Little is known about Fluttershy's past. Aside from her days in flight camp with Rainbow Dash, her friends know almost nothing about her foalhood. But it's on a lonely night when Twilight Sparkle finds a gentle yellow pegasus crying by herself, and learns the shocking truth about Fluttershy's parents.
The party at the Ponyville Library was going off without a hitch. Twilight Sparkle poured several glasses of fruit punch on a tray which she then levitated into the main room. She was happy to see her guests enjoying themselves, at least to some extent. And they weren't just any usual party guests; this night just happened to be Parent's Night. Twilight had been anticipating getting her friends together with their parents for a long month. Now she was ever eager to please her guests. As Twilight rested the beverages on a table, she was acknowledged by her own mother and father.
"Twilight honey, this is a very nice party you threw together." Twilight Velvet smiled at her daughter. "It's been a while since we caught up."
"It was nothing, Mom," replied the younger Twilight. "I'm just glad to see you're having a good time."
"Your friends seem pretty charming, Twily," said Night Light. "Although it looks like their parents are a bit odd."
"Really?" Twilight gave a quizzical look around the library at her pals and their folks. Over by a bookcase, Rainbow Dash was standing with her mother and father with an irritated glare. Her mother wiped her daughter's blue face with a spat upon hoof.
"Mom, stop it!" urged Rainbow annoyed.
Her mother stopped her cleansing and looked at her discerningly. "Well I can't let you socialize with a smudged face, Rainbow. Honestly, how does a pony get so filthy? Probably from all that weather control nonsence."
"But Mom, it's kind of what I do."
"You should get a real job." Mrs. Dash huffed. "And don't give me that attitude, young lady! We're at a party and you should be on your best behavior; especially after that stunt you pulled when you showed up here."
"So I was flying a little fast, big deal!"
"A 'little' fast?!" repeated Mrs. Dash. "You're lucky your father showed late to miss it."
"What's that?" asked Mr. Dash hearing himself mentioned.
Mrs. Dash turned to her clueless husband. "Dear, do you know your daughter was speeding on her way here?"
"Really?" Mr. Dash replied and turned to his daughter with a grin. "Did you break your own speed record?" he asked her.
Rainbow smiled at her father's enthusiasm. But her mother only gave him a nagging stare. Mr. Dash changed his tone, intimidated by his own wife, and continued to Rainbow.
"Er, uh, I mean, that was very irresponsible of you, Rainbow. You should know better." He then gave her a knowing wink.
Rainbow smirked, only to be bothered by her mother's spit washed hoof again.
Close by, Rarity was sitting on one of the couches also with her parents. But her face resembled Rainbow's as she sat in the middle of her mother and father's ramblings.
"So your mother and I are thinkin' aboot gettin' a timeshare in Vanhoover." Her father chatted. "Some ponies may say it's a waste o' money; but they'll be sorry once we're skiin' every holiday, youbetcha."
"Oh Rarity, I ran into the most charming stallion on the way here." Her mother added. "He says he works with his family over in the apple orchards, dontcha know. And I betcha he's single! Hint, hint." She then turned to her husband. "Oh honey, did you remember to pack the shampoos for tonight?"
"Just use the ones at the hotel." He replied.
"Uck! You know I don't trust hotel products."
"Well what did ya want me to do? We we're runnin' late fer the train."
Rarity found the perfect moment to break away from her parents' bickerings and walked over to Applejack, who was standing by drinking punch. The unicorn sulked and spoke to her.
"Ugh, I can't stand to listen to one more moment of my parents' drab conversations, Applejack. You're lucky you were raised by your grandmother."
Applejack smirked. "What are ya kiddin'? Ah would just be in misery if Ah had to live with mah folks in stuffy ol' Manehattan. Besides, Granny Smith here is all the parent Ah need. Right, Granny Smith?" She turned to the elderly green mare snoring in a rocking chair beside her. Applejack gently nudged her sleeping grandmother.
"Heh? Wha? Whosit?" Granny Smith babbled as she stirred awake. "Are the fruit bats eatin' the harvest again?"
"No, Granny Smith," said Applejack. "We're at the party."
"Oh butter buns, Ah fergot ta bring the gelotine."
Applejack only smiled and put a hoof on her lovable granny.
Rarity continued. "Well, at least I don't have it as bad as Pinkie Pie. Her parents haven't said a word all night. And they are most strange."
Across the room, Pinkie Pie stood beside her amish mother and father with a nervous smile on her face. Sue and Clyde only stared blankly with their eyelids lowered.
Noticing her friend's discomfort, Twilight walked over to the pink party mare. "Pinkie, are you feeling alright? You and your parents haven't done anything."
"Oh, uh, I'm super, Twilight!" Pinkie exaggerated. "Yup, me and my folks are just peachy keen! Right, Mom and Dad?" She looked to both her parents. But Clyde and Sue continued to stare discerningly. Pinkie smiled sheepishly.
"Well, if you say so." Twilight said with confusion and walked away. She then looked outside one of the windows, feeling something was missing, and called over to Night Light. "Hey Dad, have you seen Fluttershy at all?"
"You mean the animal caretaker?" replied Night Light walking by. "No, I didn't see her come up."
Twilight peered out the window again a bit concerned. Then, she felt a pearly white hoof poke her shoulder.
"Twilight, Fluttershy hasn't arrived yet." Rarity said. "You did send her an invitation, didn't you?"
"Of course I did." Twilight told her. "I told her it was Parents Night tonight. I wonder why she isn't showing up."
Overhearing the two unicorns, Applejack, Pinkie and Rainbow chimed in.
"Maybe her parents just couldn't make it." Pinkie suggested. "It must be a shame for them to miss out on a party."
"Ya know, now that ya mention it," pondered Applejack. "Has anypony actually met Fluttershy's folks?"
"Come to think of it, I haven't." Rarity replied. "And I don't think any of us have either."
"Well maybe she's just too timid to introduce them." Twilight shrugged.
"Or maybe," said Rainbow with a pause. "Maybe...she dosen't have parents."
The other four looked at her with shock.
"You don't mean to say she's an orphan, do ya Rainbow?" asked Applejack.
"Well, it makes sense." Rainbow told her. "She never told me about her family; not even in flight camp."
"Fluttershy? An orphan? That's a doozie." Pinkie gasped.
"The poor dear." Rarity frowned. "She must be miserable."
"Now come on, guys," scoffed Twilight. "I'm sure Fluttershy would have mentioned if she was an orphan. There's bound to be a perfectly logical explanation for her absence. I'll go over to her cottage now and see what's up. Pinkie, you keep my parents entertained while I'm gone." Twilight trotted out the front door without another word.
Pinkie Pie turned to see Twilight Velvet and Night Light staring at her with question. With a toothy smile, she began to tap dance for them. But she immediately stopped when Clyde and Sue glared at her. Pinkie sunk her head in dissapointment.
...
As Luna's moon shone in the night sky, Twilight approached the front door of Fluttershy's cottage and gave it a few knocks. After waiting a minute with no reply, she looked around the old fashioned house to see that the lights were off inside, except for one from an upstairs window. Hoping not to be rude, Twilight opened the door which was unlocked and let herself in. She entered a darkened living room with not a single critter scurrying about.
"Fluttershy? Hello?" she called into the darkness.
Then, the lavender unicorn noticed the light from upstairs glowing from atop the staircase. Twilight tiphoofed through the living room, trying not to wake the sleeping animals, and slowly ascended the stairs. Reaching the top, she immediately saw the light coming from the door to her friend's bedroom which was opened a crack. It was then that she began to hear a faint heaving sound from the bedroom. Twilight recognized it as the sound of weeping and braced herself. Carefully, she pushed the door open and saw her.
Fluttershy was kneeling over the end of her bed, covering her face in her forehooves. Her back heaved as she softly cried into her sheets. Twilight felt heartbroken seeing her gentle friend in misery; she walked over to her and spoke gingerly.
"Fluttershy, are you okay?" she asked.
The yellow pegasus peered up at Twilight with watery eyes. "Oh, hi Twilight," she said between sniffles. "How's the party going?"
"It's not the same without you." Twilight answered. "What's the matter, Fluttershy? I've never seen you so upset."
"Oh, it's nothing." Fluttershy dug her face back into her hooves. "Nothing you'd want to be concerned about."
Twilight put a sympathetic hoof on her shoulder. "Fluttershy, I'm your friend; you know I'm always here for you. Now come on, tell me what's bothering you."
Fluttershy raised her head back up with her eyes closed. She took slow deep breaths to collect herself and sat up on the bed, wiping the excess moisture from her cheeks.
"Well...you see, Twilight,...there's a reason I can't come to your party."
"Is it your parents?"
"Yes...and no. The truth is...I don't have any birth parents."
Twilight's eyes widened as her worst fears came true. "You mean you were orphaned?"
Fluttershy nodded slowly with wincing eyes.
"Oh my gosh." Twilight continued. "How old were you?"
"I was just born when I was abandoned. I have no memory of my own birth."
"Fluttershy, that's terrible." Twilight joined next to her pal on the bed. "If I had known you were an orphan, I would never started this whole party. I'm so sorry I made you feel left out."
"It's okay, Twilight, I should have told you and the others a long time ago. But don't feel too bad for me; I mean, it's not like I never had any parents at all."
"So, you were adopted? That's great, Fluttershy. At least you had a family of loving ponies to grow up with."
"...Yeah, uh...that's another thing. You see, there's another reason why I didn't come tonight. Um, well, the couple I was raised by weren't exactly...like me."
"What do you mean? They weren't pegasi? That's no big deal. It probably explains why you're afraid of flying too."
"Well, um, yes, they weren't pegasi...but they weren't really ponies either."
Twilight stared at her puzzled. "Fluttershy, what are you saying?"
With a heavy sigh, Fluttershy looked deeply at her trusting friend. "Twilight, my parents were humans."
A silent pause suddenly fell. Twilight looked at the pegasus as if she had grown a third eye on her forehead. She fell quiet trying to comprehend Fluttershy's words. "You...what?"
Fluttershy looked back nervously. "Um, yes, it's true."
"You were...you were raised by...you were raised by humans?!" Twilight stammered. "I- I- I've never heard of such a thing!"
"I never told anypony about it." Fluttershy explained. "It's a bit too sad for me to bring up. You're the first to know."
"This is incredible!" beamed Twilight. "I never thought it could be possible. A human-raised pony? Fluttershy, you have to tell all about it!"
"Um, really? It's kind of long story. Besides," she sat curled into a ball. "It would just bring up too many sad memories."
Twilight realized she may have been a bit pushy. But then she held Fluttershy close reaching around her back. "It's alright, Fluttershy," she smiled. "Like I said, I'm here for you. Just let it all out."
Fluttershy looked back at Twilight and found the honesty in her purple eyes. With one more sigh, she relaxed as she began to reveal the story of her life with human parents.
"Okay, Twilight." She spoke calmly. "Thanks for listening. Well, you see, it all started in a place called...California."
Memories...
Luke sat on his couch at home, watching the same old news on television. He waited in anticipation for the moment that had eluded him for the longest time. After a few more minutes of lazing, he finally heard footsteps entering the living room. Luke peered over the couch to see his beloved wife, Haley, walking toward him quietly. He smiled eagerly as he sat up and spoke to her.
"Well?" he started. "Anything yet?"
Haley made one of her usual sarcastic smirks. In her hand, she held a thin white strip, which she then tossed into the wastebasket. She turned back to her husband and finally answered.
"Still no blue." She put simply.
Luke deflated on the couch letting the words settle in. Sensing her lover's dissapointment, Haley sat next to him on the couch and began rubbing his arm sympathetically.
"What are we doing wrong?" she spoke softly. "It just dosen't seem fair. All my friends are out having babies already, and yet here we are."
"Maybe we're just not meant to be parents." Luke replied staring at the floor.
Haley nuzzled her cheek on his shoulder. "It's not our fault. Like you said, it's bound to happen very soon. And when it does, you're going to be a terrific father."
Slowly, Luke looked back at her and gave a slight smile, planting a kiss on her lips. But before the two could commence with cuddling, the doorbell rang. Haley parted and stood up.
"I'll get that." She said. "You just relax."
As she walked over to the front door, Luke sat back and returned his attention to the boring news channel. As he began to let his mind unfocus, he heard the door being opened followed suddenly by a loud gasp from Haley.
"Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "Luke, come over here!"
In an instant, Luke sprang from the couch hearing his wife in shock. He sped over to her in the doorway. "What is it?" he asked.
Without speaking, Haley pointed down at the stoop outside. Luke turned his head downward and immediately saw it; his eyes widened. There resting on the front stoop was a flat round basket, containg a thick bundle of soft white blankets. The image was familiar to Luke, but he just couldn't comprehend the thought of what it was.
"It's a...it's a..." he stammered. "It's a..."
"It's a baby." Haley finished for him, trying to contain her volume. She stared at the mysterious basket with awe.
Luke tried to make sense of the situation. "Well, we don't know that, do we?"
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Luke saw the bundle of blankets in the basket shift slightly; a faint peep was heard from within. It became apparent to the couple that there was indeed something alive beneath those blankets. Ever so slowly, Luke knelt down and reached his hand over the basket. He gently grasped a fold of blanket and began to pull it off. He was preparing himself to witness a real live baby; but something much different was revealed. As Luke pulled the sheet off at a snail's pace, beneath was a tiny head, but not that of a human infant. The head was a pale yellow as it seemed to be covered in short fur, and the ears were somehow a bit pointed. On top, a long flow of pink hair stretched downward and spiraled on end. Then, Luke and Haley finally saw the face. Two big glimmering bright blue eyes were revealed with enormous pupils. Below them was what appeared to be a muzzle, like that of a small animal, with a quivering lower lip. Luke was taken aback as he gazed down upon the creature lying face up in the bundle, staring back at him. He quickly recognized just what exactly it was.
"My gosh," gasped Haley again. "It's not a human."
"It's a pony." Luke beamed. "And it's a filly by the look of it."
To Luke, ponies were not unfamiliar. He worked as a marketer for a large trading company, and would sometimes host investment meetings with shareholders from Equestria. He knew the ponies were cute looking; but this little filly lying before him raised the bar. Luke and Haley continued to gawk at the infant pony. Then, the duckling yellow foal winced with fear and dug her tiny face back under the covers, hiding from the two lumbering monsters. It didn't want anything to do with them or the cloudy sky above; those blankets within that basket were the only world she knew. The filly let out the most innocent whimper which pulled at both humans' heartstrings. Haley moaned sympathetically.
"She's frightened." She said softly and knelt down beside the basket. Carefully, she reached in and scooped the bashful pony up in her arms. The filly wimpered even louder with fear as she was lifted up from her sanctity. But Haley softly hushed and cradled her as if she were a human baby. "It's okay," she cooed. "I got you. You're safe."
Immediately, the filly began to calm down lying in her arms. She even rubbed her little face above Haley's breast, finding new warmth and comfort in this strange tall creature.
"She's so precious." Haley said and turned to Luke. "Who in the world would leave a baby foal on our doorstep?"
"She must be an orphan." Luke suggested. "Maybe there's a note on the basket. He knelt back down and looked at the whicker. He quickly noticed a small piece of parchment on the side and read the note on it aloud. "'This filly is left here in the hopes that she will be given to a good home and a loving family.'" Luke paused. "That's all it says. There's no signature or anything."
"The poor thing." Haley looked back down at the creature in her arms. "Who knows where she could have come from?"
"Well, we should at least get her inside. It might rain soon."
WIth that, the couple went back inside their house, bringing the basket and the precious surprise with them.
This was the humble life of Mr. and Mrs. Shy. Three years married, Luke and Haley were both at the age of twenty-seven with nothing but a nice house, good jobs and everlasting love for each other. They were also both attractive in each other's eyes; Luke, being quite tall with wavy black hair and warm brown eyes, and Haley who was just below his height with long red hair and bold green eyes. It seemed like they could never grow apart. But one problem that had been holding them back was the baby stage. They had been trying many months for a pregnancy but with no result. But now, with a baby pony in their custody and no clue of where it had come from, a whole new experience awaited them.
"So you don't have any whereabouts at all?" Luke asked over the phone as he pace the living room floor. "Alright, thanks anyway. Bye." He hung up the handset ending his report with the local police. He then turned to Haley who was sitting on the couch. In her arms was the little yellow filly who she slowly rocked to sleep.
"They didn't have any leads?" she asked her husband.
"No, nothing." Luke answered. "I even called a hospital in Equestria and they said they have nothing on a recent birth of a yellow pegasus." He gave a tiresome sigh. "I just don't know what to do now."
"I guess this pony really is lost." Haley looked down on the sleeping filly with sorrow. Something was suddenly crystalizing in her mind as she held the pony dearly. Hoping for the best, she looked up. "Luke, I've been thinking...I think we should keep her."
Luke became perplexed by the question. "You really think so?" he asked.
"Well come on, you know how badly we've been wanting a child. And so what if she's not a human? It can't be that much different, right?"
"I'm not so sure." Then, Luke looked down at the infant pony in his wife's arms. The filly let out a big yawn, stretching her tiny mouth wide before closing it again. Luke became overtaken. It was already apparent how adorable she was. But it now dawned on him that this little filly could very well be the child he and Haley had been praying for; he even hoped it would be a daughter. Luke then smiled warmly at Haley after witnessing the cute little yawn.
"Let's do it." He said and sat beside her.
"Really? You mean it?" Haley beamed.
"We wanted a daughter, right?" he replied and put his arm around her. He stared at the darling filly with her affectionately for a few moments before speaking again. "What should we name her?"
"Well, she's pretty bashful." Haley answered. "So the name Shy would be perfect for her."
"Plus, she's a pegasus. So, she's got to have a flying term in her name, I guess. Maybe...flutter or something?"
"I just don't know how those ponies come up with their names." Haley sighed. "Just looked at her, she's so adorable. Our baby; our little pony..."
"Eh, we'll think of something." Luke held her tight as they admired their precious little gift.
"That's it, sweetie, you did it! You spelled your name!"
"YAY!"
Little Fluttershy cheered for joy as she sat in the living room with her loving father. It had been a few years since Luke and Haley found her as a newborn foal outside their door. Now that little foal had grown up into a playful toddler, and she was adapting quickly to her new home. She had been learning from Luke how to spell and turned out to be a fast learner, as she was mastering more and more words faster than any human child; Luke figured that ponies developed faster intellectually than humans.
After completing her own name, Fluttershy gave Luke a warm hug before quickly scampering into the kitchen, with her little wings flapping excitedly. She cantered up to Haley, who was putting away dishes, and repeatedly hopped in place.
"Mommy! Mommy!" she beamed. "I did it! I spelled my own name!"
Haley looked down at her and smiled. "That's great, Fluttershy!" she said enthused, and knelt down to hug her daughter. "I'm so proud of you." Then, Haley turned to the counter and reached into a jar on a high shelf. She pulled out a chocolate chip cookie which she gave to Fluttershy. "Now why don't you go into the other room and watch some TV, my little smarty pants."
