Act III - 12 - Movin' Right Along

Act III:

"Naqoyqatsi (Life as War)"

Chapter Twelve:

"Movin' Right Along"

As soon as her conversation with Iron Will was complete, Hoofcuff had once more made a beeline for the airship. Her hopes of a swift return to Canterlot were dashed within moments.

Upon questioning, the captain of the airship had stated that the damage to the engine was such that a crucial part was in fact damaged beyond repair and they'd have to wait for the replacement part directly from San Franciscolt.

Upon hearing that news, Hoofcuff had released a very long and exhaustive list of names and offensives, to which the captain simply replied with, “Arg, ye be a real fanged siren with a bitch up her tail.”

Hoofcuff had no response to that.

So, she had been forced to hunker in a tiny motel perched over a bar of all places. The motel wasn't an awful place, but the fact that it was built over what was apparently the only bar in town certainly didn't help her personality. Even though a part of her felt like finishing the mission she had been given was the best decision (namely her now bruised ego), another part felt that she should at least attempt to report Iron Will, tell one of his superiors that he was blackmailing her. Then, they could release her from her contract and she could finally get out of this backwater town without fear of her until-now spotless arrest record being tarnished.

Of course, through some mysterious means, Iron Will had somehow found out about her misfortune, and, instead of sending an extraction team to remove her and get her back on the job like a proper military superior, he had instead sent her, via magic, more than a half dozen portfolios filled to bursting. On the top of the pile was a small card which said:

Sorry about not picking you up. But I need you to do some snooping around first. Enjoy.

So, with nothing else to do besides hang around the bar like a vulture, she went about reading the portfolios. Shockingly, the portfolios had actually contained information that Hoofcuff found to be interesting. For one thing, they had seemingly nothing to do with Fluttershy. Instead, it was a disturbingly well researched series of documents concerning a certain earth pony named Tree Flower.

As it turned out, this Tree Flower mare had been living in Ponyville for the past twenty or so years, having moved there after a family tragedy. Apparently, she had lost both her husband and only child in an event that was simply deemed as “Incident 2”.  Since then, she'd mostly worked as a teacher at the local school and her life was an especially boring one.

Hoofcuff wondered what had possessed Iron Will, who Hoofcuff had seen was almost fanatical in his dedication to capturing Fluttershy, to amass such an incredibly large amount of information on what was supposedly a totally pointless pony.

She continued to read though, her curiosity piqued. Something was off here, but she couldn't quite place it. She grazed through the dozens photos taken of her over the years. Most were the standard surveillance faire; always taken from an awkward angle and most of the time, a little fuzzy. Under each photo was a label that gave the date, time of day and the special codename assigned to Tree Flower, “Den Mother”. She continued to page through the portfolio, growing more frustrated by the minute.

There was nothing to look at. Just grainy black and white photo after grainy black and white photo.

“Agh, this is pointless!” she groaned, throwing the folder away in frustration, causing it to smash into several other piled up folding which only managed to create a pile of papers on the floor.

Figures that bastard would waste my time on something so pointless, she thought, standing up from her sitting position. Once she did so however, her eyes caught sight of a random paper with bold lettering along the top that read:

Potential connection between Tree Flower, codename ‘Den Mother’ and Fluttershy Braveheart, codename ‘White Whale’

"Well what have we here?" Hoofcuff muttered, pulling the sheet of paper out from underneath the pile it was under.

It was a small memo, where, in typeface, was the following text:

Research has demonstrated a potential connection between Subject Den Mother and Subject White Whale.

Blood sample tests show a strong likelihood of blood relation, showing a 96-98% DNA match between Subject Den Mother and Subject White Whale. It is this researcher's opinion that all available personnel should be tasked with the observation and surveillance of Subject Den Mother.

Hoofcuff’s eyes widened upon reading the words. She was in the same exact town as Fluttershy’s mother?! A plan instantly started to form in her mind. She had to find this Tree Flower. If her hunch was correct, and if she could find Tree Flower, she could maybe use her as a way to find Fluttershy. With that piece of information, she bolted out of her hotel room, running down the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her.

