Midlight Daze

by Blankscape

Rating: teen
Tags: Main 6, Drama, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Fluttershy, Adventure, Crossover, Alternate Universe
Length: 25127

Fluttershy stared into the abyss that stretched on and on, and made her seem small—the deepened midlight that seemed to have no end. She wondered, "It's quite lonely, isn't it?" And so, she thought to give it company.

A beloved mare grows tired of her meek doormat nature. She wishes she were lots of things; more assertive, openly kinder, a faster pegasus, and a stronger pony; both in body and heart. Much like her dear friend, Rainbow Dash, already is.

And of course, she is going to become all these things, although with help from those she least expects.

And yet, peace only ever lasts so long. Equestria--the shining beacon it ever is--finds itself at the precipice when tense relations over an industrious yet reclusive neighbor comes to a head. Only, such facades are but the surface, and the both nations themselves come under an all-seeing and oppressive spotlight. The churning flux drags many figures into the turmoil—a good number new, most well-met, and some faces familiar in more ways than one. The emergence of great forces and powerful actors obfuscate what had always been once clear, and with the clashing of various discordants wishing to bend Harmony and the world itself to their wills, our hero's idyllic countryside life can only tear at the seams. The chaos and upheaval these trials bring will test not only the greatest of champions, but her as well and every one of friends too.

Fare thee well, Fluttershy, and best of luck. You and all who face the such trials and ordeals ahead will need every bit you can get.

AN;

As the author, if I may be allowed to say, this is not a crossover story in the colloquial sense. The Crossover tag is included as outlined by the FAQs in its most generous sense (to the best of my understanding) for elements and characters meant to either enrich the story, make it fun for me to write, or both. It's not really a crossover if I'm happy playing in my dinky sand box playing with my toys, yeah?

There used to be more stuff here... But I forget.

The coverart is only a temp. I'll get that sorted soon.

Published 2023-12-26 21:20:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-12-26 21:20:00 UTC

Chapter 01 - Summer bound by Snow

Our meek mare was awake and felt a slight sting in her eyes. The salt of the tears coaxed her away from falling back to sleep.

The day was early. A still, brisk, and lightless dawn, yet scattered with dew from a late summer evening shower that patiently awaited the living to stir. She could always tell from how the birds chirped, as well as the dampness of the air. And the pegasus did stir before most others arose, though she did not want to get up just quite yet. In fact, the thread of a thought from last night told her she had chores to see to as early as possible. And considering where she had to go for said chores, preferably with as little interaction or confrontation or complication as possible. Especially the last two. With a stretch of her wings did she grumble inward for the reminder she had placed for herself, pulling her disheveled pink mane and the covers away with a hoof. Needless to say, she would be up and at it soon enough. But then the tail end of an auspicious dream yet tugged at her mind…

… No, more than a scattered dream.

A far-off memory…

… Or so it seemed.

The fur of her cream coat bristled on ends, and the reverie held her in its impoverished grasp. She knew she was awake, bright cyan eyes wide and open for the slightest motion with ears crisp, alert and honed at whatever peep sounded off. But she couldn’t help watching its vision replay itself afore her, come these visits. Ever did these visions captivate her so in the daze.

With the deep ring of a bell, the memory imposed itself upon her sights. Gone was the homely wooded ceiling of her cozily thatched cottage ‘neath the willow at the edge of the wild weald, sitting in the quiet twilight of the pregnant morning.

There fluttered in her vision the hazy after image of her rainbow-maned friend standing up to those colts all those years ago.

“You’re going down!”

“In history maybe. See you boys at the finish line!”

It was as if the speedster filly and those bullies had just zoomed past her, so full of energy and eager to prove whatever it was they wanted to prove as the young were wont to goad each other into. And yet after the dizzying twirl that followed, her view of the encloudened campus was quickly replaced by the careening wall of azure blue above and lush green below that spun along her harrowing tumble down.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!”

She vaguely remembered screaming her lungs out all the way down, though the fear of it all driving away the very breath out of her was a feeling she’d rather not recall.

For all for the failings of her uncoordinated pre-pubescent wings and the frightened volumes that cracked her voice further, the verdant landscape rose up and expanded to solidly meet her fatal landing. Morbid possibilities just moments away immersed her wholly and the spark of such thoughts terrified her acutely in the eternity of those moments. She thought she could hear the crunch resounding and impact breaking her bones on all the awfully hard things of the ground. She could almost feel the dribble of vital ichors draining out of her broken corse into the cold and greedy soil. And she swore the light of her soul awaited the instant it would flicker and snuff out, leaving her utterly missing the life ahead and being painfully missed by those who would live without her—

And then!

…

A sudden stop.

“Oh my…” A kindly and wizened voice uttered. “Are you alright?”

She opened her eyes and saw… someone. A figure whose features remained behind the veil of dreams. Only an indistinct silhouette persisted past the haze that obfuscated these parts of her memory.

“Dear me, I’m terribly sorry,” her savior spoke in demure apology, her hooves—they seemed to be hooves, covering her mouth agasp. Her voice almost seemed familiar.

Past her already bleary vision, our little dear squinted at the surroundings, finding the both of them—herself and her benefactor atop a fantastical flock of butterflies. It felt surreal, a miracle even. Only, after an entire day at flight school and very nearly plummeting to her doom, she was far too tired to question or disbelieve such miracle. The ache in her back leg and barrel didn’t help either, likely for the few branches that had met her on the way down.

With a hoof to those places, she seethed for such aches. Yet also she sighed in relief. Her savoir followed suit with her own sigh of concern. “My, my… This won’t do at all. That was such a scary fall, wasn’t it?… But more importantly, I believe I’ve stolen your thunder.”

She didn’t know what exactly was meant by that, but accepted it all the same. For she found herself coming in and out between her newfound predicament and the inky darkness of unconsciousness.

“What’s your name, wee dear?” She heard being asked of her before she could succumb to her exhaustion.

“I-it’s…” She stuttered with a hint of fear mixed into her relief.

“F-F-Fluttershy… It’s Fluttershy.”

“Oh, what a pretty name. A lovely and perfect name in fact,” came the reply with a degree of familiarity. “There, there, Fluttershy. Think no more of boo-boos or bruises. You’re in good hands.”

Then the pegasus felt her savior's hoof touch and caress her head as she began to sing…

“𐑞𐑳𐑕𐑣 𐑯𐑪𐑢, 𐑶𐑳𐑦𐑧𐑑 𐑯𐑪𐑢. 𐑰𐑑'𐑕 𐑑𐑦𐑥𐑧 𐑑𐑪 𐑤𐑩𐑭 𐑭𐑪𐑳𐑮 𐑕𐑤𐑧𐑧𐑐𐑭 𐑣𐑧𐑩𐑛…”

That was the last she remembered, or could remember with certainty up to this point, before the veil of dreams would reclaim those vision from her.

“𐑣𐑳𐑖 𐑯𐑬, 𐑒𐑢𐑲𐑩𐑑 𐑯𐑬. 𐑦𐑑'𐑕 𐑑𐑲𐑥 𐑑 𐑜𐑴 𐑑 𐑚𐑧𐑛…”

She faintly recalled the most wonderful singing, and being taught such lovely and somber songs to sing—and of all things, in some fantastical tongue that felt strangely at home for some reason; all to help her calm down and recover. The delightful melodies and their dainty sentiments ever stuck with her and impressed on her young mind. That is, up until she would awaken. Along with the memories, these too were not safe and would be lost to the mists that flitted across the pale veil.

…

And so, she found herself back in bed in her room, in her lovely cottage by the woods. In the little corner of the world she called her own. And she could remember nothing. Nothing apart from the feeling she had forgotten something important again. Tears shed in solitary drops from her eyes for that…

Or was it just the waking motions coaxing her awake as usual? She could no longer recall.

It was on early daze such as these that she found herself staring at the ceiling for stretches of time. Fluttershy would have let the clock tick the entire day away if it would let her remember what that gosh darn dream was about. She would lose herself tracing her eyes along the mazes on the grain of the timber that scaffolded her humble home, if it only meant to remember. But that would never happen.

However, that wasn’t important now.

What was important were the chores needed to be done. Specifically, today that meant buying feed and supplies for all her new animal friends and her new business here in Ponyville. And more importantly, that too meant fresh, delicious and scrumptious greens she needed to get for her dear bunny companion and friend, Angel.

Said bunny had hopped onto her bed and chattered into her ear, tugging at it with his paddy paws till he had her bleary morning face pointed to the window. Past its glass, a twinge of purple from the approaching twilight peaked over the tree line. She blinked at the transition of colors and the impending sunrise that followed close behind, then turned over to her grumpy little bunny, expectant and waiting for her to rise to action.

“Alright,” Fluttershy whispered in volumes that would put hush secrets to shame. A busy morning was yet ahead of her. So, she rubbed the sand from her eyes, pushing the yawn out from her chest too.

“No use thinking about something that keeps slipping my mind.”

This too was a reminder for all the things Fluttershy had to be grateful for. To live in a place such as Equestria, so blessed and far green. A magnificent country at the center of the world that found itself in the grace and bosom of harmony and magick.

“Time to start our day, Angel.”

War-torn, desolate, and abandoned. A once magnificent country, now vastly empty and hollow as a shell, stood at the edge of the eternity. Folding in on itself in the eternal midlight, there rose and hung innumerable towers; spires, and sky scrapers of all sorts of material and design, high and imposing. They jutted out from the degraded slums and cut the skyline jagged and wild like rows of vicious teeth. Yet as unwelcoming and inhospitable as the cityscape presented itself, with various structural wounds and a cloying haze skulking throughout, it was not totally devoid of life. Various lights flickered among the buildings; little blips of activity, though to say these inhabitants were active would be a gross understatement. Quietly they studied, clandestinely they toiled, and meticulously they plotted.

𐑑 𐑐𐑽 𐑦𐑯𐑑𐑵 𐑑𐑮𐑵𐑔 𐑯 𐑐𐑻𐑐𐑩𐑕 𐑣𐑦𐑛𐑩𐑯 𐑦𐑯 𐑞 ·𐑥𐑦𐑛𐑤𐑲𐑑…

That was their goal, however mobian & fractured it was.

And there, among the more resplendent yet dilapidated buildings towards the heart of the Upper Palatte, hung a rather dinky medieval-style spire, upside-down and secluded from all the rest by thick and winding growths of briar. Apart from its modest height, it was no different from all the other derelict buildings in the area, the very tip of it cradling a single light that shone against all the darkness around it.

There stood a solitary apostle, as single-mindedly studious and terribly committed as all the rest, though one with a certain spark about her. She tip-toed atop the wreck of a throne, haphazardly salvaged from somewhere in the slums and given patchwork repair with old junk she picked up here and there. From the top of the room dangled a stone stem that craned down as would some alien neck, fastened and fed by a number of pipes and wires, some glowing, others pulsing, and a few leaking steady drips to the floor. At the end of the stem shone a crystal from which radiated an iridescent light as the scholar beheld its facets, completely absorbed. In bygone ages, they were once called paling stones or seeing stones, tears of incredible knowledge and foresight. While much couldn't be attested concerning comparisons in function, tears they do remain in class, phonies of great relics crafted with lost arts from ages even more ancient, resplendent, and fantastical still, though forgotten all the same. However, the scholars called them by an apt name, lacryma. It was into one of these artefacts of world's end that our scholar poured every fibre of her being, and all her focus.

Large poorly barricaded windows, once lavish and gilded, flanked the paltry throne on three sides with a single door leading out. The stairway into the room was made of old stone, cut clean by forgotten masterful hands though visibly worn in the middle of the steps over ages of treading.

An echo came down the stairwell, heavy footfalls followed by labored heaves. Likely had some cargo in tow, too.

"𐑲 𐑒𐑨𐑯 𐑣𐑽 𐑿, 𐑿 𐑯𐑴," she preempted with a tinge of raspiness in her voice. "𐑿'𐑼 𐑥𐑱𐑒𐑦𐑙 𐑩 𐑮𐑨𐑒𐑩𐑑."

Her jaw cracked at the mere movements to speak, though her fingers never left the facets of the tear that flickered before her, nor her gaze from the spectacle of its glare. In fact, she had scarcely moved from that spot and stared at the shining stone for ages. Her eyes might as well be lidless as a wreath cloaked in flames.

"Of course," a wizened hoarse voice replied coarsely between steps. "I'm doing it on purpose... to make your job as annoying as possible before I leave."

“𐑯 𐑚𐑲 𐑞𐑨𐑑, 𐑿'𐑼 𐑑𐑮𐑲𐑦𐑙 𐑑 𐑓𐑳𐑒 𐑢𐑦𐑞 𐑥𐑰, 𐑸𐑯𐑑 𐑿?”

"Ahah, that’s right. You got me." A snide chuckle came as the visitor rounded the last steps and entered the room. Apart from the veritable cache of luggage at top his back, all that stood out about him were his long beard, the supple tail all sticking out from his cloak and the clawed fingers peeking from his sleeves. "I’m just fucking with you… Maybe."

“𐑯 𐑛𐑴𐑯𐑑 𐑿 𐑓𐑼𐑜𐑧𐑑 𐑦𐑑! 𐑞𐑨𐑑 𐑝𐑧𐑮𐑦 𐑦𐑥𐑐𐑹𐑑𐑩𐑯𐑑 𐑐𐑮𐑧𐑐𐑩𐑟𐑦𐑖𐑩𐑯. 𐑕𐑒𐑿 𐑢𐑳𐑯 𐑒𐑨𐑮𐑩𐑒𐑑𐑼, 𐑗𐑱𐑯𐑡 𐑧𐑯𐑦 𐑜𐑤𐑦𐑓, 𐑹 𐑥𐑦𐑕𐑮𐑰𐑛 𐑰𐑝𐑩𐑯 𐑩 𐑕𐑦𐑙𐑜𐑩𐑤 𐑕𐑒𐑮𐑦𐑐𐑑 𐑝 𐑞 𐑕𐑲𐑓𐑼, 𐑯 𐑞 𐑝𐑦𐑠𐑩𐑯 𐑒𐑼𐑳𐑐𐑑𐑕 𐑦𐑯𐑑𐑲𐑼!” She thrust two fingers into the cryst of the stone. And though it shattered at the point of contact, it had quickly mended itself with its surface turning dim. A symbol came to fly about it, one both of them had come to know to mean 'pause'.

"𐑞𐑦𐑕 𐑦𐑟 𐑷𐑤 𐑝𐑧𐑮𐑦 𐑦𐑥𐑐𐑹𐑑𐑩𐑯𐑑 𐑢𐑻𐑒 𐑢𐑰'𐑼 𐑛𐑵𐑦𐑙! 𐑞 𐑝𐑧𐑮𐑦 𐑓𐑨𐑚𐑮𐑦𐑒 𐑝 𐑦𐑜𐑟𐑦𐑕𐑑𐑩𐑯𐑕 𐑛𐑦𐑐𐑧𐑯𐑛𐑟 𐑩𐑐𐑪𐑯 𐑬𐑼 𐑒𐑺𐑓𐑩𐑤 𐑕𐑑𐑳𐑛𐑦 𐑯 𐑞 𐑐𐑮𐑦𐑕𐑲𐑕 𐑒𐑘𐑫𐑼𐑱𐑖𐑩𐑯 𐑝 𐑦𐑑𐑕 𐑦𐑯𐑵𐑥𐑼𐑩𐑚𐑩𐑤 𐑮𐑦𐑓𐑤𐑧𐑒𐑖𐑩𐑯𐑟!"

"Of course, of course… You just love to listen to yourself ramble on and on, don’t you,—"

"𐑭-𐑭-𐑭! 𐑯𐑴 𐑯𐑱𐑥𐑟!” She promptly wagged with a disciplinary finger, zipping up his lips in quick reprimand from a far.

