In an alternate Equestria, Fluttershy tries to find her friends
It started out as an ordinary day for Fluttershy – waking up in her house in Cloudsdale and going to work managing the weather for Ponyville alongside her best friend Cloud Kicker. However, she finds herself troubled by feelings she can't explain, feelings that something serious is wrong. When she starts having visions of a strange life with strange ponies, she's determined to find them and find out what's going on. But how can such a timid pony convince others of what she isn't sure of herself?
Fluttershy awoke, unnerved by strange dreams she couldn't remember. Most mornings, she needed to remind herself that, as comfortable as her cloud mattress was, she had responsibilities and couldn't just sleep as late as she wanted, but today she arose eagerly. The longer she lay there, the more she was going to dwell on this uncomfortable feeling. The light of Celestia's sun shone through her window and she felt its warm glow on her coat. Fluttershy pushed her doubts to the back of her mind. They were just dreams, after all, and she wasn't going to let them ruin her day. Today was going to be a beautiful day. She would make sure of it.
She began to make a couple of slices of hay toast for breakfast as she looked out the window at the city. Cloudsdale was a beautiful place to look at, but there were always so many other ponies about, and it made her uncomfortable. She was glad that her house was near the outskirts of town. It was much quieter out here. She liked quiet.
As she left her house, she noticed that the mailpony had been by, as a letter had been left for her. It looked like it was from Soarin'. The two had been introduced at one of her parents' parties. While it seemed her father hoped something would come of it, her shy nature and his busy schedule with the Wonderbolts ensured that their relationship remained simply a friendly one. Fluttershy greatly appreciated his friendship, even if it was a long-distance one. She didn't have many friends. She regretted that she wouldn't have time to read the letter now if she wanted to get to work on time as she went back inside to leave it on her desk. She had some clouds to clear.
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"Good morning, Cloud Kicker."
"Hello, Fluttershy. Another sunny day on the schedule?"
"Yes. Let's go make sure that everypony in Ponyville has a bright, sunny sky to enjoy." She was happy the schedule today had her working with Cloud Kicker. She knew that many of the other pegasi on the weather team resented her position. Being in charge of the weather detail for a town, even an unremarkable one like Ponyville, was a prestigious position that usually went to somepony more experienced. While there were exceptions – Spitfire had held the position in Hoofington before she was discovered by the Wonderbolts – they were generally made for ponies with incredible flying skills, and Fluttershy had never seemed any better than average. There were whispers that her job was the result of her father pulling some strings.
The thing about rumors is that, every so often, they turn out to more or less be true.
She hadn't been happy when he had told her about the "great opportunity" he was able to set up for her. And it was a great opportunity, she had to admit, but Fluttershy wanted to succeed on her own abilities. She wanted to be her own pony, not just "Giltwing's daughter". But at the same time, it seemed so important to him that she couldn't bring herself to say no. She just told him she didn't want him to do it again... if that was alright with him.
Cloud Kicker wasn't like some of the others, though. When Fluttershy first started, she had accepted her and didn't care how she'd gotten the job. She was always ready with a cheerful smile, and the two soon became fast friends. If Fluttershy was asked, she would probably say that she considered Cloud Kicker to be her best friend.
Of course, as the head of the weather team, Fluttershy could have easily made the work schedules say whatever she wanted them to, but she didn't think that would be fair to the other ponies or to Cloud Kicker. She didn't want the rest of the team to start resenting her as well.
As she and Cloud Kicker got to work clearing the sky, Fluttershy found the unease from that morning creeping back into her mind. What bothered her the most was that, although her dreams distressed her, she couldn't actually remember what they were, just that they seemed like they were important. Even if she confided in somepony, it would be hard to explain that she was bothered by something she didn't know anything about. She was so distracted that she didn't realize that Cloud Kicker was talking to her.
"Fluttershy? Are you okay?" Fluttershy nodded. "I was just wondering if you could help me collect a few of these clouds. My parents asked if my sister could stay with me for a couple of days and I need the extra mattress."
Fluttershy agreed and the two began to push a few of the smaller clouds over towards a bigger one. As the yellow pegasus flew up to grab another, she glanced downwards at the larger cloud. There was something about the way the cloud looked struck her as familiar. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but something about its shape...
Fluttershy was overwhelmed as a flood of images poured into her mind.
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"Fluttershy! Fluttershy, wake up!"
Fluttershy regained consciousness and found herself laying on her back on a cloud. Cloud Kicker was kneeling next to her, looking frantic. Groggily, she sat up, her friend aiding her.
"Wh-what happened?"
"You were just going after a cloud, and all of a sudden, you just... stopped," the blonde pegasus said, not sure how else to explain it. "You got this strange look on your face, and you wouldn't say anything, and then you stopped flapping your wings, and – and – I almost wasn't able to catch you." Fluttershy noticed that her friend's grayish-purple coloring was grayer than usual. She reached her forelegs out and wrapped them around the worried pony's frame.
"You saved my life. Thank you." This helped calm Cloud Kicker, and her expression of panic changed to one of concern.
"I've never seen anything like that. What happened?"
Fluttershy opened her mouth to explain, but stopped when she realized she wasn't sure how to explain. These visions in her mind felt like memories, but they were memories of things that never happened, of things that never could have happened. How could she be remembering things that didn't happen? She knew there had to be an explanation, even if she had no idea what it could be.
Searching her new memories, if memories were even what they were, for anything that might serve as a clue, she realized that the same five mares kept showing up. Four of them were complete strangers to her, but the fifth was an old foalhood friend of hers, Rainbow Dash. They had drifted apart as they grew older, and she hadn't seen her in a few years, but there was no mistaking any other pony for Rainbow Dash. Since Dash was a real pony, Fluttershy thought, that meant the others are probably real, too. If she could find them, maybe she could understand what was going on.
She realized that, while she had been trying to work things out, her friend was still waiting expectantly. "I'm sorry. I don't really understand myself." She explained as best she could about the not-memories. "In them, I'm still Fluttershy, but a different Fluttershy, if that makes sense. Whatever they are, they've stopped now. I want to find out more about them, but I feel fine." That wasn't entirely true. Physically, she felt fine, but what really troubled her was this feeling she couldn't shake that the vague flashes were somehow right, and the memories she was so sure of were wrong. What's worse, Cloud Kicker barely appeared in them, if at all. She couldn't bear to tell her best friend that.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
Fluttershy thought for a moment. "Do you remember Rainbow Dash from flight school?"
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Fortunately, Cloud Kicker knew where Rainbow Dash worked now, so Fluttershy found herself headed back to Cloudsdale. Cloud Kicker insisted on accompanying her.
Fluttershy had tried to talk her out of it. "You really don't have to. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble. The clouds aren't–"
"Don't worry about the clouds. We don't have anything complicated like a storm today. I can take care of those when we're done with this. Besides, what's important is making sure whatever happened this morning doesn't happen when nopony's around to catch you."
"Well, if you're sure it's alright..."
The trip itself was uneventful. The two ponies spent most of the time making small talk, trying to keep their minds off of the strange incident that had led to this point. When they had nearly arrived, however, Cloud Kicker asked, "So, why Rainbow Dash?"
Fluttershy tried to figure out what her friend had meant by that. She hoped the question didn't have the unasked implication "Why not me?", but she couldn't be sure. She had to answer carefully; she didn't want to hurt Cloud Kicker's feelings.
"Some of the ponies I saw were ones I've never met, and Rainbow Dash was there as an adult when I've never seen her as one. They're the most out of place, so I thought if I met them, I might find some answers." This seemed to solve the problem, as Cloud Kicker agreed that that made sense. She didn't appear to be upset. Fluttershy was relieved.
Soon, they landed outside the warehouse of the Equestrian Express delivery company in Cloudsdale. A blue-maned yellow pegasus mare was walking out the front door carrying a clipboard. Although visibly annoyed at the mention of Rainbow Dash's name, she directed them to the loading docks in the back. Back there, a team of pegasi were loading a pallet of boxes into the back of a van. Amongst them, there was a blue mare with a familiar chromatic mane. For the first time in years, Fluttershy laid eyes on her old friend Rainbow Dash.
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Fluttershy was heading back to her cottage after meeting Twilight for lunch when she heard a whooshing sound overhead. In front of her, a familiar sky blue pegasus landed.
"Hey, Fluttershy."
"Oh, Rainbow Dash! You startled me."
Rainbow Dash chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that."
"It's alright. So, how was your day with the Wonderbolts?" It had been a few days since the Best Young Fliers competition, and Dash had gotten the chance to enjoy her prize.
"Totally awesome! I got a chance to show them some of my moves. I think Spitfire really liked them. This could be my big chance to join them!"
"Really? I'm so happy for you."
"Thanks. But that's not why I was looking for you. I wanted to thank you. For all your help, you know, cheering me on and everything. Even though," she continued, embarrassed, "I was a bit rough on you. Maybe more than a bit." She placed a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "You stood by me, and that really means a lot."
Fluttershy smiled. "Of course, Rainbow. I love watching you fly and I'm glad I was able to help. You don't have to apologize, I know you were under a lot of stress."
"Thanks, Fluttershy."
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Fluttershy paused. What had just happened? The memories of Other Fluttershy, as that was how she had decided to think of them at least until she knew more about what was going on, appeared to have gotten a little clearer, at least where Rainbow Dash was concerned. Cloud Kicker must have thought her inaction was nervousness, as she had flown over to where the mover pegasi were working and was talking to Dash, gesturing to where Fluttershy was standing. After a few moments, her foalhood friend headed over towards her.
She started to panic. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. What was she supposed to say? Hello, Rainbow Dash. I know we haven't seen each other in years but I was just wondering if you've been hallucinating that we've been hanging out with a bunch of complete strangers. She wanted to run away, or at least try to dig into the clouds and hide there. She knew that wouldn't be possible, though. This was the only way she had to figure out what was going on. At any rate, Rainbow Dash had seen her and was already on her way over. Even if she was half as determined and half as fast as when they were younger, Fluttershy knew that Rainbow would have no trouble going after or catching her, and that would only make the inevitable conversation even more awkward.
By the time her old friend arrived, Fluttershy's nerves had her trembling like a leaf. She tried to speak, but only was able to express herself in high-pitched squeaking noises. Eventually, the other pegasus grew tired of waiting.
"CK said you wanted to talk to me about something?" The timid pegasus's attention was drawn from the cloud floor to her conversation partner. Seeing her up close for the first time, Fluttershy noticed she was somewhat different from what she expected. The Rainbow Dash Other Fluttershy knew was built for speed. She could tell, even through sparse and spotty memories, that the cyan pegasus had clearly put a lot of time and effort into shaping her body into the peak physical condition necessary for aerial racing and stunt performances. However, the pony before her didn't look like that at all. She looked, if such a word can be used about somepony whose mane shone with all the colors of the rainbow, ordinary. Not by any means out of shape, but not an athlete's build, either. She looked just like everypony else.
"So... can I help you?" Lost in her reflections, Fluttershy had looked at Dash, but had neglected to respond to her.
"Oh! I-I'm sorry. Hello, Rainbow Dash." After a pause, she could see that something more was needed, so she continued, "Well, I was just thinking about you, and flight camp, a-a-and I was wondering how you were doing..." She trailed off for a moment before picking up again. "So I thought that I would come see you. To see how you were doing. How are you doing?"
She could tell from Dash's expression that such a general question about the well-being of an old friend was not exactly what she had been expecting. Fluttershy wished she knew what Cloud Kicker had said to her.
"I'm doing okay. Great, really. I've been working here since flight school. What about you?"
"I'm alright. I'm working as part of the weather team for Ponyville. I'm actually in charge of the team." Fluttershy offered the last information as if she was admitting to a horribly embarrassing secret rather than sharing an accomplishment.
"You have your own weather team? That's great. Congratulations," Rainbow Dash said wistfully. "I knew you'd be a strong flier someday."
"Well, that isn't really," Fluttershy stammered, "I mean, I'm not–"
"Daddy, huh?" Rainbow Dash responded with a knowing look.
"Yeah."
"You shouldn't wor–" Dash began, before a gruff voice cut her off.
"Hey! Rainbow Dash! You gonna be joining us today or what?" The speaker was a large brown stallion wearing a black ballcap. Behind him, the mover ponies had finished loading up the van. Everypony looked annoyed except for Cloud Kicker, who looked uncomfortable, and a gray pegasus mare who was happily eating a muffin, completely unconcerned about the mood surrounding her. Fluttershy heard muttering amongst the group, but they were too far away for her to make out what they were saying.
"Looks like I gotta go."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get you in trouble."
"Don't worry about it, I don't really care. It was great seeing you again, Fluttershy. We should hang out sometime," she added politely.
Fluttershy was so concerned with her old friend's boss being angry with her that she almost didn't realize that she hadn't actually had the chance to talk to her about the real reason she had come. She was still nervous, but there wasn't anything to do but just go ahead and try to ask as best she could. "Rainbow Dash, wait." The other mare turned back to look at her. She spoke at a whisper. "Have you felt anything strange lately? Like the way things are isn't how they should be? That everything's supposed to be different?"
Rainbow's curious expression turned to ice. "No. I'm sorry, I have work I have to do. Goodbye, Fluttershy." With that, she turned and flew back to where her co-workers were waiting.
Fluttershy, defeated, turned and flew away.
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"Are you alright? How did it go?" It hadn't taken long for Cloud Kicker to catch up. They headed to Fluttershy's house, where she described her conversation with Rainbow Dash to her friend while preparing some tea.
"I'm no closer to understanding what happened this morning and now she's mad at me. I didn't even get the chance to ask her if she knew the other ponies."
"I could go talk to her later."
"No, thank you," Fluttershy sighed, "I think going back would only make things worse." She gathered up all her resolve. "If I want to figure this out, somehow, I'm going to have to find the others myself."
Cloud Kicker looked concerned. "Are you sure that's a good idea? What if you–"
"It's alright. The others aren't pegasi, so I won't have to fly anywhere to find them. They're probably in Ponyville."
"Ponyville? You think so?" The thistle-colored pegasus brightened. "Maybe I know them. Do you know what they're supposed to look like?"
Fluttershy tried to picture the mysterious ponies in her head. She started by describing what she could remember about a purple unicorn, but her friend couldn't recall anypony like that. The bouncy pink earth pony, too, did not sound familiar to her. Cloud Kicker knew several white unicorns, but when this one was described as a mare of style and elegance, she had to admit that none of them sounded like that. Finally, while she knew a tan-coated blonde earth pony named Apple Cobbler, she didn't know any orange ones.
"So, I guess they don't live in Ponyville after all."
"They still might. It's not like I know everypony in Ponyville." Cloud Kicker hesitated. "Well, there might be one other thing. When you described those ponies, you never mentioned their cutie marks. Are they – sorry."
"No, it's alright. I guess I just didn't think of it. Let's see, there was a starburst pattern, balloons, diamonds, and apples."
"Apples? That one's probably Apple family, then. You should try asking at Sweet Apple Acres. If she doesn't live there, they'll probably at least know who she is."
For the first time in a while, Fluttershy stood in the main square of Ponyville. Although she was in charge of the weather team for Ponyville, she spent very little time in the town itself. She had met with the Mayor of Ponyville when she first took the position, and of course she did her part in the town's Winter Wrap-Up every year. Generally, though, she avoided the ground, preferring to remain in the clouds when she wasn't working. Her hometown may have been bigger than Ponyville, but at least it was familiar.
Normally, this would not be a problem for her, but now she found herself in a town that, for all the time she spent flying over it as part of her job, was pretty much unknown to her. She was in a strange place, and she was alone. She didn't really know of anypony around here that well. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that, despite several conversations with her, she wasn't sure she could remember the mayor's real name. Even the weather team pegasi that made their homes down in Ponyville would all be busy at work right now, so for all that things were strained between them, she couldn't even count on them if she needed help.
She could use some help right now. She began to regret turning down Cloud Kicker's offer to accompany her to Sweet Apple Acres, but chastised herself for being so selfish. The clouds that they were both responsible for still hadn't all been cleared yet, and Cloud Kicker still needed to get everything ready for her sister's visit. Between the trip to see Rainbow Dash and the planning afterwards, Fluttershy had already taken up enough of her friend's time. It wouldn't be right of her to keep her busy for something that, while personally important, wasn't an emergency. Despite her polite refusals, Cloud Kicker, no doubt still worried about the close call that morning, insisted on at least seeing Fluttershy to the surface and got her to agree to avoid unnecessary flying.
It was that promise that was at the heart of her current problem. Fluttershy realized, after her friend had already departed, that she didn't know how to get to Sweet Apple Acres from where she was. The vast fields of apple trees would no doubt be foal's play to spot from a few hundred feet in the air, but it didn't seem necessary when it wouldn't be that hard to ask somepony.
At least, it shouldn't be that hard to ask somepony. Fluttershy looked around, trying to decide who to ask. She didn't want to bother anypony that was busy. She first noticed a couple of young mares, dressed in hot pink shirts, standing around and approached them. She asked them for directions, but the only response she received was an annoyed sigh from the headband-wearing blue pony. Her pink friend simply rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses as the two of them turned their backs on her and walked away.
Discouraged, Fluttershy looked elsewhere. Another pair of ponies walking by looked like they might be able to help her.
"Excuse me, but I was just wondering, if it's not too much trouble, if–" Before she could continue, a third pony charged past, nearly knocking her over. The newcomer was a pink earth pony with a flower in her blonde mane and a look of utter panic on her face.
"It's terrible, girls!"
"What's wrong, Lily?" asked the cream-colored pony with the two-tone red mane.
"I'm sorry, but if I could–"
"Caramel was just in the Everfree Forest yesterday, and now's he's cursed! It must have been that mysterious enchantress!"
"It would only take a minute. I just need–" While Fluttershy was not unafraid of curses, this one seemed easily avoidable by just staying out of the Everfree Forest. Not that she needed another reason to do that. The weather over it didn't work like it was supposed to, and who knew what was lurking in there beneath the trees? Enchantresses, apparently.
The other ponies apparently did not agree with her about the lack of difficultly involved in avoiding the curse. The pastel purple pony shouted "The horror! The horror!" and all three ran into a nearby building. Three pairs of eyes soon peeked out from beneath the curtains.
Fluttershy's ears drooped as she again failed to get anypony to pay attention to her. She hung her head and started walking without any direction in mind. After some time, she wasn't sure how long, she heard a voice asking if somepony was okay. She looked up from the ground and realized the speaker, a cheerful earth pony mare with a dark purple coat and a purple and pink mane, had been talking to her. She explained that she was fine, and was trying to find Sweet Apple Acres. The other pony gave her directions, and then added, "You seem familiar. Aren't you on the weather team?"
"Yes," Fluttershy said, somewhat sheepishly. She wasn't going to mention she was in charge of the team if she didn't have to.
"I thought so. I was sure I'd seen you at Winter Wrap-Up." She extended a hoof. "Cheerilee."
"I'm Fluttershy."
"It's nice to meet you, Fluttershy. I teach at Ponyville Elementary. If you need anything else, you can probably find me here at the library." Cheerilee gestured to the large tree behind her that somepony must have hollowed out and turned into a building. "It's been a couple of years since we've had anypony running the place, so somehow I wound up looking after it. Somepony had to."
Fluttershy thanked Cheerilee for the directions and headed off.
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Thanks to Cheerilee's directions, Fluttershy was able to easily make her way to the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres. The path she was walking on wound on into the trees until she lost sight of it. The trees, all laden with plump, juicy apples stretched as far as the eye could see. Fluttershy's mouth watered. When she met the farm's owners and had the chance to ask about that pony from Other Fluttershy's memories, she'd have to remember to ask if she could buy a few. It was already past lunch time.
To do that, though, she'd have to find them first. She saw dozens and dozens of trees, maybe even hundreds, but no ponies. Hoping it lead to the tall red barn that stood out in the distance, Fluttershy headed down the path. She walked along in a near-silence that was broken only by birdsong. She could have curled up in the shade of one of the trees and listened to them sing for hours. It wasn't often birds made their way as high as Cloudsdale, and they usually weren't songbirds. The chance to hear several at once was a rare treat. She forced herself onwards, though. What she was here for was important, and she couldn't let anything interfere with that.
After a few minutes, her reverie was interrupted by a significantly less melodic sound. From the orchard came a small, high-pitched grunt followed by a thwack. It soon repeated – grunt, thwack, grunt, thwack. Fluttershy looked around for the source of the noise. A few trees deep off one side of the path, a little yellow filly with a big red bow in her mane was standing with her back to the trunk. Around the tree, a few empty wooden buckets were arranged. The filly reared up on her front legs and kicked the trunk of the tree as hard as she could. The tree gave the slightest shudder, but nothing happened. She kicked again, and again nothing happened. Frustrated, she backed up and charged at the tree before leaping in to the air and kicking with her right rear leg. She slammed against the tree like this, but only bounced off. For a moment, it seemed as if, once again, nothing was going to happen, before a single apple detached and fell, bouncing off the filly's head before landing in a waiting bucket.
