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Chapter 19,545 words
Chapter 29,249 words

Chapter 1

It was dark in Ponyville. Lights were off all around the normally busy town, leaving one thing visible: the top half of Sugarcube corner, still bursting with light and noise. Ponies were walking away in all directions, weary from a night of partying hard.
Inside the top floor of the building were party balloons, streamers and a variety of recreational activities. Games and equipment were strewn across the floor, somewhat abandoned, and the room was dominated by a makeshift karaoke bar. This wide, roomy part of the building normally functioned as the bedroom of Pinkie Pie, a well-known party animal, who marked the end of each week with a celebration that lasted well into the night.
Rainbow Dash looked at the clock, her eyes opening groggily. The short hand was somewhere between three and four, and the long one as far away as it could get, but Rainbow was too tired to read the exact time. She had woken from a power nap sitting beside another pony by a table, covered in food and board games. Her friend Ditzy Doo was asleep, practically passed out next to her.
Pinkie Pie was humming happily to herself, having bid goodbye to every guest but the two tired pegasi laying by a nearby table, jamming out to a song near the karaoke equipment. Every other moment she caught a glimpse of her "pet rocks" out of the corner of her eye, set on a small stool near Pinkie's bed. Even as she danced and hummed, her mind wandered to thoughts of her cherished toys. They had once given her a lot of fun times when she was a filly on a farm that cultivated many such stones, and the long, powerful storm kept she and her sisters from traveling outside for days. She'd painted them in simple colors, given them names, and even faces. Each stone was very round, and only about the size of the bottom of a hoof. A light blue stone with rosy eyes, labeled "Quicky" on its underside sat in the center, with a happy face drawn on...identical rocks were placed in a circle around it, but with different eye colors painted on, and different names on their underside. There were five more in all..."Applekicker" was yellow, with emerald eyes. "Purplesmart" was...purple. Very purple, in both primary coloring and eye coloring. "Dazzle" shared its rosy eyes with Quicky, but had a grayer shade of blue painted onto it. "Sharp Eyes" was a bright silver, with golden eyes. Lastly, "Surprise" was as pink as Pinkie herself, with the same bright blue eyes. They had all brought Pinkie and her sisters much cheer as they imagined the stones going on many adventures.
Pinkie panted a little, finally getting slightly tired and sweaty, her head clearing and recovering from her nostalgia trip, walking over to pick up a slice of pizza from the box on the table right next to Rainbow and Ditzy.
"Pinkie... how do you do this for so long?" Rainbow mumbled. "I think I've had my second wind by now..."
Pinkie giggled happily, looking down at Rainbow. "Probably something to do with my cutie mark. I guess I really am the best at parties, hee hee..." She chuckled softly, moving a little closer to Rainbow. "You can use my bed if ya want, it's probably better than the floor, heh...we could even move Ditzy there. I reeeeally don't think I'll be sleeping for a while yet."
Tempted by her offer, Rainbow looked at the bed longingly, as if it were her own.
"Maaaybe later... Ditzy needs it more than me. Besides, I'm still finding my way around town..." Rainbow yawned, standing up. "Oh, that reminds me... didn't you say you wanted to show me something? It's been a while since you showed me around."
"Oooh yeeah!" Pinkie said cheerfully, even as she stood on her hind legs and used her front hooves to gently drag Ditzy to the bed. "Did I introduce you to Cheerilee yet? Or her sister? 'Cause they've got this secret stash of some reeeeally nice tasting drinks. I don't really know what they put in 'em, but they're super sweet tasting!" As she finished talking, Pinkie tucked Ditzy into bed, and hopped quickly next to Rainbow, grinning a huge toothy grin.
"Are those the kind that keep you awake at night?" Rainbow asked as she peered over at Ditzy, watching her sleep and contemplating giving her mane a friendly ruffle, but not wanting to disturb.
Pinkie giggled, noticing Rainbow looking over Ditzy. "Sleeping like a foal...buuuut yeah, they've got pleeeenty of caffeine from what I heard, and taste like all kind of fruits. I think one of them even tasted like pineapple!"
Rainbow coughed a little, her throat a little dry.
"Sounds just what I need." she replied, heading for the door, her voice croaking a little.
Pinkie smiled as she watched Ditzy sleeping, seeing the pegasus' belly bob up and down under the sheets.. She then looked back at Rainbow, patting her gently on the back as she noticed how thirsty she was. "No worries! We'll be there in a jiffy!"
"Let's hurry, before I fall asleep!" Dash exclaimed weakly with a faint smile, mocking her own physical state.
Pinkie nodded with a smile and a wink, singing to herself at little as she lead Dash out the door. "My Little Pony, My Little Pony, la la la, forgot the rest of the words..." she sang sweetly before humming the tune of the song to herself, taking a look every now and then at Dash to make sure she wasn't asleep.
Rainbow trotted swiftly along, careful not to space out, as she looked around her, observing the town and how different it looked and felt to anywhere she had lived before, even in the dead of night.
"It's really cozy here. Which is kinda funny, 'cause the town's got tons of houses in it, and it seems so big 'cause of that, but...there's not much else here but houses and stores, ya know? And it's so easy to walk to where you wanna go! Well..if you know where you're going." Pinkie blushed, and made a slightly embarrassed smile as she looked at Rainbow. "But that's what I'm here for! We should reach Cheerliee's place after just a couple more turns."
Snapping out of her dazed state as she walked, Rainbow replied on the words she could catch.
"Oh yeah... pretty easy to find your way around, better than Canterlot... Cloudsdale was pretty confusing too."
"You've really been around, Rainbow. Sounds like a real adventure to travel that much, especially when you're so young!" Pinkie exclaimed with a giggle. "I think we're just a few more houses away from our lovely destination," Pinkie said, keeping up her energy as she pointed a hoof forward, enjoying her current role as a tour guide.
"Yep, this pegasus loves to travel!" Rainbow replied gleefully, unaware she was going the wrong way before noticing Pinkie was heading away from her, and turning to face her again, disoriented and smiling nervously at her poor example of travel skills.
