//------------------------------// // A Wish Gone Wrong // Story: Switching Sides // by Annalisa Flat //------------------------------// Fluttershy awakened to the sounds of birds chirping a melodious tune across the meadow. She gracefully stretched out her limbs, eliminating any stiffness that developed the previous night. Slowly but calmly, she trotted over to her kitchen, and poured herself cup of tea to start her day off. As she stirred her drink, she glanced out the kitchen window and caught a glimpse of the beautiful landscape outside her petite, forest cottage. Eager to get some fresh air, she escaped the walls of her home to observe nature's wonders. As she exited her warm cottage, several bunnies hopped forward towards her hooves, their noses twitching as they nuzzled her coat lovingly. The radiance of the sun beamed down on her pastel pink mane, as the thick strands were lifted by the wind. The smell of daisies sugarcoated the air, as she breathed in the sweet aroma. She leaned down and picked several of the flowers to give to her good friend, Twilight. Then, with one effortless flap of her wings, she flew slowly into her cottage to retrieve her tea, and galloped off to Ponyville, her woven baskets intact. Fluttershy approached Twilight's tree library with a grin plastered on her face. Today the two of them were going to go out to the market and explore the shops. Not only would this give her the chance to spend time with her friend, but she planned on buying a few things for her own. Hopefully she could use her assertive ways more effectively, unlike the last time. Fluttershy knocked lightly on the wooden door, being careful not disrupt her conscientious friend. She was working on a new spell this week, and the slightest interruption could break her concentration. Several seconds later, a purple mare with wings and a horn emerged from the library. "Why hello Fluttershy," Twilight said, in her usual happy tone."Are you ready to go to the market?" "Yes, I'm very prepared," she replied, though her voice was barely audible. "Glad to hear it!" Cheered Twilight."With all my princess duties, I haven't gotten a chance to just hang out in Ponyville! I'm glad my scheduling worked out." Fluttershy just nodded in agreement. She wasn't one to talk in any situation. "Let's go!" ~~~~~ By the time the two mares got to the market, there was already a remarkable amount of commotion. Everywhere they looked, tall tented stands lined the walls of the street. The shopkeepers shouted advertisements that could be heard from a mile away, where as the other ponies were tossing around bits faster than their eyes could handle. Fruits, vegetables, and toys were piled into wooden barrels at every shop, attracting Fluttershy, who wanted to buy them desperately. Instead, to be kind and considerate of Twilight, she followed the purple alicorn through the busy streets. No matter where Fluttershy looked, somepony was always looking at Twilight, who had become the talk of Equestria. Some of them even built up the courage to confront her, and ask for a quick autograph. Twilight signed everything with a huge smile, where as Fluttershy was starting to frown. Not only was this taking away from her time with her best friend, but Twilight got all the attention, where as she was still the unknown pony on the sidelines. After what seemed like an eternity of walking and signing, Twilight had finally found the store she was looking for. It was a worn down antique shop. Twilight pushed Fluttershy inside, and slammed the doors shut. "Finally," She sighed. "A moment of privacy." She sat there for a second, collected her thoughts, and than began to speak. "I'm going to go ahead and look at some of the old books in the reading section,"She announced."If you want to take a look too, go ahead. If not, feel free to look around. I know this place like the back of my own hoof, so if you want to find something, just ask me!" "Um..ok,"Fluttershy whispered, careful not to annoy other guests. At first she planned to stick with Twilight no matter what, but she had her bits. Why not take a look around? She took a brief look around and decided to look through the section labeled,"Antiques and Old Toys." You never know when you'll find something cute in there, like a candle for your nightstand, or and old mini statue to place on your coffee table. As she scanned the shelves, she noticed something in the back corner that looked out-of-place. Curious, she reached her hoof in to grab the item. Besides, she felt guilty leaving something that didn't belong there. Fluttershy peered into the shelf to find that the object was, a rock? What was a rock doing in the store. She flipped the chipped stone over and read the tag observantly. In tiny handwritten words, the tag said this... Hello, valued customer! What you see here if called a dream diamond. According to ancient stories, a pony who's felt neglected can make a single, irreversible wish of their choice. Once the wish has been made, the stone will turn into a diamond, perfect for decor or jewelery. If you can't manage to make your wish come true, feel free to take this to a jeweler, who will reveal the gem under the black surface. Then you get a beautiful piece of decor to put in your home or apartment! Happy wishing! Fluttershy laughed slightly. She knew that you couldn't simply wish on a rock and expect the dream to come true. Though, the gem in the core of the rock sounded promising, and it was only a single bit. Maybe she could use it as a good luck charm. She dropped the stone in her woven basket, and trotted off towards Twilight, who had dozed off while reading a book. "Huh, what?" She questioned, unaware that she had fallen asleep."Oh, sorry to keep you waiting Fluttershy. Clearly I'm not