Chapter XXIX: Kindness
"Was it just me or did that dragon remind anypony of Spike?" Fluttershy asked.
"Hm, now that I think of it. He did look a bit like Spike," Twilight Sparkle answered.
Rainbow Dash then joined, "Wouldn't it be funny if he turns out to be Spike's ancestor? Haha! What a kick we'd get out of that!"
"If only. It'd be too rich," Rarity added, "But of course, Spikey-Wikey's a much too cute and gentle dragon to be related to that greedy brute."
"All this talk of Spike's making me miss home," Applejack said, "I wonder how everypony's doing."
Pinkie Pie responded, "Oh, don't worry about them. We have a time machine, so when we go back it'll be like we were never gone. And besides, who can worry about home when we finally have sugar!" She indicated with her head to the bag of sugar in her saddlebag that Thorn gave her.
The Sun above was to the South, allowing the ponies to see Polaris in its proper position and know the way North. The Moon was between the quarter and crescent phases and, from the ponies' view, was slightly to the Southeast, as the ponies had gone far in their Northward journey. They had reached a part of the Great Northern Desert that would normally be cold as it was near the Arctic, but the constant bombardment of the Sun's rays made it hot. Nevertheless, this region of the desert was much cooler than the regions the ponies' left behind them and they counted it as a blessing. The sand was not as painful to walk on. The Sun was not as direct on them as before. They had enough food and water to last the ten of them an entire week. They wore white desert robes to protect them from the sand-blasting winds, and white silk headgear to protect them from the Sun. To Twilight, their new attire made them look like merchants of Saddle Arabia.
"How much time hath we lost in our predicament with the camels and the dragon, Doctor?" Starswirl asked
"Well, according to the clock, we lost about one day, and a half, give or take. It needed a rewind while we were in captivity. Fortunately I was able to make an estimated calculation to compensate for the discrepancy that caused. But not to worry. We're on a roll! Derpy told me that Rarity got the reproductive unit of a bioluminescent tree, or, if you prefer, a seed of the Tree of Light. And then Applejack got the howlite and melatine. And just now, Pinkie got the crystallized carbon. We have three days left, and three more ingredients," the Doctor answered.
"What of the journey to Mount Dechrau?" Sword added, "If we are to take three days to find the last of the ingredients, we shall have no time to stop the Master at the Gates."
"Oh, we'll figure something out. And we never know, maybe we'll find all three today. We found the other three in the course of two days," the Doctor responded, though in reality he was worried about their time limit.
The ponies journeyed for six hours and nothing interesting happened. They stopped, pitched camp and rested. The journeyed for another six hours, and still nothing. The Sun was now to the East.
"I'm bored..." Pinkie complained, "When are we going to face danger again?"
"It's not so bad," Fluttershy said, "It's nice to have a quiet peaceful walk without any strangers, storms, camels or dragons around. Don't you agree Rarity?"
Rarity looked at Fluttershy and pulled down the silk covering her head. She showed her exhausted face and monstrously messy mane. Fluttershy took it as a no.
"I think it'd be best if we did meet another desert dweller," Twilight said, "So far it's been they who had the ingredients of the Elements. I'd bet the next one belongs to a camel. You know, it's been kind of interesting how we came to-"
"Hey everypony! Look! An oasis!" Derpy interrupted as she pointed to the Northeast. There was indeed what appeared to be a grove of trees and bushes. An oasis. On the horizon beyond, the ponies could see the ice-capped mountains of the Arctic. It was a welcome sight, but the ponies had learned to always doubt their eyes. Many times they had seen things of interest that turned out to be mirages. This however was not one of those times, for the Doctor said, "That's no mirage. This part of the desert isn't hot enough to produce mirages. It's real!"
Everypony cheered at the good news and galloped to the oasis. They were pleased to see that, upon reaching the oasis, it did not turn into a bunch of rocks. Pinkie was the first to jump in.
"WHEEEEE!"
Upon hitting the surface of the water, however, she found that it was not water at all. The image of water around her flickered, faded, disappeared and became a pool of thick brown slush. "Uh, oh... Don't jump in! It's quicksand!"
