Reunion [Rewritten!]

by Fluttershy7120

Rating: everyone
Tags: Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Sad, Main 6, Applejack
Length: 5623

Five years. It's been five years since the Elements of Harmony disbanded. No, not disbanded, exactly. But they sure as all hell aren't together anymore. This reunion might not go as smoothly as planned.

It has been five years since the Elements of Harmony left Ponyville to pursue their own individual dreams. Now, they are back together for a reunion. None of them expected the others to be so different from what they once knew, from what they fondly remembered.

Rewritten from the previous fanfiction bearing the same name, from around 2 years ago. I was just starting to write fanfic back then, so I do hope this is better than my previous work.

Published 2016-10-15 21:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-10-15 21:00:01 UTC

Chapter 1

Twilight paced the room, hooves hitting the marble floor with crisp clicks on each step, the quick, rhythmic noise filling the empty room. It was full of items and pieces of furniture, sure, but the only one in it was the Princess. Therefore, it seemed empty. Now, Twilight was one for being alone, she was quite the introvert. She thrived in being alone with only her books for company, but today, she was restless, she was hungering for social interaction. Interaction with a certain pony--or more specifically, five. It was still twenty minutes before the previously agreed upon time, but here she was, pacing about the room like an anxious mother awaiting her foal's return from their first night out.

Her mind was racing, all of her thoughts too quick to be able to grab onto even one and respond to it. How were her friends? Did they fulfill their dreams? Did they meet anypony special, and have any of them began a family? Five years was a long time, at least a few of them must have found a handsome stallion--or mare, for that matter. How on Earth did she fail to stay in contact with them? Sure, the occasional letter was exchanged, but keeping a long distance friendship was difficult between two ponies, nevermind six! So it wasn't entirely a shock that their contact had slowed over the years.

Twilight's ears shot up as she heard a faint knock on the door, one of her hooves freezing mid-step as she was tugged out of her own mind. Somepony was here! She magicked the large wooden doors open, almost letting them smash into the wall in her excitement. The second she saw that familiar pink maned pony standing in the doorway, Twilight practically bounded over to her, her main intention to wrap her friend up in a hug. Said pony didn't seem to realize her intentions. Fluttershy's eyes shot wide open and she let out a strangled yelp, scrambling away from the unicorn running towards her. In the second or two before Twilight skidded to a halt, Fluttershy's back legs folded underneath her in a somewhat awkward sitting position, and she curled in on herself, wings and front hooves raised to cover her head as best she could.

"A-Ah! Fluttershy!" Twilight did her best to backpeddle from her thoughtless action, instead deciding to prance in place as her friend slowly uncurled from her defensive position. "I'm sorry! I guess I sort of, erm, forgot--" There was a lilt in her voice, a slight question in that singular word. "How easy it was to startle you!" She knew that Fluttershy was, as her name suggested, shy. But if memory served her correctly, wasn't this a bit different than years prior? Ah, it had been five years, even the smartest of ponies had some unreliable memories after that long.

Fluttershy pushed herself to her feet, wings flicking outwards before tucking close to her sides. Her head stayed angled low, though she managed a small, strained smile towards her friend. "Hello, Twilight." She said softly, her voice hushed, not as sweet as it had been years prior. No, it wasn't that it wasn't sweet, it was...Her tone had an air of wariness, a careful consideration of what she was saying.

"You're the first pony to arrive, come on in!" Twilight stepped aside, giving her friend room to pass before she followed closely behind. The door stayed open, letting in the bright sunlight, courtesy of their lovely Princess. One of the Princesses, at least. Twilight had read in one of her prized books that an open door signified new beginnings and the chance for opportunity. Plus, she would be able to hear if anypony was coming up the stairs! That was an added bonus. Fluttershy stopped, her hooves planted on the plush rug in the center of the room, staying still but oozing a sense of uncertainty.

Twilight trotted to a comfortable looking chair near the edge of the large circular rug, just near enough to an unlit fireplace that it would warm her fur on those chilly nights when it was aflame. There were multiple seats around the rug, around a dozen or so. That many was not needed, but Twilight remembered that Pinkie Pie had a liking for many cushions to sit on, and she also wanted the rest of her friends to have an option of where to sit.

