Fluttershy finds a strange creature on her doorstep one night. This turns out to be a human.
It was late on a winter's night when Fluttershy found a strange creature on her doorstep that nopony had ever seen before. At first she thought that it was just another animal, a hairless ape, but the more and more it behaved like a pony the more she decided she would raise him as her own son--named Harry. How will he grow up in a world meant for ponies? And how will Fluttershy's friends react to this creature?
"Angel, what is that thing?" A cream-colored pegasus asked her rabbit friend.
Fluttershy had heard something making a strange noise coming from outside her cottage. As she got close to her door it began to sound more and more like crying. She opened the door to see that somepony had left a basket filled with blankets on her doorstep. The crying was clearly coming from the basket. Fluttershy pushed some of the blankets away with her hoof to discover a strange, hairless ape. She tilted her head to try and get a better look at it. Whatever it was, it was shivering furiously in the cool winter air.
Fluttershy carried the basket inside and picked the creature up, still wrapped in its blankets. Angel gazed upon the creature, just as confused as Fluttershy. Who would leave such a creature on her doorstep, and more importantly where did it... no, where did he come from? Whoever dropped him on her doorstep must have known that Fluttershy was good at taking care of animals, but if they knew that much about her they must have known that she was nice and approachable. Fluttershy held the creature in her hooves, close to her body. He stopped sobbing in the warmth. Whatever he was, he was clearly young and helpless. The creature looked up at Fluttershy and their eyes connected. He gave her a smile that forced Fluttershy to return it.
"Now what do we call you? I can't keep calling you creature," Fluttershy said, mostly to herself. She noticed that the creature was still shaking. "I think I'll call you Harry. Maybe that name will keep you warm."
Fluttershy held Harry for a long while, just asking herself questions. What did Harry eat? How much sleep did he need? She was great at taking care of animals, but she always knew what they were. Twilight knew a lot about pretty much everything. Maybe she knew what Harry was. It was too late that night to go out, so Fluttershy would have to wing it—at least for tonight. She was still great at taking care of animals, and there wasn't too much difference between the infant of one animal to the infant of another.
Harry started to shiver more violently as a breeze blew in through the still-open door. Fluttershy raced over to it and pushed it shut. Then she sat down in front of her fireplace and held the little guy close. She would have to ask Rarity to make him some sort of clothes, especially if he didn't grow any fur or feathers. Ponyville got cold during the winters and she wouldn't have any animal under her care freeze. Safe and warm, Harry gave a contented yawn and drifted off to sleep in Fluttershy's hooves.
Fluttershy yawned in return. She felt her eyes starting to sag. She didn't remember herself being so tired, but it was getting fairly late. As Fluttershy carried Harry upstairs, she realized that he would need his own place to sleep. Tonight he could sleep in Fluttershy's bed, but tomorrow she would have to go into town and buy some baby supplies. Harry would be taken care of until he could fend for himself, Fluttershy would make sure of it.
The next morning Fluttershy was stirred from a deep slumber by a piercing cry. She struggled to stay asleep, but the wailing grew louder and louder. Fluttershy's eyes shot open when she remembered the events that transpired last night. She looked to her side to Harry still secure in her hooves, but the blankets he was wrapped in were now soggy. Harry was obviously uncomfortable.
Fluttershy rolled out of bed and gave Harry a reassuring smile. It seemed to calm him down a little, but he was still intent on crying. Fluttershy carried Harry downstairs, trying to think of ways to deal with this. She didn't have any diapers lying around so she'd have to make do with scraps and pieces she could find. She realized that Harry was probably hungry as well; she'd need to find something to feed him so the poor dear didn't starve. She still didn't know what he would eat, but she didn't know the last time he had eaten either. Time was of the essence.
First thing was first: Fluttershy needed to get Harry changed. She scavenged around her kitchen and came across some paper towels. They weren't exactly durable, but they would have to do. Fluttershy only needed them to last until she could get Harry some real diapers. She removed the damp blankets and placed Harry in a makeshift diaper. They weren't much, but they kept him clothed and that was all that was important right now.
The crying had calmed into sniffles. In between them Fluttershy heard Harry's stomach grumbling. Right, Harry still had to eat. Fluttershy rushed to her fridge and searched it for something to feed him with. Milk? No, Fluttershy didn't have a bottle. Apples? Harry didn't have any teeth, they were too hard. Then Fluttershy saw her last carrot. That would be perfect!
She took it out and grabbed her mortar and pestle from a cabinet. She placed the carrot inside and began to grind it into a paste. Fluttershy hoped that it was safe for Harry to eat because it was the best she could do on a moment's notice. When the carrot was all ground up, she placed Harry on top of her counter. On top of diapers and baby food she'd need to get a high chair too, but for now the wall would make a good enough support.
Fluttershy took a spoonful of the carrot mush and pushed it towards Harry. He hesitated for a moment, but opened his mouth when he saw Fluttershy's smiling face. As the food went in, Harry grimaced. He didn't like it, and Fluttershy could tell. Still it was the best she could do for him right now, and it was much better than letting him go hungry. She tried to feed him more, but Harry was no longer being cooperative. He tried to dodge every spoonful he could, and more often than not he spit up what he got in his mouth. Fluttershy could add a bib to her rapidly growing list.
Eventually the mortar lay empty. Harry had managed to eat a good deal, but nopony would ever guess that judging by how much carrot mush was all over the kitchen counter and the wall. Fluttershy grabbed a towl and wiped Harry off. Then she set about wiping off her own face when she saw her reflection in the window. It was starting to snow.
Fluttershy had to go out and get some supplies for taking care of Harry. What she had on hoof definately wasn't good enough, but if she took the poor little guy outside he would freeze. Still she couldn't just leave him here all by himself. Fluttershy looked around her cottage, trying to find anything that could be used to take care of an infant.
Then she noticed her saddlebags. She filled one of them with blankets and put Harry inside. This would keep him nice and warm as she went about town to do her business. Harry didn't seem to mind it. He was content to snuggle in the blankets close to Fluttershy. It warmed her heart a little as she trotted out into the cold.
"How are you doing Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked. "Are you here to buy some of my brand-new patent-pending super duper chocolate cupcakes? They're a brand new recipe and they have a super duper secret ingredient. I'll tell you what it is if you Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony."
"Oh, no thanks," Fluttershy said. "I'm actually here to ask you if I can borrow some baby supplies: diapers, bottles, and all of that."
"Okey dokey lokey, but I'm going to need them back by next Tuesday. I'm foalsitting the Cake Twins then," Pinkie said with an oblvious smile.
"No, you misunderstand. I'm taking care of infant and I need the supplies to take care of him. If you can't spare them it's okay. I'll just go to the store and buy some myself."
"Ooooh," Pinkie said. "That makes a lot more sense. "For a second I thought you were into some really, really weird stuff. So, can I see the colt?"
"He's not a colt."
"So he's a filly then? That's weird. I always thought we called fillies she. Wait, has it all been a lie? What else haven't you told me!? You aren't Fluttershy! You're a changeling, aren't you!? What have you done with Fluttershy!?"
"No, he's not a colt because he's not a pony." Fluttershy said, and she showed her saddlebag to Pinkie Pie. She looked inside to see a strange creature blissfully sucking his thumb. "I'm not sure what he is."
"Wow, he's so weird looking... in a cute way. I like him. What's his name?"
"I call him Harry. Do you know where Twilight is? I want to know if she could tell me what he is. I've never seen a creature like this before."
"And they say that Rainbow doesn't remember her lessons," Pinkie said, suddenly turning angry. "Remember what happened last time you brought a creature here you didn't know? It took us three months to rebuild Ponyville after the whole parasprite incident."
"I didn't find him. Somepony left him on my doorstep, and he's clearly a baby. He needs somepony to take care of him, at least until he can fend for himself."
"Alright, but I've got my eye on you buster," Pinkie said, bulging her eyes at Harry. "If you start barfing up babies of your own I'm going to start banging my cymbols!"
Harry started to cry after Pinkie Pie's outburst. She looked around in a panic. She didn't want to make the little guy cry. She just didn't want another small, strangely cute creature to destroy Ponyville. Pinkie dashed into the kitchen and burst back out with a bag of flour in-hoof. Pinkie opened the bag and emptied the contents on herself. Harry giggled wildly.
"So you don't think the Cakes will mind if I borrow some baby supplies?" Fluttershy asked.
"Nah. And you should probably keep the baby supplies. If Harry here uses the diapers, I don't think we want them back."
Pinkie started walking back to the kitchen when she stepped and slipped on the discarded flour bag. She tripped into a cartwheel and rolled into the kitchen with a deafening crash. The thunderous noise startled Harry, getting him to cry once more. Fluttershy tried to calm him down when Twilight entered the bakery.
"What in Equestria is going on here? And what in Equestria is THAT?"
Twilight's outburst brought Harry back into a fit of giggling. Fluttershy admitted that she had no idea what Harry was, but he was a defenseless creature that needed some place to stay, at least until he was able to fend for himself. Twilight gave Fluttershy a disapproving glance.
"It's okay Twilight," Pinkie said, leaving the kitchen with a stack of diapers and bottles on her back. "I don't know what Harry is either."
"So you don't know what Harry is either?" Fluttershy asked, sheepishly.
"No, but that doesn't mean I won't search every book in my library until I do. But you are right, 'Harry' needs some place to stay, but please try to keep a close eye on him—not just for his sake, but for ours as well."
The next few weeks went by as Fluttershy cared for her brand new animal friend. She was able to get most of the supplies she needed from Pinkie Pie. Those she wasn't, such as a high chair and a crib, she bought herself. They set her back quite a bit, but she really didn't mind. She wasn't saving up for a vacation or anything of the sort.
Fluttershy still had other animals to take care of so she wasn't able to spend every waking moment with the creature. Luckily, Pinkie was willing to lend her foalsitting services most of the time. She loved having a new friend to play with, even if he wasn't a pony. The way that Harry played with her, easily catching onto her games and understanding what Pinkie was talking about, Fluttershy could have sworn that Harry was equine.
Twilight searched book after book, which slowly submerged the floor of her library. She knew that somepony in history must have come across a creature like Harry. It simply wasn't possible that he was the first or even only of his kind, but all the evidence was pointing to that conclusion. If anyone had ever seen a creature like Harry they didn't record it, for whatever reason.
One day Rarity brought over a set of onesies that Fluttershy had customly ordered. She cringed seeing Fluttershy coddle that creature. The way he didn't have any fur made him look positively revolting. She wasn't surprised that Fluttershy would want to cover up that hide, but why in Equestria would she spend so much money on the clothes?
"You made them out of the warmest wool you could get, right?" Fluttershy asked, examining the onesies. They definately felt warm. "Harry shivers so much at night. It's just torture. How much do I owe you?"
"Wait, you wanted them to keep the creature warm... not because he's..."
"Because he's what?" Fluttershy asked.
"Because he's... gross. Just look at that skin. How could you touch him?"
"It's actually really soft. Go on touch him," Fluttershy said, picking Harry up off of the floor. He was a little upset to be torn from his blocks, but didn't put up any fuss. Unlike Rarity.
"I am not touching that thing. I understand you take care of animals, but please keep animals like that away from me."
"Now, now she didn't mean it," Fluttershy said, trying to calm down Harry. He was now tearing up.Then she turned to Rarity. "If you don't want to be here you don't have to."
There was a few minutes of silence.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm going to be taking care of Harry from now on and he'll always be here. If you find him disgusting then perhaps you shouldn't come back."
"Are we still on for the spa this weekened?" Rarity asked, taken aback.
"I'm sorry, I can't. Pinkie is busy this weekend so I need to take care of Harry myself. Maybe next time."
"Are you mad at me, Fluttershy?"
"You came in here and insulted one of my animal friends. If you don't like them, then fine. But please keep it to yourself."
Even after Rarity left the house, Harry was still a little fussy. Fluttershy guessed that he was hungry. Harry didn't like vegetables, but they seemed to be good for him. Getting him to eat wasn't much a chore though since he always got applesauce afterwards. Harry loved applesauce so not everything that he ate tasted terrible.
Lucky Applejack suggested it or Harry might have grown to hate eating, and that would have spelled tragedy. Applejack often eyed Harry suspiciously, but Fluttershy never could tell what she thought of him. Still, she brought a steady supply of applesauce so she wasn't too unfond of the little guy. And Harry was always excited when she brought her shipment so Fluttershy really couldn't complain.
Rainbow frequently visited, not for Harry's sake, but to get Fluttershy out of the house. Ever since Harry came into Fluttershy's life, she barely left her cottage. Her whole life revolved around that creature, but there was no way to deter Fluttershy from taking care of him. She constantly blew off get-togethers, and it was starting to worry Rainbow.
Fluttershy kept trying to reassure Rainbow that it was only because Harry was so young that he needed constant care. When he got a little older he wouldn't need Fluttershy to be around constantly, but until then taking care of Harry was top priority. As the weeks passed, her life revolved more and more around Harry.
One morning, Fluttershy was busy dusting her room. She was behind on her cleaning and the perfect time to catch up was when Harry was sleeping soundly in his crib. At least, Fluttershy thought that Harry was sleeping soundly in his crib. As she was dusting her nightstand she heard a peep that caused her to jump. She turned around. Nopony was in her room. Then the exact same peepe was heard. It sounded like somepony was saying.... "mama."
"Mama!" said... Harry. He was holding himself up with his forelegs and smiling at Fluttershy.
"D-did you call me Mama?" Fluttershy asked.
"Mama! Mama!"
Fluttershy sat down in front of Harry's crib and just looked at him in utter shock. Not only could Harry talk, but he also thought that Fluttershy was his mother. He thought that Fluttershy was his mother.
"He can talk!?" Twilight snapped. Harry giggled as he always did whenever Twilight had one of her crazy outbursts.
"I was just as surprised as you were," Fluttershy said, rocking Harry back and forth. "And he thinks that I'm his mama. If you think about it, I guess I kind of am."
"So what are you going to do then?" Twilight asked.
"I'm going to raise him like my own colt, instead of just another one of my animal friends. Sorry I thought of you that way, little guy," Fluttershy said and then she nuzzled him.
"That's crazy. You're crazy Fluttershy. We know nothing about Harry. We don't know where he came from. We don't even know what he is."
"Well, we have all the time in Equestria to learn," Fluttershy said, almost ignoring Twilight.
"But we don't know how to take care of him."
"I think I've been doing a pretty good job so far. Besides, what do you expect me to do? Keep raising Harry like an animal?"
"I... I don't know. Alright Fluttershy, you win," Twilight said, defeated. We'll pretend that he's just another colt."
"No, he's not just another colt. He's my son."
The strangest thing about Fluttershy's relationship with Harry was how little it changed. She held Harry a little bit closer, but still let him play by himself and still let Pinkie foalsit him. Fluttershy laughed to herself as Pinkie and Harry had full conversations, even though Harry could only say one word.
Rainbow surprisingly came over more often to spend time with Fluttershy. Rainbow actually liked spending time with Harry and trying to get him to build bigger block towers and get from one side of the room to the other faster. Harry seemed to enjoy these games with Rainbow.
Rarity, on the other hoof, stopped coming over to Fluttershy's house completely. She stopped making spa appointments as well. Fluttershy tried to get to the bottom of it, but whenever she tried to visit Rarity she was never home. Even after their little spat, they still spent time together so Fluttershy had nothing to go on. The only thing that changed was the fact that Fluttershy was now raising Harry as a son instead of an animal friend, but why would that bother Rarity?
"What in tarnation is that racket?" Applejack said, bursting into Fluttershy's house. Glass jars jostled in her saddlebags.
"It's Harry," Fluttershy said. "He's just teething. Poor little guy."
Fluttershy was disheveled, like she hadn't slept in a day or two. Hairs were sticking out of place and she had bags under her eyes. She gave Harry a teething ring, but it wasn't calming him down. Applejack tried to ask where she should put the jars, but she couldn't get a word in edgewise over Harry's pained howling. Applejack tapped on Fluttershy's shoulder, jolting her up from resting her eyes. She pointed to her jars. Fluttershy pointed to the kitchen. By the time Applejack returned from the kitchen, Harry had calmed down some.
"You'll be okay, won't ya?" Applejack asked, eyeing Harry.
"Yeah," Fluttershy said, shooting Applejack a tired smile. "This won't go on too long. He'll be the same happy baby he was in no time."
As Applejack left, Fluttershy gave a sigh. All of this crying would go away eventually, but that wasn't what Fluttershy was worried about. The teeth that Harry had been growing belonged to omnivores, creatures that ate both meat and plants. Fluttershy really hoped that Harry wouldn't require eating meat to survive. She would do anything for Harry, but if he needed to eat meat it wouldn't exactly buy him many friends around Ponyville. That thought kept Fluttershy up at night. She could deal with the crying easily.
Fluttershy debated telling Twilight about this. She had already been on edge with Harry from the start, and the need of meat would be another strike against him. But Twilight was really smart. Maybe she had an alternative solution. Perhaps there was a food that carried the vitamins and minerals that Harry needed which didn't come from living—or not living—creatures. Then again, Twilight came over often and she would find out about Harry's teeth eventually, so why waste time wondering?
It was a glorious spring day, the perfect time to try out Harry's stroller for the first time. He had fallen asleep sucking the teething ring so he wouldn't cause a disruption in town. Fluttershy put him in the stroller, tucked him in a blanket, and set off. Near the library, a passing dark blue townspony got a glimpse inside the stroller.
"Ugh, what is that thing?" She exclaimed.
