Assertion

by Sectus

Chapter 1: All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Assertion
Written by Sectus

Chapter One: All That Glitters is Not Gold

Crunch...crunch...crunch...

All that had accompanied Fluttershy for the past several kilometers was the sound of her own hooves grinding against the gravel pathway that led her return back to Ponyville. It had been like this all morning now. She would trot down the pathway a great distance, only to become winded and have to take a break soon after. She was never a very physical pony.

It was this thought that led her mind back to her friends, Rainbow Dash in particular. She had left them for nearly three months. Three months she had abandoned them. No fun memories, no laughter, and no parties. What was it all for? Other than some pictures taken of a few rare animals, what had she gotten out of this impulse trip? No doubt, she appreciated nature, but this trip could have been saved for better time.

Everyday since she had left Ponyville, she had been travelling with a group of rather...strange ponies. Most of them seemed like the average pony; eager, willing to help somepony in trouble, and excitable. There were others, though, that seemed quite distant from the group. They had certain ticks that set them apart from the rest of the ponies. Fluttershy had felt uneasy around them, and she wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was the fact that they stared at her just a bit longer than most other ponies would?

She rolled her tired shoulders as she walked along the dusty road, and released a sigh. She wore several saddle bags on her back, and they carried all the essentials she had brought along with her on the trip; food, water, sleeping materials, and a toothbrush with a small picture of a butterfly on it.

Not only did leaving her friends like this make her upset, but she had arranged for someone else to take care of Angel for once. To her surprise, Angel Bunny seemed to come down from his temper tantrum quicker than usual when he realized that Spike would be his babysitter. She assumed that they had gotten along well enough the first time, perhaps they would have even more fun now!

That was in the past, however. Now, she walked along the bumpy, gravel pathway back to her hometown, and she couldn’t be happier. Even the weight of several saddle bags strung across her worn back couldn’t ruin her mood.

She was coming home, and soon, she would be with her friends once more.

***

The yellow pegasus could have sworn she had a pack of butterflies in her tummy. Curse these butterflies, she thought to herself, a gentle grin overtaking her features as she stepped past the old, familiar welcome sign to Ponyville:

Welcome to Ponyville! Nicest Town in Equestria!

Pop. 538

Around the more official writing, there were many scrawlings of days gone by, various greetings from ponies that Fluttershy had not heard of in her life. These ghostly greetings from the past rose the hairs on the back of her neck, and she couldn’t put a hoof on why. She kept trotting along, shaking her head to rid herself of the thought. She was home now! Why wasn’t she more excited? Well...she had been...until she saw the sign. A feeling of dread had overcome her the moment she walked past it. She felt cold all over, and wasn’t sure why.

She shivered and lowered her head, I’ll just keep walking...she thought, hoping to calm herself. It took her a moment to realize it, but she now stood nearly at the center of Ponyville. Coming back to herself, she took a look around. It seemed exactly the way it had been when she departed. Ponies were trotting out of their homes at a speedy rate, heading for the town center. Fluttershy blinked, thinking to herself for a moment. Ah...it must be a welcome back party, or maybe somepony’s birthday I missed? She wasn’t sure what, but she figured it would be best to find out soon.

The yellow pegasus cantered forward, her excitement building at the sight of so many ponies she recognized. Flitter, Mr and Mrs Cake, Octavia...and suddenly Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy blinked, finding herself stopped in her tracks, face-to-face with her pink, party-loving friend.

“Oh my, Pinkie, you startled me,” Fluttershy gasped, having jumped back a few feet at the sudden surprise. Pinkie only stared back at her in return. “D-Did I say something offensive...?” Fluttershy asked meekly as she found herself hiding behind her pink mane, an action that seemed almost reflex at this point.

That stare … just the way Pinkie was looking at her made her slightly uncomfortable.

“P-Pinkie...are you okay?” Fluttershy nearly begged, wanting the awkward encounter to end.

The party pony blinked, and suddenly snorted out a giggle.

“Course I’m fine silly-billy,” Pinkie said enthusiastically, before springing forward and grasping her squirming friend in a tight embrace. “We all missed you so much, shy!”

“I...uhm...thanks...I missed you too,” Fluttershy sputtered, not sure how else to respond. “Where are the rest of the girls?” she asked quietly, giving her friend a reassuring smile.

