The Second Revival of a Heart: Ponyville Days

by TheMessenger

F is for Fantastic

F is for Fantastic

Fluttershy set the large bag of chicken feed down on the ground, wiping away with her wing the bit of sweat that had accumulated on her brow. As her chicks grew so did their fierce appetites and the size of the sack of seeds the Pegasus need to buy.

Not that she was complaining, of course. If anything, Fluttershy was ecstatic that so many of her chickens grew so healthily into adult hens and roosters . Even now, the Pegasus smiled as several of the bolder ones left the safety of the coop and pecked around her hooves.

"Now, now," Fluttershy chided, "I know every one of you is hungry but you still need to be patient. You will all get plenty but please wait for your brothers and sisters."

Most obediently filed back behind the fence but a few clucked defiantly. One overconfident red cock hopped on the bag and attacked it. One glance back into his caretaker's aqua blue eyes, however, and he immediately ceased, bowing his head and retreating with his brethren.

With some difficulty, Fluttershy lifted the heavy bag onto her back and filled the chicken troughs. Her smile grew as the chickens clucked in gratitude. Some of the more appreciative even offered a few eggs, to which Fluttershy refused. Dragging the feed bag out of the pen and closing the gate behind her the Pegasus filled another, smaller trough for the weasels and ferrets and raccoons. A few had developed the unfortunate habit of stealing food from the chickens and Fluttershy sought to correct this behavior with this deterrent.

She shook the bag, taking note of its current weight. Fluttershy estimated that it would last for another week or so, then it was another dreaded trip to the market. The feed merchant had the disturbing tendency of eating her own wares.

With the sack safely stowed in a small nondescript shed, Fluttershy headed back into her cottage, where she planned to prepare breakfast for the rest of her guests and, eventually, herself. To her surprise a small white rabbit sat between her and the door.

"Good morning, Angel," she said. "Are you hungry? How does a nice carrot and celery salad sound?"

Angel put his paws on his hip as he made way for the Pegasus. His impatient scowl deepened as Fluttershy went into the kitchen and picked out a few small carrots. He hopped next to the yellow Pegasus and firmly tugged on her leg.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is there something else you would like this morning?"

The bunny shook his head, pulling at Fluttershy's leg more forcefully. Angel made his way to the doorway and pointed out.

"Do...you want me to follow you?" Fluttershy asked.

Angel nodded before hopping off. Fluttershy hurried after him with the carrots. Perhaps he had found a friend and wanted to share his morning meal thought Fluttershy. Or maybe Angel had discovered a poor injured animal that need help. Fluttershy quickened her pace at the thought, even as she crossed the border of the feared Everfree Forest.

They hadn't gotten very far into the forest before Angel had led Fluttershy to his destination. Several other critters were in the clearing they stopped at as well: rabbits, mice, ferrets, badgers, jays in the nearby trees, brown squirrels, a few adventurous ducks, a bear, even a disoriented owl. Many Fluttershy recognized, though a few, rougher animals came from deeper within the Everfree Forest.

The rather sudden gathering of woodland creatures startled Fluttershy as she struggled to rationalize the meeting's purpose. She got little more than a few polite shrugs when she inquired the animals she knew. Now curiosity was not a trait that most would associate with Fluttershy; more often than not, the shy Pegasus was more content with hiding in room and letting a braver pony like Rainbow Dash or Twilight Sparkle conduct the investigation when confronted with a mystery.

This morning, however, curiosity had seized the shy Pegasus like a dog to a chew toy and an uncharacteristic frustration began to gnaw at Fluttershy in a similar fashion and with hidden determination, she found herself vowing to discover just what was going on around here. She hadn't gotten far before answer found her and she had heard it.

It was a song, a haunting, mesmerizing song. There were no lyrics Fluttershy recognized. If there were any words, they were not ones she understood, nor was she entirely certain that she ever should.

