It was a cool summer’s night. He had been through many of them, walking. No apparent purpose or visible destination, just walking. His hooves were now dragging on the ground from starvation weakening him. He could barely remember the last time he had had a real meal. Now that he thought more deeply on it, he realized he could barely remember anything at all. He could remember his name, though: Vance. It wasn’t much of a start, but at least it was something. He was certainly an uncommon sight to behold. A small jet black pegasus just walking. No flying or other means of transport, just his four hooves meeting the dirt day in and day out. He can’t remember if he had ever even been on a cloud, not that he even knew he could stand on them. For all his conscious life, it was just walking. His entire past was a blank slate. As he walked, he shook from the chill the wind brought with it. His normally snow white mane had been sullied with all manners of filth since whenever he had begun his journey, and it was now clumped into greasy globs of brownish-gray. His dull golden irises were a perfect reflection of his physical state. His stomach rumbled, a reminder of how long he had been without food. He stopped for a moment on his path which was following the borders of some unknown forest. He glanced up and saw the image of the Mare in the Moon plastered onto the face of the night. He momentarily wondered what relevance it had to this world, then shrugged the thought off and continued on his way. After another several hours of aimless wandering, the crippling weakness of hunger and cold finally overtook him and he collapsed into the dirt. As his vision slowly blurred out, he saw a small white blob curiously approaching him.
Strings of Fate: Origins
As he came to, he immediately noticed his surroundings had changed. Instead of the pitiless embrace of the night, he lay on a sofa, enveloped in a soft blanket. His filthy status had been reversed and his coat shined and smelled faintly of… something that appeased Vance’s stale nostrils. Day had made its presence known as he cleared his eyes. Suddenly, another pony was coming out of what from Vance’s guess would be a… well if Vance ever had an education, he would certainly have an intelligible answer.
“I’ll bet you’re starving. Well when you wake up this breakfa-” the pony was saying, before noticing Vance had awoken.
In surprise, she had dropped the tray of whatever she had prepared for Vance and backed up a bit into a sitting position. Several moments passed by as the two just stared at each other, one at a loss for words, the other at a deprivation of speaking ability. Finally, the stranger made the first move.
“I… I’m Fl… Fluttershy.” she stammered.
Vance was incapable of audible speech. Another few moments passed by.
“So, um… what’s your name?” she asked timidly.
Silence.
“That is, if, um… you don’t mind telling me, o… of course…” she quickly rephrased.
Not getting an answer, this “Fluttershy” crept backwards into the room she had just been in, and crafted a new breakfast for this strange mute pegasus that had collapsed a short ways down the road to her cottage. Vance ate slowly, half-listening to the yellow pegasus’ attempt at casual conversation. Once he was done, Fluttershy stared at him in a mix of intrigue and worry.
“Can’t you speak?” she inquired.
Vance pointed at his agape mouth, stuck out his tongue, and shook his head ‘no’. Over the next several hours, Fluttershy tried various methods of communication. Writing, body gestures, even a bit of Prench. None were successful. She thought on it over the night and decided to enlist the help of the town’s newest teacher, a pony named “Cheerilee.” After (awkwardly) asking for her assistance, Vance was finally introduced to a formal education. After several weeks of private sessions, Vance had finally learned things he should have known years ago like verbal communication and writing. Fluttershy tried her best to teach Vance how to fly. Due to his neglect of his wings, they had atrophied beyond repair and would forever remain smaller than average, but soon Vance strengthened them enough to allow him to fly. They could never be powerful, but they soon became very reliable, and Vance could fly longer than the average pegasi, though not as rapidly. Vance was on track to getting a normal life.
~
A lonely candle lit the room. A small circular wooden table with six chairs occupied it. All was still… Then suddenly the door creaked open, and six cloaked figures crept in, their faces enveloped in shadow and cloth. Each took their seat and their meeting began.
