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Fair Fluttershy and the Stallion's Stone

by Lumosat

Chapters

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

     Professor Celestia stood underneath a row of streetlights on Pony Drive. Her bright rainbow mane shone in the moonlight, as did her white coat. At midnight, everypony on this street was already asleep.

The shadow at Celestia’s feet twitched, and the professor smiled softly.

“I should have known you’d be here, Professor Luna,” Celestia said. 

     The shadow seemed to rise up from the concrete. It slowly morphed into a pony just a little smaller than Celestia herself, but with a much darker coat and mane.

“Do you have the filly?” Luna asked, her eyes scanning the street.

“Rarity is bringing her," Celestia replied. 

“Do you really think we can trust Rarity with such an important task?” 

“I would trust Rarity with my life Luna." 

     They walked down the street, and stopped at the only house with an untrimmed lawn or a crack in the concrete. It reeked of canned sardines and miniature blueberry pies. This was a very foul house indeed.

Luna turned her nose up at the repulsive house.

“The Tiara residence…” Celestia said. Her horn glowed bright, and the surrounding streetlights grew dimmer, and the light seemed to be sucked into Celestia's horn. 

“Do you think it wise to leave the filly with these ponies? I’ve watched them all day! They’re the worst kind of blank flanks imaginable!  They really are!” 

“They’re the only family she has.” Celestia said once the street was finally pitch black.

     There was a loud roar of an engine and the flashing of headlights. When Luna and Celestia turned around, they saw a motorbike roaring down the street at full speed. It screeched to a halt right in front of the Tiara's house, and a white mare slightly smaller than the two professors climbed off carrying a basket in her teeth. She wore a shiny purple helmet with a black visor, a thick leather jacket.

“Hello Professor Celestia,” Rarity said.

     Professor Celestia bowed her head in greeting. “Hello Dear Rarity. Are you borrowing that bike from Doctor Whooves?”

“Why yes! It's such a grimy thing. I didn’t want to take it, but we were desperate. I suppose we all need to make sacrifices at a time like this.”

“And the filly?” Luna demanded, unimpressed by Rarity's sacrifices. 

     Rarity nudged the basket she had been holding towards Celestia. Inside it was a sleeping yellow filly wrapped in a white blanket. Her breaths were soft, and her wings fluttered slightly in sleep.

Celestia placed a note on top of the filly, and set the basket on the Tiara's porch.

Luna and Celestia both turned to look at Rarity. 

“Are you not saddened Rarity?” Luna asked.

Rarity shrugged. “I barely know the thing. But if you insist Celestia, I’ll put on a sad face.” 

“That won’t be necessary,” Celestia said. She turned back to the filly. “Farewell my little pony. Farewell, dearest Fluttershy...”

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

     “Wake up!” Mrs Tiara shouted while banging on Fluttershy’s door with her hoof. “Wake up NOW!”

Fluttershy opened her eyes and stared at her slanted ceiling. She had been restricted to a small closet underneath the staircase. It was barely big enough to fit a bed into. Fluttershy had a few broken toys and dolls that Diamond Tiara had grown tired of in a small dresser, but she never did find the time to play with them.

     “Wake up cousin!” Diamond Tiara shouted, “We’re going to the zoo!”

     Diamond Tiara oozed smugness. From her purple and white mane to her bright violet coat, every inch of her, she was convinced, was much better than everypony else.

She kicked the closet door back in Fluttershy's face as she walked by.

     "Cook the eggs, and just try not to burn anything," Mrs Tiara said, letting Fluttershy take control of the sizzling frying pan.

Mrs Tiara picked up a piece of toast and started nibbling on it. 

"Bring my coffee, girl!" Snapped Mr Tiara. 

     Mr Tiara wore a round pair of glasses that were far too small for his pudgy face. He had a bright blue coat and a thick brown mustache. His face was always locked in a resilient scowl.

"Yes Uncle Tiara," Fluttershy said softly.

"I can't hear you." Mr Tiara said, putting down the newspaper in his hooves.

"Yes Uncle Tiara!" Fluttershy said. Her voice could barely be heard over the sound of sizzling eggs in the frying pan.

"I still can't hear you!" Mr Tiara shouted, now quite amused by Fluttershy's lack of volume.

