Stardate: 2261.93

Location: Council Hallway, Thestrall

“Fluttershy, come here,” Gentle Breeze beckoned, waving a hoof to her whereabouts.

“No,” Fluttershy said softly, unsure whether she should approach her mother or to refrain from doing so. Her mother then tilted her head in a look of disappointment, and Fluttershy blinked.

“Fluttershy,” her mother urged, and Fluttershy relented.

Walking up to her mom, she came to a stop. Gentle Breeze then put a hoof on her daughter’s face, stroking it gently. “You’ll do fine, my dear. There’s no need to be anxious.”

“I am hardly anxious, mother,” Fluttershy said. “And fine is unacceptable, as it has more than one known definition.”

“How many times will I say to just call me ‘Mom’, hm? And would you rather the word ‘fantastic’?” Gentle Breeze prodded, smiling widely. Fluttershy merely cocked her head.

“It would appear to be more than once, Mom. And fantastic… may be more casual than the situation would allow,” Fluttershy nodded. Gentle frowned.

“Oh, you always have to be a downer, don’t you?” she said, before smiling again and pulling Fluttershy into a hug. For a second, Fluttershy wasn’t prepared, but she decided to hug back before pulling away.

“Mom, may I ask of you a personal query?”

Gentle Breeze cocked her head to the side and she gazed softly at her daughter. “Anything, my little Shy.”

Taking a breath, Fluttershy started quietly. “Should I choose to complete the Thestral discipline of Domina-Noctis, and purge myself of all emotion? I hope this does not reflect judgement on you, Mom.”

Gentle smiled and gazed into her daughter’s eye’s with fervency. “Fluttershy… I will always be proud of you, no matter what you decide, or the path you choose. Always know that I love you, okay?”

With that, Fluttershy nodded gently before initiating a hug herself, which in turn took her mother by surprise. With a smile, Gentle Breeze hugged back, and they nuzzled each other, neither wanting the moment to end.

Finally, it was time for Fluttershy to leave and prepare for her meeting with the Ministers, which was due to happen in a few moments. Releasing each other, Gentle put a reassuring hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Make me proud, Shy,” she smiled and Fluttershy nodded before turning to go her own way.

With her resolve strengthened and a purpose in mind, Fluttershy entered the Council Room.

Stardate: Recurring

Location: Cliffside Bar, Canterlot

“I’ll have a Sarkavian fire tea- Uhh... three Berry Punch classics, two Pergovian sunrises, and a...

“Try the Slusho, it’s pretty good,” the bartender suggested, and the polychromatic mare smiled.

“Alright then, the Slusho mix!” she said, knocking her hoof on the tabletop. A seat away from her, a slightly inebriated purple unicorn sat into a chair and smiled at the rainbow maned pegasus.

“That’s a lot of drinks for one mare!” Twilight smiled, raising an eyebrow at the blue mare. She only sighed with a grin and raised her hoof.

“And a shot of applejack, straight up,” Rainbow added

“Make that two, shot’s on me.” Twilight raised her own hoof, and the bartender nodded. Before he could do so, though, multi-colored pegasus shook her head.

“Her shot’s on her.” She then turned to Twilight and smiled. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

“Well then. I try to make a new friend and all I get is nothing and gratitude. Don’t you at least want to know my name before rejecting me completely?” Twilight waved her hoof, trying to bring her point across. The pegasus chuckled and looked down at her hooves on the table.

“I’ll be fine without it,” she said, looking up to see whether her drinks had finished yet.

“Maybe. Maybe not. The name’s Sparks. Twilight Sparkle, to be precise.” Twilight then looked at her expectantly, and she frowned slightly at the rainbow mare’s silence. “Well? If you don’t tell me your name, I’m going to have to make one up for you!”

“It’s Dash,” Dash said, and Twilight grinned.

“No way, that was the name I was going to think of for you!” Then motioning her hoof again, she said, “Dash… what?”

“Are you telling me you don’t know who I am?” Dash quirked, “I’m Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in the galaxy!”

