Alektorophobiaby discordian2121Chapterschapter1: the time is now.chapter 2 full disclosurechapter 3 filly stepschapter 5 letter for the princesschapter4 equestria wasn't built in a day.chapter1: the time is now.It was a beautiful sunny day in Equestria, And inside canterlot Celestia was getting ready to tackle the day ahead of her. instead of her regular daily schedule, she was having Twilight over for afternoon tea. she decided that her tea time with Twilight would be a good opportunity to get what she needed to say off her chest. Twilight arrived exactly on time as usual. twilight noticed Celestia waiting for her at the table she had set up on the terrace in canterlot. the table was a simple circular white table with pictures of irises painted on it. on the underside of the table were white drapes with a floral pattern. the overall look of the table had a simple elegance to it. beside the table were two long gold chairs with enough back support for any pony. "Good afternoon Celestia, I hope I'm not late," Twilight said as she approached the empty chair across From Celestia and sat down in it. "you never are," Celestia said with a warm smile. she then used her magic to grab an elegant-looking white teapot and started to pour tea into two white teacups with gold lining on the inside of the rim. "mmm, it smells delicious.!" Twilight said taking in a whiff of the intoxicating aroma. "thank you it's green tea". "Oh, that's one of Fluttershy,s favorite,s. good choice!." "Thank you," Celestia said with a smile. a few seconds later, Celestia,s smile turned into a more serious expression. "twilight, do you know why I asked you to afternoon tea with me?" Celestia said as she looked at Twilight. Twilight responded with a nod. "yes, of course, I've gotten used to your tea drinking schedule and what days you like to drink alone as well as the days you like to have tea with somepony else. I have the schedule right here if you want to see it.?" Twilight then used her magic to make the schedule appear close to Celestia's face. Celestia giggled. only Twilight would have a detailed list of Celestia,s tea schedule. While still giggling, Celestia put her hoof on top of the schedule to push it down so she could see Twilight. "no, that's not why." "I don't understand," Twilight said with a tilt of her head and a confused expression on her face until her eyes started to grow big. "It's an emergency, isn't it! Is somepony sick and you need a cure I am sure I could whip something up real quick just let me look through the various books on remedies that I have!." Twilight made book after book appear in front of her and frantically flipped through them. Celestia then put her hoof on top of the book twilight was currently reading and looked at Twilight straight in the eyes and Said, as if a mare were trying to comfort their little filly in the middle of a thunderstorm. "it's ok twilight. It's not an emergency. well, at least not on the scale your thinking." Twilight then took a few moments to recompose herself. "oh, sorry for getting all worked up". "It's quite alright," Celestia said with a warm smile at twilight. "I understand that your situation can be quite stressful. it's not everyday Equestria gets another princess. I am sure your responsibility over the years has been quite taxing on your mind its understandable to be stressed I know I had my moments." "Thank you, Celestia. it has been quite stressful. I'm glad I can talk with somepony who has a lot of experience in the subject. "So what is it you wanted to see me for then.?" "Well, with all the royal duties I have it makes it hard to spend time with the citizens of Equestria, I want to be more present in the lives of my subjects." "oh, so you're looking for a way to get to know other ponies More." "That is correct," Celestia said with a nod. Twilight then raised a hoof to her chin and stroked it as if she were deep in thought. "Hmm, let me think." suddenly, an idea struck Twilight's mind. "I've got it!. You could help Fluttershy take care of her animals! I bet she would love the help." Celestia responded with an overjoyed look on her face. "that's a wonderful idea twilight.!" Twilight then threw a curved hoof in the air. "It was nothing. anyway, thank you for the tea it was delicious but I should be getting back to the school of friendship I've got a lot of papers to grade". Celestia nods. "I understand. thank you for joining me and coming up with a solution for my problem" "it's my pleasure honestly." twilight says with a look of respect towards Celestia. Celestia smiles then both Celestia and twilight say their goodbyes. Celestia then takes a carriage to Fluttershy,s cottage. after she arrives,s, she knocks,s on the door and waits,s for Fluttershy to answer it. Fluttershy answered the door and was thrown completely off guard. she was expecting whoever had knocked on the door to be one of her friends, so seeing that it was Celestia standing outside her door came as a huge surprise to her. it came as an even bigger surprise to her when Celestia asked her if she wanted any help taking care of her animals. Celestia explained to Fluttershy that she had wanted to be more active in the lives of her subjects. and that Twilight had suggested that this was a good way to start. Fluttershy started to regain her composure. she smiled and decided that she loved the idea of having somepony else help her with the care of her little friends. especially since she knew it was somepony she could trust. that, and Fluttershy always liked to help her friends if she could help with something she was comfortable doing. and she was more than comfortable with this. so Celestia set a date on when she could help Fluttershy. Celestia made a public announcement on the matter so that the royal delegation could be prepared in advance to take over Celestia,s duties for the day. "The day is finally here!". Celestia says as she opens up her eyes and springs out of bed letting out a cheerful laugh of excitement. "oh I can't wait to see all the animals Fluttershy has!". Celestia then starts to name different types of animals, getting increasingly more excited as she names off each one. "Squirrels! possums! raccoons! flamingos! turtles! and of course bunnies.! Oh, how I just love bunnies and their fluffy little tails.! Well, I better be going this is going to be so much fun!" Celestia says as she leaves her palace and flies over to Fluttershy's cottage. A short while after, she arrives at Fluttershy's cottage and knocks on her door. Fluttershy opens her cottage door to see Celestia standing there with a huge smile on her face. "Oh, good morning Celestia. ready to help me take care of the animals?". "You bet I am!" Says Celestia with a smile. "Alright, well, let me show you around". Fluttershy says as she motions with her hoof for Celestia to step inside her cottage. Celestia nods and then follows Fluttershy. Immediately as Celestia steps in, her eyes are filled to the brim with fluffy and feathery wonders. Monkeys are swinging From the ceiling, birds are flying all over the place, and bunnies are eating carrots. One of the animals that Celestia focused on first was a gigantic bear. to most ponies, this would be a terrifying site but for Celestia having witnessed one of discord,s pranking spree,s. a bear was nothing. she still had tiny pieces of cheese come out of her main every once in a while. Also, she knew that animals were Fluttershys specialty, so if Fluttershy had a bear in her house, it was most likely tame. coming to this conclusion in her mind, Celestia smile,s pleasantly and wave,s at the bear. the bear return,s the pleasant gesture with a smile and wave of his own. "Wow, when you said you take care of animals you weren't kidding where you, "Celestia says as she smiles and lightly nudges her hoof against Fluttershy. "Oh well, what can I say taking care of these lovely creatures is what I do, and honestly I wouldn't trade it for all of Equestria. Spending time with them is a great way to relieve stress and relax." Fluttershy then looks down to see Angel bunny repeatedly tapping his foot on the ground with an annoyed expression on his face. "Well, most of the time anyway." Celestia couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hoof and giggle a little bit. Angel, seeing Celestia giggle, glares at her sharply. this only causes Celestia to giggle even more. Out of all the things she found threatening, a cute little bunny certainly wasn't one of them. Fluttershy then rolls her eyes at angel, grabs a bowl of carrots and, places them in front of him. at which point angel, jumps in the air with a smile on his face. he then starts to chow down on the carrots. "angel can be a handful but, he is