"Oh my goodness! Are you alright?" Fluttershy rushed over to check on the filly.
The filly sighed. "I'm never gonna be able to help Big Macintosh." She looked up and realized that she didn't recognize the pony she was talking to. "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! You new in town? I don't think I've ever seen you around here before."
"Yes. Well, no. I mean, sort of. I spend most of my time in Ponyville up in the sky, so I don't really know the town too well. My name's Fluttershy."
"Nice to meet ya, Fluttershy. I'm Apple Bloom."
"It's nice to meet you too, Apple Bloom. Is there something wrong? If you don't mind me asking, that is."
"Applebuck season is comin', and I thought maybe this was the year I could help my brother so he wouldn't have to hire anypony. An' maybe I'd even get my cutie mark, too. But it isn't working at all."
"I'm sorry. But maybe there's something you could help me with." Apple Bloom's face brightened. "You're part of the Apple family, right?"
"Of course!"
"I'm trying to find somepony, and I think they're part of the Apple family, too. I was hoping maybe somepony here might know them." She described the pony she'd come all the way out here to ask about.
"That sounds kinda like Applejack! She's my big sister."
Fluttershy couldn't believe her luck. This pony, this "Applejack", lived in Ponyville after all? Maybe she was closer to getting some answers than she thought. "Is your sister around? I'd really like to speak with her if that's okay."
"She doesn't live here. She left to be a fancy big city pony in Manehattan before I was born." Apple Bloom paused, thinking. "Since you're lookin' for my sister, does that mean ya know her? What's she like?"
Fluttershy didn't know her, but she felt as though she did, or at least she should. Of course she couldn't tell that to somepony she had just met. Explaining what was going on would just make her sound crazy. "There are a few ponies I need to find because I need their help, and I think she might be one of them. I don't actually know her. I'm sorry."
"That's alright. Y'know, you should come talk to Big Macintosh – he's my brother. He could tell ya how to find her. Applejack writes to us all the time."
Fluttershy agreed, and the two ponies, mare and filly, headed off towards the center of the farm. Fluttershy noticed that Apple Bloom kept glancing to Fluttershy's side in a way she assumed was intended to be subtle. She was not prepared for the very sudden and loud gasp from the younger pony.
"Is something wrong, Apple Bloom?"
"You don't have a cutie mark!" Apple Bloom blushed, embarrassed by her outburst. "I'm sorry, my brother says it's rude to go around askin' ponies about their cutie marks. It's just that everypony in my class already has their cutie marks. At first, it was just me an' Twist who didn't, but even she's had hers for a while now. Everypony I talk to about it tells me I hafta be patient, but it's really hard being the only one. Waiting was already tough, but I can't wait until I'm grown up, I just can't!" More to herself than anything, she added, "What if I don't ever get one?"
Fluttershy was sorry to see the filly so upset, even more so because she had inadvertently been the cause. She remembered when she was a filly, she couldn't understand why she wasn't getting her cutie mark. As the years passed and her flank remained unadorned, she had come to terms with it. In its own way, being a full-grown mare without one made her just as distinct as any mark could. Although a small part of her held out hope that she'd finally get one someday, she rarely ever thought about or noticed cutie marks anymore. It was just a symbol and it was something she had no control over; she wasn't going to let it affect her life. She wanted to believe that she had never made as big a deal about it as Apple Bloom was, but that probably wasn't true.
"It may seem difficult right now, but you're a hard worker. You'll discover what makes you special." She could see Apple Bloom about to object and pressed on. "And don't worry about having to wait until you're an adult. I know a lot of ponies in Cloudsdale," she said, which was pretty much a lie, but one she felt nopony would hold against her considering the circumstances, "and I don't know of any others that grew up without getting a cutie mark. I really think it's just me."
"But it isn't just you. This lady was here earlier talkin' to my brother, an' she didn't have one either. An' whenever I ask Applejack to tell me how she got hers, she just ignores the question. Maybe she doesn't have her cutie mark yet either!"
Fluttershy could tell that trying to convince her that wasn't going to happen would be a lost cause. Perhaps a different approach would work better. "I know it isn't easy to wait, and having ponies that already have their cutie marks trying to reassure you probably doesn't help much. Would it help if I told you that it's not so bad? It used to bother me when I was a filly, but I'm okay now. I'm happy. You'll get your cutie mark, but until you do, you're no less of a pony for not having one."
Apple Bloom seemed to give some thought to Fluttershy's words. "It's not just not havin' a cutie mark that's the problem. It's the ponies that keep teasin' me for not havin' a cutie mark."
It was a feeling Fluttershy understood all too well. "When I was little, other ponies would tease me because I couldn't fly very well. One day, I finally got it, and they didn't tease me any more. A friend helped me then. I have something important I need to take care of, but when I'm done, I'd be happy to come back and help you discover your special talent."
Apple Bloom's eyes lit up as a seemingly-impossibly wide grin spread across her face. "Really? Ya mean it?"
"I promise."
"Thank you so much, Fluttershy! Maybe I can help you get your cutie mark, too!" The two continued down the path, a skipping Apple Bloom leading the way.
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It wasn't too long before the duo made it to the center of Sweet Apple Acres. Fluttershy had passed the time by listening to Apple Bloom tell her all about living on the farm with her big brother and granny. They all seemed like such nice ponies. Apple Bloom assured her that they'd like her, although she wasn't quite sure what to think about Apple Bloom's expressed hope that Big Macintosh would really like her.
Apple Bloom had just launched into a story about her family's famous zap apple harvest, when something caught her eye. "There he is! What's she still doin' here?" She leaned in to whisper. "She's the one I was telling you about before." Fluttershy turned to look and saw a pair of ponies coming out of the farmhouse. The first was a large red stallion wearing a plow collar around his neck. Outside of the princess herself, he was the largest pony she had ever seen. Beside him walked the color pink in the form of a pony. Her coat was pink. Her long, straight mane, which hung down over her left shoulder, was pink. Even the sharply-tailored business suit she was wearing was a bright, cheerful pink.
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Fluttershy considered the patient sitting on the table before her. "You're going to be fine. It's only an upset tummy from so much excitement. Just try to avoid being over-stimulated for the next few days."
The recipient of this advice gave no indication of having understood or even heard the pony giving it. He simply sat there and blinked, first with one eye, then the other.
Instead, a response came from a bouncy pink pony. "Did you hear that, Gummy? You need to take it easy for a few days." She paused, as if waiting for an answer from the little alligator. "I know, I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't do anything exciting for a couple of days, but you know what will cheer you up? When you're feeling better, I'm going to throw you a party!" Pinkie Pie caught a glance from Fluttershy that suggested the latter didn't think that was a very good idea. "A small party."
After determining to her satisfaction that Gummy was content, Pinkie turned to her friend. "Thank you so much for coming over, Fluttershy. When Gummy wasn't his usual energetic self this morning, I got so worried! I guess he just can't handle two parties in two days yet. He is only one year and two days old, and that's probably pretty young for an alligator! Maybe I was just being silly." The normally upbeat pony's face fell. "I was silly a lot yesterday."
Fluttershy couldn't remember if she'd ever seen her friend sad like this. She'd certainly seen her angry – they all had – yesterday, when Pinkie had thought they were abandoning her, but she looked like she was about to cry. "Pinkie, is this about the surprise party? I'm sorry we made you worry. We should have–"
"No, no, it's not you girls at all! I'm lucky to have friends like you." She smiled. "It's, well, I'm not very proud of what I did. Everypony was planning a surprise for me and I assumed the worst. But even more than that... Pinkie promise you won't tell anypony?"
Fluttershy agreed, and recited the rhyme Pinkie had created, idly wondering what the part about "hope to fly" was supposed to mean to somepony with wings. Pinkie told her all about the "party" she had held at Sugarcube Corner the day before, and Rocky and Madame LaFlour, and Rainbow Dash dragging her all the way across Ponyville by her tail. When she had finished, she was surprised to see her pegasus friend reaching forward to embrace her.
"Everypony's done embarrassing things, Pinkie," Fluttershy said, thinking of her own behavior when the princess had asked the six of them to talk to that sleeping dragon. Even though it had all worked out, there were parts she didn't like remembering. She had very nearly ruined everything. "But we're your friends. We understand."
"Thanks." Pinkie returned the embrace and the two ponies hugged while Gummy sat there, blinking in his peculiar way.
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When Fluttershy recovered from the latest appearance of Other Fluttershy's memories, Apple Bloom was by the side of the stallion, presumably Big Macintosh, excitedly telling him all about her new friend and how she was going to help her get her cutie mark. The pink pony approached Fluttershy, smiling.
"Hello!" She stuck out a hoof. Fluttershy reciprocated. This was one of the ponies she was trying to find, and she was being so friendly. Could it really be so simple? "My name is Pinkamina Pie, of Pie Family Rocks & Stones," the pink pony said, vigorously shaking her hoof.
Fluttershy wasn't sure what to make of this new pony, or why Other Fluttershy's seemed so different. She had the feeling that Pinkamina was expecting something of her. "Oh, um, I-I'm Fluttershy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Fluttershy. Can I ask you a question?" She didn't wait for a response. "Are your rock needs being met?"
Since she had decided on this course of action, Fluttershy had been trying to figure out what she would say when she found the ponies she was looking for. Nothing she had come up with so far had really been any good, but even bad plans were still plans. None of them covered a situation like this one. What was she talking about?
"Well, um, I don't really wear gems." Fancy jewelry was the kind of thing popular amongst the ponies in her parents' social circle, but that was never the kind of life she wanted. Besides, flashy gems tended to draw attention to the pony wearing them. Fluttershy really preferred attention to be drawn somewhere else.
"With the Pie family, every rock's a gem! ... But not literally, we sell normal ones too. That's our new slogan, by the way. What do you think?"
"It's... nice."
"Thanks! I came up with it myself. I added the second part because my sister said she thought it might be confusing otherwise. Here, take a look at our products." With this, she pulled out a catalog from... well, Fluttershy couldn't see exactly where she had pulled it from, but she had no time to think about that as Pinkamina flipped through the pages, showing off the many different kinds of rocks they had for sale. Fluttershy had never thought rocks could come in so many varieties. She had never really thought about rocks much at all, as only gemstones tended to find their way up to Cloudsdale. She suddenly realized that she had completely stopped listening to the salespony's incessant list of rocks somewhere around her description of the different types of sandstone. Fortunately, Pinkamina didn't appear to notice.
"...cobblestones, paving stones, and bricks! And then there's gems. I know you said you don't wear them, but when you take a look at these babies, I think you might just change your mind."
Fluttershy decided it would be a good time to interrupt to avoid another interminable list. "Um, Pinkie?"
The pink pony gave her an odd look. "Pinkamina."
"Right, sorry, Pinkamina. I'm sure your gems are very nice, but I really don't like being the center of attention. I also live in Cloudsdale. We don't build with rocks. We build with clouds. Rocks would just fall. So, well, I really don't need any rocks. I'm sorry."
Pinkamina was unfazed. "Okay, but if you ever change your mind, here's my card." She suddenly held a small piece of paper – where was she keeping these things? – and gave it to Fluttershy. "You can keep the catalog, too." She thanked Big Macintosh for his order before turning and walking away.
"Wait!" cried Fluttershy, again faced with the possibility of somepony walking away before she'd had the chance to bring up the reason she'd been looking for them.
Pinkamina was back at her side faster than she'd have thought equinely possible. "Changed your mind? They're simply too tempting to pass up, aren't they? They also make excellent gifts!"
"No, that isn't it." She'd better try something quick. Pinkamina wasn't likely to stick around when she found out she wasn't at all interested in buying rocks. "Do... do you know me, Pinkamina?"
She thought for a moment. "Sorry, but I can remember all my customers, and I've never sold anything to you."
"Actually, um, I d-didn't mean as a customer. What I meant was as, um, as a f-friend."
"No. I've never met you before, I'm sure of it." Fluttershy thought she saw a flicker of sadness in the salespony's eyes, but her smile never wavered. "Unfortunately, I have other appointments to get to, but if you need any rocks, you know where to find me."
Fluttershy watched as her latest hope at some kind of explanation walked down the path to the town. She noticed as Pinkamina turned that Apple Bloom hadn't been mistaken – Pinkamina really didn't have a cutie mark either.
"Excuse me, Miss Fluttershy?" She turned to see the red stallion addressing her. "Apple Bloom's been telling me about how you offered to help her. That's awful nice of you. Would you like to stay for lunch?"
Lunch at Sweet Apple Acres had been, unsurprisingly, heavily apple-based. Fluttershy enjoyed the apple salad and apple fritters she was offered, but what she enjoyed more was the company. Even though she had just met Big Macintosh and Granny Smith, they treated her as if she had been a friend of the family for years.
The conversation to this point had largely been dominated by Apple Bloom, although that was as much by default as anything. Fluttershy's soft voice was difficult for Granny Smith to hear, and made her feel very self-conscious and hesitant to speak. As for Big Macintosh, he was clearly a stallion of few words, although fortunately not too few to hold a conversation.
The Apples had wanted to know more about her, so she told them about the Ponyville weather team.
"Then I reckon you're the one we have t'thank for the rain we need for our crops."
Fluttershy blushed. "Oh, no, it's not just me. My – the team is full of talented, hard-working ponies. I'm just one pony. I'd never be able to do it on my own." Her embarrassment was interrupted by a warm tongue on her muzzle. A brown and white collie had emerged, seemingly out of nowhere, and was happily licking Fluttershy's face.
"Winona! Down!" ordered Apple Bloom.
"I'm real sorry about this, Miss Fluttershy."
Winona was now laying on her back, allowing Fluttershy to rub her belly. "Oh, it's alright, really. She's just saying hello. Isn't that right, Winona? Who's a good girl?" Fluttershy felt a connection with Winona in a way she rarely did with ponies. The canine's instant acceptance was comforting. There were no awkward introductions here, nothing to be intimidated by.
The interruption also gave Fluttershy an excellent chance to change the subject. "Anyway, the reason I came here was to see your sister Applejack. I have this problem, and I think she's one of the ponies I need to get in touch with. Apple Bloom said you'd know where to find her."
Big Macintosh considered this for a moment. "Eeyup. But if you're in trouble, we'd be happy to lend a hoof to a friend of the Apple family." Apple Bloom and Granny Smith gave their enthusiastic agreement.
"I wouldn't want to be a bother. You barely even know me."
He looked at his sister. "That may be, but I know enough."
"That's very kind of you, but to be honest, I'm not sure there's anything else you could do. I really just need to find certain specific ponies. That rock salespony, Pinki– Pinkamina, that was here before was one of them, and your sister might be another." She described probably-Applejack to the stallion.
Big Macintosh agreed that the mare did sound like his sister. He retrieved an envelope from the counter and gave it to her. It had been torn open and its contents removed, but the writing on it was undamaged. In the upper left corner was a return address located in Manehattan. "That's where we send letters to. You should be able to find her there."
Fluttershy wasn't relishing the idea of going to Manehattan. It was a lot bigger than Ponyville, and bigger even than Cloudsdale. It was one of the largest cities in all of Equestria, second only to Canterlot itself, and from what she had heard, full of crowds of ponies rushing in every direction and very tall buildings all over the place. There were few places she wanted to visit less, and most of those were full of dragons or griffons. Based on what Apple Bloom had said earlier, though, Applejack hadn't been coming back to visit. That Fluttershy would have the good fortune for that to suddenly change seemed unlikely, so she was just going to have to find a way to face her fear. This was too important to simply let go.
She thought of Rainbow Dash and Pinkamina. Neither one had been much like Other Fluttershy's memories suggested. She should take the opportunity to find out more about Applejack from ponies that knew her. "I was just wondering, if it isn't too much trouble that is, if you could tell me about Applejack. But only if you want to. If it's too personal, I understand."
It was Granny Smith who replied. "It's fine, dear. Let's see, it was about ten years ago, I think, or maybe more than that. Twelve? But that's not really the important part. Anyways, some time ago, my niece and her husband came from Manehattan to visit. While they were here, they told the foals – Applejack and Big Macintosh still bein' young'uns at the time – all sorts of stories about their big fancy life in the big fancy city. An' well, Applejack was so taken by the idea of bein' a fancy big city pony, not a week later, she tells us she wants to go live there herself. Can't rightly say I blame her, though. T'be honest, to hear them tell it, I was half tempted to go pay a visit m'self! Ain't much to say after that, really. She writes to us, and we write to her." After a moment, she added, "I sure do miss havin' her around the farm, though."
Big Macintosh added a solemn "Eeyup" of his own. Apple Bloom just sat there, crestfallen.
"But don't go 'round thinkin' bad of her. She's still an Apple, an' she still helps the farm in her own way. Thanks to the money she sends, we never have to worry about Sweet Apple Acres bein' in trouble from a bad harvest."
"Thank you so much for inviting me to lunch and everything you've told me. If I'm going to go to Manehattan, though, I have a lot I need to do." To Apple Bloom, she said, "I don't know how long this will take, but I will be back to help you like I promised. I won't forget."
As she was leaving, she remembered something Cloud Kicker had said. It's not like I know everypony in Ponyville. Well, it was worth a shot. She described the two unicorns and asked the Apples if they knew anything about them, but they had no better idea than Cloud Kicker did.
----------------------------
Upon leaving the farmhouse, Fluttershy retraced her steps to make her way back to the heart of Ponyville. Knocking on the door of the library, she was pleased to discover that Cheerilee was there.
"Hello again, Fluttershy. Were you able to find the farm alright?"
"Yes, thank you, but now I have to go to Manehattan. I was hoping there was a map of the city I could borrow, if you aren't too busy."
A suitable map found, Fluttershy thanked Cheerilee and left. She was ready to head back to Cloudsdale, when she spotted Apple Bloom talking to a pair of fillies. She wandered over to them, and noticed that one of the two strangers, a light pink filly who, for some reason, was wearing a tiara, was actually doing most of the talking, and Apple Bloom didn't seem to want to be there at all. She thought she heard the pink one say something to her companion, a glasses-wearing gray filly, about "blank flanks" that made them both laugh. Fluttershy decided it would probably be a good idea to step in.
"Hello, Apple Bloom. Is everything okay?" The filly brightened.
"Hey, Fluttershy! I –"
"We were just talking with Apple Bloom about cutie marks," the tiara-wearing pony interrupted, turning slightly to show off a matching tiara decorating her side. In a rather loud and obviously fake attempt at muttering under her breath, she added, "...and lack of cutie marks." Before anypony could say anything, she continued, "So glad we had this chance to chat, but we really have to go. Coming, Silver Spoon?" She walked away with a smirk. After a moment, the other filly followed.
Apple Bloom sighed. "I don't really wanna talk about Diamond Tiara."
"I understand." From the nervous way Apple Bloom was shuffling her hooves, Fluttershy guessed there was something she did want to talk about. She decided to give the filly as much time as she needed.
After what felt like minutes, Apple Bloom finally spoke. "Fluttershy? You said you were going to Manehattan, right? To see my sister?" Fluttershy nodded. "Could... could you ask her to come home? I didn't wanna say anything in front of my family."
Fluttershy found herself momentarily at a loss for words. Apple Bloom looked even sadder now than when she was worried about her cutie mark, and with good reason, but Fluttershy wouldn't agree to do that. She didn't need to know anything about Applejack to know that the city pony wasn't going to leave her home of over a decade because somepony she'd never met asked her nicely, and it wouldn't be fair to try. "Well, um, I could tell her that you'd like to see her and ask her to visit Ponyville. Is that alright?" Apple Bloom reluctantly agreed.
Fluttershy tried to think of something that might cheer up her new friend when a brightly-colored building caught her eye. It looked like a life-size gingerbread house, with a sign out front emblazoned with a giant cupcake.
"Apple Bloom, would you like a cupcake? My treat."
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Luckily, the line inside the bakery moved quickly. The two ponies were soon at the counter, being waited on by a matronly blue earth pony.
"Howdy, Mrs. Cake!"
"Hello, Apple Bloom. And hello to your friend as well," she addressed Fluttershy. "Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! Is this your first visit to Ponyville?"
"This is Fluttershy. She's gonna help me get my cutie mark!"
"That's very kind of you. So, what can I get for you two today?"
Fluttershy looked over the baked goods on display. Sugarcube Corner had some very fancy cakes on display. There was even an especially large one in the shape of the eight-pointed star that was the symbol of the Sun Princess herself. They all looked so tasty, but she was still full from lunch and settled for a simple banana nut muffin. Apple Bloom chose a cupcake with green frosting topped by a slice of apple.
After ringing up the sale, Mrs. Cake turned towards the kitchen and shouted, "Can you bring some more cupcakes up front, dear? We're almost out."
"Com-ing!" The voice that responded practically sang. A tray of cupcakes floated through the doorway, bathed in a blue field of magic. Following shortly behind trotted a white unicorn. Her shoulder-length violet mane was pulled back in a ponytail, and she was wearing a black apron tied around her waist and a matching skirt on her hindquarters.
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"We go!"
