Birthday Wish

by Midnight Spawn

Best day ever! (Day 6)

I did not sleep well at all. I kept hearing that voice in my sleep with its sickening rhymes. Things like,

A destiny stolen can be brought back.

And, The time has come, the hero chosen.

Then another time, He who doesn’t know may still bring it about.

I can’t ignore it anymore. I’m seriously creeped out! Not only that, but that shape on the moon is back, and it looks… familiar. I’m starting to think maybe it wasn’t my wish that brought her here in the first place.

Anyway, I got up early this morning and woke Fluttershy up:

“Fluttershy, wake up! I need your help,” I whispered to her sleeping form.

The mare opened her eyes and yawned. It was amazing that she could sleep all night like that and still have a perfect mane. “James? What’s wrong?”

“Listen… do you hear that?”

She listened for a bit before answering, “No, I don’t hear anything.”

“Exactly! Fluttershy, something’s happened to the birds! I think they’re scared from the storm last night, and now they haven’t come out of hiding.”

The little pony stood up quickly. “What? But that means they won’t be able to chirp in the morning, then nopony will have a good day! What are we going to do?” She looked sincerely worried that if the birds didn’t sing in the morning, nobody would be happy.

“There’s nothing I can do. Fluttershy, it’s up to you. They’ll listen to you!”

“But… I…” She squeaked and hid her face.

“Flutter, they’re just birds. You talk to them all the time,” I tried to be reasonable.

“But what if I can’t? What if I just make things worse, and everyone’s day is ruined?”

There is, like, a 0% chance of any of that happening. “You’re the only one for the task.” She lifted her head. “I believe in you, Flutter.” She looked at me. “You just have to believe in yourself.”

I could see her wrestling with the responsibility. Finally, she said, “Okay, I’ll give it a try.” I watched her stand tall and determined, and I had never been so proud of her. We walked to the front yard and stood looking out at the wet ground. Nobody else was up yet.

The gentle mare looked around, but didn’t find any birds. “H-hello?” she called. A quick look around led her to some birds seeking shelter in a bush. “It’s okay. The storms over now,” she said in a sweet, calming voice. Then she moved to the next flock and said, “It’s safe to come out now.”

I smiled and watched her go from tree to bush, encouraging not only the birds, but the few squirrels that were there, too. Her voice was so… melodic and she calmed the creatures, saying things like, “Don’t you want to sing about a new day?” “Hey there, brave birds. You really showed that storm, huh? You should sing about it!” “The storm’s over—you can out now.”

She was smiling greatly and flying from place to place now. “Good morning! It’s such a beautiful morning, you should sing extra loud this morning!” “Wake up, sleepy heads. I brought you some fruit to munch on.” She looked over at me standing there. After what was perhaps too long, I got the idea and ran inside. When I came out, I had some fruit for her. “Here you go. Eat up and get those singing voices big and strong!”

Did you know birds eat fruit? I thought they just ate worms, but here they were munching on fruit as Fluttershy fed each one of them. Soon, there were so many birds in my front yard, people started looking out their windows to see.

“U-uh,” I stuttered as I saw a few people watching. Then I started whistling and pretended to be throwing out some seed. Eventually, they went back to their lives and I continued watching Fluttershy fly between the creatures, talking and encouraging and smiling like there was no tomorrow!

Fluttershy rubbed cheeks with a robin. No, seriously. “See? You’re braver than you think. One silly storm isn’t enough the ruffle your feathers. I’ll bet you’re the bravest in your family, aren’t you?” The robin shook and puffed its feathers out in pride. I saw her giggle and look around at the happy creatures. They looked so happy.

Suddenly, one bird started to sing, and all the rest joined in one by one. The sound grew until they were a choir that couldn’t be ignored. People started coming out of their houses, and I wasn’t sure what to do so I just focused on Fluttershy. I wasn’t going to let anyone ruin her moment.

It was beautiful. Not the singing—her smile. I mean, the birds’ song was gorgeous of course, but Fluttershy looked happier than she had ever been since coming here. She looked at me and I gave her a thumbs up. Then she ran to me and hugged me. “Oh, James, I’m so happy! I feel… I feel like this is what I’m meant to do. Like… it’s my destiny!”

I don’t know how to describe what happened next. There was this tiny flash and a sparkle. Then I looked, and Fluttershy had her cutie mark—three flying butterflies, free from doubt and fear. Free to soar and make life beautiful for everyone.

That moment, I experienced a new kind of joy, because I was happy for somebody else, and that is a kind of happiness that is greater than any kind for yourself. Fluttershy saw it and cheered. I laughed and congratulated her.

