Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!!!
Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes and let out a quiet yawn. She always got up at the crack of dawn thanks to her militaristic rooster Colonel. As she sat up in bed to stretch and smooth out her wings, Fluttershy felt something plop beside her. She looked down to see Angel Bunny snuggling up against her and smiled.
“Ooh, did somebunny want to say good morning?” Fluttershy chuckled. Angel looked up at her and pointed at his stomach, which made a tiny growl. Fluttershy sighed and helped Angel onto her shoulders. “Alright, mister. Time for breakfast.”
Fluttershy's mornings never changed that much. She always woke up at sunrise and gave all of her animals their breakfast. Then she gave her hair a quick brush and prepared her own breakfast. Normally she would grab some fruit and bread to eat on her way to the animal sanctuary, but Dr. Fauna was covering for her today, so Fluttershy had time to prepare some oatmeal with a spoonful of honey to go along with her fruit.
“Hmm, what to do, what to do….” Fluttershy mused as she lazily stirred the last bits of her oatmeal with the spoon in her wing.
“Oh! I know! I'll go pick some flowers for Twilight for the next time we visit.” Fluttershy took a moment to make sure everything was in order. Angel Bunny was asleep, and the other animals were occupied. No monsters were attacking, no friendship problem needed to be solved, and everything was at peace. Fluttershy quickly put on some water for her afternoon tea, picked up her basket with her right-wing, quietly left her cottage, and began making her way into the nearby forest.
It was a beautiful day. The sun beamed a warm light that shined throughout the forest like spotlights through the trees. Fluttershy could spot many different animals and insects going about their day without a care in the world. The birds began their mid-morning songs, and Fluttershy could not help but join them.
“Trot outside and you see the sunshine. Something's in the air today. Sky is clear and you're feelin' so fine. Everything's gonna be a-okay!”
A twig snapped in the distance.
“Oh!” Fluttershy looked to her right with surprise. Standing before her was a unicorn stallion with a long black mane and midnight blue fur. He wore a dark grey cloak that covered his back and cutie mark.
“I am terribly sorry. I didn't see you there.” Fluttershy carefully put down her basket and smiled at the strange pony.
The unicorn gave his head a slight shake. “No, I'm sorry. I was taking a walk when I heard lovely music. I could not help but look for it.”
Fluttershy blushed. “Thank you very much. Uhh, what's your name?”
“Astral Flare.”
“That's a wonderful name.” Fluttershy walked up to Astral and raised her right hoof. “It's very nice to meet you Astral. My name is Fluttershy.”
Astral raised his own hoof and shook Fluttershy's. “It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Fluttershy.”
Something about the way he said her name struck Fluttershy as odd. Like he had said it before.
“You're not from around here, are you?”
Astral shook his head. “No. I come from far up north. Just passing through.”
Fluttershy took a good look at Astral. His cloak was torn, and he had bags under his eyes. She smiled at him. “Well, welcome to Ponyville Astral. My cottage is not far from here. Would you like to come in for a little while? You look like you could use a rest.”
Astral looked at the pegasus.
Fluttershy became a little worried she had been too assertive. “If that's okay with you,” she whispered.
Astral continued staring for a moment, then nodded his head. “Alright, thank you.”
Fluttershy clapped her hooves together. “Oh goodie! This will be so much fun!” She ran over to pick up her basket of flowers and beckoned Astral to follow her.
Astral slowly walked up beside her, and the two made their way to Fluttershy's cottage in blissful silence.
They quickly arrived at Fluttershy's cottage and went inside.
“Please make yourself right at home,” Fluttershy said warmly. “There's a coat stand for your cloak. If you like I can wash it later and ask Rarity to sew it back up for you.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I would prefer to keep it on.”
“Okay, please feel free to sit on the couch.”
Astral slowly walked towards the couch and sat down.
Before Fluttershy could say anything else, she heard a high-pitched whistle from the kitchen.
“Oh, that's right! I set my kettle earlier for some tea. Would you like some?”
“Uh, no, thank you. I don't wish to be a bother,” Astral began.
Fluttershy giggled. “It's no bother. I love having tea parties with new friends!” She could have sworn she saw Astral's lips curl into a smile for a brief moment.