such a great companion and can be a real sweetheart once you get to know him" Fluttershy says as she watches angel eat his carrots. "I don't dought it," says Celestia with a warm smile at angel. angel sticks his tongue out at Celestia and then hops away as Celestia lets out another giggle. "Well, are we ready to get to work?" "not yet I still have to show you the rest of my animals outside," Fluttershy says as she motions for Celestia to follow her out the door. Celestia then does so and then follows,s Fluttershy to where her animals are. Celestia,s eyes Begin to be filled with even more animals and creatures. There were butterflies everywhere, bees pollinating even, snakes slithering on the ground. Celestia looks in amazement as she sees all the happy critters before her. "the love you have for your animals is truly something special Fluttershy, I can see why you represent the element of kindness, it cannot be easy taking care of all these animals by yourself," Celestia says with a warm smile towards Fluttershy. "Thank you it's not much trouble I enjoy doing it, it feels good to know that if any animals or creatures out there need my help I am here for them." Fluttershy says with a smile back at Celestia. "now before we start I have one more little friend to show you." Fluttershy then walks up to a chicken coop and motions for Celestia to come closer. Celestia then turns around and notices the chicken coop that she hadn't noticed before. the thought of what creature lies in the structure terrified Celestia. Nevertheless, she slowly walks up to the coop trying not to let Fluttershy see the fear in her face as she approaches it. ( "Ok Celestia there's no reason to be afraid, just because Fluttershy has a coop for one of those terrifying creatures doesn't mean that it is what you think it is. maybe a duck lives in there instead yeah a duck that could be a possibility") Celestia then decided to go with that reasoning hoping that she was right. "Come on out Louise," Fluttershy shy says as Celestia begins to tremble, fear obvious on her face. Fluttershy remains unaware of Celestia,s fear due to her focus on the chicken coop. a creature with white feathers and an orange beak and, almost eagle-like talons come,s out of the coop. At this point Celestia,s fear had been realized. it was a chicken. Celestia jump,s into the air hanging upside down from a tree shaking. Louise walks out with her head tilted looking at Celestia. Fluttershy looks away from the chicken coop and sees that Celestia is not standing beside her. "Celestia where did you go?" flutter shy calls out to Celestia. after a few moments of silence she hears a faint voice in the air and notice,s that the voice is filled with fear. she then looks up and sees a shaking Celestia up in her tree. Fluttershy concerned for the well-being of her friend, says as if she stepped on a puppy's paw. "oh my goodness are you ok"?. Celestia replies by shaking her head, still trembling. Fluttershy then notices that Celestia is looking at her chicken and gasp as she asks,s. "are you afraid of Louise?" Celestia replies by nodding fearfully. Fluttershy tells Louise to go back into her coop and gives her some chicken feed then calls out for Celestia. "it's ok you can come down now, Louise is back in her coop. after hearing Fluttershy say this Celestia slowly comes down from the tree, her body still trembling. when she gets down from the tree she breaths in and then breaths out until she eventually regains her composure. Fluttershy then looks at Celestia. "I am so sorry I didn't mean to scare you". Celestia shakes her head. "It's ok there's no way you could have known I was afraid of chickens. besides you didn't scare me it did." Celestia says as she gives a sheepish grin. Normally Fluttershy would have been upset to hear somepony call one of her animals an it, but seeing how scared Celestia was she decided to let it slide. "I guess you're right. so you're afraid of chickens?." Fluttershy says looking at Celestia. Celestia,s head lower,s to the ground. "yes it's pretty silly, isn't it."? Fluttershy replies with a shake of her head. "Not at all! If anypony knows what it's like to be scared of what other ponies would find silly it's me." Fluttershy says trying to comfort Celestia. this makes a faint smile appear across Celestia's face. out of all the reactions,s she could have expected that was certainly not one of them. she knew she was talking with the pony who represents the element of kindness, still, though she expected at least a little chuckle. the way Fluttershy reacted made her feel more comfortable, her words made Celestia respect Fluttershy even more than she already did. "Thank you, Fluttershy. most people would laugh if they heard about my fear." "that's terrible."! Fluttershy says loud enough for Celestia to hear her words clearly. "just because your fear is out of the ordinary doesn't mean that it isn't scary to you. after all no fear is funny in the eyes of the pony who is afraid." "I guess your right". Fluttershy smiles. "Now, how about we go into my cottage, I will make us both a nice cup of tea, and if you're feeling up to it you could tell me why you're afraid of chickens. I've learned that having somepony who won't judge you and is willing to listen to your fear might make you feel better. so what do you say?" Fluttershy says looking at Celestia hoping she will say yes. Celestia thinks for a moment she had never really told anypony about her fear of chickens, the only pony that knew about it was her sister Luna. perhaps Fluttershy was right. maybe all she needed was somepony to talk to about it. maybe just maybe, it could be something she's Been needing to do without having realized it. "I… yes I think I can do that." "Wonderfull.!" Fluttershy says as she and Celestia walk into her cottage and Fluttershy tells Celestia to sit down. the seats looked particularly comfortable in Fluttershy's cottage. the whole cottage had a very warm and welcoming feeling to it if you weren't overwhelmed by the sight of animals. Celestia then walks over to a chair in front of her as she speaks under her breath hoping Fluttershy won't hear her. "Breath Celestia just breathe it's going to be ok." chapter 2 full disclosure"the tea is ready," Fluttershy says as she carries two hot cups of fresh green tea in her hoofs. "I hope you like green tea I find it pretty simple and relaxing". She says as she trots over to the chair where Celestia is sitting and gives her one of the cups of tea before sitting down in another chair on the opposite side of Celestia. "it sounds delightful Fluttershy. I like green tea as well and relaxation is probably exactly what I need right now". Celestia says with a slightly nervous smile. Fluttershy takes,s a sip of her tea. "Alright if you're ready to share your story I am ready to listen". Celestia sighs and thinks for a moment. "yes I suppose now is as good a time as any". "Whenever you're ready". Fluttershy says as she takes another sip of her tea. "Well, my fear of Chickens started a very long time ago, before twilight met you and your friends. in fact it was way before you and any of your friends ever existed. I was a filly when I became afraid of chickens and it all started in the everfree forest".(Flashback to a time when Celestia and Luna are in the everfree forest as filly,s) "could thou just admit that we are lost.!" Luna says shouting at her sister with an annoyed and angry look on her face. "for the last time Luna we are not lost we are simply just going the wrong way"! Celestia says as she brings a hoof to her face and slowly drags it down. "Sister! We have been going the wrong way for two hours now!" Luna says even angrier as she stomps a hoof on the ground. "Well, maybe we can find sompony who can lead us home," Celestia says trying to find a way to please her sister. Luna gives a deadpan stare at Celestia for a good 5 seconds and then responds, her response starts slow and gets faster near the end. "And where dost thou think we are going to find somepony this late in the hour in the middle of a forest"! Celestia flailed her hoofs in the air looking like she's given up. "Alright fine, it was a stupid idea. What do you think we should do then!" "Don't look at me sister! It was thy idea to go for a walk in the everfree forest in the evening!. I told you that we should have stayed home but you just had to have your adventure didn't you!" Celestia starts to tear up. "Do you think this was about me!? I decided to go out here because I thought it would be a good idea for you to get out and have some fun. you're always so busy in our home preparing to be the princess of the night that you don't take any time to relax or have fun". "That may be