Sudden?” Hugo cut her off. Fluttershy lowered her gaze and nodded. Hugo chuckled, surprising Fluttershy. “Can I be brutally honest with you, Fluttershy?” Fluttershy nodded. “I don’t think Rarity and me have a long future together. She is my first marefriend and I’m her first coltfriend. I know for a fact that first relationships are never meant to last. I would be surprised if I do stay with her for the rest of my life, but I highly doubt it.”
Fluttershy looked at him in shock. “Then, why are you marrying her?”
Hugo smiled. “Because I love her. Simple as that. I was told once to enjoy all moments of life when I can, because I know it will not last forever. I want to enjoy all the time I have with Rarity while I can, and if that means marrying her, then so be it.”
Fluttershy could see some of the logic that she stood by in what Hugo just said. The two ponies stopped just by the bridge leading to Fluttershy’s cottage. “Okay,” Fluttershy said, nodding. She suddenly pressed her hoof against his chest, glaring at him threateningly. “But if you hurt her in any way at all, then so help me I will hunt you down into the farthest reaches of this planet if I have to, and make you wish you never came to Ponyville.”
She didn’t know if she would ever carry out that threat, but seeing the fleeting terror in Hugo’s eyes made it seem plausible. Hugo chuckled, glancing around nervously. “I promise I won’t do such a thing, Fluttershy. So there will be no need to call your dragon friend and get out your weapons to hunt me down.”
Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. “You know about… that?”
Hugo nodded. “Rarity thought it might be best to tell me about it. Said it would be better for her and you if I stopped staring at your back every time you appeared.”
Fluttershy looked at her back with sad eyes. The long pink scar that Heimdallr had left at his demise might have turned into a fleshly pink, but it was still there. Twilight had tried looking for a spell to cover it, but after a long search they found nothing between them. It wasn’t easy for the first few months after her adventure; many ponies could not stop staring at her back. As she walked by, many ponies whispered quietly to each other about how she got it. However, many ponies got used to it with the passing of time, and now nopony asks about it in fear of making Fluttershy uncomfortable.
It didn’t make things easier knowing she had it, though. “But you know, what you did two years ago – saving everyone and risking your own life to defend us all – I am so glad to count you as a friend,” Hugo finished.
Fluttershy smiled warmly at him, then reared up and hugged him. “And I’m glad to count you as a friend, too.” She pulled away, and then began the long walk over the bridge and to her door – provided she didn’t fall off the bridge first. “Are you going to watch the meteor shower with Rarity tonight?” she asked, turning back to face him.
The unicorn shook his head. “Afraid not. Busy day tomorrow, and I need my beauty sleep. Will you be all right getting in?”
“I’ll be fine. Now get back to your fiancée, mister,” she said, pointing back into Ponyville, even as she wobbled on the bridge.
Hugo looked unconvinced, then nodded as he realised arguing with her wasn’t going to work. He turned around to leave. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Hope you feel better in the morning.” With that, he trotted back into town.
Fluttershy watched him go with a small smile and a little wave. Once he was out of sight, she turned around and opened the door, then groggily walked in, closing the door behind her. As soon as she got in, she felt like she was about to pass out as the sickness she was feeling became worse. She felt like her brain was pounding against her skull, trying to bash its way out. It was starting to become unbearable. She put a hoof to her head in the futile hope it would ease the pain she was in. “Rosemary?” she called, hoping the rabbit was close by.
Rosemary hopped out of the little hutch in her living room and looked at her in shock. “Could you get me some headache and sleeping tablets please?” Rosemary nodded, and then dashed off to get some. Fluttershy staggered to her couch, then slowly climbed up and set herself down on her stomach, groaning as the headache made its presence even worse.
After a while, Rosemary returned with some tablets in one paw and an ice bag in the other. “Thank you, sweetheart,” she whispered as she took them from her. “Now, could you get me some cold water to drink please?” The rabbit nodded once more and shot off to get some.
Fluttershy slowly placed the ice bag on her head. She gasped as the icy feeling coursed across her head and her body, but it felt better than a spitting headache and a sickly feeling. She hoped and prayed Twilight was right and it would be gone in the morning; she didn’t want to miss her flight lesson with Rainbow after all. She let her head fall back onto the soft couch, and visibly slumped as she tried to relax. ‘It is a shame,’ she thought. ‘I would have liked to have seen this meteor shower.’ She had heard from Twilight the one coming over Equestria tonight would not be seen for another thousand years. ‘Maybe I’ll see it next time,’ she mused. ‘If I live that long.’
