• Published 29th Jun 2014
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Fluttershy's Foal? - Autum Breeze



After one of pinkie's parties, Twilight wakes up to find herself a foal and Fluttershy is her mother. Wait, what?

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Chapter 5

Chapter 5

___________________________________________________________

Lightning flashed, bathing the room in an eerie white glow, followed by a boomed that seemed to come from the bowels on the world. Twilight screamed, rolling around as she tried to get out of her crib.

She’d gotten over her fears of thunder storms a long time ago, back when she was a little filly. But, now she was a foal, her fears had returned. Even though her adult mind told her she didn’t need to be afraid, she was terrified beyond anything.

Fluttershy, hearing Twilight’s cries, hurried out of bed, and bent over the crib, picking the little foal up and held her, trying to calm her.

Twilight clung to Fluttershy tightly, trying to find somepony to comfort her and scare the fear away; make her feel safe.

It had been three days since the two of them had awoken to find their reality had changed, leaving Fluttershy as Twilight’s new mother.

___________________________________________________________

So many things were different, yet so many were still the same. Trixie’s two visits to Ponyville had happened (both ponies had been rather horrified when they realized it meant, in this version of reality, under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet, Trixie had knowingly and intentionally separated a mother from her daughter, leaving a foal on its on to fend for itself), the Equestria Games had been and gone, with Ponyville wining the medal count and so on.

One thing they did learn though, was that Twilight not been born an Alicorn in this reality, like they'd thought. According to their confused friends when Fluttershy mentioned such a thing, they learned that Twilight had been born a unicorn, but had somehow ascended to Alicornhood after reading a book that had been shipped to Sunset's library.

It so happened that this had been after Discord's reforming, so the Elements had been nearby when Twilight, surrounded by the other Bearers as Sunset and Spike were in the kitchen getting drinks and snacks, finished the spell Star Swirl never did and became an Alicorn.


But something that startled them both was that, within those three days, they both realized how strong their bond as mother and daughter was.

At first they’d tried to ignore it, doing their best to try and figure out a way to return things to the way they remembered them. Pinkie Pie was no help, for she saw this reality as fun and wanted Twilight to stay a, in her words, “Cutie wootie tootie ootie”.

However, despite pouring through every book she could find on the matter (though that wasn’t really many, twenty-five at best), the end result was the confirmation that nothing could be done. This reality was now their reality and they had to live in it, whether they wanted to or not.

It was after coming to this conclusion that they’d learned about the bond they had. In anger and despair at the loss of her old life, Twilight had flown out of the library, not looking where she was going and went deep into the Everfree Forest. There, she’d accidentally flown into a fight between two Manticores and a pack of Timber Wolves.

Despite being the Element of Magic and having wings she could’ve flown away with, Twilight’s inner foal had frozen in fear at the sight of the monsters and her wings snapped to her side, leaving her stuck on the ground, at the mercy of the creatures glaring down at her.

Twilight had put her hooves over her eyes; bracing for the end, when a loud scream had caused her to look up and the creatures to freeze in terror.

“STAY AWAY FROM MY BABY!”

There was a flash of yellow as something shot passed Twilight, slamming into the creatures, which all started to run in absolute fear. Twilight watched as Fluttershy, the meek, timid pony she’d known for so long; using her new Rainbow Powers to increase her strength to beat the tar out of each monster, all the while doing considerable damage with each attack.

Several minutes later, Fluttershy landed in front of Twilight, snorting, her face pulled back in a snarl as the beaten and battered creatures all stared at her, cowering.

“Never come anywhere near my little Twily again, do you hear me?” she ordered, going into the most intense Stare Equestria had or would ever see. The creatures all nodded frantically, scared she would attack again. “If I ever find out you’ve harmed even a single strand of her mane, you will wish Tirek had destroyed you when he was a giant. UNDERSTAND!?”

The all nodded again, before fleeing at a speed none would think possible as they tried to escape the worst, most terrifying creature known to exist: an angry mother.

Fluttershy calmed down, returning to her normal self and turned to Twilight, pulling her into a hug. “Don’t scare me like that, Twilight,” she sobbed, tears pouring from her eyes. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“Mommy!” Twilight cried, clutching Fluttershy like she was scared she’d disappear. She didn’t care that she was calling her best friend her mother. She’d been so scared, so certain that her life was going to end then and there, that she didn’t care anymore about who was and wasn’t her mother now. Fluttershy was there for her. She had saved her. “I’wm sowwy! I’wm sowwy! I was so scawed!”

