Time. What is time? Time, as we know it is the change of one state of matter to another. No change, no time. But what if there was more to time? What if time exists in multiple dimensions just like space does? And what if the flexible time we experience in our everyday lives (flexible since we know time can be sped up, slowed down and if the energy and technology are great enough, reversed), is but one dimension, one facet, one sliver of time. What if somethings were changeable but some things fixed? For one young girl; she is about to find out. Her fate in one timeline was to be killed. But that timeline was erased. So what carries over? And what shall be new? She shall soon see.

It was near the end of the school year. In only a few short weeks; the kids would have three months to relax, work, and party. It should have been a happy time but for Fluttershy it was fear inducing. Summer meant being at home with her mother even more. It was a fate worse than any school assignment. Fluttershy's mom was an abusive alcoholic who went out of her way to put all the blame for her failures in life on Fluttershy.

Crystal Shy was about 5'5" - 5'7" and north of 350 pounds. She walked with a cane because her knees could no longer support her bulk. She had short, thinning hair and a face prematurely aged by too much drink, smoking, and anger. She hadn't always been this bad. Oh, she always had a mean, narcissistic streak to her; but she also used to be hot. And being hot covers a multitude of sins for most boys. She had many would be suitors. She played them all to get what she wanted. A little eye flutter, a little pout, and they gave her whatever she wanted. She never took any of them seriously; until she met Hank Shy.

Her father had been a geeky, but good looking boy. Unlike the others, he showed no interest in her. She was so shocked by his lack of interest, she pursued him as the other boys had pursued her. Eventually she wore him down and they started dating. After graduation, they got married. He went to college to become an engineer and she stayed home. A year later, they had their first child, a boy. Three years after that, they had Fluttershy.

As Hank graduated, got a job, and started to climb the corporate ladder, Crystal became bitter and resentful. Instead of celebrating his success; she blamed him for not supporting her and what she wanted to do in life (although she never really made it clear what that was). She started drinking and smoking and binge eating. She would lash out verbally and sometimes physically at the others. Eventually Hank had enough and got a divorce. He got custody of the boy, she got the house, alimony, and Fluttershy.

Fluttershy often wondered what she did that nobody loved her. Her dad took her brother, but left her. She hadn't seen either of them in years. Why didn't he take her? She remembered her dad being nice and kind to her, but he still left. Was that all an act? Did he really only love her brother? How could he leave her behind knowing what she had to put up with? And her mother had crushed her spirit inside. Always yelling and cursing at her; throwing her sometimes down to the ground. It was why she was so quiet and shy. She didn't want people to know what she was going through and she learned earlier on - people equal danger. Only her friends kept her going. And her best friend was Rainbow Dash, whom she had known the longest.

Fluttershy was taking a long time to get dressed; her mother had been drinking again and she didn't want to wear anything that might set her off. She decided to go with a grey pair of sweat pants and an oversized green shirt. She put on a pair of sneakers, tied her hair back, and didn't even bother to put any make-up on; which she hated. Fluttershy was a girlie-girl. She loved fashion and dressing up and make-up and just being a young girl. It was the reason she and Rarity bonded so quickly. But now was not the time for that. Now was the time for caution.

Slowly and gently Fluttershy made her way down the stairs. Slowly and quietly, she made her way to the front door. She had just grabbed a hold of the door when she heard her mother call out.

"Fluttershy! Where you at girl?"

Fluttershy cringed. So close, yet so far from escape. "I'm here momma. I'm just on my way to school. You need anything?" she called back.

"Yeah, a daughter who isn't a whore! But that ain't gonna happen now, is girl?" Crystal drunkenly sneered.

"Momma! Please!" Fluttershy pleaded to her mother.

"'Momma, please!'," Crystal mocked back. "Don't Momma please me! I know what you're up to. That outfit isn't fooling me. Same way with that 'band' of yours with your whore friends. The only thing you're shaking is that butt of yours for all the boys." Crystal got up and waddled over to Fluttershy. "Well guess what girlie? - I aint takin' care of any of your bastard children for you."

"Momma, I'm not like that! I haven't even been out on a date yet. I'm a good girl momma." Fluttershy was in tears now.

Crystal shouted, "LIAR!" and brought her massive arm down across Fluttershy's face, causing her to fall out of the door. " You ruined my life! You caused my husband to leave me and take my son with him! I lost everything cause of you!"

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Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were walking to school. They preferred to walk. Both were athletic and saw walking as another opportunity to workout. Rainbow was Scootaloo's idol. She was a tom boy like herself and was a world class athlete, which Scootaloo also wanted to be. The only difference was Rainbow tended to go for more team sports, like soccer and Scootaloo was more into individual, "extreme" sports. Also, both were only children and saw in each other the sister they always wanted. So every morning, Rainbow walked to Scootaloo's house, then they both went to Fluttershy's, and they all walked to school together.

As they got to Fluttershy's house, they gasped at what they saw, Fluttershy falling out of the front door with her mother coming out after and yelling at her. Rainbow knew the hell Fluttershy had to endure. Rainbow started running over to the house yelling, "LEAVE HER ALONE YOU FAT DRUNK!"

