Chapter 2
An hour later, Fluttershy found herself writing out a five-day plan that would avoid any contact with those she once called her family. Living in a small town where most ponies knew each other, it was hard for a pony to avoid contact with another. Most would consider it impossible. Nevertheless, Fluttershy was steadfast in her belief that she could avoid them; she knew what they did most of the week, anyway, so she thought she could easily avoid them. ‘At least, I think so,’ she thought gloomily.
Although a part of her wanted to march into Ponyville, find each of them in turn and ask, no, demand the reason why they want nothing to do with her anymore. But deep down, she knew the answer already. ‘They think I’m worthless,’ she thought despairingly. She sighed sadly, tears forming in her eyes, as she looked at the five-day plan she had made in her shaking hooves. ‘What if I am worthless?’
She was literally shaken out of her despair by Rosemary, reminding her that she was not worthless after all. She had raised this small rabbit after her father died and her mother had left, and was the closest thing to a parent Rosemary had. Fluttershy gave her a small, brave smile, and hugged the rabbit tight, even as tears like rain droplets dripped down her face. “I shouldn’t despair,” she said to the rabbit. “I mean, I’ve got my health, and I’ve got all of you. So what if they don’t like me anymore?” She put the little bunny down, and then patted Rosemary on the head. “I think I can live without them.” She stood up on all fours and went about her chores.
“No more tears,” she told herself sternly.
Yet, when she went to bed, she could be heard by the critters that lived in her house crying heavily into sleep, prompting Rosemary to go upstairs and have Fluttershy hug her like a teddy bear. When Fluttershy’s crying didn’t reside, other animals that lived with her flocked into her bedroom, hoping that would ease the pain she was in. Yet despite the attention from her animals, it was clear to most of them what happened to Fluttershy.
She was broken. Her pony friends had been everything to her. Her life, her very reason of living and that she was still alive, was because of them. Yet, they had discarded her like a piece of unwanted food. So for most of the night, Fluttershy kept her animals awake with her sobs, spilling out her sorrow in great waterfalls of tears. Eventually, Fluttershy finally drifted off to sleep, haunted by bad dreams.
The next morning, Fluttershy awakened to the sight of all the animals that were in her care on and around her bed, with Rosemary tucked under her forelegs. She gently detached herself from Rosemary, and then headed to the bathroom to look in the mirror. As she walked, her head was low, her ears were flat across her head, and her tail dragged along behind her as if a weight was attached to it.
Once she made it to the bathroom, Fluttershy looked into the mirror, and sighed at what she saw. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying and fatigue, her mane was sticking up in various places, and she wore a large frown that she figured would never lift off. ‘Better suck it up, Fluttershy,’ she thought, taking a deep breath and wiping her face with her hooves. ‘The animals aren’t going to feed themselves.’
After a thorough cleanup of herself, and a toilet break, she made her way downstairs and checked her list of what she had to do. “Okay: Monday I need to get carrots for all the bunnies. Tuesday I need to go and get some other vegetables – except apples because Applejack is in charge of the stall on that day. Wednesday I will get some apples from the stall, since Applebloom is in charge. Thursday I’ll have to get some seeds so I could grow my own vegetables. And Friday I have to get some chicken feed.” She nodded sharply at it, proud of herself that she could come up with such a plan.
It should be easy enough to avoid her other former friends as well, especially on this day. On Monday she knew Rainbow would be cleaning up clouds away from Ponyville, so it would be easy avoiding her. Twilight would be indoors studying. Pinkie would be in charge of Sugarcube Corner, but that didn’t matter for she didn’t need any sweets. And Applejack was down at the farm. The only pony she had to worry about running into was Rarity, for she liked going out and getting some fresh air between her work on that day. The rest of the week was completely random, so they could appear anywhere. But that was a problem for another day. With her plan together, she set off to her tasks.
Monday passed by without a hitch: she went into town, got the carrots she desired, and headed back to her cottage, not stopping to pay attention to the large number of arguments and fights erupting between ponies across town.
Tuesday had only one problem. Fluttershy flew into town and towards the market stores for her vegetables. She arrived there to find it nearly devoid of life, which was strange, but Fluttershy shrugged it off as a fleeting concern. In a way, it made things easier, for she got what she wanted quickly. When she made her way to trot back home, however, she found her path going towards the library, and saw at its front the five ponies that never wanted to see her again, for apparently no reason.
She looked at them for a second, all sitting at the front of the library laughing and smiling at each other about something. It gave her an unwanted urge to walk up to one of them, and punch her right under the jaw. She felt an anger building up inside of her that she hadn’t felt since her father died two years ago. She felt betrayed. She felt like they had all been smiling at her lovingly for the past four years, and then that Sunday each one of them ripped a piece of her heart out of her chest, laughing manically as they did so. She wanted to scream at them, hit one or all of them for lying to her.
She suddenly remembered her vows as a Dragonlord, and the rules the order stood by, especially the one about striking an innocent. So, instead of hitting one of them, she galloped down the street back into town and took the long way round, trying desperately to hold back tears.
Wednesday was much worse, for she nearly ran into Rainbow and Rarity. Fluttershy was walking down the street, having bought her apples from Applebloom and had a friendly conversation with the young mare, when she squeaked in alarm upon seeing Rainbow and Rarity trotting down the street towards her. Luckily, they were looking at each other and not in front of them, giving time for Fluttershy to hide. In haste, she grabbed a large hat from a stand, paid the shopkeeper, placed it on her head, then sat on a nearby bench and set her head low so the wide brim of the hat covered her body and her cutie mark. Her heart raced the closer their voices got, to the point when they were right next to her, making her think that her heart was going to explode. But they soon were trotting down the street, completely oblivious to the yellow mare hiding from them.
‘Since when did it come to this?’ she thought, lifting her head and watching them with teary eyes as they walked away. She got off the bench and made her way back home, her head low and her eyes filled with sorrow. She never noticed another fight break out down the street.
Thursday was slightly better. A small, grey squirrel came to her cottage in the early hours of the morning that needed help with a problem in its stomach. Fluttershy tried everything she knew, but nothing worked. When she realised she had to go to the library to find out what was the problem, she groaned at the chances of it happening. ‘Almost as if someone is doing all this on purpose, laughing while he or she does it.’ Nevertheless, the poor little thing needed help, and Fluttershy wouldn’t ever let her problems overshadow that of another’s. She left the squirrel with some painkillers, and then galloped into town as fast as she could.
She soon arrived at the library to find, to her surprise, it deserted. “Spike?” she called, hoping he would answer and not her. She waited for a few minutes to see if there was a reply, but none came. Satisfied that she was alone, she began rummaging through the books for ones on illnesses. Eventually she came to a book that had the problem and the cure. She tucked the book under her left wring, wrote on a parchment saying what book has been leant out, but not saying who had burrowed it; she didn’t want Twilight turning up at her door demanding to return the book. She took out the bits that were needed and flung them on the table next to the parchment, then quickly left.
