“And that’s how we basically saved Canterlot High, again.” Twilight laughed, finishing her story.
When she was called upon to go to the world of Canterlot High a second time, her friends knew that there would be a good story to tell when she got back. So after her latest adventure in that other world, they all eagerly awaited to hear what had happened. Back at their new castle in Ponyville, Twilight told the story while all of the girls enjoyed coco and cookies, provided of course by Pinkie Pie.
“That sounds amazing!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Hey, maybe we should start a band like the other world us. What do you guy’s think?”
“You sure that’s a good idea Dash?” Applejack said, rolling her eyes slightly.
“Why not? It sounds like fun, and I know Rarity would love to make us all band outfits.” Rainbow gestured to Rarity, who was eloquently sipping some coco from her mug.
“We could throw the most rock-tacular party ever, and play for all of Ponyville!” Pinkie Pie jumped in.
“Ah yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.” Rainbow replied, giving Pinkie a hoof bump.
Rarity gently placed her mug on the custom made coaster that was obviously her own extravagant design. “What I believe Applejack was getting at was that you two are overlooking one very important thing.”
Rainbow cocked her head to the side. “What’s that?”
“Well obviously, to be a rock band, we would need to know how to play instruments. And aside from Pinkie Pie, who somehow seems to be able to play any instrument that she can get her hooves on, even ten at once which still baffles me, none of us know how to play instruments. Yourself included.”
Rainbow scoffed. “A minor detail. The other world us could do it, so I’m sure we can learn how easily enough.”
“Well if that isn’t the biggest slap in the face to serious musicians I ever did hear.” Applejack stamped her hoof. “Let me tell you something Rainbow. My cousin Fiddly works long and hard, practicing every day, to be as good as she is with her instrument. It’s all good fun just picking up an instrument and playing around, but don’t go underestimating the effort you have to put into being a good musician.”
Rainbow realized that she was being insensitive with her overconfidence and folded her forelegs in a pout. “Ok, so maybe we’ll need to practice a little.”
“I think there’s something else you’re overlooking, Rainbow.” Twilight added.
“I’m right there with you Twilight.” Pinkie said in excitement. “Planning a rock concert is a big deal. I’m not sure where to get all of the instruments that we’d need, but I know the guy that gets Vinyl Scratch all of her glow sticks, so I can get as many as we need and mhfmh…” Twilight placed her hoof over Pinkie’s mouth.
“It’s nothing like that.” Twilight laughed. “It does sound like fun you guys. Playing with my Canterlot High friends was a lot of fun as well after all, though I could have done without the whole siren crisis. But though you all are similar, you’re not exactly the same. Never mind the instruments, do you really think our Fluttershy could play and sing in front of all of Ponyville?”
Everypony looked at Fluttershy, who squeaked and shrank back at the thought. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I’m still taking baby steps with the Ponytones.”
Rarity placed her hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder, “And you’re making wonderful progress on that, my dear. You don’t even seem to notice the few ponies that come to see us practice anymore.”
Fluttershy’s eyes grew wide with horror and she hid her face under her hooves. “There were ponies watching us?”
“Oh dear.” Rarity said to herself, realizing that she really hadn’t noticed them. Quickly recovering, Rarity turned to Rainbow. “Anyways, as it stands, I’d have to agree with Twilight where as Fluttershy is concerned. And besides, though I would enjoy creating designs for on stage attire, I don’t personally have much interest in performing that particular genre. I more enjoy performing acapella. My voice is my instrument.”
“I guess you’re right.” Rainbow said, with a quick glance at Fluttershy. “Oh well. It was just an idea. Life is an adventure, am I right? Even if I don’t get to play in a rock band, I’m sure I can find a new adventure just around the corner.”
Pinkie pulled dash close with her arm around her neck. “If you want adventure, then you should come with me to Hallow Shades tonight. My good friend the Boogeymare is having her birthday bash there.”
Rainbow looked at Pinkie in disbelief. “The Boogeymare? As in the monster that hides under kids beds and eats them in the middle of the night?”