Pinkie giggled softly, patting Rainbow gently on the back again. "You're kinda cute when you're a little out of it. But you should be back to your old self in no time...It's a good thing I know everypony in town!" Arriving at a wooden door, Pinkie knocked on it firmly. "Hey Cheerilee, ya home?"
"Coming, Pinkie," a voice from inside cried out.
Yawning, Rainbow closed her eyes and let herself drift away for a moment, finding herself convinced that it would take some of the fatigue away, conserving what energy she had.
A purple earth pony, her mane two different shades of pink, open the door, looking over her visitors.
"How I can I help-" Cheerilee stopped speaking as she noticed how tired Rainbow was. "Um...Pinkie, is she okay?"
Pinkie winked at Cheerilee with a grin. "It's all right. That's what we're here to fix...we just need to see Berry about those 'special drinks.' "
Cheerilee blushed, still surprised at seeing the newcomer, but quickly nodded to Pinkie with a smile. "Right this way."
Rainbow nodded weakly and followed suit.
As Cheerilee walked along through the modest, but clean and nice smelling home, she lead Pinkie and Rainbow closer to the door to her sister Berry Punch's room. Open the door, Berry could be seen by a large shelf full of several levels of drinks in metal cans that she had brewed, trying to pick out one to drink.
Rainbow looked around the room, impressed at the vast array of colors and ingredients and flavors, before bringing her focus back to the warm pink Earth pony in front of her.
"Hi there, sorry to distrurb, but Pinkie and I just came from a party, and I heard you make really... interesting and neat drinks." she smiled awkwardly, her focus trailing off as she yawned. "I'm a little whacked... got something for that?"
Berry looked behind her, smiled at Rainbow, and then turned her whole body around. "Sure! I can get ya a can of what I call "Genki Griffon," it'll really knock your socks off!"
"Cool!" Rainbow smiled politely.
Pinkie giggled as she looked over Rainbow's face, while Berry grabbed a light gold colored can from her shelf, walking back over to Rainbow with one of her front hooves wrapped around it. She then used her teeth to pop open the tab, a fizzy noise filling the room. "Enjoy! And don't worry about having to pay me, I'm just glad you're interested in my work!"
"Thanks!" Rainbow looked at it, peering into the dark hole, wondering what was inside, and pulled up a chair, sitting down to drink it, looking back at Pinkie and the others. "You guys thirsty?"
Berry chuckled, winking at Rainbow. "Well, I am. You Pinkie?" Pinkie hugged Berry spontaneously as soon as Berry finished speaking. "You bet I am!"
After a few moments, Pinkie and Berry sat down with cans of the same drink Rainbow had been given. The taste was very sweet, and seeming a mix of about a dozen fruits all at once.
Rainbow took a swig, tasting its strange, fruity flavor.
"Hm, reminds me of drinking Red Wing back in Cloudsdale. I miss those..." she noted, taking another swig and gulping down a few mouthfuls. "It's really great, thanks a lot!"
Berry smiled wide, happy that Rainbow was enjoying what she'd made. "You're really, really welcome! I kinda figured you might have come here from somewhere else, somehow, ya know? You must have a really interesting life!"
Pinkie giggled as she took sips from her can. "Yeah, Rainbow tells me she's gotten around plenty!"
"Aw, well...!" Rainbow smiled modestly. "I guess I've been around a bit, yeah." She looked at her unique tasting drink. "Back in Canterlot they never used to serve any fun energy drinks... not sophisticated enough or something. Twilight always used to make me cups of coffee... glad I don't have to drink those anymore, I guess." she started into the drink, thinking solemnly. "I miss having her around, though. I bet she'd love these."
Berry chuckled, taking a swig of her can with a content smile. "Yeah, I hear ya. Coffee's pretty bitter, which is why I'm glad I can provide an alternative. Your friend...her name was Twilight, you said? She sounds interesting...I'm glad she'd be into my stuff, even though it's, you know, not all fru fru and stuff."
"Oh, yeah... Canterlot's a weird place, but not everypony is obsessed with being fancy." Rainbow replied. "Since I came to Ponyville to work and study, we've had to become pen pals, but we used to have loads of fun adventures together. She's studying pony magic, and I sort of am too." Rainbow took another swig. "I think I'm feelin' better, this is great stuff! Uhm... what was your name?"
"Berry Punch, at your service, Ms.-"
"Rainbow Dash," Pinkie said with a nod and a giggle to Berry.
"Right," Berry remarked with a chuckle, looking back towards Rainbow. "Wait, if...you used to live in Canterlot...and you're studying magic...and your friend is too...does that mean you've met Princess Celestia? Are...are you guys like...her personal students or something? I don't know what I'd do if I met the Princess, I think I'd faint as soon as I laid eyes on her!" Berry leaned against the table with a big grin and wide eyes, eager to hear more.
"Ohhhh, yeah, we've met a few times, heh heh!" Rainbow chuckled, fondly remembering her mentor. She thought about whether to explain what caused her to live a curious double life in Canterlot and Cloudsdale, before moving into town. "To think, I would never have even met her or Twilight if I hadn't got lost in that storm..."
Pinkie rubbed her chin, curiously, between sips of her drink. "A storm...why does that sound familiar..."
Berry chuckled softly. "Lots of ponies know about the storm, Pinkie, I'd be more surprised if you didn't." The thirsty earth pony leaned back in her chair, smirking playfully at Rainbow. "Maybe you getting lost in that storm was like...fate or something. I mean, it had to be if you got to meet the Princess herself!" Leaning her cheek on one of her hooves, Berry gave Rainbow a wink. "You know, I hope your old pal does come here. I'd love to chat with her, if she's as fun as you."
"You bet!" Rainbow replied enthusiastically, taking another swig. "Maybe one day we'll be able to get back together, when I'm an ace flier or something! I'm not old enough to try out for the Wonderbolts yet, but maybe someday."
Pinkie giggled and looked to Rainbow happily, picking up her can with a hoof and swinging it through the air a bit playfully. "Maybe you'll get in if you show them a Sonic Rainboom! I mean, you've got the hair for it!"
