It was a beautiful spring day in Ponyville. There were no clouds in the bright blue sky, since the next storm wasn't due until next week. The sun was shining down brightly, giving everything a yellowish, warm glow to it. It had to be one of the nicest days in the last few weeks.
Fillies and colts were out frolicking around and playing in the sunshine. Their parents chatted casually with neighbors and watched their children happily.
Many others were out in the town, shopping and walking around the area. Almost everyone was out trying to take advantage of the bright, cheery, day.
Fluttershy trotted among the bustling town cheerfully, stopping to look into a shop every once in a while. She had been at the library with Twilight. She and Spike had been helping Twilight reorganize the shelves. It had taken a long time to do, but she was finally headed home to take care of her animals.
She smiled a little as she walked, it was hard not to be happy about the nice weather. It was nice to be like this, especially since it was still quite early in spring. She was sure even her animal friends were either napping in the sun coming in through the windows or out in the yard playing among the grass with each other. They looked so happy.
I should just leave them alone for right now, Fluttershy thought, maybe I can go do some cleaning inside.
She headed into her little cottage, which was still quite neat, as it was when she left that morning. Despite having a lot of animals, she was very good at keeping the place looking at its best.
Though the place was clean, she was still able to find a few items to straighten up. She soon headed up to her room and looked around.
"There has to be something to clean up here," Fluttershy said to herself.
Her room was, like everything else in the cottage, very tidy. Her bed was made up neatly, the pillows placed in their organized manor. The few books and items she owned were placed on shelves and stands around the room.
She sighed softly. She had nothing to do today. She could go out to shops like all the other ponies, but they were very crowded.
Then a lightbulb went off in her mind.
Fluttershy turned to the right of the door way, to see the other door in the room.
The door into her closet.
Slowly, she reached her hoof out and twisted the brass, handle-shaped doorknob. It opened with a high pitched creak.
The small space was quite dark, despite the bright sunlight streaming in through the open window. It was almost like the space had a whole different atmosphere than everything else around it.
It was dingy, with a hint of a scent like what an old book smells like. A thin layer of dust cover the items in the area, like it hadn't been opened for a long time.
Then again, Fluttershy thought, it hasn't been opened for a while.
She actually forgot the small room was there quite often.
The items in the closet were set on shelves that had been built into the wall behind it and some were set neatly on the floor. There were old books that she had had in her childhood, some gifts that she forgot that she had received for Hearth's Warming Eve many years ago, and other odd things. There were even some old toys from when she was younger, like an old dollhouse and a few dolls next to it.
She started to remove some of the items, deciding the toys could probably go to charity. Maybe Twilight would like the books for the library, something for the kids to read or look at while they were there.
She began to sort the items into piles to be taken into town on another day. She took a glance at some of the old Hearth's Warming Eve gifts. Some included pet care books, picture frames, and candles. She decided that the really didn't need the pet care books and would probably take them to Twilight with the others.
She almost came across an old, stuffed bunny. It had black buttons for eyes and a nose. Its fabric coat was a slightly gray color, but she remembered a time when it had been pure white like fresh snowy powder in the winter. Its mouth was formed of thin, black, thread, stitches.
It was the stuffed bunny she got from her mother when she was very young.
The thought of her mother tugged at her heart, but she tried to ignore it as best as she could. She set the little bunny on her bed and continued to take items out of the space.
There were few items left in the closet now. There was something in the corner of her eye that she noticed in the space.
It was an old cardboard box.
The box was well worn, the edges were not as sharp and pointed, and the color was faded to a grayish-brown, the mix of the color with the dust that set into it.
It didn't look like anything special, just an ordinary old box.
Fluttershy stared at the box for a moment it two, not really sure if she should open it.
It looked like it hadn't been opened it many, many years.
Slowly, a yellow pegasus slid the box out of the small space where it was it was located in the closet. Dust flew everywhere as it slid out, causing the mare to sneeze and cough as she accidentally inhaled it.
The top of the box was tightly taped over. It took a bit of struggle to open, almost like it didn't want to be opened after all those years.
And I'm sure Fluttershy regretted opening it after it was already done.
