Chapter 14
When the sun rose next morning, it rose in a reddish colour, painting the sky blood for a few hours before resorting back to its natural blue. The day was a beautiful one; the sky was a clear blue, with puffy white clouds dotted here and there, while a small, gentle breeze kept the tall, green grass and trees flowing like they were slow dancing.
Fluttershy, upon feeling the warmth of the sun hit her coat, opened her eyes. She raised her head, let out a long yawn and scratched a small itch on her neck with a rear hoof. The revelations she learned from the night had left her in a mixed mood. She was glad and happy to have learned about her mother, and the events of what brought her to the orphanage. But at the same time, she felt a pang of sorrow go through her at the thought of how much pain her father had been in for almost twenty years.
She looked over at his sleeping form and began thinking of a way to cheer him up, to bond with him properly. Sure she was getting on with her newfound father well, but they never truly bonded, like fathers and daughters should, as they were too busy saving the world. She hoped that would change either today, or when they returned to Ponyville as father and daughter.
She tiptoed over to where Firewing’s saddlebags were and opened them. She looked inside to find some small eggs inside, chicken ones she realised. She picked them up in her hooves and made ready to fry them. “Sorry about this,” she said to the eggs as she took a sharp rock, and cracked the first one open, the egg white and yolk spilling out of the shell and onto the small frying pan Firewing had.
After cracking the second one, she began building up the fire once more, and with a flat rock for a stool, placed the frying pan in the middle. Soon the fire was raging and the eggs were burning nicely, much to her delight. While she waited for the eggs to fry she laid out on the grass and watched and listened to the crackle of the flames.
It wasn’t long before she heard the sniffing of a nose as her father began to stir. “Morning, dad,” she greeted him with a smile.
Firewing sniffed the air a few more times before replying. “Morning, Fluttershy.” He stretched out his legs, then walked closer to the fire, inspecting the eggs. “My, they look lovely.”
“Oh the eggs, do you like them like that?” Firewing nodded with a lick of his lips. Fluttershy got up, walked over to the campfire and took off the frying pan from the rock. “Do you have any plates?”
Firewing nodded and indicated to his saddlebags. “I don’t understand, though,” he said as Fluttershy walked over and brought two small plates out. “What’s this about?”
“No reason really,” Fluttershy said, her voice muffled by the plates in her mouth. “I just wanted to do something nice for you, being my dad and all.” She set down the plates on the grass. “And we may not get a chance like it for a long time.”
After a moment of silence, Firewing nodded and settled down next to the plates. Fluttershy took the frying pan in her mouth and placed both eggs on his plate, much to Firewings surprise. “You’re not having the eggs?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “No I don’t eat them. I only eat things that are grown out of the ground and not in another’s belly.”
“A picky eater then.” Fluttershy nodded, making Firewing chuckle. “The dinner ponies at the orphanage must have loved you.”
“They did actually. They always said how polite I was compared to the other colts and fillies there, and taught me how to cook as well,” Fluttershy said with pride.
Firewing rolled his eyes and set about eating his eggs. Fluttershy meanwhile got hold of some edible flowers to have for her breakfast. The two ate their meals in silence, the only sounds around were of birds singing, the high whistle of the gentle breeze, and the sound of ponies eating.
“I have to say, Fluttershy,” Firewing said as he finished the last of the eggs. “I have never in my hundred years had eggs that good. What’s your secret?”
“I didn’t do anything at all,” Fluttershy said with a shrug, and a small blush at the compliment. “I just placed them on the frying pan and left them to fry.”
“Well if you’re cooking is this good, I can’t wait to see what’s it like in Ponyville.”
“Hey, I’m not doing all the cooking, mister,” Fluttershy said with assertiveness and a pointing hoof. “You can forget that you’re going to have it easy because believe me.” She leaned closer and whispered, “It will be very hard indeed.”
Firewing seemed to go pale, as his neck and eyes shrunk from Fluttershy’s fearful gaze. Eventually Fluttershy couldn’t hold it anymore and started laughing. “You should see the look on your face, priceless,” she said between heavy bursts of laughter.
Firewing just laid there stunned. Once Fluttershy stopped laughing she stood up and gave a sharp nod of the head. “That was for yesterday,” she said.
Firewing blinked, and then started laughing as well. “Oh okay, you got me. Now let’s get packed and get on the move. We have a big day in front of us, and we need to cover ground fast.”
Fluttershy nodded, then set about putting out the fire, which took a while as she couldn’t beat it down with her hooves, so had to smother it with some water from the lake nearby. Afterwards she went to the bathroom and by the time she was ready Firewing had his saddlebags packed.
“Ready, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy gave a quick nod. “Okay, I believe to get to the Ramshead from here we have to go that way.” He pointed towards where the lake was. “Then find the old Horscan road and make our way along that and in three to four days, maybe less, we should be in the Ramshead range. Let’s go!” He reared up, whinnied and proceeded to gallop off through the trees. Fluttershy did the same and had soon caught up with him.
“So… you stole the Princess’ pet bird?!” Firewing exclaimed. The two had been walking for about an hour now and had decided to tell each other stories of each their adventures, or misadventures in most cases. Fluttershy had already told him of the near destruction of Ponyville by parasprites, and Firewing had told her of when he met a basilisk, and how he was nearly killed by the great eyes of the reptile.
“I wouldn’t say I stole it, more burrowed without permission,” Fluttershy said with a little nod. “When I first met Philomena I thought the poor thing was sick and needed healing. So I took her back to my cottage and used every treatment I know to try and make her feel better. But none of them worked.”
“You know, I’m surprised you weren’t thrown in a dungeon for such a thing.”
“The Princess was very understanding in the end, she would never had done such a thing in the first place. I knew that but my friend Twilight was beginning to panic a little and wouldn’t take any alternatives. But everything turned out alright in the end.”
“Yes, I know the story quite well actually.”
“You do?!” Fluttershy exclaimed.
Firewing nodded. “Oh yes. When I was in Canterlot the Princess, after introducing me to the phoenix, said that once a pegasus pony from Ponyville tried to heal her when she was at the end of one of her life cycles. She never said your name, I think due to some confidential thing or other, but if she did we might have met sooner.”
Fluttershy laughed. “Funny if things turned out like that.”
“Yeah, it would’ve been,” Firewing chuckled. “Now, would you like to know about my encounter with a ten-headed Hydra?”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “There’s such a creature?!” Firewing nodded. “I only encountered a four-headed hydra myself.”
“Well a ten-headed hydra is far bigger than a four-headed one, and far deadlier,” Firewing went on. “It was a simple routine tour I did that was my last before going into retirement. Two others and me were out in large swamplands in the far west, after we received reports of cattle and sheep disappearing from the area. Anyway we arrived at the swamplands and looked around for any sign of the missing cattle. After a while we…”
As Firewing talked Fluttershy’s ears perked up at their highest, her eyes glancing at the trees around her. “Shh,” she whispered.
“The hydra started chasing us, so we took to the air and tried to get…”
“Dad, please be quiet.”
Firewing stopped and looked at Fluttershy in an offended manner. “Did you just tell me to be quiet?”
“Sorry, but just listen.”
Firewing’s ears perked upright as well and listened hard. After a while he said, “I can’t hear anything.”
“But that’s just it. There’s nothing. Not even a bird song.” Fluttershy’s breathing began to go a bit faster.
Firewing’s eyes widened as he realised that Fluttershy was right. The birds that had been singing so loud since the two started had gone quiet, like they couldn’t sing anymore. A gentle light breeze kept the trees swaying but that was it. Nothing. It was as if the whole world’s population had disappeared and Fluttershy and Firewing were the only ones left.
Fluttershy began to feel the butterflies in her stomach flare up, trying to escape something they knew that was coming but couldn’t. She inched closer towards her father until their sides were touching.
Firewing’s head darted from left to right, looking for whatever could have caused the birds and animals to make flight like this. Surely it wasn’t them as they had been walking now for an hour or so. So who, or what?
He looked down to see Fluttershy at his side starting to shake in fear. He bent his head down and nuzzled the side of her face. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. I’m here.” Fluttershy gave him a little smile and started to look as well for whatever caused the silence.
Her heart dropped to her stomach and her nerves left her at the sound of a thunderous roar.
“Dragon!” Firewing exclaimed. “Quick, back the way we came!” He gave Fluttershy a nudge and sent her forward. With a squeak from Fluttershy the two began galloping back the way they came. Fluttershy looked behind her to see the dragon and gasped in horror when she recognized it.
“It’s the same dragon!” Fluttershy called to Firewing. “The one that attacked Andulusia!”
Firewing’s eyes widened even further and looked back to get a good look at his enemy, the one that wanted his daughter dead. The dragon was big, with dark green scales that were darker than the leaves on the trees around him. A long, spiky tail, razor sharp claws, and a fierce, growling head. While dotted across its body were small crossbow bolts and grazes from sword slashes. But its eyes are what disturbed Firewing the most, as they were literally fire.
The dragon was flying in a diagonal pattern across the forest, seeking out the two ponies that were the last of the Dragonlord order. Upon noticing Fluttershy and Firewing running through the forest path, it let out a deafening roar and swung about and flew as fast as it could towards them, its mouth drooling in hunger.