Berry smirked, taking another sip from her drink. "That would be amazing, Pinkie, but that's just a legend...I'm not sure anypony can actually do one of those. But I'm sure Rainbow here will come up with something to impress 'em. She's got plenty of time."
Rainbow wondered if anypony would reasonably believe her if she told them that a Sonic Rainboom lead to her getting lost in the storm and ending up in Canterlot.
"Aw, you never know... maybe someday somepony will do one... I remember seeing a pretty big rainbow during that storm."
"Yeah, one day...!" the rainbow-colored pegasus looked back sentimentally at Pinkie and her new friends.
Pinkie giggled, hopping over to hug Rainbow tight as Berry chuckled while looking cheerfully upon the two of them.
Nuzzling back, Rainbow looked at her can and took another swill of the sweet, tasty juice inside, emptying the can and setting it down on the table.
"Now that I'm pumped and wide awake again, why don't we explore the town for a while? You can be my personal tour guide, Pinkie."
"Oh sure, Rainbow!" Pinkie said as she emptied her can, plopped it on the table, and leaped towards Rainbow. "Leading the way around here's what I do!"
"Never a dull moment with you, Pinkie," Berry said with a chuckle as she finished her drink as well.
"Maybe one day I can lead you around, on some awesome adventure! But for now, I need to find my way around." Rainbow replied, trotting towards the door. "Thanks for the hospitality, Berry!"
Pinkie bounced towards the door as she waved goodbye to Berry.
"Anytime Rainbow!" Berry called out, waving to the departing duo.
Trotting out the door, Rainbow looked back to Pinkie Pie.
"Who was that purple pony we met, with the white hair? Those two seemed pretty nice, anyhow."
"Yep, they're real awesome!" Pinkie said as she hopped outside.
"Oh that's Cheerliee, Berry's sis, and the most popular teacher in town! She's reeeeally smart!" Pinkie said, slowing down a little as she hopped and chatted with Rainbow.
"And Berry Punch's cutie mark is for brewing drinks, I'm guessing?"
"Yep! Yep!" Pinkie replied energetically. "I really think she's onto something, she might even be able to make some bits off of exporting her creations to other parts of Equestria!"
"Sounds good..." Rainbow looked around. "Where d'you wanna go?" she emphasised the 'you', as if offering her to think of somewhere interesting.
Pinkie stopped for a moment and rubbed her chin.
"Weeeeelll...there is this one place just on the edge of the Everfree Forest. I dunno if you'd wanna go there, given the reputation that place has, but if you do wanna go, I can promise we won't die from a monster attack. People go there all the time to relax...I'm not sure why, but maybe it's just a tradition around here, hee hee."
"Oh, sounds kinda boring... but makes a good start. Maybe we can find something from there. Let's go!"
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie blurted out as she hopped ahead, leading the way for her friend.
Trying her best to follow behind without knowing where to go, Rainbow trotted beside her pink friend, looking at all the street and night lights around town, keeping her sense of direction.
"We should be reaching the special spot reeeeal soon. Ya know Rainbow, it's funny, this spot is safe and all, but people used to say that the Mare in the Moon used to haunt the place all the time. Pretty crazy, huh?" Pinkie rambled as she lead Rainbow down all sorts of corners through the night, leading her further out of civilization.
"Mare in the Moon, huh?" Rainbow repeated the name. It sounded familiar to her, like an old fairytale read by Twilight back in Canterlot. "Maybe we'll meet her along the way."
Pinkie smirked playfully, looking at Rainbow. "Maybe we will. Maybe she's not as bad as they say...sometimes rumors get out of control, ya know? Oh, we're here!" Pinkie remarked as she stopped in front of a large open clearing surrounded by many trees.
Rainbow looked around at the somewhat boring clearing, noticing a couple of park benches and a statue of a tall, powerful alicorn leaping with her front hooves in the air and wings spread.
"Rumors that have been going for a pretty long time, a thousand years is long enough to get all the details wrong, I guess..." she rambled, half to herself.
Pinkie's jaw dropped, as she looked upon the statue, walking up to it, and looking over it carefully. "Wow...I can't believe I never saw this before. She looks kinda scary, and...sort of angry, but...I dunno. To me she...almost looks sad somehow."
"Yeah, sad like no-pony remembers her... just left alone forever, like a statue that nopony cares about and walks by without noticing." Rainbow stared at it, wondering if she could suddenly empathise with this inanimate object for any meaningful reason. "Pretty depressing to look at." she noted.
Pinkie nuzzled Rainbow reflexively, after listening to her carefully. After frowning sadly for a few moments, she perked up and smiled. "You seem to care. Maybe you can be her friend someday."
"If she exists..." Rainbow trotted slowly up to the statue, examining it closely. "I don't even know if she does, I just feel a presence, looking at it. Twilight and Celestia used to tell me to be aware of what I'm thinking, when something's enchanted it's like a crazy mood swing that somepony else wants to take you on."
Pinkie blinked in amazement.
"Wow. You weren't kidding when you said you were studying magic. I kind of...feel like you're enchanted in a way, you know? I guess...what I mean is...I feel...safe around you. Kind of like when I saw that big random rainbow way back when. I just...feel like everything's going to be fine when I see you. Even though I haven't know ya that long. Even though I don't really have a reason for it. But I don't really care either. I've done pretty well going with my gut, every since that big splash of color came into my life." Pinkie blushed a little, feeling kind of strange, talking to seriously about her feelings to this newcomer.
Rainbow looked stunned. Her new friend was certainly affectionate. She smiled and turned her attention away to their exploration.
"D'you think anypony's used this place to hide, to get away?" she said, trotting ahead. "Feels like the perfect hiding spot."
Smiling back with a soft giggle, Pinkie followed Rainbow, thinking to herself as she listened to the blue Pegasus. "Ya know, I wouldn't doubt it. Out in the middle of nowhere, nopony expecting anything to happen here...I bet somponies could stay out here pretty much forever if they really wanted to."

