The Christmas Addition

Fluttershy’s Cottage had always been a haven  for animals. Even before it was built the land where her home now occupies had a rich history. At the oldest time remembered it used to be a hovel, a hollowed out hill near the edge of town that housed a very strange amalgamation of creatures, from voles to robins, from lizards to wolves and their cubs. It was almost as if this place had a destiny, that it was fated to be a shelter for all animals that would broach its hallowed walls.

It was by no small amount of luck that many years before the Everfree ever was tainted or the Princess’ separated, that three rather large oaks stood as silent sentinels over the entrance to that section of forest. Again, by no small amount of fated ‘happenstance’ a family of travelers happen to come across these tree’s while exiting the forest after a long journey from the original capital city of Canterlot.

Upon exiting the forest, the father saw the wonderful shelter that the oaks provided and decided to have his family stay for the night under their mighty canopy.  What the father didn’t know, or account for, was that this area had not been monitored by weather ponies from the capital. And the construction of a new cloud city had taken most of the pegasi from across the new nation regardless.

In effect, this had left several storms to rage and one such particular one spread slowly over the unsuspecting family and the majority of the giant valley before them by nightfall.  With the moons rising came blistering cold winds and as the snow fell, the banks seemed to rise out of nowhere, taking from them the warmth of the earth.

Surely had the youngest son not stumbled , fallen, and broken through a dirt wall into the hovel they might just have frozen. Fortunately the scream of their youngest sent the family into the hole after him. They soon stood in the midst of several hundred species of local animal and not a hair moved in those first moments.

After several moments of silence the youngest sneezed, shivered, and began to whimper. One of the large wolves off to the side, hearing the whimpering cries of a child and thinking of her young, stepped forward slowly to nuzzle at the childs back.  After the initial shock the child playfully grabbed at the wolves hair and cuddled into its chest as it sat down.  It took mere moments for other animals to approach. The birds swarmed over the hole in the ceiling and it slowly shrank from their combined nest building tactics. The three bears that had been sleeping relinquished a small opening between them where the family could rest together. Still chattering in their teeth and scared mostly witless the family took what they could and rested with the animals. It was an experience that even at such an age the youngest, a small colt, would never forget.

Several decades later a colt returned to that hovel and found several of the animals he had seen before.  The young child had grown, but he had not forgotten the unbiased kindness he had been shown in his families most desperate moment. He spoke with the animals, not knowing if they would understand but filling his heart with hope.

To his great happiness they seemed to know what he was doing when he began cutting down the giant oak tree’s and plowing the area around the hill, readying it for a foundation. The bears came and helped to move logs, the birds cleared brush, the foxes dusted and packed earth. It was as if the forest knew itself that this project held some importance. The colt had known ever since the night his family had been saved. For every night since he had dreamed of this place had dreamed the home he was building and knew. This was something he was fated to do.

It took nary on a year for the work of the earth to be done and for him to begin building the cottage that had been the focus of his dreams.  Three days after the cottage had been completed he began work on fake trees inside the home, dens made into exterior rooms he had built onto the original walls, and other such shelters. For he had always known that someday he would return the favor the animals had done for him and his own.

It took almost another three months for all the additions to be complete as best as his mind could show him each night. Though he rarely admitted it, there was always a part of the cottage missing that he could never figure out. A few weeks after the colt had passed his 26th birthday and 5th year in his new home he heard a commotion coming from just outside his home and rushed into the backyard when his pet wolf began to growl.

What he found amongst the snow and wreckage of one of his fences was a cream colored Pegasus mare with what looked to be a broken wing struggling to break away from his broken fence. It took the colt a only a moment to realize the fence was moving and another for him to make the connection that the scattered timber and sap was not the wreckage of a fence, but the body of a fabled timber wolf.

Thanks to quick thinking on his part the wolf was chased away with a torch and the mare carefully brought inside by a bear that had been hibernating nearby and awoken from the noises.  Wide-eyed the whole time a bear carried her, the pegasus mare squeaked out and nearly fainted when finally set onto the couch within the cozy cottage.

The next morning she awoke to a warm compress and bandaged wing, tea and buttered biscuits with greens to spread. After munching on the food left and hearing a steady thudding from outside the young mare followed the sound and eventually wound up in the back area of the cottage watching a rather handsome colt chop wood and talk to himself.

She blushed rather hotly when he spoke out-loud about her saying “Okay Forest, its no big deal. You saved a beautiful mares life last night, *chop* said gorgeous mare is sleeping on your couch right now, *chop* you actually cooked for her *chop* you are getting worked *chop* up over *chop* this and it's not good for *chop* you.” Forest Rain, the youngest of his family, continued to talk to himself until his arms felt weak from chopping and he finally sat down. It was then that he turned at the squeaking noise he finally heard and saw the mare sitting with wide eyes and stiff wings, a blush burning across her face. She winced at her wings stiffness and he forgot himself as he rushed over.

“Are you alright?”

He heard her voice for the first time and his pupils dilated, “T-thank you. I-I feel fine. I’m just cold…c-could…could you please make me more soup? I’m lost….”

Her name was Lilac Winds and she was the most beautiful mare Forest had ever seen. In that moment, and every moment there after.

After time they grew close and Forest learned she had been scavenging for herbs in the forest when she had come across timber wolves of all things. She lived in a very small village of farmers in the valley near the forest and had come rushing back but lost her way.  The wolf had followed and caught up with her quickly, injuring her wing before she crashed through his fence and he had saved her life.

The months went by as they grew closer, Forest often taking trips into the town to deliver sleds of wood accompanied by wolves and foxes carrying gifts of furniture or quilts made for the farming community. No one ever saw him take more than three steps into town without Lilac Winds by his side. It’s even said that one winter he helped save an apple farmer’s wife and family from freezing by donating wood and helping to rebuild their damaged farmhouse. All with Lilac by his side.

Years later, the small village that had steadily grown, let go of one of their own as Forest Rain and Lilac Winds were married, and moved into the cottage where they had met as their marital home.  Of course never a week went by when they were not in town tending to the farmers animals or the villagers pets. It seemed that Lilac had quite the affinity for animals and ended up receiving a rabbit as a birthday gift from a litter she had helped to birth.  Yes, Forest with his wolf and Lilac with her rabbit made quite the sight everywhere they went but it was always for certain that they loved each other.  After long years in the cottage they began to spend more time in the village and even built a house there should they ever decide to stay, and, as most do in time when they are in love, they bore a child and moved into the village to be closer to the community that would help raise their beloved pegasus daughter.

Her name was Fluttershy.

And after she was born, her father, Forest Rain, dreamt every night of great things his daughter would do. Of the life his family would make together.

It is on this very night, as the snow falls slowly down over Ponyville that Fluttershy closes the book that tells of her families history and pulls Angel closer for a moment to tell him she loves him. The rabbit, feeling particularly nostalgic after hearing about his own mother being with Lilac, gripped Fluttershy lovingly and motioned for the door.  Stretching Fluttershy understood and nodded.

“I think that’s a great idea Angel bunny. Lets keep with my families tradition and go visit our friends. Maybe they could use a quilt.”  She smiled, wrapped Angel partially in the scarf around her neck so he sat between her shoulder blades and trotted out the front door, following the same hoovesteps her parents had with the trail that lead to Ponyville.

As the snow fell silently around Fluttershy and Angel bunny, the crisp crunch of her hoovesteps being the only sound, the lights of Ponyville slowly danced into view.