After heading home and checking on the squirrel, she went back into town to buy large bags of seeds to grow her own vegetables and such. ‘This way, I will never have to go into town again,’ she thought to herself as she bought them.
Friday was definitely the best day. She left the house early, went into town just as the sun was rising, and got a sack full of chicken feed that would last a week. With that done, she went home, fed her chickens, got out their eggs and finished whatever jobs she needed to do around her home. With her animals tended to, she began to dig a patch of her garden to create her own vegetable patch, big enough to give her food to last for herself and her animal friends, and large enough to grow enough food for weeks on end.
Once the patch had been made, and the first seeds had been planted and watered, she stepped back from the patch and looked at her new area with pride – although she didn’t smile. The rest of the day was spent trying to relax outside and enjoy the day in the company of her animal friends.
However, despite the tranquillity of her surroundings, she couldn’t bring herself to relax. Her mind and life was now in complete turmoil. Everything was supposed to be going right; Rarity was going to get married, Fluttershy would eventually become a godmother, and all of them would become an even closer family. But suddenly everything came crashing down like a sudden thunderstorm. She briefly wondered if her friends had always hated her. That they just had her around to give them something to laugh about when her back was turned. Laugh at weak, easy to push around Fluttershy, for she wouldn’t complain and stand up for herself, she would just back into a corner and cry.
They seemed to forget who she now was. What she was capable of; what she can do. She wasn’t a pushover anymore; she was a Dragonlord, a warrior pony with dragon blood running through her veins. A pony that has fought in several battles and has the scars on her face and back to prove it. She was far stronger than she was when she had first met them.
Yet why did she feel so weak?
It was only when the sun started to go down did Fluttershy decide to retire back to her bed for the night, surrounded by her animal friends to give her comfort. The week had been hell, and she knew it wasn’t going to get any easier.
The next morning, Fluttershy was awoken by the sounds of birds singing from the Everfree Forest, and the sound of heavy rain from outside. It had rained like this every day since last Sunday, on and off; it was as if the world shared Fluttershy’s sorrow. Fluttershy groggily got out of bed, stretched her legs out, stifling a groan as she did so, and then went downstairs to get some of her favourite tea, hoping that would put her in a better mood.
Surprisingly, it did. Despite the fact she couldn’t feel the warming feel the tea once gave her, the taste was enough to turn her sad mood on it’s head. She drunk down the whole cup in a few gulps, then sank into her couch and watched the little birds that lived in her indoor birdhouses flutter around their homes, cleaning them out and feeding the little ones inside.
She watched this with a small amount of happiness, as was evident by the smile growing on her face. It felt good to smile again after a long week, and she hoped she could keep it up for a long time. She looked from the birds to a couple of squirrels chasing one another across her floor, and giggled as the one up front outsmarted the other with ease. “Careful, you two,” she warned them, watching them as they began to play tug of war with a nut. The two looked at her for a moment, then set the nut down and chased each other outside. Fluttershy giggled once more, with the small smile crawling wider on her face. ‘It feels good to be smiling again,’ she thought.
After a moment, more animals appeared: badgers, foxes, weasels, owls, falcons, eagles and other animals soon brought life into her little home, lightening her mood greatly. An owl fluttered down onto the chair next to the couch, and hooted some well wishes. “Thank you, Misses Owl,” she said. “But I should be all right from now on.” She sipped some more of her tea, sighing once more as she curled herself up into the comfortable couch. “No time for rest, Fluttershy,” she muttered to herself a few minutes later, when she saw the animals were getting restless for their food. “These animals need you.”
She finished the last of her tea, and jumped off the couch. “How about I put on some music?” she asked the animals. Tweets, squeaks and other sounds of acceptance welcomed the idea. Grinning, Fluttershy pranced up to her music collection and began looking through the various music she had. She wanted something that would lift her spirits, something to give her a reason to dance to. She couldn’t help but grin when she found the right one.
“‘I will survive’,” she read the title aloud. She gave the record a quick hug. “I could really use you at the moment,” she said to it. She fluttered over to her gramophone, put it in place, set the needle down, and turned up the volume.
As the music began, she felt a large grin form on her face as the music and the singing kicked in. “At first I was afraid, I was petrified. Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side,” she sang. “But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong. And I grew strong! And I learned how to get along.” With the song playing, and her hips swaying from side to side to the beat, she set about doing what she did best – helping her animal friends.
She flew outside to feed her birds and weasels, the music blaring from her home, singing, “Go on now, go, just walk out the door. Just turn around now. ’Cause you’re not welcome anymore. Weren’t you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye? Did you think I’d crumble? Did you think I’d lay down and die?”
She shouted out the chorus, spinning in the air, “Oh, no, not I! I will survive! Oh, as long as I know how to love, I’ll know I’ll stay alive! I’ve got all my life to live, I’ve got all my love to give! And I will survive! I will survive! Hey, hey!”
She flew over the house, doing a barrel roll as she did so, and landed in the garden to feed her chickens and collect their eggs, as well as tending to all the other animals’ needs. All this she did while singing her heart out and dancing without a care in the world of who was watching – only her animal friends would see this, and they wouldn’t be able to tell anypony she didn’t want to know.
A few minutes later, she pranced back inside the cottage just as the song was coming to the end. Several of the animals clapped their paws or claws together, praising Fluttershy’s dancing. Fluttershy gave a modest little bow, and then began dishing out the remaining meals. “Don’t worry, little friends, I’ll put another song on in a moment,” she assured them, noticing the pleading looks she was getting.
She set their bowls and plates down in separate areas, then stood back and watched with pride as her animals dug in to their meals. She had organised them this way herself, she recalled. There wouldn’t be any of this order if it weren’t for her. Not Twilight, not Applejack, not anypony; just her. ‘The song is right. I will manage without them.’
She turned around to get another record out, only to come face to face with a picture with her and the rest of her former friends. Fluttershy’s grin faded instantly upon laying eyes on it. She was in the middle, lying on the ground with Twilight above her, Rarity was at her right, and Applejack was on her left. Behind Applejack was Rainbow Dash, and behind Rarity was Pinkie. All of them were facing the camera and smiling, laughing, enjoying the day they had together that day. A day before she became a Dragonlord – a day before everything changed for the worse.
Fluttershy’s lips trembled as she looked at the picture, tears welling up in her eyes. But that sorrow quickly faded away, to be replaced with hatred. She yanked the picture off the shelf, stormed over to the window, opened it, and then with a scream of anger flung it outside. She watched it soar across the sky for quite a distance, before watching it crash down just outside the confines of her home. “I don’t need any of you!” she yelled as she watched it land with a sound of cracking glass. “I don’t need anypony!” She slammed the window shut and turned around, fuming. The animals in the home flinched when she slammed the window, and then hastily scurried back to their homes, intending to get away from the angry mare.