Firewing looked forward once more and saw a clear opening in the woods. “Fluttershy, follow me!” he shouted to her, before darting into the woods.
Fluttershy looked back and saw the dragon was now close, too close. It went to pick her up with its claws but before it could do so she skidded into the woods after her father, the dragon only picking up dirt.
The dragon soared back up into the sky and hovered above the woods, searching for any sign of the two ponies, but couldn’t find any. It bellowed fire in its frustration towards the trees, setting them alight.
Fluttershy looked back and saw the trees being ignited, one by one. “What’s it trying to do?!” Firewing wondered. “If it thinks it can burn us out, it’s got another thing coming.”
Just as he spoke, one of the trees gave way and collapsed onto the ground with heavy thud just inches away from them. “I don’t think he wants to burn us out,” Fluttershy corrected her father. “I think it wants to crush us!”
“Then run!” Firewing spun around and set off away from the dragon and the now raging forest fire, Fluttershy was close behind. The two looked back to see that the distance between them and the dragon had widened, and they began to relax a little.
The two came out of the woods and in front of a small gorge that ran away from them back into the highlands. Their ears pricked up again once more to hear the roars of the dragon had gone louder and, much to their alarm, closer.
“Quick, into the gorge!” Firewing yelled.
Fluttershy jumped down first and slid down the slope into the gorge, saying, “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness,” over and over again. She made it to the bottom and waited for her father to come down after him. “Come on, dad!” Firewing just stood there. “Come on, we have to hide!”
“Fluttershy, listen to me,” Firewing said. “You must stay down here and stay out of sight. I’m going to try and take that dragon off our backs. I won’t be long, I promise.” He took off his sword bracelet and threw it down to the wide-eyed pegasus. “Here, keep hold of this until I return.” And with that he darted out of sight and galloped away.
“Daddy, wait! Please don’t leave me!” Fluttershy yelled. But he was already gone, leaving Fluttershy alone, again. Fluttershy ran up to the sword bracelet, replaced the one on her right leg to her left one, and placed the bracelet on her right leg. “Don’t worry,” she said to the bracelet. “Your master will return. My father will return. I know he will, I’m sure of it.”
She heard the dragon ring out another terrific roar, which made her heart stop for a few moments, before realising it was moving away from her. She moved to the wall of the gorge and curled up into a ball, a ball that was shaking violently with fear. She wished she had one of her teddy bears with her to be comforted by, or even better still, her father.
Suddenly there was silence. The dragon had gone, and with it, Firewing. Fluttershy began to hope that Firewing knew the way back, that he hadn’t gotten lost, or devoured by the dragon. “Stop thinking those thoughts, Fluttershy!” she screamed at herself. “He’s going to come back to me, you’ll see. In a minute he’ll appear down that slope there and we’ll be joined together again, you’ll see.”
Minutes passed, and still there was no sign of her father. Smoke from the forest fire began to cloud over the sun, dulling it. From the other side of the gorge, the birds had returned, and stated to sing their mid-day songs. Fluttershy usually found them comforting, but now she couldn’t. Every second that passed by without any sign of her father only increased her fears. “Please, dad,” she pleaded to the sky. “Come back now.”
“I’m here.”
Fluttershy jumped up and turned around to see her father smiling at her. Fluttershy beamed and gripped him in a bear hug. He was little worse for wear. His breathing was hoarse and his lower body was covered in dirt. “Umm… Fluttershy… can’t… breathe,” he rasped out.
“Oh, sorry,” Fluttershy said. She let him go and backed away from him to give him some air. “Did you… did you lose the dragon?”
Firewing nodded sharply. “Yeah, I gave it the slip, made it think we’re heading east. Either way I think we won’t see that dragon again.”
Fluttershy’s grin went a little wider and she hugged him again, this time a little less tight. She broke away and made to give him back his sword, but Firewing stopped her with a gentle touch to her hoof. “Keep it, it’s yours now. As it should be.” Firewing could see the hesitation in her eyes and chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ve got the axe so I should be able to look after myself.”
Fluttershy smiled and relaxed her hoof from the bracelet. “Okay then. So where should we go now?”
“We get out of here and then head as planned,” Firewing answered. “Ready?”
“Of course,” Fluttershy replied. With beaming smiles the two made their way up the steep slope and out and away from the burning woodland.
“-So, at night, when Pinkie was standing guard and when the others were supposedly asleep, I crept into the carriage and took a quick, tiny bite of the cake, hoping that I didn’t leave a large chunk in it and that Pinkie wouldn’t notice,” Fluttershy said. The two had been continuing their tales of misadventures and, after Firewing had finished his story of how he defeated the hydra, Fluttershy went on to tell about the time with the cake on the train.
Firewing listened with a rather amused expression. “And did she?”
Fluttershy slumped and looking at the ground, nodded. “The next morning it was found with three huge chunks taken out of it. Pinkie and Twilight carried out an investigation into who did do doned it, as Pinkie put it. Later we learnt it was I, Rainbow, Rarity and later Applejack, who confessed later, that took bites out of the cake, while the bakers were responsible for eating each other’s. We all apologized and were forgiven.”
“So who won the cake competition in the end?”
“Oh, Pinkie did.” When Firewing’s face furrowed in confusion she went on. “Pinkie and the bakers were able to put together a cake made out of all of they’re entries. They won first prize and as thanks, the other bakers let Pinkie keep all the prize money.”
“So all’s well that ends well then?” Firewing said with a small smile.
Fluttershy nodded. “I still feel bad, though. Pinkie did comfort me afterwards saying don’t worry about it anymore, that she was still my friend and wouldn’t hear anymore of it. But I still think about how stupid I was.”
Firewing moved closer and put a hoof around her shoulders. “You’re a pony, my child, and like everypony on Terra, are capable of doing stupid things. It’s called learning, sweetheart, so don’t work yourself up over it.” He paused for a moment before adding, “I have to say I’m looking forward to meeting your friends. They sound quite a lively bunch.”
Fluttershy slumped even further and her ears went flat across her head. “They probably don’t like me anymore. Probably won’t even want to see my face again.”
“Now what makes you say such a thing?”
With a sad sigh Fluttershy explained, “When I went after you, my friends came with me. When we got to Detrots and there I learnt of the dangers of Horsca for all of us. To save them I drugged my friends and left them asleep there, while I headed off on my own into Horsca to find you.”
There was an eerie, and unnerving silence coming from Firewing. Fluttershy took her eyes off the ground and looked up, expecting to see an angry scowl and a verbal telling off of what she did. Instead, she got a comforting nuzzle and smile from her father.
“So that’s what you meant when you said last night you did something similar.” Fluttershy gave a little nod. Firewing chuckled. “I wouldn’t worry about it, my child. From the sound of your friends they are a loving, forgiving bunch and would forgive you instantly. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had already forgiven you.” He looked up and around them. “Heck, I wouldn’t even be surprised if they were out here in Horsca looking for you.”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened and she gave a little smile. “You think so?”
“Your friends clearly love you, and care deeply about you to have wanted to come with you on this trip. I’m sure when you see each them again, there’ll be hugs and tears of joy to be had.”
Fluttershy looked back to the ground and smiled. They never blamed her for the parasprite attack; Pinkie instantly forgave her for eating some of the cake, and several other things that she thought she didn’t deserve forgiveness for.
But every time she was forgiven and every time, she felt her friendship with them grow stronger. She began to feel assured that they would see her again, may give her another chance. But she just had to wait and see.
“Hmm,” Firewing pondered as he looked in front. “Seems to me like a dead end.”
Fluttershy looked up and saw what Firewing was looking at. They had just emerged from the woods and were now at the edge of a large cliff in the shape of a ships bow, albeit roughly.
Ahead of them though, sheer natural beauty presented itself. From their vantage point they could see the country of Horsca stretch out before them. The land was dotted with rivers, forests, hills and mountains. While small clouds of snow white littered the sky, darkening some of the country below.
“Fluttershy, stay back. I’m going to see if I can find a way down,” Firewing said. With a nod of agreement from Fluttershy he stepped forward, his eyes wandering across the landscape before him. He wished he could paint, then he could get a canvas and some brushes and start painting.
Fluttershy watched as her father walked up to the cliff edge, scanning the landscape before him, probably looking for a path she thought, before looking down over the cliff face to the ground below.
“Is there a way down?” Fluttershy enquired. But she received no response. Firewing was standing perfectly still, looking at the ground below the cliff intensely. The butterflies in Fluttershy began to flare up again and she took a step closer. “Dad? You okay?”
Firewing looked up, turned his head to face her and gave her a comforting smile. “Fluttershy, my daughter, the only thing I care for in this world. I just want you to know that I… I am so proud of you, and I love you, always.”
Fluttershy gave a blissful smile and took another step forward. At that moment, time slowed to a near standstill.
As she walked forward, she blinked and when she opened her eyes again, the dragon was behind her father, reaching out to grab him with its sharp teeth. When Fluttershy blinked again, the dragon had Firewing in its jaws and had locked down hard, impaling him with its long teeth. It soared off into the sky with Firewing in its mouth, leaving a wide-eyed, horrified Fluttershy.
