Chapters Chapter 1 "A New Morning"
Chapter 1
“A New Morning”
Fluttershy woke up like she had for the past 15 years; alone. Sunlight crept into her room illuminating her tiny bedroom. The bedroom itself was plain and almost completely bare aside from the clothes in her closet. Her mane was always a mess when she woke up. Every morning it was frizzy from tossing and turning all night. It had been a while since she got a good night’s rest. She pushed her blanket aside, got up and walked over to her dresser. On her dresser was a brush carved from cherry wood. It’s deep, dark and rich color was reflected by the morning sun sneaking in through the curtains. Fluttershy picked up the comb and began combing her mane. Her pink mane became subdued, falling in line once more.Once she was done, Fluttershy put the brush back on the dresser and walked into her kitchen to make herself breakfast.
Her breakfast was simple: 1 egg with a side of toast. Fluttershy never had that much of an appetite. If she ate anymore than that she would make herself sick. She picked up a fork and ate her breakfast in peace on a small wooden table with a vase that had a wilted flower. The flower was a daisy that had a sickly shade of yellow; long past its prime. It was accompanied by no other flowers. She didn't buy the flower. She found it on the sidewalk growing out the concrete begging for freedom. The shy Pegasus plucked it from its stone prison and brought it home where it enjoyed the remainder of its life in multicolored vase. Each day Fluttershy watered and nursed it giving it the utmost care relishing its company, but she couldn't hold off the inevitable; she had to throw it out. Funny that the daisy’s end would be today.
Her breakfast nook was connected her kitchen and her living room which was no bigger than her bedroom. Like her bedroom it was barely furnished, just a couch, a bookcase and rug decorated the bare room. Outside the sun rose higher in the sky, flooding the room with more light. The excess light made the room seem more lively. It brought a small smile on the pegasus’s face. Fluttershy returned to her breakfast and ate in silence. The only noise that could be heard was the ticking of the clock on the wall. The timid pegasus looked at the clock; it read “7:58”, she sighed and returned to her breakfast. Soon afterwards, she finished her meal and proceeded to clean her plate and pan, then walked back into her room to get dressed.
Normally she didn’t wear clothes but today was a special occasion. Today she was going to visit someone very special. Fluttershy opened her closet and began to sift through her clothes. While searching through her wardrobe she came across a certain dress. It was a white dress with a red bow around the waist. Seeing the dress brought a flood of memories to the yellow pegasus.
“Oh Flitter! It is a beautiful dress!” Fluttershy exclaimed while twirling on her hind legs letting the ruffles of the white dress fly through the air.
“I knew you would love it.” Flitter responded while working on a another dress for a customer, “Just wait, you’ll be the toast of the dance tonight.” Flitter pulled a thread and cut it with her teeth. “And I just know Thunderlane will absolutely love it” she said in a playful tone.
Fluttershy slowed her twirling to a stop and hid inside her mane and spoke trying her best to feign interest. “Oh, um..I’m sure he will.”
Flitter stopped her sewing and looked up at Fluttershy, picking up on the stress in her voice. “What’s wrong, honey? You know if there is anything bothering you, you can tell me.”
The yellow pegasus still hidden in her mane was hesitant to answer her friend. After a moment she collected her thoughts and spoke softly, “Well, it’s...” she sighed, “it’s just that I wish Rainbow didn’t pair me with Thunderlane.” Before her friend could reply, Fluttershy blurted out, “Not that there is anything wrong with Thunderlane!” Fluttershy was afraid of sounding harsh towards her unofficial coltfriend. “He’s kind and gentle but...it’s just that...when I see him...there’s nothing.”
“Well what did you expect?”
“I don’t know.” She spoke even softer. “Something I guess.”
Flitter hung up the dress she was working on and continued talking. “You’ve never been in a relationship before so how do you know that there is suppose to be something?” Fluttershy didn’t have an answer. Flitter continued talking, “Just be glad that Rainbow set you up with a nice stallion; especially since you’re new to the neighborhood. The only ponies you know here are, Rainbow, and me!” Flitter picked up a new dress off of a mannequin and began to work on it. “Just think of this as a learning experience. It doesn’t have to get serious.”
“I just kind of wish Rainbow would stop with the marriage jokes.” Fluttershy replied quietly.
“You know she is just joking.” Flitter paused for a moment, “But I do wonder if Thunderlane knows that Rainbow is joking about the whole marriage thing or if he actually think she is serious.”
“I don’t see how he can think it can be serious. I’ve only known him for a few weeks.”
“Just give it some time. I’m sure you’ll develop some sort of feelings for him”
“Yeah...maybe...”
‘Maybe’, Fluttershy thought. That word resonated in her mind. ‘Maybe’ Only now she knew that “maybe” turned out to be never. Thunderlane was such a nice stallion but she never developed feelings for him. It was something that was never meant to be. She looked at the clock in her room. This time it read 8:32. She glanced back at the dress. Fluttershy sighed once more. As much as she wanted to wear the dress, time had worn it down drastically. What was once a bright white dress was now more a pale ivory gown. She couldn’t risk damaging further for it was one of the few mementos she had from that night. She picked out a gray scarf decorated with an elaborate circular pattern and closed her closet.
***
Fluttershy opened her door to greet the old neighborhood: West Canterlot. Her surroundings greeted her back with its smile of decaying gray buildings with stains of yellow and orange rust. She saw that the neighborhood was wearing it's typical ensemble: worn out posters telling ponies to elect Celestia for another term, discarded cans and broken bottles littering the street, and graffiti on walls saying “Pegasi are brutes”,“Earth ponies are numbskulls” or something to that nature. Seeing the graffiti filled the pegasus with such sorrow. They were scars that were left on the neighborhood from a much darker time. The pegasus continued walking down the street.
Fluttershy didn’t always live in West Canterlot. She spent a good part of her childhood in Cloudsdale, but this was during a time where jobs were scarce. Her family eventually moved to Canterlot when she was 18 in hopes of finding a better life, but the only section of Canterlot they could afford to move into was West Canterlot; a slum, if you can even call it that, which was reserved for Earth ponies. Both Earth ponies and the Pegasi were considered to be “trash” or “worthless” by the Unicorn elite. They say that’s why the Unicorns made living in any other part of Canterlot nearly impossible for any non-Unicorn types. Whatever the reason was, Pegasi and Earth ponies had to share the same neighborhood.
The yellow pegasus continued walking down the street. As she passed the old playground. It was simply a lot that was surrounded by multiple apartments, used by children who had parents that worked all day. It had a jungle gym, a seesaw, a swing set and a sandbox. In the sandbox Fluttershy saw a filly and colt playing together making sand castles. One of them was a Pegasus and the other an Earth pony. Seeing such a sight lifted Fluttershy’s heart filled her with hope. A lot had changed since that night. She had only wished things were like that in the earlier. Fluttershy remembered when every morning was greeted with a rumble or a fight between an Earth pony or Pegasus. Most of the time it was Rainbow Dash who started them. She was always so quick tempered that if an Earth pony were just to look at her wrong she would jump on them and beat them to a pulp. Both Earth ponies and Pegasi hated being treated so badly by the Unicorns but instead of bonding over their injustice, they resented each other because they had to share such a small piece of the city which they wanted complete control of; to give themselves a sense of pride in such a cruel world.
Rainbow created a gang of Pegasi bent on controlling the neighborhood. Everyday they would patrol the streets looking to pick a fight with any Earth pony that dared to cross paths with them. Their favorite ponies to fight with was a group of Earth ponies who, like Rainbow’s group, wanted absolute control of the neighborhood. They were led by a prankster named Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy had met the mare only a few times before but from what she had gathered from those moments was that she was normally an easy going pony that loved to have fun and often joked around but when it came to rumbles her poofy hair would straighten instantaneously and be followed shortly by violence. Rainbow had encountered her many times before and each time Rainbow couldn’t lay a feather on her because she would always have some sort of prank waiting for her, knocking her off balance. Somehow that always made Rainbow more mad than actually losing to her in a fight. Each side had their own shares of wins and losses, the balance of power never straying from the middle. It seemed as if they were destined to play a game of cat and mouse for all of eternity. Fluttershy wanted to stay and watch the children play a little longer but there was a place she really needed to be.
As Fluttershy kept walking, she passed the old gym. The gym had been considered neutral territory since it lay directly in the middle of Earth pony and Pegasi “turf.” Fluttershy had to stop and pause for a moment. The gym, even though it was almost as rotten, as any other building in the neighborhood, had a special memory for the pegasus. It was the place of her first dance in Canterlot and it had also been the place where she had met her .
***
“Come on Fluttershy! It’s your first dance in Canterlot!” Rainbow exclaimed dragging the shy pegasus into the gym.
“I’m not so sure about this anymore, Rainbow.” Fluttershy said trying to weasel her way out of coming to the dance. Rainbow was wearing a grey tuxedo with white shirt and black tie. Fluttershy was wearing the white dress with a the red bow that Flitter had made for her. Rainbow had one of the ruffles of the dress in her mouth pulling it, trying to get the yellow pegasus into the gym.
“You can’t just stay at home all day! You need to get out and socialize! Mingle!” She muttered through her teeth.
Rainbow managed to drag Fluttershy into the gym. Rainbow proceeded to pick her up off the floor, dust her off, grabbed her hoof and brought her to a nearby group of Pegasi. Rainbow then proceeded to introduce her to the Pegasi. “Fluttershy, these are couple of my friends you haven’t met yet. They’re all from Cloudsdale just like us.” Rainbow pointed at random Pegasi and began naming each one. “This Cloud Chaser, Snowflake, Raindrops...” She continued to name at least 5 other pegasi, Fluttershy couldn’t keep track of so many new ponies. Rainbow finished with the introductions and concluded, “...guys, this is my friend Fluttershy. She’s new to the neighborhood.” The various other pegasi gave generic greetings and Fluttershy responded with a meek hello.
