Time was a funny thing. Before her new life as a dog Fluttershy's time was measured out into caring for her animals, various social appointments and occasionally saving the world with her friends.

As a ‘dog’ with no specific need to do anything on a day to day basis she found that time had lost meaning as she often just drifted from one day to the next without doing anything of any worth to anyone, including herself.

As this went on her memories also became fragmented. Whenever she would look back on her days in this place, apart from a few significant events, most of her memories were just a big random jumble. Most of those fragments were not really connected to any particular day or moment, but for some reason, a particular few stuck out as being worthy of remembrance.

Fluttershy and Paul were out in the garden, playing fetch. Normally this would be a perfectly regular activity for a man and his dog, but when that dog is actually a small, fully sentient pony things can be a bit different. For starters she would often sigh and watch the ball as it flew off, she would then look at Paul and occasionally ask,

"If you want the ball so much why do you keep throwing it away?" This would sometimes be followed up with a sullen "You threw it, you go get it."

Paul on the other hand would look at her and say "Get the ball Flossy!" in a far more excited manner than Fluttershy felt it justified. He would then look at her with a confused, almost hurt expression that said 'why aren't you getting the ball? Dogs love balls right?'

Fluttershy would then finally give in and go get the ball to Paul's immense pleasure. This process would then repeat. A lot, to Fluttershy's growing annoyance.

Fluttershy had watched quite a lot of TV in her time here, especially since she had worked out the secrets of the remote, and had grown fond of something called Disney.

In these films she had discovered that the heroines often had animal companions and seemed to have the same ability to communicate with them as she did although they often did it through song.

"Maybe...instead to trying to talk to these people I should try singing?" she said brightly after watching the 'whistle while you work' song from Snow White. What she had possibly failed to realise is that cartoons and reality seldom mix and that her trying to sing to humans was probably not a fool-proof method of communication.

Paul was at work and Janet was off somewhere on some mysterious errand at a place that hadn't been explained very well since people rarely divulged their plans to the family dog. Since she was alone it gave her time to find a song that they might recognise. She would have used one of her old songs but pony songs only really happened on the spur of the moment and annoyingly were often duets leaving her one pony short.

Flicking through the channels she tried to find the perfect song, and eventually found one although she would have to be a bit creative with the lyrics to get her message across. She had made her plan, now all she had to do was wait.

After an hour and thirty seven minutes (in her excitement she had ended up looking at the clock every 10 seconds), Janet finally returned home and was surprised to see Fluttershy waiting by the door. Before she could say anything Fluttershy took a deep breath and started singing.

"Hey hey everybody, I need to shout, that the fact I'm a pony is what this songs about!"

"Flossy." Janet tried to interrupt but Fluttershy continued.

"Yeah, you thought I was a dog, but you’re wrong in every way,"

"Flossy!"

"So now listen up as I explain through song today! I got hooves, not paws. I can open all yours doors, if you look inside my mouth I got a different kind of jaw. If you thought that was different then how about these things, if you look a little closer they are a pair of-"

"FLOSSY!" Janet did not look happy right now.

"Wings?" Fluttershy trailed off dropping to the floor with her ears folded back.

"I know you must be excited to see me but do you really need to howl like that? Honestly, what must the neighbours think?" she said before walking further into the house.

Howling? That's what they heard? She face-hoofed, of course that's all they heard. Dogs made dog noises, what other noises could they possibly make? Well that plan was a bust.

"I like your hair by the way!" she shouted after the retreating Janet. "You could have just said you’re going to the spa."

"Go on Flossy! Get the ball!"

Fluttershy sighed and slowly trotted after the ball. This was ridiculous! She should be throwing the ball for a dog, not reduced to fetching the ball like one. She sat down next to the ball and stared at it. Such a small thing to have such power over both men and dogs, and here she was, neither man nor dog yet forced to bow to the every whim of this sphere of domination.

Maybe she should keep it. Make it hers until such a time that she bend it to her will, make her the thrower and man the fetcher.

"C'mon Flossy! Fetch the ball!"

Or not.

Paul had taken Fluttershy out into the countryside which was a pleasant change of pace for both of them. Fluttershy, because she hadn't been out in the wild in ages and Paul, because he had neglected to tell Janet where he was going and had mysteriously forgotten his mobile. Fluttershy had never seen him smile so much.

So far all had been pleasant enough although the sight of an entire flock of sheep staring at her had unnerved her for some time. That of course might have just been the sheep being sheep but she wasn't about to go find out.

As they walked along eventually they came across a creature that didn't look familiar while somehow it looked far too familiar all at once. It was big and brown with a hairy mane and tail. It also had hooves like hers which probably should have been the biggest clue.

Paul stopped by the creature which was at eye level with him. "C'mon then Flossy, say hello to the horsey."

Horsey? That's a horse? It was at least three times the size of her; even Big Mac would be dwarfed by this giant of a thing! She took a few steps closer to it and looked into its big brown eyes. The look that was returned didn’t exactly display the heights of equine intelligence she was used to dealing with.

"Um, hello there mister horse, sir." She waited expectantly for an answer. Nothing. She walked right up to the fence and stood on her hind legs, resting her fore-legs on the fence. This gave her an unrivalled view of its neck since its head still towered over her.

"Sorry, you might not have heard me down there. I said hello mister horse." She waited again and this time she did get a reaction, although not one she wanted.