“Agent Hermes has failed to check in.” - Pony 1 (male)
“Has Celestia discovered our plan?” - Pony 2 (female)
“I doubt it. For all her power, she’s never been able to detect our presence, much less our influence on a puppet.” - Pony 3 (male)
“Has Hermes gone rogue?” - Pony 1
“And what incentive would he have to try and leave us? We are too well hidden, so any public accusations will fall on deaf ears. He has nothing to use against us.” - Pony 4 (male)
“Still, this development is worrying. It has been running smoothly for months, yet only now nearing the end of Phase 2 do we encounter problems?” - Pony 2
“What of Eosphorus and Hesperus?” - Pony 5 (female)
“Eosphorus is on schedule. But Hesperus…” - Pony 3
“Hesperus is a complete failure. We did not do enough earlier. Our influence over her is broken, and it is doubtful she even remembers us.” - Pony 1
“We should have realized it would be harder to break a pure descendant of a Protogenoi. Fortunately her assistance was a luxury, not a necessity. Our plans can continue unhindered.” - Pony 6 (male)
“We shall adjourn for now and attempt to locate Hermes. Protogenoi watch over us.” - Pony 1
“Protogenoi watch over us.” - Ponies 2-6
~
The recent time he had been spending with Fluttershy was the best he had ever known. Granted, it was the ONLY time he had ever known, but still the best nonetheless. He finally had what had been deprived of him for so long: memory, knowledge, and purpose. By this time, both he and Fluttershy had finally physically matured into their adult forms. Vance was still too unsure of himself to go into Ponyville itself, preferring to keep his existence a secret. Cheerilee had long since put Vance in the back of her mind, so only Fluttershy remained wary of the truth of Vance’s existence. It hadn’t occurred to Vance until recently, however, that Fluttershy had had her cutie mark during the entirety of their relationship, while Vance was still lacking his. He knew the requirements to obtain it, but it hadn’t bothered him that he was lacking it until now. As he kept maturing without it, he felt somewhat naked and embarrassed about it, despite Fluttershy being the only pony to ever actually see him in person.
~
One day not too long after Vance started having concerns about his blank flank, Fluttershy and he was taking a brisk walk in the edges of the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy liked to inform Vance of things that were going on in Ponyville and the seclusion of the Everfree Forest was the perfect setting. They took a route they knew well that didn’t cut too deep into the woods, always within sight of the rolling hills just beyond the border. Vance never paid too much attention to what Fluttershy was saying. Matters of the residents of Ponyville had little effect on the secluded world he had formed. He just enjoyed hearing her timid voice flow freely. He played along, nodding and adding a “Really?” every now and again. Having a pony around that allowed Fluttershy to speak her mind without fear of being overpowered by any other noise really brought out Fluttershy’s smile. Vance couldn’t help but grin himself whenever he saw her happy. They were enjoying the moment so much they failed to see three not-so-friendly looking earth ponies approach them.
“Well, would ya look at diss? Two pegasuses thinkin’ they can just trot troo our part a deese woods widout payin’ da toll, eh?” said the ringleader, a malicious gleam in his eye.
Just then, all other sounds around Vance were drowned out. Fluttershy was trying her best to make herself smaller as the highwaycolts closed in on the two. Vance’s eyes dilated rapidly. These petty thieves were about to threaten the same pegasus who gave him a chance to have a real life. He felt a spark go off inside him. His irises gained a bright, brilliant golden hue and he sprung into a head-on assault. The highwaycolts, unprepared for any actual resistance, froze in place as Vance instinctively beat their flanks senseless. Fluttershy looked on in amazement at the fluidity of Vance’s strikes, like a psychotic ballerina. With the two lesser bandits dissoriented, Vance approached the staggering leader, turned around, and delivered a mighty hind kick straight to the thief’s flank. The sound was audible as the bone had snapped under the ferocity of the blow, leaving a bloodless but nonetheless incredibly painful injury. Still in a fevered rage, Vance raised himself up onto his hind legs, preparing to crush his pathetic foe’s vertebrae, when he looked down onto the broken figure. Vance, realizing that none of them could or would do anything to them at this point, let out a long sigh and stepped back. He immediately called for Fluttershy to go with him in a strange new authoritative voice neither Fluttershy nor Vance had yet witnessed. They left the three pummeled bandits where they lay and returned home.