The two ponies bolted out of the dressing room, leaving a very confused photographer in their wake. Walking down the hallway, it was the unicorn who spoke first.
"Fluttershy, allow me to tell you again how sorry I am for this whole mess."
"It's alright, Rarity," the pegasus replied, "It was just as much my fault as yours. I could have said something."
"That doesn't change the fact that I shouldn't have pushed you into it at all. It was clear you didn't want to, but I was only thinking of my career." Rarity hung her head in shame. "And to think, you were miserable all this time..." She was only brought out of her funk by the touch of a yellow hoof on her shoulder.
"When it was just as a favor for you, it wasn't so bad. But I only wanted to help you 'shine all over Equestria'. I never wanted that attention myself. If only there was some way..." Fluttershy trailed off, lost in thought. After a moment, she appeared to come to a conclusion. "Rarity, those shoots tomorrow Photo Finish mentioned... what if I told her that I'd only go if we work on them together? She must have seen how the crowd loved you."
Rarity hesitated. "That's very kind of you, Fluttershy, but I could never enjoy it knowing how it was making you feel."
"It wouldn't be for very long. Once you became popular, you'll have lots of ponies modeling your clothes. Nopony would even notice that I quit."
Rarity didn't say anything for a very long time. She looked away from Fluttershy and nervously bit down on her foreleg as her entire body trembled. Eventually, she burst out, "No! No, I couldn't." When she had composed herself, she said to Fluttershy, "I know it's not our usual day, but let me take you to the spa. Oh! We should invite Twilight too. The poor girl must be stressed from keeping both our secrets."
No sooner than Rarity had mentioned their bookish friend's name, they heard her voice echoing out from the room they had left.
"Spike has a crush on Rarity!"
The two friends looked at each other.
"Oh dear, were we not supposed to know about that?"
----------------------------
When Fluttershy came to this time, three sets of eyes gazed at her, curious. "Fluttershy? Are you alright?" asked Apple Bloom. Fluttershy assured her she was, but was spared the possibility of further questions when high-pitched screams came from a suddenly-glowing box sitting on a shelf. A second set of screams soon joined in.
"Sounds like the twins are up. Rarity, would you mind –"
"– watching the store until Mr. Cake gets back?" The words burst forth from the unicorn – Rarity – like from a cannon. "I'd be happy to!"
As Mrs. Cake went upstairs, Fluttershy found herself with the perfect opportunity to talk with Rarity. How should she do this? Thinking back at her previous attempts, the direct approach was clearly not the way to go. Something more nuanced might have a better shot at getting her somewhere. At the very least, with a store to look after, she didn't have to worry about Rarity walking off on her any further than the kitchen.
Now she just needed to decide how to start. She sighed inwardly. This was always so much easier when the other pony was doing it. Fortunately, Rarity solved the difficulty for her.
"I don't believe we've met before. Rarity."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Rarity. I'm Fluttershy."
"Oh, the pleasure is all mine, dear. We don't see new faces here in Ponyville nearly enough. Where are you from, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Cloudsdale, but I work for the Ponyville weather team. I just don't spend much time down here."
"You don't need to be so modest, Fluttershy," Apple Bloom piped up. She said to Rarity, "She's in charge of the weather team." Fluttershy, disappointed that her slip-up at lunch had clearly not gone unnoticed, reluctantly confirmed that she was. She silently thanked Rarity for choosing to focus on something else entirely.
"You're from Cloudsdale? I must admit, I'm rather jealous. Is it really as sophisticated as they say? I mean, obviously I've never been, but someday, I'd like to have my own little pastry shop in someplace like Mareseilles, or Veneighzia, or maybe even Canterlot!" As Rarity spoke, her voice grew increasingly breathless, and her gaze became fixed on a far-off point in the distance. By the end, she was clearly only talking to herself. "One day, Rarity. One day."
Fluttershy pretended to listen politely as she swallowed her frustration. Yet another conversation was getting out of hoof, and, while at least this one didn't feature an unbearably long list of rocks, she wasn't getting any closer to solving her problem. If Rarity even had any of the answers she was looking for, it didn't look like she was going to volunteer them. Fluttershy would have to act.
She had tried asking Rainbow Dash if she had strange feelings that everything was wrong, and that had only made her angry. She had tried asking Pinkamina if she remembered them being friends, and that hadn't worked either. Maybe she was going about this the wrong way. She had refrained from explaining the details of her situation to Apple Bloom and her family because she knew it would make her sound crazy. If she had been on the other end of a conversation where somepony else was asking her questions like that, she might not want to admit to anything either.
If Rarity really was having a similar experience but didn't want to talk about it, perhaps she should say something to signal to Rarity that she wasn't alone. The considerable differences between Other Fluttershy's Rarity and the mare standing before her would simplify this, at least.
"Rarity, I was wondering something..."
The unicorn baker was jolted out of her daydream. "Yes?"
"It's just that, well, I heard from somepony that there was a designer in Ponyville that made beautiful dresses. A designer named Rarity. Is that true?"
Fluttershy was unable to read Rarity's expression. "I think I'd like to have a word with this 'somepony'," she began, before catching herself, "Where are my manners? I'm sorry, it's not like you could have known. You see, when I was a filly, I did indeed dream of being a fashion designer, but that dream died long ago. The work I did wasn't bad, really, it was merely... commonplace. Not the kind of thing to get one noticed. Eventually, I came to terms with my mediocrity. It's not something I like to discuss. I'm just grateful that Mr. and Mrs. Cake were looking for –" Rarity stopped. She was staring at the tray of cupcakes she had brought out and muttering to herself. "Oh, no. No, this will not do at all."
"What's wrong?" asked Fluttershy.
"This!" A single cupcake from the tray lifted up, caught in a blue aura. "I simply cannot embarrass my employers by displaying such an inferior product in their store!" Fluttershy wondered what she meant, since the offending dessert didn't look any different than the others to her. She did not have long to discover the baked good's secret flaw as it was soon being eaten by Rarity as quickly as dignity would allow.
Once the cupcake was gone, Rarity turned her attention back to the customers. "My apologies, Fluttershy. One benefit of this medium is how easy it is to dispose of one's mistakes. Anyway, I do hope such a cosmopolitan mare as yourself will visit Ponyville more often. The town is rather more provincial than I'd prefer. What? It's true."
The last bit was not directed at Fluttershy, but the space over her right shoulder. She turned and saw that, at some point, a cream-colored earth pony with a dark blue and pink mane had taken up a spot in line behind her. The new pony was glaring daggers at Rarity.
"Oh my goodness! I am so sorry, I didn't realize anypony was waiting. I'll just get out of your way now." Blushing heavily, Fluttershy gathered her purchases and ushered Apple Bloom out of the shop, Rarity shouting a farewell behind her.
----------------------------
After making sure that Apple Bloom had cheered up some, Fluttershy said her goodbyes to the filly and headed back up to Cloudsdale. Even though she knew this was definitely necessary flying unless she intended to start looking for hotels, she still felt a twinge of guilt due to her promise to Cloud Kicker.
Her departure from Sugarcube Corner and Rarity hadn't been at all how she planned, but she had to admit that it didn't look like she was getting anywhere with the unicorn anyway. If Rarity was experiencing something similar, she hadn't been interested in sharing that with Fluttershy.
The meek pegasus reflected on her progress so far, or, to be more accurate, her lack of progress. She had already met with three of the five ponies she was looking for, and, while Other Fluttershy's memories were clearer than they were that morning, she was no closer to understanding where they came from or why nopony else was experiencing them. She hoped that Manehattan held some answers, and that she'd find somepony who could tell her about the other unicorn she still knew nothing about.
She soon arrived at Cloud Kicker's house, where the weatherpony was about to sit down to dinner with her little sister Alula. After being assured three times that she really wouldn't be imposing, Fluttershy agreed to join them. The simple meal with familiar ponies helped the mare to relax for the first time since this morning. As she listened to Alula tell her sister about what she and her friends had been up to that afternoon, she was, for a moment, able to forget all the crazy stuff that had happened to her that day.
Once dinner was over, Cloud Kicker asked her sister for some privacy, and Fluttershy recounted everything that had happened to her in Ponyville. When she finished, Cloud Kicker asked, "So you need to go to Manehattan next?"
"I think so. I'd rather not, but it's really all I have to go on right now."
"When do we leave?"
"But I didn't mean... I was just going to go myself. Not that I wouldn't want you there," Fluttershy hastily clarified, "but it would be selfish of me to ask you to drop everything you're doing to help."
Cloud Kicker looked Fluttershy squarely in the eyes. "Fluttershy, you're my best friend. If something's going on with you, of course I'm going to help. You don't need to ask me, I'm offering."
"But you must have things you need to do yourself. Didn't you tell your parents you'd watch your sister? I wouldn't feel right if you broke plans with your family."
"Alula's only staying here tonight and tomorrow anyway. We can make preparations tomorrow and leave the day after. And don't worry about weather duty. I'll ask Blossomforth if she can cover for me. She owes me a few, it shouldn't be a problem."
"Well, if you're sure you don't mind..."
"I'm sure."
Fluttershy beamed. "Then I'd love to have you come with me."
"Great. I'll go talk to Blossom right now. Would you mind keeping my sister company?"
Agreeing, Fluttershy made her way to Cloud Kicker's living room where her sister had been keeping herself busy with the latest Daring Do novel. Alula closed the book when she saw Fluttershy enter.
"Um, Fluttershy? If I tell you something, do you promise you won't tell my sister?" She was quick to add, "It's nothing bad, I promise."
Fluttershy promised, and sat down as Alula confessed to having a crush on one of her classmates, a pegasus colt named Rumble. Listening to the filly eagerly tell her everything about her schoolyard romance, Fluttershy gratefully enjoyed the respite from the issues weighing on her mind.
It was still early in the morning when the two pegasi arrived at the Ponyville train station. The previous day had, fortunately, passed without incident. Fluttershy had not experienced any more bursts of memories from Other Fluttershy since her meeting with Rarity the day before. Despite Cloud Kicker's objections, Fluttershy had insisted on fulfilling her weather team duties as usual.
"Just take the day off," she had said, "I can take care of everything. Besides, you're the manager anyway. It's not like there's anypony around to tell you that you can't."
Fluttershy wouldn't hear of it, though. "I'm already taking time off to go to Manehattan, though. I shouldn't take advantage of being in charge just because I can."
Unable to convince her that avoiding a very real risk of blacking out again and plummeting to the ground did not count as "taking advantage", Cloud Kicker insisted on accompanying Fluttershy herself. At least Flitter hadn't taken much convincing to agree to switch assignments.
Soon, the train to Manehattan arrived from Canterlot. Fluttershy looked at it with dread. It was already so crowded, and it would probably only get worse as the train kept making stops. If this was what the train was like, how crowded would the city itself be?
Eventually, they found an open pair of seats. It wasn't long before the train began to move.
"Cloud Kicker?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you for coming with me."
Cloud Kicker placed a foreleg around Fluttershy's shoulder and drew her into a hug. "Of course."
Hours passed, with nothing to do but stare out the window at the scenery. Fields and hills stretched out for miles, broken only by the occasional cities and towns the train stopped at. At some point, Cloud Kicker had dozed off, and was snoring lightly next to Fluttershy. This left the shy pegasus with plenty of time to think.
The ponies she was searching for... were they just the easiest way for her to try and understand what was going on, or was there something more? Fluttershy had thought that she was unique in being a full-grown pony without a cutie mark, but Pinkamina didn't have one either. That seemed too unlikely to just be a coincidence. Apple Bloom had said she didn't think Applejack had hers, but given the filly's rather intense fixation on cutie marks, it was hard to say how accurate that was. At any rate, she'd find out on her own soon enough. With Rarity, there was no way to tell, since she had kept her flank covered, and as for Rainbow Dash... Fluttershy realized that she couldn't remember if Rainbow Dash had a cutie mark or not. She hadn't thought to check at the time.
It was more than just the absence of cutie marks, though. She was starting to feel that she was connected to these five ponies in some deeper way. She had seen a lot of ponies the past couple of days, many more than she normally would. There were dozens on the train alone. Out of all of them, these ponies were the only ones that brought these strange memories to the surface. Even her best friend hadn't, she thought, gazing sadly at the pegasus sleeping by her side. She knew it was silly, but she couldn't help but feel that she was being disloyal to Cloud Kicker somehow.
----------------------------
This place is enormous, Fluttershy thought to herself as she looked at the station before her. The train station in Ponyville was just a platform with a small ticket booth, and she and Cloud Kicker had been the only ones there. Manehattan's station, on the other hoof, was a gigantic building full of ponies rushing around in all directions, possibly even enough to fill a decent-sized town. She had never seen anything like it, even at the airship docks in Cloudsdale. There, the passengers had nearly exclusively been members of the pegasus elite, so the area wasn't very crowded despite its size. Here, however, ponies wearing top hats and strings of pearls made their way through the crowd past harried-looking ponies in messenger's outfits. At a nearby newsstand, a stallion in an expensive business suit and a younger mare wearing saddlebags that were emblazoned with the logo of the University of Manehattan and overflowing with books waited as a pony in a floral-print shirt and a camera slung around his neck asked the clerk for directions to the Statue of Friendship.
Beyond the crowds was the building itself. The walls were covered, in some places with boards indicating arriving and departing trains, but in many others with advertisements. There were ads publicizing the opening of at least four new plays in the theater district, including a new production of famed playwright Busy Quill's Platinum IV, Part 1. Notices announcing an upcoming Ponet exhibition at the Manehattan Museum of Art were plastered up next to others declaring that Manehattan Meadowlarks season tickets were now available.
A particularly large poster had caught Fluttershy's attention. It was announcing events at the city's convention center. The left side was dominated by an illustration of a grinning light blue mare wearing a star-covered hat and cape. She was reared up on her hind legs with her forelegs spread out in triumph, surrounded by fireworks. The bottom promised "The most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!" and listed this week's dates. On the right was some kind of creature Fluttershy had never seen before. He was a muscular bipedal bull-like creature, and he was smiling and making an enthusiastic gesture. Apparently, he was holding some kind of assertiveness seminars next week. Although she was more than a little intimidated by this "Iron Will", she had to admit the idea sounded intriguing. She regretted that she wasn't planning on remaining in the city that long, and that she hadn't come here for pleasure anyway. She needed to meet with Applejack and get back home as quickly as possible. She wasn't going to give the ponies whispering that she wasn't qualified for her job something else to whisper about.
Fluttershy was so engrossed in taking everything in, that she didn't realize she had wandered into the middle of the pathway. A gray earth stallion nearly bumped into her. "Well, excuse me!" he shouted in a gruff, sarcastic manner.
"Oh, my! I didn't mean to stand in anypony's way. I'm sorry," she said to the back of stallion, who hadn't stopped. She looked around and saw ponies milling all about her. Muttering apologies, she quickly backed up, but suddenly found herself knocked onto the floor.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!"
Fluttershy nervously got to her hooves. She hoped the pony she had bumped into wouldn't be too angry with her. She sounded really angry. She turned around and realized that the pony wasn't a pony at all. It was a griffon.
The griffon was ignoring her for the moment, but only because she was too busy glaring at Cloud Kicker, who was glaring right back at her. The pegasus was the first to break the silence. "Do you have a problem?" she asked, her voice calm, but with an undercurrent of hostility.
If the griffon was supposed to be intimidated, she didn't show it. "Yeah, I do have a problem. It's bad enough I got dragged out here where I have to put up with all you lame ponies, now I can't even walk without some dweeb bumping into me."
Before Cloud Kicker could respond, Fluttershy spoke up. "It's alright, Cloud Kicker. I should–"
A loud cackle startled both pegasi. "You ponies kill me with those names of yours. 'Cloud Kicker'? Yeah, I'll bet those fluffy white clouds are real tough."
"If you'd like to see what else I can kick, I'd be happy to show you."
Fluttershy turned an even paler shade of yellow at her friend's words. Why was Cloud Kicker trying to pick a fight? The griffon was larger than a pony, and angrier, and she heard that they ate... meat. Cloud Kicker could get seriously hurt, or worse!
The griffon stood on her hind paws and flared her wings, towering over the two ponies. "Is that so? At least one of you ponies is interesting." Her mouth curled into as much of a cruel smirk as her beak would allow as she brandished her talons. "Let's if you can back it up." Her attention was suddenly drawn away. Faintly, over the murmurs of the passing crowds, the two ponies heard a voice with an unfamiliar accent calling for somepony named Gilda. "Looks like it's your lucky day, Cloud Kicker." The griffon headed towards the caller, who turned out to be another griffon standing by a pile of boxes. He had a gray coat and a long handlebar mustache and wore a red bandanna around his neck. "The things I do for family," she muttered.
After Gilda had left, Fluttershy was the first to speak. "You didn't have to do that for me."
Cloud Kicker scoffed. "You mean just let that jerk push you around? I couldn't do that."
"But you could have gotten hurt."
"We work right next to a creepy forest full of self-generating weather. Why would I be scared of one griffon?"
Fluttershy couldn't understand how Cloud Kicker could be so calm about this. "W-well, because she would have beat you."
"Probably, yeah, but I don't think she really wanted to fight. Besides, she wouldn't have gotten the chance. Look where we are," she said, gesturing at the crowd, where even now, ponies that had stopped to watch had still not all gone on their way. "Any fight would have been broken up long before she had time to get the upper hoof. Upper talon. Whatever. The important thing is that she focused on me and left you alone."
In a way, it was touching that Cloud Kicker was willing to brave angry griffons for her, but it also served to make the guilt Fluttershy had been feeling earlier return. "I really appreciate it, but please don't put yourself in danger again just for me."
----------------------------
"So, this Applejack we're looking for," Cloud Kicker asked, "What's she like?"
"I don't really know that much about her, just that she left her family's farm to live with her rich aunt and uncle." Fluttershy recounted what Granny Smith had told her. The two ponies had been making their way through the busy Manehattan streets, and had nearly arrived at where Cheerilee's map indicated their destination would be.
Even with the map to keep them from getting lost, it had taken them a long time to get there from the train station. Manehattan was a very large city, even without the crowds all over the place. Fluttershy was intimidated by seeing blocks and blocks packed with ponies, and more than once had to fight the urge to run and hide somewhere until everypony went away. Due to the crowds, walking took significantly longer than flying would have, but Fluttershy was in no rush to draw so much attention to herself in what was largely an earth pony city. Not just an earth pony city, the earth pony city. She couldn't believe she was really in the heart of Manehattan. It was just so much to take in. Occasionally, she would forget about the crowds and just stare in awe at the buildings. There were so many of them and they were so tall, and they hadn't even been built out of clouds by ponies that could fly. Fortunately, despite all the complications, there were no further incidents like the one with Gilda.
They had finally reached the address Big Macintosh had given to Fluttershy. It was a tall brick building covered with intricate light gray stonework carvings dominated by leaves and branches, perhaps inspired by Celestia Park across the street, a haven of nature in a city that seemed to want little to do with it. Now, all Fluttershy had to do was find which apartment was Applejack's, and–
There had to be some kind of mistake. Fluttershy read over the building directory a second time, and then a third. The name "Applejack" wasn't there. After asking Cloud Kicker to confirm what she saw, she noticed the building had a doorpony, a tan mare wearing a red shirt with blue trim and shiny golden buttons and a fancy hat to match.
"Excuse me. I was just wondering if you could help me, if you're not busy, I mean. I'm looking for a pony named Applejack, and I was told she lived here, but I can't find her name. So I was hoping you could tell me. If you want to."
"I'm sorry, but there isn't anypony with that name here."
"Oh... I see... I must have read the map wrong. I really don't want to impose, but if you could give me directions to here," she removed Big Macintosh's envelope from her saddlebag and showed it to the doorpony, "I would really appreciate it."
The other mare looked over the envelope before returning it. "That's right here, but like I said before, there's no Applejack living here. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help. Is there any place else you'd like directions to?"
"No, thank you. I'm just sorry I took up so much of your time for nothing." Fluttershy turned and began walking back the way she came, with Cloud Kicker soon following.
The lavender pegasus broke the silence. "What now?"
"I didn't come all the way here to go back empty hooved, and I don't want to go back to Sweet Apple Acres just to come back here."
"I know what you mean. That train ride only felt like it lasted a week, right?"
"From here, there's only one thing I can think of that I can do." She sighed so deeply that her entire body seemed to slump. "But I really don't want to."
----------------------------
Hello Dad,
How are you and Mom? I'm sorry that I haven't visited more, I've just been so busy with work. There's something that I'm hoping you could help me with. I need to go to an upcoming society event in Manehattan, and the sooner, the better. If there's anything you can do to make that happen, I would be very grateful.
With Love, Fluttershy
----------------------------
Fluttershy explained her plan to Cloud Kicker as they looked for the local branch of Equestrian Express.
"Isn't he going to wonder why, though?"
"Maybe, but he's spent years trying to get me interested in being a part of these things, so I'm hoping he'll be too happy to ask the obvious questions." She sighed. "That's actually why I didn't want to have to go to him for help. It's not that he doesn't care about my happiness, I just want the chance to fly on my own two wings. If I told him everything, he'd never stop treating me like 'Daddy's Little Filly'."
