Exit Stage Left, Persued by...Fluttershy?
“Okay, everyone ready?”, Rainbow Dash prompted, eager to put hoof to the road.
“Maybe I should get just one more…”, Twilight murmured, glancing back towards the library, whose leaves could be seen from where the group had gathered. Applejack’s hoof stopped the purple mare.
“We’re ready. Twi’s got her books - an’ you got more’n enough, don’t gimmie those puppy-dog eyes, cuz Ah ain’t gonna help you carry any more of ’em - the girls’ve got their things, and Pinkie has…” The mare glanced askance at her pink, bouncing companion, who had her saddle bags packed. With what was a mystery she refused to speak of. “Uh, whatever she’s bringin’. Let’s go. It’s gonna be a long trot to Canterlot.”
“It’s not that long, really. It just looks like it’s further away because of perspective.”, Twilight rattled off, though she stepped into a trot to keep up with the others hurriedly; she fell into step next to Pinkie Pie, and they brought up the back of the herd. The trio of fillies were in the middle, with Applejack slightly ahead and Rarity - a wide-brimmed hat sitting daintily atop her head - to the left of the Crusaders. Rainbow Dash was attempting to fly in an upside down corkscrew somewhere above their heads, and Pinkie Pie was hopping alongside Fluttershy in the very front. All told, it was a good-sized parade.
“We won’t have to camp anywhere out here at night, will we?”, came a softly-voiced question. Even unable to see her, Twilight easily guessed the speaker.
“We shouldn’t have to, no. As long as we can keep up this pace, I think we’ll get to Canterlot before nightfall.”, the unicorn replied confidently.
“Wait, didn’t you come to Ponyville the first time by flyin’ coach?”, asked Applejack, turning her head and flipping her mane over to look back at the librarian. Twilight flushed a little; clearly, the cowpony hadn’t been very impressed by the gilded chariot. And after living in Ponyville, which was so much more - ‘utilitarian’ wasn’t quite the word she wanted, and ‘plain’ was rude, but it was all Twilight could think of - the chariot and the guarded escort did seem to have been a bit…much.
“Er, yes.”, she admitted. “But I've looked at maps since then, and it really shouldn‘t take a lot of time, even if we aren't going by carriage or coach.”
“I don’t see why we couldn't have taken one of those today!”, sniffed Rarity, purple tail flicking as she drew herself into the conversation. “Or some form of transportation besides our own four hooves. I’m certain my full pedi is going to be ruined by the time we get there. (1)”
“We’re doin’ it incognato -” - “Incognito!”, corrected Twilight, who was summarily ignored - “- so as few ponies as possible see the girls.”, Applejack explained, a bit heatedly.
“’m sorry, Rarity.”, Sweetie Bell said, pressing against her older sisters’ flank. "We just don’t want nopony seeing us…y’know.”
The white unicorn pressed into the small filly, turning her neck to breath softly on her siblings’ nose. “It’s fine, dear, really. I wouldn’t want you near those rough-and-tumble carriage stallions anyway. Who knows what kind of breeding they have!”
“Rarity, you’re friends with a pony who lived on a rock farm once. I don’t think you can point horns.”, noted Twilight, dryly.
“Ooooh, who was that? Cuz, y’know I used to work on a rock farm, and I know we’d get along and we could talk about farming -- ooh, Applejack, you’d get along with them too, you could talk about apples and rock even though they aren’t the same thing at all kinda like oranges and isn’t it weird that you have family named Orange I mean hellooooo?”
Applejack blinked as Pinkie hopped merrily along - backwards - and chattered at her. Even Fluttershy was trying to hide a smile.
--------------------------------------------------------
Eventually, their group did reach the edges of Canter lot - the /edges/ of Canterlot because Rarity refused to step hoof inside of it without looking her absolute best. Finding a lake nearby, all nine decided to take a swim; everypony was dusty and sore.
