Once There was a Beautiful, but Tragic Knight...

by Jade Crossroads

Distances and burnt bridges

Fluttershy's foalhood felt like it had left too quickly. Much stayed with her from those years however, such as her naivete of the world outside the walls of her home. Fluttershy often felt nostalgic for those days, but she was grateful to see her awkward lankiness had been grown out of. Just like her mother had according to Arch. At least she knew what had happened to her parents, she could have been left with no memory at all. Major Arch would never do that to her though. Her Uncle always had her best interests at heart, and knew she would only continue to wonder if she never learned about the accident, she shook off the thought, now wasn’t the time to dwell on it, though it seemed to her there never was a good time. She stared at the reflection in the mirror and gave a small smile, but it was a little forced. She wasn’t very pretty, but at least no one would tease her for her appearance anymore. That had happened more and more often as she went out into the village, until she stopped altogether. Rainbow Dash would visit every now and then, but there would be times her schemes meant she needed to be out in the village, or Fluttershy was moping, giving no sign of brightening up. She didn't visit as much when Fluttershy got like that because she could tell there was something on her mind, an she wouldn't tell her. She made light of it, but Dash knew better, there just wasn't much she could do for her except be there when she needed her.

Fluttershy on the flip side of the coin was lost in her thoughts more of the time. She didn't like shutting Rainbow more and more out of her life, she never wanted that. She was only trying to keep her concerns to herself, and if nothing changed then she probably would have told her. She couldn't stand the thought of criticism coming from Rainbow. So whenever she was asked what was troubling her she'd only reply that it was nothing and over time, she stopped asking. She would still have tea parties with her animal friends, and though she still had fun accompanying her cyan friend, there were the dreams she kept having and the now arising rumors that a creature of myth was now stalking the town. She had a nagging suspicion that these were one and the same chimera she had wondered about as a filly. It wasn't just the bullies that stopped her from going out very far from her Uncle's lands, but the descriptions of a beast that roamed the forest surrounding her home.

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Fluttershy’s growing reluctance to take trips down to the village did not go unnoticed by her uncle. To an extent it had been just as well to her Uncle Major Arch, it meant he could enjoy more time with his favourite niece- his only niece- that was growing up too fast. He knew it was selfish though, but he had no way to amend the bullying that transpired unless he was there with her. That was no solution though, Fluttershy would only feel guilty to draw him out of his office or she would be made fun of worse for having him hovering about her. Instead he did what he was known for, telling stories. He would weave great epics by using his magic like he always did to animate them. As she grew older the images became more and more detailed, he would even ask her to remember the wings on each individual and their names. It was a challenge at first, but over time that too had improved to near perfection. He still left out all the usual details of war and battle, but he no longer outright glorified the battles either, he began to give her fatalities and injuries recorded from these events. “History is to be learned form, not to be in awe of, though… there’s nothing wrong with that in itself. A pony must recognize the sorrow of it too.” He had told her. Unfortunately, as she grew older he realized something was clouding her happiness. Something was clearly on her mind.

She wasn’t alone in this though, perhaps she had sensed what was to come all too soon. Arch wasn’t sure if he could stop it. For the third time in his life, he was deathly afraid, and this time it wasn’t for himself and there wasn’t a cure, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying to find one at the risk of his own health.

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Major Arch would often look down at the lands he owned and sigh, his eyes had a far off look to them and he no longer told her stories unless they were exact accounts of the historical events he wanted her to memorize. He would choke up when she asked him about his own experiences in the past. She couldn't’ make heads or tails of the situation. Why would her Uncle become so withdrawn as of late? From his employees, his storytelling that he loved most… his own niece? It felt as though he was slowly turning his back on her. She began it felt alone in the halls that laughter once rang clear through. Now she only heard his pen scratch away at important documents. He threw himself into his work, becoming weaker and weaker, and she just didn’t understand what was happening. Why would he suddenly stop caring for his own health? Did nothing matter to him anymore that he would neglect his health and the only family he had left? He was all she had left too and it felt so much like abandonment how he was treating her.

It astonished her how much her Uncle Arch had changed. She missed his laugh. She missed his stories and his advice. She wasn’t a child anymore true… but she still needed him, and he wasn’t there it seemed.

So she woke up that day determined to leave the house for a day. She would have to figure out what was going on with him tomorrow. He asked her to leave him alone and let him work. He had cancelled any and all her lessons that day, so she was free. That was what she thought, until he stopped her at the door.

He swiftly reached the entrance hall, and somehow managed to do so without her picking up on it. “What do you think you’re doing?” He demanded, his eyes narrowed in accusation.

“Oh.. um. I was going to go for a walk. I-is that it alright?” She had been certain before that he would not mind, but she was no longer so sure she should have left without asking him. “I wasn’t aware I was doing anything wro-”

“Well-” he began to say, before her words sunk in. “I suppose you’re right… I never said you couldn't leave.” Fluttershy gave a sigh and began to open the door once again.

“That’s why I’m telling you now, you are to stay indoors today. I’m working on something important right now and I want you at arm’s length so I won't have to worry.” It was Fluttershy’s turn to look incredulous. “Uncle? What’s wrong?”

