//------------------------------// // The Twilight Discovery // Story: Softening the Stone // by TheMyth //------------------------------// Ponyville was known for it’s jubilating environment. Nearly everypony was as welcoming to a new visitor as they would be to their friends or family. The sunny weather added to what seemed to be a perfect day. For some, it was not as perfect at they had hoped for. “Are ya sure about this RD?” Applejack asked Rainbow Dash as they walked up to Fluttershy’s home on the outskirts of town. Rainbow’s eyebrows were furrowed in determination, with a mixture of frustration. “It’s been over a month since I last saw that mare, who happens to be my best friend!” Twilight, walking behind Rainbow Dash and Applejack, made her way up towards them. “I’m sure that she’s alright.” She said with a small smile, though a part of her felt that something was indeed very wrong. “‘Alright’ my flank! I know Fluttershy, and if she has been cooped up in that house for too long, I know something is up.” Rarity and Pinkie Pie, who were behind the group in front of them, looked to each other with frowns forming on their faces. “I certainly can’t fathom why Fluttershy would not speak to us for so long.” With her hair losing a little of it’s inflation, Pinkie Pie could not smile at all. “I know I should be happy we going to go and visit Fluttershy, but I’m always getting the twitching tail just when I think of her.” “Twitching tail?” Rarity asked curiously, cocking her brow when Pinkie nodded. “Is it your Pinkie Sense?” Before Pinkie Pie could answer her, their attention was drawn to Twilight and the others stopping before them. When Pinkie Pie and Rarity looked over the backs of their friends, they saw a white rabbit jumping in the air. From the look on the rabbit’s face, he was in a state of panic. His eyes were moist as though he were holding back tears, and his paws pointed to Fluttershy’s cottage. “Angel Bunny!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed flying in close to look the rabbit in the eye. “What’s the matter?” She was responded to by a series of over-exaggerated gestures from the small rabbit, including a fit of coughing, loud crying and lying perfectly still. Applejack blinked. “Anypony here happen to speak rabbit?” Thankfully, Rainbow Dash was slightly less oblivious. “What’s the matter boy? Is there something wrong with Fluttershy?” The rabbit quickly nodded, pointing again towards the cottage before running off as quickly as he could. Rainbow turned back to look at her friends. “Still think that I’m overreacting, huh?” She asked before rocketing off in the direction of Fluttershy’s cottage, the others quickly running up behind her. As soon as she reached the front door, she began pounding on it for all she was worth. “Fluttershy!” she screamed out. “I know that you’re in there! You’ve been cooped up for way too long!” When there wasn’t a response, she decided to yell even louder. “I’m not kidding Fluttershy! We’re not leaving until you come and talk to us.” From deep within the cottage, a small and quiet voice finally spoke up. “...Go Away.” Part of Rainbow Dash was relieved to finally hear her friend’s voice again, even if the circumstances were dire. “Come on Fluttershy,” she said, her voice a lot more calm then it was a few seconds ago, “We’re really worried about you. Please won’t you at least talk to us?” “There’s nothing to talk about,” Fluttershy squeaked. “It’s not worth your time anyways.” “Not worth our time? You're my best friend Fluttershy. Of course it’s worth my time!” There was silence for a moment before the shy pegasus spoke up again. “Please Rainbow Dash,” she begged. “Just go away and leave me alone.” “No can do,” Rainbow huffed. “I told you I wasn’t going to leave until you let us in and I’m not changing my mind anytime soon. Now open this door!” “...No.” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Fine,” she muttered. Turning around she looked at the rest of her friends worried faces. “You might want to duck.” In an instant, she was back in the air, quickly soaring in the opposite direction as the door. Her friends watched in curiosity as she climbed high into the air, pausing just below the few clouds that were remaining in the sky. Curiosity turned to shock as Rainbow suddenly dove straight for the doorway. They only had a second to jump out of the way before Rainbow was back, hitting the door with a mighty kick and shattering it on impact. Rainbow Dash skidded on the ground when she performed a rough landing inside the cottage, with her friends following her. The ponies found the cottage to be very dusty and unkept, as there was a foul odor in the air. The ponies looked around to see any signs of their cream pegasus friend. “Oh my goodness!” Rarity shouted out, landing on her haunches and pointing to the centre of the cottage. Her face was contorted in horror and disgust. When the others looked to the direction of her shaking hoof, they gasped. Fluttershy was laying on the ground, with her head facing the roof. Her feathers on her wings looked worn and tarnished, with her ribs showing. Her eyes were sunken in and red from excessive crying. Her lips were chapped, with a few scratches on them. A pony did not need to have a doctor’s certificate to see that Fluttershy needed medical