Fluttershy was usually good at being calm, but if ever the situation ever turned stressful, it was hard to remain relaxed. She had experienced this exact scenario many times before. However, the problem was not directly related to her. With each breath, she inhaled deeply, but she shakily exhaled as she stared at Cloudchaser. Thanks to the moonlit night, she could still see the mare. Fluttershy had hoped not to experience the kind of panic she was feeling; she had watched the facehugger detach from Cloudchaser’s muzzle about fifteen minutes ago. It was a race against time to get her to a hospital before another Xenomorph was born.

“She’s going to be okay, right?” Fluttershy froze at Bab’s question. The situation itself was bad. There was still some hope that Cloudchaser could be saved. But the fact of the matter was that Fluttershy had seen what happened to those who didn’t make it.

‘Kettlepot’s death… t-that was s-so terrifying.’ The scene of the larval Xenomorph bursting from his chest had constantly replayed over and over in her head, a fate that Cloudchaser could soon be sharing. Fluttershy hesitantly glanced over her shoulder. But with a faint smile, she said, “D-don’t worry, Babs. I-I’m sure that Spitfire and Soarin will make it.” Even though she could see Cloudchaser, Spitfire and Soarin were still quite a distance ahead of her. She could only thank the pegasi’s natural ability to see a long distance away.

“Y-you really certain?” Babs leaned to the left a little. “W-what about e-everypony else back on the i-island? Are t-they gonna be okay?”

That thought pestered Fluttershy to no end. “P-Princess Celestia is with them. They should be fine.” The state that she had seen the Princess in, however, said otherwise. That fear for her friends had grown over the course of this near half-hour. Would they be alright? Could they last on that island filled with those scary monsters? Oh, how Fluttershy feared that one of her friends could be severely injured, or worse, even killed by one of those terrifying beasts. But she had to assure to Babs and herself that they’d be fine. ‘Th-they’ll be okay. I-I have to have faith in my friends.’

“They’ll be fine. I know they will make through this.” Fluttershy glanced over her shoulder behind Babs and into the distance. Lights glowed brightly from the city they had flown around only ten minutes ago. Canterlot was of course still some time away, but the city, known as Baltimare, they had passed by earlier in the day. And of course now it had come full circle. It could’ve been some unearthly miracle that the wind that had made their trip shorter, somehow cutting their time by a wide margin. With how close they were to Canterlot, there was some chance that Cloudchaser and Zecora would make it.

This, however, was the least of Fluttershy’s concerns. Princess Luna had to be somewhere in Canterlot Castle. The deductions would not have been so hard to figure, yet every second wasted meant less chance of her friends’ survival. ‘I have to hurry. I-I have to fly faster.’ She knew that she was never a good flyer. She had never been during flight camp as a young filly. Her friends were counting on her. But even still, she knew there was another problem.

Fluttershy winced at the pain in her wings, stretching all the way to her chest. Of course she was active. Of course she had always flown for periods of time. But this was the longest she had ever flown; the continued fast pace she had put herself through within this last half hour was finally catching up to her. Every breath she took burned. Every flap of her wings only brought more pain. Fluttershy had to find a way to fly faster and yet relieve some of the stress she was in.

She looked up to the few clouds above. While Spitfire and Soarin were already quite fast flyers, they had not taken their unconscious cargo higher up. They could freeze at the higher altitude. It wasn’t until a moment later, ears raised up, that she noticed the silence. The weight of Babs Seed was still there. Would she risk Babs’ safety, Applejack’s cousin, in order to fly as fast as Spitfire and Soarin?

Each second they were pulling away faster and faster. It wouldn’t be long before they all arrived at Canterlot, but every second counted. Fluttershy glanced at them for a brief moment before gazing up at the almost clear night sky and then back to Babs. The decision only put more strain on her. ‘What do I do? What can I do?’ Biting her lip, she shuddered. “Babs?”

“Yeah, Fluttershy?”

“I… have an idea. If I’m to arrive at the same time with Soarin and Spitfire… I need to move higher into the sky. It’ll help my pace and… maybe the wind will push me to the point where I can fly as fast as them. But… I’d be risking you to the colder air the higher we go.” It was already proving to be a cold night, but it would be freezing if Fluttershy went any higher. “Do you think you could handle being cold for a while?”

Babs was quiet. Fluttershy could at least understand her hesitance. Earth ponies weren’t used to the cold air above the clouds like Pegasi were. “It ain’t too cold for me. I live in Manehatten. I can take it.” Fluttershy had grown thicker skin over the course of her time with her friends, but she envied the courage in Bab’s voice.

“Okay.” Fluttershy simply said before she slowly ascended higher and higher. It wasn’t just the cold that Fluttershy was worried about. She figured that Babs might have been a little more adjusted to the cold then some ponies down south. But how long could Babs go until the limited oxygen got to her? She dared not to conceptualize what would happen if Babs were to pass out from the lack of breathable air.

