Each month we will be spotlighting one pairing, or suggesting a writing prompt. As you may have seen on the main page, this month's area of focus is Sonata x Fluttershy.

This is one of those that falls under the heading of pairings that make a lot of sense but have so far been avoided because they seem so obvious. Fluttershy is the mane character with a track record of reforming villains. Sonata is the siren who appears most receptive to the chance of being reformed. Fluttershy is the mane character who most cares for others. Sonata is the siren who appears most in need of care. You can see where this is heading.

Only, where does it go after that? How does Sonata go from reformation project to someone attractive to Fluttershy in her own right, with positive traits that aren't just echoes of whatever Fluttershy has instilled? How does the relationship shift from one of carer and subject to one of equals? And what if, rather than the expected outcome, Sonata instead succeeds in dragging Fluttershy down to her level?

What would someone as oblivious and callous as Sonata respect in someone as deferential as Fluttershy? What would Fluttershy, who grew up with an arrogant, uncommitted freeloader brother, value in Sonata? Maybe Sonata figures that if a brainwashed human army is off the table, an animal army will have to do, and so volunteers at the shelter to start recruiting. Maybe Fluttershy needs a Ponytones stand-in at short notice and Sonata is the only trained singer available. Maybe Sonata needs Fluttershy's help getting rid of the family of raccoons Aria released into her bedroom.

Artwork provided by ponyretirementhome, with the piece further up by misochikin.

Last year our ships focused more on side characters, I think this year we'll move to tackling the difficult, long-shot ships we've been putting off.

If this is a ship you like the sound of, this thread is probably a good place to discuss it. I started this group not just to see all the unusual siren ships in one place, but to encourage others to write more of them, so if you're thinking of writing a Sonata x Fluttershy story or have one in the works already, by all means let us know in the thread below. Or just discuss the ship: what you like about it and why, what problems you've encountered with it before, what scenarios you can envision for the two of them. Just talking about it like that can inspire others with new story ideas, some of which might get written down, at which point we all benefit

Maybe it's time I actually delivered on all the Flutternata I teased in Neighbors lol