Fluttershy stroked Twilight’s mane and rubbed her back, trying to hush the understandably terrified foal. “Shh. It’s okay, Twilight. Mommy’s here. Mommy won’t let anything bad happen to you, I promise.”

___________________________________________________________

Fluttershy hushed her daughter as she cried into her, terrified by the thunder and lightning as rain hammered the windows of the castle. Being so small, something like this was understandably scary for a foal, but she knew it was her job to keep Twilight safe and to make her feel better.

“Shh. It’s okay, Twilight,” she murmured soothingly, rubbing Twilight’s back. “The big nasty storm is outside. It can’t get to you, Mommy promises.”

Twilight’s reply was only sniffles and to bury herself deeper into Fluttershy’s fur.

Flutershy smiled. “How about you sleep with Mommy tonight, hmm? Would that make you feel better?”

Twilight nodded and Fluttershy returned to her bed, gently put Twilight down, wrapping her wings around her and covering them with the blankets.

Fluttershy leaned over to the bed stand, opening the top draw and took out a purple pacifier with Twilight’s Cutie Mark on it, placing it in the alicorn’s mouth.

Twilight, knowing what had happened, despite her adult mind telling her not to, started suckling the pacifier. As the sound of her suckling joined the sound of the raging storm outside, she started calming down, her eyes slowly closing.

Fluttershy smiled as Twilight gave a loud yawn around her pacifier and snuggled into her chest. Within moments, Twilight’s breathing was slow and steady, showing she’d fallen asleep in her mother’s embrace.

Fluttershy leaned down and kissed Twilight on her horn’s tip. “Goodnight, my little filly,” she whispered, then closed her eyes and went to sleep herself.

___________________________________________________________

Twilight glanced at Fluttershy as she and Pinkie talked while watching the three foals playing on the padded floor of the Cake twins’ bedroom. Whatever they were talking about it was scary serious. Why scary serious? Pinkie Pie had a firm expression, not at all like her usually happy self.

“Wat wong, Twiwight?”

Twilight rolled her eyes and turned to Pumpkin Cake, a very annoyed look playing across her face. Along with Pinkie, Fluttershy and Discord, it seemed Pumpkin still remembered the way things used to be too. “Why did you do dis?”

Pumpkin cocked her head. “Do wat?”

Twilight indicated to herself, then Fluttershy. “Why’d you make me a foaw and Fwuddewshy my mommy?!”

Pumpkin frowned. “Didn’ you wan' dat? You said so at da pawdy.”

Twilight glared. “No, I didn’! You took away my whowe wife, Pumpkin! My pawen’s, my bwoddew, pwincess Cewestia, eweyting!”

Pumpkin’s eyes widened. “You mean, you aweady had a famwiy?”

Twilight nodded. “But when you cast dat speww dat mixed wif Discowd’s magic, eweyting changed. I wost my moddew, my faddew, my bwoddew, eweyting. Now, all anypony knows about me is dat I’m da foal Pwincess o’ Fwiendship, biwfed by Fwuddewshy.”

Pumpkin’s eyes started to water, before she wailed. “I’wm sowwy, Twiwight! I didn’a know! I tought you meant you wan’ed a mommy!”

Twilight, realizing she’d said something the wrong way, quickly crawled over and hugged the crying unicorn. She didn’t blame Pumpkin for this. She didn’t blame Discord either (though blaming him would’ve been easy, since this was a little his fault for not waiting til at least a day before messing around again).

But then, neither of them could’ve known they’d both been planning on using the same spell, at the exact same time; nor that their magic would meld together and cause the whole of reality to shift around them all.

___________________________________________________________

Fluttershy was discussing why she wouldn’t wean Twilight off breast milk and onto formula because she didn’t believe in formula, really didn’t care for the processed foods other ponies ate. She preferred natural ingredients, as was to be expected with her communion with nature, when a loud wail caused the two to jump and turn to the foals to see Pumpkin crying, her hooves over her eyes.

Before either of them could react, however, Twilight crawled over to Pumpkin and pulled her into a hug, which the unicorn accepted and hugged the alicorn back.