While her mind trying to tell what had just happened, her heart was trying to tell her it didn’t happen. She slowly turned and around and watched with horror as her father, the only thing she had in the world that was family, was hurtled into the air by the dragon and disappeared on the other side of the trees.
Fluttershy screamed.
“Hey, guys, quiet for a minute,” Rainbow shushed the other ponies below her. After going through the tunnel and the small castle built into the mountains. Rainbow, Pinkie, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Thowra had arrived in the lush, rocky paradise that was the Horscan highlands.
That is, it was paradise, until Rainbow heard something. “What is it, Rainbow?” Twilight asked. Her ears pricked right up as she tried to hear what Rainbow heard.
“Can you hear that?” Rainbow enquired, her coat going pale and her heart rate went just a little faster. After a while the ponies all heard it too and gasped as the sound of a scream echoed across the land.
“It sounded like Fluttershy,” Rainbow declared once it stopped. “It sounds like… she’s in pain.”
“Come on, then!” Thowra whinnied, and pointed to a path leading down then up again around the hills. “The scream came from that way. Let’s go!”
Rainbow, however, was already gone. She soared into the sky and raced off into the direction of her friend’s anguished cries. She couldn’t wait for the others; her oldest friend was in trouble and she wasn’t going to let her down again.
Her hooves ached, but she didn’t care, she just ran faster. She felt the sting of cuts and scratches on her body from the bushes and plants she raced through, but again she didn’t care. She felt tears in her eyes but she wasn’t going to cry, not yet. She was going to find her father first, and then she was going to save him.
Fluttershy looked up and saw the dragon hovering overhead where she saw her father was thrown down. She felt her teeth grit together in anger as she stared at the dragon. She wasn’t going to let this monster take her father, nor was she going to let it get away with what it just did.
She felt the thud of the dragon landing beyond the clearing in front of her and she galloped even faster, ready to give it a piece of her mind. She came through another bush and emerged into a flat clearing that was surrounded by the forest. Fluttershy’s body was covered in cuts and marks where sharp twigs had grazed her coat. While blood wept from those cuts, she didn’t care or take notice of the pain. She just stared in horror at what was in front of her.
Her father was lying on his side, covered in blood, with huge marks on his body where the teeth of the dragon had dug in. It was a miracle he was still breathing, but just barely. He was looking with wide, pained eyes at the dragon in front of him, staring at him with malevolent intent. “And now,” it said. “I will feast on your flesh.”
Fluttershy’s teeth gritted together even harder, her pupils became mere dots as her anger was at the point of exploding. She screamed out and began to gallop forward, straight for the dragon and her father.
She made her way in front of the winged beast, spun around, and bucked with all her strength at the dragon’s open teeth, shattering one completely. The dragon reared back up in pain and howled, holding a claw at where its tooth was.
“Leave him alone!” Fluttershy reared up, and pointed Drage Bane at the dragon, while the other was pointing towards the ground. “I will kill you if you touch him!”
The dragon sneered and lowered itself back on all fours, snarling at the pegasus who had just annihilated a tooth. “Do not come between Heimdallr and his prey,” it said.
Fluttershy felt all courage leave her at the mention of his name. She lowered back on all fours and backed away in fear. “Y-you… you’re… Heimdallr?!” The dragon nodded, sneering all the while. “How… how can you be here?!”
Heimdallr laughed. The dragon didn’t even sound like the monster she met in Ferghana. “You still don’t get how I managed to destroy your pathetic order. How I managed to destroy Andulusia. How I managed to unlock the abilities you had from birth.”
“By… by controlling others?”
Heimdallr laughed once again. “Silly foal, this body is merely a puppet, for it has been dead for some time. Quite like how your father will be soon.”
Fluttershy shook her head and raised her right leg, presenting Drage Bane at him. “You’re not going to get my father! I would rather die myself before you touch him again!”
Heimdallr laughed once more and spread his bat-like wings. “Your father will not survive his wounds, Fluttershy Firewing. But I wouldn’t worry about that, cause you will soon be joining him. And this time, I can touch you.”
He raised a claw and brought it down onto where Fluttershy was standing. The pegasus quickly hopped out of way of where the claw was going to land, and instead of being crushed by the titanic size of the claw, instead had dirt thrown into her face.
She raised her right leg and lunged it forward, sending Drage Bane into the claw of the dragon, who cried out in pain. Fluttershy pulled away and began to gallop back out of the clearing, with Heimdallr on her tail. Fluttershy looked back and saw her father watching her with proud eyes. “I’ll be back,” she called to him. “I promise.”
Heimdallr spread his wings and let out a roar that echoed across the Horscan highlands, before taking to the air and soaring after Fluttershy. “You can run, Fluttershy Firewing, but you can’t hide!”
Fluttershy galloped back into the woods, hoping that the high trees would keep her safe from Heimdallr’s claws. She just needed to get Heimdallr away from her father, and then lose him so she could tend to his grievous wounds. She didn’t want to believe that monster that Firewing was not going to live, she couldn’t.
Fluttershy looked up and saw Heimdallr directly above her. He beat his wings down in a powerful thrust forward so he was now ahead of the pegasus. He wheeled about to face her and lowered himself until he was above one of the trees. He placed his claws onto it and with a tiny ounce of strength, pushed the tree towards Fluttershy in the hope of crushing her.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she saw this and turned to look at her wings. “Don’t let me down now,” she said to them. She spread her wings and shot upwards, barely missing the tree collapsing as she did so, and flew into the clouds.
Heimdallr looked up and gasped in surprise as he watched Fluttershy quickly disappear in the clouds. He flapped his wings once more and took off after her. But before he could get to her she was gone, disappearing into a large cloud formation.
Fluttershy looked behind her, hoping not to see Heimdallr right on her tail. She knew she couldn’t out fly him, but she could deceive him and make him think she was faster than he was. She landed on a large cloud and began digging into it, pushing bits off the cloud until there was a hole big enough for her to squeeze in and hide from Heimdallr’s gaze.
She dived into the hole, squeezing herself into a ball and throwing some of the cloud over her to help in her disguise. She waited for him to appear. Her breathing was quick, her eyes wide as they moved across the skyline, expecting for Heimdallr to appear.
Slowly and menacingly, he emerged in front of her, making her go lower into the cloud and start to shake in fear. She held a hoof over her mouth to stop a shriek and began praying to Celestia and Luna that she will not be seen.
Heimdallr hovered there, his head slowly turning around for any sign of the weak pegasus. He roared in anger upon not finding any. It was as if she had disappeared from existence altogether. “I know you are here somewhere, Fluttershy Firewing. I know that you won’t forsake your dear, precious father over your own life. I will find you, and I when I do, I shall feast on your still beating heart!” Heimdallr roared, before heading away from Fluttershy.
Fluttershy watched as Heimdallr flew away from her and her father, until he disappeared from view altogether, the clouds covering his movements. She blew a sigh of relief, got out of the little hole she dug for herself, and set off in the direction of her father, hoping she wasn’t too late.
“Fluttershy!” a voice that the yellow pegasus thought she would never hear again called out.
She stopped and looked at where the voice came from. She squinted her eyes as the figure of a cyan pegasus pony emerged from the clouds, a beam of sunlight at the newcomer’s back. “Rainbow?” she called out in disbelief, her eyes widening at who she was looking at. At first she thought she was hearing things. But no, Rainbow Dash was hovering in front of her with a large grin on her face and her chest rising and falling fast.
She was so busy looking at Rainbow, that she didn’t notice Heimdallr appear beside her from one of the clouds. Before Rainbow could cry out a warning he raised a claw and smashed it into Fluttershy with a sweeping motion.
Rainbow’s eyes widened and made a dive to rescue her, but was blown back by the dragon’s ferocious roar, sending her spiralling away through the sky, and away from Fluttershy, who was now spinning towards the ground.
Fluttershy lost all sense of control as she fell, she tried to get her wings to work properly and set her down gently, but they weren’t responding. So she closed her eyes and waited for the feel of the ground, knowing that once she did, she’ll be waiting for her father to appear.
With a cry of pain she smashed into a slope on her open right wing, but she didn’t stop. The slope went downhill towards a small clearing surrounded by trees with a few rocks at one end. She tumbled down the hill, being able to miss any of the trees that dotted the hillside, until she reached the flat and rammed into a large boulder on her side. She cried out once more as she felt her side smash into the boulder, although luckily, no bones were broken.
She was now bleeding in many places; the wound on her head had re-opened and was weeping blood once more. Dirt covered up most her legs and lower body, and she felt weak and dizzy after such a tumble.
She gritted her teeth and tried to rise onto her legs once more. She made it halfway up before her legs gave way and she collapsed back onto her stomach. She craned her head and looked up to see Heimdallr circling overhead like an eagle, sneering bloodied teeth at her as he descended from the sky and landed a few feet before her.
She cried out as she tried to rise again, but again failing and collapsing back onto the ground. “And you still continue to fight. Do you not know death when you see it, Fluttershy Firewing? This is my hour!” Heimdallr roared triumphantly.
‘It’s over,’ she thought. ‘Heimdallr’s won, we’ve lost.’ She looked back up at Heimdallr, staring at him with loathing. “Do want you want with me,” she said, looking back towards the ground.