"That thing is my son," Fluttershy said, angrily.
"Well it's gross and wrong," she said and she gave a huff.
Twilight was lost in thought, reading one of her books when she heard a ruckus coming from outside. She glanced outside her window to see that there was some sort of commotion going on right outside her window; it looked like a fight. Dust was being kicked up everywhere so she couldn't see who was involved. Twilight rushed outside and demanded to know what was going on.
The dust subsided. Fluttershy was on top of a dark blue pegasus. She had that pony's hind leg in her mouth and was kicking her in the head with her own hind leg. The bottom pony was covered from head-to-hoof in bruises and was tearing up.
"Make her stop, please!" The bottom pony shouted. Fluttershy spit out her hoof.
"What did you say about my son?" Fluttershy demanded.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was saying! He's cute and cuddly! He's cute and cuddly!"
"If he's so cute and cuddly, then hug him and say you're sorry," Fluttershy said. She picked the pony up and pushed her towards the stroller.
Harry was still sleeping soundly, despite the fight. The other pony reached out to pick Harry up, but stopped and held her mouth as if she was about to throw up. She teared up again, through her hooves in the air, and shouted that she couldn't do it.
"Oh, so you wanna go back for round two?" Fluttershy said, holding the other pony right in front of her face.
"Fluttershy, stop!" Twilight said.
Fluttershy turned towards her and the other pony used the opportunity to get away. Fluttershy tramped angrily about her escapee. To say Twilight was not amused would be an understatement. She demanded to know what had gotten into Fluttershy. Fluttershy explained the whole fiasco outside, but failed to convince Twilight that the violence was necessary.
"I'm sorry to say this, but Harry isn't exactly cute looking," Twilight said, causing Fluttershy to tense up in rage. "What that pony did was rude and uncalled for, yes, but you can't just beat up other ponies because they find Harry... different. He is different Fluttershy."
"B-b-but," Fluttershy said.
Before Twilight could answer, Harry began to cry. He had woken up. Twilight covered her head with her hooves and looked at Harry in agony. Then she noticed Harry's teeth. It didn't take her long to come to the same conclusion that Fluttershy did. Harry was clearly an omnivore and would need the nutrients found in meat.
Twilight didn't go crazy. She didn't immediately assume that Harry was a monster. Once Fluttershy was able to calm Harry down, she was calm herself. Fluttershy explained that she needed somepony to find Harry an alternative to meat. She didn't want to malnourish him, but she only wanted to feed him meat as an absolute last resort.
"Don't worry about it," Twilight said. "I think I can find a solution. Just give me a few days, one week tops. But I'll only do it on one condition: you don't beat up any more ponies."
Fluttershy blushed, gave a meek apology, and agreed.
Twilight galloped along the road to Fluttershy's cottage, a biology book firmly grasped in her mouth. She had the answer. It took her longer than expected, but she actually had the answer. And true to her word, Fluttershy hadn't beat up any ponies so everything was looking up. Still, Twilight was nervous about her. Fluttershy and Harry took plenty of walks, some of which Twilight joined them on. She noticed the glares they got. She noticed Fluttershy gritting her teeth at every hushed whisper. It was a good thing that they seemed to go over Harry's head, not for Fluttershy's sake, but for theirs. If somepony managed to hurt his feelings, there was no telling what Fluttershy might do.
Twilight burst through Fluttershy's cottage door and instantly the book hit the floor. She saw something that wasn't at all expected. Harry was walking. He wasn't just walking like anypony on all fours as he had always done. He was now walking on his two hind legs. He was wobbly, but he was doing it. Fluttershy was looking at him and didn't quite know what to make of it herself.
"Hi Twilight. Um... good boy Harry... you took your first steps... on two legs."
Harry toddled over to Fluttershy and hugged her leg. Fluttershy told him to play with his toys while she talked with Twilight. Fluttershy started, asking if there was anything that Harry could eat in place of meat. It settled her heart to know that there indeed was. Harry only needed protein, which could be found in eggs and peanuts. Nopony really ate eggs, they just used them in cakes and pastries, but they were plentiful enough. Fluttershy even had chickens for that express purpose. Peanuts were easy enough to come by as well so getting Harry all the nutrients he needed wouldn't really be a problem.
There was a more pressing matter at hoof: Harry was now walking on two feet. It wasn't the fact that he was walking on his back legs that concerned either of them. It was the fact that the differences were starting to pile up. Harry didn't have any fur, except for the mane growing on the top of his head so most ponies found him gross. Harry was still an omnivore, which could throw ponies into a panic. Harry didn't use his mouth to carry things, he used the fingers on his forelegs. And now he was walking on his hind legs.
"So, what do you think we should do?" Twilight asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Should we force him to walk on all fours like the rest of us? It'll help him fit in more."
"I couldn't force him to walk on all fours any more than I could force him to grow a full coat of fur," Fluttershy said calmly. "This is who he is and we should be proud of it. He took his first steps today. We should have a party to celebrate."
"Did somepony say party? What's the occasion?" Pinkie Pie asked after she had jumped in through an open window. Twilight gasped and fell backwards, throwing Harry into a fit of giggles.
"Um... Harry took his first steps... on two legs," Twilight said, picking herself up.
"Awesome! I'll be back in an hour with everything and everypony," Pinkie said. She ran into the kitchen and jumped out a different window.
There was indeed a party that afternoon. Pinkie had even gone all out, shooting her party cannon a couple of extra times for good measure. Still, there was more of an air of nervousness than of pride. Fluttershy debated whether she should be happy about this. She thought of everything those other ponies had said about Harry. That was just when he looked different. Now he didn't even walk like them. Harry wobbled over to Fluttershy and hugged her leg.
"Mama, why you no having fun?" he asked.
Fluttershy was forced to smile. That was all she needed to perk up and enjoy herself. Harry was her son and she'd love him, no matter what, but she still worried about him. Fluttershy's friends, Twilight excepted, almost seemed oblivious to the change. Fluttershy realized that nothing had truly changed. Ponies would find him just as weird, regardless of how he walked.
Fluttershy knew that Harry would have a difficult life. Kids could be cruel and relentless. She didn't have it so easy as a filly and she at least looked like the other fillies. Harry might not have that advantage, but he did have a mother that cared about him and always would. Nothing would change that.
Ever since Harry learned to walk on his hind-legs he had a new-found energy. He loved running back and forth across the house and yard. He had traded up stacking blocks for kicking a ball around. It definitely set Rainbow's world on fire. She would come over more often to play with him. Futtershy didn't mind. It became more and more apparent that there just wasn't enough space around the cottage for Harry to burn off all of that excess energy. Rainbow put a good dent in it, but he was still wild by the end of the day.
By now Harry had grown out of his stroller, but that didn't mean Fluttershy couldn't still take him on walks. She knew, however, that it wouldn't be best for them to continue going to the park. The two of them walked along a wooded path. Fluttershy had to keep reminding Harry not to run so far ahead, but nothing would sate that child's curiosity. He had to look under every rock or around every tree just to see the wonders that lay there. He wasn't listening very well, but Fluttershy had a hard time getting mad or annoyed with that little smile around.
As they emerged from the woods, a crystal clear lake sat before them. Harry chased a butterfly onto the sandy beach. He ran a little too fast and managed to trip himself. It wasn't long before he got back up and went right back to chasing after it. Fluttershy walked down to the lake and stepped into its cool, refreshing waters.
"Come here sweetie," Fluttershy said. "Today I'm going to teach you how to swim."
Harry let the butterfly get away and turned towards Fluttershy. He excitedly ran up to her, but stopped just before he got to the water. Then he started staring at it. Fluttershy waited for a few minutes, but Harry didn't come any closer. Harry tilted his head as though the water confused him. Every so often his eyes would peek up to Fluttershy, but they would quickly descend back towards the water.
"Is there something wrong Harry?"
"Mama, why we look so different?"
Fluttershy stared at Harry for a moment. She opened her mouth and closed it. She stared onward for a few more seconds. Then she opened her mouth and closed it once more. She wasn't expecting this question to come up for some time, if it came up at all. She had no idea what to tell him. Should she tell him the truth? How would he take it?
"What do you mean, sweetie?" was the only thing that Fluttershy could muster.
"We look so different" Harry said, and he touched the water as if that could explain everything.
Fluttershy walked up out of the water and sat down next to Harry. Harry sat down, his eyes never moving away from the water. Fluttershy looked down to the water. Their reflection was clear. A pony sat next to a small alien creature. Perhaps it was best to tell him early. Harry was smart. He'd figure out the truth eventually.
"Do you know why I'm your mama?" Fluttershy asked. She was desperately trying to figure out how to word this.
"Cuz you're my mama?" Harry answered, confused.
"I'm your mama because I've taken care of you ever since the day that I found you," Fluttershy said, taking her time with almost every word.
"You found me?" Harry asked.
Fluttershy kept looking at the water. Harry did as well. In the reflection, Harry didn't seem upset or angry. He just seemed confused and curious. He wanted answers so Fluttershy decided to give him answers She told him about that fateful night; the one that changed her life forever. She told him that it was the happiest night of her life. Harry looked on, ears open, listening intently. After the story was done, Fluttershy looked away from the water. She looked at Harry.
"And that was the night we became a family," Fluttershy told him. "You aren't mad at me, are you?"
"Why I be mad Mama?" Harry asked.
Fluttershy broke into a smile. She nuzzled him. What was she so afraid about? Harry just asked a question and wanted an answer. Did she really think that that would change anything between the two of them? Fluttershy was still his mother, and Harry didn't care how that fact came to be. Fluttershy broke away to see Harry's smiling face.
"So you still want to learn how to swim?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yeah!" Harry responded and he jumped up.
Fluttershy walked back into the water and Harry followed her. Fluttershy never took her eyes off of him as he stepped into the water himself. As soon as he entered he began splashing and shouting like crazy with a smile bright enough to challenge the summer sun. He was just having so much fun. Fluttershy tried to teach him how to do a pony paddle, but Harry was intent on doing other things like splashing Fluttershy with water.
By the time that the sun began to set they hadn't accomplished much swimming, but they were both sopping wet. They sat on the beach, breathless watching the sun set behind the forest trees. They just lay there, watching the stars start to pop into the pastel skies.
"Mama, what am I?" Harry asked, almost out of nowhere.
"Um what?" Fluttershy replied.
"You said I not pony, what I be then?"
"Hmmm," Fluttershy said with a smile, in spite of her turning mind, "I think that you're a miracle."
"What a mir-i-cal?"
"A miracle is something really, really special," Fluttershy said, turning towards Harry. "But no matter what you are, I'll always love you."
"I love you too Mama."
The two of them lay there on the sand until late into the night, just making shapes out of the stars. The moon was high in the sky before Harry fell asleep. Fluttershy carried him home by the light of the fireflies. It was a long, tiring walk with Harry sleeping on Fluttershy's back, but she didn't have the heart to wake him from his sleep.
Once home, she brought him upstairs and placed him in his crib. She sighed. Harry was getting too big for it, and her room wasn't big enough for more than one bed. Fluttershy would think of this problem tomorrow. Right now, the day was done.
"Oh, hey Fluttershy. What are you doing here?" Applejack asked, after she bucked a tree.
"I need your help. Harry here has outgrown his crib and I was thinking about adding another room onto my cottage."
Applejack was in the middle of bucking another tree during Fluttershy's request. Apples cascaded off the branches and pelted Applejack in the head before bouncing to the ground. She shook off the pain before looking at Fluttershy quizzically. True, Fluttershy's "son" was there hugging her leg and he was a lot bigger than Applejack remembered.
"Um, Fluttershy do you know what you're askin' me?"
"Yes... I um do. If it's too much trouble I can ask somepony else."
"Nah, it's not too much trouble. It's just, it's a lot of effort to do something that... um."
"Um... what?"
"Uh nevermind. Can um... Henry... go play while the grown-ups talk? Applebloom, where are you?" Applejack shouted.
Applebloom ran out of the barn, bouncing a huge beach ball on her head. It was another one of her cutie mark attempts. As soon as Applejack told her to play with Harry the ball fell to the ground. Upon seeing Harry, she stuck her tongue out in disgust and began whining.
"Applebloom, don't be rude. Go play with Henry or you're grounded!"
Applebloom groaned. She tossed her ball into the orchard and chased after it. Fluttershy nudged Harry to follow her. Applejack motioned Fluttershy into the house, and closed the door behind her. Applejack began rummaging around the house, looking for bits and pieces.
"Um... his name is Harry," Fluttershy said meekly. "So, do you want to help add a room onto my cottage? Pinkie and Rainbow Dash already said that they'd help, but we need the supplies. If you don't want, it's okay."
"Fluttershy, I don' know what to tell you," Applejack said, closing a drawer, "but I... I think you lost your marbles."
"What do you mean?"
"Fluttershy, don' make me do this to you. I'm sure that Harry is a nice boy 'n all—"
Applejack was cut-off by Harry running inside, his eyes welling up with tears. He ran up to Fluttershy, and pointed to his knee. It was all scuffed up underneath a rather, large tear in his pants. Through the tears, Harry managed to reveal that Applebloom pushed him. Applebloom came running in, shouting that Harry was lying. Applejack didn't hear her, she was too busy watching Fluttershy trying to calm down Harry.
"You know what Fluttershy, I'll help you build yer room. An' Applebloom here is going to spend her Saturday helping us."
"What!?" shrieked Applebloom.
"You heard me," Applejack said, not turning her attention away from Harry. "I'm sure that Fluttershy here would do the same thing if Harry ended up hurtin' you."
Applejack followed Fluttershy back down to her cottage. Harry got to ride on Fluttershy's back all the way there and had definitely cheered up by the time they had reached their destination. He was content to look and see the birds in the sky. Rainbow and Pinkie were already at the cottage. Pinkie had a hammer in her mouth and was running around in circles while Rainbow chased after her.
"What in tarnation is goin' on here?" Applejack asked when she got in earshot.
Pinkie turned her attention toward Applejack and smashed head-first into the stone wall of the cottage. The rebound caused Pinkie to let go of the hammer and it went flying backwards. It grazed the tip of Rainbow's mane before it went sailing over the trees. Pinkie pulled herself off of the wall and found her face to be a little flatter than it was before. Harry giggled.
"Um, we were just—" Rainbow tried to explain.
"Nevermind," Applejack cut her off. "So, Fluttershy where do you want this room to be?"
Fluttershy led the three of them behind the house where they came across a crudely drawn red x underneath a window. Applejack pulled out some blueprinting paper from her saddlebags and placed it on a stump. She tried to imagine how everything would fit together before she started to draw out plans. Her concentration was interrupted by giggling. She turned towards it to see Pinkie making very bizarre faces at Harry.
"What's the matter?" Rainbow asked, hovering over Applejack's shoulder.
"Can you tell the two of them to go do that someplace else, I'm tryin' to plan this out."
"Harry doesn't bite, you know."
"Just what's supposed to mean?"
"I don't know; it's just the way you keep looking at him. It's almost like you're—" Rainbow said, before she broke into a wide smile. "You're afraid of Harry aren't you?"
"Why in Celestia's name would I be afraid of Harry?"
"Alright, so you're not afraid of Harry. What do you think of him? Don't worry, Fluttershy is inside the house. She won't hear."
"It's just that he's—he's not a—. It's just weird is all."
"He's a kid laughing at Pinkie Pie. How is that weird?"
Harry was doing more than just laughing. He was having the time of his life as Pinkie carried him all about the yard, bouncing up and down and running like crazy. Applejack tried to think of an answer, but Rainbow was right. Harry was just a kid and he was having fun.
"I guess it ain't so weird after all. I remember when Applebloom was that young," Applejack said, mostly to herself. She walked over to Pinkie. "Hey, can you two do that in the front yard? I gotta plan this out."
"Oh were we too loud?" Pinkie asked, innocently.
"Applejack!" Harry shouted.
"Yes, that's Applejack. Say 'hi Applejack'"
"Hi Applejack!"
"Um... hi... kiddo," Applejack said. "So can you two... um... take this someplace else?"
"Okey dokey lokey!" Pinkie said, and she trotted off towards the front yard.
"Bye-bye Applejack!" Harry said, turning around to wave. Applejack felt obligated to return a wave.
With only three workers, it took a long time to add an extra room to Fluttershy's cottage. They had finished just before the autumn leaves began to fall. It wasn't Harry's first autumn, but it was likely going to be the first that he would remember so Fluttershy made special care to make it a memorable one. While Pinkie, Rainbow, and Applejack were building that room the two of them would take walks through the yellowed forests.
Finally the room was done. Harry had a little place to call his own. There wasn't much to it: a rather small room with a couple of windows and a door, but Harry loved it all the same. It was pretty empty too. The only furniture within was a bed and a box for Harry's toys. At the moment it was all that Fluttershy could afford, but Harry didn't seem to mind.
It came time for Harry's first night sleeping on his own. Fluttershy led him to his bed and helped him climb up. Then she tucked him in, and grabbed a book that was left on top of Harry's toy box: Daring Do and the Cove of Candles. Harry was asleep shortly after a couple of chapters. Fluttershy nuzzled him and went off to bed herself.
She placed the book back on the box and wearily walked up the stairs, crashing onto her bed. She looked at the empty crib before drifting off to sleep. A blood-curdling shriek awoke her sometime later. Fluttershy was up instantly and racing down the stairs. She almost tripped over herself by the time she reached the bottom. A second later she was in Harry's room and by his side.
"Is something wrong sweetie?" Fluttershy asked.
"I had a bad dream Mama," he said. He was sweating and shaking. Fluttershy came in close.