The voice was like the wind, whispering in her ear and sending a shiver down her spine. At the same time, however, the Pegasus was at peace, like a cooling summer breeze. The voice felt oddly familiar. The mysterious melody both chilled her core and calmed her, willing her forget the problems of the day. The yellow Pegasus fought back a yawn. She sat down next to Angel who leaned against her. Angel's behavior startled Fluttershy out of the beginnings of a trance. It was rare for the bunny to be acting so subdued. She looked around and noticed how all the animals seemed more relaxed and at ease. Even the flighty squirrels sat still, staring into the center of the meadow. Fluttershy follow their gaze.

There sat Ash. With his eyes closed and hands upon on his knee, the white-haired Human rested cross-legged. He had a similar expression of peace on his face, as if having a pleasant dream. Several birds had found that his shoulders made lovely perches and Fluttershy giggled when she saw the little finch poke her head out of the little nest she had made out of Ash's hair.

Fluttershy slowly approached the Mage. As she did, the faint melody she heard grew stronger. Now she recognized the voice; she and her friends had heard it when they first discovered Ash trapped to the mighty tree behind the old palace in the Everfree. Then it had been a lamentation, mourning Ash's failure and the crushing betrayal that nearly destroyed him. Then the song had nearly crush her beneath a heavy weight of sorrow. Then the mysterious music brought tears to her eyes.

Today, however, she was relaxed, as if the notes were masseurs, rubbing away the soreness in her back from her chores and lulling her into sleep. It was a little like a lullaby, though even as she made the comparison, Fluttershy noticed that Ash's lips were not moving.

She drew a little closer before she felt something tug at her leg. Fluttershy looked around and found Angel hopping behind her. He pointed at the carrot she had and then pointed at Ash.

Fluttershy smiled. "Oh, do you want to share with our new friend?" She gave the vegetable over to the bunny. "Here. Try not to wake him though, okay?."

Angel nodded. He pounced past the others until he stood right next to the towering Human's foot. Angel held the carrot up.

Fluttershy watched in horror as her bunny threw the carrot. It smacked Ash's forehead and fell to the ground.

As if on cue, the animals scattered. Birds took to the air and those who lived deeper in the forest went in that direction. The more domestic ones ran down the way to Fluttershy's cottage, some giving the Pegasus a small wave of greeting as they passed by. A certain white rabbit found himself dangling from Fluttershy's teeth as he tried to run by. He struggled but Fluttershy held firmly, though not painfully. Eventually, Angel tired and let himself hang, resigning himself to whatever punishment Fluttershy would come up with.

Her scolding was interrupted however when Ash opened his eyes. She released an involuntary squeak as she saw that instead of being hazel his eyes were milky. He blinked and they returned to the light brown the Pegasus had been familiar with.

Ash got up with a groan, stretching upward. As his arms sprung to the sky, feathers fell down his front. He picked one up in confusion, then groaned. He began to brush his shoulders furiously. When he was satisfied that they were clean, Ash ran a hand through his hair, only to pull it back with a pained yelp.

The finch squawked angrily. She had claimed this head as her home and she wasn't going to be evicted without a fight. She attacked the Human's fingers ferociously as they approach again.

The Human growled angrily. This head belonged to him, had been with him through Hell and high waters, and during those long years Ash had become quite attached to it. He was not about to lose it to some crazy bird without a fight and he was willing to lose a few fingers.

As the battle continued, Ash's temper began to boil over and his rational thinking became the next casualty. A small flame sparked from the Mage's fingers and for the sakes of both sides, Fluttershy stepped in with a soft whistle.

The finch squawked back. She freed herself from Ash's hand and flew onto the Pegasus' wing.

"Now now, you should know better than to make nests in places that belong to others," Fluttershy chided softly. "Why don't we go find you a nice sturdy branch for you to rest in? I'm sure we can find a good home for you and your eggs."

The little bird chirped in agreement, snuggling against Fluttershy's cheek appreciatively. The warmth in Ash's heart at the sight quickly froze as the Pegasus turned her stare onto him.

"And you..."

Ash gulped at the soft exclamation.

"...I know it wasn't nice of Ms. Finch to use your mane as a nest without asking but it isn't right to use force when you can use words," Fluttershy said. "You're so much bigger than she is and you should know better than to lose your temper like that."

