Chapter 45: Family Ties
Sony did indeed heed Pinkie’s warning, and when she reached the small cottage, she then found a clearing not far away, but still out of sight where she sat down to do her morning meditation.
She did not clear her mind, not like most ponies do when meditating. Instead, she brought to the forefront of her mind the proverbs of old and reflected upon them. This was her time to calm herself, and think of a plan.
Once she’d calmed her mind, she then focused her attention in the direction of the task. She had her list of names, and an overarching idea of the situation, as well as an indication of the former leader.
She could only shake her head on this last point with a wry smile. She never did understand the lowlanders’ need to keep written notes. She assumed it just stemmed from the fact lowlanders struggled with their short term memories. They weren’t like the Highlanders who from a young age were forced to remember long lists of facts. Sony was going to look in and see if this Rainbow Dash was one of the old order and could remember things ‘like a Phantom’ as it were.
From what she had been told from Lilly and then from Spitfire’s records, it would not surprise her if Rainbow had not only brought back the speed of the ancients, but also their memory.
Thinking upon these things, Sony landed, and after first using the tranquility of the area to calm her wild nerves, she set about the task of taking notes on anything her trained eyes could inform her about the shy-natured pegasus she had heard so much about.
She first pushed to the back of her mind any feelings Lilly had impressed upon her of the filly, and instead looked to the area around her. As a trained pony in the ‘Bat force,' Sony had been trained to observe more than she spoke.
Her golden eyes started with the home itself, a tree house. The bird feeders and other objects that pertained to the care of animals littered the yard.
“She has a quiet spirit,” Sony said softly. “Only ponies with quiet spirits have this level of control and oneness with the forest creatures. She also has simple tastes... but isn’t without a respect for the finer things of life.” Her eyes scanned the lawn, the simple but elegant way the mare had it decorated.
You could tell much about a mare by the way they decorated. Stallions... Sony admitted she couldn’t tell, but both her brothers had told her that these keys were universal.
Sony hid herself deeper into the trees, her eyes still on the house as the light of the moon illuminated it against the darkness. Sony closed her owl-like eyes and slept.
---------------
The first thing Fluttershy woke up to was the usual chaos of her life. After nearly a week of being away from her animals most of her waking hours, they were beginning to get restless. Not as though she hadn’t taken time off from them before for lengthened stays, just... not like this.
“Angel, get down!” she scolded her rabbit as the rabbit stood on her head thumping her over and over in protest. He was up, he was awake, and he was hungry. As were most of her animals.
With a sigh and a groan, Fluttershy finally got Angel off of her. She turned and then shooed the birds out the window, and just missed stepping on some mice before she found herself stumbling over a snakeskin and landing on a chicken egg.
Fluttershy groaned. “Did I?” She looked at the entire flock of hens that were sleeping in her room. “I did!” She placed her head in her forehooves taking a deep breath. “What a week!”
With a yawn, she beckoned for the animals to follow her as she made her way down the stairs.
“Did you sleep well my sweet?”
Fluttershy didn’t even flinch. Her ears laid back against her head as she let out an annoyed groan. “Good morning Discord.”
“Aww!” He appeared suddenly right in front of her; all dressed up in a maid’s costume; she found herself get up like a chief. “Don’t be like that Fluttershy! It’s a beautiful morning.”
“Did you deal with Spitfire’s couch yet?” Fluttershy cut straight to the chase. There was a time to be sweet and kind, and then there was a time for frankness.
Discord disappeared, then reappeared with charts and other items spread across Fluttershy’s table. “I don’t know... It seems my schedule has-”
“This is a simple yes or no question,” Fluttershy stated as she wiped off the countertops with a disinfectant, before gathering together the things she needed to feed her zoo of pets.
Discord frowned cleaning the entire kitchen to her perfection with a snap. “Oh, Fluttershy, whatever happened to us being friends?”