"There, there, it's okay. It was just a dream."
"Can I sleep with you Mama?" Harry said, hugging Fluttershy in fear.
"Tell you what: try to go back to sleep, and if you have another nightmare then you can sleep with me tonight."
"But I'm scared," Harry said, letting go.
"It was only a dream, it can't hurt you. You're getting to be a big boy now, you have to try to be brave sometimes."
Harry reluctantly agreed to try and sleep on his own. He made it the rest of the night without another peep. He had nightmares for the next couple of nights, but they died down. Fluttershy figured that the strangeness of being on his own just got to him. He did get used to sleeping on his own, eventually.
By the time that Harry had learned to face his fears, Fluttershy needed to deal with some fears of her own. Nightmare Night was just around the corner, and all of the townsponies—Pinkie Pie especially—were estatic about the upcoming holiday. Pinkie couldn't keep her mouth shut about it around Harry and kept filling his head with the thoughts of candy and costumes.
Fluttershy didn't want to let Harry down. He didn't just want to go out trick-or-treating, he took it for granted. The last couple of years Harry was too young to go out on a night such as this, so it wasn't something she had to worry about. Fluttershy still didn't think she had to worry about going out on Nightmare Night, after all Pinkie loved to foalsit Harry, and doing it while trick-or-treating would just be a big bonus. Unfortunately Pinkie didn't foalsit on Nightmare Night. True, she did walk with children but her attention was elsewhere. And Rainbow Dash had other priorities that night. So, it was either Harry went with Fluttershy on Nightmare Night or he didn't go at all. It was a tough decision, and one that Fluttershy didn't make until Nightmare Night itself.
"Mama, when we going trick-or-treating?" Harry asked shortly before the sun set.
"Um... we're... um... not going out tonight," Fluttershy said, looking out the window at the road to town.
"Wha—what!?" Harry sputtered. "Why not?"
Fluttershy looked to Harry. He looked crushed, to put it mildly. Fluttershy dug around for an excuse. It didn't take her long to find one.
"Because... um... you need to have a costume to go out on Nightmare Night, and we forgot to get one. Don't worry, there's always next year."
Harry moped into his room, tugging Fluttershy's heartstrings all the way there. She really, really wanted to make Harry happy, but this is one of the few things she wouldn't do. All of that stuff about ghosts and goblins just made her cringe. And then there was the pranking. She didn't even want to think about it. She could almost hear a—
"Boo!"
Fluttershy turned around to see a ghost. She let out a small scream before jumping up and diving underneath the couch. She cautiously looked around the room to see the ghost inching towards the couch. It got closer and closer until it was standing right in front of Fluttershy. The ghost ducked down under the couch and stared right into Fluttershy's eyes. A second later Harry pulled the bedsheet off of his head, happily going on about he had found a costume.
After Fluttershy realized what was going on, she couldn't help but chuckle. How could she think that that bedsheet-clad toddler was a ghost? She was sure jumpy tonight as she always was on Nightmare Night. Then she realized that her old excuse was worthless. She needed a new one.
"Um... Harry sweetie, you do know that it's really scary on Nightmare Night, right?"
"I know Mama," Harry said, back under his bedsheet. "But you told me to be brave. Should I be brave?"
That shut Fluttershy up.
"Yes," Fluttershy said. "Yes you should. Come on, let's go trick-or-treating."
Harry bolted out the door, only stopping to pick up a bucket on the way out. Fluttershy nervously tip-toed after him. She tucked her head out of the door, and looked both ways. Her teeth were chattering. She stopped and took a deep breath. No, she had to do this. She told Harry to be brave, and how could he be brave if his mother wasn't? Fluttershy stepped out of her house and the door slammed behind her, causing her to jump once again. This was not going to be easy.
"What took you so long Mama?" Harry asked after Fluttershy caught up to him, ten minutes later. Fluttershy looked around for an excuse.
"I needed to get my costume," Fluttershy said with a faux smile. She pulled a clump of grass and dirt from the ground and put it on her head. "I'm a plant."
"You're silly Mama. Come on let's go."
Fluttershy tried her best to keep up with Harry, but she was having trouble doing so and being cowardly. Harry was running like crazy, in a hurry to get to town to start trick-or-treating. They hadn't even gotten to Ponyville proper before the sun set, but there were still ponies in all kinds of costumes. There were scary monsters like zombies, vampires, and even... dragons, but there were also ponies dressed as other things like super heroes and animals. Fluttershy tried to focus on those. She was so busy staring at a filly in a cat costume that she accidently crashed into somepony.
"Oh, sorry I wasn't watching where I was—Fluttershy!?" the fallen pony, clad in a princess costume, asked.
"Rarity?" Fluttershy said, forgetting her fears. "I haven't seen you in ages. Where have you been?"
"It's Nightmare Night. What are you doing out here? And why do you have dirt on your head?"
"Harry wanted to go trick-or-treating tonight and I couldn't say no," Fluttershy said, pulling Harry close. "Say hi to Rarity"
"Hi Rarity," Harry said walking up to her.
"So you're still doing that," Rarity said, eyeing Harry nervously.
"Doing what?"
"Taking care of that... nevermind. Look Fluttershy, I've got to go."
"Let's catch up. I could use somepony to talk to while Harry goes trick-or-treating," Fluttershy said, looking back to the more monstrous costumes that plagued the streets.
Rarity looked around for a way out of it. She tried to see how scuffed up her costume was from the fall, but the few tattered holes in it weren't enough excuse for her to get another one. It still looked magnificent, especially next to the weed on Fluttershy's head. Rarity looked to Fluttershy who was still staring at all of the costumes around her. Then she looked at Harry, safely concealed under his ghost costume. She stared at it his little eyes in silence for quite a long time. He didn't move and it began to creep her out. She wanted to do something, anything to just stop him from staring at her.
"Al-alright," Rarity said. "We'll talk and catch up."
"Oh good," Fluttershy said, noticeably more relieved.
Before anything else was said, Harry ran up ahead towards a house and Fluttershy followed after. She kept looking back to Rarity, and Rarity knew that she had to try and keep up. Rarity groaned to herself; she knew that she was going to regret this. Fluttershy didn't really say much up until they got to their first house beyond the standard "how are you doing" and "what have you been up to?"
"He's so precious," Fluttershy said with a smile as Harry returned from a house, excited to show off the couple of caramels he had gotten from it.
"Yeah, he's adorable," Rarity said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Is everything going okay? I thought you'd be more excited to catch up," Fluttershy said. "You seem really ancy for some reason."
"Yeah Fluttershy, I'm fine. It's just... it's—is Harry still—"
"I see," Fluttershy said, sadly. "You've been avoiding me, haven't you?"
"Well, when you put it like that it makes me feel... guilty. Fluttershy, to put it bluntly, I think that you have a few screws loose if you think that... Harry... is your son."
"Rarity, I don't think, I know. I was never asking you to think that he was my son. I was never even asking you to like him. I was just asking you to be nice to him. I knew what you thought of him, but I never expected you to overreact this much."
"Overreact?" Rarity spat. "I'm the one overreacting? You're the one who goes gaga over a wild animal the second he calls you mama! You need help Fluttershy, you've got problems! Until you get that help we are done. We are through!"
During Rarity's rant she had managed to create a circle of onlookers, just wondering what in Equestria was going on. The only one in that crowd who knew was going on was Twilight, and she did not look pleased. Neither did Fluttershy. Rarity could see her holding tears back, trying desperately not to cry in front of Harry.
"Fine Rarity," Fluttershy said, with a voice filled with ice. "If you're going to be like that I don't need you either. Come on Harry, let's go to the Nightmare Night festival."
She walked off with Harry in tow. Rarity looked onward with her mouth agape. Even though most viewers in the crowd had no idea what was going on, they didn't seem to have a very high opinion of Rarity at the moment. Twilight herself was sneering at Rarity.
"That was uncalled for," was all that Twilight managed to say.
Rarity spent the next few days feeling awful. Nopony would talk to her, not even her closest friends. She stayed inside for the most part. She knew why. It was because she insulted that thing, that thing that Fluttershy called her son. She was crazy, she just had to be. There was no way around it. Rarity loved her cat, but if she went around claiming that Opal was her daughter than ponies would think she was crazy. Why did Fluttershy get a free ticket on the insanity train? Because it was her job to take care of animals? What would happen if she tried to claim that she was raising fabrics as her own?
Rarity decided to shut down Carousel Botique for the day—nopony was coming in anyway. She stayed in a hooded cloak as she strolled about Ponyville, even though she was pretty sure that the majority of the townsponies had either forgotten about the Nightmare Night incident, or they just didn't care. The only ponies she knew wouldn't forget about something like this were the ones she wanted to forget the most: her friends. Twilight wouldn't forget something like this, and Fluttershy was probably crying herself sick. But maybe Twilight was the pony that Rarity needed to see.
"What are you doing here?" Twilight demanded.
"I want to know what I did wrong," Rarity spoke up. Twilight looked at her with a sneer for a moment, but then the sneer faltered.
"By Celestia, you really don't know, do you?"
Rarity shook her head and Twilight beckoned her inside. Twilight told Rarity to wait a moment; she was busy working on very volatile chemicals and had to give them near-constant attention. She told Rarity to sit by a table with a book and several photographs on it. Rarity did as she was told and waited for Twilight to return before her attention was turned to the photographs.
There were near two dozen of them, the newest ones must have been taken a few days ago because the first thing she noticed was Fluttershy with that weed still on her head. And she wasn't quivering in fear like when Rarity had first bumped into her, nor was she crying her eyes out. Fluttershy was smiling... on Nightmare Night. Then Rarity noticed the white blob that took up the other half of the photograph.
Rarity looked through all of the photographs. They were either of Harry and Fluttershy, or just Harry alone. And both of them were happy. Harry didn't even look as grotesque as he once had; he looked tolerable, at least more tolerable than she had imagined. And the things that Rarity saw the two of them doing together: playing together, taking care of animals together, and just having a good time, almost like the moments Rarity had with her own parents. Rarity felt like a monster.
"I can't talk too long," Twilight said, walking down the stairs, "or the whole tree house is going to be on fire."
"I'm so sorry," Rarity said, at Twilight's hooves.
"Um what?"
"I saw some of those photos. The way that Fluttershy... and Harry were. You were right. Fluttershy was right."
"Oh, that's where I put it," Twilight said, face-hoofing. "Always the last place you look. Wait, what was I right about?"
"What I said on Nightmare Night, and what I've been doing to Fluttershy. They've been totally uncalled for. All of those photos in the scrap book—"
"That's not a scrap book," Twilight said, picking it up. "It's a research notebook. Harry is definitely a fascinating case. He's growing almost exactly like a pony would. It's amazing. Wait, what were you talking about?"
"I need to get Fluttershy to forgive me for what I've been doing. What do you think I should—" Rarity managed to say before she was cut-off by an explosion.
"Can't talk. Gotta go. I'll talk to you later," Twilight said, racing up the stairs.
Rarity left the library, feeling worse than before. She thought of all the times she closed her shop just because Fluttershy was walking by. She thought of all the times she ducked behind a barrel or down an alleyway because she thought that Fluttershy was coming by. And then she thought of Harry. He didn't deserve somepony like Rarity in his life. And neither did Fluttershy. Rarity thought of how she could make it up to Fluttershy when a downpour of rain landed on her head.
"That's what you get for yelling at Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash said, from on top of a gray cloud.
"I'm sorry okay!" Rarity shouted up to her. Rainbow swooped down, unbreaking from that old familiar sneer.
"So what are you gonna do about it?" Rainbow said, narrowing her eyes.
"I—I don't know."
"Why don't you just talk to her, or are you too disgusted by Harry? You know, Harry is a nice kid. You'd like him if you got to know him."
"I'm sure he is. It's just that I screwed up so badly..."
"You know Fluttershy. Just ask and she'll forgive you. Maybe."
"I know, but it'll be a cold day in Tartarus before I manage to forgive myself. Rainbow, what have I done?"
Rainbow stared at her for a minute or so. Her expression of anger had long vanished. She seemed as lost to the answer as Rarity was herself. Even though Rainbow couldn't find an answer, she still managed to come up with something.
"Come on, we'll walk to Fluttershy's together."
It wasn't much, but it was something. The two of them stayed silent the whole way there. They just looked onward, almost avoiding looking at each other. They instead focused on the multicolored leaves and the air that was chillier than the day before. Even walking as slowly as they had it wasn't long before they had made it to Fluttershy's cottage. The two of them walked up to the door and Rainbow knocked on it.
"Hello Rainbow," Fluttershy said with a wide smile. "What brings you here today?"
"I got somepony who wants to talk to you," Rainbow said, opening the door wider to reveal Rarity.
The three of them didn't move for quite some time. None of them really could. They all had so much they wanted to say that the words got clogged on the way out and nothing came out. The only thing to break the silence was Harry asking who was there.
"Tha—that's a lovely son you have there Fluttershy," Rarity said. "Wow, he's gotten so big."
"Um what?" Fluttershy asked. She blinked.
"Can we come in?" Rarity asked. Before Fluttershy could say anything, Rainbow made her way in and occupied Harry. Fluttershy decided that there was no use in saying "no" now.
"Fluttershy," Rarity said, sitting on the couch. "The first thing I want to say is sorry. I want to say sorry for everything that I've done since Harry came along. I never should have—"
Fluttershy put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder. Rarity looked up to see Fluttershy smiling. "It's okay, I forgive you."
Rainbow had taken Harry outside to play so the grown-ups could talk, although they weren't doing much of that. Fluttershy and Rarity sat in silence, just thinking of the next thing to say. Then Rarity noticed a book like the one at Twilight's. Even though it had the same photos, this one was definitely a scrap book.
"That picture from Nightmare Night. You looked so happy in it," Rarity said. "Did kicking me out of your life really make you that happy?"
"Rarity, I cried that night. I didn't want to upset Harry on his first Nightmare Night, so I tried my best to enjoy myself until he fell asleep. A child should never see their mother cry."
After Rarity's forgiveness, things more or less turned to normal in Fluttershy's life. Or at least, as close to normal as they could get. Fluttershy still avoided taking walks in town with Harry. Sad to say, but Rarity's reaction wasn't too far out of the norm. Unfortunately, Fluttershy couldn't hide Harry from the world forever.
Harry and Fluttershy walked through the town to get to the school house. Along the way they got those stares and scoffs. Harry was blissfully unaware. He kept rambling on about all of the colts and fillies he was going to meet. After all of this time they still looked at Harry like that. If this was how the adults were acting, then how would the kids treat him?
"Hello Cheerilee," Fluttershy said.
"Hi... Fluttershy, is it? What brings you here?" Cheerilee replied. She was looking through papers so she didn't pay Fluttershy much mind.
"I'm here to enroll my son in your class," Fluttershy said. Her mind ran with panic.
"I didn't know you had a son," Cheerilee said.
She put down her papers and gave Fluttershy her undivided attention. Harry popped out from behind Fluttershy, and in a moment of weakness Cheerilee cringed. Fluttershy stepped back and prepare for the scream, or the refusal, or anything but what actually happened. Harry walked up to Cheerilee and introduced himself, catching her off guard.
"Well hello there," Cheerilee said, lost for words. "Why don't you go play outside while me and your mommy talk?"
Harry nodded and ran outside. Cheerilee looked to Fluttershy, but stayed quiet for awhile. Fluttershy's mind moved even faster. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe Fluttershy should have tried to school Harry at home.
"Nice kid you've got there," Cheerilee blurted out. "I'm sure he'll make lots of friends."
"So you're going to let him enroll?"
"What kind of teacher would I be if I turned any student away?"
The next morning, Fluttershy and Harry stood outside the school house waiting for class to begin. Fluttershy kept him close, asking him all sorts of questions: if he had his lunch, if his jacket was too tight, and the most asked question, was he going to be alright. She kept nuzzling him until Cheerilee rang a bell to signal all the kids to come inside.
"We have a new student today," Cheerilee said nervously to the class. "Harry, why don't you come up here and introduce yourself?"
Harry got up in front of the class and started to talk a little about himself. The other kids in his class just looked on in stunned silence for awhile. Some made gagging noises, others gave canned laughter. Harry didn't seem to notice until after he was done talking.
"That was really interesting Harry," Cherilee said. She turned to the class, "Does anypony have any questions for Harry?"
"Yeah, what is he?" a filly in the front row asked.
The class errupted in laughter. Harry was confused. Why were they laughing at him? Did he do something funny? Was there a joke that he missed? The worst part of it was that they didn't stop. Cheerilee tried to calm down the class, but their laughter was insatiable.
"I'm a mira," Harry said.
"I know what you are," another kid responded. "You're a freak!"
The class laughed even louder. Harry felt tears welling up in his eyes. Cheerilee still failed to calm down the class. She tried shouting, banging a ruler on the board, but nothing would stop them. Harry ended up running out of the class crying. Cheerilee huffed, defeated by the rambunctious school kids. She decided to follow after Harry instead of continuing there. If she couldn't calm down the class, then perhaps she could calm Harry down.
"Why were they laughing at me?" Harry asked, sitting on a stump in the courtyard, still sobbing.
"Kids can be mean sometimes," Cheerilee comforted him. "You can't let them bother you. Listen to me: sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me."
"Ms. Cheerilee, do you know what I am?" Harry asked, wiping away the tears from his eyes.
"Yes I do. You're a kid who needs to get back to class. Come on now."
