Stretch across the northern border of the noble land of Equestria stood one of the greatest constructs of the Melody Dynasty. Grand Empress Octavia commanded that a great wall be erected between Equestria and the frozen wastes to the north. The wall was strong and built to defend. Soldiers patrolled it constantly, leaving no stretch unguarded for an instant.
One night, the wind was especially chilly against a young soldier's face. He fluffed his scarf up around his neck and adjusted his helmet in an attempt to defend himself from the cold. He looked up. The sky was black with clouds; it looked like it was going to snow. The soldier thought briefly of the fresh spring that his hometown must be enjoying, but felt not a twinge of homesickness. He stood up a little taller, forgetting the cold wind. His country needed him to protect her border, and it was an honor to do so in the name of Empress Octavia.
He drew his sheathed sword closer to his side and continued on. The only sounds were his hooves against the stone and frozen wind in the flags.
Something suddenly struck the back of the soldier's helmet, and it clattered to the ground. He looked up and saw a large black bird sweeping past him and perching nearby. It gave a loud screech, and a flock of hooks appeared over the wall. The clattered to the floor and drew back, hooking on to the edge of the wall. The ropes attached to them went taut. The soldier didn't wait to see who was pulling themselves up the wall. He turned and sprinted for the nearest guard tower.
Before he could call out, a horned head appeared around the edge of the wall and shot a beam of fiery red at the soldier's neck. As a soldier of Equestria, he was trained extensively in battle with unicorns and their magic. He dodged the shot and brought one hoof up to his attacker's horn and another between her forelegs. With one swift motion he turned the unicorn on her head, effectively stunning her and removing her from his path.
"Light the signal!" he cried to the tower. "The unicorns are invading! Light the-"
The door to the tower opened, revealing two unicorns where two earth pony soldiers should have been. The soldier dodged their attack and scurried up a nearby ladder to the top of the tower. He barely reached the top before the unicorns below him disintegrated the ladder. As the ladder fell apart beneath him, he jumped and caught the edge of the tower, pulling himself over before the unicorns below could take another shot at him.
He snatched a torch from it's iron stand and turned to throw it into the timber basin, but stumbled back in surprise when a huge figure vaulted itself over the wall. The light of the torch illuminated a large, black unicorn. His eyes were sickly green with blood-red irises and purple mist trailing from the back edges. His horn was wickedly curved and sharp. It bore a heated red color that stood out against his shadowy mane and obsidian armor. The wind tore at his battered red cape and he smiled, revealing a row of unnaturally sharp teeth.
King Sombra. The soldier had heard much about the Empress's greatest enemy, but seeing him in person was an entirely different, and terrifying, experience. The soldier wasted no more time. He cast the torch into the oiled timber, and the signal was set ablaze in less than a second. The flames towered high and bright. In the next tower over, another fire flared up in response, then the next tower, and the next, until the wall was a growing snake of flame.
The soldier stared hard into Sombra's eyes.
"Now all of Equestria knows you're here," she said.
Sombra smiled a little wider. His horn glowed with a black aura, and a nearby flag began to float. Sombra tipped it into the fire, and the Equestrian insignia was engulfed in flame. Sparks spewed from the fire like tiny red comets.
Sombra chuckled. "Perfect."
The commander of the Equestrian army sprinted up the steps of the Imperial palace. He was a strong but aging earth pony. His coat, once a deep golden brown, was well on it's way to becoming a deep gray. He was covered head to hoof in gold-accented armor, more symbolic than functional. A great red cape trailed behind him, and his helmet sprouted two long feathers colored to look like a Phoenix's.
The Empress waited for him in the throne room, having received word that the commander had urgent news for her. He burst through the doors and barely managed to get his helmet off in time to bow respectfully.
"Your Majesty," he panted. "The Unicorns have invaded our northern border."
"Nonsense," screeched the Empress's counsel, who stood beside her. She turned her nose up, her fluffy pink locks bouncing with every movement. "Nopony can penetrate the Great Wall."
"Pinkie Pie," Empress Octavia said, holding out a hoof to silence her. "Enough."
"King Sombra is leading them," at this, the Empress became tense. "We're setting up defenses around your palace as we speak," the commander said.
"No!" Octavia stepped down from her throne and closer to the commander. "Send your troops to protect my citizens! Pinkie Pie," the pink pony perked up. "Deliver conscription notices throughout the land. Call up as many new recruits as you can."
"With respect," the commander said. "I believe my forces can stop him."
"I won't take any chances." Octavia held her head back with royal dignity, and stood a little taller. "A single grain of wheat can tip the scale. A single pony can mean the difference between victory and defeat."
"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.
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...
Willow, Iron Song, Granny Smith, and Fluttershy sat on different sides of the perfectly square dinner table. The sounds were those of plates and bowls as they were eaten from. Fluttershy glanced up from her food. Everypony was focused on their plates. Nopony looked up and nopony uttered a word.
Fluttershy raised a teacup to her mouth and thought about the day. She remembered hearing her father's name and running out to beg for his pardon. She remembered the pink representative from Canterlot and how she chirped down at her, how she shot down any hope of passing over her father, how her father received the neat little scroll. The neat little scroll that condemned her father to death.
Iron Song, Willow, and Granny Smith jumped in surprise when Fluttershy slammed her teacup down on the table.
"You can't go, father!" she said.
"Fluttershy-"
She stood up from her seat. "You've already served in the Empress's army!"
"I have a duty to my country and to my Empress," he replied calmly.
"So you'll die for a mare you've never met?"
"Fluttershy!" Iron Song's voice flared up in anger. He rose from his seat. "I would not expect you to understand the duty of an earth pony!"
