Little Butterflyby PiercingSightChaptersPrologueFlyingSlippingBirds of a Feather... (Alternate)PrologueHe lay on his belly in the hallway, the cool floor helping with his nerves. “Ugh,” he thought to himself, “These have been the longest months of my life.” The light brown unicorn with the maroon mane rolled onto his side, not caring who would see, and tried to sleep. He found this to be a vain endeavor, so he opened his eyes, stared into the middle distance, and began to think on the events that led up to this moment... ======================= Galavant Grey, or Grey as he preferred to be called, sat on a mountain ridge just outside Canterlot. The moon shone brightly in the sky, the stars twinkling around it. It had just risen, but Grey hadn’t noticed. He was busy staring at his front right hoof, which was bleeding from having been beaten against rocks. There were dried tears on his cheeks. His breath was shallow and stuttered. He had been screaming, yelling, at no one. No one heard his rage filled mourning. No one cared. There was no one to care. He thought back to where he had just been. He was at a funeral. It was held in the large and extravagant foyer of the building he had known as 'Home'. There were many rows of seats, and there were press ponies with cameras and pads and pencils surrounding everything. The funeral was his father’s. But that wasn’t why he was mourning. No, It was something else entirely. Throughout the entire procession, no one wept. He sat there as multiple other businessponies went up and spoke about his father and how great he was. Not a single tear was shed by any in attendance. And it was this moment that hit him. He was sitting here, surrounded by ponies who just didn’t care. His father had built up Grey’s future around these ponies, and built him into the business world. It was at this moment he realized that if he stayed in this world, no matter how successful he was, no matter how hard he worked, no pony would cry at his funeral. No pony would care about him. Rage filled him as he stormed out of the building. He wandered the streets, and ultimately ended up out here, on the edge of the rock face, where he began his mourning. When he was younger, his father was... cold, to say the least. Wanting his son to be a businesspony. Prestigious, wealthy, and a good holder of the name 'Galavant Grey'. It was his father's name, and he despised it. His father was cruel, stern, and wouldn't tolerate the slightest misstep in the world of 'high-class gentleponies'. And so young Grey was forced to live a life that was just as cold, stern, intolerant, and unsocial as his father did. Worst of all, Grey had become exactly like his father. The same habits, the same uncaring decision making, the stern lack of tolerance for all things 'improper' and 'low-class'. He was the spitting image of the pony he hated most. And he hated that pony even more for raising him to be such a spiteful figure. He hated himself, and hated knowing that others hated him just as much. Grey glared sharply into the ground, took a deep breath, and stood up. He limped over to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the fields below. They looked soft, welcoming, warm. The bliss of ignorance, of non-existance, and of freedom from his internal strain, invited him cooly below. He took another deep breath. “Beautiful isn’t it?” Grey let out a small yelp as he quickly pulled back from the edge. “Oh! I’m sorry, did I surprise you?” It was a mare’s voice. He didn’t respond. He just stood there taking deep breaths. “Are you okay?” he heard. He listened as hoofsteps behind him got closer. He kept his head down. The hoofsteps stopped next to him, and he heard her sit down. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” she repeated. “What is?” he asked snippily. “The night sky.” “Never noticed,” he said, not even bothering to look up. He didn’t care. “Hey.” He didn’t move. “Hey!” His head snapped up and he looked at her for the first time. He saw a yellow pegasus with a deep orange mane and a light pink, house shaped cutie mark, and she was staring straight at him with her soft, yet piercing, pink eyes. He froze. “Look,” she said, gesturing to the sky with one hoof. He looked forward and saw stars and the moon. “What is it?” he asked, seeing nothing special. “Look up.” He tilted his head back some more until he was looking straight up. Then he saw it... the sky. It filled his entire field of vision. He began to see it all at once now, the twinkling stars, the shining moon, the perfect balance of the lights in the sky, painted across the deep blue canvas, all looking down on him with light. He was suddenly filled with a sense of significance, despite feeling so small. He stared in wonder. “Wow,” escaped his lips. “See? I to- … Is your hoof bleeding?” she asked in shock. “Oh,” he looked down at it, “Yeah, it is.” “Don’t you want to take care of that?” She stood up and walked over to him with concern on her face. “Yeah, I should.” His voice was apathetic. “Come on. Follow me.” “What?” He looked up at her. She was walking towards the city. “I said, follow me,” she said without turning around. Hesitating a little, looking between the ledge, and this strange new mare who had distracted him from it, deciding. Having been temporarily snapped out of his rage, he thought a little more clearly through the decision, and decided to follow her. Each step on his hoof stung a little as they made their way through the streets. They passed through the shop area where all the late night restaurants were still open. He imagined that they were probably filled with some of the ponies from the funeral looking for an excuse to get drunk and badmouth his father, now that he wasn't around to hear. Grey thought it best not to speak on the way, as he didn’t want the conversation to go anywhere near his life, and the mare leading him didn’t seem to mind the silence. They continued walking through various areas until they reached an apartment complex. It was a looped road; around it stood miniature looking two story houses. They began walking towards the one in the back with its lights off. When they reached the house, she opened the door, turned on the light, and walked in. Grey stopped at the door step and looked at his bleeding hoof. “Oh, it’s fine,” she said, “I can clean it up later.” She gestured to the wooden floor. He slowly walked into the small living room. It looked almost bare except a couch, a coffee table, and a few pictures on the wall. “You can lay on the couch while I go get the first aid kit.” She left into what he would have suspected was the kitchen. So he took her advice. He walked over and rolled sideways onto the couch, keeping his front right leg extended past the edge of the cushions. The couch was decently comfortable, he noted. He wondered for a moment whether it was filled with compressed clouds. After all, even living in Canterlot, she was still a pegasus. After a while of waiting and listening, he looked down at his cutie mark. It was a pillar made of clouds. He didn’t remember when he got it, or how. He had no clue what it meant either. He had tried multiple times to decipher it’s meaning, but to no avail. Nothing made any real sense given his lifestyle. Bored of looking at it, he turned back rested his head on the arm of the couch, and let out a deep sigh. “Found it,” the mare said as she walked into the room carrying a small basket of supplies. She trotted over and sat down next to his bloodied hoof. “So what happened?” she asked as she inspected the damage, and began cleaning the cuts. “I...slipped,” he tried to lie. “I wasn’t talking about your hoof,” she stopped working and looked him in the eye. He frowned. Dangit! She’d seen him! She’d HEARD him! Crap! Why couldn’t he just jump? “What did you hear?” he asked trying to be calm. “I didn’t hear anything. I usually go walking out to that ridge at night to see the moonrise. When I got there though, I saw you contemplating a bad decision.” Grey felt slightly more relieved at that, though she did see what he was going to attempt, so she stopped him ... wait … She stopped him?... “What’s your name?” she asked, interrupting his train of thought. She proceeded to apply bandages to the wounds. “Grey.” “What’s your full name?” He hesitated a little, and decided to switch the conversation over to her. “What’s YOUR name?” “Shy Sunflowers”, she said calmly. She was wrapping the last of some gauze around his injured hoof. “You?” “Galavant Grey,” he said before he could stop himself. Shy stopped in her work, leaving a small tail left on the wrappings, and looked at him with wide eyes. “Oh! I am SO sorry! I had no idea!” she gasped. He looked at her in confusion. “Why?” he asked. “I'm sorry! I had no clue! I saw it in the news paper this morning and I had no idea that’s what...” She stopped herself by putting her hoof to her mouth. ‘Why?’ he thought to himself this time. Why did his father have to be his father. Why did he HAVE to be named after his father. He hated his name. How could a name that sounds so formal mean EXACTLY the opposite. He hated himself in this moment. Grey let out a sigh. “It’s fine, it was...”, he began. What was it to him? Good? Bad? He didn’t care? No matter what the answer was, he definitely wasn’t going to tell her. “It’s fine.” “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “No. Really, don’t be. It’s okay,” he said with another sigh. “Okay...” she said hesitantly, getting up from the floor taking the supplies with her. “Shtay hehr,” she said through the handle of the basket, and she walked back out. Grey looked around for a moment, and admired the little room. It was comfortable, and not extravagant. It was… relaxing, he might say. An escape from the larger-than-life world he had been living in. He took a deep breath and tried to get up, but he was interrupted. “No!” Shy had been quicker to put the first aid kit away than to get it, “You’re staying here tonight. You can sleep on the couch.” Grey knew what she was thinking he would do, and knew he couldn’t argue, so he rolled back onto the couch thinking it was just about as comfy as his king-sized bed. “This couch is rather comfortable,” he stated. “Compact clouds,” she responded on her way up the stairs that led over the entryway to the kitchen. “Thought so”, he replied. He closed his eyes, and sighed. In the middle of a small sandwich shop, Shy Sunflower was snickering. She sat across a small table from Grey, who sat there glaring at her while she chuckled at him. “What?” he asked huffily. “Ohoho...nothing,” she said through her giggles. The night before, when Shy had found out he left, she decided to find him and say that in return for her first aid services, he owed her a lunch. Needless to say she succeeded in finding him. “Really! What.” It was more of a command now. He wasn’t amused. He continued to glare as Shy chuckled with her hoof on her mouth. She eventually stopped long enough to talk. “You’ve only known ‘fancy’ haven’t you? You just unfolded and placed a paper napkin at your hooves.” She smiled, almost beginning to laugh again. She managed to keep herself quiet. Grey frowned at her, “Yeah? What else am I supposed to do with it?” “You could just leave it on the table.” She smiled again. “Just leave it on the table?” “Yep!” Her smile didn’t falter. After glaring at her for a moment, and realizing his desire to escape looking even close to ‘fancy’, “Fine...”, he said, using magic to throw the napkin back onto the table, not bothering to fold it back up. Shy giggled again, but only for a short time. Grey normally would not have allowed anypony to talk to him in such a way, but he found Shy so...so... “Here’s your meal!”, a waitress mare interrupted, placing sandwiches on the table. Grey waited until she walked away to comment. “A sandwich?” he asked. “Yep!”, she said again before leaning in a taking a large bite of her’s. Grey inspected his sandwich. It looked hastily thrown together with some of the daisy petals falling out, from the side, onto the plate. “Come on! Don’t tell me you’ve never had a sandwich before,” she said through a half swallowed mouth-full. As it turned out, Shy wasn’t very shy at all. “No. I have, it’s just...” “Not a FANCY sandwich?” she snickered again. Grey let out a small chuckle as well. He instantly realized his mistake. Shy was looking at him with a smile of wonder. ‘Oh, great...’ he thought to himself. He proceeded to glare again. This only made Shy smile even more. He gave in. “Fine...” He leaned down and took a bite. As he began to chew he found it rather good. “Enjoying your sandwich?” Shy asked. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.” He took another bite. “That’s good... and I think you’re making progress.” She smiled, then leaned down and took another bite of her sandwich. Grey raised an eyebrow to that comment. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ he thought, hoping that she could read his face since he was occupied eating. Shy only smiled and continued chewing. “That was a lovely lunch,” Shy said, “Thanks.” She smiled and stood up from her empty plate. “You’re welcome...?” he responded. He stood up as well and left a few bits on the table. “What did you mean by ‘making progress’?” he asked as they walked out. “Oh,” she paused, “I was talking about your behavior. You’re still stuck in ‘fancy’ mode as far as I can see, and it seems rather difficult to turn it off” Grey stopped and thought about that for a second. He’d grown up with a business pony for a father. They had ALL the amenities. They went to ALL the nicest restaurants. They only spoke to certain ponies unless spoken too... As he went through this list in his head, he realized she was right. He wanted a new lifestyle. “Oh...” he said. “I could help you if you’d like,” Shy said with a wink. “You…” “Uh-huh!” “You want to help me... be ‘un-fancy’.” His face took on a look that was half glare, half confusion. “Yep!” She smiled back at his glare. He turned away from her and shook his head, and looked where he was going instead. