Fluttershy made her way towards the balcony that was perched atop the Crystal Palace. The two princesses stood there, exhausted. A cool, night breeze swept the balcony. From here, the night sky looked even more marvelous. The stars in the sky all glistened in the new moonlight, as if waiting for their chance to shine.
"Did you...?" Fluttershy broke the silence. Twilight and Cadence looked at each other and smiled before turning to nod.
"It will take a lot more practice," Twilight said. "but, it was a success! Equestria will have proper day and night once again!"
"Oh, that's good to hear!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "The princesses would have loved to hear..." her voice trailed off as the thoughts of Celestia and Luna entered her mind. "I'm sorry," She quickly squeaked, covering her mouth.
"Don't worry about it," Princess Cadence stepped forward. "It is important that we keep Equestria running. That is what they would have wanted. For now, shall we get some rest?"
Fluttershy's room was in a far corner of the palace. The room itself contained the usual trinkets and objects one would expect to find in the Crystal Palace. However, when Fluttershy looked at them, they all seemed fake to her. The books on Equestrian history that sat on the shelf felt like tales of fantasy. A flag for the Equestrian Games some years ago felt like a craft that a schoolpony made. A drawing of Starswirl the Bearded looked like it was made in another time. The reflection that Fluttershy saw in a mirror on the wall looked like a photo of a completely different pony. As much as Fluttershy wanted to feel like things would go back to normal, she could still feel her departed friends like a weight on her back. She looked at herself, or what she saw as herself now. The scars, the discolored mane, the blood-shot eyes. The manticore came back into her mind. The one that she killed and skinned. The one that she used to escape the cold.
As she stared, she could see her reflection grow darker. Its eyes grew redder, the hair darker, and to top it off, an evil grin appeared on the pony's face. Behind it, a Sleipnir hovered over the reflection. The giant hooves slammed down.
"Ah!"
Fluttershy woke up with a freight and fell out of bed. Wildly panting, the pegasus got to her hooves, looking back at the mirror. The evil pony and the Sleipnir were gone, leaving only Fluttershy. She turned and left the room.
The palace was hauntingly quiet. An occasional guard appeared, either at full alert or nodding off. As she passed, some would turn and smile at her. Others would avert their gaze. Before long, Fluttershy found herself outside.
The crystal heart sat in front of her, shimmering and spinning like it always had been. She remembered when King Sombra attacked, and how Spike had caught the heart. The heart that kept the kingdom from succumbing to darkness and destruction. Her thoughts jumped to Durango, the dragon that had given his life protecting the Crystal Empire from the changelings. That felt like so long ago to the pegasus.
"What are you thinking about?"
Discord's voice caused Fluttershy to jump. He snickered, pulling a chair out of the air and began to sit. The Draconequus looked relatively unscathed to Fluttershy.
"Could you believe it?" Discord continued, seeming to not care about any response Fluttershy would have given. "They had the nerve to give me a dainty room near the outskirts of town? Me, Twilight's best friend!" He placed a hand over his head in a melodramatic pose.
"Well..." Fluttershy spoke up. "You did scatter the elements of harmony around and caused trouble after the meteors struck..."
"I told you already!" Discored replied. "I had to do this so that the Sleipnir wouldn't come back....I would say you all brought this on yourselves."
"This is your world too!" Fluttershy snapped back, causing Discord to gasp. "You heard what Elder Mae told us back on the mountain! You have some part in this too."
Discord stayed silent. The chair he was sitting in disappeared as he floated forward. Fluttershy didn't know how to feel - angry, sad, scared, unsure...
"Fighting about it now won't solve anything." The pegasus continued. "If you don't help us, there won't be a world for you to freely create chaos in." This seemed to strike a chord within the Draconequus.
"I...never thought about it that way," He started, landing on the ground softly. "I can create all the chaos I want in my own dimension, but if there's no one on the other end, then there's no point...and we all know trying to prank a couple of Sleipnir is a death sentence."
Discord said no more and left Fluttershy alone with the crystal heart. It continued to spin, oblivious to the world. Fluttershy finally turned and walked back into the castle.
*********
The morning sunlight hit Fluttershy, prompting her to wake up. She had been able to sleep a bit longer after her short trot outside. From the looks of things, Princess Cadence was bringing the sun up by herself as Twilight brought the moon down. The pegasus sleepily got up and made her way to the throne room. As she moved, the light bounced off of the crystals in the palace, bringing back a feeling of warmth that felt like a dream to her.
"Good morning!" Fluttershy said in her most caring voice. She was met with a tired Cadence, who sat in a slump on the throne. "Oh dear," Fluttershy quickened her pace to reach the princess.
"Moving the sun must take a lot of energy..."
Cadence chuckled. "That's...not the only reason I'm so tired." Princess Twilight had returned to the room. The sun sat high in the sky, warming up the room even more. Cadence, seeming to have some strength returned to her, stood up and looked at the ponies.
"You see..." She began. "I'm...pregnant."
Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged shocked gasps. "Really!" Twilight's voice echoed in the throne room. Princess Cadence did nothing except nod her head.
"Yeah...good timing, huh...heh heh..." Cadence tried to lighten the mood. "To tell you the truth, I'm actually due any day now."
"But-but-!" Twilight stammered. "Why didn't you say anything sooner!? How come I didn't notice!?"
"There has been so much going on, I didn't want to make things even more complicated. Shining Armor was the only pony who knew." Cadence smiled and turned back towards the balcony. "A baby being born may be a sign of hope for the ponies living here. A sign that life will still go on."
"It could be really dangerous," Fluttershy spoke up. "But...I do feel excited to see a baby."
"But, please keep this a secret." Cadence whispered. "I don't want anypony to find out until the baby is actually born."
Fluttershy and Twilight nodded. "Your secret is safe with us now." They said in unison, although Twilight looked giddy as she said it.
"I'm going to be an aunt!" She cheered as the others looked at her. After a sheepish laugh, the cleared her throat and stood tall.
"Fluttershy," She said. "Today we are going to patrol the kingdom and make sure everypony is doing okay. Are you up for the task?" The pegasus nodded and smiled.
As the two walked outside, Fluttershy looked up at the sun that hung valiantly in the sky. Its warmth brought newfound energy in her, and apparently in others as well. More ponies were outside than she had seen since the world ended. Foals played and laughed outside, shop owners sold their wares with smiles, and the morale was at its highest. More birds flew in the air, chirping happily along, and bunnies pranced around, emerging from the debris of the old world.
"...So, you plan to go speak to the Sleipnir?" Twilight finally asked. She had listened hard when Fluttershy gave her account of what happened in the far north.
She nodded sternly. "I am the only one who can," she responded, looking at her cutie mark. "I was born to do this."
"And if it goes badly?" Twilight quickly asked. Fluttershy could tell that her friend disapproved of her decision. "There are so many variables to take into account here, and coupled with our previous experience, I can't come to a good conclusion."
"I still have to try. If I don't, then we will never know."
Silence. Fillies pranced in front of them as a gentle breeze brushed up against Fluttershy's coat.
"...If you're this confident, there's nothing I can say to stop you." Twilight sighed. "Even thought I don't approve, you can try. Equestria needs us, Fluttershy. Stay here for a bit longer, and when you do go, make sure you come back."
Fluttershy smiled. "I will."