//------------------------------// // New Home - Welcome Party // Story: Path of Kindness and Blood // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Path of Kindness and Blood - Chapter 1 New Home - Part 2 - Welcome Party “Fluttershy? Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash called her friend as she searched inside of the cottage, but she was nowhere to be found. The very atmosphere of the abandoned building made her feel as if zombie ponies could attack at any moment. After checking under the bed on the second floor, she walked towards the window and carefully opened it. She looked down at Ditzy, who was searching for clues outside, and shouted, “She isn’t inside. Did you find anything?” “I did!” Not wasting a moment, Rainbow Dash flew through the window and landed in front of the half-breed thestral, staring at her impatiently. “Do you know where she is? I hope that she didn’t venture into that creepy forest.” Ditzy shook her head. “She isn’t in the forest. No, where she went is much worse.” Dash took a step back as her imagination overwhelmed her. Her wings flapped in anticipation as she shouted in panic, “Spill the beans, Derpy, where is she?” Ditzy presented a few small pink hairs and said with the most serious voice she could muster, “She is attending Pinkie’s welcome party.” “Oh no, that’s… wait… a welcome party?” “Yes, she is now at the mercy of Pinkie Pie, who organizes a welcome party for every new pony in town. That’s why I lead you around Ponyville, but it seems like my idea didn’t work after all,” Ditzy said. “Woah, woah, woah… Hold on a second,” Dash said with shake of her foreleg. “Why is a welcome party such a big issue? I personally like parties, and I am sure you do too.” Ditzy jumped into the air and nodded excitedly, spreading her forelegs. “Of course I like parties! I love the cheerful atmosphere, the cheering ponies having fun, and Pinkie even baked our favorite muffins for me and my family!” “Then… what’s the problem?” Dash asked. Ditzy landed as her enthusiasm died down. She placed her forehoof on Dash’s shoulder and said once again in a surprisingly serious tone, “You had a birthday party earlier today, didn’t you?” “Yeah, you were there, remember?” Dash responded. “How did Fluttershy react to it?” Dash rubbed her chin. “She… she locked herself in my room after talking with Gilda… though she would probably do it anyway, considering how nervous she was.” Ditzy nodded. “Now imagine a similar scenario, then make it ten times bigger and louder, and add an energetic party pony who drags you to it by force, even worse, she would be the center of attention. How will your friend take it?” Rainbow Dash pressed her forehooves against her head and shouted in panic, “You are right! Flutters barely talked to anypony ever since my parents took her in. There’s no way she can handle this, we have to help her!” “And so we will,” Ditzy said with confidence before flying towards the town. Dash followed, determined to protect her friend, though her attention shifted to Ditzy. “You know, Derpy, you’re smarter than you look. I would never have expected a muffin-obsessed mare who gets excited so easily to consider Flutter’s feelings like you just did.” “Thanks. My mom always says that even though I have troubles seeing the world, I can see what is inside a pony with ease. Just like your fear of being alone that you try to suppress by getting as much attention as possible.” “I… I don’t fear being lonely and unappreciated,” Dash responded with a hint of uncertainty in her voice, looking at the giggling half thestral in shock. Her attention suddenly shifted towards a house as she shouted, “Derpy, watch out!” She flew towards Ditzy and pushed her to the side before she would crash into the roof. While homes made of clouds were more vulnerable, they were also very easy to fix. The same couldn’t be said about the homes in Ponyville. Fluttershy was right. Without an umbrella or a cape, Derpy is far more clumsy than usual. They were forced to slow down, as Dash had to safeguard her school friend, lest she would crash into something again. Not that she thought of Derpy as a friend in the past, but after the recent events, she considered changing her mind. “Remind me, Derpy. Your father works in construction, and your mother’s special talent is fixing stuff, right?” “Correct, and they are the best of the best!” Ditzy said with pride. “Best of the best, huh? I wonder why...” Dash said