Ash rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. With evident difficulty, he met the Pegasus' aqua blue eyes. "Right, sorry. I guess I kinda lost my head there."

Fluttershy smiled. "It's fine but I'm not the one you need to apologize to." She held the little bird up.

"...you're not serious, are you?" Ash sighed and looked at the bird, which glared back.

"I'm...sorry."

The bird cocked her head, as if in consideration. A few mocking moments passed, testing Ash' patience once more, before the finch finally gave a bored nod and flew off with a quick chirp.

"Um, she says she's sorry too," Fluttershy said as she watched the bird disappear.

Ash watched as well before turning and saying, "You certainly have a gift with animals. Have I already told you that?"

Fluttershy giggled. "Oh, it's just my special talent. I love animals and taking care of them and, well, talking to them is a bit second nature to me."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Do they ever talk back?"

"Once," Fluttershy answered, smiling at the Human. Ash struggled to control his blush. "But just because they can't talk like ponies doesn't mean we shouldn't listen," she continued. "If you're observant, you can see how the animals communicate with each other. Then they begin to talk back to you, not with words or in the same way you spoke, but in their own way. You just need to listen."

"Insightful. Hmm..."

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing," Ash quickly assured. "Nothing at all." He just could help but note of the parallels between Fluttershy's words and Elvish philosophy.

"I think you're pretty good with animals too," Fluttershy said, interrupting Ash's musings. "If you don't mind me saying."

"Eh?"

"I don't think I've ever seen so many animals so at peace. Sometimes I have problems just getting Angel to take a nap." The Pegasus giggled. "What was that song? Was it from your old- oh..." Fluttershy gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to remind you..."

Ash raised a hand. "It's fine," he said. "I...wait, song?" The Human tapped his chin. "What song?"

Now Fluttershy was confused. "That wasn't you? There was music playing. It made me feel so calm, I wanted to take a nap. You heard it too, didn't you Angel?" The bunny nodded.

Ash rubbed his chin in thought for several moments before his eyes lit in realization. He groaned.

"Is something wrong?" asked Fluttershy in concern.

"No, just..." He sighed. "There's a technique I was taught, special kind of meditation," Ash explained. "It's hard to explain but imagine your body as a house. If you open up that house, nature fills in. It's a way to connect directly to nature and with practice, you can focus on tracking down individuals, scout out unseen areas, and even control the elements. Some theorize that's how the Elves are so powerful at physical magic. It's also a pretty relaxing exercise," he added.

"Oh," Fluttershy said. "But you don't seem very happy about it. If you don't mind me asking, why?"

"It works two ways. When you leave your house open, your own...for lack of a better term, spirit, tends to roam free. Kind of like a conscious. It acts as the scout, the tracker, whatever." Ash frowned. "The problem is, however, that having an uncontrolled spirit wandering about is very dangerous...you said there were a bunch of animals here earlier right?"

"Um hmm. Lot's of them."

"They must have noticed my spirit and its aura drew them here." Ash shrugged. "I'm glad none of them attacked."

"Why would any of them attack?" Fluttershy asked, alarmed. "They were acting so calm, so peaceful. And the song...was that your spirit?"

Ash's lips fell into another frown. "I've never heard of such a thing. I mean, I've felt other auras and they've always been more like creepy lanterns floating around. Even if it's well hidden, I'd probably still just feel a chill. Nothing resembling a song or music though. And most creatures react violently to an uncontrolled and unknown spirit. Odd..."

"Is it going to be a problem?"

"I don't kn-"

Fluttershy shielded her eyes as a flash of light threatened to blind her.

"-ow. What bothers me is that I hadn't realized how little self-restrain I had," the grey Unicorn that had replaced the young Human continued. "I normally have complete mastery over myself and it took years of training to achieve that. But now..." Ash shut his eyes. "This could be an issue if I needed to scout a hostile area without being noticed."

"Um, well...I don't think, um, there are too many hostile places you'd need to spy on...if you don't mind me saying," Fluttershy finished to the ground.

