Cybernetic Heart - Story Four

by BurningMockingJay

Rating: teen
Tags: Death, Human, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Sad, Other, Romance, Fluttershy, Original Character, Science Fiction
Length: 11723

Fluttershy has reintegrated back into her life with Liam the Human and their daughter, Shy Fly. Now, for Rainbow Dash, how will she react to meeting her deceased best friend after all this time?

Professor Haysworth, with the green light from Princess Celestia, resurrected Fluttershy, bringing her back in a pony-robot hybrid, Equestria's first cybernetic pony. It was a second chance to live her life and to enjoy the daughter she never had the pleasure of meeting. She was bought back home to her family, back into her husband's loving arms, but having her back after so long is a massive adjustment which begs the question of morality involved.

Liam the Human is taking it all in very slowly and cautiously, not sure how he should feel or think about the situation. Thankfully, his daughter is too young to understand anything. However, how will Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy's childhood best friend for life, react to meeting her again after a four year bridge? Will she accept it, or reject the idea? This is the story of Fluttershy's family's life trying to rebuild itself, along with old friendships that were put on hold.

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Death Tag - this is highlighted because death plays a prominent role in this story and is mentioned occasionally.
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Published 2020-05-14 12:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2020-05-14 12:40:02 UTC

Settling In

Author's Note

I have thought about publishing this, having taken so long in trying to get it written, but I'm not sure if this should be canon with the other stories. I don't know if it's as good as the other stories or if it'll really progress anything much, but I understand from other stories that the length may be a bit daunting. That's why we invented bookmarks!

Before you read this, I'd like it on the record that I don't know if I'll ever continue this all the way through and develop it further into a multi-chapter story, so I'm just going to leave it as 'Complete' for now. I never wanted this to be a long-going story to begin with, but this was only written because I wanted to show the readers what it might be like for Fluttershy to settle into her old life as best she could, how she interacts with the daughter she never met until just a couple days ago, and how Rainbow Dash might react to seeing her after her death. I wanted to play around a bit and experiment, so that's all this story is, truth be told. That being said, don't expect too much to come out of it.

Peace and love,

FireRain 💛

Settling In

Last night was a huge adjustment for Liam the Human. Not for four years has he had to switch back to his regular routine, and the timing had taken him largely aback to the point where it had actually felt strange and unreal. Of course, the part on it being unreal was more than understandable, and it was too gentle of a word for this situation.

After all, it wasn’t every day that your dead spouse returns from the grave and starts again from where she left off.

He had taken her home after visiting the grave of his spouse, with his spouse, as odd as that sounds, and had headed to bed shortly after arriving home. Of course, they had retired to their double bed once they had seen to it that their baby daughter was sound asleep in her own bed. Sweet little thing goes out like a light switching off when she’s truly tired. Ah, the children of Equestria, they truly are wonderful, a blessing and a gift for parents.

Every single morning, Liam had awoken to view nothing more than an empty space beside him, the spot Fluttershy usually housed, and she had slept the same way every single time, on her side, facing Liam, with her face dreamy and content. She always seemed to sleep so gently and undisturbed, a very light sleeper with an adorable twitch of her muzzle or ear as she dreamed quietly, sometimes making cute moaning sounds as if she were a puppy imaging it was running after a rogue tennis ball.

That gap had been left with him for years, and Liam often cried when he realised that his wife truly was gone, not where he was expecting to see her in their bed, and it was still that way to some extent. He had woken up this morning, and he was laying on his side, facing where her face was, just silently watching her, and his mind wandered off to what he was seeing. It may have been Fluttershy, but his curious mind pinched at his synapses, asking him, ‘’who is this? Who did I just share my bed with?’’

Of course, the saddened part of his mind that wished that he had her back pleaded with him that this was definitely her, but Liam’s better half knew that it wasn’t her. It just looked like her. You can’t fake humanity, or whatever it was that ponies called it. You can’t manufacture a soul, you have to be born with one. That’s the rule of life.

‘’Mmm, baby girl,’’ Fluttershy mumbled to herself in her sleep. ‘’Mummy’s got you,’’ She spoke in a whisper, comforting and sweet. It made Liam smile, in spite of his thoughts.

One of Liam’s hands had reached slowly over towards the spot above her ear, and he ran his fingers through her silky mane. Silky and smooth still, despite the bedraggled hair adorning her head. Her mane was always like this, no matter what, and the gentle touch of it against his fingers were like angel kisses, delicate and comforting.

It had been a long night since they got back. She had fallen asleep fairly quick, but Liam had taken forever to adjust from the surreal nature of his situation. Having her back, however it was possible, somehow brought him comfort to his sore heart, even after his meeting with Professor Haysworth and then reading the note he had written.

‘’Mmm,’’ Fluttershy began to stir against her husband’s touch, lightly moving her head to lean into his hand, lips softly curling into a smile. ‘’Good morning, Li-Lum,’’ She spoke as her eyes gently fluttered open, half-lidded and dreamy as she gazed lovingly at him for a moment, a strand of her long mane dangling in front of them.

‘’Morning, sweetie,’’ Liam said, leaning in and lightly kissing her on the tip of her muzzle, prompting her to giggle and blush softly. ‘’How’d you sleep?’’

‘’Oh, much better now that I’m next to you,’’ She said. She pulled herself slightly closer to him, nuzzling his cheek before she nestled herself into him. Liam draped his arms around her underneath the warm, cozy duvet, snaking one around her back, just beneath her wings, and the other around her head. He held her to his chest and he continued to nuzzle her.

‘’Good. And Fluttershy?’’ Liam asked, momentarily closing his eyes as he tried to remember what it felt like to cuddle her like this after such a long absence.

‘’Hmm?’’

‘’I forgot how nice this was. You know, cuddling you,’’ He said with a hint of longing. He rubbed the back of her ear tenderly, and he nestled down his chin atop her head, her mane acting as a plush pillow.

‘’Me, too,’’ Fluttershy spoke, cuddling into her hubby. ‘’I can feel your heart beating. It’s so soft, but fast. You feel cold,’’ She commented. ‘’Is everything alright?’’

‘’It’s fine, Fluttershy. Don’t worry about it.’’

‘’Liam…’’ She cooed, in that way that suggested she wasn’t going to be so quick to back down.

‘’No, really, it’s fine. I told you, it’s just a lot to take in,’’ Liam said, hoping that he’d convince her enough to drop the matter. Instead, she gave him a cheeky grin and she bit her lip seductively.

‘’Speak for yourself,’’ She said with a teasing raise of her eyebrows, her bright turquoise eyes momentarily glancing southwards, beneath the duvet.

‘’Hey, behave yourself,’’ Liam said mockingly, and they both giggled. He lightly took a hold of her shoulders and he tussled around with her under the sheets, the two of them enjoying each other’s embrace while they both flailed around against the cushy mattress, her loving, girly giggles filling the air.

Their chests were both heaving once they had stopped, Liam looming above his wife with his palms pressed firmly into the mattress above both of her slender shoulders. She gazed up to him with those warm turquoise pools of nirvana, gleaming so brightly and shimmering with that life and love that he remembered always being present.

‘’For your crimes, you have two options as a form of penalty; option one: you may pay a bribe in the form of a kiss. Option two: you can accept death by snuggles. How do you plead?’’ Liam asked in a teasing, cheesy gruff judge voice, his darling wife trying to keep from erupting into giggles in her position.

‘’Ooh, Mr. Judge, I’ve been such a bad mare! Will a payment of kisses and snuggles earn your forgiveness?’’ She played the damsel role well, her lips forever smiling. Liam gave a thoughtful expression and he soon gave the mare beneath him an alluring grin.

