> Fluttershy and Annabell > by Mayhem Darkshadow > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Fluttershy and Annabell > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fluttershy and Annabell Part I: The Storm Annabell landed in front of Fluttershy’s door and knocked on it. Fluttershy opened the door. “Oh…high Annabell,” said Fluttershy. She came outside and they went out to the field area behind Fluttershy’s cottage. Annabell volunteered to help get the animals into their homes before the storm came. The Pegasus in charge of weather, lead by Rainbow Dash, had planned a large storm to bring some much needed rain to Ponyville. “So what do you need help with?” asked Annabell quietly. “Oh, well we just need to get all the animals back into their homes before the storm comes,” said Fluttershy. Fluttershy had asked Annabell to help because Annabell was just as quiet as Fluttershy. They worked slowly and carefully and got all the animals safely into their homes. The skies were starting to get very dark just as they finished. “Okay Fluttershy I guess I’ll head home,” said Annabell. “Oh…are you sure why don’t you…just stay,” said Fluttershy. “I think I’ll make it home,” said Annabell. The moment Annabell said that lightning cracked in the sky. Fluttershy and Annabell smacked into each other and shrieked. “Umm…okay I’ll stay,” said Annabell. The galloped to the cottage and got inside just before the rain started coming down hard. Lightning and thunder flashed and banged outside along with the rain and wind. They turned to face each other and smiled. “Well, what should we do now?” asked Annabell. “Hmm…well we can get the hot water going and have some hot chocolate. Maybe we could play a game or something,” said Fluttershy. The trotted into the kitchen and got the water going. Fluttershy got a deck of cards and Annabell made the hot chocolate. “Go fish?” asked Fluttershy. Annabell nodded. They set up the cards and started playing. The storm was getting worse outside and when the thunder stuck again cards flew everywhere. Fluttershy and Annabell squeezed each other tight and they both began to shake. They looked at each other and blushed. They picked up all the cards and then they kept going with their game. They finished playing cards and then sat by the fire and talked while they drank hot chocolate and then tea. “So, how are you adjusting to life in Ponyville princess?” asked Fluttershy. Annabell smiled. “Oh Fluttershy you don’t need to call me that, just Annabell like you have been,” said Annabell. Fluttershy giggled. “It’s been fun, Ponyville is so much different from Canterlot,” said Annabell. Fluttershy smiled. “So…have you done any writing lately?” asked Fluttershy. “Yeah, I’m doing more reader friendly stories instead of my usual dark stuff. I don’t know what has changed,” said Annabell. Fluttershy giggled. “Well, hopefully I can read this one this time,” laughed Fluttershy. The both giggled, when Fluttershy read Annabell’s last story she didn’t sleep right for a week. The storm continued into the night, so Fluttershy just told Annabell to stay the night with her. Together they made tasty dandelion and alfalfa salads and tasty hay milkshakes. They did the dishes together and then decided to get some sleep. “So, were to you want me to sleep?” asked Annabell. “Well,” said Fluttershy. Lightning and thunder cracked outside and Annabell and Fluttershy smacked into each other in fear. “I think you can come and sleep with me,” said Fluttershy in fear. “Yeah, good idea,” said Annabell with the same amount of fear. They made their way upstairs and got ready for bed. The storm was still going on when they both crawled into bed. They just laid there watching the storm out the window. “Umm…Annabell…do you maybe…well…umm…want to…cuddle or something?” asked Fluttershy. Annabell turned and looked at Fluttershy. “Well…umm…I guess if you want to…we could,” said Annabell. They smiled at each other and blushed slightly. Fluttershy turned around and Annabell wrapped herself around Fluttershy. “Mmm, you’re so warm,” said Fluttershy. They watched the storm together for about another half an hour before they both fell asleep. When they woke up the next morning it seemed they had stayed locked together all night. “Good morning,” Annabell told Fluttershy. “Good morning to you to,” said Fluttershy. The sunlight coming into the room was warm so they stayed together for a bit longer before getting up. They went downstairs and made pancakes for breakfast. They ate together, got ready for the day, and then went outside to make sure all the animals were okay. As they worked with the animals Mayhem and Midnight showed up. Midnight ran up to Annabell and jumped on top of her. “High sweetie,” said Annabell. Mayhem walked up. “You to stay safe last night?” asked Mayhem. Fluttershy and Annabell nodded. “Well good to hear. Anyway just thought I’d drop by to let you know that Luna is coming to see us today,” said Mayhem. “Oh okay I’ll be home in a bit,” said Annabell. Mayhem and Midnight looked at each other and shrugged and then flew into the sky. Annabell turned to Fluttershy. “So…I guess I’ll see you later then. Thanks for letting me stay with you,” said Annabell. “Oh, you’re quite welcome. I’ll come by later, I did promise Angel I’d take him to the park today anyway,” said Fluttershy. Neither of them said anything and when their eyes met they blushed. Annabell smiled and then took off after Mayhem and Midnight. When they got to the house Luna was waiting for them. Midnight ran into Luna and knocked her over. “Oh…Midnight that kind of hurt,” said Luna. Annabell and Mayhem and then Luna turned to Midnight. Midnight looked at her with sad eyes. Luna looked at her and then laughed. “Oh you know that I can never be mad at my wittle baby sister,” said Luna. Midnight