Papermare

by ThePwnzorMuffin

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Fluttershy, Rarity
Length: 6086

What will Fluttershy need to get Rarity's attention? Hint: lots and lots of paper.

Fluttershy finds herself in Canterlot, along with Rarity.

Well, not exactly "with" Rarity. The problem is, Rarity doesn't seem to know that Fluttershy is there.

Fluttershy will need a lot of paper, a fair amount of luck, and a little bit of magic to capture Rarity's attention.

Published 2012-12-01 09:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-12-01 09:10:01 UTC

Papermare

It was early. Too early.

How did she know? Naming things was almost too easy. Ponyville itself wasn’t even awake yet. No ponies up and about, not even the animals were awake. The world was still asleep, and yet here she was. The only sound in her world right now was the constant, loud, too loud patter of her hooves on the unforgiving railway platform. Who would do such a thing to disrupt the quiet?

Oh. Right. She was by herself.

The pacing stopped.

She sighed, blowing both the air out of her cheeks and the mane that hung in front of her eyes. It hovered, almost suspended in the air for a moment before coming back to rest in its usual position. Positive thoughts... She chided herself for saying such... mean things about the morning. Actually, it could be nice, now that she thought about it... The peace and quiet, the morning dew that lay sprinkled over the grass, the peace and quiet-

A metallic scream cut through the silence like knife through butter. Train cars sped by with a whoosh, almost faster than the eye could see, the wheels rattling against the train tracks, and just a moment later, the mass of steam, smoke, and metal was fading away into the distance.

So much for “peace and quiet.”

Once Fluttershy’s heart rate had fallen to slightly-less-than-dangerously-fast levels, she picked herself off of the ground, making sure that her breathing was at least close to normal. She instinctively scanned her surroundings, and a gasp escaped her when she saw what she had feared most.

A single paper, the only thing she had brought with her, fluttered away from her, carried by the wind. It was most certainly not doing that just seconds before, but now, it flitted this way and that, doing loops in the air, putting on a whole charade of tricks, just for her.

It was too early for this.

Still, she ran after it. She would need it, after all. It contained her reason for her trip (with the words “For the Equestrian Union of the Well-Being of Animals” blaring at the top of the page), and possibly her motivation. Sure, it was mostly the language of the law and all things legal, which Fluttershy was not very fluent in, but for now, it was what mattered. And it just so happened to be flying away from her.

She swore that there was no wind, but still, the paper hovered out of her reach. She jumped, reaching out with her hooves, but it evaded her. Another jump, another miss. The third time, she sprang, her wings fluttering in the slightest, and a victorious smile crossed her face as she snatched it in her teeth.

She fluttered back to the railway platform, as her sudden dash had taken her longer, and farther away than she would have liked. Zipping the paper away in her saddlebags, she dusted herself off. She stood there, as she had before, but somehow she felt as if she had broken the quiet of the morning.

Another metallic screech cut through the air, signaling another approach, but this time Fluttershy was ready for it. Once again, the cars whizzed by, the train clattering its way through the train station before disappearing just as quickly as it had come.

The quiet seemed even more so after such a blatant invasion of such. Her ear flicked, however, as she heard a rustling sound, similar to her own paper just moments before. And similar it was. Another paper floated towards her, this one also carried by the sudden wind. It seemed to come from her left, but no pony chased after it, as far as she could tell. The paper whisked by her, and as her eyes followed it, the paper stopped, suspended in midair.

A faint magical glow surrounded the paper, and Fluttershy lowered her gaze as she heard hoofsteps, which came from behind her, before stopping at her side. A white unicorn stood there, her mane and tail styled into purple curls. A faint look of exasperation crossed her face, her brow furrowed and her mouth tight in a frown as she tucked the paper into her nearby suitcase, also held in her magical grasp. Any form of impatience disappeared from her face immediately, however, as her eyes locked with her friend.

She smiled, a gentle smile. Not just with her mouth, as a kind of “it’s my obligation to do this” kind of smile, but rather, one with genuine, happiness. With heart.