buying that book. Did you find anything you liked?" "Actually, yes,"Fluttershy took the stone out of her basket and showed it to Twilight."It was very cheap, and I plan on making it a good luck charm." "Hmm, a dream gem?" Twilight said disapprovingly. "I've heard the name before. Are you sure you want to buy it?" "Of course," she answered. "I have no intention of using it for it's intentional use." "If you say so," Twilight trotted over to the entrance of the store. "Go ahead and make your transaction. I'll be waiting outside for you!" Fluttershy made her way to the front desk, and immediately pulled out her bits. She placed one on the counter next to the shop owner, who looked at her wide-eyed. "Um, you keep the bit," The stallion responded."Free of charge." "Thank you!" Fluttershy shouted, though her shout was more at the noise level of any other pony talking."That's very kind of you." The shopkeeper just shrugged at her comment and continued to go through what looked like a pile of papers on his desk. Fluttershy, on the other hand, was happy as a clam as she skipped out the doors, only to find that a cluster of cameras were shooting like mad-mares at a certain spectacle. To my surprise, the spectacle was not Twilight. "Yes, my performance in the Best Young Flyer's competition will be 20% cooler than that of last time." Rainbow Dash? How did she attract all those people? Fluttershy pondered this as Rainbow Dash posed over dramatically for the paparazzi below. "Ok everypony, ditch the cameras," ordered Rainbow Dash, and in a blink, everyone had left the area. Rainbow flew down towards Fluttershy and Twilight, making a swift landing that was photo ready. "Hey, guys!" said Rainbow."What's up?" "We were just going through that antique shop over there,"Explained Twilight."How did you attract all those people?" "Well as you know, I just came back from the Wonderbolt Academy," Rainbow said in a show-off voice. "Before I left, Spitfire said that I had a chance of being a Wonderbolt!" "Um, thats great, um, Rainbow Dash," whispered Fluttershy, but Rainbow Dash didn't hear her. "It sure is a big deal," added Rainbow." If I wasn't the fastest pony in Ponyville, I wouldn't have this chance right now!" "We're very happy for you!" chirped Twilight. "Hey, where'd Fluttershy go?" The two mares looked down the street, only to find that a certain yellow pegasus was running down the road, teardrops streaming down her face. ~~~~~~~ Fluttershy rampaged through the forest, trying to put as much distance between herself and the city as possible. She was searching for her favorite spot to be alone. It overlooked a sea of fluff that lined a long meadow. When she saw it in the distance, she ran as fast as she could, and dug her face into the grass. Suddenly, something began to brush her mane and rub her back. When she glance behind herself, she realized it was Angel, as well as a few of her other meadow friends. They were consoling her with kind words, though only Fluttershy could understand. "Oh Angel, it just can't take it anymore!" She cried." Twilight is a princess and Rainbow Dash is known throughout Equestria for her flying. What am I?" Suddenly, Angel began to speak. "You're a great friend," "I know, but think about it. I'm a pegasus who can barely pass as even a basic flyer. What does that say about me?" Fluttershy asked hopelessly. "Sure, you can't fly. But you can talk to us! No other pegasus pony can do that, can they?" "No,"She responded,"but I just feel like that's not what I'm meant to be. Like I'm meant to do more than stay on the ground for the rest of my life. My wings are meant to fly." "I'm sorry, Fluttershy," "It's ok Angel." Fluttershy reached into her basket and took out the dream diamond. "If you can actually grant wishes," She stuttered in sadness," I wish that I will be a great flyer one day, just like Rainbow Dash." The rock did nothing but sit there. Fluttershy looked at it as if she suspected it was translating her cry for help. But nothing happened. It was no use. Did she actually think that it would work? She was a lunatic. She stood up and walked shamefully down the road with her head down, and a look of depression on her face. When she got to the front door, she stormed through it and threw herself in bed, unaware that the dream diamond was glowing suspiciously. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fluttershy awoke the next morning to the peaceful sound of nothing. Precisely nothing. This baffled to her, as she usually awoke to the sound of birds chirping. She fluttered her eyes gently, opened them all the way, then placed a look of confusion on her face. Why was the ceiling blue? She blinked several times to assure it wasn't a trick on her eyes, but unfortunately, it was none other than the color blue. Something wasn't right. She sat up, and observed the room. What was going on?!?! The room she awoke to was completely foreign to her. It looked as if it were a college dorm. She was sleeping on a blue bed, with the Wonderbolt's insignia sewn onto the bedspread. There was only one window, which was located right next to the door. A single sink sat in the corner of the room, and under it were professionally made cabinets. Curiousity consumed Fluttershy's mind as she opened the cabinets. What was inside perplexed her to the max. All of HER toiletries were thrown into the cabinet, though she hadn't the slightest clue how they got there. Fear overtook her, as she explored a closet right next to the sink. Now her mind was spiraling out of control. All of her outfits that she wore on certain occasions were hung up, excluding an unfamiliar garment in the back of the closet. As she removed the outfit from the hangar, her eyes shot out out of their sockets. A Wonderbolt Academy suit?