"Thanks, Mommy!" Fluttershy gleefully took the cookie in her mouth and trotted off with victory.
Luke joined his wife in the kitchen as their little filly went into the living room. "She's learning fast." He said. "I don't think I could spell my name at that age."
"It won't be long before she starts school." Haley replied, getting close to him. "Any luck with those calls?"
"Eh, nothing yet. I tried every elementary school in the area, and they all said the same thing. They're afraid to enroll her becuase she 'wouldn't fit in' with all the other students. They just won't do it because she's not human."
Haley hugged Luke's arm. "I don't see why. She's more human than we are."
They stood in the kitchen in each other's embrace, pondering the future of the young pony, who was responding to the television in the other room.
"I love you too, Elmo!"
Luke and Haley still had no clue as to where Fluttershy had come from. But they had long left that question behind, focusing only on raising her as their own. Fearing the intrusion of bothersome media, Luke kept telling people about her presence to a minimum of friends and family only. Nothing like two humans raising a pony had ever been heard of before. But now that Fluttershy was beginning to climb through foalhood, the word had to get out soon. Luke had been trying to find an elementary school that would enroll Fluttershy; but it seemed most people were just not willing to accept a pony growing up in human society. He even received some stern words from the princapals he called about sending Fluttershy to a "real home" in Equestria. But neither Luke nor Haley were going to give up their precious daughter; theirs was the home that she knew and loved.
Later that day after her moment of spelling triumph, Fluttershy skipped up to Luke, who was busy doing work on the computer in his office.
"Um, Daddy?" she said in her soft young voice. "Um, can I go outside, um, please?"
Luke darted his eyes in thought. Being a surprisingly protective father, he always felt anxious about letting his gentle little filly bing exposed to the elements. The backyard was modereately spacious, but there was no real harm to Fluttershy that could have crossed Luke's wild imagination; buzzards, coyotes, snakes, the plague, civil war, nuclear radiation, etc. Feeling that today looked like a "safe day", Luke smiled at his daughter.
"You promise not to wander off?" he asked.
"I promise." Fluttershy rubbed her cheek against his pant leg, buttering him up with a cute smile.
There was no way Luke could resist that face. "Alright, Fluttershy. Be safe, sweetie." He answered and stroked her pink mane.
"Thanks, Daddy!" Fluttershy cantered out of the office leaving her father to work.
She walked up to the sliding glass door in the back and pushed with all her might to open it a crack. Once it was open, she then trotted out into the grassy yard under the bright and sunny sky. Fluttershy loved the fresh air and would often go outside to admire the birds flying overhead; since the neighborhood was in a flat California valley, there were no trees to obstruct her view. She frolicked over to one of the bushes that bordered the yard and took a whif of a wild flower. Just then, Fluttershy heard a distant rustling coming from one othe other bushes. She turned around curiously.
"Hello?" she called. "Who's there?"
She saw where the rustling was coming from, and noticed movement beneath a bush; then, something emerged. A short and stubby bassett hound stepped out from the bush and stopped to notice Fluttershy. The wrinkly dog tilted its head in curiosity of the strange yellow equine standing in the yard just over its size. An elated smile stretched across Fluttershy's face.
"Hi, little doggy!" she called to the bassett hound. "I'm Fluttershy."
The sweetness in her voice convinced the dog to scamper over to her with its stumpy little legs. As it approached her, the hound reared up and rested its front paws on her. Fluttershy fell backwards, as the friendly dog tackled her and began licking her face; she giggled happily.
"Tee hee hee! Aw, you're so cute!"
As the dog continued licking, a male voice was suddenly heard from the direction it appeared from.
"Dozer! Here, boy!" the voice called and then whistled. "Come on, boy, where are ya?"
Immediately, the dog who answered to Dozer stopped his sloppy kisses and looked back. He scampered off back to the direction of the voice. Fluttershy sat up and looked at the bushes that bordered the yard nextdoor. There behind the bushes appeared a man roughly in his forties who spoke in the voice heard before.
"Thata boy, Dozer. Come here." The man said as Dozer reentered the other yard.
Fluttershy stood back up and smiled at the stranger. "Hi, mister! My name is Fluttershy!" she greeted, waving a little hoof.
The man did a doubletake looking back at her. He seemed to become puzzled at what exactly he was seeing and didn't say a word. He only kept staring at her strangely then walked away toward his own house, with Dozer following close beside.
Fluttershy tilited her head at this man's apparent shyness, but shrugged off the encounter and turned toward the sliding door. She entered the house and found Luke, who was now in the kitchen sneaking one of the brownies Haley made for a bake sale. He heard the sound of tiny hooves clipclopping toward him, and quickly put the brownies back in the fridge. He stuffed the one he was eating in his cheeks as he looked at his filly.
"Everything alright, Fluttershy?" he asked through a mouthful of chewed up fudge.
"Daddy, I just met the cutest little doggie outside!" replied Futtershy cheerily.
Luke swallowed the brownie remains hard as a bad feeling arose in him. "Uh, did this dog have a name?"
"Yeah, his name is Dozer."
The name rang in his ear; Luke knew it all too well. Dozer had been responsible for every stolen shoe, every torn up pair of pants, every hole and poop in the yard, and every long sleepness night due to constant howling. That dog was the bane of Luke's existance, and it didn't help that he was allergic to pet dander. He was suprised it took until now for Fluttershy to meet him.
"Right...Dozer." He uttered.
"Um, Daddy, is Mommy home yet?" asked Fluttershy, changing the subject.
Luke shook off his grimace and answered. "Mommy's going to be working late, sweetheart. Don't worry, she'll be home tonight."
"Will she be home to tuck me in?"
"Of course. Now why don't you go and play somewhere? I'll make you some dinner later."
"Okay, Daddy." Fluttershy then wrapped her hooves around his legs.
Luke knelt down and returned his daughter's hug, with her yellow coat soft to the touch.
"Daddy, were you eating Mommy's brownies?" she asked after a pause.
Luke only parted from the hug and gestured Fluttershy to scoot along.
...
That night, Fluttershy lay in her bed, with butterfly covers, staring up at the ceiling. Beside her, a single lamp was glowing on the nightstand; Luke had left it on for her after kissing her goodnight. But Fluttershy couldn't fall asleep as she waited for her dear mother to come home and rest her mind. She hid her muzzle under the blanket, fearing this would be the first night without being tucked in properly.
Then, she heard footsteps outside her door in the hall. Fluttershy expected her father when her door was slowly opened. But instead, to her relief, Haley entered the darkened bedroom with her usual warm smile. She walked in and sat down on the bedside.
"Mommy, you're home!" Fluttershy grinned.
"Hi honey," soothed Haley. "Sorry I had to work so late."
Fluttershy nuzzled her right arm, but then noticed the folded article of clothing held in the left; it appeared to be a long white jacket. She recognized this kind of jacket and remembered seeing pictures of certain people who would wear it.
"Mommy," said Fluttershy. "Are you a doctor?"
Haley looked down at her jacket then smiled at her. "Well, I'm a special kind of doctor, Fluttershy. I'm a veterinarian."
Fluttershy tilted her head. "Vet...ter...rin...what is that?"
"It means I don't treat humans. I'm an animal doctor."
"You mean...you take care of animals?"
"That's right. I take care of doggies, kitties, birdies, and even bunnies."
"I love bunnies! I hope I get to take care of animals too, when I grow up."
"I'm sure you will, baby." Haley then tucked the covers around Fluttershy, making her snug as a bug. She began to stroke her pink mane lovingly. "You make me so proud, Fluttershy. I love you so much."
"I love you too, Mommy. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, sweetie." Haley kissed her on the forehead. Then, she switched off the lamp and plugged in a blue night light, which projected images of various animals upon the ceiling. Haley left and carefully shut the door, leaving Fluttershy to drift off to sleep.
Luke stared at his computer screen with a troubled look on his face; the light glowed over him as he sat there in his darkened office. It wasn't long before Haley approached next to him, after just having put Fluttershy to bed. She looked over his shoulder.
"That was a close one," she spoke softly. "Poor thing probably missed me all day."
Luke didn't even glance at her and simply kept staring at his monitor with a sigh.
"What's wrong?" asked Haley.
"Look at this." He replied. "I've been trying to find more info about pegasus ponies. Apparently, it says that when a foal pegasus reaches pre-teenhood, they leave their parents and go off to a flight camp, to hoan their flying ability."
"Leave their parents? At that age? That's unbelievable."
"Well, we're going to have to start beleiving it soon."
Haley was struck with realization. It became apparent that Fluttershy would not be living at the Shy house forever. The thought of parting with her for good pained Haley as much as it did Luke; it would not be easy when the time would come. With a long heavy sigh, Haley wrapped her arms around her husband's shoulders and nuzzled his neck.
"Let's just make the most of the time she has with us...that we have with her." She said.
Luke held her soft hand gently, and kissed it. "Don't worry...we will."
Twilight poured a couple cups of tea in the living room, and sat down next to Fluttershy. She had been hearing the story of her pegasus friend's foalhood throughout the night.
"So they just decided to raise you, right then and there?" she asked.
"Yes. It must have been awfully strange for them." Fluttershy replied. "But they happy to have me, and I felt the same way about them."
"You know, I've recently read a lot about human anatomy. But I hardly know anything about their customs."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I'm sure it was really strange for you to adapt to living with humans; having to do what they do on a daily basis."
"Oh, well, they really don't live that much differently from us, as a matter of fact. Even their holidays were sort of similar to ours. I remember my first couple holidays pretty well in fact."
"Like what?"
"...Hmm..."
Memories...
The brisk chill of mid autumn fell as the foliage turned pale in color. Luke was out in the back raking renegade leaves, Haley prepared dinner wearing her favorite sweater, and little Fluttershy snuggled on the couch playing with Beanie Babies. But there was something in the house that didn't quite jell with her. It could have been the paper bats hanging above the windows, or the pumpkins with grizzly faces carved into them.
Curious as ever, Fluttershy got up and trotted into the kitchen to her mother who was pouring cider.
"Mommy, why are there scary decorations around the house?" she asked.
"It's Halloween, Fluttershy," answered Haley. "You were probably too young to notice the other ones we had with you."
"What's Halloween?"
Haley tried her best to make her explanation sound fun rather than horrifying. "Well honey, every year, people decorate their houses to look spooky and scary, and kids get to dress up in crazy costumes. Then at night, the kids go from house to house, ring the doorbell and say 'Trick or Treat!'. If they say that, then they'll get candy and go on to the next house."
"Candy? Yum! I want to go trick or treat." Fluttershy bounced excitedly.
That's when Haley paused to consider how skittish her daughter was. "Uh, maybe next year, Fluttershy. I think it would be too scary for you."
"Oh, I won't get scared, Mommy. I promise."
Just then, the doorbell rang and Haley perked up. "Oh, sounds like we have some early trick or treaters."
She exited the kitchen and went over to answer the front door; Fluttershy followed far behind. The young pegasus hid behind the couch and peeked around, as she was always coy about visitors. When she saw Haley open the door, she was overcome with shock. Standing outside the door were three of the most terrifying things Fluttershy had ever seen. On the left, was a ghastly vampire complete with black cape, fangs and blood stains. Next to him in the middle was a haggard witch with a long warted nose and a broomstick in her hand. And scariest of all on the right, was an eerie white ghost with two gaping black hole eyes. Fluttershy whimpered in fright at the monsters as they all spoke in unison.
"TRICK OR TREAT!"
"Ooh, what scary costumes you have!" replied Haley happily.
"Costumes?" A confused Fluttershy stared in awe as she wondered why her mother was speaking kindly to these ghouls.
Then, she saw Haley reach over to a side table and grab a large bowl full of candy bars. Astonishingly, she began handing out the candy to the monsters.
"Here you go, kids." She said to them. "Happy Halloween!"
"THANK YOU!" The nightmarish creatures ran off as Haley closed the door.
She turned around and saw, poking around the couch, a little yellow rump with a long pink tail shaking like a leaf. Haley smiled and walked over to pick her frightened little filly up. Fluttershy yelped at the feeling of human hands reaching around her.
"Are the- are the- are the monsters g- g- g- gone?" she shuddered in her mother's arms.
"It's okay, sweetie, they're gone." Haley told her trying to repress a chuckle. "Still want to go trick or treating?"
"NO!"
That night would be one of the worst in Fluttershy's life. Throughout the evening, more and more hideous ghosts and ghouls arrived outside the door all shouting "Trick or Treat!". The strangest part was seeing her own parents offering sweets to them. She cowered under blankets on the couch from the spooky creatures who were out for her hide. Zombies, mummies, werewolves, more vampires, witches, ghosts, and just what in the world was a 'spider man'? Fluttershy did not want to know and continued to hide.
As the middle of the night approached, the haunting visitors began to show up less and less. Eventually, the streets outside were empty and Haley and Luke had run out of candy. Luke finally found Fluttershy trying to dig herself under the couch cushions for more cover. But he stopped her panic and held her up.
"Oh Daddy, that was so scary." She whimpered. "There were monsters everywhere outside. They just kept coming to our house!"
Luke spoke softly. "Hey hey, it's alright, Fluttershy. They were just kids in costumes. There's nothing to be scared of."
"Are...are you sure?" asked Fluttershy with a sniffle.
"Positive. And besides, if there were any real monsters, you know I would be able to fight them off."
"You can fight monsters?" her eyes became wide with amazement.
"You bet I can." Luke then hushed his voice pretending to share a secret. "Between you and me, sometimes when I'm not working, I travel far and wide and defeat evil monsters with my trusty sword!"
"Wow! You must be so brave."
"Luke, don't fill her head with violence." Haley called over as she walked by.
Luke murmured to his daughter. "She's just jealous." Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a king sized Hershey's bar. "Here, I swiped this from the bowl."
Fluttershy beamed. "Wow, thanks Daddy. I love you."
"I love you too, sweetheart. Happy Halloween."
"Meh."
...
The weeks drew on and the weather turned colder and colder. Winter was arriving and, miraculously in northern California, a sizable blanket of snow had just fallen. But most of all, it was Christmas Eve and the Shy's house was ready for the festivities; it would be a real first for their little filly daughter. The frigid winter air chilled Fluttershy's cheeks as she frolicked in the snow, wearing her warm and fluffy hat, coat and booties. At first, she wanted to make snow angels, but became instantly bored considering the fact that she had actual wings. Instead, she settled on rolling up large balls of snow to make a snowpony, wings and all.
Haley watched her happily through the kitchen window, as she and Luke enjoyed a hot coffee indoors.
"Oh, just look at her." Haley cooed. "Who knew she would like the snow so much?"
"I kind of envy her." Luke replied. "I never liked the snow when I was a kid. One step outside and I'd be out sick from school for weeks."
"You always were a sick kid." She teased him. "So, did you set the table for six?"
"Yup. Wait, six? I thought it was just going to be us and my parents. Don't tell me you invited one of your folks, too. You remember how much they liked me."
"Don't worry, I didn't invite them. But, uh, I did invite...someone."
"Who is it?"
Haley tried to avoid eye contact and mumbled. "...Sheila."
"What?! Oh god, not Sheila. Why is she coming?"
"Well, she always has me over at her house every Christmas. So, I just wanted to return the favor."
"Holiday dinner with your sister. Great. My scar is burning."
"Oh hush, she's leaving right afterwards. And besides, it won't be so bad once she's focused all her attention on Fluttershy."
"Oh I see, make our daughter get all the torture."
"Relax. Trust me, this whole dinner will go by in a breeze." Then, as if on cue, Haley walked over to the sound of the doorbell ringing. "Oop, that must be her now."
"Yippie." With a grimace, Luke got up from the table and opened the sliding back door. He called out to his duaghter. "Fluttershy, come meet your Aunt Sheila." He then muttered under his breath. "And bring earplugs."
Hearing her father's voice, Fluttershy pranced through the snow covered yard heading inside. With the door shutting behind her, she removed her winter clothes and shook the snow off her yellow fur, embracing the warmth of indoors. Then, she looked at Luke a bit troubled.
"Um, Daddy, I'm not sure I want to meet Aunt Sheila."
Luke couldn't agree with her more, but opted instead to change her mind. "It's okay, Fluttershy, she's really...nice. And I'm sure she'll be happy to finally meet you."
"Well...okay I guess."
Fluttershy followed her father close behind as they walked up to the front door. Haley was wrapping her arms around another woman who looked to be a few years older than her. She looked a bit like Haley, only with blonde hair, pricier clothes, and a little too much makeup. The woman returned her younger sister's hug.
"Sheila, it's so good to see you again." Haley smiled.
"Haley darling, it's been so long," greeted Sheila with formal kisses on the cheeks. "We have so much to catch up on."
Luke joined in with a painted on smile. "Hey Sheila, how are you doing?" he asked with an outstretched hand.
Sheila looked at him skeptically. "...Lucas." She said as if she were talking about an invasive species of insect.
Luke retracted his hand to the back of his head, feeling incredibly awkward.
Then, Sheila looked down and smiled at the shivering little creature hiding behind Luke's legs. "And you must be Fluttershy."
Fluttershy slowly peered around, peeking her face out from behind her long mane. "Um...yes." She answered quietly.
"Oh you are just adorable!" Sheila beamed and turned to Haley. "You know, Haley, when you told me about adopting a pony, I was a bit shocked. But now I see that she is an absolute angel! Aren't you, sweetie?" She then reached down to pinch the filly's soft cheek.
Fluttershy winced, feeling less frightened and more agrivated.
"Well, why don't I pour us some drinks and we can go in the living room?" Haley asked her sister. "I'll tell you everything while we wait for Luke's parents to show up for dinner.
"Oh of course," replied Sheila. "I have so much to tell you, like about this dress I found at Macy's; it was on sale, so I just had to..."
Luke watched as the two sisters walked off chatting at a thousand words a minute, then knelt down to Fluttershy. "So, what do you think?"
"Um, she was...nice I guess." Fluttershy rubbed her soar cheek.
"Don't worry, you're gonna like Grandma and Grandpa better."
Later that night, Fluttershy sat down on a stack of dictionaries with her parents and dear Aunt Sheila; but the dining room table was also shared by two more. Her grandparents, Luke's mother and father, had arrived shortly after Sheila bearing wrapped presents and smiling faces. The elderly couple greeted Fluttershy more kindly, even giving her pieces of hard candy. Fluttershy began to take a liking to them as she sat listening to the grownups chat away.
"Lucas honey," said Mrs. Shy. "Did you remember to send me those photos of your business trip to Phoenix?"
"Mom, I told you," replied Luke. "I already sent them."
"Well, I checked my mailbox and they weren't there."
"That's becuase I emailed them, Mom."
"Ah don't worry about it, son," added Mr. Shy. "You know your mother is no good with electronics."
"Said the man who still can't work the coffee maker." Mrs. Shy joked back.
After adding more ham to his plate, Mr. Shy spoke to Fluttershy, who had been quiet most of the evening. "So Fluttershy, are you excited about Christmas tomorrow?"
Fluttershy tossed around her mashed potatoes nonchalantly. "Um, well, I'm not really sure what Christmas is."
