Always Look Back

by peep

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Romance, Fluttershy, Big Macintosh
Length: 4851

Fluttershy and Big Mac are war prisoners.

Fluttershy and Big Mac used to live a happy, carefree life together.

Now Big Macintosh is one of Celestia's greatest soldiers in the war against Discord. Fluttershy is a trusted Elemental General, one of six.

Equestria: Blocks the memories of soldiers to cut ties. Makes all soldiers sound the same. Uses the Elements seperatly, thanks to Twilight. Has Spike, now a large, pony-crushing, 50 ft. tall dragon.

Discord: Misshapes soldiers. Whispers lies of hatred, and forces soldiers to murder close relatives. Has own Elements. Has Discord.

Discord is winning.

Real original, I know. Rated teen for (so far) sexual references and mild cursing.

If you downvote this story, please tell me why so I can improve.

IF YOU ARE A TOUCHY PERSON, I SUGGEST NOT READING THIS.

Published 2013-01-21 18:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-06-28 17:24:02 UTC

The First Three Days in Hell

Fluttershy was thrown harshly in to a stone cell. "No!" she yelled, a bit dazed, "I don't belong here!" It was dark, but she could hear the misshapen gaurds that captured her leaving. "Help..." She cried herself to sleep.

***

She opened her eyes to darkness. Fluttershy sat up quickly, remembering the night before. A sob escaped her throat. She wailed, stopped only by a voice coming from the cell to her right.

"Don't cry."

She sniffed. "What?"

"Don't cry. They'll prey on you."

"Who?"

"The others, idiot. We're not the only ones in this place."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't kn—"

"Quiet. The gaurds are coming. Hide in the shadows." But it was too late. They had already spotted Fluttershy.

The first guard would resemble a dragon, the other would be absolutely normal, except his skin was completely transparent. "Well, what do we have here?" the first snickered, and held out a torch. "A mare? That can't be right. Maybe we should take 'er with us. What do you think?"

"Yes we could show her around, have a party in the bedchambers!" the other laughed. He started to unlock the cell door. Fluttershy pressed against the wall. "Aww, look, she's scared. I bet you want your bunny friend about now. Oh, but too bad. We're having Angel soup tonight!"

Fluttershy snapped. She lunged right up to the bars of the door and bent them apart. She crawled through and had her hooves around the gaurd's throat all in the span of seconds. "WHERE IS MY ANGEL?"

The first guard finally reacted and hit her in the head with the butt of his massive claws, knocking her out. The other one lay gasping. "She needs to be taught a lesson." He looked at the cell to the left. Inside was a large, muscular red draft pony, with a green apple cutie mark. "Hey. Beat her up a bit, willya?" He opened the door and threw her in, then locked it and carried his gaurd buddy away.

"Hey," the draft said, after he was sure they were gone. "Are you alright?" The yellow pegasus lay in a heap on the cold floor.

A pink mane, sprawled across her tiny body, as he held her in his hooves.

He shook his head. He had been getting strange flashbacks since he heard her calling for help last night. "Hey. They're gone." He nudged her with his hoof. "Please, get up."

She stirred, and he let out a sigh of relief. "An... Angel..." she muttered, but she soon forgot about the rabbit when she saw who was standing in front of her. "Big Mac!" She enveloped him in a hug.

"What?" He pushed her away.

"Big Macintosh..."

"How do you know my name?" he yelled. His stern look almost reached the intensity of The Stare.

"I... You don't remember me?"

"No." Her smiling face, him tilting it up to kiss her. He ignored the image.

"But... Oh. They wiped you."

"So they've told me."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to cause you any trouble. You know, stirring up old memories that would distract you. But... Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"What happened to your drawl?"

He sat there for quite awhile. "I got rid of it," he said finally. "It was a liability."

"You mean they forced you."

"Yes."

"Um." She paused, deciding. "Could you say 'eeyup' instead?"

He smiled. "Eeyup."

She smiled back. "Thank you."

***

Fluttershy woke up to a ringing bell. "Huh? What?" She lifted her head.

Big Macintosh was already up. "Heh. It's only your third day and you already get to go outside." He looked worried.

"Outside?"

"In the courtyard. They want us in tip-top shape so they can disform us and make us slaves." He saw her worried look. "But it's only happened a few times since I was here."

"And how long have you been here?"

"A while."

