//------------------------------// // Fluttershy 5 - Fate // Story: Lost in a New World // by KingBrony //------------------------------// The road to Canterlot was a lonely one. The last time Fluttershy made her way along this road was alongside each of her friends to fight against Discord. Now it was Discord who was by her side as they travel to confront the Sleipnir Kings. The two giant beasts that roamed the skies above the rest of the world. The beings that ate Rainbow Dash. It churned her insides to think about communicating with them. "Feeling scared?" Discord teased her. After everything that happened, Discord still stood tall among the remains. With his magical power rivaling the Sleipnirs', and with Fluttershy's ability to communicate with them, Fluttershy could feel an end in sight. One way or another. The lives of the ponies in the Crystal Empire are counting on her. If a diplomatic solution could exist, then Twilight could step in and broker some sort of truce, using Fluttershy as the mediator. It was wishful thinking, but there is no other way. The land around the two looked as calm as ever. Nopony would have known that the world ended simply by looking at the blooming flowers, or the dew resting on the blades of grass. Fluttershy looked back down to Ponyville, which was now a spot in the distance. The remains of the buildings that stood on the surface were a reminder of what was, the only exception to the otherwise peaceful atmosphere that Fluttershy found herself in. And as she looked forward to the castle, she made out parts where the Sleipnir had built over the ruins. The memories that she and her friends all had in the castle came flooding back into her memory, causing the pegasus to tear up a little. "Strange..." Discord spoke up, dropping his previous conversation. "What's wrong?" Fluttershy asked. Discord's face had a hint of concern on it; Fluttershy had gotten better at understanding the emotions behind the Draconequus. "We haven't seen any Sleipnir recently, have we?" Fluttershy realized that Discord was right. Until now, there was no reason to hide, as there were no Sleipnir around to hide from. Fluttershy figured that their numbers would increase as they moved closer to the new capital. It felt too easy that they had even made it this far, this easy. Discord looked around him with a suspicious look on his face. Fluttershy saw the concern grow even more as he finally snapped his neck forward. His eyes widened as he ducked down, placing an arm over Fluttershy's body. In response, Fluttershy dropped her wings down. A large bang echoed through the air as the ground in front of the erupted. The smoke from the impact rose up into the air, making it more difficult for Fluttershy to see what was going on. She heard metallic sounds come from all around her as green and red lights flashed around them in a circle. Sleipnir faces emerged from thin air as if they were camouflaged. "They knew we were here," Discord gritted his teeth as he looked around at the enemy. Fluttershy could hear them speak commands to each other and rose her head to warn her friend. She felt something stirring inside her, as if leagues of butterflies were cramped inside and waiting to get out. She finally yelled out, "We are not here to fight!" She could hear the soldiers gasp and start to whisper to each other; she knew that this must have been the first time a pony spoke to them in a language they could understand. However, she was too late: A Sleipnir soldier charged up and tackled the Draconequus to the ground. Immediately after, Fluttershy felt a large blow to the back of her head, and her vision went dark. ********* Fluttershy could hear voices fading in and out as her body moved through the darkness. Various commands and other lines as she was exchanged between soldiers. "Take this one to the king," "Can't we just eat her?" "There's no magic here...she's useless." After hearing a giant door creak open, Fluttershy began to regain consciousness. She found herself being dragged in by a Sleipnir soldier. The room was a large and ornate one, with a large red carpet leading to two giant thrones at the far side of the chamber. Two giant Sleipnir sat in those thrones, staring at their new guest as she was placed before them like an offering. "Why do you bring me this empty meat?" One spoke in a gruff and intimidating voice. "This one can speak our language," One soldier spoke up. The king began to laugh. "You must be joking! These insects are not capable of communication at our level! Just toss it aside or keep it as a pet, I don't care. She has no magic and is of no use to me." Fluttershy coughed. "Um, excuse me..." The king's manner changed as his ear twitched. "Excuse me?" He asked, unbelieving of what he was told. The pegasus raised her head and stared the king straight in the eyes. Her heart sank far below the floor as a chill took hold of her very core. Now that she was here, all courage she had had fled the room, making its way back to her home in Ponyville to hide under the covers. But, there was no going back now. Everypony is depending on me. "My name is Fluttershy," she continued speaking. The Sleipnir king lowered his head to get a closer view of the pegasus. There was nothing but ice and darkness in his eyes. "You can speak our language...Very interesting. These beings must have evolved vastly since I first created them." "What do you mean by create?" Fluttershy was confused at what the Sleipnir was talking about. He gave a grim grin and returned to his former position. "I guess I can humor you, pony. I am the King of the Sleipnir, Falchion. We are the beings of order in this world, capable of turning any thought or wish