Fractured

Fluttershy paced back and forth inside of her small cottage. They had put her here a few days after her capture and routinely dropped off food and other necessities. Occasionaly she even had a few wounded soldiers from the resistance come through, passing what news they could from the front.

Today was different though. The normal guard had been at least tripled and she had heard whispers that “the queen” was coming herself. She stopped pacing long enough to gaze out the window.  The remains of Ponyville could be seen in the distance. It was said that if you looked hard enough, you could see trails of smoke still coming from the ruins.

A light knock on the door brought her out of her stupor and she quickly opened it. Scar, as she had become accustomed to calling the blank faced guard, gave her a slight nod before speaking. She had a feeling that she had met the stallion before but she couldn’t figure out his identity without him removing his deep purple armor. It had the same spells on it that made all of the old celestial guards look the same. The only reason she could tell him apart from the rest was a long scar running across his snout.

Fluttershy stopped thinking about the stallion as his eyes bored into her. She cleared her throat.

“Could you repeat that? I wasn’t paying attention.”

In his monotone voice he said.

“The Queen has requested that several high profile guests stay at your lodging for the next several weeks. If this is not acceptable, the Queen has allowed you to decline.”

Fluttershy shrugged her shoulders.

“Sure, why not? Let them come, it’s not like I have anything better to do.”

Scar stared at Fluttershy blankly for a few seconds before saying

“Your guests will be here within the hour. The Queen herself will be gracing you all with her presence an hour after that.”

Scar then handed her a small folded slip of paper.

“The clock will strike soon, be ready.”

Fluttershy’s head shot up, catching only a quick wink from Scar as he teleported away. She scrambled, almost dropping the paper before she could open it.  She opened the slip of paper and read the message.

Your “guests” are well guarded and extraction will be difficult. It is assumed they are rebels but I am unsure as to their identities. This is a rare moment of clarity for me, so we must capitalize on it and initiate a plan tonight. This message needs to be disposed of in the usual manner. I will reveal myself soon.

-N

Fluttershy sighed and closed her door. She hated doing this. Crumpling the paper into a small ball, she stuffed it into her mouth and began to chew. The taste of the cheap paper was terrible, like usual. She gagged as she swallowed it, before getting a glass of water to follow it down. She stood over her sink for a few seconds, pondering how this was going to happen.

From what she had been told, she was being extracted tonight, presumably before Tyrannus got to her house, along with “several” guests. Whom she knew nothing about. It also bothered her that somepony was posing as Night. The signature was his sort of style but as far as everypony knew, he was dead. She ran through a list in her mind of ponies that were vain enough to pull a stunt like that. None still alive stood out, but Fluttershy didn’t let it distract her.

Another knock sounded at the door. Fluttershy groaned. She had an idea what this was going to be and that really made opening the door the last thing she wanted. She crossed her house and opened the door again.

Two more purple armored guards carried a large chest on their backs. She moved aside, allowing the pair of earth ponies to move inside her house long enough to drop off the trunk and walk out the door. One of the earth ponies stopped at the welcome mat and turned around.

“The Queen as requested that you wear formal dress for this evening. Please be ready to receive your guests within the hour.”

Fluttershy waved a hoof.

“I already know when my ‘guests’ as you put them, are coming.  I was told a few minutes ago.”

The guard regarded her with a blank stare before simply spinning around and trotting away. Fluttershy shook her head before closing the door. The spell that controlled all of the guards didn’t allow them to do anything but follow basic commands. The only guards that she saw that actually spoke were the few psychopaths who actually enjoyed what had happened to the world and willingly served Tyrannus as her bodyguards.

Fluttershy didn’t even bothering opening the chest and instead slid it to sit against the wall. She had been sent several like it, all filled to the brim with clothing and other useless accessories. After the first few, she had just stopped opening them and had instead stacked them haphazardly around her cottage.

Fluttershy looked around her cottage for a second, debating what to do next. A third knock from the door decided for her. Somewhat peeved that someone else was at her door, again, she stomped over and threw the door open shouting,

“What do you wan…”

Fluttershy couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. It just wasn’t possible. The cyan pegasus at her doorstep sheepishly rubbed the back of her head with a hoof.

“Hey there Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy didn’t even blink, scared that it was all a dream. It couldn’t be real, it just wasn’t possible. The cyan pegasus flattened her ears and looked she looked at the ground.