The group then disbanded leaving Rainbow and Fluttershy alone again. Once they were gone Fluttershy asked Rainbow, “Why are you even here? I thought you didn’t like dances.”
Rainbow replied with a smirk on her face, “Oh I still do but I want you to have a good time, even if that means dealing with a stupid dance.” At that moment Thunderlane walked into the gym and waved at Rainbow to get her attention. Rainbow spotted him and waved back, calling him forward. Thunderlane quickly trotted over to Rainbow and Fluttershy. Rainbow put one of her hooves over Thunderlane’s neck in a playful manner. “All right Thunderlane, your job tonight is to show Fluttershy here a good time.” She then whispered the next part into Thunderlane’s ear so Fluttershy would not hear. “Be sure she stays out of trouble. You can’t be too sure around these Earth Ponies. There’s no telling what they might try tonight.” Thunderlane nodded in response. Rainbow let go of Thunderlane and clapped her hooves together. “Alright gang! Let’s get out there.”
Big band music blared throughout the gym. The screaming brass and the honking saxes electrified the air while the ponies danced to the drum set’s groove. The crowd was bustling with energy; both the Earth Ponies and Pegasi truly wanted to have a good time, yet this sense of unity wasn’t enough for them to mingle with one another. The gym was as divided as the streets were: Pegasi on one side and Earth Ponies on the other. The principle of the school, Ms. Cheerilee and Sergeant Sparkle of the Canterlot police force stood against a wall overlooking the entire gym. Ms. Cheerilee was full of enthusiasm and optimism but she was also a bit of an oblivious mare; completely unaware of the tension between the two groups. She even attempted to do an ice breaker in which stallions formed a circle and mares formed another circle on the inside of the stallion’s circle and then did a variation of musical chairs. The idea of game was to be paired up with stranger and dance with them. Of course that didn’t work out. When Ms. Cheerilee blew the whistle both Earth Pony and Pegasus disregarded whoever they were paired up with and just went back with their original dates. While this was going Sergeant Sparkle kept a cold glare not even smiling once. She was sent by Lieutenant Luna to act as riot control if any fights broke out and based on the track record of this neighborhood it was a sure thing.
The ice breaker turned into an impromptu dance battle. Each side taking turns strutting their “stuff”. Since it was still technically dancing, Ms. Cheerilee and Sergeant Sparkle decided not to break it up and let them continue. It was during this time of organized chaos, Thunderlane asked Fluttershy, “Are you sure you don’t want to dance?”
Fluttershy answered meekly, “Oh, uh, yes. I never been that much of a dancer.”
“Well then, could I get you some punch or something?”
“Oh yes, please. Some punch would be lovely.” Upon her request Thunderlane took off to another part of the gym. Fluttershy stood where she was for a few minutes watching the crowd dance in a game with no score. Being around so many ponies made her a bit uncomfortable. It wouldn’t have been so bad if her friends were there with her, but Flitter couldn’t make it to the dance, Thunderlane was on the other side of the gym and she had no idea where Rainbow went. Not wanting to be alone anymore, she decided to go meet up with Thunderlane and started to venture through the crowd.
She carefully sneaked by anybody who was dancing, not wanting to ruin anyone’s fun but that proved too difficult. The music that was playing was fast paced and kept the crowd of ponies as restless as the sea. She decided to try to make her way around the crowd. It still was difficult to move through since the gym was a bit too small for the crowd, but at least she wasn’t interrupting anyone’s dancing. Even though she wasn’t much of a dancer she couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the mob’s movements. Every single one of them moved with such passion, precision, elegance and grace she couldn’t but watch them. She was so absorbed into the dancing, she forgot to pay attention to where she was going and accidentally bumped into another pony. Although she did more damage to herself than she did to the stranger. Fluttershy lost her footing, causing her hoof to get caught in one of the ruffles of her dress. She tried to gain her balance back but to no avail; she tripped, landing face first. It wasn’t her finest moment.
“You okay, Sugarcube?” The stranger asked Fluttershy as she tried to regain her composure.
Fluttershy got over the shock of the fall and replied with hint of embarrassment in her voice. “Yes, I’m fine.” A hoof reached out to help her. Fluttershy grabbed it and got back on her own hooves. She dusted herself off and checked to make sure the dress was still fine. Once she saw that the dress was okay she turned back to the stranger to give thanks. “Thank you so very much for-” At that moment all words escaped from her leaving her silent and in awe. It was the first time she actually saw the pony she bumped into. The pony was an orange mare with golden blonde hair dressed in a burnt orange suit; an Earth pony.
But that didn’t matter to Fluttershy. It didn’t matter if she was Earth pony, a Unicorn or even another Pegasus, all that mattered was this moment they shared. Fluttershy didn’t know what was going on. It seemed that time had stood still. The roar of the crowd became muffled and dampened to a whisper. The only sound that pierced the silence was the accelerating beat of her heart.
The orange pony spoke. “Are you...” The orange pony’s emerald eyes met Fluttershy’s aqua eyes and just like pegasus, her words escaped from her just as they did for Fluttershy. They gazed into each other’s eyes for what seemed to be eternity. Fluttershy didn’t want to say anything fearing that any noise would break the tranquility of the moment. This new found peace was intoxicating; overwhelming the Pegasus. In her heart there was a bit of fear; a fear of something new and unknown but it couldn't compare to the other feeling she felt. She couldn't describe it. Simply gazing to the eyes of this mare seemed like paradise; it felt as if now was the time where she truly knew how it felt to be alive. She wanted this moment to last forever. Without letting go of Fluttershy’s hoof the orange pony spoke with hesitation in her voice.
“Hav...have we met before?” The orange mare uttered trying to find the right words, still hypnotized by the pegasus’s gaze.
Fluttershy did not have the same problem. Her answer came naturally, as if the words came straight from her soul and heart. “No, we have not.”
The mare was stunned by the gentleness of the pegasus’s voice. She began to whisper to herself. “I felt...” The orange Earth pony was once again in a loss of words. “I felt that...”
Fluttershy gently interrupted the Earth pony, “Your hoof. It’s shaking.” The mare looked down at her own hoof. It was no longer holding the pegasus’s hoof as if she was helping her. Instead it was in a warm, embracing fashion. The mare looked back at her pegasus companion’s beautiful, calm eyes. Her cheeks began to turn a bright shade of red causing Fluttershy to blush as well.
Without any prompt, both ponies held out their other hoof and grasped the other’s hoof gently, becoming one. The mare spoke again.
“I felt...I knew something never before was going to happen; had to happen, but this...this is so much more.”
Fluttershy didn’t know what the mare meant by that but she didn’t mind. The mare’s voice had a unique tone that was soothing to Fluttershy’s ear. Every syllable uttered was poem and every sentence was a symphony.
Fluttershy couldn’t help but notice her hooves became ice in her companion’s embrace. “Oh I’m sorry.” Fluttershy apologized trying to hide her embarrassment. “My hooves are cold.
The other mare chuckled. “It’s alright, mine are cold as well.”
Fluttershy did not know what came over her. She let go of one of the mare’s hooves and gently stroked side of her cheek. ‘So warm’ she thought. Suddenly realizing what she was doing she quickly retracted her hoof and turned an even brighter shade of red. “I’m so sorry! I had no idea what I was doing! Please forgive me.” Fluttershy closed her eyes and turned away not wanting to see the mare’s reaction. She was surprised to feel a hoof on her cheek that lightly pushed her muzzle back towards the mare.
The face was not filled with malice or disgust, but rather compassion and tenderness. All of Fluttershy’s anxiety melted away leaving her without care in the world. For once in her life, she was at peace.
They slowly inched towards each other; their muzzles getting closer and closer. The world seemed to flow back into place, as if to say, this is reality and not some dream; Fluttershy closed her eyes hoping with all her might it wasn’t a dream. The proximity between the two grew smaller and smaller until...
“GET YOUR HOOVES OFF OF HER, YOU SCUM!” Fluttershy was in a state of shock as if she woke up from a horrible nightmare. She opened her eyes to see Rainbow pushing the mare away from her. Rainbow yelled at the mare once more. “Stay away from my friend!”
The orange mare, as in much shock as Fluttershy, could only mutter “Your friend?”
At that moment a group of Pegasi followed behind Rainbow. From behind the orange mare, Fluttershy saw Pinkie Pie and a group of Earth Ponies as big as the group of Pegasi follow her. Rainbow turned back to Fluttershy. She was filled with anger but she was not angry with her, she was mad at the Earth pony she almost kissed.
“Can’t you see she’s one of them?!”
Fluttershy was flooded with anxiety and nervousness once more. Her dream like state was shattered by the gravity of the situation she found herself in. Still, what she experience just now was real. “No, I... I only saw her.”
“Fluttershy, there’s only one thing these dirty Earth ponies want from a Pegasus.”
“No, that’s not true.” Fluttershy defended.
“That’s a lie!” The orange mare shouted back charging back at Rainbow.
Rainbow verbally attacked the Earth pony again. “She would listen to her best friend before she would ever listen to you!”
It seemed another fight was about to break out. The only separating the prism pegasus and the orange Earth pony was a pink mare.
“AJ! Later!” Pinkie shouted at the orange mare.“Look, if you two want to settle this, we can do it later but now...” The pink mare was stopped by Ms. Cheerilee, who was followed by Sergeant Sparkle” running through the crowd trying to calm everypony down.
“Please! Ladies! Things were going so well! We are all here to have good time!”
A whistle echoed through the gym and then Pinkie and her group of Earth ponies suddenly disbanded. Seeing this as a good opportunity to leave, Rainbow pushed Fluttershy away from the orange mare. Once they were in a secluded part of the gym, Rainbow turned to Thunderlane, who returned from the punch bowl as soon as the commotion started. “Take Fluttershy home right now. We're leaving.”