Her train of thought was interrupted, however, when she tripped over her own hooves and was sent tumbling down the stairs. She landed hard on her face, grabbing the attention of the patrons of the bar below.

“Oh goodness gracious, Marshall! Are you alright?!” a purple mare who Hoofcuff knew as the bartender gasped, running over to help her up.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Hoofcuff grumbled, wiping some blood from her nose. “Do you happen to know where I can find a list of addresses or something?”

The purple pony thought for a moment, “Um…let me think…” she tapped her chin for a moment before speaking again, “That’d be Town Hall in the center of town.”

Hoofcuff smiled grimly, “Thank you very much.” She started towards the door, leaving the purple bartender with a somewhat confused expression.

/////////////////////

Hoofcuff doggedly searched through the address book, making a beeline for the ‘F’. Unlike Canterlot or any other large self-respecting city, Ponyville’s address system consisted of an impractically large book which Hoofcuff had to use all her might to open. She magically leafed through the pages, scanning for Tree Flower’s name.

“Let’s see, ‘Flower’, ‘Flower’, where is the name Flower…” she muttered, getting more and more frustrated. After what seemed like an endless stream of name after name after name, she finally found the name she was looking for.

“Ah ha! Flower, Tree! Lives at 11261 Tree Branch Lane!” Hoofcuff smiled. There you go girl! You’re back in the game now! She thought as she jotted the address down and left the book behind her.

As she trotted out of town hall and paused to scan the town center. Her eyes narrowed as she searched for any signs that might lead to the address written down in the book. She trotted quickly through the town center, following the signs, searching carefully for the correct house. She had to be quick. Couldn’t risk the possibility of Tree Flower possibly discovering that she was being watched. She could hear her phone ringing, and she levitated it out of her ever-present wind breaker’s pocket to see who it was.

It was Iron Will.

Ugh, stupid idiot, leave me alone! She thought, stuffing the phone back in her pocket and switching to silent. Her own trot quickly shifted into a canter. She dodged around random ponies, including that same green unicorn from the day before, who this time was talking with a powder white mare with a blue and pink mane. Hoofcuff ignored their protests after she nearly slammed into them, with the green one shouting, “JERK!” at the top of her lungs.

That didn’t even register to Hoofcuff. She was in full-blown hunting mode. Nothing could faze her. She bounded past various stalls and carts, searching for the correct address the entire time.

However, as she ran, her eyes caught sight of a familiar blur of color. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look in the direction of the color. Her jaw dropped at the sight.

There, walking right across the town center was Tree Flower, and next to her, the last pony in the universe Hoofcuff thought would be there.

Fluttershy.

The two seemed to be quietly discussing something, and for the first time, Hoofcuff noticed something about Fluttershy.

She was smiling. Every other time Hoofcuff had seen Fluttershy, the pegasus’ expression was locked in a state of either panic or fear. This time, Fluttershy looked positively happy, a gentle smile on her face as she talked with Tree Flower. Not wanting to ruin an incredibly lucky turn of events, Hoofcuff dodged behind a nearby stall and started discreetly following the two mares, being sure to stay out of their line of sight. She crept behind the various stalls, causing an occasional dirty look from the proprietors. Her phone continued to vibrate in her pocket, but she ignored it. It was probably Iron Will, here to bug her about some stupid thing Hoofcuff couldn’t care less about.

She unexpectedly bumped into a massive earth pony with a bright red coat and a half green apple cutie mark who was working a booth selling apples.

“Excuse me,” she quickly muttered, walking around him, making sure not to lose her targets. The earth pony simply shrugged, seemingly unfazed.

“Eeyup,” he replied in his incredibly deep southern drawl, returning to his booth with a shrug, seemingly unfazed by what must have looked like a rather crazed unicorn.

Hoofcuff continued forward, this time making sure to distance herself from the booths, instead switching to mingling with the various groups of ponies that wandered through the town square. However, she quickly lost sight of her targets, as they disappeared into a particularly large group that was cluttered around what Hoofcuff assumed was the local train station.

