A Fire Within

"There you go Mr. Mouse, all better." Fluttershy gently placed a tiny mouse next to his mate, who was jumping for joy at his recovery. A small bandage was wrapped around his back leg. Fluttershy knelt down so her eyes were as level with the mice as possible.

"Now stay off that leg for a few days, and you'll be right as rain."

The mouse couple wiggled their whiskers in thanks and sounded a series of tiny squeaks. Four tiny mouse heads appeared in Fluttershy's mane, and the baby mice scurried down to meet their parents. Fluttershy always let them play in her long pink mane when she visited the family in their home in the forest. They seemed to like the color more than anything else. She smiled warmly as they all followed their parents into a tiny hole at the base of an old oak tree. It was a nice little home, for mice at least.

Fluttershy sat up and opened her wings. She stretched them out, reaching out as far as she could. She even fluttered a little, lifting off of the ground for a moment before touching back down. She sighed and folded them away on either side of her shoulder blades. She wished she could stretch them out a bit longer, or maybe even go for a glide around the meadow, but she had little time. Besides, if anypony saw her using her wings so openly, it would be trouble. Not to mention she wasn't even wearing anything.

Fluttershy felt something tugging at her mane. She looked down and found her little white bunny, Angel, frantically trying to get her attention. He held up a pocket watch and pointed urgently at it while jumping up and down. He looked to be on the verge of speech.

"Angel? What's wrong?" She glanced at the watch. "What's- OH NO!" she picked up the bunny, tossed him on her back, and began running past the trees towards home.

"I'm late! For a very important date! Today is the day I-" she gulped, and said hoarsely, "meet the matchmaker."

Fluttershy's family was a respectable one and owned a fairly large plot of land. The front gate opened to the main road in the village but was surrounded by trees and meadows in the opposite direction. Fluttershy emerged from the forest, traversed a stretch of grass and a small bridge over a pond, and skidded to a halt by the chicken coop.

"Winona!" she called. "Winona! Wino- oh, there you are." A small and spirited little dog appeared at her hooves. She wagged her tail and panted as her little heart raced with excitement. She was the kind of dog that seemed to have a permanent smile plastered on her face.

"I could use a little help with my chores this morning," Fluttershy attached a bone to the end of a stick and stuck the stick into Winona's collar. The dog's eyes locked onto the treat and prepared to intercept it. Fluttershy was barely able to attach a bag of chicken feed to the dog before she bolted off, chasing the bone that dangled in front of her face.

Fluttershy felt a bit bad about manipulating the dog and called after her, "Sorry! I promise I'll make it up to you!"

Winona ran in circles around the chicken coop, trailing chicken feed behind her. Consequently, she was also followed by a trail of peckish hens.

The house was blessed with a sizable garden. It was decorated with stone and flowers with two small ponds where pink and white lilies blossomed on green pads in the water. There was a set of stone steps that wound up and away from the garden to a small shrine. This is where Fluttershy's father spent much of his time, praying to the Guardians. Their family had worshiped the Guardian of rebirth, the Phoenix, for centuries. Their shrine was full of stones carved with the names of their ancestors. A stone statue of the Phoenix stood in the center, spreading it's wings over the headstones.

Fluttershy's father was an earth pony named Iron Song. He had always been tall and slim, and in his youth he boasted the muscles of a highly trained soldier. He brought much honor to his family through his victories on the battlefield. Although he became a greatly revered warrior, he did not emerge from war unscathed. He sustained many injuries, including one to his left foreleg that time drove deeper into the muscles and resulted in a permanent and painful limp.

Iron Song took a stick of incense between his jaws, lit it, and placed it in the basin hanging from the ceiling. He paused to look quizzically at the basin. On top of it was an odd figure. Not quite a dragon, but not quite anything else either. The figure had perplexed him since his youth, but it had been in the family for countless generations, and he respected his family's traditions.

He bowed his head to the Phoenix figure in front of him.