Harry's first day of school was not his best. Whenever Cheerilee's back was turned, the kids that didn't snicker or sneer outright threw stuff at him. And then there were the insults. Oh, you're not a freak, you're a crybaby! What was it like to be born in the Everfree? Wow, your mommy loves you when you look like that? Wish my mommy was blind too, I could get away with so much.
By the end of the day Harry was coming close to being in tears once more. As soon as Cheerilee rang that bell he dashed outside, excited and relieved to leave all of that torment behind him. He felt so happy that his mother was right outside waiting. Harry ran up and embraced her, bursting into tears.
"I'm never going back there! Mommy it was awful!"
Fluttershy knew what happened. In fact she almost expected it to happen, though she prayed that it wouldn't. Fluttershy thought back to her days as a filly. It must have been so much worse for Harry. And it made it so much harder to say what she had to say.
"It'll be okay. But you have to go back tomorrow. Try to be brave for mommy."
Harry stepped back. Mommy made all the bad things go away. She always did! Why did she want him to go back to that horrible place? Did she want him to feel sad, to be hurt by the other kids? Did she want to see him in tears? If that was the case, he was happy to oblige. He cried harder than he had cried all day, and ran into town.
"Hey kid, you look bluer than I do."
"Hi Rainbow," Harry said. He was sobbing under a tree.
"Did something happen? I don't think I've ever seen you like this. You're usually happy enough to make Pinkie Pie look depressed."
"Today was my first day of school," Harry sniffed. "The other kids were so mean to me. They made me cry, and that made them meaner! Mommy said that I had to go back tomorrow so I ran away. I don't ever want to go back!"
"Wow, you are Fluttershy's son," Rainbow said. She sat down next to Harry and put her wing around him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked, wiping away the snot and the tears.
"Ponies used to tease her a lot, and the only way she was able to deal with it was by running away. That was a long time ago though."
"I've never seen Mommy run away from anything," Harry said, almost angry that someone was insulting her.
"Yeah, she has been brave for awhile. You know what I think? I think she's been brave for you. I bet she's thinking 'what would Harry think if he saw his brave Mommy running away?'"
"You really think that she's brave because of me?"
"The proof is in the pudding. Maybe you should be brave for Mommy?"
"But... it's just so hard."
"Lots of things are hard, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try them. I've done things that I not only thought were hard, but impossible."
"Like what?"
"I pulled off a sonic rainboom: a huge boom with rainbow colors in the sky. I'm gonna have to show you one some day. Hey, that gives me an idea. If you be brave for Mommy for a whole week I'll let you ride on my back and I'll fly you around Ponyville. But you need to be brave! Can't have you getting scared up there because once Rainbow gets going, she don't stop!"
"Oh you found him Rainbow, thank Celestia!" Fluttershy said, running up the hill towards the tree. She ran and nuzzled Harry once again. "I've been looking all over for you. You had me so worried. I'm sorry I made you go to that place. If you don't want to go back, you don't have to."
Harry tried his hardest to go to school every day that week. It proved easier than he had thought it was. The first couple of days were torture, but by the end of the week he had become old news as long as he stayed in the shadows. Harry made sure to sit in the back of class, out of the eyes of everypony else, and for the most part it made everything bearable.
Harry was still relieved when Saturday came around and he no longer had to go to school. He slept in that day. He only woke up when he heard a whistle. Harry shot up and almost hovered over his bed in surprise. He looked to see that Rainbow Dash was standing at the foot of his bed.
"Thought that you'd be a little more excited," Rainbow said.
"Wha—what's going on?" Harry asked, still getting his bearings.
"I talked to your Mommy and she said you went to school every single day this week," Rainbow said. "You know what that means!"
Harry was suddenly fully awake. "Yeah, it means that—"
Rainbow put a hoof to Harry's mouth and winked. "It means that I'm taking you to the movie theater. The nice, safe movie theater."
Harry excitedly got out of bed and rushed to eat his breakfast of oatmeal. During the whole meal Fluttershy kept asking Rainbow questions, and each one caused her to sweat a little bit more. They were fairly innocuous questions: what movie are you going to see, how long is it, are you going to be doing anything afterwards. Rainbow answered each one more nervously than the last. The truth was building up inside her and she was about to let it out. Luckily, Harry clanged his spoon down just before Rainbow was able to reveal the truth. She grabbed Harry, placed him on her back, and charged out the door.
"That was close," Rainbow said when they were a good distance off. "Boy, your mom's really nosy sometimes."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"Well, I kinda... didn't tell her that I was taking you flying."
"Why not?"
"Because I knew she would've said no," Rainbow said. She slowed down into a walk as the headed towards the meadow outside of town. "So this is a secret between you and me. You can't tell anyone, especially Mommy."
"Why not?"
"She worries about you... a little bit too much. And what we're about to do isn't technically safe. Now hold on tight. Trust me. You do not. Want. To. Let. Go!"
Before Harry could say anything she took a deep breath and broke into a run. Harry held onto her mane as tightly as he could. Rainbow rose her wings and seconds later they were flapping. The wind began to push past them. Harry already felt a little bit nervous, but Rainbow took off before he could object.
Rainbow launched from the ground and shot into the air. Harry's eyes began to water as Rainbow sped up. He tried his hardest not to shout, and for the most part he succeeded. For the most part. Rainbow stopped in midair, just above some clouds.
"Oh, you think that's something huh?" Rainbow said. "You ain't seen nothing yet. Now hold on!"
Rainbow tilted downwards and bolted towards the ground. This time Harry wasn't even holding his screaming back. The ground got closer and closer. He could have sworn that they were going to crash right into it. Just before that happened, Rainbow tilted upwards and returned to the sky. She did a few more dips and rises before she turned to her fancier tricks.
It started with simple turns, but gradually grew to loops and corkscrews. Harry eventually calmed down and actually started to enjoy himself. Soon he realized that flying around like this wasn't just fun, it was exhilarating! Rainbow didn't keep it the same either. Every second she doing something new. She weaved in and out of trees, spun around clouds, and combined previous moves in radically different patterns.
The hours went by almost instantaneously. Rainbow touched down out of breath while Harry kept going on and on about how that was the most amazing thing he had ever seen or done. He told Rainbow that he couldn't wait to do it again. Rainbow let him down.
"This is just gonna be a once in awhile thing, okay?" Rainbow said. "I can't keep taking you up there all willy-nilly."
"What? Why not?" Harry pouted.
"Well for one, your mother will have a fit," Rainbow said. She rolled her eyes.
"But what if I ask her and she—"
"No!" Rainbow shouted. "She can't know about this. I'll take you up again, don't worry. It just won't be every week. Now come on, your mother is probably at the movie theater looking for us. If she asks: Chimera King, it was pretty good—a bit slow in the middle though, and we had a medium popcorn because they were out of large bags."
"Rainbow?" Harry asked as they walked the trail home. "Can you teach me how to fly?"
Rainbow blinked.
"Um... no, I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"I—I just can't," Rainbow said. "Why do you want to learn?"
"Because you were awesome up there! I want to be awesome too!"
"Yeah I guess I was kind of—no, I'm sorry Harry but I can't teach you how to fly."
"Well why not?"
"I'm... not a good teacher," Rainbow said, thinking up each word as she said.
"Then can Ms. Cheerilee teach me how to fly? She's a good teacher!"
"No Cheerilee can't teach you how to fly. She doesn't have—"
"Have what?"
"She doesn't have wings, okay. And... neither do you. You need to have wings to fly Harry."
"We've got a very important lesson today," Cheerilee said, entering the classroom. "Today we are going to be learning about cutie marks."
Harry sat in the back row of the class. He just took notes, trying to be blind to everypony but the teacher. The colt in front of him threw a crumpled paper ball. When Harry didn't respond, the colt sneered and turned back to the teacher. It was right on track. Ponies tried to upset Harry. Harry ignored them. Then it got boring.
"You can all see my cutie mark, can't you? Like all ponies, I wasn't born with a cutie mark. My flank was blank. Then one day, when I was about your age, I woke up to find that a cutie mark had appeared. I had decided to become a teacher, and the flowers symbolized my hope that I could help my future students bloom if I nurture them with knowledge. The smiles represent the cheer I hope to bring to my little ponies while they were learning. Now, can anypony tell me when a pony gets his or her cutie mark?"
Cheerilee told the lecture with pride. She seemed so perfect at it, almost as if she had told the same story year after year. A pony a few rows ahead of Harry raised his hoof. He himself has a cutie mark of a book, and went on explaining that a pony got their cutie mark when they discovered that something that made them special.
Harry fantasized about what his cutie mark would be. He always wore clothes to protect his skin from the cool Ponyville air, so nopony knew that he was still a blank flank. It was a good thing too, Harry thought to himself as he saw a couple of fillies up ahead laughing at another blank flank. Harry definitely didn't need to give them any more reasons to bully him.
"That's it for today," Cheerilee said sometime later, pulling Harry out of his daydreams.
Harry pulled on his backpack and started walking home, a little brisker than usual. He looked to the general townsponies who seemed to be more intent on going by their day-to-day business than taking time to shoot him looks of scorn or contempt. The relief of their absence still filled Harry from time to time. Today was not one of those days. He was too filled with excitement to care. He ran up the pathway to Fluttershy's cottage and burst the door open. Fluttershy was busy feeding some animals.
"Hi Harry, how was school today?" she hummed melodically.
"It was good. We learned about cutie marks today," Harry said with enthusiasm. "I wonder what mine is going to be."
Fluttershy spilled seeds all over the floor. How could she have forgotten something like this? She didn't know much about whatever Harry was for certain, but she knew that he wasn't a pony. And only ponies got cutie marks. She often considered telling him but she kept pushing it further back, wondering how to word it and wondering how he would take it.
Fluttershy began to scoop up the seeds while she looked towards Harry with a goofy grin. He was still going on and on about what his cutie mark might be. That bright smile got to her. She didn't have the heart to tell him about this, at least not right now. Maybe her friends would know what to do.
"I'm going to Twilight's, do you need anything? Fluttershy asked, heading out the door.
"Can I come?" Harry asked.
"No, not today. Why don't you go play with Applebloom and her friends?"
"They never want anything to do with me. They say that I only slow them down," Harry said with a sigh. That killed his enthusiasm.
"That's not very nice of them."
"It's better than what anypony else in town does to me. At least they give me the time of day."
"Harry, you have lots of friends. You know that."
"Mom, they're your friends, not mine. Sure they like me and all that, but if it wasn't for you they wouldn't be seen with me."
"You know that's not true."
"Whatever."
"Just try to talk to Applebloom. Why don't you ask her about how she got her cutie mark? She loves telling that story. If they ignore you, I'll talk to Applejack later on."
Harry gave another sigh, defeated. He went off into town to find Applebloom. She was with her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They were chatting and laughing in the meadow just outside of town. Scootaloo spotted Harry. She groaned, alerting the rest of them to his approach.
"What are you doing here? Don't you have any of your own friends to play with?" Scootaloo asked.
"You know that I don't. I just wanted to ask you guys something."
"We've been over this. We're not your foalsitters," Applebloom sneered.
"Jeeze guys, I was just going to ask you how you got your cutie marks. You don't have to bite my head off."
"Why do you care?" Scootaloo shot.
"Well we learned about them in class today. Since I'm a blank flank I want to know how certain ponies got their cutie marks. I heard it took you girls forever."
"Shut up," Scootaloo snapped.
Sweetie Belle tapped Applebloom and Scootaloo on the shoulder. They ducked behind a tree out of Harry's earshot. Harry couldn't make out what they were talking about, though he tried to edge closer only to be turned away one of their stares. All Harry got was little snippets: bits and pieces. Why does he keep bothering us? Or Do you think that he'll ever leave us alone? Or Jeeze, he's so annoying. At that point Harry stopped listening and started walking away. Typical.
"So you wanna get your cutie mark?" Applebloom said, stopping Harry in his tracks. "We'll do better than just tell you how we got ours, since knowing how other ponies got their cutie marks did diddly squat for us. We'll help you get it, but you gotta promise to do each and every single thing we say. You promise?"
"How is that going to help me—"
"Oh it looks like somepony doesn't want his cutie mark. You want to be a blank flank forever, don't you?" Sweetie Belle said, rolling her eyes.
"Okay fine, I promise to do each and every little thing you say."
"Pinkie promise" Applebloom added. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. There. Will you help me now?"
"I don't know," Sweetie Belle said, rubbing her chin with her hoof. "You don't look like you're up to it."
"Maybe if he passes the test," Scootaloo said with a chuckle.
"Hmm... maybe. I don't think he'll do it. He'll probably crack under the pressure."
"Hey, I can do it. Whatever it is I gotta do, I'll do it. Anything."
"Anything?" the three of them asked in unison.
"Anything," gulped Harry.
Sometime later the four of them had made their way to Sweet Apple Acres. Harry was shaking trees, trying to get apples to fall. He wasn't very good at it, only causing several apples to fall at a time where as Applebloom could empty a whole tree with one kick. Still, as long as Applebloom didn't have to do it she could smile, making the farce a little easier for Harry to go along with everything.
She, along with Sweetie and Scootaloo watched Harry as if they were at the front row during a Wonderbolts Performance. Applebloom kept waving and smiling. Sweetie Belle kept "encouraging" him to do better. Scootaloo shouted to Harry. If he got this whole part of the orchard done in an hour, he just might get his cutie mark in this lifetime. Applejack walked by and became instantly annoyed at what she saw.
"Applebloom, why is Harry doing yer chores?"
"He wanted to, and who was I to say no?" Applebloom said, staing calm, cool, and collected.
"Yeah, I don' think so. You all should feel ashamed for takin' advantage of Harry like that. Go take Harry and play someplace else."
"Ugh, fine!" Applebloom groaned.
Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo walked through the Everfree Forest with Harry in tow. Harry nervously looked up at the trees. His mother told him to never go into the Everfree Forest, and he had never disobeyed her before. For the most part, the others ignored him, but every time he begged them to turn around one of them broke into cackling about how cowardly he was. When they were far enough in, they nodded to each other.
"Alright, we're here," Applebloom said with a wide-beaming face. "We can begin. The game is hide-and-seek. Harry, close your eyes and count to one-hundred. If you can find all three of us by sunset, then we'll help you get your cutie mark. If you can't then you gotta give Granny Smith a sponge bath."
"That's gross!" Harry gagged.
"I knew he was too much of a baby," Sweetie Belle mocked.
"Alright, fine! I'll play your stupid little game," Harry said. He covered his eyes and started counting.
Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo ran a little bit of the way. Applebloom and Scootaloo giggled to themselves. They were going to have so much fun with their little prank, until they caught Scootaloo walking off. They demanded to know where she was going.
"I'm going home. That was the plan, remember? Take him into the forest and ditch him," Scootaloo answered. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle's expression turned to sheer horror. How could anypony even think of something like that?
"That was never the plan," Applebloom replied, stomping her hoof down. "The plan was to take him into the forest and give him a little scare. That's it."
"Um guys," Sweetie Belle said, completely ignoring the conversation.
"No, I remember you saying that we'd leave him there."
"I wanted him to stop annoying us, not have him get hurt! If we leave him here, then something terrible could happen to him. You know that. Remember the cockatrice?"
"Guys!"
"Of course I remember the cockatrice! I just thought that you—"
"GUYS!"
Harry heard a scream coming from the brush. He stopped counting immediately as he realized what was going on. Those jerks, they must have brought him all this way just to try and scare him, or something. He wasn't stupid. He wasn't an idiot. He walked to the scream, clutching his fists, preparing to shout at them until his face turned blue. Then Harry saw what made them scream.
A spider half as large as a house was chasing after Applebloom, nipping at her heels with its bulvous body trailing along. He couldn't see where Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had gotten to, and he drew some very nasty conclusions. Harry was paralyzed with fear as the spider lerched towards where Applebloom just was. She was calling out desperately for help. The spider chased her into the abyss of the forest.
"Hey, squirt, up here!" called a voice, yanking Harry back to reality.
Harry looked up to see Scootaloo, shaken but very much alive. She was wrapped up to her neck in a coat of webs. Next to her Sweetie Belle was in a similiar condition, but not taking it in such stride. Her eyes were close and she was shaking wildly with fear. Scootaloo was also shaking, but it was clear that she was trying to escape the webs.
"What happened?" Harry asked. He wss still a little dazed by the whole situation.
"What does it look like? We were trying to... um... hide, and all of a sudden this giant spider came up and attacked us. Look, you've got to get us down before it comes back."
"You're like twenty hooves up. How in Equestria am I supposed to get up there?"
"Use your... um... cast a... um buck the... can you climb it?"
Harry put his arms around the truck of one of the trees holding up the the web. He began shimmying up. He placed his foot on a branch and started to ascend. It wasn't long before he stepped on a fragile twig and plummeted back to the bottom. To answer Scootaloo's question, no he couldn't climb the tree.
"Shouldn't I run and get some help?" Harry asked.
Before Scootaloo could answer another scream shot through the air. It was clearly Applebloom's. Harry turned to face the direction it came from and stood face-to-face with the spider clutching a glob of web in its mouth. Applebloom's screams were still eminating from it. Harry saw himself reflected in all eight of the spider's grotesque eyes.
The spider got closer. Harry backed up, until he tripped over a rock. The spider got closer and poised for an attack. Harry scanned the ground for something, anything to help him. The only thing that came to his eye was the rock. He scooped it up with both of his fists and tossed it at the spider. It hit one of his eyes, causing the spider to shriek in pain. The Applebloom coccoon fell to the forest floor as it writhed in pain. Harry picked up the rock and tossed it at another eye.