A rustle in the trees was heard as a creature slipped back into the shadows, its large, piercing eyes watching the two ponies from afar.

Looking back at the forest, Rainbow quickly shook her head and blamed it on the wind. She trotted ahead further, coming up to a bridge leading back into town and a river, its water glistening in the moonlight.
Pinkie looked down at the reflection of the moon in the water curiously, then looked up at the moon itself. She rubbed her eyes a bit, surprised at the strength of the moon's light.
"Moon's really bright tonight, huh, Rainbow?"
Rainbow rubbed her eyes, as it almost hurt hers to look at, like a sun against the pinkish purple night sky. She nodded.
"Ready to head home, or d'you wanna hang out a little longer?" She looked over at the bridge, thinking for a moment. "Feels like a great night for a drink by the moonlight!"
Pinkie smiled happily at Rainbow, getting an idea. "Why don't I get us a six pack of something? Whaddaya like?"
Rainbow chuckled, fantasizing about being old enough to get drunk.
"Heh... anything's good with me!" she flew over to the bridge, and held her arms behind her neck, relaxing.
"Great!" Pinkie said, pushing an arm into the air triumphantly. She took a moment to admire how peaceful and cute Rainbow looked relaxing under the moonlight. "Welp, I'll be back as soon as possible! See ya in a bit...feel free to do whatever ya want until then...Dashie!" Pinkie said with with a wink and a smirk, before hopping off into town.
Rainbow watched her go, that last word sticking out. When was the last time anypony called her 'Dashie'? It reminded her of getting a patronizing pat on the head from her teachers and older ponies at flight school.
She looked back at the forest, deciding to walk back into the clearing to have another look around. It looked darker and more foreboding from a distance, but she controlled her nerves and trotted over anyway.
A rustling could suddenly be heard in the bushes. The longer it went on, the longer a voice seemed to be calling out from behind the leaves, just barely audible beneath the whistling of the wind.
"DaShiE...DaShiE...HeE HeE..." the voice seemed to taunt.
As she entered the opening in the bushes, her ears picked up.
"Hello...? Is that the wind? It's the wind, right...?" she smiled awkwardly, her heart racing faster. She stood in the middle of the clearing, looking around, hoping she just simply heard her old nickname in the breeze.
Soft noises continuing to fill the air, sounding almost like crazed laughter. A few more moments, and a few more rustled leaves and-
"RAR!" a soft, yet very loud voice cried out from right behind Rainbow Dash.
"Gah!!!" Rainbow squealed, gasping for air and jumping backwards. Turning back, she looked back into the clearing, and her eyes went wide.
A yellow furred pegasus pony stood across from Rainbow, grinning wildly and excitedly, long pink hair in her face. She spread her wings and rose to her back legs, throwing her arms in the air with a cackle as she continued to stand in front of Rainbow. "It's ever so long since I've seen you, Dashie...I think we should play a while, don't you?" She smiled lopsidedly, her face a bizarre mix of maternal compassion and some sort of deranged arrogance, as if this strange pony thought she was queen of the forest.
"F-fluttershy!" Rainbow's voice croaked, falling on her back. "What happened to you?"
Fluttershy fell back on all fours, stretching out her arms a bit as she used to support herself once more, folding her wings gracefully in the process. She seemed a bit calmer, as if her little game was over, though something still seemed a bit odd about her smile, as if she were drunk simply on her own feelings.
"I've been living out here for a while. You'd think I'd be dead by now, but I have few friends in places, " she said in her soft, soothing, voice that had a strange air of cockiness to it. "It's been good living. I enjoy the company here. I guess I just...changed more than I thought I would, you know?" As she finished her sentence, Fluttershy walked a bit closer to Rainbow, her smile windening and her face getting closer as if she wanted to rub her face all over the blue pegasus as she would might on a enormous bunny rabbit.
Rainbow looked at her with a mixture of excitement and horror, like seeing the ghost of someone she knew to be dead.
"You're okay...?" she muttered. "When the race happened, and I got my cutie mark, and the storm..." she paused, catching her breath. "We thought you were a goner! You've been living out here, in the wilderness, for all this time?"
"Most of it." Fluttershy said with a tilt of her head, raising her eyebrows a little, staring almost unblinkingly at Rainbow with a smirk glued to her yellow furred face. "I had some help getting here from a friend. Well...she wasn't my friend at first. We fought a lot, but...there was something about me she seemed to like. We went through a lot, nearly...um....well, you know, nearly died and all since we were so lost...but now I'm here. And everything's fine." She stopped smirking for a moment, a little worried for the first time about how she'd come across, then smiled, this time with more gentleness and less cockiness. "I know I must not seem normal, but maybe I'm not supposed to be...I feel really nice around animals...I'm just kind of a wild child, you know? It's how I got this..." Fluttershy moved her body around a little, showing a set of pink butterflies emblazoned on her flanks.
The thought of her nearly dying was scary to Dash. An aspect of her reality she couldn't control, that only came right because of luck.
"I should have been able to find you, but things got messed up. That storm got me all lost... ended up chasing a light all the way to Canterlot. I met a few ponies there, and some pretty close friends..." she stopped in the middle of the update on her life. "...but if you could find your way all the way to Ponyville, why didn't you get help from anypony?"
Fluttershy nodded to Dash, listening for a while, but then turned her head away as she realized he was being questioned. "I um...um..um..." Fluttershy suddenly made a very long, very frustrated sigh, grinding her teeth angrily as she tried to come up with an answer. After bending her arm to bury a hoof in her face for a moment, she took another deep breath and looked Dash right in the face with an apologetic look. "Look Dashie- Rainbow Dash, sorry- I'm...I've been away from everypony else for two long. I like the way I am, but...everypony else will look at me and think I'm screwed up, Dash. They don't want some creepy giggling girl who talks to snakes."
Looking back at the bridge, Rainbow wondered where Pinkie was.
"There must be some way you can live here... maybe some ponies will be okay with you. I'm pretty sure Pinkie Pie will." she thought hard. "I'd better go meet her soon."