Oh no, Hoofcuff thought as her eyes went wide again as she put two and two together. They’re going to the train station!

Her fears were confirmed when Tree Flower and Fluttershy appeared in her view again, this time walking up to what looked like the ticket window, where Tree Flower stopped and said something to the pony working the booth.

Seizing her chance, Hoofcuff bolted towards the train station, panting hard as she ran as fast she could. In the back of her mind, she considered the idea of responding to the continually vibrating phone in her pocket and telling Iron Will about her discovery, but most likely he would just order her to stay put and wait for ‘backup’. She pushed the idea out of her mind.

However, before she had a chance to reach the ticket booth and apprehend them, a new train arrived at the station and the doors opened, unleashing a titanic flood of ponies of all shapes, sizes and species. Hoofcuff halted as she felt her heart sink. Tree Flower and Fluttershy completely disappeared into the massive sea of colors and faces.

Hoofcuff let out a frustrated groan and stamped her hoof.

DAMN IT! she thought, scrambling around the sea of ponies as best she could, searching desperately for the yellow pegasus. She hopped up in the air, hoping that if she could see over the sea of faces.

The crowd eventually dissipated, some ponies giving Hoofcuff odd looks as they passed her by. She groaned as she watched as the train started to move, now filled with a new set of passengers. Celestia seemed fit to mock her today, as one of the passengers was Fluttershy, who was still talking quite adamantly with Tree Flower. Hoofcuff let a frustrated growl and bolted after the train.

Of course, as fast as Hoofcuff was, she was no match for the train, which accelerated away, leaving Hoofcuff panting in the dust.

She let out a frustrated groan as flopped down on her flanks. She had failed. Again. She sulked on the train tracks for a few minutes before the familiar buzz and ringing of her phone distracted her from her ruminations.

“Ugh, hello?” she growled into the phone, not really caring who was on the other side.

“Oh hello Hoofcuff. I trust that you got my package?”

Iron Will’s voice was like sandpaper to Hoofcuff, and she groaned again. “What the hell do you want? Because if it was Tree Flower I already lost her.”

“What?! How?!” Iron Will roared, causing Hoofcuff to wince slightly.

“She boarded a train. And do you know who was with her?”

“Fluttershy,” Iron Will growled, as if the very name provoked a rage within him.

“What?! You knew that the whole time?!” Hoofcuff shouted into the phone, once more attracting an awkward stare from the ticket pony. Iron Will simply chuckled.

“Well, think about it Hoofcuff. Tree Flower is Fluttershy’s mother, it’s obvious that’d we’d keep a close eye on her,” Iron Will responded, his voice now very clinical.

Hoofcuff blinked in shock, “But that still doesn’t explain how you knew Fluttershy was here.”

“Simple,” Iron Will responded, “We tapped Tree Flower’s phone months ago. In fact, we already knew that they would be heading for the train station. I tried to contact you, but you didn’t pick up.”

Hoofcuff face hoofed at that. Real smooth, Hoofcuff. She thought. She mustered some decency and sat down on a bench. “Okay then. Care to tell me where the two happen to be going? Or is that too much to ask?”

“Manehattan. Apparently they’re seeking a friend there,” Iron Will informed her, “I will be heading there myself to apprehend her. If you care for it, I can pick you up on the way there.”

Hoofcuff glanced around the train station. It was now completely and utterly deserted, except for the pony manning the ticket booth. The prospect of her having to wait around again like an idiot certainly wasn’t attractive, “Ugh, fine. Promise me one thing though,” Hoofcuff asked, “That once this is over, you bury this all under the carpet. I don’t want to go back to Canterlot only to find out that you told my bosses about this farce okay?”

“Of course, Hoofcuff. I’m a minotaur of my word. I assure you that your superiors will never find out about this unfortunate turn of events,” Iron Will replied, his smile evident even through the phone.

“Alright then. How long until you get here?” Hoofcuff asked, glancing down at her watch.