Fluttershy seemed uneasy. The Princess had to suggest she sit down, before the Pegasus made any move to take initiative herself. Fluttershy sat down on a plush, light blue cushion opposite Twilight, tucking her tail close to her rump as she got comfortable. They both sat in silence for a few moments, Twilight watching with wide eyes, waiting for a conversation to begin. She took the silence as an opportunity to speak, for if she didn't, she doubted that a single word would be spoken until the others arrived.

"So, Fluttershy. How have you been?" Not the best conversation starter, but it left room for options.

"I've been...Fine." A dagger was stuck in the heart of the conversation before it could even take in its first breath.

"Ah." Twilight went quiet, cleared her throat unnecessarily. A glance to a clock above the fireplace told her that it was 1:46, still fourteen minutes before the others would arrive. There were a few more attempts at conversation, and just as many times, it was shot down.

Around five minutes later, they both looked towards the door as hoofsteps sounded, clicking on each one of the stairs. No, not clicking, it was more forceful than that, less graceful. Thumping, maybe?

Twilight hopped off her chair as a familiar face came into view, and she trotted excitedly over. Not as energetic as when Fluttershy arrived, Twilight had learned from her mistake, it was best not to startle her friends. "Applejack! I haven't seen you in years!" She almost clapped her hooves, she was so happy to see another one of her friends after so long.

Applejack nodded her head in greeting and agreement, smiling at the Alicorn in front of her, who was now holding out a hoof in hope of a hug. She didn't immediately seem loud and loving, but she was more welcoming than Fluttershy had been. The tan pony reached out and took Twilight's hoof in her own, shaking it firmly before slipping past her and stepping into the large room. "Hey there, Twilight." She drawled, her voice thick with a Southern accent. It almost made her sound lazy, if it weren't for the hard edge to her voice, just sharp enough to communicate a sense of confidence, of superiority.

Twilight stared down at her own hoof as her friend took a seat near Fluttershy. Well, she supposed it had been five years, it wasn't any personal attack to only feel comfortable with a hoofshake. She shook off the slight confusion and turned to face her two friends, smiling brightly at both of them. "I'm so happy you two are here, as soon as the others get here, we can have a big discussion and talk about everything we missed when we were apa-AAH!" Her words turned to a loud yell of surprise as a sharp breeze shot past her, almost knocking her from her hooves, and then succeeding a moment later, when the air that entered promptly left, with just as much speed.

She fell rather ungracefully, her hind legs splayed uncomfortably and her front legs at odd angles, one slightly bent, as if still trying to keep her upright.

"Not very ladylike, darling." The clip clop of hooves met Twilight's ears at around the same time she noticed who had knocked her off her hooves. Rarity was prancing up the last of the stairs, Rainbow Dash was sitting on one of the bean bag chairs.

"Rarity! Rainbow!" Twilight jumped to her hooves and ran forward to tackle her unicorn friend, wrapping her front legs around the other's neck. Rarity seemed to recoil, though didn't pull away. After an awkward pat on the back, she managed to wiggle free of the grip, giving her room to brush herself off.

Twilight didn't notice the awkward dismissal, spinning to look at her pegasus friend. "Rainbow!! I haven't seen you in so long!"

The pegasus in question raised an eyebrow, glancing to the side in a gesture that was almost, almost an eyeroll. "Yeah, same." Her tone was blunt, not returning any of the Princess' affections.

"Oh, um..." Twilight hesitated, unsure of herself. She didn't say anything wrong, did she? She regained her smile, though a tad weaker than before, as Rarity trotted past her to the center of the room. The unicorn circled the rug, poking and prodding at each of the pillows and beanbags before she eventually decided upon a lavender pillow. She sat down on her plush seat, then slowly eased herself down to lay on her belly, her hind legs tucked underneath her and her front legs crossed in a ladylike fashion.

The room was silent, save for the soft breathing of the occupants. The clock told them it was five minutes to two o'clock, and a look around the room would tell that there was still one pony missing. Twilight began pacing around the room, as casual as she could manage. She walked to her chair, then to a window on the other side of the large room, then around the rug, to the door, and back to her chair, only to start the cycle again.