"What?" Mr. Shy widened his eyes. "Luke, you mean to tell me you haven't told her about Christmas yet?"
"We were going to sooner or later, Dad." Luke shrugged.
"Well you'd think she was going to notice the tree in the living room at some point." Mrs. Shy told him.
"Yeah, I kind of did notice that." Fluttershy mumbled. "What is it for?"
"Well sweetie," Haley chimed in. "That's where all the presents go under. On Christmas morning, there'll be a whole bunch to open."
"Where do all those presents come from?"
"You see, Fluttershy," grinned Mr. Shy. "They come from a man named Santa Claus. He's a jolly man who wears a big red suit, with a long white beard, and flies in a magic sleigh pulled by reindeer."
"He lives up in the North Pole," added Luke. "Where he has elves making toys for good little boys and girls. Every night on Christmas Eve, he flies to houses all over the world, comes down the chimney and hides the presents under the Christmas tree and in your stocking. And that's when we open them the next morning."
Fluttershy's eyes glimmered with amazement. "Wow, Santa Claus does all that every Christmas?"
"He sure does, dear." Mrs. Shy smiled. "But he knows when you're awake, and he'll only deliver your presents if you're asleep."
"Oh, now I won't be able to sleep tonight."
The adults laughed at their little filly's humor.
"You know, Fluttershy," said Luke. "We still have to put a star on top of the tree. You think you can do it for us?"
"A star? Really? I'd love too!"
"After you finish your dinner, sweetheart." Haley said.
"Mommy!" Fluttershy whined.
"Haley!" Luke whined as well.
After supper, the Shy family gathered in the living room around a roaring fireplace. Fluttershy stood facing the Christmas tree with a gold star ornament in her mouth. The pine tree towered over her adorned in colorful strands of lights and dozens of ornament balls; the only thing missing was the all important star. Luke joined her as she stared at the impossible height.
"I don't know, Daddy," she moaned. "It looks really high up."
"Here, I'll help you up." Luke replied and reached down to gently lift her by the sides. He whispered in her ear as he held her up. "Flap your wings for me."
Bracing herself, Fluttershy began to flap her little wings and imagined herself ascending through the air all on her own. The moment of truth came when she was raised to the treetop above the mountain of lights. Thinking fast, she carefully placed the star upon the one skyward branch and looked back at her progress. A round of applause was heard as Fluttershy was lowered back to the floor with a proud and relieved smile. She wrapped her hooves over her father's shoulders as he knelt down to hug her.
"Did it look like I was flying, Daddy?" she asked.
"You sure were, Fluttershy." Luke whispered. "You definitely were."
That night, the house became quiet and dark. Luke's parents and Aunt Sheila had already left after giving Fluttershy their final hugs and kisses. Throughout afterward, the curious filly could not keep her mind off her thoughts of Santa Claus as she sat on the couch watching the extinguished fireplace. Eventually, Haley walked in with a plate of cookies and a tall glass of milk.
"Are those cookies, Mommy?" asked Fluttershy excitedly.
"They're for Santa, honey," answered Haley as she rested the treats on a table. "We leave them for him to eat while he hides the presents."
"I can't wait for Santa to come. I want to meet him so badly."
Haley paused for a moment in thought. "Well Fluttershy, you have to be asleep if you want him to give you your presents."
"But I don't want to sleep. I want to see him deliver the presents. I promise I won't let him see me. Please can I stay up for just a little longer? Please, um, if that's okay?" Fluttershy's eyes resembled a puppy's.
Haley stared unsure at her pleading daughter. But, as always, her llittle face turned her opinion around. "Alright, but just make sure you go to bed soon." She sighed.
"I promise." Fluttershy smiled.
Haley walked over and kissed her on the forehead. "Merry Christmas, Fluttershy."
"Merry Christmas, Mommy."
With that, Haley left her sitting on the couch alone, leaving the lights on the tree on. She saw Luke standing in a doorway watching over.
"You think she'll up all night?" she asked him concerned.
"Don't worry," he replied. "I did the same thing when I was her age. I fell right asleep after like a half hour. She'll be out in no time."
"I hope you're right."
As the night dragged on, and her parents slept, Fluttershy stayed on the couch keeping her eyes fixed on the fireplace. The hours passed and still not a sound was heard. The feeling of sleep began to settle heavily in her eyelids; but nevertheless, Fluttershy continued to stare patiently waiting. It had now been a few hours after midnight and pretty soon, the sun would begin to rise. It was becoming apparent to little Fluttershy that Santa might not be coming to her house. She lowered her head in dissapointment considering going back to bed.
As she got up from the couch, she suddenly heard a muffled thump above the ceiling. Then, Fluttershy turned to the fireplace as bits of ash fell down through the chimney. Her tired eyes widened and she quickly hid behind the couch peeking around. The sound of rustling and shuffling came from the chimney as something seemed to be making its way down. Suddenly, a shadow poked out from the fireplace and a mysterious figure began to manifest out into the living room. Fluttershy watched in shock as the hefty shadow climbed out from the fireplace; she knew just what it was and couldn't keep herself from blurting out.
"Santa Claus!" she tried her best to keep her voice down as she appeared from around the couch.
The figure turned around quickly and showed himself in the light from the tree. He appeared to be tall and portly, wearing a red and white trimmed fur suit and a matching snow hat. A long white beard hung down from the figure's rosy face as he carried an overstuffed sack slung over his back. He was just as Fluttershy imagined him to be...except for the fact that he had a tail, a horn and walked on all fours.
"I knew you would come, Santa!" Fluttershy whispered with joy again.
The large white pony darted his eyes from side to side in surprise of the little yellow filly. Then, he put a hoof to his lips and gave a gentle shush.
"Don't wake your parents now, Fluttershy." Santa spoke softly in a deep tone.
"You know my name?" asked Fluttershy in wonderment.
"Ho ho ho, why of course," he smiled. "I know all the names on my list of nice children. And you have been a particularly good filly this year. But tell me, Fluttershy, what are you doing still awake?"
"I couldn't sleep. I just really wanted to see you."
"Well, you know I can't deliver presents unless all good little children are asleep. But I can still give you yours, as long as you don't tell your parents that you saw me."
"I promise, Santa. Oh, my mommy left you some milk and cookies over there."
"Ah yes, thank you." Santa walked over to the table. "Ho ho, gingerbread, my favorite."
Fluttershy watched as the unicorn stallion wolfed down the cookies and the entire glass of milk. Then, he walked back over to the tree and put his sack down in front of him.
"Now why don't you go back to bed, Fluttershy," he said to her. "So I can leave your presents?"
"Okay Santa. I won't tell my parents I saw you."
Santa patted her gently on the head. "Ho ho ho, you're a very good filly, Fluttershy. Have a merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Santa." Fluttershy hugged the magic stallion feeling the warmth of his clothing.
After returning her hug, Santa kindly urged her along and she scampered quietly back to her room. She climbed into her bed and, strangely enough, she began to feel sleepy. Fluttershy finally drifted off to sleep, with the happy image of Father Christmas in her head.
Christmas Day had come at last. As the sun rose above the horizon, the family Shy was already up and awake in the living room. Luke and Haley sat together relishing as they watched their little filly opening her presents under the tree.
"Ooh, a kite! Thank you, Santa!"
"So Fluttershy," said Haley. "Did you see Santa last night?"
Fluttershy paused and thought about her encounter the night before. "Oh, uh, no. I fell asleep before I could." She lied.
"Well, that's okay." Luke added. "We could always go see him at the mall next year. You know, he's a very busy man."
"Oh, actually Daddy, he's not a man at all. He's a pony like me!"
"Santa's a pony, huh?" Luke played along. "How do you know that?"
"Um...I just know." She smiled and shrugged, then continued opening more presents dropping the subject.
Haley whispered in her husband's ear. "Isn't that just cute? She thinks Santa's a pony."
Luke chuckled to himself. "Well, who knows? We never met him." He joked.
Several months had rolled by and the big moment had finally come. Luke stood nervously outside his house on a clear sunny morning, alongside his darling daughter. The reason for his tension was the same reason Fluttershy was wearing a custom made saddlebag on her back full of notebooks and pencils.
"Now you're sure you still want to do this, Fluttershy?" asked Luke. "Because we can still wait another year if you want to."
"Daddy, I think I've waited long enough." Fluttershy answered with a smile. "I'm so excited, I can hardly wait!"
"Well, just let me and your mother know if anything goes wrong."
"I'll be fine, Daddy. It's only my first day."
"You're right, sweetheart. Oh, here comes the bus."
"Yay!"
Fluttershy began hopping in place and flapping her little wings at the sight of the big yellow school bus approaching up the street with a loud clunky engine. The bus soon stopped in front of the house and the doors opened with a hiss.
"Alright, Fluttershy," said Luke, kneeling down. "Hope it goes well."
"Thanks, Daddy." She hugged her father before scampering off to climb aboard the bus. "Bye!"
As Fluttershy stepped aboard, the driver greeted her happily. "Why hello there, little girl, you ready for..." The man stopped as he took a second longer look at her.
"You bet!" she said and walked down the aisle to find a seat.
The driver darted his eyes in confusion, but then shrugged as he closed the doors and prepared to drive off.
After drawing more puzzled stares from the kids onboard, Fluttershy found an empty seat in the back and gazed out the window at her waving father. She waved back as the bus drove away.
Luke sighed to himself after watching his little filly dissapear down the road. At long last, he had found a local elementary school to enroll Fluttershy in. As a bonus, she was placed in the third grade class, since her pony intellect had already developed so quickly. Thanks to her father's teachings, she was adept at basic math, including addition and subtraction, her writing and spelling were on the ball, and she was practically reading at a sixth grade level. Although he had no doubt she would excell in all subjects, Luke still felt uneasy about letting his pony daughter join an institution of human kids. He was never all too sociable in school as a boy, so he feared to imagine how Fluttershy would be accepted, as he went back inside to prepare for work.
...
Fluttershy stepped off the bus and looked ahead with awe. With a broad smile, she gazed at the front doors of the elementary school wondering what would lie beyond; what wonders she would be taught in the hallowed halls of learning. Wasting no more time, she pranced on through the doors and immediately stopped at an imposing sight. Every which way, there were human children bustling about the halls, chatting and gossiping at their lockers and running through the halls with laughter. Never before had Fluttershy seen so many humans in one place; the crowd was intimidating, but she took a deep breath and pressed on.
As she wandered through the hall slowly, more and more children began noticing her with shock. Some of the boys pointed with amazement, while the girls whispered to each other in gossip; even some of the teachers gave discrete glances. Fluttershy grew increasingly uncomfortable with the amount of eyes staring at her as she hid her face behind her mane. Nevertheless, she continued to look for the classroom she had been assigned to, room 303. At last, she found the room and noticed a woman standing outside the doorway smiling at her.
"You must be Fluttershy." The elderly woman said, adjusting her glasses.
"Um...yes." Fluttershy answered with her face still shrouded.
"It's very nice to meet you, dear. I'm your teacher, Mrs. Jenson. Why don't you come inside? The bell is about to ring any second."
Suddenly, Fluttershy began to feel a bit more relaxed, finding trust in this kindly lady. "Okay, thanks." She smiled as she followed her new teacher into the room.
Upon entering, she gazed at the square formation of desks laid out before Mrs. Jenson's, each one occupied by another average third grader. Amongst the constant chatter, the girls were showing off their new back-to-school wear in seperate little cliques, while the boys waged war on each other with paper airplanes and spitballs. Fluttershy continued to stare at the loud hoard as Mrs. Jenson spoke up.
"Class, quiet down now." She ordered making the kids instantly shut their traps. "I'd like you to meet our new student. It's her first day of school, so make her feel welcome." She then knelt down to the filly. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"
Fluttershy hid behind her mane again as she addressed the class. "Um...hi. Uh, I'm...Fluttershy..." she mumbled as she scuffed the floor.
"What was that, dear?" asked Mrs. Jenson.
"...I'm...Fluttershy..."
"I'm not sure the class can hear you, sweetheart. Can you speak louder please?"
"I don't think she can speak at all, Mrs. Jenson." One of the boys in the back teased causing a few others to laugh immaturely.
"Benjamin, you behave!" Mrs. Jenson scolded at the boy.
Fluttershy blushed and averted her eyes from the tough crowd.
"It's alright, Fluttershy," said Mrs. Jenson. "You can take a seat at the front."
"Thank you, Mrs. Jenson." She sighed as she walked over and sat at a front corner desk. Fluttershy slouched in her seat, feeling judgement from the rest of the class.
"Okay everyone," continued their teacher. "Now I know we've only had a week of school so far, but let's start with our multiplication tables."
The class groaned strangely in unison, except for Fluttershy who was curious to discover these 'multiplication tables'. She politely pulled out a notebook and pencil from her saddlebag, and directed her attention to Mrs. Jenson at the chalkboard.
"Now, when multiplying two numbers," she explained. "You are basically putting one number into groups of the other. For example, 2 X 3." She scribed the equation upon the board. "To solve this, you take two groups, and put three units into each one, making a total of six units. Therefore, the answer to this problem is 6."
Fluttershy eagerly copied down the equation and the instructions to solve it, by maneuvering the pencil with her mouth. Little did she know about the snickering coming from one of the kids about her writing style.
"Let's try another one: 2 X 4. Now who wants to give this one a try?" asked Mrs. Jenson, with no response. "Come now, class, one of you must know how to do this."
In that moment, Fluttershy knew that she could easily tackle this equation. But the thought of herself speaking up amongst the class made a knot in her throat.
"Anyone? Anyone at all?" urged Mrs. Jenson.
The tension was gripping Fluttershy. Seeing none of the other kids volunteering, she through caution to the wind and raised her quivering hoof slowly.
"Yes, Fluttershy. Do you know the answer?" said Mrs. Jenson before her new student could reach above her head.
Fluttershy darted her eyes in pause, then spoke as clearly as she could while still keeping her hushed tone. "Um...8?" she squeaked.
"That's correct!" smiled Mrs. Jenson, writing the answer. "Very good, Fluttershy. I'm glad to see one of you is paying attention."
Fluttershy smiled with relief at her teacher's compliment. But she then felt awkward after seeing the cockeyed stares from most of the other students.
After a while, the class ended with a ring of the school bell, and the students were dismissed to use their lockers. Fluttershy found hers at the bottom row and read the combination for the lock. As she configured the dial, she turned to the side and noticed a trio of kids standing close to her, giggling and glancing at her quickly. There were two boys plus a girl who waved at the new student with a smile.
Fluttershy returned the smile and waved back. "Um, hi." She said.
Without a response, the three kids went back to laughing and snickering to themselves.
Fluttershy looked at them puzzled as to what was so funny, but then shrugged and continued turning the dial. After one more spin, she unlocked the latch, opened the locker and gasped. Inside, the locker was filled to the top with dry yellow hay. It was then that the trio of kids finally burst out in laughter. Fluttershy darted between the pile of hay and the guffawing children who ponted at her, in confusion. Then, it soon became apparent to her.
"Did you guys do this?" she asked them innocently.
The kids could not reply as they were too caught up in laughter to utter anything intelligible. As they continued holding their sides, Fluttershy spoke.
"That was really thoughtful of you!"
The three instantly ceased their laughter and looked up. They gawked as Fluttershy began munching away at the pile in her locker, enjoying the hearty crunchy taste. One of the boys slapped his face and muttered. "Oh that's right, they eat hay."
Having finished half the hay pile, Fluttershy then closed the locker and smiled at the pranksters. "Thanks you guys. I can tell we're going to be great friends." She then trotted off humming merrily to herself.
The trio of kids scratched their heads in wondering about what had just happened.
Later that day, Fluttershy sat alone in the school cafeteria during lunch. She had just picked up a tray of pizza, or at least what looked like pizza and not just an amorphous mound of cheese and sauce. Fluttershy poked at it hesitantly; she had eaten pizza before, but none that looked like it would crawl off the tray and lay eggs somewhere. Nonetheless, she began to choke it down and considered getting a salad next time.
As she ate her lunch, a group of girls wearing flashy clothes approached her table. One of them, with the name 'Samantha' bedazzled on her backpack, spoke to her with a wad of gum in her mouth.
"Hey Fluttershy." Samantha greeted.
Fluttershy glanced up. "Um, hello." She replied with a sheepish smile.
"So, like, me and my friends were wondering. You're, like, a pegasus pony, right?"
"Uh, yes I am."
"Oh my gosh, that is like so cool!" Samantha flicked her hands flamboyantly. "So that means you can, like, fly and stuff?"
"Well, actually not yet." Fluttershy shrugged. "I never really learned how."
"What? You have wings and you can't fly?" exclaimed Samantha with a scoffing smile.
Another girl, with 'Miranda' embroidered on her backpack, scoffed as well. "Oh my gosh, like, if I had a pair of wings, I would, like, fly to Pinkberry every day, like no joke."
Fluttershy stared puzzled by this girl's exclamation. "Um, what's Pinkberry?"
Samantha gave yet another scoff. "She doesn't know?" she turned to Miranda then back to the filly. "Well, see you round, Fluttershy. Maybe we'll come back and give you, like, balloons or something to help you fly."
The girls walked off giggling and chattering obnoxiously, leaving a bewildered Fluttershy still sitting alone. She lowered her head on the empty table, getting the feeling that she wasn't quite fitting in.
"Uh, hi. Is this seat taken?"
Fluttershy's ears perked up at the sound of a young male voice. She up in front to see a tall looking boy smiling at her with dark brown eyes. He seemed quite handsome to her, with neatly combed blonde hair, a sweater vest and khakis. After a pause, Fluttershy replied.
"Um, no. You can sit down if you want."
"Thanks." The boy sat on the table bench across from her putting his tray of food down. "So I guess you're the new pony student." He said knowingly.
"I guess I am." She answered ducking behind her mane.
"That's awesome." The boy responded positively. "I bet it's pretty weird being the only one here at school."
"Yeah, I'm not sure if the other kids like me very much."
"They're just not used to seeing you, that's all. I know how you feel; my family moved here a year ago, so I still get called the new kid. By the way, what's your name?"
"Um...Fluttershy." She felt surprised at herself for introducing herself clearly this time.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Scott; Scott Ashton." He reached out his hand.
Suddenly feeling confident again, Fluttershy revealed her face with a smile and gave Scott her hoof for him to shake. "It's nice to meet you too."
"Listen, don't let those dumb girls upset you." Scott resumed. "If you ever want someone to talk to, you can always sit with me during lunch."
Fluttershy gave an excited flap of her wings. For once, she finally had found another human other than her parents who she felt comfortable speaking to. She lit up with a grin.
"Thanks, Scott. Um, do you think we can be friends?"
"You bet, Fluttershy." Scott nodded.
...
Luke rested his cheek in his palm, as he sat in his cubicle sipping a mug of coffee. It wasn't even noon yet and he already felt like heading home. Deep down, he worried about Fluttershy's first school experience, and badly wanted to be there for her if anything were to go wrong. After putting off his spreadsheet for a few more minutes, he heard a knock on his cube.
"Morning, Luke."
