"Don't hit me again, daddy!"
"Help! Someone help me!"
Fluttershy, the youngest of four hoofball-playing brothers, cried under the covers of her bedroom. She shivered not out of coldness, but out of fear. Her wing was wrapped up in bandages from her last beating which involved her dad, who she thought she could trust, and a flight of stairs. She would have to lie to her friends at school and say she fell. The poor pegasus filly would have to live like this forever it seems. Lying to her friends about her father.
Every night, her father would come home drunk off his plot and beat up Fluttershy. Her brothers were silenced in their rooms afraid of being beaten. Even when her father wasn't drunk, he would beat the poor baby filly up. Sometimes Fluttershy was protected by her mother. She loved her mother and her brothers more than anything in Equestria. Her father beat them all up, but mostly Fluttershy. No one knew why, though. He just got a relief from hitting others.
She sat in her room with the door locked and held her head in her hooves. This isn't your fault, she told herself over and over again. Fluttershy covered herself with her blanket to shop the excessive shivering. This was a normal night for her. She cried herself to sleep once again.
The next morning was usually a relief for Fluttershy and her family. Her father went to work at a shop at downtown Cloudsdale with a few other pegasi. Mornings are peaceful and quiet, until the boys wake up. Her older brothers were a colorful bunch, each on the hoof-ball team and all were Junior Speedsters. Her brothers were quadruplets, which were common in the pegasus race.
The oldest brother was Achilles. He was dark green and had black and red hair. He had red eyes that had a demonic look to them. His wings had to be fused with gold because they were nearly broken off.
The second oldest was Chocolate Breeze. He was brown and he had burgundy hair. His eyes were a neon green. He spent all of his free time flying around Cloudsdale at impeccable speeds. He was the fastest of his family.
The third oldest was Moonshimmer. He was a lovely purple and his hair was a vivid blue. He was the studious one who seemed to study about pegasi.
The youngest was Shadow Dreams. He was a dark green-blue pegasus with jet black hair and purple eyes. Him and Fluttershy have the most heartfelt conversations, but he was he liked to be alone most of the time.
As for their mother, she was the kindest pony ever. She did everything to support her fillies. Every night when they were younger, she would read them stories about fighters and warriors that defended Celestia. Fluttershy looked up to her as her idol. She gave Fluttershy the love she was never given by her father. Of course, her mother couldn't go to school with her. Fluttershy knew this and didn't fight every morning when the school bell rang. She trotted into school with pride and a big smile on her face. Everyday she would raise her hoof as high as she can and she would answer the questions. She had plenty of friends and everyone loved her and her peppy attitude. She seemed to be the perfect filly.
Yet the others didn't know about her home life.
No one was allowed in the house from the outside at all. The boys and Fluttershy were forbidden to bring any friends home from school. They still went to school because Dad was a firm believer of education. If the fillies got grades lower than A-, he would whip them and nearly destroy them. Achilles brought home a B+, and Dad tore apart his wings. That's why his wings were fused with a gold metal of some sort.
The father set all sorts of curfews and restrictions. But while he was away, the mother would sneak out and get her fillies a present or fly and get food. This was all secretive, though. If this was to become known to Dad, only Celestia knows what he would do.
~~
Fluttershy ran home quickly from school. She had to hurry before Dad got home, and she couldn't fly, due to the broken wing. Mother was waiting for her by the window. "Mom!" Fluttershy shouted at the top of her lungs. She bolted through the front door. "Is Dad home yet?" She asked, trying to catch her breath. "He is on his way." Mom sighed heavily. She dreaded the days when Dad was flown home because he was too drunk to focus correctly. "You better hurry upstairs and stay outta trouble, honey. We don't want both of your wings broken."
"Anything for you, mother. I love you." Fluttershy said, clutching her mom tightly before they heard the front door break on the floor like shattered glass. In stumbled the father with a beer bottle and tired eyes.
"What the fuck are you still doing down here, you stupid filly?" He screamed at Fluttershy.
"Um.." Fluttershy hushed up.
"SPEAK UP" He hiccuped. His beer splashed on the silky cloud floor. He turned to look at his wife.
"You, whats-your-name..." He slurred, his eyes rolling.
"Me? My name is Camille, your wife." Mom said. She was frightened of his next actions.
"Bitch, I don't care who or what you are or your name, clean up...." Dad dropped to the floor, clearly passed out.
"Leave him here, Fluttershy. Go hide in Achilles' room. When your father awakens, he is gonna be very mad at you. Go quickly, baby." Camille said. She had worry in her voice.
Fluttershy ran to her older brother's room. Achilles was hanging out with his brothers when he heard a faint knock at the door. Fluttershy walked in, tears streaming down her face and fear in her eyes. Achilles knew what this meant and let his baby sister in. The quads shared a room together. Moonshimmer lifted up Fluttershy onto his bed and stroked her back as Chocolate Breeze hovered above her and kissed her gently. "Poor, poor Fluttershy." said Chocolate Breeze. All four of her brothers understood her pain.
The filly told her brothers about how dad called her those obscenities and the spill. The colts listened in awe at what happened to her. Shadow even teared up a bit.
"Listen, sis, grab your stuff outta your room and we can find a place for you in here with us, where it is safe." Achilles said with a gentle smile. He wrapped his arms around the small yellow baby filly and gave her another kiss. She flew out of the room to grab her only possessions: a light pink fluffy blanket with her name sewn onto it, a bunny doll she named 'Angel,' and a pillow that she rest her head on each night after the nightly beating her so-called 'dad' gave her. She had to get Shadow Dreams to help her carry her pillow.