     Fluttershy took a deep breath, as if she was about to shout something incredibly loud.

"Yes Uncle Tiara!"

All three of the Tiara brats busted into laughter. It had been no louder than her other two attempts.

"Can you honestly not talk any louder than that?" Mrs Tiara said through laughter.

"You're such a freak, cousin," Diamond Tiarra giggled. "That's why you have that thing on you're flank. Because you're a freak!"

     Fluttershy tried blinking away her tears. She looked back at the pink and cyan butterflies on her flank. The "Birthmark" Fluttershy had possessed her whole life, even since she was a little filly.

     The other ponies tended to make fun of her for it. They told her all sorts of nasty things about her. About how she looked. About how she sounded.

About her parents...

     The smell of burnt eggs made Fluttershy snap back into reality.

"Can't you do anything right, girl?" 

     Mrs. Tiara pulled the frying pan off the burner.

"That's it!" Mr. Tiara shouted. "You won't be having any breakfast for the next three days. Instead, you'll have to watch the rest of us eat and bask in jealousy."

Mr. Tiara grinned. He was proud of the punishment he had come up with on the spot.

     "Where are my presents!?" Diamond Tiara demanded a few minutes later. "I got so distracted by Fluttershy's stupidity that I forgot about all the presents you two owe me."

Mrs Tiara smiled.

"Of course sweetie!"

     Mrs Tiara lead them all into the next room.

"Here they are!" Mrs Tiara said, pointing to a massive stack of colorful boxes with her hoof.

"How many?" Diamond Tiara asked, clearly not impressed.

"Thirty six! Counted them myself!" Mr Tiara said proudly, as if counting presents was an accomplishment.

"Thirty six?!" Diamond Tiara cried. "You don't love me!!!"

"N-n-no!" Mrs Tiara stuttered. "We do!"

     Diamond Tiara started crying tears as fake as Mrs Tiara's eyelashes. "But you got me thirty seven last year! I wanted at least three more!"

"I'll tell you what Snoogums," Mrs Tiara said. "When we go out to the zoo, we'll buy you four new presents."

     As quickly as they had come, Diamond Tiara's tears disappeared.

"Okay!" She shouted.

****************

     Fluttershy sat quietly, watching a silent staring contest between a giant frog and Diamond Tiara.

"Move!" Diamond Tiara shouted, leaning over the rails of the frog exhibit.

     The frog inside was lying on top of a lily pad, moving as little as possible.

"You're boring!" Diamond Tiara decided, and she ran off to the chameleon exhibit.

"Sorry about her," Fluttershy said to the frog. "She doesn't understand what it's like for you."

The frog opened it's eyes and stared at Fluttershy.

"Can you hear me?" She asked

The frog nodded.

"Oh wow. I've never talked to a frog before. Do you talk to people often?"

The frog shook it's head.

     Fluttershy paused. "Are you from a swamp somewhere? Do you miss your family?"

The frog motioned towards the exhibit sign.

Raised in Captivity

     Fluttershy frowned. "That's me as well. I never knew my family either."

Fluttershy felt a hoof on her shoulder, and before she knew it, Diamond Tiara had pushed her to the ground.

"Are you talking to a frog?"

     Diamond Tiara leaned over the railing. The frog let out a loud "Ribbit", and jumped as high as it could. It landed right on Diamond Tiara's head.

"AIEEEEEE!!!" She screamed. "Get it off! Get it off!"

     Diamond Tiara started flailing her hooves around, trying desperately to pry the frog off her head. Just as she preyed the frog loose, she slipped and fell forward into the frog exhibit. She landed right in the swamp with a huge splash.

     The frog hopped past Fluttershy, winked, then hopped happily towards the zoo's exit.

"My little baby!" Fluttershy heard Mrs Tiara scream. She looked over and saw that the frog exhibit was too deep for Diamond Tiara to climb out.

     Fluttershy hated laughing at other's suffering, but the sight of Diamond Tiara, trapped in a miniature swamp was just too much for her not to giggle. 

     As she did, she saw Mr Tiara staring right at her. The look in his eyes was not concern for his daughter, or even anger, but excitement for all the punishment he could now give Fluttershy.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

     No meals. Two weeks. This probably wasn't legal, but Mr Tiara didn't seem to care.