Now the spider was angry. It lunged at Harry. Harry began scanning the area once again, this time for some sort of escape. If he ran backwards the spider would surely get him, and trees blocked the escape to either side. A desperate idea ran through Harry's mind. Daring Do had been in this situation before, and she had gotten out of it by jumping forward.
Harry launched forward and ducked. The spider flew clear over him and bashed its head on the ground. Harry got up as quickly as he could and gazed upon the creature, still struggling to get back to its legs. The spider was hurt, but it wasn't done yet. Harry couldn't keep this going on forever. He had to think of something quickly or else they'd all be finished.
"There they are!" a familiar voice was heard from up above.
Harry looked up. It was Rainbow Dash and she was charging downwards. Harry felt himself forced to smile. When she landed her face was in a scowl. Rainbow Dash wasn't happy. She demanded to know what they all were doing in the Everfree Forest. Then she was hit square in the back by the lunging spider. It knocked her back and she banged her head on a large stone. She collapsed. Harry ran over to her. He tried to shake her awake, but it was to no avail. She was alive and breathing though, the rock had just banged her out of consciousness.
As Harry was trying to wake Rainbow Dash up, the spider hissed to make sure that it wouldn't be forgotten of. Harry looked up to see that it was practically hovering over him and preparing to take a large bite. Harry looked around for more rocks, but the only one nearby was the one that Rainbow hit her head against. Unfortunately it was much too large to pick up, let alone throw. Then Harry cast his eyes upon his hands. It was the spark of an idea.
Harry took a deep breath and punched the spider in the eye. He felt as though he was digging through jelly. He cringed. It just felt so disgusting. The spider screaming in agony did not make this whole thing easier to stomach. The spider flailed its legs around. It howled in pain. Harry pushed his hand in deeper and began to claw around. It seemed like forever, but the spider eventually gave up and stopped squirming. Harry pulled his hand out and the spider fell to the ground.
"D—did you kill it?" Scootaloo asked.
"I think so," Harry said. He took some time to just breathe and look at his hand, which was now covered with a sticky clear goop.
"Applebloom, you back here?" said a pony with a southern drawl. Applejack popped out from the abyss of the forest. "Just what in Equestria happened here? Where's Applebloom!?"
Harry pointed to the glob of web that the spider had dropped. Applejack grabbed a stick and cut it open. Applebloom slid out. Her eyes looked onward, wide in terror, but she was still breathing. While Applejack was embracing Applebloom Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight burst onto the scene. Fluttershy held Harry close. Twilight used a spell to cut Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo down. Rarity comforted Sweetie Belle, getting her out of her shocked state while Twilight focused on reviving Rainbow Dash.
"Wow," Scootaloo said. She placed her wing around Harry once Fluttershy had let him go. "Maybe your cutie mark is spider slaying because you were awesome at it!"
"Wait, you four were out here to get Harry his cutie mark?" Fluttershy said. Her voice had twinges of fear, but her expression held anger.
"That's what we told him," Scootaloo said, looking to the side with shame. "We were just having a little fun with him. We didn't expect to get attacked by a giant spider!"
"Harry, I told you never to go in here," Fluttershy scolded. "I don't want to think about what would have happened if things had gone any worse." Then Fluttershy looked to him eye-to-eye. "Is getting your cutie mark really worth all of this?"
"No, but they said—"
"Harry, you need to have better judgementr. You should never put yourself in unneeded danger."
"Fluttershy," Twilight said, walking up to her, "I think now is the best time to tell him. We don't want to have any more episodes like this."
"Tell me what?"
Fluttershy sighed. Then she hesitated for a moment. She put her head on his shoulder.
"You're not a pony, Harry."
"I know that Mom. You said that it didn't matter what I was."
"And it doesn't. But, Harry... only ponies get cutie marks."
Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle who had been listening in gasped at this. Their minds must have been going through some sort of turmoil as they remembered their time as blank flanks. They probably imagined what it would have been like staying that was forever. Harry didn't know what to feel. His mother had to be lying, she just had to! But why would she tell him a lie that made him feel so terrible, so worthless?
"I'm sorry," Fluttershy said, close to tearing up herself. It was like she was trying to turn back time as she said "Just because you can't get a cutie mark doesn't mean you don't have a special talent!"
"I can't take it anymore," Harry said, entering the library. It had been a month since the spider incident.
"Look, I know this is hard for you, but you have to move on," Twilight said, not taking her eyes off of her book.
Harry muttered something and sat down. He pulled a random book off of the shelf and began to read it. He didn't want to talk and Twilight could tell. She sighed to herself, feeling kind of guilty for him. Twilight and her friends tried to cheer him up each day, but he just seemed to become more and more distant. Twilight decided that she should try to make him happy once more. She levitated a book that she thought he might like over to him.
"I already read that one," Harry groaned. He tilted his head. "What are you reading, Twilight?"
"Oh, I'm just reading a spell book I found in the back of the library. It's got some really fascinating spells, and—" Twilight stopped when she realized that she had struck a nerve. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It's not your fault that I can't do magic. Or fly."
"Hey, you don't need to do magic or fly to be special," Twilight told him. She gave him a very awkward grin. "Earth ponies don't have magic or wings, and they fit in just fine."
"I'm not an earth pony either."
"I wish I could help you," Twilight said as she walked over to comfort him.
"Wait, maybe you could," Harry said. His eyes lit up brightly when he said that. "I don't know anypony better with magic than you. I've seen you turn apples into oranges and rocks into hats. Could you turn me into a pony?"
Twilight stepped back in surprise. Harry was making a pretty big order. Not only did that magic require a lot of skill and energy, but it was extremely dangerous—for both the caster and the target. Fruits and stones were one thing, but a creature like Harry was a different world entirely. But Twilight saw a spark in Harry's eyes that made it extremely difficult to say no. So she babbled incoherently until she could find an answer.
"I've never done anything like that," Twilight said. "I don't know."
"Could you try?"
Twilight's mind flashed with the possibilities of all the horrible things that could go wrong. Harry could end up being a hideous beast with five eyes and two heads that breathes fire and spits poison out of its ears, and that was one risk that Twilight did not want to take.
"It—it's too dangerous."
"Come on Twilight. Please, do it for me."
"No means no," Twilight said. She shifted her eyes from left to right as she saw an octopus-creature in Harry's place.
"Please!" Harry asked.
Twilight kept telling him no for what seemed like hours. Even that alone was tiring her out. Harry wasn't going to drop the issue anytime soon. If she said no today he would just be back again tomorrow asking for the same thing once again. Still, there was the possibility of backfire. Did the goods outway the bads? The longer that this went on the more that Twilight didn't care. She closed her eyes, hoped that this would work, and shot a beam of magic at Harry.
There was an explosion of color. Blues and purples filled the room to be echoed by greens and reds. Twilight flew back into the bookshelf and was buried in an avalanche of books. She popped out of the pile and looked around the room in a daze. It was the strangest experience: there was two of everything and they were wavering back and forth. There was two tables, there was two windows, there was two doors, and there was two Harry's lying face-first on the floor. Uh-oh. Twilight shook her head. Harry was lying face-first on the floor.
"Ohmygoshohmygosh are you okay?" Twilight asked, charging over him.
Twilight shook Harry with her hoof for a few worried seconds before he groaned and jolted up. He looked to his hands, and sighed when he saw that they were still hands. No hooves. He looked at his whole body, and realized that he was the same old Harry. He moped up to his feet.
"I'm sorry," Twilight said.
"It's okay. Thanks for trying. Can I tell you something?"
"Um sure..." Twilight said, half-nervous.
"Your mane is on fire."
Twilight put her hoof on her head and felt some extreme heat. Indeed, Twilight's mane was on fire. She bolted out the front door of the library screaming all the way as she ran towards the town's fountain. Harry sadly walked out the door, watching Twilight catch all the attention of fearful townsponies.
That night Harry couldn't sleep. It wasn't the disappointment of a failed spell, although that didn't help. No matter how much he tossed and turned he just couldn't get comfortable. It felt like there were spikes in his back and they were wriggling. By morning his eyes were red and bloodshot. Harry thanked Celestia that it was Saturday and he didn't have to go to school today.
Harry got out of bed and wearily gazed in his mirror. If he wasn't awake before, he was definitely awake now. He had wings; bright yellow, feathery wings. Harry looked to his hands. Still hands; no hooves. But wings. He tried to move them and to his surprise they actually flapped. And they knocked a pile of books off of the dresser.
"Are you okay in there?" Fluttershy asked.
Harry dashed to put a shirt on over the wings. It was a really tight fit and it hurt a little, but they managed to fit even though it pushed the sweater to its seams. It was a good thing that Rarity made such high quality clothes. Harry wanted to surprise Fluttershy about this whole becoming a pony thing and didn't want to unveil the surprise until he became a full pony.
Then it hit him: the spell was working! Sort of. Harry had the wings of a pegasus and the body of a whatever-he-was. He would have to talk to Twilight to see why the spell didn't take full effect, but he would cross that bridge when he got to it. It could wait until after breakfast. The surprise of having wings overtook the feeling of having hunger.
"I see you had some pleasant dreams," Fluttershy said over breakfast.
Harry smiled as he spooned piles of oatmeal into his mouth. He wanted to get out of there and get to Twilight as soon as possible. As soon as the bowl was empty he dropped the spoon into it and nearly charged out the door before he noticed his hand... or rather, his claw. Each finger now had a sharp talon-looking thing tipping it off and some of the skin had become greenish scales.
"Is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked.
"No! Nothing!" Harry said, keeping his hand-things out of sight and he bolted out the door.
Harry ran down the street towards Ponyville. This wasn't good, not good at all. Suddenly he heard a tear behind him. He took off the sweater to see that it had been riddled with holes. Harry extended his wings. They now had sharp spikes along the spines. These weren't pegasus wings. Harry had no idea what kind of wings they were.
He upped the speed. What was happening to him? As he ran he looked to his other hand. It was still the same familiar hand, for the most part. Trickles of green cascaded across his palm and his pinkie finger had the same sharp nail that his other hand did.
Harry almost knocked over every pony that he ran past. For the most part, they grumbled and strolled past. Harry didn't care. He made to the library and began banging on the door with his changed fist. To his surprise and horror the door broke in two.
"I'm coming, I'm come—agh! What happened to you Harry, and—what did you do to my door?"
"Twilight, you've got to help me! This morning I woke up with wings and I thought it was awesome, but then the wings grew spikes and I grew claws and what's happening to me?" Harry asked. His mouth ran a mile a minute.
"I told you that the spell was dangerous," Twilight said as she ran to an open book and began rapidly flipping through the pages. "That's why I didn't want to cast it on you!"
"I'm sor—" Harry said before his voice turned into simplistic growlings.
Twilight turned to Harry, curious as to why he started growling. She shot back in horror to see that Harry's mouth had become a snout with fangs. This creature hobbled up to Twilight before it fell on all-fours. Its claws dug into the floor. Twilight backed up away from it. She knew it was Harry, but... this was Harry? Twilight had never screwed up a spell this badly before.
Harry's eyes pleaded with Twilight to fix all this mess. Twilight tried to concentrate as hard as she could. She thought of that exact spell that would fix Harry and turn him back to normal. She focused and prepared to cast the spell, but Harry snarled. That focus was lost and Twilight shot a random bolt of magic.
Harry's eyes grew red and he blew flames all around the library. Twilight barely managed to teleport herself onto the balcony in time. She watched helplessly as most of her books turned into ash. A fire brighter than the one Harry blew lit in Twilight's eyes. Her whole face turned red and she shot another beam of magic at Harry. This time it had the desired effect. Harry whimpered out of the library... by breaking through the walls. Ponies screamed in horror as the Harry-creature stormed by them, pushing ponies out of the way and demolishing stands.
"Well, that could have gone better," Twilight said
She gave a blank stare towards all of the wanton destruction. She decided that she had better stop this before somepony got hurt, especially because this was kind of... her fault. Twilight bounced off of the balcony and ran over the remains of her door only to bump into Fluttershy.
"Oh, hi Twilight," Fluttershy said. "Have you seen Harry? He seemed to be in a hurry this morning and it got me kind of worried."
"No. I mean yes. I mean no," Twilight said. Her eyes shifted back and forth. She gave a nervous grin.
"Is that a yes, or a no?"
"Yes it is," Twilight said. "Can't talk now. I've gotta... do some cleaning. The library is a total mess. Need to fix it up." And Twilight ran in the complete opposite direction from her library.
Twilight had made it to the center of town to see that the Harry-creature was on top of SugarCube Corner and blowing fire down at the townsponies. Pinkie was even trying to throw cake to get the creature down. It was a major sense of deja vu. Twilight teleported herself onto the roof. The Harry creature blew smoke at her angrily.
"Look, I'm sorry I turned you into this... um... thing, but I know a spell that'll turn you back to normal. If you'll just let me cast it," Twilight said. The second her horn glowed Harry clawed her and knocked her off the roof. Twilight managed to catch herself with a spell before she hit the ground, saving her from most of the pain.
"What is that thing?" Fluttershy asked.
"It's um... a... um..." Twilight stuttered. Fluttershy's eyes widened at the creature.
"I'm going to talk to him," Fluttershy said.
Fluttershy flew up to the roof of Sugarcube Corner. The creature was about to take another swoop, but stopped when he saw who was standing there. Fluttershy looked at Harry with a very disapproving glance.
"Harry, why are you scaring all these ponies?" Fluttershy said.
Harry gave a simple snarl and moved his eyes towards Twilight.
Later on, near Fluttershy's cottage Twilight cast her spell that turned Harry back to normal. Harry's scales turned back into skin. His claws turned back into hands. His snout disappeared completely and his fangs turned back into teeth.
"Now do you two want to tell me what all of this was about?" Fluttershy asked.
"I..." Harry began.
Twilight looked to Harry. He was struggling to tell the truth, she could see that, and that was enough for Twilight. She put her hoof on his shoulder, sighed, and began.
"I tried to turn Harry into a pony. I saw how he was being bullied and I tried to help him fit in," Twilight said. She gave the same awkward expression she did before. "I messed up a little."
"Harry, why did you go through with this?" Fluttershy asked.
"I just wanted all the bullying to stop. Mom, I can't take it anymore," Harry said and he hugged Fluttershy.
"Harry, if you try to change who are then the bullies win. Harry, we will love you no matter what and how you are, pony or no pony. You just need to love yourself, as you are. Can you do that for us?"
"Yeah, I'll do that," Harry said.
"I'm just about to start lunch if you wanted to stay," Fluttershy said, turning towards Twilight. Then Fluttershy left to go inside the cottage.
"Thanks for covering for me," Harry said after Fluttershy went inside.
Harry sat in Sugarcube Corner, drinking a milkshake alone while Pinkie Pie ran about the bakery. She was hanging up paper hearts and other decorations for the holiday: Hearts and Hooves Day. Harry sighed, it was probably his least favorite holiday, and he was more depressed than usual. Pinkie took notice.
"Why are you looking so glum on such a special day?" she said, passing him another milkshake.
"Because this 'special day' is the worst day of the year. I don't want to talk right now Pinkie."
"Ah come on, tell Auntie Pinkie why you think that this is the worst day of the year? Is it all the gross mushy squishy talk? That kinda gets to me too."
Harry sighed. Ever since Pinkie became the owner of Sugarcube Corner she thought that she could butt into his business just because she gave him free milkshakes and other goodies. And she was right. There was no way that Harry could withhold anything from Pinkie Pie. Still, Harry didn't have to be nice about it.
"Pinkie, isn't it obvious? Do you really think that anypony would be my special somepony?"
"Um... yes?" Pinkie asked. Then she started jumping up and down. "It's yes, isn't it!? Did I win!? Did I win!?"
"No Pinkie. Every filly I asked always said no, just because I'm not a pony. I'm tired of asking, and I'm tired of rejection."
"That doesn't mean you should stop trying. I'd never be where I am today if I didn't ask and ask and ask and ask and ask..."
"I get it!" Harry snapped.
"Sorry. Now tell me, is there somepony you've had your eye on?"
"Well... there is one," Harry said reluctantly. "She's got a really pretty sky blue coat and a gorgeous pink mane. Her name is Lofty Skies. And yes I do have a crush on her. There, are you happy now?"
"I won't be happy with you until she's your special somepony. And you know that ponies don't like me when I'm not happy. You don't like me when I'm not happy. Remember what happened last time I wasn't happy?
"Um... yes I do. I'll be back a little later," Harry said, and then he ran off.
Harry walked through the streets of town, kicking a pebble after him. Now he was stuck. He had to make Lofty his special somepony or else Pinkie would... well, he didn't want to think about it. As he walked he noticed various ponies with their loved ones. It kind of made him sick. He didn't want to do this. In fact, he just wanted to forget all about this.
Lofty's house was about halfway across town so it gave Harry plenty of time to stall. He walked as slowly as possible, just kicking that pebble. Maybe if he walked slowly enough the sun would go down and Hearts and Hooves Day would be over before he would have to deal with the embarrassment. He even thought about just going home until he heard somepony calling him from above. Harry looked up and saw that Pinkie Pie was following him in her crazy flying contraption. She waved to him with a wide smile.
Harry broke into a full run. When Pinkie said that she didn't take no for an answer she clearly meant it. She chased after him, all the while humming to happily to herself. Harry made it to Lofty's house in less than five minutes. He took some time to rest on the door, trying to catch his breath until he looked up. Pinkie gave him one of the angriest glares he had ever seen. Deciding he had enough breath, Harry began to pound on the door.