“Oh we’ll be there soon. Probably before tomorrow night. I suggest you go back to that motel my friend, have a nice drink and get some rest,” Iron Will replied in a condescending tone, as if he were some wise pony giving her sacred information.

“Ugh fine. Goodbye,” Hoofcuff grumbled, handing up on Iron Will and dragging herself away from the train station and started back in the general direction of the motel.

/////////////////////

Fluttershy shifted in her seat slightly. The conversation with her mother had died in the time since leaving the train station, with Fluttershy now quietly looking out the window, focusing at her reflected image. The sun had begun to set, filling the train car with a golden glow.

The first thing that struck her was how incredibly tired she looked. She had several dozen heavy bags under eyes, making her look like a raccoon. Her mane was full of split ends; in spite of the long shower (her first in months), she had taken. Her coat’s normal bright yellow color scheme was now faded, and covered with scrapes. She could spot some bruises along her legs. She had never really had a chance to see how pitiful she looked. She looked like some sort of homeless bum who hadn’t had a full meal in weeks. She sighed sadly, her eyes now shifting focus to watch the horizon.

“Fluttershy?” her mother all of a sudden said, snapping Fluttershy out of her thoughts.

Fluttershy looked back towards her mother, who was looking at her with a gentle smile on her face, “Yes Mother?”

“Fluttershy, if you’re worrying about how you look, I think you look just fine,” Her mother said, looking at her own reflection in the window.

“Really?” Fluttershy asked, raising an eyebrow, “I look like a homeless pony.”

Tree Flower chuckled, “Well, don’t worry. When we get to Manehattan we can maybe visit a spa.”

Fluttershy smiled slightly. Even with her daughter looking utterly reprehensible, her mother still managed to find a positive aspect in all this. Her mind started to wander, moving from topic to topic randomly. Eventually, her thoughts settled onto the main subject they had been discussing since they left house. Ponyville.

A brief memory of when she bumped into Firefly passed through her mind. I wonder how’s she’s doing… she thought. A brief paranoid thought that Firefly might have been injured or something on board the train was quickly banished from her mind by the forces of logic.

Nonsense Fluttershy, she thought. She’s probably in Ponyville now…you’ve gotta relax.

Just then, her mother pointed a hoof out the window, “Oh look, there’s Manehattan!” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.

“Really? Where?” she asked, scanning for the skyline of the city. She quickly found it, sitting to the east and facing the ocean. The setting sun glinted and reflected off the glass skyscrapers as if they were giant mirrors. It looked as if the entire city were carved of crystal.

“Wow…that’s beautiful…” Fluttershy whispered, her eyes widening at the sight. She hadn’t seen Manehattan in more than ten years, and it had certainly changed. There were at least a dozen new buildings that climbed towards the sky, mixing in with the older buildings that Fluttershy recognized.

Memories of her time spent with Posey flew across her mind. Of course, all those memories ended the same way. The Other Mare released. She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head to banish the horrid memory from her mind.

“Well,” her mother said, gazing at the city with wonder. “We’ll be arriving at the train station soon, so be prepared, okay dear?”

Fluttershy nodded, doing her best to not look troubled. She wondered if maybe someone might recognize her. And then what would happen? Would that pony call the authorities? What would happen to her mother? Would she lose control? These and at least another one thousand paranoid thoughts attacked her mind and Fluttershy could feel herself start to panic.

Her mother’s hoof appeared on her shoulder. Fluttershy’s head whipped around to face Tree Flower.

“Fluttershy….” her mother said her voice warm and her eyes kind, “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. We’re going to go to Dr. Fili and everything will be fine.”

Fluttershy nodded, “O-okay…I’ll try.”

Tree Flower smiled, gently tapping Fluttershy’s shoulder, “That’s my girl.” By then, the train had finally entered the city. The train steadily slowed down, it’s brakes squeaking and shrieking as it pulled into the train station. The doors opened, flooding the train with a thousand new sounds and smells.