Vaguely, Fluttershy remembered that her fashionable friend was going to Canterlot today. Just like her. Whether they were going to the same place, or even leaving at the same time, she didn’t remember, nor did she know that she cared all that much. Rarity was here, with her. She smiled back, her wings fluttering lightly without her knowing.

Another screech, and yet another train zipped by. And, much to Fluttershy’s horror, her paper had managed to sneak out of her bag. It rodethe sudden gusts created by the train, and with a faint smack, it flew right into Rarity’s face.

Fluttershy gaped, not sure why she was so surprised. The paper stuck there, its edges flapping in the wind, as if it wanted to be carried by the wind, not stuck in somepony’s face-. She only stood there for a second, before she realized her hoof was reaching out to do what she should have immediately done.

She gripped the offending object in her hand, moving it out of the way, cringing when she saw Rarity’s face. The white unicorn’s eyes scrunched closer to her snout, her mouth once again pulled into a slight grimace. Her eyes opened, though, and she must have seen Fluttershy’s shocked expression, as she gave her a small, reassuring smile, along with a faint giggle.

Fluttershy gave her a sheepish smile, then her eyes glanced over the paper. She almost looked over it without noticing, but raised an eyebrow when she realized what was on there.

Rarity had left something on that paper. Her bright pink lipstick had imprinted itself onto the paper, near the lower left-hand corner. Almost as if she had left a kiss on it...

It was in full view of both mares. Their eyes locked for the second time that morning, and Fluttershy found her cheeks heating up. Most likely from embarrassment.

Another giggle left Rarity’s mouth, and she winked.

Why was she so embarrassed? She looked down at the paper again. The lipstick she had left was almost perfect, not even smudged in any place. She looked up hesitantly, almost fearing to make eye contact again, but the whizzing of the train doors opening caught her attention. Her head whipped around, and she saw the very unicorn that had been standing by her side just a moment ago, stepping onto the train. Her attention had been so focused on Rarity that she hadn’t even realized that this train had stopped.

She found herself staring. It wasn’t polite to stare. The train doors whizzed shut, and Fluttershy was left on the platform. This wasn’t her train, after all. With another screech, it was on its way. She swore that Rarity had turned around, and that they locked eyes for a moment before she was out of her view.

Quiet again. Solitary quiet. For once, Fluttershy wouldn’t mind breaking the silence.

She couldn’t put the paper back in her saddlebags, so she clamped it between her teeth. It rustled gently, but otherwise stayed put. Her own train wouldn’t arrive for a while.

It wasn’t too early anymore.

Fluttershy never really liked tall buildings. It meant that she was closer to the sky, which meant that she was farther away from the ground, which meant a longer fall-

She shook her head. The building was probably stable enough. Probably. She craned her neck from where she sat, getting tired of the dull grey that seemed to be the outstanding style in this part of the city. The outside of the building was grey, sure, but the walls, the floor, the desks, the chairs, the paperweights? Really?

For a group dedicated to the safety of animals, this didn’t seem like a very motivating, enthusiastic setup. But, maybe that was just her.

The pegasus sighed, making the paper in her mouth sway from the sudden draft. It hadn’t left that spot since that morning. She liked to think that, at least, though it probably had fallen out while she was sleeping on the train.

Fluttershy glanced around again. At least the ponies weren’t grey. A few stood in front of her in the line, while some more stood behind her. They all had the same paper that she did, except without the obvious mark that had been left on hers.

How long had she been standing here? When was the last time the line moved? She craned her neck, hoping she could see what was taking so long-

Thunk.

Fluttershy jumped a mile in the air, too shocked to make a sound. She hadn’t been paying attention to what was going on beside her, and that’s just where the noise came from. When she regained her composure, a stern-looking stallion, staring back at her, took up most of her field of vision. Next to her rested a stack of papers. A very large stack of papers, at that.