By this time, someone had pulled out their phone and started recording what was happening. I realized that I was crouched down to hug her and nobody else could see her. I always thought it would be awful and awkward if anyone caught me with her, but all I wanted to do at that moment was show her off. I wanted to praise her for finding who she was, and let the world know how proud I was of her.

Then I realized that this was the first time I had hugged her. That’s when I stroked her mane just like I had wanted to do since the first day I saw her. Guys, let me tell you—it’s the softest and smoothest mane you could ever feel! It smells like… some undiscovered flower and almost seems to shine. I could have stayed there in her embrace forever and been the happiest person on earth.

Instead, I whispered to her, “You want to go to the park and make some more animals happy?”

She responded, “Oh, yes! Let’s go give them the best morning ever!”

“Then let me go get changed. You’d better come inside, too, before you attract more birds and people start REALLY freaking out.”

And that’s what happened. I’m smiling even as I’m writing this. I don’t know about you guys, but I had the best morning ever! I may have no fruit left, but Fluttershy’s happy, the birds are still singing, and my little pony got her cutie mark! I hope your mornings are going just as well. If you had a hard night like I did, just listen to the birds sing. Why should they be happy and you not? It’s your day. Go seize it!

I’m going to go to the park, then maybe we’ll celebrate with some ice cream. I’m just in such a good mood right now! Expect another post this afternoon. Thanks for the encouraging words, guys! You are all so awesome!

Afternoon update

I’m sitting in a picnic area-type thing because it’s the only shelter there is from the rain.

We got to the park quickly enough, and most of the animals were already up. Fluttershy spent the whole afternoon playing with them and finding each of their names. It turns out some animals give their children names and some don’t; but for those without a name, Fluttershy took it upon herself to come up with one. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing animals acting this way around her.

After some time, Fluttershy needed a rest and sat on one of the swings. I started pushing her, and we talked. She said she “liked swinging” because it was “like flying only less scary.” How can a Pegasus be afraid to fly?

Anyway, I guess the storm last night didn’t get its fill, because another one hit while we were there. We scrambled to get out of the rain and ended up in this little area. It’s a little place with a roof, some bathrooms, and several picnic tables. The only thing was, we weren’t the only ones there.

As I wiped off my glasses and Fluttershy shook herself, we were joined by a little boy. He must have around 10 or so, and he ran into the shelter as well. I stood there awkwardly before sitting down. I wanted to talk to Fluttershy, but now that wasn’t possible.

But you guys won’t believe what happened next. He said, “Hi,” and I said, “Hello.” Then he looked over at Fluttershy then faced me and said, “Is that your pony?”

I was shocked. For a bit, I didn’t say anything. The boy just stood there looking innocent. Then I leaned forward and pointed toward the pony and said, “You can see her?”

He nodded. “Yea, I have a pony, too!”

My eyes went wide. I looked over at Fluttershy who didn’t seem to know what was going on either. I faced him again, “You mean you have a pony? Like her?”

He smiled and nodded. “Uh-huh. Wanna see her?”

I blinked several times. “Um… yea,” I responded. Then the boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny Rainbow Dash toy.

“It’s Rainbow Dash!” He said proudly.

I exhaled. “Oh!” Then I smiled at him. “That’s pretty cool, dude! You like Rainbow Dash?”

He looked at the toy in his hand. “Yep.”

“What do you like about her?”

“She can fly really fast!” I laughed at his answer. “She’s not like yours, but that’s okay.”

Not sure what he meant, I just said, “Well, at least you can fit yours in your pocket, so you can carry her places.” He shrugged and continued to study his toy. “So where’s your mom or dad?”

He pointed to a house just across the street. “She lets me come here by myself.”

“Hmm,” I wondered, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Even if you live close, parks can be dangerous.”

“I’m not scared! I can take care of myself!” Then he proceeded to put down his toy and try to kick the table.

“Whoa, there, buddy! Haha, I see that you’re strong, but maybe you should go get your mom just in case. I’m sure she’d like to see you go down the slide.”

He liked that idea and ran to fetch his mom. Naturally, we couldn’t be there when he came back, but I had to stand there for a second to take in all that had just happened. I turned to Fluttershy, “Fluttershy, can you believe that he could see you? How is that even possi—Fluttershy?”

She was standing there. Just standing there, staring at…

Oh, no.

She was staring at the toy the boy had left on the table.

All I could think was, Crap.

Evening Update

No, no, no, no, NO! My mind was spinning as I glanced between the pony figure and Fluttershy’s blinking eyes.

She wasn’t saying anything, so I decided I should first. “I—”

“You knew?” She looked at me and her face broke my heart.

“No! I—”

“But you called it a Rainbow Dash! You called it that to the boy!”