“That’s a bold claim to make, Dashie,” Twilight smirked. “But who knows? Maybe it’s true.” She then got up and moved to lean on the counter beside Dash. “So! You’re a cadet, and you’re studying… What’s your focus?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled lightly at the statement, before raising an eyebrow at the question. “Apart from being the top pegasus anypony has seen?” She took a drink from two glasses she had ordered before answering. “Xenolinguistics… although you probs have no idea what I’m talking about, huh?”

“The study of alien languages, morphology, phonology, syntax. It means you've got a talented tongue,” Twilight explained, and Rainbow looked impressed. “Although, I have to ask. Why would a fast mare like you go into something as ‘boring’” -Twilight did quotes with her hooves- “as xenolinguistics? I mean, even the name is unnecessarily complicated.”

Dash gave a wry smile. “Well, it’s a pretty lame story, actually. I basically just wanted to learn how to swear at this stupid bully in a language he wouldn’t understand, and it went from there.” She then downed the rest of her last glass. She kept it in her hoof, swirling the ice around as she stared at it. “Although, it’s pretty cool I’ll be able to finally go into space. Ya know, see the stars? I guess you could call it a ‘star trek’.” She finally shook her head and set the glass down.

“This townie ain’t bothering you, is she?” A stallion said, walking up to them in the same uniform that Dash wore. Three ponies flanked his sides.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle, gentlecolts!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“You could handle me, that’s an invitation,” Twilight whispered. Dash laughed.

“Now that’s taking it too far,” Dash quipped.

“Hey! Watch your manners!” the stallion said, and Twilight glanced over to him.

“Relax, muffin, we’re all friends here, right?” Twilight patted his cheek with her hoof. He grabbed her foreleg and he snarled.

“Maybe you weren’t counting, but there’s four of us and only one of you!”

“So maybe get a few more fillies in here and we’ll call it an even fight, hm?” Twilight slurred, and she turned around to face the counter with all the drinks on it. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she could feel something flying at her at a quick pace. With her horn now glowing a bright magenta, she pushed the stallion back into one of his buddies and she turned around, now in a battle stance.

A hoof connected with her from the side, catching her by surprised and sending her to the floor. Propping herself up on one hoof, she could see two groaning bucks on the floor with two more advancing on her. Frowning, Twilight telekinetically threw a chair at the one to her right, knocking him out cold. The stallion on the left then charged his own horn a bright orange, picking up Twilight herself and throwing her across the bar.

All the ponies present were beginning to run out frantically, not wanting to be a part of the mess that was happening.

Twilight felt like crap, and she groaned. Opening her eyes, she could see the two stallions had recovered and they now picked her up, throwing her onto a table. Before they could advance on her, she bucked one of them in the face, causing to pass out from a definite concussion. Just as she was about to douse the other one with a flame spell, the stallion that had thrown her across the room bashed his hoof on her horn, causing her to scream and for her magic to implode.

“What the tartarus, guys?!” Rainbow cried, “This makes literally no sense! Stop!” She kamikazi kicked one of them into the ground. Twilight swore she felt blood now running down her face, and she touched a hoof to her muzzle and retracted it. She found blood. She then lay limp on the table, too tired to do anything else.

skrrrrrrEEEEEEET!

A loud whistle echoed from the doorway. With one eye open, the world blurry, and glancing to who it was, Twilight could make out a white coat, and a mane filled with different shades of blue.

“Everybody, out! NOW!” the pony shouted. She could tell it was a guy's voice, but she couldn’t put a hoof as to why it was so familiar. With everypony now filing out beside her and leaving her alone, she tried to focus on the pony who had ‘saved’ her. Her world then came into a sharp focus as a familiar face came to view.

“Twily?”

Twilight groaned. This time, it wasn’t from pain.

“Fluttershy,” the minister addressing her said, “You have surpassed all the expectations of your instructors. Your final record is flawless, save for one exception. According to this, you have applied to Starfleet as well.”

Shy nodded. “It... was logical to cultivate multiple options.” She ran through her head what the minister had said and couldn’t help but think that it was for certain she would now be entering the Science Academy.

