Harmony Through Scars

-Fluttershy-

Fluttershy twirled around, allowing her large mirror to capture her whole body. She draped her hair over her right shoulder and sashayed out of her pink bedroom. Slowing her movements, she walked through her front door. Fluttershy stopped when she saw the brownish color of her daisies and looked around for her watering can. When she realized that it was no where to be seen, she trotted towards the town of Fillydelphia . Fluttershy walked up to a stallion watering the town garden and grabbed his hoof, tripping him. He yelled out as he fell hard onto the cold pavement. Fluttershy took her opportunity and grabbed the can.

"Hey!" The stallion made an attempt to get up and retrieve his property, but failed and fell back again.

Fluttershy smirked and stuck her muzzle in the air as she made her way back to her house.

-Back to Twilight, Applejack and Frost Streak-

Twilight groaned as she found herself becoming more and more tired./ "Applejack when can we eat?" Twilight's legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground, "I am tired and hungry."

"Well, I could use some rest too." Applejack looked at Frost, who gave her a small nod. Applejack gave all three of them a slice of the apple pie she had made the morning they left Ponyville. Twilight gobbled it down, and slowly her stomach stopped growling.

"That was great, AJ!" Twilight licked her lips and covered herself with leaves. The sun started to descend over the horizon, giving the sky a magical feel. A crescent moon lifted itself into the sky.

Applejack lied next to Twilight. Frost Streak seemed distracted by something else though. A nearby bush was slowly swaying with the soft breeze and with every movement a small shuffling sound filled the air. Twilight got up and walked towards the lush plant.

"Who's there?" Twilight straightened her stance and pounded the ground with her hoof. Applejack stepped forward to join her. She shook the plant a little and a small yellow muzzle poked out from between two large leaves. then another muzzle (this one was white). The two fillies carefully moved out of the plant's protection, shaking twigs of their coats.

"Applebloom? Sweetie Belle?" Applejack was the first top speak. "What are ya'll doing here?"

"We had to hide from the black thingies." Sweetie Belle pointed upwards as a dark figure zoomed over the clearing.

Applebloom jumped into her sister's hooves and the two of them hugged for a while. Twilight watched the figure some more. Changelings... Twilight trotted opver to the young fillies, "Where's Scootaloo?" The fillies' smiles vanished at the mention of their absent friend and Twilight's heart sank knowing something bad had happened.

"She was captured by one of them evil black and green thingies." Applebloom looked into Twilight's eyes. "Y'all think we could save her?"

"And Rarity?" Sweetie Belle missed her glamorous big sister. That was something Twilight could understand, but rescuing Scootaloo would delay finding the other elements. "Please?" Both fillies chorused.

"We'll see." Twilight watched the girls' faces drop and their eyes droop downwards as they nodded sadly. She felt really guilty, but the thought of risking their own lives was even more serious.

Another figure zipped over them, but this one spread a colorful trail behind it's muscular body. The group watched the Pegasus zoom through the sky. It couldn't possibly be who she thought it was, was it. The pony stopped, staring down at the quintet. Then she flew off into the distance. Applejack sighed and turned to face the others. "Traitor." She let her hat slide down her face and her hair covered her left eye. "Lets get some sleep." Applejack fed the younger ponies and tucked them into the crisp leaves. Twilight could sense Applejack's own regret for her actions, but seeing her best friend with the Changelings upset her terribly.

The next morning the quintet woke early and started straight for their destination. "Are we there yet?" Sweetie Belle shifted her fringe. "I can't wait to see Fluttershy again!"

"Remember everypony, our friends are different now than what they were before. Just look at what happened to Applejack," Applejack sighed and stared at the ground, whilst Twilight pushed some leaves out of the way and uncovered a dirty town covered in dust and rubble. "And to answer the latter of your questions, yes, we are here. I think."

Frost looked at the Element of Kindness again. "Yep, this s it." She started to walk towards a large building where a yellow pegasus stood towering over a young stallion. Her hair was tied back in a tight bun and a flower sat neatly behind her right ear. Fluttershy wasn't exactly shy anymore, so the group took particular care whilst walking up to the mare.

"Don't ever tell me what I can and can't do!" Fluttershy turned around, whipping the stallion with her silky tail. She huffed and walked away. The group quickened their movements to keep up with the pegasus, who was now strolling down a thin trail leading to a homely cottage much like her home in Ponyville. The yellow pegasus disappeared into the house and slammed the door behind her soft pink tail, her head proudly lifted high in the air.

"Oh, please. Not another pony like Rarity." Applejack groaned, her head barely touching the ground. Twilight rolled her eyes at Applejack's comment. She was determined to help Fluttershy no matter what it would cost.

"Come on, ponies!" Twilight encouraged the rest of the group. "I'd say we only have a few minutes of daylight left, so we should get this over with." She trotted cheerfully up the path and was soon standing in front of Fluttershy's cottage. Here goes nothing... Twilight knocked once on the door, but when she got no answer, she knocked another three times.

The door slowly opened and a pegasus shoved her head out, glaring at Twilight and her friends. "What do you want?"