Fluttershy’s anger evaporated instantly as she watched them go. “No, wait, please, don’t go,” she pleaded, raising a hoof at them to stop them. But it did no good. She found herself to be alone once more, and hated it, more than ever. She burst into tears once more. She threw a leg over her eyes in a bid to stop the tears, but it did no good. She just kept on crying.
She cried for ten minutes or so, until there were no more tears to spill. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, then got up from the floor and flopped onto her couch, miserable once again. ‘How could they say they hate me? After everything we have done together?’ she thought. In fact, the more she thought about it, the less it made any sense.
They all knew she was shy, and sometimes would jump at the slightest thing; it was something that was less frequent thanks to her Dragonlord hearing but it still happened. She didn’t like large crowds, which they knew, and she would sometimes take extreme lengths to avoid conversation with any stallion or mare that took an romantic interest in her – something that she knew annoyed Rarity, who had set her up on several dates to which Fluttershy turned up to none.
Nevertheless, every time she’d messed up, or had done something wrong or whatever, they would pat her on the back, give her commiserations or forgive her, and carry on. They went to each other’s birthdays, gave each other presents, and so on. So why this sudden hatred and dislike towards her? She hadn’t done anything wrong the day before, did she? ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Fluttershy,’ she said to herself. ‘You did nothing wrong at all that Saturday. You couldn’t see the meteor shower that night because you were ill. They understood that, and accepted it. So why all of a sudden they don’t want to be my friends anymore?’
There was only one way she knew she would find out, and hated the thought of it. She would have to confront one of them, and demand answers.
But who should she see, and more importantly, who could she defeat in-case it turned ugly? Twilight was powerful at magic, and could easily stun her and knock her out without even looking. Rarity was surprisingly a no as well; she had become more powerful in magic with Twilight teaching her some spells, and would know a few tricks. Pinkie would know she was coming for her before she even left the house. Rainbow was much quicker than her, and could easily out fly and outwit her. So that left Applejack.
The earth pony might be strong, but thanks to her Dragonlord blood, Fluttershy was stronger. She could catch Applejack alone in the orchards, then, if necessary, pin her down and get answers from the mare. ‘Plus she’s the bearer to the element of honesty, so she can’t lie,’ she thought, grinning at herself.
With that plan in mind, she plucked up all the courage in her she needed for this. She jumped off the couch and walked into the bathroom, determination written in the Pegasus's eyes. Once in front of the mirror, she wiped her eyes and cleaned her face, wiping her cheeks of the tears that stained them, and quickly gave herself a look over.
‘I look fine,’ she thought. ‘I look like I’m managing without them.’ But the truth was she wasn’t managing without them. She wanted them back in her life; she wanted all of them to be her friends again, and carry on like it was just a bad dream. ‘I wouldn’t be doing this if I was okay.’
She took a deep breath, and then sauntered to the door. “Come on, Fluttershy, you can do this,” she goaded herself. “You faced a burning dragon in battle deep below a great ocean, and defeated him. Surely you can face one mare.” With another deep breath, she lifted her head up, boosting herself with confidence, and opened the front door…
Only to find Spike about to knock on the door with a sombre expression on his face and tears in his eyes, while behind him was his little bed and a bag full of his possessions.
Fluttershy flinched back in surprise. “Spike? What are you doing here?” She leaned her head through the door and glanced around, expecting to see Twilight not too far behind. She pricked her ears up as high as they could go, hoping she would hear faint whispers of some certain ponies being mean to her and him. But she could not see nor hear any. She looked down again at Spike, who was now looking at the ground tearfully, and it made Fluttershy’s already broken heart fracture. “What happened?”
At that, Spike threw himself into her embrace, spilling out tears of sorrow. “She kicked me out!” he cried, trying to keep his voice under control. “She said I wasn’t needed anymore, and told me to leave! I asked why but she just… just…” He couldn’t say anymore, but his tears said the rest.
Fluttershy gaped in shock. She quickly returned the hug, trying hard not to spill any tears she felt were coming. “There, there,” she cooed softly, running a hoof up and down his rough back. “It’ll be okay. You’re safe now.”
Once they pulled away, Fluttershy led Spike to the couch, set him down on it, then got out one of her blankets she kept in the cupboard under the stairs and threw it around him. With Spike comfortable for the moment, Fluttershy got hold of his belongings and brought them inside. She situated them just by the hearth. With his things taken care of, she went back to the couch and hugged him tight once again. Spike quickly returned the hug, spilling out more tears silently.
While Fluttershy felt a pang of sadness towards Spike, she could also feel a great heat of hatred arise in her for Twilight Sparkle. “I am so sorry, Spike,” Fluttershy whispered, resting her chin on Spike’s head.
“Don’t be,” Spike sniffed, looking up at her. “It isn’t your fault she threw me out with nowhere to go.”
“But you do have somewhere to go.” She gestured with a fore-hoof at her home. “Here. With me. If I’m honest, I could use the company, and so could you.”
“You mean after what happened after last Sunday?”
Fluttershy grimaced as she remembered the words she had heard coming from their mouths stinging like a swarm of bees. “Did Twilight tell you about it?” The way she said Twilight’s name was laced with venom.
Spike nodded abruptly. “She seemed quite pleased with herself about it, from the way she came in afterwards. She told me about it just before she kicked me out.”
Fluttershy looked at him incredulously. “You mean, she kicked you out a week ago?” Spike nodded sadly. Fluttershy could feel her hatred for the lavender unicorn rise steadily. “Then, where have you been all this time?”
“I went first to Rarity’s, but she kicked me out after one day for no reason. I then went to Sugarcube Corner, but again, after a day they threw me out. I couldn’t go to Rainbow’s since she lives in the sky, but she said she didn’t want me there anyway. So then I went to Applejack’s. The Apples allowed me to stay there for a while, despite Applejack’s harsh objections. It was after a while they caved in and sent me away, but not before Applebloom mentioned you, and the fact you haven’t been acting as strangely as everypony else.”
A great silence filled the room. Fluttershy took a deep breath to control the burning rage she felt inside her; it was all she could do to stop herself from going into town and slapping them all hard in the face. ‘How can they do this to him? He’s just a baby dragon!’ She gave the little dragon a pat on the back. “Well you are safe now, Spike. Do you need anything, like a drink or some food?”
“No thanks. I’m not hungry, nor thirsty at the moment. And thanks, Fluttershy, for letting me stay here. I won’t be in your way, will I?” he asked, his tone giving away his fear of being sent away again.
“Oh, of course not,” Fluttershy said, waving the thought away with a hoof. “Make yourself comfortable around here, but just don’t expect me to do everything for you, okay?”
“Of course I won’t. I’ll even help you with tending to your animal friends, if you like.”
Fluttershy looked into his eyes, seeing the sincerity of what he just said, and smiled. “I would like that. Thank you, Spike.” The two held each other close once more as they listened to the birds returning with joyous songs as the day brightened once again, and the small cries of animals outside greeting each other. As they sat there, Fluttershy’s mind raced with heavy thought. How could Twilight have kicked him out? How could the others be so cruel to him as well? How could all of this have happened?