As much as Fluttershy disliked dances, she did want to leave the orange mare. “Please Rainbow, let’s stay a little longer.”
“Absolutely not!” She turned to Thunderlane once more. “Get her out of here.”
Thunderlane took Fluttershy by the hoof and proceeded to the exit. The two Pegasi walked past the orange Earth pony who couldn’t help but watch them as they passed by. Fluttershy stopped and tried to say goodbye, but Thunderlane wouldn’t allow her. He quickly pulled on Fluttershy’s hoof. “Let’s go, Fluttershy.” As they left, Fluttershy glanced back but the mare was gone. She did see the one they called Pinkie pulling Rainbow aside talking to her about something that she couldn't hear, but that was not what she was concerned about.
She couldn’t stop thinking about that Earth pony. ‘AJ,’ She thought. That’s want Pinkie called her. ‘Such a beautiful name.’
The train station appeared in the distance. Fluttershy’s destination was now in reach. She walked up to the ticket booth and purchased a round trip to the Canterlot’s outstretch. The train rolled into the station soon afterwards. She gave her ticket to the conductor and boarded the train. The cart was practically empty. Not a lot of ponies were on the train that day. It didn’t really matter to Fluttershy. She prefered to be alone today. There was only one other pony that she wanted to be with today, and she was on her way to see her.
The train gently rocked forward setting it into motion. Steam billowed from the boiler and the running gears clanked to a steady beat. The rhythm of the track was almost soothing to Fluttershy. It acted like white noise, distracting her from her thoughts. However the sounds of the train soon became natural and she was once again alone. It was if she was sitting in her apartment completely isolated from the outside world. She stared out the window to watch the city disintegrate. As the train rolled on, the city became less dense and spread out. The once towering buildings that characterized her neighborhood became more dispersed and smaller houses began to take over. She could actually begin to see shades of green appear in the gaps between the houses; a rare sight indeed. Soon she will be able to see wide rolling fields . Canterlot’s outstretch was nothing but these rolling pastures with a few houses blemishing it. It was truly a magnificent sight. The train, however, was only going to take her part way to her destination. She would have to then take to walk about a mile or so into the countryside.
It had been a while since Fluttershy had seen so much plant life. Cloudsdale wasn’t exactly known for its gardens and living in West Canterlot was like living in a stone cage. It was a miracle that any plant life managed to escape the clutches of it’s cold prison and bloom reaching out for any speck of sunlight it could get. Fluttershy was reminded of the flower that she had to throw out earlier. It gave it its all fighting for a chance at a better life but in the end, its destiny was set. There was no escaping the fact that the flower was not meant to be there. It was not meant to bloom in the city. It was never going to survive.Yet despite it all. It never gave up and sought its fate to the bitter end.
Fluttershy sighed, she couldn’t help but think back to that night. It was painful for her to think about it but she could not help it. She remembered standing on her apartment’s roof. AJ and Fluttershy had been seeing each other at the playground for a week now. In that time they had gotten to know each other better. Each night learning more and more about each other. There was still much to know but after tonight they could finally be together without fear of rejection. The night before Fluttershy told AJ to meet her on the roof after the fight to which AJ agreed. Now the pegasus stood there waiting for the time to come.
The sun had glowed a bright red that night before shimmering to a dull gold and finally setting giving way to the dark night. Even a few stars graced her presence by twinkling in the lonesome night sky. The yellow pegasus was dressed in a white dress with a red bow the same one she wore to the dance. She remembered walking around the roof anxious to meet AJ once again. She had walked over to the balcony to see a group of pegasi running for home. She’d recognized a few of them as part of Rainbow’s group. It was over. The fight was finished. All that meant to her was that AJ would be there soon. She waited for what seemed like hours until she heard someone come up the stairs to the roof. Her heart skipped a beat expecting a particular orange mare. She turned around only to see a bruised and beaten Thunderlane. She was shocked and concerned and asked Thunderlane what happened. He said there was a fight but that couldn’t have been right. AJ was suppose to stop any fight that might have happened. Thunderlane continued to tell her the events that played out. Each sentence becoming darker than the last. building up worry in the timid pegasus. She pleaded to know if AJ was alright, asking if anything had happened to her. Rage built up in Thunderlane’s eyes until he couldn’t take it anymore and shouted that AJ had......................
AJ had.....
The pegasus broke out of her trance, she felt tears building up in her eyes. She wiped them from her eyes before they could build up any further. The memories began flooding back sending an overwhelming surge of emotion over her.
***
“KILLER!” Fluttershy screamed as she lunged towards the intruder. Her blind fury made her shut her eyes as she pounded away on the pony’s chest, but she was so emotionally drained she had no physical strength in her body. It wasn’t like her at all to be aggressive let alone physically violent, but the news of her best friend’s death came as a world crumbling shock to the poor pegasus. What upset her more was the pony who killed her; the pony who happened to be standing in her bedroom with her.. As the time progressed her emotions began sorting themselves out. The ball of blind anger began to unravel into several other emotions. The feelings came to her in waves of sorrow. She felt devastated, hurt, betrayed, any other emotion that was made to make you feel as if you wanted to die. Tears soaked her cheeks as she gradually slowed down her assault. Despite all her anger and rage, she didn’t hate the pony. In the long list of emotions she felt, hate was not one of them.
She finally succumbed to her fatigue and collapse in the arms of her intruder. Fluttershy wept in the pony’s chest wishing that everything was a lie. The other pony wrapped her orange hooves around the yellow pegasus. She gently brushed her mane as tears from her own eyes flowed down her face. She spoke softly with overtones of fear, worry and sadness.
“I’m so sorry, Fluttershy.” the familiar voice was riddled with adrenaline from the night’s events. “I never meant for any of this to happened.” The orange mare paused briefly trying to choke back her tears. “I never wanted to kill anypony.”
Fluttershy emerged from her chest and looked up towards the pony. Her eyes still beamed with anger but her voice held back any bitterness in her heart. “Why did you do it?”
AJ was breathing heavily. Each inhale quivered from the shock her body had to endure from the fight. “I tried to stop the fight, but they wouldn’t listen.” AJ continued to stroke Fluttershy’s hair trying to comfort her as well as trying to calm herself down. “They held me back and went on with the fight. It was suppose to be fair.” AJ put her cheek on top of Fluttershy leaning for support embracing the pegasus. The hug’s comforting nature was as much for her as it was for Fluttershy. As much as Fluttershy hurting on the inside, AJ felt worse. “But Pinkie and Rainbow pulled knives out of nowhere and...” The recalling of the night’s tragic play kept springing more tears towards her eyes. “Rainbow didn’t mean to kill Pinkie but...” AJ whimpered. “Pinkie was like a sister to me and when Rainbow killed her I ... I mean I knew Rainbow didn’t mean it either but it’s just... when she died in my arms ...everything went....dark.” Fluttershy could hear AJ heart racing. It pounded out of her chest as if she was scared or frightened. “The next thing I know, I’m standing over Rainbow’s lifeless body and with blood on my...” No matter how strong she was, AJ couldn’t hold back the tears forever. She bent down embracing Fluttershy as they wept together. Through her sobs, AJ pleaded for forgiveness. “I’m so sorry Fluttershy. I didn’t want it to end like this. Please, forgive me. I just wanted to see you one last time.” before I hand myself over to the police.”
Fluttershy held the mare tighter. “No you can’t do that!”
AJ embraced Fluttershy trying to reassure her she was doing the right thing. “I have to, Fluttershy. It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”
Fluttershy didn’t care whether it was right or wrong. She wanted AJ to be by her side. “Please! Stay here with me.”
“I can’t.” Despite Fluttershy’s pleading, AJ couldn’t bear to see Fluttershy be with the likes of her. She loved her too much to do that. “You deserve better than a killer.”
Desperate to keep her there, Fluttershy continued to plead. “AJ, you’re all I have left here.”
“That’s not true. You have friends and family here. Be with them. It’s what you deserve.”
“But all that means nothing without you.”
“Fluttershy, I would love nothing more than to stay here with you, but I can’t. It’s like you said. We could never be together so long as there was violence.”
“But now there isn’t anything keeping us apart!”
AJ sighed “I wish that were true. You see, it wasn’t me being an Earth pony that was keeping me away from you. It wasn’t even our friends and family. It’s everything around us. It’s this city and all it’s hate. As long as we are here, we can never be truly together.”
AJ’s words were hard to swallow. Fluttershy knew by now it was pointless to keep trying to maker her abandon her decision. But she needed to know one last thing. “So it was all a lie then? That night when you said that our time was going to come, you didn’t believe it at all?”
“I have never lied to you. I will always believe our time will come, just not now.” AJ kissed the top of Fluttershy’s head. “The police are looking for me and I don’t want you to be dragged down with me.” AJ gave the pegasus one last hug. “I will always love you, Fluttershy.” AJ let Fluttershy go from her hug and looked into her eyes. “Promise me you’ll wait for me. I don’t know how long I will be gone, but I promise I’ll come back.” AJ got up to leave the room but Fluttershy held on.
“Please stay with me a little longer.”
“But Fluttershy I...”
“Please?” Fluttershy’s eyes mimicked that of a lost puppy searching for a home. No matter how hard she tried, AJ could not say no to.
Defeated AJ sighed.“Alright, I’ll stay for a little longer.” She sat back down right next to Fluttershy just staring at the walls of the pegasus’ room. There was nothing fancy or interesting about the room. They just sat together enjoying each other’s company, just like the did back at the bridal shop. The moment was bittersweet but Fluttershy was happy just being there with her. The air was calm and the noise to a minimum. To Fluttershy, the moment was perfect.
After a few minutes of silence Fluttershy spoke quietly to the orange mare.“AJ?”
“Yes?”
“Can you sing to me?”
AJ was a little surprised by the request. It seemed so out of place and random. “I don’t know that many songs and I’m not much of a singer.”