‘’Hmm, for a pretty mare like yourself, I’ll allow it. Now, c’mere, you, before I change my mind!’’ He then dove into Fluttershy and he proceeded to kiss her passionately on the lips. They both made out beneath the duvet, and the bed was left in a sorry state once they were done, both laid on their back in breathless positions.

The two of them had enjoyed their morning smooching session and they panted relentlessly for breath, and Liam’s hand found itself to be interlocked around Fluttershy’s hoof.

‘’That was fantastic,’’ Liam breathed, still winded.

‘’Liam, honey?’’ His wife asked, slowly turning her head to face him.

‘’Yes, my darling?’’

‘’Shouldn’t we see if Shy Fly’s awake? We probably woke her up when we, you know…’’ She hinted, and Liam chuckled at that. He gave the side of Fluttershy’s face a tender rub and then he kissed her on the nose.

‘’Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll go get her,’’ He said, picking himself from the bed. A part of him didn’t want to leave, but then he realised that it was his responsibility as a father to take care of his precious little girl.

That was another part of the life he was going to have to get used to, the part on raising his toddler with her mother, like it should have been from the very start. Of course, it had taken its toll on Liam, having to do the majority of the work for the first few days, unable to get her to stop crying, and it was almost as if she could sense the heartache, that she was a part of it, she may not have understood it, but she knew it was there, and it affected her almost the same as it had her father.

Thank Celestia that Rainbow Dash was there. Without her, Liam didn’t know what he might have done. Broke down and cried, maybe, collapse and beg the heavens for his beloved to be brought back to him, gone completely insane…these were all possibilities. But Rainbow, she was such a sweet, considerate mare to offer her hoof in helping raise the girl.

Speaking of which, Rainbow Dash normally comes around every day to check in on them, so she was expected today. Liam had gotten quite used to her presence, her being around the cottage having brought him comfort and warmth that he dreadfully needed.

She had held Liam after the first few days without his wife, and he had held her, both of them distraught over their loss. Rainbow recollected her thoughts on her friend and the childhood they both shared, reminiscing on all of the good times, wishing that she was still here. It hurt worst of all when she spoke about the early days when they met at flight camp, having become attached at the hip almost instantly, and Liam could see it on the cyan mare’s face.

Shy Fly had gotten used to Rainbow Dash, too, and she viewed her as somewhat of a mother figure, her being the only mare she’s had extended contact with since her birth. Everypony else, she viewed as her aunts, having accepted their occasional presence in her life. One of the sweetest yet hardest things that Rainbow Dash has ever had to sit through was during Shy Fly’s birthday, when each of her friends took turns holding her, all of them telling the little filly how much she reminded them of their friend and recounting stories of her mother, giving her a bit of insight as to who was carrying her for those months when she was a foetus.

Liam had collected Shy Fly from her room. Thankfully, she hadn’t been awoken by her parent’s lovesome moment. She always slept the very same way, almost similar to her mother; on her side, rear legs tucked in and one of her forehooves in her mouth whilst sucking on it in her sleep. It was such a heartwarming sight, and Liam usually sat with her and gave her a light caress by her ear until she woke up.

Liam and Fluttershy were downstairs with their daughter, and it had been a while since Liam had the chance to make breakfast for his wife. He was making her favourite bowl of soup, her own recipe, the very same one that she taught him to make during their dating days - gently warmed alfalfa soup with a dash of fresh tomato and a delicate pinch of home-grown herbs.

Fluttershy protested against it, but Liam insisted that he wanted to do this for her. It wasn’t often he had the time to cook for anypony else, aside from his own daughter, but he had offered it to Rainbow Dash every now and again as a thank you for all of her hard work. She wouldn’t ever admit to it to anypony out of sake for her reputation, but Rainbow had quite the taste for her friend’s homemade soups. She had grown up with them, after all.

While he was standing at the stove, humming to himself as he stirred the large pot with a wooden spoon, Liam was within earshot of his wife and daughter. It sounded like they were both playing nicely together, and this was the very first time that Shy Fly has had any real interaction with her mother. It brought a warmth to Liam’s chest to see them getting along.

‘’Itsy-bitsy spider went up the water spout!’’ He heard Fluttershy sing softly to her daughter.

‘’Down came the wain and washed the spwider out!’’ Shy Fly joined in, the two of them giggling soon afterwards. Fluttershy praised her girl for getting it right for the first time.

Liam was quietly giggling to himself as he listened on, now grabbing a nearby ladle and pouring a healthy amount of soup into two separate bowls, one for Fluttershy and one for Shy Fly. She was also a fan of Fluttershy’s soup, and it was almost all she asked for when it was dinner time.

The girl’s definitely got her mother’s taste buds, that’s for sure, Liam mused to himself. He brought the bowls around and he set them in front of the most important girls in his life, and they both smiled up to him upon receiving their bowls.

‘’Come here, Shy Fly,’’ Fluttershy began to say, spooning a mouthful for her daughter. ‘’Mummy’s got something for you,’’ She said playfully, hovering the spoon in front of her double. Shy Fly glad fully accepted it, her face soon beaming once the first droplet of the soup had graced her tongue.

‘’Mummy! Daddy made great soup!’’ She complimented the meal. ‘’Mummy, try it, try it!’’ The foal eagerly beckoned on her mother. Once she had tasted a spoonful from her own soup, Fluttershy’s face also brightened, surprised and pleased simultaneously.

‘’Oh! O-Oh, my!’’ She blinked as she retracted her spoon, returning it to the bowl. ‘’That’s amazing! Sweetie, you made this?’’

‘’Well, technically, you did,’’ Liam said modestly, but he was flattered by the compliment. ‘’This is the same recipe you made and taught me how to make, so the credit should all go to your, Flutter Butter,’’ He kissed her behind the ear.

‘’Aw, that’s so sweet! It’s really good, Li-Lum,’’ She said, her cheeks blushing softly from the use of her nickname. It made her heart grow sore when he called her that. Butterflies constantly tickled her stomach lining each time he used it in the past, one of the few things that drove her crazy with affection.

‘’So, what do you want to do today, Fluttershy? Any plans in mind?’’ Liam asked her, and once she had finished sipping down another spoonful of her soup, she gave him a smile.

‘’I was thinking we could spend the day together as a family,’’ She spoke, giving Shy Fly’s light pink-coloured mane a tussle, prompting her to giggle cutely. ‘’It would be nice to spend some time together to catch up and settle in.’’

A throb punctured Liam’s heart. Spending a day together would be the only day they’ve spent together as a family in a little over four years, the type of day he had wished and hoped for, to be happy together and to make new memories as a family. There was no better idea inside of Liam’s mind that he could think of doing. Being here with his girl and his wife was more than appealing.

It was then that there was a knock on the door. Liam announced that he’d answer it, allowing Fluttershy to remain with Shy Fly to keep her occupied. He knew who’d be at the door, and he wanted to be the one to answer it so that he could let the pony on the outside in on the situation, her still being in the dark about this latest development.

As predicted, it was Rainbow Dash standing on the other side of the door, her expression posing that same confidence as before, always so very neutral and happy. However, there’s been an ounce of sadness to it since the day her best friend died, and Liam was the only one who saw through her pain, Rainbow being the only other pony on this planet whom was close to Fluttershy in the same manner.

‘’How’s it going, Liam?’’ She asked him, and Liam invited her in, same as he always did.

‘’Morning, Dash. Pretty strange, actually,’’ Liam said as Dash walked by him, but he quickly stopped her before she could pass through the living room, into the spot where she’d be in direct sight of Fluttershy. ‘’Wait!’’ He said in a hushed tone, hoping to not let his wife hear him.