Heimdallr sneered. “With pleasure.” He advanced slowly, teasing Fluttershy with every step, savouring the victory that was assured. He had taken care of Firewing, now the last of the Dragonlords was in front of him. After five thousand years, he will have his revenge.
“HEY, GET AWAY FROM OUR FRIEND!” a high-pitched voice yelled from the tree line. Heimdallr and Fluttershy looked in the direction of where the shouting came from. Both Fluttershy’s and Heimdallr’s eyes widened at the appearance of five ponies and one horse.
Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Thowra were standing there, with their sword legs raised and Rainbow’s crossbow primed and aiming straight at Heimdallr’s eye. “You take one step closer to our friend and I will stick this bolt in your eye,” Rainbow threatened.
“Yeah,” Applejack snarled. “Back away now, and leave her alone, or deal with us.”
“Anyone who hurts one of our friends hurts all of us,” Twilight growled.
“Well fighting is not usually my thing. But I will GUT YOU WITH MY BARE HOOVES IF YOU TOUCH HER AGAIN!” Rarity screeched.
“Yeah… what they all said,” Pinkie finished, before reverting back to a threatening stance, and growling at the dragon in front of them. Thowra said nothing, just stared at the winged beast with a snarl and a raised sword on his leg.
Fluttershy couldn’t believe it; she began to think she was imagining things. Where her friends really all here? She painfully moved her neck to see Heimdallr’s reaction, only to find herself unnerved by his small smile. “Girls… get… back,” she croaked out, but they couldn’t hear her.
Heimdallr chuckled, and then poured out fire from his mouth straight at the six equines. Twilight closed her eyes and activated a quick shield around the six equines, protecting them from the worst of the fire.
When the flames cleared, the six equines were surrounded by burnt grass and the smell of burning trees behind them. Heimdallr snarled and widened his eyes, aiming them straight into the equine’s eyes.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she realised his plan. “Girls! Thowra! Close your eyes! He’s using the dragon stare!” But it was too late, the six equines were frozen in place by Heimdallr’s stare, their eyes wide as they tried to move, but found themselves too paralysed with fear.
“So these are you friends then, Fluttershy Firewing? They are just as weak as I suspected.” Heimdallr shifted to face the ponies and horse and moved towards them. Fluttershy tried to get up again to stop him, but again found herself back on her stomach. She closed her eyes and looked away, not wanting to see what he was going to do with her best friends.
“Oh I’m going to enjoy torturing them,” Heimdallr proclaimed, sheer joy in his tone. While the ponies and horse in front of him began whimpering in fear.
Fluttershy’s eyes snapped open. All pain she felt immediately ceased. Her irises became dots the size of pin needles. Her blood pumped around her body faster as she felt her anger explode on a scale she never felt before, and her teeth gritted together so hard she thought she felt some pieces of them shatter. With slow movements, she got back up on all fours and turned to face Heimdallr as he now loomed over her friends.
‘You… threaten… my friends. My friends!’ She raised her right leg and Drage Bane sung as it appeared. She didn’t have a choice; she didn’t want another choice. This dragon is going to die. At that moment, her mind went blank.
With a scream of pure, psychotic rage she charged at Heimdallr, who turned to face her just as Fluttershy slammed her entire body into him, sending him onto his side. Fluttershy then began stabbing, slashing with her swords into the belly of the beast. Heimdallr’s burning eyes widened in surprise, and fear, at the sight of rage in Fluttershy’s eyes.
Heimdallr swiped a claw at the pony, but Fluttershy jumped back out of the way, and slashed off several of the claws with Drage Bane. Heimdallr howled, then lunged his head at her, trying to claim her in his jaws.
Fluttershy, however, was quick, way too quick for him. She stepped sideways; missing Heimdallr’s teeth, then stabbed her swords into the open nostril of the creature, sending Heimdallr a world of pain. Fluttershy became a whirlwind of violence, slashing, hacking, stabbing into the winged beast without thought, or conscious. This monster had taken away her order, wounded her father. It was not going to take her friends too.
The five ponies had recovered from Heimdallr’s stare and were now watching with horror as Fluttershy, screaming in rage, attacked the now howling dragon. “Make her stop,” Rarity whispered to Twilight, unable to watch the torture anymore.
If Twilight heard the other unicorn, she didn’t acknowledge it. She was too mesmerised by the ferocity of her quietest friend beating the stuffing out of this dragon.
Heimdallr spread out his wings and took to the air, hoping to retreat and make a recovery before attacking again. Fluttershy leapt onto Heimdallr’s face, and began stabbing her swords down through her scales, working her way forward towards the brain. Heimdallr howling with every infliction put upon him.
Heimdallr tried to shake her off by shaking his head widely. Fluttershy stayed on by embedding Drage Bane into his scales. She worked past the head and made her way forward towards the wings.
Heimdallr then tried to do some barrel rolls, trying to force Fluttershy to lose her grip and fall to her death. But still Fluttershy stayed on, moving slowly across the dragon’s body to the wings.
She made it to Heimdallr’s right wing and, with a loud cry, sliced her sword across the wing, cutting it off as though it were scissors to paper. Heimdallr screamed in agony. He watched with wide, frightened eyes as his right wing fell away from him. He now saw he was plummeting to the ground, and found he was unable to slow his descent.
Fluttershy made her way back to Heimdallr’s head, and began hacking at where his brain would lie. After a while, Fluttershy let out a roar and stabbed down with Drage Bane, straight through the skull and into the brain itself.
Heimdallr’s eyes widened even more as he felt agony course through the body he controlled, and he let out a deafening roar. His body slumped as it now nosed dived towards the ground at such speed. The six equines on the ground saw what was about to happen and ran for the cover of the trees, watching as the dragon slammed into the ground, creating a huge explosion of dust and mud.
Before the dragon hit the ground, Fluttershy leapt off the head and hit the ground rolling, coming to a stop just a few feet away from where the dragon impacted the ground. She got up and turned around and readied to charge once more into the fray. Bu the dragon didn’t get back up; it lay huddled in the crater it created, dead once more.
Despite the creature’s death, Fluttershy still stood on her hind legs with her back to her friends. She breathed heavily through gritted teeth. Her eyes were still mere dots. Eyes, which spoke of a bloodlust for the dragon in front of her.
After a moment of silence Twilight stepped forward. “Fluttershy?” There was no response, so Twilight took a step further.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Thowra cried. He raced in front of the unicorn and stopped her before she could go any closer. “Do you want to get killed also?!”
Twilight laughed nervously. “Fluttershy won’t kill me.” She took a moment to study Thowra’s eyes, and saw to her surprise he wasn’t joking. “Won’t she?”
“She could, and she wouldn’t even know it,” Thowra replied, his tone full of sorrow. “She’s gone berserk, Twilight.”
“What does that mean?” Rainbow stepped forward.
“When a person of any species gets so angry they literally lose control over everything. They feel no pain, have no conscious, and will kill anything that stands in their way, including those on their side. Until their desire for blood is sated,” Thowra explained.
Twilight looked from Thowra to Fluttershy. The pegasus still had her blades out, both of them pointing towards the ground, and she didn’t seem to acknowledge their presence. Twilight felt her nerves go at the very thought of her friend turning into something worse than what happened at the Grand Galloping Gala, something that could easily harm her and everypony else. “I have seen horses go berserk many times on the battlefield, and it is never a great thing to watch as they cut down the enemy whilst screaming their lungs out,” Thowra added.
“So you know how to get her out of it then?” Rainbow enquired, her tone full of hope.
Thowra sullenly shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Rainbow. Every horse that had gone berserk in the past was put down if they survived the battle, their minds too broken to be re-forged.” He lowered his head to the ground. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think we can help her.”
Rainbow started to shake her head. “You’re lying. You’re lying!” Thowra just shook his head. “Twilight, there must be something we could do, anything!” Rainbow was close to tears now.
Twilight looked from Rainbow to Fluttershy, deep in thought. They had travelled so many miles to find her and now, when they were so close, they were being told they might have to put her down. Twilight wasn’t going to go home a friend less. “I have to try something, Thowra. She saved my life a month ago, maybe it’s my turn to save hers.”
“Or maybe mine,” Pinkie stepped forward. “Twilight, let me go and try to bring her out of it.” Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but stopped when Pinkie continued talking. “She brought me out of depression about a week ago, Twilight. The least I can do is try to bring her out her rage.”
After a tense silence, Twilight gave her nod of approval and reluctantly stepped out of the way, allowing Pinkie to pass. With a gulp, Pinkie stepped forward, her head held high as she tried to stay brave, but she found it waning. Fluttershy had just taken on a dragon and won, what chance would she have against her in a fight? But her pegasus buddy had derailed, and auntie Pinkie was here to put her back on the track.
Twilight watched as Pinkie inched closer to Fluttershy, and then turned to Rainbow, whose eyes were full of tears. “Rainbow, forgive me for asking you this. But, if Fluttershy so much raises a hoof aggressively at Pinkie, will you please pull that trigger.”