Fluttershy had "pushed" Diamond Tiara into the swamp on Tuesday, and it wasn't until Friday that she was allowed to leave her closet.

     "Go get the mail!" Mr Tiara barked the following Monday.

Fluttershy walked out and grabbed the stack of envelopes sitting on the porch.

     As she walked back to the kitchen, she rifled through them and handed them out to everypony.

The last envelope was different. In stead of a boring old stamp, it had a red wax seal on it. Instead of the address printed in boring black letters, it was written in green ink.

To Fluttershy

Cupboard under the stairs,

123456 Pony Drive,

Little Whinny

Fluttershy carefully tore open the envelope.

     "Mum! Dad! Fluttershy got a letter!" Diamond Tiara ripped the letter out of Fluttershy's hooves. Fluttershy tried grabbing it back, but Diamond Tiara pushed her to the side. 

"Um," Fluttershy stuttered. "Could I have that back please? I mean, it is my letter, and-"

"Your letter?" Mr Tiara spat. "Who would be writing to you?"

He looked down at the envelope and read the front. Suddenly, his blue face began to turn very white.

*****************

     The next few days were chaos for the Tiara family. Each day the same letter would show up in the mail. After a while, they began finding three or four copies of the letter in the mail. On the bright side, Fluttershy was no longer responsible for getting the mail everyday, but she was far too curious about the letters to appreciate a break from one of her many tedious tasks.

     What was so secret about these letters, that Fluttershy wasn't even allowed to read them? Each one was clearly addressed to her, so it wasn't like they weren't her business.

Fluttershy wished she had been more discrete with the first letter. She wished she had slipped it underneath her closet door instead of trying to read it in the same room as the Tiara's.

    That wasn't the only strange occurrence over the past few days. Owls had been appearing outside the Tiara's house during the day.

"How odd!" Fluttershy said one day when the owls were gathering outside. "Usually owls are nocturnal!"

"Owls are owls, stupid," Diamond Tiara replied.

Fluttershy simply rolled her eyes.

     One Saturday night Fluttershy got up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water when she saw Mr Tiara sitting in front of the fireplace. He had a stack of the letters in his left hoof, and he was throwing them into the crackling fire with his right.

     Fluttershy watched the letters burn one by one.

About half way through the stack, Mr Tiara looked back at Fluttershy and grinned. Fluttershy's heart sank. She only hoped the letters kept coming so she might get a second chance at reading one.

**************

     "What a fine day Sunday is," Mr Tiara said. He sat reclined in his leather chair in front of the fireplace reading the newspaper. "Why is that Diamond Tiara?"

Diamond Tiara shrugged. 

"Because there's no post on Sundays?" Fluttershy replied as she held up a tray of crackers for Mr Tiara to snack on.

"Right you are Fluttershy! No post! Not one blasted letter today, no sir!"

     Fluttershy heard the soft ruffling of wings outside, and when she looked, she saw the strangest thing.

     There were more owls than Fluttershy had ever seen in her life. The neglected brown and yellow grass was covered in a moving carpet of white and brown feathers. Owls occupied every available surface.

Mr Tiara didn't seem to notice. "Not one!" He said, "Not one blasted, miserable le-"

     A streak of white shot from the fire place and hit him right in the face. It was a letter. 

Suddenly, the whole house started shaking. 

     "Earthquake!" Mrs Tiara shrieked, and she ducked underneath the coffee table. 

Another letter shot out of the fire place, and another, and another. Soon hundreds of letters were flying through the room.

Fluttershy didn't know when she'd have another chance. She caught one of the letter in her teeth and flew down the hallway. 

     "GIVE ME THAT LETTER!!!" Mr Tiara boomed. He bolted after Fluttershy. Fluttershy tried flying up the stairs, but Mr Tiara was one step ahead of her. He grabbed her right wing in his teeth, and dragged her back down.

Fluttershy let out a shrill yelp. Partly out of surprise, and partly from having her wing tugged on.

     "That's it!" Mr Tiara shouted, his blue face now a bright shade of red. "We're going away! Far away! Where they can't find us!"