It was Luke's coworker and friend, Mac, one of the IT specialists at the office; but he was also one of the several ponies who worked there. The earth stallion had a white coat, with a light blue mane and green eyes; his cutie mark featured a blank laser CD. Originally a native of Manehattan, Mac later moved to California to join the small workforce of ponies in the land of humans. He quickly found business at a software company in Silicon Valley, where Luke worked as a marketer. The two of them hit it off and would frequently chat on and off company time. Still, Luke had told him about having a daughter, but failed to mention that it was one of his own kind.
"You look like you're having a rough day." Mac said.
"Oh, yeah," replied Luke. "It's, uh, it's my daughter's first day of school."
"Ah yeah," nodded Mac. "That's always rough for them. I remember my foal's first day."
Luke perked his head up. "You do?" he asked curiously.
"Of course. Before we moved to California, my daughter went to Manehattan Elementary. I tell you, she was actually less nervous than I was. I was so afraid of her fitting in and what not."
Luke blinked, hearing the irony in his friend's words.
"But you shouldn't worry too much;" resumed Mac. "Pretty soon, your little girl is giong to make some friends."
"Yeah, you're right." A thought then popped into Luke's head, and he changed the subject. "Say Mac, do you know any pegasi in flight camp? Or at least anypony who has a kid in flight camp? Just curious."
"As a matter of fact, I have a friend who works at a flight camp. From what he's told me, it's pretty much like a boarding school. The teens all live together while learning to handle their flying ability; simple as that."
"But let me ask you something hypothetically. If a foal pegasus is raised by, uh, non-pegasi parents, does that change anything."
"Hmm, I would imagine so. Without parents who could fly, the foal probably wouldn't adapt the ability to do so as well as other pegasi. It's kind of like that human movie I saw once. What was it called...oh yeah, Last of the Mohicans."
That final point struck Luke inside. He played through his head the story of Hawkeye, the English settler who was raised all his life by a vanishing native American tribe during the French and Indian War. It was then that he grasped the concept of a living thing being brought up outside its own element.
"Well, I got to get back to work." Mac said. "Say hi to your daughter for me, will ya?"
"...Yeah...sure." As Mac walked away, Luke rested his head on his desk, not bothering to finish his coffee.
...
That afternoon, the school bus drove off and Fluttershy scampered up to the front door. As expected, Haley opened the door and greeted her daughter with a lift up in her arms.
"Hi sweetie," she said with a kiss. "How was it?"
"It was great, Mommy," replied Fluttershy. "I learned a whole bunch of new stuff, and I even met a boy who was really nice."
"Wow, you made a friend already? That's terrific, Fluttershy."
"Yeah, his name is Scott and he lives just across the street. He said I could come over to his house to play after school. Can I, Mommy, please? Um, if it's okay?"
Haley smiled at her filly, unable to resist those sparkling teal eyes. "I don't see why not. Sure you can go over...but only if you finish your homework first."
"Oh, I already finished it on the bus."
"Well, alright. But make sure you come back for dinner."
"Okay. Thanks, Mommy!" smiled Fluttershy as she hugged her mother and then trotted off across the street. Standing on the other side in one of the front yards was Scott waving to her as she scampered over.
Haley watched from afar and muttered to herself. "Since when do kids these days finish their homework early?"
Just then, she spotted the familiar silver Volkswagen approach up the driveway and park in front of the garage. Out of the driver's seat came Luke who looked as if he was ready to go back to bed. He walked up to his wife who kissed him on the cheek.
"Hey, glad you're home." She greeted.
"Is she home yet?" asked Luke.
"Yup, and she's perfectly fine." Haley replied aware of her husband's anxiety. "She's just across the street playing with a new friend from school."
Luke peered across the street at the neighboring yard. He caught Fluttershy learning to kick a soccer ball from Scott and seeming to have fun.
"Don't worry," nudged Haley. "He seems like a nice boy. Aren't you glad she found a friend?"
"Yeah," uttered Luke still looking on. "I'm proud of her."
The couple went inside as Fluttershy carried on playing with her new friend. At one point, she even rode in a small wagon as Scott ran and pulled her along.
"Wow, and I thought I had it rough in school." Twilight said as she poured another cup of tea.
Fluttershy now lay on her sofa staring up at the ceiling. "Oh, it wasn't so bad. Scott was a really nice boy. We would play together all the time."
"So Fluttershy," continued Twilight, sitting in the adjacent chair. "I meant to ask you this earlier but, did Luke and Haley ever tell you about ponies in human society? And by ponies, I mean horses and other, um, equines?"
"Now that you mention it," replied Fluttershy who twirled her mane. "I think they told me when I finally asked."
"It must have been a bit of a wake up call learning about domestication."
"Yes, it was strange. I mean, I could've sworn I saw something called the 'Kentucky Derby' a couple times when I was little; but I never really understood. Then it all became clear why humans look at ponies differently, once my father showed me."
"Showed you what?"
Memories...
Enjoying a nice carefree Saturday, Luke lazed on the couch staring at the television. He was watching the classic spaghetti western The Outlaw Josey Wales; being a bit of a history buff, it was one of his favorite movies. As he sat watching Clint Eastwood pick off Union troops with his Colt Navy revolvers, he heard his daughter's voice.
"Watcha doing, Daddy?" asked Fluttershy cutely.
"Just watching a movie." Luke patted the couch gesturing her to join him.
Fluttershy climbed up next to her father and looked at the screen curiously. She cocked her head at the sight of the ex-Confederate guerilla Josey Wales and his Cherokee guide, riding away on their steeds. "Are those...ponies?" she asked innocently.
The question struck Luke. It had not yet been explained to her about domestication of equines and other beasts of burden. He could have sworn Fluttershy had seen the Kentucky Derby a couple times before, but he had never broken it to her. Nevertheless, Luke cleared his throat and answered.
"Well...sort of. They're just regular horses."
"Oh, you mean the ones that don't talk?" queried Fluttershy. "How come there are men riding on their backs?"
This was the question Luke feared. "Uh...well...you see, Fluttershy, some animals are kept by humans as, uh, pets."
"Horsies are kept as pets?"
"Well, they're mostly just kept so we can ride them. But a lot of other animals are kept for different reasons. In fact, there all sorts of animals that are just kept to look at. You know, a zoo."
"Wow, I've never been to the zoo before."
Luke smiled seeing the perfect opportunity to change to subject. "Do you want to go? There's one not far from here in the city."
Fluttershy beamed. "Really? Can we go today? Please, please, please, please, please?!" she began to bounce and flap her wings.
"Of course, sweetie. I know how much you love animals!"
"Yay!"
It wasn't long before they were finally on the road to the county zoo. Luke drove with Fluttershy safely strapped in her child's booster seat in the back, as they headed into the city. Upon arriving at last, Fluttershy hopped with anticipation alongside her father towards the front gate. Luckily, Saturday meant half price off admission for kids; Luke seized this opportunity after convincing the ticket clerk that foals counted as 'kids'. Fluttershy pranced through the zoo complex gawking at the many exotic animals with her protective father keeping close all the while. She stopped at the tiger cage.
"Wow, tigers!" she gasped as she stepped up to the edge of the pen. "Daddy, come look at the tigers!"
Luke stood behind with his hands in his pockets. "Uh, this is the only distance I care to see them, sweetheart."
Suddenly, one of the three bengal tigers approached the chain link fence behind the guard wall. A knot tied in Luke's stomach as the jungle cat stood face to face with his daughter.
"Hi Mr. Tiger, I'm Fluttershy." She greeted innocently.
The large tiger put a paw against the fence and made a deep purring sound, staring at the curious pony. It had hunted easy prey bigger than her, but for some reason, this strange filly didn't seem like a target. It purred some more trying to make conversation.
"My, you're so big." Fluttershy said. "And your stripes are really pretty."
As the tiger began to lick its lips, Luke intervened. "Alright, Fluttershy, he looks hungry. Why don't we, uh, let him wait for feeding time."
"Oh, okay. Bye, Mr. Tiger!" she called back as she walked away with her father. Looking back, she saw that the tiger was still clawing against the cage with a lonely look on its face. Fluttershy frowned feeling sympathy for the misjudged predator.
For the next few hours, they wandered the massive zoo with Fluttershy, of course, leading the way. Her eyes lit up as they passed by various pens holding many different creatures such as lions, bears, giraffes, crocodiles, parrots, hippos, rhinos, and even an elephant couple. At each exhibit, Fluttershy was amazed by the wonderous animals; but something seemed off as she stopped at each pen. Some of the animals had the same lonesome look on their face; and those who couldn't make facial expressions simply sat in one place without a care. Fluttershy felt there was something amiss with the creatures, as if they were not happy in their homes.
Eventually, she and Luke finally reached the gorilla cage. Among the four or five apes, one of them sat upfront scratching its chest and looking quite bored. Fluttershy approached him with a smile.
"Daddy, look at the gorilla." She said.
Luke scratched his chin with realization. "Oh yeah. Hey Fluttershy, I saw this gorilla here before. His name is Jimbo and he knows sign language."
"Wow!" she beamed as she spoke to the ape. "Hi Jimbo, I'm Fluttershy."
The gorilla known as Jimbo noticed the strange talking foal and knuckle-walked over to her. He raised a hairy hand and made a slight gesture that somwhat resembled waving.
"Teehee, he does know sign language!" Fluttershy waved back.
Then, Jimbo made another hand gesture, this time putting his fingertips together and raising them to his lips. He repeated this sign a few times.
"What's he saying, Daddy?" asked Fluttershy.
"I think that means 'food'." Luke answered.
"Oh, he's hungry. Daddy, um, can he have one of your peanuts?"
Luke looked down at the bag of peanuts he had been carrying. "Uh, I don't know if that's allowed, Fluttershy."
"Please, Daddy?" pleaded Fluttershy with puppy eyes. "He looks starving."
Unsure, Luke peered back and forth between his begging daughter and the begging ape who continued with the hand signs. After a pause, he sighed and took a few nuts from the bag handing them to Fluttershy.
"Thanks, Daddy." She grinned and nuzzled his pantleg. Then she looked at the gorilla holding out the peanuts. "Here you go, Jimbo."
Slowly, Jimbo slipped his fingers through the fence and grabbed the peanuts in his palm. One by one, he carefully began to eat the salty morsels shell and all. After he had consumed them all, Jimbo made another sign by holding out his palm flat.
"That means 'thank you'." Luke whispered.
"Your welcome, Jimbo." Fluttershy smiled to the gorilla.
Then, with a proud beat of his chest, Jimbo knuckle-walked back to his family, only to curl up in a tree branch and fall asleep.
Fluttershy looked at the other gorillas who seemed to just as lively as Jimbo. They simply sat and stared off with the same lonesome expression as the other animals. She began to feel sympathetic again.
Sensing his little filly's distress, Luke took Fluttershy to the zoo food court to get her ice cream. But still Fluttershy sighed dowerly as they sat on a bench.
"Daddy, I don't think they like it here."
"Well, animals need space to run around in, sweetheart." Luke replied, trying not to depress her. "But a lot of these animals were born here, and don't know what that's like."
"Do all animals live in cages when humans own them?"
"Not all of them. There are farms where animals are kept just so they can run around free." He paused thinking. "Say, that gives me an idea. Fluttershy, you know where we keep getting your hay?"
"No, where?"
"Well, there's a farm just outside town where the farmer keeps a whole stable of horses, like the ones on TV. And they have a nice big field where they where they gallop around in."
"Really? Can we go see them?" Fluttershy lit up.
Luke grinned. "I don't see why not."
Since looking for bales of hay at the supermarket was out of the question, Luke and Haley would shop for Fluttershy's favorite snack at a local vineyard. The farmers who owned it, Mr. Schmidt and wife, kept an entire horse ranch where they agreed to sell some of their hay at a cheap price. The Shys had told Mr. Schmidt about their little filly daughter, but had yet to introduce her. Now that would change, as Luke drove Fluttershy down the country to Schmidt Family Farm.
After cruising down the dirt road across the vast fields of grapevines, they finally stopped at the big red barn where the stable was held. Standing outside was an elderly man in overalls and a trucker hat; Mr. Schmidt greeted Luke who stepped out of the car.
"Hey there, Luke," he smiled. "I thought you already picked up your hay last Wednesday."
"Oh I'm not here for hay, Mr. Schmidt." Luke replied. "I have a little someone I thought you'd like to meet. Or should I say somepony."
Mr. Schmidt raised his bushy eyebrows.
Then, the back door of Luke's car opened and slowly, Fluttershy climbed out. Pretending to be invisible, she hid her face behind her mane and walked over behind her father, peeking around his leg.
A broad smile stretched across the farmer's face. "Well, I'll darned," he chuckled. "Is that really her?"
Luke looked down behind him. "Fluttershy, say hello to Mr. Schmidt. He's the owner of the farm."
Fluttershy peered up at the stranger. "Um...hello." She squeaked."
"Heh heh, aren't you precious?" said Mr. Schmidt, kneeling down to her level. "Nice to meet you, little lady."
"You know, Mr. S," continued Luke, half speaking to his daughter. "Fluttershy says she wants to see the horses."
"Is that right?" Mr. Schmidt looked at the filly. "You want to see them, Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy's ears perked up as she lit up. "Oh yes, sir!"
"Heh heh, alright then. I just put some of 'em out to let 'em exersise. Why don't you both come around behind the stable?"
With that, Mr. Schmidt led the two around the barn to a white wooden fence that bordered a wide open grassy meadow. Beyond the fence, several brown horses grazed the field and trotted around showing off their physical prowess to each other. Fluttershy put her hooves up on the lower beam of the fence and marveled at the majestic broncos.
"Wow, they're so...huge!" she gawked. "Daddy, look, they're just like me!"
"They sure are, sweetie." Luke pretended to agree, after stepping in horse droppings.
"Yup, they're bona fide broncos, every one." Mr. Schmidt said, joining them at the fence. "And you see that fine lady up there?" he pointed to one the horses closer upfront. "That's Rosie. She's the only one of my mares I haven't bred yet. Still lookin' for her gentleman caller."
"She's beautiful." Flutteshy added, staring at the graceful mare eating weeds.
"Well, I'll let you look at 'em a bit more, Fluttershy." Mr. Schmidt then turned to his usual customer. "C'mon Luke, you've gotta try some of my wife's homemade wine. She mashes the grapes with her own bare feet."
"Uh, that's alright," hesitated Luke. "I'm not that thirsty."
"Nonesense, I insist. It's the best tastin' wine you'll ever drink; better than in Nappa Valley!"
As Mr. Schmidt dragged Luke off to sample homemade wine with the essence of feet, Fluttershy was left alone at the fence.
Just then, the horse named Rosie peered up at the awestruck little filly with piqued interest. The brown mare lumbered over to the fence to get to know this new equine face to face. Fluttershy became excited.
"Hi Rosie, I'm Fluttershy!"
Rosie simply respondd with a sputter of her lips and a flick of her black tail. She didn't know what to make of this strange talking yellow foal with wings.
"I never met a real horsie before." Fluttershy continued making small talk. "Do you know any ponies like me?"
With a hushed grunt, Rosie craned her head over the fence just inches away from Fluttershy.
"My goodness, you're so big. I wish I was big like you, Rosie."
Then, Rosie gave her new filly friend a gentle nudge with her muzzle, and stepped back a bit. She began to stomp her heavy hooves in the grass and even neighed excitedly.
"Ooh, do you want to play?" asked Fluttershy, poking her head through the fence.
Rosie sputtered again then scraped the ground, as if preparing for a long gallop.
"Okay, let's race!" cheered Fluttershy as she slipped between the fence and joined her new big friend.
Later, Luke finally returned to the fence where he had left Fluttershy, alongside Mr. Schmidt.
"I tell ya, Luke, nothin' goes better with my wife's wine like some good ol' aged cheddar."
Luke listened to Mr. Schmidt, as his stomach became the battlefield for foot mashed grapes and year old cheese. Suddenly, he heard a shrill whinny from the horse field. He looked ahead over the fence to see Rosie cantering around the perimeter of the fence; but there was something else running along beside her. He strained his eyes and realized, to his horror, it was his little filly. Luke called over.
"Fluttershy, what are you doing?!"
"Daddy, look at me!" responded Fluttershy. "I'm playing with Rosie!"
Mr. Schmidt joined next to Luke and chuckled. "Well would you look at that. It seems ol' Rosie's taken a likin' to your daughter. She thinks Fluttershy is one of her own."
Luke looked at him as if he had a second head. "What are you talking about? You don't think this is dangerous?"
"Oh come on, Luke, it's just a harmless hoof race. They do it all the time."
"But what if that horse steps on her?!"
"Don't get your pants in a bind; Rosie's a gentle giant. As far as I'm concerned, your daughter is completely safe."
Luke darted his head frantically, fearing for his daughter's safety. Fluttershy barely reached hip height, and she was merely one wrong step away from being trampled by a full grown bronco. He knew he couldn't let her endanger her life any longer; he sprang off and hopped the fence.
"What are you doin'?" called Mr. Schmidt. "Don't go in there, you'll startle her!"
Ignoring the farmer's advice, Luke hurried over to scoop up Fluttershy as she came galloping towards him. Instead, he got in the way of her racing opponent. He screeched to a halt as he came up close to Rosie, who neighed wildly at the sight of him. Suddenly, she reared back on her hind legs flailing her front ones in the air. Then, as he froze in that fleeting second, one of the hooves came down and struck Luke across the forehead. He tumbled to the ground with a loud grunt.
"Daddy!" gasped Fluttershy who came cantering over to her father's rescue.
"Ugh, cityfolk." Mr. Schmidt muttered.
As Rosie trotted away startled, Luke rolled over on his back and put a hand over his forehead, moaning in agony. Fluttershy stood over him, resting her hooves on his chest.
"Daddy, are you okay?" she asked worried.
He replied with a groan. "Fluttershy...can you please stop standing on my chest?"
It wasn't long before they were back home. After an awkward apology to Mr. Schmidt, Luke drove Fluttershy back to the house where he told Haley about his accident. Eventually, he found himself in his bed with a sizable gash on his forehead and a ringing migraine. Haley sat on the edge of the bed wetting a cloth with hydrogen piroxide.
"Ah! Jeez that stings!" he seethed.
"Will you just hold still?" sulked Haley, dabbing his forehead. "I'm almost done."
Luke rested his head back and sighed with regret.
"Luke, what were you doing out there?" asked Haley discerningly. "You don't need to be a vet to know you shouldn't run into a charging horse."
"She was about to be stepped on, Haley. I couldn't just stand there and watch."
"I wouldn't want her to get hurt either. But you're being over protective, and it's only getting you hurt. You need to have more trust in Fluttershy; she's not a baby anymore."
Luke stirred in the bed.
Haley eased up. "Is that what this is about?"
He sighed again. "She's asking all these questions. She's getting more and more curious, and pretty soon she's going to realize that...she's not one of us."
"Well of course she realizes that; we knew that from the start. Fluttershy's growing up, Luke."
"Yeah, too fast for me. But I mean, what's going to happen when she's old enough to go away?"