so, sister but I could say the exact opposite of you.!" Celestia starts to look furious. "Just what is that supposed to mean.!" she says with a scowl. "It means that you could spend more time preparing to be the princess of the sun instead of spending so much time doing childish things.!" "Celestia screams we are kids Luna.!" luna scoffs. "You know what I mean sister.!" Celestia shakes her head vigorously. "No, I really don't.!" luna turns around facing away from Celestia. "You know what forget it! I am going home. I don't need you! Luna says as she runs away from her sister." "Fine if that's the way you want it!" Celestia says running in the opposite direction of Luna. she starts to cry, tears plainly visible on her face. a short while later, Celestia starts to slow down and then notices something popping out of the bushes in front of her. "Hel...lo who's… there," she says with a little bit of fear in her voice as she hears more rustling from Inside the bush. "I am warning you I know magic! and I am not afraid to use it!". , the rustling stops as the creature from within the bush comes out. Celestia lets out a yelp and closes,s her eyes. she then hears a bark and opens her eyes. fear quickly dissipates and turns to joy as she sees a puppy sitting in front of the bush waging its tail. Celestia lets out a huge sigh of relief as the puppy continues to wag its tail. "phew, you scared me, You must be lost too huh? don't worry I will help you find your home." Celestia then checks the name on the dog's collar only to find out that the dog isn't wearing one. "well I don't see a collar on you so either you're a stray, or your collar is lost. and I guess I don't know your name, but I have to call you something hmm". Celestia ponders for a moment until she thinks of a name. "I got it! I Will call you bush because you came out of a bush! Do you like that name?. the dog responded by wagging its tail and licking Celestia. Celestia giggled. "I will take that as a yes, alright let's get you home" As Celestia and bush start to turn in the other direction they both hear another rustle inside a different bush. Bush responds by barking while Celestia tries to calm him down hoping bushes bark didn't alert any unwanted attention. The rustling continues,s and after a short, while a chicken head pop's out of the Bush. Celestia trots over to investigate as she approaches the bush, the chicken,s neck start,s to stick out of the bush. once Celestia reaches the bush, she takes a closer look at the chicken,s neck and realizes that the chicken,s neck is Green. she knew that meant this was no chicken. this was a cockatrice. she had heard story's about them but had never seen one before. luckily she realized not a moment too soon as only a few seconds later the chicken turned its head to look at Celestia. Celestia responds,s by closing her eyes, as she knew that a cockatrice,s gaze would turn any living creature to stone. with her eyes covered Celestia let out a terrified scream that could be heard through the entirety of the forest. Celestia stood there shaking and whimpering in fear. her eyes remained closed as she hoped that this nightmare would end. After what felt like a millennia Celestia heard a loud familiar voice inside the evergreen forest. "sister! Where art thou" she realizes,s soon after that the voice she hears is her sister luna. Celestia shouts as loud as she can. "luna I am right here follow the sound of my voice! Over here luna!" Luna keeps running until she eventually finds Celestia. luna then notices the cockatrice threatening her sister and with her eyes closed, shouts at the winged beast. "hey! You leave my sister alone.! Celestia get away from it.!" Celestia does so as luna charges full speed at the cockatrice. her eyes remaining closed. she fires lasers of light blue magic from her horn at the cockatrice. it responds by glaring at luna. once it realizes,s its,s glare has no effect, the cockatrice takes off deeper into the everfree forest. "Celestia you can open your eyes now". luna says out of breath. Celestia opens her eyes and runs over to her sister engulfing luna in her embrace, tears running down her face. "thank you luna! I thought for sure no one was going to come". luna returns the embrace. "Of course I came. You're my sister and I would never let anything happen to you". Celestia lets go of luna and wipes,s tears from her eyes. "You mean you're not mad about getting lost" "well truthfully yes it is still upsetting, I mean if we wouldn't have gotten lost in the first place then none of this would have happened" Celestia looks at the ground and begins to cry. Luna notices this and wraps Celestia in her embrace again. "but all of that doesn't matter. the important thing is that your safe and that I love you. I am not going to let some dumb argument ruin our relationship." Celestia looks up at luna with a faint smile. "thank you luna I love you too". Celestia returns luna,s embrace as she uses a hoof to wipe more tears from her eye,s. Celestia then lets go of luna and looks at her quizzically. "I just have one question though, weren't you scared?. Luna replies by shaking her head. "no. I am going to be the princess of the night so naturally, I've done my research on the various creatures that come out during it. after all, if I am going to be traversing other ponies' nightmare,s I better get used to the idea of seeing scary things". Celestia looks at luna in a way that shows her that she is not convinced by what luna said. "Oh, come on you can't tell me you weren't even a little scared" Luna blushes. "ok, I was a little scared. there are you happy."? "yup, that's all I needed to hear."Celestia beams as luna rolls her eyes. "well, we better find our way home I bet mom and dad are worried sick". luna says with a slight chuckle. "Sure thing luna," Celestia says as she notices that she hasn't heard from bush in a while. she stops luna in her tracks. "wait luna I need to find bush." luna responds by giving Celestia a confused look. "who's bush."? "he's this stray dog I found in the forest." "Oh no no no no no! we are not taking a dog home! mom and dad Would never allow it.!" Celestia dismisses luna,s comment. "We will worry about that later just help me find him". Celestia and Luna take turns shouting bush,s name until luna eventually finds out what became of bush. "ce-les-ti-a," luna says shaken in fear. Celestia turns around then puts a hoof over her mouth and her eyes begin to water as she sees standing next to luna, is bush frozen in stone. chapter 3 filly steps"Oh my goodness that must have been awful for you.! I can't imagine experiencing something like that at such a young age by yourself" Fluttershy begins to tear up. "Did bush end up alright?" Celestia nods. "Yes after luna and I collected ourselves we debated on what we should do, eventually we decided that we would use our combined magic to levitate bush in the air and try to find our way home. We were lost and had no idea where we were going until a stallion From the royal guard found us and took us back to our parents in canterolot. Our parents had been worried sick about us so they called the royal guards to scour Equestria for us, and since we didn't tell our parents where we were, it took forever for them to find us. It didn't help that we were deep in the everfree Forest. Eventually, when we did get home, we explained the whole situation to our parents. Mother then used her magic to free bush from his stone prison while father explained to us that we wouldn't be able to keep the dog. They were both very happy to see us and loved us dearly but they didn't want us to be rewarded for bad behavior. That and they weren't sure we would be able to take care of him anyway, What with how busy we were learning to be princesses."Fluttershy interrupts Celestia. "Did bush find a good home?". Celestia smile,s. "Yes he did, mother and father knew of a friend of there's who had been wanting a dog so they gave him to her. Luna and I heard he was very well taken care of." Fluttershy sigh's in relief. "Oh good, I was worried for a second." Fluttershy takes a moment to pause and refelt on the story Celestia told her then looks at Celestia. "I think I understand why you're afraid of chicken,s. Whenever you see one you see a cockatrice and that reminds you of the scary night you had when you were a filly". Celestia lowers her head, sighs, and then looks up at Fluttershy with a distraught look in her eyes. "Yes, that's exactly why. Every time I see one I think of how terrified I was that night. I've even had nightmares about it". She breathes a sigh of relief. Thankfully luna was able to help with that by helping me realize that my nightmares were just