Twilight, as always, couldn't stand even the thought of being late. So when two o'clock came around, she forced down her nerves and sat down on her chair. Even though she could see the empty doorway from her point of view, she still expected Pinkie Pie to jump into the room with her party cannon, she was always such a great pony to be around, and if anyone could help this awkward tension, it would be her.

"Alright, everypony!" Twilight began, her voice tense but excited, a shaky bubbliness. She caught the attention of everyone in the room, and she received a combination of bored, interested, and downright annoyed glances. Not exactly what she was hoping for, but she would take it. "I'm so so so excited to see you all!! I missed you so much!!"

"Ah missed you too, Twilight!"
"Why, I simply can't believe it's been five years since we last got together!" Rarity chimed in, her voice light and airy as ever.

Twilight beamed, finally getting some positive feedback from her friends. "I agree, Rarity! It's been so long, we need to start doing this more often. Being a princess and all, it.." She raised a hoof to rub at the back of her neck. "It got a little overwhelming, and I suppose I never had the time to arrange this. With all your schedules as well, it takes time to figure out a mutually suitable date." Taking a breath after her short explanation, her horn lit up to levitate over a piece of paper from a nearby table. "Now, I hope you don't mind, but I've researched the art of reunions, and I've compiled a list of topics and questions!"

As soon as she got some murmurs or comments of approval, she cleared her throat and looked over her list.

"First off! How has ev--" She promptly cut herself off, her ears shooting to attention as she heard the clip clop of hooves on a staircase. Ha! Right on queue, the bubbly pink party pony burst through the doorway!

Er....No...

The gloomy pink party pony walked through the door?

"Pinkie!!" Twilight shot up from her seat and bolted towards the doorway, wrapping her friend up in a bonecrushing hug. "I was worried that you weren't coming!!" She backed up, smiling wider than anypony would think possible.

"Oh! Um, sorry Twilight. Trouble at the shop this morning, it made me a little bit late." Pinkie flashed a quick, faded smile--accompanied by her signature 'Squee!', of course--and ducked her head, trotting past the princess. She settled down on one of the bean bag chairs, sinking into it.

"Shop?" Twilight cocked her head to one side, her expression one of utter confusion. "Oh, I suppose we can discuss all that in a minute, heh."

After a moment of everyone settling into their seats, Twilight picked up her list again and began.

"How has everyone been since we've seen each other last?"

Her question was answered with silence. The other five ponies in the room looked from one pony to the other, unsure who was going to speak.

"Oh! I should do this in order. Clockwise, then! I'll start." Twilight, seemingly the only pony who had said more than a few sentences the whole time, took charge. "I've been great! I've settled into Canterlot quite well, the other princesses are always friendly, and the staff in the castle are talkative, if you put in the effort to get them started. About three years ago, Spike got a dragon-calling of some sort. He had to leave to go hibernate. He didn't know much about it, he just...got a feeling, I suppose.." Twilight frowned, hesitating in her story. "Don't know when he'll be back, either. Makes me wish I knew more about dragonkind, y'know?"

“Oh, that’s rather unfortunate…I was hoping to get some pictures with him. I’m sure he’s matured in the five years we’ve all been apart. Imagine: the first dragon model! It would be terrifically well regarded.”

Twilight’s face twisted up, her worried expression morphing to one of distaste. “Uh, sure, I suppose that would be…interesting..?”

“Twi isn’t concerned with some fashion statement, Rarity.” Applejack said, voice laced with disapproval.

“Well excuse me for commenting.” The unicorn retorted. “And here I thought we were supposed to be speaking to one another. Apparently that’s not the case.”

"Rainbow Dash!"

The pony in question perked up, looking over at Twilight quizzically. "Huh?"

"You've been awfully quiet. I'm sure you'd love to tell us about what you've been up to!" Twilight's smile was a tad forced, her outburst having been an attempt at keeping the peace. Interrupting was never polite, but she didn't want any arguments to pop up in their time together.