The boys made a bed out of some other blankets in the closet. This was temporary, or at least until Dad calmed down.
Moonshimmer helped her up onto her new bed and covered her up. He gave her a kiss while Achilles handed her Angel. She fixed herself into a comfortable position right after she let out a satisfying stretch.
She felt safe. Not to mention loved for the first time.
"I don't want you leaving this closet," Achilles said, "not even for school. Moonshimmer and Chocolate Breeze will get you food and water in the mornings while Dad is not here. Shadow Dreams will escort you to the bathroom up here whenever you need to, no matter where Dad is. But if he is up here, you hide and not make a peep. Promise?" Achilles spoke gently to her. To her, her brothers would be her fathers.
Weeks passes, and Fluttershy grew very thin. She kept a stash of food under her pillow in case a true emergency happened where she couldn't leave for a few days. Achilles, Chocolate Breeze, Moonshimmer, and Shadow Dreams did their best to make sure their baby sister was protected and well taken care of.
As of their dad, he kept up the antics of coming home drunk and beating all of them. Shadow's wing got badly injured by him a few nights ago, so he had to miss school until he was completely healed. Him and Fluttershy would have long talks about life and what Shadow saw outside of the stuffy closet Fluttershy was trapped in. She imagined him and her brothers flying above Cloudsdale, wind rushing beneath their wings and through their manes, all of the pegasi working together to help keep Equestria in tip-top shape. He told stories about the fillies back in Ponyville that he saw only a few times. Like a filly down at a farm that was Fluttershy's age. Fluttershy longed to get fresh air, but it was just out of her grasp.
~~
The wind blew and shook the whole house. It was a pitch black summer midnight. The boys and Fluttershy were settling in for bed and just talking about the day. School ended weeks ago, so the fillies had a lot of free-time on their hooves. Achilles reached up and turned off the light while wishing everyone a goodnight when they all heard a slam. The boys perked their heads up to listen while Fluttershy sat in her bed on the verge of tears. She knew what this meant.
Dad was home. And he was mad.
"YOU FUCKING WHORE OF A MARE!"
"LEAVE ME ALONE! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"
"YOU GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, BITCH!"
"STAY AWAY FROM FLUTTERSHY AND MY BOYS OR I SWEAR TO CELESTIA..."
Fluttershy recognized this as her mother. She never, in her short life, heard her mother scream before. This made her even more scared than before.
"THAT IS IT!"
That was Dad.
"Let's go look. Fluttershy, stay here." Chocolate demanded. The boys got up and tiptoed quietly out of their room. Out of curiosity, Fluttershy followed, completely disobeying her brother's commands. She wanted to see what was going on, too.
What they saw was their gentle mother, who once spoke only kindness and love to them, who once bandaged their wounds and helped them with anything, who the fillies loved more than anyone else in Equestria, was lying on the floor with a knife in her head and both her wings were snapped clean off.
She was dead.
The fillies stood motionless. Their mother was gone forever. She was taken from them at an instant.
Taken by that devil of a father.
Gone.
"You sick bastard! You soulless bastard!" Achilles screamed. Dad looked at him, than started towards him. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a yellow blur in the way.
"Do not hurt my brothers! Do not hurt me, or anyone else! You are a sad excuse for a father!" You failure!!" Fluttershy screamed so hard her throat hurt.
"DO NOT FUCKING TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!!!" Dad reached for the knife and grabbed Fluttershy by the scruff of her neck.
She knew this was it for her. She was going to be stabbed and killed right there on the spot. Her brothers would probably be killed for this. She was choking and her whole body trembled.
This was the end.
Or so she thought.
She felt a sudden force push her to the ground. She gasped for air like never before. It took a minute for her to refocus on the situation and stand on her skinny legs. She flapped her wings that have completely healed from the breakage a few months ago.
The boys were punching and fighting off their own father to save their baby sister. "Run! Go! As far as you can!" Achilles screamed. She knew he was serious. She flew out the door.
She flew up to her room on the second floor before she began her departure to Ponyville, where she could finally be safe and sound. She grabbed her 3 belongings and wrote a note quickly:
"Dear Achilles, Chocolate Breeze, Moonshimmer, and Shadow Dreams,
Thank you. Thank you for helping me though this terrible life we have. I might have been killed by
that worthless demon we call 'Dad' if it weren't for your kindness and support. I owe my life to you. If you need me, I will be in Ponyville. Cloudsdale, as beautiful as it is, is too dangerous of a city for a filly like me to be living in. If Dad ever found me, I would probably be killed by him. I hope you get this letter. I love you guys so much. You taught me that no matter how rough life can get, you can trust your family to help. Even if there is someone in your family who may end up killing you or your siblings. There is someone who is willing to help you. As you are reading this, I will be probably on my way to Ponyville. Who knows, maybe we will meet again and I can come back to Cloudsdale and be happy with my older brothers once again. We can be reunited. But for now, I wish you good luck and once again, I love you guys. Thank you.
~Fluttershy"
Fluttershy cried as she left the note on the desk. She would most definitely miss her brothers. She knew in her heart that she would see them again. Even for just a visit. She grabbed her stuff, held Angel close to her heart, and she flew out of the window.
She was finally on her way to happiness, to peace...
...to Ponyville.