nightmares. However, in the waking world, they still scare me but luckily chickens are easy enough to avoid in canterolot". Fluttershy interjects. "But do you want to avoid them"?. Celestia thinks about Fluttershy's question for a moment. "Well No, but what other choice do I have"?. Fluttershy looks at Celestia, gets out of her chair, and puts her hoof on Celestia,s. "You could let me help you try to overcome your fears?". Celestia looks down at the floor and picks up her teacup to caress it nervously. "Well, I don't know. I am not sure if I can." Fluttershy lets go of Celestia,s hoof and sits back down in her chair. "I know out of all the ponies to help you get over your fear I wouldn't pick myself as the first choice. I've still got a lot of fears I have to conquer myself, but this is something I can help you with if you will let me". Celestia pauses for a moment to consider taking Fluttershy up on her offer. She then nods and Fluttershy smiles,s. "Great! I know just what to do. remember I will be right with you so you're not alone." Celestia nods. "All right then follow me," Fluttershy says as Celestia does so and follows Fluttershy into the kitchen. Fluttershy grabs a bag of chicken feed out of a cupboard and motions for Celestia to follow her outside. The 2 of them reach the chicken coop and, Celestia begins to tense up. Her wings folded shut in fear. She stammers. "What are we doing?" "I am going to give you some chicken feed, then I will call Louise, and then you can feed her." Celestia gives a nervous glance at Fluttershy. "I don't know about this Fluttershy." "trust me. Louise is very gentle. She wouldn't try to hurt anypony." Celestia sighs. "Well. If you say so, all right, let's do it." "Ok. Again remember I am right here with you." Fluttershy smiles at Celestia and Celestia responds by nodding. Fluttershy nods back, then opens the bag of chicken feed with her teeth, and pours a small amount into Celestia,s hoof. "Are you ready.?" Celestia takes,s a deep breath, then slowly exhales. "Yeah, I think so" Fluttershy nods. "Ok come on out Louise."Celestia begins to tense up again. Except even more this time. Fear becoming extremely visible on her face. Louise steps out of the chicken coop and notices,s The feed-in Celestia's hoof. She then starts to slowly walk towards Celestia's stretched-out hoof, and Celestia looks at Louise. For a little bit, Louise looks like an ordinary chicken. Until she begins to transform into a cockatrice and the red glowing eyes stare dead into Celestia as they get even closer to her. Celestia begins to tremble as thoughts of her childhood come to mind. She screams. "Get away from me!" and runs off as the feed flies into the air then lands on the ground. Louise tilts her head in confusion before approaching the feed and starts to peck at it. "Celestia, wait!" Fluttershy says as she runs after Celestia. chapter 5 letter for the princessCelestia and Fluttershy finish taking care of the animals and as they say their goodbyes, Fluttershy comes up with an idea. "wait.!" Fluttershy says a little loudly as Celestia stops in her tracks near the exit of Fluttershy,s cottage and turns around to look at Fluttershy. "hmm, what is it.?" "I was just thinking you know how you told us when we learn something about friendship to write to you."? Celestia nods. "yes.?" "Well, what if I write a letter to you about the lesson you learned.? that way you can keep it, and look at it to remember what we talked about and whenever you feel scared you can read it". Celestia smiles at Fluttershy. "I think that is a wonderful idea" a White glow then surrounds Celestia,s horn as she uses her magic to make a Quill, and a blank paper scroll appear in front of her. "ready when you are". Fluttershy looks confused. "oh, you are going to write the letter"? Celestia shrugs with a smile on her face. "why not. I get so many of these but I've never actually written one myself. you just say the words, and I will write down what you say ok.?" Fluttershy nods. "ok." Celestia nods. "ready."? Fluttershy nods. "ready. Dear Princess Celestia, today a friend of mine learned that just because a certain fear may seem small, or doesn't make sense to somepony else that doesn't mean that the fear is small to the pony who is afraid. and no pony should ever judge another pony for being afraid of something. everypony deals with fears and no pony should treat anyponys fear as being insignificant. my friend also learned that even when it doesn't seem possible to overcome your fears, your friends can show you that's just not true and that a good friend will always be there for you when you need them. Your friend Fluttershy". As Fluttershy finish,s speaking Celestia finish,s writing, and Celestia look,s at Fluttershy with a warm smile on her face. "I think that is an excellent letter Fluttershy. as well as a great lesson to be learned From all of this. thank you." Fluttershy smiles. "My pleasure." "You know I think I am going to have to find more time in my busy schedule to spend time with the citizens of Equestria. I bet there are even more valuable lessons,s to be learned from them." Fluttershy shrugs with a smile. "what can I say ponies can surprise you." Celestia nods. "that's what I am excited about. Thank you for listening to what I had to say Fluttershy. as well as for the tea, and helping me take care of your little friend,s. I had a wonderful time." "Me too." Celestia nudges Fluttershy. "We will have to do this again sometime". Fluttershy nods. "that would be lovely." "Goodbye, Fluttershy have a pleasant rest of your day". "you to Celestia." Celestia Waves a hoof at Fluttershy as she steps out of Fluttershy,s cottage. Fluttershy waves back as Celestia close,s the cottage door. once the door closes, Celestia lifts her head to the sky and smiles as she spreads her wings and takes off for canterlot. chapter4 equestria wasn't built in a day.Fluttershy finds Celestia sitting on a stump with hairy the bear sitting next to her. "Celestia are you ok?" Fluttershy says as she looks at Celestia and climbs on top of the stump to sit next to her. Celestia responds with a nod. "Yes I am fine, at least I think so, it helps that your friend here is quite the caretaker. He saw me tearing up and offered me a tissue". Fluttershy smiles at hairy. "That's hairy for you, he may look like a big scary bear but on the inside, he's a teddy bear." hairy smiles back at Fluttershy. Celestia stands up and gets off the stump with a frustrated look on her face. She begins to vent. "I'm so tired of being scared all the time I mean I am the princess of the sun I've faced a literal millennium,s worth of troubles in my life without any fear, so why is it whenever I see a chicken I run away and start to tremble." Celestia places both of her hoofs into her face and sits down in the grass. Fluttershy stands up, looks at hairy, and hairy goes back into the cottage. Fluttershy then trots over to Celestia and sits down next to her. "Sometimes that's just how fears work. We may not always understand why we are afraid of something, and why we're not afraid of other things. Especially when the things that don't scare us should in our minds be scarier than the things that do. As I said I am scared of a lot of things, but I know that even when it may seem impossible to overcome my fears, they can be overcome. Yes, I may be scared of a lot of things, but friendship has shown me that when I am scared some pony will always be with me, and that helps things seem a little less scary. The important thing is to not let our fears get the better of us. I am not saying that's going to be easy but knowing that somepony is always there for you makes it better. It may seem like you will never be able to get over your fears, but you have to keep telling yourself that you will and it may take a while but don't lose hope and remember that it can be done. That's something I need to remember also. Remember that your not the only one that's afraid. There are plenty of other ponies that deal with all sorts of fears across Equestria, some even deal with the same fear you do. So don't get discouraged, keep telling yourself I can do this. It probably won't be easy but know that it is possible and sometimes your friends are the ones that will show you that it is".Celestia looks at Fluttershy with tears of joy in her eyes, then engulfs her in her embrace. "Thank you, Fluttershy you don't know how much I needed to hear that," Fluttershy responds by returning Celestia,s embrace and smiling. "What are friends for" Both Fluttershy and Celestia let go of their embrace and stand up. "So what now"? Celestia asks Fluttershy. "Well I could still use some help taking care of my little friend,s in the cottage, as well as the ones out here if your up for it".? Celestia smiles. "That would be lovely".
