Chapter Two- The Element of Kindness
Fluttershy shoved open a giant silver door with a large butterfly constructed out of pink diamonds encrusted in the center. Walking over the threshold, Fluttershy removed her helmet and lazily tossed it to the side without a second glance. As the helmet landed in a soft recliner, Fluttershy flopped down onto a nearby couch, groaning lightly.
The wind blew heartily and caused her long silken pink mane to sway in the breeze. The air felt really good on her face, though the silence annoyed her. Fluttershy threw up her hoof and suddenly the air all around her was filled with the melodic notes of thousands upon thousands of song birds. Fluttershy smiled and closed her eyes.
Finally, she could have some peace and quiet; finally the screams had stopped. How long had she been on her hooves? 60…72 years? She had lost count, having had to reset the Dragon’s timeline numerous times to make it accurate to history. Every death, every fight, every argument had to be precise and accounted for. I really needed this.
Fluttershy couldn’t care less about how long things could take; a day, month, year, she couldn’t age, she couldn’t die either. Interactions with others were of no consequence to her, more than likely she would have to redo it anyway. Many Eons and yet no time at all had passed since the judgment, so many resets and still it felt like nothing had been achieved. She felt like she could scream, but no one would hear her anyway, so why bother?
She groaned in searing agony; though the event had been reset continuously her pain could never heal or vanish, her wounds forever etched not only on her body but her very soul.
Fluttershy gave a sudden inhale of surprise as she felt her hind hooves touch water. Fluttershy’s eyes flew open and startled, she looked down to see a pair of otter pups splashing water over her hooves in a makeshift container they had made. Fluttershy moaned in ecstasy, it felt so nice after spending decades walking across hardened and chipped, jagged shards of cooled lava flows.
Smiling, she praised their efforts.
“Thank you so much, little ones.”
Fluttershy’s ears twitched as she heard a soft chirping behind her. Almost instantly Fluttershy noticed the two otter pups pausing to glance at each other before continuing to splash water on her hooves. She understood; the parents were anxious for their children to return. She found herself thinking about her own family. She wondered how they were; not that they would ever know who she was. No one would. She didn’t exist, and according to Faust, she never would, either.
Her chaotic husband, Discord, her daughter, sweet little Serenity. Her mother, her father. Once her name was stricken from the shelves of life and death, none of them had heard of her. Well, not directly anyway. Faust had created doppelgangers of all six of the Elements of Harmony, though their personalities had been artificially constructed, to take their places in history. And so Fluttershy had been forced to not just observe their other selves progress, but also use them as pieces in her efforts to rebuild history.
At first, this broke her heart; the first hundred or so times, that is. After a while though, she saw moving the pieces into place, placing thoughts in their heads, and watching them perform actions according to true history as nothing more than just something she had to do.
Her child’s birth, her marriage, her accomplishments; all of them, just events to be performed, rewound, performed again until every last detail lined up. The amount of times she had to start over numbered in the literal millions. None of it really mattered, not anymore. Not to her.
Still, it wasn’t all fire and brimstone for her, though her assignments often required ventures to Tartarus and the Dragonlands to discuss matters with various magical creatures and non-pony or animal entities. She had her own little pocket dimension to relax in when not on assignment, after all.
A lush sprawling wilderness; forests, valleys, mountains, tundras, swamps, her little reality had it all. And it was all thanks to Twilight, Fluttershy knew. Once the girls had been removed from the bindings of time and space, Twilight had shown them the side of her she had hidden; the magical prowess she possessed was unfathomable. With it, Twilight had utilized her heritage's magic to fashion individual pocket dimensions for each of her friends, connected to a hub dimension that connected all six.
Each dimension was catered to the individual interests of each, a place to call home after performing various tasks assigned by Twilight. Each of the girls had their own sections of history they excelled at, and as a thank you for their assistance, Twilight had made living quarters for them to de-escalate after their stressful attempts.
And now, Fluttershy was able to relax, though probably for no more than 50 or so years.
“Thank you so much for all your efforts. Go on now, little ones. Your mama and papa are waiting for you.”
She smiled lovingly at the little otters as they ran back to the waterfall; knowing that by the time she was called back to her thankless work, these little ones would be fully grown and eternally resting in the loam, while their own pup’s pups watched their own children playing in the waterfall. And yet, no time would pass for her or in the main hub.
Her hooves ached heavily, still she felt the pups should spend time with their loved ones. She closed her eyes feeling good about her efforts, telling herself she wouldn’t open them again until Starlight delivered her next assignment. The girls will be busy on their parts and I can get some rest. It won’t be long until- Her thoughts faded away as the land of dreams took her.
An indeterminate time later her eyes shot open as a hoof gently tapped her on the forehead. Still partially out of it, in a daze she muttered.