“Please? I just want to hear your voice.” Fluttershy’s voice was much calmer as if her worries were beginning to melt away. Her eyelids became heavier and more difficult to keep open. The night’s play drained her completely and she couldn’t stay up any longer. Soon she would fall asleep and then AJ would leave and she will be gone. She just wanted to hear her voice one last time. “I never told you this but you have a beautiful voice. It was one of the things I first noticed about you. Please can you sing for me?”
AJ was reluctant at first but gave in to the pegasus’ request. “Well there’s one song I know. When my Pa died, Ma used to sing it to me to help me sleep.”
“Can I hear it?”
“Of course, Sugarcube.”
AJ closed her eyes to remember the tune. It had been such an awful long time since she had heard it. She never thought she would hear it again when she moved to the city. In a low tone, AJ sang the first note
“There’s a place for us.” The melody was soft and delicate. “Somewhere, a place for us. Peace and quiet and open air. Wait for us somewhere.” Each note that was sung was soothing for Fluttershy. She hung onto every single syllable as if it were a great truth. The melody soared up and came floating down, each time giving a diminuendo that left the listener yearning for more.
“There’s a time for us. Someday a time for us. Time to together with time to spare. Time to look. Time to care.” The lyrical line grew into a tamed yet violent climax that was both sad as it was sweet.
“Someday! Somewhere! We’ll find a new way of living. We’ll find a way of forgiving. Somewhere.” The song died down from its vibrant chorus and soon emerged the same cantabile feeling from before.
“There’s a place for us. A time and place for us. Hold my hoof and we’re halfway there.” As she sung this AJ wrapped her hoof around Fluttershy’s as she sung the last lines. Hold my hoof and I’ll take you there. Somehow. Someday. Somewhere.” The last word ended with a whisper that rung in Fluttershy’s ears.
By the time AJ finished her song, Fluttershy was halfway asleep. AJ gently put her on her back and walked her over to her bed where she laid her down. All the while Fluttershy completely devoid of energy complied without any resistance. Before she was completely asleep. AJ placed a kiss gently on Fluttershy’s cheek while saying her farewell. “Goodnight, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy’s eyes grew heavier and her body became completely paralyzed. She spent her last moments of consciousness watching a an orange blur make its way out her bedroom window. Darkness soon followed.
***
The train pulled in towards its destination at a turtle’s pace. The steamed billowed from the train and on to the platform. The whistle wailed in the air signaling that it was time to exit the train. A lone yellow pegasus walked onto the platform. Her destination was a short walk from here, it would have been faster if she were to fly but she didn’t like flying. To fly you needed to have spirit but it seemed she didn’t have much of that these days.
She exited the platform and walked towards the gravel road that would take her where she wanted to go. The air was cool despite it being high noon. A few clouds painted the sky. It was a nice day. Fluttershy only wished she had a reason to enjoy it. She sighed as she continued walking towards a hill that was off into the distance. She knew that over that hill was the friend that she so desperately wanted to see. She remembered the last time she saw AJ in her room. She wished that it would have been longer.
The next time she would see AJ was when...She didn’t want to think about it.
After a few minutes, the timid pegasus stood on top of the hill. She looked down and there was a valley with rolling green for as far as the eye can see. Trees of all kinds scattered the land reaching for the sky. Their leaves rustled in the wind creating a symphony of sound that filled the air..It was truly beautiful and peaceful. The only thing that was different about this place, the sole thing that separated it from Canterlot, was that there were no house or ponies living there. The only thing that stood in the valley was a cemetery.
***
“Stand back!”
The crowd of Pegasi and Earth ponies stopped in their tracks. Their intent on killing each other right then and there was halted by the sudden shout. They turned their attention away from each other and glared at the scene that was in front of them. In the dim moonlight surrounded by blinding street lights stood a yellow pegasus. On the ground in front of her hooves lay an orange Earth pony gone from this world beaten to a shade of black lying in a pool of her own blood. The basketball courts in which they stood was desolate and grim.
The lone pegasus slowly walked over to the a certain charcoal colored pegasus standing the midst of the group. Her eyes wet with tears burned with intense loathing. She held out her hoof commanding the other pegasus to give her the object he was holding.
“Give it to me, Thunderlane.” Her voice was quiet but filled with bitterness.
“Fluttershy but I...”
“Give. It. To. Me.” Each syllable was heavy with aggression and grew more intense with each passing second.
Reluctantly the stallion pegasus handed over a dull grey pistol still warm from it’s one and only shot. The gun burned in her hooves against the cold night air. She glared at the metallic object inspecting it. Fluttershy silently studied the weapon with a death stare focused intently on every screw and every bolt. She muttered, barely audible to the pony’s ears. “How do you fire this gun Thunderlane?”
In an instant Fluttershy gripped the gun and pointed it directly at Thunderlane. “By pulling this trigger?!” Their stares locked with each other; Fluttershy’s being of malice intent while Thunderlane’s was pure terror. Thunderlane flinched violently at the sight of a black abyss staring at him, an abyss in which no life escaped. Both pegasi stood there shaking, Fluttershy out of anger and Thunderlane out of fear. “How many bullets are left Thunderlane?”
“Fluttershy be re-”
“Be Quiet!” Fluttershy snapped as she walked closer to Thunderlane. “Answer me, How many bullets are left?” She pulled the hammer back making a sinister click. “Enough for you?!” Fluttershy pointed the gun away from Thunderlane and directed it towards the group of pegasi. The drew back at the sight of the weapon.“Or you!?” shouting at nopony in particular. “Or you!?” she yelled as she turned towards the group of Earth ponies behind her. The Earth ponies were equally as frighten as the pegasi spreading out hoping that the gun did not fire in their direction. No pony dared utter a single word. It was as if they were all under a spell freezing them were they were. They could have ran and fled from the scene like they did when Rainbow and Pinkie were killed: not mumbling so much as a prayer for their fallen comrades. Now they were under the will of Fluttershy; stuck where they were under the mercy of a distraught pegasus with a gun.
Fluttershy lowered the gun but kept it close to the horizon. Adrenaline coursed through her veins her breaths became deep and quickened. “You all make me sick.”
She walked back towards AJ. The pool of blood glistened off of the moonlight. Her eyes were closed as if she was asleep. Her golden mane was now a tangled mess. Her freckled face was now accompanied by bruises and cuts. A clear sign of fight and she knew who had done it. She looked back the the guilty pony: the owner of the gun. His body was covered with old bruises but no new ones had appeared. It was as if AJ had not swung a single blow and took the beating full on without a struggle; without so much as a whimper or scream. Only a piercing sound of a gunshot awoke Fluttershy from her slumber and leading her to this slaughter. She watched as a group of ponies gathered around her body and shooed them away wanting to make their last moments together as private as possible, before she passed.
Now the frantic pegasus looked down at her companion. The sight of her fueled her rage . She sneered at the group and gave one last shout. “You killed her!”
She pointed the gun back towards the two groups. “All of you! You killed her! You killed Rainbow and you killed Pinkie! But you didn’t kill them with bullets or guns. You killed them with hate!” Her voice softened but kept the same amount contempt. As she walked back towards the groups she whispered. “Well I can kill too because now I have hate. Hate for you all and hate for this city!”
The groups were no longer separated but instead merged together out of feared. Fluttershy pointed to the group but didn’t aim at any single pony. She spoke to Thunderlane without actually looking at him. “How many bullets are left, Thunderlane? How many can I send to join them, and have one left for myself?”
The hammer was pulled back. The gun was primed for shooting. All she needed to do was pull the trigger. The gun trembled in her hooves as the ponies staring down the barrel quivered for their lives. She controlled who lived, who died, who will be scarred, and who will be maimed. Her reasoning gone her mind told her to fire at the undeserving ponies. Why not? They all wanted to die for needless reasons, so why not give them what they wanted? The look in their eyes pleaded for mercy, craving for a chance of life. She wondered if Rainbow and Pinkie looked the same way when they were at the brink of death. In the end, they were all cowards. Separated: they were the scum they were led to believe all their lives. Together in their gangs: they were just a scab; an ugly mark making the city worse than they were. Scab or scum: they were all cowards and they deserved to die. And Fluttershy could do it. All it took was one simple action. One small movement and it would be all over.
...
...
...
...and yet...
...
...
...
She couldn’t do it. All gun did was shake in her hooves. Her mind was gone, her reasoning completely shattered. She felt hollow, as if she had nothing to lose. The perfect state to end some pony’s life. And yet, she stood there trembling with a gun pointed a group of ponies, not willing to pull the trigger. She couldn’t because the truth was she was a coward as well. She was just as guilty as the rest. She killed Rainbow, and she killed Pinkie. But most of all, she killed AJ. She didn’t hate anypony, but she was afraid. Instead of standing on her own hooves she let the world dictate what she should do. Her fear and anxiety spawned from her friend’s beliefs and instead of challenging and conquering them, she accepted and fled from them.
But AJ didn’t run away from her problems. At the dance she loved only Fluttershy and at the balcony AJ opened up to her. AJ didn’t care where her feelings took her or where they might lead. All she knew was that’s where she wanted to be. It didn’t matter if it meant losing all her friends and family, she pursued them without the slightest bit of hesitation. Now the brave mare laid motionless on the blood stained pavement.
Fluttershy only wished she was as strong as she was. If she wasn’t afraid to show her feelings maybe AJ would still be here. If only she had listen to her on the balcony and showed her to the pony to her friends and family. They would have hated her and AJ but at least they would have been together leaning on each other’s shoulders facing the cruelties of the city one step at a time. It would have been dark and it would have been cold, but at least they would have had each other. If only she was brave enough. In the end it was that lack of bravery, that cowardice of hers, that killed AJ. Even in the face of redemption, a chance to make everything right in her fragile state of mind, the same cowardice that killed the pony she cared about was stopping her from shooting the ponies responsible; including herself.