Ignoring the waves in the lake that Rainbow Dash’s canon ball caused - not to mention the game of chicken Pinkie Pie was trying to get others to join - Applejack lay in the shade of a nearby tree, running a hoof absently through her mane as she chatted with Fluttershy.
“Ah just don’t know about gettin' her Cutie Mark changed. It’s supposed t’ be a part of every pony… Just don’t seem right.”, the Earth mare worried - quietly. The clearing around the lake was big, but noises carried, and the last thing Applejack wanted was for her little sister to change her mind just because Applejack herself wasn't a fan of the idea.
“Well, my brother never said if he did get his changed. I don’t think I’d want mine changed; I love taking care of my animals!”, Fluttershy replied, glancing fondly at the trio of pink butterfly’s on her side.
“An’ Ah couldn’t imagine doin’ anything but runnin’ the farm. Workin’ with apples is in my blood.”, Applejack agreed, huffing out a sigh.
“You aren’t disappointed that Appleblooms’ Cutie Mark isn’t apple related, are you?”, asked Fluttershy, eyeing her friend with both understanding and wariness. It was a delicate, difficult question, and she probably wouldn’t have asked it had anypony else been close enough to hear the answer.
“…Ah dunno, Fluttershy. Ah mean, we all just kinda assumed…” Applejack winced, rubbing a hoof over her face. “But Ah reckon almost anything would be better’n something she hates, right? If her talent ain’t with apples, s’ no reason to disown her or anything. She’s still family, she’s still one of us.”, the orange mare declared, then grinned mischievously. “Heck, I got a cousin on my moms’ side that’s got a hoe fer a Cutie Mark. You wouldn‘t believe how many jokes she‘s heard about it. ‘Least Appleblooms’ is better‘n that, even if she don‘t get it changed.”
Fluttershy, blushing brightly, nodded. She stood when everypony was out of the water, and nudged her friend in the grass. Collecting her hat, Applejack followed the shy Pegasus to where Rarity was putting the finishing touches on her mane.
“It will do, I suppose.”, the white unicorn sighed, a bit of magic placing her broad sun-hat back on. “Is everypony else ready to go?”, she asked, glancing around.
There were nods all around, and so the small herd set off, their hoofs striking cobbles almost as soon as they got back onto the road.
--------------------------------------------------------
“Uuugh, we get it, Twilight! Don’t touch anything, don’t break anything, don’t get into fights with the guards… We’ll be fine, you egghead!”, Rainbow Dash complained, spreading her wings even as she pled with the unicorn.
“I just wanted to make sure, Rainbow Dash! I mean, I’m the only who knows her way around the castle, and…” Twilight started, trailing off as she noticed an Earth pony stallion, armor glinting in the sun, trotting towards their group.
“Miss Twilight Sparkle?”, he asked, glancing at the group huddled just outside the gate. When Twilight nodded, the stallion continued. “Princess Celestia says she can talk to you and your…entourage…in the Lesser East Meeting Room. Please follow me.”
The group followed obediently across the grounds of Canterlot Castle and through winding hallways and large, airy rooms, though the trio of fillies made their way further and further to the head of the group as they walked. Eventually, it was Scootaloo who couldn’t hold the question back anymore; “Hey, mister guard pony, what’s your Cutie Mark?“
Twilight winced; clearly they hadn‘t paid picked up any basic Cutie Mark etiquette, in school or around Ponyville. Not surprising considering they had just recently gotten theirs, but the lapse was still embarrassing even by proxy. “I’m so sorry, you don’t have to answer that, she’s just --”
“It’s alright, Miss Sparkle.”, the guard said, shaking his head. He had a softer expression on his face than any the ponies had seen on a royal guard’s face yet. “My Cutie Mark is a bone.”, he answered the small orange Pegasus. “You just can’t see it right now because of my armor.”