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Doing things ‘normal’ ponies did, in spite of his father. And another thing... Shy was beginning to intrigue him. “So... how ‘bout it?” she asked. “Sure,” he said, “Thank you for the offer,” he also said, trying to be polite. “See what you just did?” “What?” he looked at her mildly confused. “You said ‘Thank you for the offer’. If you’d have just said ‘Thanks for offering’ or just simply ‘Thanks,’ then that would have been okay, but you went all ‘fancy’ with your words on me. You need to learn to loosen up a bit.” She playfully nudged him in the side. He was almost mad until he realized that only ‘prissy’ ponies would have reacted to such a gesture. “Right... loosen up,” he said out loud with a sigh, trying to get used to the language. “That’s the spirit,” she nudged him again. He nudged her back. She laughed. He let out a small smile... The trees swayed softly against the cyan sky. The noise of the rustling soothing all those that could hear it. Both Grey and Shy were sitting in the grass underneath the trees. An empty basket sat next to them. They had already eaten their sandwiches and were simply enjoying the view of the woods. “You ever sit in dirt before?” Shy asked prepared to giggle. “Nope,” Grey responded with a smile. She giggled. He didn’t care anymore, he had been having fun for the first time in his life, and Shy had helped him do it. Shy slowly got to her hooves and stretched. “Well then, let’s go have some fun.” Grey raised an eyebrow... She turned to him with a sly look, “Catch me.” With that, she bolted into the trees. “HEY! That’s cheating!” He quickly got up onto his hooves and pursued. His eyes searched through the trees. Every few seconds he would see a flash of yellow behind the large trunks, followed by a giggle. He darted towards it only to see another yellow flash elsewhere. So he stopped and waited. He listened, then he heard it... a small chuckle. He darted around a tree to see her trotting away. He followed behind, keeping her in sight this time. When suddenly, she fell. The motion was followed by the sound of a splash. Grey quickly ran over up to the scene, and found that she had fallen into a tiny stream that broke away from the main Canterlot river. She was sitting in the water with an interesting smile on her face as she eyed Grey. “Wha-...” Suddenly one of her wings flared out and he saw a huge torrent of water heading straight for him. He couldn’t duck fast enough, and when he finally did, he had been thrown off balance and slipped into the water. He could hear her laughing over the sound of him trying to stand up in the water. He eventually got to his feet, and tried to glare at her. Shy just laughed harder and fell back into the water. Grey kept his pose, he had a plan. When Shy finally got up and looked at him, he quickly flicked a load of water onto her with his front hooves. She cringed and sputtered as the water hit her face and mane. Now Grey was the one laughing... until he saw her face again. Her eyes were narrowed, and she had a bright smile gracing her features. “Uh oh...” Giggles echoed through the forest as he watched both wings flare to full size... “When!?” he asked frantically. “In a week, this was only a thing for school, a chance to study here. Afterwards I got a summer to chill, then I go back.” She shrugged with a slight frown. Shy Sunflower had been spending her summer helping Grey, but now, she told him in the library, she had to go back home to Cloudsdale. “So you can’t stay?” Grey accidentally let a little desperation slip into his voice. Shy smiled sadly. “Sorry, I can’t... I can’t afford to live here... The school paid for this, not me,” she shrugged again. “But... I could pay for it!” he suggested. Shy smiled even more. “I’m sorry but I need to go back and help my parents now. They’re getting old and I need to be there to take care of them...” she said. Grey tried to come up with something, but he couldn’t. He just stared at her with his mouth half open, waiting to be graced with a brilliant plan, but none struck. His heart sank in his chest, and he lowered his head in defeat. “Hey.” He didn’t move. “Hey!” His head snapped up and he looked at her. What happened next, he did not expect. She kissed him. It took him a second, but he kissed back. Then they parted. “Thanks for the great summer...” she smiled at him. He smiled back. She turned to walk out of the library, “I need to start getting things ready now...” “Wait!” he said quickly, before trotting over to her. He put one hoof over her shoulder and hugged her tight. “Thanks for helping me...” he said. She turned and smiled at him. “Don’t mention it...” she almost whispered back. She shrugged out of his embrace and started out the door. Grey just watched, trying to hold back tears, as that might have been the last time he got to see her. The door closed behind her... Then an idea struck... a crazy idea... His head shot up, his eyes wide with revelation. He was in a library! There had to be something about it in here somewhere, he just KNEW it! Grey darted into the great maze of walls filled with wisdom, determined with a force he’d never felt before. “No running!” somepony harshly whispered towards him as he wizzed past. He ignored them. He was on a mission... ======================= Grey thought about that week, and the crazy amounts of searching. After almost two days he had given up on finding it, until he realized that he didn’t need to find it because it never existed... he needed to MAKE it. He spent the next five days studying everything from ‘Transfiguration’ to the ‘Properties of Gases,’ trying desperately to put a seemingly simple spell together. Eventually, he succeeded. Grey continued to look at the floor... he lifted a hoof, and let it fall. It hit the cloud with a soft thump. He smiled and rolled onto his side again, still remembering that couch. He had created a spell that allowed him to walk on clouds. They were no longer a simple mist through which he would fall, but a solid surface that put a small spring in each step. He smiled into the floor, remembering the look on Shy’s face when she opened the door. Complete shock and confusion. “How … what … HOW!?!” she had managed to sputter out. After he had gotten her calmed down, he explained what he did. Needless to say, she was thrilled... and flattered. ...And eventually, they got got married. Grey smiled at the ceiling, thinking back on their wedding day, and the smile that Shy beamed at him through the entire ceremony. It was a precious memory that would be forever given a place on the most prestigious shelf of his mind. *Click* Grey snapped out of his thought to look up at the noise. It was the door he was waiting for. Out of it came a nurse mare with a soft orange mane. “We’re done,” She smiled at him. He stood up and smiled back. “One moment,” he said. The nurse nodded and walked away down the hall. Grey turned to look back at his cutie mark. He had finally figured out what it meant. The cloud pillar on his flank. He smiled as he turned back and walked up to the door. He opened it slowly, and looked around the corner to see his wife laying on a bed, smiling at him through those soft pink eyes. He noticed that they were near tears when they looked down at something. He followed their gaze into his wife’s arms, and what he saw amazed him. He began to slowly walk around the bed up next to his wife. As he moved, his perspective revealed the face of a small, sleeping, yellow pegasus with a soft pink mane. He smiled as his eyes began to go blurry. “She’s beautiful isn’t she?” his wife said. “Absolutely...” he whispered. The tears began to stream down his face now. He smiled harder, and resisted the urge to dance on his tiptoes. He was a father! The father a little filly pegasus! His smile forced more tears out. “What should we name her?” Shy asked. The thought had never come to his mind. He had always avoided the subject of names. “I don’t...I don’t know”, he tried to think. “I like Butterfly...” his wife whispered. “That’s... nice,” he said, “What about, Sunflower Petals?” “No!” she whispered back almost giggling, “We are not naming her after my fa-...” The small foal in her arms shifted. Their eyes quickly locked onto it. The filly proceeded to stretch out her tiny body, her little appendages extending downward as her mouth began to take the shape of a small ‘O’. A whispering breath was heard as her delicate wings, her short legs, and her eyelids gave a small fluttering movement before her body slowly curled back into place. Her mouth closed around a tiny tongue, gently pushing it back in. Both of her parents were in tears with huge smiles on their faces... “She has your eyes...” Shy said gently. Grey, somehow, smiled bigger then before. He smiled proudly as he watched his daughter sleep through his waterlogged aquamarine eyes. He thought about everything in his life up until that moment, and silently swore to himself that he would never let his daughter suffer what he did. He vowed in that moment to give her the best life a little filly could be given. Grey looked down onto his daughter with joy. He leaned down to his wife and kissed her cheek. “Fine,” he said softly, “We’re naming her after you...” “...Fluttershy.” His wife smiled, forcing more tears out of her already filled eyes. “My little Fluttershy...” she crooned, and began rocking, ever so gently, the small filly in her arms. FlyingAll of the clouds had become dark. The room had fallen silent. There was almost no light besides a faint glowing aura around them. Fluttershy stood there with wide eyes, her small body leaned up against her mother for protection. She was afraid. THUMP There was a noticeable change in the pressure of the room. The other ponies around them flinched with each THUMP. “Mommy?” Fluttershy looked up to her mother, who was looking up at the ceiling. Sweat dripped down her mother’s neck. “Hush now, Sweety...” she whispered urgently in response. This only scared Fluttershy even more, but she did as she was told. THUMP The room continued to grow darker with every pressure change, each one getting stronger. Fluttershy noticed other ponies trying to slowly move towards the doors, her own mother doing the same. Fluttershy followed, trying to be as quiet as possible. THUMP They were almost 20 feet from the door when the room went black. Everypony froze. Then there was silence... RAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!... "MOMMIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" Fluttershy screamed into the blackness. After she had exhausted her lungs, she opened her eyes and noticed that she was laying down in a much smaller room with a warmth surrounding her. It hugged her tight. “Shhhhh... Fluttershy... It’s okay, Sweety... I’m right here...” her father whispered comfortingly . He ran his other hoof gently over her mane, “It’s okay now... It was just a dream...” “I... I... I want mommy...” the young Fluttershy whimpered as tears escaped from her eyes. “I know... I know. I want mommy too...” Fluttershy curled back up against her father; her panic had left her dangling almost off of the side of the bed. She closed her eyes since there was nothing to see in the darkness, hoping that there would also be nothing beneath her eyelids. It had gone on like this for two weeks. They were long and agonizing. Every night, Fluttershy would have the same nightmare. Every night, she would awake screaming. Every night, her father was right there, waiting to comfort her. The incident had left scars in both of them, blasted a crater into what was once their lives. Every day since, time passed as slow as it could, making sure that at every moment, they could feel the weight of the pain. For two weeks, Fluttershy and her father stayed home in silence... mostly. Fluttershy would get homework in the mail and do it before breakfast. Her father would sit at his desk, working on projects that, no doubt, would have been easier at his office. Both of them went through the normal monotonous tasks that each day had waiting for them, dishes, laundry, and general cleaning. Both of them tried to prolong their work so there would be no time to talk, no time to think, and, most importantly, no time to remember. But it didn’t work, as every corner of the house, every dirty dish, every book, and every piece of furniture opened memories from the most precious, and now most painful, shelves of the past. In vain, they sought comfort in a situation that could not be changed. Fluttershy felt the breath of her father run across her mane, letting her know that he was still there laying next to her. It gave her comfort that, at least, not all was lost. So she let herself relax, lazily letting her legs curl into their natural poses before slumping into place. She kept her eyes shut, took a deep breath and began to hum, quietly thinking the lyrics of the lullaby in her head. She wasn’t even halfway through the melody when the gracing arms of sleep overtook her, giving her temporary escape and peace. “Good luck, Sweetie.” Fluttershy’s father called as she walked towards the front doors of the school. She gave a small wave in response before turning away. Fluttershy sighed in relief. It had been a month since she’d been to school, and she missed her friends, she missed her teachers, and she missed the amazing things she learned there. Fluttershy loved school. She loved learning about everything from math to science to history; she absorbed everything. To her, school was like a second home. She loved talking and playing with her friends, they were the brothers and sisters she never had. Her friends were her family. Her teacher was like-... Fluttershy mentally stuttered at the thought. She quickly scrambled for a more suitable place for her teacher, hoping to avoid any thoughts that would break the shell that she’d built up in the last month... Aunt... aunt works... yeah, her teacher was like her aunt… Fluttershy looked up at the large welcoming doors to the school and took a deep breath before finally stepping through. The sounds of hoofs in the hallways, and the chatter of the small groups by the lockers were simple comforts she didn’t know she had missed until now. Some of the students recognized her and quickly turned to their friends and whispered, while others smiled at her warmly. Her friends, who were together in the center of the hall, quickly skipped over and gathered around her. “Fluttershy!” “Hey Fluttershy! Welcome back,” one particular yellow filly said. Spitfire had been Fluttershy’s friend since her first day in school. After finding that they were both the same color, they quickly began to share everything with each other, from toys to stories to interests, and from that day forward Fluttershy and Spitfire were almost never found apart. They ate at the same table, they laughed at the same jokes, they played the same games. They talked about everything, and forever kept each other’s secrets. The only difference is that Fluttershy was shy, Spitfire was not. “So how’ve you been?” Spitfire asked with a smile. Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile back. “I’m... doing much better... Thanks.” “I’ve missed you so much!” a colt said enthusiastically with a hug from behind. Soarin was never a subtle one. “He only missed you ‘cause he had to actually listen in class for the first time,” Spitfire said teasingly. “Hey!” Soarin quickly snapped into a defensive position. Both Spitfire and Fluttershy giggled. This was the simple fun that Fluttershy had missed for so long. She felt a comfort that had been previously absent. She was home again. “It’s good to have you back,” Spitfire said with a hug. “Why don’t we-...Oh! I almost forgot! I bet you’ll never guess what I did yesterday!” Spitfire was suddenly on her tip-hooves subtly bouncing up and down. “I still don’t believe you actually did it,” Soarin grumbled before Fluttershy could ask what it was. “You’re just jealous,” Spitfire stuck her tongue out at him. “No! I just want to see you do it first, THEN I’ll be jealous.” He scowled. “What are you two talking about?” Fluttershy finally squeezed in. “Spitfire says that she-” “I FLEW!” Spitfire squeaked over Soarin with a huge smile on her face. “You did?” Fluttershy was caught off guard by this simple news. As far as she knew, no other pony in her class was even close to fledging, much less actually flying. “How did you do it?” “By lying and then adding an ‘F’,” Soarin remarked. Spitfire glared and stuck her tongue out again before continuing. “It’s... a little hard to explain, I’ll show you at recess.” Spitfire was still on the tips of her hooves when the bell rang to go to class. “I’ll see you at lunch girls!” Soarin said on his way to his class. The only time in school that Fluttershy and Spitfire shared with Soarin was lunch. Everything else, including recess, was separate. “Come on, Fluttershy, let’s go!” Spitfire was unable to hold still any longer and had bolted down the hall. “Wait for me!” Fluttershy giggled and followed her to class. After the day’s lesson, recess was a cacophony of small pegasi testing their wings, stretching, twisting, flapping, trying to get off of the ground. Most of the playground equipment stood untouched except the slides, down which other students would go with their wings open trying to get lift. Fluttershy and Spitfire stood off to the side and watched for a few minutes, giggling at some of the colts attempting to show off how much wind they could create. “All the other kids have been tryin’ since they saw me fly,” Spitfire indicated with a chuckle. “Can you show me now?” Flutter shy asked excitedly. “Right now would be the perfect time to show up all of those colts again wouldn’t it?” Spitfire smiled slyly as her small wings spread to full width. “You ready?” she turned to Fluttershy. Fluttershy nodded with a smile. Spitfire lifted her wings and brought them down with a whoosh. She was airborne, moving ever so slightly forward. When she had risen to about a foot into the air, she leveled out her wings and gently glided forward a few feet before touching back down and folding her wings together. The entire playground fell silent, then was quickly filled with cheers, all of the students impressed with her small glide. Spitfire revelled in it, taking a small bow before walking over to Fluttershy. The fillies and colts who were once cheering resumed trying even harder just to get a few inches off the ground, while some of them just sat down, deciding just to not bother anymore. “Did you see that!?!” Spitfire squeaked at Fluttershy. “That was incredible! How did you do it?” she asked. Fluttershy had watched in wonder at the display Spitfire had put on. “I don’t know actually. Turns out there’s certain way to move your wings to make them grab more air or something. I just found it yesterday, and I was lucky to find it just now,” Spitfire shrugged, “How about you try it! Here I’ll show you!” “Okay...” Fluttershy backed up a little to make room for spitfire, and faced forward. “Alright, so first you spread your wings out like this,” Spitfire proceeded to spread her wings to full length. Fluttershy struggled, but was eventually able to hold them out at full length. “Um... now what?” “Then, I guess you just lift your wings and bring them down really quickly,” Spitfire’s wings lifted and came down with another whoosh, which lifted her a few inches into the air. She came back down and landed gently on the cloud ground. “Okay then, here it goes...” Fluttershy lifted her wings, then quickly brought them back down. Her small wings collapsed back onto her sides, hanging limply before folding back up, “Oh...” “Oh, it’s okay. You can keep trying. I know you can do it!” Spitfire gave her an encouraging smile, but Fluttershy didn’t see it. She looked around and noticed that there were other students watching her and spitfire. “Um... can I try again later? Everypony’s watching us...” Fluttershy kept her wings in and tried inconspicuously to hide behind Spitfire. The thought came to her mind that everypony in her class just watched her fail completely and utterly. This only resulted in her trying even harder to be invisible, and Spitfire noticed. “Fluttershy, you don’t need to worry what they think. Some of them can’t even open their own wings all the way...” Spitfire stated matter-of-factly. This made Fluttershy feel a little better, even though they did share recess with the younger classes, “See? Nothing to worry about,” Spitfire pointed to a brown colt with a grey mane, who was struggling only to get one wing to fully stretch at a time. “Yeah, I guess I was just being silly,” Fluttershy came out from behind Spitfire and sighed before sitting down. Spitfire smiled and soon followed suit. They stayed there for a few minutes and just enjoyed the sun, watching the other ponies play on the swings, jumping off at full height, then trying to open their wings, only to fall straight to the ground. Some of them landed awkwardly and fell on their sides. Both Fluttershy and Spitfire giggled in unison. Fluttershy felt at peace here, simply relaxing with a friend, enjoying the blue sky and sunlight. She smiled. “So... how’ve you been?” Spitfire asked timidly. Fluttershy’s smile faded. “Oh! I’m sorry, I was just...” Spitfire begun to freak out. “No... it’s fine...” Fluttershy said. She tried to smile at Spitfire, but it didn’t work. “No it’s not! I shouldn’t have brought it up. I’ve just been so worried about you-” Fluttershy scooted over and nudged up against her, “Thanks Spitfire.” Spitfire went quiet and hugged her in return. “I’m glad I have a friend like you...” Fluttershy said. “N-No problem...” Spitfire responded trying to give as gentle a smile as she could. When they finally pulled away, Fluttershy felt the familiar trails of water on her cheeks. She wiped them off, and smiled at her friend. “I'm much better now," she said. "Thanks." There the two fillies sat, basking on a white cloud, watching the other clouds pass over the beautiful landscape below. "Um... Daddy?" Fluttershy was on her father's back, her forehooves gently wrapped around his neck, as they made their way home from school. Because her father wasn't a pegasus, the trip took much longer for them that for most of the other students, despite living near the building. This gave them time to talk, and to enjoy the view from the clouds. "Yes, Fluttershy?" "I want to learn to fly." Her father paused for a moment, thinking about what to say. "Are you sure you're old enough?" "Well," Fluttershy wasn't sure how to answer that. She knew that Spitfire had learned to glide, at least, and that many of the other students in the grade above her's were already flying. Was she old enough? It seemed reasonable enough. "I think so. There are other foals at school that can do it." "Okay," They looked up to see a few young ponies soaring through the air overhead, as school was out, and they were free to roam. Her father motioned to his sides. "But, I'm not a pegasus. I don't exactly know how to fly, much less teach anypony." "Oh." Fluttershy was slightly disappointed, but she understood that her father wanted to help. Suddenly, she remembered something that she had seen on one of the posters at school. "I think there's a flight camp in the summer. Can I sign up?" "There is?" He apparently wasn't accustomed to the way pegasus schools worked. Fluttershy was, after all, his first pegasus filly. "Where is it?" Fluttershy didn't know the answer to that, but she knew that she could pick up one of the fliers at school the next day. "Um. I'll go look tomorrow." "Well, you let me know tomorrow, and then we'll see about signing you up. Fair deal?" Fluttershy grinned, and hugged her father tight. "Yes, sir." SlippingTHUMP! They were almost at the doors. So close to getting out. Her mom had a wing around her, pushing gently towards the exit. The room grew slowly darker. THUMP! The sound hurt her ears. It had the effect of squeezing her head tight for a short moment. It hurt, it hurt so much... THUMP! Suddenly, the room was consumed in darkness, the only visible light trickling in through the glass doors. Just outside, a large scaly tail waved slowly in front of the building, connected to something that was... above them. RAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!! The roar shook violently through Fluttershy's mind. Crouching down, she covered her ears in an attempt to make the pain stop. She just wanted it all to go away. It didn't. When she opened her eyes, she saw the back of her mothers head, bobbing swiftly with the motion of her gallop. The door, it was so close to them. They were almost there. CRASH!!! In place of the door, was a large hole, sunlight seeping through it, accentuating the glistening points of the giant that now stood there. Red. Huge. Scaly. Angry. Glowing. Orange. The beast filled Fluttershy's vision for just a split second before her vision was sent into a whirlwind of motion. She was spinning. She instinctively curled into a ball. She hit the floor, knocking the wind out of her, and slid across the polished surface into a wall. Her eyes were out of focus, covered in speckles of light that seemed to twinkle as the stars before fading away. Catching her breath, she looked up. Her mother was there, just a short distance away, looking at her. Her eyes, though fraught with worry, were gentle. Her voice, though rough with exhaustion, was soothing. "Be safe, Fluttershy. I love you." Nothing could have been more honest than those words in that moment. They rang with truth to Fluttershy, even as she watched bright billowing clouds of flame bathe the center of the room. There was so much fire... ...so much fire. Fluttershy opened her eyes. The faces of fillies, all staring at her... sideways? She lifted her head and found that she had been laying on a desk. The middle of it was wet. "Fluttershy?" She looked up to see that she was in a classroom. Not just any classroom, but the classroom of summer flight camp. And she was there, in the middle of the room, with a wet face. Everypony was staring at her, including the teacher, who had on a look that mirrored that of the last her mother wore. "Fluttershy, are you alright, dear?" The pressure of eyes, looks, and even some giggles, intimidated her. She slumped into her seat, trying to become as small as possible. Hopefully, if she could just disappear, they would stop staring, and everything would go back to normal. "Fluttershy?" There were footsteps coming from the front of the room. "Do you want to come with me for a moment?" The teacher approached slowly. She sat down next to the desk and waited. Fluttershy looked around, observing the faces around her, then looked up at the teacher, and nodded her head. "Alright then," The teacher smiled as she turned towards the door. "Follow me." Fluttershy did. Behind a door in the hallway, tense muffled voices could be heard. Fluttershy sat in a chair just outside. The two voices were those of her father and her new teacher. Fluttershy couldn't make out what they were saying, but judging by how they sounded, and how quiet they were trying to be, she knew what they were talking about. She knew she didn't belong here. She had tried to learn, had been through practice, had studied all about the correct angles and movements required to gain lift. But the clumsiness of her wings prevented her from ever achieving those optimal motions. Her legs were thin and lanky, and her wings flaunted the same level of daintiness. She had no strength, and no skill. Why did she have to ask to come here? She wasn't ready. She knew she wasn't. But she wanted to be with her friends. They were all going. Why couldn't she? But even that would have been okay. If she could be with her friends, even if she never learned to fly, then everything would be alright. But that never happened. Spitfire and Soarin learned much faster than she did, and so they were moved quickly to the advanced flying classes, leaving her all alone. Though, that wasn't why she was here. She was sitting in this chair outside the teacher's office because of the nightmares. She would fall asleep in the middle of class, and wake up screaming. Every time, her teacher walked her out, and called her father, who took her home. Even during practice, she would be trying to get lift, she'd be somewhere high up, and the fear overtook her senses, filling her mind with horrible memories. She could never focus. She was always crying. Why couldn't she just forget? She loved her mom, and always wanted to remember the great things they did together. But she wanted to forget that one thing, that one moment that continues to haunt her. It sits in the back of her mind, waiting for the most inconvenient moment to show itself. And it always shows itself. Fluttershy the wimp. Fluttershy the cry-baby. Fluttershy the weakling. She couldn't take it any more. She just wanted to go away, to run away. She wanted to forget, to be somepony else, to just not be there. She wanted to be anywhere but inside herself. But she couldn't escape, no matter how hard she tried. She was trapped with herself, and her memories and her clumsiness. And she hated it. She hated it all so much. *click* The door opened besides Fluttershy. She saw her father walk out talking with her teacher, "Thank you, Miss Hearth. I'll talk to her, and get back to you." "You're very welcome, Mr. Grey," her teacher responded before the door closed between them. Fluttershy stared at the floor of the hall. The sunlight bouncing off of it gave the slightest hints of a rainbow. "Fluttershy?" She kept staring. What was she going