Canaries and Macaws

Fluttershy landed in front of the home of her parents, having received a letter from her mother about Zephyr bringing home a mare for the first time. Fluttershy didn’t waste time letting her friends know that she was going to Cloudsdale, nor any last-minute tasks for her animals. She knew that whenever Discord couldn’t find her, the Element of Chaos took care of her responsibilities with a snap of his fingers. So Fluttershy swung the door open and took to the sky.

Last time she saw her brother in Cloudsdale, the yellow pegasus thought her relationship with Rainbow Dash was solid. But the two of them had broken up for quite some time now, and the rainbow-maned pegasus recently started seeing one of their mutual friends. So the feeling of her brother becoming a professional mane therapist and potentially getting serious with a mare left a twisting feeling in Fluttershy’s gut. Regardless, she smiled as she gently knocked her parents’ door. Was the mysterious marefriend on the other side of the door? Fluttershy’s heart started beating fast as she heard the pitter-patter of hooves growing louder, right before she heard fumbling against the door…

...the door opened, revealing her mother as she grinned at her daughter. Waving her hoof in the direction of the house, Fluttershy’s mother moved out of the way as Fluttershy walked into the house. Glancing at the kitchen table, Fluttershy saw her brother staring intently with a soft smile at a lavender mare with a short, curly white mane and white spots decorating her pelt. The mare stopped speaking to Zephyr, her clear blue eyes landing on Fluttershy.

“It’s you!” the mare squealed, jumping out of her chair and galloping towards the pegasus. Just as Fluttershy barely lifted her forehooves, the lavender mare knocked Fluttershy over and embraced her. After two seconds, the mare stepped back with a hoof covering her grin.

“Sorry about that,” the mare giggled. “And I hadn’t even introduced myself, I’m Plum Pillow. Well, I only went by Plum until I got my cutie mark in making pillows. See?”

Plum turned around, revealing the white pillow cutie mark on her flank. Fluttershy blushed, thanking Celestia for Plum’s long white tail covering the rest of her. Fluttershy couldn’t even remember the last time she had rubbed pussies with Rainbow Dash, and looked away as she got back on her four hooves. Still, Fluttershy managed a smile as she eventually returned eye contact.

“It’s g-good to meet you, Plum Pillow,” Fluttershy told her. “I’m just happy that Zephyr moved on from his crush.”

“Hey, as soon as you told me about the two of you, I knew I had to move on,” Zephyr shrugged. “And I’m better for it, as you can see.”

“How did you two meet?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, this darling wanted me to cut her mane a lot shorter, and the rest is history,” Zephyr winked as Plum walked over to her coltfriend, wrapping a foreleg around his shoulders. “We even went out for drinks after I was off work.”

“That’s wonderful,” Fluttershy’s previously strained smile gave way to a more natural one, if only for a moment. After all, nopony spoke after her, and just as the silence was closing in on her, her mother placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“Did you want to see the revisions I made to my garden?” She asked.

“Oh, I would love to,” Fluttershy responded, following her mother.

“Don’t worry, you two,” Their mother glanced at Zephyr and his marefriend as she made her way to the backyard. “I’ll get started on dinner in just a few minutes.”

Fluttershy followed her mother, noticing that the other pegasus’ smile faltered as she stepped closer to her garden. Fluttershy glanced, gasping at the variety of tomatoes, carrots, and other plants that she was unfamiliar with.

“What’s wrong? Your garden looks better than ever!” Fluttershy exclaimed, leaning closer and sniffing one of the plants that had a familiar tang to it.

“It’s not the garden,” Her mother sighed. “With you saving Equestria left and right, and your brother’s success and his marefriend, I can’t help but feel…”

Fluttershy felt her heart jump in her chest when her mother covered her face with one of her forehooves, a choked sound escaping her mouth. She leaped towards her mother, wrapping her forelegs around her.

“Mom! You still have a lot of years left,” Fluttershy reassured her. “And you have Dad, everything’s going to be okay.”

“It’s not that,” Her mother placed her glasses next to her flowers, wiping her eyes. “Take a deep breath, Fluttershy. I have something to tell you.”

“Okay?” Fluttershy slowly inhaled and exhaled, reminding herself to keep her composure for the mare that had raised her. But still, a voice in her head told her that nothing would be the same. “Tell me.”

“Several years before I met your father, I slept with a stallion in high school,” Her mother explained. “I...became pregnant, and after eleven months, I gave birth to a filly and gave her up to a couple. They moved, and I haven’t heard from them since.”

“We have a sister?” Fluttershy whispered. “Did you try getting back into contact with them?”

“I wanted to move on with my life, and then I met your father,” Her mother admitted. “I figured, if they wanted to tell her about her real mother, I would’ve heard from her. But if I kept her, would her life be like yours? Oh honey, I’m so s-sorry.”

“Well, I’m not the one you should be apologizing to,” Fluttershy shrugged, resting her left wing on her mother’s back. “Where did the couple move to?”

“Las Pegasus, I think?” Her mother picked up her glasses with the tips of her wing, placing them back on her face. She stared at the ground, and Fluttershy let go of embracing her mother.