"Guardians, please help Fluttershy to impress the matchmaker today." At that moment Winona, yapping at the bone in front of her, slid into the shrine. She chased the bone around Iron Song and disappeared out the entrance, leaving a trail of feed in her wake. The shrine, consequently, was an instant later full of clucking hens pecking at their breakfast.

Iron Song paid them no mind. "Great Phoenix, Guardian of cycles and rebirth, please help her."

Fluttershy had put on a dress before coming out to meet her father. Carrying a tea tray on her back, she found Winona outside the shrine. The poor dog was sitting on her hind legs and reaching helplessly for the bone. Fluttershy smiled and untied the it, much to Winona's delight.

"Father, I brought you some-AH!" She hadn't seen him come out of the shrine, and she bumped headlong into his chest. The tea tray wobbled and Fluttershy extended her wings to keep it steady. She almost immediately drew them back to her sides, blushing at her impoliteness. Iron Song didn't mind. He'd married a pegasus, after all. Seeing their wings didn't bother him nearly as much as it did other ponies.

She placed the tray on a nearby stone pedestal and poured a cup of hot tea for her father.

"Remember what the doctor said," Fluttershy began.

"Fluttershy-"

"Three cups of tea in the morning, and three at night."

"Fluttershy," Iron Song took the cup gratefully. "You should already be in town. If you are to bring honor to our family, you must impress the matchmaker, and being late is sure to put her off. She is not a kind woman."

"Don't worry, Father," Fluttershy smiled delicately. "I won't let you down." She turned and trotted down the stone steps. "Wish me luck!"

Iron Song sighed and glanced down at Winona, who was staring after Fluttershy with the bone stuffed in her mouth. She glanced up at him.

"I'm going to pray some more," he said, more to himself than to Winona.

He sat down again in the shrine. He wasn't very worried about his daughter. She was naturally delicate and demure, she spoke softly or not at all, she knew how to cook and clean, she kept her wings sheathed in the presence of her betters; Fluttershy was everything a pegasus should be, and she would carry out her duty as a pegasus better than anypony.

She was perfect, as perfect as a pegasus could be anyway. Except for her odd obsession with animals.

It took everything Fluttershy had not to stop at the falconer's office on her way into town. She had the nasty habit of talking to animals, and often found time to visit the birds that were responsible for delivering messages across the land. Over the years it had earned her a little stain on her otherwise flawless social standing. She couldn't help it; at a young age she found she could communicate with animals and understand them more deeply and anypony else ever could.

She was in far too much a hurry to concern herself with the matter any longer, and she sprinted down the dirt road, a cloud of orange dust trailing behind her and sticking to the edge of her dress. She earned a few odd looks when she sped by, and then a few glares when she instinctively extended her wings to propel herself forward.

She quickly realized her mistake and folded them again.

She skidded to a halt when she reached the building. Her mother stood on the porch, waiting impatiently for her.

Fluttershy stood tall and panted, "I'm here, mother!"

Misty Willow was an aging but still beautiful pegasus mare. Fluttershy inherited her pale yellow coat from her. Her mane was long and powdery blue. It shimmered naturally and Fluttershy wished she would let it hang down more often, but that wasn't proper. Willow always kept her mane a neat bun tied with a golden ribbon. She stood on the porch and looked quizzically at her daughter.

Fluttershy's mane was loose, as it was much too often. It was wind-buffeted and tangled, bits of grass and dirt clinging to the strands. Dust from the road stained her dress.

Misty Willow gave her daughter a look, and Fluttershy frowned.

"I-I'm sorry, Mother," she muttered. "I had to-"

"None of your excuses," Willow led Fluttershy into the building. "We need to get you cleaned up. Photo Finish is getting-"

"AH! Tha she 'is finally!" A pale blue pony with short white mane and opaque pink sunglasses jumped the pair when they entered. "What's this!" She exclaimed upon seeing Fluttershy. She had a thick, foreign-sounding accent. "This is what you give me to work with?" She shook her head, "Tsk, tsk, tsk."

"I-I'm sorry I-" Fluttershy yelped when she was suddenly drawn away.

