PROLOGUE
The wind blew a cold breath of northern air, ruffling both his black mane and tail. Around him were the frozen lands of his country, his home... home he had a hoof in destroying.
In the distance he could see the creature he created, the one that took his appearance and stole the most important artifact in the whole Empire. The Crystal Heart was more than just a powerful magical artifact, more than an unique magical node. It was an icon of hope and love of all citizens of the Empire, a container of their dreams and ambitions, all the good thoughts they carried.
And now it was all lost... because of his mistake.
A mistake he intended to rectify!
The unicorn teleported to his doppelganger, materializing just a short distance from him and the Crystal Heart. His demands to return the artifact were met with an obnoxious laugh. The creature that looked just like him taunted and provoked the mage to try and take the Crystal Heart back by force, before sending it away with its dark power. Not realizing the demon’s intentions, he fell for its taunts, creating a volley of sharp crystals with his magic and sending them at the abomination. The creature defended itself by rising a hoof, the shards harmlessly bouncing off the dark shield that emerged in front of the unicorn’s double.
The stallion couldn’t let this be the end of it, and with effort he created a beautiful blade made of the red crystal by the means of the crystalmancy in which he both specialized and was his special talent, as evidenced by the cutie mark of an outgrowth of crystals on his flank. A blind charge was met with a blast of dark magic, the sword shattered and laid broken beside its master, while the demon laughed again. In surge of pure determination and rage the unicorn rose from the snow covered ground and with one stomp of his fore hooves he sent the magic into the ground, right under the creature, throwing it away by a large piece of crystal that suddenly grew under it. The unicorn used this opportunity to teleport quickly to the demon and pin it to the ground with all strength his battered and exhausted body could muster. He was going to make it reveal the whereabouts of the Crystal Heart before destroying this abomination.
The victory was short lived, when the ground underneath both fighters cracked. The creature sneered and grinned, confusing the unicorn before a realization hit him. They were fighting on a frozen lake! He was lured here by the doppleganger, and because of his carelessness with the previous spell the ice was breaking underneath them, threatening to swallow them both in a cold grasp. It was a trap from the very beginning!
Suddenly the creature transformed into a thick mass of shadows, which in a blink of an eye grew multiple tendrils. They flailed at the mage, tangled about his legs, his torso and neck. He pulled away, but they were too strong and there were too many of them. His magic failed him in their tight grip, and he was brought down with a crash. The lake surface shook with a series of thunderous cracks and the ice underneath them shattered.
All the unicorn could remember next was the painfully cold grasp of water, a desperate fight for air, and finally a growing darkness that was accompanied by an evil laughter of triumph...
~*~
Ponyville is a unique town. Some may say that it’s just a small town with nothing to offer, others would find the quiet nature very relaxing and nostalgic. With very friendly ponies who wanted to make an acquaintance with every newcomer, a breather from the noise and the hustle and bustle of big cities like Manehattan or Las Pegasus. There are also ponies who would claim that all residents of Ponyville are nothing short of crazy, and if one wanted to live an adventure of a lifetime, then they should move there.
To Fluttershy this small town could be described only with one word - home. Ever since she moved from Cloudsdale, the small cottage at the edge of the Whitetail Woods was home for her and so many animals she befriended. The shy Pegasus mare loved the peaceful and quiet days that came from living quite a distance from the town, though she would be lying if she didn’t find all the adventures she had with her best friends thrilling. Scary, but thrilling nevertheless.
At this very moment Fluttershy was trotting up the main road, her cottage being the final stop. The pegasus mare was moving slowly, as her perpetually aching joints, and muscles protested against any long trips she sometimes took. When she was at the crossroads there was something suspicious about the small puddle in the middle of the road. The mare smiled knowingly.
“Alright Discord, you may come out now. I know you’re here,” she called out. Just as she predicted the draconequus appeared in a flash of light.
“Why hello Fluttershy! How are you on this fine day? Nothing like a nice walk to clear your mind, don’t you think?” Discord tried to look innocent, but the pegasus mare knew the Spirit of Chaos far too long to be fooled.
“What have you done to this puddle?” Her simple question was met with silence, so now she had proof that something was amiss. “Now you know better than trying to fool your first friend, don’t you Discord?”