This wasn’t what she had come here for! One piece of paper was fine, but how many was this? She hadn’t come to Canterlot expecting even more paperwork, after all, wasn’t that all supposed to be done beforehand? She almost opened her mouth; whether it was to protest or to sigh, she would never be sure. However, her eyes wandered, gazing over the other ponies. They all had similar, if not the same, stacks of paper next to them, and the scratches of quills were already coming from some of them. They seemed prepared, unlike herself.

The stallion standing next to her produced a quill from who-knows-where, and plopped it down on the top of Fluttershy’s own stack. Seeming satisfied, he walked off without so much as a smile.

Fluttershy half-heartedly flipped through some of the papers that were given to her. They all looked the same, some of them having spaces to fill out her own information. It all sounded so legal, so professional, and to her, so pointless. But, of course, she didn’t want to be turned down, so she picked up the quill in her mouth. She had just set it to the first paper when she paused, her eyes already wandering again. They flickered over the open window that she stood next to, and paused there.

She found out why only a few seconds later. Right across the street, another building stood, with just as many stories and just as much grey. Only one window was open, about a story down from where Fluttershy stood. Her view inside the window was pretty clear, the room consisting of only a desk, a chair that sat right next to the window and a cabinet near the back. She almost looked away, when the door opened.

A white unicorn stepped inside, her horn glowing. Her eyes locked on something, or rather, somepony that stood behind the desk, who Fluttershy couldn’t see. The pony walked through the door fully, her purple mane bobbing as she walked. A suitcase trailed behind her, wrapped in her magic, before she took a seat at the chair.

Fluttershy couldn’t believe it. What a coincidence, what luck! She was right across the street and she would be so happy to see- Wait. The pegasus remembered that Rarity had no knowledge where they would be today, so she probably had no idea that Fluttershy was just across the street.

Well, that was easy enough. She just had to get her attention. With the noisy street below, and knowing that she wasn’t the loudest pony out there... Maybe not easy enough.

Fluttershy glanced around, making sure that everypony was otherwise occupied. The last thing she wanted was to make a scene, which meant that all the attention would be on her... Not good. So, after a quick scan, she walked over and placed her hooves on the windowsill. Rarity wouldn’t be able to miss her now, if she would only turn and look. The unicorn in question didn’t seem to have moved from her position, still seated at the chair, and still engrossed in her own conversation with the invisible pony (at least to Fluttershy) that sat at the desk.

She waved a hoof in the air, feeling the wind against it as she stuck it out the window a bit more. Then both forelegs left the windowsill, her wings fluttering to keep her balance. Still nothing, not even a turn of the head from the pony across the street.

Fluttershy frowned, standing up on all fours. She turned around, making sure the line hadn’t moved. The scratching of quills on paper persisted, and she once again returned to the window.

So waving her hooves didn’t work. She wasn’t really surprised, but now she would have to resort to something more dramatic. She thought for a second, putting a hoof to her chin. Trying to yell was most likely out of the question, because her voice wouldn’t reach Rarity from this far away, not to mention how many ponies in this room would start staring at her. She put her hoof down, and it brushed against her stack of paper as a result, dislodging a single sheet from the stack. It floated down to the floor, swaying this way and that without pattern or care.

She stared at the paper, and a memory flashed through her head. Back in school, she sat next to Rainbow Dash, who was always bored in class. Always. So, whenever the class got a piece of paper with an assignment on it, Dash instead decided to play with hers. And one day, Fluttershy looked over just in time to see a folded paper... thing fly from Dash’s desk, onto hers.

So the paper plane was born from Dash’s boredom, and before long, paper was flying all around the classroom. Naturally, Fluttershy was curious, and Rainbow eagerly taught her all the steps. As fate would have it, though, Fluttershy’s very first paper airplane hit the teacher right in the back of her head, and her paper-crafting career ended just as it had begun.

It had been years since Fluttershy had folded a paper plane. But she did remember how well they flew if they were folded well enough. Whether they could fly well enough to traverse a street and fly through a window, she didn’t know. But she did know that the steps were simple enough, and one glance at the stack next to her told her that she had more than enough materials to relearn this craft. With luck, this would be what gave success to her mission.