“Hurngh? Star- I- what…how long- is it time for me to get back to work?”
Starlight stood in front of her, smiling warmly patiently waiting for Fluttershy to fully wake up. Fluttershy yawned and stared at her silently for a moment before talking.
“Alright, I’m up, what’s the assignment?”
Starlight watched Fluttershy stand up and stretch before reaching for her helm. Starlight shook her head pointing at the clipboard she held in her lilac hooves.
“No assignment, Twilight has put a freeze on all assignments until further notice. All four of the other Elements have been told to remain in their dimensions, unless stated otherwise. Which brings me to you. You’ve been given a special task.”
Fluttershy freaked out in surprise.
“A Special task? For me? Not Rainbow, me? Not Applejack or Rarity, but me? Me? What can I possibly do? What about-about- why not Pinkie? Why me?”
Starlight smiled warmly as she replied.
“As the Element of Kindness, Twilight thinks you are the best choice to start with.”
Fluttershy blinked in confusion.
“Start with…Start with what exactly, Starlight?”
Glancing at her clipboard, Starlight shrugged nonchalantly.
“I’ve been sent to escort you to Twilight’s throne. The what or why is not my concern, Fluttershy. We need to go. Twilight is waiting.”
As Starlight turned towards the portal, she stopped as Fluttershy placed a hoof on her flank. Turning back around, Starlight stared her hard in the eyes.
“Yes?”
“Starlight, what aren’t you telling me?”
Starlight was silent for a moment, pawing at the ground with her hoof in thought. Fluttershy grabbed her.
“Tell me, Starlight.”
Starlight sighed in annoyance.
“You really aren’t going to like this…okay. Fluttershy you are getting a roommate.”
“A roommate but that’s impossible, the only ones who can enter my dimension are you, Faust and…no. No. No-Starlight, is it her?”
Starlight balked under the intensity of Fluttershy’s spiteful glare.
“Y…ess.”
Fluttershy began to curse.
“Poppycock! Horse Feathers! Pixie Dust! Twilight’s Cutie Mark! Faust’s Halo! Rotten Apples-”
Starlight stood there, her face turning red and feeling slightly dirty, as she listened to the various profanities rattled off for nearly five minutes.
“...Broken Diamonds! Dragon Scales! Why her? I won’t do it! I- I refuse!”
Starlight’s gentle eyes grew colder, while her tone became just a little firmer.
“We both know that isn’t a choice. Twilight has given you this task and you will carry it out. Refusal really isn’t an option for any of us. You know this.”
Fluttershy ceased her ranting at the statement. Starlight wasn’t wrong. After Hazel’s Damnation was cast down upon the six, Faust had taken slight pity on her daughter and friends; permitting Twilight to create dimensional homes for her friends. The cost that came with this was Faust forbade Twilight from ever leaving hers; her friends tethered forever to carry out the assignments Twilight would assign them, but never able to do anything but watch.
Mysteriously enough, that’s when Starlight showed up and became the messenger for Twilight. Like many times before Fluttershy found a question entering her mind. Staring at Starlight, Fluttershy noticed she was staring back in silence almost as if expecting something. Like all the times before, Fluttershy asked her.
“Are you the real Starlight or are you just a construct created by Twilight?”
Starlight chuckled lightly, and gave the same response she had every time Fluttershy asked. Shrugging, she grinned and said simply in the most playful of tones.
“Yes. I am most certainly one of those, aren’t I?”
In the silence that followed, Starlight gestured to Fluttershy and her tone changed to one of encouragement.
“When it comes to Kindness, you know all angles Kindness can take; from gentle, to harsh, you’ve mastered both sides of your Element. You can do this, I believe-”
Pressing her hoof against Fluttershy’s barrel, Starlight smiled.
“-In you.”
Fluttershy rolled her eyes and sighed grumpily.
“Fine. Let me get my armor, after all Twilight’s throne is always so cold since she’s so angry, and I’ll bet this did not help.”
Starlight nodded.
“Twilight is currently enraged, good call on armor to resist freezing. Get it on, I can wait.”
While Fluttershy got into her dragonlands war armor, she called out to Starlight.
“What about you?”
Starlight just laughed.
“I’ll be fine. The cold doesn’t bother me in the slightest.”
“So you and Trixie have a home in that recreation of Ponyville Twilight made for herself?”
“Yes, we like the cottage very much.”
Closing the seals on her body armor, Fluttershy reached for her helmet.
“Oh? Maybe I can come visit sometime.”
Starlight’s eyes had a hint of pity in them as she replied.
“Yeah…Maybe…One day that’ll be possible.”