‘’What’s up?’’ She asked, confused at his sudden behaviour. ‘’What’s going on? You’re acting a bit odd. Is something wrong?’’

‘’Shh!’’ Liam quickly hushed her. ‘’Stay quiet, there’s something I need to tell you, and it’s fairly complicated, so I don’t know how to break it to you!’’ He informed her, furthering her confusion, and she actually seemed to become genuinely worried about him.

‘’Wait, what? Is something wrong with Shy Fly? Is she alright?’’ She asked concernedly, hoping the baby was alright.

‘’No, Shy’s fine, but it’s…’’ He felt himself choke up, eyes momentarily stinging. ‘’Rainbow Dash, there’s something I need to show you, and I think it can explain this a lot better than I can,’’ Liam then glanced around for the dresser he’d left the note from Professor Haysworth. After finding it sitting on a shelf on top of a dresser in its envelope, he handed it to Dash.

Rainbow Dash took it, face still frozen in confusion, and she pulled it out to read it. All the while, Liam watched her face run through a series of alternate expressions, some of which he’s never seen upon her features. Her eyebrows gave an occasional knit, her eyes narrowed, her lips moved silently as she read the words on the page to herself. Liam swore he could have picked up the sound of her heart beating in the gap of silence.

‘’That’s not funny,’’ She said in a hollow, deadpan voice once she had finished reading and she drooped the page down to glare up at Liam. ‘’I know how much you miss her, and I miss her, too, but that’s not cool,’’ She said disapprovingly.

‘’Dashie, it’s not a joke. You honestly think I’d make something like this up? It’s real!’’ He told her. ‘’Rainbow Dash, I don’t know how to deal with this. She’s been back for only a couple of days. I know it’s crazy, but it’s true!’’ He pleaded with her, still keeping his voice down. Rainbow Dash only sighed.

‘’Listen, bud, I know that it’s been really hard and it hurts, but you can’t let your grief get the better of you. You’re starting to make me worry about you, Liam. You sound like you’re losing your mind,’’ She said concernedly, gazing up with those magenta eyes of hers, their colour slightly dimmed and hollow due to her own grief process.

‘’Rainbow Dash, trust me, I’m not losing my mind. I can prove it. Come on,’’ He asked her to come along, motioning for her to follow with a flick of his hand. She gave him a quizzical expression, skeptical and cautious as to what was happening with her friend and what was going on in his mind, but by some hope in her mind that he wasn’t insane, she chose to follow him towards the kitchen.

Liam stood in the archway to the kitchen’s entrance, waiting for Rainbow Dash to enter. He only stood there quietly, looking towards his wife and his daughter playing together, Shy Fly giggling with glee while her mother entertained her. There was a warmth in his heart that tickled his innards for a moment before a coldness took over, quickly extinguishing it. What came next was a very on-edge anxiety for how Dash was going to respond.

‘’Hon? Somebody’s here to see you,’’ He said softly, and the butter mare looked up at him curiously for a moment, and it was then that Rainbow Dash entered, standing just to the side of Liam, and Fluttershy’s eyes slowly rolled left to view her, and that’s when her mouth hung open slightly in a silent gasp.

Rainbow Dash immediately tensed. Liam didn’t know that because he had touched her, but he felt it on her, the air around her suddenly shifting and becoming more steely, more timid. After all, it was no different than when he was introduced to her for a second time. Her magenta eyes became still, solely fixated upon her deceased childhood best friend, becoming pinpricks. Her mouth hung open, her lower lip trembling.

Shy Fly had caught on, too, catching notice of Rainbow Dash’s presence, and her eyes lit up when she saw her. She had climbed out of her seat and had started to make her way towards Rainbow Dash, hugging her front legs, but Dash didn’t take her eyes off of Fluttershy nor did she respond to the affectionate contact from the child. Liam moved down and picked up his daughter and cradled her in his arms, wondering what was going to happen next.

‘’Fl-Flutter-Fluttersh…’’ She stammered uncontrollably, hardly able to form a coherent sentence. Her face was blank, and although her cyan coat was already on the paler side of the spectrum, Liam could have sworn she had gained a little more whiteness to her composure.

In his arms, Shy Fly gazed up to her father with wide eyes, sensing that something was wrong in the moment. She lightly tugged on his shirt collar to gain his attention, and he looked down at her. She saw the worry in his eyes, too.

‘’Daddy, what’s going on?’’ She asked, to which Liam only patted her head and gave her a gentle squeeze.

‘’Nothing, sweetie. It’ll be alright,’’ He told her. ‘’Shy Fly, why don’t you go up to your room for a bit?’’ He said as he began to put her down again.

‘’Did I do something wrong, daddy?’’ She asked with a pair of shimmering puppy eyes.

‘’No, of course not,’’ Her father told her before rustling her mane. ‘’This is something grown ups need to talk about. Now, go on, wait in your room until I come get you. It’ll be okay, we won’t take long.’’

His daughter may be young and innocent, but she had the very same instincts as her mother. She understood enough to know something was going on with Rainbow Dash and her father. Her little mind had no idea on the true reasons, nor would she for a very long time. Nonetheless, she obeyed her father and slowly began to head up the stairs while Liam watched her go to make sure she had left and was out of earshot. When he heard her bedroom door close upstairs, he took that as a sign it was safe.

‘’B-But…but—-!’’ Dash stuttered, her eyes glazing over in disbelief of what she was seeing. She back-pedalled a few paces, still training her eyes on Fluttershy sitting at the edge of the table. Fluttershy was also staring at her, her eyes wide and full of recognition.

‘’Rainbow Dash?!’’ She said in astonishment. Rainbow began to tremble all over her body, a flurry of emotions welling up inside of her while her brain struggled to process everything all at once, sending it into near-overload. She was on the brink of malfunctioning.

‘’N-No! You’re n-not Fluttershy!’’ She said, and her gaze momentarily transitioned into a hostile and questioning one, trying to scout any reason to debunk her existence. ‘’You’re dead! Fluttershy is dead! I went to your funeral! I saw you get buried!’’ She began to reason, and she wondered if she had also gone crazy.

Ever since she had left the funeral service at her animal sanctuary, Rainbow Dash had fared no better than Liam had. After all, they had known each other so much longer and had a firm, unbreakable bond. Days without her were lonely and miserable, but months and years became worse. Often times had Dash thought she caught glimpses of her out of the corner of her eye while at home, lingering in her peripheral vision, but she turn and find nopony to be there but her own shadow.

This, the sight in front of her, ‘Fluttershy’, was either a sign that she had completely lost it after being depressed for too long or this was her ghost. Either way, it sounded like insanity.

‘’Rainbow Dash…Dashie…’’ Fluttershy was having trouble processing this, too. Her face was remarkably calm while she stared at her friend, hardly able to comprehend what was happening herself. Seeing her had triggered a part of her brain, her memories letting loose and she remembered very fondly about the bond she had to the mare in front of her. It was unspoken, but it bloomed so vibrantly.

‘’No, don’t ‘Dashie’ me!’’ Rainbow spat back. ‘’You’re NOT Fluttershy! You can’t be!’’ Rainbow Dash’s cheek had a stray tear leaking down it at the sight of her, her emotions bubbling within her chest. ‘’H-How…How’s that even possible…?’’ She breathed quietly, and Fluttershy’s ears slowly fell back.

‘’It’s…complicated,’’ Fluttershy said tentatively, rubbing her hoof shyly and averting her gaze away from Rainbow’s. It was then that Rainbow Dash turned to face Liam, who only gave her a sad look.