“I just don’t understand how all this happened,” Spike worded out her thoughts. “I mean one day we were all laughing together and celebrating Rarity’s engagement. The next, her fiancé leaves town for good, all our friends turn against us, and nearly everypony goes bonkers at each other!” He sniffed back tears, clinging to her tighter. “Are we dreaming?”
Fluttershy hugged him just as tight. “I wish we were, Spike. I wish we were.” The two fell silent once more as they huddled together on the couch, their minds wild with thought. Fluttershy was trying desperately hard to not give in to the urge of marching into Ponyville and raging at all of them, but she was losing that battle, most especially with Twilight.
‘How can she do this to him?’ Fluttershy thought. ‘He was more to her as a friend, but a little brother! She should be protecting him, but instead she discarded him as quickly as she did me! She betrayed him! Twilight said once she would never give him up for everything! She said she would never do this to him! And I know for certain she wouldn’t unless… unless she… oh my…’
Her thoughts trailed off as her mind raced back to a memory about a year ago, having not long returned from the Crystal Empire.
The rain battered against the window of the library, creating a sound that seemed to Fluttershy like tiny knocks on the window. “Some storm, huh?” Twilight shouted from the upper floor.
Fluttershy looked from the blood red book in front of her to the silhouette of Twilight on her bedroom floor, searching for pieces of parchment and spare quills. “Oh, yes,” she agreed. “When Rainbow Dash told me it was planned to be the storm of the century, I didn’t quite believe her.” Her ears flattened across her head, and she rubbed her left foreleg with her other hoof. “I do feel awful for not really believing her.”
“Well, to be fair, neither did I,” Twilight admitted. “She does tend to exaggerate somewhat sometimes. But I don’t think she did for this one.”
Suddenly, two flashes of lightning lit up outside, followed shortly by two claps of thunder. Both ponies shrieked in surprise, leaped into the air and landed on their rumps. “Ow,” Fluttershy muttered to herself upon feeling her backside hit the ground. She looked up to the bedroom floor. “You okay, Twilight?” Fluttershy called, rubbing her rear.
“I’m fine!” Twilight replied. “Right, now where did I put those quills?” The unicorn began searching frantically for them once again, getting increasingly frustrated by their continued absence. “Urgh! Spike!” she called out, only to quickly remember that Spike wasn’t here.
Fluttershy looked around for the little dragon, and then looked to the stairs leading down to the ground floor, expecting him to turn up out of breath from running up the stairs. At that moment, she too remembered he wasn’t here. “Hey, Twilight, where is Spike? I thought he would be helping us with the book.”
“Wait a minute… is that them there? Yes!” Twilight squeaked. A shuffle of things was heard for a moment, before there was the sound of hooves running down the stairs to the middle level. Fluttershy turned her head to the upper staircase and smiled as Twilight appeared with her mouth full of quills. “Sorry about that,” she said quickly once she set them down in front of her.
“Don’t be sorry, Twilight. It wouldn’t do if we didn’t have any quills to write out this book. Where did you find all of them anyway?”
Twilight moved to sit on a cushion waiting for her next to the pegasus. “Oh, I just remembered that I keep a whole group of spare ones behind one of the bookshelves.” Fluttershy cocked an eyebrow, to which Twilight shrugged in response. “Keep yourself organised, that’s what my mother said to me.” She moved on to answer Fluttershy’s earlier question. “And Spike is in Canterlot at the moment, helping out Princess Celestia with something and boasting about his prowess when we were in the Crystal Empire.” She sighed sadly, then picked up a quill and started scribbling the introduction to the chapter they had already planned.
“You must be really proud of him,” Fluttershy said, smiling. “How he managed to save the Crystal Empire from King Sombra, and give the crystal heart back to the crystal ponies.”
Twilight nodded slowly. “Oh yes, I am proud of him. Really, really proud.”
Fluttershy tilted her head a little, confused by the sad tone Twilight had in her voice. “Um, I don’t mean to sound rude, but you don’t sound like it though.” Twilight let out a long sigh and dipped her head. Fluttershy slung a leg over Twilight’s shoulder and nuzzled her comfortingly. “Come on, Twilight, what’s wrong? You know you can tell me anything.”
Twilight nodded, and looked up at her. “It’s just that he’s not the little dragon that he was when I hatched him from an egg. Don’t ever tell him this, please, but… he is like a son to me, or a younger brother. He’s growing up so fast. He’ll soon be running about getting the girls and doing his own thing.”
Fluttershy giggled while removing her leg from Twilight’s shoulders. “To be fair, isn’t that what he is doing already? We all know how much he loves Rarity, so one day he’ll be trying to court her.”
“He’s tried that already. Several times, to be exact,” Twilight giggled. Her smile withered. “I just hope one day he won’t go and live in his own place. I don’t think I could continue living here without him. He knows that as well, so he wouldn’t. Would he?”
Fluttershy cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
Twilight sighed and then turned to face Fluttershy. “Did I ever tell you girls what happened in the castle while you all put on the crystal fair?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “No, I don’t think you did. What did happen… if you want to tell me, of course? I don’t want to force you to say it if it makes you uncomfortable.”
Twilight stifled a giggle; Fluttershy might be a warrior pony, but she still had the same meek politeness she had when she first met her. “Well, while you were all putting on the crystal fair and showing those ponies a good time – which, by the way, I was surprised to hear how you were beaten so easily by Rainbow Dash in the jousting demonstration.”
“I wasn’t feeling too brilliant that day,” Fluttershy replied defensively. “And it all came onto me at once. If I had more time to prepare, and if I was feeling better, I might have sent Rainbow flying… although I wouldn’t want to do that if it meant hurting her.” She shook her head, and had the subject changed back. “So anyway, you and Spike went into the castle?”
“Oh yeah, well, when we entered the castle, we had a look around for a moment, before coming to the throne,” Twilight continued. “Using a spell Celestia taught me, we found a hidden stairway in the throne room that spiralled down into complete darkness.
“While Spike stayed up top, I began to navigate – well, fell, would be a better term really – down the stairs. When I arrived at the bottom, I found a door. I tried to get it open, but it just wouldn’t stand still. So I used the same magic as I did with the stairway. It worked, the door opened, and I went through.”
Twilight paused to shudder as she remembered what happened next. “I suddenly found myself in Canterlot. Shocked, I started looking around, until I found Princess Celestia. Cut a long story short, the door was one that led you to your worst nightmare. When Spike looked through it, he saw me sending him away, saying that I don’t need him anymore. Afterwards, I told him that I would never send him away – ever.”
Fluttershy’s eyes softened, and she gave her friend a sweet smile. “I’m sure he knew that as well. You mean a lot to him, you know.”
Twilight nodded. “I know, but it doesn’t hurt to give him some assurance.” A moment of silence followed, until Twilight spoiled it by jokingly adding, “Of course if I do kick him out, then there would be something really wrong with me.”
