A Newly Hooded Road to Walk

Despite the rapid growth of the city, Fluttershy's house still stood lonely at the edge of the forest; However the forest was now much more farmland than wilderness. The animals that flocked to Fluttershy were now gone, and Angel probably passed due to old age. The paint had withered and the gardens were overgrown, but the house still stood strong and unhindered. The inside was surprisingly orderly... Too orderly to be completely abandoned.

What in the world... Thought Fluttershy; She began to worry that her old home was not her home anymore. However, as she investigated her bedroom she was met with a note placed on a well made bed, her name written delicately on the envelope. Fluttershy looked at the note skeptically, her face contorted in a confused manner.

She opened it to a pleasant surprise from Silvershade.

The note simply read, "My portion of the move-in: A clean home is a relaxing one."

Fluttershy blushed at the note, and at the thought that Silvershade was looking out for her.

Fluttershy began the long task of unpacking her things: normal and not. Her clothes went away relatively easily, for over her years at the brotherhood her personal belongings dwindled, so she'd have to make a trip to the market the next day to change that. If her alibi as the old, cute, and innocent Fluttershy was going to work she was going to have to play the part as closely as possible: belongings, attitude, wardrobe, and all. However, as her cases of normal belongings and clothes dwindled, so did the sunlight.

The next morning she woke abruptly to noise outside her door. She looked down from her second-story window to the sight of two familiar mares: The two Fluttershy feared would show considering their hyper and selfless personalities. They would insist to help her unpack, and what she had left to unpack were things no pony would be able to see and live.

Fluttershy bolted as quietly as she could downstairs, her only hope was to convince the two that she was all done with her packing. Struggling to hide her things down in the basement, the doorbell continued to ring and voices rang out urgently requesting Fluttershy to show herself. Finally she moved to last suitcase down the stairs, but on her assent up the stairs she stubbed her hoof urging her to scream. She had to muffle herself in order to save herself from an extra question. As Fluttershy ran to the door to meet the now rapid and obnoxious doorbell, she caught a glimpse of herself in her living room mirror, and a frightening glimpse it was. She had already ran so much through the house that she forgot she had just woken up, and she looked like it.

Fluttershy looked at the mirror, at the front door, then back again, considering if she had the time or conviction to fix herself up. Fluttershy debated for another second before deciding.

Fuck it... thought Fluttershy as she flung open the door. She was promptly met with hyper girlish squealing that hurt Fluttershy's ears.

"Pinkie Pie! Rarity!" Fluttershy exclaimed half excited and half annoyed that they decided to visit at 8 in the morning. "How are you guys!"

"We're great! we both have our own businesses now! I took over the bakery and it is sooo great! But never mind that I just can't believe your actually here! I mean you literally just fell of the face of the earth without a trace, I thought for a while that is was a conspiracy-like the assassins captured you and had you tell them everything about us six friends like war secrets and..." Luckily Rarity cut off Pinkie Pie's rant to save everyone from the near accurate conspiracy theory.

"What she means to say is that she's happy to have you back, as am I! I hope the move back in went smoothly for you?"

"O-oh yes it was just fine, I uh... I asked the wagon driver for some help yesterday so I actually got everything unpacked already," lied Fluttershy.

"Really? well isn't that great! mind if we come in? catch up some?" inquired Rarity. She was personally astonished that everything was already unpacked, considering Rarity's personal standards on how much clothing a mare should own (which is a LOT).

"Sure come on in, I'll fix us some tea."

"Oh! Oh! Fluttershy! Can I brush your hair? it looks like you just woke up," giggled Pinkie Pie.

"Uh y-yeah sure, let me get the tea first."

The three mares walked in and the two guests sat excitedly on Fluttershy's old, quant couch.

"Ah this place brings back memories," remarked Pinkie Pie. "The only thing that's really different is the lack of cute little creatures crawling everywhere."

Fluttershy responded from the kitchen, "Yes well it's been quite a long time, I wouldn't expect anything but bugs to stick around."

That caught Rarity's attention, "Yes that actually is something rather odd about the house; It's rather clean and clear in here isn't it? I can't imagine you unpacked AND cleaned the whole half day you've been back here."