"PINKIE!" Everypony shouted and ran to the edge of the quicksand. They tried to help, but Pinkie had jumped to far into the pool for them to reach. They grabbed branches from the plants around them and reached out for Pinkie to grab, but it was to no avail. Applejack took out a rope and lassoed Pinkie. Everypony grabbed hold of the rope and tried to pull Pinkie out, but again she did not budge. The quicksand was indeed quick and she was soon only a face on the surface of the pool.
"Wait! Hold on..." Pinkie began as her face too began to disappear beneath the surface, the sludge getting into her mouth. "Bleh! I think there some- ... gah! bleh! There's something on the-" Before Pinkie could finish her sentence, she disappeared completely. She was gone. Everypony stared at the spot where she was lost and were completely speechless.
The Doctor took out his make-shift sonic screwdriver and scanned the quicksand the plants around them. He checked the results and reported, "It was a hologram. The water was all a hologram hiding the quicksand. And these plants. They're all synthetic. Not natural."
"What's the use of knowing that!" Twilight snapped, "It won't bring back Pinkie!" She then calmed a little bit and said, "Sorry..."
"Oh, but I think it can," the Doctor replied, "Because this oasis is made from technology far beyond what Earth at this time has. So somepony with advanced technology went through the trouble of making a fake oasis here. Now, we have to ask: Why?"
"To lure ponies to their doom," Dash bitterly answered.
"But then..." Applejack said, "What'd be the point in that? There ain't no point in killing ponies lost in the desert."
"Exactly," the Doctor said.
"So that means..." Fluttershy added, "Pinkie's not gone!"
The ponies gathered at the edge of the quicksand and all thought the same thing. There was only one way for them to save Pinkie. "Ready?" the Doctor said, and everypony nodded. All together, they jumped and allowed themselves to sink. It was not long before everypony was completely engulfed in the quicksand, but as they lost contact with the world above, the felt something else beneath. It was cold air. The feeling of thick sludge gave way as the feeling of cold air crept up their bodies from tail to head.
The ponies tried to get themselves around to get their heads out of the sand and into whatever was beneath. They found that the quicksand was suspended in air, and below it was a deep cave. At the bottom of this cave was a lake, and the ponies could hear Pinkie splashing around and laughing. Soon gravity pulled the ponies out of the quicksand one by one and they fell into the heavenly coolness of an underground lake.
"Hi! Glad everypony could make it!" Pinkie shouted.
"Oh, this is wonderful!" Rarity said as she let herself float freely on the surface of the lake, "Just what the doctor ordered."
"The Doctor didn't order this," Derpy said, "Or did he? Did you, Doctor?"
"No," the Doctor replied, "but if I could order an underground lake, I wouldn't hesitate."
Fluttershy, instead of relaxing, worried as her soaked robes made it hard for her to swim. "Um, shouldn't we go to the land and get our clothes off and bags before we swim. I, uh, I think that would be a good idea..."
"Goodness, she's right!" Rarity agreed, "We mustn't let our clothes and supplies be damaged by all this water."
"And, um, can I also have some help with getting to the shore. I... I can't swim with this on."
Applejack and Dash helped Fluttershy swim to the lakeshore and the others followed. They took off their robes, heavy from all the water and relaxed on the shore. The ground beneath them was, surprisingly, not bare rock, but loamy soil with some sparse grass sprouting from it The ponies next noticed that the cave was not pitch dark. It was dimly lit by stones on the cave roof that glowed yellow.
"Ah, luminescent rock," the Doctor remarked, "They occur in underground areas around the magnetic poles. We must be nearing the Arctic circle... So, let's start thinking. Who made that hologram to disguise the quicksand?"
Starswirl got on his hooves and said, "Mayhaps the residents of this cave. I senseth we art under watch." He raised his horn, which had been freed from its yorite shackles thanks to Thorn, and recited the incantation, "Illumino!" The tip of his horn emitted a brilliant white light that illuminated the entire cave. It was very expansive and the roof of the cave was also decorated with countless stalactites. Across the lake was another grassy shore with a few bushes. On that shore was a boat. To the right and some distance above the surface of the lake was a ledge, and on this ledge was a pink pegasus and a black dragon.