~
The entire way home, neither of them spoke a word. Vance’s gait was now one of certain regality to it. His near-perfect militant posture was the direct opposite of Fluttershy, who resumed her usual niche of silent follower, trailing behind him in a crumpled ball of adorable pink. She had difficulty processing what she had just seen. This other pony she saw as her potential equal had displayed a ferocity and bravado so powerful she feared the old Vance had died and this new one had emerged in his place. It was only when Fluttershy noticed Vance’s new cutie mark, a proud white aquila, did she make a remark.
“Vance, your cutie mark!” Fluttershy pointed out in astonishment.
Vance, surprised at the accusation, eagerly checked his flank to behold his new emblem. A joyous smile spread across his face.
“YES! Finally, my own cutie mark!” he declared.
Fluttershy perked up a bit, seeing that militant Vance had not become a permanent replacement. Vance noticed Fluttershy’s relief and tried his best to console her.
“I’m sorry if I scared you back there. I had finally gotten a life, and they were threatening to take it away. I didn’t know what to do until something within me just… woke up!” he tried to explain.
Fluttershy gave a quiet “mhm” as a reply, a hint that Vance hadn’t fully alleviated the fear he had put into her. With a defeated sigh, Vance and Fluttershy made the remainder of the trip in despairing silence, Vance mentally bemoaning himself for having scared the gentle mare dragging herself behind him.
~
Ever since Vance’s tenacious defense of Fluttershy at the expense of 3 ponies’ well-being, Vance and Fluttershy gradually grew more disconnected with each other. Vance steeled himself in order to try to coax Fluttershy back into resuming their blossoming friendship by assisting her in whatever capacity he could. Fluttershy’s main source of income was through her veterinary expertise, a rare commodity in Equestria. She also needed to house, feed, and tend to large droves of massively varying animals. While Fluttershy could keep up without missing a step, Vance soon exhausted himself in attempting to follow suit. He proved himself a valuable pack mule, carrying the heavier burdens that Fluttershy was far too incapable of doing herself. You’d be surprised how much fish a captive family of seals can go through in a week. Communication between the two was at a cripplingly low amount. Vance’s efforts to rekindle whatever he and Fluttershy had seemed to be failing, and now he felt more like a hired hoof than a guest.
“Alright, enough of this nonsense!” he said one day, fed up with the persistent silence. “I’ve been busting my flank around here trying to make up for what I’ve done and all I’ve gotten is a cold shoulder! If you want me to stick around here, then I would like a bit of recognition for all the burdens I have to put up with!”
Fluttershy was stunned by Vance’s sudden outburst. Vance realized this and quickly attempted to cobble together an apology.
“Wait, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten mad like that, it’s just… We had a good friendship going, and now it feels like it’s withered. Personally, I liked it better when we took walks in the forest and you would talk about stuff, and…” Vance trailed off, trying to comprehend what had prompted him to say what he just said.
“Umm, well… you never, uhh… asked to ever spend time together.” Fluttershy stated the obvious.
Stunned at his own lack of seeing what was so evident, Vance’s face derpified before he shook his head to readjust it. He regained his posture before continuing.
“Oh. Well, in that case, would you like to just hang out sometime, then?” Vance said, unconsciously pawing at the ground.
“Well, um… what did you have in mind?” she asked.
“Uhh… well I was hoping you’d have something in mind.” Vance said, flustered.
Vance never had extended social interaction with anyone aside from Fluttershy. He knew nothing of Equine culture, never needing it up to this point. In their usual recurrence, the two pegasi stood staring at each other silently for a bit. Fluttershy wasn’t much help either, never having such a proposition given to her before. She had seen other ponies dating, but had never been asked by anypony herself. She knew as much of this subject as Vance did. Strangely, this made her more comfortable. For the first time, Vance took the lead on this one.
“Ok, should we… go get some muffins or something? Does that sound good?” Vance asked with baited breath.
Fluttershy started to curl up into a defensive ball of pink, but just when hope seemed lost, Fluttershy burst forth in an uncharacteristic display of self-confidence.
“Sure.” she boldly stated.
Vance managed to keep a straight face, but inside he was overflowing with joy.
“Good.” he blankly responded.
~
Things had been going great for Vance. He had restored his friendship with Fluttershy and perhaps even added onto it. He could easily occupy himself with caring for Fluttershy’s menagerie. The two of them continued to enjoy going to Ponyville every now and again for socializing. When she was around Vance, Fluttershy could relax and let her hair down (figuratively, of course). Vance took note of this, but knew not what to make of it. Regardless, these were some of the happiest times Vance ever had.