“Absolutely nothing, my little niece. What makes you think something is the matter?”

Fluttershy found it hard to take his answer at face value when her wouldn’t look her in the eye. Her Uncle had always been able to keep his face devoid of emotion when he wanted to, so why did he keep his fear so evident? “Uncle Archie… are you in some kind of danger?”

“What? Oh Fluttershy… What would make you think that?” He no longer looked wary, but concerned for her. It was like getting her Uncle back even if it were for a fraction of a second. He trotted over to close the distance between them and wrapped her in a hug. It was comforting, and as good a feeling as she remembered. This time however, it didn’t feel secure. In all of Arch’s long life… he actually looked his age. He looked almost frail, and he held her close for a minute before it began to feel uncomfortable. Fluttershy cleared her throat. She loved her Uncle Major Arch, but he was acting so out of character that she worried more so now than before hoof.

“Uncle Archie, I’ve noticed that you’ve been acting.. Out of sorts… lately. Are you having trouble with taxes? Are we going bankrupt?” She thought about it for a moment, and then it all seemed to click, the frailty, the panic and fear. There was only one thing he could possibly be afraid of. It would also explain why he acted worried for her as well. It had to be something greater than himself, and what could it be other than…. “Or.... are you sick?!” Fluttershy was in near hysteria at this point, it had never taken much to faze her, but this was different. She wasn’t afraid for herself, and this was something nopony could help her with, not really. There was only so much knowledge allowed to most ponies. If Major Arch was sick-

She had hit a nerve in Major Arch. He knew she was smart, she usually hated asking questions, so he must have had her worried for far longer than she’d let on. He berated himself for letting fluttershy worry. She was his responsibility and he’d hardly shown her much kindness at the time. Perhaps… no, he wouldn’t tell her now, he would wait to tell her. There was so much he was keeping from her. If only she knew what was held in the balance, what he had prepared her for…. What his cutie mark truly meant for him. He knew since she became his charge. She was a frail, adorable little thing. He knew at once what she was meant to do, though he wished he could stop what he saw. He tried now as she became a beautiful young mare, it would be son that fate took a hand in raising her. He was afraid of so much more than his own health true, but with the future he saw swiftly coming to take her away from him… who could blame him? She was like a daughter to him, and he would give anything to make sure nothing happened to her while she was under his care.

He knew then like he knew when he first laid eyes on the little foal, that he had to set her on the right path,giving it his all to free her from the inevitable was useless. Besides, she needed him to be her Uncle, not just her protector. He sighed. He was just going to have to live with and accept that. He wasn’t sure he could, but he still had one ace up his sleeve; the book.

Fluttershy, back within the old library sighed discontentedly. Her head laid upon the cool surface of a first edition of The History of Equestria, as told by the clever scholar.

Something was terribly, terribly wrong, or it soon would be. Arch thought she hadn't noticed. She hated him thinking that she was that naive. She may be gullible, but she wasn’t blind. She knew there was so much more he refused to tell her, his fluctuating health proved it! He always took care of himself, much like his tendency to be a little transparent when he was concerned or distracted, and although she never pressed him for what she wanted, he had become stricter as she grew older. She never said anything against him until today. He insisted that she needed to take her lessons more seriously when she yawned, or sneezed. He wasn’t trying to be mean, but to Fluttershy it was unsettling. It made her worry about what was coming that would shake him up so. The incident at the door had only proven her suspicions to be on target. There really was something to be concerned about, perhaps it wasn’t so close that she needed to look over her shoulder or lock herself indoors like her Uncle seemed keen on, but something nonetheless. She looked out the window off to the side without lifting her head. The stars were out now, and as she saw one scale across the sky, her eyes widened. She had never seen a shooting star. She trotted over to the window sill and looked out, stretching her neck as she watched it take its journey from the inky blackness and away from the other stars. I wish that I could be strong… or- or brave… if it isn’t too much to ask… could I maybe, just maybe make my Uncle proud? Fluttershy silently asked.

If only she knew what was troubling her Uncle Arch, then she’d know what to ask for, but just spotting the phenomenon was enough. It had to be a good omen. She watched and waited for it to fall… it descended and then as it reached the peak of the trees, it stopped short. Surely… that wasn’t the same star?[i/] she thought, shaking her head and blinking to make sure nothing was in her eyes. It was still there, but she only shrugged the occurrence off. However, it was the very same light and as Fluttershy turned her head away from the celestial body, it began to glow brighter. It was a sign, the first to be exact, and she had missed it. She began to believe that all stars either stayed in place, fell or simply vanished into oblivion. She would never know what the comet meant, and she would go out into the world without the simple lesson, that all ponies have their own paths and that nopony truly vanishes from memory, because the stars know and they remember.

Author's Note:

I think this will be one of the last chapters that doesn't have a whole lot of dialogue, I'm going to go back to using more descriptions of the background details, but this one was a quick chapter as well. It needed to point out that Fluttershy was growing up and that there is something going on in the background that keeps both from spending time together as well as making them keep to themselves and their thoughts.

Comments

[Jade Crossroads]

So what do you guys think of this chapter?

[kurusagi16]

Okay, curious about the mysterious fate.

[Jade Crossroads]

7135528 I was counting on that.