Fluttershy stared into the image displayed on the silver orb. All of the ponies were happy to be back in the comfort of a Shadowless castle. She watched as the image of Feilbach and the balls of light faded away. She knew he would be happy with his parents and Amber. She smiled as she turned to face her friends.

They returned her smile with cheers. “To Fluttershy!” Rainbow shouted, leaping into the air in joy.

Applejack added, “Everypony knows we wouldn’t be here if she didn’t save us!”

The orb behind her flashed once, a calm air filling the room. Suddenly, the air began to swirl in a vortex, almost like a tornado. The air didn’t disturb the cheering ponies. In fact, it almost seemed to avoid them. As they stepped away from the orb, they watched as clouds of smoke poured into the room, almost in a mad dash toward the orb.

It absorbed the souls, hundreds of them, steadily taking in more and more for nearly an hour. The ponies sat back and watched as all of the lost souls that Feilbach had released into their world faded away in the orb’s surface, gathering in the tree at the center of the plains. They saw Feilbach and his loved ones sitting, watching the tree take in the souls.

After the last souls entered the orb, it flashed one final time in a bright golden glow. The ponies watched as the orb began to crack and crumple, imploding in on itself. Before long, all that was left of the orb was a small, marble-sized ball of gold. It lifted itself into the air, and vanished in an instant. It could have gone anywhere, and the ponies would’ve never known where…

With heads held high, the ponies stepped outside the castles gates. They felt the warmth of the sun shining brightly in the sky, and saw the sunlight flood over everything in the distance. Not a single Shadow remained. With little to no actual damage done to the cities the Shadows had taken over, the ponies cheered once more…

“Well, it’s been two weeks. Princess Celestia is holding a ceremony today at the castle to honor all of us that helped stop the Shadows. Any damage done has been fixed, and everypony is back to their normal selves. The crystal mines were filled with tons of dirt and concrete, so nothing else will be coming from them. Looking back on all this crazy stuff, I had fun. I grew a lot that day. I’m nowhere near as shy as I was before. I feel ready to take on just about anything. Not to mention everypony seems to respect me more now. I find myself wondering how Feilbach and Amber are doing from time to time, but then I realize they’re probably happy. I guess it’s time to go now, the ceremony will start soon…”

A large crowd gathered outside of the castle that day. They were all dressed in their nicest clothes, cheering wildly for the heroes standing in front of them. Princess Celestia stood tall as she announced the names of everypony that fought Feilbach, recognizing them as heroes and awarding them medallions in memory of the day’s events. Luna and Cadence stood beside her, their smiles gracing the ponies gathered around.

Shining Armor stood off to the side, keeping a close eye on the crowd. He didn’t need some overly-excited pony starting a fight in a fit of excitement.

“My loyal subjects, we have gathered here today in honor of the brave ponies that risked life and limb to save us all from the powerful evil that entered our land. Though the worst of the day’s events you were unable to see, I assure you that these ponies did more for us than any single pony could ever imagine.” Princess Celestia addressed the crowd in front of her, standing tall and head held high.

A couple of stallions carried a long table to her side. On the table sat medallions which were to be the ponies’ symbols of heroism.

Celestia lifted a shining red medallion off of the table with her magic, holding it high for all to see. “I award this Medallion of Strength to Macintosh Apple, whose determination to help not only his sister, but also his country, allowed for a moment’s reprieve in the battle against Feilbach.”

Big Macintosh stepped forward, bowing low. He chuckled, “Eeyup.”

She lifted two white medallions into the air. “To Princess Luna and Princess Cadence, I award these Medallions of Spirit, for their persistent acts against Feilbach, until they were struck down.”

The princesses stepped forward, bowing in sync with one another. They didn’t speak a word; they only looked out at all of the ponies in the crowd.

Celestia lifted six blue medallions into the air. “Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity… For the fourth time, you have come to this country’s aid in our time of need. You have once more risked your own lives to restore your fellow ponies’. I award you these Medallions of Loyalty for your determined efforts to continuously protect our home. On behalf of every pony here, I thank you.”

The six ponies stepped forward, bowing low, unable to speak. They looked around at the princesses, the crowd, and each other. Smiles stretched across their faces.

Princess Celestia lifted one final medallion into the air. It was cut from a large opal stone. “I award this final medallion, the Medallion of Never Ending Kindness, to Fluttershy…” She paused to watch Fluttershy’s reaction. Everypony turned their attention toward her as she stepped forward, head bowed low. Celestia continued, “…for all of the work she put in to saving all of us. If it were not for her ability to forgive and accept other pony’s actions, our entire world would be engulfed in the Shadows of that monster. We owe her more than we can ever repay. Being trapped all alone in the face of danger, she never faltered, determined to save each and every last one of us from Feilbach. Everypony gathered here today, let me hear you cheer for this brave pony!”

Everypony went wild with cheer and applause. Fluttershy spun around as she looked at every last pony who cheered for her. Her friends, the princesses, the guards, and every other pony in the crowd all cheered for her. She blushed, took a deep breath, and said softly, “I couldn’t have done it by myself. I was never alone.” She looked back up at the princesses, and smiled a wide smile. She was thinking about Amber and her opal gem.

The ceremony continued for a few more minutes, a few of the ponies offering their thanks to the ponies in the crowd for showing up. After everything was said and done, the castle held a massive feast in honor of the heroes. Everyone ate delicious food that night.

Three days later, the ponies decided to return back to Ponyville. They were given a Royal Carriage, and two of the guard stallions carried them back down the road, heading for the train station that would take them home.

And so ends the tale of Fluttershy’s great adventure. She was able to save her friends, and helped to lead Feilbach back to his normal self. She helped save everypony in the world. Sure, she had a little help, but she did a lot on her own. She overcame her own obstacles and swallowed her own fears. She looked at everything with a new light, feeling as if she could handle anything that was thrown at her.

Yes, our friendly little pony was no longer a coward in the face of danger. In fact, she was the first one to take on a challenge. Her friends admired her newfound courage, and the whole world knew about her amazing bravery.

I should say that the ponies returned to Ponyville perfectly fine, and returned to their day to day activities. Every once in a while, ponies would talk about hearing a melody coming from the edge of Everfree Forest. It was a soothing sound, almost like a lullaby…

Hush now, quiet now, and let this melody…
Hush now, quiet now, soothe the body…

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