“But I didn’t know! I mean, I wasn’t sure… What I mean is that a few days ago—”

“I’ve been searching… LOOKING for anything—ANYTHING that looked like me. Something that might help me find… my…” She started crying and couldn’t go on.

How did this happen? We were both so happy not one hour ago! Guys, I had this whole day planned out, and I was going to tell her TODAY. I knew how I was going to break it to her and everything. Now, this?

“Fluttershy, I… I didn’t know until yesterday, I swear.” Goodness, did it even have to be raining right now? It just figures, you know?

She was trying not to cry, but she lost the battle every time she looked back at the Pegasus on the table. Then, she turned around and ran into the rain.

I was hard on her heels shouting, “Wait!” and “Give me a chance to explain!” but she just ran faster. The rain started falling harder (again, figures) and soon we were both so soaked, you couldn’t tell if she was crying or not. But I knew she was from the faint noises she made over the thunder. I ran after her for a good while, but horses are just faster than people. Even determined people.

When she was out of sight, I stopped and panted in the middle of the street. Then, in desperation, I raised my hands to my mouth and shouted, “FLUTTERSHYYYYYY!!!”

There was no response save for the echo of my own voice and the rain continuing to fall. Where could she go? She didn’t know this neighborhood. She had just taken off down the street. I stood there for a few more moments.

I heard a door open, and an elderly woman called for me, “Excuse me, are you alright? It’s pouring rain, please come inside.”

I continued to just stand there. Her face showed she was concerned, and I knew I needn’t fear her; but I also knew I couldn’t give up the chase so quickly.

“You’ll catch cold out there, son.” I looked at the ground and tried to catch my breath. “Did you lose someone?”

I looked up at her. She spoke quietly, “She’s gone, isn’t she?”

“H-how—”

“A man is standing alone in the middle of the rain, calling out someone’s name. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened.”

“Well… yea… I tried to catch her, but…”

“Then keep running, child.”

“What?”

“I wish I had kept running when my man walked away. I should have kept looking when I still young enough to. So, run! Chase after her! Just don’t go and get sick out in this rain, okay, dear?”

I nodded and started running down the street again. But after only a few blocks, I knew it was hopeless. She could fly, after all. She could be anywhere.

So I made my way back home. When I walked through the door, I was immediately greeted by my mother. Well, “greeted” isn’t really the right word. I had left a note saying where I was going, but she was pretty upset. Plus, I was soaking wet, so that didn’t make anything look better. But when she saw my face, I guess I looked as upset as I felt because she piped right down. I told her I was going to my room, and she said, “Okay. Is everything alright? Did anything happen?” My mom is a very good mom because she’s always concerned about me and wants to know where I am at all times. I just shook my head and climbed the stairs.

Up in my room, I dried off and changed into some clean clothes. I didn’t know what in the world, I was going to do. My first thought was to report to you guys and ask what I should do, but then I just didn’t feel like it. Plus, I kind of felt like this was something I needed to solve myself.

Man, I had so many plans! I was going to give her the job of waking the animals EVERY morning. She would love that… and I was going to show her Animal Crossing like you guys said, because I actually do have that game. Then we were going to…

I felt the tears threaten to rise, but I managed to hold them back. I always said that “It’s not, ‘a real man doesn’t cry’. But ‘a real man knows when to cry’.” But I didn’t want to cry then. Especially if my mom walked in.

I sat there for I don’t know how long. It was probably just a few minutes, but soon I heard a rap on my window. Startled, I turned toward it and a soaking wet Fluttershy flying behind the second story window.

I quickly ran over and opened it, letting in some of the rain, but really not caring. “Fluttershy! It’s you!” She didn’t say anything, but she wasn’t crying anymore. “I’m so happy to see you right now. You didn’t give me a chance to explain.”

“I-I’m sorry, James. I don’t know where I was going. I was running away, when I asked myself, ‘What am I running from?’ Then I realized that this may be my chance to discover where I’m from.” She wouldn’t look me in the eye. “I just didn’t want you to see me like this…”

She was a mess. She was soaked head to hoof and had tear stains running down her cheeks. She looked totally spent and the rain continued to pour down her mane. “C-can I fly through your window again, and we just start over?”

I responded exactly how I felt, “I wouldn’t wish for anything else.”

So it’s okay, guys. She didn’t get mad or run away… well, not for long. In fact, she took it quite well. After she came inside, I lead her to the bathroom and put her in the tub. Then I grabbed a towel and started drying her off. As I did this, I started explaining to her where she was from in the best way I could.

I didn’t want to lie, but the whole truth might not be good for her right now. “Do you remember what I told you about the television?”

She nodded, “Yes, that it lets you see into other worlds.”