"Well I...I don't know."
"What if Fluttershy goes to this flight camp and doesn't fit in? What if it's worse than school? She doesn't know what it's like to live with other ponies. The reason I'm being over protective is because I don't want her to stray too far. She's my little girl, Haley; I don't want her to go."
Haley paused to consider his words. Then, she leaned over and rubbed his shoulder as she spoke. "Don't get too upset. We still have plenty of time with her." She kissed him above his wound. "Enjoy it." She stood up and exited the bedroom leaving him to rest and heal.
After a few minutes of holding an icepack to his crown, Luke heard the door creak open slowly. Peaking in was Fluttershy's face wearing a guilty expression behind her pink mane. Silently, she walked in and approached the bed, resting her chin on the edge. She nuzzled his pantleg again, as she looked up at him with sorrowful teal eyes.
Unable to resist the face he had known so well, Luke reached down and lifted her up onto the bed. Fluttershy cuddled next to him.
"I'm so sorry, Daddy," she said softly. "Are you mad at me?"
He responded calmly. "No, I'm not mad, sweetie; it was my fault. I know you were just trying to have fun."
With a pause, Fluttershy laid her head upon his torso, and reflected on the events of the entire day. She thought about the questions she asked him earlier at home. "Daddy...am I a pet?"
Luke smiled at the naive question. "Of course not, Fluttershy." He began to stroke her silky mane. "You're my baby girl; and you always will be."
Haley lifted a whistling tea pot from the stove and poured herself a steaming cup. But as she sat down at the kitchen table with a nice big muffin, something seemed missing in the quiet of the house. She spoke to Luke as he entered.
"Luke, have you seen Fluttershy?" she asked.
"I haven't seen her." Luke replied. "She's not up yet?"
"No, she usually is at this hour. Maybe she's still in her room."
Haley got up and walked down the hall to Fluttershy's bedroom. She saw that door was opened a crack and slowly began to push it. But she hesistated at the sound of quiet uneasy moaning coming from inside. Haly opened the door and peeked inside to see Fluttershy still in her bed. The little wore a pained expression as she held the covers up to her chin; her yellow cheeks had turned a pale shade of green. Haley walked in, concerned.
"Fluttershy? What's wrong?" she asked.
Fluttershy moaned again. "I don't feel good."
Haley sat down on the edge of the bed and laid a hand on her daughter's forehead; she immediately pulled it back. "Oh baby, you're burning up. You must have a fever."
Without a response, Fluttershy then blew a cute sneeze before coughing a bit.
Haley frowned. "Ooh, sounds like more than a fever."
Fluttershy sniffled and replied. "Mommy, can I stay in bed for a little longer?" she squeaked with another cough.
"You can stay in bed for as long as you need, sweetie. I just made some tea, so I'll pour you a cup; that always makes me feel better." She then kissed her filly's burning forehead.
"Thanks, Mommy." Fluttershy gave a half smile before her mother exited.
As Haley reentered the kitchen, Luke inspected the muffin she had left on the table with a look of intrigue. But before he could take a nibble, he noticed her walking in and replaced the treat back on the table, pretending to act natural. He addressed her nonchalantly.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"I think Fluttershy has the flu." Haley sighed. "Poor thing is pale as a ghost. I'll just give her some tea."
"Tea? Haley, she's going to need more than that if it's the flu. Do we have any medicine for it?"
"Luke, don't worry about it, my tea always helps."
Their conversation was interrupted by more high pitched coughing from down the hall, followed by another long moan.
Haley thought for a moment. "Maybe we'll keep some Nyquil out just in case."
For the next few days, Fluttershy remained bedridden and was kept from school. Luke and Haley tended to her every need as she lay in her room sneezing and coughing. But despite the amount of medicine and other remedies they had given her, Fluttershy's symptoms did not show any signs of dissapearing. It was certainly a surprise for the parents. She had never gotten sick before, and did have much need for a visit to the doctor. But at this point, that was exactly what their little filly needed. After about a week of sickness, Luke and Haley left her to stay at home and rest, while they went to the local hospital to talk to the pediatrician. They met with Dr. Horton in his check-up room.
"Listen Doctor," said Luke. "Our little girl has been sick for days, and she doesn't seem to be getting better."
"We were wondering if we could schedule an appointment with you to get any information." Haley added.
"Well, I'd happy to take a look at your daughter," replied Horton. "But it's probably just the common flu. It can take a couple weeks to recover."
"Well, the thing is, Doctor," said Haley. "We're not sure how the flu could affect her in particular."
"What do you mean?"
Luke sighed, putting aside his discomfort in answering. "You see, she's a pony. Her name is Fluttershy."
Horton looked between the two. "...your daughter's a pony?" he repeated.
"Yes, we adopted her." Haley answered.
"So, what makes you think I can help?" asked Horton discerningly.
"Well, we heard you're one of the best childrens' doctors around." Haley told him.
"Yeah, childrens' doctor; not a foals' doctor. As in, patients aren't foals."
"Are you saying you won't treat her?" asked Luke.
"Look, I can't just treat something that isn't human. I know nothing about pony anatomy. If you want any help, go see a veterinarian."
"Doctor, I am a vet," retorted Haley. "And I don't know any more about pony anatomy than you do. But at least you have experience with kids."
"Yeah, but I still say you should treat her." Horton snarked. "After all, you treat animals for a living."
Luke glared. "Hey, our daughter is not an animal. She is no different from any of the kids you treat. You can't just turn us away like this."
"I don't know what to tell you, pal," shrugged Horton. "I'm a doctor, not a horse whisperer."
That's when Haley became steamed. "How dare you! Our little girl is sick and bedridden, and you have the nerve to call her a horse! I can't believe you would refuse a patient just becuase their not human."
"You're not making your point any better, Mrs. Shy." Horton sulked. "If you'll excuse me, I have real kids to treat."
With an agrivated grumble, Haley stormed out ot the room without another word. Luke followed her, but then stopped at the doorway and looked back at the doctor.
"You know," he said to him. "She's more human than you are." He then left to catch up with Haley.
The next day, Haley sat with Fluttershy in her bedroom with medicine, tissues, and a puke bucket close at hand. She had been reading books to her to help lift her spirits during this sickly funk, and paid no worry about catching the flu as Fluttershy cuddled next to her. When Haley finished another story, Fluttershy spoke.
"Mommy, I'm going to get better, right?" she asked with a gentle cough.
"I'm sure you are, Fluttershy," answered Haley, wiping her little nose with a tissue. "You know, your father used to get sick a lot, when he was a kid."
"Really?"
"Yes, he would miss a lot of school because of it. He was a very sickly boy."
"Is that why you married him? Because you're a doctor?"
Haley chuckled at the adorable question. "Well, I'm not a people doctor, remember? I'm a veterinarian." She then sighed thinking back to the incident the day before. "I just wish I knew enough to help you, sweetheart."
"It's okay, Mommy. I still trust you." Fluttershy smiled.
Haley returned her smile and petted her mane. Then, she looked at the clock over to side. The night had been settling in. "It's getting pretty late. Why don't you get some rest?"
"Okay. Thanks for reading, Mommy."
She kissed her daughter on the cheek then left the bedroom. Haley then returned beside her husband on their own bed.
"Remember when you were like that?" she asked him, referring to Fluttershy's incapacity.
"Oh don't remind me," said Luke. "It wasn't just the flu when I was a kid. Bronchitis, larengitis, salmonela, strep throat,"
"Well, if you could survive through all that, I'm sure she can. She's pretty strong."
Luke put his arm over her shoulders and kissed her on the head. "So are you."
For the next few hours, Haley cuddles with her husband in their bed, knowing their daughter was safe and sound in her own room. After a while, she got up and walked down to the bathroom to freshen up. But as she brushed her teeth, she heard the clipclop of little hoofsteps coming towards her. She looked down at the open doorway at her filly.
"Fluttershy?" she asked, wiping her mouth. "What is it, sweetie? What are you doing up?"
"Mommy, I think I'm going to...to..."
"Oh honey, it's alright." Haley put aside her brush and stepped out of the bathroom to give Fluttershy some privacy. "Take as long as you need."
Fluttershy's head began to sway as she stepped dizzily into the bathroom, making for the toilet to upchuck. But halfway in, she moaned painfully and started to sway her entire body.
"Fluttershy?" concerned Haley.
Then, to her shock, the poor filly lost her balance and fell to the floor on her side. Haley gasped and hurried over.
"Oh my gosh, Fluttershy baby, are you alright?!" she knelt down and held her little head up.
Fluttershy's eyes were now closed and the rest of her face had gone ghostly pale. The only sign of life from her was the slow heaving of her chest. She had fainted and her mother could not wake her. Haley scooped her up in her arms and carried her out of the bathroom; her worst fears were seeming to come true, as this was no ordinary flu.
"Luke! Luke, start the car! Hurry!"
...
In just a few short minutes, they were in the car speeding down the road into town. Haley sat in the passenger seat, grasping her unconcious daughter bundled up in a blanket, while Luke drove at an alert pace.
"Come on, move it!" he yelled at the traffic.
"It's okay, Fluttershy," whispered Haley, pressing her face close to her filly. "You're going to be alright."
At long last, they arrived at the hospital; but there seemed to be little light glowing from inside, as it was after midnight. Without a moment to lose, Luke illegally stopped the car outside the front entrance, where the ambulances park, and he rushed into the hospital with Haley holding their daughter tightly. They ran up to the front desk, where an orderly was seated.
"Excuse me," said Luke, with quickened breath. "We need help immediately. Our daughter just fainted."
"Oh of course," the woman answered. "The emergency room is just down the hall to the left. But I'm afraid there are not many doctors left on call tonight."
"That's alright, thank you." Luke started off again with Haley next to him.
The two hurried down the ER past the many patient rooms. But not a single nurse was seen in the long complex of hallways; even most of the ceiling lights had already been turned off for the night. As they ran down the many twisting and turning corridors, it seemed that there was barely any signs of life. But then, as they turned a corner, they saw the slightest bit of hope just down the hall. Luke and Haley found Dr. Horton standing up ahead and quickened their pace towards him. The doctor saw them both coming.
"Dr. Horton, please," said Haley worriedly. "We know there's not much you can do, but our daughter is very sick, and we need help now!"
"You actually brought her here?" asked Horton discerningly. "Look, I told you people, I don't treat ponies. There's nothing I can do."
"Please!" pleaded Luke. "This is an innocent life we're talking about!"
"Sorry, but I'm a human doctor, and that's final!"
"What is going on here?"
The three of them looked to the side at the source of the new voice. There walking toward the couple was another doctor; a doctor who walked on four hooves. Luke and Haley's eyes lit up as they saw a female pony doctor approach them. She was a turqoise unicorn, with an indigo mane tied in a formal ponytail, and a pair of silvery eyes. Her cutie mark featured a pharmacist's beaker. The couple faced the mare as Haley spoke.
"Uh, excuse me, do you work here?" she asked.
The mare looked at the white jacket she was wearing with the stethyscope around her neck. "Um, that would be accurate. My name is Dr. Remedy, chief of medicine. Is there is a problem?"
Luke spoke. "Doctor, our daughter has the flu, and she just fell unconcious an hour ago. Can you please help her?"
"The flu? May I see her?" asked Remedy.
Haley carefully lowered the bundled up Fluttershy, showing her yellow face to the mare doctor. Remedy gained a look of surprise.
"My gosh," she said. "Why don't you two come with me? I'll take care of her right away."
"Oh thank you!" replied Haley and followed her with Luke.
After about a half later, Luke and Haley stood outside a patient room looking through the glass and holding each other's hand. Inside, Fluttershy lay on the bed connected to a heart monitor, with Remedy standing beside her and concentrating on her work. Her horn glowed a light blue aura as she scanned it over the fainted filly. The unicorn had been working her magic for a while now, and Luke and Haley's concern grew as they watched her. Finally, she ceased her magic and stepped outside the room, closing the door behind her.
"It's a good thing you folks came here when you did." Remedy said to them. "I'm afraid your daughter has something far worse than the common flu."
"What do you mean?" asked Haley.
"She has something called Winged Hay Fever. It's a virus that only affects pegasi of all ages. Although, it's an Equestrian disease, it can make its way much farther and is very difficult to detect. Unfortunately, it can't be cured by any conventional medicine; only unicorn magic can stop the virus."
"Oh my gosh." Haley gasped to herself, suddenly feeling silly.
"Is she going to be alright, Doctor?" asked Luke.
"She's stable for now," answered Remedy. "But she's going to need all night to fully recover. I put a healing spell on her that should take some time to clear her body of the virus completely."
"Dr. Remedy, thank you so much." Haley said. "We are so lucky we found you."
"It's no problem at all. But tell me, why didn't you come to any doctor sooner?"
"Well, we told Dr. Horton about Fluttershy's flu." Luke explained. "But he refused to treat her."
"Is that so?" Remedy shook her head. "I don't know how that guy became a pediatrician. I'll talk to him when I can. In the mean time, we'll wait for your daughter's recovery." She then walked off down the hall.
"Thanks, Doc." Luke said after her.
He and Haley then turned back to the window and watched their little daughter in her comatose state. They held each other and hoped for the best.
...
The next morning, Luke and Haley sat in front of Dr. Remedy at her desk in her office. They both now had bright smiles on their faces, as they sat next to their fully healed young filly. Haley hugged Fluttershy ever so tightly, giving her kisses all over.
"Oh, I'm so happy you're okay, sweetheart!" she told her.
"Dr. Remedy, thank you so much for all you've done." Luke told the mare. "We don't know what would've happened if it weren't for you."
"It's my pleasure, Mr. Shy," said Remedy. "It's actually quite refreshing to see another pony around here; especially an adorable little filly like your daughter. I think it's amazing that you two are raising her."
"What do you say?" whispered Haley to her daughter.
"Thank you, Dr. Remedy!" said Fluttershy. "I feel so much better."
"You're very welcome, Fluttershy." Remedy smiled and gave her a lollipop.
Then, as relief continued to fill the room, the stubborn Dr. Horton stepped in the doorway. "Uh, you wanted to see me, Doctor?"
"Ah yes," replied Remedy soberly. "I wanted to tell you something. Dr. Horton, you're fired."
"What?!" exclaimed Horton. "How can you fire me?!"
"Refusing to treat a patient is not something I will allow in my hospital." Remedy scolded him. "Especially a young child. That is just a disgrace to the Hipocratic Oath."
"But I don't treat ponies! I'm not a horse whisperer for god's sake!"
"Well unfortunately for you, ponies...are not...horses. You may clear out your office and leave immediately, before you endanger another one of my kind. Good day, Doctor."
With that, Horton scoffed and stormed out down the hall from the office. Fluttershy giggled at his disdain.
"Well, that just about does it." Remedy continued. "Now if Fluttershy ever gets sick again, you have my number. And I'll be happy to do a biannual check-up on her. "
"Thanks again, Doctor." Haley smiled. "We'll see you soon."
"Bye, Dr. Remedy!" added Fluttershy.
The family soon walked down the corridor of the hospital with Fluttershy happily trotting beside her parents.
"Daddy," she said with lollipop in mouth. "What's a horse whisperer?"
"Wait, are you serious?" queried Twilight. "You never get sick."
"Well, that's how you know the spell worked." Fluttershy smiled.
"Oh yeah, good point." Twilight peered out the cottage window for a moment. "So, you were pretty much the first pony raised by humans?"
"As far as I know, yes."
"Wow, your face must have been plastered all over the news."
"Well, actually, my parents were pretty secretive about bringing me up." Fluttershy paused. "Of course, there were a few...weak moments."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, eventually people were going to spread the word about me. Fortunately, it hadn't spread into Equestria, but there was a brief time when the humans actually became quite interested in me."
"How interested?" asked Twilight, almost afraid to know.
Memories...
Chaz Chadwick puffed a cigar as he sat in his secluded office behind his mahogany desk. As the chief editor of the popular Faceslap news magazine, he had a lot on his plate to take care of including paperwork and article suggestions. But he purposely put them all off and chose instead to relax in his lavish study. At one point, one of his younger aides opened the door and stepped inside.
"Uh, Mr. Chadwick, sir?" the aide asked, as he held a stack of papers.
"Yes, what is it, Pam?" responded Chadwick, staring out his window.
"It's Sam, sir. Uh, sorry to bother you, but I think we might have our new cover story."
"Well tell me what it is already." Chadwick spun around in his leather chair. "It better not be another doozie about that astronaut who married his car."
"No, sir. But it's about a couple who live in a nearby town and...uh...well, there's no other way to say it, sir, but...they're raising a pony."
"So you got two people who are trying to be mini horse breeders. Big whoop."
"No, I mean a pony from Equestria."
Chadwick stared at Sam for a moment, trying to process what he had just heard. "You mean...an actual talking pony?"
"Yes sir. Apparently they've been raising her for quite a few years now."
"Well why haven't we heard of this before?"
"I think the parents are a bit seclusive about it. No jounalist has even made a try at them."
Chadwick stood up. "Listen, Clam, I don't even care if their last name is Shy. When I get an original story like this, it's darn well going to be on our next cover. Do you have anything at all on this family?"
"Fortunately, we have some photos of the pony. And we've even managed to get as much information as possible from the few people who know about her."
"That's all we really need. Pretty soon, all of California, or even the whole country, will be buzzing about this little mini horse. I can see the headlines now; Reverse Jungle Book: the world's first human raised pony! Get the bean counters in the writing department on this right away, Melissa."
"You got is, sir. Uh, it's Sam, by the way."
"And get me a coffee while you're at it!"
...
A snoring Luke lay strewn out on the couch, as a hockey game premiered on the television a week later. It had been a long day of work and he deserved a little peace, quiet and normality. But as his home team was losing by an embarrassing amount, the commercials came on and a news promo changed the normality.
"Laster tonight on the news at eleven," said an announcer. "A human raised pony?"
Immediately, Luke's eyes shot open after barely hearing those last words. He quickly sat up and focused his attention.
"A recent article in Faceslap magazine tells all about a couple who have been raising a young Equestrian pony all on their own. More on this later."
A sense of dread and shock began to surge down Luke's body; this feeling then quickly turned into anger. "Son of a-" He sprang from the couch and stormed over to the telephone, looking up the number for Faceslap magazine. He dialed the numbers, mashing the buttons with unbridled rage. At last, he waited as the line began to ring. "Come on, come on!" But his hopes were thoroughly dashed by an automated female voice.
"Thank you for calling Faceslap magazine; the best in only the latest shocking news. If you would like to sign up for a six year weekly subscribtion, please hold until-"
Luke slammed the phone back on the receiver. "Perfect." He muttered vengefully. Then, just as soon as he hung it up, the phone began to ring. Hesitating for a moment, Luke slowly answered the inpromtu call. "Yes, hello?" he spoke, trying to hide irritation.
"Hello, is this Luke Shy?" asked the kindly non-automated voice of a woman of forty something.
He sulked. "Yeah, who is this?"