Twilight laughed. “That’s just a story Dash.”
Laughing as well, Pinkie let go of Rainbow. “Eyup. She started that story herself as a Nightmare Night prank.”
“Really?” Rainbow replied.
Applejack chimed in. “She’s a normal pony like everypony else. Well, aside from that she has the best night club in all of Equestria.”
“And how do you know that?” Rainbow replied, feeling as though everypony was pulling her leg.
“You know how during Cider season, there’s a good wagon full of barrels that we don’t touch?”
“Yeah, I always wondered about that. You say that you always run out, but what about those barrels.” Rainbow said, suspiciously.
“It’s because those barrels have been specially ordered by the Boogeymare for her night club. Big Mac and I deliver it after the cider season here is over. Boogey gets her cider and we celebrate the end of a good cider season at her club.”
“It has been a few years since I’ve been to Bogie’s club, but alas, I have a deadline looming for a few special order gowns that I must attend to tonight. Do be a dear and wish her a happy birthday for me, won’t you Pinkie.”
“Okeydokeylokey.” Pinkie said, puffing out her chest and saluting Rarity, just to be silly.
“Am I the only pony who didn’t know about this?” Dash exclaimed.
Fluttershy looked over at Rainbow, “Well, um, I've never heard of it ether. The night club anyway. But Pinkie did mention to me that she goes and visits her friend Bogy, every now and then. I didn’t know it was the Boogeymare, but it makes sense.”
Yawning, Twilight added, “I've never been there, but Shining and Cadence used to go there all the time, so I’ve heard a few stories. I’d love to go, but since I just came back from my last adventure, I just want to lay in my bed with a good book tonight.”
“Even the egghead has heard of this place? Pinkie, we’ve got to get there right now.” Rainbow said, flying out the door with Pinkie skipping behind her.
Twilight wasn’t amused and shouted out the door to Rainbow, “I told you, I’m not an egghead, I’m just well read!”
Rarity got up and walked to the door as well. “I’d love to stay and chat longer, but I simply must get back to my designs.”
“And I best be getting home to help with supper, before Big Mac gnaws his own leg off.” Applejack joked, following up behind Rarity.
“You two have a good night.” Twilight said, waving to them as they left.
“You too sugar cube.” Applejack called back.
“And how about you Fluttershy? Are you going to head off now?” Twilight said back to Fluttershy, who was still sitting quietly where she was the whole time.
Fluttershy rubbed her forearm nervously. “Well, I don’t mean to impose or anything.”
“Don’t be silly,” Twilight smiled as she walked over to Fluttershy. “This isn’t just my castle after all, it’s all of ours. You’re free to stay as long as you like. You’re not imposing on anyone.”
Fluttershy smiled nervously and quickly put her mug to her lips to finish off her coco. “That’s right,” she thought to herself. “I may not be a princess like Twilight, but this is my castle too. I am the element of kindness after all.” Thinking about her status, Fluttershy’s face started to turn red and she started fidgeting with her mug between her hoofs.
Twilight noticed Fluttershy’s discomfort. “Is everything ok Fluttershy?” She said, placing her hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder in a comforting manor.
“How did it happen, Twilight?” Fluttershy said, with a great feeling of weight bearing down upon her. “How did a pony like me come to have such an important role for the kingdom? I’m not like the rest of you, full of strength and confidence, ready to tackle any new challenge that comes at you. The five of you are so amazing, and I’m just scared little me.”
Taken back by Fluttershy’s words, Twilight couldn’t help but pull her into a hug and gently stroke her main, like Celestia did to her when she was young and scared. “I don’t know how you got it into your head that you’re not amazing Fluttershy. The element of kindness could be no pony but you. And you’re also by far, the bravest pony I’ve ever met.”
Tears started to form at the base of Fluttershy’s eyes. “How can I be the bravest pony you’ve ever met? At times, I’m even scared of my own shadow.”