‘’Rainbow, I wasn’t lying…’’ He said. ‘’It’s a long story. I’m trying to process it, too. We all are.’’ Liam held the letter out to Rainbow. ‘’Like I said, the letter can explain it better than either of us possibly can. Here, take it,’’ He offered it to the cyan mare, leaning down and handing it to her. She took it nervously and slowly, not knowing what to expect.

Rainbow Dash was mumbling inaudibly to herself, one hoof taking the note from Professor Haysworth and the other rubbing her temples, a painful headache taking over. She sat on the her haunches on the floor beside Liam and she began to read the letter. Both Liam and Fluttershy patiently waited for her to finish skimming through it.

‘’…Personal Duplicate of The Element of Kindness?’’ Rainbow read first with a raised brow, glancing up briefly to see Fluttershy. She then turned her attention back to the letter and began reading. Her eyes widened in some places as she was reading it thoroughly, other times becoming moist, her mouth frozen in a silent gasp as she was almost done, the picture finally coming together.

Holy…! Princess Celestia gave some whacko scientist the green light to CLONE my best friend and bring her back to life as a cyborg?! You’ve got to be kidding me! How is this even possible? Rainbow Dash thought inwardly once she had stopped reading. She kept re-reading that part over again, ‘she does not know that she is a machine impersonating a chosen personality type of one of Equestria’s most famous ponies. As a matter of fact, I programmed this synthetic copy to not know that she is a machine at all. As far as this Fluttershy knows, she is the original Fluttershy.’. And she was programmed not to know what she is. She thinks she’s actually Fluttershy! This sounds so wrong…

It was then that Rainbow’s attention came back to one interesting line in the message that really caught her attention, and she didn’t know wether or not to be afraid of it - ‘’Kindness is Key, Fluttershy, 07023’’, followed by ‘’Command: shut down’’. - 07023. That sequence of numbers held a significance that rang a bell in Dash’s brain. It was then she realised what it was.

Fluttershy’s birthday! Also the same day that she and Liam were married! But why would this Professor Haysworth use that date in particular, anyway? Maybe because it was the happiest day of both their lives? Ugh, no, this sounds sick! Kindness is Key, huh? If Professor Haysworth and Princess Celestia were truly kind, then they would have just left her in peace and not hand her body to some sicko mad scientist so he could violate her body and clone her!

‘’Rainbow?’’ Liam asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. His friend’s body instantly tensed at his touch. ‘’You alright?’’

‘’No,’’ She said in a whisper before turning her head to face Liam fully, her eyes sad and hurt. ‘’No, I’m not alright,’’ She clarified. ‘’Liam, she doesn’t know! She doesn’t know what she is! This is so freaky and wrong!’’

Liam didn’t say a word. He stared silently into Rainbow’s eyes, almost gazing right through them and into the wall behind her. His face was wiped of emotion, completely blank and unreadable. He knew how she was feeling, he wasn’t stupid enough to know she is fine with this. On some levels, even though he told Fluttershy that night when she visited her own grave, he technically lied. Personally, he had more than a couple objections towards this, but his desire and heartache couldn’t be cured if Fluttershy wasn’t around. That was the anchor for him, and it was also the same for Rainbow Dash. When you want something so badly in your life but know it’s wrong to have it when the morality of the situation suggests it should be left alone. That logic took a massive bite out of his heart.

‘’Dash,’’ Liam held her shoulders and he got on his knees to be directly level with her eyes. He looked down for a moment towards the floorboards and gave a sad sigh that weighed heavy on him. ‘’…I know it is,’’ He said, slowly looking back up into Dash’s surprised eyes. ‘’I’m not oblivious, Rainbow Dash. Nopony ever asked for this, me especially. It wasn’t my choice. But this is the closest I’m ever going to be to having her back. Don’t you see? I know it’s hard to wrap your head around, but this might be good for the both of us. She really misses you, Dash, and I know you miss her, too,’’ Liam said, melancholy staining his voice.

Rainbow Dash, as much as she might miss her best friend, knew there was some sense in Liam’s reasoning, no matter how much she might disagree with the morals involved. None of this seemed right or even okay. Until now, she had no clue that this was even a possibility, but she need to only glance over at the chair at the end of the table in the kitchen, the one that Fluttershy was currently occupying, to find her proof. Perhaps this was a way forward, to find some well-needed comfort. Maybe spending some time with her, whatever she might be or not be, might put things into perspective for her and help her find some peace with her loss. Heck, both of their losses!

The entire time, they had been speaking in hushed voices so that Fluttershy couldn’t hear them both. She still didn’t know that she was in fact a automaton, nor did she know about the letter and its contents. She wasn’t meant nor supposed to know about anything in relation to it. All they both knew was that she is here now and there’s nothing than can be done about it. They’ll have to slowly learn to accept it, but, as with most things in life, it was going to take time to adjust. A lot of it.

‘’Rainbow Dash,’’ Fluttershy spoke up before moving from her chair and slowly approaching Rainbow Dash and Liam. Naturally, Rainbow tensed and was a little bit cautious of this Fluttershy, not knowing exactly what she was or anything about her nature. The only thing she knew was that she may look like her friend on the outside, but her insides were so much different and more foreign than any other living creature.

When the mare came to about a few inches of Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy paused for a moment and gazed the cyan mare directly into her eyes. Fluttershy’s chest was pumping with the beat of her artificially-grown heart, her brain sparking with recognition of the cyan mare, saying her name triggering a sort of impulse within her synapses, a memory. She was still a bit hazy on certain parts of their relationship, but the mention of her name had jogged something out of hiding.

Liam sensed it, too. He saw it in her eyes. There was something behind them that was trying to be processed through her memory banks. Professor Haysworth had mentioned that events like this might occur, that certain and particular things will trigger spots in her memory that might have been forgotten or improperly downloaded into her brain through the memory transplant from her original body to the cyborg body. Rainbow Dash was one of her triggers.

‘’…It’s you,’’ She breathed quietly, whatever she had been recalling finished. She blinked and smiled with a teary-eyed gaze. ‘’It’s you!’’ Fluttershy sat down in front of Rainbow Dash and she hugged her in a swift snap of a movement, catching Rainbow off-guard.

Fluttershy clasped herself around Dash and pulled her into her, smiling warmly as she did so, but Dash was so taken aback she didn’t know how to respond. It took her a few moments to understand what was happening, a mix of emotions flooding into her, some of rejection, others of nagging doubt of the situation and a few more telling her to just accept it, processing it as a regular hug from Fluttershy. This is the first time she’s seen her in four years, and the part of her that missed her so much and succumbed to loneliness and depression fought against her judgements and told her to accept the hug and to wrap her hooves around her.

That’s exactly what she did. Rainbow slowly and lightly leaned into Fluttershy and she put her hooves around her, offering her own hug. She was so surprised by how soft she felt under her hooves, almost as soft as a newborn baby, like she was only born yesterday. (Well, a more accurate reading would dictate she was actually born sometime in the past few years.)

She feels exactly like how I remember, but somehow more soft and fluffy, Rainbow Dash thought. Even her muscles feel firm. Wait, are they actual muscles? Eh, probably. It’s like she never even left in the first place. This Fluttershy feels no different than…well, Fluttershy! Her curves, her coat, her mane, her contours…

‘’It’s you!’’ Fluttershy said again. ‘’Dashie, it’s really you! It’s been so long! I’ve missed you so much!’’ She said with a sniffle, eventually breaking into tears while Dash just held her, remaining tentative but not uncaring. She rubbed her back and became misty-eyed herself.