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

     The Tiara's spent the night in their old lakeside property. They hadn't visited it in almost ten years since Diamond Tiara was terrified of water. She was always so afraid of getting her mane wet that she never learned to swim.

     The property had nothing more than a small wooden shack on a pile of rocks. Whatever these letters were saying, it must have been really important for the Tiara's to trade in their pleasant life in the suburbs for this, even if it was only temporary.

     There was a bed on the top floor big enough for both Mr and Mrs Tiara. Diamond Tiara got to sleep on the couch. She kept complaining about it being cold, so she got Fluttershy's blankets in addition to her own. This left Fluttershy to sleep on the ground with nothing.

     Fluttershy lay on the dusty wood floor, shivering as she watched the rain outside pound on the cracked glass windows.

On Diamond Tiara's left hoof was an old digital watch. Fluttershy stared at it.

11:59PM...

     Fluttershy realized it. It was her birthday in one minute. The Tiara's had forgotten almost every single year, but Fluttershy had never forgotten it.

     So there she was, shivering on the icy cold floor, without so much as a blanket to comfort her. She was cold and alone.

A tear rolled down Fluttershy's cheek, and Diamond Tiara's watch began beeping to show that it had turned to Midnight.

     "Helloooo!" Shouted a sing song voice from outside. "I said Helloooo!"

The Tiara's were all awakened by the intruder. Mr. Tiara started walking down the stairs with a baseball bat in his left hoof. Mrs Tiara was hiding behind him for protection.

     The door opened and closed again.

"Hello," Said a pony with a white coat and a curly violet mane. "I'm Rarity. You probably already know that from the letters."

"I command that you leave at once!" Mr Tiara cried. "You are breaking and entering!"

     Mr Tiara gripped the baseball bat in his hoofs.

Rarity walked towards Mr Tiara. Her horn was glowing, a sure sign that a unicorn was about to do something with her magic.

"Dry up Tiara, you great prune!"

     The baseball bat changed to a bright cyan, then grew limp and soft. Before he knew it, Mr Tiara was holding a long piece of fabric instead of a weapon.

Rarity set down the purple umbrella she had been using and walked towards Diamond Tiara.

     "Oh my!" She said, "It's worse than I thought. We need to get you a makeover pronto Fluttershy!"

Diamond Tiara looked annoyed. "I'm not Fluttershy. And what do you mean I need a makeover!?"

    Trembling, Fluttershy stepped forward. "I'm F-Fluttershy."

"Oh good," Rarity said. "And I gotta say, I love the natural look. What's your secret?"

"Er," Fluttershy stuttered, "Shampoo?"

"Well, you can tell me all about it on the train."

"Train?" Fluttershy glanced back at the Tiara's nervously.

    "And I almost forgot," Rarity said, "Happy Birthday! It's not every day that a young filly turns eleven."

Rarity held out a box with a ribbon on it.

     Inside was a diamond necklace with a green emerald in the center. The rest of it was made of silver.

"T-thank you!" Fluttershy said. She had never had a necklace, or any sort of jewelry for herself.

"Now, let's get going!"

"You can't take her!" Mr Tiara shouted.

"Take me where?" Fluttershy asked.

Rarity was shocked. "To Hogwarts! Where else?"

"Hogwarts?" Fluttershy replied.

Rarity let out a sigh. She held out a letter with her right hoof.

     Fluttershy recognized the red wax stamp and the green ink address. It was the very same letter that she had been receiving for weeks. Now it was in her hoofs, and there was nothing the Tiara's could do to stop her from reading it.

She tore open the envelope and pulled out a thick piece of parchment.

Dear Miss Fluttershy,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School for Talented Ponies.

"Why me?" Fluttershy asked.

"Because you're special!" Rarity replied. "Haven't you ever wondered what that mark on your flank is?"

Fluttershy glanced back at the pink and cyan butterflies on her flank. Then she noticed Rarity's rear. She had what looked like three blue diamonds on her flank as well. 

    "You are too?" Fluttershy asked.

Rarity nodded.

     "She won't be going!" Mr Tiara shouted. "We swore when we took her in we'd put a stop to all this rubbish!"

Fluttershy gasped. "You knew all along?"