"I'm sorry if I'm calling at a bad time, Mr. Shy," the woman said. "I'm Nelly Vanderbilt. I'm sure you've heard of my show?"
It was then that the feeling of dread in Luke was suddenly replaced by surprise. The voice instantly became familiar to him. "You mean Nosy Nelly? Of course I've heard of your show, you're like the biggest talk show host. My wife watches you all the time."
"I'm glad to hear that. So listen, Mr. Shy," resumed Nelly. "I just read that article about your daughter, Fluttershy."
The dread suddenly came creeping back to him as he paced around the house. "Uh, yeah?"
"Well, I just have to say that I am truly inspired by what you and your wife are doing. Let me tell you, I've probably interviewed four or five pop singers who adopted Inuit babies. But this is really above the norm, and I just love it. So, I was wondering, if it's alright with you of course, if you could get Fluttershy to come on my show next week."
"You mean...an interview?" Luke asked nervously.
As he held the phone to his ear, he walked over and peeked inside the open bathroom. Inside was Haley sitting on the edge of the bathtub bathing their little filly inside. Fluttershy had covered herself in a mound of pink bubbles revealing only her smiling face. After a moment of watching his daughter enjoying a nice bubbly soak, Luke walked back out of earshot and continued speaking to Nelly.
"Jeez, I don't know." He said. "I'm not exactly fond of Fluttershy being surround by all that media. She's more timid than I am."
"Don't worry about it, Luke," replied Nelly sincerely. "The interview will be in front of an audience, but it won't be broadcasted live. The whole thing will just be prerecorded, and I think you won't be so timid afterwards. So what do you say? Do we have an interview?"
Luke paused again to think. This was the last thing he wanted to put Fluttershy through, and yet he felt that there was nothing that could really go wrong. In fact, he began to suspect that it could be good for her, strangely enough. As he heard the innocent laughter of his little filly from the bathroom, Luke took a long deep sigh and gave his answer.
"Alright, we'll do it." He put simply.
"Excellent. You won't regret it, Luke." Nelly said. "I'll call you tomorrow to explain everything. See you next week!"
"Oh wait, Nelly!" he interrupted. "Before you go, can I put my wife on the phone? She's kind of a big fan of yours."
"Of course."
With that, Luke walked back over down the hall and stepped into the bathroom, where Haley was drying off her squeaky clean filly with a towel. "Haley," he said. "You got a call."
Curious, Haley stood up and took the phone into the living room. Luke entered the bathroom and took over drying off Fluttershy and her ruffled mane and coat.
"Who's on the phone, Daddy?" she asked.
"Uh, a friend of your mother's, Fluttershy." Luke answered. He then covered his hands over her pointed ears before hearing Haley's voice.
"Hello?...Yes, who is this?...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
...
"And now back to Nosy Nelly!"
The lights went up on a small stage area while a sizable studio audience clapped and whooped. In front of the cameras was the charming smiling face of America's favorite philanthropic talk show host, Nosy Nelly herself. She gave her usual courtious waves to the mostly female crowd, who had earlier on the show found gift cards to Barnes & Noble under their seats. As she sat down in her tan cushioned chair, Nelly began.
"Welcome back to the show!" she greeted to the audience and cameras. "If you're just joining us now, we just had a lovely chat with Taylor Swift and her twenty eighth boyfriend. But now we have a new guest who is truly unique, and I am just dying to bring her out. She is the first ever human raised pony."
Several excited gasps rose from the audience. Meanwhile, on the side of the studio, Haley watched from behind a curtain with Nelly's awaited guest standing at her side. Fluttershy looked out at the crowd with tension.
"Uh Mommy, I don't know about this." She said, quivering. "There's so many people out there."
"It's okay, Fluttershy, you'll be fine." Haley replied sweetly. "Besides, how many ponies can say they've been on Nosy Nelly? You know how much you like watching her with me."
"Yeah but, I didn't think it would be this," she gulped. "Scary. And where's Daddy? Isn't he going to watch?"
"Of course he is, sweetie. He's just over there...hitting his head against the wall."
"Silly Daddy." Fluttershy began to smile a bit. But her cheering up didn't last long as she heard Nelly continue.
"And now, laides and gentlemen," she announced. "Please welcome my guest tonight. She is absolutely adorable and a real swetheart. Give it up for...Fluttershy!"
The anticipating audience clapped and cheered as they finally got to see the buzzed about filly from the news. Haley scooted Fluttershy along, letting her cautiously step out onto the stage set. She avoided the gaze of the hyped crowd behind her mane and climbed up on the matching chair next to Nelly. The host gave her a warm smile as the applause died down.
"Fluttershy, it is so great to finally meet you." She said.
"Um...thank you, Nelly." Fluttershy replied meekly, scanning her eyes around.
"So tell me, how exactly did your parents find you?" asked Nelly gingerly.
"Well, um, my Mommy said she found me on the doorstep and just adopted me."
"Do you know who left you there?"
Fluttershy paused to consider the question. "Um, no, not really." She began to lose herself in deep thought.
Nelly stopped and quickly revised her next question, feeling she had somehow hit home a bit. "So, Fluttershy, how is school going for you?"
She perked up slightly. "Oh, school is great. I love learning everything, and my daddy says I get smarter everyday. I even learned to count to five hundred!"
"Wow, that's...impressive." Nelly replied in all seriousness. "Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?"
"Oh yes," smiled Fluttershy. "I want to take care of cute little animals just like my mommy."
A round of "d'aw"s was heard from the audience.
"I see." Nelly said, not expecting that answer. "Um, Fluttershy, wouldn't you rather like to be a pilot? Or maybe a weather pony?"
Fluttershy seemed puzzled. "Why would I want to be a pilot?"
"Well, you are a pegasus, aren't you?"
"Um, yes, I am."
Nelly tried to lead her on to giving the conversation she was hoping for. "So, don't you want to be a good flyer one day?"
Fluttershy began to feel awkward. "Uh, well, actually, I'm scared of flying." She replied in a hushed mutter.
The audience responded with adoring laughter. But Nelly only pinched between her eyes with a smile for the cameras.
Throughout the entire interview, the conversation carried on as so. Nelly had expected her young equine guest to be giving more 'pony-esque' answers, such as to questions about what she knew of Equestria. But all in all, Fluttershy prefered to talk about her parents and fascination of animals. It became apparent to Nelly that she was just getting information about the filly's average day in the life. Still, the crowd ate it up as if Fluttershy were the pony version of Shirley Temple; Nelly took solace and mustered through.
After several more minutes of simple innocent conversation, the interview was drawing to a close.
"Well, Fluttershy," said Nelly. "It has just been wonderful having you with us. Do you have any final words for the audience?"
Fluttershy glanced at the sea of eyes, staring eagerly back at her. Again, she ducked behind her pink mane and uttered simply. "Um...uh...hello," she gave a fragile smile. "Um...thank you for listening?"
"Whoo! Fluttershy, we love you!" cheered a random female member of the audience, rowsing several other fans of the adorable young foal. An uncomfortable chill rushed down Fluttershy's body from the loud, enthusiastic applause.
"Well, that just about all the time we have." Nelly resumed. "Thanks for being with us, Fluttershy; it was a real pleasure meeting you."
Fluttershy smiled, feeling strangely flattered by the charming host. She simply responded by getting up from her chair and wrapping her hooves around Nelly's legs in a thankful hug. As expected, the crowd 'awe'd and Nelly returned the little hug.
After the show went to commercial, Nelly met with Luke and Haley backstage, while Fluttershy was in the bathroom. "Well, Mr. and Mrs. Shy, I must say this interview went better than expected." She started. "Your daughter is absolutely darling."
"Well, she may be a bit skittish," replied Haley. "But she'll definitely open up once she's comfortable with someone."
"So, you said this interview was prerecorded?" queried Luke.
"Of course," answered Nelly. "But the audience just loved her so much that my producer is really considering airing it as soon as possible. But obviously, the decision is yours."
Luke glanced at Haley unsure, and only received a supportive shrug. He scratched his head for a moment then, spoke again. "Why don't you give us a day to think about it?"
"Take your time." Nelly replied. "You have my number, so I'll be waiting. You know, you two are so lucky to have a daughter like her."
Luke smiled and nodded truthfully. "More than you know."
...
The next day was no different from the ordinary, despite the interesting visit on Nosy Nelly. Fluttershy had just finished another day of school and was on the way home. However, some local roadwork caused the bus to drop her off several blocks away from her house. Fluttershy didn't mind taking a nice stroll down the neighborhood and started off.
Along the way, as she stopped to admire a blue jay nest in a front yard bush, she saw something move toward her from the corner of her eye. Flutterhsy looked ahead to see two people walking excitedly toward her direction; one was a man holding heavily equipped Nikon camera. The other was a woman with a digital recorder, who immediately knelt down in front of Fluttershy as the man began snapping away pictures with a bright flash.
"Fluttershy, are you on your way from school just now?" asked the woman, sticking the recorder in the filly's face. "Tell us about an average day in elementary school."
Fluttershy stood speechless, confused at the pestering lady and her high strung questining. This was only exacerbated by the blinding flash of the other human's camera, shrinking her young pupils. At first, she tried to form a response in her mind; but fortunately, Luke had warned her about talking to strangers. She simply ignored the woman and her shutter-happy partner, and continued down the street.
Suddenly, Fluttershy heard a loud vehicle motor rush up from behind her. She snapped around quickly to see a blue van speed up and almost instantly stop across the street from her. Then, like circus clowns in a toy car, another pair of humans with a video camera and a recorder came rushing up to the clueless filly. Hurriedly, they approached Fluttershy and flew more fast paced questions at her.
"Flutteshy, Fluttershy," acknowledged the male reporter. "What was it like talking to Nosy Nelly? Do your parents plan on putting you on her show again?"
Again, Fluttershy gawked at the odd people with the large camera staring menacingly at her. Suddenly, she began to feel nervous as she only met the strangers with more silence. She quickened her pace to a trot down the street, hoping to get home without anymore confusion. But just as soon as she started off, a few more humans with news team equipment rushed up to her, seemingly out of nowhere, and yet again, Fluttershy was bombarded by more random questions.
"Hey Fluttershy, can you give a shot out for NBC?"
"Fluttershy, what product do you use for your mane?"
WIth the feeling of intimidation creeping up, Fluttershy only managed to speak in a light voice. "Um, excuse me, uh, I just want to go home."
As she continued her trot, she looked back to see her pursers catching up behind her with more questions to fire at her. Then, just as she had thought she was experiencing the worst of it, Fluttershy caught another hoard of journalists swarming around her, having also manifested from the blue. Sure enough, the questions persisted.
"Fluttershy, do you have a crush on any boys at school?"
"Fluttershy, have you thought about doing any kids' show roles?"
"Fluttershy, did your parents say anything about merchandise? Calendars? Coffee mugs? Dolls?"
"Please, leave me alone. Please?" she squeaked again.
But the paparazzi kept up their beckoning questions. In that moment, there was no room for her to escape. Every direction around her was blocked by imposing grownups all spitting their questions at once and sticking microphones close to her muzzle. And all the while, Fluttershy was surrounded by more blinding flashes from cameras; the ones that weren't recording her every movement. She was overcome with fear by the swarming crowd of reporters, and began to feel tears welling up in her teal eyes. As they creeped ever closer to her, Fluttershy shut her eyes and let out a whimpering cry before bolting bewtween one man's legs and down the street.
Terrified, she galloped closer toward home, still with the desperate journalists on her tail. At long last, she saw her beautiful house up ahead and sprinted to safety. As she approached the front walkway, the door opened and Fluttershy immediately saw her father step out with a puzzled look.
"Daddy!" she yelled for help.
Then, Luke became stunned at the sight of the hoard following behind his daughter. His worst fears were being realized before his very eyes. He jogged up the path and knelt down to grab Fluttershy.
"Go find your mother." He said simply and carefully urged her into the house.
Fluttershy did as told, and entered through the open door only to meet Haley who had been standing there concerned. She swept the filly in her arms in a protective shell, quickly beginning to calm her down.
With his little girl now home safe, Luke turned back ahead and approached the reporters. They surrounded him and began new questions regarding the celebrity foal; but he would have nothing of it. One paparazzo came terribly close to Luke and began snapping headshots. But suddenly, with an enraged scowl, Luke snatched the camera from the man's hands and hurled it to the ground, smashing it to pieces. Then, the hoard became deathly silent as he through a swift punch at the cameraman's nose, sending him tumbling to the ground. The rest stood in shock at the assault and stared at Luke.
For the first time in a long while, the protective father's anxiety had been replaced by unbridled anger. He glared back at the news teams and uttered in a stony tone.
"Stay away from my daughter."
Without another word, the pesky camera jockeys sheepishly vacated the yard, turning off all equipment. Luke breathed a sigh of success before reentering his home to assess the damage.
Upon entering the living room, he found Fluttershy still in Haley's grasp on the couch. Quietly, she sobbed in terror after her ordeal, as her mother soothingly hushed her fear away. Luke knew what had caused this incident, and immediately decided to take care of it post haste. He quickly grabbed the phone and dialed the number before hearing the familiar female voice pick up. Ignoring the greeting, Luke spoke calmly but firmly.
"Nelly, it's Luke...Yeah, I don't want that interview anywhere on TV...Yes, I'm sure...I don't care...No, I want every last tape gone...I'm positive...Alright, thanks...Goodbye." He hung up, before turning again to his traumatized daughter.
Fluttershy sniffled as Haley stroked her silky mane and sang in a calming angelic tone.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away."
...
That night, the trauma had finally passed. It seemed as if Fluttershy had long forgotten about her scare with the paparazzi outside her own front door. She now lay in the master bed, curling up next to her mother, and rested her head on her chest. She delighted in pressing her ear against Haley and listening to her beautiful voice reading a children's book out loud.
"And then, the ugly duckling came upon a family of frogs in the pond."
While Fluttershy snuggled with her mother, they both heard Luke enter the bedroom. He still seemed a bit stressed from the events of the past afternoon as he sat on the edge of the bed with a long tired breath and hung his head. The whole week had been one long strain on his nerves, and Haley could sense it in an instant.
"Something wrong?" she asked in honesty.
Luke picked his head and turned toward his girls. His face wore the knowing smile that they had missed. "You know what we need?" he asked after a pause. "A vacation."
Haley blinked in surprise at her husband's spontaneous proposition. But as expected, Fluttershy perked up excitedly.
"Really, Daddy?" she smiled.
Luke slid over and wrapped his arm around her, kissing her forehead as well. "Really, Fluttershy." He answered.
As the sun rose on a fresh new summer day, the Shy family was on the road. It was high time the three of them deserved a vacation, and a tour of California was just the trick. They hit the road early in the morning, only delayed by Luke sleeping in, Haley picking out the right clothes, and Flutterhsy trying to decide which stuffed animals to pack; she eventually smuggled all of them secretly. Now they were in Luke's car on the way to their first destination; or at least for the first part.
"Luke, are you sure this is the right highway?" asked Haley.
"Positive," answered Luke, driving. "This is the best way to Lake Tahoe."
"The best way, or the shortest way?" discerned Haley. "I still think we should've asked for directions."
"C'mon, honey, I think I know my way around the state. I'm perfectly prepared for any long car trip. Right, Fluttershy?"
"Um, Daddy?" spoke Fluttershy from the back. "What does the little E on that dial mean?"
Luke glanced at his dashboard and groaned deeply.
A few hours and one gas stop later, the family had reached the California/Nevada border. The broad highway had turned into a winding backroad which snaked through tall shady alpine forests and of course beautiful Lake Tahoe. Fluttershy gazed out the window in wonderment at the immense sapphire blue lake which stretched around for miles.
"What do you think, sweetheart?" asked Luke with a smile.
"It's beautiful!" she lit up.
"Ooh, I hear they have really nice alpine hotels around here." Haley added.
"That's right," replied Luke. "And we're not staying at any of them."
"...Excuse me?"
"Well why do you think I packed a tent?" he then looked behind again. "Fluttershy, are you ready for your first camping trip?"
"Yay!"
"Luke? You're kidding, right? Luke?"
It wasn't long before the three found themselves at Luke's little piece of heaven. He had parked the car far away from the bustling tourist town and in a small clearing on a hill overlooking the enormous lake. The clearing was surrounded by the shade of the towering trees, and several spots of burned ground showed evidence of past campfires. As Luke exited the car, he breathed in the fresh North Californian air; Haley came out in a huff.
"Luke, why didn't you tell me we were going camping?" she demanded.
"I just wanted to keep it a surprise for Fluttershy." He shrugged. "My dad took me camping here all the time."
"Great." Haley pouted. "I am so not dressed for this."
"Come on, Haley, this is the great outdoors. This is just what we need to get away from the hustle and bustle back home. Look, Fluttershy' enjoying it."
She looked over at a nearby tree where her daughter was kindly offering an acorn to a hungry squirrel. "Well, as long as she's having fun, I guess- OW!" she suddenly slapped her neck. "Ugh, mosquitos! Please tell me you packed bug spray."
"Sure, honey," Luke rolled his eyes mockingly. "I put it right next to your tanning oil."
Later that day, as a loon called from a nearby tree, Luke sat at the lake's edge casting a fishing line into the crystal clear water, with a cooler of drinks beside. A curious Fluttershy trotted over to him.
"Watcha doing, Daddy?" she asked.
"Catching fish, sweetheart." He explained. "All I do is put a little bait on a hook, throw it into the water, and reel in the next fish who tries to eat it."
"Isn't that a little mean to the fishies?"
"Don't worry, Flutterhsy, I'll just throw it back into the water...unless I get hungry."
"What?"
"Nothing." Just then, Luke felt a slight tug on his fishing rod. He beamed as the top of the pole began to bend downward. "Whoa, looks like I got a bite!"
Fluttershy looked on in anticipation as her father stood up to reel in his catch. He tugged and heaved with vigor pulling his prize closer and closer to the shore. At last, the hook rose out of the water and Luke stood silent. Hanging on the baited line was, oddly enough, a box of fishsticks, with the Gorton's Fisherman seeming to smirk at Luke. Fluttershy only giggled.
"Eh, close enough." He said, embarrassed.
After he threw away his ironic catch, Fluttershy thought for a moment. "Daddy, um, can I try fishing? Um, if it's okay?"
Luke considered her question. Before Fluttershy came along, he had always imagined this moment with a son. But he figured it couldn't be that much different.
"Sure thing, Fluttershy." He said, and handed the pole to his daughter.
Luke helped her in holding the rod properly and carefully casting the hook into the water. They sat in calm silence as they waited for a nibble. But for Fluttershy, the calm silence quickly turned into boredom. Then, she felt a jerk on the pole and whimpered nervously.
"Uh, Daddy, what's happening?"
He gawked in surprise. "You got one! Quick, turn the reel."
Not entirely sure what else to do, Fluttershy did as told and spun the reel. As the ripples from the bobber were seen approaching closer and closer, Luke guided her along the way.
"Easy, that's good. Give it some slack. Now pull it in some more. Steady. You're doing great, sweetie."