Rainbow’s eyes widened and she glared at her unicorn friend. “You want me to kill my own friend?!” Twilight nodded, her eyes with tears as well, as well as disgust for herself. “How dare you even come up with that?! There is no way on this earth that I’m shooting Fluttershy! I wouldn’t do it even if Princess Celestia asked me to!”
“Please, Rainbow. I don’t want you to shoot Fluttershy either, and I certainly don’t want to go home with a dead friend, let alone two,” Twilight sniffed.
Although Rainbow hated to admit it, Twilight was right. If Pinkie were killed as well as Fluttershy, she wouldn’t forgive herself. She gave Twilight a little nod, sniffed back her tears, and took to the air. She raised her crossbow leg and aimed at the back of Fluttershy’s head, praying she wouldn’t have to pull the trigger.
“Pinkie,” she called to the earth pony, “if you break Fluttershy out of her psychotic episode, I’m going to kiss you.”
Pinkie just gave a little nod in acknowledgment as she approached. She was now a couple feet from the pegasus, so started to circle around her to face her directly. “Fluttershy? It’s me, your aunt Pinkie,” she said. She received no response.
The others watch on baited breath as she moved in front of Fluttershy. At the sight of Fluttershy’s face Pinkie’s heart was blown into pieces. Instead of the features of the sweet, innocent, kind and caring pegasus pony she knew, it was instead the definition of rage. Fluttershy face was covered in blood, her own and the dragons, which dripped down her body like rainwater.
Pinkie stepped closer. “Fluttershy, please listen to me. I know you’re in there. I know that inside that mind if yours is the sweet, loving pegasus we all came here to look for.” Pinkie moved closer, her eyes brimming with tears as her gaze was met with intense, thoughtless hatred. “I’m here now, Fluttershy, and I’m never going to leave your side again, I promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she said with all the right gestures.
At the mention of the pinkie promise, Fluttershy’s body relaxed little by little, as if it brought her mind back into focus as it started to remember her pinkie promises. Her teeth came apart and her breathing slowed down to a steady, relaxed pace. Her two swords retreated back into their scabbards and her eyes returned to their normal size, bringing back the love and kindness Pinkie remembered they had.
“P…p-pi…Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy mumbled. Pinkie Pie beamed and indicated with a hoof for Rainbow to lower her crossbow, which the pegasus duly did so with a heavy sigh of relief.
“Yes, Fluttershy, it’s me,” Pinkie said. She took one of Fluttershy’s hooves and pressed it against her cheek, in a similar way as what Fluttershy did to her about a week ago. “I’m here, as are we all. And we are not going to leave you again.”
Fluttershy at first thought she was seeing things, but the moment Pinkie pressed her hoof against her cheek did Fluttershy know she was real. “Wha… what are you doing here?” she managed to say as she lowered herself back onto her fore hooves.
“Looking for you, of course,” Twilight’s voice said from behind her. Fluttershy turned around and gasped when she saw not just Twilight, but Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Thowra were standing there. All of them with relived smiles across their faces.
Fluttershy moved forward to jump them all in a hug, but suddenly stopped and prostrated onto the ground, shaking with fear as she remembered what she did to them. “I’m so sorry!” she cried. “I didn’t want to do that to you at first but I didn’t want to see you get killed because of me so I had to for your sake and…”
“Fluttershy, shut up,” Rainbow said. Fluttershy went silent. She peered out of her hooves and looked at Rainbow, who had a warm smile on her face. “If we were mad at you for leaving us like that do you honestly think we wouldn’t be out here in the first place?” Fluttershy simply shrugged. Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Well we wouldn’t, we’ll be back in Ponyville trying to forget you. But we came all this way to find you, and we’re not going home without you.” Rainbow landed and walked up to the other pegasus. “So get up and give me a hug, you bird brain.”
Fluttershy jumped up and wrapped her forelegs around her pegasus friend. Pinkie soon joined in, followed by Twilight, then Applejack, and finally Rarity, until they were all having a group hug for the first time since leaving Strutford. Thowra just smiled as he watched the re-union of the six friends, and felt the satisfaction of a job well done.
Fluttershy tightened her hold over her friends, a bright, wide smile on her face. They had forgiven her, and had come all this way to find her and bring her home. Her father was righ…
“Dad!” she suddenly exclaimed. She pushed her way out of the group and galloped up the hill as fast as she could, not bothering to say sorry as she sent all her friends to the ground.
“Fluttershy, wait!” Rainbow called out. But Fluttershy was racing away from them already.
“Did she just say… dad?” Rarity asked to the other perplexed ponies.
“Come on, ya’ll,” Applejack got up first. “We gotta get after her or we’ll never find her again.” The others nodded in agreement and set off after Fluttershy. “I sure hope we get an explanation to what the hay is going on out here,” she said to Twilight as they galloped through the trees.
Fluttershy meanwhile was ages in front. She galloped through bushes and jumped over fallen trees. She raced passed small animals wondering what the heck just happened. She could’ve stopped and helped them up, but her priority was getting to her father, and praying she wasn’t too late.
She galloped past the tree that Heimdallr had knocked over to crush her with and realised she was getting close. Her breathing became a little bit faster and her stomach began to ache agonisingly with worry. She saw the clearing come up and prepared herself for whatever was around the other side.
She emerged and saw her father exactly where she left him. She cantered up to him. “Dad, I did it. I got rid of Heimdallr, I defeated a dragon,” she said as she slowed into a trot. “I’m a true Dragonlord now.”
She received no reply. At first she thought it was because he was whispering and she couldn’t hear him, but once she got closer did she realise that wasn’t the case. Firewing lay motionless in a pool of blood, with his head resting against the trunk of the tree, his eyes closed, and his mouth just slightly open, but no breathing was heard.
“Dad?” Fluttershy whispered. “Wake up. You promised me you won’t play tricks like this to me again, so wake up.” She placed a hoof on his shoulder and nudged him. She felt his body was cold to the touch, and her heart fell apart. “No… oh Celestia, please no.”
She nudged him again, this time a little bit harder. Tears started to stream from her eyes and down her cheeks as her mind tried to tell her that he was dead. “Wake up! WAKE UP!” she screeched. “Don’t leave me again. You promised you wouldn’t. YOU PROMISED!”
But Firewing was dead. Fluttershy shook her head disbelievingly. She cradled his head in her hooves and began to cry uncontrollably.
Not too far away, the other ponies began to hear the sound of crying, and their hearts beat a little faster. “This way!” Applejack pointed towards a clearing. The five ponies and one horse turned in the direction of where Applejack said and in no time at all they emerged into the clearing where Fluttershy lay gripping onto her father.
Rainbow flew up to her. “Okay, Fluttershy, you better have a pretty good excuse…” she trailed off after seeing what Fluttershy was gripping onto and a hoof went over her mouth. “Oh my goodness.”
Fluttershy’s shoulders shook violently as she cried over her father’s body. Twilight and the others walked up to her, all of them recognising Firewing’s body from the picture. Fluttershy turned around and looked at Twilight. “Ple-e-e-ease, Twilight,” she pleaded. “Help him.”
Twilight didn’t know how to say she couldn’t, so just shook her head solemnly. Fluttershy closed her eyes, turned around and buried her face in Firewing’s face, tears spilling out once more over Firewing’s body. “Leave me,” she whispered, before crying her heart out once more.
The six equines hesitantly complied with Fluttershy’s request and walked slowly out of the clearing. “If you need us, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said comfortingly. “We’ll be in a clearing over there.” She pointed to the furthest corner of the clearing, where they could see a smaller clearing just behind.
With that Rainbow flew off to be beside the others. She kept glancing back at Fluttershy, wanting to be next to her and be a comfort for her. Celestia knew she needed it.
Fluttershy, meanwhile, felt sheer sorrow flow through her. And yet, when her eyes opened, they sparkled sheer sorrow, and pure hatred.
For half an hour they could hear the slight whisper of Fluttershy’s mournful cries echo across the highlands, until there was suddenly silence. Rainbow, Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack and Thowra sat close together, in silence, all of them wanting to get up and comfort their friend.
“That’s it! I can’t stand waiting here anymore,” Rainbow said suddenly. “I’m going to her.” She made to dash off through the trees, but what stopped by a magenta glow around the tip of her tail.
“We shouldn’t, Rainbow,” Twilight said. Rainbow could tell it pained her just as badly to be sitting where they were doing nothing.
“What do you mean we shouldn’t?” Rainbow snarled. She was let go and instead of flying away, flew into Twilight’s face. “One of my best friends is in a lot of pain at the moment, and you want me to sit here and do nothing?!”
“I want to do something as well, Rainbow,” Twilight countered. “But what good can I do?”
“How about being there for her, maybe that would work,” Rainbow reasoned.
“I’m curious though,” Rarity came in. “Fluttershy said that Firewing was her father, and yet she told us she never knew him. How does that work?”
“I don’t know,” Twilight said. “But if it’s true, then why leave Fluttershy at an orphanage? Why couldn’t he raise her himself?”
“Because he did it for that same reason I left you at Detrots. Because he loved me too much,” Fluttershy’s voice came into the conversation. All eyes turned towards where Fluttershy emerged from the trees into the small clearing the ponies and horse had inhabited, and their hearts shattered at the devastation in Fluttershy’s eyes.
