“1... 2... 3... Ready or not, here I come!” I looked all over the living room. While it was obvious where she was, I wanted to give her at least a confidence boost. Finally, I looked over to the couch where I could see her wings. I hopped onto the couch. “Found ya!” I said. The soft-yellow Pegasus jumped and uttered a meep.
“O-oh! I’m sorry!” I told her.
“It’s... alright.” She said. I could still see her trembling. I got off the couch, went around, and held her.
“Shhhh... It’s alright. I found you again.” I said. She nuzzled her head into my shoulder.
“You always find me.” She said.
My name is Noel, and that Pegasus is my mom, Fluttershy. It’s weird, I know, but she’s not my birth mom. My mom passed away about a month before she came along.
I remembered it like it was yesterday.
I began to have nightmares of my mom passing away in a car crash. Sometimes it’d be me finding out about it, but other times I’d see the crash in its gruesome details. I will spare you the story of the latter, but I will say that the night Fluttershy came was the night I had that dream.
I remember waking up in a crying fit. That was when I heard the door open. I nearly screamed until I felt something soft and ticklish overlap my body. I felt like it was a dog that came over to me and sat down. That is until I heard her voice.
"Hush now, quiet now,
it’s time to lay your sleepy head,
hush now, quiet now,
it’s time to go to bed...”
She sang and her voice soothed me into sleeping with her.
In the morning, I saw her and to my surprise, it wasn’t a dog, but rather a winged horse, though with the facial structure was different. For one, there was a shorter snout and her eyes were big, googly, anime eyes. Her mane and tail were long, flowing pink hair. On her rump were three pink butterflies. I didn’t feel like I was afraid though. I felt the opposite, in peace. I held her and snuggled her.
Then I heard my dad.
“Son! Get up, you’ll be late for-” As soon as he entered the room, he saw Fluttershy and I holding each other. He shook me awake and I got up. He looked to me, then to Fluttershy. Then he took me by the arm and got me ready for school.
“So... did you get me a pet?” First question I asked my dad when we got the car running. My dad sighed.
“In a sense. I found her by the side of the road in a cardboard box last night when I was coming home from Tomoe’s. She was lost and starving... I couldn’t bear to see her starve, so I took her home. Guess she heard you and tried to take care of you.” He said.
“Thank you, she’s perfect! What’s her name?” I asked.
“Her name? Fluttershy. That’s what she told me, at least.” My dad stopped the car and pulled over on a sidewalk leading to school. He held my shoulders and looked to me. “Son, Fluttershy is a very special pet. She may require a lot of responsibility. Promise me you’ll take care of her.” He said. I nodded.
“I promise!” I said.
Throughout the months, it was proven that I wasn’t the one who’d take care of Fluttershy, rather it’d be her taking care of me. Instead of sleeping on a little bed like other pets, Fluttershy slept with me in my bed. Instead of me giving Fluttershy a bath, she’d give me a bath. Whenever I asked why, she’d reply that it was her talent to take care of animals. It took my dad and me a few hours to explain to her that humans weren’t animals, but in the end, we decided to drop it. Every time I look back at that time, I always got a laugh out of it.
My birthday rolled around in the summer time.
“If only Pinkie were here...” Fluttershy lamented when it came time to give me the cake. My dad and Fluttershy sang to me the happy birthday song. I smiled and when they told me to make my wish, I knew exactly what to wish for. A tear fell from my eye as I blew into the candle. My dad clapped while Fluttershy cheered for me. When we were done eating the cake, Fluttershy called me to my bedroom.
“So, what did you wish for?” Fluttershy asked.
“It’s a secret, isn’t it?” I asked her. She nods.
“Yes, but I think I know what it is.” Fluttershy said.
“Y-you do?” I asked her. She held me with her wings.
“Your dad told me everything. You must feel awful missing your mother.” She said. For the first time since I met Fluttershy, I cried.
“Yes! I miss her!” I sobbed into her body. She wrapped her front legs to me.
“It’s okay... I’ll be your mom if you want.” She said.
“Y-you will?” I smiled and grabbed her. “Yes! I’d like that very much.”