When Fluttershy stopped ascending, she flew only a few feet from a cloud below her. The strength of the wind had grown with the higher elevation. She could feel it passing through her wings, the sensation of the cold air disturbing each feather. Fluttershy felt that the temperature had dropped, the cold becoming more bitter as each second passed. Even worse was the new pain that came from breathing, the cold air stinging her lungs. Looking down to the ground, now much farther below her, she scanned for Spitfire and Soarin.

Within moments, she finally spotted the two flying side by side. With each flap of her wings, Fluttershy slowly moved closer and closer to the two. Being far above them, she knew that she’d be over top of them soon. The wind behind her howled and brushed past her, each gust worsening that cold feeling resting against her fur. She shivered, but another shaking sensation caught her attention. Glancing behind her shoulder, she could see Babs shaking more then usual. With each breath she took, a puff of visible vapor came from her mouth.

Eyes slightly closed, she turned towards Fluttershy. The filly’s teeth chattered as she spoke. “F-F-Fluttershy? H-h-how much l-l-longer?”

“J-just hold on, Babs. I know it’s c-cold. But just hang in there.” How long could Babs keep this up? How long before she got frostbite? Those disturbing thoughts floated through her mind. What if she got hypothermia? Bab’s predicament would leave her open to a more dangerous consequence then what Fluttershy would get. ‘Just hang in there, Babs. Just hang in there.’

Each second that passed turned into a minute, and each minute felt like an hour. Fluttershy breathed in and out, her wings feeling heavier as each minute passed. She did not know how long she could keep this up. This was one of the longest times she had ever flown consistently. She shook again. The cold was finally getting to her. ‘G-gotta… s-stay strong. For m-my friends.’ Could they make it? Was Cloudchaser going to survive? These thoughts pestered her like a bee buzzing through a field of flowers. Each moment a thought would come and go until it was replaced by another.

Teeth chattering, she shakily looked over her shoulder. Babs was laying flat on her stomach. Each puff of air she breathed was slow. Eyes closed, she began shaking less and less. “B-Babs?” Fluttershy’s eyes widened as the danger Babs was in became more visible. “B-Babs. Don’t close your eyes. Y-you need to s-stay awake.” When she brought her attention back to the distant sky in front of her, she could see lights. But more importantly, she could see a familiar castle. “C-Canterlot.”

Glancing back to Babs, she rotated a little bit to reach for Babs with her hooves. Fluttershy held her against her chest, shivering again as the chilly sensation only continued to worsen. “I n-need to g-get to C-C-Canterlot now.” Fluttershy slowed the flapping of her wings until she pressed them against her side. Before she knew it, she was descending towards the far distant ground. The wind picked up around her, the only noise she could hear besides the beating of her own heart.

The world spun around her. She quickly righted herself with her back to the sky and stomach to the ground that was now coming closer and closer. She zipped right past Spitfire and Soarin, hearing them call her name as she rushed past. Fluttershy opened her wings and felt the tremendous force of the wind against them. She passed by the trees, now just blurs of dark green. Rising up into the air again, she flew a good distance from the walls below her. Finally, they had made it to Canterlot.

Hastily, she scanned for a landing spot and quickly found one. As she descended, she quickly found herself coming in too fast. She couldn’t stop herself with Babs held in her forelegs. ‘J-just… h-hold on!’ Her wings finally gave out on her. She folded them onto her sides and braced for the incoming impact of the platform beneath her. It was sudden as she felt the world spin once more. The pain only worsened each time she bounced up into the air. Fluttershy let out quick gasps as she hit the ground each time.

Finally, she came to a skidding stop. Whimpering quietly, she opened her eyes. The pain was everywhere. She could feel bruises pulse on her wings and all over her body. Something trickled down the right side of her muzzle, causing her heartbeat to increase. ‘B-b-b-blood? M-m-m-my blood…’ She tried to move her right foreleg but yelped as an intense ache shot through her nerves. ‘I-I can’t m-move my leg… I can’t move my foreleg!’

She could hear the hoofsteps of guards running towards her, distracting her from her injuries. “Ma’am! Are you okay!?” One of them yelled as she saw two running towards her.

“Fluttershy!?” She glanced back to her front and saw Soarin and Spitfire descending in a hurry. Spitfire ran up to her and yelled, “What the heck were you thinking!? You could’ve killed yourself with that kind of landing!” She brought her attention to the two guards and said, “I need you two to bring these two to medical. They’ve got parasites inside them that need removing, or else they’ll die.” She quickly ran up to the guard and lifted Cloudchaser onto the first guard. “Have the doctors put her into stasis so they can remove the parasite before it hatches.”

