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// Chapter 16: Splitting Up 
// Story: The Shy Driver II: Fluttershy's Return 
// by Wiz Ahmad 
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After a nice supper and some good cake, Twilight and her friends settled in for the night, with a big day ahead of them. Just as Fluttershy was about to shut her eyes the phone rang, and she picked it up without hesitation.

“Hello?”

“Fluttershy! Nice to hear ya. Listen, I’m coming home right away so we can talk this over. It looks like my goals are going to require us to travel a lot more – and a lot farther – than I anticipated. See you in a couple hours. We’ll talk things over then. What I will say now is this: This is gonna take a good four to ten months.”

Fluttershy said thanks and hung up, collapsing back on the bed at the prospect of what she and her friends would have to undergo travelling across the world. Would they find what they need? Would the people be friendly? Or would they target Fluttershy and her friends, capture them, and lock them up? The possibilities were almost endless and most did not sound nice.

Morning arrived with the sound of sizzling from the kitchen, and Pinkie’s ever-hyper sensitive nose picked it up instantly. So did Starlight’s.

“Argh…” Applejack began, stretching and sitting up in bed. “Sure smells like somethin’ good ‘s goin’ on in that kitchen.”

Pinkie burst in the door, the others clearly having no idea that she’d been gone while they’d been stretching awake. “You sure right about that! Justin’s back and he’s making some deliciously fantastic apple pancakes! Who’s up for a syrupy breakfast?”

Everyone’s eyes widened in excitement at the sound of that and they all rushed out to the kitchen, but not before taking a visit to the bathroom to wash up.

“Glad to be back with you all—” 

But before Justin could get his sentence through the cute cuddly ponies were all over him like a bunch of overzealous puppies. Fluttershy even blew a raspberry on his cheek, causing him to cry from utter joy. Never before had his life been so joyful and uplifting.

As everyone ate, Justin and Twilight discussed their sides of the information regarding the binders. Justin then explained that he had taken such extremes to protect the data because of the insane possibilities that could come out of the portal should it fall into the wrong hands. But Rainbow Dash still stood firm.

“Why should we have to travel all the way around the world and search an entire country just for two little binders? And who knows, they’re probably already long-gone, rotted away by the elements.”

Instead of punching her, Justin just released a hearty laugh. “Huh. Says the girl who obviously has all the capabilities of flying there, locating it, and returning within 10 seconds flat.” He turned to the others. “Am I right, fellas?”

Applejack, Spike, Starlight, and even Pinkie Pie couldn’t help but laugh. Defeated, Rainbow sat back down, not uttering a single word. A smug smile played across Justin’s lips as he began the next part of his discussion. “So, basically what we need to do is to travel to a secluded farm on the outskirts of Kampala, in Uganda.” Justin whispered that last part so low that even Fluttershy could barely hear it.

“I-It’s okay, I understand why,” Fluttershy whispered back to him.

Starlight gulped down the last of her pancakes and pushed back her chair. “To be honest, this doesn’t sound so bad after all!” she said with a positively enthusiastic smile.

For once, Twilight, who was considered the “leader” amongst her large group of friends, didn’t look too excited about the prospect of travelling around the world to find something ery important.

“And,” Justin added, “After that, we’ll head over to the mines of South Africa to get the minerals and elements we will need to form the special element for the portal. However, it won’t be easy. There will be lots to extract and even more to filter to find the perfect fragments.”

Rarity smirked, trying not to roll her eyes. It sounded easy – at least in her eyes.

As everyone finished eating, Justin explained that his business was running well and that any potential problems were only likely to pop up in the next week or so, so time was not a big worry. After some dishwashing and housework it was finally time to pack. Justin had previously gotten the idea of smuggling them on board, but decided it’d be better to make them act like pets, rather than going the illegal route. Rainbow Dash agreed to follow the plane from a distance, since being cooped up in cabin would simply “kill her by mere boredom”, as Pinkie Pie put it.

“We’ll all go with you,” Twilight offered, but Starlight stopped her in her tracks.

“I must say, with the behavior of the people Fluttershy ran into a couple weeks back, and the fact that your portal is still down there and still has the potential to function if coded right, I think merely abandoning this house is not a reasonable option. Let’s split up. Fluttershy, Angel Bunny, and I can stay here and patrol the estate, making sure no one tries to break in or attack. Meanwhile, the rest of you can go off to Africa.”

“Awww, but won’t you miss us, darling?” Rarity asked, pouting slightly.

Starlight chuckled and put a comforting hoof around her friend. “Yeah, I will. I mean, I’d love to visit Africa and see the animals and taste exotic food and stuff, but the security of Justin’s home means the world to me.”

Justin closed up his suitcase. “I’ve thought of it, and your idea makes sense. We’ll do it. Okay guys?”

“OKAY!” Twilight and all of her friends replied loudly at the same time. 

It was only after Justin, Twilight, and the others had hopped on a bus and zipped off to the airport that Starlight Glimmer and Fluttershy realized the severity of their choice. If anything happened to the house, it would be their responsibility.

“Want to drink some juice and chill on the pool deck?” Starlight asked kindly. “You look a little anxious, Fluttershy.”

“Y-y-yes, I am,” Fluttershy replied timidly in a low voice, frustrating Starlight, who bounded over to her.

“Listen, Fluttershy,” she said, putting a protective arm around her scared friend. “No one is going to harm us here – and even if they do, we will defend ourselves and protect this estate. Isn’t that why you offered to stay here with me? Or were you simply too scared to go out with your friends halfway across the world?”

Fluttershy’s face fell. “I’ll try. But I just can’t bear with the prospect of being all alone here with—”

“—You’re not alone!” Starlight blurted with such force that her eyes rolled, before calming her heart. “Listen, Fluttershy. You need to be stronger than this. You’ve faced a dragon, fought several changelings, and even revealed the truth about me when I didn’t know better about cutie marks! I’m pretty confident you can have at least some conviction that you can defend yourself and Justin’s home against any evil. Please can you live here with me in contentment and protect this house and the possessions within it?”

Having been hit with the truth, Fluttershy let out a sigh. “Okay, Starlight. I’ll stay here and be strong. Together with you, we’ll keep this place alive, clean, beautiful, and protected.”