“Oh, I’m sure they are all waiting for you at the party,” Pinkie said. Suddenly, a look of shock, and then abrupt sadness overcame the usually carefree party pony.

“What’s wrong, Pinkie?” Fluttershy whispered, a worried tone drifting from her words.

“It was supposed to be a surprise party...now it'll be anything but!” The forlorn mare said, burying her head in her hooves.

***

It was not long before the pair of friends had arrived at the party, or at least what seemed to have been intended as the spot for the party. Aside from a few banners and streamers strewn about, there was not much decoration in the square to speak of. Here and there stood a yellow banner with pink lettering and butterflies, each one reading the words “Welcome Home Fluttershy!”

There were a few tables scattered around the party, visible as large gaps in the sea of ponies that stood chattering in the square. Each table had a variety of snacks and drinks on it for attendees to enjoy. What attracted Fluttershy’s eye the most, however, was not as simple as the aesthetics for the party. Every few feet stood another rather official looking pony wearing dark glasses and heavy-looking black barding that had the letters ‘PVPF’ emblazoned on it. Some spoke loudly into radios on their barding, while others stood talking to party-goers who seemed to become much more sober in their attitude when engaged by these intimidating looking officials.

Fluttershy had been distracted by the strangers, to say the least. Her face turned a vibrant tinge of scarlet as she felt herself ram headfirst into a party goer. After offering many subsequent apologies, she opened her eyes, seeing clearly who it was she had collided with. Before her stood a mare with a bright orange coat, a light blonde mane, and three apples on her flank. Her look was topped off by a signature brown hat.

"Fluttersha', it's fine. Tarnations, ah thought ya were gonna start cryin' girl," The orange earth pony spoke, her words slurred slightly by the unique twang in her accent.

Easily noticing her own overexcitement, Fluttershy was quick to redeem herself.

"Oh my, I'm sorry, Applejack ... I didn't mean to apologize so much..." The pegasus mumbled, looking over her hard-working friend. She had not laid eyes on her since her departure, and she was thankful to have the opportunity to see her again.

"Say, I saw ya wanderin' up here with Pinkie. Where'd she get off to in such'a hurry?" Applejack questioned, casually tipping back her hat with a hoof. The excited, candy-fueled pink earth pony had zoomed away from Fluttershy's side the moment the timid pegasus had waded into the large crowd, and hadn't been seen since.

"Oh my ... I never noticed she left ... well, she's probably just off getting punch," Fluttershy stated in a quiet tone.

The two mares proceeded further into the party, getting the occasional eager greeting from a passerby. Many of the ponies in the crowd were socializing, holding drinks in hoof as they chatted about the latest gossip floating around Ponyville. The pair came to a stop shortly outside the main grouping of ponies, glancing around at the mild decorations, contrasted only by the excitement that seemed to envelop the event.

"So, Applejack," Fluttershy began gently, a smile crossing her lips at the thought of her friends. "Where are the others? I haven't seen them at the party just yet."

Applejack grimaced at this, and touched a hoof to her chin absentmindedly.

"Hmm, if ah'm rememberin' correctly, Twilight's still back at the library with Spike, and Rarity an' Rainbow are on their way here from the bo' tique," Applejack recollected in a rather matter-o-fact tone.

Fluttershy was slightly surprised at this. She was surprised not only by the fact that so many ponies seemed to be interested in welcoming her back to Ponyville, but also at the fact that her friends seemed rather late to the occasion. It was unlike her friends to be late to such an event, but the yellow pegasus merely passed this off as them having other obligations to attend to before coming to welcome her back. It wasn't like she had wanted such a big welcome anyway.

"Oh! Well, we should go look for them ... I wouldn't want to make them search for me..." Fluttershy whispered nervously. The last thing she wanted right after coming back to Ponyville was for somepony to be upset with her for her inconsiderate attitude.

***

It wasn't long before the two mares had bumped into Pinkie Pie once more. The excitable pink earth pony was relating a story about the funniest thing that had happened at the punch fountain in what seemed like fast forward. She was stopped only when a newcomer had managed to hoof there way into the conversation.

“Hello Pinkie, Applejack, and welcome back, Fluttershy!” Twilight Sparkle greeted them.

“Heya Twilight, super awesome party, huh?” Pinkie shot in return, beaming at her bookish friend.

Twilight cringed at the greeting from her friend, but nodded nonetheless.