Fluttershy paused frowning. “Look Discord, I’m sorry. It’s just-”
“Oh!” he cut her off without so much as a second thought. “I am super sorry Fluttershy! I didn’t mean to! But really! I’ve ordered for her something so much better than that old thing that has more food stains on it that... well, you could hardly tell it apart! As soon as I get the project done, That old Hot Top can simmer down. For the time being, I’ll let her stew. I might not like that Meddlesome Feathers, but watching her handle Spitting Tacks is quite amusing.”
Fluttershy didn’t approve wholly of Discord’s methods, but she was already under so much stress that she wasn’t going to argue. “Just- Discord please take care of it!”
Discord rolled his eyes. “I will Sweetened Butter!”
Fluttershy spun on him so fast. “WHAT?!”
Discord was sweating bullets. “I mean Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy shook her head. “Butter? She tossed a stick of the stuff to him. “Heat up the griddle and melt this, I’ve got to make seed cakes. I seem to be out.”
Discord raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. Fluttershy was obviously not in the best of spirits. Him causing waves wasn’t going to help issues, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try to cheer her up. “So...” He tried to start a conversation as he set to work doing the task given in his unique way. The fire was above the pan burning six inches above the rapidly melting butter. “How did you sleep?”
“You asked that already.”
Discord frowned, glancing around as he watched a family of mice cowering in their hole staring in amazement up at not him, but Fluttershy as she was slowly losing control of herself.
“Oh yes, I did!” He said turning to her with a smile on his face. “Well then, I’ll take a guess. You are cranky, have dark circles under your eyes; your mane is tangled....” He scratched his beard. “I imagine you didn’t really.” He snapped a talon, brushing her mane out entirely. “There, that’s better.” with another snap; he had her tail brushed out as well.
Fluttershy sighed as she finished chopping the carrots and started setting out the different bowls of food for the animals to eat. Pulling out a bowl, she mixed honey, milk, flower, and seeds and then tossed them onto the griddle to just barely heat. When they were slightly toasted on each side, she tied them up and hung them neatly on the ceiling.
Once done, she turned off the stove shoving Discord into a corner she grabbed three fish from her cellar to feed to the otters outside. Then three more fish for each of the other birds of prey.
Discord frowned as he watched her. As she marched back in, he caught her intent, but caring look on his face. “Fluttershy, are you alright?”
“I’ve got work to do, Discord.” With a snap of his talon she found herself unable to move.
“No,” he ordered. “My Fluttershy wouldn’t do that. So, something is either wrong, or you are a changeling.”
Fluttershy glared. “DISCORD! Look, yes! Dash is sick, AJ is down, I met a friend yesterday I’ve not seen in years and thought I never would-”
“You and Lilly were friends right?”
“YES! Of course! Still, the house is a mess, the work is piling up, Twilight looks frazzled... my food stock is-” she took a deep breath. “Life is going to shambles Discord! With nothing more than a snap of your talon you could heal them both and we could get on with our lives! All this would be over and be like a bad dream!”
Discord shook his head. “I’m reformed Fluttershy. I’m not allowed to do that.”
Fluttershy had tears streaming down her cheeks. “And why not? Why, oh why not? I’m sure Celestia would overlook it!”
“Because I won’t. I can’t explain it, not even to you.”
“Can’t you at least help?” She pleaded hardly even understandable in her complete emotional breakdown.
Discord hesitated, not quite sure what to do. He took a deep breath hugging her awkwardly. “What do you think I’ve been doing? Shoot! I’m helping you guys left and right! Yes, I wasn’t around much yesterday, but I was dealing with some mail delivery.”
“But you could make it all go away!”
“You overestimate my powers Fluttershy. That I cannot do.”
Fluttershy broke down. Discord glanced about as the animals slowly came back out of hiding. Snapping his talon he disappeared into the ceiling long enough to watch them all swarm around her in a gesture of comfort.