Before she could think further on the matter, Rosemary returned with a glass full of water. Fluttershy accepted it with both hooves, smiling gratefully at her. She first placed the headache tablet in her mouth, and then swallowed a mouth full of water from the glass. She was about to take the sleeping tablet when Rosemary stopped her, shaking her head and squeaking at her to wait for a moment. Reluctantly, Fluttershy agreed. She set the glass and tablets down on the little table and slumped back into the couch, sighing heavily as she felt the headache tablets starting to have some affect. As she waited, her nocturnal animal friends came to her and offered their assistance to make her better. Fluttershy smiled at them all and said, “It’s okay, little friends. I’ll be fine later.”
Half an hour later, she felt it was time to take a sleeping tablet. She raised herself up, picked up the tablets and the glass, picked one tablet out of its packet and put it in her mouth, then took her glass of water and drunk the entire glass in one gulp, swallowing the tablet as well. She slumped even further into her couch and, with a soft fluffy pillow against her head, closed her eyes, hoping the tablet would work and she would be out for a while.
A few minutes later, her mind blanked out the world and she was away in her dreams.
The sun didn’t seem to care that Fluttershy’s eyes were closed, for its rays seemed to shine bright through the windows and into and through her eyelids. She groaned a little and absently rolled right, forgetting for a second that she should have rolled left. By the time her mind told her of her mistake it was too late. With a startled squeak she fell off her couch and landed on her back, her eyes now wide open and feeling wide awake, and a little silly.
As Fluttershy fought her way out of the entanglement of a blanket, pillow and a really cold ice bag, her mind tried to tell her something was missing. Once she broke free of the blanket’s grasp, she finally realised something had happened. She was moving faster than she did yesterday, her mind was clearer and didn’t feel as heavy. She didn’t feel as tired, and when she put a hoof to her head, she felt she was at a proper temperature than she did yesterday. Fluttershy’s lips grew into a grin when she realised it. Something wasn’t wrong, something was right.
‘I’m better again!’ she squeaked in thought, sighing happily. Rosemary came out of her hutch and glared at the mare for waking her up with the sudden commotion. Her glare subsided when she saw her carer was looking better again. Fluttershy ran up to her and hugged her tight. “Oh, thank you for looking after me when I was ill, Rosemary,” she said. “How about I cook you some carrot soup as a treat?”
The rabbit nodded eagerly, thumping one of her hind legs on the ground rapidly. Fluttershy nuzzled her quickly, and then pranced into the kitchen to make the soup. As she worked, she looked into her back garden to see her animal friends playing with each other, or standing about and grazing. Fluttershy smiled as she danced about the kitchen, her mood uplifted drastically by the fact that she was better. ‘The last few days have been awful,’ she thought. ‘At least the animals were able to fend for themselves while I was out.’ She thought it was strange that she was better all of a sudden, but she didn’t care – she was glad that she was up and about once more.
After a while, the soup was ready. As she examined it and tasted it, she could see she made an excessive amount for one little rabbit, so decided to help herself to a bowl. She poured the soups in the bowls, and then went into the living room and gave one bowl to Rosemary. “I hope you enjoy. Oh, and be careful, it’s quite hot.” With Rosemary taken care of, she went to her couch, set herself down, and began taking little licks of the soup with her tongue. As she enjoyed her soup, she began to think of what she was going to do today.
She couldn’t help but be excited for her flight lesson with Rainbow Dash, which was the first thing they did every morning when they scheduled these lessons, mostly because fewer ponies were in the sky at that time. Afterwards, she would go into town and see all her friends, have an hour or so with each, then go home and tend to her animal friends. ‘Today is going to be a great day,’ she thought excitedly.
Once the last bit of soup was gone from her bowl, she hopped off the couch and took it back into her kitchen to clean up and dry. She hummed a little tune as she washed up, which a few birds heard and started to join in, bringing the sweet little cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville alive with the sound of birdsongs. She soon finished with the washing up and once the last of the bowls had been put away, she quickly began to tend to her animals.
An hour later, she finished off by feeding her chickens. She took hold of the bucket full of chicken feed and flung the contents inside around the pen; she wanted to get away and get to her flight lesson with Rainbow Dash that she just couldn’t take every seed out like she usually did. “There you go, enjoy, bye!” she said quickly. She raced back inside, picked up her saddlebags, gave a quick kiss on the forehead and explanation to Rosemary, and flew out the door and cantered towards the park.
