Unleash The Truth

"... were Wonderbolts,"Fluttershy said.

Everyone in the room gazed at Fluttershy in shock, even Twilight. Fluttershy knew that they were surprised that her parents, of all ponies, were Wonderbolts. She knew that it seemed impossible that she, who was a very weak flier for her age, had parents who were some of the best fliers in Equestria.

"They... they were?"Rainbow asked.

"Yes, their names were Wind Rider and Breezy Skies. You see, when I was a foal, I was expected to be a great flier, but, not long after my first birthday, a doctor analyzed my wings. Apparently, I had what is called an Icarian Wing. Basically, if I flew too high, or if I got too close to something below me, my wings would start shedding feathers. I still have this condition, even today. When my parents found out, they were angry. They threw things at me. Because of that I got another defect, the Coiner Wing. It delayed my wing growth. My parents wanted to get rid of me, but they were afraid that Celestia would fire them from the Wonderbolts. They tolerated me for another five years. Then, I got my Cutie Mark. They were disappointed and angry,"Fluttershy said, "That was the last nail in the coffin.(Everypony shuddered due to those words.) They took me to Celestia and asked if they could get rid of me. Guess what she said?"

"Umm... no?" There was almost pleading in Pinkie's eyes as she said those words. Fluttershy's naturally kind nature almost wanted to fudge the story a little bit, just for Pinkie, but one look at Celestia reminded her once again why she was even telling her story.

"I'm sorry, Pinkie,"she sighed,"but Celestia was willing to have me thrown into one of the worst orphanages in Canterlot. I lived there for a while, before I was moved to another orphanage near Ponyville. You know, the one that was shut down because of how they treated foals, three years ago?"

Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity nodded their heads, eyes wide.

"After I turned sixteen, I worked a bit for Time Turner, before I got enough money to buy the old animal shelter," Flutttershy felt herself relax as she concluded her story. " And I've been paid by the town to keep the animals calm ever since."

"Oh, sugarcube, I'm sorry. We- I didn't know,"Applejack said.

"Yes, I apologize for making you have to relive that time," Twilight's voice was stronger than Applejack's, but Fluttershy could still hear the apology in it. Either Twilight really was sorry, or she was a very good actor.

"Oh, no. It's alright. Really,"Fluttershy answered.

"Hey, didn't you say that AJ had a sob story too?"Rainbow asked. She looked extremely awkward, especially since she knew that Fluttershy knew that she was a big fan of Wind Rider.

"Oh. Yeah. That,"Applejack said, though she didn't seem very eager to share.

Fluttershy felt sorry for her. She understood Applejack's wish to not reveal her past.

"If it has something to do with Celestia, I'm not surprised,"Fluttershy thought.

"Well, you see, when I was 'round six, not long after Applebloom was born, Princess Celestia o'er here came down 'n out to The Acres. She said that she'd heard 'bout our treats, 'n wanted 'em for a party or summat."Fluttershy could hear Applejack's accent thicken as she spoke. "Wanted 'em delivered a week from th' day she came. All week long, me an' my family made all 'em treats. T'were apple fritters, apple dumplings, even caramel apples. So, the night 'fore the party, mah ma, and pa hitched 'emselves to th' carts and started all on tah Canterlot. It was a cold one, Ah tell yah. Mah ma an' pa didn't get to Canterlot that night. They didn't get there in the morning. In fact, they didn't even get there. They died on the way there, the weather was that bad. That was bad 'nuff, but then she said because them treats didn't get there, we lost two acres of land. That's mah story, an' Ah ain't sayin' no more."

A stomp of Applejack's hoof startled Fluttershy out of her amazement at Applejack's story. Fluttershy thought she saw tears in Applejack's eyes, but Applejack pulled her hat down before she could be sure.

"Oh, dear,"she thought,"no wonder her family doesn't talk much about her parents."

"Applejack,"Twilight said,"I'm sorry, I really am."

Applejack gave Twilight a hard look before she gave a curt nod and turned to face Celestia.

Then Twilight sighed the sigh of a much older mare.

"Now, it is my turn."