    "Of course," Mrs Tiara said. "My perfect little brother being who he was. My parents were so proud. I was the only one who saw him for the freak he was. Then he ran off with that Starlight girl, and we knew you'd be the same. Just as strange, and abnormal. Then they went and got themselves blown up, and we got landed with you!"

"Blown up?!" Fluttershy shrieked. "You said they died in a car crash!"

"A car crash?" Rarity was appalled. "A car crash killed Starlight and Caramel? That's an outrage! That's a scandal!"

"She won't be going!" Mr Tiara insisted.

"Oh yes she will!" Rarity shouted. "This girl has had her name down since before she was born! She will attend Hogwarts School for Special Ponies, and she will do so under the finest headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen. Professor Celestia!"

     "I won't pay to have some crackpot old mare teach her gibberish!" Mr Tiara scoffed.

The room went silent. Rarity approached Mr Tiara and faced him nose to nose. Her horn began glowing.

"Never insult Professor Celestia in front of me."

     Mr Tiara swallowed nervously. He knew he had made a mistake insulting this mare. Even though he was at least 6 inches taller than Rarity, he was shaking with fear as she stared him down.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of jewelry clanging together. Rarity looked and saw Diamond Tiara removing Fluttershy's necklace from the box.

     Rarity directed her horn at Diamond Tiara, and watched as her violet hair changed colors.

"Green hair!?" Diamond Tiara screamed.

Mrs Tiara screeched in horror.

     "My baby!" She cried, as she ran over to feel Diamond Tiara's newly acquired green hair.

Mr Tiara's face turned bright red.

"What have you done to my daughter!" He yelled.

"Let's go," Rarity said, "Unless you'd rather stay."

     Fluttershy looked back at the Tiara's. Mrs Tiara was frantically trying to brush away the green in Diamond Tiara's hair, and Mr Tiara looked like he might have a heart attack.

     Without hesitation, Fluttershy walked out the door with Rarity.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

     Fluttershy sat about two feet away from Rarity on the train to London.

Rarity flipped through a fashion magazine, while Fluttershy stared awkwardly at the floor.

Rarity looked up at Fluttershy.

     "If I had known how terribly the Tiara's were treating you, I would've come and gotten you years earlier," Rarity said.

Fluttershy smiled. The kindness this stranger was showing was unheard of in the Tiara household.

The train pulled to a stop.

"Come on Darling," Rarity said, standing up. "This is our stop."

The two got off the train and walked down the street.

     Fluttershy read through the letter.

"It says I need a cauldron, a talent, and a pet if I desire. Can we find all these in London?"

     Rarity smiled. "If you know where to go."

She lead Fluttershy to an old dusty inn called "The Leaky Cauldron".

"This is such a dreadful place," Rarity whispered to Fluttershy as they walked through the door. "Let's try and get in and out as quickly as we can."

     Fluttershy and Rarity walked past guests huddled around grimy wooden tables. At the back was a door with a green exit sign on it.

     Suddenly, a mare holding a tray of hay fries bumped into Fluttershy. She dropped the fries all over the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Fluttershy said.

"Don't be," the mare said, "It was my fault."

"We don't have time for this, Rarity said in a sing song voice.

The mare looked at Fluttershy, then to her flank.

She gasped.

     "Bless my soul," she said, "It's Fluttershy!"

The whole inn went silent.

Rarity facehooved. 

    "Welcome back Miss Fluttershy," an old stallion said, shaking Fluttershy's hoof.

Everypony crowded around her. 

"That's quite enough," Rarity said. Her horn glowed and she picked Fluttershy up with her magic.

"We simply must be going!" Rarity said. "Goodbye everypony!"

She pulled Fluttershy towards the exit door then let go of her. They both walked outside.

     Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. "Why did everypony know me in there?" Fluttershy asked.

"Because you're famous!"

"Famous? But why?"

Rarity sighed. "I'll tell you later. We have more important things to do now!"

      Fluttershy looked around. The door had lead to an even smaller room barely big enough to fit Rarity and Fluttershy. 

Rarity pulled out her umbrella and began tapping the bricks on the wall. She tapped nine different bricks, then put her umbrella away.

     The wall began to shift. Each brick was being pushed off to the side. Soon, it formed an archway. Beyond the arch was a bustling cobblestone street. 