"I suppose. Guess I'm just a little disappointed in myself." He looked up into the sky. "I should probably head back to the library before Twilight has a fit."

"Does...she know that you're here?"

"Well, I did leave a note..."

*****

"Spike! Grab me an encyclopedia! What in Equestria is a 'Eva Foreplay' and why does Ash need one?"

*****

"I, um, probably didn't think that through."

"Oh. I...should get going. I still need to make breakfast."

"Here, I'll, uh, walk you home."

"Oh, there's really no need," Fluttershy quickly said. "I'll be fine, r-really. I don't want you to get in trouble with Twilight."

"Don't worry about that. I'm sure Twilight will understand."

*****

"Doesn't he know he has school today? HE SHOULD BE STUDYING FOR THAT SPELLING QUIZ!"

*****

"Um, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Never mind," Fluttershy mumbled.

"Oh...okay."

The two ponies continued their walk through the forest in awkward silence. Every so often Fluttershy would lift her head to find the grey Unicorn turning his head away, his eyes shifted to any other direction beside toward her. She in turn would look back to the dirt with an embarrassed blush. Between the two hopped Angel, who would slap his paw against his head at the display.

Ash decided he had enough. He opened his mouth but before he could muster the courage to actually speak, he released the least impressive squeak Equestria had ever heard.

The stallion covered his mouth, horrified. His face grew redder and hotter as Fluttershy and Angel stared at him. He tried to clear his throat with a cough but it too came out as a squeak.

I wonder if it's possible to die from embarrassment Ash thought, not for the first time. He stared back.

Fluttershy at last broke eye contact. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, then made a noise that was just as impressive as Ash's had been.

Silence reigned for a second longer before being violently overthrown by a burst of giggles from the Pegasus and the Unicorn. The giggles grew into full laughter and soon the two were clutching their sides and leaning against each other for support.

"Oh geez, I-I'm-"

"I'm so sorry, i-it's j-just-"

The reminder of the trip passed devoid of any of the initial discomfort. Angel's face continued to take self-inflicted abuse as every now and again the giggles would begin anew.

"If you don't mind me asking...well..."

"I don't. Really, Fluttershy, go ahead."

"Is there any reason you were in the Everfree Forest, um, meditating?"

"It's harder to meditate indoors. It's just...too quiet. I didn't want to risk anypony seeing me out and everypony seems to avoid the forest so..."

"But it's so dangerous," Fluttershy protested. "There's a reason why we all try to avoid the forest...oh, uh..." She turned away as Ash stared. "I'm sorry...I'm just glad you're safe."

"Yeah, well, I guess it wasn't the best idea I've had. Sorry to worry you."

"Um, is there any reason why you needed to, you know..." Fluttershy's eyes widened. "You called it a relaxing exercise. D-did something happen?"

"Just a bit of stress. It's...well, it's Friday."

"Oh no." Fluttershy turned to her rabbit, who mirrored her blank look. "Um, is that bad?"

"Not in itself," Ash said with a sigh. "It's just...Ch...Ms. Cheerilee gives spelling tests on Friday mornings. Today will be my first one and, well, I'm kind of nervous."

"Oh," said Fluttershy. "Um, didn't Twilight help you study? N-not to imply that you didn't o-of course," she quickly stammered.

"Heh, course I did. Twilight saw to that. Did you know it's actually possible to misspell 'a'?" Ash chuckled nervously. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone that angry before."

"So that's what that sound was. I thought Rainbow Dash was trying a new trick."

Fluttershy's quaint little cottage came into view at last. "Um, would you like to stay for a little while? I could make you some breakfast as well," Fluttershy offered politely but hesitantly.

"Oh, uh, I'd love to but..."

"Oh no, I understand completely. I must have been too forward and I know my house isn't much for entertaining..."

"No, really, I really would like to stay and I think your house is really...nice. It's just that...Twilight...and you know..."

"Of course. I'd hate to worry her. Um, sorry to bother you..."