He hated when she got like this. Which was all the time. So, to give himself a breather as well as endure her insufferability, he gingerly shed his cargo down to the floor and squatted, apart from one precious parcel that he cradled in his arms. “Hmmm, the heuristic psycho-babble again, isn’t it? Look, would you mind speaking plainly for just five minutes—"

And still she shook her head in denial. “𐑯𐑴-𐑯𐑴-𐑯𐑴, 𐑯𐑴 𐑐𐑤𐑱𐑕 𐑓 𐑕𐑳𐑗 𐑑𐑮𐑲𐑓𐑩𐑤 𐑣𐑽! 𐑴𐑯𐑤𐑦 𐑞 𐑚𐑮𐑧𐑝𐑦𐑑𐑦 𐑯 𐑕𐑑𐑧𐑛𐑓𐑨𐑕𐑑𐑯𐑩𐑕 𐑝 𐑑𐑲𐑑𐑩𐑤𐑟! 𐑬𐑼 𐑒𐑮𐑰𐑛 𐑦𐑟 𐑨𐑟 𐑬𐑼 𐑤𐑲𐑓, 𐑯 𐑬𐑼 𐑤𐑲𐑓 𐑦𐑟 𐑢𐑻𐑒 𐑦𐑯 𐑞𐑦𐑕 𐑜𐑮𐑱𐑑 𐑯 𐑣𐑨𐑤𐑴𐑛 𐑮𐑧𐑤𐑥, 𐑮𐑦𐑗 𐑯 𐑓𐑸 𐑜𐑮𐑰𐑯 𐑦𐑯 𐑷𐑤 𐑦𐑑𐑕 𐑕𐑐𐑤𐑧𐑯𐑛𐑼— ”

He sighed and grumbled amid her monologing, "What splendor?"

A section of a different tower outside had broken and fallen off, hurtling away to the void's horizon with a choir of screams echoing from within.

"Rich and far green, my ass... You really have bought into your own coolaid, haven’t—"

"𐑢𐑳𐑯 𐑕𐑥𐑷𐑤 𐑕𐑤𐑦𐑐 𐑳𐑐, 𐑰𐑝𐑩𐑯 𐑚𐑲 𐑩 𐑕𐑦𐑙𐑜𐑩𐑤 𐑕𐑒𐑪𐑤𐑼, 𐑞𐑧𐑯 𐑒𐑮𐑨𐑒𐑕 𐑯 𐑑𐑺@𐑑𐑽𐑟 𐑮𐑦𐑐𐑩𐑤 𐑬𐑑, 𐑢𐑦𐑗 𐑦𐑟 𐑓𐑫𐑑𐑣𐑴𐑤𐑛 𐑦𐑯𐑳𐑓 𐑓 𐑞𐑴𐑟 𐑣𐑪𐑮𐑦𐑚𐑩𐑤 𐑢𐑻𐑥𐑟 𐑯 𐑜𐑴𐑕𐑑𐑕 𐑯 𐑷𐑤 𐑥𐑨𐑯𐑼 𐑝 𐑧𐑤𐑛𐑮𐑦𐑗 𐑚𐑰𐑕𐑑! 𐑞𐑱 𐑛𐑵 𐑕𐑴 𐑷𐑓𐑩𐑤𐑦 𐑤𐑳𐑝 𐑞 𐑒𐑱𐑪𐑕 𐑑 𐑮𐑰𐑐 𐑯 𐑥𐑰𐑑 𐑬𐑑," she recalled from the dread of memory, having taken a rather dusty bottle of eye drops and teased a dollop of its questionable liquid into her horribly red-webbed eyes.

"𐑿'𐑼 𐑩 𐑣𐑪𐑮𐑦𐑓𐑦𐑒 𐑥𐑳𐑞𐑼, Provostelle—"

"𐑯 𐑞𐑴 𐑲 𐑥𐑱 𐑚𐑰 𐑚𐑳𐑑 𐑩 𐑕𐑦𐑙𐑜𐑿𐑤𐑼 𐑮𐑧𐑐𐑤𐑦𐑒𐑩𐑯𐑑 𐑯 𐑕𐑪𐑤𐑦𐑑𐑺𐑦 𐑕𐑒𐑪𐑤𐑼, 𐑯 𐑿, 𐑥𐑲 𐑴𐑯𐑤𐑦 𐑑𐑮𐑳𐑕𐑑𐑩𐑛 ·𐑱𐑛, 𐑑𐑩𐑜𐑧𐑞𐑼 𐑢𐑦𐑞 𐑞 𐑦𐑯𐑓𐑦𐑯𐑦𐑑 𐑓𐑨𐑒𐑩𐑤𐑑𐑦, 𐑢𐑰 𐑸 𐑷𐑤 𐑚𐑦𐑒𐑳𐑥 𐑯𐑧𐑕𐑦𐑕𐑺𐑦 𐑧𐑤𐑦𐑥𐑩𐑯𐑑𐑕 𐑝 𐑞 𐑜𐑽𐑟 𐑞𐑨𐑑 𐑛𐑮𐑲𐑝 𐑞𐑦𐑕 𐑜𐑮𐑱𐑑 𐑥𐑭𐑒𐑦𐑯𐑩 𐑦𐑯 𐑞 ·𐑥𐑦𐑛𐑤𐑲𐑑 ·𐑛𐑰𐑐!" Provostelle had tossed the small bottle away by now, shattering it as she twirled and throwing her arms wide open at the end of her impassioned speech.

"...That’s an impressive tail o’ shit you got dragging behind you," her Aide threw in out of nowhere.

"Why—I never, Aide!" That finally got a rise out of her, pulling up her trailing robe to reveal a scaled tail which she coiled back underneath. "You know I bathe regularly! Auld as I am… I'm still a lady!"

"First off, no. Old, not auld. It's pretentious, just like your flip flop vocabulary."

…

Something just happened, outside of her purview. Provostelle didn't know whether to be appalled or ecstatic. So, she opted for her good ol' stopgap, "𐑜-𐑜𐑪𐑛𐑛𐑨𐑥 𐑓𐑳𐑒𐑦𐑙 𐑒𐑨𐑮𐑩𐑑𐑕… 𐑩𐑣𐑧𐑥,” and a flippant snap of a finger sounded off, but when it did nothing, she snapped again and again. And over and over, repeatedly and so insistently, as if the desired results were a stalled passing of a second away. After moments of creeping denial, she put two and two together, her eyes wide in realisation as she turned to face him properly now. The inexplicable had happened, the one thing she thought impossible, and it excited her to the fibers of her being. Though to save face, she barely managed to contain her enthusiasm as the telltale rhythmic tapping of her foot and tail betrayed her elation and fascination. Her trusty Aide so graciously let the scene play out. It never did end well to interrupt her when she was like this, which was all the time.

“You… You told my phrasing just now, didn't you?” She said with an impressed wag of a finger. “Hahaha! A lowly Aide such as yourself, now on my level! Quite impressive given your previous station. Next harvest isn't until next century. I trust that you've made a record with the proper documentation?" The giddy grin on her face was showing as she rambled.

"Second, I did; I’m better than on your level—I’m free. Free as can be, baby,” he boasted with blithe spectral finger guns.

"W-what!?" She turned her head sharply toward him with a glare as sharp as daggers.

“Also, next century is in four months; and I stopped caring a long time ago. all in that order," her Aide replied, blithely picking his nose.

It was silent for a time as the moment seemed to stretch on. Then the chamber turned stale and crisp as stifling ozone condensed from the swirling static that raced in the air. For her anger brimming at the seams, electricity bled out to strike every nook and corner, the tower itself seeming to shudder at the chance that its turn to fall into the inky chasm and join its brethren was at hand.

And yet, he was indifferent. The small storm all but struck him and left him unscathed

"About time you heard me right," he waved off all blasé, disposing of the goobers he had dug with a flick of his pinkie.

Even as she went through the motions of her tantrum, it all seemed for naught now. Through thick and thin, they had endured it all. But now, he was different and so was she. However yet brilliant, she had turned into a twisted and hollow shell of her former self, distracted by every single glint of light or shifting pattern that came to eye. And he had stayed with her for too long now. The first to follow and the last to stay. He was the only one left. This was the end of their time together.

"You-you-you imbecilic welp!" Provostelle had managed to tide her raging emotions in, though her voice remained as roiled and hysteric as the storm she had kicked up. “Well, you should have! How will we ever celebrate now!?"

"𐑿'𐑼 𐑩 𐑣𐑪𐑮𐑦𐑚𐑩𐑤 𐑥𐑳𐑞𐑼," he defiantly countered.

“You didn’t even say it the same this time ‘round! Now, I know you’re just fucking with me!…”

Patience was relative, but with her taking this attitude, it would need the compensation of big strong feet and the huge ass truck to match.

"Grrr, I'm a great... whatever it is you said!"

"And a terrible listener."

Then she stopped to rewind the conversation's backlog and ponder, teasing out any gunk from her ear and then clasping a hand to it as a cup. "Then why don't you stop pussyfooting and tell it to me straight?"

Seeing her figuratively pull hairs at this point called a bit of an amused grin out from him.

"Third, I'm leaving."

...

An empty silence settled.

...

...

“𐑯?”

"Lastly, I'm taking her with me."

She had finally taken notice of the child, swaddled in his arms. Provostelle had conceived the idea long long ago—a gambit she would have once bet everything on once upon a time. But it was a fool’s hope she had quickly abandoned. Not ever, never-ever-ever did such recourse ever occurred to her again since. The ridiculous notion caused her to stumble and stutter madly, cradling her crumbling wits about her like never before or since. The spire itself seemed to shudder once more in her renewed throes. But Aide did not worry. When she finally composed herself, her eyes turned stiff, with which she regarded him dully yet undividedly. And then she laughed.

“𐑓𐑻𐑕𐑑, ·𐑥𐑪𐑯𐑸𐑒 𐑤𐑰𐑝𐑟, 𐑕𐑵𐑯 𐑨𐑓𐑑𐑼, ·𐑨𐑥𐑚𐑮𐑴𐑟 𐑨𐑟 𐑢𐑧𐑤, 𐑯 𐑞𐑧𐑯 𐑞 𐑳𐑞𐑼𐑟 𐑓𐑪𐑤𐑴 𐑦𐑯 𐑛𐑮𐑴𐑝𐑟... 𐑯𐑬, 𐑿 𐑑𐑵.” His bald-faced defiance had crossed her mind once or twice before, but she never in her wildest visions did she think this would come to pass. The incredulity of it all was a riot, but she couldn’t bring herself to laugh. “𐑞𐑧𐑯 𐑐𐑮𐑱 𐑑𐑧𐑤, 𐑢𐑪𐑑 𐑢𐑦𐑤 𐑚𐑦𐑒𐑳𐑥 𐑝 𐑬𐑼 𐑤𐑦𐑑𐑩𐑤 𐑐𐑧𐑑 𐑐𐑮𐑪𐑡𐑧𐑒𐑑, 𐑘𐑹 𐑕𐑑𐑵𐑐𐑦𐑛 𐑸𐑒 𐑯 𐑞 𐑻𐑗𐑦𐑯 𐑿 𐑐𐑦𐑒𐑑 𐑳𐑐 𐑑 𐑢𐑪𐑗 𐑴𐑝𐑼 𐑦𐑑 𐑷𐑤, 𐑣𐑥𐑥𐑥?”

“W-wha—!? How’d you know about... Nevermind, they’ve got nothing to do with you, not anymore.” Aide shifted his gaze to the precious gift of life he held tight in his arms, his eyes darkly hidden by hood somehow bleeding concern.

“Will you at least look at her, just once!?” He begged, pleaded with her to show even a ghost of concern or sympathy.

…

Her silence was telling enough. And his answer told Provostelle she needed to know. The fool was just winging it, and he had not the proper insight to see this through. She couldn’t stand the sight of him… nor herself any longer.

"𐑚𐑭, ·𐑑𐑮𐑵𐑚𐑺𐑯... 𐑑𐑱𐑒 𐑣𐑻 𐑦𐑓 𐑿 𐑢𐑪𐑯𐑑. 𐑢𐑪𐑑 𐑛𐑦𐑓𐑼𐑩𐑯𐑕 𐑢𐑫𐑛 𐑖𐑰 𐑥𐑱𐑒..."

Such an emotionless dismissal was the final nail for him. He knew he made the right choice. He carefully set the child on the floor before picking up the rest of his belongings and personal affects, a veritable trove worth a home to be sure. And when he was finished with his final check, he picked her up.

He turned around for one last look—throw the barb one last time.

"𐑣𐑪𐑮𐑦𐑚𐑩𐑤 𐑥𐑳𐑞𐑼... "

“Broken record…”

The door slammed shut. Footstep after footstep, his presence faded. He was gone.

...

...

"You’ll be back," she chuckled. "𐑢𐑦𐑞 𐑜𐑫𐑛 𐑒𐑳𐑥𐑐𐑩𐑯𐑦, 𐑯𐑴 𐑤𐑧𐑕… " And so, she returned to her stone of dazzling lights. “And now let us see, how she is faring. 𐑢𐑦𐑞 𐑜𐑫𐑛 𐑒𐑳𐑥𐑐𐑩𐑯𐑦, 𐑯𐑴 𐑤𐑧𐑕… 𐑞 𐑦𐑯𐑕𐑱𐑖𐑩𐑚𐑩𐑤 ·𐑥𐑧𐑮𐑜𐑴 𐑦𐑟 𐑧𐑝𐑼 𐑕𐑴 𐑒𐑘𐑫𐑼𐑾𐑕 𐑑 𐑒𐑨𐑗 𐑳𐑐 𐑪𐑯 𐑧𐑯𐑦 𐑕𐑹𐑑 𐑝 𐑐𐑮𐑪𐑜𐑮𐑧𐑕.”

Gaze unwavering. Focus, single-minded. Spark, all but faded... save for the feeling that curled her lips into a funny grin.

“One hell of a reckoning is in store… isn’t it?”

Another fading entity, standing atop her tower in the Midlight Deep.

It was another bright and early day in Ponyville. A warm and radiant sun hung in the blue sky's canvas, having just started its course. Vestiges of last night's chill yet lingered in the air with sprinkles of dew still clinging to the leaves and grass. And the birds chirped a sing-song tune to the pleasure of the few commuters up at this time of day. But this was not just any song. Though the birds that sang were about as ordinary as the common sparrow or finch you're bound to find in any field or glen, the pony they were following was somepony special—or rather, somepony peculiar, even for a resident of a town such as this. They had followed her from her home, and were singing a most grateful song of birdsongs.

And along to their tune, Fluttershy hummed a quiet unassuming response, as she set about her day.

Most ponies knew about her by now, if not the other way around. Good pony, great with animals although not much of a talker. Of all the ponies to be out and about in town, mingling with fellow townies, it was rare of sorts to see her up and about this early. And yet, her eyes were crisp and lucid with purpose. She nodded meekly to the few hello's and hi's offered to her as best as she could. And her stride spoke of its usual demure elegance with hooffalls that barely made a sound. Her bright pink mane flown long and hung slightly in the breeze of her trot, some locks coming to rest over her meek cream wings and the longer end nearly touching cobblestone when she stopped to appreciate the birdsong.

She wore saddlebags today, embossed in the image of her cutie mark, a trio of butterflies. As she walked, anyone close enough could hear the telltale sound of gold bits jingling within, a sure mark for any would-be thieves. Though truly, Ponyville was the furthest place in all of the land to find peoples cut from such cloth. Were there any at all, her long-eared escort vigilantly perched on her back would have alerted her and all nearby of any ne'er-do-wells looking to pinch her of coin. And surely, she was an easy mark, but the well-being of his mistress was a matter of juicy carrots and fresh greens, the keystones to his lifestyle. So yeah, over his dead fluffy body.