“Logical, but ultimately unnecessary. You are hereby accepted into the Thestral Science Academy. It is truly remarkable, Miss. Shy, that you have been able to achieve so much, despite your disadvantage.” She stood up and nodded to either side of her. “All arise!”

Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. What could the minister be talking about? She didn’t have some disability that was negligible enough not to be included in her ‘flawless’ record… did she? Before she could help herself, she had to ask, “Minister, if you would expound, to what disadvantage are you referring?”

The minister bowed her head to get a clear view of Fluttershy. “Your pony mother,” she obliged.

Fluttershy could feel a twang of anger pull at her heart. Thoughts raced by her head, too many for her to be able to process fully. But one thought was clear. Her mother? How could her mother be a disadvantage?! She was one of the only people that supported her through everything she had been through, and she just couldn’t let this stand. Memories of when the three bullies verbally attacked her mom came to mind, and her jaw grew rigid.

“Council, Ministers…” she took a deep breath and looked to her father before continuing, “I… I must decline.”

“...No Thestral has ever declined admission to this academy.” The minister frowned.

“Then... as I am half Equustrian, your record may remain spotless.”

A tense silence suddenly fell upon the council room, and her father ever so slightly furrowed his brows. “Shy, you have made a commitment to honor the Thestral way. This is unbecoming.”

“Why did you come to this council today?” the minister asked, “Was it to satisfy your emotional need to rebel?”

Fluttershy internally growled, half of her wanted to cry because of what they were saying, and half of her was angry at their passive attacks on her family. She showed no emotion, but she was torn inside out. Staying silent for a bit more, looking at the ground in front of her, she brought her head back up to address the council. “...The only emotion that I wish to express is my most sincere gratitude. Thank you, ministers, for your consideration.” With a step back, she raised her hoof and did a motion on her chest before holding it up. “Live long… and prosper.” With a twitch of her eyebrows in her self-righteous anger, she walked out of the Council Room.

She then walked around the corner to find her mother sitting patiently on a bench, waiting for the result of her daughter’s endeavors. Seeing and hearing someone nearing her, Gentle Breeze looked to the side and smiled at her daughter. “Fluttershy!” she greeted. Fluttershy stopped beside her and stood silently for a few seconds before slowly sitting down. She then hugged her mom and closed her eyes. A tear fell from her eye, though she had yet to break her emotionless complexion.

Pulling back, she sighed. “I’m sorry, Mother… Mom. I have disgraced our family.”

“Hush now,” Gentle whispered, putting a hoof on her daughter reassuredly. “What happened?”

“I was soon to accept my admittance into the Academy, when they said something which offended you and I… And I made a rash illogical decision to decline and left in a hurry.”

Smiling sadly at her daughter, she initiated another hug. “Come here, you,” she murmured. They stayed silent, enjoying either one’s embrace. Fluttershy finally broke into a soft sob, crying into her mother’s coat.

“I’m sorry, Mom, I have displeased you and- and I only made things worse-” Fluttershy was uttering in between breaths, but Gentle Breeze wouldn’t have any of it.

“You have done no such thing, my child,” Gentle whispered, stroking Fluttershy’s mane. “If anything, I am proud that you have made your own decisions. You should not be controlled by the thoughts of others.” She gently pushed Fluttershy’s head with her hoof so she could look her in the eye. “Remember what I said about you? I will always be proud of you, whatever the decisions you make.”

Fluttershy nodded and sat a little straighter. Tears still streaked her fur. “Y-yes mom. I just… I was angry, that they had said you were my disadvantage… I couldn’t accept an offer like that… and side with them after they said that.”

“Then you made what you thought was the right decision, and that is all that matters, Shy,” she said. “Always know I will love you, no matter the circumstance, okay?” Gentle then smiled brightly at Fluttershy. Fluttershy smiled for the first time in years. A true, genuine smile, and hugged her mother tightly back.

“Okay.”

“You know, I couldn't believe it was actually you when I saw you lying there on the table?” Shining Armour said. He sat across from a now bruised and hurting Twilight A. Sparkle.

“Yeah? Well, you know better now,” Twilight scowled. Seeing the bartender walk past her, she raised her hoof which held a glass. “Can I have another one?” After getting her drink and taking a sip from it, she glared daggers at her brother.