Before Fluttershy could even consider the cryptic way Starlight spoke, Starlight gestured to her, the pitying look gone from her face.
“Almost ready?”
Fluttershy stared at her for a moment before sliding on her helmet, activating the heads up display within so she could see through the opaque visor of obsidian glass.
“Ready, though I want it noted that I am accepting this only because I have no choice.”
Starlight nodded and scribbled on her notepad.
“Noted. Let’s go.”
Stepping into the dimensional gateway, Fluttershy turned towards Starlight.
“I still hate her, you know.”
“I know, I know. We all do.”
Stepping out of the gateway, Fluttershy shivered. Even under her 6-inch thick obsidian armor, she could still feel the icy chill of Twilight’s festering rage. The Windigos have nothing on her. Twilight sat eyes locked on Hazel, all around her objects cracked, shattered and reformed as if it never happened. Fluttershy heard Twilight speak.
“Don’t think even for a second, they’ll be as patient as I am. I expect you to treat my friends with nothing but respect, Aunt of mine. Especially if you ever want to learn about friendship.”
Fluttershy stepped forward, listening to the distinct cracking of her armor, as pieces fell to the floor and shattered on impact. The cold air permeated her armor and Fluttershy felt it in her very bones. As she approached the Thestral she noticed the ice forming on Hazel’s fur and the slight fear in the literal Goddess of Death’s eyes as she dealt with Twilight.
Shifting her eyes to the side inside her helmet, Fluttershy was slightly startled to see Twilight had instantly matched the exact angle, and was staring directly into her eyes. Twilight’s omniscient movements always startled her. Can she hear my thoughts? An instant later Twilight gave the slightest of nods, causing Fluttershy to stiffen and swallow hard in surprise.
Meanwhile, Starlight calmly approached both, not only unguarded but apparently completely unaffected by the icy hellscape that was Twilight’s area. She leaned down and whispered something in Twilight’s ear. The ghost of a smile crossed Twilight’s lips as she whispered something back, causing Starlight to gesture frantically Fluttershy to do something quickly.
Taking the cue, Fluttershy undid the seals on her helmet, and felt the icy blast of the icy storm strike her full in the face, causing her to stutter uncontrollably.
“Hello a-again, Hazel. M-My name is Fluttershy and I look forward to helping you re-rediscover K-Kindness.”
Chapter One- Hostility and Tea
“Let me get this straight, Aunt Hazel; you want me to help you relearn friendship?”
“Erm -Yes I-”
Hazel sat, fidgeting on the couch that rested in Twilight’s Castle. Across from her, sitting with a cold look on her face, Twilight Sparkle glared at her Aunt. Slowly, the Ruler of Equestria sipped a smooth herbal tea. Nearby stood Starlight, holding a teapot and eagerly pouring a cup for Hazel.
“Why are you so nervous? Are you afraid that I bear some grudge for removing mine and my friends ability to live a normal life? Are you worried that since your magic no longer affects me, I would attack you?”
“The thought had crossed my-”
Twilight took a small sip and set down her cup, looking Hazel in the eyes. “I told you before I would not hurt you. After all, Aunt Hazel surely no pony would ever treat their own family that way, would they? I mean it’s not like you… Oh, I don’t know...excommunicated-”
The teacup Twilight set down made a chink sound as a hairline crack appeared on it. Twilight’s voice remained even, calm almost. Still she continued.
“-Your flesh and blood niece from the realm of existence-”
The crack spider-webbed across the teacup’s surface. Starlight winced as the audible cracking of china came from the cup she was currently filling. Still, Twilight continued maintaining her normal tone. “- and then denied her very blood ties to you, in order to punish her-”
The splintering of wood was heard coming from the coffee table on which the teacup rested. Hazel watched in morbid fascination as the eyes of her niece turned cold as the howling gale of winter.
“-for eternity for a mistake she made...By removing her from the very fabric of existence and forcing her to rebuild the entirety of history. Right, dear Aunt of mine?”
As the Queen of Friendship finished her words, the teacup exploded, as the coffee table blew apart; reduced to splinters. Starlight whimpered as the cup she was pouring into shattered. “Aw, Twilight! Calm down! It took Trixie hours to make those.”
Blinking at the sound of Starlight’s voice, Twilight sighed and without so much as a horn glow to show her spell, the objects began to reassemble themselves. Hazel watched, frozen in fear, as her niece, still staring unblinkingly at her, rebuilt the table. Not looking away even for a second, the Alicorn put the cups together piece by piece; as though she was rewinding the timeline of those objects alone.
After a long, deathly silent pause, Twilight took a deep breath before turning to look at Starlight. Smiling sheepishly, her voice turned warm once more. “Sorry about that Star. Sometimes I can get a bit emotional. Can you do me a favor and go tell Fluttershy to come here?”