It was another bright and early day in Ponyville. A quick check the prior night had revealed that certain stocks of feed were running low. The usual suspects as it were; hay bales, bulk birdseed, assorted grains for the more fanciful palettes, chaff and woodchips for nesting, special requests for expectant mothers, and tummy medicine, among other medicines, for Mr. Bear and his friends, who were nose deep in all sorts of oddities and delicacies out of the Everfree, specimens that would send most ponies straight to Ponyville Gen—a cursory thump had struck her back as she had taken a short break to appreciate the serenade around her and lost her thoughts down her errand list. And she should be reminded, lest she forget the most important item, Angel's personal stash. Missing out on that would be a crisis unto itself...Speaking of Angel, a quick glance had advised that her tempestuous ward had hopped off and was posturing quite irately at her feathered groupies, a paw clenching into a cute fist. It was clear from all his gesticulating that he wanted the birds gone, or at least they cut with their racket. Clearly the performance they had given as they left their cottage had been enough for him.

"Um, Angel. Mr. Finch and his flock are just awfully grateful that they had a place to stay over the winter. We couldn't just leave the poor dears out in the cold after they missed their migration window," Fluttershy excused for the birds.

She hoped he would see the sense of their plight, and that compassion would appeal to some dormant buried generosity. Yet, buried deep it was, indeed. That only earned her a tug on her mane and more lip from the moxied bunny, lip that made its own lick of sense.

"O-oh, um...yes, that's also true." Then she turned to the birds, curtly bowed, and immediately made way for the market, offering an apology in her stride. "I'm so sorry, everyone, but Angel gets cranky if we don't get first pick on his favorite veggies in time." Said bunny promptly jumped back onto his perch, and shot the birds a certain gesture of explicit offense which he used to pull down an eyelid in a raspberry, leaving them perplexed where they perched throughout the street.

Fluttershy felt rather embarrassed, her cheeks flushing up quite a bit. She couldn't help herself when it came to Angel. He was a young dear whom she had raised as a kit. As an only child of sorts, he definitely needed some lessons in being friendly, but also she feared what effects a sterner hoof might have on the growing bunny.

And yet, something else was on her mind at the moment.

Last night, she had appraised herself of what sundries would be in stock this market week, but another headline towards the front of the paper had caught her eye to say the least. Something that had been bugging her since last night, and if she was honest, it had been bothering her ever since—

"Hey, watch it!"

The yowl came out of nowhere as Fluttershy bumped into another commuter and took her bag of goods down with her. Indeed, she should have watched herself. Now her ears folded back rather sharply with heated embarrassment, each shattering glass pushing it down sharply against her head.

"Agh, now look what you did!" The offended mare whinnied as she prodded the shattered jars then flicked jams that issued forth with an equally offended hoof.

And so Fluttershy beheld her transgression, three or four jars of jam had broken and spilled out its contents. A wasted heap of processed fruit, glass, and dirt, all smeared on the cobblestone. A nearby cleaner pony had seen the commotion and so approached to clean the mess up. The two mares left him to his work and made off to the side, to settle the account.

Though far from settling anything or even standing up for herself, the meeker pegasus simply folded inward. In spite of Angel's apparent squeaks of encouragement, she bowed her head and offered apology after apology like a broken record player. More than flushed, she felt her cheeks burning a mad red about now as she braced for the inevitable scolding she so rightly deserved. But surprise cooled that mad blush of shame when the tirade never came, and Fluttershy dared to crane her head up, looking past the curtain of her mane.

It was a peculiar predicament of positioning with the mare standing eastward and the rising sun behind her, making it hard to look at her straight. And though reflexes compelled her to turn away, both by light and the shyness she was known to be given to, she at least wanted to make it right. It was one matter to be bad at meeting others and socializing, but it appalled her more so to do wrong by another pony and not try to make amends.

Fluttershy squinted as much as she could, hoping she didn't look a fool. Though that was probably already foregone. Past the morning light, she could hardly see the face of the one she had transgressed. She had expected an angry scowl, the furious glare of an upset grin, the righteous curve of down tugged brows, or some other sign that told of clear disapproval. At least one of those she expected to peek past the sunlight. But none of those she had observed. All she could make out was that the mare in question neither seemed angry nor upset. At least, not anymore.

Rather she looked concerned or even troubled at the mere sight of her, her eyes holding a smidge of apprehension in them. As if she had seen a ghost and was mere moments from hightailing herself away. Yet neither of them did, both stood shaky ground. Instead of making herself scarce, and before Fluttershy could get a better look at her, the mare turned away and pulled the hood of her cloak up, just as an idle cloud drifted in before the sun to afford her that better look. Later on, she would ponder in hindsight and wonder how such a cloak could ever maintain the dim anonymity of its shade so well, even in good Ponyville sun, yet hold eyes so well-lit and vivid. Enchantments, likely. Though just a guess.

Guess or no, the meek mare couldn’t live it down. Not when she was in the wrong.

“Umm, Miss… A-about your jam—”

"Nevermind, i-i-it's no big deal..." The other mare finally spoke in hushed familiar tones of her own, turning away.

The introvert within Fluttershy sighed, seemingly off the hook, but the mare had nearly slipped on some jelly that smeared her hoof as she turned to walk away. Fluttershy, though momentarily hesitant, reached out and helped her up to proper footing, grabbing her by her lightly muddied cream hoof.

"No, no, it isn't! I'm so sorry for wasting your food. A-and oh—they looked delicious, too... Are those from the Apples? The Mulberries? Or maybe Sugarcube Corner? Though I’m sort of partial to the Muscobados…”

Even as she made to guess where the wasted product came from, the mare before her turned flummoxed and only grew ever more so, a complete one-eighty to her initial disposition. Almost distressed even.

“C-come on! Just give it up and we can both be on our way—!”

Oh my! The poor mare herself had even started shuttering!

“Please, that j-just isn’t fair to you… I need to make it up to you somehow."

Concern for her honest mistake occupied the forefront of her mind, but some part of her grew surprised that she asserted herself at all, and with a stranger at that. Normally, others would be put off by her extreme meeknesss by now and they would both be sucked into the awkward spiral of the non-conversation to follow, ending with the other leaving Fluttershy to stand as a sullen statue. Certainly, this was still an awkward spiral of sorts, though for her, a proper conversation alone was nigh uncharted territory… But this time, something was different.

"Oh, clumsy me, w-where are my manners! I'm F-F-F-Fluttershy."

"N-n-no, really, Fluttershy. I-i-it's no big deal," the mare returned, even pulling her hoof away in her own turn of shyness. But Fluttershy clung on by miraculous strength, pinning the mare at the spot. Perhaps she found some strength to spare when the mare managed to hear her in spite of her whispered volumes. And so came out another excuse. “I’ll just buy some more next month.”

The implication only bothered her even more. The thought that she had just ruined this hardworking mare’s reward to herself was the straw that broke the workhorse’s back.

"T-that’s even WORSE. Oh, dear me, I’m a terrible pony—wasting your perfectly good jam. No, this just won't do! I-I can't let this be without doing something..."

She let up on her hold a bit, just enough to consider how to make it up to the mare. Turning this way and that in search of anything that could quickly remedy the situation, she quickly regarded her saddlebags, considering the obvious solution that jingled from within.

"Ooooooh, here’s an idea—why don't i make it up to you at the market? I'm actually headed there right now."

Taken aback by the uncharacteristic enthusiasm bubbling off of her, the other mare weighed her options this for a moment. Although from beneath her cloak, it was hard to parse what exactly she thought of the suggestion. She did fidget in place a bit, but that wasn’t much of a tell for Fluttershy, so new to the social game herself.

And after what seemed to be a protracted silence, she mustered what courage she had and turned to face her.

"O-oh, alright. That sounds... nice,” the other replied with a simple nod.

Fluttershy was surprised! She was ecstatic! As much as she could be, that is. She was grinning from ear to ear—or it felt like she was, her excess giddiness also escaping as some off-hoof squeak. Motioning the way to the market, she even dared a bit to step out of her comfort zone. Though arguably, having talked this much and given her own name first already attested to that.

“Oh… umm. I didn’t get your name, by the way…” She asked as assertively as is she could with volume barely past whisper.

Herself coming out of her own shell, the other mare couldn’t help but crack a wry smile, “𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦.”

…

…

She didn’t get that at all! Although, hearing it gave Fluttershy courage enough. Perhaps this was what it was like to be in other's horseshoes. It was like talking to an echo. A very soft and nearly silent one.

The walk was pleasant enough. Not short by most measures, but it had taken a bit of time, having begun their leisurely canter at Promenade Street. She did live at the very edge of the Everfree Forest after all, a detraction to most that crossed the cottage clear off the list, yet almost seemed heaven-sent to her. The old mare who used to live there never had a problem with that, though she did have to move closer to family on account of her years coming on. Somewhere by the sea, if she recalled her saying correctly… On the other hoof, that also meant being the furthest from the market, hence the long walks when these trips came, but that didn’t bother her. Neither did it seem to bother her newfound companion, who oddly kept her cloak up. She must not be a morning person, nor a people pony.

‘Maybe she lives close to the edge of town too… Or maybe, she’s just staying with a friend nearby,’ Fluttershy thought.

Unfortunately for her, it eventually reached the point that she had been dreading all along… stretches of time filled with nothing but an uncomfortable silence! The air seemed to thicken as a stifling gloam between them, an inexplicable sort of awkwardness she had never figured out to dig herself out of.

'Oh, this was different from earlier... Speak up, will you!?'

Social doldrums such as this were beyond her, and she couldn’t help but feel pathetic for boring her newfound companion. Any normal pony would have struck some small talk by now, and it made her skin crawl with goosebumps all over, that she couldn’t manage something even a normal pony could do. If only Rainbow Dash were here, she’d know what to say.

“Hey,” the mare behind her called, rubbing something in her eye. “You alright, Fluttershy?”

“Oh—! Y-y-yes, I’m alright. J-just a bit lost in thought, is all—silly me!” A sheepish Fluttershy returned with what composure she could hold herself together. She hadn’t noticed her own straining till now, but if her companion had ever caught on, well… that would have been even more embarrassing, and she didn’t actually know if the mare had picked up on the signs, which only took her for a real anxious loop.

“Ahah… Is that so?" Her companion chortled knowingly, then pulling a playful hoof up to her head in a faux pas lookout pose. "Well then, that explains it. This is nowhere near the market.”

"What!?"

She pointed her hoof to the landmark off several blocks away yet in plain sight, the distant blare of the Ponyville Express nearly yaking her head off her neck as she turned. “Train station, right? Means this is the opposite side of town from the market.”

The realization caused Fluttershy to turn around every which way and actually take stock of their surroundings. Apart from seeing some tall ritzy boutique just a stone’s throw away and that nice spa she once fancied trying but hadn’t found again, she didn’t recognize the area much. She had only been here once before, and had yet to commit the town's general layout to memory—that is, apart from her usual route to the market and the occasional trips to town hall. How had she forgotten such memorable landmarks at all?

“Oh-no-no-no-no, w-where are we now? Ooh, I-I-I-I should have been paying more attention,” Fluttershy groaned in self rebuke, skittering in her hooves this way and that. “Angel Bunny, why didn’t you tell me we weren’t heading the wrong way?” She deflected to her ward, though in no way presuming a hint of blame, for she was far from that type of pony.

The bunny in question, however, seemed even farther away from Equestria than she was. His gaze remained squarely locked onto the second comer whom he had decidedly disapproved of rather absolutely with a furrowed brow and crossed forearms. He had been silent since they started walking, neither budging nor fidgeting in place as he usually did. And rather than listening to a word she said, instead he had kept an eye peeled for the cloaked mare who trailed behind them, twice as vigilantly than he had done so with those feathered groupies prior.

“Pffffff!—Ahahahahahahaha!”

The situation only made their companion chortle out some more, almost to the point of making a scene. It did certainly attract a few glances, more ponies now up and about than a while or so ago. Although her laughter only made Fluttershy retreat into her mane as she was known to do, caressing one hoof shyly with the other while wearing that dole grimace ponies oft remembered of her.

“Hahahah, so that’s how it’s gonna be, is it?” She scratched the back of her head, seeing the dour look on her face.

After a bit of rummaging in her own bag, she brought out a couple of fat scrumptious-looking carrots and offered it to Angel Bunny.

“Here, a pick-me-up. Though I take it you’d rather the wee tyke have it all for himself, right?” She stretched out a hoof towards her ward, who seemed to ignore the peace offering. Fluttershy’s confusion abated at the gesture, quite to her relief. But her embarrassment remained as the bunny unabashedly left the other mare hanging, the peace offering an outstretched bunny paw short of claimed.

“A-Angel, why don’t you be a good bunny and take the nice gift?” And looking at them herself, they didn’t look bad at all.

Fluttershy had been to the market enough times now. She was never that picky with her food, and while she didn’t know any better, she’d guess these ones were up there with gourmet cultivars usually reserved by those expensive restaurants near the train station, if not a notch or grade above. Earth ponies and their magick were amazing like that. Veggies around those price ranges tickled her taste buds awfully yet were far beyond her budget. Angel had to be reminded of the cost from time to time. Still the regular warning would slip his mind, and he would badger her into buying mounds and mounds for his stash without fail—more than a bunny could ever want, come time for errands. And equally without fail, Fluttershy simply would counter his persuasions of such needs with a cursory reminder at her skinny purse and the moths that would scatter from it. Her personal coffers were separate from the budget set aside for her business, after all. But that difference mattered little to a hangry bunny. And if such difference ceased to matter… well then, funds on the whole would never recover. A taste for the finer things, however, did ever bring with it such temptations. And presently, two tubers of such finer things were dangled right before his pink nose. Even then it amazed her that he didn’t even so much as flinch. She swore that they shimmered in the day, an indulgent snack she’d go as far to consider. And yet, Angel simply stared the mare down, the proverbial olive branch seemingly out of his tunneled vision. But would his tastes change if he were to accept them, or could she risk it just this once?

Regardless, Fluttershy knew it was rude to leave the pleasant offer of such tasteful sundry up in the air. Perhaps it was time to practice a sterner hoof.

“Now, now, Angel Bunny," she said in the harshest tone she could manage. "Our new friend is offering you something even better than what you usually have at home. A-at least, I think it is… It’s not nice of you to ignore a gift like that, even if it's just a couple of carrots.”

And even with her nudging, he remained steadfast. The other mare came up closer and egged him on, bringing the carrot up close to his teeth. But even that did not see him falter. The sight of his steadfastness teased a hearty chuckle from both of them, surprising Fluttershy with the mirth shared between them. Oh, bunnies and their stubborn ways. Or perhaps Angel was simply still growing? Was he being overprotective, or just jealous? Both she would say, if you were to quiz her on the spot. Whatever the case, it had well and broken the ice between them. Fluttershy no longer felt that stifling awkwardness and shyness that she was quite literally known by. As if a weight had been lifted.

“Oh my, he’s never ever been like this before,” she managed between her chuckles. "Angel usually takes treats whenever he gets them. Hehe! It’s kinda cute watching him be mad at you!"

The cloaked mare twirled the carrots in hoof deftly after seeing her offer refused.

“Hah, I think the word you want is ‘adamant!’”

It was Angel's loss. Her efforts falling on deaf ears, she stowed the veggies away back in her bag beneath her cloak, opening it up with a wing, Fluttershy now noticed.

“Oh my! So you’re a pegasus who’s good with animals too?” The apparent discovery had brought even greater relief and solace to her, and she felt her cheeks pinch in eager delight. What oodles of trivia and knowhow on fauna would they share and converse about? It tickled her to the bone something fierce! “How long have you been in Ponyville? What other sorts of animals do you take care of?”

...

“Oh, uhmm… No, I just happen to know a few rabbits like him, is all.”

“A-ah, I’m sorry. I-i-I didn’t mean to assume…” The meek mare relented at the correction, though remaining eager and open to learning about her new acquaintance. ‘Oh dear, I thought I was getting the hang of it… But I can’t leave her like this! Like Rainbow always says, ‘I gotta recover!’ She chided herself for this social flub from the get-go. “Ummm, so… Did you just arrive? I actually j-j-just two months ago moved in, and all the people here are so nice too!”