"It's not a bother, maybe-"

Something bounced off Ash's skull. A carrot landed at the Unicorn's feet. Both he and Fluttershy turned to Angel, who stood at the doorway, tapping his foot impatiently.

"...maybe another time then," Ash finished, levitating Angel's gift into his mouth.

Fluttershy smiled sweetly. "Of course. Good luck on your test. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Thanks. See you around."

With a wave, Ash headed back to the library, hoping to find it still intact. The carrot slowly disappeared with a crunch.

*****

"Now class, you know what time it is."

Cheerilee ignored the collective groan that echoed through the schoolhouse as her students set their books aside and found paper and pens. "That's right, it's time for a spelling quiz!" the teacher declared cheerfully, pulling out a list of potential words.

That's odd she thought. These words seem a little, well, random. Some of them are definitely too easy and others...so that's how you spell asphyxiation. Did I remember the right list?

If she had the time to consider the strangeness more fully, Cheerilee would have remembered that this week had been a hectic one, with her mother over for a visit, and she had left the choosing of the tested words at the discretion of her sister. Not her brightest idea, considering how her niece was also her student, but Cheerilee had been at her wits end, with a majority of her time and energy spent on explaining to her mother why her eldest was still single. The only alternative she had come with was to open the dictionary at random pages and pick whatever word her hoof landed on.

Which is exactly what Berry Punch had done. It would explain the juice stains on her personal dictionary.

A few ponies sat their seats and waited eagerly for the test to begin. Ash was one of them. He fidgeted in his seat nervously, constantly checking his pens and flipping his piece of parchment over onto the other side. Tests were nothing new. As an apprentice of the Archmage and a candidate for the title, his abilities were constantly reviewed and questioned. This, this was nothing more than a little spelling quiz designed for young foals, child's play.

So why was he so excited, so nervous?

"The first word is..." Cheerilee fought the urge to groan and ram her desk with her own head. This would be the last time she ever got her sister's help. "...duck."

Ash took a deep breath. A simple, four letter word. No problem. Same number of letters in Equestrian as in his own language. A 'd' followed by a 'u', then a 'c', and finish it with a 'k'. Not a problem.

Several nearby students looked up from their own papers to watch the grey stallion scribble furiously. Ink splashed over his cheeks as he fought to keep the pen still with his teeth. A few giggles and snorts rose around him but Ash ignored them, focused on his task.

D...

It wasn't pretty.

U...

Hell, a baby could make a cleaner finger painting.

C...

One day, he would have the same control over his Unicorn magic as he did over his own spells. Until then, he'd have to be grateful that in Equestria ink wasn't deathly toxic.

K...

Ash set the pen down as pride swelled within. It should have felt ridiculous feeling so victorious after writing just one short and simple word down but at the moment, Ash was experiencing nothing but pride. First word down, nineteen left. The thought sobered him a little as he looked back at his near-ruined pen and partially destroyed paper. Ash took in a breath to steady himself once more. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, Ash reminded himself, and he he was a step closer to being able to write, a step closer to being able to read, to filing a resume, to getting a job.

He was a step closer to fitting in.

"MS. CHEERILEE! MS. CHEERILEE!" came a screech from the side. "ASH WROTE A BAD WORD!"

"...huh?" Ash glanced toward the direction of the scream and down at Diamond Tiara's test. The filly gasped and covered the paper with her hooves. She smirked as the mare at the front removed herself from her desk and began making her way here.

The front of her name remained unhidden, however, and allowed Ash to make a comparison and see his error.

So...if that's what a 'd' looks like...what did I write?

*****

"Why do I have to stay in too?" complained Diamond Tiara. "He's the one who wrote-"

"You know the rules," Cheerilee said cooly. "Looking at another student's paper is cheating."

"But-"

"No buts," interrupted Cheerilee. She knew the young filly probably wasn't actually trying to copy Ash's work (who would need to cheat to spell 'duck'?) but rules are rules and she was obligated to uphold them. "Cheating is an automatic fail, you know this."