"Are you sure it would really be that bad?"
"We just travelled halfway across Equestria so I could meet somepony I've only seen in memories of things that never happened. Right now, the best plan I can think of is to go a fancy party and hope she's there too. Explaining any of that to my father doesn't seem like a good way to convince him I can handle things on my own."
Cloud Kicker admitted she had a good point. "Couldn't you just tell him you wanted to meet somepony?"
Fluttershy's cheeks turned bright pink, which soon spread throughout her face. "I think he might get the wrong idea."
"That you wanted to meet a specific pony? A mare?"
Somehow, Fluttershy's face grew even pinker, and the blush spread to her neck. "I... I think he still might get the wrong idea."
Feeling bad at accidentally causing her friend's embarrassment, Cloud Kicker decided to change the subject. "So, we might be here longer than we thought, huh?" Fluttershy, who had managed to compose herself by that point, agreed. "I'd better let Blossomforth know. She's going to be so mad."
Fluttershy couldn't help but smile. "I thought you said before that you didn't get scared."
"Yeah, of some jerk griffon," Cloud Kicker responded in kind. "But you've clearly never seen Blossomforth angry."
----------------------------
Fluttershy was in luck. They had sent off the letter (as well as an apology to Blossomforth) via the fastest, most expensive type of delivery Equestrian Express offered, and a reply came the following morning. There was the opening of a prestigious new art gallery being held the next day, and Giltwing had managed to get his daughter's name added to the guest list. As hoped, his letter didn't ask her about her oddly specific request, although the pleasure evident in his words let Fluttershy know she was going to have to deal with this the next time she saw him.
In order to prepare, Fluttershy had bought a dress from a nearby boutique – something appropriate to the occasion, but at the same time, simple and understated. Cloud Kicker had come across a chauffeur's hat there and suggested that Fluttershy impress everypony by arriving in a pegasus-drawn carriage, but Fluttershy didn't want to make herself the center of attention. She just wanted to go, find Applejack, talk to her, and leave.
Inside the gallery was a sight all too familiar. Although this was her first visit to Manehattan, the only thing separating this event from the dozens she had been dragged to by her parents growing up was the general lack of wings. While some ponies were looking at the artwork, many were simply looking at each other. A few of the less artful socialites tried unsuccessfully to pretend that they hadn't come just to be seen.
Amongst the ponies that were paying attention to the paintings or the string quartet the gallery had hired to provide the appropriate ambiance, most remained quiet. Occasionally, somepony would be apparently brave enough to express their opinion of a piece, which would soon after be greeted with enthusiastic agreement by their neighbors. Even the largest crowd, the one in front of The Persistence of Harmony, the famous work by the surrealist Melting Clock generously on loan from Canterlot to celebrate the gallery's opening, seemed to follow this pattern. Somepony Fluttershy couldn't see near the front of the group had said something she couldn't quite make out, but whatever it was, the rest of the group was happily nodding in response.
Despite all that she had been through, Fluttershy silently thanked Celestia. If she had to experience the memories of some other Fluttershy, at least it wasn't a Fluttershy that had followed in her parents' hoofsteps like they wanted. She could all too easily see herself having become just another one of those ponies, and it frightened her. All they care about is wearing their fancy clothes and going to their fancy parties and agreeing with anypony more "important" than them. What kind of life is that? It seems so... pointless.
She wanted to run. To fly. To escape from that place however she could. She still needed to find Applejack, but surely there was another way to do that. She didn't know what it was yet, but she'd come up with it eventually. She just had to get this dress off, and go find Cloud Kicker, and together they'd come up with something.
The quickest way out took her past The Persistence of Harmony. She was in such a rush that she almost didn't see the other pony walking there until it was too late. She turned to apologize, and a pair of bright green eyes returned her gaze.
----------------------------
Fluttershy regained consciousness to the feeling of being dragged on her back. The dirt and pebbles scraped against her withers, irritating it, and causing her to cry out. The dragging stopped.
"Welcome back, sugarcube. How ya feelin'?"
Applejack helped Fluttershy to her hooves, brushing the dirt and dust off the pegasus's back with her own tail. Fluttershy wondered what the two of them were doing out on this lonely path until she saw the torrent of thick black smoke that stretched across the sky. Oh. That's right. The d-dragon. For a moment, she had allowed herself to believe that had all just been a nightmare.
"Uh, Fluttershy? Y'alright?"
"Oh, um, yes. I'm sorry, Applejack. I didn't mean to worry you. I'm fine."
Applejack smiled. "Don't you worry none about that. It's good to have you back." She began trotting down the path. "We need to get a move on, though. Don't wanna keep the girls waitin'."
Fluttershy tentatively followed behind. "Actually, Applejack... I was thinking that it might be best for everypony if I just... didn't go." By the time she had finished, her voice was barely above a whisper.
The orange pony stopped short. "The Princess is countin' on us. Heck, all of Equestria's countin' on us. Why don't you wanna go?" She looked her friend in the eyes. "Is somethin' wrong?"
"Well, it's– I mean, I think–" Fluttershy dug at the ground with her hoof as she tried to find the words. She had been afraid to say something in front of everypony at once, but maybe with only Applejack here, it would be okay. "I don't want to be a burden," she blurted out. "I'm not strong like you and Rainbow Dash, or powerful like Twilight, or charismatic like Rarity and Pinkie. And I'm certainly not brave like you girls. I'm a coward, and I'll just get in the way."
Applejack was silent for a while before she spoke. "Is that what's been buggin' ya? Shoot, Fluttershy, y'ain't no coward." She pressed on before her meek friend could object. "Remember that day we all met Twilight? You only knew her for a few hours, and you still followed her into the Everfree Forest to help her stop a mad alicorn. I don't reckon that a coward woulda done that."
She looked Fluttershy square in the eyes, and spoke clearly and deliberately. "You know how I don't like to lie, right? So believe me when I tell you that I know you have courage in you, even if you don't see it right now."
Fluttershy thought about what Applejack said. Maybe she–
A deafening roar resounded from the mountain above, causing the ground to shake. Fluttershy saw the ground fall away from her as she slipped back into unconsciousness.
----------------------------
The green eyes continued to look at Fluttershy, but now it was with concern, as an orange hoof waved in from of her face.
"Excuse me, but are you feeling alright?" The voice was calm and elegant, a fitting companion to its owner. The pony before Fluttershy wore her blonde mane up with a small but stylish tiara that complimented nicely the string of pearls around her neck. A slim black dress hugged her body down to her flanks. From this angle, Fluttershy couldn't get a good look at her cutie mark.
"Oh, yes. Thank you. I'm sorry that I nearly bumped in to you."
"Not at all. Some of these soirees can get so crowded, it's bound to happen occasionally. Besides, it was as much my fault as yours."
Three times Fluttershy had met with a pony from Other Fluttershy's memories, and three times she had failed to get the kind of information she needed. This time, she had decided to simply introduce herself and press forward without a plan. "Well, it's nice to meet you." She extended a hoof. "I'm–"
"Fluttershy," she responded, accepting the hoof in kind. "I know who you are."
Fluttershy's heart leapt. "You do?" Applejack knew her? She'd have to remember to not plan more often!
"Of course. You're the daughter of Giltwing and Clear Skies of Cloudsdale. I must say, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Oh." Is that all it was? "I see." Not wanting Applejack to question her reaction, she quickly continued, "I'm just surprised somepony's heard of me outside of Cloudsdale. Well, and Ponyville too, I guess. I'm on the weather team there."
At the mention of Ponyville, Fluttershy could have sworn she saw Applejack flinch slightly. If anything was bothering the socialite, however, she didn't let it show. "Perhaps you simply haven't been around the right ponies. At any rate, it was rude of me not to introduce myself. My name–"
"Actually, I've heard of you, too. You're Applejack, of Sweet Apple Acres."
The flinch was definitely noticeable that time. "That is the name I was given, yes. However, it's never really felt like who I am." She composed herself and smiled. "Please, Fluttershy. Call me Valencia."
"O-okay, Valencia." An awkward silence settled over the two. Eager to break it, Fluttershy said, "I've met your family, by the way. They're really nice."
"Thank you." Not-Applejack looked uncomfortable. "I'd rather not talk about my family, though, if you wouldn't mind."
"Of course," Fluttershy agreed, before she suddenly remembered her last conversation with Apple Bloom and gasped. "Um, V-valencia? I know you just said you didn't want to talk about your family, b-but I, um, I promised your sister that I'd tell you that she wants to meet you and for you to visit them. I'm so, so sorry. I won't say anything else about it."
"I understand," Valencia said, causing the cringing pegasus to relax. "It's important for a pony to keep her word. I'm glad you did that for her." She sighed. "She's still just a foal. When she grows up, she'll understand the economic realities of the situation. Well, Fluttershy, it has been a pleasure meeting you. If you'll excuse me, there are a lot of ponies I must go mingle with. Hopefully, I'll have the chance to see some art, too."
Fluttershy said her goodbyes and watched Valencia walk over to a light green stallion in a tuxedo. She didn't say anything else. What was there to say? Whatever she wanted to call herself, the orange mare didn't seem like she was going to be any help. There was one question she could answer, though. On her flank, just past the hem of her dress, Fluttershy spotted one and a half orange wedges.
"No." With no reason to stay any longer, Fluttershy had left the party and met up with Cloud Kicker. The two friends were on their way to dinner, and Fluttershy was describing her experience at the gallery.
"So now what?"
"Go home, I guess. I don't even know where to begin looking for the last pony. We can do that just as well back there."
"That other pony– what's she like again?"
Fluttershy shared as much as she could make out from Other Fluttershy's memories about the purple unicorn mare. "She might not be like the memories at all, though. The others haven't been, especially not 'Valencia'." When Cloud Kicker suggested that it sounded like Other Fluttershy had the better set, Fluttershy couldn't bring herself to disagree.
After walking in silence for a while, Cloud Kicker asked, "So, if these other ponies are so different, what about Other Cloud Kicker? What am I like?"
Fluttershy froze. She didn't know how to answer that. Going by the memories, Other Fluttershy barely even knew Cloud Kicker. She'd hoped that she wouldn't have to say anything about that, but now it looked like she didn't have a choice.
"Oh, um, well... Cloud Kicker... the, uh, the thing about that..."
"It's alright, Fluttershy. I'm not going to get mad if you tell me she's a jerk or something."
"No, it-it's not that." Fluttershy steeled herself for her friend's reaction. "I don't–"
"Wait." Cloud Kicker pointed a hoof at something. "What's that?"
Fluttershy tried to ask what she meant, but the lavender pegasus had sped up and was squeezing her way through the crowds. It wasn't easy, but she did her best to keep up.
"Excuse me, sir... I'm really sorry... If I could just get by... Pardon me..."
Before long, Cloud Kicker reached an intersection where ponies were packed so tightly she couldn't force her way through. She took to the air, and Fluttershy followed after her, pushing herself to catch up.
"What are you doing?"
"See that?" Cloud Kicker asked, gesturing at something off in the crowd below. Fluttershy didn't. "I thought I saw that pony you're looking for back when we passed the library. I've been trying to follow her." Fluttershy looked again, and spotted a vibrant purple coat amongst the herd. They flew on, ignoring the stares and exclamations of surprise from the ponies below. Up ahead, Purple Coat turned a corner, and the two pegasi sped up. Cloud Kicker rounded the corner first, and had to stop short to avoid flying into a construction scaffold. Fluttershy wasn't as fortunate, however, and slammed right into Cloud Kicker's side.
Momentarily dazed, the two ponies lost track of Purple Coat. They soared up above the buildings and split up to search for her. Fluttershy spotted her heading down a side street, and signaled to Cloud Kicker. "That's it," the lavender pegasus vowed, "I'm not letting her get away again." She gritted her teeth and pushed herself to fly as fast as she could. Fluttershy tried to keep up, but she was never as quick as her friend.
Cloud Kicker approached where Purple Coat was walking and swooped down in front of her. "Excuse me, miss, if I could have a moment of your ti– oh. Heh. I, uh, I think I may have mistaken you for somepony else. Sorry about that." When Fluttershy caught up, she realized the reason for Cloud Kicker's sheepish grin.
The first thing Fluttershy noticed about the pony they were following was that, coat color aside, there wasn't that much resemblance with the pony she was looking for. The second thing Fluttershy noticed about the pony was that he was a stallion.
In retrospect, that probably should have been the first thing.
----------------------------
The Royal Wings was an unpretentious Trottingham-style pub a few blocks from the hotel. The concierge had recommended it to Cloud Kicker as a place with a laid-back atmosphere that served good food and refreshing cider. She had thought it sounded like just the thing for Fluttershy after her time at the gallery earlier.
They had hardly begun their meals – a daffodil and lily sandwich and tomato soup for Fluttershy and a hayburger for Cloud Kicker – when a booming voice came from over by the bar.
"Hey, CK! What's up?"
The speaker came over to their table – an incredibly enthusiastic white unicorn. She had a short, spiky mane in alternating shades of blue and a pair of linked musical notes on her flank.
"Hi, Vinyl," Cloud Kicker responded, clearly surprised to see the new mare there. "Fluttershy, this is Vinyl Scratch, from Ponyville. Vinyl, this is my friend, Fluttershy. She's also my –"
"Co-worker," Fluttershy interrupted. Cloud Kicker gave her a look, but didn't say anything. "Ponyville weather, that's us. It's nice to meet you, Miss Scratch." Fluttershy wondered why the unicorn was wearing sunglasses even though it was starting to get dark out and also they were indoors, but she thought it would be rude to ask.
"You too, Flutters. And please, my friends call me Vinyl."
"Anyway, Vinyl," Cloud Kicker asked, "What are you doing in Manehattan?"
"I was in the studio earlier layin' down some new tracks. Right now, I'm killing time until Tavi's done with whatever fancy society party she's working at. Some kinda art thing or something. But I could ask you the same question."
"We came to meet somepony," she explained, glossing over the issue of why they had. She began describing their time in the city, frequently "forgetting" details and pretending to seek clarification from Fluttershy to make sure she wasn't saying anything to Vinyl that might embarrass her friend. When she described their pursuit of the unlucky stallion, she couldn't help but laugh at her own folly. "I feel bad for startling the guy, I do, but fortunately he had a sense of humor about it. He didn't even mind that I called him 'miss'."
"You thought he was?"
"I thought he was this pony we're trying to find. He looked enough like her, at least from a distance." She described the stallion, as well as Fluttershy's mysterious unicorn.
"Makes sense." Vinyl Scratch chuckled. "Y'know, that pony kinda sounds like my cousin."
Fluttershy and Cloud Kicker exchanged glances. "Y-your cousin?"
"Yeah, appearance-wise, anyway. It's not like Sparks would ever pull her head out of her, uh, her books long enough to make it all the way out here."
"If you don't mind, would you tell us more about your cousin?"
Vinyl Scratch frowned. "Sure, but I don't know why anypony'd care. Her name's Twilight Sparkle, and she goes to that big unicorn school in Canterlot. You'd just be wasting your time looking for her, though. Not everypony likes to rock as hard as I do, and that's cool, I get that, but that mare is seriously no fun. I mean, at all."
----------------------------
Fluttershy and Cloud Kicker headed for the train station as soon as they were finished with dinner. An overnight train was due to leave for Canterlot soon, and they were able to secure a pair of berths. As they searched for their platform, Fluttershy noticed that Cloud Kicker looked pensive. "Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine. I was just wondering..." Cloud Kicker trailed off. She seemed to be debating with herself whether or not to say something, before evidently deciding in favor of it. "When we were talking to Vinyl before, you didn't want me to tell her that you were my boss. This isn't the first time I've seen you avoid talking about your job. I don't understand why. Being a town weather manager is a big accomplishment."
"It is," Fluttershy sighed, "but it's not my accomplishment. I'm sure you've heard the rumors. It seems like everypony else on the team has." She paused, waiting, and Cloud Kicker responded with a slight, almost embarrassed, nod. "They're true. I didn't earn the job, and I don't deserve it."
Cloud Kicker inhaled sharply, rebuking herself for her decision. "You shouldn't beat yourself up like that. You're right, I have heard the rumors, but I don't care. What's important is that you're good at your job, not how you got it, and nopony did that for you." Fluttershy didn't answer. Eager to change the subject, Cloud Kicker asked, "So, what do you think about this Twilight Sparkle? Could she really be the one you're looking for?"
"I don't know," Fluttershy admitted. "That would be really..."
"Lucky?"
"Yeah. But even if she isn't, the unicorn school in Canterlot is probably the best place to check. Somepony there should at least have heard of her... I hope."
"We'll find her."
"Thanks." Fluttershy's smile had returned, and she and Cloud Kicker made their way on board. Neither had taken any notice of anypony in the crowd of the depot, but there was one who noticed them.
What's she doing here?
----------------------------
Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns was located in the heart of Canterlot's historic district. Normally, Fluttershy would have been very hesitant about travelling to Equestria's capital, but after Manehattan, it felt like a welcome respite. Canterlot may have been the larger city, but it was less crowded, and less claustrophobic, and it didn't seem actively hostile to the idea of nature. Parks and gardens were spread out in harmony with the colorful, white-walled buildings.
One such park lay before them at an entrance to the school's grounds. On a bench, a pair of unicorn mares sat talking.
"Sometimes I think double-majoring was a mistake," said the one on the left, a turquoise pony sitting in a way that Fluttershy thought looked very uncomfortable. "I have so little free time lately, and when I do, I'm too burnt out to do half of what I'd like. I can't even tell you the last time I wrote to Bon Bon."
The strangely-seated pony's conversation partner was a pony with a coat in a light shade of purple and a darker purple mane. Cloud Kicker made a gesture as if to ask, "Her?", but Fluttershy shook her head.
"Well, music's what you really want to do after graduation, right? Your special talent and all? You could always just drop the cryptozoology."
The first pony rolled her eyes. "'Cryptozoology' is for made-up creatures, Sparkler. They're real, or at least they used to be."
"Of course they are."
"Scoff if you like, but –"
"Oh, I will, Lyra. I will."
"But my latest research is showing real promise."
"Sure, just like the research from before was, and the research from before that." With that, the conversation came to a halt. Throughout, neither had entirely stopped smiling, suggesting this was just the latest in a long history of friendly sparring over Lyra's unconventional theory, whatever it was. To Fluttershy, this seemed like a good time to interrupt.
"Excuse me, I was wondering if either of you knew where to find somepony named Twilight Sparkle."
Both unicorns reacted with a start at the name.
"Did you just say you were looking for Twilight Sparkle?" asked Sparkler.
Lyra added, "Are you friends of hers?"
Fluttershy wasn't quite sure how to answer that. If Twilight Sparkle really was who she was looking for, then, in a way, it did feel like she was her friend. On the other hoof, they'd never actually met. The unicorns were looking at her expectantly. She decided to play it safe. "W-well, I guess you could say that."
"Wait a minute. Twilight has friends? Twilight Sparkle? Would you two mind waiting here for a few minutes? I need to go find Twinkleshine. That pony owes me five bits."
"Sparkler!"
"I was kidding! Mostly. Not about the five bits. You can vouch that you met them if she asks, right, Lyra?"
Lyra ignored the question. "Twilight Sparkle's in Galaxy Hall, Room 214."
----------------------------
Fluttershy nervously stood before the door with the brass nameplate with 214 engraved on it. This was, hopefully, it. Behind the door lay, quite possibly, the last of the five ponies she was looking for. Everything she had tried with the others hadn't worked. This time, she would just be straightforward, explain what was going on. If Twilight Sparkle thought she was crazy, so be it. As a student here, she would probably be better equipped to understand what was going on better than anypony. If this didn't work...
It had to work. It just had to.
Fluttershy steeled herself. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and lightly rapped on the door with her hoof. A wordless expression of annoyance came from inside. After a few moments, the door opened. Standing there was a unicorn mare with a bright purple coat. Heavy bags hung below bloodshot purple eyes that narrowed in irritation as she scowled. The hairs of her mane, likewise purple, stuck out in all different directions. It didn't look like she had brushed it this morning, or possibly at any point that week. Next to her, a large ceramic mug hung in the air, surrounded by a magical magenta aura.
----------------------------
"Philomena!" Fluttershy called the bird's name as she charged down the path from her cottage to Ponyville proper, Twilight Sparkle by her side.
"I don't understand how that bird can move so fast," the scholarly pony gulped out between breaths. Somehow, Philomena had managed to put enough distance between herself and Fluttershy's house that the pair of ponies couldn't see her anywhere.
A few minutes later, Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle arrived at the edge of town. The bad news was that there was no sign of Princess Celestia's sick pet. The good news was that there also wasn't any sign of the royal guards either.
"This is bad," Twilight said. "This is very, very bad. We have to find Philomena before anypony else does, no matter what. I'm not going to let one of my friends get banished and then thrown in a dungeon in the place she was banished to."