into reality. We can create truth and justice with a simple chant. I created the ponies as a test of that power, to be used as our slaves and food source. We were sealed away, but now we have come back to reclaim our world." "I'm sure there's a way we can live together, is there not?" Fluttershy finally rose to her hooves, never looking away from the king called Falchion since she began speaking. "You have been killing our kind, you have eaten us...the friends I have, we have always believed that friendship and harmony will triumph over all. All of the adventures we have been on, all of the memories...I'm sure you Sleipnir have these same memories and feelings as well, too! As you can see, I am able to communicate with you, so there must be something that can be worked out between ponies and Sleipnir!" The fire in her heart was burning more than ever. Fluttershy regained her composure and stared down the king, the god who apparently created all ponies. The god who did what he pleased with them and had no care for them at all. Fluttershy felt so pumped up from talking to the Sleipnir that she decided to take a bigger gamble. "You say you were sealed away? Let me take a guess as to how that happened." She saw the king flinch in his throne. "It was the ponies that you oppressed, was it not? They came together and overthrew you. You may have created us to do what you wanted, but you created something else in the process." Her necklace began to glow faintly. "You created your own weakness! I will tell you now that I know that you plan to go to war with the Griffons, and I am here to tell you that if you try to fight them, then the ponies will rise up and fight you as well! You won't be able to take both sides at once! Don't go to war and waste your own lives, instead we can talk this out and find a way to live together in harmony!" The room stood silent. Both kings looked down at her, not changing their gaze. Fluttershy looked up at them, trying her best not to falter behind the heavy words she pushed out. Before long, Falchion began laughing once more. "You have a lot of courage, and I admire that. But, there is one thing you have wrong." He bowed down again so that he was right in front of the pegasus. "You say we will go to war with the Griffons? Oh, my sweet pony, we already went to war with the Griffons. They are no more. Dead. Gone. Your efforts here are wasted, and we look to fight you ponies in the north once more." "Take her away from here and place her in the dungeons. I'll deal with her later." Fluttershy's eyes widened as the Sleipnir grabbed her and forcefully removed her from the room. I was too late? Fluttershy still couldn't believe what she heard. The Sleipnir had already went to war with the Griffons...and won? If the Griffons are gone, then there would be nopony left to help the Crystal Empire. Without a tactical advantage, Fluttershy's diplomatic efforts would be rendered useless. Twlight...I'm sorry ********* Fluttershy was thrown into a dark and damp cage. The walls were lined with mold, and the floor was comprised entirely of dirt. There was a single blanket to lay on, as well as a small bucket. The only light source came from a lonely torch attached to the wall. Discord was nowhere to be seen. Was he taken somewhere else? Fluttershy thought to herself as she whimpered. "I failed," She spoke out loud. "We were too late..." A Sleipnir walked into the room and approached the cage. Fluttershy paid no attention until he began to speak. "You are able to speak our language...right?" Fluttershy looked up and saw a burly Sleipnir wearing a special armor. He had a plain look on his face, different from the Sleipnir Fluttershy had encountered until this point. She gave a simple nod in response. "I think it was pretty brave for you to go against our king like that." "But I didn't get anything accomplished besides getting thrown in jail. I should have planned it out more." The Sleipnir approached the cage and bent down to meet Fluttershy's gaze. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you until now. It must be difficult to have everything you loved about your world taken away." Fluttershy's pent up anger forced itself out. What did he know about how much the ponies suffered after THEY ruined it? She looked up to gaze at the Sleipnir talking to her when she saw something glimmer in her eye. In the faint light, Fluttershy could see something hanging around the Sleipnir's neck. Something red and gold that looked very familiar to her. The Element of Loyalty. Rainbow Dash's element. The very same element she wore around her neck when she... "HOW DARE YOU!" Fluttershy snapped at the Sleipnir, who jumped back in astonishment. "How dare you wear that around your neck! That belonged to my friend! You have NO RIGHT to wear it!" She placed a hoof around her own neck and felt for her own element. Luckily it still hung there, a memento of the old world. "Look," the Sleipnir began to speak. "I want to help you-" Fluttershy turned away. "I can't trust anypony now. Please leave me alone." She turned to face the back wall, a dark abyss. After a moment of silence, Fluttershy heard the sound of something touching the dirt floor in her cell, followed by hoofsteps leaving the room. The Pegasus turned behind her and saw the Element of Loyalty resting on the ground. She picked it up and held it between her hooves as she saw an image forming in her mind and projected itself onto the back wall. Each of her departed friends took form on the wall, each staring back at her with a sad expression in their eyes. "I failed you all," Fluttershy said once more. She tightly gripped the element in her hooves before breaking down into tears.