Chapter 3:
The Morning and the Goodbye
Fluttershy awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside. It was a familiar, yet welcome noise. The sweet scent of bread and apples once again filled her nose. She inhaled deeply, taking in the variety of pleasant smells, and then slowly exhaled. The light shining on her face was a pleasant one. It warmed her. She began to fall asleep, but her eyes shot open when she realized the situation she was still in. She closed her eyes tight and cursed the world. As if on cue to her emotions, a cloud drifted in front of the sun, darkening the sky. The birds seemed to stop singing all together and the entire world began to darken.
She brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and sat up. She was now as clean and comfortable as she’d been in a long while. Her yellow coat was now as smooth as silk and her delicate face smelled of apples. Her hair was as soft as the feathers of a duckling. She slowly stood up and stretched herself. With a few rolls of her shoulders and head, her tight bones loosened and she was ready to head out. Out into the living room, to be more precise.
The floorboards made very loud squeals as she tip-toed into the den, rendering the action of tip-hoofing pointless. She almost hoped that nobody was awake so she could just take her leave in peace. Sadly, everybody but Applejack was sitting at the table. Fluttershy sighed a bit. That mare, Applebloom noticed her first. She smiled at her and Fluttershy forced a smile back. She didn’t mind being around ponies, but given the circumstances, she’d rather just be alone. The house had little circles and ovals of light coming in from the various cracks in the walls, partially lighting the small house. The Pegasus politely sat down. To her surprise, a plate of food was already there for her. It looked and smelled delicious. There was a cup of water for each of them (though Big Macintosh found more comfort with a bottle of mead). They all made their greetings and Fluttershy proceeded to enjoy her breakfast.
“So… um… Where’s… Where’s Applejack…?” asked Fluttershy, hiding her mouth in her cup.
“Oh, she’ll be in bed fer the next couple’a days,” said the old mare. Fluttershy nodded. She was all too familiar with frostbite poisoning, as she herself had gotten bitten when she was just five years old. That was easily the worst month of her life, spending all of her time in bed with her leg elevated. The boredom nearly killed her, even more than the venom would have.
“…Um… When… When did you want me to… head out?” asked the Pegasus nervously. Applebloom shrugged.
“We figured the sooner y’all head out, the better,” she said, taking another sip of her water. Fluttershy whimpered a little. “We cain’t go witcha, though… We got things we need to do here.” Fluttershy let out a soft squeal and once again whimpered quietly. It was bad enough she couldn’t just remain in peace and possibly make the journey home, but now she had to go alone into unknown territory. Big Macintosh stood up and pointed to Fluttershy’s plate.
“You done?”
“…Y- Yes sir…”
“Follow me,” said the stallion. Fluttershy slowly stood up and followed him outside. The two mares called out to her, shouting various ‘Good lucks!’ and ‘Be safes!’ and the like. Fluttershy looked back at them one last time before closing the door. Big Macintosh led Fluttershy to his smithy.
“Here,” he said, motioning to a table, “Take these.” Fluttershy noticed that the smith had laid out steel shin-guards, a steel chest-plate, and an iron sword, this one in much better shape than the last one. There was also a hunting bow next to quiver of arrows. Fluttershy backed up at the array of war tools.
“Y-You want me t-to take all th-that…?” asked the poor Pegasus, trembling as she pointed to the table.
“Eeyup. I got a friend in Whiterun. Should be able to teach ya. Ask around for Braeburn,” said the stallion, picking up the chest-plate. He handed it to the Pegasus, causing her to nearly drop it. She looked back up at the smith with a blush and an embarrassed smile.
“I-It’s… heavy.”
“Hey, Big Mac! I need your help with this!” a voice called out from another building.
“Good luck, Fluttershy,” said the stallion. He walked past her and went toward the other house, leaving the poor mare alone in the workshop. She sat down on a stool and fiddled around with the armor. It was an incredibly shiny steel with little dirt on it. Fluttershy assumed that it had just recently been crafted. The belt straps and loops confused the teen to no end. She tried her hardest to figure it out, but to no avail. With a loud sigh, she placed the armor back on the table. She noticed another set of armor just next to the shiny steel. It was mostly leather. It looked as if it wrapped around the shoulders, with little metal. Just an iron circle on the chest. The armor was more made of straps than actual armor. The only solid armor section was in the front and back. The shoulders had furry sections that covered the top of the shoulder.
And it looked perfect for Fluttershy.
She smiled to herself as she slipped on the leather armor with ease. This was much less complicated than the heavy steel armor. Even the leather shin-guards were lighter and easier to put on. With a few zips and pulls, the armor was perfectly fitted onto the little mare. She smiled at the perfectness of it all. She grabbed the iron sword, which wasn’t much heavier than the last one, and slipped it into its sheath. She strapped the sheath around her back as she had done before. The new sword was perfectly placed at her side. Believe it or not, Fluttershy had actually used a hunting bow before, but that was long, LONG ago when her mother tried to teach her how to hunt. The poor filly just never had it in her to kill an innocent animal. The mare firmly placed the bow on the quiver of arrows, and fastened the combo to her back.
She was ready for anything At least as far as she was concerned. And with that, she was off to Whiterun. It was still morning and the grass was still dewy. The sun was still sitting on the mountains and the morning birds were still chirping. As she approached the bridge exiting the village, she immediately regretted it all. Deep inside, she wished that she really had gotten executed at Helgen. That way, she wouldn’t have to face any more danger. But that was in the past. She had survived, and she had already made some friends.
Speak of the devil, she heard someone call her name. The voice sounded familiar. As the mare turned around, she saw Applejack lazily trotting toward her. She now had no armor on, but she had a thick bandage wrapped around her stomach, thickening around her wound on her back.
“Applejack?! Why aren’t you in bed?!” asked the Pegasus, meeting the Earth pony half way.
“I came to tell you… I sent a letter to… to Solitude. To the Imperials. You’ve more'n earned your pardon. You’re not a fugitive… anymore, Fluttershy,” said Applejack, putting her hoof on the Pegasus’s shoulder. Fluttershy smiled and put her hoof on Applejack’s.
“… Thank you, Applejack. I won’t forget this. I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
“No. Stay in Whiterun as long as you can… It’s safer there. And here… Take this. It might not mean much to you, but here in Skyrim… It’s a symbol of honor.” The Earth pony grabbed a helmet from her back. It was an iron helmet. It had triangular eye slots and a rough demeanor. Its key features, however, were two yellowed horns attached firmly to the sides of it. The teen slowly took it and looked at her friend. Smiling, she placed it on her head. The inside was lightly padded.
“I’ll come back someday,” she said with a wider smile.
“I look forward to it… friend.” They both pulled each other in for a hug. Applejack pulled away after a moment. “Git to Whiterun. We’ll be okay.”
“Goodbye, Applejack.” Applejack backed away into the village as Fluttershy crossed the bridge into the wilderness. Perhaps this wasn’t going to be such a bitter journey after all. Fluttershy walked into the forest humming her favorite traveling tune, one that was sadly underused in her case.
“The road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the road goes on,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager hooves,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands move.
And wither then? I cannot say.”