The two shared a quiet giggle, then turned their attention back to the book once more.
When her mind brought her back to the present, Fluttershy thought she was the dumbest pony alive. She wanted to slap herself for being as stupid as she felt she had been. She suddenly imagined that a wall of grief had clouded her senses to really think about the sudden change in attitude towards her and Spike by her friends.
But now that wall had been torn down, and she could finally see.
She suddenly knew that her friends – her real friends – would never lie to her. They would never hurt her like they did, nor would they discard her over such petty reasons; they had navigated an entire country to look for her after she ran off to find Firewing, for goodness sake! And Twilight would never give up Spike for anything, and would never abandon him.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened in horror as her mind tried to tell her that something was wrong with her friends. ‘What could have happened to them to act like that, though?’ Was it a spell of great, evil power? Were they going to extreme lengths to protect them from something? Were they actually changelings in disguise? The questions that started to fill her head suddenly broke away, and her mind went back to her last conversation she had with Vidarr.
“Your friends will need you, more than ever,” he had said. She abruptly shuddered in fear. Was this what he meant? Was this the start of what the dragon had warned her? Either way, her friends needed help, and she knew she had to be the one to give it to them.
Her ears folded flat when she realised something. How could she, a pegasus, save her friends from whatever was happening to them without magic? She might be a warrior, but she didn’t think swords would be of any use here. She realised quickly she had to go to somepony who was powerful at magic, and would help Twilight and the others with whatever has befallen them. Out of the few ponies she knew that could, one of which was Twilight, only one came to light.
Princess Celestia.
The giver of light was one of the most powerful ponies she knew, and she was a close friend of hers; the Princess would sometimes come round for tea occasionally with her and her friends so she could get away from the politics of running a country. Fluttershy knew she would help her; her faithful student and everypony else that seemed to be acting like meanies to each other.
She was about to jump off the couch to get the train to Canterlot, when another thought hit her. What about Spike? She looked down at the dragon, who was still clutching her like a child would hold to its mother when scared, and pondered, though not for long. She knew she couldn’t leave Spike here on his own, especially in the state he was in. She only had one option left to her.
“Spike?” The little dragon looked up. “How do you feel about coming to Canterlot with me?” She quickly added, “I won’t force you, of course. You can stay here if you’d like.”
“No, no, it’s okay. I’ll come with you,” Spike said. He quickly wiped his eyes. “I don’t think I can handle being by myself for a while.”
Fluttershy gave him a brave smile. “Neither can I.” She hopped off the couch, and then gestured with her head for him to hop onto her back. “We won’t miss the train, then,” she explained.
Spike gave her a nod, then leaped off the couch and landed on her back. Fluttershy felt him wrap his arms around her neck and make himself comfortable. “Ready?” she asked, looking back. Spike nodded. “Then let’s go.” She instantly broke into a gallop, making Spike grip around her neck a little bit tighter. She pushed the door open, calling as she left, “I won’t be long, Rosemary, bye!” Once she got outside, she broke into an even faster gallop as she headed into Ponyville.
“So,” Spike asked as they entered the town, “why are we going to Canterlot again?”
“To see Celestia,” Fluttershy answered, veering around another corner and into another street.
“But why? Is this sudden break-up between our friends that important to get Celestia involved?”
“It could be,” she muttered to herself, though loud enough for Spike to hear. She slowed herself down into a more comfortable trot as they entered the main streets, had a look around for any wandering ponies she might bump into, and then looked back at Spike. “Doesn’t it strike you as odd that they suddenly decided that they don’t like us anymore? That in a single day they turn their backs on us?”
“Well, uh… sort of, I guess,” Spike said, his expression saying he was giving it some thought. “Now that you mention it, it does seem too sudden.”
“Exactly!” Fluttershy exclaimed, weaving her way around the crowds. “It all seems so sudden because it should never have happened. Think about it, Spike, they would never have done what has happened to us in the past five days. Twilight once said to me she would never kick you out; even if she lost everything else, she would never give you up. And I’ve been friends with them for so long to really believe they would hate me like that.”
She rounded another bend and headed down the street towards the library. “I don’t understand how you can think that, Fluttershy,” Spike said. “You heard them say those things, and I heard them all say those things about me.”
“Yes, you’re right, I did hear those things they all said about me,” Fluttershy said. “But now that I think about it, I believe they didn’t say those things on their own free will.”
Spike looked weirdly at her. “What are you saying?”
“I fear that something has happened to them, Spike,” Fluttershy explained. “Something that has made them act this way and has ruined our friendships with them. That’s why we’re going to see the Princess; she’s the only pony I know with magic great enough to help. We can’t rely on Twilight’s magic this time.”
Once they were out of the crowds once more, Fluttershy looked back at Spike, and read his expression. It shifted from one emotion to the next. First, it was understanding, then disbelief, then anger, then sadness, until it went full circle once more. She didn’t blame him for not entirely believing her, but she wanted him to, for her sakes more than anypony else’s.
Fluttershy came to a stop. “Spike, I know you’re having a hard time to believe this. I know you feel betrayed, Spike. I do too. But I know, deep down in my heart, that they would never really do what they did to us.”
Spike looked lost. “But, how can you be so sure that something did happen to them?” he queried. “What if they really don’t like us anymore?”
“I am not entirely sure,” Fluttershy admitted. “But I will not give up on my friends without a fight.” She lifted up a hoof for him to shake. “Are you still with me?” She saw a thousand conflicting thoughts pass across his eyes. “I can’t do this alone, Spike. I need all the friends I have by my side to help me.”
After a moment of intense thought, Spike sighed. “All right, Fluttershy.” He took hold of Fluttershy’s hoof in his claw. “I’m with you. I may not entirely believe you, but I will help you. For all our sakes.”
Although she wanted him to believe her completely, she couldn’t argue with his help. “Thank you,” she said, grinning. She took her hoof off his claw, and then continued to gallop down the street and towards the train station.
Another five minutes later, they rounded the last corner and came out on the large space between the Golden Oaks Library and the train station. Fluttershy felt a wave of relief run through her when she saw a train sitting beside the platform. She broke once more into a run, but only went a few paces when she stopped and stared in horror at what was in front of them both.
Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, Applejack and Rarity were standing in line, waiting to get tickets to board the train. Fluttershy squinted her eyes to make out something on them, something shiny and golden. Only when Twilight turned around to get onto the platform could the Dragonlord see what was on her head.
A large tiara, or a big crown thingy as Twilight had once called it, sat nicely on her head, showing her status as the bearer of the element of magic. Fluttershy could quickly make out the others wearing their elements, but where was hers? “Why are they wearing the Elements of Harmony?” Spike whispered as they walked closer.
“More to the point: where’s mine?” Her eyes glanced over the saddlebags to see if one of them had her necklace in it, stating she was the bearer of the element of kindness. She suddenly made out the tip of her element in Twilight’s saddlebags, and had to resist the urge to charge in and take it from her.