She took the paper off the floor, holding it in her hooves. The paper wrinkled as she folded it in half, as she recalled the importance of the crease. She unfolded it, staring at the newly creased paper. Her eyes narrowed as she sorted through her memory, and she folded the top corners down to the center crease. Her tongue poked out of her mouth as she repeated the motion, proceeding to fold it in half. For the final step, she folded the sides down, giving the paper plane wings.

Fluttershy smiled, holding her new creation up to be beheld and admired. Her ears fell shortly afterwards, as she rotated it in her hoof to get a good look at it. The wings were unequal in width, a result of her uneven folds and one was even higher up than the other. The nose stuck out at one angle, instead of straight out. It was completely imperfect, but she still had to try.

Fluttershy approached the window, resting one foreleg on the windowsill, while the other grasped her creation. She cocked her leg back, then sent the plane flying, her breath held as it took flight.

There wasn’t any wind out, and Fluttershy knew from the second that she threw it that her first plane was destined for failure. It immediately plummeted down, not even getting four feet from the window before doing so, and she was sure that it only stayed in the air for less than five seconds, even though she threw it from high up. Across the street, she found that she had been, unsurprisingly, unsuccessful in her attempts to capture Rarity’s attention.

She sighed, but her eyes immediately narrowed. She wasn’t going to give up because one paper plane failed! She wasn’t going to stop until she had the perfect one, one that would surely get her what she wanted! Because.. because she just wanted to. She didn’t need a reason, and frankly, she didn’t know why herself. But she did need more paper, and more practice.

She swiped another paper off of the top of the stack. Maybe luck was on her side today.

Fluttershy quickly found a rhythm. Fold, fold some more, then throw. Her paper wrinkled as she creased, then brought the corner to the edge. This one was more even on both sides, but not quite perfect.

Whoosh. Her eyes never left the paper as it sailed through the air. Her hope was short lived, though, as a sudden gust of wind blew the little plane off-course, hitting the side of the building, and not at all close to where she wanted.

No matter. She still had paper. Lots of paper.

Wrinkle. Wrinkle. Wrinkle. Whoosh. This one found its place on the ground pretty quickly. Too nose-heavy.

Wrinkle. Wrinkle. Whoosh. Again, the side of the building. No sudden gust this time, though.

Wrinkle. Whoosh. Almost... it hit the top of the window with what Fluttershy was sure was a faint tap. Not enough, though, as Rarity didn’t even seem to move.

Whoosh. Her eyes glued to this one, she was sure it would make it... and suddenly, in a flurry of caws and shrieks, a flock of birds passed right through its path, the plane seemingly disappearing with their sudden interception.

Whoosh. Her eyes widened as the plane soared through the air, her breath catching when it flew right through the open window... and her ears falling when it found its place in the wastebasket, which just so happened to be behind the chair. She slapped a hoof to her forehead at this one. Luck wasn’t on her side today.

Whoosh. Plane after plane left the window, and now Fluttershy paid no heed to anypony around her, or how her stack of ammunition was gradually getting smaller and smaller. She only had eyes for one pony, the one pony who seemingly couldn’t have eyes for her.

She instinctively reached for her next paper, her eyes widening when her hoof swiped over the cold, hard floor. She looked down, only seeing the quill that had been giving earlier. It hadn’t moved from when she put it down, but now it rolled a little bit. Her eyes widened, her pupils shrinking, and a gasp left her parted lips as she realized what this meant.

Unknown to her, the gasp sliced through the silence, and when she looked up, the quiet had been restored. Except now, she felt countless pairs of eyes boring into her, almost through her.

Instantly, heat coursed through her cheeks, and she automatically tried to cover it with her mane. Out of the corner of her vision, a stallion brought his hoof around his own stack of paper, ever so slightly bringing it closer to his side.

She didn’t know if she could feel any smaller. She could try, and it would only help her cause... Her eyes wandered down, and immediately caught sight of one paper, one of her own, that she had somehow missed, but not exactly missed. From that morning, with the lipstick jumping out at her like none that she had seen before.