"Ach, I've seen worse," Photo Finish grunted.

Before Fluttershy could do anything about it, her dress was off and she was plummeting into a tub of soapy water. She squealed when she broke the surface. She drew her forelegs around herself and shivered.

"It's freezing!"

Her mother smirked at her. "It was pleasantly warm about half and hour ago."

"Sorry-" Fluttershy was doused with a bucket of water.

One of Photo Finish's assistants scrubbed Fluttershy's mane while another scrubbed her coat. They were working incredibly fast to make up for lost time, and Fluttershy felt completely uncomfortable with the situation, but said nothing. They scrubbed, lathered, rinsed, and repeated. Oils and perfumes were lathered into her coat and mane until she was surrounded with a shroud of delicate scents and glowed with neat cleanliness.

She was thrown into a smock and her hooves were buffed and polished. Somepony ran a brush down her neck and back to polish her coat. Her mane was brushed and tugged from every angle as the assistants braided it up into an elegant up-do. They tied off her mane with a simple red ribbon.

Throughout all of this, Photo Finish barked orders at her assistants and droned on about her work.

"I've prepared countless pegasi for their visit with the matchmaker," she said. "And even a few earth mares who were a bit down on their luck. No no no no!" She swatted suddenly at one of the hairdressers. "Too tight! To complicated! She needs something simple, something that reflects...the nature"

The hairdressers frantically disassembled Fluttershy's hair and did it again. They drew it up into a loose bun, allowing her long locks to cascade around her head before being pulled up into the ribbon. One of the assistants tucked a rebellious piece of mane out of Fluttershy's eyes.

"Ah AH!" Photo Finish shouted. The assistant let the piece of mane fall back. "Hm...Yes, perfect. Now the dress!"

Fluttershy was whisked out of the building and down the street towards a dress shop. On the way, Photo Finish talked some more.

"I have already chosen the perfect dress you you, Froot-ershy," her accent distorted Fluttershy's name. "I have seen many a matches ruined by poor taste in fashion. As a pegasi, the only way for you to bring honor to your family is to marry a respectable earth stallion, and my fashion sense combined with your natural beauty and grace is a recipe for success!"

"Oh, I don't know about that..." Fluttershy tended to get wobbly in the legs when she was nervous, and she was afraid it would result in some unsightly clumsiness.

The entered the dress shop and Photo Finish clopped her front hooves in command. Fluttershy was stripped suddenly and was being wrapped in soft, silky fabric. In less than two minutes she was clad in a beautiful dress that trailed behind her gracefully. It was light pink, much like her mane, and complimented her shape beautifully. A blue sash decorated with little flowers wrapped around her midsection and was tied in a bow that cascaded down her backside. Her were drawn back gracefully by the dress, the primary feathers pointing more upward than usual.

Immediately she was pulled away and one of the assistants began applying makeup to her face. Her eyelashes were painted, her eyelids covered in subtle shimmery shadow, and her cheeks were dabbed with blush. The assistant stepped back and Photo Finish inspected her work.

"Hmm...too much blush." Fluttershy yelped as the assistant vigorously wiped away the blush. "Not enough." The blush was reapplied. "No, much too much...There! Perfect!"

Fluttershy suddenly gave a tiny sneeze.

"Daw!" Photo Finish cooed. "Even your schneezes are graceful!" She held up a mirror for Fluttershy to see herself.

At first glance she didn't quite recognize the pony in the mirror. She smiled. They did an excellent job preparing her. She was polished and refined but not overdone. Her beauty was shimmery but natural looking. It was subtle and enchanting at the same time. Misty Willow sat next to her daughter and opened a little wooden box. Inside was hair comb decorated with a single flower. It was the comb her mother wore before her, and her mother before her. Willow gently stuck the comb into Fluttershy's bun and smiled.

"There," she said affectionately. "You're ready."

"Not quite!" A creaky old earth mare appeared at Fluttershy's side.