“Aww,” Pinkie smiled, putting her hooves to her cheeks. “Twily’s making Pumpkin happy.”

Fluttershy smiled as she watched her daughter comfort her fellow foal, when something occurred to her, something that worried her and broke her heart as she saw the difference between Twilight and Pumpkin.

Twilight was an alicorn, but not a natural born one, like Celestia and Luna. Did... did that mean she was immortal, like them, or was she still mortal? Her heart ached as she suddenly imagined Twilight, a full grown pony again, standing sadly over a grave with Fluttershy’s Cutie Mark, tears streaming down her face.

Pinkie noticed Fluttershy’s inner discomfort. She decided she should let her know. Or at least, point her on the path. “Fluttershy?”

The Pegasus turned to her, her eyes watering as tears threatened to spill forth. “Yes, Pinkie?”

Pinkie put on a smile. “You should go talk with the princesses!”

Fluttershy blinked, her sadness suddenly lost in confusion. “Huh? But... why? Oh, if it’s alright I ask?”

Pinkie looked to the foals, her smile becoming small. “I’m sure they want to know how their little niece is doing. Why not tell them?”

Fluttershy thought about that. Though it had only been three days, she guessed it would be nice to let the princesses know how their niece was doing almost a week (by this reality’s time) since Tirek attacked. She saddened as she realized she could also learn whether or not Twilight was immortal.

The idea that her baby girl might one day have to bear losing her hurt her more than could ever be expressed in words. She couldn’t allow it, for the reason that Twilight had already lost one family; her heart would shatter if she lost another.

___________________________________________________________

Fluttershy sat anxiously outside the throne room, waiting for the meeting the princesses were in to finish. She’d been told she could speak with them once it was over.

The day Pinkie had suggested it; she’d made plans to visit Canterlot. She’d arranged for Applejack and her family to look after Twilight while she was away, making sure to leave plenty of milk, since she didn’t want Twilight having any formula.

After that, she’d gotten a ticket bound for Canterlot and arrived a few hours later. She’d been greeted by several guards, having gotten Sunset to ask Spike to send a letter to the princesses prior her leaving, letting them know she needed to speak with them and that it regarded Twilight.

Fluttershy waited, trying to think how best to ask the princesses such a touchy question. She knew being immortal couldn’t be all happiness.

Luna had told on her one of her visits to the Pegasus’ cottage, back in the other reality, though probably in this one too, that she had lost all those she cared about, save her sister, thanks to Nightmare Moon. When she had been freed, she had realized too soon that every pony she’d cared about, made friends with, had all died long ago.

Celestia had no doubt suffered in much the same way, only she’d had to watch as hers and Luna’s friends each grew old and fell to time as those thousand years of Luna’s banishment passed.

“I do not believe this!” a loud, arrogant male voice shouted.

Fluttershy only had time to turn her head before she was knocked aside by somepony and fell to the floor.

“Watch where you’re standing!” the voice shot at her as she hurried to stand. “Don’t you know who you just bumped into? I should...”

The stallion paused, frowning at Fluttershy, who suddenly recognized him. It was Prince Blueblood, the stallion who’d been horrible to Rarity and the Grand Galloping Gala. If she remembered, Rarity also told her that Blueblood was the least popular of the Royal Family, nopony liking him due to his tenancy to treat others like they were beneath him.

“I remember you,” Blueblood’s eyes narrowed and Fluttershy eeped, sinking to the floor. “You’re that commoner that spawned that fraud of a princess!”

Fluttershy twitched at those words, her fear disappearing and a scowl appearing on her face. “What did you just call her?” she asked as she slowly stood.

Blueblood returned her scowl. “You dare to talk to a member of the Royal Family without addressing me by my proper title?” He snorted. “My aunt must truly have lost her mind.”

Fluttershy breathed heavily. She could suddenly see why Rarity had spoken so sourly about this stallion. She was a very patient mare, but even she was already starting to lose her patience.

“Letting the child of a commoner be a princess? Not only that, but she gives her her own castle in a backwater town filled with nothing but pigs that wallow in their own filth? The nerve of her!” he stomped a hoof, then pointed it to himself. “She should have ascended me to an alicorn and given me place to rule instead of to that abomination of a pony. Manehatten certainly has the sophistication I would enjoy.