She couldn’t. It seemed too... important, too special to be folded into something as worthless as one single paper airplane. Yet... as Fluttershy’s eyes shifted across the street, she knew that this is what it was meant for all along, and maybe, just maybe, this one had luck on its side. Not even luck, but something more...

Fluttershy hadn’t done anything to further capture everypony’s attention, and it was a relief to see that all eyes had gone back to their own respective papers. She held her own paper in her hooves for a moment, taking a deep breath before starting the process that was all too familiar, now that the countless, repetitive movements had been drilled into her memory.

For the last time, for better or for worse, she stood at the window with a paper plane in her hoof. It fluttered slightly in the breeze, the lipstick now resting on the plane’s right wing. Fluttershy took a moment, just a moment, to look at the white unicorn in the building across the street. After this, if she happened to succeed, maybe she would know exactly why she was risking her whole trip to Canterlot for something like this. They already knew each other well enough! And they had plenty of time to talk afterwards, not now

Fluttershy paused for another moment. Was it the now that mattered? Would things be different after this whole... thing was over and done? She couldn’t know, and didn’t know if she wanted to wait. Act now, and do something different.

She brought the plane back in her hoof, and was about to bring it forward when a gust of wind howled through her ears, ruffling her mane, and dislodging the plane from its place in her hoof. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the little plane be taken by the wind, and her hooves left the windowsill as she scrabbled for it.

Luck was most certainly not on her side today. It was as if the wind was taunting her. Just as she reached for her last hope, her last ticket, another sudden puff sent the plane tumbling forwards. Her eyes never left it as it plummeted to the ground, never to reach its intended destination.

She stayed like that for a moment, half of her body hanging out the window, eyes still wide and mouth still agape. She had been cheated, her chance stolen from her! It wasn’t fair, and not only could she do anything about it, she would never know what would have happened, what could have happened between the two of them.

She looked up, and the realization that she had lost her chance was hammered into her head even harder. That mare now stood with her back to her, her hooves leading her out the door and out of sight. As the door shut, Fluttershy swore that she heard a faint click all the way across the street.

She had to pull herself up eventually, and better now than later. As she did, though, she realized that once again, all eyes were on her. She guessed that sticking half of her body out the window did the trick that time. More importantly, that same stallion was bearing down on her, the distance between them closing too rapidly. Another, perhaps even larger, stack of papers accompanied him, and Fluttershy didn’t have to think twice to know who they were for.

Decision time. Her eyes flickered between the imposing stallion and the even more imposing papers, and the door across the street. She couldn’t have left that long ago... Back and forth, back and forth... Now, should she run or accept her fate?

One final glance across the street, and she thought, she knew, that she still had time.

In a flurry of outstretched wings and flying papers, the only reminder that Fluttershy had been there was a mess of papers, spread all across the floor, and the swinging door to the right.

Fluttershy’s chest heaved as she burst through the front door of the building. She couldn’t remember the last time she had run (or was it flew?) so fast and with such urgency. She received a few longer-than-normal glances from a few ponies, but what mattered right now was Rarity. She hurried across the street, craning her neck to see above the crowd, peering around the corner of the building. There were many ponies with stylish manes and a good sense in fashion, but none were the one she was looking for.

Her head low, her spirits even lower, she dragged her hooves back down the street, before stopping at a mailbox. Atop it, a paper airplane fluttered slightly in the gentle breeze. Fluttershy took it in her hoof. Minutes before, this had been her hope, her ticket to the glorious unknown. Now, though, it only reminded her of a missed opportunity, and now she didn’t know if she could ever recreate that.

Before she let the acceptance completely wash over her, she whirled, plane in hoof, and hurled it into the air, as far away as possible. She didn’t ever want to see it again, and certainly not at this moment. Earlier, she would have marveled at how high it sailed into the air, somehow even passing the highest of the buildings. Now, though, she didn’t give it a second glance after it left her hoof. With her head low, she let her hooves bring her back to the train station. She didn’t have any reason to be here anymore.