frowned and they all laughed, she hated it when Luna called her that. “So, ready for a sister’s day out?” asked Luna. Annabell got a shocked look on her face, she had forgotten about their date at the salon and spa. “Oh yeah, sorry I forgot about it. I’ve been doing so much with Fluttershy I lost track of the date,” said Annabell. She laughed nervously and Luna and Mayhem looked at her. “Well, okay that’s fine at least you remembered,” said Luna. They gather themselves together and Luna sent off her guards. Mayhem bid them farewell and then headed to work. Midnight jumped on top of Luna’s back and then they walked into town to the spa. Part II: The Secret Between Sisters The got to the spa for their appointment time right on the dot. They were greeted with endless praise and complements. Now that the whole town knew that Mayhem, Annabell, and Midnight were royalty they were all treated like it. It also didn’t help that Luna was with them today. Annabell didn’t really like all this, she preferred it when nobody knew about them. She always told people just to treat her like they did before they knew she was a princess, but that never worked out. They were led straight to the massage room. The owner of the spa had made sure they had the three best masseuses in Ponyville. While they were being massaged Luna struck up conversation with Annabell. “So…how’s Ponyville sis?” asked Luna. “Oh, really great I like it,” said Annabell. “Well that’s great…so do you miss Canterlot at all?” asked Luna. Annabell was trying to figure out where Luna was going with this conversation. “Of course I miss Canterlot. I miss you and Celestia every day. Mayhem keeps saying I can go home if I’m feeling homesick,” said Annabell. Luna smiled at this comment and then didn’t question Annabell anymore. After massage time they went straight to the sauna. They were the only ones in there so Luna took another opportunity to talk to Annabell. The steam had made Midnight sleep and after just a few minutes she was asleep. “So…so…you’ve been spending a lot of time with Fluttershy?” asked Luna. Annabell jumped when Luna asked this and blushed slightly. “Umm…yeah…we’re becoming really good friends,” said Annabell nervously. Luna looked at Annabell and Annabell turned redder. “Hmm…are you sure you’re not more than that?” asked Luna. Annabell turned as red as a stop sign. Luna moved closer to her and wrapped a wing around Annabell. “Hey no need to be embarrassed, and to tell you the truth I’ve been watching you for years and have been getting the cues,” said Luna. Annabell looked a Luna with big eyes. “Am I a freak?” asked Annabell. Luna wrapped herself around Annabell and hugged her. “Absolutely not,” said Luna. After their spa time Luna told them she had to head back to Canterlot. Annabell and Midnight tried to get her to stay, but she told them she had some things to take care of. Midnight decided then she would go find her friends and they would do more crazy things in order to get their cutie marks. Annabell didn’t know what to do so she went home to try and maybe write something. She went up to her room and shut herself in it, locked all the windows, and drew the blinds. She preferred the quiet and the darkness. For the longest time she couldn’t figure anything out. Then, out of the blue, something popped into her head and she began to write. A love story between too very close people, hidden from those close to them, only to be found out a party when caught by some of their close friends and family members. Annabell kept writing and writing until she was ten pages in. She took a break and read what she had so far and then fell out of her chair. It was a story about her and Fluttershy being lovers. Well not literally the names of the characters were different but it was between a beautiful Pegasus and a fair princess. She got back into her chair and then tried to keep writing. For what felt like an hour her pen didn’t even move. She thought she had come across something and then put her pen on the paper when someone touched her on the shoulder. She jumped and teleported onto her bed. It was Fluttershy. “Oh, I’m sorry Annabell I didn’t mean to startle you. Mayhem let me in,” said Fluttershy. She bent down to pick up the papers that had flown all over the place when she stopped to read on. Fluttershy’s face got really red and she flew out the door. “Wait Fluttershy!” called Annabell. Annabell found Fluttershy alone by the pond. She wasn’t doing anything, just staring at the reflection of the moon on the water. Annabell was trying to think of how to put this as she walked up. “Flutt…Fluttershy I’m sorry,” said Annabell. Fluttershy turned towards Annabell, and she was smiling. “Why are you sorry,” smiled Fluttershy. Annabell didn’t understand why Fluttershy was smiling. Fluttershy got up and walked towards Annabell and then without warning kissed her. “I thought I was acting weird at first. When I met you all those months ago something just sparked in my mind. I wanted us to be together, but my being shy had taken care of that. But when I read that paper I knew you to felt something,” said Fluttershy. Annabell wasn’t sure what to say, she just looked at Fluttershy. They, and she didn’t know for what reason, she pulled Fluttershy closer to her with magic. They looked into each other’s eye intimately. “We can’t tell anybody,” said Annabell. Fluttershy nodded and then they kissed in the moonlight. “Who’s my pretty little princess?” asked Fluttershy. Annabell giggled and blushed. Part III: Foalsitting Gone Wrong Fluttershy and Annabell’s relationship began to blossom from that point on. They decided they would just keep it as a secret for a while until they were ready to come out and tell their friends and family. They still spent a lot of time together, whether it was with