Tree Flower grabbed their saddlebags from the overhead compartment and beckoned for Fluttershy to stand up and they exited the train. Fluttershy clung to Tree Flower tightly as they maneuvered through the mob of ponies, diamond dogs and griffins. Fluttershy made sure to hide behind her mane as much as possible, just in case someone recognized her.

“It’s okay dear, keep calm. We’re almost out,” Tree Flower called back towards Fluttershy, leading her out of the mob and into the main central area of the station. The mob thinned and Tree Flower led them to the front door, which opened up to reveal Central Manehattan.

Fluttershy whimpered slightly at the sight of the city before her. She hadn’t seen so many ponies in her entire life. It seemingly stretched forever, with the skyscrapers forming canyons that were filled with thousands upon thousands of ponies. Dozens upon dozens of bright yellow taxi carts darted back and forth, picking up and dropping off their passengers. On either end of the staircase leading down the street were doorways heading downwards into darkness. Fluttershy assumed that those lead to the subway. Fluttershy looked up at the sight of several large zeppelins flying gracefully through the sky, looking like beautiful silver whales. Tiny brightly colored dots fluttered about, which Fluttershy assumed were pegasi.

“Well, which do you want to take?” her mother asked, looking at Fluttershy expectantly. Fluttershy snapped out of her distracted state and shrugged.

“Um…I don’t Mother…which would you prefer?” she asked.

Tree Flower thought for a moment, putting a hoof to her chin, “Well, the subway is faster…”

Fluttershy thought about that option for a second. The thought of being crammed into a tight metal container underground and surrounded by dozens of grumpy ponies was a scary one.

“Um…how about a taxi?” Fluttershy finally said, pointing towards one of the dozens of taxi cabs darting about. Tree Flower raised an eyebrow.

“Are you sure Fluttershy? That might take awhile,” she said, sounding rather reluctant.

Fluttershy nodded her head, “Well, I’m not sure I’d like to be around too many ponies…” she lowered her voice, “Just in case…New Fluttershy, you know?”

Tree Flower’s expression changed from one of confusion to understanding, “Oh…you’re right…a cab might be safer.” As she said this, her eyes started scanning the dozens of taxicabs that darted about., “Umm….” she paused, apparently trying to narrow down a potential ride. “How about that one?” she pointed to a rather new looking one that had just pulled up with the number 1646. Its paint job glinted in the sunlight and its driver looked like a reasonable fellow. Tree Flower gently lead Fluttershy down the steps and the two of them trotted towards the taxi driver.

“Excuse me! Taxi!” Tree Flower called out, catching the dark brown pony’s attention. The colt looked towards them and nodded.

“Yes ma’am?” he asked as they trotted up to him. Tree Flower smiled graciously while Fluttershy hid behind her mane.

“Hello there, we’d like to take go to…” Tree Flower paused, seemingly at a lost. The taxi driver raised an eyebrow.

“Go to….?” he asked, seemingly impatient. Tree Flower gave him a quick glare as if to say ‘hold a second’ as she tapped her chin. Fluttershy meanwhile, bit her lip, unsure of what to do. She didn’t know the address of the psychologist. All she knew was that it was somewhere in Manehattan. So, she decided to simply stand by. After a few more moments of thinking, Tree Flower nodded.

“Now I remember,” she chuckled, “Its 1973 SW 103rd Street, sorry for the inconvenience.“ She then fished out some spare change from her saddle bags and handed it to the driver.

The taxi driver simply shrugged, taking her money in hoof, “Whatever ma’am,” he said, as he unlinked himself from the cart and opened the door for them. Tree Flower thanked him and the two pegasi stepped inside. Fluttershy assaulted by the sudden burst of putrid odors and the sheer filthiness of the inside of the cab. The seats were coated with a disgusting film of dirt, crumb and stains unknown origin. The floor was almost buried in its own distinctive array of stains, bits of moldy food and the like. Herds of dust bunnies hovered around the seat belts, and the windows could only be described as utterly and hopelessly filthy.