That got the attention of the other two fillies, who craned their heads and squinted at his hindquarters. Pinkie giggled loudly as Rarity face-hoofed. “Can y’ see it alright when y’ take yer armor off? Bones’re white, an’ you’re white. How can y‘ tell what it is if it blends int‘ you?”, Applebloom asked.
The guard looked amused, and opened his mouth to answer when their group reached the correct room. “Ah - here we are. The Princess will be with you shortly, if she isn’t inside already.”, he announced, pulling open one of the doors with his mouth, while a guard who was stationed inside the doors pushed the other one open.
Inside, Princess Celestia stood. She turned from looking out of a window to nod regally at the group, waiting politely until they had gotten closer before speaking; they could have heard her almost anywhere on the castle grounds, but no conversation would have been possible.
“Greetings, my faithful student - and her loyal friends.”, the white alicorn welcomed, mane flowing, as it always did, in a wind that did not exist. She cast her eyes over the small group, and noticed the ‘new additions’ right away. “As well as you three fillies.”, she added, questions clear in her voice as she glanced towards her lavender student.
Twilight rose from her bow, clearing her throat. “Princess Celestia, I brought Applebloom, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo here for a…um, private reason.”, she revealed, glancing towards the two guards. Stone-faced though they were, certainly they still had ears - and gossip traveled fast in Canterlot.
“…Of course. 4-Speed, Knight Shade, could you please wait outside? (2) Thank you.”, the Princess ordered. As the two stallions closed the doors behind them, she cast her eyes upon the group once more. “While I enjoy seeing you and your friends, Twilight Sparkle, I’m not certain what could be so dire to require you to arrive without prior notice?”, Celestia lead.
Twilight scuffed her hoof on the floor. “Ah, about that -”
“How did ya know we were comin’, Princess?”, cut in a curious Applejack. “We hadn’t even gotten past th’ gate afore your guard showed up.”
“When all six of the Elements of Harmony decide to leave town on the same day, together, accompanied by three fillies disguised by cloaks, ponies notice.”, the alicorn explained, tone dry but not stern - rather, she sounded almost amused. “Naturally I was informed, and if you hadn’t arrived by nightfall, I would have sent some of my personal guard to look for your group.”
The mares looked sheepishly at each other, and the three fillies shared looks - their cloaks had hidden their shame, but not their shapes.
“Oh. Well, we wanted to talk to you about the girls, here, and Fluttershy had some questions, too, I think. It was too sensitive a subject to write a letter about…” Twilight trailed off, beckoning the three fillies forward. Eyes huge in the face of royalty who raised the sun, the three minced forward, awkwardly bowing. “You see, the girls got their Cutie Marks, but they’re - well -”
“They’re horrible!” “They’re stupid!” “We can’t do nuthin’ with ‘em!”, the three girls in question burst out, talking at once. The Princess looked surprised and a bit confused, sloping her neck to be on more level ground with the three school-fillies.
“I doubt that is true. Anypony can do whatever they would like, whatever their Cutie Mark might be! Don’t tell me you didn’t feel a connection, when you use your special talent?”, Celestia said, speaking gently, encouragingly. But though the three traded glances, there were head shakes all around.
The Princess rose to her full height, clearly thinking. “Well. Let me see… I think I have just the thing to show you three.”, she announced with a smile. “If you don’t mind my showing them around, of course?”, the alicorn asked the six mares, who shook their heads. “I’m sure you six can entertain yourselves - I know Twilight could give you quite a tour of the grounds.”
“Um, oh dear, Princess Celestia, if you don’t mind…”, Fluttershy started, sinking down towards the floor when the Princess turned her attention to the yellow Pegasus. “Um, I was wondering, if you might know about a unicorn stallion named Fizzle? He - he said he came to you about his Cutie Mark…”
Mysteriously - it being one of the few facial expressions Fluttershy was expecting upon bringing up her brother - the princess smiled. “Ah, I do indeed remember him. I think at this time of day you’ll find him near the Northeast Gardens, practicing with some friends. He’s a very hard-working stallion, Fluttershy, you should be proud.”