to herself sarcastically. Slowly regaining consciousness, Fluttershy heard a mixture of noises around her, from several voices talking all at once, to loud cheering and music. Seconds passed as she struggled to raise her head. With her vision still blurry, Fluttershy rubbed her eyes and blinked several times. “What... happened?” she asked while massaging her forehead. What she saw as multicolored blobs slowly turned into a large amount of ponies, at least three times the number of guests from Dash’s party. “Was I… dreaming?” Fluttershy asked as memories of how she explored the ruined cottage surfaced in her mind. “I think the guest is waking up.” “Guest?” Fluttershy said in confusion as she reasserted herself on a pillow and looked around. Her pupils shrunk upon seeing multiple pairs of eyes staring at her, a cheerful smile on each pony’s face. She started to hyperventilate. “Okay, everypony, just like we practiced. Ready-set-SURPRISE!” the pink mare from before shouted as several other ponies followed suit, filling the room with a very loud noise which knocked Fluttershy off balance. The terrified thestral closed her eyes and covered her face with trembling forelegs. She whimpered, feeling as if her heart was trying to escape her chest. *** “No… please, don’t!” Fluttershy squeaked as she walked backward on shaking legs before tripping over a table. A loud thundering coming from somewhere outside that shook her body, the flash of light silhouetting a dark figure who stood at the entrance. Step by step, the pony in a black coat entered the room, crushing rubble under her hooves. She walked forward until she was two meters away from Fluttershy, then took off her hood and spoke, “You thought you could escape us? You thought you could hide from our watchful eye, monster?” Fluttershy felt out of breath as she held a forehoof against her chest. She wanted to stand, to run, to fight! But her body refused to move, and all she could do was stare at those sinister eyes and the accompanying grin. Her mouth flapped open, but she emitted no sound. The pink mare with a puffy mane stomped with great force and continued, “Your kind is a plague, and you’re the source. I won’t rest until you are exterminated and rotting with your parents in Tartarus!” She stepped to the side, revealing a grey cannon. Thunder and lightning followed, illuminating the room for a split second. “Any last words?” she asked before pushing a silver cannonball into the cannon and placing a forehoof on the knot. Fluttershy’s pupils shrunk, her bat-like wings and forehooves quickly covering her face. Her heart tried its best to escape her chest. “We will have a party on your ashes. It will be a blast!” Fluttershy heard the loud blast from the cannon, and screamed. *** “Noooo!” The loud cheering silenced as ponies looked at the screaming pegasus in confusion. Pinkie Pie tilted her head to the side and waited a few seconds for the screaming to end before asking, “What’s wrong?” Upon not receiving any response while the guest of honor was looking around with fear in her eyes, she approached. “S-stay back!” Fluttershy shouted as she quickly got back to her hooves, drops of sweat sliding down her face. Pinkie took a step back. “Does this means that you don’t like surprise parties?” She looked to the side and her attention focused on a cupcake. After turning on and off a lightbulb above her head, she took the cupcake and appeared behind Fluttershy. She grabbed her by the shoulder and presented the gift. “Maybe something tasty will warm you up to the party. Eat up!” Wasting no time, she shoved the cupcake into Fluttershy’s mouth and giggled. With her mouth full, Fluttershy gulped and coughed, sending crumbs of barely chewed cupcake flying while she gasped for air. She hissed and pushed the forehoof off from her shoulder. “You didn’t like my strawberry cupcake? Awww...” Pinkie said with a pout as her ears dropped slightly. She dashed towards the dining table and grabbed a muffin, before presenting it to the guest of honor, but all she saw was a wall and an empty pillow. She looked around before noticing a few ponies pointing towards one of the tables. “Oh, so you want to play tag? Count me in!” She dived under the table, pushing the tablecloth aside and bumping the pegasus in the muzzle. “Got you! You’re it.” Fluttershy yelped and jumped back, hitting her head against the table, throwing some snacks and two cups of juice onto the floor. “Owww…” She