But what does she do? She gives it to a foal born, not from a noble, royal bloodline such as my own, but that of a common Pegasus that lives in a place the equivalence of a mudhole! If I had my way she’d have her wings and horn removed and left to wallow in the mud like she was born to—”

Blueblood never finished the sentence, for he suddenly found himself slammed into the wall, pinned against it, Fluttershy’s forehoof pressed against the wall, mere inches from his head.

She glared into his eyes, her own filled with rage. “Care to repeat what you think of my daughter, Blueblood?!” She said his name as if it were a curse word.

Blueblood, who had been filled with the confidence being better than everypony else always gave him, now cowered against the wall as he stared into the eyes of one who was clearly insane, a madpony.

Fluttershy leaned closer, her eyes narrowing. "Insult me all you want. But do not insult my daughter!"

At that moment the doors to the throne room opened.

“What is going on here?”

Fluttershy and Blueblood turned their heads to see Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and the dignitaries from Maretonia that Fluttershy had seen only four days ago in her own time, each looking at them with confusion.

Blueblood, taking advantage of Fluttershy’s diverted attention, shoved her away, causing her to hit the ground and turned to the princesses.

“Auntie! You have to lock her away! She assaulted me without reason!” he said, in an almost whiny voice.

Luna’s eyes narrowed the tiniest fraction. “Do you mean to tell us that Fluttershy, bearer to the Element of Kindness simply attacked you without warning or reason?”

“Are you sure you did not say anything that may have offended her?” Celestia asked, her tone and face neutral.

Blueblood scoffed. “I did nothing of the sort that she should have reacted that way to. I only said the truth in that her child is an abomination to our kind and is unworthy to be deemed royalty.”

Luna’s right eye twitched, which Fluttershy noticed, having learned Luna’s signals of irritation from her visits to her cottage and the times Angel had been rather rude to her.

Celestia’s reaction was less noticeable, but at the time, Fluttershy was able to see it. Her eyes had flickered the tiniest fraction.

“Honestly, auntie, I don’t see why you pampered that sorry excuse for an alicorn and give commoner that spawned it such leniency is beyond ludicrous. I am far more worthy of ruling than that plight on our halls. I mean, she is an affront to us. You already have endangered our royal image among the high of society by allowing her to continue even existing. If you keep pampering and wasting time on her she will become a useless waste of space. If I had my way, her horn and wings would be removed, leaving her the worthless pony she truly—”

ENOUGH!

Thunder boomed and the castle shook as both princesses used the Royal Canterlot Voice.

Blueblood went silent and cowered under the gazes of the diarchs.

Fluttershy watched, both in fear and interest. While Celestia’s glare looked as hot and fierce as the sun, Luna’s was cold and stony as the moon.

YOU DARE TO QUESTION WHOM I ALLOW INTO THE ROYAL FAMILY AND INSULT THEM AS IF YOU ARE BETTER THAN THEM?” Celestia boomed, her mane billowing faster than usual as she looked down at her nephew.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE AND HER MOTHER ARE TWO OF THE PONIES THAT SAVED ME FROM THE NIGHTMARE!” Luna practically roared, her eyes glowing white. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE WAS THE ONE WHO STOPPED DISCORD FROM PLUNGING EQUESTRIA INTO CHAOS! SHE FIGURED OUT WITH SUNSET SHIMMER THAT THE CHANGELINGS WERE USING CADANCE TO INVADED AND TAKE OVER! HER MOTHER REFORMED DISCORD SO THAT HE USES HIS POWERS FOR GOOD! THEY WERE TWO OF THE PONIES THAT SAVED US FROM THOSE PLANTS THAT ATTACKED EQUESTRIA AND THEY ARE TWO OF THE PONIES THAT STOPPED TIREK FROM RULING ALL OUR LANDS! TELL ME, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO WARRANT PRAISE HIGHER THAN THEM, NEPHEW?! TELL US! WE ARE INTERESTED TO KNOW!

Blueblood was quivering, having dropped to the floor. “W-well... I petitioned to have those ponies that ruined the Gala last year arrested and their town destroyed?”

WRONG ANSWER!” Celestia boomed, her mane almost igniting as her eyes glowed white. Fluttershy could see it sizzling. “FLUTTERSHY AND TWILIGHT SPARKLE ARE TWO OF THOSE PONIES! YOU WOULD ASK US TO ARRESTED A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY, AN INFANT, HER MOTHER AND PUNISH THEIR TOWN WHEN THEY DID NOTHING TO EARN SUCH TREATMENT?!