"Coming," said a voice from inside the building. Harry heard a latch come undone. A dark blue pony appeared from the building. She saw Harry and gasped. "You—you're Fluttershy's kid, aren't you? What do you want? Please don't have her hurt me!"
"I wasn't going to... wait, what? No, I... um... I wanted to talk to your daughter, Lofty."
"Yes, of course," the pony said.
The pony shouted at the top of her lungs for Lofty. A pegasus with a light blue coat and pink mane hovered down the stairs. She had a smile on until she turned to see who was standing in her doorway. The smile instantly vanished and turned into somewhat of a grimace.
"What's the freak doing here?" she demanded. Harry slunk into his shirt.
"I was going to... um going to..." Harry began. He was about to stop and just give up before he noticed that Pinkie was still hovering right above him. "I was going to ask if you would be my special somepony for today."
"What? Are you crazy?" Lofty asked.
"Can you excuse us for a moment?" Lofty's mother said.
She closed the door in Harry's face. Harry turned up to Pinkie and shrugged. Her glare didn't vanish. It sent a shiver down Harry's spine, only stopped by a commotion coming from the other side of the door. A lot of it was incoherent yelling. Harry didn't know what to make of it, until the door opened and both of the ponies were covered with dust.
"She'd love to be your special somepony for the day," Lofty's mother said, pushing Lofty out of the house. "Have fun you two, and um... Harry is it? Send my best regards to your mother."
Harry turned around once more to see if Pinkie was still watching him. She was still up there, but her glare had changed back to a wide smile. She waved and flew off. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and noticed that Lofty was walking off. Harry hustled up and started to follow along by her side, curious as to where she was going.
"I'm only doing this because my mom said that I had to," Lofty snapped.
"It doesn't mean we can't have some fun," Harry said, defensively. "Come on, we'll go to Sugarcube Corner."
Lofty gave a pained sigh and rolled her eyes. She followed Harry to the bakery, moping all the way. Harry was still high off the relief that Pinkie wasn't stalking him anymore. Come to think of it, Sugarcube Corner might not have been the best suggestion to get a bite to eat. It was just the first thing that came to his mind. He didn't have any money, and Pinkie always did understand.
Speaking of Pinkie, she had been busy in the fifteen minutes it took to walk back to Sugarcube Corner. She had made it look like one of those Canterlot restaurant with fancy tablecloths, candlesticks, and beautiful tapestries. Even after all of these years, Pinkie still managed to surprise, Harry thought to himself with his mouth agape. Whenever it seemed that she reached her limit of zaniness, she managed to one up herself.
"Welcome," Pinkie said from behind Harry, causing him to jump. The voice was hard to recognize at first because she was speaking in a French accent. Pinkie definitely seemed to be playing the part. She was not only wearing a waiter's uniform, but a fake mustache as well. "Right 'zis way you two, lovebirds."
Pinkie Pie led them to a table in the middle of the restraunt and pulled out Lofty's chair. While doing so, she gave Harry a wink. He didn't quite know what to make of it. He just did what you always do when Pinkie is involved. You sit back and see where it's going, because with Pinkie Pie it could go literally anywhere.
"I vill be right back with ze menus," she said. She dashed off to the backroom, leaving a dust cloud in her track.
"Um, this is... odd. Isn't this supposed to be a bakery?" Lofty asked.
"Yeah, well Pinkie is odd," Harry said, without even thinking.
"Today'z specialty is cheese souffle," Pinkie said. She began tossing down the menus and started juggling plates. "But might I recommend hay en flambe." The plates suddenly caught fire, but Pinkie kept juggling them unfazed. The same could not be said for Harry or Lofty. Lofty almost fell backwards, but Pinkie dove forward and caught her chair. The plates crashed down and landed in her free hoof, unchipped and unharmed. "How about I bring you zome bread while you make your decizion?"
Pinkie kicked the chair to its resting position and zoomed into the kitchen. Before either Harry or Lofty could say anything Pinkie stood exactly where she was before she left. And now she was juggling knives. They were butter knives to be sure, but still you can never be comfortable when Pinkie Pie is juggling knives. If that wasn't scary enough Pinkie's eyes were on Lofty's menu, suggesting all kinds of things.
Eventually Harry managed to break away from the spell of Pinkie's juggling to look at the menu. All of the food looked strange, and Harry had a hard time deciding whether it looked delicious or disgusting. Harry picked one at random, and it seemed that Lofty did so as well. Pinkie nodded and tossed the knives into the air. Then she dashed into the kitchen. The knives fell to the floor, creating a heart-pattern around them.
With Pinkie's absence Lofty and Harry were able to calm down, and Lofty was able to remember that she didn't want to be here. She made that clear through her expressions alone. She looked aggravated, annoyed, like she was wasting time. Then a clang was heard from the kitchen, followed by what sounded like somepony getting repeatedly hit with a frying pan.
"Um, is she always like this?" Lofty asked, her attention fully on the kitchen door.
"Well... yes and no," Harry replied.
That actually led to them making small talk. It started slow as they talked about Pinkie and her wild antics, but Lofty seemed to actually enjoy it. She even got a chuckle or two. Time passed and Harry had gone through stories of both Twilight and Rainbow Dash before Pinkie came out with a platter balanced on her back. She unveiled her cullinary creations and placed a plate in front of both of them. The food in person didn't look any different than the food in the menus, so the both of them were hesitant to try it.
"Go on, try it," Pinkie said. "Don't make me zing in zis accent."
That threat didn't do much. The two of them kept staring at their food until—
"Be our g—"
Lofty nervously tried nipping at the food. The second she took a bite her eyes lit up and she started to eat more vigorously. Harry took a nervous bite himself. The food was good, really good. He still had no idea what in Equestria it was but that didn't change the fact that it was simply delicious. He hardly noticed that Pinkie had gotten away once more.
Then the music started to play. Harry stopped stuffing his face for a moment to see where the music was coming from. Lights from the ceiling where shining on a band that stood in the back of the bakery. Pinkie stood in front of them, conducting them. And she was doing a really good job at it, not that Lofty seemed to notice. She was too consumed in her food.
When they were getting close to finished with their meal, Pinkie wheeled out a cart with a giant mound of dough on it. Lofty looked at with curiosity, even going so far as to touch it. The second her hoof hit it, the top exploded with chocolate which drizzled down the mound. Harry was beginning to think that this was bit much, even for Pinkie.
"So, did you enjoy zee food, madamme?" Pinkie asked after the hour it took them to eat most of the chocolate volcano.
"Um yeah. It was really good. Hey Harry, you're alright. Don't get any ideas—I still think you're a freak—but you're a good one."
"But zee night is still young," Pinkie said. She shouldered Harry and gave him another wink. "Zir Harry still has another surprize for you, in zee meadow just outside of town. He worked zo hard on it."
At the insistence of Pinkie, Lofty followed Harry to the meadow. Lofty kept asking what the surprise was, more out of annoyance than curiosity, but Harry was just an in the dark as her. Still, going into the unknown was better than not doing what Pinkie said. By the time that they had gotten to the meadow, the sun had nearly gone down and stars began to speckle the sky. They sat there, staring at the sunset, just waiting for Pinkie's surprise.
"Come on Twilight, do it!" Pinkie begged from the brush.
"No!" Twilight said. "This is why you pull me away from studies and bring me out here? I'm getting eaten alive by bugs, so if you don't mind I'll just be going."
Pinkie jumped to Twilight's hooves and gave her a big puppy-dog look.
"Do it for Harry, Twilight. For Harry."
Twilight rolled her eyes and began to shoot fireworks into the sky. Explosions of blues and reds in the sky turned Lofty and Harry to silhouettes in the distance. As the show went on Harry turned to Lofty, and Lofty turned to Harry. Pinkie broke into one of the widest smiles she ever had.
"Come on, kiss. Kiss," she kept urging. Twilight would have rolled her eyes again if she wasn't too busy giving them their grand finale.
Lofty and Harry stared at each other for a few grueling minutes before Harry fell backwards and Lofty took off into the skies. Pinkie galloped out of the brush towards him. She was foaming at the mouth. She wanted to know what happened. They were so close.
"I tried to kiss her," Harry said, even more sullen than he was this afternoon. "She pushed me back, gagged, and flew off saying that she didn't want anything to do with me."
"I'm so sorry," Pinkie said.
"It's not your fault. It's not anypony's fault. Thanks for trying though. When I look like this, what would you expect? I'm surprised that she didn't fly off sooner."
"Come on," Pinkie said, sitting down next to Harry. "You look cool. I mean really cool!"
"Is that why you like me? Why you don't run away in disgust? Why you don't cringe at the sight of me?"
"I don't care what you look like. You could be a giant space monster made out of spaghetti for all it matters. You're a nice guy Harry. If Lofty doesn't want to be with you, then it's Lofty's loss. Hey, that's really fun to say. Lofty's loss, Lofty's loss, Lofty's loss."
"Pinkie, if I wasn't Fluttershy's son, you wouldn't have anything to do with me."
"Give me more credit than that!" Pinkie said, giving Harry a light nudge. "I was there from day one, well day two to be accurate, but that doesn't change the fact that I've always cared about you. Sorry I pushed you into this. It really wasn't my business, I just thought it would make you happy."
"No, it's okay. I don't regret this. It's better than wondering about what if's. Now I know for sure what she thinks of me."
"That's a boy Harry, don't let the bad things get to you."
Harry pushed his broom back and forth across the floors of Sugarcube Corner. He sighed. Time seemed to turn into a blur with him doing the same thing day after day. He figured that he'd be sweeping these floors for the rest of his life. He couldn't do much of anything else. No matter how many times his friends told him how special he was, his own inabilities tore down those lies.
"I'll be letting you off early," Pinkie said. "After all, today is a special day, isn't it?"
"It's as special as yesterday, and as special as tomorrow will be," Harry huffed.
"Come on, why are you being such a grumpy pants on your birthday? It's not every day that somepony turns twenty. Golly, where does the time go? I mean it feels like just yesterday that you came into our lives..."
Harry put the broom down and gathered up his jacket while Pinkie began rambling on about the past and the many adventures the two of them had together. There seemed to be more ramble than coherency. The pink mare was slowing down, though she tried to hide it. She still jumped around like she used to, trying to show everypony that she was full of youth, but her looser hairs turned gray showed that she was indeed getting on in years.
"You'll be back at five for your party, right? Rarity is coming down all the way from Canterlot for it," she said stopping Harry at the door with that same old grin.
"Yeah, I'll be there," Harry said with a sigh. He forced a smile.
Then Harry disappeared out the door, into the cold. It was midwinter and the pegasi were busy gathering clouds for an upcoming snowstorm. It was on this day twenty years ago that his mother found him in a basket on her doorstep. With the way his life was and the way it had been, sometimes he wished that she wouldn't have found him and he'd freeze there overnight. Then he regained his senses. His life may have been bleak, but he still felt that it was worth living. As Harry walked, he instantly became drenched in snow. He looked up to see that Rainbow had just emptied a cloud.
"Hey Rainbow," Harry said, too excited to see her to be angry. "I didn't expect you to be here. Shouldn't you be getting ready for a performance?"
"Oh come on, do you really think I'd miss your special day? Besides, the Wonderbolts could last one show without me," Rainbow said, swooping down so she hovered right next to Harry. "Speaking of that, I didn't see you at my last show."
"Yeah, sorry about that. We were busy with a funeral. Applejack's Granny Smith passed away."
"What?" Rainbow gasped. "That's terrible. Jeeze, no wonder she hasn't been answering my letters. I gotta give her my regards and apologize for some of those angry letters I sent her. I can't believe I thought she was avoiding me! We'll catch up later at the party, okay?"
Then she flew off. Harry walked off to his own devices. He wasn't really heading anywhere. There wasn't much he did to fill up his time. That brief conversation with Rainbow got him thinking of how things had changed in the last few years alone. Pinkie Pie ran Sugarcube Corner. Rarity was one of the most famous designers in Canterlot. Rainbow was a Wonderbolt. Heck, Applebloom was even the mayor of Ponyville. And where had Harry gone? Nowhere.
Harry was passing Twilight's house, and decided that it would be best to pay her a visit, even if it was only to escape from the cold. Speaking of changes, Twilight had gone through the strangest. She now had wings, something that Harry still wasn't used to seeing. And seeing her hover about her house still merited a double-take.
"Hey Harry," Twilight said, not taking her eyes off of her book. "Happy birthday. I left my present with Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner, so you'll just have to wait until the party."
"I'm not here for my present. I'm just here because, in all honesty, I'm bored," Harry said, grabbing a chair. "Even after all these years, and all of your training under Princess Celestia herself, you still don't know what I am or where I came from?"
"Not this again," Twilight said, shutting her book. "I told you a thousand times, if Celestia knows about you she isn't telling me. Do you want to talk about something?"
"It's just, did you ever feel like you didn't belong?"
"You're looking at the only pony in fifty miles who has both a horn and wings."
"Okay, I get your point. But at least you're a pony. I'm... this," Harry said. He stared at his hands, the most frequent reminder that he was not like the ponies around him.
"We tried to turn you into a pony. It didn't work, remember?"
"I'm not asking for you to turn me back into a pony. Celestia knows we don't want a repeat of that episode. I guess, I'm just saying that I'm not happy here as I am."
"Why not?" Twilight asked. "You've got a family that cares about you."
"And I'm a janitor at Sugarcube Corner. And I can't be anything else. I don't even have a cutie mark."
"I... I know," Twilight said. "You have my sympathy, truly you do, but there is nothing I personally can do about it. Look on the bright side: Pinkie pays you way more than she has to, your mother is still happy to have you live with her, and all of us care deeply about you. Why don't you go to her, she worries about you when you get like this."
Harry decided that it was probably for the best. He left the library and headed home. He knew that Twilight couldn't help him. He knew it years ago, and Celestia knows... it occurred to him, he had never asked Celestia. In fact, he had never met Celestia before. Maybe she would have the answer to this riddle. If she couldn't help him, then perhaps she could at least tell him what he was. It was said that Celestia knew everything.
That revelation put a spring Harry's step. He was running through the new-fallen snow just to get home. He ran through the busy streets of Ponyville, and a cruel irony made itself apparent. His friends and family may have moved on with their lives, but the world still treated him the same. The ponies that didn't outright scoff at him just ignored him for the stranger he was. Those feelings of despair vanished when he burst into the cottage he called home.
"Oh happy birthday!" Fluttershy said, hovering in to give him a hug. "I can't believe my little boy is turning twenty today."
"Strange, isn't it?" Harry said, trying to break away from the extremely tight hug. Fluttershy let him go with a small sorry. She stood in front of him and looked into his eyes. She didn't even stand up to his shoulders anymore.
"But I guess you aren't so little anymore," she said with an innocent smile. "But you'll always be my little boy."
"I know," Harry said. "And you'll love me always. I love you too Mom. Should we head to Sugarcube Corner?"
"Just a minute," Fluttershy said. "I want to give you your present now."
Fluttershy flew into the kitchen and emerged with a present. It was a smallish white box, wrapped with a red ribbon. She placed it in Harry's hands and urged him to open it. He untied the ribbon and opened the lid. Inside was a smaller box. He pulled it out and opened that. Inside was a golden circle bound to a silver chain. It was a locket. Harry opened it. The left side had a typical clock, but the right side had a picture of him and Fluttershy together from years prior. It looked like he hadn't even started school yet. That smile he had in it was a strange sight to be certain. Harry shut the locket and noticed an engraving on the back: no matter how much time passes, you'll always be my son.
The party was filled with excitement. Old friends caught up on their lives. They had been distant ever since they began climbing the mountains of their dreams. Applejack and Rainbow were chatting in the corner. It was nice to see Applejack finally smiling again, for the first time in nearly a month.
Everypony else was focused on Harry. It was so surreal being the center of attention. Most of the time he may as well have been invisible. Rarity certaintly wanted to know a lot about what had been going on in Ponvyille ever since she left to pursue bigger and better things. Harry found Rarity's acceptance the most questionable. She hated anything slightly gross, yet she accepted him into her life, or at the very least, her friend's life.
"So what did you want to do first?" Pinkie asked, jumping up and down. "Open presents or have cake? Let me guess, open presents? 'Cuz that's what I would do."
"Yeah, um sure," Harry responded.
Harry began to open everypony's presents. Rarity, strangely enough, wanted hers to be opened first. It turned out to be fifty bits. Her lavish gifts still managed to surprise Harry from time to time. Twilight's gift was the latest Daring Do book—not surprising in the least. He still appreciated it and couldn't wait to get reading it later that night. Applejack admitted that she forgot to get a present, but Harry couldn't hold it against her. Rainbow's gift was tickets and backstage passes to her next performance. Harry couldn't say that he was surprised by that one either. Pinkie's gift was both surprising and unsurprising. He opened the box and pulled out a... something. He had no idea what it was. Neither did Pinkie.
Harry put the something down. He could figure out what it did later. While he was doing that, Pinkie ran into the kitchen and brought out a huge cake, topped with twenty burning cnadles. The whole group sang their happy birthday song and told Harry to blow out the candles. He did. They went out the first time. Good, no relighting candles this time.
"What'dya wish for? What'dya wish for?" Pinkie Pie asked, hopping up and down once more. Harry thought a moment before answering.
"I wished to see Princess Celestia," Harry said.
It was a strange wish to be certain, but nopony seemed to give it too much concern—except for Twilight. Harry sat smugly for a minute while Twilight ran the gambit of emotions from surprise to outrage. She pulled him into the kitchen.