“Being afraid doesn’t mean that you’re not brave,” Twilight said, wiping away Fluttershy’s tears. “You have the courage to face your fears and do what you need to when it matters most. That’s real bravery. And for a pony with so many fears, you always come through when we need you to.” Fluttershy sniffed and gave Twilight a small smile. Her words really made her feel a lot better. Twilight smiled back and continued. “Being fearless isn’t the same as being brave. In fact, fearless is foolish, like Rainbow sometimes.”
Fluttershy laughed. It looked like Twilight inadvertently just got back at Rainbow for that bookworm remark. “Thanks Twilight. I just hear stories from each of you about great adventures that you go on. Whenever I’m on an adventure, it’s always with the rest of you. I don’t think I could handle going on one alone. But when I hear your stories, I feel inspired, as though maybe, just maybe, I could do it too. Then I start playing out the story in my head, and I just get too scared.”
“But Fluttershy, we never go on adventures alone.”
Fluttershy gave Twilight a confused look. “We don’t?”
“Not really.” Twilight said, placing her hoof over her heart. “Even when they’re not with you physically, you’re friends are always with you in spirit. Whenever I need the strength to do something, and I’m on my own, I think of all of you and it’s as though you’re right there with me. Even alone, we stand together and give each other strength. Though sometimes we forget that and need a little reminder.”
Twilight gave Fluttershy another hug, but this time, though they had already left the castle, she could feel the others hugging her as well. Just like Twilight said, even apart, her friends are always with her. This thought made Fluttershy feel warm inside, and she didn’t feel afraid anymore.
“You’re right Twilight. Sometimes I do forget how much strength everypony gives me. Thanks for reminding me.”
Twilight yawned and smiled at Fluttershy. “Any time.”
“I think I’m ready to go home now. I hope you have a good night Twilight.” Fluttershy said, walking over towards the door.
“You too Fluttershy.”
As Fluttershy made her way out into the corridor and towards the castle’s entrance, Twilight picked up the journal that was linked with the one that Sunset has in the other world and walked over to the balcony. Looking out over Ponyville, she sighed. The events beyond the portal had warn her out. But it was still really nice to see her friends from that world again. And to see how far Sunset Shimmer had come since they last saw each other was a happy surprise. They even got along pretty well this time around. She looked at the journal and thought that she and Sunset could be good friends someday, and she hoped that Sunset felt the same. Suddenly, the book shook and started to glow. Twilight quickly opened it to see what was written for her, then closed it with a smile.
“I think there’s a good chance of that.” She thought, just as Fluttershy got out of the castle, humming the tune to ‘Shake Your Tail’ as she trotted off towards her cottage. Twilight leaned up against the railing of the balcony and looked on to Fluttershy. “I hope you do get your own adventure sometime Fluttershy. The things you get to do and the friends that you get to make along the way makes the whole thing worth while. And I think it would be good for you to experience that.”
And with that, Twilight went to go write a reply to Sunset. Meanwhile, Fluttershy kept a happy trot down the pathway, humming the song louder and louder as she thought of her friends and grew more and more empowered the more she thought of them, until she couldn’t contain herself and started out right singing the song to herself.
“~Shake your tail cause we’re here to have a party tonight, Shake your tail, Shake your tail~” She sang as she added a little swing to her trot, so as to dance while walking.
“I do love to see you in high spirits Fluttershy.” Discord said, magically popping up from under one of the loose cobblestones. “And it’s such a catchy tune.” He started singing it himself.
“Oh, it’s you Discord.” Fluttershy sighed in relief as she calmed herself down from her near heart attack when he popped up. “It’s one of the songs that Twilight sang while in the other world.”
“Ah yes, that ‘human’ world.” Discord said, turning into a gorilla and pretending to pull insects from his hair. “What a unique breed of simian they are.” He turned himself back to normal but was wearing some sort of black and red uniform with a strange arrow crest to one side of the chest. “You know, I was once in a world of humans. ‘Boldly going where no man has gone before’, or so they said.”