Rainbow shrugged, stretching her wings out before letting them fall at her sides, not bothering to tuck them. "Not been up to much. Wonderbolt now."

"I've heard about that!" Rarity added. "The Wonderbolts sure are popular, now more than ever! Would you ever consider coming to visit me at one of my boutiques~?"

"Why?"

"Well, I miss you, Rainbow Dash! Is there anything wrong with asking a friend to visit? And, er.." Rarity flipped her mane, letting out a light hum as it fell over the side of her face. "Getting a picture with the Wonderbolts would get quite a few sports loving ponies interested in my shop."

Rainbow scoffed, not bothering to reply. "Flying. That's what I've been up to."

Twilight hesitated, before gently nudging for more information. "Anypony special in your life?"

"Listen, Twilight. You wanna know about my life, ask around. Go look at tabloids. Any question you ask me has been asked a million times before." The pegasus huffed, annoyance obvious in everything she did. Her tone, her body language, her expression. She was always so eager to talk about herself in the past. And now, she didn't want to say anything? Well....It was probably tiring to answer the same question time and time again, and being a famous flyer, perhaps she got bored of it all?

"Oh, um, sorry. I didn't mean to pry." Twilight cleared her throat unnecessarily, her gaze turning to the next pony in the circle, her expression silently begging for some sort of relief of the sudden awkwardness she felt. "Pinkie Pie! I'm sure you had an amazing last couple of years! Did you meet anypony new, or make any friends? Who am I kidding, you're the friendliest pony I know! Of course you made friends!"

"Me?" Pinkie wiggled for a moment, sinking deeper into her beanbag chair. "Well, I definitely haven't laid on something so plush in years." She used a hoof to brush a lock of her mane from her eyes. Twilight noticed that, while it wasn't flat, it definitely wasn't as frizzy as the last time they had seen each other. Like a balloon three days after a foal's birthday party, floating weakly around their bedroom. And perhaps it was just the lighting, but she did look a bit....grayer? Than before? But then again, five years was a long time.

"Lots of stuff happened, I guess. I know it's my special talent and all, but I think I should have chosen a different way to make ponies happy." She dropped her muzzle into the beanbag, her hooves tucked under her belly, making her look like a pink loaf of bread. "Cheese made it sound easy, y'know? Comedy isn't really my thing, I guess."

"Bad performances led to being sad, then being sad made me want company, then company led to cider, and on and on and on." She let out a breath through her nose, focusing on how the tiny fibers of the beanbag cover moved with her breathing. "Long story short, I didn't last long in Las Pegasus."

"You don't still live there?" Applejack asked, tilting her head curiously.

"No; my sister came to visit after a year or two of me living there. Dragged me back home before I could even say 'party cannon'. My parents and sisters didn't want me living there anymore." She rolled her eyes. "Said they didn't like my 'way of life'. I think Maud exaggerated."

"Oh, that's dreadful! To be dragged away from your life against your will, how rude. Nopony should ever try to control another pony. That's just my piece on the matter."

Fluttershy scoffed. It was quiet, but in comparison to her dead silence throughout the whole meeting, it was louder than any clap of thunder that Rainbow had ever been able to kick from storm clouds.

"Any comments, Fluttershy?" Twilight inquired.

At the sudden attention she received, the butter coated pony ducked her head down, accidentally ramming it into the marble floor as she did so. Her head shot back up in shock, and after a moment of wooziness, she moved a few inches backwards and laid her head down on the cushion. Her face began to turn bright red, and her hooves moved to cover her snout. "U-uh, no co-comments." She whimpered, her wings visibly tightening against her sides.

"Oh gosh, are you okay?" Twilight shot up from her seat, as did a few of the others, all staring at their friend with varying degrees of worry.

"Yes!!!" Fluttershy's affirmation was loud enough to rival Princess Luna, and it ruffled up the closest ponies manes, despite being muffled by her hooves.

"I'm sorry for startling you, Fluttershy. Um, Pinkie? Your story?" Fluttershy was very positive that she was okay, so Twilight went ahead with moving the meeting along.

"Oh, yeah. My story. Do we have any juice, Twilight?" At least she had a few familiar traits still.

