Stormy Night
KRAK! A white bolt tore the thick black fabric that covered the town known as Ponyville. The sky lit up above the small town, illuminating its features.
A bright pink bakery boasting cakes and sweets galore.
A boutique so fabulous nopony could possibly surpass it’s fabulosity.
A once pearlescent white cloud castle now loomed gray, watching over the town.
A large tree with several windows illuminated, revealing bookcases galore.
And in the midst of the downpour, a butter yellow pegasi galloped with all her might in whichever direction her hooves would take her.
“But Twiiiilight-“ The tiny purple assistant whined to the lavender unicorn as he followed her about the library, watching her categorize and place books back on their shelves.
“For the last time Spike, I will not give you a” she paused and donned a southern English accent, “a fabulous mustache!” Retorted the mare, brushing the air in which such a glorious mustache would rest on her muzzle. Outside another bolt tore through the darkness. Both Spike and Twilight jumped slightly before returning to their discussion.
“What if I told you I need it?” Spike beckoned.
“Why in the wide world of Equestria would you need a mousta-“Before she could finish her statement, a blur of yellow barreled through the door of the library and tumbled into a wall before landing upside down on the library floor. She was dripping profusely and had started to shiver violently. Twilight gently rolled the pegasi over and examined her. She checked her heartbeat. A loud th-thud-th-thud-thud met her ear as she laid it upon the yellow mare’s chest.
“Spike, go get a towel and a blanket! Now!” The dragon rushed away to go the items. Twilight returned to assisting her friend. As the unicorn checked the mare over to make sure nothing too serious was wrong other than the obvious, the pegasus twitched slightly then shot up shocked. Within milliseconds it seemed the mare was on her feet and apologizing to Twilight.
“I-I’m really sorry T-t-t-Twilight, I was j-just on my way back to my c-c-cottage when the storm started,” her shivers broke seemingly every word she said, “I’ll just go Twi, sorry for i-i-inconveniencing you.” The yellow mare began stumbling out the door before Twilight spoke up.
“Fluttershy, you know you can’t fly in the rain and it’s too heavy to walk…” The purple mare paused a moment, as did the pegasus. Spike wandered in with a towel and blanket draped over his shoulder. Twilight pondered for a moment and then the idea came to her. “Why don’t you just stay here for the night?” The yellow mare’s eyes lit up and she gladly accepted the offer.
“What, like a sleep-over?” Spike said with a hint of joy. As they trotted towards Twi’s living room Spike piped up, “Hey Fluttershy, here’s a towel, you might want to dry yourself off, there’s water everywhere!” The sunshine colored pegasus turned around to see the trail of liquid coming from her tail to her dreadfully soaked mane.
“S-sorry Spike!” Fluttershy said with a sheepish smile. The small purple dragon smiled back at her.
“No big deal,” he said, “I can clean it up.” He threw her the towel and went back off in search of another. Within a few minutes she was, and looked several times better than before. Granted her mane was a mess to be reckoned with.
Twilight giggled. ”Let’s find you a brush.” The purple mare wandered off in search of something to tame the wild beast known as Fluttershy’s mane. As Twilight browsed through her varying brushes, Fluttershy took in her surroundings. Slowly she walked into what she assumed to be the living room. In it sat a little purple couch, with a shape that seemed close to that of a star was sewn into it in lighter fabric. On the couch was five throw pillows all purple but the centers were emblazoned with the symbol just in white. In front of the couch was a plain glass coffee table, cork coasters, nothing too out of the ordinary. To the right of the table was a decent sized TV rested on a sturdy looking stand. The buttercup colored pegasus’s eyes were drawn to several pictures that hung on the walls of the room. Each one seem to bare a story that was just out of the pegasus’s understanding. The first was a young Twilight with her parents. The next, with Twilight and Cadence doing their, Sunshine, sunshine, Ladybugs awake, dance. And the final was of Twilight receiving her diploma of graduation from Canterlot’s School for The Magically Inclined. The wall adjacent to it was adorned with a fireplace, with several logs crackling peacefully. Above the fireplace was a large mirror rested. As the pegasus walked closer to it, she got to see the travesty that was deemed her mane. Random parts stuck out at awkward angles and others fell in such strange ways it didn’t seem physically possible.