"Granny Smith!" Fluttershy said, smiling. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"I've been here fo' the past half hour." The old mare winked. "Great thing about gettin' old is that no one notices ya'."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Fluttershy began. "I was just so distracted."

Granny Smith only smiled. She was jolly old mare, and many in the village respected her for her wisdom, even if she was a bit eccentric.

"Here ya' are, darlin'," Granny Smith stuffed an apple into Fluttershy's mouth. "An apple for serenity, and take this." She tucked a pendant emblazoned with the sun and moon swirling around each other into Fluttershy's dress. "May the Guardians of the Sun and Moon grant you balance." Then, a string of beads was draped around her neck. "These jade beads will bring out that natural beauty o' yours. And lastly," she held up two rabbit's feet that were attached to a furious Angel bunny. He squirmed this way and that but couldn't get free from Granny Smith.

"Rabbit's feet! For luck!" She stuffed the ball of Angel into the large bow on Fluttershy's back where he crossed his little arms angrily but didn't move.

Angel bunny spotted the apple in Fluttershy's hoof and reached towards it, squealing and grunting, as a rabbit does, in desperation. Unfortunately, the apple was taken away before anypony noticed and he slumped over in disappointment.

Willow pushed Flutteshy out the door.

"Go, go!" she said. "They're already lining up!"

Fluttershy, going as fast as she dared for fear of dirtying her dress, tried to catch up with the procession of similarly done-up pegasus mares. Willow suddenly caught up to her daughter and handed her a triangle straw hat that she had forgotten. She took it in her mouth and fell in line behind the procession.

Every mare looked beautiful, but Fluttershy surpassed them all. Shyness taking over, her head drooped and shoulders tensed. She gnawed the straw between her teeth a little and glanced down the line. She quickly corrected her posture to match the rest; head held high, shoulders spread wide, and each step small and deliberate. Everypony else was wearing their hats, and she quickly threw hers on, careful not to damage her hairdo. Like the rest, she tilted the brim downward so her face was hidden in shadow.

The procession lined up in front of the matchmakers front steps and bowed, their straw hats obscuring them. The doors flew open with a loud bang, and Fluttershy almost jumped out of her skin in surprise. The matchmaker stepped out. Her name was Cherry Jubilee, a round, cream-colored earth pony with deep red mane, pink-shaded eyelids, and a mole below her eye.

"Hm," she grunted as she consulted a list of names. "Pegasus Fluttershy."

Fluttershy wasn't expecting to be called first, so when she heard her name she was stricken with a wave of panic. Without thinking she stood up and removed her hat.

"I'm here!" she said.

"Tsk, Tsk," Jubilee said. "Speaking without per'mission..."

Fluttershy's ears flattened against her skull, but she said nothing. She cast a nervous glance behind her and saw Granny Smith and her mother. They waved Fluttershy on with encouraging smiles, and it calmed her enough to turn back to the matchmaker and meet her at the top of the steps.

Jubilee motioned Fluttershy inside and closed the door behind them. The first thing Jubilee did was inspect Fluttershy's appearance. She peered through narrowed eyes at her jaw, hooves, midsection and wings.

"Hm...too skinny," she said with a few grunts of disapproval.

Fluttershy flushed and glanced down at her legs. They were quite slim compared to others', but Fluttershy had always been admired for her delicate appearance. Jubilee, unsmiling, cocked her head.

"That flush won't hurt you I suppose," she approached a table on which a set of teacups and a bowl of apples. She removed a teapot from atop a canister of hot coals and placed it by the teacups.

Fluttershy suddenly felt the bow of her dress squirming. She heard a tiny whimper.

"Shh, Angel, not now," she whispered almost silently.

Taking no heed of Fluttershy's request, Angel freed himself from the bow. He hopped clear over her head and landed by her front hooves. Before she could say anything the little bunny darted across the room and disappeared.

"Angel-"

"Excuse me?" Jubilee glanced back at Fluttershy, seemingly offended at the unexpected noise behind her. Fluttershy clamped her mouth shut and gave a small smile. Jubilee raised an eyebrow but didn't pursue the matter.