…

Her cloaked companion turned downcast at the query, eyes solemn and lost in thoughts of her own as the curve of her smile gradually flattened to let a sigh escape. “Oh no, no, no, I’m sorry! D-did say something wrong? I didn’t mean to upset you, I just—”

She interrupted with a hoof, allaying the meek mare’s fears. “No, it’s alright. It’s just…” She closed her eyes then smiled wistfully, before taking a breath to calm her nerves. “The past is the past. You just… … reminded of a friend.”

“Oh! Uhmm, so… is you friend living in town?” She asked, hesitant her prying might go too far.

“That’s what I came here for… to find out,” she replied with a gentle glance in return, then sighing again. “But so far, no. I don’t think she’s here anymore”

“Ah, well… Erhmmm… I-i-i’m sorry about bringing up b-bad memories…”

Fluttershy was trying her best! Really, she was. This new place between awkwardness, sorrow, and relief was putting her social compass through the gauntlet! She struggled with what to say and where to look even, eyes anxiously wandering all over her acquaintance’s raggedy attire and finding no place to settle. She was trying to smile assuredly—she knew she was. But it was more than she had intended. That sheepish grin was just Awkward to look at, a capital at that!

“I’m sure you’ll… find your friend, again. W-won’t you?”

…

“Mmmm… I guess I will, someday.” The other mare only chuckled contentedly in return, her own thoughts seeming farther away than Fluttershy realized. Then she straightened her back, turned firm in stature, and the very air around her seemed too change. “Well, I guess there’s no use hiding it, eh? You and your sharp eyes.”

“Uhmm, excuse me, but I didn’t mean to—” The shy mare’s head tilted at her meaning, though her companion went on anyhow, as if she was motioning through schpiel, or some proverbial dam was let loose. Whichever applied.

“Well, that’s the truth! I’m not actually in a… permanent situation. You know… A wanderer? I find nothing shameful about it. It’s just… heavy, I guess." Her stance and tone withered, for it seemed to Fluttershy that her prying really had dredged up a touchy and unhappy subject with her assumption. It was not uncommon for ponies coming of age in the olden days and even a few generations back to strike it out on their own and see what they could make of their cutie mark and their place in wider Equestria. Going by what she had implied, the mare’s travels had taken her all over the country, possibly farther out abroad than she could imagine and possibly even farther still. And yet, as willing as she was to just drop the subject and be on their way, the other mare went on anyhow.

"I spent a lot of time on the road, on my own. Been to a lot of great cities, beautiful places… seen plenty of breathtaking sights. Made many friends… and enemies. Also, my own share of mistakes,” she clarified with an inward look, one hoof pensively pining the ground. Even as the smear stubbornly clung to her hoof like a piece of gum, Fluttershy didn't have the heart to point it out, as the mare spoke in fond yet wistful tones. “Coming home just seemed like a good idea for a change of pace and perspective. And wouldn’t you know it? It feels like I fit in again! Hmm, but no, i don't... not really, not anymore. And to answer your other question, no. I don’t deal with much animals, though I’ve met all kinds of creatures in my travels.”

“O-oh… I see." ’All kinds of creatures’ was a different matter entirely that regardless piqued Fluttershy’s interest, though she wondered how she might broach it. Still she breathed a sigh of relief for having made it out of that awkward spiral somehow.

The other mare then raised the hoof towards Angel, hoping to stroke his chin. “This little guy sort of reminded me of a couple friends I made along the way.”

The gesture was met with a decisive swipe and a tight pinch on his nose before she could even get near his chin, which earned another chuckle from her and something between a gasp and a guffaw from Fluttershy. “Ohoho, you little stinker! Guess he has no love for this sort of jam."

And before Fluttershy could reprimand the bunny for his audacity, the cloaked mare turned. “Come on, let’s head on over market side. You’ve errands to do, haven’t you?”

“Oh!—umm, yes, I do.”

With a bit of course correction, they veered off from Cantering Boulevard—Fluttershy learned and committed to memory this time—and were nearly at Ponyville Market in less time than they took before.

Though brisker in pace, the walk this time around both covered more ground and was more so pleasant than the last with none of that stifling air about Fluttershy as she and her new found friend trotted along. Or at least that's how she felt. The fact that she held her head up and earnestly soaked in the sights around her was definitely some sort of effect from meeting her. Speaking of such, they had just met not an hour ago, and she was already being so nice to her. She had even helped her back over on the way to the market, even after—

"Oh my! I'm such a featherhead," she quietly chided herself, coming to a stop, and so did her companion, who managed to hear her in spite of her volume.

"Hmm? Is there something wrong?"

"W-well, I nearly forgot that I should be repaying you for wasting your sundries, and yet, you’re the one leading the way, and helping me back to the market," Fluttershy confessed with a worried hoof to her cheek.

"Hey, hey. That's alright, Shy. It really is no problem," she replied a matter of factly with a wave of her hoof, before gradually returning to a brisk trot towards the market and urging the meek mare to follow. "Next month is in four days, anyhow. And really, those were much at all. Nothing I can't get back again with a bit of hustle. Though if you're really so inclined to do right by me, then how could i say no?"

To hear such candid words pierce through her nigh insufferable shyness and have an effect on her. It was almost as if she could see a helping hand stretched out to her.

"Now, come on. The crowds are yet to swell."

And so, she made to follow.

Into Ponyville Market they went, though a fair bit later than Fluttershy had intended. The place was situated in a rather wide field; a loosely arranged oblong of well-trod dirt and stone that ended from the thoroughfare of Red Leaf whose end it mainly flanked, surrounded by tall grass at the edge of town. Most of the stalls had finished up by now, and the freshness of greens, the zest of fruits, and the grease of fried goods mixed well and wafted aloft for all to sample. The myriad aroma attracted market goers, bulk buyers, and passerby alike; in and around, over and across, up and down the place, which and however ways, and only ever out when they had their fill.

Along the perimeter in carts, stalls, and several well-shaded outlet fronts were set up, displaying all the produce the honest Ponyville farmers had toiled in their fields and gardens for. These offerings they presented to the town's good citizens and the many mouths from all over.

Their varied selection ranged from far and wide. From the regular offerings of yams, zucchinis, regular beans, mung beans, okra, bananas, mangoes, brussel sprouts, artichokes, and eggplants, to bell pepper, so many types of mushrooms, grapes, berries of all kinds, melons both wet and not, corn, oats, wheat, wheat flour, and the various crop grain that grew in their rich soils. Equally diverse were the pricier produce and spices that were imported from lands all over, including pepper, soybeans, turmeric, star anise, amaranth, lotus root, leeks, snake beans, griffonian ginger and garlic, vine spinach, banana hearts, cinnamon, calabash, passion fruit, papaya, lychee, star fruit, guava, vanilla, nutmeg, ginseng, bay leaves, and even more than they could commit into memory.

And there to the west of the marketplace stood a different section, outlets reserved for seasoned growers who fancied a hoof at raising specialty crop and some of the more exotic imports, such as dragon fruit, jack fruit, athelas, old toby, southern star, rowa and golden rowa, arteria, yelough grapes, durian, coconuts, and even several produce that didn't quite have Equestrian names yet, such as ampalaya, dokong, pechay, herba, paupu, rambutan, ube, and muscmaloi.

Across over to the east stood the mainstay vendors who all worked from sturdy pillared outlets. There they parked their drawn carts among the display stands and brought in the staple produce of town, such as pumpkin, pears, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, and apples.

And sandwiched on the south side, there even stood the lone local fishmonger catering to the burgeoning number of non-ponies who lived in and around town, as well individuals who uniquely held such tastes or dared to be curious. However, the sale of fish and seafood, import-based and yet a recent addition of about three or so years, still easily put off those of queasy constitution, i.e. most Ponyvillians. So, it was the odd one out along the perimeter for having been granted its own well-ventilated solid red brick store front with state-of-the-art refrigeration. By now, the immediate area of the establishment had attracted its own frequent flock of gulls circling above and perching about the place. That and the faint scent of entrails mixing with a touch of saltwater wafting from the pipe running into the forest made it reminiscent of the sea. A piece of a port town deep in the heart of Equestria.

It was a lush and bountiful sight to behold such a harvest that came ‘round this time of year nearly without fail since the town was founded, which no doubt spoiled residents and visitors for choice with much gusto. And for those who grew peckish on the spot, market goers could veer straight to the northwest, where fry hawkers, various vendors, and eateries in general took any and all of the town's waning produce and turned them into some the tastiest dishes and most curious snacks around, such as sugary yam pops, minty cool pumpkin crepes, delicious split banana fans, milky heart salads, and so much more.

But far be it for Ponyville Market to only offer foodstuffs and trinkets others could easily replicate, otherwise it would be just like any other old marketplace. More than just bread basket of the nation, it had so much more to offer.

Over there in the middle of it all stood a myriad of other shops as well, rising into the shape of its own not so mini-landmark within the market itself. Just like the fish shop, there was a small if dedicated complex there; two three-story rises with all sorts of different businesses attached to various floors, the lot of them crowning the marketplace as twin centrepieces. It was this specific arrangement that ensured a nigh looping current of window-shopping and potential buys, flowing in and out between their outlets and the produce stalls that surrounded. The fancy construction had even sported a few short bridges that spanned the gap across the second and third floors, the very top from which you could see most of town, giving Townhall and the Golden Oaks Library a run for their bits. Quite an accomplished and venerable menagerie, with many a sight and set piece to behold. If any out-of-towners had yet denied their surprise of such a landmark arrangement in a backwater town such as this, they would be caught lying on the spot and coaxed into admittance over a pint or two.

At the bottom level, horticulturists had laid out a veritable garden about their flower shops, varied with specimens, vivid of hues, vivifying by scents, and viewtiful in arrangements.

Next, furniture shops had not only set odd curios, books on shelves, and vases filled with flowers to emulate a homey ambience, but had also accustomed their pets to lounging around leisurely and help attract buyers; an inventive ploy to be sure, even if it had mostly drawn pet lovers. Though Fluttershy had been too shy to approach them before on account of the crowds. One doubled as a book shop, one where she had somehow managed to buy a few novels.

In a few shops on the second floor, local jewelers had splayed out their treasure troves boldly with tiny spotlights and mirrors that glistened them even in bright sun, all within careful watch of the roving market deputies.

Equally precious were the impressive assortments of sweets and treats presented out by Ponyville's consortium of burgeoning startup confectioners, which made up a heathy portion of the outlets across both complexes.

And where there were sweets, there were bound to be toys for children to fancy, from knick-knacks and set ups for foals to the usual affair of doll sets, dress up costumes, boardgames, puzzles, action figures, and even those fancy new gameboy gadgets that were all the rage over in the East Coast.

Yet that was far from it all.

Exactly opposite to the flower shops, to the steady rhythm of hammer, file, knifework, wash, and polish, the farriers and hoof care workers milled and toiled with stations at the ready and a mini-furnace ablaze, tending to a line of hooves and a fair number of talons at affordable market prices.

In another bustling outlet, market goers bid and haggled for items that ranged from the mundane to the rare, exotic, and occasionally bizarre at second hand stores and novelty shops, their crafty owners securing unusual stock from off nation by witty negotiation, reach of network, or just good ol’ surplus.

Not to be left behind, there were even a few peculiar shops that catered to strange combinations.

One store called Sweet Tooth doubled as a dentist clinic and a candy shop, a combination that seemed counterintuitive yet thrived in spite of expectations, though most hardly questioned how.

And on the other end of the scale was the completely dull Quills and Sofas, its unexciting storefront presenting samples of the made-to-order sofas and chairs, as well as the ‘premium’ quills and inks sourced from all over Equestria.

Though the cutest one by far that piqued Fluttershy’s interest had to be this cozy little café on the top floor.

“Beds ‘N Breakfast,” Fluttershy read the sign in a whisper before moving to the small notice on the slant by the receptionist’s podium… ‘Do kindly remember to wash before dining.’ Which in fact she herself had done before leaving home this morning. “This place seems nice, don’t you think?”

Her companion trailed a bit behind, next to the bin just by the stairs and eagerly snacked on the hearty salad that she had bought at ground level.

“Mmmm, scrumptious little thing,” she belched before tossing the paper bowl in.

She promptly caught up with Fluttershy and Angel, who in the meantime had accepted the earlier peace offering and so munched on them while continuing his vigilant watch on their new acquaintance. If the bunny enjoyed it at all, he did well not to show it.

“Oh, now this place makes much more sense. Nice and cozy by the sound of it.”

After vouching for her scruffier-looking companion to the waitress, the pair picked their bed, and promptly took to the menu. To both their mild surprise, they weren't beds at all, but tables draped with thin covers sandwiched between two cushy sofas made to look like beds. And when asked about the establishment’s cute yet odd name, the waiter presented an actual catalog of beds to them from which they could order from the larger main branch in Canterlot.

"Hmm, so that's the set up here. Thanks, but we'll be having just food," her companion dismissed, and the waiter returned to his duties. “You know, I bet you were his first customer today, that last shop. Like who would sell only quills and sofas just because they like quills and sofas?”

“Oh well, maybe he has a relationship with suppliers, or maybe he got the shop from his parents. I'd certainly look after a shop that's been in the family. Or maybe there’s a different reason. We could just ask him. I’m sure he’d tell us over a cup of tea… or maybe another purchase. I wonder if he does cabinets? I think I might need one for the guest room…” Fluttershy surprised herself again! That was another long talk she had managed in her loudest voice without stuttering in a conversation with somepony new. She even went off in a tangent, and had even bought a few quills and a couple inkwells earlier, no trouble whatsoever. She was on a roll today!

Her companion replied as she filled both their cups from a pitcher, before partaking of the complementary nuts that had been brought to their table. “Well, it’s not a sofa, so I doubt it. Why look for not a sofa in ‘Quills n’ Sofas?"

Before going on, she pressed down on the fluff of the sofas that they were sitting on.

"You know, I bet they got these from him. Guess a franchise cafe is as big a customer gets, huh? And if it’s any sign, his cutie mark tells me it’s a hand-me-down business. But still—a quill on a chair for a cutie mark! What’s with that?”

Fluttershy quirked her own head at the thought, something that had often crossed her mind many times before. Although she had stopped short of ever asking, not just out of decency and politeness, but mostly since she never could muster the courage until now.

“Well, we could always go back with some nice hot tea and politely ask him!” The meek pegasus suggested eagerly, to which Angel bunny feigned to vomit before nibbling on the peanuts as well.

“And to that, I politely refuse,” she concurred, gaveling with the fork and knife well in her hooves. “No offense to his cutie mark story, but I’d rather see what the rest of the market has—maybe even the rest of town!”

The answer popped Fluttershy’s bubble, so to speak, but she didn’t deflate for long. She well caught onto the mare’s words and beamed at the prospect of hanging out the rest of the day too. The waiter came to take their orders. Pen and notepad well in telekinetic grip, he jotted down a serving of mushroom soup and a small pumpkin salad for Fluttershy, a large pet-sized serving of ceasar salad for Angel, and a plate of Ponyville Farmer’s Road special mash and a crispy pepper eggplant for… 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦.

She struggled to recall how to say her name, and Fluttershy blushed at the mere thought of asking her the proper pronunciation or spelling. But for now, she took it as a win that she ever remembered her name in the first place. Even the silence they shared as they waited for their food no longer troubled her.

That gave her heart to take lead.

“Umm, so… 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦,” Fluttershy called out, the sound of it seeming foreign yet at home all the same. The mere utterance garnered the cloaked pegasus’s full attention in that very moment, and she turned to her with a face of full-on surprise.

“Oh! I’m sorry,” Fluttershy shrank somewhat. “D-did I say it wrong? Ohh, I’m so, so, so, so, so sorry—I should have asked first—”

“No, it’s alright. You said it just fine..." 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 said with a smile, quickly wiping her face with the napkin before tucking to her collar. "Lords, hearing it like that made me feel like a kid again.”