~
The shrouded six shuffled into the meeting room and began their procession.
“Scouts report Agent Hermes has been located.” - Pony 4
“Excellent. Now how to proceed?” - Pony 1
“Why not just send in a black ops team to wipe the threat?” - Pony 6
“Because that would be a waste of good resources. We’ve poured too much into this to destroy it on a whim.” - Pony 2
“Then send in a team to capture him.” - Pony 6
“He’d still be of no use to us. We need to manipulate him, make him do our bidding without him realizing it.” - Pony 1
“And how would we do that, may I ask?” - Pony 3
“Form a team of commandos for ‘Equestria.’ If Hermes responds like I expect him to, he’ll play right into out hooves. Protogenoi watch over us.” - Pony 1
“Protogenoi watch over us.” - Ponies 2-6
~
As time went on, Vance began to have an unexplainable urge. Despite his entire life being spent with Fluttershy at her cottage, he felt like he wasn’t belonging. He had kept this issue to himself for as long as he could, but nearing the 1000th Summer Sun Festival, he brought this issue up with Fluttershy to see if she could help.
“So what do you think I should do?” Vance asked her after explaining his predicament.
“I’m not sure.” she replied.
“It’s just… I don’t feel like what I’m doing here is my calling. My cutie mark’s an aquila, a war symbol, yet I’m here, helping you with the animals. Come to think of it, that’s not a very good fit.” Vance said to himself, pondering what line of work would fit with his destiny.
“I’m sorry I can’t help you, but I’m very busy helping the birdies prepare a song for Princess Celestia’s arrival in a couple of months.” Fluttershy said.
The mayor had requested Fluttershy’s aid in assembling a choir of birds to greet Celestia, as Ponyville had been chosen to host this year’s Summer Sun Festival. Most of the town had been relatively lax about it at this point, though that was understandable considering their more than plentiful time frame, and rumor had it an overseer would be sent straight from Canterlot to ensure the preparations were adequate shortly before Princess Celestia would arrive. Vance, unsatisfied with the nonexistent progress he didn’t just make, went outside and stared out towards Canterlot.
“Hmm…” he said, thinking.
An idea was slowly taking shape in his head. Could it be possible? It would be a spur-of-the-moment decision, but if he didn’t resolve his issue soon, it would drive him to utter insanity.
“That’s it!” Vance said to himself.
“What’s it?” Fluttershy asked, poking her head through the door frame.
“I’m going to enlist in the army!” Vance declared proudly.
“Oh! But wait, doesn’t that mean you’ll have to go all the way to Canterlot?” Fluttershy timidly asked, glancing downward.
“Yeah. It does. I’m sorry Fluttershy. As much as I’d like to remain here with you, I can’t deny myself this.”
Without much delay, Vance prepared to leave Ponyville and enlist in the army. He gave himself a few days to allow Fluttershy to smoothly transfer his duties over to some actual hired hooves. Finally, the time came for Vance to leave.
“I promise to write you every week. I’d do it every day, but you know how shoddy the post office is.” Vance said with a nervous chuckle.
Fluttershy couldn’t reply. Watching her guardian leave was a tumultuous event for her to go through. Seeing this, Vance hugged her.
“I’ll visit you every chance I get, okay?” he said.
*sniffle* “O… okay.” she replied.
With his packs filled with his belongings, Vance took one final look back at Fluttershy before spreading his stubby little wings and flying off towards Canterlot.
==========
Bonus points to:
Keystroke: for being my pre-reader
Author’s notes:
Hello, everypony! Dissoriented here with a few post-script items to add:
The 1st in the Strings of Fate series, this story is to set the back story of several characters. My hope is that it does not contradict with established canon as to provide a more interesting reading experience. It’s the first work I’ve ever published to a major audience, so hopefully my work has lived up to all your expectations.
Your new, faceless writer,
Dissoriented
Disclaimer:
“My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” and its derivatives are the intellectual property of Hasbro©. I do not, nor claim to, have the rights to any and all intellectual property this story uses and is partly based on. You hear me? NONE OF IT!!!