“Alright, Fluttershy, you are as persistent as always. Some tea does sound really nice. Do you have any Earl Grey?”
Fluttershy perked up. “I do, actually. I always save some for when I go to see Twilight. I'll go get you some.” Fluttershy hummed as she walked into the kitchen and began preparing their tea. “Some sliced fruit would go really well with this tea,” Fluttershy thought. After taking the kettle off the stove, she gathered various fruits and began cutting them with a knife held by her wing. As she continued to cut, Fluttershy leaned her head back and looked at Astral through the kitchen door. He looked perfectly comfortable on the couch. Almost as if he had sat on it before. Did he say she was as persistent as always?
“Ouch!” Fluttershy yelped and looked down at her right hoof. A tiny sliver of blood oozed out of it.
“Is something the matter?” Astral hurried into the kitchen.
“Oh I'm okay. I was...distracted,” Fluttershy let out an embarrassed giggle.
“Here, let me help with that.” Astral’s horn glowed a soft silver, and the bloody cut disappeared from Fluttershy's hoof.
Fluttershy looked at Astral with regard. “That's an amazing spell. Are you a doctor?”
“Yes and no. I am not a doctor by trade, but I do know a few basic healing spells.”
“So, what do you do?” Fluttershy began gathering cups and the fruit slices onto a tray.
“I…” Astral trailed off.
Fluttershy understood the look on his face. “I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I'll stop asking questions.”
“Oh no, that's quite alright,” Astral reassured her.
Fluttershy carefully picked up her tea tray with her wings and walked back into the living room. She laid it on the table while Astral took his same spot on the couch.
“Now, how many sugars would you like in your tea?” Fluttershy sat down in a chair across from Astral and began pouring their tea.
“Six.”
Fluttershy's eyes widened. “Oh my. Not even Pinkie Pie wants six sugars in her tea.”
Astral blushed. "I like to have some tea with my sugar to give it some flavor.”
Fluttershy giggled as she placed the sugars in his cup. “You and Pinkie would get along so well.” She handed him his cup and lifted her own. “Cheers!”
The two ponies clinked their glasses together and drank their tea.
Fluttershy let out a little squee, “Oooh, this is so much fun! How is your tea?”
Astral took a long sip with his eyes closed while Fluttershy watched him with bated breath. He opened his eyes and looked at Fluttershy. “This tea is not good.”
Fluttershy looked a little deflated.
“It's delicious,” Astral smirked playfully.
Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief. “Good. I'm so glad to hear that.”
Astral chuckled, “Forgive me, my dear, I could not resist. This is some of the best tea I have ever tasted. Thank you.”
“You are very welcome!”
The two ponies continued to drink their tea in silence for a bit.
"So, where do you come from?" Fluttershy was relieved when Astral smiled.
“Now that is an interesting question,” Astral said. He stared down into his tea. “Depending on how you look at it. I am from many places. Though if you wanted to be a bit more specific, I am from far up north, deep in the heart of the Crystal Mountains.”
Fluttershy's eyes widened. “I've never been there. Pinkie Pie once told me about her trip there to visit the Yaks. What are they like?”
“Cold, very cold and rough. Though that is not how they got their name.”
“Why is that?” Fluttershy leaned in eagerly.
“Well, if you search hard enough, you will find caves. Caves so vast you could easily fit in all of Canterlot with plenty of room to spare.”
“What are the caves like?”
“They are covered in crystals. Crystals of all shapes, sizes, and colors. With a glow as bright and warm as the stars of Princess Luna's night sky. Many kinds of plants and fungi only grow in the crystal light's glow. I remember eating the most delicious stews and salads made from those plants.” Astral sighed as he reminisced on days long past.
Fluttershy became a little puzzled. Did Astral not know that the princesses had retired?
“Were you all alone? Do you have any family?” Fluttershy continued.
A pained expression went across Astral's face for a fleeting moment. “I had a father. But I lost him a long time ago. I've been trying to find him ever since.”
Fluttershy looked at Astral sadly. "What about friends?"
“Don't have any,” Astral shrugged. “I'm always moving. Always searching for my father. Always helping whenever I can.”
Fluttershy could not help but smile. “You remind me of my good friend Twilight. She used to feel the same way about friendship. She used to be so obsessed with studying and making Princess Celestia proud.” She was surprised to hear Astral chuckle bitterly at that.