“Okay then...” She let go of me and from that day, Fluttershy and I saw each other differently. No longer were we a pet and her owner. We were instead a parent and her child.
But it wasn’t always easy.
I remember a time in my school where my Dad was busy and had Fluttershy come to pick me up. I was super excited to show my friends to her that after school, I took them to the front where Fluttershy said she’d pick me up.
“Guys, you’re gonna like her! She’s kind, sweet, adorable, and she can fly!” I told them.
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” One of my friends said. I began to notice that not a lot of my friends actually showed up, just a few of my fellow classmates and the older sixth graders. I looked to where Fluttershy would be. She wasn’t there. One minute of silence later and one of the sixth graders laughed.
“See, Jazz? Noel’s just making the story up! He just can’t cope with it!” He said before he pushed me to the ground. I fell on my nose and heard a crunch. When I got up, felt my nose running and I touched it. Upon seeing my own blood, I screamed out.
“WAAAAAH! MOMMY!” The sixth grader laughed.
“Your mommy’s gon-” He said before we all heard a swoosh. I looked up and saw Fluttershy in mid-air. She was completely different from her peaceful demeanour and had a glare towards him.
“DON’T YOU DARE HURT MY SON! YOU MAY BE BIG, BUT THAT GIVES YOU NO RIGHT TO ABUSE HIM! AND DON’T YOU EVER MAKE FUN OF HIM!” She flew down to the ground She stared at him and I could feel that the sixth grader, once aggressive and fearless, quiver in his boots and run off, crying for his own mommy. She turned to me and saw my nose. Like a switch, she began sooth me. “Sshh... Don’t worry, the big mean scary guy is gone now.” She said. Another sixth grader came up.
“We got to get him some medical attention!” She said.
“Alright.” Fluttershy took me and put me on her back. “Hang on...” She flew off, though not so high into the air. She flew at a gentle rate through the woods, a common shortcut to my home. It felt relaxing. The heat on my back, the fuzziness of Fluttershy’s coat, and the soft flapping of her wings all made me sleep on her back.
When I awoke, I saw Fluttershy before me with a medical kit. My nose was better, albeit bandaged and I was covered in my bed.
“Hey, Noel...” Fluttershy said. I smiled.
“Flutters...” I said. She put her hoof onto my chest.
“I’m sorry...” She said.
“For what?” I asked.
“I was hiding in the forest around the time I had to pick you up... I was just so nervous going to you with all those people watching.” Fluttershy cried onto my chest. “If I had just gotten to you, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt!” I put my hand onto her mane and ran my fingers through them.
“No. I’m sorry... I didn’t know you were so... well... shy.” I said. She stopped crying, though there was still a wince in her voice.
“Well, it’s in my name.” We both laughed for a bit before my dad came.
“Noel, someone’s here to see you.” He said. A girl, the same size as the sixth grader who pushed me, walked in. She had brown skin, black long hair, and brown eyes. I knew who she was. She was the ‘Jazz’ that bully talked to.
“I’m sorry about what Jet did to you. I gave him a good scolding for you, though. No one deserves to be made fun of for their absent parents.” She said. She held my hand. “I’m sorry for your loss... I know what it’s like to lose a parent.” She said. She stayed until nighttime, when I got better from my injury. In that time, we began to talk to each other about school and our respective friends. When she left, Fluttershy looked to me.
“Aaaaw, you made a new friend.” She said. I smiled.
“Yeah. I did.” I said. I heard her sniffle a bit. “Something wrong?”
“N-no... It’s just...” She frowned. “I miss my friends.”
“Huh? Where are your friends?” I asked her.
“At Ponyville... I don’t know where it is though. I don’t even know where I am.” Fluttershy began to cry again. I held her.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’ll help you find Ponyville...” I said to her.
Throughout the year, I spent time researching where Ponyville might be. Jazz also helped, though her research, like mine, proved to be fruitless. Every so often, Fluttershy would begin to miss her friends. I comforted her while she told me all the wonderful things about her friends, like Pinkie Pie, the party thrower, or Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer she’s seen.
The seasons passed and Fluttershy became a more and more active participant in our holidays... well, save for Thanksgiving. Turns out she didn’t like eating meat. However, she did make a good tofu alternative for me to try out.