She couldn’t take it anymore. The trembling gun descended from eye level and she collapsed onto the hard concrete letting the gun slip from her hooves and drop to the ground. She sobbed venting her frustration, sadness, anger and hate through her tears. The other ponies did not move, but watched the pegasus sob feeling no longer terror but guilt and shame.
Through her tears she saw a pony emerge from the crowd walking towards her. She looked up and saw it was Lieutenant Luna. Her usual stern demeanor was replaced with one of pure empathy. Without saying a word she picked up the gun using her magic and gave it to Officer Sparkle who was in the back of crowd. She began to walk towards AJ’s body when all of sudden she was stopped by a gentle tug of her tail.
The Lieutenant turned around to see the broken pegasus on the ground looking up to the police mare.
“Please.” Fluttershy spoke gently. Her energy taken away from the events that played out during the night left a toll on the fragile pegasus. “Just leave her alone.” Luna was thought of as the most cold hearted officer on the police force. Over the years she dealt with murders, homicides, robberies, everything that came with the city and it’s ugliness. She had shown no sympathy to any Pegasi or Earth pony. But what she saw now wasn’t like anything she had seen; an Pegasus caring for an Earth pony. She had no choice but to grant her request.
Fluttershy slowly got up on her hooves and began to walk over to AJ’s body. All the hate had now left her body and was replaced by sorrow and guilt. With a heavy heart, she knelt down next to and picked her up. She then placed on last kiss on AJ’s lips. It would be the last time she would ever see her again. The moment was bitter. AJ’s body was still warm as if she was asleep and would wake up any moment after the kiss like some silly fairy tale. But the dried up blood on the orange pony’s mouth said otherwise. This was truly goodbye. Fluttershy gave AJ one last hug and whispered to nopony. “Goodnight, AJ” The pegasus gently put the pony back on the ground.
Even though she said her goodbye she couldn’t leave AJ’s side. She stood there heart broken staring at her. Not a single thought crossed her mind. She just existed for the moment. Just like at the balcony, the world was just her and AJ, nothing else mattered. But the feeling was different. Instead of bewilderment and joy, Fluttershy felt hollow and numb.
After what seemed like hours, a pony emerged from the group: an Earth pony from Pinkie’s gang. He was tanned colored stallion, whom Fluttershy didn’t know. He walked up next to AJ’s body. As he approached a few more Earth ponies began to walk towards AJ and Fluttershy. The ponies picked a side of AJ’s body to grab and tried to lift the body up to move to wherever it needed to go, but the body was much too heavy for them to carry and it seemed like they were going to drop her. But suddenly the body stabilized in the air. The Earth ponies looked across to see a Pegasus helping them lift the body. There was a moment of hesitation but the Earth ponies accepted the pegasus’ help. Soon afterwards a few more pegasi joined them and helped to move AJ’s body. Fluttershy watched as they moved AJ’s corpse away. The ponies and body vanished into the night, never to return to the courts.
Fluttershy looked at the ground where AJ was. It was covered with blood that had rusted in the air and turned a sickly dark shade of brown. Next to the pool was brown Stetson hat. It was all that was left of her. The night wind blew the hat elsewhere leaving the pegasus alone. Fluttershy didn’t dare go after it. She didn’t deserve it.
In her dismal state, she sighed and cried dry tears. She couldn’t believe she was gone. It all seemed like one bad dream. She wanted to believe that she was still asleep in her bed and AJ was still alive. But the cold wind of the night awoke her from her fantasy and brought her to an even colder harsh reality. With nothing else to do, she got up and began to walk out of the courts.
She moved passed the crowd of ponies who still lingered waiting for anything to happen next. She saw Thunderlane walk off with Lieutenant Luna and Officer Sparkle possibly heading to the police station. She saw the white unicorn, Ms. Rarity, weeping silently in the crowd over the loss of her beloved employee and friend. Fluttershy approached the white mare. The unicorn broke away from her mourning to look up and offer the pegasus an empathetic smile. “Are you Fluttershy, dear?”
Fluttershy nodded sadly. Ms. Rarity put her hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder trying to comfort her. “I’m so sorry for your loss, my dear.” Fluttershy didn’t say anything. She didn’t feel like talking, but she didn’t need to. Ms. Rarity understood what the mare was going through. “Come with me. I’ll walk you back to your apartment.” Without giving it a thought. Fluttershy walked with the unicorn into the darkness of the street.
As the walked, Ms. Rarity tried her best to make a conversation with the broken pegasus. “It is so good to meet you at last, Fluttershy. I have heard many great things about you; From Applejack of course.” She looked over at Fluttershy who simply followed the unicorn without making a sound. Ms. Rarity’s heart sunk at the sight of the pegasus’ suffering. She let out a mournful sigh. “You’re going to miss her aren’t you?” Fluttershy didn’t respond but her silence was enough to answer her question. “I’m going to miss her too.” Ms. Rarity spoke with a mournful tone that resonated in the air. “She was such a great pony. Caring, kind, a hard worker; not to mention a good friend. A bit stubborn at times but who isn’t nowadays?” She let of a soft sad chuckle. “She used talk a lot about you, you know?” Fluttershy looked up to see the kind mare’s warm smile. “She used to spend all day talking to me about the most beautiful and wonderful she had ever seen. I will admit I was a bit worried when she told me that you were a Pegasus.” Her voice became sadder and slightly bitter. “I told her to be careful not get into any trouble and she went had to get into that fight and...” She stopped after realizing what she was saying. She sighed once more. “I’m sorry dear. I don’t mean to sound bitter. I just miss her, that’s all.” They continued to walk down the dark street.
“She really did love you.” Fluttershy’s ears perked up. Ms. Rarity continued to speak with calm and strong tone. “If somepony going through all that suffering willingly just to be with the mare of her heart isn’t love, then darling, this world is a sad place.” Ms. Rarity’s words were said with good intentions but they made Fluttershy feel worse than she already did. She remembered all the times she had spent time with the orange mare. Every single time AJ came to Fluttershy. AJ sought out Fluttershy after the dance while Fluttershy was ready to give up the night’s excitement for the mundane life she had before. At the bridal shop, AJ walked through what was considered enemy territory just to see her. Even when they met at the park. AJ was there first making sure if everything was alright. All this time, it was AJ who was risking everything while Fluttershy did nothing. She remembered the doubts she had before: the doubts on the balcony and the doubts in the bridal shop. All them were about AJ’s integrity and validity. But now that she thought about them they all stung with mockery in comparison to the sacrifice AJ had made. AJ really did love her and Fluttershy doubted her. Her heart ached worse than before. She now wished that she that got beaten and shot in the chest. It would have been more just.
The two ponies were now in front of Fluttershy’s apartment. Ms. Rarity gave Fluttershy a hug. “If you need anything, dear, come by my shop and I’ll do whatever I can for you.” She let go of the pegasus and continued down the street into what was known as “Earth pony” territory, but Fluttershy guessed it would just be a normal street soon. With nothing else to do she walked up the steps to the door and entered her apartment.
She climbed the steps, reaching her floor. Her parents sound asleep in their room oblivious to what happened tonight. But soon they would find out. Soon they will hear of Rainbow’s death. They will hear of Pinkie’s and AJ’s death but will not care. They will be sad and see their daughter’s sad face and think it’s only for the death of her friend. Fluttershy decided to let them believe that. They didn’t need to know. No one did. It did not matter anymore. She opened her door to her room and then locked it. She climbed into her bed and did the only thing she could do: sleep. No nightmare could compare to what she had seen. Fluttershy could only hope that she would dream of her and for at least for a little while, they can be happy together.
Chapter 2 "Grey Memories"
West Canterlot was it’s own miniature town. The buildings that touched the sky were apartments, businesses, offices, and even stores. One particular business Fluttershy remembered was Rarity’s Boutique. It wasn’t a boutique per se but more of a general store that sold anything from medicine to sodas. The only thing more interesting that the store’s variety of goods was the mare who ran the store. She was a snow white unicorn with a Indigo mane and eyes.She always kept her mane in a extraordinary fashion that made her even more out of place than she already was. She was probably the only unicorn who actually lived in West Canterlot. Why she was there, nobody knows for certain. All they knew was that she was here to stay. Miss Rarity, as she liked to be called, was one of the most kindest, benevolent ponies that Fluttershy had the pleasure of meeting. Her store was one of the few places that both Earth ponies and Pegasi could go without being discriminated.
After she came home from the dance, Fluttershy overheard Rainbow and a few of her friends talking about the pony she almost kissed. Apparently AJ worked at Rarity’s Boutique as a delivery pony. When Fluttershy asked her friend Flitter about AJ, she said that the mare used to be a leader in the gang of Earth ponies that was now led by Pinkie, but one day she left the group and but has still been seen around Pinkie. Fluttershy would have been lying if she said that she wasn’t a little disheartened by this fact. Could of what Rainbow said be true? Fluttershy remembered walking up the stairs to her apartment after the dance while Rainbow hovered close by.
***
“Fluttershy I don’t do this to ruin your evening.” Rainbow tried reasoning with the yellow pegasus. “I’m only doing what’s for you. I’ve been in this neighborhood a lot longer than you have and I’m telling you, those Earth ponies are nothing but bad news.”
Fluttershy seeing that there was no reasoning with the prism pegasus agreed defeatedly. “Yes, Rainbow,” she whispered. A look of disappointment spread across Fluttershy’s face as she looked away from Rainbow.
Feeling guilty Rainbow let a heavy sigh. “Hey, cheer up. I know this night has been a bit hectic but trust me. Once you learn the rules here, things will get easier. Get some sleep and I’ll see you in the morning.” Rainbow left her room, closed the door’s to Fluttershy’s room and exited her apartment.