Her head was low, facing the ground. Her ears were flat on her head, her eyes were red from crying so hard, her face was covered in blood that also had smears were her tears had cleaned the blood away. He hooves and lower body was covered in dirt while her tail dragged along lifelessly behind her. While on her back was her father’s saddlebag, with small bloodstains on it, whether it was her own or Firewing’s the ponies couldn’t tell.
She moved till she was close to the other ponies and collapsed onto her rump without saying another word. Rainbow looked towards Twilight, almost as if she was daring her to stop her. When nothing came, Rainbow moved closer to the mourning pegasus and put a comforting hoof across her shoulders. Fluttershy reacted by lowering her head and resting on Rainbow’s chest, whilst spilling out the last of her tears. “There, there,” Rainbow cooed softly into Fluttershy’s ears. “We’re here for you, Fluttershy. Aren’t we, guys?” Five heads nodded in unison.
“Fluttershy, I know this is hard, but would you like me to get pyre ready? To burn Firewing I mean?” Rainbow added softly.
“There’s no need, Rainbow, thank you,” Fluttershy replied dryly. “I just buried him back there. Facing Equestria, and home.” She indicated with a wave of her head.
Rainbow removed her leg from Fluttershy in shock. “But… but, Fluttershy, you know what happens to pegasi who aren’t…”
“Yes I know full well what happens, thank you,” Fluttershy snapped. “But you can’t burn a Dragonlord body, so I had to bury him.”
“A drago what now?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“That doesn’t matter now,” Twilight said, glaring at Rainbow. She then turned back to Fluttershy and said gently, “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up. You look a right state.”
“Don’t worry, Twilight darling, I got this one,” Rarity said as she stood up and walked to Fluttershy’s side.
“Me too,” Pinkie said, with a nod from Rarity. Pinkie walked up to Fluttershy and offered a hoof. “Come on,” she said in such a gentle manner, it was hard to believe it was from Pinkie.
Without looking up, Fluttershy grabbed her hoof and held it tight. “There’s a small lake just over there you could use,” Thowra said, pointing the way. Fluttershy’s heart pounded a bit faster as she thought it was the same lake she and her father had shared for a moment yesterday evening. She tried to halt them but Pinkie dragged her on, not once letting go of Fluttershy’s hoof.
After a moment or so of walking they arrived in front of the lake, and Fluttershy relaxed slightly to see that it wasn’t the same one. It was on a flat, and was far bigger as well, with dark blue water that rippled as Pinkie stepped in.
“Come in, in here,” Pinkie said gently as she guided Fluttershy into the water. Fluttershy slowly made her way into the water. It was warm and would’ve been relaxing, if Fluttershy was able to be in a right state of mind to relax.
Pressing her hooves down onto the pegasus’s shoulders Rarity lowered Fluttershy into the water, until Fluttershy’s stomach touched the bottom. “Comfy?” Rarity enquired. Fluttershy just gave a faint nod, her face full of sadness that made Pinkie’s heart splinter and crack even more.
“Rarity, why don’t you go and get some rest. I’ll stay here with her,” Pinkie offered.
After a while Rarity nodded and lowered herself back to Fluttershy’s ear. “Shout if you need anything, darling,” she said. With that she trotted back to the others, leaving Pinkie and Fluttershy together.
Pinkie knew this wasn’t the time for jokes. She knew just what Fluttershy was feeling at the moment and visibly shuddered at the memory of Granny Pie’s passing, which was still clear in her mind, and had never dulled. She put on her serious, comforting face and swam up next to her mourning friend.
“Come on, Fluttershy, let’s get started on cleaning you up,” Pinkie said, looking at Fluttershy and in all honesty feeling a bit queasy at just how much dragon blood was on the pegasus’s face. Fluttershy just sat there staring at the water.
Pinkie leaned behind her and got holds of a flannel that Rarity left for her. She then dipped it into the water and then gently started cleaning Fluttershy’s face. Fluttershy grimaced sometimes when Pinkie touched a scratch but she didn’t complain about it, she just stared at the water, with her reflection staring back at her.
After a while Pinkie had gotten most of the blood and dirt off Fluttershy’s face, and cleaned up some of the scars so that they weren’t clearly visible. “There you are. I thought there was a Fluttershy there somewhere.”
Suddenly Fluttershy muttered something. “Sorry, Fluttershy, I didn’t hear that.”
For the first time Fluttershy looked up, her eyes watered once more, as the dam was about to break again. “I failed him, Pinkie. We were supposed to look out for each other, but I failed. Now he’s dead because of me.”
Pinkie shook her head. “No, Fluttershy, you had nothing to do with Firewing’s death. There was nothing you, or anyone, could’ve done to prevent it.” Pinkie placed her hooves on Fluttershy’s cheeks and lifted her head to look her in the eye. “So please, Fluttershy, don’t blame yourself.”
“But how can I, Pinkie,” Fluttershy argued, “when I just stood there and let that dragon take him. Why couldn’t it have been me?!”
“Don’t ever say that, ever,” Pinkie said sternly. “You would’ve been killed too, and then we would have to bury you and Firewing. And I don’t think I could take losing you a second time.”
Pinkie let go of Fluttershy and allowed the pegasus’s head to slump once more. “Pinkie?”
“Yeah?”
“What did it feel like, when you heard Granny Pie died?” Fluttershy asked softly.
Pinkie ears went flat atop her head and her face contorted into thought. “At first I didn’t believe it,” Pinkie answered. “Not even at the funeral did I believe she was truly gone. It was only when she stopped coming on her monthly visits did I realise she was gone, and I couldn’t stop crying after that.”
“Does it get any easier?”
Another period of silence fell. “Yes, and a big no,” Pinkie finally replied. “It leaves a hole in you that never gets fully filled. But over time, you know its there and you know you have to walk around it. That’s what I had to do, Fluttershy; I carried on, in Granny’s memory, and I’m sure you will do the same, in his.”
Fluttershy looked back at the water for a moment. After a while of listening to the birds she looked back up again and said, “I’m sorry if I seem rude but could I be left alone for a bit please? I just want to get my thoughts in check.”
“No problem, Fluttershy,” Pinkie said gently. She hopped out of the water and trotted off back to the camp. “You know what else helped get through it,” Pinkie added. Fluttershy twisted her head around to look at her. “Having good friends like you around to be there for me, and knowing they will be there for you, thick and thin.” With that she trotted away from the lake, leaving Fluttershy with her thoughts.
Fluttershy knew Pinkie was right; her father was gone, but his memory still remained. And Fluttershy knew she had to honour it, by continuing what they started together. Finding the keys, and stopping Heimdallr.
“Now you know my pain,” Heimdallr’s voice echoed through her mind. Fluttershy looked down into the water and instead of seeing her own face, it was the large, bulky, burning head of Heimdallr, with a wicked sneer across his face.
Fluttershy felt her teeth grit together and she snarled at the reflection. “You know nothing of my pain, Heimdallr.”
“Oh but I do. I watched my son get killed by ponies during the Great War, and then have his body paraded about like a trophy. So don’t you dare lecture me about the pain of loss.”
“I know what happened to your son Heimdallr, and believe me when I say my heart wept for what happened, truly,” Fluttershy said. “But there is no justification for killing thousands of innocents like what you have done.”
“I wouldn’t say thousands of innocents,” Heimdallr sneered. “Hundreds of thousands is a better number.”
Fluttershy felt her body heat increase as her anger rose once more. “You must think you have broken me by killing my father, that there is no way this little pegasus pony from Ponyville, who jumps at everything she hears or sees, can do anything to stop you. Well you’re wrong, Heimdallr. If anything it’s made me stronger, because now it’s given me a better reason to keep fighting, to stop you from destroying everything I hold dear.”
Fluttershy stare intensified. “I am Fluttershy Firewing. I am a Dragonlord and I swear on this day, that I will find you, and I will kill you for your crimes!”
Heimdallr sneered. “Good luck,” he said before fading away from the water, and his voice disappearing from her mind.
Fluttershy shook her head and jumped out of the lake, shaking off the excess water on her body, which was now mud and blood free. She trotted back to the others with a sense of purpose and a plan on what she was going to do next. She was going to follow her father’s example, and finish what they and the Dragonlords started. Only then when it’s over, can she truly mourn her father.
The six equines went silent as Fluttershy emerged from the trees and nestled herself near the campfire that was now going at the centre of the group, with a look of confidence on her face. They all sat in silence for a while, taking a moment to listen to the songs of the birds, which sang a sad, lowly tune that seemed to the animal loving pegasus, speak of loss. It was as if the world itself mourned the death of Firewing.
“Okay, sugarcube,” Applejack spoke up. “I think now ya owe us an explanation. What the hay is going on here? Was that Firewing really your father?”
“AJ, I don’t think…”
“No, Twilight,” Fluttershy cut her off, “she’s right. You all have a right to know what’s going on, and what I have become.”
“Become what, darling?” Rarity said. “If you’re hating yourself for killing that dragon then you shouldn’t. You saved our lives doing that, and for that you have our sincere gratitude.”
“Not that, Rarity, although I’m glad to know you are all okay. But I’ll tell you everything.”
The six equines nestled down around the pegasus as Fluttershy began to tell them what happened after leaving them in Detrots, without leaving a single detail.