Fluttershy looked at Tree Flower weakly, “Um…I changed my mind, I wanna take the train.” Tree Flower looked at her sympathetically. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off when the taxi driver suddenly glared at them.

"Oh no ya don't! Ya paid for a ride in my cab, so you're gonna ride in it. No take backs," he said, pointing towards the meter. Fluttershy's shoulders sagged.

She felt Tree Flower's hoof on her shoulder. "Do you want to go? We can still take the train," her mother said, her voice gentle. She then eyed the cab driver with disdain. "Because Celestia knows that a stallion should properly respect a mare." The cab driver simply scoffed in response.

Fluttershy paused. She once more considered the subway. It was tight and cramped, but if her memory served her right (and it had been quite awhile since she was last on one), any subway was better than this. She turned towards Tree Flower.

"Alright then," she said, stepping out of the cab, closely followed by her mother. Tree Flower gave the cab driver a dirty look as he hooked himself back up the rains, all the while muttering under his breath.

"You're lucky I don't report you," Tree Flower said, turning away. The cab driver simply cursed under his breath in response several incredibly vulgar words as the two mares departed.

Fluttershy simply hung her head low. She'd messed up again. And it had cost her mother at least 20 bits. A total waste. She sighed sadly. Of course things would go wrong, that's all that ever happened when she was around ponies.

"Mother...I'm sorry I made you waste your money like that..." she quietly said, all the while keeping her eyes fixed on the ground.

Tree Flower simply shrugged. "That's okay, dear. I've seen worse drivers. It wasn't your fault. He was a jerk, it couldn't be helped."

They quietly weaved their way through the crowd, with Fluttershy still hiding behind her mane. They reached the subway entrance and descended into the bowels of the subway station.

/////////////////////

Once aboard the subway, however, Fluttershy regretted making that decision. It was worse than crowded, it was packed. Ponies were crammed into every available inch of space, forced to stand as the subway car rocked back and forth slightly as it rushed along the rails of Manehattan's complex underground railway.

Fluttershy bit her lip reflexively and tried to read the newspaper she had found as a particular sweaty stallion to her right bumped into her as the car shook slightly as the train briefly came to a halt at one of the many stops along the way. As if on queue, a garbled voice came over the speakers announcing the stop and some of the ponies started to move, some scooting to allow room for new ponies, and others disembarking from the train. The sweaty stallion muttered an apology absentmindedly and stood up from where he was sitting to disembark. In his place, a new pony came to sit down next to Fluttershy, with Fluttershy reflexively scooting over to allow her some room. It was a young filly. She had a dark brown coat with a reddish orange mane that had a bright white streak in it for some reason. Her mane was cut so that a bang hung over her left eye, which she would blow out of her line of sight so often.

The thing that really made this pony stand out from the rest however, was her strange attire. She wore a dark green leather jacket with yellow stripes. On all four of her hooves, she wore black boots. Most bizarrely, she wore a pair of long black socks on her hind legs. She looked rather sullen and hunched in the corner next to Fluttershy, making sure to keep as far away as possible from the other ponies in the car.

She all of a sudden shot Fluttershy a dirty look, "Whadda youse lookin' at huh?" she asked in an incredibly thick Bronclyin accent. Fluttershy gulped and looked away, realizing that she had been staring at the filly the entire time.

"S-sorry, d-didn't m-mean to s-stare..." she whispered in response, hiding behind her mane again. “That's a nice jacket though..." she added, hoping to at least make the filly stop glaring at her so viciously.

The filly's stare lessened and she visibly relaxed a little. "Thanks," she said, shifting to look out the subway window.

Fluttershy herself shifted in her seat slightly and decided to focus on other things. For instance, there was a very interesting message scrawled with spray paint on one of the windows. Fluttershy tried her best to figure out what the message said, but couldn't make it out. She tilted her head slightly and squinted, reading the message under her breath. Her eyes widened however and she could feel herself blushing once it dawned on her exactly what the message was saying.

"Oh my..." she whispered. Fluttershy quickly returned to her newspaper with renewed vigor.