A squeak was his only response.

Celestia slowly calmed down, her mane settling to its usual movements and her eyes no longer glowing. “Return to you room, nephew,” she said, no emotion in her voice. “Do not ever question our actions or insult any member of the Royal Family again. If you do, you will be striped of your own title and left to live your life, thinking about your mistakes.”

Blueblood shakily got up to leave, but as he turned, Luna, who had also calmed down, spoke. “And do not think we are unaware of how you treat others. Tread carefully.”

Blueblood hurried down the hall, not looking back once.

Celestia turned to the dignitaries, who were shaking ever so slightly. “I do apologize. You should not have needed to see that.”

“We... we understand, princess,” the stallion nodded, seeming to regain his composure. “I too have a family member who tends to overstep his place.”

“May our next meeting end with a more... uplifting conclusion,” Luna bowed, as did the dignitaries, before they turned and left.

Celestia turned to Fluttershy. “I apologize for that, Fluttershy.” She sighed. “I don’t know why I keep hoping Blueblood will grow up.”

Luna nodded. “Indeed. Despite his age, his is more of a foal than any in Equestria. Even newborns have more manners and sense than him. However, that is not why you are here, Fluttershy.”

The princesses turned and walked back into the throne room, followed by the Pegasus.

The princesses sat on their thrones and Celestia turned to the guards. “This matter is private, so I must ask you all to wait outside.”

The guards all saluted. “Yes, Your Highness.”

Once the guards had left and the doors closed behind them, Fluttershy looked up nervously at the princesses. How was she going to explain this? One thing was for sure, she couldn’t fully emphasize how important this was unless she told them the truth. She had to tell them she and Twilight weren’t just a mother and daughter.

But how could she do it? Should she even do it? How would they react? Would they be angry? Would they simply think she’d gone crazy? Would they take Twilight away from her?

She closed her eyes, bracing herself as best she could, forcing her tears to remain inside.

“You need not worry, Fluttershy,” Celestia’s voice caused her to open her eyes and looked up. Celestia had a sad smile on her face. “We know about you and Twilight.”

Fluttershy’s jaw drooped and she gaped as fear flooded her mind. How did they know? What were they going to do? Maybe, if she flew fast enough, she could get back to Ponyville, grab Twilight and they could hide in the Everfree. They’d be safe there. They could—

“Indeed,” Luna nodded, her eyes downcast. “Discord informed us as soon as we returned to Canterlot. At first, we did not believe him, thinking it was a joke he was setting us up for.” She sighed. “That is, until I saw Twilight’s dreams that night.”

Fluttershy winced. She knew which dream Luna was referring to. Their first night in this new world, Twilight had awoken, screaming from a nightmare in which all her original family had evaporated around her and she’d been left alone, with nopony else.

It had taken some time to calm her down, since, back then; neither had realized the mother daughter bond they had.

Celestia nodded. “Though this did trouble us, we knew you were both still the Fluttershy and Twilight we know.” She sighed. “Or, at least, that we thought we knew. I cannot believe our whole reality changed and we completely forgot about it.”

“Oh, don’t blame yourselves,” Fluttershy looked down. “It wasn’t your fault. If anything, it is my fault. If I hadn’t talked about having my own foal, Pumpkin wouldn’t have overheard Twilight trying to comfort me and turned her into a foal at the same moment Discord did it as a joke.”

Celestia shook her head. “Do not blame yourself, Fluttershy. You couldn’t have known what would happen. And it is no crime to want to be a mother.”

Luna sighed. “This was not what you wanted to talk to us about though, is it?”

Fluttershy let a few of her tears slide down her muzzle. “Please, tell me, I need to know, since Twilight became an Alicorn is... is Twilight immortal, like you?”

Their silence made Fluttershy look up. Both princesses had their heads bowed, their faces showing only sadness.

It was all the answer she needed. “Oh, Twilight!” she sobbed, sitting down and putting her hooves over her eyes. “I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry I did this to you!”

“Wait. What are you talking about, Fluttershy?”

The weeping Pegasus moved her hooves away and looked up at Celestia as her tears blurred her vision and slid down her face. “Sh-she’s already lost one family and now she’s going to have to lose another!”