The Element of Kindness perked up at the kind words. “Really? I knew he would be good - thank you, Princess.”, Fluttershy smiled, bowing her head. “I’m sure Twilight can find the gardens, right?”
The purple unicorn nodded confidently, tail swishing. “We’ll be fine. After all, what could go wrong?”
--------------------------------------------------------
Fluttershy broke into a quick trot as the group rounded a fence that lead into the correct garden. (It had taken Twilight two gardens and a ballroom to find the right meeting place. Nopony was quite sure why the castle had a ballroom covered in ivy and plants, but it had been rather pretty, they all agreed.)
“Fizzle! Fizzle, it’s me, Fluttershy!”, the yellow Pegasus called out as the three stallions noticed the oncoming group and stopped their lunges and kicks.
“Fizzle?”, a large blue Pegasus snickered. A unicorn with a pink, white and turquoise mane - the turquoise the same shade as his coat - glared at the Pegasus, tail flicking irritably.
“Shut up, Blue Blaze! Why don’t you and Sugar Trot go race around the tracks, huh? I’ll race the winner.”, the young stallion suggested. The blue Pegasus shrugged and trotted away, the Earth pony who had completed the trio following without a backwards glance.
As the duo departed, the rest of the group drew level with the two siblings. It wasn’t a difficult deduction to note that the unicorn looked irritated.
“My name’s Fanged Doom now, not ‘Fizzle’.”, he snapped, sneering his old name as if it were a bad word. Fluttershy blinked in surprise; clearly, she hadn’t been expecting such vitriol from her younger brother.
“Um, right! I’m sorry - er, Fanged Doom. I’m just so glad to see you! I like writing to you, and getting your letters, of course, but my friends and I actually had a question or two for you.”, Fluttershy apologized.
Now he looked curious, and craned a bit to see the rest of the group over his sister. The unicorn was smaller than the mare, still, and although he had his Cutie Mark, it was clear he was closer in age to a colt. “Yeah, sure, sis. Who are these friends of yours, anyway? Kinda look familiar.”, he asked, accepting the yellow Pegasus‘ apology absently.
“Oh! Yes, well, that’s Twilight Sparkle, there’s Rarity and Applejack, and that’s Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash, too.”, introduced Fluttershy happily. Each pony waved or nodded at their names, although Rainbow Dash’s was the only one to get a reaction besides boredom from the green-blue unicorn.
“The Rainbow Dash?”, he asked, and Rainbow puffed out her chest.
“The one and only! I knew Canterlot-ians would know who I was - hah! Bet you saw my rainboom from the Best Young Fliers’ competition, huh? I wondered if Canterlot would be able to see it.”, she bragged, grinning. The others smiled or laughed a little; it was always nice to see a friend get recognition.
Not this time, however - what had seemed to be excitement from the young stallion soon turned to sneering. “I thought that was you. Geez, I can’t believe the guards let you on the castle grounds!”, Fanged Doom snorted, tossing his head.
“B-but, she worked really hard on that! And she helped me with my confidence, too…”, protested Fluttershy, looking hurt and confused as her brother ragged on one of her closest friends.
“I just mean, your Pegasus friend’s a bit of a stutter step, isn’t she? Can’t seem to keep ‘em on the ground from what I hear.”, Fanged shrugged in reply. He cast an eyes over the blue Pegasus in question, sneering. “And a rot-feather, too - has she even groomed her wings in the past moon? It’s a pity, sis, I though you kept better company.”
Fluttershy looked horrified at her brother‘s words, and Applejack looked almost as furious as Rainbow Dash - she would have been taking the rude unicorn to task for her friend if she hadn’t been holding said Pegasus back by her tail; it took both hooves and some massive strength to do.
As the hot-blooded cowpony was busy, Rarity instead took up defending Rainbow Dash’s honor - over the loud curse-words being yelled by said wanna-be Wonderbolt.