“So, let me get this straight,” Rainbow said once Fluttershy had finished. “You’re saying that you, your father and your ancestors were, and are, part of a warrior order called Dragonlords.”
“That have far greater eyesight and hearing,” Twilight brought in.
“Have stronger skeletons and muscles and live longer,” Applejack said next.
“Speak an ancient language that nopony could do, only write,” Rarity added.
“And kick the backsides of anything on the entire planet!” Pinkie finished.
Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”
Night had fallen by the time Fluttershy had finished re-telling her experiences to the group. The darkened sky was covered in clouds, blocking out the moon and the stars, leaving only the large campfire in the middle of the group the only illumination possible. They gasped when Fluttershy told them how she learnt Firewing was her father, by showing them the picture of Firewing and her mother, and wept silently at Fluttershy’s re-telling of her birth, and Rosemary’s death.
Once Fluttershy had finished, Rainbow puffed out a lot of air and rubbed a hoof through her mane. “That’s crazy. In fact crazy doesn’t even begin to describe it. The world’s shyest pony is in fact, the greatest warrior in Equestria, possibly even the world. It seems impossible.”
“But it’s true.”
“I’m not saying it ain’t, Fluttershy, but the idea of you, a pony who loves animals and would never normally raise a hoof to fight, is actually a super-solider, seems… well, mental.”
Fluttershy’s ears flattened and she pawed at the ground. “It is mental, Rainbow, I agree with you there, but it’s something I don’t want. This life has, and will, cost me everything. First my father, and later you all.”
Rainbow frowned deeply and walked up to the grieving pegasus and sat by her side. “I bet you would trade places with me if you could?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yeah, I think so,” Rainbow said after a while. “I mean, living a bit longer doesn’t sound too bad. I get to train longer to be part of the Wonderbolts, have a longer career, and survive really bad crashes. But like you said, I’ll eventually lose you all.”
The seven equines sat in silence once more, listening to the crackle of the fire as the wood burnt away and the ashes were spurted into the air, before gently falling to the ground like snow.
“So what do we do now?” Rarity asked aloud. Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie and Twilight looked at Rarity for a moment, and then took into consideration of what the unicorn asked.
Twilight looked straight at Fluttershy, who met her gaze, and asked gently, “Are you ready to go home, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she saw the looks in their eyes. They were all hopeful to return home and be reunited with the families and loved ones. She didn’t know how to tell them without breaking their hearts, so she came out with it. “Well you all can. But I can’t, not yet.”
“Whatever do you mean, darling?” Rarity asked, walking up to her side. “I know the circumstances have not been kind to you. But haven’t you achieved what you set out to do in the first place, and more?”
“Yeah, so why can’t you go home?” Twilight finished.
“Because I’m the only one who can save the world,” Fluttershy answered. “I’m now the only one who can stop Heimdallr.”
Applejack cocked her head to the side. “Who the hay is Heimdallr?”
Fluttershy proceeded to tell them how thousands of years ago a dragon, whose original name has long been forgotten, tried to destroy every living creature with fire and magic, but was stopped and defeated by the Dragonlord order, who were created to bring him down.
“That was five thousand years ago, but he was never truly defeated. He’s been fighting the order all this time in the shadows and only now he is emerging. If I don’t stop him, the world will burn,” Fluttershy finished.
The six equines in front of her sat on their haunches, their faces shaped in horror and fear as they summarised what was going on. They had landed themselves in the middle of a five thousand year old war, one that Heimdallr was winning at the moment. Out of all them, however, it was Twilight who was disturbed the most, and it showed plainly on her face.
“You said that Heimdallr could shut his claws together and turn ponies into fire?” Fluttershy nodded. “But that’s impossible! The practice of pyromancy hasn’t been around for nearly two thousand years!”
“What the hay is pryromacey or whatever you said it was?” Rainbow asked.
“Pyromancy, Rainbow,” Twilight corrected her. And pyromancy is the ability to create fire in the palm of a casters hoof or claws, and was renowned for creating terrible accidents. If Heimdallr is a pyromancer, and a powerful one, how do you hope to beat him, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy shifted around and got hold of Firewing’s saddlebags, and took out one of the keys, showing the six equines. Even in the dark, they could make out a faint, fiery glow coming from it. “This, as well as four others, was created by Starswirl the Bearded with an enchantment that would block magic users and disable Heimdallr’s abilities completely. I just need to find the fifth one of these, then find him and kill him, this time for good.”
“Wait, wait,” Applejack said with a little wave of her hoof. “Did I hear ya correctly? Did ya just say… kill him?”
Fluttershy nodded firmly. “But… isn’t kill too strong a word?” Twilight asked.
“Not for him it isn’t,” Fluttershy replied, the hatred she had for this creature more apparent as her voice rose.
“But, Fluttershy…”
“But nothing, Twilight!” Fluttershy spat, sending the unicorn jumping backwards and flinching at the venom in Fluttershy’s words. “You didn’t see the slaughter he made at Ferghana! When he killed everyone in the city, the young, the old, the unborn, everyone! He destroyed Andulusia! He killed my father! And he tried to kill you all! By Celestia and Luna if it’s the last thing I ever do, I will make him pay for what he’s done!”
Twilight was now cowering under Fluttershy angered gaze, while the others stood where they were, dumfounded by what was transpiring. Fluttershy, upon noticing Twilight cowering on the ground, squeaked and stepped back in horror, and looked at her shaking hooves. “I’m so sorry, Twilight, I’m sorry to all of you. You didn’t deserve that.” She looked down at the ground and said through gritted teeth, “I just feel… so angry.” She looked back up again. “Does that make me a bad person?”
Twilight got up and gave Fluttershy a warm smile whilst shaking her head. “Fluttershy,” Thowra spoke up. He walked over and sat down next to the pegasus. “It’s okay to feel anger. It is a perfectly normal emotion for all of us, even at a time like this. And you’re not a bad person for feeling it. You’re a good person that unfortunate things have happened to.”
Fluttershy gave a little nod in understanding. “But you must know,” Thowra continued, “That vengeance doesn’t solve anything. It will certainly not bring your father back.”
Fluttershy looked up at Thowra. “I know that, Thowra. But this isn’t about vengeance.” Thowra raised an eyebrow, forcing Fluttershy to tell the truth. “Okay, maybe a little. But mostly this is about doing what’s right, because if I don’t do anything, everything I know and love dies. My father died trying to do what’s right, and I’m going to follow his selfless example, by continuing to fight in his memory.”
Thowra nodded and patted Fluttershy on the back. “Well if that’s the case, I’m coming with you. If you’ll have me.”
Fluttershy gasped in surprise. “You mean that?!” Thowra nodded with a grin. For the first time in hours Fluttershy could feel a coming of a smile on her face.
“Fluttershy,” Rainbow chipped in, “remember what I said back in Canterlot. We begin this together and we end this together. I’m coming with you as well. And if we go down, we going down hot!” Fluttershy felt that smile grow a little bit bigger.
“Shucks, I’m in too, sugarcube, and there isn’t no amount of that druggy thing ya put on me goin to tell me otherwise,” Applejack said. Fluttershy’s smile formed into a grin.
“As am I,” Twilight said confidently. “You need us for this, now more than ever.” Fluttershy could feel tears of joy in her eyes.
“Darling, I simply cannot go home and leave you to ruin that splendid mane of yours. I’m with you too,” Rarity said, puffing out her chest. Fluttershy was now beaming.
“I think it’s time we met this meanie and smashed him to pieces, and then we will grind his pieces to pieces! I’m with you as well, Fluttershy Firewing!” Pinkie said, before murmuring, “I’m gonna have to find a bigger banner to fit your full name now for your birthday parties.”
Fluttershy stretched her forelegs out and grabbed all her friends in a group hug. She was so happy that they wanted to come, she needed, no, she wanted them to be with her, nor did she want to separate from them ever again. “You girls and horse are the best friends a pony could ask for. How could I deserve such good friends?”
“Easy,” Pinkie responded. “Because you’re the kindest soul we know, and everything you do is to help others.” She suddenly let out a long gasp. “Imagine what you could tell your children in many years time, and your children’s children!”
She jumped out of the group hug and did a spot on impression of Fluttershy, but sounding a lot older. “Okay kiddies, gather round and I will tell you about how I faced this big dumb meanie and kicked him to the sun, the moon and back around!”
Fluttershy’s face faded to sorrow at the mention of children, but once Pinkie started to impersonate her she couldn’t stop laughing. “That was good, Pinkie,” she complimented her afterwards. “Do you practice?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, yes,” Pinkie answered bashfully. “I tried to do all of you, but for some reason, I can only do Fluttershy really well.”
Thowra chuckled, and then changed the subject. “So, Fluttershy, do you know where the fifth, and final key is?”
“Yes,” Fluttershy replied with a nod. “It’s somewhere in the Ramshead range.”
Thowra’s eyes widened. “The Ramshead range! Do you have any idea where that is?”
“Yes, it’s south west of here…”
“In the Andulusian territory. So not only have we got to stop a evil dragon from destroying the world, we have to navigate our way through a civil war.”