"What's the big idea?" Twilight asked.
"You said that if Celestia knew the answer she wouldn't tell you. Maybe she'll tell me."
"I'm her personal student Harry. What wouldn't she tell me?"
"That she was planning to turn you into an alicorn. Please Twilight, you're good with the princess. Let me talk to her."
"I—I don't know."
"I need to know Twilight."
"Alright. Be on the 9 AM train tomorrow. I will get you one conversation with the princess. But you have to promise me something: if this doesn't pan out, just forget this whole thing. You might not be a pony, but you're one of us all the same."
"Don't worry Twilight, if Celestia doesn't have an answer then I know I'll never get one."
The next morning Harry was up bright and early. He ran down the road to the train station checking his brand new watch. He had ten minutes before the train was to take off. It appeared that he didn't wake up bright and early enough. It didn't stop him from trying to make it to the train though. By the time Harry had gotten to the station, the train was blowing steam. Harry was about to jump on before a conductor stopped him, demanding a ticket.
"He's with me," Twilight said.
The conductor shrugged and Twilight pulled Harry onto the train. They were barely able to sit down before the train started. Talk about cutting it close. Twilight was certainly not amused with Harry's tardiness. That was one nasty sneer.
"If this is so important, you sure have a funny way of showing it!"
"Sorry, I just slept in. Jeeze, you don't have to bite my head off."
"You could have worn a suit."
"What does it matter what I'm wearing? You don't even wear clothes!" Harry snapped.
"You'd better clean up that attitude if I'm going to let you talk to Princess Celestia. She doesn't take well to shouting. I told you the story of Nightmare Moon, right?"
"Yeah, it's just—"
"And that was her sister. She barely knows who you are."
"Sorry, I'm just a little crabby in the morning. Speaking of which, why did you have me get up this early on a Saturday?"
"Princess Celestia is very busy. She had to reschedule so much just to have this one conversation with you. You'd better thank me for this."
"Yeah, thanks. Twilight, you sound upset. You've been under the Princess' wing for what, more than twenty years now? She really shouldn't make you nervous. Wait, that's not it, is it?"
"You're almost as smart as I was your age," Twilight said, and then she looked out the window. It took a few minutes before she decided to talk again. "I thought we all made you feel welcome and happy. We've been taking care of you ever since you were a baby and doing the best we could. Does it really matter what you are?"
"Yes Twilight, it does. You don't know what it's like, having each and every one of your hopes destroyed because you were different. For what it's worth you ponies are the only thing making my life worth living. Without you, I don't want to think about what I'd do."
"Harry, that's a horrible thing to say!"
"But it's true. If I'm feeling alone with such a wonderful family, then there's no telling how messed up I'd be without it."
Twilight and Harry walked up the large chamber that was Celestia's throne room. Harry stepped slowly behind Twilight, just taking the whole room in awe. All the stories he had heard about this place did not do it justice. He had never seen something with so much grandeur, until he looked upon Celestia herself.
"Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, you requested a talk with me?" Celestia asked as Twilight stopped before her.
"Not for me, but for Fluttershy's son Harry," Twilight said, lowering her wings to reveal him. "I've written much about him in my letters to you. Now he wants a conversation with you."
Harry walked up close to Celestia and bowed until she told him to rise. They were silent for some time. Harry was told that Celestia was always to get the first word in any conversation, so he waited, hope burning for the conversation to finally being.
"You are... such a strange creature," Celestia began.
"Thanks, I didn't know that," Harry said. Twilight nervously gritted her teeth in the background.
"Fluttershy is not your birth mother, is she?" Celestia asked.
"No, she found me on her doorstep one winter night, twenty years ago. She had no idea had I was or where I came from—she still doesn't—but she decided to take me in and raise me as her own. That is why I am here. I am told that you know everything."
"That is perhaps an exaggeration," Celestia replied, smiling. "My knowledge is expansive, yes, but not infinite."
"It's a good thing that I don't need you know everything. I only need you to know a few things. What am I? Where did I come from twenty years ago? Why am I here now?"
"Did you say twenty years ago?" Celestia asked, her expression changing.
"Yes. Why? Is that important?"
"I am sorry to tell you that I do not have the answers to your questions," Celestia said. Twilight gave a sigh of relief. Harry tensed up. Then Celestia continued. "But I do know someone who might. Follow me."
Celestia walked past Harry across the expanse of the throne room. Harry got off of his knees and followed her. Twilight was about to as well before Celestia stopped her and told her to wait. This was a private matter for Harry to explore by himself. Twilight wasn't happy about it, but she obeyed her ruler's wishes and stayed put.
Harry followed Celestia through many of the castle's hallways. She didn't say a word. She didn't even occasionally look back to see if Harry was still following along. Harry didn't speak either. He wanted to ask where they were going, but he was becoming increasingly afraid of offending her as the silence continued for longer and longer. He even began to think that he already had and she was now messing with him. His suspicions grew when they entered a very dark room.
"Discord, arise!" Celestia demanded in a surprisingly booming voice.
From out of the darkness two red eyes glowed, surrounded by circles of yellow. Below them were a smile of fangs. Then appeared a face that seemed to belong to a goat. Blue fires lit on a giant torch in each corner of the room, giving it an eerie and ominous glow.
"Well, that was a nice nap. Is this my life Celestia? You keep me trapped in this room until—hey, Jason long time no see," said the strange creature, presumably Discord. He slithered up to Harry and put his hand forward going in for what seemed to be a fist bump. "Oh come on, don't leave me hanging man. Wow, you've really lost some weight."
"Who's Jason? My name is Harry."
"Oh that's right," Discord said, and then he fell down laughing. "I almost forgot about that one. Not one of my better pranks, that's to be sure, but it's still hilarious."
"What are you talking about?" Harry demanded. This creature was making no sense whatsoever.
"Do you want me to tell him Celestia, or should I?" Discord asked.
"Tell me what!?" Harry seethed. His fists were clenched. He was so close to an answer and this... this thing was just having fun.
"Tell him how she had me tear into other worlds and get to know the inhabitants within. Oops, did I make the choice for you Celestia?"
"This is not my fault," Celestia said, slightly annoyed but nowhere near as angry as Harry was. "Tell him the whole story."
"Why are you always so boring? Come on, it's fun to keep them guessing. Where is your sense of humor? Alright, fine killjoys. First, I want to hear the story from 'Harry's' end. Tell me a little bit about yourself."
Harry began to tell the story of his life, how Fluttershy had found him, how he grew up in Ponyville, and even some of his more depressing memories. He told Discord the whole tale leading up to his journey to Canterlot, and Discord began his response—and it was anything but what Harry had expected.
"By Celestia, no matter which life you seem to get you can never be happy, can you? This is the second sob story I've heard from you. So—"
"What the flying feather are you talking about!?" Harry demanded. "I've never met you before in my life! And hopefully, I'll never meet you again!"
Discord face-palmed and chuckled to himself. He apparently remembered something.
"How could I have forgotten? You don't have your old memories, do you? You must have lost them when I made you younger. Look, do you really want to know the story? Sit back, get yourself some popcorn and a nice cold drink, and get ready because it is a long story.
"Twenty years ago Celestia had need of my powers, so she had somepony named Fluttershy turn me to the side of good. And for some reason I let her befriend me and their little plan worked. I had no idea what Celestia wanted with my powers, but I decided to let her have use of them regardless. It turned out that she wanted me to reach out into other worlds—I think we've already established this—and make contact to the creatures within.
"The first few worlds I went to had next to nothing in them, or at the very least no creatures worth making contact with. Then I came to a strange world that the inhabitants called Earth. They also called themselves humans. This is where you come in, so prepare for a mind screw.
"In this world, they had a television show—it's like a movie, except shorter—called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It showcased the world we live in now, so many of the creatures within knew about me and my latest adventures. It fascinated me, and I decided to have fun with these creatures.
"I met a fanatic of this show, his name was Jason Elowitz. He was a miserable pile of filth who barely had anything to live for. He was pretty much you with about seventy extra pounds. He saw the episode where I was converted to good so he was both shocked and delighted to know of my existence.
"He told me how miserable his life was. He told me that he had no family, a terrible job, and practically nothing to live for. And he wanted me to take him to Equestria, and personally get to know the mane six—their fan name for the group of Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. And being good, there was no way I could turn down such a humble request.
"But I was still Discord—the spirit of chaos and disharmony. I wasn't just going to take him across the threshold. I needed to twist the wish, so I cut this creature a deal. I offered to take twenty years off of his life for a one-way trip to Equestria. He simply thought that I would make him die twenty years earlier. Instead, I took twenty years off of his age and turned him into an infant— hilarious, isn't it?
"Now that I crossed the threshold back into Equestria I was worried that Celestia would punish me for resorting to my old tricks so I knew that I had to get rid of the infant. I remembered my friend Fluttershy, her caring nature, and everything came together. The rest is history Jason."
"What kind of bogus story was that?" Harry demanded.
"He is... telling the truth," Celestia said, to Discord's defense. "And I already punished him for messing with other worlds; however, I had no idea how far his pranks went and how thoroughly they damaged another creature's life."
"If he brought me here," Harry wondered aloud, "then could he send me back?"
"Did you not hear my story!?" Discord snapped. "You were worthless back in your world, an overweight slob with no family. It looks to me that Equestria has been doing wonders for your health. I'll tell you, Fluttershy has done more wonders raising you than... hmmm, that gives me an idea. Do you believe that Fluttershy is your mother?"
"Of course I do, she raised me since I was an infant. What kind of question is that?" Harry asked quizzically. This was getting confusing.
"How do you think she would feel if I tore you from this world and she would never be able to see you again? Fluttershy is still my friend and I wouldn't hurt her in such a way."
"Just what are you getting at?"
"I do have the power to send you back to Earth, but I am never allowed to go into other worlds now. As soon as you have returned to Earth, there is no way I can send you back. You can never come back to Equestria. However, it would be awfully selfish to tear you away from your loved ones. So here's the deal: you convince Fluttershy to let you leave, fully knowing that she'd never see you gain."
"She would never do that," Harry mumbled to himself.
"Then why do you want to force that choice on her? Simply because you don't belong in this world? Because you're not happy here? This would simply crush her. And they called me evil."
"Th—this is one of your tricks. I've heard stories about you, how you changed ponies and made them believe lies about themselves. You're doing the same thing to me."
"I suppose I have the reputation of such mischief, don't I? If you believe that this is a trick to turn you against your mother, then believe that. I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise. The deal, however, still stands. You still have to ask Fluttershy to let you leave, and she must believe that she will never see you again afterwards. Then and only then will I take you back to your world."
"You should think about this," Celestia said.
Harry was thinking about this. He was thinking of every bit of grief that living in a world not built to house him had caused. He thought of every rejection from every single filly. He thought of all the wasted time even thinking about getting his cutie mark. He thought of why the only job he could get was a janitor at his friend's bakery. He couldn't live here any longer, even if it meant that his mother would never see him again.
"You have a deal," Harry said, holding out his hand. "I'll get my mother to allow me to leave."
"Even after a thousand years things still surprise me," Discord said, shaking Harry's hand. "I'll be waiting, but I won't be waiting forever."
"Is that really the best you could offer him?" Celestia asked as she watched Harry and Twilight board the train from a stained glass window.
"What do you mean?" Discord replied.
"You said it yourself. He had no job, no family, no identity in the human world. If he goes there then not only will he be stuck, but he may become homeless."
"Do you really think that Fluttershy will ever let her son leave, and never be able to see him again? And that's even if Harry decides to ask her. How could any creature in this world or any other bring themselves to breaking Fluttershy's heart like that?"
"I think you underestimate them both. Harry will be able to ask. I know that much for certain."
"And you know this how?"
"Do you really think my prized pupil would have one of her friends housing an alien creature without my knowledge? I know his hardships. It was hard for me not to cringe as he told you his tales one by one."
"So you're a liar as well, eh Celestia? 'This is not my fault'—horse-droppings. You had the power to stop all of this and you didn't do a thing."
"What was I supposed to do? Tell the denizens of Ponyville to be nice to Harry? Threaten them with torture or jail-time?" Celestia's eyes turned towards the ground. "And just wait for it to build up and explode behind my back? Or tell him that I've been watching closely this whole time?"
"Is that guilt?" Discord chuckled. "It seems that I've struck a nerve. Ashamed of your citizens? Take it from me Celestia, sometimes the worst thing you can give somepony is exactly what they want."
Harry stared out the window on the train ride home. He sat there looking at the trees, completely silent. Twilight tried to begin a conversation with him, but Harry didn't answer. The way he closed his eyes it almost seemed like he was trying to solve some kind of puzzle. Whatever got him to lock up like that must have been serious. He tensed up every once in awhile, but did nothing else until the train came to a complete stop in Ponyville station.
He got up, almost in a trance, and walked out of the train. Twilight watched him and couldn't help but wonder. Was this the toll that not finding out took on him? Or was this the toll of finding out? Whatever it was, it brought him to a place that Twilight had never seen him before.
Harry stood at the front gate that led to the cottage he had called home for twenty years. The smell of dinner cooking wafted through the air. It definately had the semblance of home. Harry continuned his trance-like walk up the path. The knowledge of what he was about to do nearly petrified him in place. Harry took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
"Hello sweetie," Fluttershy said, entering the living room. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour. I hope you're hungry. I'm making a nice soup and we're having applesauce for dessert."
"Hi Mom," Harry said.
He sat down on the living room sofa. He closed his eyes and tried to contemplate the words to say. Fluttershy took notice. She dropped what she was doing and sat down next to Harry. With Fluttershy by his side, he felt ready to begin.
"Mom, do you expect me to live here forever?" Harry asked. It was the first question that crossed his mind, and it seemed to catch Fluttershy off guard.
"I wouldn't mind it, if that's what you're asking. You'll always have a bed to sleep in and a roof over your head here," she said, and she gave him one of her classic smiles. This conversation was just going to get harder.
"I met Discord today," Harry said. Fluttershy was about to speak up, but Harry continued before she was able to. "He told me everything. He told me what I was, where I came from, and how I got here."
"Honey, I kept telling you that none of that mattered," Fluttershy said, rubbing the back of Harry's neck.
"Maybe to you, but I needed to know."
"Harry, where are you going with this?"
"Discord... offered to return me to my world," Harry said. Each word became harder than the last. "He said it was a one-way trip, and he wouldn't let me go unless you said yes."
The two sat in silence for what seemed like forever. The only sound was the click of a clock. Even the animals that Fluttershy took care of had become stunned silent in shock. Eventually Fluttershy managed to talk once more.
"Why would you want to? Aren't you happy here?"
"No Mom, I'm not. I don't belong in this world, and you know it. You've always known it," Harry said. He felt tears welling up in his eyes. It had been so long since he creid, but now he just didn't care anymore. "If you weren't such a wonderful mother then I would be homeless. If Pinkie weren't such a good friend, then I wouldn't have a job. If your friends didn't like me, then I would be alone. I need to go where there are others like me."
Fluttershy embraced Harry in a hug and stayed silent for a few minutes. Harry felt tears running down the back of his neck. She nuzzled him like she did when he was very young. It brought back so many memories.
"You're right," Fluttershy said at long last. "You're not my little boy anymore. You're an adult and you need to do what you think is right."
"No Mom, I'll always be your little boy and I'll always cherish every moment we had together. I'll always love you, even if we're worlds apart."
"And I'll always love you too."
The two of them sat there for so long in an unbreaking embrace, both with tear-filled eyes. The dinner they had that last night ended up burnt, but they managed to enjoy every morsel of it. They were in each other's company. That was all that mattered. It was the best dinner that they had in a very long time.
A couple of days later there was a knock on Fluttershy's door. It was opened and the knocker was greeted by a teary-eyed Fluttershy.
"Hello Discord," she said, putting on the best smile she could. "Come on in, I'll make us some tea. Harry isn't awake yet."
Discord sat on Fluttershy's sofa while she disappeared into the kitchen and began fiddling around with pots and pans. Discord looked to the walls. There were dozens of pictures of Fluttershy and Harry. The first one he noticed was Harry in a Nightmare Night costume. He stood next to Fluttershy, and it was clear that both of them were beaming brightly. There were countless others of the two of them playing, living, laughing. Fluttershy reentered the room with two cups of tea.
"I can't believe that you're actually going to let him do this," Discord said. "Aren't you afraid?"
"Of course I am. What mother isn't? But my little baby wants to stand on his own, and I have to let him."
"Once he crosses the threshold, he'll never come back. You do realize that, right?"
Fluttershy broke into tears, answering Discord's question. After some time she calmed down, and managed to speak once more.
"Can I ask you a favor? Give us three days so we all have time to say good-bye f—f—f..."
"Absolutely," Discord replied. "And Fluttershy, I'm sorry for doing this to you."
"For doing what? For giving me such a wonderful child? For giving me the best twenty years of my life? Harry made everything complete, and now it's time to see him go. I want to thank you Discord. I want to thank you for every one of his little smiles, for every time he ran to me for comfort, for every second we spent together."
"I... don't know what to say."
Harry emerged from his room, shocked to see that Fluttershy had actually brought Discord to Ponyville. Fluttershy explained that ye, she'd let Discord take Harry away on one condition. Harry would have to stay in Ponyville for three days so he could say good-bye to his family, and they could say good-bye to him. When your mother gives you that look, you don't say no.