“Come on, ya’ll, or we’ll miss the train!” Fluttershy heard Applejack yell to the others as they got their tickets.
“I sure hope the Princess wants us there for a gathering,” Rarity said as they walked through the door leading onto the platform. “She promised us one last time and it never happened.”
“She said in her letter that it was extremely important, and wanted the element bearers to be there with our elements…” Twilight explained. Her voice faded out as the door closed behind them, which was a relief to Fluttershy; she didn’t want to hear what they would probably go on about next.
She trotted up to the ticket pony, smiling as best she could. “Excuse me, but could I have two return tickets for Canterlot, please?” she requested. Spike looked at her in alarm.
The pony quickly gave them the tickets. Fluttershy thanked him and nimbly made her way onto the station. “Are you crazy?” Spike whispered into her ear. To Fluttershy it seemed like he was trying to hold back his temper. “We are going to run into them for sure if we take the same train!”
“Not if we sit in the opposite carriage,” Fluttershy countered. At Spike’s confused expression, she went on. “If they’re on one end of the train, then we’ll be at the other end. It’s perfectly simple.”
“But what if the train is full except for one carriage, and we all have to sit in that carriage? It will either be horrible or very awkward. And I definitely don’t want to lie under a chair for an entire trip… again.”
Fluttershy shot an eyebrow up in confusion. ‘What did he mean by ‘again’? I’ll ask him later.’ “It won’t come to that, Spike. I promise.” She made it on the platform and looked up and down the small halt. She could make out Applejack’s stetson above the small crowd getting into the last carriage of the train. “Come on, in this one.” She galloped through the door of the first carriage, just before it closed and the guard blew his whistle, making the train set off.
Once on board, and with the train on its way, Spike jumped off Fluttershy’s back and walked alongside her to one of the seats. Fluttershy couldn’t help but notice he was looking down the corridor warily, as though he was expecting them to walk into the carriage. She was scared about it herself, and kept glancing down the corridor as well. “Come on,” she said gently, gesturing with her head at the chair nearest to the door, “over here.”
Fluttershy sat on her rump, while Spike sat by the window, gazing out of the scenery as the train left Ponyville and began its journey up the mountain towards the white city. “Do you think the Princess will help us?” Spike asked, turning his head towards Fluttershy. “Truly?”
Fluttershy shrugged. “I hope so.” A pang of hope went through her. “Maybe that’s why she called the Elements of Harmony up to Canterlot? Maybe she knows what is happening, and knows the only way to fix it is by using the Elements.” She hoped, she prayed, that was true.
“But why didn’t they give you your element in Ponyville?” Spike queried.
“They’ll probably give it to me up at Canterlot; try and make it look like things are fine. I’ll do whatever Celestia asks of us, then get some alone time with her and tell her what’s been happening back in Ponyville.”
A silence lingered between them for a moment, making Fluttershy believe Spike’s curiosity had been sated for a while. Until he suddenly said, “What if the Princess can’t fix it, because there is no problem with them to begin with?”
Fluttershy felt like she wanted to yell at him for having a lack of faith. The moment she realised she felt like that she felt horrible. It wasn’t his fault that his faith was shattered. It was whatever caused Twilight to kick him out in the first place. The only way now to restore that faith would be to find out whatever caused this, and fix it.
Her mind then went to think about what Spike just said. He did have a point. What if she couldn’t fix it? She shook her head to rid herself of the thought, then looked down and smiled at Spike. “She will fix it, Spike. I’m sure of it.”
“Yeah, but what if she can’t?”
“Then I will go across Equestria, and beyond if need be, to find someone that can. I swore to defend my friends when they can’t defend themselves, and I intend to uphold my vow and do my duty.”
“Vow?” Spike asked, raising both his eyebrows in puzzlement. “What vow? And what duty?”
Fluttershy opened her mouth to reply, but the feeling of the train stopping made her look up. She jumped in shock when she saw the white and golden towers of Canterlot towering over the train, and the station just beside them. They had arrived at Canterlot. “My vow and duty as a Dragonlord, Spike,” she answered eventually. She pressed her face against the window and glanced to the left, waiting to see her (former) friends appear from the train and leave.
She didn’t have to wait for long. They soon appeared, chatting and laughing about something, from the carriage they went in and trotted off the station and towards the palace. Fluttershy gave Spike a gentle tap on the shoulder. “This is our chance, Spike.” She jumped off the couch and walked off the train, with an utterly confused dragon just behind her.
The city of Canterlot, from what Fluttershy could see, didn’t seem to be affected by whatever troubled Ponyville. Most of the ponies seemed to be talking to each other nicely enough, the atmosphere of the city didn’t seem as clouded as it did back home, literary and figuratively. That view changed the deeper they went into the city.
As they neared the palace, they saw more and more guards carrying out patrols across the city. Fluttershy saw a guard standing on nearly every street corner, clutching a spear around a leg and looking for any reason to use it. The pegasus stallion saw her looking and narrowed his eyes at her. Fluttershy yelped and looked away, covering her face with her long mane, while her heart raced like an arrow across the air. “What is happening around here?” Spike wondered aloud. “Surely Canterlot can’t be going through the same thing as Ponyville? Can it?” He looked to Fluttershy for answers.
“I don’t know, Spike,” she replied, peering out of her mane to look at him, “but I would rather be in the palace right about now.” She increased her speed into a canter, prompting Spike to start jogging to keep up with her. None of them noticed that the guard was beginning to follow them.
They soon made it to the gates of the palace and were waved on through without a second glance. “Right,” Fluttershy sighed once they made it inside the palace and at the top of the stairs, “where would the Princess be at this time of day?” She looked down at the little dragon, who jumped when he realised she was staring at him.
“Why me?”
“Because you’ve helped Celestia with several things over the years,” Fluttershy answered. “So you would be the best dragon to know where she would be. I would ask one of the other ponies around here, but there’s something about them that I don’t trust.” She looked around her to see some of the guards, even some of the servants, eyeing her cautiously, like a predator would look before charging in and killing its prey.
It made Fluttershy feel like she had just made a grave mistake in coming here.
“Well let me see… hmm,” Spike pondered, putting a claw under his chin, looking at the ground, and tapping his left foot. “… Hmm… aha! I know where she’ll be.”
“Where?”
“In the throne room,” Spike answered. “About this time she’ll be going through court and listening to the problems of the land and stuff like that. Yeah, I think she’ll be there.”
Fluttershy gestured with her head for him to jump up onto her back, which he complied without protest. “Then let’s go and find her.” She instantly broke into a canter down the right corridor from the stairs, knowing where the throne room was. In front of the main door, a group of eight guards blocked the palace entrance and formed a cordon, while another group of five began to follow them.
As Fluttershy cantered, she couldn’t help but notice the stares she was getting from the servants, guards, and other ponies that were wandering the corridors of the palace. Her heart was beginning to pound in her chest. Sweat began to pour down her face, frightened by the sudden stares she was getting. None of them looked friendly to her, and it made her think how long would it be until she was suddenly pinned down and imprisoned for some reason. She covered her face with her mane once more and quickened her canter, feeling more eager to get to the throne room, and Celestia.