Fluttershy quirked her head at the turn of phrase, but quickly dismissed it. 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 had possibly not been back in Equestria for a while now, after all.

“What’s up?”

“W-well, I thought you were an animal pony because you had treats on hoof for Angel, but I guess I was wrong about that…” Fluttershy paced, still a bit shaken. Although her courage renewed when 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 nodded to encourage her. “So, I was wondering if you could tell me about other peoples… a-and maybe some places you visited in your travels. Would that be alright?”

Her friend could only beam a genuine smile, Fluttershy’s growing courage not lost on her. “And please leave out the scary bits! I frighten easy,” she added with a cringe, one eye peeking past the pink locks of her mane.

When she had heard her request in full, her answer was obvious as the smile on her face.

“I’d love to tell you about them. And I’ll try, ahah.”

And so, she began to regale her of stories and peoples from other lands over their meals which had just arrived.

This was a bit late of a breakfast for Fluttershy, or rather it was practically brunch. Right about now, she would have long finished her errands, arrived at home, and snacked on something plain and stale before tending to what chores she could find to do. But she would always leave her dear animal friends with a little extra in their bowls and feeders. So, for now she could rest, assured that they wouldn't go hungry right away, and took great leisure in listening to 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦'𐑟 story, who spoke of places far beyond Equestria.

Most lands she spoke of were desolate and gray with a character of bite and gnaw that matched the roaring heats of the day and the frigid chills of the night, alhtough she assured her that was hardly the most unreasonable thing about. The weather itself now was wild and out of control yet commonplace, and Harmony was a thing unheard of. It was basically a big Everfree—not only in nature, and the hearts of those who lived there. Collectives weren’t all that rare and were formed out of necessity, but tried-and-true countries and efforts at nation-building would never last long in a tumultuous realm. For that, it was normal to become hardened, cruel, and cutthroat. Fluttershy now considered herself truly blessed to be born in Equestria. But that did not mean all that was good was stolen out of those places nor the people who lived there. For there was still beauty and kindness to be found, if one knew where they clung to.

As ruthlessly scoured and broken the lands had become by the elements, mountains still rose and fell, as did hills and cliffs into canyons, valleys, and basins. Scholars studied the earth and the sky, and surmised a great many things of a natural world free of magick; that by its own forces, the land had split up and slowly separated over eons, a dark inhospitable sea filling in the void and a caustic smog cloying the clear view of the skies into a gray haze. From out of those seas, vast pillars of ancient stone emerged, and to their power, all sorts of wild and dangerous lands arose around them, birth and calling to them all sorts of monsters worthy of hunt. And so, Jgads were born. Though that is to say, the maso and mako did not smother every and all things in existence. Wherever it could, pockets of life endured, and there, plants still grew in great bounty as did thrive many animals, all to their own hardy adaptations and dangerous niches. And while the vast number of the inhabitants were simply out for themselves, many a far folk here and there still clung to espoused ideas of more civil times like kindness, generosity, and hope, concepts the calloused masses would scoff off as fantasies or trifles that got you killed.

One such peoples were scorched black by time and magick itself, yet also equivocally blessed by it as well. They were among the most ancient of races, and a rather secretive one at that, for you could never pin them down to single form or shape. They could be the kindest folk you ever met, but were also capable of great cruelty. Such peoples though were now far and few between, for their civilization had largely been lost to dusts of time.

Then there were the heritors, a varied collection of beings who stood proud and tall, making up for their by and large absence of any sort of magickal aptitude with the sheer force of their technological prowess. They had conquered countless obstacles and overcome many a limitation in their auld existence, their reputation inspiring both fear and awe. Though she had less said of those who flocked to them, these vassals to follow were no small footnote themselves, peoples worthy of their own legends; such as tinkering mice who built a city of machina and many a wondrous gadget; towering wood folk adept in great hunts and of keen ear who begrudgingly left their precious ancestral woods; short stout canines who were known for their intellect and deft aptitude in the magickal and mystic arts; and lizardkin renowned for their great strength, hardiness, and a rumoured lineage to dragons.

"But don't ever call them that!" 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 quickly interjected. "They hate being called 'lizards'."

There were many more races of peoples she had met, though far more numerous than she could tell over their meals. And so, she continued briskly and tersely as she could, her travels taking her over many lands and countries, meeting the vast arrays of peoples living there. Some she had already spoken of in detail, others only briefly mentioned. And after a great ordeal she opted to gloss over, even when 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦' came to the point where she had set her compass homeward, she met more peoples still. There in that seemingly neverending desert, she encountered a tribe of swift and hardy crabmen, bound by strict with laws and traditions. And in the great urban ruins that towered after, there dwelled silver reflections that seemed more the most intricate machine of all than living flesh and blood, tinkering away in their towers and studies over dusty tomes and shattered crystals. And here and there were life and toil of livelihood seemed impossible, she met goblin and gremlin scavengers of the most disagreeable disposition, rummaging and eking out their scraps off of rock and bone. And even still, there were more peoples and places she had yet to speak of. She just didn't have the luxury of staying long, nor had she recalled much after that.

𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 had been on the road for more years than she could count at that point. And when she had arrived in Equestria, she just couldn't believe it! So many races and peoples living in harmony! There had been hardly any conflict in seven centuries, and everyone had their fill of food and magick in such a bountiful land so abundant in just about everything.

"And that's about all the places I've been to and peoples i met. Well, as much as i could recall," 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 concluded, twirling the spoon in the grip field of her hoof. "This is real handy, you know! Though kind weird to do without actual fingers. Uh—hey, waitress! Check please. Thanks."

"That was wonderful, 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦!"

The story had left Fluttershy nothing short of entranced, that she even missed that closing off-hoof remark entirely. Although she had thought to correct her on some details about Equestria, she hadn't paid that much attention to history class herself, and so opted not to. And something about those hermits or whatever, and their friends piqued her something fierce, though she couldn't place it.

"I can't believe that so many people live in such places outside Equestria. Nothing short of a miracle even!”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it a miracle. That’s just life out there, you know?” She leveled with the shy mare after getting a refill for their drinks. “I mean, can you imagine… Wait, of course you can’t. That’s why I’m telling you, haha! Lemme order seconds—have I got a story to tell you…”

And so, while they had now been overlong at their table, they persisted a bit more. To Fluttershy’s relief, it seemed like a slow hour at the moment for this nice little café. So, she needn’t feel troubled about hogging the table and indulged a bit more with 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦'𐑟 next tale.

And boy, was it a tale indeed.

There, at that one briny port town o’er by end of some crumbling peninsula, she spoke of long sweltering cues that lasted for days just for some audition or screening—although the fielded position was hardly for some cast in a play or zombies for a doldrum desk job. It was for the critical post of vanguard in a great hunt on the dark and roiling seas! And oh, were they rough sailing for the longest time! The hearty and hale and brave had been called, and many would answer, even in such trying times. Expeditions such as these were not without risk, and by then, they had become terribly rote even—that the young and bold heed call and crashed their lives over the shears and lands unseen and darkened, while the old and faint of heart watched them from ashore. They would shove off on brisk lightless mornings with naught but an oracle’s heading and the bare twinkling of stars. A veritable fleet commissioned for such intrepid adventures such as this! Still, pity for her and her then compatriots, for their rations and meals were always strictly allotted. Bitter times were always expected upon such voyages. But ere long, they’d see trace of their quarries and hunt them to whatever ends—great beasts of the old pillar and monsters of the darkened seas whose powers still called back to the ancient times! More often than not, they would face these fierce creatures on open sea’s harrowing arena and lose comrade and vessel alike; sometimes, favor would bless them with some god-forsaken isle to stand their ground on; and even still, some expeditions would take off for the equally treacherous skies upon ramshackle airships and lead them to great ruins lost among that muddled gray expanse! But to those who stayed the course, persevered, and were favored to see journey’s end, they would be granted rewards of such great labors. Be it the treasures long guarded in safes and vaults lost to the ages, or the various songs, laws, spells, lightworks brandished from the flesh of the beasts themselves!

“Dear me…” Fluttershy cringed deeply at the thought of any sort of hunt, let along lives lost in such endeavors. At some point she had registered how scary these stories all were, yet she could not pry herself away for sheer captivation. And her companion was right, the meek mare could hardly imagine it, even with a first-hand account before her. “It sounds so dangerous.”

Such reminiscences made 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 sigh, losing herself somewhat in the tumble of ice in her glass. “Heh… It is, isn’t it?”

“To be honest if I were in their horseshoes, I’d rather not have to hurt any monsters or beasts if they leave me well enough alone—”

"Heh, knew it. You struck me as the type that wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Uhmm, well... not if they were b-buzzing around my ears, and only then, i'd shoo them off—b-b-but that's not the point! What i mean is... the people there must be very strong and smart, not to mention all the skills and experience they’d need to manage that. Y-you most of all, if you don't mind me saying."

"Heh… Thanks for the compliment," 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 chuckled for the unexpected praise before turning pensive towards the end, crossing in her arms. "You know, I’ve lived there for all my life, and as harsh as they can get, the jgads have become a home for me in a weird, twisted, and deadly way. But…”

She looked out the window, to the streets below.

Fair moods upon commuters with wide grins and hale spirits as they milled about a market abundant of smells, tastes, and trinkets galore. The idyll tunes hung in the air and crept into her heart, but it only made her wistful, a wan smile breaking across her face set firmly down on the table.

“It boggles me just as much… Ponies living out there, in a place like that? And then after a literal pilgrimage, I finally make it here, and I can’t believe it!… Why my folks ever left such a nice enough place like this... I'll never understand."

Fluttershy didn't quite know how to respond, as she finished her soup and wiped her lips with a napkin. So she tried anyhow, offering her best smile. "I'm sure they had good reason… to leave, that is. For better or for worse. And it brought you back here. That’s something to be happy about, I think."

𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 looked into her eyes, as if to stare at the honesty of her soul, and then down to the ice, tinkling in her glass.

...

"Hmm. I guess so."

A waitress approached them with the bill, and 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 absentmindedly took out a small purse with which to pay for the brunch, while staring off into the townscape. And then she surprised Fluttershy with a sobering slap to her own cheeks with both hooves before quickly leaving her side of the bed.

"Yeah, you're right! They wouldn’t want me to be all mopey and weepy like this. They’d tell me to enjoy myself and live it out. I know i've earned it!" She did declare with one hoof clenched as she stood up.

Fluttershy was just about to concur when 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 headed her off.

“You too!” She pointedly declared with a hoof, causing the meek mare to meep at being put in the spotlight. “You’ve just moved into Ponyville, haven’t you, Shy?”

“… Uh, yes. Y-yes, I have.”

“And I’ll hazard a guess that you haven’t really made a circle of friends for yourself yet, huh?” She meeped again then nodded at the estimation that hit the nail fairly well on the head. She knew this new friend of hers was sharp but—

“So, don’t sweat it!” 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 leaned in close.

“Look, you may be a doormat now, but it only takes just a tiny bit of courage to change that. You’re a great pony and will be surrounded by great friends soon enough—and I see that! Don’t go taking in every little derision and shrink back like some spineless patsy. If you ever fool yourself into thinking you’re not good enough and deserve being alone, I’ll give you such an earful enough that you’ll be hearing me from the top of the world!... Got it?”

They were just about nose to nose now, yet Fluttershy could only anxiously nod in spite of her apprehension. For some intrepid courage out from nowhere had wheedled into her heart and now curled her frown it into a grin.

…

“Haha, good to hear!” 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 relented with a hearty laugh and finished the last of her drink. “Come on, the market awaits!"

The pair left the cafe and weaved in and out amidst the growing current of ponies, through nearly every store and stall, perusing their produce and wares, and looking at odd bits and bobs, some more than once and others even more. And even in the middle of all their fun, 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 had conveniently reminded Fluttershy of her errands, which she then quickly settled. With all the feed, requested munchables, and other supplies sought to and squared out, she nodded for the courier stallions to shove off, hauling her bulk purchases over to her cottage, and leave them under the awning by the front.

However, restaurants and eateries from around town—even some from out of town—had definitely come ‘round by now and taken the first and second picks of the produce; that much was clear. So, Angel Bunny had to settle for the thirds, though such a selection was hardly the bottom of the barrel in the nation’s bread basket. Not that he gave Fluttershy much lip this time, luckily for her. His ire was yet fixated on their new friend after all. Even if she wanted to, there was hardly a thing she could do to divert his attention elsewhere, unless it was an emergency, or he turned hungry again all of a sudden. He did seem to enjoy those carrots at the very least.

Needless to say, the two of them were having a grand time, and all within the quaint confines of Ponyville Market. At times she could have sworn they were in the middle of a fete!

All of this and more to the leisurely accompaniment of a live band feeding a flow of exquisite tones into the marketplace with quality enchanted instruments. Along with the orange filly who played her kazoo as instructed by the band for her summer stint, the two lovely scarlet sisters performed in tandem, one striking bongo in a steady summer’s pace as the other winged sister strummed the strings of her guitar with nostalgic grace; the both of them alternating in and out seamlessly and gracefully as they sang a charming song that seemed oddly at home as much as it was foreignly sung.

Then without much interlude, the orange filly dropped her kazoo and picked up a triangle while the winged sister swapped her guitar for a piano as the band shifted to the next song, now playing a much jazzier and far cheerier arrangement than the last, though yet lyricized by the same pensive yet graceful vocals. And unsurprisingly, a crowd of all creatures, some Fluttershy hadn’t even seen before, had gathered in front of the performance, heads propped against one arm aplenty, and sighs and swoons abound for such a soulful performance. It was like the voice of Ponyville belted out in emotion for all to hear.

"Ah! So much to do and see, even in such a small corner of the world! Wouldn't you agree, Fluttershy?" She exclaimed, polishing off a cheesy skewer of fried brussel sprouts before deftly tossing it at a bin, while toting a few of Fluttershy's purchases on her back.

Shy nodded in agreement as she finished the last of the licorice she had bought from that swirly-durly confectioner and her bespectacled bright maned daughter, though she cautioned to assume the relation.

"Though, I think it would have been a lot better if I got this cleaned off my hoof..."

𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 proffered her hoof up for Fluttershy to inspect which the usually meek though now out-of-her-shell pegasus decidedly flinched away from, the smell having turned from the sweet jam she had expected to a sun-dried and well-trodden pungence of odeur de gravier. The cloaked mare then promptly brought it up to her nose and gave it a sniff of her own, to which she jokingly gagged.

"Bleuugh! Whoever's cleaning their dishes is in for a surprise, hah!"

"Oh, you silly," Fluttershy chuckled at the foalish act. "You should have washed it off at the cafe."

As if to compound her laughter, she wagged her hoof about in the air to see if the gooey thing would give and just fall away. And when it didn't, she nodded yonder with a whisper… ‘Hey! Take a look this glint and her little sunshine…’

… Then started a bit where she seemingly inched closer and closer to the nearby bench with an innocent tune in her whistle. The pair seated there, a pink sharp-nose mare and her prim filly with a balloon, both of them wearing this spoiled scowl on their faces were completely unaware of her scheme.

By the time Shy had caught on, the rascal had run her hoof to the rear of their saddle bags with a sly and sloven wipe down, the two ponies none the wiser! And once she returned to Shy, they up and left to join a brown hoof waving at them from above the crowd. And only then did the friends crack out in giggles.

"You cheeky rascal! We’re in a market—there are tissues right over there!" Fluttershy giggled, smiling from ear to ear as she barely pointed to the nearby shake stand at the apparent audacity.

Satisfied with that successful crime against decency, 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦 grinned widely from beneath her hood which had miraculously not come off this whole time.

"Fluttershy, as a… dear friend of mine once said; a little bit of chaos never hurt anyone!"

To which, the meek mare couldn't help but giggle even more. Such precociousness!