Fluttershy wasn't nearly as certain that either banishment or dungeons were going to be involved as Twilight was, but whatever was going to happen, she would deal with it later. There was an animal in trouble, and it needed her. "Right now, making sure Philomena's alright is what's important. That's the whole reason I took her. As long as she's healthy, I won't have been banished for nothing."
"Fluttershy, listen. If it comes to that... I'll tell Princess Celestia I'm the one that did it. She's known me a lot longer; she won't banish me. Probably."
Fluttershy was touched, but she wasn't going to let one of her friends sacrifice themselves for her mistakes. There wasn't any time to argue about it, though. "Thank you, Twilight, but let's not worry about that unless we have to. Let's just find Philomena."
Reluctantly, Twilight agreed. She figured that it wouldn't be easy to convince Fluttershy, and they didn't have time to discuss it right now.
After several minutes of searching, where Philomena had been spotted more than once, only to give them the slip, Twilight was quickly losing hope. "It's only a matter of time before one of the guards spots her, and then it'll be all over." She turned to Fluttershy. "Even though I'm probably going to be banished to some desolate wasteland, I can't think of anything I would have done differently."
"Neither can I."
"If we're lucky, maybe we'll get banished to the same place."
"I'd like that." Fluttershy realized what she had just said, but her attempts to clarify that she wouldn't really like to be banished were cut off when she was enveloped by Twilight's magically aura and dragged into a nearby bush to hide her from the passing guards.
----------------------------
This time, Fluttershy's return to reality brought her the sight of a closed door, the "214" plaque staring her in the face. Undeterred, she knocked again. Irritated grumbling could be heard from the other side. Eventually, the door opened again, and the purple unicorn stood before her again.
"Oh. You again. Is this just another challenge to a staring contest, or are you actually going to speak this time?" Without the intrusion of Other Fluttershy's memories, Fluttershy was able to catch a glance at Twilight's room. There were books everywhere. The bookcases were, naturally, filled with books, but there were books on the desk, books on top of the dresser, books in stacks on the floor, and even books on the bed. Beyond that, there was precious little else to indicate somepony was actually living here. Even the bed had simply a sheet and a pillow. If not for the disarray some of the books were left in, the warrior pegasi of the pre-classical era would be proud of the room's austerity. Fluttershy was so focused on taking everything in, she nearly didn't notice the door beginning to close as the unicorn muttered something about her time being wasted.
"Wait, please. I'm sorry. Twilight Sparkle? M-my name is Fluttershy, and I need your help."
Twilight stood incredulous. "You want my help?"
"Oh, yes. I don't think there's anypony who would be able to help me like you could."
"Why?"
"May I come in? I'd be happy to explain everything."
Twilight seemed to be mulling over the suggestion. "Fine," she said begrudgingly.
Inside, Fluttershy's initial impressions of the room were largely confirmed. She did, however, notice two things. Firstly, like herself and Pinkamina, Twilight didn't have a cutie mark. The other thing was the sole evidence in the room of equine habitation. On the desk lay a pair of picture frames. In one, a young filly, obviously Twilight herself, was holding a piece of paper and smiling. Standing behind her was an adult unicorn couple, a blue stallion and a light gray mare with a purple and white striped mane. The other picture showed a slightly older Twilight. She was wearing a too-large helmet, the helmet of a royal guard cadet and bracing it with a hoof to keep it from falling off. By her side stood a white-coated older unicorn colt who, from the look of things, Fluttershy assumed must be family. She was interrupted by the sound of a throat being cleared.
"Are you done yet? If you're quite finished staring, maybe you can explain what's so important that only I can help you."
Fluttershy told her as best she could. She explained about her life, and the sudden appearance of these strange memories, and her travels across Equestria to try and understand them. More than that, she talked about another existence, where she and Twilight and the others – by now, the memories had grown enough to give her a fair idea of Other Fluttershy's life – all lived happily in Ponyville, six inseparable friends, supporting each other through all sorts of crazy adventures. When she was finished, she said, "So that's my story. Do you understand why I came here to ask you for help?"
"Oh, I understand, alright." They were words that should have made Fluttershy feel better. They did not. "Nerdy Twilight Sparkle. Egghead Twilight Sparkle. She doesn't have any friends! She can barely even do magic! She doesn't belong here. Let's tell her some ridiculous story to build her hopes up, and then we can all laugh at her!"
During Twilight's outburst, Fluttershy had nervously started backing up and crouching. She could have sworn that it looked like the edges of the unicorn's mane began to smoulder. Twilight didn't let up. Advancing, she continued, "Well, I don't think it's funny! Why are you here? Who put you up to this? Was it Twinkleshine? Who?"
By this point, Fluttershy was cowering under Twilight's desk, her head buried beneath her forelegs and her mane. "N-nopony. Nopony s-sent me here. I know it sounds hard to believe, but I would ne-never..." She looked up at Twilight, her voice small and sad. "Please..."
Twilight's fury melted away, replaced by guilt. "I... look, I'm sorry." She extended a hoof, helping Fluttershy up. "You truly believe all that stuff you told me?" Fluttershy nodded. "So you aren't here to trick me; you're just insane. Well, that's much better."
"W-what?"
"What you're talking about is some type of alternate universe." She plopped down on a clear space on her mattress. When she spoke, her voice sounded resigned. "It would be nice if it were true, but it isn't scientifically possible. Your story is not scientifically possible. Whatever help you need, I'm not the pony that can give it to you." A magic aura surrounded the door, and it swung open. "Please, just go." Fluttershy tried several times to try and engage Twilight, but the unicorn refused to speak any further. Eventually, she gave up and left, surprising several other students who were suddenly very nonchalant about their perfectly legitimate reasons for hanging out in the hallway.
----------------------------
Back outside, Fluttershy reflected on her situation. She had now met all five of the ponies she was searching for, and the results had not been what she had hoped. Not only was she no closer to understanding her recent experiences, of the five ponies so close to Other Fluttershy, only Rarity seemed interested in even seeing her again. Pinkamina too, perhaps, but only if Fluttershy was interested in buying some rocks. She didn't really want any rocks. With no answers so far and no idea where to go next, it was hard to view her pursuit as anything but a substantial failure. That was what was on her mind when Cloud Kicker landed beside her.
"So, how'd it go?" Fluttershy told her. "Wow, that's... I don't even know what to say. I think all the ponies at this school are crazy. You know Lyra? The pony who gave you the directions? I was talking to her after you left. She's got some interesting theories about some kind of creature called 'seaponies'. That's not the strangest part, though. I ran into her once before, that time I was in the Best Young Flyer competition."
"But she's a unicorn. How did she..."
"I have no idea."
Cloud Kicker's mention of the contest reminded Fluttershy of a time when she wasn't able to come through for her friend. "I'm sorry my cheering wasn't good enough for you to win."
"Don't be, Fluttershy. Like I told you, if my flying was good enough to win, I would have won. Of course I'm glad you were there to cheer me on, but ultimately, my success or failure was up to me. It isn't your or anypony else fault I didn't win. Besides, fourth place out of thirteen's not that bad."
This was not the first time Fluttershy had thought back to that day. This time, however, it came with another memory of another Best Young Flyer competition. She had been there, and so had Cloud Kicker, but everything was different. It had been exciting, and had ended very dramatically, with Fluttershy cheering her friend on to victory. But that friend hadn't been Cloud Kicker. She barely registered in the memory at all.
The thought gave Fluttershy pause. It was clearer than ever that Cloud Kicker just wasn't very important to her other self. Her whole purpose in tracking down Twilight Sparkle and the rest of Other Fluttershy's friends was because, deep down, it felt important. But... what if she succeeded? What if she had managed to befriend these ponies, and bring them together? Cloud Kicker had loyally stood by her and supported her, not just in this, but for years, and she was actively seeking out a world where none of that happened. Was Cloud Kicker essentially helping Fluttershy find her own replacements? And was Fluttershy letting her? She couldn't believe what a horrible pony she was! How could she be so cruel? "I'm sorry, Cloud Kicker! I'm so sorry!"
"Fluttershy, what's wrong?" Cloud Kicker was mystified by her friend's distress. She knew that it wasn't because of the Best Young Flyer competition – Fluttershy hadn't taken her "failure" there nearly this hard even when it was fresh. Even with her tendency to apologize for things that weren't her fault, Cloud Kicker couldn't imagine what could have caused her to suddenly become so despondent. Fluttershy wasn't much help there, only making high-pitched squeaking sounds in between sobbing.
Noticing that they had started to attract the attention of some of the students, Cloud Kicker led Fluttershy to a more secluded area of the school's grounds. They were able to find some measure of privacy underneath a large tree. She lifted Fluttershy's chin with her hoof and look her in the eyes. "Talk to me, Fluttershy. I'm starting to get worried."
Fluttershy turned her head, unwilling to meet Cloud Kicker's gaze. "I-I'm a terrible friend."
"What?" She wasn't expecting that. "You don't have to apologize for that. I've never thought you were a bad friend."
"But that's only because I haven't told you yet. Do you remember back in Manehattan, when you asked me about your other self? The thing is... I don't know what she's like. She's hardly in Other Fluttershy's memories at all, and even then, she's usually just in the background. I don't think we're friends in that world. I'm not even sure we know each other. I didn't want to tell you; I was worried you might think I didn't care."
"It's alright. You aren't responsible for anything Other Fluttershy does. Besides, you told me the other ponies weren't much like the ones you met. That socialite we were looking for, the one who changed her name – what does her other self do?"
"She's a farmer. She runs Sweet Apple Acres with the rest of the Apple Family."
"Well, our other selves might be just as different as hers is. They might not even have met. Please don't beat yourself up over something happening somewhere else that probably isn't anypony's fault."
"That isn't the worst part, though. I can't really explain what it is, but there's something about these memories that makes them feel... right. Like they're how the world is supposed to be. And the more I see of them, the more I'm sure that there, those other ponies are my close friends, and you aren't. I haven't just been looking for those ponies, I'm letting you help me. What kind of awful pony would let their friend do that?"
"Fluttershy, are you saying you... don't think we should be friends?"
Fluttershy's eyes grew wide, and she frantically held out her hooves placatingly. "No! That's not what I meant! Please don't hate me!" When she accepted that Cloud Kicker didn't, she caught her breath and continued. "I just meant, what if that's what happens? If Other Fluttershy's world is right, then doesn't that make ours wrong? And if it is, what does that mean for us?"
Philosophy was a subject had never really held much interest for Cloud Kicker. In school, even before she earned her cutie mark, she had always preferred the more hooves-on aspects of weather management to dry technical lectures on subjects like the science behind the composition of rainbows. It was even in her name, she said – she was born to kick clouds, not manufacture them. Consequently, while an excellent pony to have on hoof when one needed to know the best way to tame a wild storm rolling in from the Everfree, she was less well equipped when the problem had to do with a friend's metaphysical doubts about the nature of reality. She felt like laughing at her assumption that she'd never have a practical use for the subject, but with Fluttershy as distressed as she was, her friend might get the wrong idea. "Honestly, I'm not really sure how to answer that. I've never felt like there was anything fundamentally wrong with how the world is. Even after everything that's happened the last few days, I still don't. Couldn't both be right?" Cloud Kicker thought for a moment. "If I'm following you, your problem is that you aren't sure whether Other Fluttershy's memories are more real than yours, right? So, I guess what the most important thing is, is does our friendship feel real to you?"
Fluttershy nodded enthusiastically.
"It feels real to me, too. As far as I'm concerned, that's all that matters. If the way we feel about each other feels real to both of us, then it must be real. Simple as that. Whatever else turns out to be right, I know that is. But if you're worried, let's promise right now that no matter what happens, we won't let it affect our friendship." She extended a hoof. "Best friends, no matter what."
Cloud Kicker got her answer as Fluttershy leapt forward and wrapped her forelegs around the lavender pegasus, inadvertently tackling her to the ground. "No matter what." For the first time in days, Fluttershy felt like smiling. Not merely as a way of coping with a stressful situation, but a real, true smile of joy. It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from her chest. She still didn't have any idea what to do next, but right now, she didn't care.
----------------------------
The sun was lower in the sky when Fluttershy awoke. She shook her head as she tried to get her bearings. She hadn't meant to fall asleep like that. She and Cloud Kicker had just decided to relax under the tree for a few moments, and she must have dozed off.
"Oh, good. You're up. I got you some lunch." A paper-wrapped sandwich landed on the ground in front of her.
Fluttershy yawned and rubbed her eyes. "How long was I asleep for?"
"A couple of hours. You just seemed so exhausted, I didn't want to bother you. Are you feeling better now?"
"Much better, thank you." She unwrapped the sandwich and began to eat. "I guess I didn't realize how much it had been upsetting me."
"I wish you had told me sooner," Cloud Kicker said, doing her best to avoid a critical tone in her voice. "You wouldn't have had to keep all that anxiety bottled up."
"I know." The two friends just stood in silence for a few moments, punctuated by only the occasional biting of a sandwich, before Fluttershy spoke up. "We can go back home now, if you like." She started to walk towards the exit of the campus, with Cloud Kicker quick to follow her.
"Are you sure? Twilight Sparkle might not have wanted to help, but there are a lot of other students here. We could go find Lyra. She seems pretty open-minded about unconventional ideas."
"No, that's okay. It turns out Twilight Sparkle wasn't just Other Fluttershy's friend, she was Princess Celestia's personal student. If even she can't do anything..." Fluttershy let her voice trail off. Cloud Kicker brought up some weather team business, and she and Fluttershy spent several minutes discussing the best time to schedule an upcoming storm they were planning for next week. Suddenly, she stopped walking and stuck out a foreleg to block Fluttershy's progress.
"Say, Fluttershy... if Other Fluttershy's friend is Princess Celestia's student, does that mean that she also knows the princess?"
"Yes, I think so. Why do you... oh. Oh my goodness." Cloud Kicker had a point. If anypony was wise enough to solve her problem, it was Princess Celestia. Still, Fluttershy couldn't help but feel more than a little intimidated by the concept. The princess and Other Fluttershy may have had a cordial relationship, but she already had five examples of how little that counted for anything. And Princess Celestia wasn't just another pony, she was, well, Princess Celestia. She was the ruler of the nation. She brought forth the sun and the moon each day. Wait, was it the sun and the moon, or just the sun? Was somepony else responsible for the moon? Enough of Other Fluttershy's memories had started taking up residence with her own that it was getting a little confusing. It was one more reason why she needed to figure this out. Surely, though, being princess meant having so many problems of your own. Would she even have time to help somepony she didn't know? "I guess it's worth a try, if we can even get a chance to talk to her."
"Yeah, it's not like the guards will let us walk right in to the palace."
Something in the corner of her eye caught Fluttershy's attention and caused her to gasp. "The guards won't let us walk right in," she said, pointing to a poster adorning a nearby wall.
WONDERBOLTS AERIAL SHOW Now Extended Through Sunday!
Come one, come all! See the bravest pegasi in Equestria perform incredible stunts that are sure to amaze and delight! Spitfire, Soarin' and all your favorite Wonderbolts will be there! Excitement! Thrills! Fun for foals of all ages!
Performing Daily at Skydancer Stadium in Downtown Canterlot
----------------------------
"A-are you sure this will work?" Fluttershy felt a bit silly asking that. It was, after all, her plan. Well, it was sort of her plan. Technically, it was Soarin's plan, but it was her plan to ask Soarin' for help, and she didn't know what else she was expecting when she decided to ask him. So, in a way, that made it her plan. It had seemed like a good idea when that was all it was, but how that it was ready to be put into action, she was starting to have doubts.
"Sure thing, 'Shy. When we get there, just let me do the talking. It'll be no problem."
"Okay, I trust you. Thank you so much, Soarin'." Fluttershy and Cloud Kicker had found Soarin' outside the stadium signing autographs for the fillies and colts that had attended the Wonderbolts' show. When he finished, they explained what was going on to him and asked for his help.
"I gotta say, I think it's really cool that you're doing this for Fluttershy." The three pegasi were headed towards the palace, both mares now attired in brand new Wonderbolt flight suits and goggles. They had chosen to walk down some of Canterlot's less busy side streets in order to avoid attracting too much attention to themselves. After all, they were celebrities now, or at least they were pretending to be celebrities, which wasn't really that different when it came to the difficulties it could cause them. The two friends were taking very different approaches to this problem. Cloud Kicker had adopted the quasi-military bearing ponies expected from the Wonderbolts, trying to deflect notice by acting too unremarkable to be worthy of much. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, seemed to be searching for some happy medium between walking fast enough to keep up and curling up as small as possible.
None of it helped.
"Mom, look, the Wonderbolts!" A pegasus filly sprinted up to them, with a somewhat weary mare trotting behind her. The filly had a white coat and light blue mane, with a trio of purple snowflakes for a cutie mark. "This is so amazing! Hi, Soarin'! My name is Flurry and I'm your biggest fan!" She turned to look at Fluttershy and Cloud Kicker. "Who are you? I've never seen either of you at a Wonderbolts show before."
Fluttershy did her best to keep from showing how nervous she was. If even a foal could see through their disguises, their plan would never work. "Oh. We're, um, new."
"That's right," Cloud Kicker added. "We've only just joined. That's why you haven't seen us before. My name's, um, Sky Streak, and this is... Quick... Wing."
"That is... so cool!" Fluttershy and Cloud Kicker relaxed, hopefully not too noticeably, upon hearing Flurry's apparent acceptance of their story. "When I grow up, I wanna join the Wonderbolts, too."
Fluttershy looked at the eager young Flurry. From the look of things, she was probably a year or two older than Cloud Kicker's little sister, and just entering the awkward stages of adolescence. Fluttershy could remember being that age, feeling like she was all legs and wings. Surely it couldn't hurt to say something encouraging. "Well, Flurry, if you work really hard and believe in yourself, you'd be surprised by what you can accomplish."
"Really? Thanks, Quickwing! I can't wait to see you in action!" Flurry's mother also gave her thanks for them taking the time to speak with her daughter and the two left the Wonderbolts, real and pretend, to go about their day.
When they were gone, Cloud Kicker remarked, "Well, that went better than I thought it would. I'm not really good at naming things. Sorry about that." Even with her face covered by the Wonderbolt uniform she was wearing, it was clear she was blushing.
Fluttershy was concerned by Flurry's parting comments. "Oh, I hope I did the right thing. What if she becomes disillusioned when she never sees 'Quickwing' again?"
"Don't worry about it, 'Shy. I'll think of something."
Fortunately, they were able to make it to the royal palace without any further difficulties more trying than stares from nearby ponies. As they approached one of the entrances, Soarin' whispered, "Remember, I'll take care of this."
Fluttershy and Cloud Kicker took their positions behind Soarin' as he walked up to the pair of unicorn stallions flanking the entryway. "Hey, Stalwart, Quarterstaff. How's it goin'?" The response from the guards was nearly imperceptible. Most ponies wouldn't have even noticed the ever so slight nod of the head, the tiny upwards curl of the mouth. "Just taking the new recruits for a tour of the place."
The whole time, Fluttershy stood there, impassive, as the Wonderbolt she was pretending to be should. Inside, however, she was practically hyperventilating. Trying to get a word with Princess Celestia was one thing, but sneaking into the palace to do it was just an awful idea. She didn't know what would happen to her friends or to her if the palace guards saw through their disguises, but it couldn't be anything good. She wanted to simply turn around and leave, but if the guards were suspicious of them, that would only make things worse. When the guards responded to Soarin' by stepping aside, as if his request were the most routine thing in Equestria, she was so relieved she felt like skipping right through the door. She settled instead for giving a polite but emotionless nod to whichever of the guards was on her side as she passed him. After all, Wonderbolts did not skip. Probably. At least, not while they were in uniform.
----------------------------
"It worked!" Careful not to speak too loudly in order not to attract anypony's attention, Fluttershy threw her forelegs around Soarin's neck in an embrace. They had been lucky enough to find an empty hallway where they could take a moment and work out the next step of the plan.
"Hey, I said it'd be no problem, right? Wait in there," Soarin' said, gesturing to a nearby room. "I have a friend here who might know where to find the princess." The two mares agreed. "I'll try to be back as quick as I can."
Fluttershy and Cloud Kicker waited for Soarin' to return. They tried to avoid speaking or making noise as much as possible, just in case some curious pony was walking by and decided to check things out. There wasn't really anything to do but look at their surroundings. In the center of the room stood a large wooden table over an intricately woven rug. A series of tapestries were hanging, depicting some ancient conflict between Equestrian forces and the griffon kingdoms. Along one of the walls stood several ponyforms, clad in ceremonial armor. On the opposite side of the room were shelves filled with fancily-bound books. Fluttershy looked them over, but with titles like A Brief History of the Campaigns of General Claymore, Volume VII and Kumquat Harvesting in Neighpon – An Overview, it didn't seem like there were any with information that would be useful to her right now.
After what felt like ages, Soarin' returned. "I know where the princess is gonna be. I was talking to Coconut Cream, one of the palace bakers, and she said that Princess Celestia should be in the gardens out back soon."