massaged her aching head. “What’s that noise?” said a voice coming from the door. Pinkie looked at the pegasus standing in the entrance, who had a bronze mane and grey fur. She noticed he had three bricks as a cutie mark, and wore a belt filled with repair tools attached to his waist. “Hello, Mr. Vision,” Pinkie said as she waved her foreleg. *** Twisty Vision approached, passing other guests which formed a path before towering over the party mare. His attention shifted towards the small mess on the floor. “I see that the table is still intact. So my daughter hasn’t returned?” Pinkie nodded. “She is still outside, but don’t worry. She won’t miss much because this party is far from over!” She pointed at the confused yellow pegasus and said with renewed excitement, “It turns out there are more new ponies in Ponyville besides your family.” She pointed at Fluttershy. “Instead of making another party, I decided to invite her to join this one. The more, the merrier!” The tall pegasus raised his eyebrow before examining the forcefully-dragged guest. “Are you alright, Miss…” Fluttershy shook her head as she stared at the tall pegasus and curled up slightly, clearly intimidated. “D-don’t h-hurt me… please.” “Hurt you? Why in Equestria would I ever do that?” Vision asked with a raised foreleg. Pinkie Pie jumped onto Vision’s back and climbed up to his shoulder before pointing at the terrified young mare. “She must still be scared. I found her inside a spooky abandoned cottage near that scary, monster-filled forest.” “Cottage?” Vision said hesitantly as his mind put that puzzle together. He knelt and slowly stretched his foreleg towards the trembling pony. “You must be Miss Fluttershy, Ditzy’s school friend.” Fluttershy gulped and took a few slow, calming breaths. After a moment to clear her mind from the haunting images, she reasserted herself and asked, “You… know Ditzy?” “Of course,” he said, and placed a foreleg on his own chest. “My name is Twisty Vision, Ditzy’s father. It’s a pleasure to meet you, young lady.” Fluttershy stood up and hesitantly shook Vision’s foreleg. “Nice to meet you… too…” She looked around, shooting occasional glances upon the other guests, and asked, “Where am I?” Vision opened his mouth, but failed to say a word as Pinkie spoke first, “You’re in Twisty Vision, Bright Eyes, and Ditzy Hooves’ new home. After I found out that they were moving to Ponyville, I organized a welcome party and sent invitations.” She jumped from the pegasus’ shoulder and gestured over the room. “Lots of ponies came to make sure that they feel welcome, and I got three new friends!” “Welcome party?” Fluttershy said as she tilted her head in confusion, only now noticing the party-like decorations in the background. Pinkie nodded energetically. “Correct! But when my Pinkie Sense told me that somepony was alone and scared in an abandoned cottage, I dashed as fast as I could.” “Pinkie Sense?” “Pinchy knees and so on, I can tell you more about it later, now, where was I, oh, yes!” She took a quick breath before continuing, “It was such a surprise when I found out that yet another new pony arrived in Ponyville, and so I thought: how about I bring you to this party I already had going to make you feel welcome as well?” “Ummm…” Fluttershy struggled to say something, but was interrupted when Pinkie pressed her muzzle against hers. “We are going to have so much fun. There are cakes, muffins, balloons, various games to play, lots of ponies to befriend. It will be so much fun.” “Pinkie Pie,” Vision said as he grabbed the party mare and carefully pulled her away from Fluttershy, who a moment ago lost her balance and started breathing hastily. “I think you are overwhelming your guest.” Pinkie was about to protest, when suddenly her ear twitched. Upon hearing a noise coming from the exit, she slid out from Vision’s hold and approached the opening door. ”Hello, Miss Bright Eyes, what took you so long? You are missing all the fun!” “H-hello Pinkie. Has–” “Ditzy returned? She–” Pinkie was interrupted by an impact noise. Fragments of a wall shattered upon hitting the floor, making some ponies run away in panic, “–just did.” “Hello Mom, Dad, Pinkie,” Ditzy said as she slowly went inside, pushing or crushing rubble with each step. “Way to go, Derpy,” Dash said as she flew inside, quickly noticing Fluttershy. Not wasting a moment, she flew over to the confused mare and reassured her with concern, “It's alright, Fluttershy. We're