"Gosh! I totally forgot about snacks!" Twilight's horn illuminated, and after a moment of silence, a bright flash occurred above a nearby table. Once the ponies regained their sight, they spotted a punch bowl, a cake and the appropriate dinnerware, sitting neatly on the table. No one, not even Alicorns, could produce anything out of thin air. So Twilight hoped that Princess Celestia wouldn't miss some food from her kitchen.

Applejack and Pinkie both stood up to grab some of the offered food and beverage, while the rest stayed put. After a few seconds of Pinkie praising the cake--having taken a large bite straight from the cake itself--, Rainbow followed the duo's lead.

Twilight waited for the three ponies to sit back down, before prompting Pinkie to continue.

"Mom and dad wanted me to come back to the farm. But I can't be happy on some grey, colourless rock farm, and I told them that!"

The others, sans Fluttershy, added small words of praise.

"So they sent me to Manehatten to work in some jewel shop."

The others, sans Fluttershy, quit their praising, the words replaced with tiny, conflicted noises.

"They find jewels on the farm, and they aren't very good with people. And jewels are colourful, so..." She shrugged. "None of what I said worked anymore. Not a rock farm, not grey. I'm good at selling things, I guess. But Manehatten is awful!"

Rarity let out an insulted gasp, but it went unnoticed by the party pony.

"I have to keep the shop open all hours of the day to make enough for rent, and there's always the chance that rent will be more expensive if I don't keep the owner happy. And after working for so long, I don't have the time or energy to--" She gestured helplessly to her flank, getting more worked up with each word. "To be Pinkie!"

She finished, her chest heaving with every breath she took, her eyes portraying a confusing concoction of emotions.

The rest of the group was silent, the room void of noise, other than the speaker's loud breathing.

It took a few moments, but eventually, someone piped up.

"I know how you feel."

The group turned to look at Fluttershy, all seeming somewhat surprised at the sudden addition to the conversation.

"No matter what you do, the owner of the place is always demanding more of you. The harder you work, the more is expected, and even though they never tell you flat-out, with each look they give you, you know that they could kick your flank to the curb in a split second."

Pinkie's frustration with her own plot in life slowly deflated as her friend spoke, and the others all responded in their own subtle ways, whether it be a cocked head, a raised eyebrow, an adjustment of their seating, what have you.

"A-and even though you know you aren't good enough, they still keep you around, and keep demanding more and more and more until I mess up a-and make a mistake and th-then they g-get mad, and I apologize a-and I-I-I try to explain th-they don't ac-accept it!!" Fluttershy finished her rant panting, her voice having raised in volume with each word, similar to Pinkie. Though the usually quiet pony was much more worked up about it. Her wings were twitching, she had stood up in her speech and was now standing on trembling hooves, her eyes were wide, angry, and dripping. The fur on her cheeks was pink, tinted by her flushed skin.

"Sweet Celestia." Was Twilight's only response.

"I entirely agree! Who in the hay are you talking about, 'Shy?" Applejack stood up and made her way over to her friend, planting her hooves firmly in front of her, staring at her with a look that would be deadly to dismiss.

"Fluttershy! You tell me who you're referring to, and I can assure you, I can knock him on his rump! Excuse my language.." Even Rarity joined in. After a brief moment, the rest spoke up too, promising their assistance.

Fluttershy went quiet. Not the usual quiet, though. A quiet that was less 'I don't have anything to say' and more 'If I don't talk, maybe they won't notice me'. None of the ponies backed down. Her expression became one of fear, and her stance stiffened. One of her wings spread out, the feathers neat and orderly, the only thing that was in order in the current moment.

"Holy haybales, that is huge!" Applejack wasn't skilled in that area, but she knew special when she saw it.

"Absolutely ginormous!" Pinkie added, her voice holding a hint, just the tiniest hint, of it's usual Pinkie Pie bubbliness. Perhaps it was the shock that brought it out.

"Wha-?" Even Rarity was speechless.

"Fluttershy, when did you get married?" Rainbow Dash put a voice to their unspoken question, eyes locked onto the wedding band on Fluttershy's wing.