Finally, the end of the fishing line breached the surface and the catch was revealed. There wriggling on the hook was a silvery blue salmon struggling for breath. Luke's jaw hung open at the sight of the sizable fish as his daughter cheered.
"Daddy, I did it! I did it! I caught a fish!" she jumped.
"Wow...good for you, Fluttershy." He uttered in shock.
As the salmon flopped around in desperation, Fluttershy felt guilty about its capture. "Don't worry, little fishy. I'll let you go." She then lowered the hook back into the water and let the fish escape.
Luke could only look on in disbelief as his potential dinner swam away.
"Agh! Stupid bugs!"
Then, they both turned around to see Haley walking by, swatting her arms through the air and showering herself in bug repellent. "Luke, can you please help me with the tent? I can't get the poles upright. Oh god, I got deer feces all over my shoe!"
"Coming, honey!" he answered begrudgingly. "Fluttershy, why don't you watch the cooler?"
Fluttershy nodded obediently as he walked off to help his agravated wife. She took a few minutes to stare out across the enormous lake and admire nature's bueaty. Suddenly, she heard a faint rustling from a nearby bush and looked to the side. Out of the bush came a raccoon sniffing the air and pawing at the ground. Fluttershy delighted at the curious little rodent.
"Hi, Mr. Raccoon, I'm Fluttershy."
Without a response, the critter continued searching the area for food. It then placed its paws upon the open cooler and poked its nose around inside. Fluttershy gasped and spoke to the creature again.
"No no, little guy. That's my Daddy's food."
The raccoon only hissed at her defiantly and climbed into the cooler.
"Hey! No! Come out of there!" she tried to urge the little scavenger out, but with no result. Fluttershy darted her eyes anxiously, unsure of what to do. A wild animal was taking her family's food and she had no clue how to stop it. But then, it hit her.
Fluttershy remembered a day when Haley brought her to work at the pet clinic. Some of the more ill-behaved dogs and cats her mother treated would often snarl and scratch at the slightest attempt to touch them. It seemed that no one could tame them; but that's where Haley came in. Whenever a pet would act out, she would simply grab them firmly and stare a menacing stare into their eyes. Immediately, the pet would become wraught with fear and shrivel up. Fluttershy was always amazed by this secret power of her mother's. If it could work on house pets, why not wild raccoons?
With a deep breath, Fluttershy approached the cooler with the rude rodent rummaging around inside.
"Ahem."
The raccoon poked its head out from the cooler with a bagged sandwich in its mouth. Then, Fluttershy buckled down and stared daggers at it for several seconds. Miraculously, the masked critter dropped the sandwich with its beady eyes filling with intimidation. Finally, the raccoon stumbled out of the cooler and scampered off, chittering with fear.
Fluttershy gawked. She had just managed to save her family's food from thievery with nothing but a simple glare. She smiled with pride before hearing her father's voice.
"Fluttershy," called Luke. "Don't fill up too much. We're starting dinner soon."
"Okay, Daddy!" she responded. "...tee hee..."
A silvery moon and shimmering stars reflected on the lake's surface that night. As a warm fire crackled in a pit, Fluttershy and Luke sat on a log beside it roasting marshmallows on sticks, while Haley fussed about in the tent complaining about the lack of indoor plumbing. They both gazed at the galaxy of stars up above, with Luke pointing out the many constellations.
"And that one's Orion. You can see his belt." He said.
"What other ones can you see?" asked a fascinated Fluttershy.
"Hmm, well, that's Leo the Lion, and there's Taurus the Bull, Cassiopeia the Princess, Cygnus the Swan, and that's Ursa Major the Bear, with the Big Dipper."
"And what's that big square one?"
Luke chuckled. "That's Pegasus, the Winged Horse."
"Just like me!" she smirked.
"That's right, sweetie."
Then, Fluttershy looked back at the tent for a moment. "Um, Daddy, is Mommy mad at you for not telling her we were going camping?"
"Mommy's not too mad, Fluttershy." Luke replied. "Although she's giving me that creepy stare that she only gives to naughty animals. I hope you haven't picked up on that."
"Um...nope."
"Okay, let me see your marshmallow."
Fluttershy held out her mallow which was now lightly singed by the smokey flame. She watched as Luke took two graham crackers and smeared the treat between them along with part of a Hershey's bar. With a curious look, she took a bite out of the strange sandwich and a broad smiled stretched across her face.
"MMM!"
"And that's how you make a smore." Luke smiled.
Fluttershy wolfed down the dilectable campfire confection, wiping the marshmallow from her face. She then nuzzled against her father's leg. "I love camping, Daddy."
Luke wrapped a warm flannel blanket around her and held her close. "And I love you, sweetheart."
They both huddled together in the warmth of the fire, as they continued to admire the night sky mirrored on the still Lake Tahoe.
...
Early the next morning, the family were on the road again down toward southern California. Haley wore a pout on her face as she sat in the passenger seat, with her crossed arms riddled with red marks where the mosquitos chowed down on her. Luke couldn't help but snicker lovingly.
"Ah come on, Haley, it wasn't that bad." He nudged her as he drove. "It was still a romantic night, right?"
She only rolled her eyes without a word.
"Tell you what," continued Luke. "I'll let you decide our next stop. Anywhere. It's completely your choice."
Then, Haley cracked a devious smirk. "Alright, I got an idea." She turned toward the back seat. "Hey Fluttershy, do you want to go to Newport Beach?"
"Ooh, I love the beach!" she smiled excitedly.
A nervous grimace creeped over Luke's face. If there was one thing Haley knew about him, it was that he hated the beach.
Several hours later, the three had arrived at Haley's ideal vacation spot. They strolled down the boardwalk of sunny Newport Beach, past crowds of happening Californians in skimpy swimsuits and jogging gear. All along the vast golden sand, beautiful women lay about tanning on towels while ruggish surfers waited in the tide for the perfect tube. The sound of street performer music mingled with the smell of burgers and Mexican food on the boardwalk. It was just another day on the coast.
Haley stepped onto the beach sporting flip flops, shades, and a red bikini; Fluttershy followed close behind in a little matching one-piece swimsuit.
"Wow, this beach is huge, Mommy!" she looked around.
"It sure is, sweetie." Haley replied. "I always love coming here to relax."
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow,"
The girls looked behind to see Luke stumbling to catch up. He wore a pair of cargo shorts, a tiki shirt which hadn't seen daylight in years, and nothing on his burning feet.
"Why didn't you wear sandals?" asked Haley discerningly.
"I asked you the same thing about hiking boots." Luke said agitated.
She then noticed the mask of white plastered on his face. "Did you have to use so much sunscreen?"
"Hey, I don't tan, I burn. Ow! Can we just find a place to sit? Ah jeez! There's a hermit crab shell right there!"
They ventured out onto the sand until they found a spot to lay their towels. Fluttershy held a bucket and shovel in her mouth as her father plopped down to nurse his Frodo feet.
"Daddy, Daddy, can I bury you in the sand?" she asked eagerly.
Luke laid back flat on the towel. "Uh, sorry, Fluttershy. I can only take so much sand at one time. Oof." He quickly began to doze off.
"Come on, Fluttershy," smiled Haley. "Why don't you and I go swimming? We'll bury Daddy up to his neck later."
As Luke drifted off to sleep, Fluttershy followed her mother to the muddy wake. She dipped her little hoof in a rippling wave and let the chill of the ocean water rush through her. For the next several minutes, she and Haley laughed as they splashed each other on the shallow bank. Then, Haley noticed the rising water level.
"Ooh, I think the tide is coming in." She said. "Why don't we go out a little deeper?"
"Um, deeper?" shuddered Fluttershy as she watched her mother gracefully swim further out.
Haley looked back at her daughter, but paused her stroking when she saw that she wasn't budging from the shallow sand. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked concerned. But then it hit her even before the filly spoke.
"Um, Mommy, I don't really know how to swim." Fluttershy hid behind her mane.
At that moment, Haley nearly slapped herself for never teaching her own daughter to swim. But she figured it was never too late. "It's okay, Fluttershy," she called to her as she floated. "Just kick your hooves nice and steady. It's not so hard." It was then that she began to question if ponies even swam at all.
Fluttershy gazed hesitantly out across the water. But the trusting smile from her mother gave her faith and she braced herself. Slowly and carefully, Fluttershy lifted her hooves off the sand and began kicking awkwardly through the water. Surprisingly, she actually started to move across the surface inch by inch, although it was just reaching her chin.
"A little faster, honey." Haley called supportively.
Quickening her breath, Fluttershy kicked more frantically and her head rose higher above the surface. Despite her panting, she could see that she was moving steadily toward her mother.
Haley proudly watched her little girl dog paddling closer and closer. But her moment was interrupted by a sudden sting on her foot by what must have been a random crab. She looked down for a moment at her foot to inspect the dammage, but fortunately there was no cut. After shaking off the crab pinch, Haley returned her attention to her daughter. But she was not in sight.
"Fluttershy?"
She darted her head around looking for her filly, but with no result. Then she started to worry. Fluttershy couldn't have just been snatched away or anything. That's when Haley gasped at a new thought. Had she slipped beneath the surface?
"Fluttershy!"
Fearing the worst, Haley swam here and there, strainging her eyes to look beneath the water. She had to keep the image of her baby sinking out of her head, but the fear just grew and grew.
"Oh no! Oh no! Fluttershy?!" she called out to anywhere, instantly regretting swimming out further.
There was still no sign of her; Haley had to get help. But just as she prepared to raise her voice for the lifeguard, she heard a sudden splash behind her, followed by a voice.
"Mommy, Mommy! I held my breath and went under the water!"
Haley spun around and was stunned to see Fluttershy bobbing further out in the water with her pink mane soaked. She was overcome with relief as she joined her.
"Fluttershy, you scared me for a minute." She said.
"Oh, sorry, Mommy." Fluttershy blushed. "Did I go under for too long?"
Haley only smiled lovingly. "I'm just glad you can swim so well, honey."
After their brief fright, the girls later returned to their towels to do a little tanning. But when they arrived, they saw that Luke had gotten a little sun on his own. Haley tried to keep herself from giggling as she saw her husband sprawled out on his towel, with his entire body red as a freshly boiled lobster. Fluttershy approached her sunburned father and poked him, leaving a pale hoof shaped mark on his skin which made her snicker as well.
"Daddy, are you okay?" she asked as she poked.
But the hoof caused Luke to wake up and yell out in pain. "AAAH!"
Haley covered her daughter's ears from the flay of curse words.
It wasn't long before the three were back in the hotel room they had rented for the night. Luke lay face up on his bed with a look of excruciating pain on his face. He dared not move a muscle, not even to change out of his swim trunks, or else risk exacerbating the pain in his skin. Haley stood at the bedside shaking her head.
"I don't get it. You had like a gallon of sunscreen on." She said.
"Well apparently it wasn't enough." Luke gurgled. "Ugh, I'm going to be peeling for weeks!"
Sweetly, Fluttershy entered with a bucket of ice on her back. "Here you go, Daddy."
Luke winced as he stretched out his arms to take the bucket. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow...thanks." He then took a handful of ice cubes which he spread over his reddened torso. "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah...aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh..."
"Um, do you need anything else, Daddy?" asked Fluttershy.
Her father sighed as he lied there emotionless. "No, it's alright, sweetie. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" added Haley.
"I don't want to drag you two behind. You girls go off and have fun. Just please leave the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the knob."
Haley and Fluttershy looked at each other before the former spoke again. "Well if you say so. Come on, Fluttershy, let's let Daddy relax." She then departed the room with her, leaving her husband who moaned as he rubbed more ice on his chest.
Shortly after, the girls found themselves outdoors again at the hotel spa, lounging in the bubbling jacuzzi. Both Haley and Fluttershy breathed a sigh of pleasure; it was the most relaxed either of them had been in a while. They even had a bowl of figs to snack on as they sat in the hot tub that filled the air with steam.
"Now this is how to unwind." Haley said, tilting her head back.
"Yeah, this feels so nice." Fluttershy agreed.
Unbeknownst to the both of them, a sneaky pigeon had swooped in and landed on the edge of the tub. The cooing bird eyed the bowl of figs and hopped over to snatch a bite. But Haley quickly spotted it and, without raising suspicion from her daughter, she beamed a cold stare at the thieving bird. The pigeon immediately froze in shock at her piercing gaze, before flying away to find food elsewhere. Haley was beginning to wonder if she was abusing her power.
"Excuse me, miss?"
Haley looked to the side of the tub at the voice. To her surprise, standing there was a full grown pony. It was a unicorn mare with a bright pink coat, blue eyes, and a purple mane styled in some sort of hive. She was wearing a stylish vacationer's blouse and a real pearl necklace along with a pair of matching earrings. The mare smiled at Haley who then responded politely.
"Oh, hello." She greeted, sitting up in the jacuzzi. "Um, forgive me but, are you from Equestria?"
"Well of course I am!" the mare replied happily. Oddly enough, she spoke in somewhat of a northwestern American accent. "I'm just here on business n' all. My name's Pearl, by the way."
"I'm Haley; nice to meet you."
"I should say the same. I was just taking a stroll around the hotel when I saw you and this lovely young filly."
"My name's Fluttershy!" greeted the lovely young filly.
"It's nice to meet you, deary." Pearl grinned then turned back to Haley. "So, are ya foalsitting for somepony?"
Haley answered without discomfort. "Actually, my husband and I adopted her. We've been raising her ever since she was a baby."
"Oh that is just wonderful! I never heard of humans raising a foal before. You must be so proud."
"We certainly are." Haley nodded.
Fluttershy only giggled, hiding behind her mane.
"Well she is absolutely adorable." Pearl continued. "We have one of our own back in Equestria, don't ya know. She's always talkin' about being a dressmaker one day. Isn't that cute? Our own little fashionista."
Haley chuckled. "They certainly dream big."
"Oh you betcha." Pearl then began to exit. "Well, it was good meeting ya, Haley. I really admire what you're doing."
"Thank you. It's nice talking to another pony for a change. Maybe we should stay in touch."
"Ooh that'd be swell!"
"Glad to meet you!" Fluttershy waved cutely.
"You too, Fluttershy," nodded Pearl with a smile before walking off. "Hope to see you two again. Take care now!"
As they bid the friendly mare goodbye, Haley and Fluttershy returned to soaking in the hot bath.
"Mommy," said Fluttershy after a pause. "Do you think I'll find a nice spa to go to one day, like this one?"
Haley smiled to herself. "Well if you do, make sure you have a good friend to go with. I'm sure you will, sweetheart."
Fluttershy sat back and took a long relaxed sigh. "That would be nice."
After their nice soothing soak, the pampered mother and daughter returned to their room to check on their sunburn victim. Not surprisingly, Luke hadn't moved an inch, except to turn on the television with the remote; he simply remained in his husk-like state staring at the ceiling. Haley looked at her poor husband guiltily and sat down on the bed beside him to stroke his hair.
"Luke, I'm sorry." She spoke. "This was kind of a mean trick I pulled."
Luke replied calmly. "No, I'm the sorry one for that camping trip. I forgot how much you hate nature."
"I guess we just can't decide on the perfect vacation." Haley sighed.
Fluttershy listened to her parents' conversation. She loved the campsite and the beach equally, but she could tell the two of them were still not at ease. That's when she gathered to courage to say something that had been on her mind the entire vacation.
"Um, Mommy? Daddy?"
Luke and Haley both looked at her to listen.
"Um, I think I have a good idea where to go for our last stop." She smiled.
The couple looked at each other for a moment, then Haley responded. "Where's that, Fluttershy?"
...
As another sunny California day drew on, the Shy family found themselves seated on a bleacher at the front of a cheering crowd. All seemed calm as they stared at the window revealing the inside of a large tank of blue water; at least for a moment. Then, they gasped as the black and white orca whale burst out of the water's surface and came down with a hulking slam. The killer whale sent a torrent of water surging toward the family, leaving them completely drenched. As did the rest of the crowd, Fluttershy cheered.
"Yay, Shamu!" she jumped. "Mommy, Daddy, isn't Sea World so much fun?!"
Luke and Haley both froze with discomfort as the icy water dripped from their soaked clothing and hair. Normally they would never dream of being splashed with freezing whale water. But the smile on their daughter's face was all they needed to smile back at her.
"It certainly is, Fluttershy." Luke said happily.
"We're glad you're having such a good time." Haley added.
Fluttershy hugged both her mother and father. "Best vacation ever!"
"Ha ha ha ha! His whole body was sun burned?" laughed Twilight hysterically.
Fluttershy chuckled as well. "Yeah, Daddy always hated the beach."
"Oh boy that's great," said Twilight as she wiped a tear of laughter away. "Your parents must have been so much fun."
"Yes, they certainly were." Then, the pegasus sat silent for a moment and stared downward.
"Are you okay, Fluttershy?" asked Twilight.
"Oh, yes, I'm fine. It's just that, well, all this time I've been telling you about all these happy memories with my parents. But I never really got around to what happened...in the end."
"You mean Flight Camp?"
"Yes, Flight Camp." She took a deep breath and sighed, trying to retain her composure as she prepared for the hardest part of her extremely long story. "You see, being a pegasus in a human world eventually took its toll on my mother and father. Something happened at school that changed everything; something I did. It was well into sixth grade and I was playing outside during recess..."
Memories...
As the kids froliced around the playground outside the school, Fluttershy and Scott found a nice corner of asphalt for themselves. Scott had drawn a hopscotch board with some chalk and his equine pal stared in curiosity.
"Alright, Fluttershy," explained Scott as threw a pebble onto a square. "You just have to hop over to the pebble, one leg on a single square and two on a double square."
"Um, does that work differently if I have four legs?" asked Fluttershy.
Scott blinked. "Huh, I never really thought about that."
Just then, the two turned around at the sound of a few of snobbish laughter. A few of their classmates, the more obnoxious ones, stood by their hopscotch game with smug grins on their faces.
"Hey Fluttershy," teased one of the girls. "Why don't you just fly to the end and back?" The other brats chuckled along.
"Yeah, what's wrong? Are your wings glued to your sides or something?" taunted a boy.
Fluttershy only looked away embarrassed; but Scott knew better.
"Hey guys, leave her alone," he said to them. "I bet you're just jealous."
"Please, Scott," scoffed the first girl. "I don't know why you keep hanging around with the pony girl. You know she dosen't belong here."
"Shut up, Jenny," retorted Scott. "She never did anything to you."
"Hey Fluttershy," another boy teased. "If you don't belong here, then why don't you just fly back to Equestria?"
"Yeah, let's see you fly, come on." The kids jeered.
Scott went over to comfort his picked on friend. "Don't listen to them, Fluttershy. They don't know anything."
But Fluttershy did not respond. Instead, she only wore a stern expression which was nothing like her. Without speaking, she then walked over to the jungle gym, while the bullies followed her.
"Fluttershy, what are you doing?" asked Scott, concerned.
But she left him with no answer and began to climb the tower of metal bars as the bullies continued to raz her.
"Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly!"
It was then that Scott realized to his horror what she intended to do. "Oh no. Fluttershy, don't do it!"