“Why are you here, big brother?” she asked.

“I thought it would be nice to visit my family now that I’m a Captain and have a bit of free time,” Shining said. “I didn’t expect to see my little sister in a brawl with four Starfleet cadets.”

“Yeah?” Twilight scowled, “Deal with it.”

“What are you doing with your life, Twily?” Shining asked, propping his two forelegs on the table in between them. “You can be so much more than…” Shining waved his hoof at her countenance, “...this.”

Shaking her head, she snarled. “Don't call me that. I’m Sparks, okay?” She took another swig from her drink. “And who am I supposed to be, then?”

“You are our father’s little filly. You know that…” Shining Armour sighed. “You know I researched and learned everything about dad’s time as Captain of the HSS Spirit of Harmony? He never believed in no-win scenarios.”

“He sure learned his lesson,” Twilight looked away, taking another drink. Her glass was almost empty again.

“Don’t talk about dad like that,” Shining chided. “And you know what I loved about dad? Something I’ve been trying to live up to ever since he died? That instinct to leap without looking- the fact that he always made the best decisions in the spur of the moment.”

After finishing the rest of her drink, Twilight slammed the glass onto the table and looked straight into her brother’s eyes. “Why are you talking to me, BBBFF? Or should I just ditch that name altogether?” she put her hooves on the table and lifted herself, staring down at her brother. “In all this time, you only ever sent mail. Scarcely, at that. Never once visiting in person, ever.

“You know what that’s like? I was so alone for all these years, missing my big brother because he couldn't spare the time to visit his FAMILY!?” Twilight cried, fresh hot tears now blurring her vision. Shining Armour flinched, but stayed silent. Twilight pointed a hoof at the doorway behind her brother and shouted. “Why?! Why are you talking to me now, hm? Is it to mock me? Is it to make fun of me now that I am where I am?!” She slammed a hoof on the table, before sitting back down hardly, her forelegs crossed. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, still crying from the emotion coursing through her veins.

Staying silent for a bit longer, staring sadly at her sobbing sister, he dropped his own head before raising it again. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I did you wrong, and I see that now. But you know what? I looked up your file while you lay there unconscious on the table, and found your aptitude tests are off the charts!”

Twilight gave a small smile, giving a small laugh to herself at the words. “Yeah? So?”

“Do you like being the only genius-level repeat offender in Equestria?” Shining asked, shaking his head. “You should enlist in Starfleet.”

Twilight’s eyes shot open. “Enlist?” she laughed, clearly amused by the statement and bemused by the suggestion itself. “And join the organization that took my brother and father away from me? No thanks.”

Shining smiled sadly. “If you were to join, I could finally be around you more. And Starfleet could use a mare like you. You would be an officer in four years, maybe even have your own ship in eight! I could finally be able to make up lost time with my LSBFF.”

“Are we done?” Twilight questioned, not wanting to humor her brother any longer. Her tears had stopped flowing now.

With a repentant silence, Shining obliged. “Yes, I guess we are.” He stood up on four hooves and moved to hug his sister goodbye, but she flinched away fom him. Shining winced and felt something break inside him, seeing his little sister reject him. Moving to the doorway, he paused and turned around to address his sister one more time.

“Matterhorn Shipyard. The shuttle for new recruits leaves at oh-eight hundred.” Shining smiled sadly, and turned to leave but stopped one more time. “You know, dad was Captain of the starship for twelve minutes? He saved eight-hundred lives, including mom’s, and even yours. I may not be able to live up to that, but I know you can.”

With one last glance to her big brother, Shining gave Twilight one last morose smile. “I dare you to do better.” And with that, Shining Armour left, leaving Twilight to her own wits.

Twilight stopped crying after a while. Her face was caked with dry tears, and she levitated a Spirit of Harmony salt shaker towards her. Pondering, she stared at it with intensity.

“I can do better…” Twilight whispered. “I will do better… for dad…”

And with that, she nodded to herself, hugging the salt shaker close.

It was time to move.

Author's Notes:

New chapter! Whoop!

I hope it is to your liking!

Originally posted November 5, 2016