attention. “Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash was immediately at her side, carefully lifting her up with a gentle hoof. “Fluttershy? Speak to me!” Fluttershy looked up at Rainbow Dash, her eyes just barely open. “Go away Rainbow… You shouldn’t have come in.” Rainbow Dash ignored her. Darting her head up, she immediately started dishing out commands. “Applejack, go grab some water. Pinkie Pie, find some food. Rarity, see if you can find some rags or something like that. Twilight, come help me get her onto the couch.” Everypony quickly ran off to perform their assigned tasks. As Twilight began levitating Fluttershy, the yellow pegasus started struggling futilely against her grasp. Carefully, she floated her over towards the couch, lying her down so that her head was resting on Rainbow Dash’s lap. Fluttershy continued to kick, trying to roll back onto the floor below. However, her weakness prevented her from doing so. “No,” she cried. “Let me go Rainbow. I’m not worth saving.” “Don’t say that ‘Shy,” Rainbow replied, gently running a hoof through her mane trying to comfort her lifelong friend. “You know that I’d do anything to help you. What makes you think that you’re not worth saving?” “Because I’m not!” Fluttershy said, the closest way that could be considered shouting in her state. “I’m a terrible pony!” “No, you’re not. I—” “Yes I am!” Fluttershy insisted. “I’m a horrible pony! I’m a monster! It would just be better if I was dead!” Rainbow Dash paused. Fluttershy had been depressed before, but never this badly. “Why?” she asked hesitantly. “Why would you think that about yourself?” Fluttershy sobbed. “Because I hurt her. I hurt her so badly.” “Who? Who did you hurt?” “Princess Luna,” Fluttershy wailed. “I thought that I was trying to save her, but I ended up almost killing her instead. She’s almost about to die and it’s all my fault.” Twilight gasped as Fluttershy’s last words started breaking up from the new tears finding their way out of her face. Stepping forward, she leaned down and looked Fluttershy in the eye. “Fluttershy,” she said softly, “that wasn’t your fault. We were all there as well. We all used the Elements to stop Nightmare Moon.” It did little to comfort the pegasus. “But I should have known better. I should have done something to try and help her. I should have stopped it from happening. But I didn’t! I didn’t and now Luna is almost dead. She’s almost dead and it’s all my fault!” “But—” Twilight was quickly interrupted by a stern gaze from Rainbow Dash and a subtle shake of her head. She took a step back as Rainbow continued stroking a hoof through Fluttershy’s mane, allowing the downcast mare to simply cry. “... and that’s what happened.” Twilight was sitting in the library with her mentor, Princess Celestia. Both were sipping cups of tea as Twilight was explaining the events that lead to Fluttershy being in the hospital. As she was sipping on her tea, Celestia brow furrowed with her mind having multiple thoughts simultaneously. How blind am I to my subjects pain? If I couldn’t help Luna, how can I even help my subjects? What kind of ruler am I? “Princess?” Celestia’s eyes widened as she was brought back to her senses. She blinked a few times before looking into her student's eyes. Twilight scrunched her lips as she saw the worry on Celestia’s face. “What do you think we should do?” “For now Twilight, I think it’s be best to—” *BANG, BANG, BANG* Celestia and Twilight’s head turned sharply to the door, that was vibrating from the impact of whoever was knocking on it. Twilight got up from the table and made her way to the door. “Coming!” she called out, just before her magic surrounded the knob and pulled the door open. Before her was her friend Rainbow Dash, who was grinding her teeth and her eyes were almost completely white. She looked ready to kill. “Where is she!? Where’s that good-for-nothing Nightmare?!” Rainbow Dash didn’t wait for an answer. Flying quickly through the doorway and past her friend, she headed towards the stairs. She was only stopped at the last minute as Twilight managed to grab onto her tail before she disappeared to the floor above. “Rainbow!” Twilight cried out. “Calm down for a minute.” The pegasus turned her head around, the bloodlust in her eyes nearly causing Twilight to shrink back. “Calm down?” she spitefully asked. “That monster upstairs nearly destroyed my best friend, and you’re asking me to calm down.” “She’s not a monster Rainbow Dash,” Twilight exclaimed. “She’s—” “She’s the princess’ baby sister, I know. But apparently everypony else seems to have forgotten that she’s already tried plunging Equestria into eternal darkness twice already. You’re all so worried about saving a pony who so far has done nothing but try to destroy you!” Turning back towards the stairs, Rainbow tried pulling against Twilight’s grasp. “If nopony else is willing to do anything about this, then let me tell you, I’m sure as Tartarus not going to sit by and—” “THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH!!!” Twilight had only seen Princess Celestia mad once before. One time during their studies, she had been permitted to sit in on some of Celestia’s private meetings as an observer. She didn’t remember much about the day, mostly that it was really boring and that she wished she