Luna and Celestia glanced at each other, their sadness overdriven by slight confusion.

“We do not understand, Fluttershy,” Luna said, raising an eyebrow. “How is Twilight losing another family?”

“Losing Shining Armour as her brother and her parents as her parents tore her apart,” she wailed, looking down at the floor. “Now she’ll have to watch Braeburn and I grow old and die, while she remains young forever.” She fell to the floor. “And just as we were bonding as mother and daughter. Now I wish I could free her from this! I wish I’d never said anything about being a mother!”

“Fluttershy.” Celestia’s tone, quiet, yet firm, caused the mourning mother to look up at the sun goddess. There was a sad, yet happy expression on her face. “You are immortal too.”

Fluttershy blinked. “What?”

“Twilight Sparkle will not have to deal with losing another family,” Luna said, nodding. “Not completely. She will always have her mother.”

“But... but how?” Fluttershy asked, looking slightly distant, as if she wasn’t quite registering the conversation.

Celestia sighed, looked to Luna, who nodded in conformation and continued. “You think that being an Alicorn makes one immortal, am I correct?”

Fluttershy nodded. Wasn’t that how it worked? Luna and Celestia had been alive for over a thousand years. Surely it was because they’d been born Alicorns, right?

“That is not the case,” Luna shook her head. “And being an Alicorn does not change that. We are not even the first Alicorns to walk the plain.”

Fluttershy’s jaw dropped to the floor, quite literally, since she was still lying down at the time. Luna and Celestia weren’t the first Alicorns? Then who was?

“Queen Emaryalis,” Celestia went on, as if hearing Fluttershy’s thoughts. “She was the first Alicorn and the queen of the Crystal Empire in its beginning.”

Fluttershy slowly stood up, her mouth still hanging open.

“We were but fillies at the time,” Luna continued. “I was a Pegasus, while Celestia was a unicorn.”

“What?” Fluttershy’s eyes widened in a way that would have put Pinkie Pie to shame. “You weren’t born Alicorns?!”

Celestia shook her head. “No. We were born normal ponies, just like all others. In fact, Queen Emaryalis was not born an Alicorn either. No pony has ever been born an Alicorn. Your daughter, however, is the first case of a foal ascending into an Alicorn. Our parents, Artichoke and Crimson light, both Earth Ponies died during a conflict between the unicorns and the pegasi. Luna was no more than a month-old foal at the time.” That last part had been said with sadness.

“Emaryalis took as in and raised us like we were her own,” Luna said, lowering her head. “But when rumors of a being able to warp reality, though we did not know it was Discord at the time, reached the Empire, my sister and I knew we had to do something. We could not let the world our parents had created be destroyed by this demon.”

“You know, I would say that’s a bit harsh, but I really was horrid back then.” Eye balls appeared on the wall above the throne and peeled away, turning into Discord. He bowed; his face solemn. “Please, go on. Don’t let me interrupt you.”

Celestia nodded. “As we were saying; we needed to have a way of protecting our land from Discord. Though they were but teenagers at the time, Emaryalis found a way. She asked the Crystal Ponies what they thought and they told her we needed to find a way to harness the greatest elements of our kind. Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty and Magic.”

Fluttershy gasped. “The Elements of Harmony!”

Celestia nodded. “It was difficult, but we found a way to imbue six gemstones from the Empire with each Element. In doing so, we created new magic, and became Alicorns.”

“However, for them to have enough magic in order to stop a being such as Discord, they needed a life-force,” Luna went on. “Thus, the Tree of Harmony was created.”

“Through a difficult combination of magic and crystal, the Tree of Harmony was created and planted where the Everfree Forest now resides.” Celestia went on. “Since we were now Alicorns, we were princesses, so we built a castle and began our rule over Everfree City, which was abandoned after Luna's banishment and I went to rule in the recently built city of Canterlot.”

“However, when Discord was first sighted, we felt a strange energy within us,” Luna looked down, then back to Fluttershy. “Later, though I did not know it until after Discord’s defeat, Celestia went to check on the Tree of Harmony and found that our Cutie Marks had become embroidered on it’s trunk.”

“Several hundred years after Discord’s defeat, I learned it was because our Cutie Marks had appeared on the tree that we had become immortal,” Celestia murmured. "This broke my heart, for I realized my sister would spend years upon years trapped on the moon."