Fluttershy rubbed her chin, wondering if Rainbow was right, then looked up and tilted her head n confusion, getting a strange vibe from the name Rainbow had mentioned. "...um...what...or who...is 'Pinkie Pie'?"
"A friend, you'll like her..." Rainbow looked at her with a nervous smile. "Honest!"
Fluttershy rubber her chin again, then smiled softly for a moment, before putting a cocky smirk. "All right then. I'll trust you."
"HI!!!!" Pinkie screamed as, suddenly, for no logical reason, she was behind Fluttershy.
"GYAGH! How in the name of the Sun did you even-" Fluttershy started, completely confused as she stared at Pinkie.
"Earth Pony thing." Pinkie said with a calm smile. It turned out she was standing on her back legs, carrying many sodas stacked on top of each other in horizontal rows. "I find these little...tunnels in nothing, if I relax enough, and listen for these little 'chirps,' and-"
Fluttershy's jaw was still dropped as Pinkie walked past her. "Don't ignore me!" Fluttershy yelled as she looked back at Pinkie, turning towards where Pinkie was walking.
"Oh, sorry about that. Don't worry, I've got you covered." Pinkie said with a smile and a wink, before cheerfully looking towards Rainbow Dash. "I've got all the Pegsi Colas, Rainbow. I thought you might be meeting somepony, so I bought two six packs instead of one. There's a good dozen here for us, hee hee!"
"Yeah, great...!" Rainbow responded, turning to Fluttershy and speaking softly. "Sorry 'bout this... she's a little... hyper."
Fluttershy blinked in surprise, before raising and eyebrow and rubbing her chin. "Hmm...I...see. I take it...this is normal for her? At least she seems...open minded, I suppose."
"Pretty normal." Rainbow Dash took a drink and opened the can of a Pegsi Cola. "Soooo.... Pinkie, this is Fluttershy, she's an old filly friend of mine from Cloudsdale. Fluttershy, this is Pinkie Pie, she's kind of a... I don't know, what are you, community leader, party organizer?" She looked at the pink pony quizzically as she made her formal introduction.
Pinkie opened a can herself, holding it in one arm, before smiling and offering Fluttershy a can from the stack she held in the other arm. Fluttershy stared blankly for a moment before grabbing a can with a hoof and opening it with her teeth. "Uh...thanks."
Pinkie giggled softly, winking at Rainbow Dash. "Both of those, Rainbow! I pretty much make the town go round...well, at least I do all the things the mayor doesn't have time to do, hee hee."
Rainbow nodded, her head feeling heavy. She took a swill of her drink.
"What d'you wanna do, Pinkie? I'm starting to get tired again, better sleep on it."
Pinkie yawned, for the first time in seemingly ages, taking another swill of her drink. "Welp, I thiiink maybe nappy time might be a good thing for all of us pretty soon...do you think you'll be okay sleeping out in the Everfree, Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy smirked playfully, sipping her drink as she realized she was slowly getting used to the strange pink apparition. "I'll be great. No place like home."
"Great!" Rainbow nodded happily. "We'll meet you tomorrow, 'kay?"
Fluttershy chuckled, raising her can with a smile, one a bit cuter than the smirk she'd just made. "All right. Cheers, you two."

Rainbow lead Pinkie away, over the bridge connecting their path back to Ponyville.
"Y'know Pinkie, I don't have to go home, Derpy's already crashed back at the Corner. I could come back with you, sleep over at your place. Maybe figure out what to do about Fluttershy."
"Of course, Rainbow Dash, my home is your home," Pinkie said with a giggle, walking along with her full load of drinks, sipping from time to time.
Rainbow trotted off, on her way back home.
"You know Pinkie, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."
Pinkie looked into Rainbow's eyes, surprised. "Hmm...you know...maybe you're right...Dashie." She blushed a bit, smiling in a rare moment of slight embarrassment. "Hee, sorry Rainbow. I never did really ask if you wanted a nickname, huh? I have ta admit though you...look like a 'Dashie' to me. Somepony who's...exciting in a way that makes me get the giggles. Well, more than normal."
"Hmm... okay." Rainbow nodded. "It always used to bother me, 'cos it was used by older Pegasi to talk down to me, like I'm their little baby sister or something." she looked around at the town, the few lights that were still on as they entered.
Pinkie raised an eyebrow as she walked into the building with Rainbow. "Really? That's really weird. I mean, I know at least that if I were a pegasus, and I met a filly who looked like you, I'd think I was meeting Princess Celestia's kid or something. And it's not just the hair, either, it's just...I get...a vibe from you, you know? Real strong one. Feels...real great, too. Maybe you're...enchanted, or somethin' like that?"
Dash chuckled a little, trying to sound modest.
"I'm not enchanted. Maybe just lucky... or maybe I give off waves of awesome?" she grinned. "You really think I look like the Princess, though?" she asked. "That's... cool, I guess."
Pinkie nodded happily. "Waves of awesome...I like that! It's fun! You're the first pony with a mane like the Princess that I've seen...just like hers, yours looks like it belongs right in the sky!"
Rainbow nuzzled her companion softly.
"I'm so glad I met you... this place doesn't seem too bad after all." she suddenly had a random thought. "What's it like around Hearth's Warming Eve? This town's so rural and community-based... I bet you all have loads of fun every year."
Pinkie nuzzled back with a soft giggle. "I'm real glad I met you too! Everything feels so much more fresh and alive since you got here...I love making new friends!" Pinkie then smiled softly, thinking about the holidays. "We sure do have a lot of fun, heh heh! There's songs, and dancing, and snowball fights, big old pine trees grown fresh by real earth ponies, tons of candy, and...oh that's right, heh heh...I get to make the giant 'Here comes Hearth's Warming Eve' candy cane and put on the roof of town hall every year! I'm not abso-total-lutely sure what happens to it afterwards, but I think the Mayor eats it, hee hee."
Rainbow was about to knock on the door, looking to see if it was locked.
"Do we need a key to get in, again?" she couldn't remember how security in Ponyville worked, whether it was considered important here to lock up at night.