The day was another gorgeous one. A few clouds were scattered here and there, but they were there to give ponies appropriate shade from the otherwise scorching day. Yet the air was sweet with the aroma of summer, making Fluttershy breathe in deeply then let it out again. ‘That feels even better,’ she thought cheerfully. As she walked, she noticed an interesting lack of ponies walking around, which was strange. Most of the ponies that lived closest to her loved a stroll on a Sunday morning, yet there wasn’t even one of them in sight. She shrugged it off as just one of those quiet days, and cantered on.
Fluttershy’s mood brightened further when she entered the park. Usually it was busy on a Sunday with ponies walking their pets, or having a picnic with loved ones. However, this time it was empty, with not a soul in sight. Fluttershy couldn’t believe her luck. She hated coming through the park on days like this since it was summer, making it a popular place to hang about, and making Fluttershy fidgety and uncomfortable whenever she had to walk through here. ‘This day is going to be one of the best days ever,’ she thought with an excitable giggle. She slowed herself down into a trot, her eyes moving from tree branch to tree branch as she watched birds flutter around their nests to feed their little ones.
She looked ahead again, and stopped when she saw a bright green unicorn with a cutie mark of a lyre about to run into her. The unicorn stopped when she noticed Fluttershy was standing in front of her. “Heya, Fluttershy,” the unicorn said, trying to force a smile; at least, that’s what it looked like to Fluttershy.
Fluttershy smiled amiably. “Good morning, Lyra,” she greeted the unicorn. She quickly glanced over the unicorn’s shoulder to see her saddlebags crammed with stuff belonging to her. “Um… forgive me if I seem intrusive, but, um, are you going somewhere?”
Lyra nodded her head solemnly. “I’m leaving Ponyville, Fluttershy. And I won’t be coming back.”
For a second Fluttershy thought she was hearing things, but the look on Lyra’s face told her she had heard correctly. She could feel her smile dissipate instantly. “You’re… leaving?” she repeated. Lyra nodded, trying hard to hold back tears. “B-but why?”
“Because there’s nothing here for me anymore,” the unicorn said sullenly. “I’m going to take my chances in Canterlot, or even head north to the Crystal Empire. I hear they would like some talented musicians.”
“But what about Bon Bon?” Fluttershy queried, almost at a loss. “Surely she must be devastated about this.”
Lyra’s ears flattened. “She doesn’t care less what I do. In fact, I think she was glad to see the back of me.”
Fluttershy felt her heart drop. ‘Those two were the best of friends!’ she thought. ‘How can they suddenly break apart like this?’
She was about to ask why but Lyra continued. “This morning, after I had woken up, Bon Bon seemed to be in a really foul mood. I asked why and…” Lyra paused to wince as she remembered. “Let’s just say one word led to another and some harsh truths came out, and now here I am,” she said, gesturing with a foreleg at herself.
Fluttershy felt gutted for Lyra. Those two had been friends since she first came to Ponyville, nigh inseparable they were. Now it was over, just like that. Fluttershy’s ears flattened and she lowered her head. “I’m so sorry, Lyra,” she said quietly.
Lyra gave her a comforting smile and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Hey, don’t be sad for me, Fluttershy. I’ve got my health, my money, and my lyre with me. As long as I have those things then I should be all right.”
Fluttershy looked up and smiled bravely. “I’m really going to miss you, Lyra. The park is going to be a different place without you.” She reared up and quickly hugged the unicorn. “I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do.”
Lyra pulled away, smiled at her, then walked past her and into Ponyville without a further word. Fluttershy watched her go, wanting to ask her to stay and try and make things right between them. But she quickly saw any argument to stay would be futile. Lyra had made up her mind, and she never changed her plans once she made up her mind.
“Måtte Vidarr sine vinger beskytte deg fra denne verden av ondskap (May Vidarr’s wings shield you from the evils of this world),” Fluttershy whispered a prayer in Dragonian, but if Lyra heard it, she didn’t acknowledge it. Fluttershy watched her head out of sight, and then with a sad sigh escaping her lips she walked on, her head low, her ears flat and her good mood soured by this news.
Her cheerful smile returned when she saw she was by the spot her and Rainbow meet for their flight lessons; a large field surrounded by hedgerow. Upon seeing it, the break-up between Lyra and Bon Bon was forgotten. She trotted onto the field, now excited once more, then sat down in the middle and looked to the sky, hoping her pegasus friend would soon appear. ‘She shouldn’t be long,’ she told herself. ‘Any minute or so I would imagine.’