“I know what’s on your mind,” Fluttershy stepped back, tucking her wing back against her side. “I’ll go alone, that way I can find out if she’s okay with meeting you. You can prepare yourself and Zephyr in the meantime.”

“You’d do that for me?” Fluttershy’s mother made eye contact with her, and Fluttershy was blessed not to be the Element of Honesty. Otherwise she would’ve made her mother feel worse than she already did.

“Of course,” Fluttershy broke eye contact, turning around and opening her wings. “You can tell Zephyr, sorry to skip dinner.”

Before her mother could respond, Fluttershy jumped off the clouds and took to the sky. She already had it mapped out: fly back home and let Discord and her friends know, sail through White Tail Woods, and arrive at Las Pegasus before midnight. As Fluttershy set her sights on Ponyville, she imagined the years where her and Zephyr grew up under the care of their parents, all the while her sister was far away. Was she happy? Did she have a better life there, with her own siblings in Las Pegasus?

Fluttershy prayed so to Celestia, she didn’t know if she could look her mother in the eye if she found out that her sister was abused or abandoned. Regardless, she would fly to the ends of the land to find her. Fluttershy flew towards an open window at the School of Friendship, flying in and crashing onto the office floor in a heap of yellow feathers and fur. Starlight jumped out of her seat, running to Fluttershy’s side.

“Fluttershy!” Starlight shrieked, poking her side. “Are you okay?!”

“I’m f-fine,” Fluttershy gasped, turning her body until her hooves felt the ground underneath, hoisting herself up. “Get my friends and Discord, there’s something I need to tell all of them.”

Right after Starlight nodded and teleported out of sight within a flash, Fluttershy groaned as she remembered Rainbow Dash and Applejack. She avoided seeing the former, especially when she was around Applejack, but she couldn’t leave them out.

Hopefully this trip will help me clear my head.

“Leaving so soon, my dear Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy shrieked at the sharp yellow and red eyes that appeared on the office wall, a familiar grey and long head protruded from the wall until Discord’s entire body landed on the floor next to Fluttershy.

“You didn’t need to send Starlight to come looking for me,” Discord smirked. “I’m always here when you need it.”

“So were you there when I was…” Fluttershy’s face heated up, and Discord shook his head.

“Oh no, I only saw you fly to Cloudsdale,” Discord told her. “I didn’t follow you there, Celestia knows what mischief Angel would’ve started if I left.”

“That’s true,” Fluttershy giggled. “Apparently I have a sister.”

Discord’s mouth shut closed, and his ears flickered slightly as he stared back at Fluttershy.

“And you’re the bestest friend I could ask for, but I must go find her by myself,” Fluttershy frowned. “But I promise, if she’s comfortable, I’ll introduce you two to each other.”

“Hmm,” Discord slowly nodded, and Fluttershy thought back to all the times his expression would falter when he saw her and Rainbow Dash together, and the time he tried to kiss her weeks after the breakup.

“Not now, Discord. I need to get over her.”

Fluttershy stepped closer, and placed a wing around the draconequus’ neck, pressing her head against his head. Discord sighed, his talon moving up and down Fluttershy’s back.

“It’s family, I don’t hold it against you,” Discord told her. “All your animals are safe with me, Fluttershy.”

“Thank you,” Fluttershy pressed her lips against Discord’s forehead for less than a second, and stepped back as she heard the door open. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity trotted into the room.

“Darling, are you alright?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah, Starlight busted into the barn shouting about you needing us,” Dash shrugged. “Er, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong...” Fluttershy looked at the ground.

“Oh I get it!” Pinkie spoke up.

“You do?” Fluttershy lifted her head up, meeting the party pony’s eyes.

“Yeah! You and Discord are dating right?” Pinkie grinned.

“W-Wha?! No!” Fluttershy blushed, refusing to look in Discord’s direction. “I have another sister.”

“Ah shucks!” Applejack walked towards Fluttershy, pulling her into a tight embrace. “Congratulations, Flutters! There ain’t nothin’ better in the world than family, ah’ll tell ya.”

“Darling, that’s wonderful!” Rarity joined the embrace, glancing down at Fluttershy. “But where is she, love?”

“Well, I’ll tell you after I find her,” Fluttershy told them. “As much as I wanted to tell all of you this, this is a journey I must make alone.”

“I’ll have to wait till you get back to throw you a ‘long lost sister’ party?” Pinkie pouted.

“I’m afraid so,” Fluttershy scratched the back of her ear with her hoof. “I must be going, so one last group hug?”

Fluttershy flinched as she felt Discord wrap himself around her like a snake, tucking his head underneath her chin and letting out a subtle purr. Rainbow Dash flew to Fluttershy and hugged her, the rest of her friends standing over Discord’s body and hugging Fluttershy as well. As her friends finished the group embrace and stepped back, Discord looked at her with a dizzying, lop-sided smile before snapping his fingers and disappearing.

Fluttershy’s friends followed her as she walked outside of the School of Friendship, and gave the pegasus their best wishes as she took off. As her friends’ voices were no longer within earshot, and Ponyville was out of sight, Fluttershy let out a much needed exhale. For the time being, there were no ponies to hold her down. There was only the sky ahead, and the sister that she had yet to meet.

Spotting White Tail Woods, and Las Pegasus farther ahead, Fluttershy continued onward.