Fluttershy nodded, then frowned. “Then how come I’m immortal? I still don’t understand that.” She hid behind her mane for a second. “Oh, um, it’s you don’t mind my asking?”

Celestia nodded. “It is fine. But the answer to your question, Luna and I are immortal, because our Cutie Marks are on the Tree of Harmony, binding us to the magic of the world itself in ways few others can understand.”

Fluttershy cocked her head. “But, my Cutie Mark isn’t on the Tree of Harmony.”

Luna chuckled. “Oh? I am afraid you are wrong, dear Fluttershy.” She grinned. “If I recall, you and your friends and daughter gave something to the Tree that saved it, did you not?”

Fluttershy nodded. “The Elements of Harmony. But I still don’t understand, Princess Luna. How does our returning the Elements to the Tree make me immortal?”

Luna smirked. “What shape were the Elements in when they were returned.”

“I still don’t see what...” Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Our Cutie Marks!”

Celestia nodded. “Your are all bound to the Elements and each one has been shaped like your Cutie Mark since the day you all saved my sister.”

“And when you returned the Elements to the Tree of Harmony, they were still shaped like your Cutie Marks,” Luna continued. “And after you all opened the chest that grew from the Tree, the same chest that turned into the Friendship Castle, you were all endowed with an energy the likes of which nopony has ever seen.”

Fluttershy nodded. “The Rainbow Power.”

Celestia smiled. “It has given you all a connection to your respective Element in ways none could ever have believed.”

Fluttershy blushed at the praise, then it faded and she frowned. “But, I don’t think my body could handle being immortal. Isn’t it the body of a mortal?”

Discord clicked his talon and a large rectangle appeared in the middle of the room, hovering above them all. On the screen, Fluttershy watched as Twilight seemed to explode with purple energy. Immediately after, all six of them each changed into the colours of their Elements as they seemed to become nothing but the light and poured into the chest.

This was followed by each of them reappearing, their forms silhouetted in a sphere the colour of their Element before they all appeared, now as their Rainbow Powered forms, now infused with its energy.

The rectangle vanished and Celestia looked to Fluttershy. “You saw the moment you all became light?”

Fluttershy nodded, a shudder of fear suddenly going down her spine. Now that she thought about it, she’d felt something when that had happened. For the briefest of seconds, she’d felt as if she’d left the world and wouldn’t return, only to feel like she had awoken from a deep, long sleep, more refreshed than she ever could imagine. it had been terrifying, yet wonderful at the same time.

Luna glanced at her sister, then turned to the Pegasus. “Do you have any injuries from your past? Anything that has remained over time?”

Fluttershy thought about that, then nodded, awe, confusion and fear entering her eyes. “Yes. When I was a filly, back in flight school, I had several accidents that left my right hind leg a little stiff and one of my wings ever a bit sore.”

“Do you feel them now?”

Fluttershy shuddered again. “No. I-I don’t feel them at all. In fact, I feel like nothing’s wrong with my body at all. No aches or pains of any kind.”

Luna nodded. “That is because the shell you now inhabit is not the one you were born with, but one that was created from the Rainbow Power. It will never age past a certain state, remaining as you are then for all eternity.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Sh-shell?”

Celestia and Discord scowled at Luna. “Don’t you think you could’ve worded that at least a little bit better, princess?” the dragonequus said, folding his arms.

Celestia sighed and looked to Fluttershy. “While she could have said it better,” she shot Luna glare, before looking back to Fluttershy, “she is right. Each of you now have new bodies, so any injuries you acquired during your lives until that point are no longer present. They are young and strong and will never age.”

Fluttershy looked shocked beyond words, before fear re-entered her eyes. “Ne-never age? Y-you mean Twilight will...?”

All their eyes widened as they realized what she was thinking and Celestia moved forward to squash her fears. “Fluttershy, Twilight will age just like any normal foal. When I said you all won’t age, I meant from a specific age, one Twilight has yet to reach and will reach. You all will not age, but she will until she reaches the age that is right for her not to. After that, she will stop aging and remain like that for all time.”

Fluttershy wanted to feel relieved, but the large amount of news she’d just received was rattling through her mind. She was immortal. Twilight was immortal. All six of them were immortal!