"Darn it! They spotted us!" the pegasus shouted, "Should we go to them?"
"They seem friendly enough," the dragon replied, "Let's go."
The pegasus and the dragon leapt off of the ledge and glided towards the ten ponies. As they gracefully approached, the dragon let his claw skim the surface of the lake, creating gentle ripples. They landed on the edge of the lake and greeted the ponies.
"Greetings!" the pegasus cried out in a more modern dialect of Equinese as she approached. She was an average sized young pegasus with a white mane and orange eyes. Her cutie mark was a palace guard's helmet. "Don't worry. We won't hurt you."
"We're a patrol. We just keep an eye on the area for new arrivals," the dragon said, also in Equinese. He was a middle-aged dragon, but was quite small. He was only twice the size of the pegasus. He had blue eyes, yellow spines, a club-ended tail and a solitary blunted horn on his snout. "I am Officer Sleek Scale."
"And I'm his junior officer, Moonstone."
They went to each pony and shook hooves and claws. Starswirl and Sword were both bewildered by what was taking place. Starswirl could not believe that a pegasus and dragon were working together as comrades, and Sword could not believe that these two were living beneath the Great Northern Desert. Sword asked, "Excuse me, I am rather confused. Why exactly are you patrolling for new arrivals? You speak as if there are many living here."
"Allow me to explain," the Doctor joined in, "I understand now how and why the hologram and synthetic plants were up there. We've reached Utopia."
"Oh, you've heard of us?" Sleek Scale asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice.
"I've been here before, officer," the Doctor replied, "As a tourist more than anything. And don't worry. I haven't spoken a word of it to any living creature in surface."
Sleek Scale looked at Moonstone. She shrugged, and he shrugged in response. He then said, "Alright, then. I'll take your word for it. The interrogation will clear up any misunderstandings. So, come along. We'll be your escort to Utopia."
Moonstone whistled out across the lake and a yellow unicorn came out from behind a bush. The unicorn got on the boat and used his magic to push it out into the water. He then used his magic to create a gentle wave that brought the boat to the other shore. Upon arriving, the unicorn said, "This is a bigger group than usual. I'm not sure if they'll all fit."
"The pegasi can just fly," Sleek Scale responded, "If that's not a problem for anypony." Nopony complained. The earth ponies and unicorns boarded the boat and the pegasi flew off with Sleek Scale and Moonstone.
As they flew, Sword began to converse, "Utopia... That means 'No Place' in the ancient tongue of Pegasine."
"Yup. It's a pretty well-picked name. We all would want for this place - as far as the surface dwellers are concerned - to be no place." Moonstone said, "The city was founded four-hundred years ago by a pegasus injured in battle. He got lost in the desert and fell down a chasm. He found himself in a safe haven with food, water and technology beyond his imagination. He built a home and as the war dragged on, more poor displaced souls found their way here. It wasn't long before a little city came into being."
"Wow, that sounds nice," Fluttershy commented, "I thought this place was a bit scary, but 'safe haven' sounds... safe."
"It's unbelievably safe," Sleek Scale said, "There are a few flaws here and there, but overall Utopia is a paradise. And last week, we hit our three-thousand residents milestone."
"Sounds a little too good to be true," Dash suspiciously remarked.
"Believe me, when you get there- well, I should say 'if' - if you get there, you'll see how true it is."
The ponies on the boat enjoyed a nice ride as the unicorn pushed the boat away from the shore and magically created a wave to get to the other shore. Starswirl watched the unicorn use his magic without any incantations and scoffed. "Hmmph! Thou art among the unicorns who useth the new magic, am I correct?
"Got a problem with that, sir?"
"Oh, 'tis nothing. I merely thinketh that thine magic is uncouth and lacks elegance."
"Starswirl," Rarity sharply said, "Can you please not pick any fights? You may refuse to show decency to a gazelle but at least show some to a fellow unicorn." She easily silenced the old sorcerer and he sat down irritably.
The Doctor then joined the conversation as he leaned out the stern, dipped his hoof into the water and tasted it. "It's been a while since Utopia has last seen me. How has the population changed? And what new technologies has the rift given?"