to say? That she wanted to stay? That she wanted to go? What did she want? If she went home, she knew that the memories would haunt her more than they were haunting her here. But she knew that, here, she was subject to shame and embarrassment for her weakness, both of body and of mind. It didn't matter really where she went, she just hated being herself. She wanted it all to just stop. "Fluttershy, please look at me." Her father sat down in front of her and brought his head low so that he could look at her. His hooves now stood where she had seen the feint rainbow. "What's wrong, Fluttershy?" She continued to stare at his feet, not knowing how to respond. What was really the problem? Was it her? Was it the nightmares? Was it the other kids making fun of her pitiful attempts to fly? What was it? She couldn't clear her head enough to choose an answer, so she chose nothing. Her father waited a few more seconds before asking again. "Miss Hearth said that she could give you private classes if that would help?" he said, gently suggesting a solution to the unknown problem, while it was toned more as a question. How would that help?, Fluttershy thought. She tried to imagine what it would be like alone with Miss Hearth, not being able to pay attention, being looked upon as a 'special' filly with 'special' needs. She knew that it would only serve to invoke more cruelty from the other students during the practice hours. It would isolate her more than ever from the rest of the foals that already had little to no connection with her. She hated the idea. "No," she stated simply. The stallion in front of her sighed and thought for a moment. "Well, what would be the problem with that?" The answer was obvious to her; she hated not having friends. "I-... I want to have friends." As the words came out, she realized what the real problem was. She was alone. She didn't have anyone to comfort her when she was sad, not like how Spitfire helped her in school anyway. Her teacher tried, but Miss Hearth's attention was always divided among the other students, and was only brought to Fluttershy when one of her nightmares took hold. What she needed was a friend, but not just any friend. She needed a shoulder to cry on, somepony to talk to about what happened, somepony that could help her when she needed it, motivate her when she was discouraged. She wanted a real friend. She needed a real friend. "Have you made any friends in your class?" His voice was slightly more hopeful, but was met with the shaking of a small yellow head, it's small pink mane swaying slightly with the movement. Slightly confused, he asked, "What about Spitfire, or Soarin? Aren't they your friends?" "They're not in my class." "Oh, I though they were." He itch behind his ear. "What happened?" "They learned to fly." Her father went silent for a moment. "Oh." Were they still her friends? She didn't believe that they would have forgotten her that fast. They had been friends since kindergarden, and they always hung out. No, they were still friends, they just... weren't together anymore. "Well, what if you could go to their class?" "They'll just make fun of me more." His eyebrows furrowed in thought, his lips following suit. After a moment of pondering, he stood. "One moment, I want to go check something." The door to Miss Hearth's office opened once more as Fluttershy's line of sight to the floor was unobstructed. The angle of light had changed ever so slightly, revealing a brighter rainbow than before. "I'll be right back." Her father said before closing the door behind him. The voices behind the door started up again. As fluttershy listened, she could her that the conversation was much lighter than before. Hopeful, even. As she watched, the microscopic droplets of condensed water that made up the floor began to sparkle through the rainbow on the floor. The door opened and Fluttershy looked up to see an excited smile. "Fluttershy. I've spoken with Miss Hearth, and she's going to take care of everything." His horn glowed, and Fluttershy found herself floating onto his back. "What is she going to do?" Fluttershy asked. "She's going to give you a friend," he smiled in return. The thought took a moment for Flutttershy to process. How was Miss Hearth going to give her a friend? Friends don't just fly out of nowhere do they? What if she was too shy? What if this new friend was mean? What if they didn't get along very well? The more she thought about it, the more the idea of a new friend intimidated her. But her father was smiling, and she felt she could trust him. She let the hope that practically glowed from him seep into her. With a sigh and a quick arch of her back, she stretched across her father's back and wrapped her forelegs around his neck before relaxing completely. She let herself smile as well. Tomorrow was going to be a good day. Birds of a Feather... (Alternate)Author's Note The following was written by the talented Wing Dancer as the result of an interesting discussion. As of yet it is an alternate continuation of the story, and not canon. Though, I might be willing to consider it a permanent and proper direction for the story to take. We shall see. ;) But for now, enjoy. Birds of a Feather... (Alternate) Flames licked her. She could feel them claw at her, singing her fur and mane. She had to close her eyes tight shut, losing sight of mother. There was no darkness. The violent, bright light shined through. She tried to turn away only to be smitten by another whip of heat. She cried out, her voice overpowered by the booming roar of a terrible bear RAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!! On shaking legs, she picked herself up and ran. She stumbled, the clouds underneath her feet uneven and torn. Her desperation and fear pushed her forward. Her world finally sunk back into shadows, the burning heat left behind as she trotted onwards blindly. The noises were dying down, the cackling of fires left behind. Fluttershy... Her hooves and feet hurt. They were bruised like the rest of her body. She tripped and fell, gliding across the uneven, silky surface Fluttershy...! Her tiny legs finally caught purchase, driving her forward, stumbling and crying, as far away as possible. Anywhere but there, it didn't matter. As far away as possible from... Fluttershy! Her father was there, as always, hugging her close to his warm chest. She felt the moisture where she wiped her tears, sobbing into the gray coat. His heart beat like a great drum, the sound of it never failing to calm her down. “It's okay, Fluttershy,” he murmured, petting her mane. “It was just a dream...just a dream...” She relaxed into his touch. Her stiff wings folded back, allowing her to curl into a more comfortable ball against her father. His body curled around her gave her comfort, like a nest to a baby bird. He would always be there. He'd protect her. Like he did on that day. Fluttershy didn't know whether to be excited or nervous. Her father walked her to the camp grounds, telling her to stay and wait for Miss Hearth to arrive with 'her new friend'. It has been over ten minutes since then, and the filly was anxiously bouncing on her hooves. Who would he be? How would he help her become a better flier so that she could join Spitfire and Soarin? Would he or she even want to be friends with such a weak flier like her? Those were just some of the questions that bothered her. It seemed that the older she got, the more the foals became judgmental of her. It was as if a pegasus should be judged solemnly on her ability to fly and show off just how good she could glide. “I wanna go home,” she whispered, dabbing a hoof in the cloud. “Stupid flight camp. I should have stayed with dad.” “Fluttershy?” asked a voice. The filly jumped slightly, her wings flaring out. She scrambled to turn around where Miss Hearth stood with a mild smile. The old mare had both wings spread above her back, as if she was carrying something. “I'm glad to see you again,” said the teacher, coming in closer to nuzzle the top of her student's head. “I'm happy that you didn't give up on us. Believe it or not, many good fliers were average, if not even below that when they were your age. It was determination and passion that finally saw them succeed. That, and good, supportive friends. You can come out now, don't be shy,” said the teacher, craning her head to look at her back. Fluttershy rose to the tip of her hooves, straining to see who the new filly was. Her eyes became wide in wonder when the flight teacher turned finally turned around. On her back sat a small, white birdie. From what Fluttershy recalled, it was called a sparrow. Its little black eyes were focused on the filly, the tiny yellow beak twisting and turning along with its head. It looked like a young chick, still some puffy fluff present on its back and head. “This will be your new friend, Fluttershy. Her name is Gwendolin and she's a begginer flier, just like you. Give me your hoof please,” smiled Miss Hearth. Fluttershy extended her shaking leg towards the teacher's, still looking at the tiny wonder. She saw birds before, some of them flying around Cloudsdale. Some of them were pets, the larger breeds mostly used in some weather jobs or as couriers. Never before has she even entertained the idea of actually having a bird of her own. “Now, come on Gwen. Don't be bashful. This is Fluttershy. Do you think you could be friends, hmm?” Gwendolyn jumped in place a few times, fluffing her feathers. She finally started inching towards the small yellow hoof, one step at a time, moving sideways. The bird stopped an inch or so away from Fluttershy's leg, eying her curiously. “H-Hi there, Gwendolyn. It's so nice to meet you,” whispered Fluttershy, still unable to peel her gaze away from the tiny bird. She squeed when the feathered critter finally jumped over to her, craning its head and chirping. “Take good care of her, Fluttershy. You both have a lot to learn about flying, but I'm positive you can learn a lot from one another.” The teacher kept talking something more about responsibilities and how she should focus on bettering herself, but there was hardly anything more interesting to Fluttershy than the tiny, feathered wonder now in front of her muzzle. Her whole world was filled by Gwendolyn, her new friend. The birdy was really small and lively, curiously looking her over, comfortably perched on the flat of her hoof. Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle as Gwendolyn brushed her small head against her snout. “I like you too, Gwen,” said Fluttershy in a hushed voice, bringing the bird close to her and nuzzling her affectionately. “We'll become the best of friends, you and I.” Fluttershy trotted around with Gwendolyn perched on her back everywhere she went. The little bird quickly warmed up to the filly, jumping around her body and curiously watching the world around her. Her little weight gave the pegasus more confidence and helped her ignore the other foals who gave her weird stares. She was still a bad flier, but with Gwendolyn by her side she felt like trying again and again instead of sinking into the nearest cloud till recess. The snickering didn't matter as long as Gwendolyn's little eyes traced Fluttershy's movements, the small bird trying its hardest to flap its wings and lift off the clouds. “I think you're doing great, Gwen,” praised Fluttershy, nuzzling the chirping birdie. She let Gwen climb her nose and nestle herself in her pink mane. “Yeah, I'm kind of tired too. Maybe we could try and sneak away for a break?” Gwendolin looked down at her friend and cocked her head sideways, chirping sternly and flapping her wings. “I guess you're right. We're here to learn after all,” sheepishly replied Fluttershy, sighing. Gwendolyn chirped some more, dabbing at Flutterhy's mane, picking out the long strands and casting them around herself in a nest-like fashion. “Okay then. You're totally right. We will just trot around a bit, hmm?” Dinner time was as loud as ever, all the ponies throwing themselves at the hay-fries and apple fritters like the world was at an end. In the end, the stronger ones left with their plates stacked, those less fortunate having to select more mundane meals of salad or tofu. Fluttershy always liked dandelion sandwiches. It was her favorite since she could remember, and father would always say that that simple meal had a special meaning for him. He liked to prepare them in a certain way, kind of hastily throw the bread and flowers together, with some of the petals falling out sometimes. It brought tears to his eyes when he watched her eat it, even if he tried to hide it. Gwendolyn on the other hoof had even simpler tastes. She happily dabbed at the seeds she got, wetting her beak in a small water cup from time to time. “Oh look, it's the crazy bird-filly,” said a gruffy voice from behind Fluttershy, followed by a few chuckles and snickers. Fluttershy ignored them, still eating her sandwich, repeating the same words over and over again in her head – 'Just let them be. They'll get bored. They'll leave you alone. Just let them be...' Tonight was probably the first night her father didn't have to come over and pick her up. Nopony would snicker behind her back, call her a cry-baby or poke fun at her the next day – at least, not more than usual. Today, she gave it her all – both she and Gwendolyn did. Even so, they both got more than their daily share of ridicule day. They were the slowest, the clumsiest and all the other foals were running circles around them just for fun. But did that matter? Not one bit. The two friends simply ignored the bullies, focusing on their tasks. Together they ignored the trouble-makers so hard they eventually started letting up, having lost all interest in them by supper time. Right now, Fluttershy and Gwendolyn were lying in a bunk bed, drifting between consciousness and sleep. The small bird settled itself in her tail, its little head cuddled against the pegasus' chest. Fluttershy couldn't help but smile. It felt nice, this new kind of friendship. Ponies were fun to be around with, but the bond she had with Gwendolyn felt...natural. It seemed like it had always been there, instantly snapping into place when the two saw each other. For some reason Fluttershy could guess what the tiny bird meant, she could read her better than she could a pony. Gwendolyn didn't judge her, there were no harsh words or comparing wing sizes. They respected and encouraged each other to fight through the day, train their wings even harder than any of them did before. Gwendolyn was the friend she needed, even though she would have never guessed it.
