//------------------------------// // The tall story from Everfree // Story: Gentic Jigsaw // by Dynomation //------------------------------// Fluttershy had heard noises all that week, as she walked home from a day out with her friends, Twilight had ran off with Pterosaur about something important. She didn`t mind Twilight need more than her and the others. Of course she`d never say that, but she though it. As she made her way up the lonely path to her cottage she had a pan of guilt, today was a day she didn`t want to dwell on. Having no family to support you can be harder, that coupled with Fluttershy`s crippling shyness made it almost impossible to tell anypony about how she had nopony left. Opening the she found Angel and nothing else, only furniture. All the animals were hibanating and the birds had flow south for the winter. Sighing she didn`t look at the calendar. She knew what today was, she mopped to the kitchen. Angel hopped after her, he didn`t know why but she always acted like this on this date. The 25th of September. What was so special about that date, after mopping about she`d always got to the cemetery after dark. Like it was some chore she really didn`t want to do. Fluttershy trimmed the flower on her kitchen top, getting them ready for tonight, the cemetery was a place she didn`t like to go, she knew Applejack went there when she needed guidance, but to her, she went there for mooring, her whole family. Rainbow was the only one of her friends who`d met them. Fluttershy made her promise that she`d never tell anypony about her family unless she asked her to. As the moon began to rise Fluttershy spirits began to fall. Collecting the flowers, she fluttered out, the tears already forming. Ponyville at night is just as nice as Ponyville in the day, is what Fluttershy would think on any day other than this. Her slow wings strokes made her move obvious she was forcing herself forwards. She finally got to the cemetery with a sigh she opened the old rusted gate. Only 3 ponies entered the cemetery other than herself, the undertaker/gravedigger, Applejack and Zecora. Apparently she`d came to Equestria with her sister, her sister had died from the flu after catching it. Zecora had never forgiven herself for not being about to save she sister, and would come every night. Fluttershy arrived at the 4 graves in the cemetery that made her heart ache for the past. Her families graves. Quiet tears escaped her as she placed a single flower on each of the graves. All the graves had moss and dirt covering them, Fluttershy used a hoof to wip there names clean, all had the same loving message, there family motto 'Life is in your hooves and nopony else, make something of it'. Fluttershy looked at the family motto, for a moment what would she be remembered for, as the element of kindness, as an animal keeper or as the shy pony she was, all her brother did something exciting, she whished she could be as brave as some of them, her oldest brother was always the rock, whatever problem she had he`d always listen, he cared for everyone and everything around him, become a scientist due to him being an earth pony, helping the worlds ponies. The only one of Fluttershy`s family to not have a grave in Ponyville. Fluttershy knew that se could never ask anything from them, they gave everything and she gave nothing. As she was about to leave she found Zecora standing next to her. With her sisters grave, standing next to her older brothers. Both the equines never said a word to each other. For a minute, Zecora finally broke the silence. "Tell me dear Fluttershy. Why do you cry?" she asked, her rhyming as sign of her guilt, in Zebra culture apparently they rhymed when they feel guilt over something. "Because it the only thing I can do to stop the pain" she coughed back, tear flowing faster, Zecora pulled her into an embrace. Neither saw the pair of ears in the lonely weeping willow tree. Zecora had invited Fluttershy over for some tea. As she`d already feed Angel she agreed. As both of them sat round a small table in Zecora hut. As Zecora ladled in the tea from the caldron in the centre of the room. Bringing both cup over on a tray, she placed them on the table. "So how died. and now in grave they lie?" she asked. "My Family" she whispered Fluttershy, she knew talking to somepony would help, Zecora understood the loss of a family member but telling her was just as bad as anypony else. Zecora nodded and with a respectful face "How long. Have they been gone?" "Too long" she whispered back in between sniffs, she never liked to share exact details even if it was about unimportant things. Zecora seem to gather her through "How did they die. And why?" came her next question. Fluttershy retold the story told to her by on off her last surviving relatives, her oldest brother, a month before he died. The orange stallion stood on at Fluttershy front door, a small note in his mouth, a small tear running down his face. "Fluttershy it me, I have some bad new" he said voice not breaking once. As the butterscotch Pegasus opened the door, she looked into her brother green eyes, then at the note he was handing her. Fluttershy broke down into tears, and clang to her brother`s neck, reduced to a shivering wreck she clang to him as he stocked her mane. "It`ll be Ok. I promise I`ll never leave you. No matter what" he said tears clouding both there vision, Fluttershy had cried herself to sleep and her brother had taken her to bed. Fluttershy finished telling her story to Zecora. The Zebra only nodded. "It is late, the woods may lead you astray. Please stay" offered Zecora, Fluttershy nodded, Zecora step up a guest bed. Fluttershy drifted off to sleep. Through the window of the hut a pair of green cat like eyes glowed, staring intently at Fluttershy. A voice echoed through the forest that night. "I`m so sorry" Fluttershy Zecora Fluttershy`s oldest brother ?