“Oh.. my.” Fluttershy said, blushing despite the fact that nopony was around but her.
As she tried to pat some the hair back down into at least shell of it’s previous state, the sound of hooves on wood came tapping down a set of stairs. Fluttershy was amazed at how she had missed them, seeing as they were right next to where she had... stumbled in. A purple mare stuck her head around the corner of the steps, her horn aglow, with several brushes and other mane styling tools floating about mid-air, cloaked in a light violet tone.
“Okay,” The violet mare said, “I’ve got detangling spray, a comb, an actual hairbrush, and a hair tie, just in case you decide to put it up.” Fluttershy relaxed into the couch as Twilight rested the tools on the coffee table, each landing with a light clink. Fluttershy took the brush between her teeth and tried unsuccessfully to brush some of the tangles out of her mane.
“Here, let me.” Twilight said. The brush drifted from Fluttershy’s mouth. Twilight began to gently tug at the pegasus’s mane with the brush. Some of the knots began to loosen as Twilight worked at them. After some tugging and some small yelps of pain from Fluttershy, her hair finally began to look normal. “So Fluttershy, why were you out in the storm? Didn’t the weather ponies mention anything about it to you? I mean you are a pegasus after all...”
“N-no, they don’t really like me because I don’t live in Cloudsdale and fly around everywhere.” The pegasus stammered. “To them, I’m worthless.”
“How dare they!? What in the wide world of Equestria give them the right to demean you, to call you less than the pony you truly are. If it means anything, you’re five times the pony any of those neanderthals could ever dream to be.”
“No, no, it’s okay. I pretty much am worthless. I can’t fly and I’ll never be as brave or bold as any one of those pegasi up there.” she said with a sad smile.
“Fluttershy, it’s not how fast you can fly or the lack of fear that defines a pony. It’s how they've affected the people they know. And let’s be honest, without you where would we all be? For Celestia’s sake Fluttershy, if it wasn't for you I doubt half the animal population would even exist, let alone live in harmony.
“Without you, I doubt Rainbow Dash would even have a shard of humility in her let alone admitting that you could fly faster than her. Not to mention how much you’ve inspired Rarity. And Pinkie would be utterly lost without you, believe it or not you actually are what keeps her relatively sane. And without you Flutters, I have no fucking clue where I would be. You remind me how to be humble and not let this whole magic thing go to my head like Trixie did.” The yellow pegasus smiled.
“Th-thank you for the kind words Twilight.” The yellow pony suddenly pulled Twilight into a hug. The unicorn’s eyes widened with surprise. When Fluttershy released her from her death grip, she noticed the purple pony regarding her wearily.
“I’m sorry Twilight! Are you okay?” Fluttershy squeaked, covering her face with her hooves.
‘I’m sorry. It’s just ever since I left for school it’s seemed like nopony has shown any care toward my feelings, it was all just, ‘You need to do this Twilight’, ‘You need to pass Twilight’. I’m sorry, it’s just such i started my studies nopony has seemed to care about my feelings.”
“A-aww, Twilight. I care about your feelings.” the pegasus said, blushing.
As the two embraced each other once more, an audible dddaaaawwww came from the opposite side of the room as the small purple dragon witnessed this. Cloaked in a pink apron and bearing a tray with three mugs of hot chocolate. Twilight gave him an evil glare as Fluttershy shrunk into the couch. “Not a word, or else every dragon within a ten mile radius knows about your oh so lovely apron there.” Spike scowled at the remark from the unicorn and mumbled under his breath.
“Whatever you say Dictator Twilight,” said Spike as he set two mugs on the coffee table and did a mock salute as he took his mug upstairs.
“Sorry about that.” Twilight said with an apologetic smile. “Are you up for watching movies? I’ve got a bunch of scary ones I’ve been meaning to watch.” Twilight watched the pegasus cringe.
“It’s okay, I won’t let the monsters get you.” Twilight teased lightly. Several boxes illuminated and then fell as one floated above the rest and opened and a disk floated into the DVD player beneath the TV. The screen flashed several violent scenes from the upcoming movie, “Cupcakes”. Fluttershy nuzzled the back of her head into Twilight’s chest and adjust herself to a more comfortable position. Twilight draped her arm over Fluttershy’s shoulder and made sure that the pegasi was comfortable. Within minutes they were asleep.