“Oh phooey!” The draconequus pouted and crossed his arms in defiance. “How did you know it was the puddle?”
“There were a few hints actually.” Fluttershy smiled demurely at him. “First, is that there hasn’t been a drop of rain since the last week’s storm, and no puddle would survive seven days of intense sun. Next, this is a very popular road in Ponyville, so it’s also a great place to prank somepony, according to Pinkie and Rainbow at least. I’ve heard of them using this spot more than enough times to know that.” She giggled a little, when the Spirit’s face fell with each flaw she pointed out. “Finally, your puddle is purple.”
“I knew you wouldn’t get caught, but I still had to try. But I still got a few careless ponies!” Discord grinned widely.
“I hope you didn’t hurt them with your prank, I know how your sense of humor can be different than most of ponies,” Fluttershy said, her voice full of both concern and disapproval. While she could understand the need of pranking, having two of her best friends greatest pranksters’ duo in Ponyville, the joke wasn’t funny if somepony got hurt because of it.
“Oh relax Flutters.” Discord waved his lion paw dismissingly. “It was all an innocent prank with a little bit of Poison Joke nectar. It’s not as potent as the mucus from the petals and leaves, so any changes are minor, harmless, and temporary. They don’t even have to take that herbal bath to get rid of them, it will all disappear tomorrow morning.” Again his mouth curved into a big smile. “Still it was very amusing to watch those three colts panic, when each of them grew a pig’s nose instead of their normal muzzles!”
“I imagine,” was Fluttershy’s short reply to this little story. “Spike still can’t forget your last prank on him. The mere mention of your name makes him snort large circles of smoke.”
“How is our beloved fire-breathing lizard anyway?” Discord asked. “I haven’t seen him in years, and he’s still angry for that little joke? Talk about a grudging dragon.”
“You know it wasn’t just a little joke, you’ve made all his scales fall off in the middle of the town’s square.” Fluttershy scolded the mischievous Spirit, but then sighed deeply. “It got really quiet without him and the Crusaders. It’s almost hard to believe that little Spike grew up, and found his own cave to live in, like a real dragon.”
“Well, when you consider that: A) he is a dragon; B) he outgrew most buildings in the town; and C) his self-proclaimed role as a protective guardian of Ponyville, it’s not really that surprising. Just look how big he became, you could even tap dance on his tongue - speaking of which...”
“Don’t even think about it Discord,” Fluttershy said in a serious tone. “I’ve had enough excitement for one day and I don’t need to anticipate an angry dragon for my next visit to Spike.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll leave him alone,” Discord said quickly, not wanting to upset the mare further. “I’m still surprised you would travel such a long way into the mountains. I remember the times when you were afraid of your own shadow.”
“Oh Discord, I’m just too old to be afraid anymore.”
It was a sad truth, and Discord couldn’t deny it. Fluttershy’s once bright pink mane and tail were now almost white, with only very light shade of their previous color showing, while Fluttershy’s coat turned from a butter yellow to an almost grey one. Her body grew weaker with every passing year, though it didn’t lose its willowy build. Despite the mare’s gentle way of aging, one could still spot several noticeable wrinkles, especially around and under her teal eyes. All those facts weren’t that surprising, when one took into account over five decades that had passed since the two first met.
During their walk together the two friends swapped several stories to entertain each other on the way. It wasn’t long before Fluttershy finally saw her beloved cottage, which was a good thing because despite her assurances, she really got tired after such long walk. All that currently was on her mind right now, was a warm bed.
“Looks like we’re finally here,” Discord stated. “It was good to see you again, Fluttershy. I’ll leave you now, as I’m sure you’re dead tired after such a long walk. Don’t try to deny it!” He stopped the mare as she was opening her mouth to object, in her kind and gentle way of course. “Just like you know me, I can tell that you’re minutes away from collapsing right here and sleeping in the middle of the road.” The draconequus suddenly materialized a set of butler clothes on himself and looked at his friend with a mock stern eye. “Not on my watch. Now off you go to bed, missy.”