"We hit three-thousand last week. The celebration was pretty lively. And technology-wise, I guess the biggest recent development is the new nuclear energy source we have. We got it last year. Although, the Prime Minister and Parliament still haven't disclosed much information about it."
The Doctor hmm'd in interest. Twilight was curious as to what they were all talking about. She thought of asking, but then decided that she wanted to learn about Utopia from firsthand experience. The boat went ashore and the ponies disembarked. Sleek Scale and the pegasi awaited them at the entrance to a tunnel hidden behind bushes and vines. The tunnel was well carved out of the rock and it was lit by electric lights. The flourishing grass was very green and well-trimmed.
The tunnel seemed to come to a dead end and everypony stopped before the rocky wall that blocked their way. At the center of the wall was a small speaker and microphone. Sleek Scale then knocked on the wall in five different seemingly random places, and from the speaker a voice came, "Sixty-six, forty-two, twelve, ninety-eight, twenty."
Sleek Scale moved his mouth towards the microphone, cleared his throat and said, "Tentacle, enigma, torque, toffee, sensibility."
After a moment, the voice replied, "Welcome back, officer. Anything new?"
"Ten new arrivals, officer. So please open the door and call for the immigration supervisors."
There was a thud from the wall and it opened like a door inwards, away from the ponies. Whatever was beyond the door was very well lit, and for a moment the ponies could not see through the light. The door finished opening with a loud thud and the ponies' vision began to gain focus as their pupils adapted to the light. The Doctor and Derpy smiled in delight. The others dropped their jaws at the spectacle before them. Twilight stuttered, "I-i-is... is that... is that what I think it is?"
"It will be," the Doctor answered.
Utopia, though relatively small, was the most magnificent city any of them had ever seen. The city had an outer ring, which contained the homes of the residents. The houses were built from crystals and stones of many colors, and they were of many shapes and sizes to accommodate for the diversity of the population. There was an inner ring which contained taller buildings made of crystal and stone, which were the public buildings, places of business and other necessities of an urban community. This ring also contained bustling markets. At the center of the city was a great round plaza and above the plaza was a floating palace of diamond. From the peak of the highest tower of the palace, a brilliant pale-blue, almost white, light shone across the city and beyond. The city was inside a gigantic perfectly semicircular cavern, carved out by the early residents. The roof of the cavern was dotted by countless luminescent rocks. If all the lights of the city were turned off, the roof would look like the night sky in all its brilliance. The ponies and their escorts stood by a cliff on the wall of the cavern and they were still quite far from the city. Once the door closed again, Sleek Scale and Moonstone led the ponies down a path that descended along the cavern wall.
"We still have quite a way to go," Moonstone said, "And keep a sharp eye. Outside the city, we're not completely safe."
"Not safe?" Fluttershy asked with concern in her voice, "I thought this was supposed to be a safe haven."
"What sort of not-completely-safe are you talking about?" the Doctor said, "Last time I was here, there were no threats at all whatsoever."
"About five years ago, a... unwanted visitor made her way to these caves," Sleek Scale replied, "The immigration supervisors found her unsuitable for admittance into Utopia and so she forcibly entered the city and tried to usurp power. Fortunately she was ousted and kept at bay. Even more fortunately, with our new energy source we've been able to power an extrapolator shield around the city with bioselective permeability. The shield has successfully kept the Unwanted Visitor outside of the city without much effort from us."
"Outside the shield though, she's a threat" Moonstone added, "But she hasn't been seen for a few months now. The Parliament and Prime Minister concluded that she was dead and it was safe for patrols to go out the city again. I have my doubts, though."
"As do I," Sleek Scale agreed. Something then caught his eye farther down the path. He saw that a section of the path had collapsed. "What in the world happened there?" He and Moonstone ran over to the collapsed section, which was just a little too wide for non-flyers to jump over. They looked down and saw at pile of dirt, rock and rubble far below. A faint and fading pink glow came from underneath the debris. Moonstone's sharp ears could just barely make out the sound of heavy breathing coming from below.
"Somepony's trapped down there!" she said.
"No time to lose then," Sleek Scale said, "You ten stay here and wait for us to come back." He and Moonstone then jumped off the path and flew down.
