A Fire Within

When Fluttershy returned to her home, Iron Song was waiting by the front door. He had a hopeful smile on his face, but she couldn't bear to meet his gaze. When she averted her eyes and walked away, his face fell. She shut her eyes tightly. She couldn't stand to see his disappointment in her.

When she reached the garden, she chanced a glance backward and saw her mother speaking softly to her father. They both looked so disheartened, and Fluttershy looked away and ran down the path. She hid herself in the farthest corner of the garden beneath a large willow that grew beside a pond. Its leafy branches surrounded like a curtain, so nopony could see her lying on the ground, crying into her hooves.

Angel perched on her shoulder and brushed through her mane with his paws. He knew he was responsible for what had happened, and that he was the reason Fluttershy was crying. He hated it when she cried; he hated to see her hurting, and he always did his best to comfort her. But this time he felt useless. How could she find comfort in anything he did when it was his fault?

Fluttershy sniveled and lifted her head. She looked sidelong at the bunny on her shoulder.

"No, Angel," she said, her voice still shaky with sobs. "It's not your fault. It's me. I'm just...just..."

Angel brushed several blades of grass from her wet cheeks, and she patted him affectionately on the head.

Fluttershy looked into the water and found her reflection staring back. Her delicate hairdo was disheveled, and her makeup was running down her cheeks. She pushed a stray lock of mane out of her eyes and sighed.

"Oh Angel...Look at me..."

Angel's reflection joined hers. He gave her an encouraging smile, but to no avail. Still solemn, Fluttershy stood and removed her necklace.

"Who would want to marry me?" She said. "I mean, I can't even imagine myself with...someone..."

She wandered out from under the willow and around the garden, taking in the fresh spring air and staying clear of the house.

"All I want is to be with you, Angel, and all our animal friends. I want to fly, I want to run through the forest whenever I feel like it. But..." She spotted her parents talking on the porch. "Just think of how unhappy that would make everypony. Mom and Dad...they'd be so disappointed in me."

Angel hopped onto her back and patted her mane. She gave a small smile, thankful for the kind gesture, but her face soon fell back into a somber expression. As she made her way to the back of the house, her eyes caught the narrow stone steps that led up to the shrine. After pausing a moment, she began to climb them. Angel jumped off her back and hopped up them with her, but stopped when they reached the threshold.

He sat on the stone floor and let her enter alone.

The shrine was dark. Little shafts of light pierced the air through little holes in the walls, but otherwise the sun's position in the sky was not in its favor. The headstones were polished to such a degree that they reflected the world in front of them like mirrors. Fluttershy bowed deeply, and when she rose she once again came face to face with her own reflection. Using the sleeve of her dress, she wiped away all the ruined, tear-stained makeup from her face. She plucked the pins and comb from her head, and her mane fell down over her shoulders and around her face like a soft pink curtain.

Fluttershy's reflection was looking a little more familiar now. She smoothed over her mane with her hoof, and stared into the mirrored stone.

"You look like Fluttershy now," she muttered. "But you aren't Fluttershy..." She looked down to the comb in her hooves. "This isn't me..."

She glanced up at herself again, then said a quick prayer.

Angel watched her walk back down the steps to the back yard. She looked more somber than ever, and his ears flattened against his head in guilt. He couldn't bring himself to follow Fluttershy, so Angel stayed where he was, not sure of what to do. He peeked into the shadowy shrine and spotted the polished stones staring back at him. It was an ominous sight, but regardless he took a tentative hop over the threshold.

Fluttershy sat down beneath her favorite tree that grew on the property. It was in full bloom, and the sky above her was brimming with pink and white blossoms. When she spotted her father coming to meet her, she turned away in shame.

Without speaking, Iron Song sat beside his daughter. He couldn't think of anything to say, so he turned his attention to the tree.

"My," he said. "The blossoms are beautiful this year. Oh, but look," he motioned toward a branch and Fluttershy saw a single unopened bud. "That one is late. But when it blooms..."

Iron Song took the decorated comb and pinned up a small portion of Fluttershy's hair.

"It will be the most beautiful of all," he finished.

He smiled at her, and Fluttershy smiled back. She may have made a mess of things, but her father still loved her dearly. It was a nice moment. It was peaceful. Moments like this with her father were far too rare.

And then it all shattered when a horn sounded from the main road.

"Hear ye! Hear ye!" cried the mare in a shrill, almost squeaky voice. "The Grand Empress of Equestria calls upon her subjects to serve in the Imperial army!"

Fluttershy tried to get into the street to see what was going on, but her mother shooed her inside the property walls and closed the wooden gate behind her. Without a second thought Fluttershy opened her wings and lit into the air. She hovered just below the top of the wall, only enough to peek over.