The feeling of discouragement still hung in the air. It seemed now that the magical moment she shared with AJ was now nothing but fantasy. The ecstasy and bliss she felt from just being around the pony was gone leaving her in a cold and dismal state of disbelief.
Fluttershy slipped out of her dress, hung it up and got ready for bed. She walked over to the window to close it and draw the curtains, but immediately stopped in her tracks. There was a faint whisper in the distance.
“...fluttershy...”
Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked outside her window to see who it was. She saw nopony in the dark, wet alley that neighbored her apartment building. The moon’s light reflected off the puddles that were collected in the crevices of the cobblestones that made up the street. Steam rose from the sewers creating a hazy atmosphere that was almost eerie. In the midst of the fog, the voice grew louder.
“...Fluttershy...”
Outside of her window were rusty iron staircases that were meant to be used incase of fires. She carefully stepped out of her window onto the metal platform. Looking around she still could not see whose voice it was. She walked onto a nearby catwalk that connected her building with the one next to it. Fluttershy looked over the railing to see a familiar pony trotting down the alley.
“...Fluttershy...”
Below was the orange mare, still in her suit from the dance. Fluttershy became ecstatic once more. Fluttershy beckoned the mare, “AJ” The golden maned mare quickly looked around searching for the voice. Fluttershy continued to call out to her. “Up here.”
AJ looked up to the catwalk to see the yellow pegasus. At that moment her emerald eyes glowed brighter than any star in the sky. Their eyes met just like they did when they first met at the dance. Fluttershy was once again overcome with emotion and expressed it with a smile. AJ smiled back and hollered, “Fluttershy!”
“Shhh!” Fluttershy quickly hushed AJ, “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you!”
“But how did you know where I live?”
“I asked around and a few ponies told me this where you lived.”
“But why are you here?” Fluttershy’s heart still had doubt. Rainbow’s words stuck with her causing her to be cautious. Still, seeing the mare once again brought back the feelings from the gym. She wanted to believe that they were real but the weight of cold reality kept her from doing so.
“I told you! I wanted to see you.” replied the mare on the ground.
“AJ, please, If you don’t be quiet somepony might hear us. If Rainbow were to know...”
“Let her know! I have no problem with her. Nothing is going to stop me from seeing you.”
‘There’s only one thing they want from a Pegasus!’ again those words resonated within Fluttershy’s soul. The words stung like venom. Deep down inside she didn’t want to believe anybody could be so mean spirited, but in the end she just didn’t know.
“Fluttershy, please, come down, just for a minute. I want to talk with you.”
Fluttershy sighed. ‘This mare is persistent’ she thought. ‘Why does she want to talk to me so desperately? Why me? I’m nothing special. Why isn’t she afraid of being ridiculed? Isn't she afraid her friends would ostracize and shun her if they found out? In the end the situation did not make any sense and it wasn’t going if something didn’t give. She decided to give AJ a chance. “But a minute is not enough.” she answered.
“Then an hour!” AJ shouted back. “As long as it takes.”
“Does it have to be now? It is very late” Fluttershy tried not to make it sound like she was making up excuses, but the fact of the matter was AJ that was an Earth pony in “Pegasi Territory”. If she were seen...she didn’t even want to think about what might happen.
The Earth pony kept pursuing “Yes it does! And I won’t leave until you say yes!”
It seemed that the Fluttershy had no choice but to grant what the mare wanted. She still didn’t know why she was really here and why she was so persistent. As much as she didn’t like to think about it, perhaps Rainbow was right about this Earth pony. Still, what if the Earth pony was sincere? She wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings. She decided that the best thing to do is just to give her a chance. If Rainbow was telling truth then she could easily see through her facade. “I can’t come down, if somepony notices I’m gone....”
“Then I’ll come up!” AJ interrupted. She suddenly galloped towards the bottom of the staircase and began climbing it. Each time she put her hooves down, a clank echoed in the night air. This frightened Fluttershy.
“AJ! Not so loud!” the pegasus cried as she rushed towards the orange mare. “My parents are asleep next door and if they hear you...”
“Flutters!” At the moment a new voice appeared in the night air. It froze Fluttershy in her tracks and stopped AJ from climbing the stairs any further. “Flutters. What are you doing outside?”
The tension in the air increased tenfold. AJ stood perfectly still on the stairs. Fluttershy knew whose voice it was. It was her mother’s; then meant that her father was still asleep, or else it would have been him would called out. Fluttershy walked over to the window and gestured towards AJ to remain silent. “I’m just talking with.... uh...a friend that I met at the dance.”
“Talk to them tomorrow. It’s late, you should be in bed.”
“Okay mom, I’ll go back to bed soon.”
“Alright then good night, my little Flutters.” Both mares waited in silence on the platform making sure that Fluttershy’s parents went back to sleep. Once they knew that the coast was clear, AJ broke the silence.
“‘Flutters’?”
Fluttershy blushed in embarrassment. “That’s my mother’s pet name for me.”
AJ chuckled lightly. “I like it.”
Silence took over the moment for a brief second until Fluttershy asked, “So what is that you wanted to talk about?” Fluttershy tried her best to not sound aggressive, but she couldn’t help but sound a bit pushy. But it seemed to not bother the Earth pony.
“I wanted to talk about what happened at the dance.”
Fluttershy sighed. “I’m sorry about what happened.” She was afraid that this topic would come up. It had been a total mess of an evening that almost ended with the fight. “I’m sorry that I almost got you beat up by Rainbow and I’m sorry that I almost ki-”
AJ put her hoof gently on Fluttershy’s lips.”There’s nothing to be sorry about, Sugarcube. Although...” AJ chuckled, “I think kissing you might have been jumping the gun a little.”
Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle as well. “Maybe a little.” Both mares continued to give small laughs that quickly decayed into the night air and once again silence cut in between them. AJ and Fluttershy sat down on the metal platform trying to get comfortable. After a few seconds of silence Fluttershy couldn’t help but notice that AJ’s demeanor had changed. Before she seemed confident, and strong, but now she looked as timid as she was. AJ kept looking away from Fluttershy not uttering a word. She kept taking quick glances at her but darted away. It was hard to notice but Fluttershy could see that she was blushing. ‘There must be something more on her mind’ Fluttershy thought. “So is that all you came to say? That we shouldn’t be sorry for what happened at the dance?”
AJ bit her lip. It looked like she was struggling with in, trying to find the right words or phrase. “Not exactly.” she finally managed to utter. Her tone was a bit dry but still quivered in the night air.
Fluttershy blinked in confusion. “Then what else do you want to talk about?”
Again there was that moment of hesitation. The look on her face was a mixture of panic and anxiety, one that Fluttershy knew too well. AJ finally sighed . The look on her face looked as if she was defeated. “I don’t know if I can say it.”
“Well then why did you want to talk?” Fluttershy grew more and more confused by the second. The mare who so desperately wanted to talk to her now had nothing to say. ‘What is going on ?’ she thought.
“I thought I had the courage to talk about it, but I guess I was wrong.” Her voice was forlorning and sad. She slowly got up from the platform and stood up. “I’m sorry for wasting your time, Fluttershy.” She slowly made her way to the stairs to climb down. There was a tint of sadness in her voice. Fluttershy stayed silent as she saw the mare began to climb down, but as that happened a new battle took place inside Fluttershy’s heart. A part of her heart was kind of glad that it was now over and now she could go back to her normal life, but another part clinged on to that sadness in AJ voice. ‘There’s something she ‘s not telling me.’ Fluttershy thought. Somethin deep inside compelled her to stop the mare. “AJ wait!” The mare stopped where she was and turned around and faced Fluttershy. “I know that you are keeping something hidden from me.”
AJ had a guilty frown on her face. “It’s not something easy to talk about.”
“Nothing that is worth doing is easy.” Fluttershy tried to comfort the mare. Even though she only met her for a little while, she could tell that she was strong pony. This was probably a rare moment to see her in such a vulnerable state. Especially if she was former leader of a gang.
It looked like the mare was deep in thought. After a few seconds she answered. “Alright. I’ll tell you.” AJ climbed back up the stairs and sat next to Fluttershy. The orange mare was still hesitant to speak. It seemed like she was trying to get her thoughts together, trying to make put them together in the best way. She closed her eyes as if it would make delivering the news much easier. “Fluttershy, I think I......I might be in love with you.”
The phrase hit Fluttershy like cold gust of wind. She was stunned and baffled. ‘She’s..in love with me? How could she love me? They only had just met earlier tonight.’ Fluttershy’s mind was flushed with hundreds of questions. ‘Was she serious or was what Rainbow had said at the Gym true after all?’ Fluttershy thought back to that moment. ‘There’s only one thing they want from a Pegasus!’ Rainbow’s words bounced around in her head. In her heart the pain of doubt returned. She hardly knew this mare and AJ hardly knew anything about Fluttershy, yet that did nothing to stop her from admitting her feelings. Fluttershy tried to answer her but all that she managed to say incoherent jabber. “AJ....I...uh...”
The mare in question continued. “I should probably explain myself.” AJ still had her eyes close; probably so she would not see Fluttershy’s reaction. She took a deep breath in and exhaled. “It all started with a dream. For the past month I had the same dream every night. I’m surrounded by darkness and there’s this... feeling. I find myself reaching out into emptiness, only that feeling is telling me that there’s something out there, something special, a miracle, but I couldn’t see anything. I would then wake up in a cold sweat, panting as if I had a nightmare.” AJ paused again and let out a sigh. “Up until this day I never knew what that dream meant. That is, until I saw you.” She opened her eyes and turned towards Fluttershy, gazing directly into her eyes. “When I first saw you at the dance, that same feeling took over and once again I felt as if I was grasping into the darkness. Only now I knew what I was reaching out for. You, Fluttershy, are my miracle. That something so beautiful, so pure could blossom in a place like this. I never believed in love at first sight, but when I saw you...”