"That's great news," Cloud Kicker said. "I was worried we weren't going to be able to find her."
"Yeah," Soarin' chuckled, "I guess I'm just full of great news lately, huh, 'Shy?" Fluttershy wasn't sure what he was talking about. She must have looked confused, because he continued, "You know, the letter I sent you? They brought you the wrong mail again, didn't they."
Fluttershy suddenly remembered. The letter! Soarin' had sent her a letter recently. She got it right before... "No, it wasn't their fault this time. I did get your letter, but I didn't have a chance to read it then, and then everything started happening, and I completely forgot about it. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. You should get the official notice in a day or so, anyway, but when I heard what was going on, I asked for clearance to tell you. This year, the Weather Bureau chose Ponyville for tornado duty! It's that great?"
Fluttershy was stunned. Tornado duty? She was going to be in charge of tornado duty? This was not welcome news, and she would be sure to worry about it later, but right now she didn't have time. She also didn't want to disappoint her friend.
"That's wonderful," she said, putting on her most convincing fake smile. "Thank you, Soarin'." Wanting to forestall any further conversation, just in case she slipped, she said, "Anyway, we should get going if we don't want to miss the princess." She began to tug at the Wonderbolt uniform she was wearing, but wasn't having much luck. "Can you help me get this off, Cloud Kicker?"
The lavender pegasus approached, and working together, the two of them were eventually able to extricate Fluttershy from the flight suit before doing the same for Cloud Kicker's. "It's a shame. I was kind of hoping we'd get to keep these. They look good on us."
Soarin' laughed. "You can have them if you like. They're just spares, anyway. I'll mail them to 'Shy." He turned to leave. "Good luck. I hope the princess can give you the help you're looking for."
----------------------------
Fortunately, the way to the gardens behind Canterlot palace were easy to find. Once there, finding a pony twice as tall as most with a flowing ethereal mane was even easier. She was in conversation with somepony, but from this distance, and with all the foliage in the way, it was unclear who. Fluttershy and Cloud Kicker ducked behind a hedge and crept forward to get a closer look. A quartet of other ponies – guards – began to approach the princess. The leader was a unicorn stallion with a bright white coat wearing purple and gold armor. Fluttershy thought he looked familiar, but she was having trouble figuring out why. She didn't know any unicorn soldiers, or even many unicorns at all, and while Other Fluttershy had been more successful with the latter, she didn't seem to know anypony like this either. Following behind the strange-yet-familiar stallion were three pegasus guards, two stallions and a mare. The leading guard was the first to speak.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness."
"Good afternoon, Captain."
"Will Princess Luna be joining us today?"
Celestia's expression became pained. "No, I am afraid that my sister is still not feeling well. I thought it would be best not to try and drag her out here against her will."
The worry in the princess's face was reflected in her captain's. "Permission to speak freely, Highness?"
"Captain, as I've told you several times already, you don't need to ask me that. Please, speak to me freely. Also, we're going to be family soon. 'Aunt Celestia' has a much nicer ring to it than 'Your Highness', don't you think?"
"I know, your... er, I know. Nevertheless, I think that I would be setting a bad example for my troops if I did any of that while they were standing right there."
Celestia just smiled. "As you wish, Captain. Now, what did you want to talk about?"
"I'm... concerned about Princess Luna. She keeps apologizing to me, but the things she's saying... they don't make sense. The past few days, some of my guards have reported similar experiences with her. It has a lot of them... a lot of us on edge. She's not usually like this."
"Yeah! What's wrong with Auntie Luna? And why does she keep mentioning that name? Who's 'Nightmare Moon'?" At this vantage point, Fluttershy was finally able to make out who this other voice belonged to. He must have been the one Princess Celestia had been talking to before the captain's forces arrived. It was a baby dragon! He wasn't scary like those regular gigantic dragons that could eat a pony in one bite if they had a mind to; he was actually really cute. He was so cute that, under other circumstances, Fluttershy would probably have rushed right over for a chance to find out more about him, but she couldn't afford to just blow her cover like that.
"I wish that I had some answers to give all of you, that I knew what was troubling my sister. Regrettably, I do not. I will continue to do whatever I can to find some way to help her. I only hope that will be enough." Celestia was attempting to maintain an unperturbed facade for her little ponies, but her eyes betrayed great age and a sadness that only the very long-lived could truly understand. "It was not my intention to burden any of you with this. Please accept my apologies."
For a moment, nopony spoke. The captain looked troubled. He glanced back at the other guards before apparently deciding that saying it this once would not hurt. He placed a hoof on Celestia's side. "Aunt Celestia? Do you still wish to continue? I know this day is very important to you."
"Thank you, my nephew. You are right, this is a very important day. I have not missed it in all the time I have had the privilege of sitting on Equestria's throne, and I don't intend to begin today. Luna would not want me to for her sake, either."
Princess Celestia began walking away from the palace. The captain and the little purple dragon followed her, with the other three guards bringing up the rear of the little procession. Still behind cover, Cloud Kicker silently gestured Should we follow them? Fluttershy nodded, and the two snuck forward, mindful to remain hidden from the princess and her retinue. While she skulked, Fluttershy had plenty of time to reflect on all she had just seen. She wondered if Princess Luna's situation was similar to her own, and why she thought she recognized the guard captain. Not just him, though. The baby dragon accompanying Princess Celestia also stuck in her mind, and she was certain she would remember having met a dragon. The answer to the last of these questions, at least, came when the princess spoke to him, addressing him as Spike. Spike! Of course! Spike was Other Fluttershy's friend. He usually appeared in memories around Twilight Sparkle and her house. Could all of this be a coincidence?
Their path led them into a sculpture garden. From her position behind the base of a statue of a pony looking out at the horizon through a spyglass, Fluttershy saw that the lawn was covered with statues of ponies. There was also one statue that was most definitely not a pony. She wasn't actually sure what it was, besides unnerving. It wasn't even so much how it looked – with it being carved in the middle of a laugh, it at least appeared to be a happy whatever it was. It just filled her with a sense of dread she couldn't explain. She was glad when they could move onward, and she could put the eerie sculpture out of her mind.
The end of Princess Celestia's journey seemed close as she and her party entered an area surrounded by tall hedges. The entrance was flanked by a pair of statues depicting trumpeters performing a fanfare, each with a pole bearing the Equestrian flag behind it. Inside, a dirt path extended straight ahead, with a row of trees on each side, and bushes scattered on the other sides of the trees. When it seemed safe, they advanced behind these for cover. At the far end of the path, Princess Celestia had stopped, evidently having arrived at her destination.
Before Celestia stood six pedestals, each supporting a marble statue of a pony. Although the ponies themselves looked unfamiliar to Fluttershy, the subjects of the statues having lived so long ago nopony knew what they really looked like, she immediately recognized who they were meant to be. Any foal that had seen the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant performed would have. One of the statues was attired in a jeweled crown and flowing robe that were fancier marble versions of the costume she had worn the year her class had been chosen to perform the pageant at her school.
Now there was something she wished could have trouble remembering. She didn't like the idea of performing in the first place, and the costume hadn't helped matters. The headband she had to wear with the prop horn attached just made her feel ridiculous. It wasn't even the right color! Fluttershy was dismayed when she found out that her parents thought she looked cute; a photograph of her wearing the outfit was still sitting on their mantle the last time she visited. There wasn't time to dwell on that now, however, as the princess had begun to speak.
"Noble Founders. Once again, I come before you to renew my pledge to you and to Equestria. To watch over and protect this country that you created. To ensure that the dream of a land where the three pony tribes can live together in harmony remains alive and well. I make this promise to you, as I make it to all ponykind, that I shall care for Equestria and all those who live here, and defend them from those that mean them harm, for as long as I may live."
After a moment of reflection, Celestia began her walk back down the path, with Spike and the guards falling in behind her. The hiding pegasi edged their way around the bush to keep out of view. As they were doing so, Fluttershy accidentally brushed against a branch, disturbing a small bird eating berries. The bird's startled chirps and the rustled branches of the bush drew the attention of one of the pegasus guards. She tapped the guard nearest to her and gestured over at Fluttershy and Cloud Kicker's hiding place. Fluttershy tried to muffle a panicked squeak when the two guards started over to investigate. Her barrel heaved as her mouth began to form the words "Oh my goodness" over and over, but no sound came out. They were going to get caught and probably thrown in prison for breaking into the palace and her family would be disgraced and they'd find out Soarin' helped sneak them in and kick him off the Wonderbolts and she'd never even find out what was going on and –
A lavender hoof across her back snapped Fluttershy out of her panic attack. She felt Cloud Kicker's warm breath against her ear as she heard her whisper, "Once I get these guards out of the way, go and ask the princess what you need to ask." Before Fluttershy had a chance to object, Cloud Kicker sprung up from behind the shrubbery. "Hey! Flying bricks! I bet you can't catch me!" she shouted, before darting straight upwards as fast as she could. The two guards that had been advancing on them were surprised for a brief moment before regaining their composure and giving chase, with the third pegasus guard not far behind.
Fluttershy waited a few seconds for them to clear out before emerging and heading towards Princess Celestia as fast as she could. This isn't how she wanted this to happen, not at all, but she wasn't about to let the risk Cloud Kicker just took be for nothing. "Excuse me, Princess Celestia, my name is Fluttershy and I really really need your hel– eep!" Fluttershy suddenly found herself hovering off the ground, and it wasn't because she was flying. In fact, her wings had frozen themselves to her sides in fear. It wouldn't have mattered much, though, as she realized she wasn't able to move at all. The captain's horn was glowing with a magenta light. Suddenly, it was as if a magenta filter had been placed over the entire world. Fluttershy regained the use of her limbs, but found herself trapped inside a sphere of magical energy floating a few feet above the ground. Fluttershy curled up into a ball, her words tripping over each other to get out. Most ponies would likely have understood only one or two in ten.
"I don't know why you're here, intruder, but I won't let anypony harm the princess." Fluttershy opened her eyes to see the captain standing between her magic prison and Princess Celestia.
"Captain," Celestia spoke, but was unable to redirect the stallion's attention. She tried again. "Shining Armor," she said, draping her wing over her captain's back, which met with greater success. "I appreciate your dedication to duty, and also your concern with my safety – and yours as well, dear Spike," she added to the little dragon, who had also interposed himself between Celestia and Fluttershy, his claws balled up into fists. Spike beamed at the praise. "However, I think you may have been a bit overenthusiastic with our unexpected visitor. Please put her down." Shining Armor opened his mouth to object, but Celestia continued, "If she truly is here to attack me, I will deal with that myself. Now please, Captain, put her down."
"O-of course, Aunt Celestia." The sphere imprisoning Fluttershy slowly lowered itself. Once her hooves were back on solid ground, the magic began to fade, freeing her. Fluttershy found herself face to face with the ruler of Equestria. The strange thing was that Princess Celestia didn't seem angry with her, or even annoyed. She just smiled.
"Hello, my little pony. What's your name?"
"Fl-fluttershy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Fluttershy. I imagine you must have a rather serious problem if you've gone through all this trouble just to talk to me. Is there something I can do to help you?"
Although she knew that the princess' placid demeanor was almost certainly a genuine attempt to put her at ease, Fluttershy couldn't help but feel intimidated by her sudden audience with royalty. Despite the fact that she had put in a lot of effort specifically with the goal of asking Princess Celestia about her problem, now that she was about to do it, she could hardly believe that she was actually going to ask Princess Celestia about her problem. She started to recount her experiences over the last few days, very hesitantly at first, frequently trailing off to silence in mid-sentence, or apologizing for not telling the story clearly enough.
While she was in the middle of detailing her travels, Shining Armor exclaimed, "Twily? Oh. Didn't mean to interrupt. Sorry."
After explaining what she had been up to, she began describing Other Fluttershy's memories to the princess. They were disjointed, and out of order, and once or twice she had to stop when she realized she was talking about one of her original memories, but she relayed them as best she could. "That's everything I can remember. I came to ask you for help because I didn't know what else to do. I understand if you don't believe me, though. If somepony told me a story like that, I don't think I would believe them, either."
That enigmatic smile never left Princess Celestia's face. "Truly, Fluttershy, I do not know what to make of your situation. Let me set your heart at ease by telling you that I don't believe you are lying to me or imagining things. I cannot explain what you are experiencing, but I do believe you."
Fluttershy couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You... you do?"
Celestia leaned in close, her voice and smile taking on a playful tone. "Well, you've clearly dealt with Philomena before. I'm sorry she gave your counterpart such so much trouble. She can take her pranks a bit too far sometimes."
"But I should really be the one apologizing. I'm sorry I snuck into your palace."
"After what you've told me, I'm glad that you did. Next time, though, you just need to ask. Unfortunately, I have other responsibilities that prevent me from assisting you myself, but if you'd like access to the Canterlot Archives, I can have that arranged."
"Th-thank you."
"The most important thing I can tell you is to not let yourself get discouraged. One thing I've learned from Philomena is that sometimes, when things look their bleakest is our chance to shine the brightest." Celestia bent down and wrapped a foreleg around Fluttershy and pulled her into a motherly embrace. "Can you remember that, my little phoenix?"
Fluttershy thought deeply about the princess's words. She thought, too, of what Cloud Kicker said to her when she felt at her lowest. Knowing what she knew now, she could see that had been going about things all wrong. She shouldn't waste her time focusing on searching for Other Fluttershy's "ideal" world. If even Princess Celestia didn't know, then she might never find the answer. There was no reason to assume that she'd be able to make things right once she did. If she felt that it was important for Rainbow Dash and Pinkamina and Rarity and Valencia and Twilight Sparkle to be a part of her life, then she should be inviting them to be part of her life. Hopefully, they'd be receptive. After all if having two close friends was good, having seven would be even better, wouldn't it? She wasn't going to give up trying to make sense of things, but if she carried on with the single-minded devotion she had been these last few days, burying herself in the Canterlot Archives, she wouldn't be living Other Fluttershy's life or her own.
"I'll do my best. Thank you, Princess Celestia, for everything." Fluttershy took a deep breath before she asked her next question. "Princess, there was something else I wanted to ask you, if that's okay. I, um, heard the conversation you were having earlier about Princess Luna. I'm really sorry that I was eavesdropping on something so personal. I shouldn't have, and if you want to punish me for it, I deserve it. I was just wondering, if it's alright, if I could speak with her. But if you don't want me to, I understand."
Even this latest confession did nothing to darken Celestia's mood. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I know your heart is in the right place, but if you heard that, then you know why I don't think my sister would want to meet somepony new at this time."
"It's okay, I know what you mean. I'm usually nervous about meeting new ponies myself. There is one other thing..." Fluttershy hesitated. Princess Celestia waited for her to continue, listening attentively. The silence was broken by the sound of shouting coming from the sky.
"Come on! You'll have to do better than that! I've dodged lightning, you think I can't dodge you?"
"Could you please ask your guards to stop chasing my friend?"
Fluttershy was pacing back and forth in the great hall at the entrance of the palace when Cloud Kicker approached her. Cloud Kicker was able to get out, "Hey, so how did it –", before she was cut off by Fluttershy rushing over and nearly tackling her with her hug.
"You're alright!” Fluttershy relaxed her grip when Cloud Kicker coughed out a request for some air. “Oh, my! I’m sorry! I was just so worried about you after you took off like that. I thought the guards were going to toss you in some dungeon and I’d never see you again."
"It might not have been the best decision I've ever made," Cloud Kicker admitted, "but I didn't have time to think of something better. I wasn't going to just let them catch you."
"You didn't have to put yourself in harm's way again, though." Before Cloud Kicker could say anything, she continued, "If something happened to you because you were protecting me, I would feel just awful."
Cloud Kicker raised a hoof to brush Fluttershy's mane from in front of her eyes. "But that's what friends, do, right? I'd apologize, but I think we both know that I'm not actually going to stop standing up for you. You'd do the same for me."
Fluttershy could feel the start of a blush creep into her cheeks. "Friends should stand up for each other, I know, but.. well... would you at least mind only doing it so dangerously if it's an emergency? Please?"
Cloud Kicker immediately began to object, but stopped herself. There was something about the look Fluttershy was giving her. There was worry in her shy friend’s eyes, but Fluttershy was often worried. This was different than usual, though. More serious. If it was bothering Fluttershy that much, maybe she should try to rein it in. It wouldn’t be easy – at times, Cloud Kicker felt that her drive to protect those she cared about was more instinct than conscious thought, although it was an instinct that, when she did have time to think about it, she decided she was perfectly fine with. But, for Fluttershy... "Alright, Fluttershy. I promise I'll try.”
Fluttershy gave a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Cloud Kicker.”
“But enough about me – we're forgetting the most important part. Did it work? Did you have enough time to talk to the princess? What did she say? Does she know what's going on?" Fluttershy told her all about her conversation with Princess Celestia and the epiphany she had during it. "Okay, so I guess that means we're going –"
"Um, actually, Cloud Kicker, I was hoping you'd be willing to go back to Ponyville as soon as possible."
Cloud Kicker's ears dropped flat against the sides of her head. "Oh. Yeah, sure, I can go if you like."
"Wait, no, I didn't mean it like that! I just want to make sure the team has been keeping on schedule while we've been gone. Remember what Soarin' said about Ponyville being in charge of tornado duty this year?”
“Yeah,” Cloud Kicker exclaimed. “How could I forget? I can’t believe Headquarters is willing to take a chance on a small town like us. When we pull this off, you’ll really make a name for yourself.”
Fluttershy hoped Cloud Kicker wouldn’t be upset if she ignored that. She was not at all excited about tornado duty, but didn’t want to have a conversation about her worries with Cloud Kicker right now, or, if she had anything to say about it, anypony, ever. “If our team missed anything important, we’ll have to take care of it right away, before we need to focus everything on the tornado. After all, everypony in Equestria is counting on... us."
At this, Fluttershy had developed a far-off anxious stare, as though she was staring at some disaster only she could see. She was sure she was going to make a name for herself, but not the way Cloud Kicker had meant. She took a few moments to compose herself. "Anyway, everything has to be in order for tornado duty, and there isn't anypony I trust with that more than you. I only have one stop to make, so I should get back only a few hours after you do, but those hours might be important."
"I understand. You can count on me."
Any further conversation was interrupted by the clatter above of metallic armor, as a pair of pegasus guards appeared at the top of the stairs – two of the guards they had encountered in the palace gardens. "What do you think they want?" Fluttershy whispered. Celestia's guards were widely known for their endless stoicism. These two, however, were actually visibly annoyed.
"It would be nice if they weren't so serious," Cloud Kicker whispered back. "At least Peregrine had a sense of humor about everything. We didn't get to talk for long, but she was joking that she would have caught me without her armor holding her back. Said she wanted a rematch."
The guards continued to stand silently, giving no hint of the reason for their presence. Fluttershy was wondering if it would be a good idea to approach them and ask, when Captain Armor arrived. The pair tried to hide their expressions from their commanding officer, a fact which didn’t go unnoticed. “At ease, you two,” he said, having trouble hiding his own amusement. Heading downstairs, he turned his attention to the mares waiting below. "Miss Fluttershy, I'm glad you're still here. I was wondering if I could speak with you for a moment in private."
Fluttershy instinctually backed up a few steps and tried to shrink down, her head drooped and her ears tucked back. "You... want to talk to me?"
Cloud Kicker held her tongue, but drew herself right next to Fluttershy, draping a wing over her friend's back. Shining Armor chuckled. "Don't worry, Miss Kicker, I'm not here to take her into custody or anything. In fact, this has nothing to do with my position at all. I want to talk to Miss Fluttershy about a personal matter, not a professional one."
Fluttershy couldn't imagine what kind of "personal matter" he might want to talk to her about. They had only just met, and had barely spoken to each other in what little time they had spent in each other's company. Still, she didn't see the harm in hearing him out. She nodded her approval. "It's alright, Cloud Kicker. I'll see you back home tonight. I shouldn't be too long." The two hugged and said their goodbyes.
As Cloud Kicker and Fluttershy were parting, Shining Armor dismissed his guards. "Miss Kicker, before you go, I wanted to have a word with you about your stunt out in the gardens." Suddenly, Fluttershy was standing between the captain and Cloud Kicker, wings spread. She realized, to nopony’s surprise greater than her own, that she was glaring at him. She had no idea where that had come from, or what she intended to do if he pressed the issue, but she was not just going to stand by and let him threaten her friend, no matter who he was.
Shining Armor was also caught by surprise by Fluttershy’s actions, although he didn't allow himself to show it. It was not for nothing, after all, that the princesses had entrusted him with the command of their personal guard. Undeterred, he pressed on. "While your temperament wasn't exactly what we look for in the guard, your talent is impressive. Are you happy with what you're doing right now?"
Cloud Kicker, who had made her way to Fluttershy's side, placed a foreleg over her shoulder and pulled her close. "Yeah, I'm happy."
"Well, if you ever change your mind, let me know. I can’t promise much at first, but if you’ve got potential, you could advance through the ranks very quickly. You could be an officer with your own command in three years.”