“Nopony is an island.... I see what you mean Tia.” Discord said to himself as he watched. “I see what you mean.”
___________________
Thunderlane groaned as he felt something try to shake him awake. “Five more minutes!”
“NOW! You’re going to be late for weather duty!” Rumble, his younger brother, shouted from the floor.
“Go away!” the elder grumbled pushing the annoyance away from him.
“But Thunder! You can’t just-”
Thunderlane was, however already snoring again. The small grey colt snorted before wandering back out to the living room.
“Well?” Cloud Chaser asked.
“No luck.” Rumble sat down with a sigh. “I mean, I tried girls, I really did.”
The pegasi twins frowned as they looked him over. “Well,” Flitter said swishing her tail back and forth. “If one thing doesn’t work, another thing might.”
“Oh no you don’t!” the elder twin said holding her back. “Nope! Leave him alone!”
“Oh, phooey!” she let out an adamant snort. “If I’m up, then the old bag of bones must be up to! I’m going to get that colt out of bed if it’s the last thing I do!”
“And it very well might be,” Rumble said just barely loud enough to be heard. “Hold on Flitter, I’ll try one more time if it doesn’t work, then you can give it a go.”
She gave a half-hearted shrug. “Fine, but if it doesn’t work...”
She let the other two finish her thought, neither one liking the ideas that came to mind. Rumble distinctly remembering the time he’d woken up to a thundercloud zapping him awake. He shuddered. Cloud Chaser was the responsible sister, Flitter... not only was an airhead but when she did have a moment of brilliance, somepony almost always ended up getting hurt.
With the need to protect his brother from the mare, Rumble doubled his efforts to awaken his brother. “Thunderlane! Please!”
“Five more minutes!”
“Flitter is going to come in her and do Celestia knows what if you don’t get yourself up, and out there to help within the next two seconds!”
“Go away!” Thunderlane groaned putting the pillow over his head.
The two sisters had been listening at the door, the moment Tunderlane had given the order, Flitter erupted into the room and landed right on him. “I said UP!”
The impact forced all the air from Thunderlane’s lungs with a scream. “WHA!” he squawked airlessly.
“I SAID GET UP!” Flitter screamed into his ear. “IF I AM NOT ALLOWED TO SLEEP IN, THEN NEITHER ARE YOU!!!!”
Thunderlane coughed and gagged as the excited mare pulverized his sides. He had to get out of this, from long experience with Flitter, he knew that no amount of talk was going to get her to come down. He had to pin her.
Forcing his wings open as he gasped for a full breath. He rolled over and off onto the floor, finally putting the tickling session to an end. “There,” he gasped. “I’m up. Happy?”
She giggled. “Nope took you too long.”
Thunderlane groaned with a roll of his eyes glancing back at the other two. “Are you two going to do nothing?”
“Kiss me!” Flitter ordered from beneath him.
Thunderlane’s wings flared out as he lept clear to the ceiling.
Flitter frowned. “I thought you loved me.”
“Why don’t we...” Rumble looked around for anything to change the direction of the current topic, “eat breakfast! Yeah, let’s go find some breakfast.”
“Find some breakfast, and get ready for work.” Cloud Chaser let out a deep, exasperated sigh shaking her head at her airheaded twin. “I have a feeling that things will never be the same.”
“Yeah! He’ll finally love me!” Flitter said leaning over her sister.
Cloud Chaser shook her head. “Not likely.”
---------------------------
Fluttershy had no heart to do much of anything. The day before had taken so much out of her, not to mention the week, and she knew she was just returning to more of the same.
She sat solemnly watching the animals eat their breakfast. She hadn’t even bothered to move to the couch, opting just to sit in the middle of the floor. A good cry had done her some good, but it also had resulted in this; a drab, uninterested feeling.
The butter colored pegasus didn’t know how long she’d spent in dead silence. But suddenly she was awoken into reality with the sense of being watched. A deep feeling of being watched. She glanced around. The animals had all finished their meals and returned to their normal lives. It could be a mouse or something, but the creature was bigger than that.