‘’I’ve missed you, too, Flutters,’’ She said. ‘’Like you wouldn’t believe,’’ Rainbow Dash felt herself begin to crack on the inside, slowly at first the more she rubbed Fluttershy’s back and more when her friend pulled her tighter towards her and cried on her shoulder. On any other day, Rainbow would not let anypony see her cry in front of them, but with a pony like Fluttershy, she didn’t mind so much. The crack in her became a gaping hole and she suddenly began to weep.

‘’I love you so much, Fluttershy,’’ Rainbow said between her falling tears. ‘’I…I didn’t think I could go on after…’’ She choked and bit her lower lip, stopping herself from saying what was on the tip of her tongue. ‘’B-But I couldn’t…not to you. I had to k-keep…keep going, for you and for your baby. A-And for Liam.’’

‘’Shhh, it’s alright, Dashie,’’ Fluttershy soothed her best friend, cooing into her ear to try and calm her down, letting her know it was alright and she wasn’t going anywhere. ‘’You’ve done a wonderful job, Dashie. My little girl’s grown up so well because of you and Liam. He wouldn’t have been able to do everything on his own, and he appreciates you being around so much. I’m so sorry I left you, Rainbow Dash, but I’m not going anywhere ever again, I promise. And don’t you dare go thinking like that again, Rainbow. I wouldn’t want you to give up because I was gone for a little while, would I?’’

Rainbow was pushed away gently by Fluttershy’s hooves on her shoulders and they both made eye contact, both of them in tears and red-eyed. Rainbow smiled at her best friend and she took on a guilty and ashamed expression for how she felt after losing her, what she was considering. The kindness still radiated behind Fluttershy’s turquoise eyes, so bright and soothing.

Liam watched them both with a smile as they hugged once again. It warmed his heart to know that they were given the opportunity to speak again to one another, a chance to get their feelings out of the way and clear the air. Two life-long, childhood best friends reunited after a lengthy time gap.

I should probably leave them to it and give them time to catch up, Liam thought to himself, half-turning his body to glance at the stairs. Shy Fly’s waiting for me, anyway. I need to go see her, give Dashie and Flutter-Butter some space.

Liam left quietly and headed upstairs to his daughter’s bedroom. He entered and closed the door behind him with a soft click, coming in to find his daughter playing on the floor with a couple of her toys. She looked up at him curiously and watched him as he sat down beside her on the carpet in the middle of her room where she was playing.

Aw, Shy Fly, my sweet, little angel, you look so much like your mother, Liam thought as he faced her and took in her very distinctive features, so much so that it was impossible to think of her as anypony else’s daughter other than Fluttershy’s. The resemblance was uncanny. When you grow up, I guarantee you’ll be as gorgeous as mummy. To think, one day you’ll grow up and maybe have a family of your own. If you do, my only hope is that you’ll not have to deal with any of this madness.

‘’Daddy, what’s going on?’’ His daughter asked, stopping with her playing and innocently gazing into her father’s eyes. She noticed they were a little dimmer than usual, which caused her some concern.

‘’Mummy Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are catching up,’’ Liam said. ‘’They’ve not seen each other in a very long time,’’ He explained to her. Shy Fly continued to listen curiously, the sweetheart that she is. ‘’See, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy knew have been good friends since they were a little older than you. Would you like to hear that story?’’ Liam asked as he put his hands around Shy Fly’s barrel and hoisted her up, sitting her on his lap and holding her. At the mention of a story, her bright blue eyes sparkled.

‘’Story time? Yay!’’ She said, giving her father her undivided attention. Liam smiled at that.

‘’See, Mummy Fluttershy and Mummy Rainbow Dash first met when they were eight-years-old at Summer Flight Camp. Your mother wasn’t good at flying yet and was very shy, so she was always bullied for it every day, which hurt mummy’s feelings and made her upset,’’ Liam began telling the tale he learned from Fluttershy during their time dating. At the mention of bullies, Shy Fly pouted and gave a grossed-out expression of disgust, lolling her tongue out of her mouth in a raspberry.

‘’Boo! Bullies are jerks!’’

‘’Hey, language, missy!’’ Liam lightly booped her on the nose at the use of minor profanity. He didn’t know how she knew that word, but a random and lucky guess assumed it might have once been heard from Rainbow Dash. It did get a chuckle out of him, hearing it from such a young girl, but that’s not to say he didn’t agree that bullies are massive jerks.

‘’Sowwy, Daddy,’’ His daughter said apologetically. Liam hugged her.

‘’It’s alright, baby girl. Just don’t say it again, alright?’’

‘’I won’t.’’

‘’Good. Now, where was I?’’

‘’Bullies!’’ Shy Fly reminded him.

‘’Oh, right! Well, Mummy wasn’t a good flier and the bullies were always picking on her, until she met Mummy Rainbow Dash, who swore to protect her and defend her honour. Rainbow Dash taught your mother how to fly, and they both soon became the best of friends. And do you know what else?’’

‘’What, what?!’’ Shy Fly asked excitedly.

‘’Mummy Rainbow Dash challenged the bullies to a sky race, and she beat them all. She did it to protect Fluttershy and to prove her loyalty to her. In fact, that was the same day that Rainbow earned her cutie mark!’’

‘’For real?!’’ The little girl squeaked out adorably, but soon became inquisitive again, wondering, ‘’But Daddy, what happened to mummy? Where was she while Mummy Rainbow Dash was racing the bullies?’’

Liam held his daughter by the sides and raised her slightly in front of him so he could nuzzle her cute, little nose. She giggled at the contact and Liam switched her position to his other knee to sit her down again.

‘’Well, this is where it gets interesting, sweetheart; Mummy was the one who dropped the flag to start the race, but she was knocked off the cloud she was standing on when the pegasi flew past her. Do you know what happened next?’’

‘’Tell me, tell me!’’

‘’Fluttershy landed on a family of butterflies and discovered nature for the first time on the ground. When Rainbow Dash was about to finish the race, she made a Sonic Rainboom that created a huge explosion that scared all of the animals and made them run away and hide. It was then that mummy discovered she could communicate with animals and she earned her cutie mark!’’ Liam finished recounting the tale, and Shy Fly’s eyes widened in surprise and glee at the story’s wrap-up.

‘’Yay! Mummy got her cutie mark for talking to animals, and Mummy Rainbow Dash made her find it out?’’ She asked, to which her father nodded. ‘’That’s so cool, Daddy! Mummy Rainbow Dash is the best!’’

‘’You’re not wrong, kiddo,’’ He said as he stroked her mane affectionately. He loved this little girl beyond words. She was so understanding for her age, which came as a surprise. She easily formed connections with certain ponies if she was granted contact and company with them for some time, and it was clear she had imprinted on Rainbow Dash a little bit. ‘’It sounds like you’ve become a fangirl, huh?’’

‘’Daddy, I wanna get a cutie mark for talking to animals!’’ She said enthusiastically. ‘’Then I can be just like Mummy!’’

Huh, I’ve never actually considered that possibility. Can Shy Fly also communicate with animals like Fluttershy can? I’ll have to remember to ask Fluttershy about it one day and find out.

‘’We’ll see one day, kid. You’ll have to ask your mother to see if she can show you how to do it. She’s the expert, you know!’’ Liam affectionately hugged his daughter and she hugged him back, but only barely getting her small hooves around his mid-section.

‘’Daddy, can I ask you something?’’

‘’Sure, kid. What’s up?’’

‘’What happened to Mummy?’’ She asked, looking up at him with a patient, expectant expression, teal eyes neutral and shiny. Liam hid an inward cringe of his heart from her.