She felt as if he had dodged the question but didn't press on it. With the feeble amount of light coming in, Fluttershy could now see the rusty smear of what had to be old, dried blood on the back wall, along with a few chains and cuffs. "W-what... Are... those?"

"Well," he hesitated, not wanting to scare her, "This was once a... Um... Torture room. They ran out of space," he added quickly.

She barely had time to mutter "Oh," before new guards came. One was bulging muscle, with feathery gills, and the other had a lizard's tail. "Oi, Gil, lookit the mare."

"Oh, she's a beauty. I'd have a right fun time with her."

Fluttershy had had enough of this. She decided to kill with kindness. It was her element, after all. "Why, hello, nice to meet you. My name is Fluttershy. Who are you?"

For a second, they looked surprised. They giggled. "Well, I'm Gil, one l."

"An' I'm Tails. Nice t' meet ya, Pixie Stick."

"Why, the pleasure is all mine." Those lessons on ediquette with Rarity really paid off, she thought. "And what might we be doing today that requiers a guard escort?"

"Well, I'm here fer the red one. Gil's here fer you. We've been told you c'n be quite a nusiance. Both of ya are goin' out to th' courtyard fer exercise."

Out in the courtyard, wich was basically 40x40 yards square of dirt and bolders, Big Macintosh hid Fluttershy behind a particurally bloody rock. "Could we, perhapes, change—"

"No," Big Mac said. "You can't be seen by the guys."

"Who?"

"The other inmates. I, uh, don't know how they'd, well, react to you."

"They would rape me." It wasn't a question. "The guards have already tried that, on my way over." She bent her head remorsefully. "You saw what happened yesterday. It went something like that."

"And I had guessed it did. But if you think those guards are bad, you are a naïve little filly."

She whiped her head up. "Don't call me that."

He huffed. "I don't take orders from you, missy."

"Oh really, soldier. You don't take orders from the Element of Kindness?"

This caught him off guard. "The what? No, you couldn't be."

"Have you looked at my cutie mark?"

He blushed. "Uh... Um... No..."

"Well take a good look at it now." She flung her hindquarters into veiw. She was right, there they were, the three pink butterflies that proved Fluttershy was an Element.

"I, uh." He knelt, still hidden and unnoticed behind their rock. "I'm sorry."

Her gaze softened. "Get up, and go talk to your friends. Tell them about me, and... Um..." She hid behind her mane. "Make sure I don't get raped."

He smiled brightly. "Okay, eeyup!" He blushed again at the slip, and ran out to greet some particuarly muscled fellows.

She smiled at his departure. Now that's more like the Big Mac I know.

The Next Day/ Allies

"You've got a mare and you're not sharing? What's wrong with you?" said one of the particularly muscular inmates, a white pegasus with red eyes and tiny wings, and a dumbbell cutie mark.

"Yeah, I want a piece of her!" This pony was green, had skinny legs and a horn, and three seeds as a cutie mark.

"Laughter said that sharing is caring!" The earth pony was a bright blue, with an even brighter voice. She was also very into mares. Her cutie mark was two interlocking horseshoes.

"I haven't touched her! And neither will you." Big Mac glared at the trio.

"But why?" the ponies whined in union.

"She's Kindness, that's why."

"Nuh-uh. There is no bucking way," the pegasus said.

"I'm serious, Snowflake. It's her."

"Well, if you're so serious why don't you show us?" the unicorn grumbled.

"Fine then, Grass Seed. I will." Grass Seed's ears perked up. "Shoeshine, come with me."

The blue mare cast a smug look at the others as she followed Big Macintosh to what she considered a lightly bloodied rock. The red draft was already there, talking to somepony behind it. "Fluttershy, I've brought one of them. Her name is Shoeshine. Shoeshine, meet Fluttershy." He stepped back to reveal a soft yellow pegasus with a pink mane.

Shoeshine's thoughts drifted to her initiation to Equestria's army.

There she was, smack-dab in the middle of seven thousand ponies, all waiting in Canterlot Castle's giant throne room. Her squad sat in a row beside her. Big Mac, their captain, fighting on the ground. Snowflake, attacking from above. Her, Shoeshine, the strategist. Finally, Grass Seed, the "everything else" pony, as most unicorns were. They waited anxiously, figiting, until the Elements arrived.