The main street was crowded with citizens. In the middle of them all was a small procession of Imperial soldiers. They had coats of pristine white and armor with red scarves and sashes. Each bore a large golden flag that bore the insignia of a scarlet dragon. These were soldiers from Canterlot.

Leading the guards was the pinkest mare Fluttershy had ever seen. Her coat was the color of bubblegum and wrapped in a silly outfit that didn't seem all that Imperial. It was a mishmash of styles and included a wide collar, fitted skirt and short puffy sleeves. Her mane was made of fluff and curl and jammed into a hat that looked like it was topped with a cup of pudding. Her voice was high and bubbly like a child's. Her mannerisms were quick and dramatic. She would have been entertaining to watch had it not been for the grave news she brought to the village.

"The unicorns have invaded Equestria!" The mare announced. Gasps and whispers swept through the crowd. Mothers pushed their children back into their homes and husbands murmured comforts to their wives.

The pink mare continued, "The Empress requires one earth pony from every family to serve Equestria in this time of need." She drew out a large scroll and unrolled it. The parchment fell to the ground and trailed away. The mare cleared her throat and began calling families.

"Family of Caramel Coat."

A light brown earth stallion stepped away from his wife and received a scroll from one of the soldiers.

"Family of Apple Cobbler."

A brown mare started forward, but a younger stallion, her son stopped her. He stepped forward and took the scroll instead.

"Family of Iron Song."

Fluttershy gasped in horror and craned her neck to find her father. He was standing near the front gate, leaning on Willow for support. When he heard his name, he stood up tall and stepped forward. His limp was severe, but he showed not a wince of pain as he approached the soldier. He held up the scroll and Iron Will reached forward to take it.

"No!"

Fluttershy appeared between her father and the scroll, her wings outstretched as if shielding him against a rain of arrows.

"Please," she said. "My father has already served the Empress-"

A fluffy pink head suddenly cut of Fluttershy's view of the guard. The pink pudding-head mare jammed her face into Fluttershy's.

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

Fluttershy retreated a pace and bowed deeply. "Please," she said again, looking up at the mare. "My father has already served the Empress. He was badly wounded when-"

"Iron Song!" the mare screeched. "You would do well to teach your daughter to hold her tongue when in public. Not to mention keeping her wings folded in the presence of her superiors." She turned her nose up and away from Fluttershy with a "hmpf."

Misty Willow appeared and pulled Fluttershy backward. Iron Song turned away from her.

"Fluttershy..." he said. "You disappoint me."

Fluttershy gasped and any words that she might have said became lodged in her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her mother brought her back through the gate before they spilled over.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in silence. Neither Willow nor Fluttershy uttered a word as they prepared supper. The air was heavy and somber. Fluttershy couldn't get her ears to stand up straight, and her wings drooped lower than usual. She had changed into a simpler dress and tied her mane back loosely. She was much more comfortable, but couldn't help but wish she could simply wear nothing. Even more so, she wished her father wouldn't go to war.

"Fluttershy," Willow said. "Dinner is ready. Would you fetch your father for me?"

Fluttershy nodded and exited the kitchen. She stood up straight and pretended to walk calmly to find her father. It was dark, and she went to fetch a candle to light her way. When it was lit, she leaned forward to take the handle in her mouth when it was seized by a pair of tiny white paws. Angel bunny held the candle for her. He smiled up at her, and she smiled back. She extended her wing towards him and he hopped across it to her back.

He held the candle high to light her way, and she continued to search for her father.

She peeked into a room and spotted him, but said nothing. She watched him in silence as he lifted an aging but familiar sword. He took the hilt between his teeth and slid it out of the sheath. The metal rung out in the gloom and shone like it was brand new. Iron Song gripped the sword tightly, the blade extending towards his right. He swept his head to the left, slashing the air with the sword. At the end of the sweep he expertly swung the sword around and bit down on the hilt to it pointed the other direction, and he completed the attack with sweep to the right. His movements were slick and well practiced. All his years away from the army hadn't damped his memory in the slightest.

He continued the rightward sweep to form a deadly spin. He flipped the sword again so it pointed forward and he made to to perform a finishing stab, but he jerked and cried out in pain. The sword fell from his mouth and clattered to the ground. Fluttershy pulled away and hid outside the door for fear that he might see her. He groaned and leaned against one of the wooden support beams. Fluttershy shielded the light of the candle with her wing and listened to her father trying to catch his breath.

Fluttershy couldn't accept that he was leaving.

He can't go, she thought. He'll die...