“Right, and that you don’t know whether you’re seeing into that worlds present time or their past or future. Well, yesterday, I found your world.”

Her ears perked up. “You saw my world?”

“Yep. I saw exactly where you’re from. In fact, I saw you, too. You were really happy.”

The pony closed her eyes as I dried off the top of her head. “I knew I was from somewhere else. I’ve always almost been able to remember it.”

“Well, you’re a lot like you are now: kind, good with animals, and very shy. Did you know you’ve saved your town and the lives of your friends multiple times?”

“I did?”

“You sure did. You and your friends are pretty famous there. That’s why that boy had a toy of you ponies.”

“I think… I know what a ‘Rainbow Dash’ is…”

“It’s coming back?”

She shook her head. “Not really. I just can make out a little bit from the fog. Do you think there’s a way to get back to that other world?”

I’ll admit my heart dropped when I heard her talk about leaving, but I knew it was best for her. “We can start looking. But… tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow. Tonight, I want to see my home.” I always thought she saw this as her home.

Things are falling apart as soon as they had come back together. “Why don’t we save that for tomorrow, too? I think we should go to bed early tonight. We’ve been through a lot.” I mostly just told her that so I could ask you guys which episode to show her.

She yawned. “But… I want to… see…” She yawned again and her eyes drooped.

I took her back to my room and she asked, “Can I sleep with you tonight, James?”

Of course I told her she could. She’s asleep right now, and I’m typing, obviously. Man, I’m so tired. Today was a long one.

My mom came upstairs to check on me. She told me I could tell her anything, and I told her everything was fine. I think she’s worried because I’ve spending a lot of time “alone” and that’s just a mother’s job. Oh well, telling her would do no good because she can’t see her.

Anyway, that was my day—a pretty full one. I almost hope tomorrow is uneventful as selfish as that sounds. I know that means the post may be boring, but I can’t do stuff like this everyday.

Remember to tell me which episode I should show her. Hopefully this rain will have stopped by then, too. I honestly have no idea what’s going to happen tomorrow.

I think I did a good job explaining things to her. Okay, I’m just typing random stuff now, so I’ll stop.

Wait, one last thing: if it’s still tonight when you read this, look out your window. We’re all looking at the same moon, right? Can you see that? There’s a shape on the moon! It’s the same shape that’s been there almost every night since Fluttershy came. I can even see it through the rain clouds. What do you guys see? Just to make sure I’m not crazy.

Comments

[TheMainManeMaineBrony]

Great job getting her cutie mark! And I realize that now is definitely not the time to break the news. But still, don't wait too much longer.

[Midnight Spawn]

3319049 The plan is to break it to her today, and treat it as good news. I know how I'm going to tell her so that she isn't like scarred for life or anything.

[Crusadier]

Hrm, maybe you should check Youtube or some other site to find what other people recorded of you. You say that others simply cannot see her? I wonder what it looks like on their end. Do you look like you are hugging yourself, or look like you are hugging an "object" that they can't see? Furthermore, you should read multiple fictions (if you have the time) to read up on what mistakes are done with the 'Human In Equestria' inserts now-a-days with the protagonists. Perhaps you will find something useful there, a suggestion that was done in the story/recommended in the comments.

Curious.

[idontevengohereanymoreso]

Uh oh. This is bad. Very, very, VERY bad. Um, uh, tell her......GAH! I don't know! Wait, I know!
The truth. Tell her the truth. That she's from a TV show, and you didn't tell her because you thought she wouldn't take it well. Remember. Truth.

[lunarstallion]

3318497 Oh crap, I forgot about that! And yes, Animal Crossing would be PERFECT for Fluttershy!

[StageQuill]

Ooh. Not good.

Have you seen GalaxyQuest? Basically, a bunch of aliens think a spoof of startrek is a series of historical documents. It isn't what you should tell Fluttershy, but maybe...

And maybe children can see her? Or maybe it's only bronies. Why don't you try te get a few of each over to your house?

[That Pegasus Over There]

Well I hate to tell you this, but... We told you she was going to get upset.

I'm going to agree with 3320881's hypothesis that bronies can see her.

As for the moon... I'm not noticing anything different about it other than the usual 'man in the moon,' what are you seeing?

[StageQuill]

3321615 could Midnight Spawn be seeing something different? Maybe because of Fluttershy?

Maybe she's... radiating some sort of energy...

I don't know...

What does Midnight Spawn think?

[That Pegasus Over There]

3321790 Very possible. Only time will tell.

So Midnight, what are you seeing that we don't see?

[idontevengohereanymoreso]

Wait. Have you ever heard of the "Mare in the Moon"? What exactly does the shape on the moon look like? Cause I have a sneaking suspicion....... If it looks like a pony, then we're doomed.....