About half an hour later, and Fluttershy was still there, tapping her hoof to a quick rhythm in increasing impatience. ‘Where is she? Has she forgotten?’ she thought. Her heart leapt for joy when she saw a pegasus coming her way, but it slowed down when she saw it was one of the weather ponies coming to take a stray cloud away. “Rainbow never forgets these things, and she is never usually late,” she said to herself. “Unless…” A fear suddenly came across her. “Unless something happened to her!” She spread her wings and thrust herself into the air into the direction of Rainbow Dash’s house.
A few minutes later, after flying at quite a speed, she found herself outside her friend’s home. She began to frantically knock on the door. “Rainbow Dash, are you in? Are you all right?” she called. She received no response for her troubles. Her nerves starting to get to her, she looked in through the window to see that it was empty. Her bed was unmade as it usually was, and her kitchen was a mess from when she made – or at least attempted to make – her breakfast. “She probably got called to do some emergency weather duty or something,” she reasoned to herself. Nevertheless, it left her with most of the morning open. She sighed, visibly deflating as she did so. “Now what can I do?”
Her face lit up when she had an idea. “I’ll go see Rarity and Hugo!” With that in mind, she flew away from Rainbow’s house and veered towards Ponyville.
As she flew, her highly good hearing couldn’t help but pick up the sound of ponies arguing at each other. Fluttershy never liked arguing; she preferred to think rationally and logically about problems so she could solve them quicker. Shouting was something that wouldn’t get anypony anywhere, it would just lead to further anger and hatred, something Vidarr warned her about two years ago. She ignored the shouting as best she could and flew on, picking up speed a little just to be sure.
She smiled when she saw the Carousel Boutique coming up below her. She fluttered gently to the ground, landing at a trot, and walked up to the door. She lifted a hoof up to knock, but before she could a voice behind her said, “They’re not in.”
She turned around to see an old earth pony with a bubble pipe as a cutie mark staring at her. Fluttershy walked up to the old pony, her face giving away her confusion. “Um, excuse me, but what do you mean, sir?”
“I mean that they both have gone out. I don’t think the stallion is coming back, though. He left first with bags full of possessions on his back and trailing behind him. Heading towards the train station, I believe. I don’t know if my glasses were playing up, but he looked to be on the verge of tears,” the old pony explained.
Fluttershy felt her hooves clamp over her mouth in complete and utter shock. If Hugo had taken all his stuff and headed for the station then that meant… ‘The marriage is cancelled,’ she thought in disbelief. “That can’t be true. It just can’t!” Fluttershy cried, her eyes threatening to spill tears.
The old stallion nodded his head sadly. “Afraid so, miss.”
Fluttershy took a step back from him, shaking her head in disbelief. What the hay happened during the night that made them wish to never see each other again? She looked to the ground between her and the old pony, her heart racing in sorrow for her unicorn friend. “Rarity must be devastated,” she said aloud.
A chuckle escaped from the old pony. “Devastated? Miss Rarity looked extremely delighted when she left this morning. She was just about prancing when she left her home this morning.”
Fluttershy looked up at the old pony, her look of horror giving way to a scowl. “Rarity would never be like that!” she yelled. She didn’t want to yell, but she couldn’t help it. How can this pony, who barely knew Rarity like Fluttershy did, ever say such a thing? “She might have looked like it so it didn’t seem like nothing was wrong, but deep down she must be hurting.” She backed away from the pony once more, looking left and right. “I need to find her.” Without another word she galloped into town, desperate to find her friend.
She couldn’t get her head around the fact that the engagement was over, and wanted to know how it could have happened. The day before they were talking and laughing joyfully, and getting ready to spend the rest of their lives together. Now, that future was destroyed, and not only devastated Rarity and Hugo, but Fluttershy as well. She had worked tirelessly to make Rarity happy and get the stallion of her dreams, but that dream had been crushed for reasons unknown to the pegasus.
She wanted to know why it suddenly went wrong, but how could she get the question out of her friend, she didn’t know. ‘Don’t be silly, Fluttershy,’ Fluttershy chided herself. ‘You shouldn’t force the question out of her. She’ll tell you when she’s ready.’ That was a matter for a different time. Now, Rarity needed a shoulder to cry on, and Fluttershy wanted to be there for her.
But where could she be?
It was near the marketplace where she suddenly stopped with a skid. “Of course!” she exclaimed. “The library!” Twilight was one of the kindest ponies she knew, and perfect for a good shoulder to cry on and being a good listener. With the library set as her destination, she spun around and galloped in the direction of the great oak tree the library was built in. As she ran, she didn’t fail to notice the lack of ponies talking to each other like they usually did, or some heavy arguments between ponies who she knew were really close friends. ‘What is going on with everypony?’ she mused. She cleared her head about it. ‘Probably one of those days were everypony is a meanie to each other.’