The ponies stood where they were and wondered whether they should obey orders or not.
"Hmmph! How haughty for a little dragon such as he to giveth me commands," Starswirl began.
"Well, it may be dangerous for us to join them," the Doctor said.
Dash then added, "Then I guess that means we've got join them. Where there's danger there could be the next ingredient!"
"That's the spirit! Allons-y!"
"You know, I'd really prefer to just stay here. I don't want to be running into that unwanted visitor," Fluttershy said, "And besides, not everypony here can fly and go down there so why don't we all just stick together and not go down there?"
"Don't be silly, Fluttershy," Dash rebuked, "Twilight and Starswirl can just teleport the others. And whatever the danger is, it's no match for us!"
Everypony but Fluttershy expressed their agreement. Twilight and Starswirl gathered the Doctor, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie, together and teleported down to pile of debris. Sword and Derpy flew down, and Dash pulled Fluttershy down by the tail. They came down to find Moonstone and Sleek Scale digging through the pile. The dragon turned his head to see who had arrived and, upon seeing the ten ponies, said, "I thought I told you to stay up there!"
"An escort must never leave his guests in the middle of a road, and vice versa," Rarity cheekily replied. Sleek Scale sighed and returned to digging.
Moonstone found a broken half of a unicorn's sky-blue horn. She dug some more and uncovered the other half, which seemed to still be attached to the head. The pink glow came from the broken part of the horn, which exposed the inside. She was suspicious when she realized that the two parts together composed a horn that was extremely long for a unicorn. Her suspicions were raised when she found sky-blue feathers among the debris. The horn was sticking out from below a few slabs of stone and she turned aside the slabs to find a face she hoped never to see. "Oh my gods... it's you..."
Twilight, Rarity and Starswirl gave their assistance by levitating much of the rock and rubble away to expose the rest of the unfortunate creature. She was an alicorn. She had a sky-blue coat and a dark blue mane. Her eyes were magenta and her cutie mark was a ring of stars around a full Moon. Her body was wounded, battered and bruised. Her coat and mane were disheveled and she had a black eye. Her left wing was severely contorted and her right foreleg was twisted in a way no leg should twist. Her face bore the expression of a pained soul, driven solely by rage and despair, and her entirety was colored with a slight tint of grey. She was a sight that brought pity to everypony's hearts. Even Starswirl felt some remorse, despite knowing who she was, what she was, and what she had done. The first words to escape his mouth were, "It cannot be..."
The alicorn coughed, spit out some blood and said, "Starswirl the Bearded. Old friend. Thou art the last pony I hath expected to see upon mine final moments."
"You know her?" Moonstone asked.
"Indeed," Starswirl replied, "She is Princess Sidera, eldest daughter of His Royal Majesty, King Concordius, former heir to the Throne of the Night, and a traitor."
Everypony was shocked to hear this. What was an heiress doing in a cave beneath the Great Northern Desert? Knowing how far she must have fallen made them pity her even more. Fluttershy dared to ask, "Should we help her?"
"Of course not!" Sword quickly answered, "I shall assume you know not her history. Seven years ago, she turned against His Majesty and joined the Hoofricans in an attempt to take the throne prematurely. She nearly succeeded but in the end His Majesty stopped her. After her failure, the Empress Silver Tongue turned against her and exiled her into the Great Northern Desert. And rightfully so."
"They didst not exile me!" Sidera retorted, "Never would I alloweth the wretches to lay a hoof upon me. I flew away. And with no place left where I could be treated with the respect I deserveth, I sought refuge in the desert."
"So that's how you found us," Sleek Scale said.
"And then thou casteth me out!
"Your soul was too tainted by evil and disharmony. We couldn't allow someone like you to enter. It would've been better if you died in the desert."
"But instead I shall perish here with what couldst be the mightiest empire in the world just beyond mine grasp."
"Are you responsible for the damage to the road?" Moonstone quickly tried to move them away from the subject of death, "Because this is government property."