The afternoon sun shed its light down on the city, and as the hours passed, it eventually gave notice to a single alley, that ended in a wall about 10 feet to the right of the street.

Paper airplanes, of the same general shape, littered the alley, strewn this way and that, either by chance or by fate, or perhaps both. One in particular lay in the middle of the alleyway, resting on its side. The daylight illuminated one feature: a lipstick stain, resting on the right wing.

Nothing in the alleyway moved, as it had been for a while. Then, the lipsticked-plane rustled, though there was no breeze or draft to give it movement. Only a single twitch to the side, then all was still again. Then another rustle, then a jump a few inches to the left. Though there was nothing to guide this little plane, it suddenly leapt into the air, as if it had a life of its own. And maybe it did... but right now, it seemed to have a mission. The papercraft hovered, not moving otherwise, before it sprang to life again, dancing in a circle, and its wings swaying in the nonexistent breeze that carried it.

More rustles and flickers of movement, which soon escalated quite quickly. Other paper planes fell in line behind the lead one, and soon, if any passerby happened to look, they would be sure that Discord’s hand was at work here, as all of the paper airplanes in the alley (and perhaps even a few other stray ones) were now in the air.

It didn’t last long, though. One pony in particular walked past the alley, her head low and her hooves dragging. The lead plane immediately stopped, and without hesitation, started to make its way out of the alley. The rest of the paper planes followed suit, and they floated away, swaying in a straight line.

A sigh left Fluttershy’s mouth as she trudged through the streets. She thought that she was going the right way, though she wasn’t completely sure. Maybe, if she were lucky-

She yelped as an object struck her back. No sharp pain coursed through her, only enough to draw her attention. She was about to turn her head, but found that she didn’t need to, as the offending object presented itself as it appeared, or rather flew right in front of her head.

Her eyes were wide in an instant, then narrowed an instant later. A paper plane, no her paper plane, hovered right in front of her face.

She swatted it away without a second thought. She didn’t even want to think about how it possibly could have ended right in front of her. She just wanted to go home and forget about the whole-

Unfortunately, she hadn’t looked behind her, and she consequently felt more paper jab into her chest. She waved her hoof again, perhaps a little more frantically this time, and was then, frankly, assaulted by waves of paper airplanes. She squeaked, her eyes the size of dinner plates as she was swept up in the attack, and she was sure that she was almost drowning in paper... Was it even possible to be assaulted by paper? And had she really made this many paper planes? She didn’t have time to think these through, as a wave of panic overtook her when she tried to move her hooves, and failed. The flurry of paper seemed to have a mind of its own, a thought that left no doubt in her mind as she was swept down the street.

Naturally, she didn’t notice one single paper airplane that wasn’t getting in on the commotion. Instead, it zipped off elsewhere, with a destination seemingly in mind.

Out of the many stores to visit in Canterlot, it was a clothing store that caught Rarity’s eye. She stood next to the window, mentally weighing the clothes with a raised eyebrow.

She most certainly wasn’t expecting to feel a light draft, almost miniscule enough to go unnoticed if it wasn’t right next to her head. She turned, and her eyebrow raised further when a paper airplane, one with a light pink lipstick mark on the right wing, presented itself to her, resting on the windowsill looking into the store. She peered closer, the little thing now having her full attention, as she swore that she had seen it earlier this morning-

It was that moment that the paper airplane chose to leap into the air. Her eyes followed it automatically, then widened when the little plane zipped off. Now fully focused on it, she whirled around, her horn glowing, and a few questions about basic physics in the back of her mind.

Somehow, the plane eluded her magical grasp, flitting this way and that. Now it was defying physics and magic! She took a few steps towards it, and, as if taunting her, the plane did a brief loop in the air before flying away.

Rarity gave chase to it without hesitation. Whatever in Equestria was going on, she was going to find out, and the paper plane would be her answer.

