//------------------------------// // The Calm before the Storm // Story: Flutterling // by Princess_Celestia //------------------------------// It became apparent very quickly that you can't hide the existence of a titanic changeling for long. Not long after the excitable outburst by Pinkie, who had been indoors and hadn't seen Fluttershy, the ponies that WERE outdoors began discussing what they saw. The changelings among them tried to downplay it, but it was rather difficult to downplay, and so when somepony spotted Fluttershy, still in changeling form, the crowd moved towards her. Trixie spotted the crowd while her queen continued to be lost in her own thoughts. "Er, Queen Fluttershy...?" she muttered, nudging her firmly with a hoof. "Trixie believes an escape is warranted here..." she said. Fluttershy looked up, spotting the huge crowd... Unfortunately, she acted as she was wont to do. With a light sheep-like cry, she flopped onto her back, her legs sticking straight up into the air. She had fainted. ----- When she awoke, she found herself in a very unusual room. A light shone through tall windows around her, and a large bed, big enough for her to rest in even in her changeling form lay under her. A very tall, very colorfully maned pony stood over the bed, a look of concern on her face. Seeing Celestia without her regalia on for the first time meant it took Fluttershy quite a bit longer than it should have to recognize the Princess. When she did, she gave a light "Oh" and immediately fell off the bed in surprise. She got to her chitin-covered hooves and stood up. She was surprised to see that she was looking the Princess in the eye. "Princess Celestia," she spoke quietly, "I don't know why I'm on your bed but I'll just go now..." Celestia reached out a hoof, and gently laid it on her head. "Fluttershy," the Princess spoke quietly, gently, like a Princess talking to her loyal subject. "I brought you here. You were in quite a bit of danger from an angry mob," she said. "It seems that some of my subjects feel threatened when they see a changeling Queen the size of Ponyville." Fluttershy looked at Celestia quietly. "B-but, they're right," Fluttershy said, quietly. "I am a big menace... I felt so powerful... like everything was beneath me..." she spoke quietly. "I... I don't want to feel like that anymore." Celestia responded with a light, gentle chuckle. "Oh, Fluttershy... you -were- a giant... everything -was- beneath you." she couldn't help but tease the young queen. "But you shouldn't be so afraid. You did nothing that isn't truly worth celebrating. All you did was help your friends and your town." Celestia said, a gentle hoof keeping Fluttershy in the bed. "But you did unleash quite a bit of magic. I really think you should rest here for now. You need to recover, even if you are a changeling queen." she says. Celestia rose to her hooves, and stepped over to the center of the room. "And trust me, I know what it feels like to be so big and powerful. It can be overwhelming, but it won't change you. You'll be the same pony you've always been. Even now." She paused, before turning back to Fluttershy. "Your friends are defending you, you know. At this moment, they're out there working on convincing everyone that your presence in the town is only beneficial. Rainbow Dash has been especially vocal." As Fluttershy quietly lay there, she could almost hear Rainbow Dash's loud, brash voice... or rather, she realized, she COULD hear Rainbow Dash. Her words were unclear, but she was likely just outside the castle, and her tone made it clear she was not happy with how some ponies were treating Fluttershy. She could feel a warmth in her heart, a mix of the emotions of the moment, and the consumption of the love being directed towards her, which was strong enough to reach her even in this room. Fluttershy nodded, looking at Princess Celestia. "Thank you... You're right." she says. "I guess I just... needed to be reassured." she said, her smile reappearing. The kind changeling soon fell asleep, exhausted from the day... ----- When next she awoke, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were in the room, obviously keeping her company. "Hey, yer awake!" Applejack said, coming over to Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash quickly came over as well, a large grin on her face. "Oh my gosh, Fluttershy, you looked so awesome as a giant queen." Rainbow Dash couldn't help but gush over her friend. Applejack shot Rainbow Dash a look, but then chuckled lightly. "Well, I can't rightly say I wasn't impressed too, but I figure you don't really wanna hear that right now." the strong earth pony said, putting a reassuring hoof on Fluttershy's body. "Trixie's still getting debriefed, and the crystals haven't returned since yer magic blast, so I think we've got time to relax. Rainbow managed to get the angry ponies to disperse, though I think that might take a bit more time before they really get used to it." Applejack sighed. Rainbow Dash nodded. "They were such jerks! I woulda kicked 'em clear over Cloudsdale if Applejack hadn't held me back!" Rainbow Dash said, smirking. "But it's good to see you're doing okay, Fluttershy." she said, her voice turning a bit more gentle. Fluttershy smiled gently, feeling very loved right now. "Thank you so much, you two... if it wasn't for all my friends, I don't know how I could have handled this..." she said, as Applejack lifted her back hoof, revealing a small white bunny latched, teeth first, to her hoof. "Angel!" Fluttershy smiled, as the rabbit leapt from the hoof into Fluttershy's grasp. Even the normally taciturn bunny was feeling quite affectionate right now, it seemed. "Whoooa, we better calm down all the warm fuzzies here." Rainbow Dash grinned, "Or Miss Sunshine here might explode into a giant again." she teased. Fluttershy responded with a light giggle herself, feeling much better. ----- A few days passed, with Fluttershy recovering from the incredible magic she used. While her magic stores were quickly replenished, her body needed to recover from swelling to such an immense height, and then dwindling back down to such a small size. The changeling queen was soon reunited with her other friends, and Trixie began spending most of her time in the room. Princess Celestia, meanwhile, had been using the guest room. Trixie felt like she should be a lot more subservient and obedient to her queen, after seeing her true power, but that just wasn't her style. It wasn't long before Trixie was back to acting like she always did, though with a slight hesitation when she'd imagine the true scale of the power her queen held. Once Fluttershy was rested and ready to move back to Ponyville, she was escorted by the Princess herself, as well as her friends, to a royal carriage. Fluttershy looked out the window as she sat in the carriage (Which she felt was far too luxurious for a simple pony like her, but she kept that little feeling buried in order to not seem unthankful), and watched as the town grew closer, and she wondered how she'd manage to rebuild her relationships with all those ponies who had been afraid of her. Whatever she needed to do, she knew she would need her friends' help.