“I'm afraid you misunderstand me, dear Fluttershy. It is not that I am against friendship. It is that I have yet to meet anypony that would be willing to be my friend and help me with my goals.”
As Fluttershy was about to take another sip, she looked at Astral's horn, and her eyes widened. Almost every unicorn horn was sharp and smooth without a scratch to be found. Astral's horn's point was dull, and there were dozens of tiny scratch marks and cracks around the horn's base. She looked back at Astral with sympathy in her eyes. “I'm so sorry Astral. You must have had a hard life.”
Astral nodded. “To put it mildly. I have encountered many ponies and creatures during my travels. Not all of them were very friendly to me or to others. I often try my best to not get involved, but if I don't, who will?” He leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes.
Fluttershy could sense the all too familiar burden on his body and spirit. “It's not that nopony wants to help you, is it?”
Astral opened his eyes and looked Fluttershy.
“It's that you're afraid to let anypony get close to you. You don’t want to burden them with your burdens and share your pain with you.”
Astral looked down into his empty teacup.
Fluttershy leaned in and pressed a hoof on Astral's arm. “I used to feel the same way about friendship.”
Astral looked up at her with a puzzled look in his eyes.
“When I was a filly, I had a hard time making friends. I was timid and afraid of letting anypony get close to me because almost every kid wanted to bully me. I was convinced nopony would ever want to be my friend. Until I met Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy breathed a deep sigh as she refilled her teacup and took a drink. “One day, some colts were picking on me, and Rainbow Dash came to protect me from them. I was a complete stranger to her, and yet there she was, standing up for a pony she did not even know. It was because she came to my rescue that I made my first friend and got my cutie mark.”
She looked down at her cutie mark with nostalgia in her eyes, then looked up into Astral's. “I'm not going to pretend like I understand everything you have gone through or that I have all the answers you need. But I do understand friendship and that it gives a pony the strength to overcome any challenge that life throws at us.” Fluttershy smiled at Astral. “I believe there is a friend out there for anypony if they are willing to give it a try. And I know from experience that if you try to face things on your own, life becomes too difficult to bear.”
The two ponies sat in silence and did nothing but drink their tea. Fluttershy watched as Astral finished the last of his tea and set his cup down on the table.
“Thank you very much for the tea and company. They were both delightful.” Astral stood up and began walking to the front door of Fluttershy's cottage.
Fluttershy stood up quickly and followed him. “Wait. Where are you going?”
“I remember you mentioned your friend Rarity is good at sewing,” Astral responded without looking at her. “I might pay her a visit someday.” He opened the front door and walked onto Fluttershy's lawn. His horn glowed as he levitated his cloak off and tossed it at Fluttershy's hooves. “Think you can hold onto it for me? I have some business to attend to.”
Fluttershy stooped down to pick up Astral's cloak. “Of course, but what business are you?” She looked up and gasped.
Astral was gone!
Fluttershy scanned the area around her to see where the stallion had gone when she heard a peculiar flapping sound. She looked up, and her eyes became wider than Discord's abnormally large dinner plates. She saw Astral flying in the air! She could barely make out his wings, if one could call them wings, because of how brightly they shined like metal against the sun. Before Fluttershy had a chance to follow Astral, a burst of light enveloped the pony, and he vanished.
Astral slowly walked through the Everfree Forest. The crimson light of the moon cast strange and twisted shadows everywhere he looked. It felt like years since he had stepped hoof in this accursed place though in reality it had only been a few days. Astral ears perked up at the sound of a low growl. He saw the gleaming eyes of a pack of timber wolves tread towards him. Astral grit his teeth as his horn blazed a fierce silver. The wolves lunged at him. Astral formed a beam of magic around his horn and swiped to the right. With a mighty snap, the pieces of the timberwolves all fell to his hooves like broken twigs. Astral levitated the remaining fragments of timber wolf and crushed them before they could reform. He sighed and continued on his way.
Author's Note
It's finally done! If you made it to the bottom thank you so much for reading my first story. I hope you enjoyed it and if you have any suggestions on ways I can improve please let me know in the comments. Not that some of you needed that suggestion. Have a nice day and remember that friendship is magic!