At last, allowing Fluttershy to let out a heavy sigh of relief, she made it in front of the huge doors of the throne room. Although they were closed, there were no guards to stop her from opening them. She let Spike jump off her back, then she reared up, pressed her hooves against the doors, and pushed them open slowly. The doors creaked and groaned against the pressure Fluttershy put in her hooves, nevertheless they opened, and soon she was in full view of the throne, and the pony sitting on it.
Fluttershy trotted through with her head held high, Spike just behind her, gazing at each of the guards in the room. Fluttershy noticed them too, and glanced at each. There had to be about two dozen guards in the room, all armed with spears around a leg, or the horns on their heads. Fluttershy looked at each of them with cautious eyes, then looked to the Princess.
Upon seeing the cold look she was getting from the winged unicorn, it confirmed her fear that she just made a terrible mistake in coming to Canterlot.
“Spike, stay close to me,” she whispered. Spike nodded, then moved himself so that he was touching her side. Fluttershy stopped so she and the little dragon were at the first step, then both of them bowed low. “Princess Celestia,” she greeted her politely. Fluttershy lifted her head up to look at her again, smiling disarmingly. “It’s good to see you again, Princess.”
The Princess’s cold gaze disappeared, to be replaced with one of deep sadness. “Fluttershy… and Spike. I was just about to send for you, Fluttershy.” She looked at the parchment in her magic, and then made it disappear with a flick of her head.
‘Maybe I was right, and Celestia does know what’s happening,’ Fluttershy thought. She hoped she was right, for it didn’t look it around her. She briefly wondered where Twilight and the others were presently, but it was a fleeting thought. She took a step forward and opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself when Celestia got off the throne.
Celestia began to walk down the stairs towards the two, while two guards behind her closed the gap between them, and the others blocked off the door, cutting off any attempt to escape. “Fluttershy, for the past four years I have known you, I considered you as one of the best friends I have ever known. I have always been grateful for what you have done for me, such as mostly reforming Discord, and saving our world from extinction. You’ve done so much for me, as I have done for you these past two years.” She now towered over the smaller pegasus, allowing Fluttershy to clearly see the tears streaming down from her ruler’s eyes. “And this is how you repay me?”
Celestia’s horn glowed, and a scroll with a seal of Fluttershy’s cutie mark appeared before them both. At once, Celestia ripped it open, and then levitated it in front of the now trembling pegasus. Fluttershy’s eyes scrolled down the writing, and her eyes widened to the point they were about to bulge. She even felt her heart stop beating. She easily recognised the writing, for it was her own, but she never recalled writing the treason planned on it. ‘How is this possible? How did somepony forge my own mouth writing?’ “I… I never… Princess, you know I wou- would never…” Her voice trailed off into frightened squeaks. From the look on Celestia’s face, it seemed that any defence from her would fall on deaf ears.
“Fluttershy Firewing,” Celestia said, her tone in a state of sorrow, “I’m placing you under arrest for high treason against Equestria and its allied nations.” Fluttershy felt her heart bang against her ribcage, threatening to burst out. “Your guilt has already been proven, and your sentence has already been approved.” She turned to the two guards standing just behind her. “Freeze her, then take her to the dungeons to await her fate.”
Fluttershy spun around to face them both, eyes wide in terror and disbelief. One of the guards lowered his head so his horn was pointing directly at her, glowing with golden magic. Fluttershy flung a hoof over her eyes and braced herself for whatever was going to happen.
The sound of magic leaving the horn and shooting towards her filled her ears, then the sound of it hitting something hard, followed shortly by something heavy hitting the ground. ‘What just happened?’ she thought. After a moment, she moved her hoof away from her eyes, and screamed in horror as she gazed at the paralysed body of Spike lying in front of her. His arms were stretched out wide to shield her, and his eyes wide open in horror, yet he was still as stone.
Fluttershy rushed forward to help him, but the other unicorn sent another beam of golden magic at her. It hit her square in the chest, clouding her vision in white, and making her body go stiff. Then she felt and heard nothing.
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Sees update.
Has this reaction:
iambrony.jsmart.web.id/mlp/gif/gVTJs.gif
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denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw1021_Rainbow_Dash_says_youre_awesome.gif
images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060408064606/uncyclopedia/images/3/3b/Dancing_bear.gif
I will now proceed to read!
Okay, so Fluttershy and Spike have been frozen and captured, and something forged evidence to prove she was planning treason. Damn, and she was starting to recover from the end of the previous chapter, too.
And I see some Continuity Nods to Season Three, such as mentioning the Crystal Empire, and Discord having been mostly reformed by Fluttershy. Kind of makes me wonder if the Spirit of Chaos will play a role in this story at all.
Well, now she knows for sure that something is manipulating things to turn her friends against her. Now she just needs to escape, free Spike, and get Princess Luna and Princess Cadance on her side. That should be easy.
Now, in order to help keep track of who's on her side, from now on I'm only going to give badges for whoever is on her side and has appeared in each chapter, so for now, it's just going to be her and Spike..
fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/345/0/9/fluttershy_approved_by_ambris-d4ivleb.png
furstar.net/spike_approved1.png
*settles down to wait a whole month for the next chapter*
Excellent
Oh man. Shit's getting real! Write like the wind Fluttershy20. WRITE LIKE THE WIND!
This is great!
2542683 We were clearly told it would be about a month before the next chapter, so be patient.
2542670 Yeah it is a major s
tstorm brewing. Glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you won't have to wait too long for the next one.
Ps: What about a Spike badge? He's on her side as well.
2542673 Thank you
2542683 I've already written it, but I'm just too evil to let it out yet. In truth I just want to work on it a bit more before I release it.
2542737 I haven't been able to find a Spike badge anywhere, so I'm afraid he's out of luck. Ditto for Cadance.
2542723 Thank you for reading it.
so... what was on that scroll again? anyways that was good, always a good day when you update.
but really, what was on that scroll?
well, I'd better go ready the stasis pod...
I don't like cliffhangers, espassally this early on. But whatever, i will be readning the next chapter before any of you anyway.
while we are on this: If the tranclations is more then 3 sentence, can you please give the chapter to me earlier? The main reason: Exsamen stages.
2543047 The scroll could be whatever you want written on it, my friend. It was something that Fluttershy supposedly written that I haven't thought of, really, so it could be anything. Glad you enjoyed this chapter.
2543090 *sings* I already know what happens, I already know what happens... Wait, I write the damn thing.
Enjoy your long sleep.
2543119 I will send it to you next week so I could get the big translations done, expect a lot of Dragonian from an old friend...Hope the exams go well
2542742
Really? No Spike's badge?
2542737
Here you go!
furstar.net/spike_approved1.png
Got this done in ten seconds by inputting "Spike approved" in Google Images... First response...