friends or private time at one of their houses. Annabell did tell Fluttershy that Luna had been noticing Annabell’s behavior and she definitely knew about them, but Fluttershy was okay with that. Other than Luna nobody else had a clue. It had been a few months into their relationship and they were spending time alone at Annabell’s. They were reading the finished product of the story Fluttershy had caught her writing. They had a blanket pulled over them and they were drinking hot coco while they did. Winter had finally come and it was starting to get really cold outside. As they were reading there was a loud thumping noise from upstairs. Annabell looked up at the ceiling and glared. She had agreed that she would take care of some of Midnights friends for the night, Applebloom and Sweetie Bell, because Rarity was in Canterlot for the day and Applejack was away helping on her extended families farm. Scootaloo was also over for the night because Midnight had asked if they could have a big sleep over. Annabell was now starting to realize what she had agreed to. “Do you want me to go talk to them?” asked Fluttershy. Annabell smiled at Fluttershy. “No but thanks for offering. I’m sure at some point they will calm down and fall asleep,” said Annabell. There was another load thumping noise and then the sound of a door opening. “Alright girls, let’s go see if we can get our cutie marks in snow castle building,” said Midnight. There was a loud cheer and then some screamed. “Midnight look out,” yelled Applebloom. There as a loud thud and then lots of thuds. Annabell and Fluttershy turned to see Midnight falling down the last few steps on stairs. Annabell jumped up and ran over to her sister. The other girls could be heard running down the stairs. When Annabell got over Midnight was on the ground not moving. Her eyes were closed tight and she was clenching her teeth. Tears were pouring from her eyes; Annabell knew she was in a lot of pain. “Girls, what happened?” asked Annabell. Sweetie Bell spoke up. “Well we were walking down the hall and Midnight was walking backwards and talking to us. She didn’t realize how close the stairs were and she tripped when she stepped off the,” said Sweetie Bell. Annabell looked down again at her sister, she was really hurt. “Fluttershy watch the girls for me for a bit I need to take her to the hospital,” said Annabell. Not wanting to touch her Annabell lifted Midnight up with magic and put her on her back and galloped out of the house to the hospital. When Annabell got there they took Midnight from her and went straight into surgery. She sat in the waiting room for an hour and a half before they were done. It was getting late and it had started to snow outside. They let Annabell into the room they were keeping Midnight in. “Well she had quite a rough fall but luckily nothing serious happened to her,” said the doctor. Annabell walked into the room and saw Midnight on her side asleep. She had a bandage wrapped around her head, her right wing was in a cast, and there were bandages wrapped around her body. “She’s under some heavy meds right now to help her sleep. She has a slight concussion, some bruised ribs, and her right wing is broken. We are going to keep her here for the night so we can watch her. We’ll give you medicine to help with the pain and to help her sleep. Overall I’d say she in very luck. Are you going to stay for a while?” asked the doctor. Annabell nodded and he left her in the room. Annabell used magic to pull a seat up to the bed and then she sat down and cried for a bit. An hour passed and Fluttershy brought the rest of the girls by. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo had made a giant card for Midnight and stood it up next to the bed. Fluttershy sat down with Annabell and squeezed her a bit. Another hour passed by and Mayhem showed up. Fluttershy had left a note telling him what happened. “How is she,” he said quietly. “She’s been sleeping for a few hours now. She has a concussion, bruised ribs, and a broken wing. The doctor said she was lucky and that it could have been worse,” said Annabell. Annabell yawned and rubber her eyes. “Hey you’ve been here for a while. Go home and get some sleep,” said Mayhem. Annabell was going to argue, but the girls were curled up in the corner sleep so she decided not to. She and Fluttershy woke them up and then they went home. The snow was coming down so Annabell put up a magic bubble to protect them from the wind and falling snow. When they got home they put the girls to bed. Annabell told Fluttershy just to stay here for the night because of the weather. They went upstairs to her room and crawled into bed quietly and were asleep in minutes. When they woke up in the morning the snow had really piled up. Annabell got out of bed and stretched and Fluttershy followed in suit. They went downstairs and really got a good look at all the snow that had piled up. There were two letters sitting at the front door, from Rarity and Applejack, both saying that they were stuck in their respective location unable to get back to Ponyville. Annabell put them away and then yet another letter appeared and it was from Big Mac saying that they were snowed in at Sweetapple Acres and he wouldn’t be able to come get Applebloom. “Well it looks like the girls will be with us until the snow clears,” said Annabell. Fluttershy was pretty worried about her animals back at the house. Annabell told her they would figure out a way to get over there is possible. They went into the kitchen and started cooking a breakfast of eggs, toast, and hay bacon strips. About half way through the cooking the girls showed up yawning and rubbing their eyes. “Good morning girls,” said Annabell, “Well the snow has really piled up so you all will be staying here until it clears up.” The girls nodded