After five minutes or so of galloping she was standing at the front door of the library. She pricked her ears up to see if she could hear the wails of her friend from inside, and was surprised when she couldn’t. ‘Rarity must be a quieter crier than I thought she was,’ she thought. She lifted her hoof up and gave a few gentle taps of the door. After a moment, much to her surprise, Spike opened the door. “Oh, hey Fluttershy,” he greeted her.
“Hi, Spike.” She glanced over the little dragon to see if Twilight was in, and possibly Rarity close by.
“You’re looking for Twilight, aren’t you?” Spike enquired, lifting an eyebrow.
Fluttershy squeaked and nodded. “And Rarity too, if she’s in.”
“Sorry, but they’re not. They met here then went off…” Sudden confusion dawned across his face. “Hold on, shouldn’t you be at this meeting Twilight talked about?”
Now it was Fluttershy’s turn to look confused. “Meeting? What meeting?”
“This meeting that Twilight said you were all gonna be doing. Something about discussing something or other. I didn’t get most of it, but it sounded pretty important.”
Fluttershy was puzzled. None of them had told her of this meeting that was taken place. ‘Unless they tried to, but because I was so hasty getting out they came around and didn’t know where I was,’ she thought to herself. “Do you know where this meeting’s taking place?” she asked Spike.
“Yeah,” Spike answered, nodding, “I think she went to Sweet Apple Acres. Said Applejack said they could use her barn for it.” He gestured with his head in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. “You best get there if you want to hear it all.”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened when she realised she should be there. “Oh my goodness! Of courses I should be there, but I’m not there! Oh, I wish I could stay and chat, Spike, but I got to go. I’ll speak to you later, bye!” With that, Fluttershy spun around and galloped in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.
As she ran off, she could hear Spike mutter, “Now back to cooking that jewel cake.”
After fifteen minutes of galloping, Fluttershy arrived at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres. Once she arrived outside the first orchard she stopped for a moment and sat on her rump to rest and take a breather. “I’m not as quick as I once was,” she said to herself. As soon as she felt ready again, she got up and broke into a trot towards the barn, which she could see its steeple in the distance, just above the tree line.
As she got closer she wondered why her friends were having a meeting? Was it about Hugo and the all of a sudden split up between him and Rarity? Alternatively, had the Elements of Harmony been suddenly called into action once again? Had Discord broken his promise and was now spreading chaos across Equestria, or was it something more? Either way, she was about to find out.
Fluttershy soon found herself in the yard with the barn directly in front of her, and the sound of easily recognisable ponies talking to each other. She smiled when she heard them discussing something or other, and brought herself into a gallop so she could open the doors and give Rarity a comforting hug.
“I’ll tell you all right now, I was so glad to see the back of him!” Rarity declared, making Fluttershy skid to a halt. Her eyes widened and her jaw slackened. Did she just hear right? She put her hooves in her ears to see if they weren’t blocked, and apart from a few dirty bits, found them to be clean.
“I don’t know what ya saw in ’im, Rarity,” Applejack said, “but I’m glad ya came to your senses in the end.”
“Oh, thank you, my dear,” Rarity replied. A small sigh followed. “I should never have listened to her. Everything she usually says ruins my life in someway.”
Fluttershy thought she could feel her heart stop beating, only for it to start going faster. “What?” she whispered aloud. She suddenly realised that she was the one who told Rarity to try it out with Hugo, and her eyes widened at the realisation. “No…”
“I know,” Rainbow came in. “Although I’m surprised you could hear her most of the time. She’s usually so darn quiet you get a better conversation from a mouse than her, and a mouse doesn’t even speak.” A fit of giggles followed, which made Fluttershy’s heartbeat go only faster. ‘Please, someone, please tell me this is just a prank.’
“Well you’re all lucky you don’t have to put up with her most of the time like I do,” Rarity complained. “It’s usually the same, boring, conversation with her at the spa, and now it’s only worse since she has that stupid fire thing to lie on. It really smokes up the place, and I come out of there more stressed than relaxed these days.” Fluttershy felt her heart suddenly splinter.
“Hey, well you don’t have to teach her to fly. But I do. Me? Teach a pegasus, to fly? Do you know how lame that sounds?” Rainbow retorted.