Fluttershy's wings opened slightly in her excitement. "But father-"
"I know my place!" he yelled. "Perhaps it's time you learned yours, pegasus."
Fluttershy flinched. She stared at him a moment, then fled the room. Her mother called after her, but she didn't listen. She burst through the front doors of their home and stumbled onto the porch. She sobbed heavily and tears blinded her. After wiping them away with her sleeve, she became aware that it was raining. Her head drooped and her mane spread out on the ground. The pink waves flowed down the steps and into the rain.
The glow of a candle behind the window caught Fluttershy's eye and she looked up from her perch. She was soaked through. Her clothes clung tightly to her sides and bits of her mane flowed down her face like tiny streams. A large statue of a dragon served as her chair. The large stone head blocked a little bit of the rain, but not much.
In the window, Fluttershy could see the silhouettes of her parents. Her mother seemed upset. Iron Song placed a hoof on her shoulder and tried to draw her close, but she broke away and left the room. He stood alone for a moment before picking up the candle. He blew on it, and the window went dark.
Her mother knew. She knew that when Iron Song put on his armor and reported for duty, she would never see him again. Willow was just as upset as Fluttershy, but she knew to keep silent. She knew to swallow her tears. She knew to bow her head and to accept it.
But Fluttershy could not.
A small red spark flashed in the shrine as Fluttershy lit a stick of incense with a candle and placed it in the holder above. She bowed and said a prayer. She didn't know when she would get another chance to pay her respects to the Phoenix. Angel bunny appeared at the entrance of the shrine. He was soaked to the bone. He had been looking for her for the past half hour.
Lightning struck, and Fluttershy turned tail and ran out of the shrine. Angel caught hold of her tail and climbed onto her back. He clung to her neck against the cold of the rain.
Fluttershy entered the house with an urgent spring in her pace, but she was also very quiet. Inside her parent's room, she found them both fast asleep. The scroll sat on top of the bedside table. Fluttershy tucked it under her wing and placed her hair comb in its stead.
She began to leave, but paused to glace back at her parents one last time. It would be quite some time before she would see them again. Angel couldn't figure out what was going on. As he squeezed moisture from his fur he repeatedly prodded Fluttershy with his foot for an explanation, but she ignored him.
She retreated to another room that was bare save for an old wardrobe. She opened it. The storm raged outside, and a flash of lightning revealed her father's armor hanging proudly in the wardrobe. Fluttershy set Angel down beside her and removed the armor from its stand.
At this point, Angel could guess what she was doing, and he flailed in panic. Fluttershy silenced him with a gentle pat on the head. His ears drooped behind his head and he watched helplessly as Fluttershy shed her delicate dress to make way for the sturdy tan-colored robe. She wrapped it around her and tied it tightly over her wings. Piece by piece she applied the armor. The metal was black as night but light as a feather. She fashioned the green scarf around her neck and held out the final piece to Angel.
"Angel, would you do me a favor?" She asked quietly. "Could you tie my mane up?"
Angel glanced at the item. It was a long green ribbon, the kind that Imperial warriors wore into battle. He gulped, nodded, and took the ribbon.
Lightning flashed again, and Fluttershy now stood tall in the gloom, completely changed. No longer was she the delicate pegasus mare of before. Clad in Imperial armor, mane tied back into a soldier's bun, she now had the stature of a wingless warrior. She fastened the sword around her midsection and stuffed Angel into a saddlebag with the scroll and a few other supplies.
She burst through the doors of her home and into the storm. She ran to the gate and kicked it open with her hind legs. Before she could have second thoughts, she disappeared into the sheets of rain and lightning.
There was no pony around to see her flight. No pony at all. But there was a phoenix. A very special kind of phoenix. The kind that sees everything. It's said that the oldest ponies have a special connection with the Guardians, and as such they are treated with the utmost respect by society.
Despite how odd she seemed, Granny Smith was no exception. The moment Fluttershy broke away from the front gate, Granny awoke from her slumber with a start.
She appeared moments later in Iron Song and Willow's room with a lantern. She awoke them with the light and a call.
"Fluttershy is gone!" she cried.
Iron Song sat up in bed, fully awake. "What? What do you-" He spotted her hair comb on his bedside table and noticed that it was exactly where his summons should be. He took the comb gently in his hoof, praying a million prayers that what he was seeing was only a dream.
He limped as fast as he could to the wardrobe that held his armor. He flung open the doors. Empty.
"No..."
He ran, or as close to running as he could achieve, to the courtyard. He limped into the rain called out desperately,
"Fluttershy!"
He lost his strength and tripped against the muddy ground. He fell, and Willow rushed to his side.
"We have to go get her. Serving in the Imperial army... she could be killed!"
She started to stand, but Iron Song pulled her back down.
"No," he said. "Pegasi are forbidden to serve...If we reveal her, she will be killed."
Granny Smith watched from the porch as Willow lowered her head in anguish.
"Guardian of rebirth," she said quietly. "Her our prayer...Watch over Fluttershy. Keep her safe."
In the shrine, the candle stuffed out. The letters carved into the statue began to glow with dim, hot light. Embers beaded in the carvings and fell to the floor, shattering into a dozen smaller pieces of light. The embers very suddenly burst into flame, and fire swirled into itself, forming a shape like a cocoon. The fire spread out in opposite directions, like the cocoon was sprouting arms.
As quickly as it appeared, the fire began to dim. The flickering form solidified, and when the flames were gone in their place was the magnificent form of a large red bird. It was deep red and yellow, and transparent like a ghost. The bird fluttered its wings, sending sparks this way and that.
When it was settled comfortably on the statue of itself, it looked to the bronze incense holder.