"Now then, where were we. Hmm... We were just about to select a most appropriate sending gift to make up for your little morning mishap. As you so insisted, of course," she said rather glibly while standing on tippy hooves and peering out for potential bargains.

Strange how she brought it up again, and yet, Fluttershy didn't even shy away or cringe. It had just happened a while ago, too, and she relished the thought of making it up to her so much, that she wanted to pick out a gift that would just blow that cloak right off her!

"Ohoho, those two stalls over there! Cheaps fries and laxatives—side by side? That’s just hilarious, haha! Why don’t we buy some and chuck it to the gulls?" she prankishly suggested with a hoof to the birds hovering over the fishmonger shop.

"Fries?... laxatives!? Oh my!" The notion of accosting animals like that didn’t strike even strike Fluttershy as appalling as it usually was. The kind mare had even showed a flock of them the way to Ponyville, yet they repaid it on several occasions with a stinker right on top of her—once, right on her very groceries! How rude. Needless to say, it coaxed her into bouts of laughter once more. It was giggles galore for her once more, a grand time indeed!

Such a carefree attitude, this 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦.

"Ahahah! Maybe that’s too mean and crass for you. Why not we just peruse the place a bit more and see what peeks our fancy. You alright with that?"

They had just barely met, and already she had impressed on her quite a lot. Fluttershy could hardly believe it. On most trips she took to the market, she’d have held her head low and kept mostly to herself. Had she not met her, she would have come here and gone back home by now without realizing everything amazing about the seemingly simple Ponyville Market and all the wonderful things it had to offer. How much more about the town had she let pass by? Or even back home in Cloudsdale? In any case, they had met and come together so fortuitously. All the while as they went about the place, she hadn't helped but crack a coy smile. And again now, grinning though somewhat ponderous after all that laughing. If she were honest, she would admit the mixed feelings behind it. There was something about this mare that made her self-conscious, jealous even...or was it envy? 'Both' she would say, if you quizzed her without a generous peek at a dictionary. Whichever it was, she couldn't place a hoof on it. Either way, the sentiment seemed to come from a trivial or even petty place of her mind. Who was she to subject this amicable soul she so serendipitously met to her sudden scrutinies?

"Hey..."

Nopony. Nopony at all. She was just little ol' Fluttershy, having a grand ol’ time with her new friend, 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦.

"Hey," a voice called out again, with a bit of a huff. "You alright, Fluttershy?"

When Fluttershy opened her eyes from all her giggling—abruptly, the grand ol’ time had ended. You could have set a scratch to it

"Fancy bumping into you here."

She was gone. What had remained of the pegasus were the bunny snacks and quill and ink that she was carrying for her on a spot on the ground. Even Angel was left flabbergasted, his beady eyes grasping for every when, where, and how all at once after having taken his sights off her for one single moment.

Instead, she saw Rainbow Dash who had trot over with bit of a perplexed look about her. "Seems like somepony cracked something hilarious to get a peep out of you. Who was that pony just now? It almost looked like—hey, Fluttershy?"

This way and that she looked, sweeping her gaze around the busy marketplace for the friend she just made and so immediately misplaced.

This really shouldn’t have surprised her, and in other times, Fluttershy would have sighed it off with the other pony having gotten tired of her. Yet they had hit it off so well. Why did this happen? Where did she go?

A fit of apprehension arose from some pit deep inside, and she half wondered if she was just playing tricks on her. That certainly seemed in line with her character. And when she caught glimpse of the back of that bench, and a bit of smear that dribbled from her prank, she then thought to look down, finding a trail that led southwards or so of the area.

"Hey!" She heard Rainbow call after her, but she did not heed.

And of course, Rainbow made to follow by flying above the crowd. But for her trouble, she was intercepted by a particularly miffed market deputy who had called her down and stymied her efforts.

"Not so fast, Rainbow Dash!" The mare called out familiarly through her speaker cone. "You know the rules! Low altitude flying is not—"

"—ain't permitted in the market! Yeah, yeah. My bad, Ives."

Fluttershy could barely hear her caught in apology, but the crowds behind her thickened to a swell and she pressed on. She sieved through and between the current of market goers. A beeline was no exaggeration as she ran past Quills and Sofas on the left, and in a couple minutes of galloping and sidling through the crowds, she reached the perimeter of the marketplace, flanked by the Apple family's cart in their columned outlet and a peddler's stall selling odd trinkets and charms.

A lone red stallion who seemed on the young side was staffing sales of the fruits, quickly tending to a resurging line of customers who then often skipped on over to the trinket stall and checked for things to take their fancy. Between the two sales fronts was a small empty patch of fairly tall grass, wide enough for a small group of ponies to trek through.

More telling was that it was parted in the brush far enough to imply somepony had just ventured in moments ago. Looking up, she recognised the canopy of the wild and dark forest that lay beyond, where looming thunderheads and roiling swells gathered; the Everfree Forest.

However, before she could even think to go through, a pegasus wearing a hazard vest had stuck his keester out of the brush before running a line of tape across the stalls, a clear demarcation as to the denial of entry. Assuming she was even on the trail on begin with, it had turned cold and ended abruptly, leaving her ragged of breath and clueless. Even Angel Bunny looked as though he had been put through the wringer after holding on for almost dear life in the outburst of her run.

After some moments just standing there, Rainbow Dash eventually caught up.

"Hey! Umm, wow.” The prismatic pegasus herself looked ever so slightly tuckered. “I didn’t know you had it in you, zooming off that fast.”

Fluttershy tried to think of something to say, but either owing it to shortness of breath or having lost her new friend and her easily recognisable cloaked head to thin air… She didn’t know.

Ponyville Market was much larger than what she was used to, at least when it came to what few places she had frequented back hom. Compared to the vertically oriented, well-ventilated, and efficiently designed shops of Cloudsdale whose outlets you commonly flew straight into, an open air market on the ground certainly a change of pace. But it shouldn’t have been the easy to miss each other, let alone when they were right beside each other just minutes ago. Then again, her companion had been wearing a cloak in the middle of the day. Nopony doing so in this time of day would want to be found, the thought just dawned on her. Especially with that peculiar hood of hers.

“Yo,” Rainbow called again, waving a blue hoof right in front of her after a brief exchange with her coworker who had lain the line. “Equestria to Fluttershy. Where’s the fire?”

And as if said fire had sprung somewhere else in the market, Fluttershy made a quick u-turn and came back to their spot in the middle of the market, leaving Rainbow hanging once again. All that awaited her was the empty shake stall, a sign left saying ‘be back in 5.’ Not even the parcel her new friend had left behind remained. How utterly lax of her to leave it there for some stranger to pick up.

After hoofing the items she still had with her over to Rainbow who had promptly caught up, Fluttersy then went about the entire marketplace as thoroughly as she could sans fine-toothed comb, rotating through all the stores for nearly up to the fifth time over the latter part of the morning. Even the bellows of thunder off in the distance did not seem to bother her as it usually did. Or perhaps it actually egged her on.

By the time she felt the need to take a break, it was already past lunch. It was no hard labor by any stretch, though her mane now looked frazzled from all her hustle. Also, her fur had turned ever so damp, wafting with a scent she’d come to expect after working with her animals. Angel himself had worked up a sweat of his own in helping her try to spot their mark in the crowd, serving as a look out atop her head. But, still no dice.

And so, with their efforts unrewarded and to suddenly find the blessing of an empty bench in the cool shade by the shake stand, she spared no moment’s pause before flopping onto it in resignation.

“Umm, Fluttershy… Is something wrong?”

Rainbow had finally piped up to ask, having attended to other matters in the meantime. Her demeanor did not usually reserve such amounts of patience for most other ponies or matters, but her dear friend was not most others.

“Come on, you can tell me.”

It took her a while to form the words. But the market place itself was too boisterous and hardly the place to confide in one another. To remedy this, Rainbow elected to move their little talk to the park next door. She even bought a couple hayburgers for herself, and some packed green sticks with humus dip and a side of chilled fruits for Fluttershy and Angel.

There in the park they settled atop the hill on a shaded bench. The bunny held no reservations about digging into his share, a job well done he figured, while Fluttershy was barely nibbling her second stick before she lost herself in thought again. At this point, Rainbow was nearly thru her first burger—a rather large item from the menu she favored for the girth of its bites—when she spoke up again.

“I never seen you move so fast," she muffled through some bites. "I take it you weren't able to find that pony you were with?”

…

They could hear the wind blowing around them. Dash had been to this park dozens of times, napping on clouds overhead. But now after finishing that first burger, she took in the landscape for what it was.

The picturesque view of the town around them and the train chugging on its scheduled ascent to Canterlot sitting atop Mt. Canter in the early afternoon sun, invoked sentiments of a paradise swathed in blessings and spring eternal. Even the few erdbeeches around the park were keen to take que with their start of season's first fulgurblossom, a brilliant shower of golden leaves that would last well into the night, fluttering all around and shining well even against the Ponyville afternoon sun. It was one such tree they found themselves situated under right now even.

The sight drew Dash’s eyes up and oh, my. It was almost like Hearth’s Warming had come early, sans the snow, décor, and presents. The gardeners here sure knew their stuff, that's for sure. She couldn't help but let loose a whistle. Now if only she had time for a coltfriend to share moments like these with—or better yet, paint a picture worth a damn, though her pen hoof was sorely not up to the task.

Regardless, the slightly warm, pleasant breeze blew away such fleeting thoughts along with the petals that touched the ground, waning and turning dull. Ponyville was soon due for hotter climes. Summer protocol had started a week ago, and she had been appointed transition supervisor, the youngest to ever receive such a position in both age and tenure. She didn't even have time to grouse over the Summer Sun this time around. She was too busy for that, yet hopeful that something exciting would be in store for next year. Anyway, Rainbow was certain it was all in hoof. She led the team briefings for several weeks now and done a lot of egghead calculations for some all-nighters in that time. And whatever that squall currently blowing over the strange forest was, her team would call if they needed her.

In any case, it was a happy little coincidence that the light showers of the weather anomaly were contained, drizzles only ever reaching the market which was practically on the Everfree’s doorstep. Though it and the sight of weather ponies running reconnaissance on the squall and getting struck by lightning come lunch time did not seem to dissuade most market goers. It must have been one hell of a day for deals.

Overall, it was the right choice to move here. And even more to their luck that this shaded bench on the high hill with one heck of a view was unoccupied as well. A bit too extravagant for their purposes, but enjoy it she did anyhow. She nearly lost herself at the totality of the pretty picture, and she would have dropped her second burger for the distraction, were it not for her reflexes.

"Oops—! Nearly got away from me…” She chuckled at the recovery.

“Never knew it was so pretty from this spot. Right, Fluttershy?" But the same could not be said for her friend, who had remained silent and pensive, if a bit listless.

...

Well in the midst of public spaces, yet still secluded enough for a bit of privacy, it was a comfortable distance removed from the hubbub of the park goers around them, and the hustle and bustle of the market a stone’s far far throw away. Here, lovers could kiss, parents would hear out or advise their children, or friends simply share the view. For them, they could just talk.

Again, it took her a bit of time. She was never used to speaking at this volume, barely so even with her own family. But with Rainbow, it didn’t take much effort at all.

...

With a bite, she mustered the bit of pep she needed to start.

“... I made a friend today,” she said through the celery she chewed into cud.

…

“Oh, I see,” Rainbow replied simply, letting a bit of silence settle.

“That’s good!”

…

“She was really nice, sort of like you.”

…

Having spent their foalhoods together, it had taken time for a young Rainbow to discover, but eventually she figured out that the trick to getting Fluttershy to talk lied in a three-pronged strategy; talk on her terms, keep it short and sweet, and add a healthy dose of pauses from time to time. It had worked ever since, and now was no different. It was the skeleton key of sorts to gently unlocking her introverted doors and coaxing her out of her shell.

“Really now?” Rainbow got another bite in, piqued at the notion of any degree of semblance between her and this mystery mare.

…

“But then I lost her in the market… I’m not sure though.

…

“I-it’s almost as if she disappeared into thin air, just before you showed up.” She took another bite of her celery, finishing her third stick.

…

…

A bit longer of a pause this time, for her sake too. Some weeks of prep work and backlog for the coming season had preoccupied Dash as of late, and she even hadn't had any breakfast today, or dinner last night for that matter.

“Ain’t that a shame…” She mumbled through a mouthful, halfway through her second burger. She wished she bought another, or at least, some hay fries. These didn't seem enough, now she was nearly through with them. “Maybe she had somewhere she needed to be—”

“But why would she do that—just up and leaving!? I thought we were friends! She could have just turned and told me that she had to go, and I never did anything mean to her... well, I did accidentally waste all the jam she bought this morning… But then she even treated me to a delicious brunch, and we had a great time together at the market! We were running around, and eating snacks, and looked at a ton of doobobs and thingamadads, and, eating, laughing, and smiling,” Fluttershy gushed in exposition.

“It was so much fun!”

With that much volume, gusto, and earnestness coming off the supposedly meek pegasus as she leaned in, the evolving roller coaster of emotions she embodied had taken Rainbow aback just then. That was a first for her life-long friend, surprising the speedster much, much more than she anticipated. All with the flourished mix-up of those words before the end. A few passersby down the hill had even twitched ears at the kindly candor that infused her raised voice, which some mistook for a diamond in the rough vocalizing and warming up in some secret practice session. She never usually acted like this outside of cute and fuzzy animals, that’s for sure. Now, Rainbow wished she had bought drinks, because that little surprise was right about to give her hiccups.

“I didn’t even catch her name..." She trailed off.

Well, she actually had. She remembered having heard it and even having managed to say it right, but for the life of her, it was like the very detail itself was whisked away with her presence in a puff of smoke! It made no difference.

The meek though currently outspoken mare looked off to the distance as Dash beat hoof to chest when she wasn't looking. Even when she had her good friend beside her, it felt like she was high up and all alone. "... I-it felt like I was up Mt. Canter."

Rainbow quirked her head at the remark, letting loose a bit of a cough. "Huh… That's a left field comparison, if I've ever heard one."

"That’s because!..." She hesitated. "B-because... It was... I-it was like...

...

"... it was like...” She trailed off again from sheepish whispers into near zero decibels toward the end.

"Couldn't hear that last bit, Shy."

"It was like talking to..." she mumbled quietly, though only less so.

"Uhh, come again?"

"An echo, Rainbow! An echo!... It was like talking to an echo…" Shy crossed her arms gruffly in the huff of a pout.

...

It took a moment to load in those words, but that was it. That was the crack that broke the dam...

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAH—hic! Hahahahahahahahah—hic!” Rainbow guffawed just before she could swallow that last bite, bits of hayburger sputtered to the grass.

... Well, that and some other thing she had in mind.

“Rainbow, you promised you wouldn’t laugh anymore!” Fluttershy reacted, nearly spilling her box of celery, which Angel caught with a saving paw. He was thankful he caught them, since she usually gave him her leftovers.

“Ahahah, sorry, Sh—hic! One second.”

Rainbow quickly flew up and teased out a bit of water to drink from a nearby wisp of cloud with a rapid maneuver, then returned in a jiffy.

“Ahah. Well, it’s just—I’ve just never seen you so hyped... no, fixated over another pony. Other than me, of course, because—”

“You’re awesome,” Fluttershy, though back to her usual volume—mimed as she had expected, and heard dozens of times before. She was there for Rainbow’s glory days. But whether or not she was a bit of a ham, it mattered the most her best friend was in the here and now, and lending a good ear. “I know, I know.”

“And don’t you forget it! But seriously, you can have other friends aside from me—and Angel,” she quickly added, following a glare from the rodent she had become accustomed to sense by now.

“Even better if you make them yourself. You know, for a quick second there, I almost thought you were running over to that Apple stand, fixing for some action with that lonesome red stallion. Although he does look a bit on the young side for his size. But that’s just fine and dandy!”

The notion made Fluttershy blush mad something fierce and nearly retreat into her mane with added wing cover for good measure. But Rainbow headed her off, going on with words that rang true and close to heart.