“You’ve been to other worlds?” Fluttershy gasped in amazement.
“Sure, it’s easy,” Discord waved his hand and the uniform disappeared. “I had to find some way to entertain myself while Celestia had me sealed away in stone for all of those years.”
“How did you travel to other worlds while you were sealed in stone?” Fluttershy asked, beginning to walk down the path again towards her cottage with Discord floating beside her as though he was ready to nap.
“It’s as simple as going to sleep. Mostly because that’s what you need to do in order to jump to other worlds without your body. Let your mind wonder through dimensions. That way, you don’t need a portal to bring your body along. Which in my case, I couldn’t have brought it even if I had wanted to.”
They reached Fluttershy’s cottage and she opened the door to let Discord in. “But what do you do for a body when you get to other worlds?”
“Well, for some strange reason, my mind can’t wonder outside my body in this world. So my powers were sealed away as well. But while in other worlds, my mind had power again, and I just created a new body in that world for me to use while there.” Discord shrugged and walked in.
Fluttershy stood at the door for a moment, thinking about her talk with Twilight and what Discord had just told her. “Discord?” She said as she finally walked in and closed the door behind her. “Do you think that you can do that same thing for someone other than yourself?”
Discord raised an eyebrow. “I suppose I could, but whatever for?”
Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but the words didn’t come. She closed her mouth and began to fidget with her hooves while Discord watched intently. Just before he was about to ask, she thought of her friends again and found her strength. “I want to visit another world like Twilight and have an adventure of my own.” Having said what she wanted to, she shrunk back into herself, bit her lip and repeated in her head, “be brave.”
Discord’s jaw dropped to the floor, literally. Picking it up and shoving it back into place, he jumped over to Fluttershy. “What brought this on?” he said, picking her up and laying her on the sofa, then hopping into a therapists chair that he poofed in, complete with glasses, a suit and tie, and a quill and clipboard.
Fluttershy had proceeded to tell him about her talk with Twilight and the feelings of inadequacy that she’s been harboring. She told him about her thirst for adventure, and about her fear that holds her back. Discord was listening intently, though all the while was also doodling a picture of Twilight in her regalia that he put on her back during the plunder seed fiasco. Once Fluttershy had finished talking, he giggled at his masterpiece and poofed in a fridge to hang it on.
“So, basically you feel as though going on a solo adventure would be good for you, and you want to do it in a human world because you think that you can look at humans the same way as you do your animal friends. As long as they’re not ponies, you think that you’ll have an easier time talking to them because they shouldn’t physically remind you of your childhood tormenters. Do I have that about right?”
“That’s right.” Fluttershy replied, nervously looking down. “But you don’t have to do this for me if you don’t…”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” Discord interrupted. “You’ve already made your request, you can’t take it back now. Frankly, I am proud of you Fluttershy.” Discord held out his paw, in which he held a silver chain necklace. “As a reward for your bravery in requesting this adventure, I’ll give you this. Sleep with it on and you’ll get to adventure in a world that I think you’ll like, filled with at least a hundred and fifty new special animals that you will not find anywhere here in Equestria.”
Fluttershy’s eyes grew wide with excitement. “Really?” She said as she gazed at the chain in wonderment.
Discord put the chain around Fluttershy’s neck. “Though you’ll have to get used to having a human body, as well as how that world functions differently from Equestria. You’ll find your adventure anywhere you chose to go. I’ll go ahead and pop in to that world before you go to it so that I can set up a few things that you’ll need to begin, though I’ll respect your wish to tackle this adventure on your own.”
Suddenly jumping off of the sofa, Fluttershy gave Discord the biggest hug that she could, which caught him off guard at first, but he quickly recovered and hugged her back. “How do I get back to this world?” She asked, pulling away and looking up at him.
“Sleep in this world with that chain and you’ll go to that world. Sleep in that world and you’ll wake up in this one.”
“Thank you so much Discord.”
Discord smiled. “Anything for my favorite pony.”