“I know we had a few differences, but that was a long time ago, a- and I was hoping that…”

Fluttershy cut her off by smacking her upside the head. Fluttershy then pulled her into a hug and burst into tears. Rainbow Dash hugged her crying friend, and also looked over her shoulder at Pinkie, who looked like she was on the verge of, tears herself. Rainbow Dash slowly moved inside the house and Pinkie closed the door behind them.

Fluttershy calmed herself down enough that she broke off the hug and took a step back, still processing if this was real or not.

“H-how is this possible?” she asked

Rainbow shrugged.

“Twilight said she would explain it all when she got here.”

Fluttershy pushed off the mention of their former friend. She wasn’t going to let anything ruin this. Fluttershy ran to the kitchen and scrambled together some snacks from her limited food stock and brought it back to her living room. She set the small plate on the dark blue trunk that was serving as her coffee table.

“I know it’s not a lot, but…”

Rainbow laughed.

“Fluttershy, I know we haven’t seen each other in awhile, but that doesn’t mean you gotta go all out for me.”

“Dashie, for us you were dead, and the last time you had talked to each other before that… Well, you can hardly blame Fluttershy for trying.”

Rainbow blew some of her hair out of her face.

“Yeah, I know, but I just really want things to pick up where we left off.”

Fluttershy couldn’t help but give a deadpanned stare towards her friend.

“You’re kidding right?” she asked.

Rainbow shrugged.

“I mean, I don’t see why not. The six of us can work this out if we butt our heads together. We’ve worked through some tough problems before.”

Fluttershy’s jaw dropped slightly. She caught herself and rebuked Rainbow.

“If you haven’t noticed, this is a little more than a “tough” problem. Ponies have died because of this!”

Rainbow sat up straighter on the couch as she got more into the argument.

“I know that, but we could probably save more ponies if we sat down and talked about this like friends.”

Fluttershy threw her hooves in the air.

“We tried that! Twilight changed her name and killed Celestia right in front of our faces!”

“Changed her name? You guys practically gave it to her! You never gave her a chance to explain herself!”

“Explain what?!? She forcefully grew Spike and then tried to argue her case on why she should be the ruler of Equestria!”

“Well maybe of we supported her more, she wouldn’t have lost it like she did!”

“Yeah, well maybe if we had stopped the problem then we wouldn’t have it no-…”

“STOP IT!”

Pinkie shouted, cutting off Fluttershy.

“You haven’t seen each other in years and this is how you want to spend your time with each other? I know things have changed, but we could at least try to act like we’re friends, right?”

She gave a pleading look to Fluttershy who bowed her head and sighed.

“Sorry girls. It’s just… things have changed so much that sometimes I forget what life used to be like, before the war and the fighting.”

Rainbow hung her head guiltily.

“I’m sorry too. I just wish things were different is all.”

A terse silence hung in the air until Pinkie decided to try and change the subject.

“What are all these chests for?”

Fluttershy snorted.

“There all filled with fancy clothes and dresses and things like that. After awhile I just stopped opening them.”

Rainbow smirked and cocked an eyebrow.

“What, didn’t feel like playing dress-up?”

Fluttershy smiled and shook her head.

“No, but I feel like Rarity would have a ball trying them all on.”

Rainbow looked around.

“Is she here?”

Fluttershy shook her head.

“The last time I saw her, she was recovering in a hospital.”

“We were attacked, we’ve moved into the mountains now. She was up and walking around the last time I saw her.” Pinkie said. “Since you got captured, she and Luna have been trying to keep everypony going.”

“So that news is true then? She is back?”

Pinkie nodded.

“Yep! She brought her daughter too!”

“What?!? I didn’t know she had a daughter!” Fluttershy practically shouted, “If I had known that, I never would have sent for her in the first place!”

Pinkie shrugged.

“Nopony really knew. Applejack found out when they got to Luna’s cottage in the Everfree. But don’t worry about Dawn, she’s a really good fighter, or at least was getting there when I last saw her. Besides she has lots of f-…”

Another knock on the door interrupted Pinkie. Rainbow Dash practically leaped out of her chair to answer it. She swung the door open and broke out into an enormous grin. Fluttershy frowned upon seeing the pony standing on her doormat. The tall alicorn hugged Rainbow for a few seconds before she turned and looked at Fluttershy with a smile.

“May I come in?” Tyrannus asked.