"Quiet, Scott!" hissed one of the girls. "You used to be cool."
As the kids chanted on, Fluttershy neared the top of the jungle gym, only to look down at how high she really was. "Oh my goodness!" she squeaked, but shook it off and continued to climb.
At last, she reached the very top and looked down upon the crowd she had gathered below. She knew she would show them once and for all that she could fly and not be made a fool of any longer. But now that she saw the nerve-racking height above the playground, she was beginning to change her mind.
"Come on, fly already!" the kids jeered. "Don't chicken out!"
The pressure was becoming too much for her. Hesitant, Fluttershy realized she was in over her head and started to back away from the edge. But a few of the bullies who had climbed the jungle gym after her wouldn't have anything of it; they wanted to see the pony kid fly. There was no other choice. Fluttershy had to try. As she gazed back over the edge, she gulped and prepared to take flight. She slowly unfurled her tiny wings and bent her knees. Fluttershy shook with fear for the last few seconds, before she finally departed the jungle gym. She leaped off the edge and fluttered her wings as fast as she possibly could. Amazingly, she hovered in midair for a brief moment, but her strength could only hold for so long. Fluttershy could not keep up her wing pace and quickly began loosing altitude; before she knew it, she was hurdling straight toward the ground. She hit the gravel, landing on three hooves.
"Ooh!" the kids gasped at the fall.
"Fluttershy!" yelled Scott as he ran over to her aid.
When he arrived, the filly was crying in pain. One of her hooves had buckled under the impact and received a large scrape from the harsh ground. Fluttershy lied there clutching her injured hoof under her good one.
"Oh man," said one of the other kids. "Let's get out of here, we'll get busted!" The bullies finally ran off.
"Ow!" weeped Fluttershy. "It hurts!"
"Hold on, Fluttershy," said Scott. "I'll go get the nurse."
...
Meanwhile, in her humble abode, Haley peacefully read a novel while resting her head on her husband's shoulder. She got up as the phone rang across the room and reached over to answer it.
"Hello?...Yes, this is her...Is she alright?...What happened..." she then gasped. "Is she hurt?...Are you sure?...Yes, I'll be right over...Thank you." She hung the phone up.
"What's going on?" asked Luke from the couch.
"I have to run to the school." Haley answered as she grabbed her keys. "I'll be right back."
After a worried drive over, Haley arrived at the school and met with the nurse. She held her daughter, who was given a bandage and an ice pack on her banged up leg, as the nurse spoke.
"Your daughter took quite a scrape otu there." She said. "And she even sprained her knee. But luckily, there's no broken bones. Just give her a day with the ice pack and she'll be just fine."
"Thank you." Haley replied as the nurse exited, leaving her with her poor hurt filly who sniffled from crying earlier. She sat down with her on the patient's bench. "Oh Fluttershy, what were you thinking?" she asked without raising her voice. "Why would you go jumping off like that?"
At first, she didn't want to answer. But Fluttershy could not hold back from her mother. "I was...I was trying to fly." She whimpered.
The response shook Haley a bit. "What?"
"The other kids were making fun of me because I can't fly. So I tried to show them I could by jumping off the jungle gym."
Haley hugged her daughter close and stroked her mane. "Oh sweetie, you shouldn't listen to other kids teasing you. That's reason to get yourself hurt."
"I'm sorry, Mommy." Fluttershy cried softly and dug her face in her mother's side. "Please don't be mad."
"I'm not mad, Fluttershy." Haley kissed her daughter. "I'm just glad you're okay."
...
That night, Luke ajourned to his room after a few long hours of work on his computer. He looked forward to snuggling with his beloved wife who awaited him. But when he entered the bedroom, it was not what he expected. Haley sat on the edge of her side of the bed laying her face in her hands; her back heaved as she cried. Luke was surprised, as he rarely ever saw her so distraught, and sat on the bed to comfort her.
"Babe, what is it?" he asked, putting his arm over her.
Haley paused from from crying to collect herself. But she could not keep back the stream of tears. "You were right, Luke. You were right about her."
"What do you mean?"
"Fluttershy was trying to fly at school, and she only got herself hurt. It's our fault. We caused this to happen."
"Haley, you can't mean that."
"It's true, Luke!" she sobbed. "We took her away from a normal pony's life and tried to raise her as one of us."
"Well, what else were supposed to do?" replied Luke. "She was abandoned on our doorstep. She needed a home."
"She needed a pony's home. We could have given her away to a family in Equestria. But now the poor girl may never be able to fly. She'll never fit in that flight camp. She might not even fit in with ponies at all!" Haley leaned on her husband's shoulder and weeped more. "Oh Luke, what have we done?"
Luke thought about his wife's words as he held her. He was hoping that raising Fluttershy would never have to come to this. But seeing Haley so broken up told him that things were not going as smoothly as the couple had always thought.
He kissed her forehead. "We'll tell her tomorrow. She deserves to know everything. You were right, she's growing up."
The couple held each other close, struggling to imagine what their little girl would think.
A while later, Luke had already gone to sleep, but Haley would not get much of it. She only sat in the living room staring blankly and reflecting on the trouble of the day. But more than that, she replayed the memory of the day she and Luke had discovered their darling filly outside their door. It was the night of that day that forever stuck in her memory.
Day One...
"I can't believe we're really doing this." Haley said giddily as she cuddled with her husband on their bed. "Our own little girl."
"It's certainly not how I expected it." Luke responded.
"Aren't you excited?"
"Of course I am. But I have to ask, do we really know how to raise a pony?"
"It can't be that hard; they're just like us...sort of. Besides, we've been preparing everything for so long. We are so ready."
Luke smiled. "You're always right."
Suddenly, the two heard something from the baby moniter on their nightstand. It was a high pitched weeping, as if from a frightened mouse. Haley sat up and took action.
"I'll take care of it." She told Luke and gave him a kiss before leaving.
She exited the master bedroom and walked over to the new one prepared at the last minute. Inside the makeshift baby room, there was little more than a cushioned chair, a changing table, and a crib assembled haphazardly by Luke; but it was the living thing inside the crib that caught Haley's attention. The infant pony she and Luke had rescued earlier that day lied under a blanket, crying with a heart-breaking whimper. Haley looked down at the innocent creature with loving green eyes.
"What's the matter, little one?" she cooed. "Did you get spooked? Hmm? Did you have a bad dream?" She scooped the weeping filly up in her arms. "Aw, you poor thing. Sh sh sh, it's okay, Mama's here. You're safe now."
The tiny filly quickly calmed down in the caring human's arms. But Haley could tell she was still upset. She pondered on what she could possibly do to lull the frightened infant back to sleep. Then something crossed her mind. The very idea seemed pretty outlandish to her. It felt weird, it felt crazy, and yet, it felt right. After all, she was a doctor, and even if she was one for animals, she took an oath to help those in need. Haley knew what she had to do.
Putting hesitant thoughts aside, she pulled down the left side of her sleep shirt, until she exposed her bare breast. She gently held the filly's head to her breast and sure enough, the infant pony instinctively began suckling. Haley couldn't believe it. She had just said that ponies were just like humans, and she was right. It was in that moment that she truly knew she was a mother. With her new baby at her breast, she sat down in the cushioned chair, turning on a single lamp. Haley sat there feeding the filly as she repeated softly.
"It's okay, baby. Mama's here. She'll never let you go."
Years later...
On the day after her accident at school, Fluttershy was called into the living room. Luke and Haley sat down in front of her with sober expressions.
"Fluttershy, there's something we have to tell you." Luke said.
"What is it, Daddy?" asked Fluttershy, curious.
Haley sighed. "Sweetie, do you know what Flight Camp is?"
She thought for a moment. "No, not really."
"You see," continued Haley. "When a little pegasus gets older, they become curious about flying and they begin to practice it. So, their parents send them away to Flight Camp where they stay with other foals and learn to become flyers before leaving on their own."
Fluttershy felt a knot in her chest. "Mommy, what are you saying?"
"We didn't want to tell you this, Fluttershy," explained Luke. "But at this point, we were supposed to send you away to Flight Camp."
"But I can't fly." She whimpered.
"We're so sorry, Fluttershy," replied Haley who touched her knee. "We tried to raise you like a human, but we raised you wrong. It's our fault you can't fly."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"We just wanted to stop keeping this from you." Luke answered. "We're so sorry, sweetheart. How can you forgive us?"
All of this news hit Fluttershy hard. She came to realize the truth about her own life. All the reasons why she couldn't fit in with human society was because she was kept from being a real pegasus. And now she was being told she would not fit in with that life either. Something changed within her. A strange new feeling matured that had never cropped up before. Fluttershy sat there blankly for a minute before she finally stood up and walked away from her confused parents.
"Fluttershy? Where are you going?" asked Luke.
"Baby, are you alright?" added Haley.
Without an answer, the filly opened the front door and cantered off outside. Luke and Haley looked at each other then got up to follow her with quickened pace. They thought maybe she was attempting to run away in sadness. But when they ran out onto the front yard, they were caught by surprise. After looking around for a moment, they finally found Fluttershy scaling the oak tree in the side of the yard. They gasped as their daughter struggled up onto a branch halfway up the tree.
"Fluttershy, what are you doing?" called Luke.
"I'm going to try again." She answered with strangely a bit of gusto.
"Luke, do something!" panicked Haley.
"Hang on, I'm getting you down from there." Luke called again preparing to climb the tree.
But he would not get the chance, as his daughter already began flapping her premature wings furiously. Immediately, she sprung from the branch and let gravity take over. Luke could not reach the tree in time and Haley could only avert her eyes. They expected the worst; but the worst never came.
To their shock, they saw their little girl hovering just inches above the grass. Her wings flapped with vigor as her hooves dangled from midair. Fluttershy opened her shut eyes to see her progress and smiled brightly. She hadn't fallen at all; she was staying in the air and even slowly rose another foot higher. She cried out in joy.
Luke and Haley's jaws dropped. It was true; their daughter was actually flying right before their eyes. They thought they would never see the day. Haley held Luke and could not help but smile with him as they watched their little filly float.
"I'm flying! I did it! I really did it!"
Haley cried tears of joy this time as she and Luke hugged each other proudly.
It seemed as if the California sun had never shone brighter than on that day. When Fluttershy finally discovered her ability to fly, Luke and Haley knew it was time. After a few quick descrete calls, the Cloudsdale Flight Camp happily accepted her to be trained in the way of flight just like any other pegasus. The human couple never thought they would see the day. They stood outside their humble home as Fluttershy's bags were loaded onto a pegasus pulled carriage. Then came the hardest part.
Haley helped her daughter with her last bag. "Are you sure you packed everything?" she asked her with a smile.
"Toothbrush, pillow, Beanie Babies, it's all there!" replied Fluttershy.
"She certainly packs lighter than you, Haley." Luke chuckled.
"Har har." Haley rolled her eyes and joined him with their daughter.
"Um, Daddy," said Fluttershy. "Is Flight Camp going to be...scary?"
Luke grinned and knelt down to her. "There's nothing to worry about, Fluttershy. You'll be making lots of new friends; and they'll be ponies just like you. You'll have a great time."
"Just remember to be yourself, sweetie." Haley added.
"Fluttershy!"
The filly looked to the side to see Scott running up to her from his house across the street. He stopped to catch his breath. "I just wanted to say good luck, Fluttershy," the boy said. "I'm going to miss you."
Fluttershy smiled. "I'll miss you too, Scott." She then gave him a smooch on the cheek making him blush. "Thanks for being my friend."
"We're all set when you are, Miss!" called one of the chauffeurs.
Trying to keep back the tears in her eyes, Fluttershy finally turned to her father. She nuzzled his pant leg like she always did to butter him up. "Daddy, are you crying?"
Luke wiped away a tear of his own. "Just sweating happiness, sweetheart."
But Fluttershy could not contain her emotion for longer. She quickly wrapped her hooves around her father with his arms grasping her as well. As she gently let out her tears, Luke whispered.
"Be safe, Fluttershy. I love you."
"I love you too, Daddy." Then, she turned to her beautiful mother who grabbed her in another warm embrace.
Haley reminisced to the day she first held her dear filly in her loving arms and savored every last second. She then parted, looked into her eyes and said simply.
"Don't look back."
Fluttershy sniffled. "I love you, Mommy."
"I love you too, Fluttershy."
With that, Fluttershy took one final look at the humans who brought her up into the world. She felt the urge to run back up and hug them both again, but she heeded her mother's word and only gave one last smile before dissapearing into the taxi. The carriage then took off, carrying Luke and Haley's precious little girl away.
"We did well." Haley said as she wiped her eyes. "We really did well."
"She's going to be okay." Luke said to his wife, holding her.
"You think so?"
"Of course." He answered and kissed her. "It's like I said, she's more human than we are."
...
After the long flight to Equestria, Fluttershy finally arrived at the Cloudsdale Flight Camp, and she was immediately struck by culture shock. She was first amazed by the effect of walking on the cloud surface; it felt like walking on a carpet made of cotton balls. Upon entering the academy, she gazed up and around in astonishment at the young pegasi zooming to and fro over her head. She couldn't possibly imagine herself flying that fast or half as high. Along the way, Fluttershy saw a number of flying coaches instructing classes, but she couldn't bring up the nerve to speak to any of them. It was elementary school all over again.
"Heads up!"
Just then, Fluttershy looked behind to see what looked like a pony hurdling towards her at the speed of light. In the nick of time, she ducked her head in her hooves as the speeding pegasus whooshed over her. After a brief moment of shaking, Fluttershy peeked up and saw the speed demon who nearly rammed her.
"Sorry about that, kid."
The juvenile pegasus filly featured a sky blue coat, magenta eyes, and a striking multicolored mane and tail. She stared at Fluttershy with a broad smile and a curious look in her eyes, as she extended her blue hoof to help her up.
"I was just trying to break my own speed record; still gotta work on the landing though." The pegasus explained.
Fluttershy nervously scanned her eyes away from the stranger. "Oh, um, it's okay."
"You must be new here. What's your name, kid?"
"...Um...Fluttershy..."
"Sorry, what?"
"...I'm...Fluttershy..."
"Speak up, will ya?"
She only gave a squeak as she hid behind her pink mane.
"Ah don't worry about it, kid," the pegasus shrugged. "It's normal to be nervous the first day. The name's Rainbow Dash!" She then extended her hoof again expecting a bro hoof.
"Um, nice to meet you." Fluttershy gingerly touched the blue hoof not sure what to do.
"So, where are you from?"
She hesitated before answering, thinking back to the emotional departure from her parents. Then she remembered the razzing she got from the human school kids for being the only pony. If she mentioned being raised by humans to this other pegasus, history might have repeated itself.
"Um, just this small town." She stretched the truth. "I don't really like talking about my family too much."
"Don't sweat it!" replied Rainbow Dash. "If you ask me, the only family you need are your friends. Just stick with me, kid, and you'll be soarin' high as a kite! What was your name again?"
"Um...Fluttershy."
"Fluttershy, I can tell you and I are gonna be great friends!"
For the first time since she left her mother and father, Fluttershy finally smiled. "Thanks, Rainbow Dash."
...
Present Day
"So that's pretty much it." Fluttershy said with a heavy sigh.
She and Twilight had finally returned to her bed to conclude her long and emotional story. It was well past midnight and the Parents Night party seemed to be long forgotten. Twilight took a moment to soak the story of her friend's life in.
"That was so touching, Fluttershy." She said. "But there's still one thing I don't fully understand. Why haven't you told us this before? Not even Rainbow?"
"I told you, Twilight, it's just too sad. At first I didn't want to tell Rainbow in Flight Camp because I was afraid of getting picked on again. But now that I've grown up, it's been getting harder and harder to break the news. I mean, being a human raised orphan is not something you just drop into the middle of conversation. Besides, you know me, Twilight; I can't speak up to save my own life. I'm so sorry for keeping this from you."
"Was it really that hard to leave them?"
She nodded. "Yes. And the more I think back to those days, the sadder I feel about it." Fluttershy then curled up on her bed in a lonely ball. "They were the only family I ever had, and they let me go so I can lead a normal pony life. I miss them so much."
Twilight then gently grabbed her pal in a comforting hug. "Fluttershy, I'm sorry you had to deal with that as a child. Your parents sounded like amazing humans and it was a shame you had to leave them. But I just want you to know one thing. As long as you have me, Rainbow, Pinkie, Applejack, and Rarity, you'll always have a family."
Fluttershy looked at her gratefully. "You mean it?"
"You better believe it!" came the voice of Rainbow Dash from the doorway.
The two looked to see her, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity all crowded at the open door with brimming smiles. All four entered and surrounded Fluttershy in a warm group hug.
"We're your family, Fluttershy," said Twilight joining in. "We all love you."
Fluttershy embraced her friends' loving touch, as a single tear of joy dripped down her face. She knew quite well that she truly had a family after all.
...
Epilogue
The house hadn't changed a bit. Fluttershy marveled at the humble abode, brimming with anticipation. She slowly walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell, not quite sure what to expect. The door opened revealing a young female human in white nurse's scrubs who greeted her with a knowing smile.
"You must be Fluttershy." The nurse said.
"Yes," answered Fluttershy. "Um, are they home?"
The nurse beckoned her inside. "She's in the kitchen. Go right on in."
"Thank you." She entered the small house and looked around at the familiar decor as she proceeded down the hall. But the only familiar sight she was hoping to see was right in the kitchen.
She then heard the soft lyrical sound of humming coming from up ahead. Upon entering the kitchen, Fluttershy found a woman standing at the sink washing dishes while humming away. Her crimson hair had turned silver, yet the middle aged woman still retained her elegant beauty. Then, she stopped her humming and seemed to freeze where she stood.
"I knew you'd come." She spoke softly.
The woman slowly turned around to reveal her aged yet alluring face. "Fluttershy!" smiled Haley.
"Hi Mommy." Fluttershy grinned back.
Her mother then knelt down to hug her tightly. "I can't believe you're back! You've gotten so big!"
Fluttershy giggled. "Being an animal caretaker is quite a workout."
Haley wiped a tear of happiness. "So you finally did it, huh?" She gave her a tender kiss on the head. "You look so beautiful, sweetheart. I missed you so much."
"I missed you too." She then parted from her mother's embrace. "So...where is he?"
Haley took the hint. "He's in the living room. Go to him."
With that, Fluttershy entered the familiar cozy living room full of memories. That's when she saw him. Sleeping on a cushioned chair with an open novel was an old man who had once shared his wife's youth. His black wavy hair was now dissapearing and a pair of biphocals rested on his wrinkled face. Fluttershy approached the old man and spoke softly.
"Daddy?"
Surprisingly, the quiet greeting stirred the old man awake as he lifted his head slowly. "That voice." He uttered simply in a deepened tone. He then looked in front on him and fiddled with his glasses to see if his eyes were not fooling him. "Is it...is it really you?"
Fluttershy nuzzled the old man's pant leg. "Yes, Daddy, it's really me."
A smile stretched on Luke's face as he reached for his cherished daughter. "Come here." He said, beckoning her to hug him. With his little filly in his grasp, he whispered.