“You - you utter brute!”, she exclaimed, pawing at the ground in anger. Fanged Doom sneered, though he took a step back as the other unicorn’s horn started to spark. “How dare you insult our friend! What gives you the right to speak to Rainbow Dash that way!?”
“Yeah. Why’n’t you go an’ make yourself scarce, ya limp horned salt-licker!”, snapped Applejack. “Before Ah decide to let my friend here go! Then you’d see just what she can do with her wings!”
Fanged Doom sneered, a few errant bubbles spilling out of his horn as color rose on his turquoise cheeks, muzzle pulling back to bare his teeth. “I doubt she could ruffle my forelock with those scraps of fluff!”
“Fiz-- um, Fang! S-stop that! There’s really no need to insult Rainbow Dash.”, Fluttershy protested, taking comfort from seeing Applejack holding the blue Pegasus back and Pinkie Pie comforting her. “I’m sure it was all a misunderstanding, little brother.”, she pleaded. “I want you to get along with my friends, not fight with them. I - I think we all need to calm down, maybe, um, take a break?”
The turquoise guard-in-training snorted, but quietly. “Yeah, fine. C’mon, Flutter, I can show you around the training grounds while your friends calm down, I guess.”, he accepted, sulking away.
Shooting her friends a pleading, apologetic look, Fluttershy hurried to keep up with her brother.
As the siblings cantered out of sight, Applejack let go of Rainbow Dash, though Pinkie Pie hung on still. “He was not fun at all!”, the pink Earth pony declared. “He was so mean! I can’t believe he’s really related to Fluttershy!”
“I know he was being rude, but my trainee is young. I think he’s homesick, too, I reckon, an’ prolly wasn’t expectin’ a whole group a folks to be accompanyin’ his older sister.”, came a gruff, accented voice from behind the group. Turning - or shuffling, in the case of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie - the group saw the speaker was an older stallion. He was two or three shades darker yellow in his coat than Fluttershy was, but life in the Royal Canterlot Guard had given him a solid, broad frame - and age had put a bit of a paunch on him, as well. He nodded in greeting to the group of five, introducing himself. “Name’s Tex. I’m the current Captain of the Night Guard, of which Fanged Doom is training for. Pleasure to meet you ladies.”
Twilight was the first to recover, nodding her head back in greeting. “Nice to meet you, Tex. I’m Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends…” Naming off the four others, the bookish mare couldn’t help but notice a distinct difference between Tex and the few Night Guard ponies she’d seen: he was, although a muted yellow, still much, much brighter than the assortment of ponies the unicorn had ever seen around the Lunar Princess.
“Nice t’ meet you an’ your friends, Miss Twilight.”, Tex smiled, eyes roving to the mostly-calm Rainbow Dash as she trotted closer. “An’ I feel awful about how Fanged treated ya’ll. I’ll have a talk with him, next time I see him.”
“You shouldn’t be the one apologizing!”, snorted Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie, to her left, nodded in a agreement. “He should be.”
“He should apologize to Fluttershy, too.”, Pinkie Pie added, scowling in the direction the two had gone.
“He’ll come around, Ah’m sure.”, Applejack said, assuringly. “Fluttershy’s as meek as a pony can be, but she is an older sibling, an’ we’ve got all sorts’a tricks fer dealin‘ with younger siblings.” She grinned, and eked out a return smile from the pink party pony.
“Speaking of, I’m glad the girls weren’t around to see that display.”, sniffed Rarity. She’d sidled over to Tex when nopony had been looking. Now, she batted her eyes. “Though I’m sure you could have calmed everything down, hmm, Captain?”
Twilight rolled her eyes and muffled a giggle. Leave it to her to make ‘connections’ already!, she thought. The giggle made its’ way out as Pinkie giggled as well, and soon the other two ponies were snickering behind their hooves.