had brought a book with her. However, near the end, a couple ponies came in and said something. Again, she didn’t remember the specifics, but she would never forget Celestia’s reaction. She rose up, seeming to tower above everything else in the room. Her coat shone as though you were looking at the sun. Her voice boomed so loudly, Twilight was surprised that ponies three cities away couldn’t hear it. Just looking at her was enough to strike fear into the heart of even the strongest of dragons. That was Celestia when she was angry. At that moment, when Celestia walked in on Rainbow Dash however, she was furious. Rainbow fell to the ground as the princess entered the room, more out of sheer shock than respect. She began to stutter something, but was quickly cut off. “I. Am. Absolutely. Sick. And. Tired. Of. Everypony. Badmouthing. My. Sister!” Celestia stomped her hooves to the ground, emitting a tremor from the base of where she was standing. Her eyes were glowing white, as magic poured out of her. The magic itself transformed to look like dancing flames on her body. Celestia had turned into a living inferno. Rainbow gulped, standing up again with her legs shaking and looking up to Celestia without making eye contact. “B-But Princess, she—” “Rainbow Dash.” Celestia cut her off, her magic dissipating and her form returning to normal. Her iris’ returned to colour, but they were now moist. “I’m sorry about your friend and of her health, I really am.” Celestia sniffed, a few streams of tears travelling down her face. “But hasn’t my sister suffered enough? Why must she be the scapegoat for everything? Why?” Celestia chocked, before turning away from the stunned Rainbow Dash. Rainbow wanted to say something, but she was again stopped by a hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see an agitated Twilight starting at her and shaking her head. Her head pointed to the door and both ponies made their way outside. Rainbow took one last glance at the princess walking upstairs, most likely to further tend to Luna. Twilight pulled the door shut behind them with a sigh. She knew she had to say something, but wasn’t sure how to begin. “I’m sorry, Rainbow,” she hesitantly started. “Celestia can be a bit protective.” Rainbow Dash sat down on her haunches. “Yeah, whatever.” Trotting over, Twilight sat down next to her. “How is Fluttershy doing by the way? Is she alright?” “She’s still really upset, but she’s doing a little bit better,” Rainbow explained. There was still a lot of anger in her voice as she spoke. “She finally ate and drank something. I also managed to get her to talk to me a little bit more. She still thinks that everything happening to Luna is all her fault though.” “Is she—” “She’s asleep right now if that’s what you’re wondering. The whole ordeal, plus this morning just wore her out completely.” Twilight sighed. “Listen Rainbow. I’m really sorry that I didn’t listen to you beforehand. I should have paid more attention to your concerns.” “Yeah you should have,” Rainbow snapped back. “But it’s fine. I know you have a lot on your mind with the princess.” Twilight couldn’t help but notice a particular amount of venom on that last word. “You can’t be too mad at Princess Celestia,” Twilight said gently. “She’s got a lot on her mind at the moment.” “If you say so.” Twilight looked over at her friend. Rainbow Dash’s head was bowed, avoiding eye contact with her and the same angry expression in her eyes. It was no use trying to push the issue at the moment. “So, what are we going to do about Fluttershy now?” Rainbow sighed. “Personally, I’m heading back over to the hospital. I want to make sure that I’m there with her when she wakes up. Hopefully she’ll be more willing to talk with me then.” “That’s a good idea,” Twilight said. “She’s probably going to need some medicine as well. At least something to help her get her strength back.” She reached a hoof up to her chin. “Actually, I was just thinking, I wonder if Zecora would have something that could help.” “That zebra from the woods we met last week?” Twilight nodded. “She seems to know all sorts of potions and natural remedies. I wonder if there’s something that she’ll have that could help.” “Yeah, maybe…” Rainbow said her voice trailing off. Standing up, she stretched out her wings. “Well, I’ve been away long enough. If you find anything, bring it over to the hospital. I’m going to be there for a while I think.” Flapping her wings, she started to take off. “Wait,” Twilight quietly said, stopping the pegasus. Still hovering, Rainbow turned back and looked at her friend. “Whatever happens, try not to stay too mad at Princess Luna for this, alright? She’s been through a lot as well.” Rainbow hovered for a minute, the same cold look on her face. Turning back she sighed. “Fine.” Then, without another word, she gave her wings a mighty flap as she flew off towards the hospital. There were a number of reasons why ponies were not willing to venture into the Everfree Forest. Very good reasons. The forest itself was a magical miracle on it’s own; a place where the weather was not manipulated by pegasi, where the flora had grown to sizes ponies could never fathom and where the fauna were very exotic and very dangerous. So it was that Twilight Sparkle ventured onwards with extreme caution. Memories