Anyhow, got nothing to say here for now, except this:
Keep up the excellent work!
Edit:
Oh, this is second on that search:
furstar.net/rainbow_spike_approved.png
and third is... oh... my...
2543388 Okay, now if you could find a Princess Cadance badge, I'll be all set for the next chapter.
2543388 Brilliant, we now have the Ponyville team, we just need the royal team
I'm curious as to now what was the third image, so I'm going to have a quick look. Glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you enjoy the rest.
Edit: Oh... My...
A month??? A MONTH??????? Oh this Is going to be HELL
2543406
Can't seem to find it. Is this possible we don't have one?
2543433
Ohhh... kayyyy?
Rest? What rest, it's barely... 1AM?
Fine... looks like it is night time... gotta go back to looking later...
Night, Y'all!
Oh, did you know that Google Images set on moderate filtering still smuggles some NSFW? My eyes!!!
Oh, who am I trying to fool... wasn't that awful...
How I felt reading this.
wugr.biz/Benny614tv/Main/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/this-is-gonna-be-good.gif
2543836 So you didn't have any luck either.
Luckily, I think I might be able to get someone to make one.
Three reactions
1. Yay! New Chapter!
2. Wh-whaat? What is all this madness? Treason, imprisonment, what?
3. One...month...
so...long...must...wait...
this is going to be a long month.
Must has more!
At least theres a deadline this time... In the meanwhile, how do you cast that freezing spell again?
What did the note say?
So, will she somehow go back to Horsca or maybe a new country?
Cause.... Well, because.
2543575 Sorry, it may be sooner but that depends I can keep on top of writing chapters.
2543844 Thanks
2544367 Everything will be cleared up in time, it won't be a chapter later or the one after that but it will be cleared up. I don't like it when someone clears up something a chapter later as it ruins the suspense and the amount of questions people can try to guess... that and I'm also evil.
2544827 Sorry, it may be sooner but I'll try to make sure it won't be more than a month.
2545072 There will be more.
2545267 Power up the horn, shoot a golden beam of light at somepony and it makes them freeze over like a statue
2545700 Whatever you want it to say. I'll probably add something in the next chapter saying what it basically said.
2546293 You'll have to find out, I'm afraid.
2546738 now to figure out how to point my horn at my head...
WAIT A MINUTE!!!!
Is that a reference to somthing?
i have been waiting for chapter 2 since this came out and now...
its HERE
2546738
Oh I know that. But it is just an amazing story!
2547875 I hope you enjoy(ed) it
2546785 Not really, just came from the top of my head. I may have got it from Harry Potter.
Damn. The last paragraph about some kind of treason plan, the 180 turn on their loved ones and friends, family, strange green falling stars that only few saw... Why do I get an impression that Sombra and Discord somehow joined forces, or somthing is using similiar powers to enchant events and bend someaspects of reality for their whims?
Really good chapter, though this is all getting more and more dark...
WHAT IN THE NAME OF EQUESTRIA IS GOING ON HERE!! I demand answers! Fluttershy would never commit treason against Celestia!
2548215 It should be obvious! She was framed!
Whatever has turned her friends against her also manufactured that "evidence" to make sure that even Princess Celestia would turn against her! Luckily, there are two other Princesses who are willing to help her, or she would be well and truly up a creek without a paddle!
2548202 No, it is a brand new enemy, since Fluttershy has managed to reform Discord to a certain extent, and Sombra is most likely dead.
2548813 Well that is obvious, but what I don't get is why they think they can turn the lot of them to stone! It won't stinkn work without fluttershy! May I remind everyone of the return of harmony part 2 when they were lacking rainbow as well as they were fighting each other.
2549006 Well, our author bids us wait until next chapter and that issue will be answered. So get ready to wait for a whole month for an answer...
2549028 Tell me if you have the same suspicions as me. In the next chapter our dear fluttershy shall once gain take up Drage Bane, Firewing and the trusty wingblades. And our dear author shall put her up against her friends, mabey not in the next chapter but eventually. But I guess we have to wait a whole MONTH reading other Fics to find out.
2549057 Actually, I suspect that next chapter, Luna and Cadance are going to bust Fluttershy and Spike out, they'll drop by her house for a little while to pick up her weapons, then they'll go into hiding while they try to figure out what happened and how to fix this.
After all, I doubt she could bring herself to do anything to hurt her friends, even if she is thinking of them as former friends right now. After all, she knows that something is making them act this way, and would rather break its control over them then have to fight against them, since there would be a very real chance that she could hurt or even kill them.
2549081 Very true, you raise a fair point, but I was thinking that she would mearly defend herself, Luna, Cadence and spike rather than actually fight her "former" friends. I just noticed we have been haveing a very long debait about what will happen to our dear fluttershy and companion spike.
At first I was all hyped and excited that this story updated.
Then it'll be a month before an update.
But then I thought, if it takes you a month to make such an amazing story, then by all means take a month to write it.
2548202 Some of that what you have asked is true, and the other half is false. I will not say what it is though.
And yes, it is getting dark, but it will have light elements that kind of balance it.
2548215 Fluttershy knows that, it is just the others that have that problemt of thinking. Unlike Fluttershy, they feel like they have been betrayed, after so long of knowing them and thinking they can trust them, and the feeling of betrayal is one that lingers for a long time.
The answer for the use of the Elements of Harmony without Fluttershy will be answered in the next chapter. Whether or not you'll like that answer it's up to you.
Btw, I'm loving your debate about what might happen next. I know what happens and I can't help but grin at the possibilites you both brought up. All I can say is one thing you both mentioned will happen.
2549445 I know I'm sorry, but it was done so I can keep up with updates and write a large amount without falling behind, and keeping people waiting even longer for updates and me to finish them. Thank you for loving it though, and I hope you like what happens next.
The time has arrived, my Lunar brothers and sisters! Now we take up arms against the solar despot!
2551816 Somthing tells me you won't tell us what it is and I Connot find anything we have agreed on besides Luna and cadence. And I am glad you have enjoyed the debait and I have little dought it will continue if you take a month after the next chapter.
Why did I just say that? Now you surly will, if you enjoyed the debait that much
2552959 Possibly, but I'm evil like that. Well hopefully it won't be too long as I had thought on the third one, but again that depends.
2553085 I firmly believe that you should not be evil and tell us what we agree on that happens
2554495 That is a wide range of emotions through one chapter... excellent.
2551816 Something tells me since this takes place after Keep Calm and Flutter On, Discord won't just let Fluttershy be locked up. And since he doesn't have a character tag, the logical assumption is that he's going to wind up Taking the Bullet to let Fluttershy, Spike, Luna, and Cadance escape. I hope I'm wrong...
2557546 In my mind, this takes place after episode 12 of season 3, which is why Twilight isn't an alicorn in this one. You'll just have to wait and see to find out what happens next; I'm not going to say you're right or wrong
2553902 I'm gonna decide to be evil and say nothing. Unless you really, really, really, really want to know what happens, I'll PM you it.