Starlight nodded knowingly and gave a slight grin. “At once, your Majesty.”
As Twilight watched her trot off giggling to herself, Twilight allowed herself a small smile. Such a tease. However, as soon as Starlight was out of sight, all the warmth in the room vanished. Hazel shivered as the air around her turned to ice. Twilight’s glare seemed to freeze her in place. Her words were dripping with contempt as she spoke to her Aunt. “I hate you, you know. No, not for what you did to me.”
Images of the past appeared around her as she spoke. “I can understand my punishment...Mostly...But for what you did to them; you haven’t created the torture that amounts to the pain my heart feels. How many times have I had to watch Applejack breakdown; unable to do anything but watch as her parents perished, again, and again? Or being unable to halt Fluttershy’s tears as she was forced to lead the dragons to war with Ponyville? All because she was the only one who could understand and control them.”
Hazel winced. “Perhaps I was a bit...Hasty in my judgement, Daughter of Faust.”
Twilight’s glare hardened for a moment before softening once more. The icy cold that encircled Hazel, vanished. Her tone was one of boredom, almost depression. “Were you any other creature, I would have erased you where you sit currently. You took what was most precious from us. Yes, I hate you in every aspect of the word but-”
Twilight seemed to force a surprisingly natural smile. “You’ve come to me, with what appears to be a genuine want to care again. As much as I may despise you with every fiber of my being, I won’t let my own emotions affect my resolve to help any creature in genuine need. I will help you but don’t think, for even a second; I’ve forgiven you.”
The air grew warm, almost welcoming, once more as the teacup before Hazel began to slowly fill to the brim with herbal tea. Twilight meanwhile, lifted her own; now almost completely filled with the same warm tea, to her lips. Taking a slow sip, she spoke once more. “Isn’t hot tea wonderful? It’s most certainly not my usual brew but let’s share a cup; an olive branch, if you will. It’s almost sinful the way it relaxes me, isn’t it? Not that I mind.”
Staring at her in confusion, Hazel looked at the almost shimmering liquid. Lifting the cup to her nose, she took a gentle sniff; catching the scent of an almost sulfurous smell. Touching the tip of her tongue to it, she felt the familiar sting. “Zaqqum root.”
“Mhm. It was quite the challenge to find, and even harder still to harvest. Especially since magic has no effect on the infernal plant. Though with intense concentration-”
Taking a moment to show Hazel the scorch marks on her forehooves, Twilight smiled. “And some rather painful contact, I made it work. I do hope you appreciate the results of my efforts.”
The Thestral sat there staring at her estranged niece in silence; unsure of what to say. Zaqqum root, was a particularly cursed plant which roots sprouted down to tartarus. For any mortal, the mere touch of the plant, would cause the individual's soul to be destroyed. Mere burns would be the least of their concerns. Still, for Twilight to do that just for her, was almost touching. It was, after all, her favorite type of tea; homegrown and torturous to enjoy. Taking another sip of the burning tea, Hazel muttered weakly. “It’s ni- I mean it’s not bad, tha- Surprised you managed to steep it properly.”
Twilight’s eyelids twitched in annoyance. Forcing herself to give a smile, Twilight spoke in her calm and deliberate tone. “I can see, we have a lot of work ahead of us, don’t we?”
Taking a sip of the infernal brew, her eyes gave off a sharp glint of crimson. “Still, friendship isn’t learned in an instant, a day or even a week. You’ll need to commit to a very special learning curriculum. And I promise your teachers won’t be as patient as myself, and don’t think even for a second your magic will affect them. Tell me, knowing this, will you still pursue such a course?”
Hazel sat frozen in place. She knew her niece was serious and she knew how hard it would truly be. It had been lifetimes since she had let go of her purity, countless years since she wanted to care. Why should I? My creations were ungrateful, selfish- “Hi other mommy!”
Unbidden, her thoughts were hijacked by an image of Starshine introducing her to their daughter. Oh, yeah. That’s why. Looking unblinkingly into Twilight’s eyes, she spoke with absolute certainty. “Whatever it takes!”
Twilight nodded in pleasant approval. “So be it. I wish you the best on your journey, and it would seem your first teacher has finally arrived. Why don’t you turn and greet them?”
Hazel rose from her seat and turned to find herself face to face with an armored Pegasus. The armor resembled hardened lava rock and covered the Pegasus completely. Slowly, the Pegasus reached its hooves up and removed the helmet of volcanic rock. The silky pink hair beneath the helmet swirled around her as she tossed her head. Her voice was melodic and gentle. “Hello a-again, Hazel. M-My name is Fluttershy and I look forward to helping you re-rediscover K-Kindness.”