of the adventure to the castle ruins still fresh in her mind, along with the many dangers. That did not stop Twilight’s determination however, as she had to reach Zecora’s hut. Why the zebra decided to live here was beyond her. Or maybe not completely. She remembered how the ponies were all xenophobic towards the zebra when she entered town, only looking for an ingredient to buy. Thankfully, she and her friends were able to bring all the rumors of Zecora to a halt and welcome her with open hooves to the community. Even though she was happy to be accepted, she still remained here in the enigmatic forest. Twilight was pleased to see that she had reached the hut without any dangerous delays. The hut itself was crafted from inside an old tree, much like the library was. On the front entrance were a few masks from Zecora’s country and a few bottles were hanging from rope suspended from the tree. Twilight reached the door and gently knocked on it. “Who comes to visit me? Who comes knocking on my tree?” Clearing her throat, Twilight answered. “It’s me, Twilight Sparkle.” “Ah! Twilight Sparkle, student of the sun princess. Your visit to me is priceless.” The door opened and revealed a zebra on the other side, wearing golden rings on her neck and a gold bracelet on her leg. “Come on in to my dome. Make yourself at home.” As Twilight entered the small hut, she couldn’t help but once again notice how different it was from other houses in Equestria. The entire room was full of bright colored urns and decorations, native artifacts from Zecora’s homeland. In the very center of the room sat a large caldron which both served to keep the room warm and help her mix up her healing brews. What caught her attention the most however was the smell of herbs and spices that tickled her nose as she walked in. “That smells wonderful Zecora,” she exclaimed. “Is that a potion that you're currently making?” Zecora smiled. “A healing brew, the smell is not. Rather, that is supper stirring in my pot.” Twilight nodded. “Really? It smells delicious.” “From my homeland, I have brought knowledge of this stew. If you would like, I will give some to you.” “That’s alright,” Twilight said, though the offer was indeed tempting to her. She knew that she had a reason for being here, and didn’t want to waste anymore time than she absolutely had to. “Actually, Zecora. I’m afraid that I’m not here on a casual visit. I wanted to ask you for your help with something if that’s alright.” “Alas, someday else we will share a dinner pan. Until then, I will help you if I can.” With that, Twilight went into detail explaining what had happened that day with Fluttershy, She explained how they found Fluttershy caught up in her own despair and how weak she had become from the time. Other than stopping a few times to ask a couple questions about specifics, Zecora sat and listened intently. When Twilight finally finished, Zecora sat back with a sigh. “This is indeed troubling news my friend. What would bring poor Fluttershy to this end?” Twilight hesitated for a minute before answering. “I’m… not sure,” she finally said. She didn’t think it would be wise to try and explain Princess Luna to her at this time. Zecora nodded. “Perhaps, someday we will find out why, this trouble has harmed dear Fluttershy. However, if I look I just may find, a potion that will clear her mind.” “You mean you have a cure for her?” Twilight said as her ears perked up. “A cure for her sadness, I know not. But to give her strength, I have quite a lot.” Turning around towards the back room, Zecora smiled. “Wait here my friend, I will get some for you. This wondrous potion and healing brew.” Twilight sighed and inhaled before letting her breath out slowly. She looked around the hut and saw many books, some of which she did not have in the library in Ponyville. Her eyes traveled across the pictures of the books; one having a strange fruit on it, another bearing a pot and one having a pony with reptile eyes. She paused and blinked, looking to the book with that image. She quickly went towards the shelf and grabbed the book fast, looking at the cover. It was indeed a pony, with reptile eyes. The same eyes that were present on Nightmare Moon. Twilight heard a cough from behind and she jumped, sheepishly smiling as she turned to see Zecora smirking. “Sorry, Zecora.” Zecora chuckled as she approached Twilight. “Curiosity is not a sin, my collection of books are pretty thin. I see there is one that you must find interesting, what book may it be? My curiosity is tingling.” Twilight showed her the book. “Zecora, what exactly is this book?” “Ah.” Zecora squinted her eyes as a smile formed on her muzzle. “That is a book depicting of a terrifying creature, a nasty entity that brought about great blight and a peace impreacher.” “A creature?” Twilight’s head turned to the book and she opened it fast, but she stopped when she could not decipher the books content. It was not written in Equestrian. She looked up to Zecora again with pleading eyes. “Please tell me Zecora, what is this creature?” “In my country, it was known as ‘The Ndoto’ that brought despair." She answered solemnly, recounting the dark tale. She turned and looked at Twilight, the utmost seriousness in her eyes. "But in translation to your language, it is known as ‘The Nightmare’.”