Fluttershy couldn’t help herself and giggled at the whole act, finding it both hilarious and heartwarming. It showed just how much Discord cared for her, something she would treasure for the rest of her days.
“If you say so, then I have no choice but to listen,” Fluttershy said, and a second later she went up to Discord, and managed to hover high enough to wrap her fore hooves around his neck in a gentle hug. “Thank you,” she whispered to him with closed eyes.
The Spirit of Chaos only smiled at this, his lion paw squeezing the small pegasus in a warm embrace. While he liked the feeling, there was still a matter of his friend’s health at claw here.
“Alright, now that this mushy stuff is out of the way, you’re going to turn around and go rest or I’m going to make you do it my way,” he lightly threatened, making the mare let out another giggle.
“Fine, I’m going already. See?” Fluttershy broke the hug, and was slowly trotting towards her small cottage, but before she opened the door, once again the small pegasus mare was facing her unique friend. “Goodbye Discord. Try to not cause any big chaos, okay?”
“I’ll try,” the draconequus said, quite sincerely, and Fluttershy had to go with it. “Bye!”
With that last word Discord vanished into thin air in a flash of bright light, leaving Fluttershy alone at the entrance. She shook her head one last time at the antics of the mischievous spirit, and opened the door of her home.
“Thank you my friends,” she said to them softly. “Could you help me get up the stairs? There is something that I need to get from my chest.”
The animals scurried, and each one of them made their best to relieve the older mare from some of the burden that was going upstairs. Fluttershy never was an exceptional flier, and her wings didn’t really improve with advanced age. In fact she wasn’t even capable of hovering over the ground now, as it became too tiring for her. Thankfully there weren’t too many situations that required her to fly anymore.
Once Fluttershy and her furry and feathered friends found themselves in her bedroom, she trotted towards a chest that stood beside her bed. She opened it and inside one could see many different items, from clothes to trinkets of various shapes and sizes, and all were priceless mementos of times long passed to the old pegasus mare. However right now she focused her cyan eyes on one particular item, a small rectangular box. She carefully took it out from the chest and put it on her nightstand. It was quite old, but still looked beautiful to Fluttershy, just like the day she got it.
The box stood on four little legs, no more than half an inch above the nightstand’s surface, it was made of a white hardened wood, with metal ornaments in the shape of vines and leaves, going over all four sides and ending on the lid. From one side there was a little handle, on which Fluttershy put one of her hooves and wound it. When she met resistance from the mechanism inside the box, the mare opened it.
A beautiful melody resonated in the room. All the animals were astounded by the delicate sounds coming from the music box, falling silent and listening intently. Fluttershy closed her eyes, letting her mind reminisce in the memories this song brought. The melancholy evoked by the notes, along with visions of a certain somepony, were enough to cause a single tear to fall down her wrinkled cheek. How she missed this one pony that made her heart whole ...
The animals noticed the disturbance in the older mare, and all turned their worried gazes towards her, to which she just wiped the tear and smiled at them.
“I’m alright, just...” Fluttershy looked fondly at the now silent music box. “This melody brings so many memories, both happy and sad. A pony dear to my heart gave me this music box as a gift, and whenever I listen to it, I can actually see him.” The former animal caretaker noticed that her little friends have very curious gazes in their small eyes. “Would you like to hear about it?”
Fluttershy’s answer came in a shape of a furry blanket that suddenly surrounded her on the bed, the animals were looking at her, eagerly waiting for the beginning of the tale, making the old mare giggle at their antics. “Alright, but let me wind the box again.” Once again a beautiful melody sounded throughout the room, making an ideal atmosphere for telling a story, especially a one that was so dear to the once very shy Pegasus.
“It all began many years ago, when I was much younger, and much more afraid of the world,” she began, and the little critters all listened intently. “I had gotten an invitation to the Crystal Empire from Princess Cadance. There seemed to be some problem with the local wildlife, and it really affected the poor tiny ewes that lived there. My friends were too busy with their own duties to come with me, so I had to go alone. I was really scared, but the thought of helping those cute little sheep kept me going.”
There was a little pause as Fluttershy focused on keeping her memories in order, and not forget anything important.
“I would never imagine this one lone journey would change my life so much ...”