The horse whinnied, revealing a set of very large and yellowed teeth, which then clamped down on the top of her mane. She leapt back with a 'yeep!' leaving quite a few strands of hair in its mouth.

"You’re a cannibal!? No wonder I've never seen any other horses around! You’re all eating each other!" The horse just chewed on what hairs it had gotten before sticking its tongue out in an attempt at spitting them out. Meanwhile Paul was just stood there seeming very amused by what was happening.

"It’s not funny Paul! That horse just tried to eat me!" Paul seemed unmoved by her plight so instead she turned her fury to the horse. "You! You do not eat other ponies you monster! If I ever catch you doing that again I'll be sure to tell your mother what you've been up to!"

The horse shook its head at her before finding some grass to nibble on.

"That's right. Grass, not ponies." She tried to wipe some of the slobber off her head with a hoof. "Great, and now I need a bath again. Thank you very much."

Paul started to pull on her lead then prompting her to start moving. She followed him confident in the knowledge she'd rather be a dog, than that.

"Fetch the ball Flossy!"

"I'm going, I'm going!" She said while trotting after the ball. It was strange but she found her resistance to not getting the ball dwindling. Somehow the task of retrieving the ball was becoming something that she was starting to get used to and almost enjoy.

Maybe Paul would enjoy it as well if only he would try it. She picked up the ball in her hoof and looked at it for a moment.

"Hey Paul! Catch!" She threw the ball and watched it sail majestically through the air just to see it descend and neatly smack him between the eyes. "Oh...um, sorry Paul...it was an accident."

Luckily the ball was only a tennis ball and wasn't exactly hard by any definition. All it really did was stun him.

"Uh...good throw, Flossy." he muttered

Fluttershy had a bowl of strawberries. She had found them on the patio table and had quickly claimed them as her own. She hadn't had strawberries for months so finding a bowl full of them was clearly a sign that was universe was starting to forgive her for whatever transgression she had committed to get here.

She was lying on the patio, with the bowl between her legs and was about half-way through them when Janet emerged onto the patio and saw her gorging herself on the little red berries.

"Flossy! Are you...eating my...strawberries? Huh?" clearly struggling to believe what her eyes were trying to tell her.

"Their nof your thwarbewwies, their my thwarbewwies." Fluttersy replied with her mouth full.

"Stop eating them right now!" Janet snapped before bending down to grab the bowl off her. Fluttershy turned away from her, still clutching the bowl and without realizing she was doing it she growled at Janet. It was a pretty feeble growl but Janet seemed to get the idea. Janet backed off before trying to grab the bowl again, which elicited another growl from Fluttershy.

Janet stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do before she took the easy route of deferring the problem and punishment duty to someone else, namely Paul.

"When Paul gets home you’re in big trouble young lady!" she said with a sniff before strutting back into the house.

Fluttershy didn't care. She thought, correctly, that Paul would probably just laugh about it. But even if he did carry out some form of punishment it wouldn't matter to her. Fluttershy had strawberries, that's what was important right then.

"You ready to get the ball?" Paul held the ball above his head and was twitching his arm, pretending to throw it.

"I'm ready! I am so ready! I was born ready!" she replied whilst trotting on the spot. "Throw the ball already!"

Even Fluttershy would have to admit this kind of behavior was far from the norm for her but her time playing fetch was exciting when the rest of her day was often spent lounging around doing nothing. As time went on she now found herself relishing the brief chase, mostly because it was entertaining just to do something. A smaller part of her also enjoyed the simplicity of it, she was the dog, so she fetched! It was so simple it was almost criminal. Another part also realized that all the dog food and late night snacks was giving her a pudge and so she needed the exercise, but that part tended to stay quiet if it knew what was good for it.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon throw the ball!" Paul did so and she chased after it, haring up the garden and into the bushes where the ball had landed. She dove in looking around but was unable to find it. She turned around and around before finally spotting it wedged between the branches of one of the bushes. She headed into the bush and was about to grab the ball when she heard something.

"Fluttershy! Fluttershy can you hear me?"

Fluttershy's ear twitched. That’s not Paul...

"Fluttershy are you there? Can you hear me?

"Twi...Twilight?"

"Hey! I think I heard something that time!" came Pinkies voice from nowhere.

"Pinkie! Where are you?" Fluttershy shouted desperately.

“You sure this things working sugarcube? All ah can hear is a load of fuzzy sounding noise.”

“Applejack! I’m here! Please listen to me!”

"Ugh, your right, I still don't think she can hear us and even if she can we can’t hear her. We still need a way to boost the power further without destabilizing the portal; Spike, take down a not-."

"Twilight! Twilight! I can hear you! Please! Please don't...go..." She was in tears now as her friends voices faded.

Was...Was that even real? Or am I losing my mind? Both possibilities presented her with confusion and worry. She sat there for a while unmoving as her brain failed to comprehend just what had happened. Eventually the sound of Pauls voice broke through the fog clouding her thoughts.

"C'mon Flossy! What’s taking so long?" Without really thinking she picked up the ball in her mouth and carried it to Paul, dropping it at his feet before she trotted on into the house.

She really didn't want to play right now.

Author's Note

If this makes sense I'm clearly not doing my job right.

Anyway onto the penultimate chapter. (Not including the epilogue)