Fluttershy tiptoed over the tree roots, gingerly placing down each gentle hoof. Her eyes scanned the woods, taking in every bird, every bunny and every sound. Her ears pricked up as a wail travelled through the air like leaves being carried in the breeze. The yellow mare started to quicken her pace, and soon she was galloping through the woods, jumping the roots, desperate to find the animal that made that noise. Her long pink mane snagged on tree branches, her hooves were stained with mud. She heard the wail again, closer now this time. Slowing down into a trot, the mare glanced through the bushes she was behind. There, in the middle of a clearing, was a small dog. Its white fur was speckled with black and brown. Fluttershy entered the clearing and spoke gently to the dog.
"Hello there, what are you doing out here all by yourself?"
The dog ran over to her, jumped on her and licked her face. Fluttershy giggled and held the dog close to her, hugging it like it was her foal. Without warning, the dog jumped out of Fluttershy's hold and started to run through the trees. Fluttershy gasped, and galloped after it. Soon the dog was out of sight, so Fluttershy spread her wings and took to the sky. She scanned through the trees, until she spotted a white dot beside a lake. She landed and cantered towards the lake. She got there just in time to see the dog jump in. The mare looked at where the dog disappeared and after it hadn't come up she started to panic. She waded into the water, the cool waves lapping at her fur. She waded in up to her neck, and after she could go no further, she dived under. The last thing she saw was the bottom of the lake open up, then she passed out.
"Dusk Shine, is she ok?"
"I think so, she is breathing"
"Oh oh oh can we have a party!"
"No Bubbles, y'all know we cant party just now"
"Ok,ok, just asking"
"um guys"
"Yeah Butterscotch"
"Her eyes are open"
Fluttershy stared in bewilderment at the six stallions standing in front of her. They all looked exactly like her friends, except, they were stallions. The one that looked like Twilight stepped forward.
"Hello, my name is Dusk Shine, and this is Bubble Berry, Jack Apple, Rainbow Blitz, Elusive and Butterscotch. What's your name?"
"Fluttershy"
"Well let me be the first to welcome you to Ponyville"
Fluttershy stared round the group. Bubble Berry, she guessed, was Pinkie, Jack Apple was Apple Jack, Rainbow Blitz was Rainbow Dash, Elusive was Rarity and Butterscotch was her?
"um, hi" she squeaked.
"Don't worry applesauce, we don't bite" Jack Apple said to her
"Oh JA, you have no sympathy. She almost drowned in a lake, the least we can do is be hospitable" Elusive shot at Jack Apple.
"Please" Butterscotch murmered "Let me handle this, I do know how she feels"
"I for one, think that is a good idea" Elusive agreed
"Then its settled, Butterscotch will show Fluttershy round town while we all get things ready for her" Dusk planned.
Soon Fluttershy was being given a tour of the town she knew so well, by herself as a stallion. She had been introduced to all the ponies at a party, organised by Bubble Berry.
"Do you, um, want to go back to meet the others now?" Butterscotch asked
"Yeah, if you ,um, want to"
"ok" Butterscotch blushed as he looked at her.
The two ponies walked down the road in silence until they reached the library. Butterscotch pushed open the door for Fluttershy, and the pair walked in.
"HEY GUYS THEY'RE BACK" Rainbow Blitz yelled as Fluttershy closed the door.
"Oh hello dear, do you like town?" Elusive asked Fluttershy
"Oh yeah, its beautiful, everypony is so nice" Fluttershy smiled
"I have drinks" Dusk Shine called from the kitchen, and everypony trotted through.
"OH! i forgot i have to plan the party for hearts and hooves day! SEEYOUALLSOONBYE!" Bubble Berry shouted.
Jack Apple shook his head at the crazy party pony ant the six ponies sat round a table and had their drinks. Once they finished, they started to tell Fluttershy about themselves. Just as she expected, they were exactly like her friends at home.
"So Flutters, tell us a bit about you, and where you come from" Blitz said to her.
"Well, Im really shy, I love animals, and i come from another Ponyville"
"Um....what?" Jack Apple asked, while Dusk Shine ran to get a book.
"well, i was in the woods, and i heard a dog crying. I followed it to a lake, it jumped in and didnt come back up. I jumped in after it and thats all I can remember"
"A HA! I HAVE THE ANSWER!" Dusk yelled "the lake you jumped into was the lake of dreams, if a pony swims in it, it takes them to the area in which the answer to their deepest desire is. The only problem is that it takes them to the world they are in only"
"Oh my, will i ever be able to get back?" Fluttershy asked, almost crying
"Yeah" Dusk said scratching the base of his neck "in about fifty days"
"F-f-fifty days!" LFuttershy whispered, then fainted.
Elusive used his magic to pick her up and placed her on the couch. Jack apple put a blanket over her shoulders, and Dusk made her a warm drink for when she came round. The five stallions then made their way back to the kitchen to talk.
"Ok, we know how she got here, but what is her deepest desire?" Butterscotch asked
"I can cast a spell to see, but I would feel like im invading her personal space" Dusk replied
"I most agree Dusk. we should now invade the lady's space, but we could always just give it a go and see if we can help her" Elusive murmered, half to himself.
"OK, lets give it a shot then" Dusk made up his mind.
The walked over to the sofa where Fluttershy was lying, and Dusk cast the spell. His eyes went wide in realisation as he pulled away.
"What!" Elusive whispered, when they were away from the sleeping mare
"She wants a coltfriend" Dusk answered simply
"Well that's not much of a dream is it" Blitz said, rolling his eyes
"well it is you see, because she is to shy to go on a date, after what happened the first time she did"
"Oh the poor thing" Elusive exclaimed "What ever happened!"
"Well, she was at flight camp, and the colt she liked askedher on a date, she agreed and got herself all done up, and when she went to meet him, she found all her class mates there. They laughed at her and threw things at her. Then the horrid colt came forward, laughed at her face, and told her no stallion with a single brain cell would date a mare like her!"
"Oh when I get my hooves on that stallion!" Blitz gritted his teeth.
"easy there partner, we have to be nice, for her sake. Nopony say a word about this, ok y'all?"
Jack Apple looked round the group. They all nodded and, except from Dusk Shine, left the library. Dusk looked out a quill and scroll, and hoof wrote a letter to Lord Solaris and his brother Prince Artemis about the current predicament. He called softly on Barb, his baby dragon to send the letter. Once it was sent, he settled down to read a book. After about three chapters, he felt his eyelids drooping. He used his magic to close the book and he trotted up the stairs to his bed, with the still sleeping Fluttershy on his couch.