"A few years back..." The pony in question murmured, slowly lowering herself down on her cushion, seeming to shrink under the intense stares. Understandably, of course. "Um...I met somepony a while ago..It was at a dinner. Um, a party to celebrate the opening of an animal safe haven." She hesitated, spurred on by the expectant looks of her friends. "I didn't...I didn't know who he was at first. Why would I? That's not really my.." She gestured weakly with a hoof. "My area of expertise?" She looked to Twilight for approval of her word choice, glancing down once she received said approval. She became locked in a staring contest with a tiny crack on the floor, swallowing before speaking.

She hated being the center of attention, she really did. But she blurted out something she shouldn't have, and she couldn't exactly go without explaining.

"Long story short, um...You know animals that look adorable in shop windows, but...But aren't very...erm...."

"But are devils once ya take 'em home?" Applejack offered.

"Oh, I wouldn't put it so harshly. But..Yes, that's the idea...Um...I think I adopted one of those."

"You adopted a pet?" Pinkie's nose wrinkled up in confusion.

"She got a bad stallion, duh." Rainbow was listening intently to the story, but couldn't stop--or didn't try to stop--the sharp comment. The comment earned a huff and a small glower from Pinkie, before attention returned to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy didn't seem to want to continue. She tucked her muzzle under her hooves, buried her face in the cushion, and went silent.

"That's it? At least give us a name, darling." Rarity kept her voice low, soft, though it still had a trace of haughtiness.

Fluttershy squirmed slightly, letting her muzzle escape the comfort of her hooves just long enough to whisper the name before diving back to safety. "Mr. Rich"

For a moment, Twilight was confused as to why Fluttershy referred to her husband with such formalities, before she brushed that thought away. There was more important things to deal with.

"Filthy Rich?" Applejack stepped back, dropping her head and shaking it. "I'm real sorry, Shy. Must be unpleasant and all to deal with, I get that. But that's not my style, butting into other pony's personal lives, yknow."

"Oh, I...I agree. It's not befitting a lady, sticking her nose where it doesn't belong.." Rarity murmured, rubbing one foreleg against the other.

"Wha--You guys, you were ready to help her!" Twilight's brow furrowed, she wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or horrified. "Fluttershy is in trouble!"

"No, Twilight. I'm not, it's...It's fine...." Fluttershy whispered, but was silenced as Twilight flung open a wing to block her from the rest of the group.

"Listen, Twi. I understand that y'all are concerned, but she just said it's fine. So let it be, is what I'm thinkin'".

"Twilight, dear, I know that you feel strongly about this, but you should really stay out of it. It's not nice to delve into business that isn't yours."

Pinkie tried adding into the conversation, but went quiet with every sentence that another pony spoke. Rainbow was unsure what to do, so she hung back, watching, entirely conflicted.

"Filthy Rich is a long time customer of mine, I know that he wouldn't do something to hurt anypony, especially his wife!" Rarity seemed one hundred percent sure of herself.

"So that's it?! He's your customer, so you're going to stand by and watch as Fluttershy has to deal with this!?" Twilight fired back.

"He's more than a customer, dear, he's an investor! And don't speak to me in such a tone, just because you're a princess doesn't make you any better than us!"

"I bet he's an investor in the Apple farm, is that right?" Twilight didn't waste any time in dragging Applejack into the argument, and Applejack was perfectly willing to take part.

"So what if he is? You act like you know what he's like. What kind of stallion would put thousands of bits into a modest farming family's budget? A nice one! And a nice pony don't go hurting his family, no sir!"

"Well it's happening!"

"Says who?!"

"Fluttershy!!"

"She ain't the Element of Honesty now, is she?!" Applejack stomped her hoof down, glaring daggers into the eyes of her princess.

"Neither are you!" Twilight shouted, her horn crackling with unshed magic, her eyes sparking even more than her horn. "And Rarity! What kind of pony puts her own business over the wellbeing of her friends?"

Rarity opened her mouth to respond, but Twilight didn't let her. "Not the wielder of the Element of Generosity!"

The room fell into silence. Applejack and Rarity both stepped towards the princess, eyes aflame.