chapter1: the time is now.It was a beautiful sunny day in Equestria, And inside canterlot Celestia was getting ready to tackle the day ahead of her. instead of her regular daily schedule, she was having Twilight over for afternoon tea. she decided that her tea time with Twilight would be a good opportunity to get what she needed to say off her chest. Twilight arrived exactly on time as usual. twilight noticed Celestia waiting for her at the table she had set up on the terrace in canterlot. the table was a simple circular white table with pictures of irises painted on it. on the underside of the table were white drapes with a floral pattern. the overall look of the table had a simple elegance to it. beside the table were two long gold chairs with enough back support for any pony. "Good afternoon Celestia, I hope I'm not late," Twilight said as she approached the empty chair across From Celestia and sat down in it. "you never are," Celestia said with a warm smile. she then used her magic to grab an elegant-looking white teapot and started to pour tea into two white teacups with gold lining on the inside of the rim. "mmm, it smells delicious.!" Twilight said taking in a whiff of the intoxicating aroma. "thank you it's green tea". "Oh, that's one of Fluttershy,s favorite,s. good choice!." "Thank you," Celestia said with a smile. a few seconds later, Celestia,s smile turned into a more serious expression. "twilight, do you know why I asked you to afternoon tea with me?" Celestia said as she looked at Twilight. Twilight responded with a nod. "yes, of course, I've gotten used to your tea drinking schedule and what days you like to drink alone as well as the days you like to have tea with somepony else. I have the schedule right here if you want to see it.?" Twilight then used her magic to make the schedule appear close to Celestia's face. Celestia giggled. only Twilight would have a detailed list of Celestia,s tea schedule. While still giggling, Celestia put her hoof on top of the schedule to push it down so she could see Twilight. "no, that's not why." "I don't understand," Twilight said with a tilt of her head and a confused expression on her face until her eyes started to grow big. "It's an emergency, isn't it! Is somepony sick and you need a cure I am sure I could whip something up real quick just let me look through the various books on remedies that I have!." Twilight made book after book appear in front of her and frantically flipped through them. Celestia then put her hoof on top of the book twilight was currently reading and looked at Twilight straight in the eyes and Said, as if a mare were trying to comfort their little filly in the middle of a thunderstorm. "it's ok twilight. It's not an emergency. well, at least not on the scale your thinking." Twilight then took a few moments to recompose herself. "oh, sorry for getting all worked up". "It's quite alright," Celestia said with a warm smile at twilight. "I understand that your situation can be quite stressful. it's not everyday Equestria gets another princess. I am sure your responsibility over the years has been quite taxing on your mind its understandable to be stressed I know I had my moments." "Thank you, Celestia. it has been quite stressful. I'm glad I can talk with somepony who has a lot of experience in the subject. "So what is it you wanted to see me for then.?" "Well, with all the royal duties I have it makes it hard to spend time with the citizens of Equestria, I want to be more present in the lives of my subjects." "oh, so you're looking for a way to get to know other ponies More." "That is correct," Celestia said with a nod. Twilight then raised a hoof to her chin and stroked it as if she were deep in thought. "Hmm, let me think." suddenly, an idea struck Twilight's mind. "I've got it!. You could help Fluttershy take care of her animals! I bet she would love the help." Celestia responded with an overjoyed look on her face. "that's a wonderful idea twilight.!" Twilight then threw a curved hoof in the air. "It was nothing. anyway, thank you for the tea it was delicious but I should be getting back to the school of friendship I've got a lot of papers to grade". Celestia nods. "I understand. thank you for joining me and coming up with a solution for my problem" "it's my pleasure honestly." twilight says with a look of respect towards Celestia. Celestia smiles then both Celestia and twilight say their goodbyes. Celestia then takes a carriage to Fluttershy,s cottage. after she arrives,s, she knocks,s on the door and waits,s for Fluttershy to answer it. Fluttershy answered the door and was thrown completely off guard. she was expecting whoever had knocked on the door to be one of her friends, so seeing that it was Celestia standing outside her door came as a huge surprise to her. it came as an even bigger surprise to her when Celestia asked her if she wanted any help taking care of her animals. Celestia explained to Fluttershy that she had wanted to be more active in the lives of her subjects. and that Twilight had suggested that this was a good way to start. Fluttershy started to regain her composure. she smiled and decided that she loved the idea of having somepony else help her with the care of her little friends. especially since she knew it was somepony she could trust. that, and Fluttershy always liked to help her friends if she could help with something she was comfortable doing. and she was more than comfortable with this. so Celestia set a date on when she could help Fluttershy. Celestia made a public announcement on the matter so that the royal delegation could be prepared in advance to take over Celestia,s duties for the day. "The day is finally here!". Celestia says as she opens up her eyes and springs out of bed letting out a cheerful laugh of excitement. "oh I can't wait to see all the animals Fluttershy has!". Celestia then starts to name different types of animals, getting increasingly more excited as she names off each one. "Squirrels! possums! raccoons! flamingos! turtles! and of course bunnies.! Oh, how I just love bunnies and their fluffy little tails.! Well, I better be going this is going to be so much fun!" Celestia says as she leaves her palace and flies over to Fluttershy's cottage. A short while after, she arrives at Fluttershy's cottage and knocks on her door. Fluttershy opens her cottage door to see Celestia standing there with a huge smile on her face. "Oh, good morning Celestia. ready to help me take care of the animals?". "You bet I am!" Says Celestia with a smile. "Alright, well, let me show you around". Fluttershy says as she motions with her hoof for Celestia to step inside her cottage. Celestia nods and then follows Fluttershy. Immediately as Celestia steps in, her eyes are filled to the brim with fluffy and feathery wonders. Monkeys are swinging From the ceiling, birds are flying all over the place, and bunnies are eating carrots. One of the animals that Celestia focused on first was a gigantic bear. to most ponies, this would be a terrifying site but for Celestia having witnessed one of discord,s pranking spree,s. a bear was nothing. she still had tiny pieces of cheese come out of her main every once in a while. Also, she knew that animals were Fluttershys specialty, so if Fluttershy had a bear in her house, it was most likely tame. coming to this conclusion in her mind, Celestia smile,s pleasantly and wave,s at the bear. the bear return,s the pleasant gesture with a smile and wave of his own. "Wow, when you said you take care of animals you weren't kidding where you, "Celestia says as she smiles and lightly nudges her hoof against Fluttershy. "Oh well, what can I say taking care of these lovely creatures is what I do, and honestly I wouldn't trade it for all of Equestria. Spending time with them is a great way to relieve stress and relax." Fluttershy then looks down to see Angel bunny repeatedly tapping his foot on the ground with an annoyed expression on his face. "Well, most of the time anyway." Celestia couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hoof and giggle a little bit. Angel, seeing Celestia giggle, glares at her sharply. this only causes Celestia to giggle even more. Out of all the things she found threatening, a cute little bunny certainly wasn't one of them. Fluttershy then rolls her eyes at angel, grabs a bowl of carrots and, places them in front of him. at which point angel, jumps in the air with a smile on his face. he then starts to chow down on the carrots. "angel can be a handful but, he is such a great companion and can be a real sweetheart once you get to know him" Fluttershy says