“Oh, what? I’m merely being sociable!”, the white unicorn defended herself, one hoof touching her chest for emphasis.
“While I appreciate it, ma’am, I don’t think my old mare would if she heard about it.”, Tex joked, stepping away gently. Rarity looked only mildly downhearted; she bounced back rather quickly - and literally, as a pink blur bounced its’ way onto her withers with some force.
“Aw, don’t worry, Rare! I’ll be your date to, uh, whatever you need a date to!”, Pinkie chirped. Rarity smiled, covering it partially with a front hoof.
“Thank you, Pinkie Pie. I appreciated the…thought. But I don’t need a date to anything right now.”, the unicorn demurred. “I don’t there is anything coming up that one would need a date to on my social calendar for quite some time, actually.”, she added, musingly.
“Well, there’s always the Winter Solstice gathering. Lots of mares take dates.”, Tex noted, the added, slyly. “Or find them there, like Summer Blaze an‘ I did.”
Twilight, the only pony who didn’t look puzzled, coughed and blushed slightly. The five others turned to her, varying stages of curiosity on their faces. “It’s just that the, ah, tradition for the Winter Solstice in Canterlot involves ponies jumping over the embers of fire together. A lot of ponies do it if they’re trying for foals - it’s said to bring fertility. A lot of ponies do it by themselves just because they’re hoping for fertility for their businesses or homes.”, she explained. Now the blush heightened again. “And, well, there are a lot of ponies who find a date just for that night.”
Pinkie Pie leered, grinning. Somehow, the two expressions worked together for her. “Twilight! You got laid!”, she crowed.
“I think I’ll take my leave. See ya’ll later.”, Tex murmured, badly hiding a grin as he trotted off.
“It was - just the once, I mean - never saw him again…” she purple unicorn muttered, one hoof rubbing at the back of her neck.
“You owe me five bits!”, shouted Rainbow Dash, laughing as Applejack muttered under her breath and dug the bits out of her saddle bag. Twilight felt her jaw drop.
“You bet on whether I’d - if I was a -”, she sputtered, somewhere between angry and embarrassed.
“Oh, Twilight, it was just right after you first came to Ponyville. We didn’t really know you then, you understand.”, explained Rarity - handing over bits of her own to Rainbow Dash, who smiled gleefully. “And don’t give me that look! You were rather reclusive, you know, and frankly you seemed like you could give Fluttershy a run for her bits when it came to shyness around stallions.”
Twilight rubbed a hoof over her face. “Just because I like to read doesn’t mean I don’t want to - well, you know.”, she said, defensively. Applejack butted her in the flank, smiling.
“Well, we certainly know that now!”, the cowpony grinned. Twilight snorted, and grinned back, amused despite herself at the situation, annoyance fading away.
“Fluttershy isn't that shy around stallions.”, Pinkie Pie declared, shaking her head at Rarity. The pink curls flopped as the Earth pony went on. “You should have seen her this one time at a special Tuesday Party of mine…”
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Soo, ya gonna keep beating around the bush on Apple Bloom's cutie mark or something? Because you keep saying how 'bad' and 'awful' it is, but we haven't even seen it.
3307521
That's because i haven't actually decided on what it is yet.
So it isn't that I'm cliffhanging ya'll on purpose, it just sort of...happened. Or didn't happen, rather.
This...is interesting...I'll be watching this story for now...leering like an eagle over it's prey...Or some random other animal stalking its prey...
3307653
3307673 You asked for it
Anyways, this isn't exactly my cup of tea. I tend to read more HiE's and GB stories. Your beginning is simply good enough to have a looksee at. So many others have failed my expectations...Do try not to do so. I'd hate to see that happen...
...
3307757
I did ask for it... I'm glad you're giving my fic a shot, I must say. 
But I'm confused - what's a GB?
Gah, you got me with the Celestia's.
3307776 Gender Bender. Sort of Like Samaru, but I specialize more in HiE than Gender-Bending so far.