"Recite the Pegasi's Admonition."

Fluttershy nodded and began, "The wings with which a pegasus soars are also what shame her. Keep your shame folded in the presence of all, for all are superior. Carry out your duties with quiet grace and humility. This will bring you honor."

Jubilee managed to nod without giving any sense of approval. Fluttershy's eyes glanced around the room. Where could Angel be?

"Now," Jubilee continued, sitting down at the table. She motioned to the tea and fruit on the table. "Serve me."

Fluttershy gave a small smile. Without a word she went through the motions her mother had painstakingly instilled in her since she was young. She gracefully poured Jubilee a cup of tea while the matchmaker droned on.

"A pegasus's duty is to her family, and to bring honor to her family's name." Fluttershy placed the cup in front of Jubilee and she sipped it. Fluttershy offered Jubilee the bowl of fruit to choose from. "If you are to bring honor to your family, you are to prove yourself suitable for marriage by carrying out your duties with grace and humility."

Jubilee bore an icy glare into Fluttershy as she took an apple from the bowl. Fluttershy froze when she spotted a little white bunny attached to it. She had been so caught up in her chores and preparing for the matchmaker that she forgot to feed Angel, and now he had taken matters into his own paws. He had somehow gotten into the fruit without anyone noticing, and now dangled from Jubilee's apple by his teeth.

Cherry Jubilee, however, was so focused on Fluttershy she didn't notice him.

"Um, I'm sorry but..." Fluttershy whispered, extending a hoof towards the apple.

"Silence is also required of a suitable wife!"

"If I may...just," Fluttershy tried to gently take the apple away without revealing Angel, but Jubilee jerked it away from her grasp.

"Just what do you think you're-" Her eyes widened in terror when she spotted a fuzzy white thing hanging from her apple. She flung the thing away with a piercing screech. Angel landed on the table in front of Fluttershy and scurried into her forelegs before any more harm could come to his carefully groomed fur.

"Get that thing out of here! Get it out!" Jubilee stumbled backward, spilling the iron canister of heated coals. Her dress caught fire, and upon seeing the flames consuming her backside she rocketed forward with another ear-splitting scream.

Fluttershy frantically looked around the room for some water or something to smother the flames. Cherry Jubilee burst through the front doors of her home and bucked this way and that.

"Put it out!" she screamed. "Put it out, put it out, put it out!"

The flames were extinguished to a cloud of black smoke when a waterfall of hot tea drenched the matchmaker. The mare deadpanned as her pink eyeshadow dripped down her face. Fluttershy placed the teapot in her hooves, have a quick bow, and hurried down the steps. Angel clung to her mane, staring at the now heavily disheveled matchmaker.

Jubilee scowled after the bunny, and followed Fluttershy down the steps.

"You. Are. A. Disgrace!" The teapot shattered against the ground, and Fluttershy shrunk away into Granny Smith and Willow. "You may look like a bride, but at this rate I'd say you're more suited to work in the mines with the rest of your kind!" Angel scowled at the mare, and Fluttershy felt ready to cry. "You will never bring your family honor!"

Cherry Jubilee turned and disappeared in her home, slamming the doors behind her. Willow led her crestfallen daughter away from. Angel hopped off and started towards Jubilee's door, issuing a series of angry noises and gestures before the scruff of his neck was caught between Granny Smith's teeth.

He was tossed back onto Fluttershy's back, where he met Misty Willow's angry gaze. She glared at him a while.

"Fluttershy..." she trailed off. Her uncouth love of animals had brought about this mess, but now was certainly the wrong time to bring it up.

"I'm sorry." Fluttershy's voice was barely a whisper. Her eyes were dry, but she was full of shame.

Disregarding any of the consequences, Misty Willow extended her wing. She draped it over Fluttershy's shoulders behind where Angel was perched. Fluttershy loved her mother for that moment, but she didn't return her mother's sympathetic smile. Fluttershy didn't feel like she deserved any comfort.