Pinkie smirked with a wink. "Nope, we can can just waltz right on in. The town's small enough that we don't worry about burglers...everypony here is connected in one way or another...I should know, since I know everypony in town, hee hee."
Rainbow nodded and went in, heading straight back to the party room and Pinkie's bed, yawning.
Setting the drinks down on a table, Pinkie noticed that Gummy was already sleeping in the basket and blanket he called a bed. She stretched her arms a bit, returned to all fours, then got comfy in a baby blue sleeping bag near the bed Rainbow Dash and Derpy were in. "Mmm, num num...g'night Dashie."
"G'night Pinkie." Rainbow muttered back.

It was several hours before Dash began to wake up. Somewhere in between dreaming and waking up, her thoughts quickly turned to Fluttershy, and the dangers she had been put in for all these years.
'Was that because of me?' she asked herself. Turning it over in her head as she turned around in bed, she tried to imagine her falling from a cloud outside Cloudsdale as she and her rival fillies raced by, leaving her alone in the forest below. 'Did I do that??' The pony she met last night in the forest was so unlike the shy little filly she knew, a pony who was in her first stages of growing into a mature mare. Her life had gone in such an unexpected way.... Rainbow didn't know whether to blame herself or not. It was an accident, but it seemed like she could have gone back and done something about it, if she had only thought about her old friends in Cloudsdale as she started making new ones in Canterlot. As she pondered guiltily what she'd done to the pegasus, she began falling asleep again.

"Wakey Wakey Dashie!!!" Pinkie's unmistakable voice shouted through the room. Shouted very, very loudly, in fact. On the plus side, the smell of something tasty and edible seemed to be slowly floating through the room.
"Whuh-buh-HUH?" Rainbow woke with a start. She looked back at the other side of the bed, not feeling Derpy's sleeping body against hers anymore. "Where's Derpy?"
"Oh, she's been down in the kitchen helping me make waffles and pancakes. We should have breakfast in bed ready for you within a few seconds!" Pinkie said, looking down at Rainbow with a smile as she stood over Rainbow on her hind legs.
"Breakfast in bed, sounds good!" Rainbow smiled. "For who...? There's only me here."
"Exactly!" Pinkie said with a giggle. "Derpy and I will be eating a little later, we decided it'd be more fun if we focused on giving you a great big surprise first, a little something to help you settle into living in Ponyville better. I know it's been a little while since you got hear, but a little extra hospitality couldn't hurt! Hee hee hee!"
"Thanks, Pinkie Pie." Rainbow said in her most heartfelt, grateful tone.
"Any time, Dashie!" Pinkie said with a smile and a wink, hopping back down to the kitchen to help Derpy put the finishing touches on Rainbow's meal.
"Hey, Derpy!" Rainbow called over to her. "You feeling alright? You sure got zonked out last night!"
Derpy chuckled, calling back to Rainbow as she flipped some pancakes over. "Yeah, I'm doin' juuuust swell, Rainbow Dash! All rested up now, ready to face the day!"
Rainbow nodded instinctively, for lack of a better response. Her thoughts were still on Fluttershy, but for the time being she was content with keeping up appearances until she was ready to start talking about it again.
Derpy suddenly fluttered to the side of the bed Rainbow was laying in, her smile soft, and her gaze attentive despite her eyes looking in slightly different directions. "All right, Dash, here ya go. I was...really worried I'd burn something, but Pinkie's a great teacher." Derpy landed, reached out with arms, and laid the tray in her hooves gently in front of Rainbow, a stack of ten pancakes on one plate, and ten waffles on the other. Both stacks were covered in generous amounts of maple syrup and butter.
Rainbow looked at them for a second, then began eating amazingly quickly, finishing her first one in seconds.
"I'm usually a fast eater." She remarked. "I couldn't get through them all though... want some?"
Derpy blushed, then chuckled softly with a soft, innocent smile. "All right Dash, I'll help." She leaned her neck over and began chewing at a bit of food contently.
"I'll sit this one out, I'd eat waaaaay too fast for you guys...I'm a bit of a pig sometimes, I gotta admit," Pinkie said with a chuckle, switching back and forth from quadrupedal and bipedal stances repeatedly in an odd, silly sort of dance.
"Yeah, don't wanna ruin my physique, not good for flying." Rainbow added. "It's a great gesture though, thanks." she looked over at Pinkie, wondering if she would do anything and hoping for a chance to discuss what happened.
Out of the corner of her eye, Pinkie noticed Rainbow and looked at her curiously, tilting her head. "Something on your mind, Dashie?"
Derpy blinked curiously as she chewed a bit, then gulped. "Oh, uh...yeah...that's right, you guys went out...somewhere, I dunno. Right, I wassss sleeping. So...uh...how did that go? The night life and everything?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Pinkie noticed Rainbow and looked at her curiously, tilting her head. "Something on your mind, Dashie?"
Derpy blinked curiously as she chewed a bit, then gulped. "Oh, uh...yeah...that's right, you guys went out...somewhere, I dunno. Right, I wassss sleeping. So...uh...how did that go? The night life and everything?"
Dash looked at Derpy and back at Pinkie, at a loss for an explanation without giving anything too risky away.
"Oh... fine, just fine." she looked at Pinkie, gesturing for support with her head titled.
Pinkie noticed what Dash was onto, then smiled somewhat nervously at Derpy before making a full blown grin. "Oh yeah, nothing too special...we walked around, got into some conversations with each other, did some some sightseeing, drank some soda pop, um, passed somepony on their way home...that was about it, I think!" Pinkie concluded with a chuckle.
"Y-yeah, that's it." Dash said nervously.
Derpy smirked playfully, continuing to help Dash eat. "Well, if you guys are happy, so am I."
Rainbow ate her food in silence, thinking about if and how to approach her about the situation. If she needed to know, she probably could be told in time.
Pinkie started hopping off on all fours towards the kitchen. "I'm gonna get you guys some orange juice, kay?" She felt very relaxed and cheerful at that moment, glad that she had so many opportunities to feel that way from day to day, but felt a bit worried, all the same, about how to introduce Rainbow's old friend to the community. She brushed off the thought quickly, though, figuring that it wouldn't be too difficult to find a way.