"Thank you, Captain. I really appreciate the offer. It's an honor.” Cloud Kicker strode over to Shining Armor and shook his hoof. “But, I’m sorry, I have to turn you down. I don't think I'm cut out for the military life. Like you said, it isn't really in my nature."
When Fluttershy and Shining Armor were alone, he headed for one of the hallways off to the side of the room. “Would you mind taking a bit of a walk?” Fluttershy agreed. "First of all, let me apologize for the rather zealous way I restrained you earlier. In retrospect, I realize I must have really frightened you. I’m sorry."
“Thank you, Captain, but, really, I should –” Fluttershy began to apologize for having snuck into the palace gardens, but stopped when Shining Armor waved her off.
"We could spend all day going back and forth over who's more sorry, and, anyway, that's not what I really wanted to talk to you about." They arrived at a room where, after Shining Armor made sure it was unoccupied, they entered and closed the door.
"I admit, the story you were telling us sounds, frankly, bizarre, but if Princess Celestia trusts you, then so do I. When you were explaining your efforts to, if I'm following this correctly, find certain ponies because you’re experiencing memories of some counterpart of yourself, and these ponies are that counterpart’s friends – is that right?" Fluttershy nodded. "It is? Really? Great. But you mentioned that one of the ponies was a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle." Shining Armor paused, and took a minute before he continued.
"Twily's my little sister." Upon hearing this, Fluttershy realized why the captain had looked so familiar. He must have been the pony she saw in that photo at Twilight's. "She can be a bit rough around the edges, as I'm sure you've noticed, but, deep down, her heart's in the right place. It may not seem that way sometimes, but it is. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. It sounds like you got off on the wrong hoof, but I think it would be good for her to have somepony like you to spend time with. Please don't give up on her."
----------------------------
Fluttershy prowled the aisles of the library of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Twilight Sparkle hadn't been in her room when Fluttershy went back there. Fortunately, Lyra lived on the same floor, and was able to tell her that Twilight spent most of her free time in the library. So Fluttershy had come, determined to find her. Thoughts of her conversation with Shining Armor buoyed her spirits. Perhaps "Twily" was not as different from the one Other Fluttershy knew as their initial meeting would suggest. At any rate, Fluttershy was determined to find Twilight and make her understand that she wanted to be friends. If Twilight rejected her offer, so be it, but she was going to try.
She found the studious unicorn holed up behind a desk in an out-of-the-way corner of the library. Several books lay open before her, with an additional stack off to the side. She was so focused on the pages before her, she had no reaction to the sound of Fluttershy's approaching hoofsteps.
"Um, excuse me?" Fluttershy asked, but there was no response. "E-excuse me? Twilight Sparkle? If I could just–"
Without looking up, Twilight waved dismissively with her hoof. "G'way," she mumbled. "Reading."
Fluttershy's natural reaction to this was to leave. She couldn't do that this time, though. Between the promises she'd made to herself, and her conversation with Shining Armor, she couldn't simply walk away. "If you really want me to go, I will, but I need to talk to you first."
With a groan, Twilight finally lifted her eyes from the book in front of her towards Fluttershy. "Ah, the dimensional traveler returns. Are you here for my help again? Was I not enough of a disappointment last time?"
Fluttershy refused to let herself be discouraged. "I didn't come here to ask you for help, Twilight."
"You aren't still expecting me to believe that absurd story, are you?"
"Well, I wouldn't mind if you did, but, no, that's not why I'm here."
Twilight regarded her through narrowed eyes. "Just why are you here? What could you possibly want from me that's so important?"
Fluttershy instinctively backed up and began speaking in a voice so quiet that even she could barely hear it. She checked herself when she realized what she was doing. No, she couldn't be afraid right now. She owed it to herself and to Other Fluttershy to be strong. "I'm sorry about that. I came back to ask you to be my friend."
Twilight sat there barely moving, her jaw slightly agape, for long enough that Fluttershy started to worry about her. Composing herself, she said, "But... I don't understand. Why?"
"Because you can be a great friend, even if nopony else seems to be able to remember it. And I know you aren't her. I don't expect you to be. That's why I'd like to get the chance to know you. I want to be your friend, if you'll let me."
Twilight sighed. "You don't want to get to know me better. You think you do, but you'll only find out that I'm a failure." Fluttershy tried to interject that she didn't think that, but Twilight interrupted before she could finish. "That's nice of you to say, but that's because you don't know me. I spend so much time trying to learn as much as I can about magic, and I only know one spell. And it isn't even really my spell! I learned it from my big brother; it's just a weaker version of one of his spells. You said you wanted to know more about me, Fluttershy? Well, that's really all you need to know. That's who I am."
Fluttershy wasn't sure what to say. Seeing Twilight sitting there, slumped over, her eyes staring at the floor, she did the only thing she could think of and hugged her. She was pleasantly surprised when she realized Twilight was hugging her back. "I'm sorry, Twilight. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories for you."
"It's not you, Fluttershy."
For a few moments, neither spoke. Eventually, Fluttershy broke the silence. "May I ask what you're reading?"
Twilight hesitated a bit, before responding, "Yeah, sure," in a tone suggesting she would rather not answer, but didn't want to make a big deal about it. She grabbed the book directly before her with her magic, and turned it so Fluttershy could get a look at the title – A Mirror to Ourselves: The Multiverse in Fiction.
Looking at the other books, a pattern in the violet mare's research stood out, and Fluttershy allowed hope to swell up within her. "Twilight, your research... this isn't a coincidence, is it?"
"...No," Twilight admitted reluctantly. "No, it isn't."
"Does that mean that –" Fluttershy eagerly began her next question, but Twilight forcefully interrupted her before she could get any further.
"No. Like I told you before, I don't believe you." Twilight glanced away from Fluttershy at the floor and blushed, her hoof idly scuffing the floor. "I... I think I want to, though. Everything you told me may just be some fantasy your mind's concocted," she said with a melancholy smile, "but it's a wonderful fantasy. After you left, I tried to get back to work, but I couldn't stop thinking about your story. A world where I'm somepony my family can be proud of? Where I'm not so alone? But... things aren't true simply because you want them to be. I thought that if I did some research, maybe I could find something, anything, to convince me it wasn't as crazy as it seemed. That's not a scientifically sound way to investigate something, I know, but it turns out it didn't matter.
"There wasn't anything helpful. The book I'm reading right now is actually literary analysis. Most of the books that talk about alternate universes are fiction. There's a few by philosophers, too, or scientists speculating on how parallel universes might work, theoretically, if they existed." She permitted herself a small chuckle. "There was also a self-help book that used the idea of alternate selves as a metaphor. It wasn't useful even as a self-help book, just a lot of words like 'self-actualize' and way too many rhyming catch phrases. I'm digressing, aren't I? Back to my point – I couldn't find anything about alternate universes existing, let alone them interacting with us like you're saying. I can't make myself believe something because it would be nice if it were true. Nopony can. Sorry."
Fluttershy couldn't help feeling disappointed at the lack of information, but that was hardly Twilight's fault. "You don't need to apologize. I'm grateful that you did all that research, whatever your reason was. Thank you." There was one thing that didn't quite add up, though. "You were still reading when I got here. Does that mean you think you might still find something?"
Twilight shook her head. "I said the book wasn't useful. I never said it wasn't interesting."
After another silence that seemed to last minutes, she continued, "So, um, I don't want to keep you while you're reading, but you never answered my question. Could you? If it isn't too much trouble, that is."
Twilight still wouldn't look at Fluttershy. "You mean you still... But why? I don't have anything to offer you."
Fluttershy gently placed her hoof on Twilight's shoulder, drawing the unicorn's gaze to her. "Yes you do, Twilight. You have yourself. It doesn't matter if you aren't a magical prodigy. Wanting to be your friend was never about that. In the other world you don't believe me about, the rest of us were friends with you for several weeks before we even found out."
"There's a lot about you I don't really get, Fluttershy. But if you're this determined –" Twilight Sparkle's grin shined across her face "– then yes!" She cringed after her outburst when she remembered she was in a library, albeit an isolated, empty corner of one. "Sorry!" she sheepishly cried out to the air, before returning her attention to the pegasus before her. "Sorry. Yes, I'd love to be your friend."
"Really? That's wonderful," Fluttershy said, her wings flaring in excitement. "I wish that I had time to stay in Canterlot and get to know you better, but I need to get back home. Something big's coming up at my job, and everypony's depending on me to see it through. I'll come back to visit as soon as I can."
"What do you do?"
Fluttershy was hesitant to share the whole truth about her position. If Twilight was going to be her friend, though, she deserved honesty. Besides, the alternative would mean maintaining a long-term friendship somehow without ever mentioning her career. "Well, um, I'm the weather team manager for Ponyville." Twilight looked like she intended to say something, but then thought better of it.
"Well, whatever it is you have to do, good luck. We've got a break coming up soon, so I might have a chance to visit Ponyville. See you later, Fluttershy."
"Goodbye, Twilight." As she was leaving, the student's voice called her back.
"Fluttershy? I just wanted to let you know that I still think you're crazy. That hasn't changed." At least she was smiling when she said it.
Fluttershy trotted out of the library with an extra spring in her step. She'd done it! She'd met with one of the strange ponies from Other Fluttershy's memories and come away with a new friend. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as she thought. She couldn't wait to get back to Cloudsdale and tell Cloud Kicker the good news. Although her wings remained in their usual rest position at her sides, Fluttershy felt like she was walking on air.
----------------------------
Fluttershy groaned as the sun streamed through the window and roused her from her slumber. She turned over on her side to try and get back to sleep, but was bothered by something that, in her half-asleep state, she couldn’t quite put her hoof on. She pulled the silk sheets up, and... wait a minute. Silk? She didn’t have any silk sheets, and the dresser over by the wall wasn’t hers, either. This wasn’t her bedroom.
Startled, she sprang up in bed. After untangling herself from the sheet, she tried to get her bearings. Now fully awake, she breathed a sigh of relief as she realized there was no reason to panic. She hadn’t woken up in a strange place at all. It was just Cloud Kicker’s bedroom.
It had been late when she returned from Canterlot the night before. The first thing she had done was go see Cloud Kicker and make sure nothing had gone wrong with the weather team in their absence. Fortunately, everything had gone fine, with the exception of Cloud Kicker burning through all of her favors with Blossomforth and now owing a couple of her own. Fluttershy had been so exhausted that Cloud Kicker had suggested she stay there instead of flying home.
And so, Fluttershy found herself waking up in Cloud Kicker's room. The mare herself had just entered, a towel wrapped around her mane. "Good morning, Fluttershy. So, how did your errand go?"
"Better than I expected, actually," Fluttershy replied. "Twilight Sparkle still doesn't believe me, but she was enthusiastic about my offer of friendship."
Cloud Kicker frowned. "She didn't yell at you again, did she?"
"Oh, no. She was much nicer this time." Fluttershy recounted her encounter from the evening before, carefully leaving out the feelings of self-doubt her new friend had shared with her, which Twilight would surely prefer be kept secret.
"That's great," Cloud Kicker said, as she finished drying the excess water off of her coat. "It's a shame she couldn't find anything out, though."
"Yeah," Fluttershy agreed. "With tornado duty coming up, I won't be able to take time off for personal things." The mention of tornado duty reminded her of a plan she had. As weather manager, she didn't actually need anypony's approval, but she knew that if enough of her team objected, it didn't matter. It would dampen morale and might even put the success of the entire project in jeopardy. Even though she could claim she was just bringing on extra ponypower to make sure they had enough pegasi to get the job done, she would know her real reason was more selfish than that. She might never have to justify the decision to anypony but herself, but she still couldn't do it.
She decided to broach the idea with Cloud Kicker first. If even she wasn't really happy about it, it would never work. "About tornado duty... I was thinking about inviting Rainbow Dash to join us. Do you think I should?"
Cloud Kicker shrugged. "Sure. Why not? The more pegasi we have, the more wingpower."
It wasn't really lying, exactly, but Fluttershy's feelings of guilt about using her position for her own benefit grew stronger. Letting Cloud Kicker believe she had only been thinking about what was best for the team just wasn't right. "Um, well, that isn't really why I was going to ask her."
"I kinda thought that might have something to do with it. If it were just a matter of worrying we were going to be short-hoofed, I can think of at least three pegasi from around here who'd be fine additions to the team. There isn't anything wrong with wanting to stick with ponies you feel comfortable around, though. Having another pony on hoof can only help, right?"
"That's what I'm worried about. Back in flight camp, she sometimes had a problem with rubbing ponies the wrong way. If she starts causing problems with our team, we could lose more wingpower than she could replace. The ponies she works with now didn't seem to like her very much. Not that I'm saying she's a bad pony," Fluttershy quickly clarified. "She was probably just having a bad day. Everypony has bad days. I know I do."
"Fluttershy, your idea of having a bad day is that time they gave you the wrong kind of tea at Cloudbuck's and you thought about going back for a replacement but decided not to." Cloud Kicker suppressed a chuckle. She knew her friend could be sensitive about her timid nature and didn't want her to think that she was making fun of her. "That's not really the same thing."
"Well, I'm sure it isn't an easy job, and they work really hard there..." Fluttershy caught herself. "But, um, you didn't really answer my question about Rainbow Dash, if you don't mind me saying so. Sorry."
"As long as Rainbow Dash understands that you're in charge, everything should be fine. You may have to be assertive." Cloud Kicker walked over to Fluttershy and draped a wing over her back. "Don't worry about the tornado. You've got a good team, and you've got me watching your back. Everything's going to work out fine."
"I hope you're right."
----------------------------
It was somewhat of a relief to Fluttershy that the day's weather schedule didn't call for anything demanding. Although she hadn't officially received word of Ponyville's selection for this year's tornado duty, she had no reason to doubt Soarin' and didn't want her team fatigued from anything too strenuous. If she was actually going to be able to pull this off, she might very well need every flap of wingpower she could get.
Today, all that she had needed to do was set up some light showers over some of Ponyville's farms. Dizzy Twister and Parasol had been pleasant enough to work with. She hadn't said anything to them about the team's upcoming responsibility, preferring to wait until she had heard from Headquarters and could address everypony at the same time.
With her work done, and with plenty of daylight left, Fluttershy decided to make her way back by taking a walk through town. If she was lucky, she might have a chance to see Rarity and have a word with her. She landed near the entrance to the fields of the town's carrot farm. Right nearby was Sweet Apple Acres, which brought to mind her recent trip to Manehattan to see Applejack. Valencia, Fluttershy corrected herself. If you want her to be your friend, you're going to have to stop thinking of her as Applejack. Thoughts of that meeting combined with the bright green and red fields of apple trees reminded her of her budding friendship with a certain filly with an incredibly optimistic belief in Fluttershy's ability to be persuasive. Almost unconsciously, she began to pick up her step. Having to find a way to break the bad news was one conversation she wasn't quite ready to –
Fluttershy smiled uncomfortably as Apple Bloom ran up to her and began to bombard her with questions.
“Did ya go to Manehattan? Did ya talk to Applejack? Is she gonna come visit?”
Fluttershy wished there was some way she could lie to Apple Bloom, or at least avoid answering the question. The filly looked so hopeful; surely she didn’t need to have those hopes crushed yet, did she? Unfortunately, Fluttershy knew there was no way around it. If Apple Bloom didn’t get a straight answer now, she would only hurt worse in the long run.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to ease into it gently. “I did have a chance to meet with your sister when I was in the city. When you see your brother later, would you please thank him for his help? I really appreciate what he did for me.” If the address Big Macintosh had given her wasn’t as definitive as it might have been, that was only because he didn’t know that his sister had taken to calling herself Valencia. If it hadn’t been for the Apples’ help, she wouldn’t have known to look in Manehattan at all.
Apple Bloom wouldn’t be deterred. “I’d be happy to, Fluttershy, but what happened with Applejack? What’d she say? When’s she comin’?”
Fluttershy tried not to cringe. She hated having to deliver bad news. A few months earlier, Parasol had been injured when the team was clearing a storm that had rolled in from the Everfree. Fortunately, she wound up being alright, but she’d had a nasty fall and was taken to the hospital for observation. Fluttershy had gone to tell Parasol’s family what happened, but she had to take Cloud Kicker with her. In fact, Cloud Kicker had ended up doing most of the talking.
“Actually, um, Apple Bloom, when I spoke to her –”
Apple Bloom continued onward, heedless of Fluttershy’s attempts to speak. “Oh, I hope I have something to wear! What’re ya supposed to wear when you’re gonna meet your sister for the first time?”
“A-apple Bloom?” The filly stopped her nervous dance when she caught the serious, sad look on Fluttershy’s face. “V... Applejack... she isn’t coming. I’m so sorry.”
“S-she’s not?” Apple Bloom’s eyes began to water. Fluttershy felt like tearing up at the sight herself, but she knew she had to resist. She was the adult here; she needed to be strong for her young friend’s sake.
“But... but why? D-Doesn’t she love me? What did I do wrong?”
“You didn’t do anyth–”
Apple Bloom gasped before Fluttershy was able to do anything to reassure her. “Oh no! What if it’s ‘cause I kept askin’ her about cutie marks? What if she really doesn’t have a cutie mark an’ I hurt her feelings?” She desperately grabbed Fluttershy by the shoulders. “Please tell her I’m sorry! Tell her I didn’t mean it! I won’t say anythin’ to her about cutie marks ever again! Never ever!”
Fluttershy wrapped her forelegs around the crying filly and hugged her close. "When I asked her to visit, I told her that I promised you I would. Even though she didn’t want to say no, she was still glad I kept my promise to you. Just because she isn’t coming doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you very much.”
“But then... why don’t she wanna see me?” Apple Bloom pulled back and looked into Fluttershy’s eyes, but couldn’t hold the gaze for long before returning to softly crying on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Apple Bloom, I don’t have an answer for you. I didn’t get to speak to her for very long.” Fluttershy tried to think of something she could say to help. “Would you like to hear something from when I was a filly?” She wasn’t sure if this would work, but she couldn’t think of what else to do.
The sound of a muffled “Uh huh” came from the filly.
“My parents... are... very influential ponies in Cloudsdale. Growing up, they took me to a lot of fancy parties that I hated. They weren’t doing it to make me unhappy; they thought it was the best thing they could do for my future. I remember my mother always telling me that I would think it had been worth it when I was older, but aside from making one wonderful friend, I still don’t.
“The important thing is that, even though my parents and I disagreed on what was best for me, that doesn’t mean that they don’t love me, or I don’t love them.” She smiled hopefully. She wasn’t sure she had managed to convince Apple Bloom. To be honest, she wasn’t even sure she had convinced herself that her situation was relevant here. “Did that help at all?”
“Not really... but thanks...” came the sniffled reply from Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Wish you were... my sister.”
Fluttershy nuzzled the side of Apple Bloom’s head. Maybe it would help if she had a distraction to get her mind off things. “Apple Bloom, would you like to help me with something?”
“Like what?” She was still sniffling, but she looked at Fluttershy with curious eyes.
“Do you remember how I’m in charge of the weather team?” At least her little slip-up the last time she was here turned out to be good for something. “Well, this year, we’ve been chosen to make sure Cloudsdale gets the water they need to make rain clouds. Before we do, we need to take some wingpower measurements, and we could always use an extra set of hooves to help out.” Fluttershy wasn’t really sure how much help the filly would be, and it wouldn’t be safe for her to be there for the tornado itself, but at least it might cheer her up. “Would you like to? If it’s okay with your brother and granny, that is.”
Apple Bloom wiped the fallen tears from her face. “Al-alright. I’ll ask them.”
Fluttershy smiled. It looked like her friend was feeling at least a little better. “That’s wonderful.”
“Thanks, Fluttershy. For everythin’.” Apple Bloom hugged Fluttershy before trotting back down the path to her family’s farm.
----------------------------
Fluttershy’s conversation with Apple Bloom had reminded her that she was going to need to find somepony to run the anemometer. She didn’t know if there was anypony on her team familiar with the device, but it ultimately didn’t matter. When it came time for the tornado, she’d need every pegasus there as part of the formation if they wanted to have a chance of pulling this off.
This posed a problem for Fluttershy, as she still did not know very many earth ponies or unicorns, and even fewer that might be able to help her with this. Apple Bloom was willing to be there, true, but she was just a filly, and would really only be there to assist the pony doing the work. Fluttershy wasn’t expecting much anyway; the invitation had been made to lift the filly’s spirits, not to secure her help.
She supposed Big Macintosh or Rarity could do in a pinch, but she didn’t know if either was familiar with such things. Besides, they would probably be too busy with the farm and bakery, respectively, to be able to help out. It wouldn’t be right of her to try presume upon their time like that unless it became an emergency. Her newest friend would probably be able to help, but Canterlot was so far away. She couldn’t ask Twilight Sparkle to abandon her studies for several days.
With that in mind, Fluttershy’s hooves brought her towards Ponyville’s library. If there was anypony she knew that could point her in the right direction, it was probably Cheerilee.
When she arrived at the library, she found Ponyville’s teacher and de facto librarian in the middle of reshelving some books.