Fluttershy flinched a little whilst captivated with the tea kettle. Dammit Silvershade...

"Uuuhhhhh yes about that... w-well before I boarded my train here I called ahead for some cleaners to come and dust everything off for me. Save me from a brunt portion of the work you could say," lied Fluttershy as she walked into the living room with the tea. "Well enough about me, what have you guys been up to?"

And so the three friends caught up on their lost years, talked about work, family, Stallions who have come and gone, the development of ponyville, and brushed each other. Fluttershy felt genuinely like her old self, and it saddened her to think that, no matter what, that pony she was is now buried deep down and abandoned; Replaced by the justified killer that she is now. With this thought in mind, the conversation with her oldest friends began to bore and frustrate her, so she decided to get some work from it.

Pinkie Pie began to stir as she looked at the clock, "I'm sorry guys but I have to get to the bakery! I forget all the time and my apprentice with have my tail if I'm late again haha! I'll see you guys later!" stated Pinkie Pie with misplaced excitement.

"O-okay, good luck at work," said Rarity, put off by Pinkie Pie's abrupt absence.

"BYE!" said Pinkie Pie, her head quickly peaking back in and out of the doorway.

Fluttershy giggled, "No matter how old we get she never does change."

"Hm, perhaps your right. At this rate it seems she'll die an elderly child."

The two remaining mares laughed together.

Fluttershy had caught a stroke of luck: Rarity alone, and ripe with gossip (gossip that Fluttershy would need)

"So Rarity, you said earlier that your store has been doing very well, to the point you have employees now?" Inquired Fluttershy.

"Yes that's correct, and I've gotten quite a few connections now in the more famous territories." Boasted Rarity proudly. Fluttershy realized how perfect this could be, for Templars are notoriously individuals with great influence--individuals that Rarity might know closely. That thought aside, Fluttershy was also immensely happy for her friend who was desperate for such recognition for as long as they had known each other.

"Really!? thats great! so who do you know?"

Rarity was unknowingly caught in Fluttershy's interrogation. "Well I found that I would go nowhere trying to get recognition with the other fashion deities, they're all just selfish and want to snuff out any possible competition. So as Ponyville began to grow we started getting many local celebrities: Actors, singers, Wonderbolt members who moved here, some popular politicians, and Twilight of course."

Fluttershy was honestly astonished by how wide Rarity's scope actually was. "O-oh my, that is a lot... But even politicians? I just can imagine anyone really following what those ponies are wearing."

Rarity and Fluttershy continued their discussion rather extensively thanks to Rarity's unrivaled pride in her work, which taught Fluttershy the names and roles of the most famous ponies in Ponyville nowadays. One of which caught her attention...

"Rainbow Dash is a Wonderbolt now?!"

"Indeed she is, one of the best actually. Haven't you seen the papers the past couple years?"

"No I guess i haven't"

'Well she's quite the celebrity around here, autographs and all. She's even involved with some big businesses as a advertiser. I can't imagine her liking such serious things though, it's just not like her..." Rarity's face almost turned sour as she looked down in thought.

Fluttershy found this confusing as well, the Rainbow Dash that she knew would try her hardest to avoid such business-oriented things. It might be my paranoia, but with the shear amount of contracts in I've got in the city, this behavior by Dash is suspicious, thought Fluttershy. I'll have to look into those business assassinations first, and if Rainbow Dash's is advertising for the unaffected companies it might be something to look into.

Rarity broke Fluttershy's train of thought, "Anyway, I was thinking how empty your home is right now! My guess is you weren't able to bring to much back with you from Bostallion."

Fluttershy struggled a little to re-focus on Rarity, "Y-yes actually I was planning on doing some shopping tomorrow for some cute trinkets and decorations."

"Ooooh yes! a shopping trip for old time's sake! I'll make some time tomorrow if you'll have me along?"

"Of course, that'd be great!"

And with that Rarity said her goodbyes and left her friend to rest, Queuing Fluttershy to finish the last of her unpacking.

It's official, considered Fluttershy, the next part of my life has begun.