Before long, Rainbow and Pinkie were on their way to the forest again, to see their friend. It was a Saturday, and Rainbow had been woken earlier than usual this morning, so their shedules were nothing to worry about just yet. Rainbow took a look back at Sugarcube Corner, wondering whether Derpy was becoming curious about them yet.
Pinkie mimicked Rainbow Dash, taking a look back at the bakery as well, but fortunately, there was no sign of the yellow maned pegasus in sight. She looked back where she and Rainbow were going, skipping forward happily in anticipation of visiting Fluttershy again, hoping to convince her to come to Ponyville this time.

Fluttershy flailed all four of her her limbs wild and screamed as she plummeted towards the ground. She'd seen a pegasus colt zip by her, and then the next moment, she was terrified for her life. No matter how hard she tried, her wings would not obey her and lift her back up to the cloud she had fallen off of. As the wind blew through her face and her mane, the hard brown surface below her grew closer and closer. Everything suddenly went dark...and as it did, she wondered what the afterlife would be like, if indeed there was one.
She found herself opening her eyes once more, looking to the sky. She wondered how long she had been asleep, or, indeed, if her previous life had all been a dream. Her eyes shot to her arms, having heard stories of unusual people from alien worlds suddenly waking up from long delusions of ponyhood that were indistinguishable from reality.
She half expected to see five, or even six ape like digits wriggling from the ends of her wrists...but her usual hooves floated right there in front of her, bending back and forth as she stared at them, gazing as if she were seeing them for the first time. Fluttershy wasn't sure if she should be relieved or disappointed.
Remembering that she had been falling, the yellow filly looked around frantically, noticing a legion of pink winged butterflies below her. They set her down carefully, and she quickly smiled in gratitude, glad that they had saved her life.
The peace of the moment was quickly broken for the young pink maned girl, as an enormous explosion of color filled the sky...the deafening sound it made as it's blinding spectrum flooded her vision made her entire body tremble, and soon the world grew dark again.
Slowly, but surely, Fluttershy came to. She hoped nothing would knock her out again once she open her eyes this time. Cold rain dripped on her sensitive face, the sky a mass of gray clouds. Nopony was around...not Rainbow Dash, not the boys who had teased her. She slowly lifted herself off her back and onto all four legs, feeling them tremble as she struggled to fin her balance. She flapped her wings, trying to get any sort of lift she could, but still she was unable to rise above the wet dirt she was standing on. Fluttershy then found that her stomach was rumbling...she tried searching for something, anything to eat, but found nothing for minutes on end...finally she found a bush lying beneath two of the tallest trees around her, and ravenously tore into it, quickly devouring all of the leaves of its branches. The taste was incredibly bland, but Fluttershy was glad she at least would be starving yet.
As the rain continued to pour, the yellow filly tried keep herself under the cover of the trees, to avoid getting wet as much as she could, but a few drops still reached her from time to time. Every now and then the frightened, timid young girl would look to her hips as if she expected to see something there...eventually giving up when she decided that she must slowly be growing mad, and that she needed to keep her wits about her.

Days passed. It was harder to tell the night from the day, since the clouds never went away, no matter how hard Fluttershy wished they would. She was, fortunately, still able to count the passing days by watching the color of the ever present rainclouds, watching as small, yet visible shades of light passed through them from hour to hour. Every now and then, she'd find another bush, or a patch of grass...they barely had any flavor at first, but as time when on, her imagination reflexively transmogrified them into the sweetest candies.
The filly suddenly realized just how long she'd been alone...just how long she had been thinking, thinking endlessly, not allowing herself much time to truly feel all the horror she felt deep down. She could not take it any longer...reaching a clearing where no tree would protect her from the frigid water any longer, she broke down and wept.
Miraculously, her friends, the butterflies suddenly returned...along with a host of soft, friendly rabbits, and even a throng of squirrels. She smiled softly as she began to feel warmer, and calmer, even as the tears flowed down her face faster than the rain. It was amazing...she had a gift, Fluttershy thought to herself, one that could make all manner of creatures love her. After a few hours, the animals began returning to their own lives, but Fluttershy felt more hope than she ever had in her life as she waved farewell to them.
Fluttershy stood once again, thinking she was only living being left in the rainy clearing...She noticed, for the first time, that she was surrounded by food in this place...she wondered how much of the grass she could consume before she needed to try and make her way to civilization again.
Before she could take a bite, Fluttershy eyes a bright green snake in front of her, strangling a mouse with it coils. She stared in horror for what felt like ages, until the snake finally consumed the corpse of the rodent.
"Murderer!" she spat out with an enraged frown, chocking on a sob. To her surprise, the snake's jaw dropped in deep fear and remorse...Fluttershy could even see tears welling up in its eyes. She suddenly felt terrible about herself...any need for vengeance leaving her. Fluttershy's head shook as she gently reached out a hoof and stroked the snake's tiny head.
"No...no...I...I'm sorry. I didn't...I didn't really mean it. I just...I'm not used to being out here, you know?"
The frightened, confused reptile leaped into the equine girl's arms, as her slowly rubbed her cheek against. "It's okay, it's okay...it's all going to be just fine." Silently, Fluttershy wondered what would drive somepony to kill and eat another being...she hoped she never had to find out.

"HUUUUGH!"
Within the Everfree, Fluttershy woke to the present...her foalhood days still haunting her. She wondered what trials today would bring...she wasn't sure she was looking forward to them.

Rainbow trotted ahead quickly, leading Pinkie back to the clearing just outside Ponyville. She recognised the way they came back from there to Sugarcube Corner last night, even though her geographical memory of the town was still patchy. She looked around, trying to find signs of the pegasus.
"Hmm..." Fluttershy stumbled out of some bushes awkwardly, yawning as she rubbed her eyes, and then looked upon her returning visitors. "Hey guys...heard your steps a few minutes ago." She stared for a few seconds, as if lost in thought, though nothing seemed outwardly different about her compared to the night before. She then slowly smiled, speaking in her slightly cocky, but unusually soft and soothing voice. "Nice to see you both back. I don't normally get many...well, any visitors, heh."