‘’What do you mean?’’ He asked. ‘’Do you mean…where has she been?’’ The little filly nodded. ‘’Oh. Um,’’ Liam didn’t know how to begin to explain this to such a young girl. She was far below any age to understand something so complex and sad. He had originally intended to tell her about her mother’s passing when she was old enough to understand the complications with pregnancy and child birth, but this new change of circumstance had botched that entire plan. This, this was much much more dramatically different as an alternative.

‘’Shy Fly, sweetheart, you’re too young to understand stuff like that right now. It’s not a story a child should hear until they’re a lot older,’’ Liam began to explain to her, but she pouted up at him. What was he supposed to tell her? ‘Well, sweetheart, your mummy has been dead for four years, so Princess Celestia contracted this crazy scientist pony to take her dead body out of her coffin and pull her apart and stick her inside of a robot body, turning her into Equestria’s first cyborg! Technically, she’s not even your mother!’

Damn kids, always asking the toughest questions imaginable! Aw, she’s wanting an answer, and she does deserve the truth, but not here and not now. I can’t tell this baby girl what her mother is. Hell, Fluttershy doesn’t even know what she is! Nor do I, for that matter! But I still love her.

‘’Sweetie,’’ Liam began. ‘’Mummy…has been gone for a very long time. That’s why Rainbow Dash has been here a lot in her absence. I…you’re too young to understand, Shy Fly. When you’re old enough, I promise I’ll tell you everything,’’ He finished, hoping that this would satisfy her childish curiosity. It hurt his hurt dreadfully whenever it was mentioned, triggering flashbacks of that fateful, tragic day. The less questions, the better. Not so easy when you’ve got an inquisitive child in your life.

‘’Oh. O-Okay, Daddy,’’ Shy Fly said slowly. Liam got the hint she knew his demeanour was off; somehow, it’s like she saw right through him. ‘’Hey, Daddy?’’

‘’Hmm?’’

Shy Fly motioned for him to lean down a little closer. When he did, she slung her hooves around his neck and gave him a tender embrace, pecking his cheek.

‘’I love you,’’ She said. Her father put his arms around his baby girl and held her for a while, kissing her on the forehead.

‘’I love you, too, Shy Fly.’’

While savouring the moment in their daddy-daughter affection, downstairs, both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were sat in the kitchen of the house, where afternoon lunchtime had been cut short earlier on. They were sat at the table, drinking tea together.

Rainbow Dash had barely touched hers, opting instead to stare at her reflection in the light tan-ish-coloured beverage, steam wafting from it, while Fluttershy was calmly sipping it, unaware of her friend’s silent state. Once she had finished her cup, she had placed it down on the tabletop’s white cover and she tilted her head at the cyan pegasus.

‘’Dashie? Is everything alright? You seem a little quiet,’’ She observed concernedly. Rainbow remained silent. She didn’t even look up.

‘’…’’ Not a single word.

‘’Rainbow?’’ Fluttershy asked again.

‘’I don’t understand,’’ She began slowly, voice quiet. She began to raise her head. ‘’How are you here?’’ She held a neutral expression, slight bags noticeable beneath her eyes. It was uncertain if they were from exhaustion, sadness or depression.

‘’What do you mean?”

‘’Fluttershy…I was there that day, at the hospital when Shy Fly was born. I saw you when…I had to pry your husband’s body away from you after…’’ She trailed off again, fighting back another wave of hot tears. She choked back an incoming sob and stifled herself. Fluttershy frowned and suddenly understood where Rainbow was coming from.

‘’Oh,’’ She said. ‘’I’m not sure, Dashie,’’ She said truthfully. ‘’I wish I could tell you, but I don’t know.’’

‘’What was it like? D-Dying, I mean?’’ Dash asked tentatively, instantly experiencing a hit of guilt and shame for asking such a question. It didn’t feel right nor in her right to ask a personal question like that, but she had to know the truth, at least be given an idea, a hint, a clue, anything to prove the logic of her being here, in the flesh.

Fluttershy did nothing but stare at her friend blankly for a few moments. Her eyes were still but it appeared that she was trying to recall something in her mind. Taking her silence as a hint she didn’t want to talk about it, Rainbow’s shame caught up with her and she changed her mind.

‘’N-No, you know what? It’s…It’s fine, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—-‘’

‘’No, it’s fine, Dashie,’’ Fluttershy quickly said, snapping out of it and becoming sympathetic at Dash while holding a thoughtful expression. Her own eyes began to shimmer like an electrical current being interfered with by a countering energy, the turquoise of her irises almost pulsing very faintly.

‘’It was all so strange,’’ She began. ‘’I don’t know how to explain it exactly to you, but I wasn’t able to move. I remember being in the hospital bed and I heard a baby crying. I heard Liam beside me and felt his hand on my hoof, and he wouldn’t let go. He wouldn’t stop crying. I…tried to speak, but nothing happened,’’ She said, her lips tugging into a soft frown while Rainbow Dash just listened patiently, sadness welling within her. ‘’It was like falling asleep, but very slowly. Everything went black and it was like I was in the sky with the stars, like I wasn’t anywhere. I heard Liam, you and Applejack, telling me to come back, and I tried so hard to call to you, but you never heard me…I was powerless…’’ She trailed off, and Dash noticed her lips quiver.

‘’Fluttershy,’’ Rainbow said softly, leaning over and touching her hoof, giving it a light squeeze. ‘’It’s alright. There wasn’t anything you could have done to stop it. It wasn’t your fault,’’ She said comfortingly. ‘’It’s okay, Fluttershy.’’

‘’Rainbow Dash, I…’’ Fluttershy’s eyes shifted to view sadly into Dash’s own, and they shimmered, becoming moist and misty. ‘’…I feel like Liam doesn’t love me the way he used to…’’ She sniffled heavily and that was when tears began to fall. The very sentence caught Dash off-guard and stirred worry within her.

‘’Huh? What are you talking about? Of course he loves you, you’re his wife!’’ She told her at the absurd statement. It would boggle anypony’s mind to hear such a thing like this from Fluttershy about her husband. ‘’He’s nuts about you, Fluttershy! He always has been, ever since he met you! Why would you even think that he’s lost interest?’’

‘’He doesn’t look at me the same way anymore,’’ Fluttershy sniffled and rubbed her eyes. ‘’Whenever he looks at me, he always looks so sad and miserable,’’ She confided. ‘’He never used to look at me like that. He used to always smile at me and hug me every day, but now he seems hesitant to be in the same room as me!’’ Rainbow Dash felt her gut sink at this. She got off her chair and she came towards Fluttershy, stopping in front of her and holding her shoulders before giving her a brief hug.

‘’He’s been through a lot, Fluttershy. He’s not been the same since after Shy Fly was born. He still loves you as much as he did back then. Seeing you again, he’s just having trouble accepting that you’re still here. Don’t go thinking that he’s fallen out of love with you, ‘cause he hasn’t. Trust me, I know,’’ Dash said, giving the mare a tender rub on her back.

‘’How do you know?’’ She asked, stifling another stifle and trying to calm herself down by slowing her breathing.

‘’Fluttershy, do you want me to tell you what it was like after he came home with your baby? He hardly spoke a word. I was the one who came home with him and stayed with him. I held onto Shy Fly and Liam…he just sat on the couch in the living room and didn’t speak. He didn’t look at me or move. He sat still and barely blinked. He was in disbelief of what happened and he couldn’t process it. He didn’t want to accept you were gone. None of us did,’’ She told the shivering yellow pegasus, pulling away from her and looking her in the eye. Fluttershy understood, now that she was able to see her face again, that she was distraught and terribly conflicted.