“Not as lame as the pony you have to teach, I imagine,” Applejack said coldly.
Fluttershy felt her heart stop beating all together, and was now starting to crack apart. “No…” she whispered, with tears in her eyes and starting to drip down her face. “Please tell me this isn’t so…”
“She is way too shy as well,” Pinkie suddenly said. “I mean, in four years of, unfortunately, knowing her, I never hosted a single birthday party for her! Not a single one!”
“And when I try to introduce her to new ponies, she just squeaks, faints, or runs away,” Rarity went on, every word feeling like a hammer to Fluttershy’s glass heart. “I don’t know why I even bother.”
“Neither do I,” Twilight said. “You should have given up on her ages ago. We all should have. I don’t know how or why I took it for so long, but I don’t think I can put up with her voice anymore, or any of her whiny self for that matter.” A few, “Mmm hmm,” followed in agreement. “So I think we all can agree then. We’ll have nothing more to do with Fluttershy.”
“Agreed!” came the reply from the other four ponies.
At that moment, Fluttershy felt her heart suddenly get ripped up in five pieces, and then each piece was shattered before her. She put a hoof to her chest to assure herself her heart was still beating, which it was. A part of her wished it wasn’t, though.
She was glued to the spot, her eyes, even though she was half blinded by tears, were fixed on the door as her mind tried to tell her what just happened. She wanted to bite herself to see if she was dreaming, that she was lying ill on her couch and hadn’t woken up yet. But something in her mind told her this wasn’t a dream. This was as real as it gets, and she hated it. She heaved a few sobs back as the barn door opened and the five ponies that had just spoken about her vehemently strode towards her. They stopped when they saw Fluttershy standing there, and glared at her with contempt.
“H-how can you do this to me?” Fluttershy screamed at them, tears pouring down her face. “I thought you loved me, as I loved you!”
Twilight stepped forward, looking at her with a hatred – and something else that Fluttershy couldn’t decipher, or care to notice – she hadn’t seen since facing Heimdallr for the first time. “Oh, Fluttershy,” Twilight said gently, “as if we could ever love somepony like you.”
That was too much for the heartbroken pegasus. Unable to stand the sight of them anymore, she spun around and galloped as fast as she could out of Sweet Apple Acres and back into town, wailing in sorrow.
She didn’t stop when some ponies asked her what was wrong, nor did she want to; she just wanted to get away from everything. She felt herself run into one pony and fall to the ground, but quickly got up and galloped off again, not once looking back because she dared not. She was half blind with tears, but that didn’t stop her from getting out of Ponyville.
She looked up through teary eyes to see her home was in sight, and galloped even faster just to get in. She didn’t want to look back in case her (former) friends were following her, laughing mockingly at her, so she didn’t; her mind was set on getting herself home.
She galloped over the little bridge, barged the door open, and once she was inside slammed it shut behind her. Once she realised she was in the safety of her home, she turned around and locked the door so nopony could follow her inside. Once the lock was in place, she pressed her head against the door and cried inconsolably, her body shaking with sorrow. Her friends – the only friends she ever had, the ones she could talk to about problems, the ones she once trusted and loved like they were family, had shredded that lovable guise and showed their true colours today – they hated her, and sounded like they always have. “Why!” she wailed, thumping the door while her body sank to the ground, her tears never once losing their momentum.
Rosemary came out of her hutch and, upon seeing her carer in such a state, raced over and hugged her foreleg. Fluttershy looked down at Rosemary with solemn eyes, as tears fell like rain down her face. The small rabbit jumped up onto her back and wrapped her little arms around her carer’s neck, nuzzling her gently. Fluttershy sobbed some more, but returned the nuzzle.
A sudden collection of noises from the cottage bolted her head upright to see what it was. From all around the house, every animal that was in her care or were one of her dearest friends began inching their way towards her, their eyes sullen as they wanted to know what was wrong. Fluttershy looked at them all with wide, yet devastated eyes. She had friends still, but those ponies she had known for four years were supposed to be more than just friends – they were meant to be family.
“Oh, Rosemary,” she sobbed, closing her eyes. “My friends… they were supposed to be my friends… they… they broke my heart…” Her voice faded away as she spilled the pieces of her heart out once more, while all her animal friends could do was crowd around her and listen to her cry uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, a roaring wind like a hurricane came up through Equestria from the south. It swept across the land quickly, and whistled as it flew by in a flash. Although most ponies who felt it couldn’t hear it, those with keener hearing could make out the sound of maniacal laughter echoing amongst the wind.