Sidera replied, "Oh, talk not of thy laws to me. Thou knowest I am an outlaw, a despised criminal. But if thou must knoweth, I destroyed the road to end this misery of mine. I simply hath faced enough and see'th no purpose is continuing mine struggles. How unfortunate that my attempt should fail and instead leaveth me crippled and dying a slow death, while surrounded by the judging eyes of mine enemies."
Her words struck a chord. The Doctor, Derpy and the six were moved, but Starswirl, Swords, Moonstone and Sleek Scale remained steadfastly against her. The princess coughed again and the pink light from her horn finally died out. She did not have much longer to last. She lied there silently looking straight at them all with her hateful eyes.
"Let's go. The Prime Minister will be pleased to hear that the Unwanted Visitor is dead." Sleek Scale said.
The Doctor tried to persuade the two officers to help Sidera and bring her to a hospital, but the princess rebuked him. "There is nothing to be done. My light hast gone. My death is sealed. Just leave me."
Starswirl responded, "I cannot believeth that I am saying this, but... I agree. Let us leave her."
Everypony turned and resumed the walk to Utopia. All was silent save for the sound of Sidera's breathing, their hooves stepping on the grassy ground and Sleek Scale's wings flapping. The dying princess watched as the last of the living she would see walked away. She closed her eyes and was ready to be taken by King Thiessen, god of life and death. But then she heard a quiet little voice say, "Wait." She opened her eyes and saw the yellow pink-maned pegasus had stopped and fallen behind the rest of her group.
Fluttershy turned around and looked at Princess Sidera as she laid dying. After a moment she said, "Doctor, can I have the first-aid kit, please?"
"Fluttershy... there's nothing we can do," the Doctor replied, "She's right. Once the light of a unicorn or alicorn's horn goes out, that's it. There's no way to save her."
"I don't care. Well, I do care. I care for her, but I don't care for the fact that I can't save her. We can still help. So, if you don't mind, can I please have the first-aid kit?"
The Doctor gave thought to what she said and smiled. He took out the first-aid kit that Thorn provided and went with Fluttershy to the princess. Derpy, Twilight, Applejack, Dash, Rarity and Pinkie followed. Starswirl, Sword, Sleek Scale and Moonstone stayed where they were, watching the vain attempt to help somepony they believed to be beyond help.
Fluttershy knelt down in front of Sidera and first tended to her face. She took out a cloth and put some disinfectant in it. She said, "This might sting a little," and applied the disinfectant to a long cut on Sidera's cheek. She took out a bandage and covered the cut.
"Thou art wasting thy time, ye fool. Thou canst not save me."
Fluttershy ignored her and grabbed the broken piece of her horn. She put the parts together and bound them in a cloth. She then took out a ball of cotton and wiped away the blood from Sidera's face. She moved on to put a splint on the broken wing.
Sidera watched in disbelief Fluttershy's attempt to help, but it was not her determination with a lost cause that she found incredible. What amazed her was the simple fact that somepony cared, that there was somepony who didn't spurn and despise her. When Fluttershy finished working on the wing and moved on to splint the leg, Sidera asked, "Wherefore dost thou do this?"
Fluttershy answered as she worked, "Well, um, I don't need a reason. I'm doing this because I want to. I want to help you, princess. You've been hurt and I want to try to make it better. That's all." She finished with the leg, turned around the said, "Twilight, could you boil us some tea please?" She then began tending to a laceration on Sidera's back. She disinfected the wound and took out thread and a needle.
Sidera watched Fluttershy put her effort into sewing the wound together. She did not feel the pain from the needle as it repeatedly pierced her skin and pulled thread through. All of that was overwhelmed by another feeling. She began to breath more easily and softly. The hatred washed away from her eyes as she began to tear up. "I still understand not..."
"I wouldn't expect you to, princess."
"And thou callest me by mine former title. The others merely calleth me, the Unwanted Visitor."
"Well, I'm going to call you 'princess,' because that's who you are. Oh, thank you, Twilight." Fluttershy took out a pair of tea cups and took the pot of tea Twilight had boiled with her magic. She poured the tea and held a cup up to Sidera's mouth. Sidera drank the tea and Fluttershy drank from the other cup. Her friends joined her and they all sat in a circle around the princess. Twilight levitated the pot and a few cups and poured tea for everypony to drink.