The Generals walked out of a doorway in the back of the great hall, and took their positions on the rise. The Princesses came out next, sitting on their thrones, regal as ever. Magic started, like always, with a speech about how it was an honor to fight for Equestria, and thanking them for their bravery. Loyalty was next, telling them how awesome they were for doing this, and to try not to get killed. Honesty told them what Loyalty should have: to stay true to Equestria. Generosity produced more thank you's, primpled with flattery. Laughter bounded around throughout the new soldiers, trying to cheer the somber ponies up, but soon fell somber herself and just wished them luck.

The Sun Princess opened her mouth to speak when Kindness, of all ponies, stepped forward. Shoeshine looked around uncertainly, for what she had heard from the ponies that graduated before was that Kindness never gave a speech. It wasn't in her heart to ask the ponies in front of her to kill others.

Shoeshine studied her carefully. Light yellow body with wings, soft pink mane, butterfly cutie mark, yes, this was her. Kindness was going to speek.

"I... I want..." She hung her head as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Please... Just... Just don't die!" The other Elements crowded around her, giving comforting hugs and words. But what was the strangest to Shoeshine was that Kindness was looking directly at Big Macintosh. The red pony looked confused, but returned her gaze, and nodded. The yellow mare smiled slightly, only for a second, before her friends took her off the rise and back through the door. Then Sun and Moon stood up, gave their words of praise, thanks, and encouragement, and followed.

"Um, hello."

Shoeshine slamed back to the present. "Oh, yes. Hi!" She held out a hoof, which Fluttershy shook. "So, anyways, I'm Shoeshine, and I'm here to vertify that you are actually Kindness! May I have a look at your cutie mark?"

"Yes, okay." Fluttershy turned so that her rump was in view.

Shoeshine couldn't help but lick her lips. "Um, yeah, it's her." She stared hungrily at the quivering pegasus, who now hid her hind end with her tail.

"Well, then, maybe you should go tell the others, right?" Big Mac said, stepping in between the two mares.

She sighed, "I guess," and turned with her head low back to convince her comrades. But there was only Grass Seed, giggling like an idiot, with his horn glowing. "Where...?" He was looking back at the rock. She shook her head. "She really is Kindness, you know." Now he looked suprised. "You're in for it now." She turned, awaiting the scene that would unfold.

Snowflake crept along the side of the rock until he was right behind the mare his captain was keeping to himself. Well, not for long, he thought. He reared up to grasp the supposedly unsuspecting pegasus's hindquarters, when she turned around and caught him in a deadlock stare.

"Big Macintosh, if you would be ever so kind, I need you to bring over the rest of your company, please," the yellow pony said, never taking her eyes off the what to the red pony's eyes was an empty space.

"O-Okay..." He backed away slowly and then turned to see only two of the three ponies under his command, one with his horn still glowing. He shook his head slowly and trotted over. "Come on, Grass Seed, drop it. She knows." His horn's glow faded. "She also wants to meet you," he said, and dragged the unicorn over to the stone, with Shoeshine in tow, not suprised at all when he saw Snowflake, still rearing, eyes wide, frozen in Fluttershy's Stare.

"Let this be an example to all of you. No pony sneaks up on me. Down on all legs, soldier!" Snowflake obliged. "Aten-hut!" He clicked his front and back hooves together, horizontally. "Ready wings up!" His wings opened and streatched his wings, preparing for flight. "Now you." She turned and Stared at Grass Seed. He cowered. "I know you had a part in this. Aten-hut!" He obeyed, for what else would he do under The Stare? "Ready horns start!" His horn glowed, but did not perform magic yet. She left the two standing there and turned to Shoeshine. "Why didn't you alert me to this?" Fluttershy asked, her voice unusually comanding.

"I wanted to see what The Stare was like," she replied, staring in wonder at the two numbskulls at attention.

"Curiosity like that will get you killed."

"I know, but that's my job. I find out what the enemy can do, what we can do, and how we're going to beat them."

Kindness smiled. "I was wondering which of you was the strategist. It certainly wasn't these two," she said, refering to Grass Seed and Snowflake, who had beads of sweat on their foreheads.

Then an earth pony with a pink mane drawn up in a bun and a white coat yelled, "Fluttershy!"

She looked questioningly at Big Mac, who was squinting at the newcomer. "Oh! Yes, it's okay, that's Nurse Iris." On closer inspection, the pony had bright green cat eyes, and a slash through her cuitie mark– a red cross with four hearts– like the other guards.

"Fluttershy!" the pony yelled again.