"Everypony," Harry began. He looked around Sugarcube Corner. It was almost as if the party from a few days ago had rekindled itself. Harry looked to Fluttershy. The two of them were ready to extinguish it. "I'm leaving. And I'm not coming back. I talked with Discord during my trip to Canterlot. He told me who I was, where I came from, and offered me the chance to go back. I took that offer. He gave me three days to say good-bye. After that I'll be gone forever."
The crowd gasped in stunned silence. Ponies looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Harry had said each word so bluntly, dead to emotion. Fluttershy had clsoed her eyes while Harry spoke, but it didn't stop the others from seeing the turmoil behind them. The one to break the silence was Pinkie Pie. She walked up to Harry with that same familiar smile on her face.
"Then we'll have to throw you a going away party," she said, still as bubbly as always. "It'll be the biggest party that Equestria has ever seen."
Aside from Pinkie, the ponies' expressions were... less than optomistic. Harry couldn't bare seeing the looks on everypony's face. He excused himself from the bakery and ran out of there. He walked along the roads he had walked almost every day of his life, and just thought about everything. It would be a gross understatement to say that the ponies were surprised, but the more that Harry wandered along the roads and saw everywhere he had failed, the more he realized that this was his only shot at happiness.
"So I take it you won't be going to my next show," said a familiar voice. Harry looked up. Rainbow Dash was flying just above his shoulder. She looked onwards so Harry couldn't get a read on her emotions.
"Looks like it," Harry said.
"Then I guess now's the best time to just catch up. So kid, how have you been?"
"I've... um... I've been better," Harry answered, a little confused by the question. Rainbow sighed.
"I'm sorry, it's just... I'm not used to this kind of stuff. You're really going away forever?"
"That's what Discord said."
"I see," Rainbow said. She tackled him in a hug. "Good luck out there Harry. Make us proud."
"You're not going to try and stop me?"
"You're like me Harry. Once you've got your mind set on something, nothing in Equestria will change your mind. If you think that this is what you gotta do, then you gotta do it."
Harry decided to visit some of his old hang-outs. He sat down in the meadow just outside of town, and began thinking about all of the things that had happened there. Rainbow Dash had convinced him to go to school, but the flying made any anger vanish. He had his first date out here, and though it didn't go according to plan, it was still a treasured memory that he would be leaving behind.
"Thought you'd be out here."
It was Applejack. She sat down next to Harry and passed a package. Harry opened it without saying a word. Inside the box lay an apple made entirely of gold, large enough to fill Harry's fist. Despite its size it looked like it would have been worth a fortune. Harry was speechless.
"Granny Smith said I should sell it if me or the farm ever got into trouble," Applejack said solemnly.
"But, this is—"
"All the money in the world wouldn't be worth it if you didn't remember me when you get where you're going. Happy birthday Harry."
Time seemed to slow down throughout the next couple of days, almost as if Equestria itself didn't want to let Harry leave. But even if time slowed down, it could never stop. Day three seemed to sneak up on everypony, but it came nonetheles. Harry stood just outside Sugarcube Corner. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle blocked the entrance. They had the same childish smirk that they always did.
"Hey squirt," Scootaloo said, looking up to Harry.
"Hey guys, how's it going?" Harry said, patting Scootaloo on the head.
"How could you think about leaving us!? Sweetie Belle snapped. Applebloom glared at her. "Sorry, it's just... we're gonna miss you!"
"I'm going to miss you guys too. And to answer your question, I'm leaving because I have to. Sweetie, you couldn't be such a successful singer if you stayed in Ponyville. I can't be a successful anything if I stay here."
"But we're able to come back from time-to-time, you're not!" Sweetie whined. Applebloom stepped in front of her.
"She's really gonna miss you," Applebloom said, and then she lost. She hugged Harry. "And I'm gonna miss you too."
"You'll shoot for the stars, for us, right?" Scootaloo asked.
"Of course I will."
Harry entered Sugarcube Corner with the Cutie Mark Crusaders in tow. Pinkie may not have made the biggest party in all of Equestria, but it looked like she tried her hardest to make it so. Harry had never seen so many balloons and streamers in one place in his whole life, and when Pinkie Pie is one of your best friends, that's saying something. Harry was barely able to take it all in before he was trapped in another hug. This time it was from... Rarity? She was noticeably disheveled. She managed to let go, about two minutes later.
"Still as soft as ever," she mumbled.
"I'll miss you too," Harry said, a little more out of shock than anything else.
After that little scene had come to an end the party began. Some ponies tried to beam, but their eyes betrayed their real emotions. Everypony was sad to see Harry go. All except one. Pinkie Pie was as happy and bright as ever. Harry sat down next to her.
"Aren't you sad to see me go?" Harry asked. He felt selfish about it almost immediately.
"Harry, I've always just wanted you to be happy. I can tell that you're not happy here. I can throw you a million parties, each bigger than the last, but that doesn't make you happy. You need to be with creatures like you. The best thing I can do is send you off with a smile, and that's what I plan to do."
That made the party a little easier to enjoy. It went on late into the night, with each of the ponies telling Harry how much he meant to them, mixing his mood all over the place. The only pony that didn't want a word with him was Twilight. They nervously eyed each other on occasion, but other than that they didn't spend any time together—until Harry pulled Twilight into the kitchen.
"I'm sorry Twilight," was the first thing he said.
"Don't be," Twilight said. "It's just that—I don't know. I want you to stay with us, but I want you to be happy. They seem like water and oil, don't they?"
"This isn't an easy choice for me. The only letting me make it is knowing that I'll never forget about any of you. And it's not like any of you are going to forget about me."
"I know; I'm just being selfish. I'm sorry."
"Twilight, there's no reason to be sorry. You're a good—no, a great friend—and I'll never forget all the wonderous things you've done for me."
"Thanks. I suppose now is as good a time as any to say it: good-bye Harry, forever."
The sun rose. Discord stood outside Sugarcube Corner and beckoned Harry outside. Harry walked slowly outside and noticed the crowd that surrounded him. It seemed that everypony in town was watching eagerly to see what was going to happen both with the horror their parents talked about and the horror they grew up with.
"Are you ready?" Discord asked, his face more serious than anyone had ever seen it before. "Once you cross the threshold, you will never be able to return." Discord placed a claw on Harry's shoulder.
"STOP!" shouted a booming voice from above. It was Celestia riding her chariot, being pulled by four of her royal guards. They descended into the crowd. And Celestia herself legimately looked angry. Everypony started cowering as soon as they noticed it, and after the surprise subsided Harry did as well.
"You little thief," Celestia spat, "your little number's up. Somepony has stolen a golden seal from my castle's treasury. The past week we've been searching the castle and nothing turned up. Then this pitiful creature's plan became obvious. It was clever really, steal something from me and then leave the realm avoiding any and all punishment."
"I—I—I didn't steal anything," Harry mustered up. He wasn't used to anypony exploding in his face, so when Celestia herself did it then it really racked him with surprise.
"Oh no?" Celestia asked.
She closed her eyes and a spark of magic appeared out of the tip of her horn. Harry felt something burning his back, and the longer he waited the worse it hurt. He reached in and felt something. He pulled it out. Sure enough, it was the golden seal. In surprise Harry dropped it to the ground. As it clamored in the dirt, everypony got sight of it and the royal insignia embroidered on the front. There were gasps in the crowd
"Not a thief?" Celestia said.
"I—I—I didn't steal anything," Harry repeated. It was the only thing running through his mind. Celestia's gaze pierced any and all thoughts.
"A thief and a liar as well. The only question left is what to do with you. Stealing from royalty is a major crime and I assure you that you will be punished for it."
"Princess," Twilight said, emerging from the crowd. "I—I don't think Harry would have done something like this. He's never stolen anything before. Why would he start now?"
"The evidence is overwhelming, my faithful student, or perhaps you are suggesting that I am wrong?"
Twilight huffed out her chest. "I guess that I am."
The crowd exploded. There were shouts of anger, yells of surprise, and whispers of confusion. Somepony was talking back to Princess Celestia. Sure it was Twilight, but that wasn't something that anypony did.
"Alright then. If Harry didn't steal it, then who did? Remember, there hasn't been another visitor from Ponyville since you two. And trust me when I say that it was there before his visit."
"It... was me," Twilight said. "I stole it when you took Harry to talk with Discord. I thought I'd give it to Harry as a farewell present. If you need to punish somepony, punish me."
Silence surrounded the crowd. Pinkie covered her mouth.
"You are a terrible liar. No, I know who the thief is. Look closely at the seal," Celestia said as she levitated it up in front of Twilight's eyes. "There is not a single hoofprint on the entire object. Harry here has no hoofprints."
"Please, let me through," Fluttershy said, pushing her way through the crowd. She stood between Harry and Celestia. "I'm sorry Princess, but I don't care who you are. I'm not letting you touch my son. I don't care if he is a thief, a liar, or even a murderer."
"Fluttershy, every criminal is somepony's son or daughter. Just because he is yours doesn't excuse him for atoning for his crimes. Now step aside, my little pony."
Fluttershy didn't move. "I—I'll fight you!"
The crowd errupted in laughter. Fluttershy even got into a fighting stance. Celestia looked upon Fluttershy with her expression unchanged. For a moment nothing between the two changed. Harry put his hand on Fluttershy's shoulder. She looked to him.
"Mom, it's okay. I'll accept my punishment."
"But sweetie, you didn't do anything wrong."
"I know that, and you know that. That's all that matters. Please step aside. I don't want to think about Celestia hurting you," Harry said, and then he turned to Celestia. "I admit to any and all wrongdoing."
"As punishment for deceit and thievery—" Celestia began, but was interrupted by Discord.
Discord looked like he was having a blast watching the drama unfold. He was sitting on a rooftop, eating popcorn. He called out, his voice amplified so the whole crowd could hear—"Harry committed a crime against the citizens of Equestria, shouldn't they decide his punishment?"—to which the crowd erupted with them stomping their hooves down with cries of excitement. There were several suggestions that locked Harry and his family into fear, with agreement finally being public lashings.
"What have you done...?" Fluttershy asked to Discord, who simply shrugged his shoulders.
Harry found himself shackled to a platform in the center of town, with all four of Celestia's guards surrounding him. There was a crowd there, removing any sense of guilt Harry had for leaving this place. Celestia walked onto the platform.
"Harry, son of Fluttershy, has been found guilty of the crime of theft and deceiving royalty. The punishment, by public opinion, lashings. I agree. Harry, I allowed you a way back to your world and you repay me like this. I am done offering you anything but punishment. I am indeed sorry to harm Fluttershy's son, but perhaps next time she'll teach you not to steal from royalty."
"Don't talk about my mother that way," Harry spat. "She raised me just fine. It's not her fault I live a cursed life. Here's an idea: why don't you end it for me?"
"What?" Celestia asked, and stepped back.
"You heard me," Harry shouted. "Kill me, right here, right now. I'm sure the crowd would love you for it, more than they already do, your infallible highness. They love seeing me in pain and misery. I guess you do too."
"What do you mean?"
"It probably wasn't the smartest idea to let Discord out of your sight and earshot. All of those years you could have done something, you just sat and waited for something to happen. Congratulations, the experiment is a success, I'm a miserable pile of filth."
"You will be silent," Celestia said as her horn began glowing.
The second she got close to him, Harry spat in her eye. Her horn glowed brighter and she shot a beam of magic at Harry. The crowd-goers could tell that that wasn't the normal lashing magic, and that the spell wasn't supposed to last so long. When the magic disapated, it appeared that Celestia granted Harry's last wish.
The crowd was silent. Completely silent. Did Celestia really do that? Had she done that before? Would she do that again? Fluttershy ran out of the crowd and clutched Harry. His eyes wouldn't open no matter how hard she tried to make them. Fluttershy looked to Celestia. Her eyes were enveloped with flame.
"Stand down. Do as your Princess commands of you," Celestia demanded.
"You aren't my Princess any more. I hope that golden seal was worth it. You can take this back too," Fluttershy said. She took her element from her saddlebag and tossed it at Celestia's feet. "I don't want it any more."
Fluttershy lifted Harry onto her back and walked down the stairs of the platform. She stopped in front of the first pony she saw. She didn't know his name or where he lived, but she did know why he was here.
"Harry is dead now," Fluttershy said to him bluntly. "How much better is your life?"
"I—I um..."
"Come on, the answer has got to be easier than that. You were standing in the front row. You wanted to see Harry suffer the most, didn't you? Did you enjoy yourself here?"
"Um... no..."
"Oh come on. I saw you earlier calling out Harry's sentencing. Tell me, what was your favorite part? Or did you enjoy it all the same?"
"Why are you calling me out? Everypony else treated Harry the same way."
"Yes they did. Now answer my question," Fluttershy said. She didn't move. Nopony did.
"I'm sorry, alright! I'm sorry!"
"That's nice. Now answer my question," Fluttershy replied.
"I guess... when they dragged him up," the pony said, trying to back away.
"To be beaten severely? So the thought of the pain about to be inflicted on him made you happy. It's nice to know what kind of pony you are."
Fluttershy turned to another pony as the other one ran away. This new pony cowered backwards. Some ponies tried to leave, and others watched on in a confused mire of emotions. Fluttershy lowered Harry off of her back.
"Tell me, what does this look like?"
"It... looks like your... son?"
"This is not my son. This is a corpse," Fluttershy said. "But yes, it used to be my son. Does this corpse make you happy?"
"No."
"But you wanted it. You were in his class. He told me a lot about you. You can have it, if you still want it."
"No, thank you."
"You've been waiting for this for at least ten years. It would be so horribly rude of me to deny you something you've waited so long for. It's yours, to keep. Unless somepony else wants it," Fluttershy said, turning to the crowd. They stayed silent. "Nope, it's yours."
"I never wanted it," the pony cried out.
"Then what did you want? Him to be like you? Him to torment somepony else every day at school. I can't see it any other way. This is clearly what you wanted. Why don't you want it now?"
"Who in Equestria would want a corpse?"
"Yes, who? Fine, if you don't want it, I'll give it to somepony else."
The pony ran away. Fluttershy lifted Harry back up and walked over to a sky blue pegasus with a pink mane.
"Hello Lofty. Those are two beautiful foals. Do you want to see my child?" Fluttershy asked, dropping Harry in front of her and her two childen. "Remember the date you had? Pinkie told me of all the fun you two had—a fancy dinner with a fireworks show afterwards. My memory tends to slip, did you have fun?"
"Um yeah..." Lofty said, eyeing the corpse.
"That's nice. I always wondered why you didn't have more. You seemed like such a sweet couple, but I see that you've found love elsewhere."
Lofty didn't answer.
"Oh I see. How awkward. Do you enjoy being a mother?"
"O-of course I do. What kind of question is that?"
"What do you think about the stallion who gave you those two beauties?"
"What do you think? He ran away from me and left me to raise them on my own."
"You must have seen something in him. Perhaps it was his long, flowing mane? His high status? Or maybe he just had a long tail?"
Lofty blushed. "P-please leave me alone."
"We're just having a pleasant conversation. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"
"You're creeping me out."
"Am I? I'm sorry. I just get curious with the ponies my son takes a fancy in. Like I said, those are two beautiful fillies and I'm sure you'll do fine with them. Every good mother takes their children to public acts of torture."
Lofty left with her children, and Fluttershy looked at hers. The crowd didn't disperse. It almost seemed like they were waiting for who would be next. But nopony was next. It was just Fluttershy and Harry. Princess Celestia came up.
"I am sorry Fluttershy."
"Then tell me what you would have done differently."
"I wouldn't have let my anger get the best of me," Celestia said.
"Wrong answer."
A pony climbed out of the crowd and tapped Fluttershy on the shoulder. She didn't recognize him either. What did he want? Another verbal thrashing? He didn't speak for a moment, and just took a moment to look at the body who lay before him.
"I wouldn't have teased him in school. Heck, I might have even been his friend. I guess I was scared of being bullied too. I truly am sorry for your loss."
"I would have said yes to a date with him. I always thought he was a nice guy. It's just..." said another pony.
"I would have let him in my store."
It seemed that the remainder of the crowd had something to say. They each brought in different memories. They almost made Fluttershy smile, but the sight before her didn't change. That would be the only thing that could have changed it. When ponies stopped playing with "what-if's" Fluttershy asked Celestia the question again. Her answer changed.
"I wouldn't have done anything different," and she said it with a smile.
Fluttershy was ready to go off the handle again, but she felt something moving in her hooves. Harry was... moving his hand? Harry groaned and sat up, opening his eyes. Fluttershy searched her mind for all of the explainations in the world, but couldn't find a single one; not that she cared. She hugged Harry harder than ever before.
"I'm... alive?" Harry asked, realizing what was going on.
"You were never dead," Celestia replied with a smile. "The spell I cast on you only made you appear dead for a brief time. I'm sorry I had to make you go through that Fluttershy."
"But, I don't understand," Fluttershy replied. "What was the point of all of this?"
Discord slunk out of the shadows, and walked up to them bouncing a golden seal in his hands.
"It's like I said, sometimes the worst thing you could do to somepony is give them exactly what they wanted. And you thought it would never work," Discord said smugly to Celestia. Some ponies noticeably cringed at those words.
"What worked?" Harry asked, rubbing his back. It felt like somepony had dropped him off of something and he had landed on a rock. Then Harry noticed one of his classmates walking up to him. He slunk into his shirt.
"Hey Harry," he said, "I know you probably hate me, but hear me out. Maybe we could get drinks sometime, on me. Just think of it as my way of... saying I'm sorry. For everything." There were several other sorry's in the crowd.
"Okay, what happened when I was out and what version of Equestria did I wake up in?"
"The one that you deserve," Celestia whispered in his ear.