‘’He didn’t speak for days, not even when he held Shy Fly for the first time. He held her in his arms and sat in the nursery upstairs by her crib and he just stared at her while she slept. She reminds him so much of you. In a way, it hurt him more to see his daughter. She looks so much like you! I can’t tell you what he was thinking then, but he wasn’t right, Fluttershy. He was so upset and unable to come to terms with you being out of his life. When I came back to check on him a day later, he finally collapsed onto me and he cried, the poor guy,’’ Dash recalled that day perfectly, but she neglected to tell her how she joined in, too. Her own grief outweighed any other emotions she might have experienced in her life, and losing her childhood best friend had cut her deeper than she could imagine.

It was a little bit scary seeing Liam in such a frozen, zombie-like state. He didn’t speak, barely ate or drank anything, didn’t acknowledge his surroundings…he just switched off entirely. His brain had become stuck in a conspiracy, locked in a mental jigsaw and constantly failing greatly to connect the pieces together. It was somehow the most saddest and scariest thing Rainbow Dash had ever beared witness to.

‘’Oh, my poor baby!’’ Fluttershy put her hooves on her cheeks and her eyes became slightly wider, distressed by this news. ‘’Wait,’’ Her eyes widened even more as she thought of another question. ‘’Applejack!’’ She said, holding Rainbow’s shoulders. ‘’You said she was there, too! Has she been okay?’’

Still kind and considerate. You died, came back and you’re more worried about your friends than yourself. Fluttershy, you’re so selfless, Dash thought admirably.

Yes, Applejack; that was another story in itself. A family oriented pony that’s so attached at the hip with her friends that she views them and their relationship as no different, meaning that when she lost a member, it was always with the impact of a palette of cinderblocks crashing onto her skull and heart. She hadn’t been herself after it happened. None of the others had, either. A piece of them died along with poor Fluttershy, and it took so much of their joy out of them and their lives.

‘’Um, AJ has been…difficult lately,’’ Rainbow said slowly, not sure how to tell her. If anything, her tone of voice made her friend even more anxious to know if she was alright. ‘’She’s become a tireless workaholic, more than usual, which isn’t and can’t be good. I think she’s trying to occupy herself more than normal if it means she doesn’t have to think about you anymore. Applejack never cries on the outside, but I’ve been to see her a few times, and…I can tell she’s been crying. A lot,’’ She explained. In Applejack’s world, if she was crying openly, even if she tried to mask it, you had a right to be concerned.

‘’Oh, dear! That sounds really worrying, Dashie!’’ She said concernedly, unable to get the picture of Applejack sorrow-working to the point of death by exhaustion out of her mind. ‘’We should go see her! If it’ll help her stop working herself to death, then—-‘’

‘’No!’’ Dash said quickly, stopping the mare in front of her as she was about to get up, presumably to head down to Sweet Apple Acres. ‘’That’s not a good idea!’’

‘’Why not? I can’t let her keep doing this to herself!’’ Fluttershy argued.

‘’Look, nopony out there has seen you in years, Fluttershy! How do you think they’re going to react when they see a mare that was officially announced dead roaming about? Applejack hasn’t been doing too good, so I’m very sure that seeing you again will only convince her she’s driven herself insane! It’s not going to work,’’ She warned her. She couldn’t let her do this. It’ll be like Zecora all over again as soon as ponies see her on the streets.

‘’But—!’’

‘’No, you can’t change my mind!’’ Dash said, firmly pressing into Fluttershy’s shoulders, but not enough to hurt her. ‘’I’m sorry, but right now isn’t such a good idea. If I’m having trouble accepting that you’re here, then AJ won’t be doing any better. In fact, she’ll be a whole lot worse.’’

‘’Dashie, I can’t let her keep going at the rate she’s been going at, and neither can you! How can you allow her to do that to herself?!” Fluttershy pleaded with the cyan mare fruitlessly, eyes shimmering and face taught in a mix of desperation and anxiousness.

‘’Because I’ve tried to help her and nothing worked!’’ Rainbow said, almost shouting. Fluttershy instantly flinched at her tone and she became still in her seat. Dash, on the other hand, sighed heavily and gave Fluttershy a drained look, eyes dimmer than usual and hollow.

‘’I’ve tried, I really have. Applejack’s…in denial,’’ Rainbow flopped down onto the floor, landing on her haunches. ‘’I’ve tried so hard to get her to move on and to listen to me, but she ends up getting mad and kicking me off the farm. When she gets stressed, she’s bound to snap. If she saw you on the farm, I think the shock might actually send her over the edge and kill her. I…I can’t lose another friend, Fluttershy,’’ She whimpered. ‘’I can’t.’’

Fluttershy stared, bewildered and stunned at what had happened. She’s never seen Rainbow look so exhausted before! Rainbow never got tired, and she definitely never let anybody see her weaknesses or when she was sad, so to see it pour out of her and practically leak out of her body and carrying within her pained voice, it was heartbreaking and worrying. The stress of trying to hold her friends together had taken its toll on her more than losing her best friend in the world. Fluttershy’s heart went out to her.

‘’I want to help her. I don’t know how,’’ Rainbow sighed yet again, ears drooping. Fluttershy got off her chair and sat in front of Rainbow Dash before pulling her into a hug.

‘’We’ll find a way, Dashie. Applejack’ll come around in the end,’’ She said assuringly, offering a smile to the distraught cyan pegasus, and Rainbow managed a weak but present smile.

‘’See, this is why I’ve missed you so much,’’ Dash said as she wiped her eye with her hoof. ‘’Without you around, I’ve got nobody to keep me on my hooves. That’s what I’ve always loved about you, you know. You’ve always been there for me.’’

‘’I’ll always be here for you, Rainbow Dash. Remember, you’re the one who stood up for me in Junior Flight Camp and offered to be my only friend. This is the least I could do for you for how loyal and kind you’ve been to me,’’ Fluttershy hugged her again.

‘’Thanks, Fluttershy.’’

‘’Dashie, if you want to help Applejack, then I think I can help,’’ Fluttershy began. ‘’I know what you said, but you managed to come around and talk to me. You didn’t run away or scream, so maybe Applejack might be the same?’’ She suggested, hoping to get positive reinforcement in return, but Dash shook her head.

‘’No, no, no, that wouldn’t be a good idea,’’ Rainbow declined the suggestion. ‘’Applejack might seem level with her emotions on the outside, but she’s a wreck on the inside. She actually told me that herself one day. She doesn’t like causing a fuss and making others worry about her, so she keeps it inside. I think if she saw you, she’d flip!’’

‘’But you didn’t,’’ Fluttershy reasoned persistently.

‘’I nearly did. I thought about making a bolt for it,’’ Dash admitted. ‘’I’m still skeptical. You acted like you didn’t even know me at first! What was that all about, anyway?’’

‘’Um…’’ Fluttershy tried to think, but her brain refused to function along that line of thought. ‘’I’m not sure. Maybe seeing you after so long was so hard to believe. We’ve never spent more than a few days away from each other at the most, so seeing you after a few years, it was like seeing a ghost,’’ She tried to explain, knowing how stupid it probably sounded. Rainbow gave her a deadpan expression.

‘’Speak for yourself,’’ She said, loud enough that she could hear it. ‘’Listen, Fluttershy, I don’t know how you’re here, but there’s nothing we can do about that now. If you’re back for good this time, then that’s good enough for me,’’ Rainbow said, trying to smile. Inside, it felt wrong to smile at this ‘Fluttershy’, Dash knowing fully well that it wasn’t actually her. It had parts from the real Fluttershy she grew up with and loved like a sister, but it wasn’t that same pony. It just looked like her. The difference, no matter how big or small it might be, was completely unique but not in the same way as the original. That, you could not replicate. That part will always remain dead.