     "This is Diagon Alley!" Rarity announced.

Fluttershy gazed at the candy stores with wide eyes. She had only ever been allowed black licorice at home. Diamond Tiara took all the other sweets for herself. Fluttershy marveled at the clothing store windows. All her clothes were hand me downs from Diamond Tiara with wing holes cut with scissors. The pet store was the most interesting place to Fluttershy though. Unlike the zoo, the animals in the store front window looked happy and well nourished. Fluttershy wished she could afford to buy a pet.

     Fluttershy then realized that not only did she lack the money to buy a pet, she lacked the money to buy anything.

"Oh, Rarity?" She asked. "How am I supposed to pay for the supplies? Are we putting it on the Tiara's credit card?"

Rarity laughed.

"Of course not. We're going to Dragon Bank! There's no safer place! Except maybe Hogwarts."

     Rarity lead Fluttershy through the crowded streets towards a large white building with round columns supporting it.

Inside were rows of large desks with small reptilian creatures behind them. Fluttershy realized at once that Dragon Bank wasn't just a random name. The workers were literally dragons. They were smaller, and much younger then their soaring fire breathing counterparts, but they were dragons none the less. Their scales varied in color from red to purple to green to blue. Rarity lead Fluttershy to the furthest dragon in the large colosseum-like room.

"Ahem," Rarity coughed to get the dragon's attention.

"Yes," said the electric blue creature with shifty red eyes. 

"Miss Flutterhy would like to make a withdrawal."

"I see," he said, leaning over to stare down at Fluttershy. "And does Miss Fluttershy have her key?"

Rarity pulled a small gold key out of her purse and handed it to the dragon.

    "Oh, and also," Rarity said, leaning in so nopony else would hear. "Celestia wants me to get you-know-what, from vault you-know-which."

     Even the calm blue dragon looked a bit shaken.

"V-very well," he said.

     They were lead down a series of dark tunnels by a particularly short red dragon. Vaults with large round steel doors and numbers painted on them lined each side of the cavern hallway.

"Vault 626!" The red dragon said. He took the key Rarity had given him and slid it into the lock.

    The vault door sprung open, allowing Flutterhy to walk inside. The room wasn't much bigger than Fluttershy's old closet, but what was inside made Fluttershy gasp. In the center were thousands of gold coins.

"You didn't think your mum and dad would leave you with nothing, did you?" Rarity said.

Rarity helped Fluttershy scoop about twenty of the coins into a small burlap sack. 

     "That should last you the whole year," Rarity said.

The dragon then lead them to a barren wall.

"Vault 713!" The dragon announced.

     He slid his claw along the slick cavern wall, and the wall began to morph into a door. Soon, Fluttershy was staring into a dark room with a small package in the center. Rarity picked it up with her teeth and dropped it into her purse.

"You best not tell anypony at school about this," Rarity said. "Now, let's go find your talent!"

     Fluttershy wondered what kind of shop sold talents. 

Rarity lead her out of the bank and to a dark corner of Diagon Alley. The shop windows were lined with cobwebs, and the door looked as though it hadn't been opened in twenty years.

     "This is Granny Smith's," Rarity said, pointing at the shop with her hoof. "I'll let you go in alone. I have some business to take care of."

     Fluttershy gulped and walked towards the old shop.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

     The door creaked as Fluttershy opened it. Inside were several shelfs containing random objects from wooden spoons to violins to old saddles.

In the back corner sat a bed. Underneath the covers was an old green mare with her white mane in a bun.

     "Whossat!" She shouted, squinting at the light Fluttershy let in.

"Oh I'm sorry," Fluttershy stuttered. "I thought the open sign meant you were open, but I must have been mistaken. I'll just go-"

"No," the old mare said. "You came to the right place."

Her old bones creaked as she pulled herself out of bed. 

     "So," she said as she walked towards the front counter. "Fluttershy is it? It seems only yesterday that you're mother and father were in here finding their talents!"

"How exactly are you going to help me find my talent?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well," said the old mare. "Your talent will have something to do with your Cutie Mark."

"My what?"

     "That's the mark on your flank," Granny Smith explained.  "It always has something to do with your talent. So, we have to figure out what that talent is."