behind you all the way" Silence overtook the room. *** Several guests formed a circle to watch the group of ponies in the middle of the room, giving an occasional glance upon the hole in the wall. Pinkie Pie approached slowly as she examined each of her special guests. Next to Twisty Vision, she could see his wife, Bright Eyes, a midnight blue pegasus with golden mane and a hammer crossed with a bench as a cutie mark. Both were busy talking with their daughter. So the family is finally together, now this party can really start. Her attention switched to a young pegasus mare with rainbowlike mane. Wait, I don’t recognize her either. That makes her the fifth new pony to arrive in Ponyville today. That’s, like, five times better! Feeling enthusiasm growing in her, she approached the young mares and said. “Hello, my name is Pinkie Pie, and I am sure that I never met any of you before.” She took a quick look at the cutie mark and continued, “Let me guess. Your name is... ‘Lightning Rainbow,’ maybe ‘Rainbow Strike,’ or ‘Lightning Cloud!’ Did I guess it right? Did I, did I?” Fluttershy hid behind her friend, who spread her wings protectively and said with a note of anger, “My name is Rainbow Dash!” “Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie said. She poked her forehead and added, “I got it memorized.” Her neck gained a few centimeters as she straightened it and looked at the mare hiding behind Dash. “And the pony behind must be your friend, but if her name is Fluttershy, why did you call her Flutters?” “Flutters is a nickname I came up with for my friend. Same as Derpy is a nickname I and my classmates came up for Ditzy,” Dash responded as she stepped slightly to the side, blocking Pinkie Pie’s view of her friend. “Nicknames, hmn…” Pinkie rubbed her chin thoughtfully before shouting with a wide smile, “That’s it!” “Huh?” “I came up with a perfect nickname for you. From now on, I will call you Dashie!” Rainbow Dash blushed. She shook her head and shouted, “What, no way!” only to feel a forehoof on her shoulder. “So, Dashie. Are you and your friend staying in Ponyville, or just visiting?” Pinkie asked, her cheek pressed against the pegasus’. “Personal space, please,” Rainbow responded as she took the forehoof off her shoulder and stepped back. “And yes, we are planning to move to Ponyville, but–” Pinkie’s heart skipped a beat as she appeared between both pegasi and grabbed them by their necks. “That’s perfect! I can welcome not just one, not three, but five new friends to Ponyville. Oh, this day just can’t get any better.” Dash frowned, and Fluttershy squicked in response. “Okay, time out,” Rainbow Dash said as she broke free from the forced hug, and Fluttershy followed her example. “First off, don’t call me Dashie. That’s just embarrassing.” She stomped against the floor. “What’s more, we already gone to one party today. We don’t need another.” Pinkie gasped. “Another party?” She pulled a detective’s hat, cape, and a flashlight from inside her mane, and shone a ray of light towards Rainbow Dash’s face. “Is there another party pony who is throwing welcome parties in Ponyville I’m not aware of?” Feeling somewhat annoyed, the pegasus pushed the flashlight to the side and rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t a welcome party, it was a birthday party.” Dash looked behind, checking on her silent friend. “Just today, a few hours ago, I had my fourteenth birthday party, and one party is more than enough.” She slowly looked back at Pinkie, and rubbed the back of her neck. “Are you… feeling okay?” Pinkie’s body trembled while her teeth shined from the large smile she displayed. So, this isn’t just a welcome party, but a welcome to Ponyville after a birthday party, and she is even near my age! “Do you like playing tag, hide and seek, or pranks?” she asked. Rainbow Dash nodded and said with a hint of enthusiasm, “Sure. Games involving speed and good old pranking are totally my thing.” "Perfect,” Pinkie said before grabbing both pegasi with renewed enthusiasm. “The ‘Triple Welcome To Ponyville with a side of Happy Birthday Party’ starts now!” *** “I’m… not feeling well,” Fluttershy said as she walked on shaking legs, still feeling all those sweets weighing down her belly. Her cheeks turned green as she placed a forehoof on her mouth. “You should’ve listened to me and not have eaten every snack that crazy pony gave to us,” Rainbow Dash said as she snuck through the party, hiding