“But no matter how many more friends we make, as long as we keep thinking about each other, we’ll still be us after all.”

Rainbow looked at her straight. "We'll still be friends."

...

Then she sighed into the sight of a cloud drifting before the sun.

Drifting clouds were an anchor for her, as it had worked for most foals who excelled well at flight school, yet needed some guidance for one reason or another. It was a natural sight and an easy level off that most pegasii visualized to calm down.

And after a moment's silence, she felt herself return to her rock star self. “Ahah! Listen to me, getting all sappy."

She couldn’t help but join with her old friend as she laughed it off. Not that she was just pulling words out of her flank. They made more than their fair lick of sense, but for Fluttershy, it was more of the memories and experiences they shared as fillies, and Dash’s presence—those were her anchor. Those were what brought her up when she was down and raised her higher when she needed someone to believe in and carry her through.

And of course, there were plenty of reasons for moving out. She was well past that age already, that much was a given. The cottage was practically a gift from that old mare who at this point seemed nigh a saint of harmony herself, considering how little Fluttershy had even paid. And while there were a good hoofful of vets in Ponyville, most pet ponies graduated from their circumstances into becoming assistants or even better yet, attempt at becoming full-fledged veterinarians themselves in bigger faster growing cities. Throw her a good novel and she was A-OK, but Fluttershy was never good with the ol’ text book and the insanely mountainous ask of memorization that such academic endeavours demanded. She had always preferred the company of animals, learning about them hooves on, seeing them through as they adjusted to harmonic life, and then adopting them off to good forever homes. Her cutie mark had always attested to that, though she had struggled for the longest to find another stable niche even in Cloudsdale. Ponyville was one such option to spread her wings. But so were other country towns, such as Frogton, Trottingham and Hollow Shades with the Aris Estate and all Hippogriffs there, given the affordable real estate. Even the surrounding cloud towns had seemed appealing, such as Pinionton, Loftsville, and even the griffon-centric, Talonsheim. She and Rainbow had some friends and distant relations in some of those places. And that last one—well, she heard that they were more well-adjusted than most, if Cloudsdale's own griffon population was anything to go by. But in the end, the cottage by the Everfree was a stroke of luck. All the cute woodland creatures she now got to take care of, that was a blessing upon boons of happenstance, more than she could have ever asked. This niche had turned into her sanctuary, a corner all her own in all of Equestria. All because she had chosen Ponville; chosen Rainbow Dash.

It was always good to have a good friend you knew well already here, and whenever you could, it was always good to go together.

…

Though deep down, she knew this was never a fully open street. She knew Rainbow was so much better than her, as a pony and as a pegasus. The best flier in flight school, even outdoing the best of the colts, hippogriff AND gryphon cubs. She had also made a lot of friends back in Cloudsdale, and was a shoe-in for the next Wonderbolts tryouts, given her accolades. On the other hoof, she was a shut-in of no renown, who had barely made it out of flight school, and knew no pony outside her family, Rainbow, and those bullies.

In the end, that was it. The thing that bothered Fluttershy.

Although, none such things bothered Rainbow Dash.

It was another bright and early day in Ponyville. And it had turned out to be a busy day for the prismatic pegasus to say the least, after the liveliness of today's ruckus.

From the building complex adjacent to Town Hall, she left the Weather Control wing just after sunset, and climbed high into the chill of high altitude before entering a leisurely glide back down. While a bit taxing especially at day's end, she did this sometimes to get a peek at the sun before it dipped off the edge of the world. During such fleeting moments at the peak of her ascent, when she gazed at the daily wonder, sun-drenched and entirely alone in the biting cold of the high altitude, she often pondered on the majestic beauty, the impossible magickal prowess needed to ferry one radiant globe across the sky on a daily basis, and how far that reach extended... if the world really did end just beyond the horizon like they told her. And then such thoughts would renew in circuit at the sight of the moon and the night it heralded. The bright sun and its endless canvas of blue were known to her—her veritable back yard even. But all it took to remind her there was a whole ‘nother sky she was missing out on was to turn away from the sunset and gaze behind her to the moonrise.

“… Mmm. Never gets old.”

Then as quickly as those ponderous thoughts raced in her mind, she would lock them away in a box for another time, then glide back down to earth, resuming whatever it was she took a break from. Though in this instance, that meant touching back down in front of Weather Control.

By all rights she should have been off homeward by now. Nearly every pegasus on her team was dog tired, and had already left. However, after having joined them to pick up their slack, she had volunteered earlier to do the write up, to make it up to her team, and because she thought it would do good for her references to take up more tasks of responsibility. Her mouthwriting was so-so, with some higher ups making snide lip about her reports capping off at a schoolhouse level. “Ugh… Whatever!” She could shrug that off. But undeniably, her skill with hoofwriting was perplexingly bad, even when she found herself excelling at nearly every physical sport she had set her mind to. Rainbow shrugged, thinking the comparison might have been misplaced or unnecessary. She just needed to write this report. And so, she wrote. And she wrote some more. And then some hours and botched pages later, she hoofed it over to the desk pony.

“Here’s today’s writeup, Silvers,” she said, dropping the manila folder onto his desk. The flop of it hardly seemed to rouse the pony, although Rainbow could hardly blame him, given how hectic the afternoon turned out. "Uhm, Equestria to Silvers Write... You there?"

“Ugh?—oh! Thanks, Dash. You’re a life saver,” the four-eyed unicorn replied in a daze as he woke from his rather deep nap. And that was the last she saw of it, another item on his pile, as much as she pitied him for being a glorified stapler.

Anywho, it was done. Time to rest.

Touching down on the steps of her cloud home and fiddling for the key in the dark, she was wont to seek out the special custom cloud bed she had ordered from Talonsheim and the comforts of sleep that were certain to follow swiftly. The clock had started chiming as she struggled in the dark, trying to orient the key right and not let it fall again. The damn things needed cloudproofing, that’s what… or just a good ol’ key chain. “Yeah, that’s simpler.” She had to make a note of that sometime.

By the time she came in, she had counted ten tolls of the bell in total, so dinner would be a hassle at this point. The idea of skipping dinner again didn’t sit with her well. Still, she reasoned the double deluxe burgers she had earlier would be enough to last her well at least to breakfast, though she still wished she had added a bit more to that to tide her over.

Through the main doors, past the living room that still vaguely smelled of droppings, and up the stairs, the short hall at one end led to her darkened bedroom, just waiting for her to crash in and fall asleep like a log.

However, as quickly as she had made her way through the house, her approach to the bed slowed to a crawl, as if she had been sapped of all the energy and moxie she ran on throughout the day. It made the menial task of removing a saddlebag rather difficult and quite annoying, as the straps seemed to turn animate and catch all over her. Neither her feathers nor tail were spared. Even limbs and wings had given up the ghost and lost all their coordination. Groaning with impatience, she resorted to wrenching the thing off, oh so ready to simply crash for the night. But before she could even set hoof to bed, her motions ground to a halt, and then she—as much as she disliked, slowly pulled away.

A worm had popped up in her head at the most inconvenient time. A worm she had planted there herself, as much as she wanted to ignore it; a reminder.

Her conscience was a persistent nag at the back of her mind, and for the ear she begrudgingly lent it, it was still right.

Retreating from the bed, she pulled at the corner slip that had errantly stuck out from her saddlebag, and took it to the desk nearby. Switching on the lamp and pulling the writing set close, she unfolded the thing out. The bold letterhead of the blank and slightly crumpled though nonetheless officiary sheets of paper made her think twice about what she was about to do.

'Ponyville Enforcers Debriefing Form,' they read, along with several pages of scratch otherwise doomed to the shredder for drafting or mulch.

Rainbow Dash dug deep into memory, though most ponies would laugh at her efforts, especially the faces she would make when engaged in something so mundane. And most her friends would forgive her for such a quirk, for she was a pony of performance and presence, ever rooted in the here and now. It was perfectly normal for most to forget what they had eaten the day before, sometimes even as recent as their midnight snack. But Rainbow had both speed, focus and tenacity, though she often blithely counted the last two as the same. She held a lofty dream after all, one so close to heart. And that was to join the Wonderbolts with flying colors, pun intended. Though if she were a bit more honest, there was more to it as well… No, she could think about that later.

In the moments as she tapped pen to inkwell and pondered the day’s events, she considered it a miracle at all that she even remembered to do this in the first place…

But she had to.

This was the least she could do, after putting her friend in mortal danger on that day and leaving her wandering the woods for days on end. Even if she hadn't really suffered any major injuries despite her great fall, and after having paid her so many visits at the hospital, Raimbow would never let herself live it down. No matter consolation nor assurances of forgiveness.

That silent echo of her dear friend falling and falling coming after her as she zoomed along her jaunt across the skies... It yet haunted her ears.

'I... I should have heard her.'

…

Deep breath, then a sigh.

“Let’s see,” she started off quite hushed.

She began scribbling thoughts in an outline on the scratch. She only had a few blank forms on hoof, scarcely enough for replacements, she reckoned. So, she had to make them count. The first things that came into mind were the easiest to recall, her duties at day’s end.

‘So, as soon as I got back from lunch, there was an emergency at the edge of the Everfree Forest.’ She had even begun scrawling stick figures, landmarks, and adjoining diagrams to boot, as well as some bullet points that almost resembled a messy timeline. It helped her organize, which she realized she should have done to expedite her work earlier. ‘Late morning, Blossomforth reported on some unusual wild clouds that were putting out strange thunderbolts. For some reason, they were pulling in clouds from the rainwater reserves, and shocking most pegasus with decent wing power. Specifically, the ones who came within kicking distance, while ignoring weaker fliers like they weren’t even there.

‘Naturally, us pegasii aren’t bothered much by weather magick and are kinda tough puppies against it, too. But the lightning was SO strong, we had to put on rubber suits that were specially made for non-pegasii ponies of the weather team. By mid-afternoon, the market had to be cordoned off when a bunch of pegasii and a few ground staff got caught in a really nasty blast. So, they had gotten some days off for their trouble. Poor Thunderlane. Hope his eye is alright.’ It was the second time tonight she had reminded herself of his sorry sight being flown away in a gurney. Dash hoped for the best for him and as well as avoiding such a fate in the future.

‘It was also bad since the suits weren't made for flying, and all non-pegasii staff didn’t even count to at least a dozen ponies. So even after modifying them all, not many senior members could go up to help. It turned into a bottleneck, but with me joining in, a bit of elbow grease, and key tight maneuvering and corralling, we were able to contain the storm to the Everfree just before nightfall. The eggheads on the team said it could spread back out again, but not for a while with the safety spells they put in place.’

“Now… what else happened today?”

She had started at the end, now she might as well end at the beginning. A perplexing way to work, but it worked for her. So far, Dash couldn’t recall much apart from the day starting slow.

‘I was up bright and early, but all there was to do was securing the reserve clouds to where they should be and putting out the strays from the Everfree. The going was super slow and boring…' That part was fine at least. Eight pages on the earlier version of the report she had written was long report work enough, and she had already detailed the minutia of that as well as she could. She wasn't looking to switch out those leaves as well. ‘And then, that report came in over from Promenade Street. So, I jumped at the chance when the reserve call came.’

“Reserve call, huh…”

That word had rung a loud bell of its own, even as the memories now recalled to her without effort. The Wonderbolts were a wing of the Equestria Military, that much she gleaned the when she had first aspired for a spot their ranks, even as a filly. But now, she and every pegasus around her, friend and would-be rival alike, knew without a shadow of a doubt she was more than good for it. Application required having a good pedigree as a pegasus, which she had in spades, and whatever else that entailed, she could work for.

‘Physical fitness? Check. Graduation from flight school with Maxima Alarum? Check. An awesome repertoire of aerial maneuvers? Check, and still growing, baby! A recommendation of seniority from a Weather Station and inclusive history of work at any recognized Equestrian Township?... Well, no. Not just yet.’

That last one was a work in progress. She had about close to two years down, but that was nowhere near enough. And it wasn’t like she could speed up the days either. Oh, if only she could. But thinking about Fluttershy whom she had left behind when she moved and was thrilled to be reunited with… she couldn’t shake the thought of exploring a fall back which had firmly planted itself into her mind. And so, a few months before her meek friend had bought herself that cozy cottage—in that creepy corner of town which she had managed to turn into a haven all her own, no less—she made the choice to enlist for the Ponyville Reserve Barracks. Her pinions told her things were brewing anyhow, what with all the hubbub going on in the restless world.

And so, enlist she had.

It had been slow goings since, with the rare drunk or ruffian here and there. But it was earlier this morning of all mornings, that this reserve call had summoned her to a strange case.

A cleaner pony had been found knocked out by a puddle of some strange goop-like substance. She had arrived at the scene shortly after the call went out, with the alabaster mare who had made the call circling back soon with paramedics in tow.

Upon examination, the stallion in question did not seem to be any worse for wear. Though apart from being put to sleep, he would have to be treated for the shards of glass he had fallen over, which had dug into his barrel and face. The fault here laid with the mare’s eager sister who had wanted to practice her first aid and opted to drag the unconscious stallion away as he lay over the glass when nopony was around. The stinker had explained that putting him in a fetal position was optimal, which she had learned on a school trip to Ponyville General Hospital. Ironic, since her meddling had ensured keeping him there for longer, or worse yet, a possible complication.

'Big brain time, eh, twerp?'

If only she hadn't overextended her magick and closed her eyes, she would have seen the poor sap’s blood streaking on the street as she pulled him like a brush. Luckily for her, his eye was in the clear, blood loss was negligible, and the scars had been but flesh wounds. Just in time for Rainbow to stop her too.

From there, questioning either of the sisters had not revealed much else. Not that she could get much out of them, as the elder had scolded the younger unicorn in a storm of her own.

Speaking of the strange concoction, she couldn’t even get any samples. In passing, before his nap had clocked him out, Silvers had brought up her lacking the necessary gear to collect some in the first place. The substance itself on whole had already shriveled up anyhow, and what remained had mixed with dirt and blood by then. So, even if she had come back later, it would have been too muddled to be useful, and the rain from the up-until-then contained Everfree squall would washed it away. And any chance of getting even a contaminated sample from the cleaner at the hospital would have been sterilized off him in his treatment.

“Now, here’s the tricky part.”

However, the substance did leave a faint stain on the ground and a bit of a lingering scent, not that she had the strongest of noses. But it was a trail anyhow, which she had tracked from Promenade, cutting into Cantering, and then sharply leading down the entire way of Red Leaf Ridge, ending up at Ponyville Market.

And of all ponies to find at the end of the trail, it was her best friend, foalhood friend, Fluttershy.

What was she even doing there? Well, groceries likely. But what had she to do with the pony of interest?

From her approach in the air, it was hard to make them out. Not to mention, the market’s rules on flight among other conduct. Regardless it was hard to see them from afar. She often heard the eggheads back at flight school talking about the risks of refractions and mirages while flying. Considering this was still the beginning of her career, it was about time she opted for a pair of Wonderbolt-grade flight goggles. Rainbow likely had spent sizeable amounts of luck by now, skimming more than her fair share of accidents by a feather. Managing that Sonic Rainboom back then as a filly was amazing, no doubt, but a lot of adult had told her she had really pushed her luck back there, even if the results had actually turned out amazing. Regardless, while she hadn’t the eyes of a hawk griffon, it was rather peculiar to see them together, side by side. Almost like…

...

“Nah!! It couldn’t have been. I’d have so much on my plate, you wouldn’t believe...”

That was what she convinced herself of. She couldn't even place what tribe she was, though her tail had given a bit of her away. Lots of ponies have similar builds, coats, and manes. On the other hoof, while the colors of direct family descendants usually tracked and made sense, most were wacky, and the subject on the whole was far from well-documented or studied even now. Given that her own mane and relative semblance to her parents against discrepant comparisons to some foals and their parents in the neighborhood, Rainbow couldn’t help her initial curiosity. She had wondered about the matter in great earnesty for nearly a couple of months, it would surprise her friends to discover that as a filly she had even tried to—ugh... do egghead research, but found any academic material too complex for foals her age and ponies who could possibly offer an explanation out of reach. That had definitely something for eggheads to look into—that is, if the principality had since funded such research at all. Although signs now seemingly pointed ‘no.’ But that aside, there in lay the mystery. The identity of this mystery pony.