Suddenly, something Celestia said caught her attention. Something to do with another member of the Royal Family and close to Twilight, whom, though she was different than before, was still a pony Twilight held in her heart.

“Um, Princess?” she said, shying as they looked at her, but kept going, for the sake of her daughter. “If having your Cutie Mark on the Tree of Harmony makes you immortal... does that mean Cadance isn’t she doesn’t have hers... well...?”

Celestia shook her head. “Cadance is immortal. However, the reason why is very different from us, yourself, your daughter and your friends. As repayment for creating the Elements and the seed that grew the Tree of Harmony, Queen Emaryalis asked that we use its power to gift one of her descendants with the same magic it would give to us. ”

Luna nodded. “At the time, we did not realize that meant the gift of immortality, so we agreed, not knowing what was to come.”

“After Discord’s defeat, we went to give to the good news to Emaryalis,” Celestia sighed. “It was then that we learned of what had befallen the Empire.”

“S-Sombra?” Fluttershy squeaked.

Celestia nodded. “We were able to save her two children, her son, Prince Purity and her daughter...”

“Cadance?”

Celestia nodded. “After we were able to save them, we returned to the Empire to defeat Sombra and stop his evil rein.” She sighed heavily. “I, however, was unable to do so and fell to him. Had Luna not come to my aid, I will surely have perished at his hoof.”

Luna looked down, ashamed. “However I was not really the one who defeated him. During the battle, he used the same spell he did to incapacitate my sister on me and... it was all she needed to awaken.” She shuddered. “That day, Nightmare Moon came to being within me. I used her power and defeated him and she went to sleep, lying in wait to take full control of me mere months after.”

Fluttershy winced, realizing what Luna meant. It was why Discord, Sombra and Nightmare Moon all happened within the same thousand years.

“Purity was born a unicorn,” Luna went on, returning to the other matter. “A rare thing to happen within the Empire. Cadance was born a Pegasus, like myself.”

“However, after she fulfilled her destiny, she ascended into an alicorn and the Tree granted her immortality,” Celestia said. “Since the Tree is crystal itself, it needn’t her Cutie Mark on the Tree for immortality to be given to her. This, however, was after Luan's banishment, so it was not til she returned that my sister learned of a third princess.”

“Her brother wished to have similar ruling rights as her, thus he went on his own,” Luna sighed, “marrying a unicorn of nobility, with the idea that would ascend him as well. When it did not, he vowed the bloodline would remain pure until it did. Hence, Bloodblue’s line came about.”

Discord growled. "He will be sorry for what he said earlier. I overheard every word."

Luna looked to him, nodding. "I was planning on giving him some rather horrid nightmares, myself. Maybe you could give me some ideas?"

Discord nodded, a sinister sneer appearing on his lips. "I'd be honored, Luna."

Fluttershy sighed, her head drooping. This was so much. She’d expected it to be simple, but this was so much deeper than she’d thought. She’d never expected to learn this much.

“Is something wrong, Fluttershy?” Celestia asked, concerned for her well being, causing Luna and Discord to halt their revenge plans against Blueblood, both concerned for Fluttershy.

Fluttershy gave a small nod. “... If you don’t mind, princesses, Discord, I think I’ll go home now.”

They did not stop her as she turned and walked on the throne room, her head hung low.

As the train made its way back to Ponyville, she thought over everything she’d been told. History had never spoken of any of the things she'd learned. Though, she guessed she’d been foolish to think things had been so simple as Sombra deciding to rule, Celestia and Luna simply stopping him, Discord’s defeat, not knowing that Sombra had been the true one responsible for Nightmare’s birth.

She leaned her head against the window, looking out at the night sky, a few tears sliding down her face. How am I supposed to tell Twilight and the others that they’ll all outlive their families?

Author's Note:

finally! I've got this done. longest chapter so far, but it's done.

also, though this is meant to be a comedy fic, I've noticed this chapter and part of the next one are more downers than comedy.:rainbowhuh:

anyway, i realize this seems likes it's going off track from the fic's main plot, that being Twilight foal cared for be fluttershy as her mother, but it will return to this soon. this chapter was necessary to explain why the bonds between the characters are so strong.

also, if you couldn't tell, i was working on the cannon presented by silly filly studios and their video Fall of the Crystal Empire.

anywho, hope you liked this chapter, please comment and, until next time, later, everypony