This feels so wrong on so many levels. What am I even thinking? I loved Fluttershy, the REAL Fluttershy, and this…’Personal Duplicate’, whatever that means, isn’t her. I don’t care if she has the looks, smile, eyes and memories of the pony I lost - it’s not her! Rainbow Dash mentally sighed and the sensation of sadness welled up again in her gut, and she wanted to cry. But…this isn’t my choice to make, no matter how messed up it is. Liam doesn’t even have a say, he has to go with it. It’s the closest we’ll both have to ever seeing the Fluttershy we knew again. It’s so not right, but she’s here now and that’s that.

‘’Dashie?’’ Fluttershy asked softly, tilting her head curiously at Rainbow Dash.

There she goes with that nickname again.

‘’Huh?’’

‘’What’re you thinking? You seem distracted,’’ She said, eyeing the mare in front of her with growing curiosity.

You don’t say, Dash thought sarcastically. You would be too if the situation was switched the other way around...

‘’I’m fine,’’ Rainbow lied. ‘’Look, I don’t know what to tell you, Fluttershy. If it makes you feel any better, then I’ll see if Applejack might want to come over here one day. I warned you, she’s not the same as you might remember. If it helps, you could maybe try writing a letter and then I’ll give it to her. Whichever works best for you,’’ Rainbow offered, knowing fully that it was a bad and stupid idea. Something told her that this was going to end badly. Applejack was more than going to flip, her instincts told her.

‘’Oh, um,’’ Fluttershy tapped her chin, in thought on what to do. A couple seconds later, she decided, ‘’What if I write her a letter and ask her to come over here? We can sit down and talk everything out.’’

A part of Rainbow Dash’s brain was scared about what might happen on the highly-possible list of things that could very well happen. Her warnings were plentiful and very clear, but if this is what Fluttershy wanted, Rainbow wasn’t going to deny her wishes, in spite of heavy protest against the idea. How much Applejack had changed had scared Dash, so she was only able to imagine Fluttershy’s opinion, or Liam’s, for that matter! He hasn’t seen AJ in a long while, either.

‘’If that’s what you want to do,’’ Rainbow Dash sighed so heavily she almost collapsed backwards, her pent-up emotions purging from her system and deflating her posture slightly. ‘’But don’t be surprised if it goes bad. AJ’s…different. I’ll try and keep her from going berserk if she gets way out of hoof,’’ She told the butter mare. Fluttershy smiled sweetly, as she always did, and gave Dash and friendly hug.

‘’It’ll be alright, Dashie,’’ Fluttershy assured her.

‘’Hey, what’s going on in here?’’ Liam’s voiced snapped both mares’ hug and caught their attention, their heads turning to face the archway of the kitchen. In his arms, he was holding onto Shy Fly, her little teal eyes curiously observing the two mares on the kitchen floor. ‘’Why are you both on the floor?’’

Quickly, the two mares picked themselves up and gave dim blushes. Rainbow Dash watched as Fluttershy approached her husband and requested to hold her daughter, taking Shy Fly in her hooves, to which the filly gave a small squeak and a cute giggle at her mother’s touch before they nuzzled snouts. Seeing the mare holding and being affectionate to her daughter made Rainbow Dash smile warmly, her heart radiating pleasantly within her chest.

‘’N-Nothing,’’ Rainbow said. ‘’We were just catching up,’’ Dash came in front of Fluttershy and gave Shy Fly a playful nuzzle while held in her mother’s hooves, prompting the filly to giggle.

‘’Mummy Rainbow Dash, t-that tickles!’’ The filly giggled out.

‘’Be good for your mummy, Shyster,’’ Rainbow nuzzled her again. ‘’I’ve got to get going. I’ll see you soon, kiddo,’’ Rainbow was then hugged by the small hooves of the young filly. Before Rainbow left, she hugged Liam farewell and she was on her way, leaving the cottage fairly quickly.

Oh, Rainbow Dash, I didn’t expect you to take so well to it so soon. Poor mare, seeing Fluttershy again has upset her. When I see her again, I should check how she’s holding up, Liam thought. I’m already worried about her.

‘’So, what have you two been up to?’’ Fluttershy asked, cradling Shy Fly and gazing into her little face.

‘’Daddy told me a story!’’ The little filly announced, waving her short hooves up excitedly with a soft giggle.

‘’Oh?’’

‘’Daddy told me how you and Mummy Rainbow Dash met! He told me about how you got your cutie marks!’’
Fluttershy smiled warmly, looking up to her husband with adorable eyes, shimmering dreamily. She then looked back down to her daughter and gave her a gentle squeeze.

‘’Aw, he told you about that, did he? Did he tell you about the big race and how Mummy Rainbow Dash stood up for me by winning first place?’’ Fluttershy asked soothingly, nuzzling the filly’s forehead.

‘’Yeah!’’ The girl exclaimed. ‘’Mummy, when I get older, I want to talk to animals like you!’’ Fluttershy raised her brow at that, but maintained her smile. She raised her head to view into her husband’s brown-green eyes. He smiled back at her.

‘’She wants to get a cutie mark in communicating with animals like you,’’ He clarified for her. ‘’It seems that a certain someone wants to be just like her mummy,’’ Liam patted the girl’s hair. ‘’She wants to know if you can teach her how, see if it’s her special talent.’’

‘’Oh. Well, I can try and see, if that’s what she wants,’’ Fluttershy gazed down to her daughter and asked, ‘’Do you want to find out, sweetheart?’’

‘’Yes, Mummy! I want to be like you and talk to baby bunnies, birds and squ-square…squir—-‘’

‘’Squirrels?’’ Fluttershy finished for her, and the filly nodded.

‘’Yes, Mummy! The square-rels!’’ The young girl’s pronunciation caused both her parents to laugh, and both of them nuzzled her.

‘’We can try tomorrow, sweetie. Right now, how about we all hang around the house together? We’ve not been able to have any proper time together as a family after your mother came back. I think she’d like to play with you for a bit. Does that sound nice?’’ Liam said to his daughter, and her eyes lit up at the idea of having a playmate.

‘’You mean I can have both Mummy and Mummy Rainbow Dash as playmates?’’

‘’Of course, Shyster. You can play whatever game you want,’’ Liam clarified, and he wrapped his arms around her before slowly plucking her from Fluttershy’s hooves, holding her out at arms length. ‘’What do you say to a game of hide and seek? You want to hide first?’’

Liam put his daughter down and she immediately went to go and hide, scrambling on her tiny hooves and going to find someplace to hide. Fluttershy and Liam couldn’t help but giggle at how eager she was to play a game with them, and they both turned to face each other, sharing a smile.

‘’Somepony’s going to sleep well tonight,’’ Fluttershy said. Liam gave her a rub behind the ears and said to her,

‘’I have a feeling we won’t be doing much sleeping,’’ Liam gave her a cheeky grin. Once Shy Fly was all tuckered out from their game, she was going to sleep like a rock, hardly able to be disturbed. That left some ‘alone time’ for the adults. Fluttershy blushed.

‘’Oh, my…’’ The butter mare flustered, covering her mouth to stifle a very girly giggle.

‘’Giddyup, Buttercup,’’ Liam said before he motioned for her to start seeking Shy Fly, before following suit.

Today was the first day that they would spend together as a fully functional family.