The yellow mare was reluctant to go. "It's okay, she's just going to give you a check up," the draft said. "All of us have gone through it. We'll protect you on your way over." Fluttershy nodded, and after issuing the "at ease" command to the culprits– who were very grateful– she walked over to the nurse. A few stallions tried to come at her, but one swift look from her red protector stopped them.

"There you are!" the white pony said with a smile. "Come with me." She turned and went through a door with guards stationed at both sides. They closed the door behind them. Fluttershy was led down a dimly lit hallway with grimy walls. "It's not much now, but it gets better at my office." She was right, there was a clean door halfway down the corridor. Inside was a sterile room, with a desk full of papers, a metal bed with a thin sheet on it, and a wooden cabniet. "Sit down on the bed please," Nurse Iris asked her. The pegasus sat down, and the white pony began her work. After she finished, she said, "Well, you're all clear. And I must say, your discipline with those boys was amazing."

"Oh, um," Fluttershy blushed. "Thank you."

"You'll be a usefull addition to the army." The nurse turned around, fiddling in the cabinet.

Her eyes hardened. "No."

"I'm afraid you don't get a choice," she replied, still not looking at her.

The yellow pony was silent for a moment. "Nurse Redheart, what happened to you?"

Now it was the earth pony's eyes' turn to harden. "No pony calls me that anymore." She turned to face her patient.

"Were you a prisoner before?"

Her eyes softened. "Yes." The silence dragged on. "You want out."

"Yeah. And I want to take all of them with me."

"That's impossible. But a small group on the other hand..."

Fluttershy was confused. "Aren't you supposed to try to stop me? Or report me?"

"Yes, but I won't."

"Why?"

"My deformation was not all the way through. Discord was distracted, and didn't reach my mind. I played along, of course, and helped ponies escape his clutches. But now I want out too. Can you take me as well?"

"How do I know I can trust you?"

Nurse "Iris" smiled and sripped away the scar that was fake skin to reveal a whole cutie mark. "Shh," she said, and ushered her out the door where a guard escorted her to her cell.

Author's Note

Yay an OC! (Grass Seed) "Snowflake" is the "YEAH!" pony's unofficial official name. ( the pony from "Hurricane Fluttershy" ) "Shoeshine" is her official name. I made up these personalities.

Mission: Escape

Fluttershy was soon shoved into her shared cell with Big Mac, and since it wasn't really creating a problem and they needed more space, she was allowed to stay. She had already begun to tear up, rubbing and imaginary wound. The red stallion gave her a look and asked, "Is everything alright?"

She nodded, "I'll tell you later." Then, making sure he was watching, she looked around quickly, scratched her ear, and then scratched underneath her forelock and rose her hoof strait up when she finished. Watching/listening. Unicorn. He understood.

During the night, Fluttershy woke Big Macintosh up. "We can talk now," she whispered.

"How did you know?" he answered, just as quiet.

"Celest- I mean, the Sun enhanced our senses with her magic. We can tell when we're being watched."

"That's not a sense."

"Magical sense, then."

"You're a pegasus."

"Yes, but everypony has some magic in them! Why do you think I'm yellow?"

"Umm... It's natural?"

"Pink hair then!" She sighed. "Look, anyway, I found a way to get us and your squad out of here."

Seriousness returning, Big Mac nodded. "The catch?"

"We have to take Nurse Iris with us. I'm nearly positive she's clear, but if you wish to interrogate her, please, do so after we get out."

"Unless I can see her now."

"What do you—" She was interrupted by a very loud moan. Fluttershy rolled her eyes and hid a smile at the over-dramatic display of "pain". "Oh, help! Please, somepony, help him!" Some guards came and carried him away, while the red pony continued writhing.

"Redheart." Big Mac was lying on a white makeshift stretcher.

The pony in question turned. "Macintosh." She paused to clean a needle and put it on a table. "May I ask how long you've had your memory?"

"Oh, I haven't. Sure, bits and pieces, but the entirety escapes me."

"How long?"

"Since Fl-Kindness."

"Well, you clearly aren't sick, so why did you come here?"

"I heard you could get us out."

"And?"

"I've come to check."

"Oh, is that all." The nurse turned and peeled away the scar.

"I want the story too."