behind a dining table. She gestured for Fluttershy to follow her example. The disguised thestral ducked behind the table and said quietly, “I didn’t have much of a choice. It was either that, or–” “I win!” Fluttershy sighed before continuing, “Or playing ‘pin the tail on the pony’ with all those loud scary ponies.” Dash massaged her forehead. “Ugh... I don’t get you, Flutters. You didn’t even blink when you used your power to close a bleeding wound the size of my hoof after my accident, yet you’re afraid to play a simple game.” Fluttershy bit her lip, as her mind turned the image of ponies holding a fake tail into that of an angry mob armed with silver blades. The fact that nearly everypony was taller only made her feel more intimidated. “S-sorry… I know I shouldn’t, but my imagination gets the best of me…” Rainbow Dash poked her friend’s forehead. “I hope you somehow get it in check, or else we’ll never get out of this party.” Her attention focused on the exit door, her wings slowly spreading as she took a racing stance. “Hold my tail tight. I will get us out in three… two…” “One!” Pinkie shouted into Dash’s ear. Both the pegasus and the disguised thestral grit their teeth as their eyes opened widely. Out of reflex. Dash flew for the door, knocking the table to the side and crashing into a wall while Pinkie Pie giggled at her display. Fluttershy, who had been holding her friend’s tail, crashed in the middle of the crowd and massaged her head. Slowly raising it, she flinched upon seeing that she was now the center of attention and curled into a ball, hiding her face behind her mane. “Not bad, Dashie, but compared to Derpy, you have still a long way to go.” She could hear Pinkie’s voice from the distance. “I mean, you barely left a mark while she pierced through it effortlessly. Better luck next time.” Fluttershy peeked from behind her mane, ignoring the ponies that asked her if she was feeling okay. She started walking backwards slowly while keeping her head low, and a moment later, bumped into another pony. “Careful there. Ya must be the guest of honor... Fluttershy was it? Need a hoof?” She turned to the source of voice, noticing the stretched foreleg of an orange earth pony in a bronze hat, which seemed a bit too big for the young mare’s head. Calm down Fluttershy. She must be as old as me… scratch that. She must be around Rainbow Dash's age. There’s no need to be afraid. After taking a quick calming breath, she touched her foreleg hesitantly, and was brought up to her hooves. “You're more uptight than a bull in a rodeo, but Ah know just the thing to loosen ya up,” she said while patting Fluttershy in the back. The pureblood thestral gulped as her mind translated the word ‘loosen ya up’ into some sort of torture. Fluttershy opened her mouth, but failed to say a word as she was pulled towards a large bucket filled with water and barely visible apples. After a second glance upon the young mare, Fluttershy noticed she had three apples as cutie mark. “Diving in!” the farm mare said before lowering her head into the water, and, a few seconds later, raising it with an apple in her mouth. Drops of water were sliding down her half-wet hat. After placing the apple on the floor, she repeated the motion until all apples were gone from the bucket. “That’s five apples in twenty seconds.” She picked up five new apples and threw them into the bucket. “Now it’s yer’ turn.” Fluttershy looked around, quickly noticing that she was being watched by at least six guests, her ears picking up whispers of how Applejack would certainly win. It’s still better than being watched by an entire crowd. I should try to play along. She slowly turned towards the water, her sharpened senses quickly picking up the location of each apple. “I… will try.” The pureblood closed her eyes and hesitantly lowered her head into the liquid. Her senses kept detecting apples by their slow movement in the water as she picked them up with her mouth, one at a time. She finished the hunt by grabbing the two last apples at once with the help of her fangs, then raised her head and released them from her mouth. Fluttershy shook her wet head and opened her eyes while checking with her tongue if her fangs had shrunk, only to be greeted by the shocked expression of the farm mare, whose mouth was agape. “Did I… do something wrong?” Applejack shook her head and said, “Ah can’t believe it. Ya beat me at mah own game!” “I did…?” Fluttershy said as she