Fluttershy kicked in her sleep, trying to run away from a creature in her nightmare.
A dark figure, clad in black and shades of gray, ran after her and nipped at her heels. A mask was over the creatures face, as well as a stretchy film of sorts that covered the tail and mane. Its hooves were swift and quick, and although Fluttershy was running as fast as she could, the pony caught up to her easily without breaking a sweat.
"What do you want from me?!" She screamed back at the racing pony. It didn't answer.
She was about to yell at it again, but suddenly in a new burst of speed it leaped on top of the pegasus and rolled her over in the dirt, holding her firmly with a hoof at the chest. Fluttershy could hear the pony's breathing, it was so close to her face; she could see the flitter beneath the mask of eyelashes hitting the fabric. It came even closer to her, more specifically her ear. The fabric above the mouth moved, and it began to sing in a voice eerily familiar to her-
"Come on everypony smile, smile, smile...
Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine...
All I really need's a smile, smile, smile...
From these happy friends of mine..."
Fluttershy gasped and thrashed about on the ground, trying to block out the wonderful song from her ears. The pony pressed her hoof down harder and pressed the slightest bit closer.
"Yes a perfect gift for me...
Is a smile as wide as a mile...
To make me happy as can be...
Smile, smile, smile, smile, smile...
Come on and smile ...
Come on and smile.."
"No!" She yelled against the pony's growing volume. "It can't be..."
The pony seemed to smile and it released its grip on Fluttershy slightly. She didn't move, so paralyzed with fear was she. One of the crusader's hooves flew to it's flank, usually where a pony's Cutie Mark is located. It grabbed the fabric around it, yanking so hard the fabric ripped off from the rest of the suit. A glimpse of the fur beneath was revealed, along with the Cutie Mark, and Fluttershy wailed in confusion, terror, and sadness in the same breath. She stared in shock at the pony's flank, her eyes as wide as moons.
The pony's Cutie Mark was three balloons.
Cranky Doodle Donkey was awoken by kicks and screams of a terrified passenger, who nearly fell off his back in a fit of shuffling. "Hey, kid, be careful back there!" He called, stopping so she could re-adjust.
Fluttershy moaned and fidgeted, still stuck in the clutches of the pony who once loved her so.
The donkey snorted and started back up once he felt that she was secure, speeding up the slightest bit. Their deal, which was discussed before Fluttershy had fallen asleep, had been that Cranky would take her to the nearest town (which was a small one called Mareistee) and she could find her way back home from there. As much as Cranky enjoyed helping those in need, the once light pegasus had gotten quite heavy over the hours and carrying her had become a hard job.
A line of slender willow trees and a small wooden sign greeted them with the words "Welcome to Mareistee" and a smiling earth pony. Most of the paint had been worn off over time, so instead it was "Wecome Marestee" and had only a bright smile. Behind the swaying willows was the tiny town, built around a large and fast river. Cranky could see from his position only a few stores, and only the ones that were most needed like a Town Hall, Quill Store, and a bakery. Enough to satisfy such a small town without all the frills and sparkles of the bigger, brighter cities.
"Kid- Fluttershy, is it?- we're here." Cranky whispered, gently setting her down in front of one of the willow trees. He smoothed some of her smooth pink mane behind her ear, smiling at her sleeping form. She had calmed down once they had cleared the hill, which lay above them, and came into the wide valley that held Mareistee.
She didn't answer him; only twitch an ear.
He grinned and thought about Matilda, who was probably still waiting for him for breakfast. The thought of her signiture eggs, the way he liked them with a sprinkling of pepper, made his mouth water. Leaving Fluttershy to wake up on her own, Cranky Doodle Donkey began a quick gallop up the hill and towards Ponyville where his love was eagerly waiting.
The yellow pegasus finally awoke at the smell of roasted grass, crisp as a summer day, being prepared only a few yards away. She struggled to get up, and once she got to her hooves she tried to get that horrid dream out of her head. "It's just a dream, Fluttershy..." She told herself as she searched her surroundings. "Just a little dream. Pinkie would never do that to me."
Her large eyes caught the sign, and once she read it she looked behind the trees to see the town coming alive as the sun came up. "It's beautiful!" She exclaimed.
"Cranky, we're in Mareistee-" Fluttershy looked around for her donkey companion. The only clues available were his hoofprints; she was about to search for him when she remembered the deal they had agreed upon. As she began to walk into Mareistee she noticed how utterly lonely she truely was.
The roasted grass was being cooked by a light blue unicorn with a yellow mane, who was holding multiple items at once while looking at the recipe, which was laid out on the picnic table. "Two cups of crushed black pepper..." He read off, measuring exactly two cups of the ingrediant onto a glass plate. His eyes, which were as blue as the water behind him, were narrowed in concentration.
His partner in crime, a lavender pegasus with a flowing electric blue mane, sat at the table and cocked her head in confusion. "Wouldn't the pepper go on top of the grass?" She asked.
The unicorn looked at the instructions again, then groaned. He poured the pepper back into the canister, which brought on a few laughs from the pegasus.
Fluttershy watched them from a tree with admiration and depression in her expressive eyes. "I remember when me and Pinkie were like that..." She sighed, thinking of the magenta mare every chance she got.