She sighed glancing around once more. She walked to the window and glanced about, then went back to sitting on the couch. “Discord, you can come out now.” But to her surprise, Discord didn’t show up.
She brushed it off as just the side effects of her mood and laid her head down on her hooves.
Tick, Tick, Tick
As the animals calmed down, the house became ghostly quiet. Suddenly, the feeling of being watched returned. Fluttershy bit her lip glancing around expectantly.
Furrowing her brow, she scooped up her saddlebags, turned to Angel and rubbed him behind the ears. “You’ll have to keep an eye on things. Aunt and Uncle Rainbow will be coming by later.... well, maybe not here. But Twilight will need my help at the castle. I’ll try not to be out late again.”
The rabbit frowned, and thumped once crossing his arms over his chest.
“I know Angel, just...” She let out a deep sigh. “I don’t know how else to handle this.”
Angel lept up on her back, then scrambled to her head placing a giant thermometer into her mouth.
“Angel, I'm all right.”
Angel didn’t agree with her; Fluttershy wasn't her normal self after all. But with a deep sigh, he leapt down and unbarred her way.
“I’ll be careful Angel, I promise,” she said giving him a soft squeeze.
He turned, and hopped back into the kitchen. Fluttershy let out a sad sigh and reached for the door opening it. Stepping out into the sunshine, the feeling of being watched intensified.
Fluttershy’s knees knocked together, her ears pinned back, her wings were glued to her side. Quaking in fear, Fluttershy gave the sky, trees, and everything else a once over with her eyes; then she lifted her nose to the wind to catch any unusual odor that could be the only indication of the all dreaded timber wolves.
There was no smell.
Fluttershy took a deep breath to steady her nerves before striding forward.
“I’m surprised you don’t want to say hello.”
Fluttershy shot forward and hid completely under a rock.
“I see why the rabbit is her favorite, she reminds me of a young doe.” the voice said.
Fluttershy dared to peek out, glancing once more around, peering into the trees from where the sound was coming.
The voice was deep but feminine. Had a hint of mysteriousness to it, but it wasn’t threatening. It reminded her honestly of Applejack in research mode.... if that ever happened.
“You can come out Fluttershy. I don’t bite.” The voice was soothing. Fluttershy peeked out from inside her hiding spot. Directly in front of her, a giant black bat hung from the branch of a tree.
“Sony?” Fluttershy blinked. Her mind recalling the fact Lilly had said her cousin was a bat pony. This most definitely was.
“Indeed Fluttershy, I am the bard known as the Dreamer.”
Fluttershy blinked, then shook her head out with a sigh. “You kind of startled me.”
“I apologize, I like to observe ponies I am to get to know before I swoop in to make their acquaintance.” The black mare said twisting around and landing on the ground on her four hooves.
Fluttershy’s eyes gave the mare a once over. Her mane was a blueish grey, and her coat was back. But her eyes- Fluttershy blinked a few times startled by the nearly piercing yellow eyes. If this mare could do the stare... Fluttershy didn’t want to be the recipient.
“So you are a...” Fluttershy looked to Sony’s flank; a golden G-cleft decorated her hind quarters. “Singer?”
Sony nodded. “And you work with the animals. You are quite good too when troublemaker isn’t stirring the pot.”
Fluttershy blinked. “How- how long were you watching me?”
“I was meditating in a grove nearby. Sound carries.”
That explained a few things, but all Fluttershy could say was, “Oh?”
Sony nodded. “My whole name is Sonydon Song.”
“Pleased to meet you... so... you know Discord?”
Sony’s ears pinned back, her eyes giving a quick roll. “Yes, but I would not call him a friend...”
“Well, I do consider him a friend,” Fluttershy answered.
Sony shrugged. “Maybe, I can be led to see what you see. But as it stands, could you please get him to leave me alone?”