and then sat down at the table. Right as Annabell and Fluttershy laid out breakfast there was a poof and Mayhem and Midnight appears in the entrance to the house. Midnight was on her feet but walking slowly. Annabell trotted over to them. Mayhem had a bag in his mouth that he took to the kitchen and dropped on the counter. “All the pills she has to take. There is a list of when and what. She has had she morning pills already,” said Mayhem. Annabell smiled and then bent down and gave Midnight a very light kiss. “My poor little baby sister. How do you feel sweetie?” asked Annabell. “Hungry,” said Midnight. She was just as peppy as ever. They laughed and Fluttershy helped her to the table. “Celestia and Luna will be by later today to see her,” said Mayhem. “They’re going to come even with all the snow?” asked Annabell. Mayhem nodded and told them to just teleport straight to the house. They ate breakfast and then the girls went into the living room to play board games. Annabell and Mayhem kept glancing at Midnight, but she was acting as if she had never been hurt. “She puts on such a brave face,” said Annabell. “Yep, she’s a trooper,” said Mayhem. Celestia and Luna showed up about an hour after they had finished with breakfast. It had started snowing again and it was a good thing that Mayhem had told them to teleport into the house. Midnight was happy that they had come to see her. They sat in the living room for awhile and then Mayhem said he had to go upstairs and take care of something. “Annabell may I talk to you in the kitchen,” said Celestia. Annabell looked up from the game she was playing with Luna and her sister and friends. “Oh…sure,” said Annabell. Fluttershy took over for Annabell and Annabell followed Celestia into the kitchen. Celestia kept her back to Annabell until they got into the kitchen and turned and faced her. The look on her face was not a good. “I am very disappointed in you,” said Celestia. Her tone was harsh and it hit Annabell like needles. “I didn’t think yesterday that I was going to get an urgent message letting me know that my baby sister was in the hospital. I know Mayhem is the oldest but you are still responsible for Midnight. The level of disappointment in you is off the charts,” said Celestia. Annabell had never been scolded like this; Celestia was always kind to her. Annabell tried to speak but Celestia cut her off. “I don’t want to hear anything. You were responsible for your sister and because you didn’t take the time to watch her she got hurt. At least we are lucky it wasn’t serious. What if she snapped her neck or spine? She could have been in serious danger. I mean what were you.” But Celestia stopped when she looked at Annabell. Annabell had given up fighting back the tears and they were falling down her face. She turned and ran out of the kitchen and up to her room and slammed the door with magic and locked it. Annabell spent what felt like a solid hour crying her eyes out. Celestia had never ever scolded her in her life. While she cried she heard arguing from downstairs. From what she heard it sounded like Mayhem and Luna were yelling at Celestia. It got real quiet and then there was the sound of someone coming up the steps. There was a knock at the door. “Annabell, may I come in?” It was Celestia. Annabell unlocked the door with magic but didn’t get out of bed. Celestia walked over to the bed and sat down next to Annabell on the floor. Annabell flipped around and wouldn’t look her in the eyes. “Mayhem just told me the whole story. He said Midnight only got hurt because she wasn’t looking where she was going and tripped. Luna was the one that had got the letter and didn’t tell me that part. I shouldn’t have scolded you like that without you telling me your story. I feel bad that I made you cry and I’m sorry,” said Celestia. An then something happened that Annabell had never seen before, Celestia started crying. Annabell turned around and looked her sister in the eyes. She was crying. Then without warning Celestia pulled Annabell out of bed and embraced her. “Oh Bell Bell I’m so sorry,” cried Celestia. Celestia hadn’t called her Bell Bell since she was a filly. Annabell could help shed a few tears herself. “You’ve never yelled at me like that before and I think that it really scared me a lot,” sniffed Annabell. “I know I thought about that. I’ve only yelled at Mayhem because, well mom and dad gave him that name for a reason. But I yelled at you and you’re my baby sister. Luna and Mayhem were really mad and so was your friend Fluttershy,” said Celestia. Annabell almost jumped when Celestia said that, Fluttershy had never yelled or even gotten angry before. Celestia held Annabell out from her and looked her in the eyes. She gave her a kiss on the forehead. Annabell smiled and then they laughed a bit. Luna and Celestia ended up staying the whole day with them and then when they couldn’t get back to Canterlot the night. They all had lots of fun together, playing games and just talking. Annabell only left briefly with Fluttershy to go to her house and check on the animals. Fluttershy wanted to stay but didn’t want Annabell to head home alone in this weather so she came back. Over dinner Celestia told them, and told them to also tell the rest of their friends, that they were all invited to the Grand Winter Time Ball. Annabell, Midnight, and Mayhem had attended every year up until Mayhem’s banishment and were glad to come back. “Twilight already knows and I’m sure will be letting everyone else know. I want all of you to come a week in advance and you will all be staying in the castle,” Celestia told them. This sounded like fun and they all couldn’t wait. After dinner was done they all eventually made their way up to bed. Annabell had gone upstairs during dinner and, with a little help from some