She did her best to read her own choice of papers, as the rocking of the train and the constant on and off flickering of the lights only managed to enhance her constant feeling of exhaustion. The pages she had chosen consisted mostly of economic articles discussing quote: ‘The wide spreading ramifications of fashion icon Rarity Belle’s shocking announcement of her identity as Iron Mare.’

It was the single most mind numbingly pedantic article she’d ever read. Never in her life had she read something so out of her interest zone. She glanced over the paper towards her mom, who was sleeping peacefully. Her mother apparently had fallen asleep since they boarded, and the headlines of the newspaper she had been reading lay spread open in front of her. Fluttershy quietly reached over and gently pulled the paper out so that she could read it.

She flicked the paper open and was about set about reading the headlines when the subway jerked to a halt once more, sending everyone in the subway lurching towards the left. Fluttershy could immediately tell which ponies were natives by their ambivalence towards the subways sudden stop. The doors opened and another series of ponies (including the filly in the green jacket) made their way out of their seats.

Of course, since this was a subway, there wasn’t much empty space for long, as another mob of ponies entered the subway, causing the unicorn mare with a dark grey coat and a darker brown mane who had been sitting next to the doorway the entire time to stand up. She wore a dark grey overcoat that covered her flank. She tucked herself into a corner and settled down. She then set about reading a magazine she had brought with her.

Fluttershy couldn’t quite place it, but something felt…off about the mare. Something was strangely familiar about her. She could have sworn that she saw her someplace before and also thought she caught the mysterious mare glancing towards her every so often. However, she shrugged it off.

Just you being paranoid again, Fluttershy; that mare isn’t watching you, you’re just being really paranoid. Just relax, and everything will be fine. Probably just a coincidence.

She glanced up at the map above the doorway. They were on the “R” line heading towards the Upper East Side of Manehattan. Fluttershy hoped the next stop would be theirs, since the idea of missing the stop and being forced to find another way to get to this Dr. Fili her mother had spoken of was certainly unattractive.

She let out an absent minded sigh as she returned to reading articles. Most of them, unsurprisingly, concerned the much lauded Rarity Belle and her announcement. Fluttershy now felt a slight sense of relief however at the massive media blitz directed towards the unicorn. At least this meant that most ponies would be too distracted to notice her presence.

And besides, it’s not like the government knows I’m here…

/////////////////////

Marshall Hoofcuff of the Equestrian Marshalls squeezed as best she could into the tightly packed subway, her heavy overcoat feeling oppressive in the stuffy subway. Once she had been picked up by Iron Will’s posse, she had inquired about Starlight. As it turned out, his leg injury was just as bad as it looked, and he had been forced to stay in Canterlot to recover.

So, it once more fell to her to be the main pony on the ground. Not that she didn’t like being active and in the field herself, but by this point, Hoofcuff had developed the sneaking suspicion that Iron Will was choosing her specifically for going after Fluttershy, almost as if there were nobody else to turn to.

Hoofcuff had attempted to ask Iron Will why he had once more chosen her, and he responded with, “You say you’re the best aren’t you? Then prove it.”

So, not one to take an insult like that lying down, Hoofcuff had agreed to personally tail the yellow pegasus. Luckily enough, at least Iron Will had the place of mind to first find out exactly which station the train from Ponyville was headed for, dispatching Hoofcuff there. This finally gave Hoofcuff a chance to observe Fluttershy subtly. This was the first time she had actually seen Fluttershy in a situation other than chasing her like a wanted criminal.

She quietly huddled herself in the corner, pretending to read the rather dull magazine she had chosen at random. Along with her overcoat and a rather simple disguising spell, she observed her target.

The first thing she noticed was how strangely relaxed and accepting Fluttershy looked. Yes she would still occasionally shy away from other ponies and made sure to hide behind her mane, but overall, she seemed much more relaxed than the last time Hoofcuff had seen her in person.

Next to her sat the same brown mare from earlier, which Hoofcuff recognized as Fluttershy's mother, Tree Flower. Apparently, the older mare had fallen asleep. Hoofcuff couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the strangely gift-card like image of the two ponies, with the earth pony leaning slightly against the yellow pegasus.