AJ noticed that Fluttershy’s expression was that of disbelief and delusion. Realizing what she had said, she backed off and apologized. “I’m sorry Fluttershy, I shouldn’t be saying all this. You’re probably overwhelmed by this.”
It was true that Fluttershy was overwhelmed by this but there was one thing that she said that stood out the most. She called her beautiful. ‘Beautiful’ The word echoed in Fluttershy’s ears. It was a symphony of syllables; each one a glorious bell that rang in the night. The pegasus had been called pretty and cute but never beautiful. It was a simple word yet it meant so much coming from AJ. Why did she feel this way? It was as if all the doubts that clouded her mind suddenly vanished. Her heart raced just like it did at the dance and that feeling of peace and warmth overcame her once more. All rationale in her mind told her she shouldn’t be feeling this over a silly little word, yet her heart said otherwise. She hardly knew this mare yet for some reason it didn’t matter anymore. It was only yesterday that Fluttershy felt that the world was this wide open space waiting to be explored and discovered, but now the world was here on a balcony with AJ. Despite it all, she wasn’t sure if this was love or something else. She felt compelled to give AJ an answer.
“AJ”, the yellow pegasus started. AJ turned to face her. Fluttershy looked down at the platform, collecting her thoughts. Like AJ there was a moment of delay. Fluttershy knew this wasn’t a subject to take lightly. She needed to be precise and accurate with her words or she may hurt the mare. “when I met you at the dance, I experienced something that has never happened to me before.” She thought back to the dance. When she first laid eyes on AJ, a warmth overtook her. It was as if feeling a summer breeze in a green pasture. The only word that fit what she felt at that moment was happiness. But was it something more? Maybe. But like everything else that night, she wasn’t sure. But whether it was love or not, it was something she craved. “I don’t know what to call it. I don’t know if it is ‘love’ or something else. All I know is that when I’m around you I feel as if I am seeing sunlight for the first time and I don’t ever want to lose that feeling. I can’t give you answer you want but I can give you this.” Fluttershy leaned over to AJ and gave her small kiss on her cheek. AJ eyes widened and a blush spread all over her face. On her face was a mixture of disbelief and joy. Fluttershy smiled. “I still want to be with you.”
AJ wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy and brought her in for a hug. Fluttershy returned the favor and put her hooves around her. “Thank you, Fluttershy.” AJ’s voice still quivered, only this time from joy. “You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that.” AJ let go of Fluttershy. “I promise to you Fluttershy, you won’t regret this. I’m sure once I meet your family and friends and I’m sure they’ll-” AJ didn’t finish her sentence. As she was talking she saw that Fluttershy’s expression grew into one of worry and uneasiness. Fluttershy didn’t need to say anything, AJ already knew what was on her mind. She let out a heavy sigh.
AJ put her hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Fluttershy, please. I’m not one of them.” Her voice burned with compassion and desperation. “I mean, yes, I used to be part of Pinkie’s gang but I moved on. I don’t care about this crummy neighborhood anymore or who claims it as their own. All that I care about now is you.”
“But I’m not one of you. And you not one of us.”
“It doesn’t matter me. To me, you’re just Fluttershy; my miracle.”
Fluttershy’s heart was torn between a reason and passion. It was true that she didn’t care that AJ was an Earth pony for she only saw her and her only. But she knew that everything around them was going to do everything could to stop them from being together. It seemed like an impossible fantasy and a dangerous one at that. She wasn’t concerned for her own safety. If anyone were to find out, nothing would happen to her. If anything she would probably get a stern talking to by Rainbow and be locked in her room for a few months. No she was worried about what might happen to AJ. She couldn’t bear the thought of her getting hurt or worse. “I’m sorry AJ, but I can’t. Now is not the time for us. But someday, we can truly be together. I just know it. We just have to believe.”
“Believe me, Fluttershy, our time will come soon. I just know it.”
“Until that day, I will wait for you.”
AJ smiled warmly and Fluttershy smiled back. After a brief moment of silence. Fluttershy spoke up. “It’s getting late. I really must go.”
AJ responded quickly with a hint of worry in her tone. “But when will I see you again?”
“We can meet again tomorrow. I work at the bridal shop across the street. Be there at closing time and I will let you in.”
AJ came closer to Fluttershy and whispered. “Until tomorrow.” She then leaned in and kissed Fluttershy on the forehead. “Goodnight Fluttershy.” A tint of red spread across Fluttershy’s face. Her forehead burned lightly where AJ had kissed her. It made her body feel warm in the chilly night air.
AJ had begun to descend the stairs when Fluttershy quickly walked over to the edge of the staircase and called out to the Earth pony. “AJ!” The mare in question turned her head to face her. “What does ‘AJ’ stand for?” Fluttershy asked.
AJ smiled wholeheartedly it was a question she had not heard in a while. She answered gaily. “Applejack.”
“Goodnight, Applejack.”
AJ grinned and turned back to descend the stairs and headed down the alley. Fluttershy watched her disappear into the haze of the night. She was by herself once again but she didn’t feel alone. She let out a dreamy sigh, crawled through her window and went to bed; dreaming of what was to come tomorrow.
***
Fluttershy’s shadow grew as the sun rose above the buildings of West Canterlot. It would not be too long before she would reach the train station to visit her special friend.
As she continued to walk the empty street, Fluttershy came across her old apartment building. Time had seemed to have skipped over it. It had not changed a single bit since the day she moved out. The brick building glowed with a bright orange red glow. All the windows had drawn curtains, either ponies still sleeping or trying to hide from the sun’s bright glow. Fluttershy turned her head to see the old bridal shop across the street. The shop was once owned by Madame Couture, a frail white pegasus who had an innate sense when it came to dresses. When Fluttershy moved from Cloudsdale she needed to find a job to start making a living for herself. With a recommendation from Flitter, Fluttershy was hired and began working at the shop full time mainly working with finances and stocking the store.
The shop was now closed permanently. When Madame Couture died, she had no family to leave the store with and no one offered to take over. Eventually it closed and all the pegasi that worked there left and searched for new jobs. It indeed was a sad day, but not as sad as that day.
Fluttershy couldn’t help but walkover to one of the store’s windows and look inside. She didn’t know what to expect when she peered inside. The shop had been abandoned for quite some time and was now home to rodents or bugs. As she glanced inside she saw the old display room. It had once housed hundreds of dresses and tuxedos waiting for customers to walk in a buy them. But there was left now was dust and cobwebs; nothing more than a grey memory.
***
“I’ll close up the shop tonight Flitter, you go on a ahead.”
“I can’t let you do that Fluttershy,” Flitter responded, “I’ll close up the shop.”
“That’s alright, I have some work that needs to be done.”
“Then finish tomorrow. There’s no point in getting ahead in a shop like this...”
At that moment a bell rang indicating that somepony opened the front door to the shop. Flitter and Fluttershy turned around to see a particular orange mare standing in the doorway. ‘Oh, no’ Fluttershy thought. ‘This is bad! I thought I told her to wait for me outside! Flitter knows who AJ is and that means she’ll...” As Fluttershy expected Flitter automatically recognized the pony. But to the yellow pegasus’s surprise Flitter didn’t shout at her or told her to leave. All she did was frown, walk over to AJ and stated calmly. “I’m sorry, Miss. The shop is closed for the day. Please come back tomorrow.”
“I..uh...” AJ was at a loss of words. She didn’t expect anyone to still be in the store when she arrived. “I’m actually here for...”
“She’s here to deliver something for me.” Fluttershy interrupted. ‘This isn’t good,’ she panicked. ‘If Flitter notices anything she might tell Rainbow.’ “She came to drop off some...uh... aspirin!
“Aspirin?” Flitter asked in a deadpan tone.
“Yes, it’s from Rarity’s Boutique. So...It’s... suppose to help migraines!” Fluttershy tried to hide the anxiety in her voice but it was obvious that Flitter knew that there was something more going on. Flitter looked back at the Earth pony and noticed she had no saddle bags. It was clear Fluttershy was lying, but for some odd reason she decided not to bring it to light. She looked back at Fluttershy with a look of annoyance in her eyes, and huffed, “Fine, you can lock up.” Flitter headed towards the door walking past AJ. “But you better be home in 15 minutes.” Flitter walked out the store leaving the two ponies alone. There was a moment a silence until AJ decided to break the tension.
“She seems...nice.”
Fluttershy walked over to the door to lock it and pulled the blinds down to make sure no one would see them. She walked over to AJ and took a deep breath and exhaled. She wasn’t going to ask why she didn’t wait outside like she asked; giving away their little secret. No. There was a much more important matter at hand. “Why didn’t you tell me about the fight?”
The question came out of nowhere and threw AJ off a little. Fluttershy stared into her eyes with an expression that was a mix of worry and disappointment.
“Well, I uh...” AJ tried to avoid question but failed miserably. “Where did you even hear about the fight?”
The lack of answer upset the pegasus further. After hearing the news, Fluttershy felt hurt and betrayed. She needed reassurance for her heart. “Before she left, Flitter told me about how Rainbow met with the Earth ponies at Rarity’s to set up a fight. She said that you were there with the rest of those Earth ponies. Are you going to fight with those brutes?
“No I’m not!” AJ protested.
“But If you weren’t there to fight then why were you there? Please answer me, AJ. Please tell me you aren’t one of them.”
“Fluttershy, I already told you I’m not one of them. I haven’t lied to you before and I am not going to start now.” The mare’s words soothed the pegasus lessening her stress. But the important question still remained.
“But why were you there in the first place?”