as she watches angel eat his carrots. "I don't dought it," says Celestia with a warm smile at angel. angel sticks his tongue out at Celestia and then hops away as Celestia lets out another giggle. "Well, are we ready to get to work?" "not yet I still have to show you the rest of my animals outside," Fluttershy says as she motions for Celestia to follow her out the door. Celestia then does so and then follows,s Fluttershy to where her animals are. Celestia,s eyes Begin to be filled with even more animals and creatures. There were butterflies everywhere, bees pollinating even, snakes slithering on the ground. Celestia looks in amazement as she sees all the happy critters before her. "the love you have for your animals is truly something special Fluttershy, I can see why you represent the element of kindness, it cannot be easy taking care of all these animals by yourself," Celestia says with a warm smile towards Fluttershy. "Thank you it's not much trouble I enjoy doing it, it feels good to know that if any animals or creatures out there need my help I am here for them." Fluttershy says with a smile back at Celestia. "now before we start I have one more little friend to show you." Fluttershy then walks up to a chicken coop and motions for Celestia to come closer. Celestia then turns around and notices the chicken coop that she hadn't noticed before. the thought of what creature lies in the structure terrified Celestia. Nevertheless, she slowly walks up to the coop trying not to let Fluttershy see the fear in her face as she approaches it. ( "Ok Celestia there's no reason to be afraid, just because Fluttershy has a coop for one of those terrifying creatures doesn't mean that it is what you think it is. maybe a duck lives in there instead yeah a duck that could be a possibility") Celestia then decided to go with that reasoning hoping that she was right. "Come on out Louise," Fluttershy shy says as Celestia begins to tremble, fear obvious on her face. Fluttershy remains unaware of Celestia,s fear due to her focus on the chicken coop. a creature with white feathers and an orange beak and, almost eagle-like talons come,s out of the coop. At this point Celestia,s fear had been realized. it was a chicken. Celestia jump,s into the air hanging upside down from a tree shaking. Louise walks out with her head tilted looking at Celestia. Fluttershy looks away from the chicken coop and sees that Celestia is not standing beside her. "Celestia where did you go?" flutter shy calls out to Celestia. after a few moments of silence she hears a faint voice in the air and notice,s that the voice is filled with fear. she then looks up and sees a shaking Celestia up in her tree. Fluttershy concerned for the well-being of her friend, says as if she stepped on a puppy's paw. "oh my goodness are you ok"?. Celestia replies by shaking her head, still trembling. Fluttershy then notices that Celestia is looking at her chicken and gasp as she asks,s. "are you afraid of Louise?" Celestia replies by nodding fearfully. Fluttershy tells Louise to go back into her coop and gives her some chicken feed then calls out for Celestia. "it's ok you can come down now, Louise is back in her coop. after hearing Fluttershy say this Celestia slowly comes down from the tree, her body still trembling. when she gets down from the tree she breaths in and then breaths out until she eventually regains her composure. Fluttershy then looks at Celestia. "I am so sorry I didn't mean to scare you". Celestia shakes her head. "It's ok there's no way you could have known I was afraid of chickens. besides you didn't scare me it did." Celestia says as she gives a sheepish grin. Normally Fluttershy would have been upset to hear somepony call one of her animals an it, but seeing how scared Celestia was she decided to let it slide. "I guess you're right. so you're afraid of chickens?." Fluttershy says looking at Celestia. Celestia,s head lower,s to the ground. "yes it's pretty silly, isn't it."? Fluttershy replies with a shake of her head. "Not at all! If anypony knows what it's like to be scared of what other ponies would find silly it's me." Fluttershy says trying to comfort Celestia. this makes a faint smile appear across Celestia's face. out of all the reactions,s she could have expected that was certainly not one of them. she knew she was talking with the pony who represents the element of kindness, still, though she expected at least a little chuckle. the way Fluttershy reacted made her feel more comfortable, her words made Celestia respect Fluttershy even more than she already did. "Thank you, Fluttershy. most people would laugh if they heard about my fear." "that's terrible."! Fluttershy says loud enough for Celestia to hear her words clearly. "just because your fear is out of the ordinary doesn't mean that it isn't scary to you. after all no fear is funny in the eyes of the pony who is afraid." "I guess your right". Fluttershy smiles. "Now, how about we go into my cottage, I will make us both a nice cup of tea, and if you're feeling up to it you could tell me why you're afraid of chickens. I've learned that having somepony who won't judge you and is willing to listen to your fear might make you feel better. so what do you say?" Fluttershy says looking at Celestia hoping she will say yes. Celestia thinks for a moment she had never really told anypony about her fear of chickens, the only pony that knew about it was her sister Luna. perhaps Fluttershy was right. maybe all she needed was somepony to talk to about it. maybe just maybe, it could be something she's Been needing to do without having realized it. "I… yes I think I can do that." "Wonderfull.!" Fluttershy says as she and Celestia walk into her cottage and Fluttershy tells Celestia to sit down. the seats looked particularly comfortable in Fluttershy's cottage. the whole cottage had a very warm and welcoming feeling to it if you weren't overwhelmed by the sight of animals. Celestia then walks over to a chair in front of her as she speaks under her breath hoping Fluttershy won't hear her. "Breath Celestia just breathe it's going to be ok."
chapter 2 full disclosure"the tea is ready," Fluttershy says as she carries two hot cups of fresh green tea in her hoofs. "I hope you like green tea I find it pretty simple and relaxing". She says as she trots over to the chair where Celestia is sitting and gives her one of the cups of tea before sitting down in another chair on the opposite side of Celestia. "it sounds delightful Fluttershy. I like green tea as well and relaxation is probably exactly what I need right now". Celestia says with a slightly nervous smile. Fluttershy takes,s a sip of her tea. "Alright if you're ready to share your story I am ready to listen". Celestia sighs and thinks for a moment. "yes I suppose now is as good a time as any". "Whenever you're ready". Fluttershy says as she takes another sip of her tea. "Well, my fear of Chickens started a very long time ago, before twilight met you and your friends. in fact it was way before you and any of your friends ever existed. I was a filly when I became afraid of chickens and it all started in the everfree forest".(Flashback to a time when Celestia and Luna are in the everfree forest as filly,s) "could thou just admit that we are lost.!" Luna says shouting at her sister with an annoyed and angry look on her face. "for the last time Luna we are not lost we are simply just going the wrong way"! Celestia says as she brings a hoof to her face and slowly drags it down. "Sister! We have been going the wrong way for two hours now!" Luna says even angrier as she stomps a hoof on the ground. "Well, maybe we can find sompony who can lead us home," Celestia says trying to find a way to please her sister. Luna gives a deadpan stare at Celestia for a good 5 seconds and then responds, her response starts slow and gets faster near the end. "And where dost thou think we are going to find somepony this late in the hour in the middle of a forest"! Celestia flailed her hoofs in the air looking like she's given up. "Alright fine, it was a stupid idea. What do you think we should do then!" "Don't look at me sister! It was thy idea to go for a walk in the everfree forest in the evening!. I told you that we should have stayed home but you just had to have your adventure didn't you!" Celestia starts to tear up. "Do you think this was about me!? I decided to go out here because I thought it would be a good idea for you to get out and have some fun. you're always so busy in our home preparing to be the princess of the night that you don't take any time to relax or have fun". "That may be so, sister but I could say the exact opposite of you.!" Celestia starts to look furious. "Just