     She stared intently at the butterflies on Fluttershy's flank. 

"Butterflies are graceful creatures," Granny Smith said. "Perhaps you're a skilled dancer!"

Granny Smith turned on an old phonograph and it played a slow classical tune.

"Dance!" Granny Smith shouted hoarsely.

     Fluttershy did not want to dance. Granny Smith tapped her foot impatiently, and Fluttershy decided it was best to get it over with. She stepped forward and began swaying with the music. As she tried putting her right hoof in front of her left, she tripped and fell, knocking a pair of ice skates and a potted plant off one of the many dusty shelves.

"I... I'm so sorry," Flutterhy apologized. She looked at the ground sadly.

"No, it's alright. Perhaps flying is your talent. Just like a butterfly!"

     She instructed Fluttershy to fly back and forth between the shelfs. This time, Fluttershy didn't feel so awkward. She flew gracefully between the shelfs. Back and forth across the room she went. Maybe this really was her special talent.

Thud!

     Fluttershy crashed full speed into one of the shelves. A bag of flour slipped off and exploded when it hit the ground. 

"Apparently that isn't it either," Granny Smith said. She put her hoof to her chin in thought. "I wonder..."

She lead Fluttershy into the back room. This one was much neater, and in the corner was a cage. Granny Smith unlatched the cage door, and out hopped a rabbit.

     "What a nice little bunny you have," Fluttershy cooed, and without hesitation, she scooped the small creature into her hooves. "There, there. I won't hurt you."

Granny Smith looked surprised.

     "Curious," She muttered. "Very curious."

"What's curious?" Fluttershy asked, stroking the bunny's head.

"It appears your special talent it the ability to care for animals. I remember every talent I've ever helped find, and that very gift to communicate with animals on a deeper level is shared with another. Just one other. The pony who shares that talent with you is the very same one who killed your parents."

Fluttershy winced.

     "You may go now Fluttershy," Granny Smith said. "And you can keep the rabbit. I have no further use for him."

Fluttershy walked out the front door and out to the street.

"Your such a little angel," Fluttershy whispered to the bunny. "In fact, I think I'll call you just that. Angel."

     "Happy birthday!" Rarity exclaimed, holding out a set of dark green robes. "I was just going to buy the standard school robes, but they looked dreadful. So, I made you a new set!"

"Why thank you Rarity!" Fluttershy cried.

"Oh, it was nothing."

     Fluttershy hesitated for a moment.

"Er," Fluttershy said. "Rarity? Could you tell me what really happened to my parents?"

Rarity bit her lip. "Well, alright. I'll explain it to you over lunch. Come along now. We best buy a cage for that rabbit first."

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

     Rarity insisted on the most expensive restaurant in Diagon Alley for lunch. A pony with buck teeth and a black tuxedo lead them to a table in the far corner.

"Rarity?" Fluttershy asked after they ordered. "What really happened to my parents?"

     Rarity was clearly uncomfortable. She avoided eye contact and tapped her hooves restlessly.

"What you must understand," she said. "Is that not all ponies are good. Some of them go bad. A while back, a colt went as bad as they can go. His name was p... His name was p..."

Fluttershy noticed Rarity struggling to get the words out.

"Perhaps you could write it down," Fluttershy suggested.

"I haven't got a piece of parchment on me," Rarity said. "His name was Ponymort." Rarity choked on her own words.

"Ponymort?" Fluttershy echoed. 

     Rarity covered Fluttershy's mouth with her hoof. She glanced at the other tables to make sure nopony else heard. 

"Don't say it!"

"Sorry," Fluttershy apologized.

     "You-know-who," Rarity continued, "Wanted to rule all of ponykind. Anypony who opposed him ended up dead. One night, he went to pay your parents a visit. They fought against him. He killed your parents, but when he tried doing the same to you, his spell backfired."

"W-what happened to him?" Fluttershy asked shakily.

"Some say he died. I think he's still out there, too tired to carry on. But that's why you're famous. You're the filly who lived."

"Rarity?" Fluttershy asked. "Do we have to eat? I'm not that hungry."

     Rarity smiled reassuringly. "Whatever you want darling. I don't like this place anyhow. It's too plain."