Soarin went up to the second guard and lifted Zecora onto the guard’s back as well. “And have them wait for this… thing to come off her muzzle before they work on getting rid of the parasite. You won’t need to put her into stasis.” Spitfire watched the guards nod at her command before quickly hurrying back into the palace. She turned to Fluttershy and quickly trotted to her friend. “Where are you hurt?”

“D-don’t w-worry about me.” Fluttershy said. As she finished speaking she coughed a couple times. But the pain her chest grew more and more until she coughed more frequently. Looking down to Babs she shook her. “B-Babs… Babs. Wake up, Babs.” But when she didn’t respond, the panic finally set in. “Babs! Wake up!” She turned to Spitfire. “You need to get her treated. I flew higher up to try and catch you guys, but I-I--”

“Slow down. What are you tal--”

“I tried ascending higher to get a better wind gust to catch up with you two,” Fluttershy began. “B-but it was so cold up there. S-so cold…” She grabbed Spitfire with her left hoof. “You have to get her to the palace's medical facility. You need to save her!”

“But what about you?”

“Forget about me!” Fluttershy yelled. She flinched after she screamed at Spitfire. The tears finally came. However, she shakily stood up and lifted Babs toward Spitfire. “S-save her… I need to find Princess Luna.”

“But you’re hardly in any condition to walk.” Soarin’s frown deepend. “You gotta come with us. You need medical attention as well.”

“Just go,” Fluttershy said. She had to find Luna. She had to save her friends. She had to do something. But as Soarin reached for her, she swatted his hoof away. “Just go! I’ll find Luna… I-I’ll…” She coughed again, but more violently this time. Fluttershy fell onto her side, yelping again as she landed on her bad leg. The world around her darkened as her coughing intensified. She could hear Spitfire and Soarin yelling her name. They looked back to see somepony nearing them. Fluttershy could still see clearly enough to tell that it was Princess Luna. But as soon as the she got close, Fluttershy blacked out.

This darkness that she was now trapped in only worried Fluttershy even more. Was she dead? Had she hit the ground too hard? She couldn’t feel anything anymore. Although it was wise not rush to the idea that she was dead, it still set her into a feeling of panic. How much time was passing her by? She could be out for hours and not know how long it would be until she woke up again. This was all too much. Too much for her to handle.

Then a voice broke through. She could not fully distinguish it, but there was a sense of familiarity to it as the voice rose in volume. “Fluttershy?” There was a flash of light as she opened her eyes. However, the light’s luminescence slowly dimmed until she could make out a panel of light above her. Fluttershy groaned and sat upright. When she sat up, she saw the owner of said voice. “Thank goodness that you are awake.” Princess Luna stood there, sighing as she loosened her shoulders.

“P-Princess Luna?” Fluttershy could not contain the joy she felt, a bright smile on her muzzle until it disappeared as quickly as it came. Tears streamed down Fluttershy’s face. “Oh, thank goddess!” She hiccupped and continued to cry. She did notice the cast around her right foreleg and felt a bandage shifting against the top of her forehead, but that did not matter now. “Princess Celestia... my friends... they’re in danger!” Then Babs came to mind. “W-what about Babs Seed? Is she going to be okay?”

Luna’s eyes widened. “Spitfire and Soarin tried to tell me about something earlier. But when I saw that you had passed out, I hurried you to the palace’s medical section. And do not worry about Babs Seed. She is getting medical attention as we speak.” She moved closer and asked, “But what has become of your friends? What has happened to my sister?” The fear that came off Luna was intense enough for Fluttershy to feel it, shivering at the desperation in her voice.

“Princess… a lot of ponies are d-dying right now.” She sniffled. “We lost Thunderlane. Flash Sentry, too. The rest of our group is s-still alive. B-but a lot of them are injured. Some of my friends. P-Princess Celestia, too. She’s been hurt as well.” The panic that set in Luna’s eyes was one that Fluttershy had seen before. ‘Spike… my friends… they shared that same expression.’

“Celestia is h-hurt… Celestia… is h-hurt.” There was a loud crack of marble as Luna slammed her hoof into the floor. “I knew I should have come along! I care about what happens to Equestria, but I care about my sister more!” Her breaths came out uneven. “I cannot sit here and do nothing anymore! I must gather my guard. As soon as they are ready, we are leaving at once!”

As Luna turned towards the door, it opened as she approached. Fluttershy could not see the surprised expression upon Luna’s muzzle as Princess Cadance stood at the door. “There you are,” Cadance said. “I was looking everywhere for you.” She hugged her aunt before glancing past her. She gasped when she saw the condition she Fluttershy was in . “Fluttershy!” She rushed past Luna, but as she approached, Fluttershy could see Cadance’s swollen stomach. That one quick glance told her how close Cadance really was to giving birth.