what is that supposed to mean.!" she says with a scowl. "It means that you could spend more time preparing to be the princess of the sun instead of spending so much time doing childish things.!" "Celestia screams we are kids Luna.!" luna scoffs. "You know what I mean sister.!" Celestia shakes her head vigorously. "No, I really don't.!" luna turns around facing away from Celestia. "You know what forget it! I am going home. I don't need you! Luna says as she runs away from her sister." "Fine if that's the way you want it!" Celestia says running in the opposite direction of Luna. she starts to cry, tears plainly visible on her face. a short while later, Celestia starts to slow down and then notices something popping out of the bushes in front of her. "Hel...lo who's… there," she says with a little bit of fear in her voice as she hears more rustling from Inside the bush. "I am warning you I know magic! and I am not afraid to use it!". , the rustling stops as the creature from within the bush comes out. Celestia lets out a yelp and closes,s her eyes. she then hears a bark and opens her eyes. fear quickly dissipates and turns to joy as she sees a puppy sitting in front of the bush waging its tail. Celestia lets out a huge sigh of relief as the puppy continues to wag its tail. "phew, you scared me, You must be lost too huh? don't worry I will help you find your home." Celestia then checks the name on the dog's collar only to find out that the dog isn't wearing one. "well I don't see a collar on you so either you're a stray, or your collar is lost. and I guess I don't know your name, but I have to call you something hmm". Celestia ponders for a moment until she thinks of a name. "I got it! I Will call you bush because you came out of a bush! Do you like that name?. the dog responded by wagging its tail and licking Celestia. Celestia giggled. "I will take that as a yes, alright let's get you home" As Celestia and bush start to turn in the other direction they both hear another rustle inside a different bush. Bush responds by barking while Celestia tries to calm him down hoping bushes bark didn't alert any unwanted attention. The rustling continues,s and after a short, while a chicken head pop's out of the Bush. Celestia trots over to investigate as she approaches the bush, the chicken,s neck start,s to stick out of the bush. once Celestia reaches the bush, she takes a closer look at the chicken,s neck and realizes that the chicken,s neck is Green. she knew that meant this was no chicken. this was a cockatrice. she had heard story's about them but had never seen one before. luckily she realized not a moment too soon as only a few seconds later the chicken turned its head to look at Celestia. Celestia responds,s by closing her eyes, as she knew that a cockatrice,s gaze would turn any living creature to stone. with her eyes covered Celestia let out a terrified scream that could be heard through the entirety of the forest. Celestia stood there shaking and whimpering in fear. her eyes remained closed as she hoped that this nightmare would end. After what felt like a millennia Celestia heard a loud familiar voice inside the evergreen forest. "sister! Where art thou" she realizes,s soon after that the voice she hears is her sister luna. Celestia shouts as loud as she can. "luna I am right here follow the sound of my voice! Over here luna!" Luna keeps running until she eventually finds Celestia. luna then notices the cockatrice threatening her sister and with her eyes closed, shouts at the winged beast. "hey! You leave my sister alone.! Celestia get away from it.!" Celestia does so as luna charges full speed at the cockatrice. her eyes remaining closed. she fires lasers of light blue magic from her horn at the cockatrice. it responds by glaring at luna. once it realizes,s its,s glare has no effect, the cockatrice takes off deeper into the everfree forest. "Celestia you can open your eyes now". luna says out of breath. Celestia opens her eyes and runs over to her sister engulfing luna in her embrace, tears running down her face. "thank you luna! I thought for sure no one was going to come". luna returns the embrace. "Of course I came. You're my sister and I would never let anything happen to you". Celestia lets go of luna and wipes,s tears from her eyes. "You mean you're not mad about getting lost" "well truthfully yes it is still upsetting, I mean if we wouldn't have gotten lost in the first place then none of this would have happened" Celestia looks at the ground and begins to cry. Luna notices this and wraps Celestia in her embrace again. "but all of that doesn't matter. the important thing is that your safe and that I love you. I am not going to let some dumb argument ruin our relationship." Celestia looks up at luna with a faint smile. "thank you luna I love you too". Celestia returns luna,s embrace as she uses a hoof to wipe more tears from her eye,s. Celestia then lets go of luna and looks at her quizzically. "I just have one question though, weren't you scared?. Luna replies by shaking her head. "no. I am going to be the princess of the night so naturally, I've done my research on the various creatures that come out during it. after all, if I am going to be traversing other ponies' nightmare,s I better get used to the idea of seeing scary things". Celestia looks at luna in a way that shows her that she is not convinced by what luna said. "Oh, come on you can't tell me you weren't even a little scared" Luna blushes. "ok, I was a little scared. there are you happy."? "yup, that's all I needed to hear."Celestia beams as luna rolls her eyes. "well, we better find our way home I bet mom and dad are worried sick". luna says with a slight chuckle. "Sure thing luna," Celestia says as she notices that she hasn't heard from bush in a while. she stops luna in her tracks. "wait luna I need to find bush." luna responds by giving Celestia a confused look. "who's bush."? "he's this stray dog I found in the forest." "Oh no no no no no! we are not taking a dog home! mom and dad Would never allow it.!" Celestia dismisses luna,s comment. "We will worry about that later just help me find him". Celestia and Luna take turns shouting bush,s name until luna eventually finds out what became of bush. "ce-les-ti-a," luna says shaken in fear. Celestia turns around then puts a hoof over her mouth and her eyes begin to water as she sees standing next to luna, is bush frozen in stone.
chapter 3 filly steps"Oh my goodness that must have been awful for you.! I can't imagine experiencing something like that at such a young age by yourself" Fluttershy begins to tear up. "Did bush end up alright?" Celestia nods. "Yes after luna and I collected ourselves we debated on what we should do, eventually we decided that we would use our combined magic to levitate bush in the air and try to find our way home. We were lost and had no idea where we were going until a stallion From the royal guard found us and took us back to our parents in canterolot. Our parents had been worried sick about us so they called the royal guards to scour Equestria for us, and since we didn't tell our parents where we were, it took forever for them to find us. It didn't help that we were deep in the everfree Forest. Eventually, when we did get home, we explained the whole situation to our parents. Mother then used her magic to free bush from his stone prison while father explained to us that we wouldn't be able to keep the dog. They were both very happy to see us and loved us dearly but they didn't want us to be rewarded for bad behavior. That and they weren't sure we would be able to take care of him anyway, What with how busy we were learning to be princesses."Fluttershy interrupts Celestia. "Did bush find a good home?". Celestia smile,s. "Yes he did, mother and father knew of a friend of there's who had been wanting a dog so they gave him to her. Luna and I heard he was very well taken care of." Fluttershy sigh's in relief. "Oh good, I was worried for a second." Fluttershy takes a moment to pause and refelt on the story Celestia told her then looks at Celestia. "I think I understand why you're afraid of chicken,s. Whenever you see one you see a cockatrice and that reminds you of the scary night you had when you were a filly". Celestia lowers her head, sighs, and then looks up at Fluttershy with a distraught look in her eyes. "Yes, that's exactly why. Every time I see one I think of how terrified I was that night. I've even had nightmares about it". She breathes a sigh of relief. Thankfully luna was able to help with that by helping me realize that my nightmares were just nightmares. However, in the waking world, they still scare me but luckily chickens are easy enough to