“How was the trip, Fluttershy?” The purple unicorn quizzed.

The young pegasus was unable to hold back a tinge of redness that appeared on her cheeks. She wasn’t at all used to this attention, and was taking quite a while to adjust to being the focus of everypony’s mind.

“Oh, it was lovely,” Fluttershy replied with a smile. “I saw a lot of beautiful flowers and cute little critters...” she said thoughtfully, digging her hoof at the dirt below. “Oh...uhm, I had a question...if that’s okay...” she muttered quietly. This prompted a chuckle from Applejack in particular.

“Ya don’t need permission ta talk ‘round us, Shy. What’s on yer mind?” she replied, giving a warm smile to Fluttershy.

"I was just wondering what the PVPF is..." Fluttershy mumbled, her voice trailing off slightly.

“It means ‘Ponyville Police Force’, Fluttershy,” Twilight interjected. “It was a group established only about a week after you left. Nopony said anything more about the group other than that it exists because of ‘recent complications’. I was curious myself up until this point.”

Twilight gave a tired sigh, pressing a hoof into her temple and massaging it gently.

“All I know is that it had to have been something serious for the princesses to have implemented it,” she muttered.

“Anyway, that is beside the point. We're forgetting why we are here, to celebrate Fluttershy’s return! Did you see anything interesting while you were away, Fluttershy?”

The shy pegasus gave a gentle giggle in return.

“Oh yes, plants, animals...all sorts of things. There were also quite a few scrolls and tomes on the subjects,” Fluttershy said thoughtfully. Twilight seemed to instantly light up at the mention of reading.

“Scrolls? Do tell!” The purple unicorn spoke excitedly.

The party continued for a good while, with much discussion of Fluttershy's trip consuming most of the band of friends' time. Not long after their discussion of tomes, Rarity and Rainbow Dash had joined the concession. Rarity, who was never one for quiet entrances, had a red carpet rolled out just for her. When questioned on the topic, she revealed that she felt her grace and beauty needed to be matched by appropriate carpeting.

The friends soon became tired as night approached them, and each bid the other a hearty farewell before going their separate ways. The only two that decided to remain together were Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy.

“Well, that went better than I expected!” Twilight chirped enthusiastically as she trotted alongside her feathered friend.

"Yeah ... I just wish I had gotten the chance to talk more with Pinkie Pie. I promised her that she would be the first person I talked to when I came back from my trip," Fluttershy mumbled glumly.

"Well, she is Pinkie Pie, you know. She'll be over it in a matter of minutes. Plus, didn't you get to talk to her before you came to the party?" Twilight asked gently, giving her quiet friend a smile as they walked together.

"Yes, but it doesn't feel the same, Twilight. I feel like I might have offended her somehow..." Fluttershy replied as the pair of them stopped in front of Twilight's library.

The library looked much the same as it had before Fluttershy left on her trip. It was the same massive tree filled with windows and a door, carved out to be a home to the librarian of Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle. As the two ponies stepped through the door into the library, a light sound of chimes followed their entry before the door swung shut behind them.

"Ah, home sweet home," Twilight chimed, "You know, I actually did some research, and I found some books about foreign critters that you might like to read over after such an exciting trip."

"Oh, that would be lovely," said Fluttershy, "I could use a good quiet book after such a loud party..."

Soon enough, Fluttershy had a set of saddlebags strapped on, and each one was filled to the brim with books on various subjects, anywhere from animal husbandry to cute critters in a foal's tale. As the two of them stepped towards to door for Fluttershy to take her leave, however, a loud knock came from the other side.

Twilight, taking the initiative, stepped towards the noise. Ugh, who could it be knocking this late in the evening? she thought to herself, pushing the door open with a hoof. Outside stood a stern looking mare wearing familiar dark barding with ‘PVPF’ printed boldly on the front of the uniform. The police mare tilted her glasses down on her face, eyeing the two inside.

“Good evening. I think we need to talk. There’s been a murder in Ponyville,” she said simply, stepping forward into the dimly lit library, the door closing firmly behind her.

Author's Note:

Updated Chapter as of 6/14/2013

Story is considered to have happened some time before Twilight becomes a princess.

Comments

[Zoegrace1]

FIRST!

Great so far!

[Sectus]

2154547 Glad to see you like chapter one! I'm currently working on chapter two. I'm hoping that this will be one of my better, and more popular pieces.