Diamond Tiara began to sniff. The even with all her experience, young teacher struggled to be strong, to remain professional. She found it difficult not to assure the light-pink filly that this test was worth no points anyways. Even Ash couldn't help but feel the tugging on his heartstrings, no matter how much he tried to freeze the traitorous organ.

"It's not fair though!" Diamond Tiara cried. "I wasn't cheating!"

"That's enough," Cheerilee said. "Diamond Tiara, please go sit in the corner while I talk to Ash. I'll speak to you personally later, and any attitude and I will schedule a meeting with your father."

The threat worked. With one last hateful glare at her older classmate, Diamond Tiara flopped herself in a desk in the corner, looking wistfully out the window and at the beckoning sun. The happy cheers that wafted from outside darkened her mood.

"Now..."

"I am really, really, really sorry. I honestly thought I was writing a 'd', honestly. I am really sorry. It won't happen again, I promise. Please don't tell Twilight!"

Cheerilee regarded the stallion in front of her desk with an eyebrow raised. His normally grey face was red as he made apologized, made excuses, then apologized for making excuses. "Ash..." she began.

"Sorry!"

"Can you let me speak?" Cheerilee struggled not to snapped, reminding herself that before her was one of her students, despite his age.

"Sorry," Ash mumbled, fidgeting with his hooves. "I...I'm just a little...panicky, I guess. It's been quite a day."

"A long day for you too, huh? It's fine," Cheerilee said. "Don't worry, you're not in any trouble. I know you didn't mean to disrupt class but I would like to use this as a reminder to watch your language around the children. Just a reminder, that's all."

"Alright."

"There's another thing I would like to discuss with you however. About your education." The light-purple mare straightened the small pile of papers. "I'd have preferred a more private meeting for this but I suppose right now is a good a time as any."

"I-is something wrong?" Ash asked, a little apprehensive.

"No, no, I just want to take the opportunity to talk about your progress." Cheerilee paused. "It's funny, you speak perfectly but you can't read or write."

"Oh, I, uh, never needed to learn so I didn't," Ash quickly said, trying to buy time to build a stronger excuse. "Yeah..."

"Hmm, never needed to learn...is that right?"

"Well, no, that's not true," Ash backpedaled. "I meant to say I never had the opportunity to learn to read and write. My, uh, family was part of a caravan, nomads. Yeah, always on the move."

"Nomadic table makers?"

"Table makers?" Ash's eyes flashed with understanding as he remembered the background he had created. "Oh, yes, nomad table makers...it was a hard life." He hoped his eyes weren't as shifty as they felt. "Yeah, no formal education."

"Hmm..." Cheerilee considered the sweating stallion in front of her. She decided not to pry further, least she appear intrusive. "Well, about how you're doing...how do you think you're progressing along?"

Ash grimaced. "Progressing? I...could be doing better." His eyes lingered on the parchment sitting separately some distance from the neat stack of spelling tests. "A lot better."

"You are improving, that's encouraging," said Cheerilee with a supportive smile.

"But?"

"Well, not to mince words, it's been slow and your progress is slowing down. Every child-er, student, works at their own pace but I can see that you're not entirely happy with your current speed."

Ash followed Cheerilee's gesture to his test. "No," he sighed. "No, I'm not. It could definitely be better. I could definitely be better."

"I'm bringing this up now because Twilight's been pushing me to add classical literature in the curriculum and I've decided to start it, before summer hits. However, I'm not sure if you'll be able to keep up with the rest of the class but I also don't want to leave anypony out."

"So what are you suggesting?"

Cheerilee thought for a moment. "With so many foals, there's only so much I can do for each individual student. I can't help you as much as I'd like. Do you think we could recruit Twilight's help? I believe finding a tutor would help."

"I don't want to bother Twilight too much. She's always pretty busy," Ash said. "Do you know anypony else?"

"Well..."

*****

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER EQUESTRIAN LANGUAGE TUTORS! YAY!"

Author's Note:

F is NOT for fantastic. Do not tell your parents I told you that. F means fail and getting one means you're a failure that doesn't deserve the rice in your bowl.