Sidera looked at the ponies around her. It almost looked as if she had friends. She made an attempt to stand, but she still lacked the strength. She then said, "I am still going to die. Nothing thou hast done hath changed anything. Thine efforts art wasted."
"Maybe it's a waste. Or maybe it isn't," Fluttershy replied, "I don't think it really matters. You can disagree with me if you like, but, the way I see it, when there's somepony who needs some tender loving care, you shouldn't deny them that. Well, unless they're really scary that is... I'm not sure if I can help scary ponies or rhinos or zebras or... um... dragons... But you're not scary, princess. Seeing you made me sad more than frightened. I saw how hurt you were, and you were hurt in more ways than one. You looked like you've been through so much and all the while completely alone. Your life's so full of suffering and, um, I don't think anypony deserves to die with only their suffering to remember. So I decided to help you. I didn't expect anything to come of it, but I do know that a little kindness goes a long way, and it can make a big difference."
With considerable effort, she moved her functioning wing and wiped away her tears with her feathers. She sniffed. "I sayeth to you over and over, I am still destined to perish here and now. What difference couldst thou possibly have made? How can thy small actions do anything?"
"You'll be surprised by what they can do. Good doesn't always have take the form of rescuing lives, saving worlds or defeating villains, you know. Most of the time, it's the little things that ponies do day to day. Listening to somepony's problems, providing company, giving comforting words, hugs, even tea. Of course, I can't say that they're as big or powerful as magical spells or superpowers or anything like that, but they're still important."
"How very sentimental... I hardly deserveth such compassion. Thou hast heard the stories they hath told of me. I am a monster."
"You're not a monster, princess. You're a pony. No, you're a living creature. And every living creature should be given the care they need, whether they deserve it or not. No matter what they've done, no matter how horrible they've been, no matter their past. I see you as you are now, and what I see is somepony who needs my help. Nothing else matters."
Sidera remained silent for a moment to ponder Fluttershy's words. She looked down at the grass that was flattened beneath her and stained with a few drops of her blood. She looked up at her horn, held together by a white cloth. Every moment she felt her strength drain and death drew ever closer. She lowered her head and rested it on the grass. She looked Fluttershy in the eye and asked, "If thou truly believest that thou hast made a difference, what is it?"
"You tell me, princess." Fluttershy smiled warmly at Sidera and looked at her with her beautiful blue eyes. She reached out and held the princess' hoof.
Sidera sensed that her last minutes had come. She let her last tear pass and she smiled. At that moment, the veil of grey that shrouded her body vanished, and her colors shone in their full brilliance. "What is thy name?"
"Fluttershy."
"Fluttershy the Kind... Thou hast made a greater difference than any living being hath ever made. I thank thee." Princess Sidera closed her eyes, softly made one final breath, and was still.
Fluttershy let go of her hoof and stood. Her friends stood along with her. The others, seeing something had changed, approached and looked upon Princess Sidera's body. Just then, something sprouted from the ground in front of Sidera's snout. It was a little flower. A moment later it rapidly grew taller and larger, and it blossomed with a glow of pink light. It's dark blue stem stood up to half of Fluttershy's height. The flower's pink center was surrounded by an array of long sky-blue petals. It's shape resembled that of a Cosmos flower.
The Doctor approached the flower and studied it. "Fascinating... I've never seen a flower like this before..."
"Nopony hath seen one in over five-hundred years," Starswirl said as he approached the flower He looked at it with awe and wonder. "This is a Spirit Flower. When an alicorn diest with a soul completely at peace, their soul takes the form of a flower. No king or queen of Ponytopia hath had the privilege of such a death since King Lux IV. Spiritual peace was but a fantasy to our monarchs since the war began. For Sidera to die with a Spirit Flower... 'twas the last thing I hath expected." Starswirl picked the flower and gave it to Fluttershy. "This flower containeth the soul of Sidera."
Fluttershy took the Spirit Flower and looked at it knowing that in it was Princess Sidera. She said to the Doctor, "The life force of an alicorn." Carefully, she put the it in an empty pouch on her saddle bag.
With the whole business done, Sleek Scale turned and said, "Well then, on to Utopia."