AJ stepped back from Fluttershy and tried to explain everything in calm collective manner. “Before the dance, Pinkie came to me at Rarity’s to ask me to help in a “war council” to set up a fight to end this rivalry once and for all. I told her I didn’t want have anything to do with it, but she convinced me to just attend the council and promised that I wouldn’t be involved in anyway. I really didn’t care if they beat each other senseless at first but when I met you at the dance and found out that you were Rainbow’s friend, I couldn’t bare the thought of you being devastated by anything that might happen. So I went to go meet up with Pinkie and the gang at Rarity’s, but the pegasi were already there. They were already arguing about what they were going to use in the fight. They named everything from guns to knives. I jumped in and told them how they were all chickens for thinking of using things as cowardly as weapons. I told them if they were going to settle things once and for all, it should be done with their own hooves. They both accepted and decided it should be a 2 on 2 fight a week from now. Pinkie and Caramel versus Rainbow and Thunderlane. A fair fight.”
Fluttershy’s anxiety did not settle. “AJ, any fight, fair or not, isn’t good for us. If something ends in violence then it will never end at all. If you want our time to come the please promise me that you’ll stop the fight.” Fluttershy put her hoof on AJ’s shoulder. “Please. For us?”
AJ paused for moment but then answered. “Of course. Anything for you.”
The timid pegasus let out a sigh of relief and her calm and serene composure returned. “Thank you Applejack.” She leaned in and gave AJ a soft hug, in which the Earth pony returned. The held each other in their warm embrace for a what seemed like forever. Their heart beats seemed to subside and became one continuous pulse. AJ didn’t want break the peace but there was something on her mind that interest her.
“Say, how did you know I worked at Rarity’s?” AJ asked in a joking manner.
“Oh well,” Fluttershy blushed a little. “I was kind of eavesdropping on Rainbow and Flitter last night. They were talking about you and Flitter mentioned that you worked at Rarity’s Boutique. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to seem so nosy.”
“It’s okay Sugarcube.” AJ answered while gently stroking Fluttershy’s mane.
Fluttershy let of go of AJ. “Do you want something to drink or...?”
“Water’s fine.”
“Okay then. There’s a couch in the next room, make yourself comfortable while I go get your drink.” Fluttershy made her way to the kitchen where the workers heated up their meals for lunch and sometimes, on those all nighter projects, dinner. Fluttershy got a mug from the cupboard, put under the faucet and began to fill it up. As she did this, Fluttershy couldn’t help but wonder. ‘I’m almost certain Flitter would have caused a scene or told her to go away. Why didn’t she say anything? Was she going to tell Rainbow after all?’ Fluttershy soon realized that the mug of water was overflowing. She took out of from under the faucet and dried it off with a towel and walked towards the other room. As she entered, she saw AJ looking around at the various dresses and tuxedos. This was also the first time she noticed what AJ was wearing. The tension caused by earlier made her miss something peculiar about the pony: she was wearing a Stetson. It was a type of hat that she normally did not see in the city. She didn’t wear it at the dance, and only had her mane in a ponytail. She was wearing the ponytail today as well but like the Stetson, it seemed out of place.
Fluttershy walked over to that couch that AJ was sitting on and handed her the mug of water. AJ grabbed graciously. “Thank you, Sugarcube.”
“It’s nothing.” Fluttershy hesitated to ask her question but finally mustered up the courage. “If you don’t mind me asking. Why do you have your mane in a ponytail and why do you wear that hat?”
“Oh this old thing?” AJ took off her hat and held in her hooves. “It’s actually my pa’s. He gave it to me before he passed on.”
Fluttershy was shocked by the answer. “I’m so sorry! I had no idea.”
“It’s alright. It happened a long time ago. As for the ponytail, it’s just the style that I had growing up. I didn’t see any use of changing it. Plus I always liked it. It keeps the hair out of my eyes. Honestly, I don’t know how you put up with it.” AJ jabbed Fluttershy jokingly in which Fluttershy let out a quiet giggle. Fluttershy’s pink mane was always long and often hung in front of her eyesight. Most of the time you could only see one of her eyes peeking out from under her mane.
“It’s not so bad; once you get used to it.”
“Well you don’t have time like that when you are working on a farm.”
The last word confused the pegasus. “Farm? The nearest Farm isn’t for a hundred miles of here.”
“Oh, well, you see I can explain that.” AJ put her hat back on her head and continued. “I’m not actually from Canterlot. I was born in Ponyville but moved to Canterlot when I was 6 or 7. I can’t quite remember. It was around the time my pa died. We couldn’t maintain our apple orchard with him gone. So we had to sell it and move somewhere else.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. But atleast we have that in common. I’m not from Canterlot either. My family is originally from Cloudsdale. Both my parents worked at the Weather Factory but got fired. So like you, we moved to Canterlot in search of a better life.”
AJ snorted. “Some life, huh?” Her tone oozed with sarcasm. “You get treated lower than dirt here and the police always assume you’re up to no good and constantly harass you. The only person that has shown me an ounce of respect is Ms. Rarity. I don’t know where I’d be without her and her hospitality. Probably still running around the streets with Pinkie.”
“Why did you ever hung around Pinkie?” Fluttershy immediately after realizing what she said clamped her mouth shut with her hooves and muttered frantically. “Oh, sorry. I shouldn’t be asking questions like that.”
“It’s okay” AJ replied trying to calm down Fluttershy. “You don’t have to apologize for your curiosity.” Fluttershy eased up a little. “As for your question, well, when I moved from Ponyville, I was awfully lonely. My big brother was off working most of the time and my little sister was still a foal. I had no one to play with or talk too. I would spend my days just staying at the park, playing in the sand alone. That’s until I met Pinkie. She was so bright and full of energy. The first time I met her she made me smile with a little song and dance. We’ve been best friends ever since. That is until she got awfully mad when the Pegasi began to move in. I don’t know why but one day she changed. She wasn’t the same sweet filly that I knew and loved. I heard from someone else that a Pegasi jumped her and beat her up. I don’t know if that is true or not, but all I know now is she wants nothing more but to dedicate her time trying to pick fights with Pegasi.” AJ sighed. “I just wish things could go back to the way they were. Those carefree days just playing on the playground, or playing catch. But when Pinkie formed that gang of Earth ponies, I felt I had no choice but to join her. I couldn’t abandon my friend.”
“Then why did you leave her and the gang?”
AJ inhaled and exhaled through her nose. “I didn’t leave Pinkie, I just left the gang. She is still my best friend. Nothing is ever going to change that. But one day I just couldn’t go through the routines anymore. I hated being part of that gang. I didn’t care if Pegasi were moving in but I had to pretend to so that Pinkie would be happy. Spending years running away from or running towards Pegasi just got old. When I was younger there was a bit of spark to it but one day, I just grew up and told Pinkie I was done. I looked for a job and was hired by Ms. Rarity. I still hope one day that Pinkie will grow up too and start to live a peaceful and happy life.”
Fluttershy understood where AJ was coming from. Ever since she moved into the neighborhood, Rainbow would spend hours talking about how she hated the Earth ponies and would tell stories about how they ambushed one in an alley or kicked the tail of another in the lot. Like AJ, she had no interest in these quarrels but feigned interest for the sake of her friend. “I hope Rainbow does as well. I can’t stand to see her like this. Back in Cloudsdale she was such a nice filly. She was still had a bit of temper but she wouldn’t pick fights with anypony. It pains me to see her like this. It seems like the only drive she has nowadays is fighting Earth ponies.”
A smirked appeared on AJ face. “I guess we aren’t so different after all. One from the ground and the other from the sky. Brought together by a rivalry. Life is funny sometimes. Isn’t”
“Yes it is.”
They sat in silence, enjoying each other’s company for a while, reflecting on what each other said. Fluttershy couldn’t help but think about Rainbow. She wondered what happened to her to make her hate Earth ponies so much. Was she attacked like Pinkie? If this whole mess started with someone attacking someone, who was to blame? The Pegasi or the Earth ponies? Could this all be settled if they just talked to each other just like how she and AJ just did? Once again the silence was broken by AJ
“As much as I hate it, I think it’s time for me to leave. I wouldn’t want your friend to be worried about you.”
“Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked, trying to get the mare to stay a little longer. “Flitter won’t mind if I was a few minutes late. She’s not like Rainbow.”
“No, I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble over me.” AJ winked at Fluttershy “Besides, we have all the time in the world, right? I'll see you tomorrow.”
Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile. “Alright then, Where can we meet again?"
AJ thought about it, "I can't ask you to meet at Rarity's Boutique. Someone might see us. And I can't meet you here either." AJ searched her mind of places where they possibly could not be seen together for their own safety. "The only place I can think of is the playground but even then someone might see us. Although it's pretty abandoned once the street lights come on."
"Well that doesn't sound too bad." Fluttershy commented. "I guess we can meet there."
"How does tonight sound?"
"It sounds lovely."
“Well then, consider it a date.” AJ trotted over to the door and opened it. “See you tonight, Fluttershy.”
“Goodbye, AJ.” Fluttershy responded and with that the orange mare walked out of the store. Fluttershy flew into the air in a fit of happiness. She trusted AJ fully that she would stop the fight when it came. With that Rainbow and Pinkie would stop fighting each other, and finally there could be peace between the two groups. Most importantly, she could see AJ without fear of Rainbow finding out. There was no reason for her to feel anxious or worried now that it seemed all their problems were going to be solved. It could only get better from here.
***
Fluttershy broke out of her trance. She didn’t realize she had been staring into the store’s window for so long. It was sad to see the store in such disarray. It could have been so much more, if only it had the proper care and attention.It almost brought a tear to Fluttershy’s eyes seeing it in such a condition. It didn’t have to shut down. The store when Fluttershy arrived was still relatively new. It was so lively in the shop and it had so much potential: to become something greater than it already was. But in the end it wasn’t the store’s fault that it was now closed. The city just wasn’t the right place for it to bloom. The store waited for it’s time to come but when Madame Couture died, the store realized that it’s dream was now an impossible fantasy; fading into the dusts of time. Such a sad sight indeed. Fluttershy made her way away back onto the street and continued walking towards the train station. Her friend was waiting for her.