magic, made the bed about four times its regular size. Fluttershy and Annabell slept in the middle and then Celestia and Luna sandwiched with them on the outsides. They talked for a long time, mostly telling Fluttershy about the ball. They talked for what seemed like hours and then Celestia eventually fell asleep and so did Fluttershy. Luna and Annabell were still awake for awhile. “So, how are things between you two?” asked Luna. “They are good,” said Annabell softly. “Have you told anybody?” asked Luna. “Besides you, no we are still waiting for a good time,” said Annabell. Luna smiled. “Well that is glad to hear. I like Fluttershy a lot she has great personality,” said Luna. They both yawned and that was the sign that they both needed to catch some sleep. Part IV: The Winter Ball Everyone was excited about the Winter Ball. Twilight had got to telling everyone else and they were all making plans for it. Celestia had a long list of stuff to do with all of them the week before the ball. The list of those coming included Mayhem, Rainbow Dash, Annabell, Fluttershy, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Midnight, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Spike. The sleeping arrangements had been made by Annabell. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom would be sleeping with Midnight in her room. Mayhem and Rainbow Dash would be in Mayhem’s room. Rarity, Twilight, Applejack, Spike, and Pinkie Pie would be staying in one of the guest rooms. That just left Fluttershy with Annabell in her room. Everyone didn’t understand why Fluttershy was staying with Annabell instead of in the guest room but they made the argument that six people would be too crowded and Annabell also said she didn’t want to be alone. Everyone seemed to by this and Annabell and Fluttershy felt they had dodged a bullet. A week before they were going to leave Rarity told them all to come over for the day so they could square away the ensemble for everyone. Mayhem, Annabell, and Midnight were the last ones to show up. Today was also the same day that Midnight got the cast off her wing. She was bouncing around with joy as they entered the shop. She ran over to her friends and they began to talk about the next crazy thing to do now that she was better. Rarity ensured that she would be very gentle when it came time to work with midnight. She had them all sit in front of her while she sat with pen and paper drawing up designs. They would all be tailored to individual designs, all except for Mayhem and Rainbow Dash because they were going to be matching. Rarity decided to start with them first because they would be the most complex. Afterwards she just made her way down the line. Stuff was flying all over the place as she worked. They took breaks for lunch and dinner and by the end of the day she had finished Mayhem’s tuxedo, Rainbow Dash’s dress, and all the little girls’ dresses. She said she would have them done before they left and that they would all be spectacular. Rarity wasn’t kidding when she told them this. She had them all come over the day before they were scheduled to leave for Canterlot to show them her work. They were all amazing and she had made them to fit everyone’s personality. After everyone tried them on Rarity packed them up with the utmost care, the first thing they were going to be doing was pictures. She shooed them all away so she could work. Mayhem said he had to get back to work and Midnight ran off with her friends. Annabell and Fluttershy decided to walk through the park. The snow was gone for now and it was the warmest it had been all winter. They were still bundled up but not as much. Their dresses had been perfect, but they noticed that they both contained a lot of the same colors. They were discussing whether Rarity had clued in on them but in the end decided not to worry about it. They all had to get up early to get to the first train to Canterlot. Mayhem ended up carrying Midnight on his back because she kept falling asleep. It was still dark outside when they got to the train station. Almost everyone was there. Mayhem when to go stand by Rainbow Dash and plopped Midnight with the rest of the little fillies on his was. Annabell went and stood with the rest of the girls. Nobody really talked that much. Rarity and Sweetie Belle were the last ones to show up. Rarity was using magic to drag along all the bags that she had along with the outfits for the Ball. They all loaded up and then the train pulled out of the station exactly on time. They would arrive in Canterlot as soon as the sun began to rise. Nobody talked, in fact most of them slept. The train ride took two hours and the sun just began to come up when they arrive at Canterlot Station. A whole army of palace guards and six carriages were waiting for them. They used magic to load all the bags and in a jiffy they were off to the castle. The streets were very quiet and not many ponies were out and about, but it was still really early in the morning. When they finally arrived at the castle there were four people waiting for them at the front door. Twilight perked up instantly and as soon as they stopped she was out the door and running up the steps. Annabell looked to see who was there. Celestia and Luna were there but so were to other people she recognized instantly. Twilights brother Shinning Armor and his wife Princess Cadence, Twilight’s sister in law and Celestia, Luna, Mayhem, Annabell, and Midnight’s niece. Annabell hadn’t seen Cadence since the wedding and took off after Twilight to see them. “Twili,” called Shining Armor and Cadence. They all embraced and then Cadence broke off and ran to Annabell. “Auntie Annabell,” said Cadence. Annabell didn’t like it when Cadence called her Auntie; Cadence was much older than Annabell and way older than Midnight. Cadence had been a foalsitter for both of them. Everyone made their way to greet everyone. Mayhem was the last to get to them; he was coordinating with the guards. He was greeted first by Shining Armor. “Long time no see,” said Shining Armor. They brohoofed and then kept talking. “Yeah man sorry I couldn’t be at the wedding. But you can never separate the president and his right hand man,” said Mayhem. Mayhem and Shining Armor had been friends since magic kindergarten and had been known to cause a lot of chaos around Canterlot. Mayhem then moved on to Cadence. They embraced for a long time. “Now if you call me Uncle I’m going to squeeze you to death,” he joked. Cadence laughed. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time. They all moved inside to the entrance hall. “Well, who’s hungry for breakfast?” asked Celestia. Everyone raised their hoofs and then headed for the dining room. A feast for breakfast had already been laid out before them and they all sat down and dug in. “So, everyone is free to do whatever until this afternoon. We have pictures to take and I want everyone to be dressed as if they ball was tonight,” said Celestia. They all had individual plans, most of which involved catching some for shut eye. They had instructed the little fillies to go to Midnight’s room and take a nap since they kept falling into their plates and waking back up with food on their faces. Mayhem was going to take Dash on a sky tour of the surrounding area. Applejack and Rarity decided on sleep. Pinkie was going to go into town and visit Joe’s Doughnut shop upon Joe’s request. Twilight was going to spend time with Cadence and Shining Armor. That just left Annabell and Fluttershy. They had no plans other than to go up to Annabell’s room. Everybody went their respective ways after breakfast. Luna volunteered to take the Cutie Mark Crusaders to bed and Annabell and Fluttershy offered to help. Afterwards Luna parted from them to go to bed and that just left them walking up the many flights of stairs. They talked along the way. Fluttershy was amazed when they finally arrived. The room was massive, large as well as tall. The bed was big enough for ten ponies. There were doors that lead to a balcony that overlooked the valley. “This room is beautiful Annabell,” said Fluttershy. They walked over to the bed and Annabell jumped onto it and gave Fluttershy a very intimate look. They kissed and then Annabell pulled Fluttershy onto the bed with magic. “You need to warn me when you do that,” said Fluttershy. Annabell smiled and they kept kissing. Then through the kissing they both yawned. They smiled at each other and crawled under the covers for a quick nap. They were woken up by a knock on the door three hours later. “You who I’ve got your dresses ladies,” said Rarity at the door. The jumped out of bed and Annabell opened the door. Rarity gave them the dresses and then continued to deliver them to people around the castle. Annabell set them on the bed and then they both started getting ready. Fluttershy and Annabell were leaving their hair as is so it was mostly just cleaning up and making sure they looked pretty. It took an hour but with each other’s help they got into their dresses. They were very similar and they were really starting to wonder, but they decided not to worry. Annabell opened the door to the bedroom. “After you beautiful,” she told Fluttershy. Fluttershy blushed and then exited the room. Annabell led them downstairs to the entrance hall were pictures were being done. It looked like they were the last ones to arrive. The only other ponies missing were Mayhem and Rainbow Dash. Everyone looked beautiful. They had never seen Celestia in a dress before, well Annabell was the only one who actually had, and it was elegant. Luna looked just as beautiful. She was trying to make sure the little ones were all put together without messing up herself. Mayhem and Rainbow Dash eventually showed up five minutes before the photographer arrived. Finally the photographer arrived. “Alright doesn’t everyone look beautiful,” said the photographer, “Why don’t we start with the Princesses and the Prince.” It started with them all, then individuals, then Celestia and Luna, then Celestia and the younger ones, then Luna and the younger ones, then Cadence, Luna, Celestia, Annabell, and Midnight, then Mayhem and Cadence, and so on. After they did Celestia and Twilight, then all the Ponyville girls, and then some individuals of everyone. Then they took a small break and did couples shots quickly. Cadence and Shining Armor went and then Mayhem and Rainbow Dash. “Ok, now let’s do some sibling shots,” said the photographer. Twilight took photos with Shining Armor and Cadence and then ones separate with each of them. They had already done the royal family so they moved on to the other siblings. First Applejack and Apple Bloom, then Rarity and Sweetie Belle. “Any other sister photos?” asked the photographer. “Yeah I suppose Scootaloo could take a picture with her new big sister,” said Rainbow Dash. Everyone got looks of surprise on their faces, expect for Mayhem. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo took their photos with everyone still in disbelief. “When did this happen?” asked Twilight. “Oh Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity with an excited face. “Well looki there ain’t that just precious,” said Applejack. “Dashie’s got a sissy, Dashie’s got a sissy,” said Pinkie Pie as she bounced around with joy. “So cute,” said Fluttershy and Annabell. Rainbow Dash and Scoot finished and then she explained. “Yeah the adoption papers cleared at the beginning of last month. I am now Scootaloo’s official guardian and big sister,” said Rainbow Dash. The rest of the girls turned to Mayhem. “Why didn’t you tell us,” they all said. “Well Dashie asked me to keep it a secret until the proper time,” said Mayhem. They were all so happy they completely forgot they were still taking photos. “Anymore before I shove off?” asked the photographer. Mayhem and Shining Armor decided to do some bro shots. “Any others?” asked the photographer. Nobody said anything and then Annabell looked at Fluttershy. “Yes, can you do one more set of couple shots?” asked Annabell. Annabell and Fluttershy walked forward and then stood together and put their head next to each other. They did their photos quickly and then the photographer left. Nobody looked surprised. “What, you all knew?” asked Annabell. They all laughed. “Bellie the one thing that you have never been good at is hiding a secret,” said Mayhem. Annabell and Fluttershy looked at each other and smiled. “We all knew all along,” said Twilight. “Yes, why do you think you dresses are so similar?” asked Rarity. They all laughed. “Wait Celestia you even knew?” asked Annabell. Celestia laughed. “I asked Luna about it and you know that she isn’t good at lying either. I got it out of her. I think it is so cute though,” said Celestia. Annabell and Fluttershy looked at each other and felt much better; they didn’t have to keep their love for each other a secret any longer. The week went on and they participated in all the activities Celestia had lines up, from taking a tour through the mountains of Canterlot to tasting the food that was going to be served at the dinner before the ball. Then came the day, the day of the Winter Ball. All of Canterlot was now in full swing in preparation. They all spent the day getting ready and making sure that everything was perfect. Now that Annabell and Fluttershy’s relationship was out in the open they could really start acting like they wanted to, they were even going to walk together into the ball room. It was tradition that the members of the Royal family walk in individually with their guest so if could be announced to the other participants. Princess Celestia would be walking with Twilight, since Luna didn’t have a guest and Midnight was too young they would be walking together, then they would be followed by Mayhem and Rainbow Dash, then Cadence and Shining Armor, and finally they would enter together. Since neither of them had much to do they spent most of the day sleeping. Everyone else was busy getting ready, especially Rarity. About two hours before they had to be ready to enter the ball room they were shaken awake by Luna. “Come on love bird’s time to wake up,” laughed Luna as she shook the bed with magic. They groaned and then giggled and decided they should get ready. Luna smiled and then left them to go get ready herself. They showered and then did each other’s hair, mostly just making sure it held its natural shape. They then got into their dresses and by the time they had finished it was time for them to be downstairs. They met everyone outside the entrance hall; all the other guests had already been moved into the ball room. Before the royal family entered Celestia had made sure that they rest of the girls got some of the spot lot to, that and they were all sitting at the same table. The doors to the room opened. “An now let me present the esteemed attendees of this ball,” said the announcer, “Firstly the Royal guests from Ponyville.” All the girls walked into the room and were met with applause. “And now the members of the Royal family and their guests. Princess Celestia and her student Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia and Twilight walked into the room. “Princess Luna and Princess Midnight.” Luna and Midnight followed Celestia and Twilight into the room. “Prince Mayhem and Ms. Rainbow Dash of Ponyville.” Mayhem and Rainbow Dash, with some dramatic paused, walked into the ball room. “Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard of Canterlot.” Cadence and Shining Armor walked into the room. Fluttershy was starting to get nervous. “Alright here we go,” said Annabell. She herself was nervous, it felt like she had butterflies in her stomach. They straightened up and then waited for their cue. “And finally Princess Annabell and Ms. Fluttershy of Ponyville.” They walked into the ball room and were met with a dead quiet crowd. Some people were murmuring. An then through the silence there was clapping. It was Celestia. The rest of Annabell’s family and her friends all followed and then the crowd started. It got louder and louder until it was almost ear splitting. They got to the table and took their designated spots. Everyone sat down and then Celestia addressed the crowd. “Thank you all for coming and thank you for the wonderful amount of applause. And now let the feast begin.” Food appeared before them and all around them and they all dug in. After dinner the tables were moved away with magic and the band came in. Mayhem pulled some strings and they were all musicians from Ponyville lead by Octavia. Vinyl was ever there, playing the piano instead of her usual turntables and synthesizers. They all began to dance and then the crowd followed. Annabell also stopped here and there to talk to some of her friends and introduce Fluttershy. Fluttershy was not her usual self; she was open with everyone and spent a lot of time talking. They also spent a lot of time dancing, both with each other and with other people. By the end of the night Annabell had danced with Fluttershy, Shining Armor, Mayhem, Cadence, Luna, Celestia, Midnight, and her friend Alexander from flight school. Eventually they got tired and went outside to cool off. Fluttershy found seats while Annabell got drinks. They sat down and looked around. Midnight and her friends were playing with some of the other fillies. They also saw Mayhem and Rainbow Dash talking with the Wonderbolts. Mayhem with to flight school