The five ponies that had been following him looked at him incredulously. “Ya never told us there was a civil war goin on!”
“I didn’t? I’m sure I mentioned about once or twice.” The five ponies shook their heads. “No? Well there is, and we have to get around it.”
They stared at each in other in shock for a moment, until Applejack spoke up again. “We’ve been through a war before, even fought in one. We could get through this lickety split. What say ya’ll?”
The other ponies nodded. “How long will it take us to get there, Thowra?” Fluttershy asked.
“Well, barring that we don’t run into any… difficulties, I would say about two or three days minimum,” Thowra replied with an assuring tone.
“Well I think we should all get some sleep, then set off early in the morning. It’s been a rough day for some of us,” Twilight said, looking at Fluttershy with sympathetic eyes.
“I agree,” Rarity said. “Baggy eyes are not good for one’s features. Goodnight, all of you.” With that she layed out on the grass and instantly fell asleep. The others followed one by one, leaving only Twilight and Fluttershy.
“Twilight,” Fluttershy called, making the unicorn turn around. “I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier. You didn’t deserve that.”
Twilight walked up to the pegasus and gave her a comforting hug. “It’s okay Fluttershy, and you didn’t deserve what happened to you today. Just know we’re here for you, okay?” Fluttershy nodded. “Would you like me to put that nightmare spell on you tonight?”
“Thank you, Twilight, but I think I should be okay,” Fluttershy replied with a shake of her head.
“If you do, just wake me, okay? Don’t be shy about it.” Twilight pattered her friend on the shoulders and then walked closer to the fire. She threw her saddlebags off her back, got down onto her stomach and slowly fell asleep.
Fluttershy lowered herself down onto the ground and curled up into a ball. Before she went asleep she looked up at the starless sky and wondered whether her father was watching her with a proud, loving smile he had.
“I won’t let you down, dad,” she whispered to the sky. She lowered her head onto the soft grass and slowly sank into a haunted sleep.
I know you won’t, my child.
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My god she's dovahkin
I didnt like it that Fluttershys dad died...
Wow, so sad and at the same time happy. Her dad died, and she's finally reunited with her friends. I'm really conflicted.
Also I laughed a bit at that joke about Pinkie and Fluttershy having the same voice actor.
993408 Thanks for that, if i put it in a bit more I will contact you and ask for the sentences. In fact, what is norwegian for 'stand down'?
995748 Yeah, I wanted to make it sad and happy so I didn't have to add the 'sad' tag, or even 'tragedy' tag for that matter.
993544 Sorry, but it was always going to happen, since i came up with it i knew it would go down that route.
993356 Ha ha ha yes she is
1003439 Because its meant to be
a little bit of Eragon, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Skyrim then add fluttershy and you will get the sum of its parts: epic
1005568 Not really Eragon (haven't seen the film or read the book), but a lot of the Lord of the Rings. Thank you for thinking it epic.
1005590 but the Harry Potter part fits too: bad guy split his soul to overcome his own death
and it is epic because of fluttershy, with any other pony it would not make it better than good.
1005628 Ah yeah of course, I forgot about that. Thanks for the watch and that fave, I hope you won't regret it.
I love this story!
1010052 Thank you
you guys are awesome.
R.I.P. Firewing. We will honor your memory forever.
Celestia D**nit! You made me all teary eyed! Why do you do this to me?
But I liked this chapter, so keep it up.
P.S. I'll get ch3 to you ASAP. I had alot going on lately and haven't had alot of time.
1011076 Indeed, R.I.P Firewing. To be honest I'm glad your teary eyed, it means I'm getting the right emotions. I will try and keep it up.
P.S. I'll be looking forward to it.
1011644 Hmm, have to say 'Apne deg' sounds better for the door opening, and just 'Apne' for the medallion opening up. Thanks again for the translation corrections, this fic is a little bit better with the proper words thanks to you.
Sad fact is, I knew Firewing was going to die.
1014250
I figured something bad was going to happen when he mentioned meeting Fluttershy's friends, but I really really really didn't want to believe it.
I wanted him to interact with them personally.
Maybe a spinoff comedy-type chapter for that?
1015611 Sorry, but i don't think I will attempt comedy except in small doses
1035149
That's what I meant when I said a spinoff, just a 4-5k word collaboration of a few scenes of Firewing and the rest of the 6.
Of course, this is just my wishful thinking and I don't want to pressure you into doing anything you don't want to do.
And you’re not a bad person for feeling it. You’re a good person that unfortunate things have happened to.”
Person or ponies? Anyway great story. You rock!
1045527 There's two reasons i left it as 'person'. A) its been used in the show and as such I'm able to use it and B) I tried putting pony in but for some reason it just sounded wrong.
Thank you for thinking it a great story, and I don't rock, you rock, as does everyone else that read it.
About your first comment I can't recall a skyrim reference, but I did put a lord of the rings one, again.
993356 This story can be summed up as a sort of Ponified version of skyrim, so the comparison doesnt start OR stop at Fluttershy being Dovahkin.
“I tried to do all of you, but for some reason, I can only do Fluttershy really well.”
Iseewhatyoudidthere.jpg
I want to slap Rarity so much right now. From what I read, she seems to only care about how Fluttershy looks in this story, which makes me want to slap her so much...
R.I.P Firewing
He was willing to die for his daughter, that is truly noble, he will be forever remembered
1005590
Dear God, Eragon (the movie) was AWFUL. The books, however; are some of the best young adult fiction I have ever read. (And that's saying something. I've read enough books to put Twilight to shame!
)
I WILL NOW SING THE OOD SONG OF MOURNING. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SING THE DALEK ONE.
Okay, first, ouch, Firewing is dead, I wasn't expecting that for a little bit, but then I thought, in which other way will Fluttershy will get mad enough to want to kill the dragon? Sad anyway.
Now, to the other thing:
"Fluttershy’s face faded to sorrow at the mention of children, but once Pinkie started to impersonate her she couldn’t stop laughing. “That was good, Pinkie,” she complimented her afterwards. “Do you practice?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, yes,” Pinkie answered bashfully. “I tried to do all of you, but for some reason, I can only do Fluttershy really well.”"
What a way for a real life reference and shout out, this should go to TV tropes.
1011357
Dem feels
1761253 putting Twilight to shame is not really saying much.
Berserker 'Shy FOR THE WIN!
THAT is what I wanted to see! Blood and carnage, the rage that fuels the greatest feats and most terrible of nightmares, the understanding of duty and acceptance of the glorious burden. I wish Firewing hadn't died, as much as it was clear he was going to. Of course, now that he is Flutters is more than capable of going apesh*t crazy on her foes.
Farewell Firewing, I'll miss you. You awesome stallion you,
Oh by the way, awesome reunion scene, it was just what I was hoping to see through all of this.
I am crying stallionly tears. And I want that fucking dragon to die. In. A. FLAMING. PIT. OF. FLAMES.
Oh god I'm on the verge of tears now especially since my dad died about three weeks ago in a motorcycle accident, I am also all kinds of pissed off, no one should loose a family member or friend before its time for them to pass on naturally, if I see that dragon I will rip out his still-beating heart and make him eat it.
P.s. I feel so sorry for fluttershy
Oh god I'm actually crying now
I managed to stay dry eyed through this whole fic so far. But for some reason, I lost it at the last line of this chapter. Damn you man. Damn you.
BTW, very good.
Uhhh.... Remind me never to get Fluttershy that mad. EVER. I'd very much like not to die, tyvm.
One thing I would of loved would have been to read all of their reactions to each different thing that happened and to the fight with the dragon.
Vidar pode cuidar de você, Fogoasa
The second chapter after metting firewing I know he was going to die, I just wished I was wrong.
1484693 that is probably her coping with finding flutttershy when deep down she just wants whats best for her.
Alright. I'm back on track! Let's see. I stopped here... and
Holy fucking hellhounds this chapter is .. I don't know how to describe it exept wow!
I hate that Firewing had to die but was impressed at Shy's ragemode.
I'm sorry I didn't continue reading this wonderful masterpiece of writing sooner, but life.
Now I'll never be able to continue to write my stories. The addiction!
Dragon
“Leave him alone!” Fluttershy reared up, and pointed Drage Bane at the dragon, while the other was pointing towards the ground. “I will kill you if you touch him!”
Fluttershy is Eowyn, Firewing is Theoden
WWWHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!????!? Why did he have to die!? She just met him a couple of days ago!
Oh you. copiosa.org/Lord_Rings_images/nazgul.jpg
.
.
.
.
.
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The coup de grâce is done, and went through my heart. I think it's the first time in my life I use this gif and you deserved it. I know this seems like a commonly used gif, but from me, this is the highest rating I can give on a chapter.
dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/40553515/pony/Reactions/tumblr_magijs2Kfy1rw2gyh.gif
Fuuuuuuuck. What is wrong with you? I was just getting to like him...
See?Disney movie rules never fail.
997219
... but you are still a gigantic ass for doing so 
good story though 
even though i knew deep down that he would die and told you not to, its sad it did happen
1005590 No this has Eragon in it,
>>Fluttershy20 You have no soul for what you did...
1045711
You have committed a crime against the entire fanbase. When stuff like this happens, #ifusrodahtheworld
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