“Fluttershy, what happened to you?” Cadance stood next to her within a few seconds. “D-did… somepony do this to you?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “N-no. I-I uh…” She noticed Luna signaling to her, the princess shaking her head. “I w-was coming to s-see how Luna was doing. But I came in too fast and hurt myself.”

Of course Cadance seemed to react appropriately until she took a second glance. “But… that sounds more like something Rainbow Dash would do. You’re usually more careful than she is.” She took a step back and looked down at the floor to see cracked marble. She turned back to Luna and asked, “Aunt Luna… where is Aunt Celestia, by the way? I know she’s probably in bed by now, but I was hoping to have a quick chat with her.”

“She is resting right now.” Fluttershy still did not know why she was lying to Cadance. Hadn’t they told her about what they were doing? “I can go wake her now, if you like.”

“Luna?” Fluttershy spoke, grabbing the attention of the two princesses. “I thought Cadance knew.”

“Knew about what?” Cadance tilted her head. She returned her attention to Luna and asked, “What are two talking about? Is there something that I should know?” When Luna sighed and looked down at the ground, Cadance took a step closer. “Well? What are you hiding from me?” The irritation is Cadance’s tone said it all.

“We… did not tell you of a plan that my sister is currently partaking in. She, along with Twilight Sparkle and her friends, have gone to an island far off of Baltimare’s coast.” Luna took a breath in and looked Cadance in the eye, that hesitation no longer visible. “They’re dealing with a menace right now. That menace… from what looks to be confirmed by Fluttershy, is that a madpony has brought another Xenomorph to life, maybe even more.”

Cadance didn’t even flinch. She stood there, staring at Luna. “S-so… when were you going to tell me about this?”

“It did not concern yo--”

“It didn’t concern me!?” Cadance yelled, taking another step towards Luna. “You tell me that this whole thing doesn’t concern me, but my sister-in-law is out there, possibly fighting for her life right now, and this doesn’t concern me!?” Cadance shook where she stood, now only inches away from Luna. “Have you forgotten what those creatures did to me? What they took away from me and Twilight? They took my husband away! I can’t ever see him again because of them! He’s gone and I’ll never get him back!”

“It was for your own good.” Luna raised her voice and held her ground. “You are carrying a foal. Why would we involve you when you are almost ready to give birth?”

“Maybe I could have helped out with the planning! Maybe I could have done something! I’m not going to sit by and worry whether Twilight is dead or not! You and Celestia may be my aunts, but she is literally the only thing I have left that is considered family by blood! She shouldn’t have gone! She shouldn’t hav--” Cadance gasped and took a couple steps back. Fluttershy could hear water trickling onto the floor. She looked for the source of the continuous dripping sound and saw it coming from Cadance. It was then that Cadance cried out, clenching up as she fell to the floor.

“Cadance… is it...” Cadance quickly nodded at Luna’s question, her uneven breathing filled the room. Luna helped her up and said, “I know that you are upset at me and Celestia, but that can wait for later. Right now, you have more pressing matters.”

“B-but wh--”

“We both know you cannot hold this foal in, Cadance, but do not worry about Celestia and Twilight. As soon as I get you to a room, I shall make my way to them with all of guards I can muster. They shall be safe. I swear it.”

As Luna led Cadance out, Fluttershy could still hear the pained moans of Cadance. This day had been almost too much, and now Cadance’s baby was on the way. This day had not slowed down one bit. But that was the least of Fluttershy’s concerns. She could only hope that Luna would be able to help rescue her friends in time. “Please… whoever is listening… please let them be safe.” All she could do was pray and hope that there was some unknown force listening to her words of concern.

Author's Notes:

Welp. This is the near end. After this chapter there is only going to be three chapters left. What a journey, right? I hope everyone has enjoyed this story's direction so far and I hope that you had fun every single moment. And that you all shall enjoy these last three chapters, with the finale being the epilogue's final stretch. Now onto pressing matters.

I did say that there would be a sequel, yes. Is it an actual sequel? Well... kind of. It's more or less, a sequel and spin-off mix. It is canonical to this story but what it involves would be something a little more... futuristic. I do not want to go into a lot of detail but that I will reveal that the sequel/spin-off is going to be set in a more futuristic time. How long? Only nine years. How is that futuristic? Well they got an advanced human spaceship, right? I'll just let that sink in...

Other than that. I hope you all have had a lot of fun with this story and that I hope that I have been a good author, or at least have tried to do the best that I could to not only entertain, but also send a message or even help others in case they needed a boost. I don't want to just entertain. I want to send good messages or at least use stories to speak of messages that'll spread wisdom across the readers. Thank you all again for your support and I hope that you all shall have a good day.