“Ewwo–”, she let the book she had been holding in her mouth fall to the floor. “I mean, hello, Fluttershy. Is there something I can help you with? Do you need a book?”
“Oh, no, I just...” Fluttershy paused, looking at the shelves of books. It might be a long shot, but maybe there was a book she needed. It might not be very likely that the library of a small town like Ponyville would have something the massive library at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns didn’t – at least not on a subject like the one she was interested in – but it couldn’t hurt to ask.
“Now that you mention it, there might be. Do you have any books that talk about alternate universes?”
Cheerilee thought for a moment. “I might have something.” She trotted over to another shelf and scanned the row of spines, before pulling a book out. “Were you looking for something like this?”
Fluttershy felt a surge of hope until she saw the title. The book Cheerilee was holding was older and more worn than the one Twilight had been reading, but it was just another copy of A Mirror to Ourselves: The Multiverse in Fiction.
“Thank you, but, um, that isn’t really what I meant.”
“Alright,” Cheerilee said, returning the book before going over to another shelf. “How about this?” Fluttershy looked at the cover, which featured a pair of tan pegasi that looked an awful lot like Rainbow Dash and the title Daring Do and the Mirror of Fate.
“Actually, well, I was hoping you had something more... practical.”
Cheerilee looked puzzled. “I think we may have this self-help book around somewhere...”
Fluttershy was starting to regret saying anything. “No, um, I meant...” she paused, swallowing hard before continuing, “...real alternate universes.” She lowered her head, letting her mane fall in front of her face so Cheerilee couldn’t see how embarrassed she was. “Or, that is, ones that, um, might be real.” She couldn’t look at Cheerilee, but the silence from the other mare told her all she needed to know. “I-I’m sorry to have bothered you. I’ll go now.”
As Fluttershy started to go, she was stopped by the teacher’s voice. “Hmm... I don’t think we have anything like– Fluttershy? Where are you going?”
Fluttershy turned back towards Cheerilee, but couldn’t bring herself to look at her. “I shouldn’t be wasting your time like this. Asking you about something like that, you must think I’m so silly.”
“Wanting to learn about something should never be embarrassing. Even if it’s something ‘silly’, how would you know without looking at it?” Cheerilee allowed herself a small chuckle. “Besides, I teach little fillies and colts all day. You don’t have to worry about saying anything too silly to me.” She leaned in and half-whispered, “Recently, one of my students spent a week or so trying to find a stallion for me to date. Sweet girl, and she meant well, but...”
She shook herself. “But I’m sure you aren’t interested in hearing about that. Like I said, I don’t think we have any books like that. I could check again if you’d like.”
“Oh, I don’t want to be any trouble. Maybe some other time.” Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel just a little disappointed, but she hadn’t really expected the much smaller Ponyville library to have something that could have helped her anyway. Mostly, she was simply grateful that Cheerilee hadn’t responded to her question as though there was something wrong with her for having asked it.
“That book wasn’t really the reason I came here. Are you familiar with anemometers?” She explained about the upcoming tornado duty. “So I need somepony to operate the anemometer to make sure we have enough wingpower, and I thought you could –”
Cheerilee snorted in annoyance. “You thought I could do it, just like everypony else in town does.”
Fluttershy’s ears fell flat against her head and she found her right forehoof edging its way backwards towards the door. “I thought you could recommend somepony. I hardly know anypony in Ponyville at all, and since you take care of the library, I figured you would be familiar enough with all the intellectual ponies in town to suggest a place to start asking.” She darted her eyes away from Cheerilee, not wanting the latter to feel like she was being criticized.
To be honest with herself, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel a bit irritated at the other mare’s assumption. In fact, she was, in her own silent way, criticizing Cheerilee. Nevertheless, she saw no reason to voice that irritation and make Cheerilee feel uncomfortable about it. From some of the more vocal objections to her appointment as weather manager, Fluttershy knew how bad that sort of thing could make somepony feel. Despite them not knowing each other that well, she also felt that it was safe to say that Cheerilee wasn't a bad pony – she had only made a bad assumption. Fluttershy had clarified things, and there was no reason to call any more attention to it than that.
“I–I’m sorry,” Cheerilee said sheepishly. “You know, I could manage the anemometer for you, if you need somepony.”
Fluttershy asked, “Are you sure?” before she could stop herself. She chided herself for doing so, since she did after all need somepony’s help, and Cheerilee was volunteering.
Fortunately, Cheerilee didn’t take the opportunity to rescind her offer. “It’s fine.” She smiled, although the smile didn’t make it to her eyes. “It’s not like I have a social life to get in the way of anyway.”
“Well, um, thank you.” Fluttershy wasn’t sure if Cheerilee was joking or not. “I really appreciate it.” Something important came to mind, and she added, “There is one thing. Apple Bloom is one of your students, right?” Cheerilee nodded. “She was feeling upset earlier, so I told her she could help. You don’t mind, do you? I could always ask somepony else if it’s a problem.”
“Not at all. I love having Apple Bloom in class. I hope everything’s alright with her.” Cheerilee thought for a moment. “Did something happen with Applejack?”
Fluttershy didn’t say anything, but the expression she wasn’t able to suppress quickly enough meant she didn’t have to. “The other day, Apple Bloom was so excited, she wouldn’t stop talking about her sister,” Cheerilee clarified. “It was all I could do just to get her to calm down enough for me to teach the class.” She frowned. “This is exactly what I worried was going to happen. That mare hasn’t been back to town since we were fillies.”
Fluttershy could feel her skin flush under her coat. Although she couldn’t really argue with what Cheerilee was saying – she wasn’t happy with the way Valencia had handled her sister’s request either – it still felt wrong to hear somepony disparage her sort-of friend. “It’s not really my place to say.”
“I understand. Just let me know when you need me for your weather project.”
----------------------------
Fluttershy walked tentatively into Sugarcube Corner. Hopefully, Rarity would be there today. Of all of the five ponies Fluttershy planned on befriending, Rarity had seemed the most open to the idea when they had first met. She just hoped Rarity wouldn’t be too disappointed when she found out that Fluttershy wasn’t the sophisticated pony Rarity seemed to think she was.
It seemed like she was in luck. The bakery was quiet, save for the sweet sound of a melody emanating from the kitchen that abruptly stopped when Fluttershy stepped on a squeaky floorboard. “Is somepony out there? I’m sorry, but we’re not open right –” Rarity’s head poked out through the doorway, a pair of red glasses perched on her muzzle. “Oh! Hello, Fluttershy.” As Rarity walked out, clad in a powder blue blouse and white skirt, to greet the pegasus, Fluttershy looked around and realized that they were the only two ponies in the shop.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize –”
Rarity just waved her off. “Oh, forget all about that, darling. We're closed at the moment, but I’d be happy to make an exception for you if you’d like something.”
Fluttershy allowed herself a small smile. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself, but the baker’s behavior seemed promising. “Thank you, Rarity, but I’m not really hungry. The reason I came here because I was hoping to have a chance to talk to you.”
Rarity’s eyes lit up. “Really? After you left so quickly last time, I wasn’t sure you were ever coming back.”
“Oh, no. I just didn’t want to keep anypony waiting when they wanted to buy something.” Mostly, though, she had wanted to avoid the awkward situation between Rarity and that cream-colored pony she had managed to antagonize. She hated even being around situations like that. They made her feel so uncomfortable.
Fluttershy tensed as she prepared to ask Rarity for her friendship. Everything suggested she would accept, but if anything, that made her more worried about messing it up. “I was wondering if you wanted to be friends.”
“We weren’t already?” Rarity asked half to herself, quizzically. “Nevertheless, I would be honored to be considered your friend, Fluttershy.” She walked over and embraced the pegasus. “I must say how wonderful the prospect of having somepony around who truly understands me is. I don’t think most of the ponies in town like me very much. They think my interest in culture... silly. I do hope we become great friends.”
“So do I,” responded Fluttershy. She wasn’t sure whether to be thankful that had been so easy. It wouldn’t be the first time since this had all started that something had been too good to be true. She still needed to tell Rarity all about Other Fluttershy’s world and their places in it, and she had no idea how the baker would react to that.
“There’s something else that I wanted –” Fluttershy began before she was cut off by a small white blur that raced past screaming Rarity’s name, nearly knocking them both over. A similarly-sized orange blur followed close behind. The two blurs slowed down to reveal a pair of fillies, a unicorn and pegasus respectively. The former jumped up on the bakery’s counter.
“Rarity, look!” the filly exclaimed, turning to emphasize her flank. It was adorned by a pink trio of musical eighth notes with heart-shaped note heads.
“Pretty cool, huh?” asked the pegasus filly, beaming at her companion’s accomplishment.
“Y-you got your cutie mark?” The flicker of something in Rarity’s expression – surprise, perhaps, or maybe sorrow – only lasted a second before being replaced by pride. “Congratulations, Sweetie Belle!” she cried, sweeping the little unicorn off of the counter into her grasp. “Oh, where are my manners? Fluttershy, this is my little sister Sweetie Belle and her friend Scootaloo. Sweetie, Scootaloo, this is my friend Fluttershy.”
“It’s nice to meet you both.”
Sweetie Belle quickly said hello, but Scootaloo just stood there grinning, staring at Fluttershy in a way that was starting to make her uncomfortable.
“You’re Fluttershy? The Fluttershy?” Scootaloo’s wings buzzed rapidly, although she remained on the ground.
“Oh, um, well, I’m a Fluttershy,” she stammered. “I don’t know how many there are.” The intensity of Scootaloo’s attention was distressing. It didn’t look like any help was going to be forthcoming, as Rarity was listening intently to Sweetie Belle recount how she got her cutie mark.
“You’re in charge of the weather team, right?” Fluttershy reluctantly nodded. “That is so cool! My dad says that they don’t just let anypony do that. You hafta be really special.”
“Um, actually, I’m not sure that’s really...” Fluttershy trailed off as she could feel shame burning in her face. She knew all too well that the thing that was so “special” about her as far as headquarters had been concerned wasn’t anything like her flying ability, or her leadership, or even her intelligence – merely her bloodline.
“Are you okay, Fluttershy?” Scootaloo asked, concern in her eyes.
Fluttershy tried hide her concern. After all, the other pegasus was still just a filly. There was no need to bust her cloud simply because of Fluttershy’s own problems. “Yes, thank you. I’m fine.”
“I can’t believe I’m really talking to Fluttershy! I heard that you hardly ever come down here to Ponyville. But now you’re here, and we’re hanging out! This is so... so...” Scootaloo fumbled for a word before deciding to go with an old standby. “Cool!”
Fluttershy was at a loss for words. That somepony could idolize her like this wasn’t something she had ever considered, and she had no idea how to respond. Luckily, she had a moment to collect herself, as both her and Scootaloo’s attentions were drawn by a squeal from Sweetie Belle as Rarity lifted her little sister onto her back.
The distraction ended, Scootaloo returned her attention back to her newly-met hero. "So, how incredible is it that we just ran into each other like this?" Her eyes grew even larger than they had been. "Ooh, I know! I should tell you about myself! I mean, I know who you are – only the most awesome pegasus in Equestria – but you don't know anything about me. Would you like to?"
Scootaloo may have been more excitable than Fluttershy was comfortable with, but she certainly didn't want to hurt the filly's feelings. Even before she finished agreeing, though, Scootaloo continued to talk. "My name's Scootaloo – wait, you knew that already. My mom and dad moved to Ponyville from Baltimare before I was born. Mom and Dad are both unicorns – I'm the first pegasus in my family since my great-great-great-grandma Firefly. I don't really know too many pegasi. That's why I haven't really learned how to fly yet. Anyway, like I said, my parents are from Baltimare..."
Although Scootaloo kept talking, Fluttershy couldn't stop thinking about the look she'd had on her face when she mentioned she couldn't fly. Scootaloo looked like she was about the same age as Fluttershy's classmates had been when they all started flying. Despite how much Scootaloo's adoration was making her uncomfortable, she couldn't help but be reminded of her own struggles when she was younger.
"You know, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said, "we don't have too many orders today, and I'm already ahead of schedule. I think I might just have time to make something special for you. Getting your cutie mark certainly calls for a celebration, does it not?"
"Really?" Sweetie Belle's voice squeaked as she hopped off of Rarity's back. "Can I help you bake it? Please?"
"Sweetie, remember what happened last time you tried to cook at home? It took Mother and I days to get the kitchen back to normal." Rarity tried to resist Sweetie Belle's pleading stare. "You know I just work here, right? This isn't actually my bakery."
"I promise I'll be careful." Sweetie Belle pouted. "Pleeeease?"
Rarity didn't stand a chance. "Very well. But," she clarified, "only this once because it's a special occasion, and only if you do exactly what I tell you."
"Yay!" Sweetie exclaimed, throwing her forelegs around Rarity's neck. "Thanks, Rarity!"
From what Fluttershy could tell, the two sisters were having a special family moment she didn't want to interrupt, but she couldn't be sure, as Scootaloo had not stopped talking.
"...and that's my entire life story, up until today. Oh! Wanna hear about today?"
Fluttershy did not especially want to hear about today, but she also didn't want to disappoint somepony that looked up to her the way Scootaloo did. That she too was a late bloomer when it came to her ability to fly only made it worse. "Um, that's very nice, Scootaloo, but I'm not sure I can stay here too much longer. Maybe you could tell me next time?"
That brought an excited gasp from the filly, and a buzzing of her wings. "Next time?"
"Well, the next time the weather team has a big project, you could come and watch. If your parents say it's alright," she quickly added. "You could even meet some of the team." If they were both very lucky, Fluttershy thought, Scootaloo would even find somepony actually deserving of her admiration.
The frantic beating of Scootaloo's wings intensified, lifting her a couple of feet off the ground for a moment. "Oh, wow! That's so cool! Thanks, Fluttershy!"
"You're welcome, Scootaloo."
"Hey, um, Fluttershy?" Scootaloo turned away from her and anxiously scraped her hoof against the floor. "Would it be alright if Sweetie Belle came too? I know she's not a pegasus, but she's my best friend."
"Of course Sweetie Belle can come if she wants." Scootaloo's mention of her best friend couldn't help but make Fluttershy think of Cloud Kicker and hit her with feelings of guilt. With all the time she was spending – was planning to spend – getting to know Other Fluttershy's friends, was she neglecting her best friend that had stuck by her through everything? She didn't think she'd ever be able to forget the way Cloud Kicker had looked back in Canterlot when she thought that Fluttershy was telling her she didn't want to be friends anymore. It was an expression she didn't want to see ever again. She should do something nice for Cloud Kicker to show her she cared.
"Excuse me, Rarity? I'm sorry to interrupt you and your sister, but I was wondering if I could buy something. It's for somepony very important to me."
----------------------------
“Muffins?” Cloud Kicker blinked in surprise at the open pastry box sitting before her on the table.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Cloud Kicker,” Fluttershy apologized, disappointed at the apparent failure of her gift. "I thought you liked muffins. I can go back and get something else if they're no good."
"You don't have to apologize." Cloud Kicker assured her, "You were right, I do like muffins."
Her friend's words did little to stop Fluttershy from worrying. "Did I get the wrong kind?"
"What? No, they're –"
"Did I not get enough? Oh no! Maybe I got too many!"
A pair of lavender hooves and wings wrapped around Fluttershy's body to calm her down. "Relax, Fluttershy. There isn’t anything wrong with the muffins.” Cloud Kicker let go of her friend and grabbed one of the muffins, taking a big bite and smiling. “See? Tasty,” she said through a mouthful of cake and chocolate chips.
“Oh, good,” Fluttershy said, relieved, “I was afraid you didn’t like them. I really wanted to do something special for you.”
Cloud Kicker began to feel like she had somehow missed important parts of the conversation. “Oh. Well, thanks. I’m sorry I made you think I didn’t like them,” she tried to explain, “I was just surprised. What’s the occasion?”
“There isn’t one, not really. I-it’s just that, well, I know I’ve been spending time with Other Fluttershy’s friends lately, and I thought it would be nice to do something... nice for you.” A bright pink blush began to spread across Fluttershy’s face. “You know, to show you how much you mean to me a-and, um, that I care for you. A lot.”
"Oh. Uh, th-that's very... thank you, Fluttershy," Cloud Kicker managed to stammer out before pulling Fluttershy into a hug. "You mean a lot to me, too." As she embraced her friend, one question gnawed at the back of Cloud Kicker's mind. Was Fluttershy just... no, she must be imagining things.
----------------------------
“The theoretical basis for this spell may seem daunting at first, but as you can see –” a beige hoof pointed to the nearby desk, where what appeared to be a simple orange lay unobtrusively, “once you gain experience with the process, it can actually be quite simple.”
Twilight Sparkle hoped Professor Tower didn’t notice how much she was squirming in her seat. Normally, she would find this fascinating. Indeed, she did find it fascinating, but she just couldn’t stay focused today. She looked down at the notes she had been taking – spotty and disjointed, not like her at all. Again she debated with herself if she should really go through with what she was planning. It could be the most important thing she’d ever done, or the most foolish. Possibly even both.
She glanced anxiously up at the clock. There were only a few minutes left in the professor’s scheduled lecture time. Half of her couldn’t wait for them to tick off, but the other half wished they would stretch out for hours. Oh, if only there were some way to stop time while she figured things out!
On one hoof, Fluttershy, for reasons the student still could not fathom, had offered Twilight her friendship. Nopony had ever done that before. Well, nopony except her BBBFF, but that was different. Shiny was family, and family has to love you, even if you’re just a failure who’s never accomplished anything. She could feel herself start to tear up a bit – not now! Not where all her classmates could see!
The strange pegasus may have insisted that Twilight didn’t need to offer her anything beyond friendship, but Twilight couldn’t bring herself to agree. For whatever reason, Fluttershy had chosen to extend a hoof of friendship to her, and she needed to do something nice for her new friend to repay that trust. She wanted to show Fluttershy that she had made the right choice, that she’d placed her trust in a pony of value. A small part of Twilight admitted that she wanted to show herself that, too.
And that was it, wasn’t it? If there really was another Twilight Sparkle out there, an accomplished Twilight Sparkle, maybe that Twilight Sparkle could show her the way. Maybe she could find out what she’d been doing wrong all these years. She could finally be the pony she yearned to be, the pony that actually deserved all the faith and pride her family had in her.
On the other hoof, she still had no reason beyond wishful thinking to believe in any of these bizarre fantasies. Fluttershy may have been friendly and compassionate and understanding, but none of that meant she wasn’t also loonier than a Caneighdian bank vault. If Twilight continued to pursue this, and allowed herself to get her hopes up, it would devastate her to find out that it really was all just the product of a kind-hearted but utterly delusional mind. She wasn’t sure what effect it would have on her friendship with Fluttershy, but it couldn’t be anything good. She didn’t want to lose the only friend she had.
On top of all that, what would Professor Tower think of her? Telling her about any of this was a big risk. Ivory was her favorite teacher, and the one whose opinion mattered the most to her. Even if Twilight turned out to be right about this, she was still going about it all wrong. She was going into this assuming the hypothesis she wanted to be true without any kind of evidence, and that wasn’t the proper scientific way of investigating things. She didn’t want to lose the professor’s respect.
With a start, Twilight realized that her classmates were in the process of putting their stuff away and getting up to leave – her inner debate had caused her to miss the remainder of the professor’s lecture. She played at organizing the contents of her saddlebags while the others exited to the hallway. She had to rein in an exhalation of annoyance when she saw that one pony had stayed to talk with Professor Tower – Twinkleshine. Twilight certainly wasn’t going to say anything potentially embarrassing with her around.
So Twilight Sparkle waited. Her continued efforts to “arrange” her things would have looked farcical were anypony paying attention to her. After a few minutes, the other student left, and she finally had her chance.
“Excuse me, Professor, do you have a few minutes? There’s something I wanted to ask you about.”
Professor Tower looked up from the desk, where she had started to collect the supplies she’d been using during class. “Of course, Miss Sparkle. Did you have a question about the material we covered today?”
Twilight wasn’t sure if the professor had noticed how distracted she had been and was obliquely mentioning it, so she was relieved that the professor didn’t question her saying she didn’t. “I’ve been reading Galaxy’s book on theoretical magic, and I was hoping I could get your thoughts on something she wrote.”
The professor let out a soft chuckle. “You certainly are my most tenacious student.” Seeing a flicker of confusion in Twilight’s eyes, she explained, “I know none of my colleagues assigned you that.”
Twilight couldn’t help but beam a little. “No, this is just a personal interest.”
“It’s good to see you still have the drive you showed during your entrance exam.” She used her magic to grab a couple of chairs and drag them over to where the unicorns were standing. Taking a seat, she asked, “So, what did you want to ask me about?”
Twilight sat down nervously. This was it, now or never. “W-well, it was in her section on thought experiments...” She paused. There was still a chance to back off. She could always just ask about something else – Sunbeam’s Cat, perhaps.
She swallowed hard. If she could help her friend out, wasn’t it worth a little risk?
