Chapter 3
A new beginning
Nightingale braced herself, ready to face whatever came next. Squeezing her eyelids shut, she felt the tears start to come.
She squeezed them even harder. 'I won't cry... Not again.'
Eyes still closed shut, she heard the mare in front of her draw closer, and tensed up even more. But despite her best efforts, what happened next took her fully by surprise.
She felt hooves close around her, pulling her closer before locking her in a tight, loving embrace. That was all it took to break her, as tears started flooding her cheeks.
"Oh, you poor thing. Don't worry, everything's going to be fine." The tender voice whispered into her ear. The filly finally broke down completely, loud sobs escaping her mouth while her whole body shook.
'It's gonna be fine,' The words echoed in her mind.
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Fluttershy held the little filly close, feeling her coat slowly getting soaked by tears. Tenderly, she ran a hoof through the filly's mane and nuzzled her closely. When she turned her head to look at Applejack, she noticed the mare hadn't moved a muscle, simply staring at her and the filly she was holding in her arms. Guilt and confusion visibly fighting for dominance in her eyes. After what felt like hours, the sobbing came to a close, only to be replaced by unsure, shaking snores.
'Oh my, she must have been very tired,' Fluttershy thought.
Nbreaking the embrace, she flapped her wings softly and fluttered above the ground, the filly safely held in her front hooves. Turning around to face Applejack, the timid mare spoke up.
"Poor thing. She must've been running for quite some time."
Her voice finally returning to her, Applejack answered.
"Yeh. So what now? We can't just let her sleep outside like that. We might have some room at the farm, but..."
"Don't worry Applejack, she can stay with me for a while. I hope she won't mind though."
"Ahm sure she won't. Are you sure though sugarcube? Ah mean, a filly's a lotta responsability." Being the element of honesty, Applejack couldn't resist saying what was on her mind. And a part of her was clearly worried her yellow friend might underestimate what kind of troubles a foal might get into.
"I know Applejack, but I'm sure I can handle it." Her voice was still soft and quiet, but the determined undertone was certainly there. Applejack simply nodded as Fluttershy fluttered back to her cottage.
"Ah'll bring those apples over tomorrow!"
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The crow of the rooster woke the little filly from her sleep. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fall asleep again. It was only then, after several minutes of forcing her eyelids shut, that Nightingale finally sensed something was off. Opening her eyes and sitting upright, the filly looked around the room she was laying in. Everything around was made out of wood, the walls, the floor, the ceiling. If she didn't know any better, she'd be convinced she was inside of a tree! Scanning the room even more revealed a desk in one side of the room, carrying a quill and several papers. Most noticeably though, was the picture frame standing atop it. Six ponies, side by side, were posing together. An elegant and beautiful white unicorn with a purple mane, a pink earth pony with a mane that somehow resembled cotton candy, a tough-looking, rainbow maned pegasus pony, the two mares she met yesterday and a purple unicorn.
Continuing on from the desk, she also noticed a small, but very homely fireplace as well as several birdhouses hanging across the room. Light poured into the room from two windows on either side of the bed.
'Bed...' Now there was a thought she didn't expect. She was actually laying in a bed, with a blanket and even an actual cushion!
'That confirms it. I'm dreaming.' Content with her sweep of the room, the filly climbed out of the bed and opened the door. Immediately afterwards, she was hit by the full force of a certain delicious smell, accompanied by soft humming and the tweets of many different birds. Slowly descending the staircase, she walked into the next room, which was clearly intended for living in. Several bookshelves as well as a large, green couch circled around a stone fireplace. What stood out most, however, were the numerous animal dwellings, ranging from burrows to even more birdhouses. Her inspection was cut short as she noticed the source of the humming. The yellow mare she had met yesterday was standing in a room next to the one she was standing in, clearly busy with something. Nightingale briefly pondered if she should just leave, but her internal struggle was interrupted when a carrot suddenly hit her right on her muzzle.
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Hearing the yelp Nightingale failed to suppress, Fluttershy turned around.
"Now Angel Bunny, that's no way to treat our guest." Angel simply huffed before glaring at the poor filly, who seemed to shrink under his gaze. Seeing this, Angel's glare softened somewhat before he decided to simply ignore the miniature pony.
"I'm so sorry about that, are you okay?" Worry was evident in her voice as she fluttered over to the filly and started inspecting her muzzle. Assured nothing was wrong, Fluttershy took a step backwards to take another look at the still quiet pegasus. She was clearly feeling better, but her coat and mane were still adorned with dirt and twigs. A loud grumble escaped the filly's stomach, causing her to blush in embarrassment and shrink even more.
"I made some breakfast, if you're hungry." The filly's eyes lit up briefly, before she turned them towards the floor.
"I... I'm sorry. I'll go. Thanks for... The bed." she turned around and started moving towards the door. Fluttershy flew over and blocked the way.
"You don't have to go, you know. You can stay here for a while if you want." The mare's voice was full of compassion.
"Really? I mean, it's okay if you want me to go... I won't blame you."
"Really. I want you to stay. After all, I can't let a little filly wander around all alone." She winked. " Now, how about some breakfast?"
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Nightingale had never felt so great in her short, tragic life. Tears stung again at the edges of her eyes as she jumped up and hugged the light-yellow mare in front of her. After a few moments of hugging, both pegasi found themselves in the kitchen, enjoying a light daisy sandwich as well as a cold, refreshing salad. While in itself nothing special, it had been ages since Nightingale had eaten anything even remotely this good. As a result, both the sandwich and salad were gone by the time Fluttershy was halfway through her own sandwich.
"That was fantastic!" The filly practically shouted in delight. Which brought a smile to Fluttershy's face.
"Glad you liked it. So, you haven't told me your name yet."
"It's Nightingale. Like the bird!" She raised her hooves above her head enthousiastically, flapping them like wings. Apparently forgetting she had wings of her own.
"That's a pretty name. My name's Fluttershy."
Silence fell shortly afterwards, both pegasi unsure of what to say next. So Fluttershy decided to speak up.
"I'll have to feed the animals after breakfast, maybe you could take a bath in the meantime. The bathroom is right next to the room you were sleeping in."
"Uum." The filly seemed hesitant. "I can help you feed the animals, if you want. It's the least I can do!"
Fluttershy smiled. "Thanks, you know what? Why don't you help me after you're done cleaning?"
"Okay! I'll be ready before you know it!"
"Don't worry about it. Take all the time you want. Make yourself at home."
The filly was halfway through the living room when she heard Fluttershy's reply. A huge grin plastered itself on her muzzle as she nearly skipped up the stairs. One thought repeating itself over and over in her head.
'Home...'