She wondered if the fiend that captured her had gotten Pinkie as well. Would she fare better than Fluttershy? Fluttershy found that hard to believe, factoring in Pinkie Pie's love of laughter and smiles. The painful and stoic time that she was captive was not fun at all, and from experiance she knew that if you talked you got a slap or worse. If she was quiet most of the time (which outside of that time, she was), and Pinkie was one of the most talkative ones of the bunch, she wouldn't stand a chance.
The was the sound of fur catching fire and Fluttershy turned back to see the unicorn getting too close to the flame which roasted the grass and burning a small patch of hair on his head, much to the pleasure of the pegasus. "Aww, it likes you so much it wants to be near you!" She cooed.
The unicorn laughed and rearranged his mane so that the spot was partically concealed. "Stop it. It's happened to you once, remember?"
The pegasus stopped and her face dropped. "That was different; my entire mane got burned off!"
Her male counterpart was now rolling in the grass, having a great time.
She rolled her eyes, and not wanting to be left out of the party joined in.
Fluttershy blinked. How lucky they were to have a strong relationship were both were there for each other.
In her thinking, Fluttershy had begun tipping forward. Her hooves lost their holds, and she squeaked as she fell to the ground and rolled towards the suprised couple. "What was that?" The pegasus looked around.
"I have no idea; maybe a bird." The unicorn shrugged it off and looked towards the blazing fire again, this time lifting the grass magically and setting it on the glass plate.
The purple pegasus was still confused; she walked towards Fluttershy's spot and looked down. Her face lit up, first in fright but then in delight. "Well, hello there!" She greeted Fluttershy warmly, shaking her hoof and helping her up.
Fluttershy couldn't meet her happy gaze. "Umm... Hi." She answered.
"What's your name?" The pegasus asked cheerfully.
"F-Fluttershy."
"What?" She cupped a hoof over an ear.
"F-F-luttershy.
"One more time?"
"[bFluttershy.]" The shy mare managed to say.
"Fluttershy? I'm Saltwater," she pointed to her cutie mark, which was an ocean wave, "and the grumpy one over there is Gingersnap."
"Hey!" Gingersnap shouted. He was trying to evenly spread the pepper across the grass, getting an even ratio between that and the other spices he would need.
Saltwater laughed. Fluttershy thought it sounded like rain hitting her roof during a storm. "Heh. Well, do you want some of this roasted grass? We're definetely not gonna eat all of it."
Fluttershy ruffled her wings and put on her sweetest smile. "Sure, if it's okay with you."
"The more the merrier! Right, Ginger?" Saltwater put a hoof around Fluttershy.
"Fine." Gingersnap grumbled from his spot.
He brought to the picnic table the glass plate, almost overflowing with delicious roasted grass, and set it down carefully in the middle of a placemat he set earlier. "Breakfast is served!" He announced in a goofy French accent. Saltwater giggled and blushed, earning a smile from her lover.
Fluttershy reminded herself to watch her manners as Gingersnap gave her a napkin and a paper plate. The dish seemed to be calling her...
Eat us, Fluttershy! We taste soooo good! How can you resist?
"I can't!" Fluttershy answered.
The couple, who were already digging in, lifted their heads in confusion. Fluttershy blushed and squee-ed, getting herself a plateful and eating the delicious meal up.
"So, where are you from?" Gingersnap asked from behind a large stalk of grass.
"Ponyville."
"Ponyville? Not too far away, then."
Fluttershy pricked her ears. "Are you two from here?"
Saltwater swallowed a mouthful of stalks and wiped her mouth with the napkin. "Well, Gingersnap's from here, but I was born in Cloudsdale. One day I decided to fly over here, and I saw him just sitting here, watching the clouds. We talked a little, and a few days later here we are!" She nuzzled him affectionatly.
"That's nice." Fluttershy smiled.
The grass was quickly devoured, but Gingersnap wasn't in the mood to whip up some more. He rubbed his bald spot carefully.
"What's your cutie mark, Flutterfly?" Saltwater asked as she cleaned up her dirty hooves.
"Fluttershy." She corrected. "It's some butterflies; I watch over almost all the animals in Ponyville." She said, puffing out her chest.
Saltwater got up and turned so that her wave was visible. "I got this beauty by flying under a wave during my flight class' field trip to the Equestrian Sea. Turns out not many ponies can do that without falling in."
Gingersnap reluctantly got up and put his cutie mark, a spoon and a fork crossed over eachother, out on display. "I'm a professional chef over at the Sea Pony Grill, right across the river. One time, a representative from the Canterlot kitchen offered me a job cooking for the Princess. For the Princess! But I turned it down so I could stay with Saltwater." He looked sheepishly at the mare.
Fluttershy looked at the two, admiring each other, and thought of herself as intruding on their peaceful day. "Um... Can you tell me where Ponyville is? I need to get home, and quick." She said.
Saltwater put a hoof in the air. "Keep flying straight until you get over the hill, then turn right and go until you see- well, you know what's there." She shrugged.
The yellow pegasus got up from her seat and yawned. "Thank you ever so much." She called out as she lifted off.
"Come back soon!" Saltwater shouted. Gingersnap waved alond with her, and Fluttershy wished the two good luck with their relationship as she headed towards the hill.