PrologueHe lay on his belly in the hallway, the cool floor helping with his nerves. “Ugh,” he thought to himself, “These have been the longest months of my life.” The light brown unicorn with the maroon mane rolled onto his side, not caring who would see, and tried to sleep. He found this to be a vain endeavor, so he opened his eyes, stared into the middle distance, and began to think on the events that led up to this moment... ======================= Galavant Grey, or Grey as he preferred to be called, sat on a mountain ridge just outside Canterlot. The moon shone brightly in the sky, the stars twinkling around it. It had just risen, but Grey hadn’t noticed. He was busy staring at his front right hoof, which was bleeding from having been beaten against rocks. There were dried tears on his cheeks. His breath was shallow and stuttered. He had been screaming, yelling, at no one. No one heard his rage filled mourning. No one cared. There was no one to care. He thought back to where he had just been. He was at a funeral. It was held in the large and extravagant foyer of the building he had known as 'Home'. There were many rows of seats, and there were press ponies with cameras and pads and pencils surrounding everything. The funeral was his father’s. But that wasn’t why he was mourning. No, It was something else entirely. Throughout the entire procession, no one wept. He sat there as multiple other businessponies went up and spoke about his father and how great he was. Not a single tear was shed by any in attendance. And it was this moment that hit him. He was sitting here, surrounded by ponies who just didn’t care. His father had built up Grey’s future around these ponies, and built him into the business world. It was at this moment he realized that if he stayed in this world, no matter how successful he was, no matter how hard he worked, no pony would cry at his funeral. No pony would care about him. Rage filled him as he stormed out of the building. He wandered the streets, and ultimately ended up out here, on the edge of the rock face, where he began his mourning. When he was younger, his father was... cold, to say the least. Wanting his son to be a businesspony. Prestigious, wealthy, and a good holder of the name 'Galavant Grey'. It was his father's name, and he despised it. His father was cruel, stern, and wouldn't tolerate the slightest misstep in the world of 'high-class gentleponies'. And so young Grey was forced to live a life that was just as cold, stern, intolerant, and unsocial as his father did. Worst of all, Grey had become exactly like his father. The same habits, the same uncaring decision making, the stern lack of tolerance for all things 'improper' and 'low-class'. He was the spitting image of the pony he hated most. And he hated that pony even more for raising him to be such a spiteful figure. He hated himself, and hated knowing that others hated him just as much. Grey glared sharply into the ground, took a deep breath, and stood up. He limped over to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the fields below. They looked soft, welcoming, warm. The bliss of ignorance, of non-existance, and of freedom from his internal strain, invited him cooly below. He took another deep breath. “Beautiful isn’t it?” Grey let out a small yelp as he quickly pulled back from the edge. “Oh! I’m sorry, did I surprise you?” It was a mare’s voice. He didn’t respond. He just stood there taking deep breaths. “Are you okay?” he heard. He listened as hoofsteps behind him got closer. He kept his head down. The hoofsteps stopped next to him, and he heard her sit down. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” she repeated. “What is?” he asked snippily. “The night sky.” “Never noticed,” he said, not even bothering to look up. He didn’t care. “Hey.” He didn’t move. “Hey!” His head snapped up and he looked at her for the first time. He saw a yellow pegasus with a deep orange mane and a light pink, house shaped cutie mark, and she was staring straight at him with her soft, yet piercing, pink eyes. He froze. “Look,” she said, gesturing to the sky with one hoof. He looked forward and saw stars and the moon. “What is it?” he asked, seeing nothing special. “Look up.” He tilted his head back some more until he was looking straight up. Then he saw it... the sky. It filled his entire field of vision. He began to see it all at once now, the twinkling stars, the shining moon, the perfect balance of the lights in the sky, painted across the deep blue canvas, all looking down on him with light. He was suddenly filled with a sense of significance, despite feeling so small. He stared in wonder. “Wow,” escaped his lips. “See? I to- … Is your hoof bleeding?” she asked in shock. “Oh,” he looked down at it, “Yeah, it is.” “Don’t you want to take care of that?” She stood up and walked over to him with concern on her face. “Yeah, I should.” His voice was apathetic. “Come on. Follow me.” “What?” He looked up at her. She was walking towards the city. “I said, follow me,” she said without turning around. Hesitating a little, looking between the ledge, and this strange new mare who had distracted him from it, deciding. Having been temporarily snapped out of his rage, he thought a little more clearly through the decision, and decided to follow her. Each step on his hoof stung a little as they made their way through the streets. They passed through the shop area where all the late night restaurants were still open. He imagined that they were probably filled with some of the ponies from the funeral looking for an excuse to get drunk and badmouth his father, now that he wasn't around to hear. Grey thought it best not to speak on the way, as he didn’t want the conversation to go anywhere near his life, and the mare leading him didn’t seem to mind the silence. They continued walking through various areas until they reached an apartment complex. It was a looped road; around it stood miniature looking two story houses. They began walking towards the one in the back with its lights off. When they reached the house, she opened the door, turned on the light, and walked in. Grey stopped at the door step and looked at his bleeding hoof. “Oh, it’s fine,” she said, “I can clean it up later.” She gestured to the wooden floor. He slowly walked into the small living room. It looked almost bare except a couch, a coffee table, and a few pictures on the wall. “You can lay on the couch while I go get the first aid kit.” She left into what he would have suspected was the kitchen. So he took her advice. He walked over and rolled sideways onto the couch, keeping his front right leg extended past the edge of the cushions. The couch was decently comfortable, he noted. He wondered for a moment whether it was filled with compressed clouds. After all, even living in Canterlot, she was still a pegasus. After a while of waiting and listening, he looked down at his cutie mark. It was a pillar made of clouds. He didn’t remember when he got it, or how. He had no clue what it meant either. He had tried multiple times to decipher it’s meaning, but to no avail. Nothing made any real sense given his lifestyle. Bored of looking at it, he turned back rested his head on the arm of the couch, and let out a deep sigh. “Found it,” the mare said as she walked into the room carrying a small basket of supplies. She trotted over and sat down next to his bloodied hoof. “So what happened?” she asked as she inspected the damage, and began cleaning the cuts. “I...slipped,” he tried to lie. “I wasn’t talking about your hoof,” she stopped working and looked him in the eye. He frowned. Dangit! She’d seen him! She’d HEARD him! Crap! Why couldn’t he just jump? “What did you hear?” he asked trying to be calm. “I didn’t hear anything. I usually go walking out to that ridge at night to see the moonrise. When I got there though, I saw you contemplating a bad decision.” Grey felt slightly more relieved at that, though she did see what he was going to attempt, so she stopped him ... wait … She stopped him?... “What’s your name?” she asked, interrupting his train of thought. She proceeded to apply bandages to the wounds. “Grey.” “What’s your full name?” He hesitated a little, and decided to switch the conversation over to her. “What’s YOUR name?” “Shy Sunflowers”, she said calmly. She was wrapping the last of some gauze around his injured hoof. “You?” “Galavant Grey,” he said before he could stop himself. Shy stopped in her work, leaving a small tail left on the wrappings, and looked at him with wide eyes. “Oh! I am SO sorry! I had no idea!” she gasped. He looked at her in confusion. “Why?” he asked. “I'm sorry! I had no clue! I saw it in the news paper this morning and I had no idea that’s what...” She stopped herself by putting her hoof to her mouth. ‘Why?’ he thought to himself this time. Why did his father have to be his father. Why did he HAVE to be named after his father. He hated his name. How could a name that sounds so formal mean EXACTLY the opposite. He hated himself in this moment. Grey let out a sigh. “It’s fine, it was...”, he began. What was it to him? Good? Bad? He didn’t care? No matter what the answer was, he definitely wasn’t going to tell her. “It’s fine.” “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “No. Really, don’t be. It’s okay,” he said with another sigh. “Okay...” she said hesitantly, getting up from the floor taking the supplies with her. “Shtay hehr,” she said through the handle of the basket, and she walked back out. Grey looked around for a moment, and admired the little room. It was comfortable, and not extravagant. It was… relaxing, he might say. An escape from the larger-than-life world he had been living in. He took a deep breath and tried to get up, but he was interrupted. “No!” Shy had been quicker to put the first aid kit away than to get it, “You’re staying here tonight. You can sleep on the couch.” Grey knew what she was thinking he would do, and knew he couldn’t argue, so he rolled back onto the couch thinking it was just about as comfy as his king-sized bed. “This couch is rather comfortable,” he stated. “Compact clouds,” she responded on her way up the stairs that led over the entryway to the kitchen. “Thought so”, he replied. He closed his eyes, and sighed. In the middle of a small sandwich shop, Shy Sunflower was snickering. She sat across a small table from Grey, who sat there glaring at her while she chuckled at him. “What?” he asked huffily. “Ohoho...nothing,” she said through her giggles. The night before, when Shy had found out he left, she decided to find him and say that in return for her first aid services, he owed her a lunch. Needless to say she succeeded in finding him. “Really! What.” It was more of a command now. He wasn’t amused. He continued to glare as Shy chuckled with her hoof on her mouth. She eventually stopped long enough to talk. “You’ve only known ‘fancy’ haven’t you? You just unfolded and placed a paper napkin at your hooves.” She smiled, almost beginning to laugh again. She managed to keep herself quiet. Grey frowned at her, “Yeah? What else am I supposed to do with it?” “You could just leave it on the table.” She smiled again. “Just leave it on the table?” “Yep!” Her smile didn’t falter. After glaring at her for a moment, and realizing his desire to escape looking even close to ‘fancy’, “Fine...”, he said, using magic to throw the napkin back onto the table, not bothering to fold it back up. Shy giggled again, but only for a short time. Grey normally would not have allowed anypony to talk to him in such a way, but he found Shy so...so... “Here’s your meal!”, a waitress mare interrupted, placing sandwiches on the table. Grey waited until she walked away to comment. “A sandwich?” he asked. “Yep!”, she said again before leaning in a taking a large bite of her’s. Grey inspected his sandwich. It looked hastily thrown together with some of the daisy petals falling out, from the side, onto the plate. “Come on! Don’t tell me you’ve never had a sandwich before,” she said through a half swallowed mouth-full. As it turned out, Shy wasn’t very shy at all. “No. I have, it’s just...” “Not a FANCY sandwich?” she snickered again. Grey let out a small chuckle as well. He instantly realized his mistake. Shy was looking at him with a smile of wonder. ‘Oh, great...’ he thought to himself. He proceeded to glare again. This only made Shy smile even more. He gave in. “Fine...” He leaned down and took a bite. As he began to chew he found it rather good. “Enjoying your sandwich?” Shy asked. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.” He took another bite. “That’s good... and I think you’re making progress.” She smiled, then leaned down and took another bite of her sandwich. Grey raised an eyebrow to that comment. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ he thought, hoping that she could read his face since he was occupied eating. Shy only smiled and continued chewing. “That was a lovely lunch,” Shy said, “Thanks.” She smiled and stood up from her empty plate. “You’re welcome...?” he responded. He stood up as well and left a few bits on the table. “What did you mean by ‘making progress’?” he asked as they walked out. “Oh,” she paused, “I was talking about your behavior. You’re still stuck in ‘fancy’ mode as far as I can see, and it seems rather difficult to turn it off” Grey stopped and thought about that for a second. He’d grown up with a business pony for a father. They had ALL the amenities. They went to ALL the nicest restaurants. They only spoke to certain ponies unless spoken too... As he went through this list in his head, he realized she was right. He wanted a new lifestyle. “Oh...” he said. “I could help you if you’d like,” Shy said with a wink. “You…” “Uh-huh!” “You want to help me... be ‘un-fancy’.” His face took on a look that was half glare, half confusion. “Yep!” She smiled back at his glare. He turned away from her and shook his head, and looked where he was going instead. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Doing things ‘normal’ ponies did, in spite of his father. And another thing... Shy was beginning to intrigue him. “So... how ‘bout it?” she asked. “Sure,” he said, “Thank you for the offer,” he also said, trying to be polite. “See what you just did?” “What?” he looked at her mildly confused. “You said ‘Thank you for the offer’. If you’d have just said ‘Thanks for offering’ or just simply ‘Thanks,’ then that would have been okay, but you went all ‘fancy’ with your words on me. You need to learn to loosen up a bit.” She playfully nudged him in the side. He was almost mad until he realized that only ‘prissy’ ponies would have reacted to such a gesture. “Right... loosen up,” he said out loud with a sigh, trying to get used to the language. “That’s the spirit,” she nudged him again. He nudged her back. She laughed. He let out a small smile... The trees swayed softly against the cyan sky. The noise of the rustling soothing all those that could hear it. Both Grey and Shy were sitting in the grass underneath the trees. An empty basket sat next to them. They had already eaten their sandwiches and were simply enjoying the view of the woods. “You ever sit in dirt before?” Shy asked prepared to giggle. “Nope,” Grey responded with a smile. She giggled. He didn’t care anymore, he had been having fun for the first time in his life, and Shy had helped him do it. Shy slowly got to her hooves and stretched. “Well then, let’s go have some fun.” Grey raised an eyebrow... She turned to him with a sly look, “Catch me.” With that, she bolted into the trees. “HEY! That’s cheating!” He quickly got up onto his hooves and pursued. His eyes searched through the trees. Every few seconds he would see a flash of yellow behind the large trunks, followed by a giggle. He darted towards it only to see another yellow flash elsewhere. So he stopped and waited. He listened, then he heard it... a small chuckle. He darted around a tree to see her trotting away. He followed behind, keeping her in sight this time. When suddenly, she fell. The motion was followed by the sound of a splash. Grey quickly ran over up to the scene, and found that she had fallen into a tiny stream that broke away from the main Canterlot river. She was sitting in the water with an interesting smile on her face as she eyed Grey. “Wha-...” Suddenly one of her wings flared out and he saw a huge torrent of water heading straight for him. He couldn’t duck fast enough, and when he finally did, he had been thrown off balance and slipped into the water. He could hear her laughing over the sound of him trying to stand up in the water. He eventually got to his feet, and tried to glare at her. Shy just laughed harder and fell back into the water. Grey kept his pose, he had a plan. When Shy finally got up and looked at him, he quickly flicked a load of water onto her with his front hooves. She cringed and sputtered as the water hit her face and mane. Now Grey was the one laughing... until he saw her face again. Her eyes were narrowed, and she had a bright smile gracing her features. “Uh oh...” Giggles echoed through the forest as he watched both wings flare to full size... “When!?” he asked frantically. “In a week, this was only a thing for school, a chance to study here. Afterwards I got a summer to chill, then I go back.” She shrugged with a slight frown. Shy Sunflower had been spending her summer helping Grey, but now, she told him in the library, she had to go back home to Cloudsdale. “So you can’t stay?” Grey accidentally let a little desperation slip into his voice. Shy smiled sadly. “Sorry, I can’t... I can’t afford to live here... The school paid for this, not me,” she shrugged again. “But... I could pay for it!” he suggested. Shy smiled even more. “I’m sorry but I need to go back and help my parents now. They’re getting old and I need to be there to take care of them...” she said. Grey tried to come up with something, but he couldn’t. He just stared at her with his mouth half open, waiting to be graced with a brilliant plan, but none struck. His heart sank in his chest, and he lowered his head in defeat. “Hey.” He didn’t move. “Hey!” His head snapped up and he looked at her. What happened next, he did not expect. She kissed him. It took him a second, but he kissed back. Then they parted. “Thanks for the great summer...” she smiled at him. He smiled back. She turned to walk out of the library, “I need to start getting things ready now...” “Wait!” he said quickly, before trotting over to her. He put one hoof over her shoulder and hugged her tight. “Thanks for helping me...” he said. She turned and smiled at him. “Don’t mention it...” she almost whispered back. She shrugged out of his embrace and started out the door. Grey just watched, trying to hold back tears, as that might have been the last time he got to see her. The door closed behind her... Then an idea struck... a crazy idea... His head shot up, his eyes wide with revelation. He was in a library! There had to be something about it in here somewhere, he just KNEW it! Grey darted into the great maze of walls filled with wisdom, determined with a force he’d never felt before. “No running!” somepony harshly whispered towards him as he wizzed past. He ignored them. He was on a mission... ======================= Grey thought about that week, and the crazy amounts of searching. After almost two days he had given up on finding it, until he realized that he didn’t need to find it because it never existed... he needed to MAKE it. He spent the next five days studying everything from ‘Transfiguration’ to the ‘Properties of Gases,’ trying desperately to put a seemingly simple spell together. Eventually, he succeeded. Grey continued to look at the floor... he lifted a hoof, and let it fall. It hit the cloud with a soft thump. He smiled and rolled onto his side again, still remembering that couch. He had created a spell that allowed him to walk on clouds. They were no longer a simple mist through which he would fall, but a solid surface that put a small spring in each step. He smiled into the floor, remembering the look on Shy’s face when she opened the door. Complete shock and confusion. “How … what … HOW!?!” she had managed to sputter out. After he had gotten her calmed down, he explained what he did. Needless to say, she was thrilled... and flattered. ...And eventually, they got got married. Grey smiled at the ceiling, thinking back on their wedding day, and the smile that Shy beamed at him through the entire ceremony. It was a precious memory that would be forever given a place on the most prestigious shelf of his mind. *Click* Grey snapped out of his thought to look up at the noise. It was the door he was waiting for. Out of it came a nurse mare with a soft orange mane. “We’re done,” She smiled at him. He stood up and smiled back. “One moment,” he said. The nurse nodded and walked away down the hall. Grey turned to look back at his cutie mark. He had finally figured out what it meant. The cloud pillar on his flank. He smiled as he turned back and walked up to the door. He opened it slowly, and looked around the corner to see his wife laying on a bed, smiling at him through those soft pink eyes. He noticed that they were near tears when they looked down at something. He followed their gaze into his wife’s arms, and what he saw amazed him. He began to slowly walk around the bed up next to his wife. As he moved, his perspective revealed the face of a small, sleeping, yellow pegasus with a soft pink mane. He smiled as his eyes began to go blurry. “She’s beautiful isn’t she?” his wife said. “Absolutely...” he whispered. The tears began to stream down his face now. He smiled harder, and resisted the urge to dance on his tiptoes. He was a father! The father a little filly pegasus! His smile forced more tears out. “What should we name her?” Shy asked. The thought had never come to his mind. He had always avoided the subject of names. “I don’t...I don’t know”, he tried to think. “I like Butterfly...” his wife whispered. “That’s... nice,” he said, “What about, Sunflower Petals?” “No!” she whispered back almost giggling, “We are not naming her after my fa-...” The small foal in her arms shifted. Their eyes quickly locked onto it. The filly proceeded to stretch out her tiny body, her little appendages extending downward as her mouth began to take the shape of a small ‘O’. A whispering breath was heard as her delicate wings, her short legs, and her eyelids gave a small fluttering movement before her body slowly curled back into place. Her mouth closed around a tiny tongue, gently pushing it back in. Both of her parents were in tears with huge smiles on their faces... “She has your eyes...” Shy said gently. Grey, somehow, smiled bigger then before. He smiled proudly as he watched his daughter sleep through his waterlogged aquamarine eyes. He thought about everything in his life up until that moment, and silently swore to himself that he would never let his daughter suffer what he did. He vowed in that moment to give her the best life a little filly could be given. Grey looked down onto his daughter with joy. He leaned down to his wife and kissed her cheek. “Fine,” he said softly, “We’re naming her after you...” “...Fluttershy.” His wife smiled, forcing more tears out of her already filled eyes. “My little Fluttershy...” she crooned, and began rocking, ever so gently, the small filly in her arms.
FlyingAll of the clouds had become dark. The room had fallen silent. There was almost no light besides a faint glowing aura around them. Fluttershy stood there with wide eyes, her small body leaned up against her mother for protection. She was afraid. THUMP There was a noticeable change in the pressure of the room. The other ponies around them flinched with each THUMP. “Mommy?” Fluttershy looked up to her mother, who was looking up at the ceiling. Sweat dripped down her mother’s neck. “Hush now, Sweety...” she whispered urgently in response. This only scared Fluttershy even more, but she did as she was told. THUMP The room continued to grow darker with every pressure change, each one getting stronger. Fluttershy noticed other ponies trying to slowly move towards the doors, her own mother doing the same. Fluttershy followed, trying to be as quiet as possible. THUMP They were almost 20 feet from the door when the room went black. Everypony froze. Then there was silence... RAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!... "MOMMIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" Fluttershy screamed into the blackness. After she had exhausted her lungs, she opened her eyes and noticed that she was laying down in a much smaller room with a warmth surrounding her. It hugged her tight. “Shhhhh... Fluttershy... It’s okay, Sweety... I’m right here...” her father whispered comfortingly . He ran his other hoof gently over her mane, “It’s okay now... It was just a dream...” “I... I... I want mommy...” the young Fluttershy whimpered as tears escaped from her eyes. “I know... I know. I want mommy too...” Fluttershy curled back up against her father; her panic had left her dangling almost off of the side of the bed. She closed her eyes since there was nothing to see in the darkness, hoping that there would also be nothing beneath her eyelids. It had gone on like this for two weeks. They were long and agonizing. Every night, Fluttershy would have the same nightmare. Every night, she would awake screaming. Every night, her father was right there, waiting to comfort her. The incident had left scars in both of them, blasted a crater into what was once their lives. Every day since, time passed as slow as it could, making sure that at every moment, they could feel the weight of the pain. For two weeks, Fluttershy and her father stayed home in silence... mostly. Fluttershy would get homework in the mail and do it before breakfast. Her father would sit at his desk, working on projects that, no doubt, would have been easier at his office. Both of them went through the normal monotonous tasks that each day had waiting for them, dishes, laundry, and general cleaning. Both of them tried to prolong their work so there would be no time to talk, no time to think, and, most importantly, no time to remember. But it didn’t work, as every corner of the house, every dirty dish, every book, and every piece of furniture opened memories from the most precious, and now most painful, shelves of the past. In vain, they sought comfort in a situation that could not be changed. Fluttershy felt the breath of her father run across her mane, letting her know that he was still there laying next to her. It gave her comfort that, at least, not all was lost. So she let herself relax, lazily letting her legs curl into their natural poses before slumping into place. She kept her eyes shut, took a deep breath and began to hum, quietly thinking the lyrics of the lullaby in her head. She wasn’t even halfway through the melody when the gracing arms of sleep overtook her, giving her temporary escape and peace. “Good luck, Sweetie.” Fluttershy’s father called as she walked towards the front doors of the school. She gave a small wave in response before turning away. Fluttershy sighed in relief. It had been a month since she’d been to school, and she missed her friends, she missed her teachers, and she missed the amazing things she learned there. Fluttershy loved school. She loved learning about everything from math to science to history; she absorbed everything. To her, school was like a second home. She loved talking and playing with her friends, they were the brothers and sisters she never had. Her friends were her family. Her teacher was like-... Fluttershy mentally stuttered at the thought. She quickly scrambled for a more suitable place for her teacher, hoping to avoid any thoughts that would break the shell that she’d built up in the last month... Aunt... aunt works... yeah, her teacher was like her aunt… Fluttershy looked up at the large welcoming doors to the school and took a deep breath before finally stepping through. The sounds of hoofs in the hallways, and the chatter of the small groups by the lockers were simple comforts she didn’t know she had missed until now. Some of the students recognized her and quickly turned to their friends and whispered, while others smiled at her warmly. Her friends, who were together in the center of the hall, quickly skipped over and gathered around her. “Fluttershy!” “Hey Fluttershy! Welcome back,” one particular yellow filly said. Spitfire had been Fluttershy’s friend since her first day in school. After finding that they were both the same color, they quickly began to share everything with each other, from toys to stories to interests, and from that day forward Fluttershy and Spitfire were almost never found apart. They ate at the same table, they laughed at the same jokes, they played the same games. They talked about everything, and forever kept each other’s secrets. The only difference is that Fluttershy was shy, Spitfire was not. “So how’ve you been?” Spitfire asked with a smile. Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile back. “I’m... doing much better... Thanks.” “I’ve missed you so much!” a colt said enthusiastically with a hug from behind. Soarin was never a subtle one. “He only missed you ‘cause he had to actually listen in class for the first time,” Spitfire said teasingly. “Hey!” Soarin quickly snapped into a defensive position. Both Spitfire and Fluttershy giggled. This was the simple fun that Fluttershy had missed for so long. She felt a comfort that had been previously absent. She was home again. “It’s good to have you back,” Spitfire said with a hug. “Why don’t we-...Oh! I almost forgot! I bet you’ll never guess what I did yesterday!” Spitfire was suddenly on her tip-hooves subtly bouncing up and down. “I still don’t believe you actually did it,” Soarin grumbled before Fluttershy could ask what it was. “You’re just jealous,” Spitfire stuck her tongue out at him. “No! I just want to see you do it first, THEN I’ll be jealous.” He scowled. “What are you two talking about?” Fluttershy finally squeezed in. “Spitfire says that she-” “I FLEW!” Spitfire squeaked over Soarin with a huge smile on her face. “You did?” Fluttershy was caught off guard by this simple news. As far as she knew, no other pony in her class was even close to fledging, much less actually flying. “How did you do it?” “By lying and then adding an ‘F’,” Soarin remarked. Spitfire glared and stuck her tongue out again before continuing. “It’s... a little hard to explain, I’ll show you at recess.” Spitfire was still on the tips of her hooves when the bell rang to go to class. “I’ll see you at lunch girls!” Soarin said on his way to his class. The only time in school that Fluttershy and Spitfire shared with Soarin was lunch. Everything else, including recess, was separate. “Come on, Fluttershy, let’s go!” Spitfire was unable to hold still any longer and had bolted down the hall. “Wait for me!” Fluttershy giggled and followed her to class. After the day’s lesson, recess was a cacophony of small pegasi testing their wings, stretching, twisting, flapping, trying to get off of the ground. Most of the playground equipment stood untouched except the slides, down which other students would go with their wings open trying to get lift. Fluttershy and Spitfire stood off to the side and watched for a few minutes, giggling at some of the colts attempting to show off how much wind they could create. “All the other kids have been tryin’ since they saw me fly,” Spitfire indicated with a chuckle. “Can you show me now?” Flutter shy asked excitedly. “Right now would be the perfect time to show up all of those colts again wouldn’t it?” Spitfire smiled slyly as her small wings spread to full width. “You ready?” she turned to Fluttershy. Fluttershy nodded with a smile. Spitfire lifted her wings and brought them down with a whoosh. She was airborne, moving ever so slightly forward. When she had risen to about a foot into the air, she leveled out her wings and gently glided forward a few feet before touching back down and folding her wings together. The entire playground fell silent, then was quickly filled with cheers, all of the students impressed with her small glide. Spitfire revelled in it, taking a small bow before walking over to Fluttershy. The fillies and colts who were once cheering resumed trying even harder just to get a few inches off the ground, while some of them just sat down, deciding just to not bother anymore. “Did you see that!?!” Spitfire squeaked at Fluttershy. “That was incredible! How did you do it?” she asked. Fluttershy had watched in wonder at the display Spitfire had put on. “I don’t know actually. Turns out there’s certain way to move your wings to make them grab more air or something. I just found it yesterday, and I was lucky to find it just now,” Spitfire shrugged, “How about you try it! Here I’ll show you!” “Okay...” Fluttershy backed up a little to make room for spitfire, and faced forward. “Alright, so first you spread your wings out like this,” Spitfire proceeded to spread her wings to full length. Fluttershy struggled, but was eventually able to hold them out at full length. “Um... now what?” “Then, I guess you just lift your wings and bring them down really quickly,” Spitfire’s wings lifted and came down with another whoosh, which lifted her a few inches into the air. She came back down and landed gently on the cloud ground. “Okay then, here it goes...” Fluttershy lifted her wings, then quickly brought them back down. Her small wings collapsed back onto her sides, hanging limply before folding back up, “Oh...” “Oh, it’s okay. You can keep trying. I know you can do it!” Spitfire gave her an encouraging smile, but Fluttershy didn’t see it. She looked around and noticed that there were other students watching her and spitfire. “Um... can I try again later? Everypony’s watching us...” Fluttershy kept her wings in and tried inconspicuously to hide behind Spitfire. The thought came to her mind that everypony in her class just watched her fail completely and utterly. This only resulted in her trying even harder to be invisible, and Spitfire noticed. “Fluttershy, you don’t need to worry what they think. Some of them can’t even open their own wings all the way...” Spitfire stated matter-of-factly. This made Fluttershy feel a little better, even though they did share recess with the younger classes, “See? Nothing to worry about,” Spitfire pointed to a brown colt with a grey mane, who was struggling only to get one wing to fully stretch at a time. “Yeah, I guess I was just being silly,” Fluttershy came out from behind Spitfire and sighed before sitting down. Spitfire smiled and soon followed suit. They stayed there for a few minutes and just enjoyed the sun, watching the other ponies play on the swings, jumping off at full height, then trying to open their wings, only to fall straight to the ground. Some of them landed awkwardly and fell on their sides. Both Fluttershy and Spitfire giggled in unison. Fluttershy felt at peace here, simply relaxing with a friend, enjoying the blue sky and sunlight. She smiled. “So... how’ve you been?” Spitfire asked timidly. Fluttershy’s smile faded. “Oh! I’m sorry, I was just...” Spitfire begun to freak out. “No... it’s fine...” Fluttershy said. She tried to smile at Spitfire, but it didn’t work. “No it’s not! I shouldn’t have brought it up. I’ve just been so worried about you-” Fluttershy scooted over and nudged up against her, “Thanks Spitfire.” Spitfire went quiet and hugged her in return. “I’m glad I have a friend like you...” Fluttershy said. “N-No problem...” Spitfire responded trying to give as gentle a smile as she could. When they finally pulled away, Fluttershy felt the familiar trails of water on her cheeks. She wiped them off, and smiled at her friend. “I'm much better now," she said. "Thanks." There the two fillies sat, basking on a white cloud, watching the other clouds pass over the beautiful landscape below. "Um... Daddy?" Fluttershy was on her father's back, her forehooves gently wrapped around his neck, as they made their way home from school. Because her father wasn't a pegasus, the trip took much longer for them that for most of the other students, despite living near the building. This gave them time to talk, and to enjoy the view from the clouds. "Yes, Fluttershy?" "I want to learn to fly." Her father paused for a moment, thinking about what to say. "Are you sure you're old enough?" "Well," Fluttershy wasn't sure how to answer that. She knew that Spitfire had learned to glide, at least, and that many of the other students in the grade above her's were already flying. Was she old enough? It seemed reasonable enough. "I think so. There are other foals at school that can do it." "Okay," They looked up to see a few young ponies soaring through the air overhead, as school was out, and they were free to roam. Her father motioned to his sides. "But, I'm not a pegasus. I don't exactly know how to fly, much less teach anypony." "Oh." Fluttershy was slightly disappointed, but she understood that her father wanted to help. Suddenly, she remembered something that she had seen on one of the posters at school. "I think there's a flight camp in the summer. Can I sign up?" "There is?" He apparently wasn't accustomed to the way pegasus schools worked. Fluttershy was, after all, his first pegasus filly. "Where is it?" Fluttershy didn't know the answer to that, but she knew that she could pick up one of the fliers at school the next day. "Um. I'll go look tomorrow." "Well, you let me know tomorrow, and then we'll see about signing you up. Fair deal?" Fluttershy grinned, and hugged her father tight. "Yes, sir."
SlippingTHUMP! They were almost at the doors. So close to getting out. Her mom had a wing around her, pushing gently towards the exit. The room grew slowly darker. THUMP! The sound hurt her ears. It had the effect of squeezing her head tight for a short moment. It hurt, it hurt so much... THUMP! Suddenly, the room was consumed in darkness, the only visible light trickling in through the glass doors. Just outside, a large scaly tail waved slowly in front of the building, connected to something that was... above them. RAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!! The roar shook violently through Fluttershy's mind. Crouching down, she covered her ears in an attempt to make the pain stop. She just wanted it all to go away. It didn't. When she opened her eyes, she saw the back of her mothers head, bobbing swiftly with the motion of her gallop. The door, it was so close to them. They were almost there. CRASH!!! In place of the door, was a large hole, sunlight seeping through it, accentuating the glistening points of the giant that now stood there. Red. Huge. Scaly. Angry. Glowing. Orange. The beast filled Fluttershy's vision for just a split second before her vision was sent into a whirlwind of motion. She was spinning. She instinctively curled into a ball. She hit the floor, knocking the wind out of her, and slid across the polished surface into a wall. Her eyes were out of focus, covered in speckles of light that seemed to twinkle as the stars before fading away. Catching her breath, she looked up. Her mother was there, just a short distance away, looking at her. Her eyes, though fraught with worry, were gentle. Her voice, though rough with exhaustion, was soothing. "Be safe, Fluttershy. I love you." Nothing could have been more honest than those words in that moment. They rang with truth to Fluttershy, even as she watched bright billowing clouds of flame bathe the center of the room. There was so much fire... ...so much fire. Fluttershy opened her eyes. The faces of fillies, all staring at her... sideways? She lifted her head and found that she had been laying on a desk. The middle of it was wet. "Fluttershy?" She looked up to see that she was in a classroom. Not just any classroom, but the classroom of summer flight camp. And she was there, in the middle of the room, with a wet face. Everypony was staring at her, including the teacher, who had on a look that mirrored that of the last her mother wore. "Fluttershy, are you alright, dear?" The pressure of eyes, looks, and even some giggles, intimidated her. She slumped into her seat, trying to become as small as possible. Hopefully, if she could just disappear, they would stop staring, and everything would go back to normal. "Fluttershy?" There were footsteps coming from the front of the room. "Do you want to come with me for a moment?" The teacher approached slowly. She sat down next to the desk and waited. Fluttershy looked around, observing the faces around her, then looked up at the teacher, and nodded her head. "Alright then," The teacher smiled as she turned towards the door. "Follow me." Fluttershy did. Behind a door in the hallway, tense muffled voices could be heard. Fluttershy sat in a chair just outside. The two voices were those of her father and her new teacher. Fluttershy couldn't make out what they were saying, but judging by how they sounded, and how quiet they were trying to be, she knew what they were talking about. She knew she didn't belong here. She had tried to learn, had been through practice, had studied all about the correct angles and movements required to gain lift. But the clumsiness of her wings prevented her from ever achieving those optimal motions. Her legs were thin and lanky, and her wings flaunted the same level of daintiness. She had no strength, and no skill. Why did she have to ask to come here? She wasn't ready. She knew she wasn't. But she wanted to be with her friends. They were all going. Why couldn't she? But even that would have been okay. If she could be with her friends, even if she never learned to fly, then everything would be alright. But that never happened. Spitfire and Soarin learned much faster than she did, and so they were moved quickly to the advanced flying classes, leaving her all alone. Though, that wasn't why she was here. She was sitting in this chair outside the teacher's office because of the nightmares. She would fall asleep in the middle of class, and wake up screaming. Every time, her teacher walked her out, and called her father, who took her home. Even during practice, she would be trying to get lift, she'd be somewhere high up, and the fear overtook her senses, filling her mind with horrible memories. She could never focus. She was always crying. Why couldn't she just forget? She loved her mom, and always wanted to remember the great things they did together. But she wanted to forget that one thing, that one moment that continues to haunt her. It sits in the back of her mind, waiting for the most inconvenient moment to show itself. And it always shows itself. Fluttershy the wimp. Fluttershy the cry-baby. Fluttershy the weakling. She couldn't take it any more. She just wanted to go away, to run away. She wanted to forget, to be somepony else, to just not be there. She wanted to be anywhere but inside herself. But she couldn't escape, no matter how hard she tried. She was trapped with herself, and her memories and her clumsiness. And she hated it. She hated it all so much. *click* The door opened besides Fluttershy. She saw her father walk out talking with her teacher, "Thank you, Miss Hearth. I'll talk to her, and get back to you." "You're very welcome, Mr. Grey," her teacher responded before the door closed between them. Fluttershy stared at the floor of the hall. The sunlight bouncing off of it gave the slightest hints of a rainbow. "Fluttershy?" She kept staring. What was she going to say? That she wanted to stay? That she wanted