“I’ll try,” Fluttershy said softly.
“That’s all I ask. Chaos is Chaos, and if I am going to do my job, I don’t need more of it.”
Fluttershy gave a nod. “I suppose not.”
“Well, shall we walk back together?”
“I guess.” Fluttershy half hid behind her hair.
Sony glanced around the area. “This is quite the spot, on the edge of both worlds, but a part of neither. It’s quite poetic.”
Fluttershy blushed. “Well, I needed to be close to the animals...”
“Indeed,” Sony replied. “Still, it’s poetic. Needs a song... Member of both, wholly in neither...” Sony trailed off thinking.
Fluttershy giggled. “Now that you mention it, it would make a cute song. I wonder what the Ponytones could do with it.”
Sony gave a half smile. “I’m a bard. I’ll have something by the end of the day. It is what I do best.”
“I’ve always enjoyed singing.”
Sony nodded. “You have the voice that could take you far in said field.”
“You can tell?”
“I’m a bard.” The mysterious golden eyes looked down at Fluttershy. Fluttershy suddenly felt as though every secret she possessed had suddenly been opened, read, and filed by this mare. If all bat ponies were like Sony, it was no wonder they didn’t come out often.
Stats
Page generated in 0.096 seconds
Total duration
859 users online
515,633 hits today, 1,996,409 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
How interesting.
Nice deduction, Holmes.
Wow, she must be tired if she's this blunt.
Eliminate the "her" in there, weird how THAT slipped through the cracks.
I can. Because if he does, then ponies will begin to depend on him to be able to fix anything when even as powerful as he is, even he has SOME limits.
Too orderly for his powers?
AN Applejack.
Few apart from the Mane 6, Big Mac and Spike WOULD.
You, DO know that if you just took a break to try and wind down, or at least a break from writing this, none of us would complain, and would even encourage you, right?
Yeah, affectionate isn't a bad thing, being Pinkie Pie levels of affectionate without being the minor reality warper herself, less so.
7622660
Hummm... Isn't it though. I'd like to say this was original to me, but I drug this out of one of my favorite ST books.
Now just to hold that character for her... *Sheepish*
An introvert who's for the last week been having her life turned upside down and backwards... Yeah, she's getting there.
Fixed... I might have edited it in on accident.
Something like that.
Don't forget this story is placed between Cutie Markless, and Castle Sweet Castle.
And I'd kill myself because I'd not have something to distract myself from everything. I know you guys are trying to help, but right now the only thing that's keeping me going is my faith, and my writing.
Air head... I'll have fun working with her going forward. This is a sub-plot.
I'm interested to see Rainbow's reaction to her parents. She'll either try to pass off her pain as nothing, or she'll break down. I'm going with the second one. Great work!
7777791 Thank you. I hope to after the new year to get back to writing on this. Do to... Discord playing his old dirty tricks on me... I've been unable to write for a while. I hope to see you again after the next chapter comes out. Thanks for the comment.
Cowgirl out
Will this ever be updated again?
8499820
Yes. This past year and a half has been... eventful. I was working on it again, but my Mom had a stroke recently... so when I don't know. But I've got an outline, I just have to follow it. And have the time to write.
8500217
Alright, that’s great!
8500217 aaaww i Hope your mum is alright
feel yourself hugged! 
hope you're doing okay...
8548187
Mom's doing better, but I still have more on my plate than I know what to do with.
8803017
Awesome! Glad to hear it.
Updates/finish schedule before i start reading?
8902401
Yes, this story has an outline. No it's not been updated in a LONG time. Currently, I'm in college, in the middle of helping my parent's move, dealing with health issues... so I just don't have the time I used to. That being said, the next chapter is just about finished. Probably I'll send it through my editors within a few weeks. To completion... I honestly don't know. It's been so long since I really wrote on it.
If you want to start reading it, sure. But yeah, the publishing schedule is very slow right now.