looked at apples she held in her forelegs. “How long did it take me?” “Twelve seconds,” said one of the surrounding guests, his head raised proud as he shot a grin towards the other five. Fluttershy looked back at Applejack and poked her own forehooves against one another. “I’m sorry.” “Sorry? Ya'll be sorry after Ah train some more and challenge ya for round two,” she said, looking at Fluttershy with a defiant stare, poking her in the chest. “Mah pride is on the line, an’ Ah’m not gonna lose to ya for the second time.” Fluttershy shrunk a little as her legs trembled. Forget we’re the same size. She’s even more intimidating than the others! Fluttershy walked backwards, while the farm mare threw apples into the water and began her training. Much to Fluttershy’s confusion, the room darkened while a stage light flashed upon her. One quick look towards the window told her how late it was. Is it twilight already? Her breathing increased in speed as she once again ended up as the center of attention. “And now it is time for a dance off, everypony!” Pinkie shouted while directing the stage light towards the frightened pegasus. “Let’s give a loud cheering for Fluttershy, who just today moved to Ponyville!” “Not on my watch,” Dash said as she turned the lights back on and picked up Fluttershy. Her hasty escape was quickly interrupted the moment she opened the door, as Pinkie was already waiting outside. Before the pegasus could react, the energetic young mare jumped inside and grabbed both her and Fluttershy, throwing them back into the middle of the room. “It seems instead of a solo, we will have a duo! Dashie and Flutters, everypony.” Fluttershy felt as if her heart tried to escape her chest the moment a cannon blast reached her ears, sending confetti to rain upon them. Dash blushed as she looked at the scared Fluttershy and at the cheering crowd. “What just happened?” Pinkie asked as she looked at the pieces of wood that were once an exit door, lying outside next to parts of the wall. Bright Eyes, who was carrying a bucket filled with cement and a trowel, sat next to Pinkie Pie to stare at the destruction. “Who did this? It couldn’t be my daughter.” She glanced at Ditzy, who walked from the kitchen and sat next to her, Vision joining a moment later. “It was Fluttershy. We were just having fun, dancing and singing alike. But when I asked her to sing for us, she ran through the door.” Her ears dropped, and her puffy mane lost some of its usual brightness. “She seemed… sad.” "Sad? She was terrified and crying!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she landed next to the party mare and shot her a furious glare. “Way to go, Pinkie." She spread her forelegs and flew outside, shouting her friend’s name. “Crying…” Pinkie curled up a little as she rubbed her foreleg, her mane now a bit less puffy than before. “But why? This welcome party was supposed to make her smile…” Twisty Vision approached the hole and pointed outside. “While we are grateful for the warm welcome, it is getting late. I believe that the time to end this party has come.” Murmurs overtook the background as ponies nodded to each other and started going outside, carefully passing door fragments as to not damage them further. A few ponies volunteered to assist with the cleaning, which Vision refused. The silence that overtook the empty room filled Pinkie with depression. She lowered her head. “Don’t be sad,” Ditzy said as she placed a forehoof on Pinkie’s shoulder, who didn’t look up. “You just went too far and overwhelmed poor Fluttershy with your cheerful personality, but you had the best of intentions in mind.” Pinkie sighed, and spoke in a depressed tone, “Ever since I got my cutie mark, I wanted to make everypony happy, to see their smiles, and yet today I did the opposite. What did I do wrong?” “Not everypony is the same, Pinkie. Sure, some love singing, music, dancing, playing and so on, but Fluttershy isn’t one of those ponies.” She gently turned Pinkie’s head and looked her in the eyes. “You can’t make her happy the same way.” “You think so?” "I know so.” Ditzy nodded. Pinkie stared back, unable to look away as she asked, “But what can I do? At first I thought she was sad and scared because of visiting that spooky cottage. But all I did was make it worse.” “You mean the cottage she will be living in from now on?” Ditzy asked, causing Pinkie to gasp. “You mean… she wants to move into that scary place? But why?” She grabbed