avoid in canterolot". Fluttershy interjects. "But do you want to avoid them"?. Celestia thinks about Fluttershy's question for a moment. "Well No, but what other choice do I have"?. Fluttershy looks at Celestia, gets out of her chair, and puts her hoof on Celestia,s. "You could let me help you try to overcome your fears?". Celestia looks down at the floor and picks up her teacup to caress it nervously. "Well, I don't know. I am not sure if I can." Fluttershy lets go of Celestia,s hoof and sits back down in her chair. "I know out of all the ponies to help you get over your fear I wouldn't pick myself as the first choice. I've still got a lot of fears I have to conquer myself, but this is something I can help you with if you will let me". Celestia pauses for a moment to consider taking Fluttershy up on her offer. She then nods and Fluttershy smiles,s. "Great! I know just what to do. remember I will be right with you so you're not alone." Celestia nods. "All right then follow me," Fluttershy says as Celestia does so and follows Fluttershy into the kitchen. Fluttershy grabs a bag of chicken feed out of a cupboard and motions for Celestia to follow her outside. The 2 of them reach the chicken coop and, Celestia begins to tense up. Her wings folded shut in fear. She stammers. "What are we doing?" "I am going to give you some chicken feed, then I will call Louise, and then you can feed her." Celestia gives a nervous glance at Fluttershy. "I don't know about this Fluttershy." "trust me. Louise is very gentle. She wouldn't try to hurt anypony." Celestia sighs. "Well. If you say so, all right, let's do it." "Ok. Again remember I am right here with you." Fluttershy smiles at Celestia and Celestia responds by nodding. Fluttershy nods back, then opens the bag of chicken feed with her teeth, and pours a small amount into Celestia,s hoof. "Are you ready.?" Celestia takes,s a deep breath, then slowly exhales. "Yeah, I think so" Fluttershy nods. "Ok come on out Louise."Celestia begins to tense up again. Except even more this time. Fear becoming extremely visible on her face. Louise steps out of the chicken coop and notices,s The feed-in Celestia's hoof. She then starts to slowly walk towards Celestia's stretched-out hoof, and Celestia looks at Louise. For a little bit, Louise looks like an ordinary chicken. Until she begins to transform into a cockatrice and the red glowing eyes stare dead into Celestia as they get even closer to her. Celestia begins to tremble as thoughts of her childhood come to mind. She screams. "Get away from me!" and runs off as the feed flies into the air then lands on the ground. Louise tilts her head in confusion before approaching the feed and starts to peck at it. "Celestia, wait!" Fluttershy says as she runs after Celestia.
chapter 5 letter for the princessCelestia and Fluttershy finish taking care of the animals and as they say their goodbyes, Fluttershy comes up with an idea. "wait.!" Fluttershy says a little loudly as Celestia stops in her tracks near the exit of Fluttershy,s cottage and turns around to look at Fluttershy. "hmm, what is it.?" "I was just thinking you know how you told us when we learn something about friendship to write to you."? Celestia nods. "yes.?" "Well, what if I write a letter to you about the lesson you learned.? that way you can keep it, and look at it to remember what we talked about and whenever you feel scared you can read it". Celestia smiles at Fluttershy. "I think that is a wonderful idea" a White glow then surrounds Celestia,s horn as she uses her magic to make a Quill, and a blank paper scroll appear in front of her. "ready when you are". Fluttershy looks confused. "oh, you are going to write the letter"? Celestia shrugs with a smile on her face. "why not. I get so many of these but I've never actually written one myself. you just say the words, and I will write down what you say ok.?" Fluttershy nods. "ok." Celestia nods. "ready."? Fluttershy nods. "ready. Dear Princess Celestia, today a friend of mine learned that just because a certain fear may seem small, or doesn't make sense to somepony else that doesn't mean that the fear is small to the pony who is afraid. and no pony should ever judge another pony for being afraid of something. everypony deals with fears and no pony should treat anyponys fear as being insignificant. my friend also learned that even when it doesn't seem possible to overcome your fears, your friends can show you that's just not true and that a good friend will always be there for you when you need them. Your friend Fluttershy". As Fluttershy finish,s speaking Celestia finish,s writing, and Celestia look,s at Fluttershy with a warm smile on her face. "I think that is an excellent letter Fluttershy. as well as a great lesson to be learned From all of this. thank you." Fluttershy smiles. "My pleasure." "You know I think I am going to have to find more time in my busy schedule to spend time with the citizens of Equestria. I bet there are even more valuable lessons,s to be learned from them." Fluttershy shrugs with a smile. "what can I say ponies can surprise you." Celestia nods. "that's what I am excited about. Thank you for listening to what I had to say Fluttershy. as well as for the tea, and helping me take care of your little friend,s. I had a wonderful time." "Me too." Celestia nudges Fluttershy. "We will have to do this again sometime". Fluttershy nods. "that would be lovely." "Goodbye, Fluttershy have a pleasant rest of your day". "you to Celestia." Celestia Waves a hoof at Fluttershy as she steps out of Fluttershy,s cottage. Fluttershy waves back as Celestia close,s the cottage door. once the door closes, Celestia lifts her head to the sky and smiles as she spreads her wings and takes off for canterlot.
chapter4 equestria wasn't built in a day.Fluttershy finds Celestia sitting on a stump with hairy the bear sitting next to her. "Celestia are you ok?" Fluttershy says as she looks at Celestia and climbs on top of the stump to sit next to her. Celestia responds with a nod. "Yes I am fine, at least I think so, it helps that your friend here is quite the caretaker. He saw me tearing up and offered me a tissue". Fluttershy smiles at hairy. "That's hairy for you, he may look like a big scary bear but on the inside, he's a teddy bear." hairy smiles back at Fluttershy. Celestia stands up and gets off the stump with a frustrated look on her face. She begins to vent. "I'm so tired of being scared all the time I mean I am the princess of the sun I've faced a literal millennium,s worth of troubles in my life without any fear, so why is it whenever I see a chicken I run away and start to tremble." Celestia places both of her hoofs into her face and sits down in the grass. Fluttershy stands up, looks at hairy, and hairy goes back into the cottage. Fluttershy then trots over to Celestia and sits down next to her. "Sometimes that's just how fears work. We may not always understand why we are afraid of something, and why we're not afraid of other things. Especially when the things that don't scare us should in our minds be scarier than the things that do. As I said I am scared of a lot of things, but I know that even when it may seem impossible to overcome my fears, they can be overcome. Yes, I may be scared of a lot of things, but friendship has shown me that when I am scared some pony will always be with me, and that helps things seem a little less scary. The important thing is to not let our fears get the better of us. I am not saying that's going to be easy but knowing that somepony is always there for you makes it better. It may seem like you will never be able to get over your fears, but you have to keep telling yourself that you will and it may take a while but don't lose hope and remember that it can be done. That's something I need to remember also. Remember that your not the only one that's afraid. There are plenty of other ponies that deal with all sorts of fears across Equestria, some even deal with the same fear you do. So don't get discouraged, keep telling yourself I can do this. It probably won't be easy but know that it is possible and sometimes your friends are the ones that will show you that it is".Celestia looks at Fluttershy with tears of joy in her eyes, then engulfs her in her embrace. "Thank you, Fluttershy you don't know how much I needed to hear that," Fluttershy responds by returning Celestia,s embrace and smiling. "What are friends for" Both Fluttershy and Celestia let go of their embrace and stand up. "So what now"? Celestia asks Fluttershy. "Well I could still use some help taking care of my little friend,s in the cottage, as well as the ones out here if your up for it".? Celestia smiles. "That would be lovely".