Pinkie giggled, hopping in place a bit.
"Well, it's really nice to be back I'd say!"
"What do you wanna do, now that you're living so close to Ponyville? Is there anything we can do, y'know... to make you feel more welcome?" Rainbow asked. She realised straightaway she was implying living in Ponyville, something she hadn't seemed willing to do so far.
Fluttershy stared long and hard in front of her, as if she was looking straight through Rainbow and Pinkie, as if she had forgotten they were even there.
Pinkie frowned a little, worried. "Uh...Fluttershy? Are...you okay?"

"I'M UGLY! UGLY!" Fluttershy screamed, standing on her hind legs grabbing stones in her hooves and tossing them towards her only companion, the young griffon girl whose head she was narrowly missing.
"Shy, chill out, it wasn't that bad! You put up a good fight, and-"
"GO! JUST GO AWAY ALREADY! I'M SICK OF YOUR CONSTANT BABBLING! I'M SICK OF YOU MAKING ME TAKE THESE STUPID RISKS! AND MOST OF ALL...I AM SICK...OF YOUR SUPREME...ARROGANCE!!!
The griffon backed away, shocked, trying to not to let the tears welling up in her eyes. "F-fine! Be that way. I...don't care about you either! Everyone betrays me in the end anyway, and I'm fed up with it!"
The griffon flew off, and for the first time in a long, long while, Shy was alone again. She glumly looked over her wounds, and the corpse of the hydra that had given them to her, and wondered if today truly was her last day.
Weeks past. They didn't pass as slowly as Shy thought they would...life was like walking in a dream now.
Suddenly, she saw a familiar face drop down in front of her. A familiar set of gold eyes.
"You...you came back." Fluttershy spat out weakly.
"Shy...look, I'm sorry for-" the other girl struggled to say, rubbing the back of her head.
"You...should have left me...I don't deserve-"
"You...gave me a lot of things I didn't deserve, Shy. Maybe...blame's not that important in the long run, ya know?"
Fluttershy just stood there in disbelief, looking like she was about to burst into tears.
"Look Shy, I...I'm going to let you in on something. I...I hate being a griffon. I hate a lot. I just...never mentioned it, to anyone. I didn't want to dishonor my friends and family back home...but I never thought I could fit in with ponies, either. You...treated me like a pony. Like one of your own. I didn't feel...like a monster anymore. Like a killer. I'm...I'm sorry that I made you a monster...a killer. I can't make things the way they were, but if you give me a chance...I can at least help you be the best damn monster in the whole forest.
Fluttershy stared long and hard, before choking back a sob and smiling. "All right...I think I'm...I think I'm ready for that haircut now."

Fluttershy closed her eyes, then slowly opened them, giving a long belabored sigh as she came back to reality. "Pinkie...Rainbow...that...is...a generous offer. I...cannot accept it, though. I'm so sorry. I'm ever so sorry...I wish it were different. The truth...the truth is...this isn't what I really look like. I'll...show you if you want...but I have to warn you...it's not pretty. At all."
Rainbow looked aghast, confused and unsure what her reaction should be. She suddenly pictured an emaciated or horribly burnt pony standing before them, and cast those thoughts to the back of her mind. She nodded regardless, too late to back out now.
Pinkie felt like a little frightened, but remembered her grandmother's words from long ago, and slowly smile. "It's okay Fluttershy, go ahead."
Fluttershy shifted both her front and back hooves uncomfortably, then stopped dead in her tracks, rising to her hind legs. "All right...this is what...this is who I am."
A flash of golden light sudden filled the clearing, blocking out all sight of everything else. As the luminous flood dissipated, Fluttershy was still there standing atop her back legs, her appearance drastically altered. Her body was thick with muscle...not quite as much as an earth pony in top shape, but still showing formidable bulk, while still somehow appearing slender and agile. Scars were all over the sides of her torso, many many cut marks that had left red, mangled flesh where once soft fur had grown. Her face was similarly damaged, bright red streaking across patches of yellow. Fluttershy's mane was now much shorter...messier, uneven as if it had been cut with a dull knife. It barely touched her forehead and neck...and a single, golden brown feather hung within it, tied tightly within the jagged pink mass. Adorning Fluttershy's chest was a golden metallic breastplate...in stark contrast to her body, it was flawless, without a scatch shining almost as brightly as the light it had given off mere moments before. A red gem resembling the face of an eagle was embedded in its center...and one of Fluttershy's hoof rubbed the gem, slowly, as if trying to comfort herself. Her face had not moved at all since the illusion had been dispelled...but she suddenly found the courage to speak once more."
"This is why I am the monster of Everfree Forest. I have killed-and consumed-many here. It was for the purposes of survival...but...they were people too. They were just...trying to survive like I was. Guys...I...I can't go back. I'm a dangerous predator, and I look the part. I won't be trusted. I'm...I'm sorry." Fluttershy hung her head as she returned to all fours. She wasn't sure if she was disappointed in herself, or the universe in general. Even after all these years, the world still didn't quite make sense to her.
Staring at her, Rainbow wondered how many fights and accidents had caused such an oddly scarred pony. She was so unlike the filly she remembered, her long legs and thin body replaced with a bulkier, stronger frame. She walked up to her slowly, placing her head below hers in a sympathetic nuzzle.
Pinkie watched Rainbow walk up to the other pegasus carefully, the pink earth pony slowly realizing she felt no fear towards Fluttershy...and that her desire for the yellow pony would accept the offer to come to Ponyville had only grown stronger. Silently, she hoped being reunited with Rainbow and finding a new home would heal Fluttershy's soul.
Fluttershy shook for a moment as she felt Rainbow below her chin. For a moment, she felt like she was in her old body, only a child who was little more than skin and bones. She rubbed her head back against Rainbow's as tears ran down her scarred face, not caring about anything else in that moment then being close to her long lost friend.