Crystal looked over to Rainbow. "Well, well. If it ain't little miss; it is miss now, cause I can't really tell."

"Why? Too drunk to see you old witch?" Rainbow angrily responded back.

Scootaloo grabbed Rainbow's arm to hold her back. When Rainbow was mad, she didn't think straight. She would try to take on this mammoth woman and lose.

"Your little boyfriend there has the right idea. You better all just get now," Crystal mocked, hoping to get Rainbow to attack.

Fluttershy, who was still down on the porch saw an opportunity and knocked her mother's cane out from under her mother; causing her to fall forward. "RUN!" Fluttershy shouted and all three took off.

Crystal yelled from behind them, "YOU GOTTA COME HOME SOMETIME GIRL! AND I'LL BE WAITIN' ON YA!"

Rainbow turned around, shot Crystal the finger, and yelled, "EAT IT WITCH!", and turned back around. All three ran all the way to school.

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The three of them made it school, out of breath, their hearts ponding. Fluttershy's one eye was quickly becoming black from being struck by her mother.

"Fluttershy, do you really have to put up with that?" Scootaloo asked in amazement. She didn't really know Fluttershy that well. Sure she had met her and hung out with her and Rainbow sometimes; but she didn't really know her in depth. She certainly didn't know Fluttershy was dealing with something like that.

"Yes, for years!" Rainbow sneered. She hated seeing Fluttershy being abused. She had tried over the years to get her to turn her mother in; but she always refused.

Fluttershy was about to offer up her usual excuses when she heard the others approaching her. She quickly tried to cover the black eye with her hair but it was too late. She heard them all gasp. They all came running over: Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Sunset Shimmer; and started asking her what had happened. She tried to assure them she was ok and that she had only tripped and fell. That was when Rainbow lost it.

"Tripped? TRIPPED! Yeah sure, fine Fluttershy; 'you tripped'! You tripped today, you'll trip tomorrow, and then you'll trip into the grave!"

"Rainbow! Please, not now, not here," Fluttershy pleaded.

The other girls looked back and forth between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in confusion and embarrassment. They didn't know what was going, but they knew it was bad.

"When Fluttershy? When you're in the hospital? The grave? When? When will finally be the right time to talk about how your MOTHER is a drunk, abusive, witch? You all wanna know where she got that black eye? SHE GOT IT FROM HER MOTHER!" Rainbow yelled the last sentence and everybody started to look around and stare to see what was going on.

Fluttershy burst into tears and grabbed a hold of Rainbow. "Ple-e-e-ase Rainbow, sto-o-o-op."

Rainbow looked at Fluttershy with smoldering anger. "She is going to kill and then I'll be without my best friend ever. I'll do whatever it takes to prevent that. If I'm gonna lose you, I'd rather have it because you hate me than because you're dead!"

Dead. Dead. The word echoed inside Fluttershy's head. Something about it made her feel suddenly cold and trapped. She suddenly felt a major pain in the back of her head and blacked out.

Everyone started screaming and yelling. The students grabbed their cell phones and started calling 911. Someone went in and got Celestia and Luna. Both women came running out as fast as they could with the school nurse. The made the other students get back until the ambulance arrived and took her away.

After everything had calmed down, Celestia looked at Luna, "Luna, take the students inside to the auditorium. Make an announcement over the intercom for everyone to come there. I'll address everyone once I get there.

"Of course," Luna responded and quickly started to bring everyone inside except for Rainbow Dash who Celestia requested stay behind.

Once everyone went inside; Celestia asked Rainbow what had happened. Rainbow started crying and hugged Celestia. She told Celestia everything. She told her about Fluttershy's dad leaving and how her mother abused her and how Fluttershy never wanted her to say anything about it. Rainbow felt horrible and blamed herself for everything.

Celestia hugged Rainbow back and told her it wasn't her fault and that she was doing the right thing now. Celestia called Rainbow's parents and asked them to come and pick her up and why. As she was done, the police showed up and asked what had happened. That's when Celestia and Rainbow told them everything.

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Crystal Shy heard a knock at her door. She looked at the clock on the wall. It said 9:30. Must be about that whore daughter of mine. Might even be her. Stupid slut, takin' off school, probably got a boy with her. Come here to fool around. Well I aint havin' that crap! , she thought to herself. She slowly got up and made her way to the door. "Girl I'm gonna bash your brains in you little piece of . . .," she stopped dead as she saw it was two cops standing at her door.

"No need to ask any questions," the one cop said to the other. "Crystal Shy, you are under arrest for abusing your daughter Fluttershy."

Author's Note

Yes, a lot of it comes from my first story, but, honestly it is kinda of the same story just a little varied at the beginning so it can fit into this timeline. So, elephant in the room, yes, Fluttershy lives! I couldn't kill her off twice. This story will follow her growth and development as a person. There will be more elements of "Mountains" in the upcoming parts, but there will still be plenty of new stuff as I'm taking it in a new direction.

Love you all.