Huh, she thought, It's kinda sweet actually. She watched quietly as Fluttershy reached over and gently tapped the older mare, causing the earth pony to wake up. Fluttershy then leaned over towards Tree Flower and whispered something that Hoofcuff couldn't make out over the clickity-clack of the subway car. The pegasus then pointed towards the map above the doorway, once more whispering in the other pony's ear with a worried expression on her face.

The earth pony looked towards the map, blinking away the last bits of sleep and rubbing her eyes slightly, before nodding and whispering back to the pegasus, a kind and gentle smile on her face.

In fact, Hoofcuff noticed that the older mare exuded a gentleness that showed a patience and kindness that only a mother could show. Hoofcuff felt an unfamiliar feeling come over her.

The more she thought about it and the more she watched the other two, the more pointless this whole trip seemed. She even started to feel somewhat guilty, since right now, both Fluttershy and Tree Flower looked as if they didn't have a care in the world. All the sight of the two ponies enjoying each other's company managed to do was remind Hoofcuff of her own rather lonely existence. She didn't have any friends of her own. All she had was Starlight, who even then was more the chipper assistant then an actual friend. Most of the ponies back at HQ tended to avoid her and it wasn't like her own rather prickly personality helped to smooth things over.

Hoofcuff all of a sudden shook her head brusquely. Stop it Hoofcuff. You're getting sappy, she chided herself. You've got a good thing going. You help Equestria. You help them find and capture the worst of the worst. That's all that’s important, her train of thought paused.

As true as those words were, something still felt missing. She couldn't quite nail what it was, but she knew something was missing. Her train of thought started again, Yeah...that's all...but then what? After you catch them, what do you get? A pat on the back and a trip back home to your ratty apartment to dine on take out. Excellent.

She found herself letting out a frustrated groan and shifting of her feet again, causing one of the ponies standing next to her to give her a funny look. She merely glared back at him, eyes narrowed, "What?" she spat, venomously staring at the colt.

The colt, taking the hint, focused his attention elsewhere, muttering a half-hearted apology under his breath. Hoofcuff herself turned back towards her magazine, now reading the article on global erosion with rapt contemplation. She also continued to keep a close eye on Fluttershy and Tree Flower, both of whom were now having a quiet conversation.

The subway continued onward for what seemed like an eternity, with the herky-jerky movements of the car causing Hoofcuff to bump more than once into the other ponies standing next to her. It didn't help that she was also wearing that heavy overcoat, which, while keeping her warm in the autumn air outside, only managed to make her sweat like she was in a sauna.

All of a sudden, the train's PA system announced the next stop and the train gradually came to a halt at the station. Hoofcuff watched intently as Fluttershy and Tree Flower stood up along with another twelve ponies and made their way off the train.

Hoofcuff followed close behind, happy to finally be off the cramped car. She discreetly as possible, grabbed her phone with her magic and dialed a number.

"This is Agent Hoofcuff calling General Iron Will," she glanced up at the sign identifying the station they had disembarked at. "I'm at the 10th Street Station in the Upper East Side. Subject has left the subway and is now heading towards the surface."

The minotaur at the other end replied with a simple, "Affirmative," and then hung up. Hoofcuff continued to follow the two ponies as best she could, following them up the stairs and to the streets above.

She let out a slight sigh of relief to see that the street they ended up on wasn't packed with ponies. Instead, it was rather empty, with only a few pairs of ponies here or there. Of course, with the recent influx of ponies from the subway coming up from below, Hoofcuff knew she had to move quickly or else risk losing the two again.

The two ponies paused at a street corner, with the older mare briefly consulting a street map and then pointing towards the row of neat brownstone homes that lined the street opposite from them. The two then crossed the street and headed into the upper class neighborhood, with Hoofcuff close behind.

"Movin' right along.

Footloose and fancy-free.

Getting there is half the fun;

Come share it with me."

• Movin' Right Along by The Muppets