Ditzy’s head and pressed her muzzle against it. “Not only that, but how can I make her happy? Parties always seem to work, I don't know... what else can I do?” Ditzy smiled. “I am sure you will figure something out, but I can give you a tip or two for a good start.” She freed herself from Pinkie’s hold and raised her forehoof in a lecturing gesture. “Try being more gentle with her. I’m sure she would appreciate if your attempts to make her happy were more delicate. Also, no party cannon and loud noises. It terrifies her.” “No party cannon?” Pinkie asked, and received a firm nod in return. “I suppose I should try to come up with something new, thank you.” “You’re welcome.” Pinkie chuckled weakly. “I suppose I should apologize and make it up to her.” She looked outside, noticing the first stars popping up as the moon slowly rose across the horizon. “The Cakes gave me a job and place to live in. They helped me settle up in Ponyville and realise my dream. Maybe I can do something similar for Flutters and help her feel at home.” She took a few steps, and turned around to look at Ditzy's family. “I hope you all had fun. Since this party is over, I should leave as well. Goodnight, friends...” She galloped outside, leaving a trail of dust behind her. With the room empty and the mess still present, Vision poked Bright Eyes and whispered. “We are alone, sweetheart. What would you say about using a spell or two?” She nuzzled her husband and said, “I thought you would never ask.” Her pupils became thin and flashed in red as a black mist formed around the door fragments and rubble, melding it together and returning the fragments to their original positions. “Piece of blood-filled cake.” “You make it look so easy...” Vision said. Bright Eyes puffed her chest and pointed at her daughter. “I had plenty of practice.” She smirked. “Besides, not every thestral can learn how to use dark magic to repair rather than destroy.” Twisty Vision chuckled before approaching his daughter. “Should I assume you gave Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash bits and equipment?” Ditzy turned and looked up at her towering father and nodded. “I sure did, but trying to keep them away from Pinkie didn’t work as planned.” The tall pegasus rubbed the top of Ditzy’s head, who blushed slightly and cuddled him. “That’s my daughter.” Bright Eyes knelt on Ditzy’s side and asked curiously, “Can you tell us what you learned about Fluttershy? After the tragedy she witnessed, I’m worried about her mental condition.” Ditzy nodded as her ears dropped slightly. Her voice was full of sorrow. “She feels constant anxiety, especially around large crowds. I also suspect that her mind is haunting her with terrifying images. Unless she will find a way to distract herself from her fears, I doubt she will get better.” “This isn’t good.” Bright Eyes shook her head. “As a pureblood, Mistress Fluttershy can’t afford such fears. It leaves her very vulnerable.” Vision stretched both of his wings over his wife and daughter and said with a reassuring tone, “Look on the bright side. Ponyville is a very peaceful location, she will have plenty of time to overcome it.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “The question is: Will Pinkie’s attempts help, or end up making things worse? I have known her only a few hours, and I can already tell that this crazy energetic pony is not one to give up on cheering up those who are sad. How such a young mare even managed to drag so many ponies into a welcome party on such short notice is beyond me.” Ditzy pressed herself against the soft feathers, gladly accepting the warmth they provided. “Pinkie’s happiness is like a fire, Dad. Smiling ponies are just the wood that keeps its flame alive.” “What do you mean?” Bright Eyes asked curiously. “What I mean, Mom, is that under the energetic personality is a depressed, dull pony. Her spark of happiness was lit, and she doesn’t want it to be extinguished. She wants to spread this spark to other ponies.” Ditzy sighed and continued with a serious tone, “Another reason why she is acting in such way is because of her fear. She is afraid that if she can’t spread her flame to others, her own will be gone. The way she reacted to the very sight of Fluttershy being sad proves that.” Vision released his daughter and looked at her flank. “Your cutie mark sure is very misleading, Ditzy. I would never figure out your special talent just by looking at it. That I assure you.”