Fluttershy tumbled down the street, literally head over hooves, not even knowing which way was up or down. She could do nothing as she was swept away in the barrage of planes, right by many an innocent yet dumbfounded passerby, who saw Fluttershy as only a jumbled mass of paper planes, with the occasional panicked head poking out every now and again.

She had given up any attempts at resistance, as whenever she tried to break free, the papers responded with yet another assault on her personal space, which was being completely and utterly invaded right now.

Across the street she went, weaving through confused ponies this way and that, and up a flight of stairs. That little part was particularly annoying, because while the planes could fly up the stairs, she couldn’t, and as a result she was sure that she banged her head at least three times on the way up.

That was forgotten, though, as suddenly, she felt herself being set down, on a seat of some sort. The flurry of airplanes settled, only slightly, before her eyes, allowing her to see that she sat on a train. Next to her, the doors closed with a hiss of air, and she was on her way.

Nothing to do now, except wait. Maybe now that she wasn’t being marehandled by the paper planes, she could get up! She tried to rise on all fours-

-and was promptly forced back down, some of the planes the covered her flitting slightly from the disturbance. She crossed her hooves in front of her chest, and sighed. Nothing to do, but wait to see where this would take her.

Rarity’s impromptu chase had taken her through alleys, streets, and maybe even a building here and there, and still that little plane wouldn’t stop! Not from her magic nor from its own accord!

It wasn’t going so fast as to incite a full sprint from the unicorn, but she admitted that she wasn’t the most... physical of ponies. And the plane seemed to know that, amazingly, as she could only keep pace with it. Well, and the fact that she couldn’t catch it if she tried. She had even leapt, hooves outstretched, one time, only to end with a faceful of asphalt, and the papercraft still out of reach.

She ran up a flight of stairs, made a turn left, and saw the plane hover through an open door. She ran in after it, and sighed in relief when she saw the paper, lying still on the ground. She grasped it in her magic, almost blowing out her cheeks again when it allowed itself to be picked up in her magic. In fact, she would have, if she hadn’t heard a sudden mechanical hiss behind her. She turned, seeing the doors closing, and only when the train lurched forward for the first time did she realize where she was.

The unicorn took a seat, experimentally weighing the little plane in her hands. She didn’t mind, after all, her business in Canterlot was all but done. It was only that the little thing had caused so much trouble. That’s what she was worried about. She would ask questions later when she got to the bottom of this, but for now, she had the feeling that she would find out soon. All she had to do was wait.

The trains, both trains, reached a stop at the same station.

Rarity stepped outside, feeling the cool late afternoon air on her coat. She seemed to be the only one getting off, and she still held the paper airplane in her magical grasp.

Her eyes surveyed her surroundings. It looked like the train had made another stop in Canterlot, but why was it here? Or rather, why had the plane brought her here? It had jumped in her hooves when the train was slowing... But right now, her surroundings seemed to be void of any other pony, any other thing, that would help her. She turned around, still lost in thought, her eyes wandering over the tracks that her train had been on just moments before.

Then, a draft blew through her coat. It was from behind her, but she only knew because of what happened next.

Paper airplanes blew past her, seemingly limitless in number. Around her feet, over her head, they fluttered past her as they rode the draft, some landing on the train tracks, others flying further away. And all of them came from behind her.

She turned around. The last pony she expected to see stumbled right in front of her. Her mane was frazzled, her eyes slightly unfocused, and most importantly, she was covered head to hoof in paper airplanes. Some of them had blown away in the breeze already, but as their eyes locked, a particularly strong draft caused the planes, every one of them excepting the one that Rarity held, were carried away, leaving only the two of them.

Rarity took a step closer. Somehow, she thought she knew everything, everything that Fluttershy had done, and what she must had gone through for this to happen. Fluttershy’s eyes took in the scene before her, and what exactly had just happened to lead her to this point. She took a step closer as well, so that the two mares stood right in front of each other.

A moment passed, the only sound being the light wind blowing past them. A smile, the same kind of understanding, accepting smile, was now present on both of them.