"Everypony always wants the story! Maybe I don't want to tell you of my failures! Maybe I—" She stopped when she noticed the needle she had just washed pointed at her neck. "You soldiers have the worst manners. Fine, then, I'll tell you. I was captured, blah blah blah, Discord was distracted, didn't reach my mind, blah blah blah, here I am. Now will you give that back so I can wash it?" The needle was returned to her, and she went to the sink.

"So, uh, can I go back now?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, of course." Nurse Iris stuck her head out the door. "Boys? Would you be dears and escort him back, please? Thank you." She stepped out of the way, and two guards "escorted" him.

Big Macintosh looked down at one guard's fishy tail, then up at the other's fangs. Ah, another good ol' day in prison.

"Okay, everypony, we've got to do this right," Nurse Iris said. "It's suspicious that all of you are in here, so we need to work fast. Here's the plan." She pointed to the map on the stretcher in front of her, at the courtyard. "Grass Seed, create a diversion. I don't care what you have to do, just do it, and meet Fluttershy, Shoeshine, and I here when you're finished. Cut open the pipes with your magic, and we'll be leaving that way." Her hoof was on a giant rock near the drainage pipes in the yard. "Macintosh, Snowflake, you're too big to fit where we're going, so I want you to take this route through the sewers." She traced a line along them. "We'll all meet up here, just before the exit. Questions?" Silence. "Good. Mission: Escape is under way.

Fluttershy was pacing near the exit, where the two groups agreed to meet up, and looking down into the sewage path. "Where are they, where are they?"

"Dear, it's only been five minutes since we got here," Nurse Iris told her, her luminescent eye's rolling in the semi-darkness.

"Yeah, I think the smell's getting to ya," Grass Seed added.

She shot a glare at him and responded to Iris, "Yes, I know, but you said earlier that we took longer than you thought we would."

Grass Seed butted in. "We wouldn't have if you hadn't been so against killing that giant spider."

"Well, what did it do to you?" she retorted, nearing tears.

"Enough, both of you. Listen," Shoeshine said sternly. They did. Soon, heavy foot falls were audible.

"That must be them!" Fluttershy whispered excitedly.

"Something's wrong," she interjected. "I know those guys. They wouldn't be running like this."

"Yeah, and why would Snowflake be running? It's wide enough to fly. Unless..."

"Something else is there. He is flying. I can hear them."

"What is it?" the nurse asked.

She pointed a look at Grass Seed. "A spider."

Sweat dripped down into Big Macintosh's eyes. He shook his head, glancing at Snowflake, whose tail would be mere inches from the gigantic arachnid's legs, that is, if it wasn't tucked up underneath him. Facing the front, Big Mac saw a splotch of yellow. "Fluttershy!" he yelled, panting, "RUN!" Soon he could make out other colors as well, all moving away.

Then he was hit.

"Agh!" The sound of pain escaped his throat as he watched Fluttershy pause and look back. "No! Keep going!" He could feel the blood dripping from his hide, but he got up nonetheless, and continued running.

But Fluttershy was persistent. She slowed down enough to meet up with him, and kept his pace, despite his protests. "Are you trying to get killed?" he yelled at her.

"I'm trying to save your flank."

"And how are you going to do that?"

To this, she skidded to a halt, whipped around, and gave the spider her Stare. "Keep going, Macintosh," she said calmly, never breaking eye contact.

"But you—"

"That's an order, Captain." She briefly looked at him, her eyes filled with an emotion that was partially familiar to him.

She was lying in the grass, looking up at him with such love in her—

He backed away, shaking his head. Where was that from? he thought. Love? Ah don't understand, what love? We barely know each other, why would she... His thoughts drifted off as he looked at her. A-Ah guess... maybe— Whatever was next was banished from his mind as he saw the spider coming out of Fluttershy's influence.

It snipped it's mandibles once, and quick as a flash, raised a leg and brought it swinging toward Fluttershy.

Big Macintosh was quicker.

Everything slowed down in that moment. It seemed to take forever for him to back Fluttershy up enough, for the hairy black leg to dig through his flesh, for him to look at her, the mare he protected, the mare he loved, and see her tear-soaked face splatter with his blood.

"Macintosh!" she yelled as he pushed her back. His face turned to her, and that beautiful moment of seeing her love returned in his eyes vanished when his blood, his life, covered her face. "BIG MACINTOSH!" Fluttershy screamed, moving him out of harm's way. Looking at his wound, she growled with anger, and faced the monster that did this to him. She flew up right in it's face and shrieked, "How dare you... How dare you! Listen here, mister! Just because you're big, doesn't mean you get to be a bully! You may have huge legs, and sharp hairs, and red eyes, and webs... But you do not, I repeat, you do NOT! HURT! MY! FRIENDS!... YOU GOT THAT?!"