This was a small case in a podunk town. But Rainbow dreaded another nagging thought, the thought of it getting bigger and bigger somehow. As crazy as others would call her over a hunch, something in her cutie mark told her it would, although she had mostly kept such far-fetched hunches, as infrequent as they were, to herself.

But as far as she was concerned, this did not have to include Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash brought a resolute hoof down, promising to keep her out of trouble. But the heady gesture had shaken the desk, and while she saved her scratch with the all the scribbles and outlines she had made note of, the inkwell had clattered and so had splattered the forms at the bottom of the stack which she hadn’t managed to swipe away, imparting a blotch that ate over half the pages.

"Agh, ponyfeathers!"

There goes her plan. Blotting as the ink turned the page black and opaque with her stained disappointment. She would have to rise even earlier than usual to beat early birds like Silvers Write, swamped in backlog work as he already had been for weeks, or Dizty, who worked at the adjacent Post Office wing as a mailmare, and moonlighted occasionally as a security guard for the entire complex. And considering that mare’s work ethic—second to only Dash’s sheer awesomeness, that would be nigh impossible outside a stakeout of sorts, which was more trouble that she had initially accounted for... Or did it have to be?

It was a gamble for sure…

A call left in the hooves of the Sisters of Luck; Mistral Wind, and August Gale. A childish sentiment to hinge this bet on ancient fae tale, for sure. But Faust on high knew very well how many times she had whispered her hopes to an actual living sky deity that ruled their fair nation, only for such prayers to be left hanging and unanswered. Not that Rainbow could blame her now. She knew better than her foalish younger self. At least she wouldn’t be setting herself up for disappointment. In any case, she would only know once she actually got there. So, left with only one option, there was nothing for it.

She gathered her notes, scarfed down a bag of fish chips Gilda her griffon friend had sent over, and skulked her way back into Weather Control.

It was one of the oldest buildings in town after all, dating back to even before the mayor and her sister were still in the Royal Guard, or so the grapevine told her. She was hardly local. In any case, the town’s weather team was as tight a ship as Cloudsdale for an establishment that received a far slimmer lesser slice of the subsidies pie. I.E, they had to make the most with what they had to make fetch happen with meagre budgets. Which, in the specific case of this old building that simply begged to be repaired, meant a bunch of peculiar and tedious chores across the departments, such as singing to a squeaky cabinet to get it open, banging on the pipes just for running water, or jimmying a door shut with some secret hoofshake. Yep, it was real a strange place in a little town already strange itself.

As another hardworking pony in the rank and file—one of the hardest by her reckoning, Rainbow was the often the last to leave and left—purely by accident!—a particular window unlocked, the very window behind the Resources desk where she had dropped the report off.

This was the first stroke of luck that came her way, for bless her did the Mistrals by the light of the moon.

Rays shined down on the window that had been left unlocked, or unbarricaded in this case. It had been broken for a year now and the heads were too lazy to give it the fixer upper it needed. Or they just forgot. Laggards probably took the damn sticky it was pinned on and rolled it with some old toby to smoke. She could tell as she quietly sidled her way in, from the bit of smell that they did, as much as they covered traces of their indulgences well.

Now if only the documents were still there. However, that Silvers unicorn was a thorough enough guy with his work, and he was usually very particular about keeping things organized. But maybe—just maybe, he hadn’t filed it away behind some locked cabinet yet. Rainbow dreaded what she would have to resort to if it had past that point, if her report was no longer there… But wouldn’t you know it, it still was, right there in the middle of his desk in the room.

A second stroke of luck, an August gust of wind answer to her foolhardy bet.

‘That Silvers must have had enough for the day and called it quits when I handed it over,’ she thought. He didn’t even bother sorting it away as he so diligently did on the usual, nor had he even shut the back window with a chair as the last one out. He usually checked and did that instead on days she had forgotten.

And in this case, she was doubly lucky as she wasn't the one make sure the windows were locked tonight as well. Though she could hardly blame him, and it showed. He was getting sloppy lately, at least for his own standards. Poor pencil pusher had been mired with backlog for months now, due to a transition from the older filing system. Something or other about broad sweeping changes. But she didn’t care about those. What Dash did care for, though, was her double stroke of luck.

"Buck me, did I ever luck out..." She exclaimed as she tippy-hooved her way in.

And so, she took her place at the desk after drawing the curtains close, lighting up a small inconspicuous candle, and quickly taking pen to mouth with a good dab in the ink well. It never smelled or tasted good when she had to write. She sucked in as much spit as she could, so it wouldn’t dribble down the length of the pen onto the paper. Dash also missed pencils, though for some strange reason, adults in general would shoot strange looks at those who had yet graduated from the elementary tool. What a wacked notion. However, that didn’t change the fact that she had to use pen and ink for work now.

With all her notes somewhat organized and the original leaves as additional reference, she quickly wrote up abridged replacements for parts of the original report. And about half an hour or so, the deed was done.

It was as if Fluttershy was never there.

With a sizeable yawn and neck-cracking stretch to match, Rainbow made her way back home.

Of course, she had closed the window on the way out, but she would have to hoof it earlier than usual, to come back and nudge the chair into place later, if only to cover her trail. Though she might not need do so at all, given Weather Control's rather apparent state of disrepair here and there. Others had left it open before, and there really wasn’t anything of value in the building, not that there were such characters in Ponyville. The sound of a lone shingle shattering making its way to her ear after she had taken off attested to that. The frequency of those had been rising since the start of the year. Not that the brass gave it the time of day. Would the building have to crumble before they would acknowledge the need for maintenance? Rainbow swore if the system itself weren’t so curmudgeony, stale, and set in its way, she’d honestly be higher up the ladder now, on account of all her hard work.

Ah, well. She had done what she came to do. Anyways, homeward. Now.

Through the main doors, up the stairs, and down the short hall, she flung wide the doors to her room. Strangely, her saddlebag was more cooperative this time around, and good on it too. She swore the straps on this old bag were about to tear in places, which would call for a visit to a tailor. Good thing a new one opened up not too long ago, just near to her home’s moorings…

‘Hmm... So, close enough neighbors, huh? Was it that purple-maned mare the one good with the needle and thread? She did give her sister an earful though, and then some... Or was it that lookalike wannabe of mine…’ She wondered with shudder about that peculiar pony, thinking she had seen her own apparent doppelganger come out of that tailor shop sometimes. Dash never cared to look into it, but coincidences were always strange regardless.

“Ugh, let’s pin that thought for later,” she whispered to herself.

Tucking herself into her bed that was practically a nest, she pulled the covers over to stave away the cold breeze and inherently chillier altitude that came with living up in the air. As she drifted off to sleep, Rainbow Dash gave herself over to hindsight in examination of what she had just done.

‘Hmm, shouldn’t Shy owe me for this? She still hasn’t paid me back for those birds over Hearthswarming. The living room still kinda smells too…’

...

‘Ah, no biggie,’ she quickly concluded and then shrugged off as she closed her eyes and settled in.

Her thoughts returned to that afternoon, about the heart to heart they had on that quaint bench in the park. The part that definitely didn’t need to be on the report. She was surprised her friend had been getting along well in town, apart from today and a few hiccups. Though a pick-me-up pep talk was the farthest thing from unreasonable. Dash had given her friend the most earnest and heartfelt advice she could muster. That had teased out the widest ear to ear smile out of her as she fell asleep, and shoved off for sweet dreams.

Well, that, and the thought of making her mark in the history of Ponyville AND Flying itself.

“Hehe, I rock...” Rainbow whispered before shuffling beneath the covers and finally drifting off.

…

And this was it.

This was the thing that bothered Fluttershy.

“Oh, yeah! Lemme show you before I forget…” Rainbow eagerly chirped up, rummaging a newspaper out from her saddlebag and leafing over to the provincial section of the news rather eagerly, nearly tearing parts of page as she did.

“Look, look!”

It had bothered her for all her life ever since she realized as a gangly little filly, what it meant for her as a pegasus and as a pony…

Even for its thick and bold typeface, the banner for the caption was printed rather modestly on the paper before leading down into the column that reported the milestone, which occupied a little less than a corner the page. More a footnote really, given the greater happenings in the world. And at first, she was eager to hear her out and cheer with her too. To share in what had her best friend so stoked. But to Fluttershy's sudden dismay, it might as well have been an accusation.

But before Dash could go on, a passerby interrupted them, calling on them from the foot of the hill.

“Umm, excuse me?” A stall pony, Rainbow reckoned by the looks of her get up, hailed.

“Ugh, of all the times…” She cursed inwardly, somewhat perturbed as she turned. “Huh, Posey? We’re kinda having a moment here…”

She recognized the pony from the market as she approached her. The auburn-maned cream coated mare rummaged for something out from her bag, and went on to explain. “Ah, I’m sorry, Dash. It’s just I recognized your friend. She was by the shake stall and left this. Hers, yeah?”

“Oh, thanks! We owe you big time!”

“Ah, no biggie. I’m worried about your friend, though. Fluttershy, yeah? Saw her run through the place like a hound out of Tartarus, and my partner mentioned seeing her stuff by the shop. When I came for my break, I saw you two out here and got her things from lost and found. She gonna be alright?”

But for Fluttershy, it was almost as if it all flew in one ear and out the other. The meaning of their words was lost. Concern, surprise, gratitude, relief. All that caught in her ears were the binary differences of the null of silence, and the melding warbles of voices and surroundings alike. For her mind was focused on the words that the journalists wrote into the milestone column that captivated her. She could not turn her eyes away. This more than the other headlines Dash skimmed over or nearly ripped out to get to the page, such as ‘Strange Storms All Over,’ ‘Far Folk Afoot,’ ‘HRL Pact Signed,’ or even the largest headline of them all printed on the front page, ‘Northern Legend Stirs’; all of them ignored, for none took hold of her attention so unyieldingly as the one that accused her very soul. She could not tear her eyes away.

“Yeah, she’s fine now. Just a bit tired I reckon,” Rainbow said with a glance back.

“Oh, by the by, is that squall over yonder gonna be a problem?” The mare asked, a concerned hoof pointed southward towards the Everfree.

“Ah, no. Team’s got it under wraps,” she assured as she inched her way back, which the other mare took as a que. “And thanks again!”

“Good, good. You too, Dash. Thanks a bunch for you guys’ hard work!” Posey bade as she returned to her shift. Rainbow lingered halfway up the hill as she traced the acquaintance walking back to market.

That whole exchange happened, but Fluttershy hardly heard it, if at all, as intensely fixated as she was. She had finished reading by now and was staring into space. Rainbow settled back bench-side with the parcel in tow, depositing it between them, which shook her back up to the here and now. Though she didn't even recognize it was hers.

“Oh—umm, sorry. What was that?” She asked.

“Lucky you, that’s what. A very thoughtful pony came from the market and returned your stuff. You should meet her sometime and thank her. Posey Bloom’s her name” Rainbow answered matter of factly, before picking up the paper.

“Oh, thank goodness! I will, a-and Angel will be very happy,” she said rather absent-mindedly, setting it beside the bunny as he moved on from the fruits onto the hummus his mistress had abandoned.

“Now, where was I… Oh, yeah!” Rainbow remembered, picking up where she left her enthusiasm and holding up the paper up for her to read. Although Fluttershy already had.

‘Fillydelphia Achieves New Record: 910 Wing Speed in Annual Reservoir Acquisition,’ it read.

“Isn’t that amazing!?” Rainbow bellowed quite loudly to the turning of a few heads in the park. Rainbow really couldn’t contain herself with this bit of news. “They beat those uppity Canterlotians by a WHOLE THIRTEEN WING POWER—!”

She had even matched their haughty motions and famous nasal sounds to a T, before miming the paper into a roll and swinging it as bat. “Yeah! Smack that ‘undeniable two-hundred and fifty-year-old record of superiority’ right outta here!!”

With a well-practiced mask, Fluttershy only nodded and feigned a smile at the spectacle her friend made as she cheered, the news holding entirely different meaning for her.

“Oooh, wouldn’t it be great if we get a chance to break that record someday? I mean, Ponville’s a few years shy of half a century, but how does that matter anymore? They’ve picked newer towns like Trottingham, and Hoovsborough before. But—woah! Just the thought of getting the chance…”

She could only nod and smile for her friend this time, letting her go off and gush about flying high, flying fast, and flying best; the natural things that made a pegasus happy.

After Rainbow had ran out of steam, Fluttershy thanked her from the bottom of her heart for being there for her. She had only recently made a proper move into town after all, the next week or so marking her second month since getting her cottage. Rainbow on the other hoof had been here for just over two years, and even graciously let her room with her for a month or so in the meantime. Back then, precocious pegasus had leapt rather eagerly on the chance to move out and seek her independence, which naturally amazed Fluttershy, a late bloomer by many estimates.

In any case, a pegasus mare in a hazard vest had waved at them from a distance, a signal as much as any that time was up. They hugged and said their farewells with Rainbow dashing off to her weather duties, and Fluttershy waiting on Angel for a bit more, as the greedy bunny had gorged himself on more than his fair share. Not even her remaining green sticks were spared. A distended tummy took some time to reduce, and she didn’t want to waste Rainbow’s kindness like she had earlier… with 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦.

She thought about them both after Dash had left. When the growing shower and rumbling thunder forced her out of the park, she pondered about them on the way home, their visages imposing on nearly every pony she happened to glance at in her hurried stride to outpace the drizzle behind her. Her thoughts wandered in their general notion even as a couple of clients persisted through the rain and visited for consultations, which she barely managed to not botch. Hazy visions of who she was clashed against day dreams of who she thought she ought to be—neither Rainbow, nor 𐑕𐑳𐑥𐑼𐑕𐑒𐑦, but some neat ideal spliced in-between. And it, more than once, nearly led to her making a mess of the house as she made her rounds to tend to the creatures that called her cottage home. After tucking Angel Bunny to bed, and nearly ruining several times a day that had ended fairly well, she decided some time winding down with a novel and a cup of chamomile tea would do her good.

But it didn’t…

One mare that loomed over her ever in mind, now had become two. One she had known as her best friend for the better part of her life, and seemed the ideal pegasus. And the other… Well, most likely a decided friend or she wouldn’t have spared her the time of day, let alone accompany her to market and have spend all that time in fun with her for the better part of the day… unless it was something else entirely.

But what did she know? Nothing at all.

In any case, she was most definitely the more well-adjusted pony between them. And yet, they, two strangers, had hit it off so easily. She wished they could have talked more than they had. She wished she had gotten to know her better. She wished she hadn’t disappeared so neatly without a trace. She wished she knew exactly where she had run off to. She wished she could have seen her face clearer and sat there quietly for longer in the sincerity and smile of a newfound friend. She could still talk to Rainbow Dash, that much was a consolation of its own solace. But the notion of her also came with its own… distractions.

Oh, how she longed to be relieved of these apparitions that bother her to no end. And yet she believed in them, the things she so feared and anxiously gave power in a little spot of their own in her head.

It had been another bright and early day in Ponyville. But the close to Fluttershy's day would only be the exact opposite. Later that night, the clock downstairs would strike incessantly in the dead of the night to ring in the new day, gloam-skied and moonless. And only well past then would her mind tire and eyes finally close shut. Only then would she find sleep, and dream. Dream restlessly, almost endlessly.

Dream to be a better pony as these two were… a better pony who wasn’t Fluttershy.

…

That night, it began to snow.

Author's Note

This tentative chapter was brought to you by dark and festering thoughts ripened in the minor key. It's surprisingly cozy there.

See you in the next dip!