with Spitfire and they had been best friends ever since. Rainbow Dash was trying to hold her cool but she wasn’t doing a good job at it. Then Annabell noticed someone walking up to Mayhem, his old girlfriend Golden Crown. “Well well well, look who decided showed his face around here,” she said. Mayhem looked at her and rolled his eyes. “Oh you, this night was wonderful until now. Last time I checked I was a prince and this was the castle I lived in,” said Mayhem. Annabell was impressed at how well Mayhem was keeping his cool. “Well then who is this then?” said Golden Crown as she pointed at Rainbow Dash, “So I guess you can add cheating on me to list of things you’ve done to me.” Mayhem was still keeping his cool, but Annabell could see he was getting agitated. “I broke up with you three years ago. This is my girlfriend Rainbow Dash and we were having a wonderful conversation until you butted in. Why don’t you get lost,” said Mayhem. Golden Crown just kept going though. “Rainbow Dash huh? You don’t deserve him at all honey. Nobody deserves him but me, Golden Crown, the number one Pegasus in Equestria,” spouted off Golden Crown. Rainbow Dash backed away and looked like she was about to cry. Spitfire stepped in for the rescue. “Honey I went to flight school with you and I’m sorry but you are not the best Pegasus in Equestria. In fact you’re yelling at her right now. Dash is the only pony I’ve ever seen do a sonic rainboom so I think that would make her the best in Equestria,” said Spitfire. Rainbow Dash perked up a little bit but then Golden Crown took another shot at her. “Well I see you taste has changed dramatically. You went from dating a star member of Canterlot to some dumpy pony from Loserville.” An then Rainbow Dash cracked. Her eyes filled with tears and she took off into the sky like a bullet. Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts were about to go after her but there was a big boom and the sky lit up with a giant rainbow burst. An then Mayhem cracked and his anger unleashed and he lashed out at Golden Crown. “IF YOU EVER COME NEAR THIS CASTLE AGAIN I’LL BE SURE IT IS THE LAST THING YOU EVER DO! IF YOU EVER TALK TO ME AGAIN I’LL BE SURE IT IS THE LAST THING YOU EVER DO! IF YOU EVER COME NEAR RAINBOW DASH AGAIN OR TRY TO TALK TO HER I’LL BE SURE IT IS THE LAST THING THAT YOU EVER DO!” Annabell now knew this was going to get bad. She got out of her chair and ran at Mayhem, but there was a large burst of fire and Mayhem disappeared. Annabell ran up to where he had been and put of the fire. She then glared at Golden Crown. “Guards, please remove Golden Crown from the castle grounds and be sure she doesn’t try to get back in,” said Annabell. Golden Crown glared at Annabell as the guards grabbed her. Annabell looked at the rest of the crowd outside; they all had looks of absolute horror on her face, and then Annabell saw Celestia. She was standing with Cadence and Shining Armor. Annabell ran up to them. “What was that?” asked Shining Armor. “We’ll talk about it later,” said Celestia. The ordeal with Mayhem became the talk between everyone for the rest of the ball. When the final party guests left Celestia rounded everyone up. “Well that night could have gone better. Everyone is free to change out of their clothes and if they wish go to bed. For those who aren’t tired they can join Twilight and me in the library for hot chocolate and a warm fire. Everyone went off to their room. Neither Annabell nor Fluttershy was tired so they got out of their dresses and went down to the library. This seemed to be the same for everyone else, even Midnight, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. The cooks brought them a bunch of cups of hot chocolate and kept refilling anyone who ran out. “So, what was that tonight?” asked Shining Armor. “Yeah it seems like we are the only two who are shocked beyond disbelief,” said Cadence. They all looked at Celestia. “Well I guess you need to know now. That was the real reason Mayhem was not at your wedding,” said Celestia. Shining Armor looked confused and Cadence looked slightly angry. “What, I still don’t understand?” asked Cadence. “Mayhem was not at your wedding because at that point in time he was banished from Canterlot,” said Celestia. Shining Armor got a confused look on his face and Cadence was still very puzzled. “Three years ago I caught Mayhem experiment with dangerous magic, specifically body morphing spells. I banished him for it and had regretted it because I should have helped him. Anyway one of his spells back fired and created what you saw tonight. When he gets angry his body morphs on its own to that. I fear though that it could be much more, I think that spell has created an alternate personality and I believe at some point if he loses total control it will come out,” said Celestia. Cadence was speechless and Shining Armor was putting the pieces together in his head. “But wait why do you allow him to remain in Ponyville?” asked Shining Armor. “Because he seems to be more relaxed while in Ponyville, and also his love for Rainbow Dash has far exceeded his endless rage,” said Celestia. Cadence and Shining Armor looked at each other. It was quiet for a bit and then there was a burst of fire and Mayhem and Rainbow Dash appeared. She looked much happier then when she flew off and was even laughing at Mayhem’s jokes. They sat down in the circle. “I’m sorry about all that,” said Mayhem. “It’s okay, that was a tricky situation but you showed a great amount of control,” said Celestia, “Let’s just put it behind us for now.” Celestia turned to Fluttershy and Annabell. “I want to hear more about you two. Let’s hear how this relationship has blossomed up,” said Celestia. Annabell looked at Fluttershy and she giggled. They looked at everyone and then began to tell their story.