"How! Dare you!" Rarity snapped, in unison with Applejack's snarl of "Should've trusted my instincts with you."

Twilight glared at both of them, eyes flicking from one pony to the other. "Get out of my tower. Now."

Their staring contest lasted for a while longer, though no one really knew how long. A few seconds? Minutes? An hour? Before the two business ponies turned and left, and with a moment of blue magic, the doors slammed shut, a moment after Twilight saw a purple tail flicked in her direction.

"I'm so sorry."

Fluttershy yet again caught the attention of everyone with her soft voice, and just like before, she was met with shock.

"No no, Fluttershy! Don't be sorry! You did nothing wrong! You told the truth, and we'll make sure to help you. Right girls?" Twilight turned to look at her remaining friends, and her face instantly fell. None of them looked eager. Rainbow was focusing on stretching her wings, and Pinkie was pawing at the floor.

"Um..." Rainbow hesitated. "Twilight, I can't mess with that. I mean, I can totally talk to Soarin about it, but he's not very pushy, yknow? And Spitfire won't come back just to stir up drama. Not saying this is just drama! But..." She tucked her wings to her sides, looking up at her princess helplessly. "Soarin and the rest are all...we're trying to get sponsors." A pause. "Rich is the one we hope to secure."

"Great." Twilight said dryly.

"Huh?" Rainbow cocked her head to one side, one ear flopping. "Why is that great."

"I have to go look for a new wielder of the Element of Loyalty."

"Wha--Hey! I'm plenty loyal, Twilight! I don't want to push my team down in the mud to protect one pony!"

"She is your friend!"

"One friend in exchange for twenty others!" The instant the last word left her mouth, Dash regretted them. Her face twisted up in an unflattering expression, and she let her head drop slightly. She quietly added to her statement. "I'm not taking it back. When I was a filly, my entire life was Wonderbolts. Posters, figurines, I lived for them, Twi." She pawed at the ground, her voice almost vulnerably soft. "I can't ruin thousands of dreams just for....Just for an accusation." She didn't need any orders. Without another word, she tucked her tail and walked to the doors, keeping her head down as she opened and shut the large doors behind her.

"Pinkie?" Twilight looked to her, hoping with all her heart that she would stick by.

"No." Fluttershy pushed herself to her feet, opening her wing and wiggling it until her wedding band felt comfortable against her hide. "Thank you, Twilight. And Pinkie Pie." She nodded to the dull pink pony, who had trotted up beside the princess. "I can't leave, and you two can't get involved. Okay?"

"Fluttershy, come on! He's not nice!" Twilight put her hoof firmly on the ground, not a stomp, not quite.

"Yeah, Shy, it's not cool to be mean to friends!"

"We have a daughter."

"Huh?" Both of her friends said.

"Diamond Tiara needs a mother. She's being more nice to the other fillies now that I'm there. I'm teaching her. Just forget about it, okay?" She let out a sigh and stepped forward, nuzzling her cheek against Twilight's, then moving to do the same to Pinkie. "I'll be sure to write more often."

And just like that, Fluttershy nodded her goodbye and quietly left them alone.

Twilight glanced at Pinkie, and Pinkie glanced back.

"I...I suppose we can't help." Twilight said.

"Yeah, I guess not. I...I'll refuse his service if he ever comes by my shop. I need to go, Twilight. I've stayed longer than I should." Pinkie wrapped a foreleg around Twilight's neck and gave her a quick hug, before she turned and trotted to the door, left open by the previous user. "See you."

As Twilight watched the dull, droopy tail leave her point of view, she let out a long, drawn out sigh. She dropped her rump to the ground, and let her front legs slid across the floor until she was laying on the cold marble surface. "New Element of Laughter too?" She whispered to herself, her voice grumbly as she didn't bother to push it farther than her throat. Grabbing a nearby pillow, she wrapped her legs around it and nuzzled her cheek against the soft fabric, still warm from whoever had been laying on it. "I have my work cut out for me then, don't I?"

She didn't bother to move. The pillow got wet, but what was a bit of salt water to a broken heart? She couldn't care less.

Author's Note

Please point out any mistakes!

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