to go? What did she want? If she went home, she knew that the memories would haunt her more than they were haunting her here. But she knew that, here, she was subject to shame and embarrassment for her weakness, both of body and of mind. It didn't matter really where she went, she just hated being herself. She wanted it all to just stop. "Fluttershy, please look at me." Her father sat down in front of her and brought his head low so that he could look at her. His hooves now stood where she had seen the feint rainbow. "What's wrong, Fluttershy?" She continued to stare at his feet, not knowing how to respond. What was really the problem? Was it her? Was it the nightmares? Was it the other kids making fun of her pitiful attempts to fly? What was it? She couldn't clear her head enough to choose an answer, so she chose nothing. Her father waited a few more seconds before asking again. "Miss Hearth said that she could give you private classes if that would help?" he said, gently suggesting a solution to the unknown problem, while it was toned more as a question. How would that help?, Fluttershy thought. She tried to imagine what it would be like alone with Miss Hearth, not being able to pay attention, being looked upon as a 'special' filly with 'special' needs. She knew that it would only serve to invoke more cruelty from the other students during the practice hours. It would isolate her more than ever from the rest of the foals that already had little to no connection with her. She hated the idea. "No," she stated simply. The stallion in front of her sighed and thought for a moment. "Well, what would be the problem with that?" The answer was obvious to her; she hated not having friends. "I-... I want to have friends." As the words came out, she realized what the real problem was. She was alone. She didn't have anyone to comfort her when she was sad, not like how Spitfire helped her in school anyway. Her teacher tried, but Miss Hearth's attention was always divided among the other students, and was only brought to Fluttershy when one of her nightmares took hold. What she needed was a friend, but not just any friend. She needed a shoulder to cry on, somepony to talk to about what happened, somepony that could help her when she needed it, motivate her when she was discouraged. She wanted a real friend. She needed a real friend. "Have you made any friends in your class?" His voice was slightly more hopeful, but was met with the shaking of a small yellow head, it's small pink mane swaying slightly with the movement. Slightly confused, he asked, "What about Spitfire, or Soarin? Aren't they your friends?" "They're not in my class." "Oh, I though they were." He itch behind his ear. "What happened?" "They learned to fly." Her father went silent for a moment. "Oh." Were they still her friends? She didn't believe that they would have forgotten her that fast. They had been friends since kindergarden, and they always hung out. No, they were still friends, they just... weren't together anymore. "Well, what if you could go to their class?" "They'll just make fun of me more." His eyebrows furrowed in thought, his lips following suit. After a moment of pondering, he stood. "One moment, I want to go check something." The door to Miss Hearth's office opened once more as Fluttershy's line of sight to the floor was unobstructed. The angle of light had changed ever so slightly, revealing a brighter rainbow than before. "I'll be right back." Her father said before closing the door behind him. The voices behind the door started up again. As fluttershy listened, she could her that the conversation was much lighter than before. Hopeful, even. As she watched, the microscopic droplets of condensed water that made up the floor began to sparkle through the rainbow on the floor. The door opened and Fluttershy looked up to see an excited smile. "Fluttershy. I've spoken with Miss Hearth, and she's going to take care of everything." His horn glowed, and Fluttershy found herself floating onto his back. "What is she going to do?" Fluttershy asked. "She's going to give you a friend," he smiled in return. The thought took a moment for Flutttershy to process. How was Miss Hearth going to give her a friend? Friends don't just fly out of nowhere do they? What if she was too shy? What if this new friend was mean? What if they didn't get along very well? The more she thought about it, the more the idea of a new friend intimidated her. But her father was smiling, and she felt she could trust him. She let the hope that practically glowed from him seep into her. With a sigh and a quick arch of her back, she stretched across her father's back and wrapped her forelegs around his neck before relaxing completely. She let herself smile as well. Tomorrow was going to be a good day.
Birds of a Feather... (Alternate)Author's Note The following was written by the talented Wing Dancer as the result of an interesting discussion. As of yet it is an alternate continuation of the story, and not canon. Though, I might be willing to consider it a permanent and proper direction for the story to take. We shall see. ;) But for now, enjoy. Birds of a Feather... (Alternate) Flames licked her. She could feel them claw at her, singing her fur and mane. She had to close her eyes tight shut, losing sight of mother. There was no darkness. The violent, bright light shined through. She tried to turn away only to be smitten by another whip of heat. She cried out, her voice overpowered by the booming roar of a terrible bear RAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!! On shaking legs, she picked herself up and ran. She stumbled, the clouds underneath her feet uneven and torn. Her desperation and fear pushed her forward. Her world finally sunk back into shadows, the burning heat left behind as she trotted onwards blindly. The noises were dying down, the cackling of fires left behind. Fluttershy... Her hooves and feet hurt. They were bruised like the rest of her body. She tripped and fell, gliding across the uneven, silky surface Fluttershy...! Her tiny legs finally caught purchase, driving her forward, stumbling and crying, as far away as possible. Anywhere but there, it didn't matter. As far away as possible from... Fluttershy! Her father was there, as always, hugging her close to his warm chest. She felt the moisture where she wiped her tears, sobbing into the gray coat. His heart beat like a great drum, the sound of it never failing to calm her down. “It's okay, Fluttershy,” he murmured, petting her mane. “It was just a dream...just a dream...” She relaxed into his touch. Her stiff wings folded back, allowing her to curl into a more comfortable ball against her father. His body curled around her gave her comfort, like a nest to a baby bird. He would always be there. He'd protect her. Like he did on that day. Fluttershy didn't know whether to be excited or nervous. Her father walked her to the camp grounds, telling her to stay and wait for Miss Hearth to arrive with 'her new friend'. It has been over ten minutes since then, and the filly was anxiously bouncing on her hooves. Who would he be? How would he help her become a better flier so that she could join Spitfire and Soarin? Would he or she even want to be friends with such a weak flier like her? Those were just some of the questions that bothered her. It seemed that the older she got, the more the foals became judgmental of her. It was as if a pegasus should be judged solemnly on her ability to fly and show off just how good she could glide. “I wanna go home,” she whispered, dabbing a hoof in the cloud. “Stupid flight camp. I should have stayed with dad.” “Fluttershy?” asked a voice. The filly jumped slightly, her wings flaring out. She scrambled to turn around where Miss Hearth stood with a mild smile. The old mare had both wings spread above her back, as if she was carrying something. “I'm glad to see you again,” said the teacher, coming in closer to nuzzle the top of her student's head. “I'm happy that you didn't give up on us. Believe it or not, many good fliers were average, if not even below that when they were your age. It was determination and passion that finally saw them succeed. That, and good, supportive friends. You can come out now, don't be shy,” said the teacher, craning her head to look at her back. Fluttershy rose to the tip of her hooves, straining to see who the new filly was. Her eyes became wide in wonder when the flight teacher turned finally turned around. On her back sat a small, white birdie. From what Fluttershy recalled, it was called a sparrow. Its little black eyes were focused on the filly, the tiny yellow beak twisting and turning along with its head. It looked like a young chick, still some puffy fluff present on its back and head. “This will be your new friend, Fluttershy. Her name is Gwendolin and she's a begginer flier, just like you. Give me your hoof please,” smiled Miss Hearth. Fluttershy extended her shaking leg towards the teacher's, still looking at the tiny wonder. She saw birds before, some of them flying around Cloudsdale. Some of them were pets, the larger breeds mostly used in some weather jobs or as couriers. Never before has she even entertained the idea of actually having a bird of her own. “Now, come on Gwen. Don't be bashful. This is Fluttershy. Do you think you could be friends, hmm?” Gwendolyn jumped in place a few times, fluffing her feathers. She finally started inching towards the small yellow hoof, one step at a time, moving sideways. The bird stopped an inch or so away from Fluttershy's leg, eying her curiously. “H-Hi there, Gwendolyn. It's so nice to meet you,” whispered Fluttershy, still unable to peel her gaze away from the tiny bird. She squeed when the feathered critter finally jumped over to her, craning its head and chirping. “Take good care of her, Fluttershy. You both have a lot to learn about flying, but I'm positive you can learn a lot from one another.” The teacher kept talking something more about responsibilities and how she should focus on bettering herself, but there was hardly anything more interesting to Fluttershy than the tiny, feathered wonder now in front of her muzzle. Her whole world was filled by Gwendolyn, her new friend. The birdy was really small and lively, curiously looking her over, comfortably perched on the flat of her hoof. Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle as Gwendolyn brushed her small head against her snout. “I like you too, Gwen,” said Fluttershy in a hushed voice, bringing the bird close to her and nuzzling her affectionately. “We'll become the best of friends, you and I.” Fluttershy trotted around with Gwendolyn perched on her back everywhere she went. The little bird quickly warmed up to the filly, jumping around her body and curiously watching the world around her. Her little weight gave the pegasus more confidence and helped her ignore the other foals who gave her weird stares. She was still a bad flier, but with Gwendolyn by her side she felt like trying again and again instead of sinking into the nearest cloud till recess. The snickering didn't matter as long as Gwendolyn's little eyes traced Fluttershy's movements, the small bird trying its hardest to flap its wings and lift off the clouds. “I think you're doing great, Gwen,” praised Fluttershy, nuzzling the chirping birdie. She let Gwen climb her nose and nestle herself in her pink mane. “Yeah, I'm kind of tired too. Maybe we could try and sneak away for a break?” Gwendolin looked down at her friend and cocked her head sideways, chirping sternly and flapping her wings. “I guess you're right. We're here to learn after all,” sheepishly replied Fluttershy, sighing. Gwendolyn chirped some more, dabbing at Flutterhy's mane, picking out the long strands and casting them around herself in a nest-like fashion. “Okay then. You're totally right. We will just trot around a bit, hmm?” Dinner time was as loud as ever, all the ponies throwing themselves at the hay-fries and apple fritters like the world was at an end. In the end, the stronger ones left with their plates stacked, those less fortunate having to select more mundane meals of salad or tofu. Fluttershy always liked dandelion sandwiches. It was her favorite since she could remember, and father would always say that that simple meal had a special meaning for him. He liked to prepare them in a certain way, kind of hastily throw the bread and flowers together, with some of the petals falling out sometimes. It brought tears to his eyes when he watched her eat it, even if he tried to hide it. Gwendolyn on the other hoof had even simpler tastes. She happily dabbed at the seeds she got, wetting her beak in a small water cup from time to time. “Oh look, it's the crazy bird-filly,” said a gruffy voice from behind Fluttershy, followed by a few chuckles and snickers. Fluttershy ignored them, still eating her sandwich, repeating the same words over and over again in her head – 'Just let them be. They'll get bored. They'll leave you alone. Just let them be...' Tonight was probably the first night her father didn't have to come over and pick her up. Nopony would snicker behind her back, call her a cry-baby or poke fun at her the next day – at least, not more than usual. Today, she gave it her all – both she and Gwendolyn did. Even so, they both got more than their daily share of ridicule day. They were the slowest, the clumsiest and all the other foals were running circles around them just for fun. But did that matter? Not one bit. The two friends simply ignored the bullies, focusing on their tasks. Together they ignored the trouble-makers so hard they eventually started letting up, having lost all interest in them by supper time. Right now, Fluttershy and Gwendolyn were lying in a bunk bed, drifting between consciousness and sleep. The small bird settled itself in her tail, its little head cuddled against the pegasus' chest. Fluttershy couldn't help but smile. It felt nice, this new kind of friendship. Ponies were fun to be around with, but the bond she had with Gwendolyn felt...natural. It seemed like it had always been there, instantly snapping into place when the two saw each other. For some reason Fluttershy could guess what the tiny bird meant, she could read her better than she could a pony. Gwendolyn didn't judge her, there were no harsh words or comparing wing sizes. They respected and encouraged each other to fight through the day, train their wings even harder than any of them did before. Gwendolyn was the friend she needed, even though she would have never guessed it.