It backed up just a little. She said,whispering, her pupils mere pin dots, "There is no escape." and bucked the creature right between it's eight giant eyes.

Stunned, it fell back, it's fleshy abdomen exposed, and a thick pipe surrounded by green magic impaled it. She slowly floated back down, panting. "T-Thank you... Grass Seed."

"N-no problem ma'am... That was s-some explosion..."

Suddenly, Nurse Iris hissed. "This doesn't look good."

Fluttershy walked shakily over. There was a deep gash all the way across his barrel, showing that it had just missed his heart, but still cut open everything else. Her senses were overloaded with the smell of blood.

"I can't do anything. We'll give you time alone." The nurse ushered the others away.

Fluttershy looked down with a sad smile at her lover, her protecter, her soulmate.

Big Mac opened his eyes. "Ah'm not gonna make it, am Ah?"

"No," she answered softly, "It doesn't look like you're going to escape this time." She watched as his expression changed from pain to that of resolution.

"Fluttershy," he whispered, for her ears alone, "Ah know we haven't known each other fer very long, but Ah feel like Ah've known ya mah whole life. A-and... Ah love you."

She leaned closer. "I love you too, Mackie. I always have." Confusion bloomed across his face. She kissed his forehead, right between his eyes. "You'll see soon enough."

His confusion lasted only a second longer, and she watched as his memories returned. His emotions twirled and danced gracefully, each one lasting only seconds. He looked up at her. "W-why?" he coughed.

"Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head," A single tear slid down her cheek as she sang softly. "Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed."

He smiled, eyes closing, and went limp. Just before his heart stopped beating, just before his consciousness faded, Fluttershy gently pressed her lips to his. His last breath was intertwined into the very fabric of her being, to be held within her lungs forever more.

As his body stiffened and chilled, she sat up and acknowledged the onlookers.

"W-what?" Shoeshine whispered, her voice barely audible to Fluttershy. "W-why... Did he... a-and you..." Her tears stopped her from speaking further.

"You'll understand someday. All of you will," she said to her comrades. Everypony had wet eyes.

Snowflake walked over. "Kindness, ma'am, we can't carry him. I-I wish we could, but..."

She hugged him. "It's okay, Snowflake. I understand."

"B-but we should still say some words!" Shoeshine stated.

"Yes." Snowflake stood and said, "Captain, you were the g-greatest ever. We'll never forget you."

"Never," Grass Seed added, now beside him.

"E-ever!" Shoeshine finalized, her voice cracking.

Fluttershy rose, ready for her turn. "B-big Mac, I—" She fell back to the ground in a heap, wailing and sobbing. Her hooves grasped his dead body, and hugged him close.

It was in that moment, in Caterlot, Celestia felt her subject's loss. She gave her phoenix a meaningful look, and the flaming bird vanished.

Back in the sewers, through her eyelids, Fluttershy could tell that it was getting brighter. Sunrise? she thought absently.

"Celestia almighty..." Nurse Iris said in a distant voice.

Now Fluttershy could tell it was warming up, too. What...? Opening her eyes, she saw flames. She started. Then, with a closer look, the flames formed the image of a bird, which was seated on her beloved's leg, nudging it. Understanding, the pegasus released her hold on him, and Philomenia cried onto his wound.

All watched as Big Macintosh took a shuddering breath, and coughed.

The phoenix looked at Fluttershy. Fluttershy nodded once. "Even." The great bird flew back to her home.

After a minute of silence, Grass Seed asked, "What... What just happened?"

Shining with tears of joy, Fluttershy turned and said, "I have absolutely no idea."

Author's Note

SO! Another chapter! Personalities are of my making. "How dare you... How *dare* you! Listen here, mister! Just because you're big, *doesn't* mean you get to be a bully! You may have huge teeth, and sharp scales, and snore smoke, and breathe fire... But you do *not*, I repeat, you do not! Hurt! My! Friends!... You got that?" came strait from the show. (of course I edited it...) "There is no escape." is from Samurai Jack... thought it'd be cool. Fluttershy's lullaby is here too. Also, I was crying while I wrote this.

Please tell me if there are errors or if you don't understand something.

The "memories" thing will be explain later in the story.