It rolled around to the anniversary of my mom’s death. I thought I’d be crying. Instead, I wasn’t. I accepted my loss. When I was at her funeral, I thought I’d never be able to move on, but with the help of my father, Fluttershy, and Jazz, I was able to accept her death.
Then, after we finished playing hide and seek, there was a knock at the door. My dad wasn’t at my home at the time, so I opened the door. I saw a pony, like Fluttershy, but she was larger, almost the actual size of a horse. She not only had wings but a horn as well, and her multi-colored hair flowed, even though there was no wind. She had a white coat and her hair colors gave me the impression of a sunrise.
“Hello. I’m here to pick up Fluttershy.” She said. I stood there, dumbfounded.
“Princess Celestia!” Fluttershy trotted to her.
“I’m so glad you’re alright. I searched everywhere for you!” Celestia said.
“How did you find me?” Fluttershy said.
“Twilight went to work on creating a locator spell to reach out beyond our realm and I created a magic mirror to come here when we finally found you.” Celestia said.
“W-what’s going on?” I asked the two. Fluttershy looked down.
“I’m... not from here. I’m from a place called Equestria... It’s... far. Very far.” She said.
“Fluttershy was teleported to your realm after she was attacked by a...” Celestia stopped herself. “What would be a term familiar to you? Magic?” She asked.
“Y-yeah.” I said.
“A unicorn cast a magic spell on her which brought her here. We spent about six months of our time trying to find her ever since. And now we have.” Celestia looked towards Fluttershy and smiled. “So, ready to return?” Celestia asked. Fluttershy looked to me, then to Celestia. She hesitated, but she nodded.
“Yes...” As soon as she said that, I had a chill up my spine and realized one thing. This would be the last time I’d see her. Unless... unless... I spoke up.
“Princess?” I asked her.
“Yes?” She answered.
“I... I don’t want to lose her.” I tried my best to keep a straight face. “Can I come with you to this... Equestria?” I asked. Celestia shook her head.
“No. You can’t come with us.” She said.
“W-why not?” I asked as my voice began to break. Fluttershy looked to Celestia.
“May I reason with him?” She asked.
“You may.” Celestia said. Fluttershy looked to me.
“You might wind up missing your friends if you come with us, just like how I missed my friends.” She said.
“I could visit for a day!” I said.
“I’d advise against it...” Celestia said. Not in a bitter or angry tone, but one with a more solemn tone.
“But... but...” I began to whimper. Fluttershy began to whimper too and held me.
“You poor, poor thing. Please, don’t cry... We both have our lives to live. I know it must be hard to see me leave, but now I must go. It’ll be alright, I promise.” She sobbed quietly.
“I’ll miss you...” I said to her.
“I’ll miss you too.” She said. She let go of me and walked to Celestia. I had to say at least one more thing. I ran to Fluttershy and held her like no tomorrow.
“Fluttershy, I love you!” I said to her. She smiled.
“I love you, too, Noel...” She said.
“Thank you for being my mom...” I said.
“You’re welcome.” She said. I let go as her eyes widen and she went to preen her wings. She plucked a feather out and gave it to me. “For you. So that you can always have me by your side, even when I’m not here.” And with a smile, she followed Celestia. I saw Celestia and Fluttershy fly off. Not once did I decide to follow them.
While I was glad that she was able to go home to her friends, I felt sad that I lost another mom. But I wasn’t reduced to a crying fit like last time. My dad and I worked through it and Jazz helped me cope. Eventually, I came to accept Fluttershy’s departure.
Ten years later, a new show hit the airwaves: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Now, normally I wouldn’t have joined the ‘new thing’ that everyone likes, but then I saw her. Fluttershy. On my TV. Seeing her for the first time made me cry with tears of joy. Fluttershy was right. She will always be by my side, even when she’s not there.
I looked to her feather and I smiled. To some people, they’d call her best pony, the Element of Kindness, and rarely a tree, but to me, she will always be my mom, Fluttershy.
Author's Note
I originally was gonna end the story with a sequel hook, like "Hey, I found a portal to Equestria!" but I figured this ending was more uplifting.