She lead Fluttershy out of the restaurant. 

**********************

     "Here's your ticket!" Rarity shouted over the noise of the bustling train station.

Fluttershy pushed along a cart with books, a small suitcase with her robes, and her rabbit cage with Angel inside.

"I simply must get going," Rarity said. "I'll see you after you get off the train. Goodbye!"

     Fluttershy looked down at her ticket.

"But Rarity! This says Platform 9 3/4. There's no such place, is there?"

Fluttershy looked up an realized she was talking to nopony.

     After a few minutes of mental preparation, Fluttershy gathered the courage to ask one of the conductors.

"Excuse me sir," she said to one of the stallions in uniform. "Do you know the way to Platform 9 3/4?"

"Platform 9 3/4?" He echoed. "Think you're being funny?"

He rolled his eyes and walked away.

     Just when Fluttershy was ready to give up, she overheard a woman talking. 

"...every year, packed with Blank Flanks..."

She looked and saw a blue pony with a brown mane leading five other ponies.

Fluttershy followed them.

     They stopped at a pillar in between Platform 9 and Platform 10.

"Alright," she said. "Big Macintosh. You go first."

A red pony with red hair and freckles pushed his cart full speed into the pillar. But instead of crashing, he simply disappeared.

     "Alright," the blue mare said. "Go on Pinkie!" 

She looked towards a pink filly with a long curly mane.

     "She's not Pinkie! I am!" Shouted a cyan pony with a messy multicolored rainbow mane.

"Sorry Pinkie," the mare said, looking towards the rainbow one.

"Only joking," she said. "I'm Dashie, not Pinkie."

     The two of them laughed as they ran towards the pillar. They disappeared just as the older one had.

Fluttershy was bewildered at how anypony could confuse those two ponies, as well as how they had disappeared.

     "Excuse me," Fluttershy said. "Could you tell me how to-" 

"How to get onto the platform? Of course! It's Applejack's first time as well."

She motioned towards an orange filly with a brown cowgirl hat about the same size as Fluttershy.

     "I'm Mrs Cake by the way," The blue mare said. "All you must do is run at the pillar between Platforms 9 and 10. Go ahead!"

She gently nudged Fluttershy.

     Fluttershy took off in a full speed trot. She braced herself for the pain that tends to occur when you hit a brick wall, but instead, she found herself in an entirely different train station. She looked around and noticed the signs on the walls.

Platform 9 3/4

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

     Fluttershy pressed her forehead against the cold glass window. She felt the Hogwarts Express's smooth vibrations as it glided along the barren country side.

Suddenly, she heard the compartment door slide open.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Asked the filly with the cowgirl hat and the thick southern accent. "Everywhere else is full."

"Go right ahead," Fluttershy said.

     She took the seat across from Fluttershy, then held out her hoof in greeting.

"I'm Applejack by the way."

Fluttershy shook her hoof.

"I'm Fluttershy."

Applejack's eyes went wide.

     "S-so it's true then," she stuttered. "I mean, d-do ya really have the cutie mark?"

Fluttershy smiled and twisted herself around to show her cutie mark.

The compartment door slid open yet again. This time, an older mare with an apron stood pushing a cart of sweets.

"Anything off the trolly dears?"

     Applejack forced a smile and held up a ripe red apple. "No thanks. I'm all set."

Fluttershy reached into her burlap sack and pulled out a few gold coins, or "Galleons" as Rarity had called them. "We'll take the lot!"

***************

     Fluttershy had never heard of Pumpkin Pasties or Birdie Botts Beans, but she decided that The sweets special ponies were accustom to was worlds better than what Diamond Tiara ate.

"Those are Chocolate Frogs," Applejack explained.

Fluttershy gasped. "They aren't real frogs, are they?"

"Of course not. It's just a unicorn spell. Besides, it's the cards you want. Each one has a famous mare or stallion."

      Fluttershy opened the miniature cardboard wrapping and out popped a chocolate frog. It leapt onto the window, and before Fluttershy could do anything about it, out the window.

"That's lousy luck," Applejack said. "I reckon they only got one good jump to start with."

Fluttershy reached into the box and pulled out the card that came with the frog.

On it was a picture of a tall white Alicorn with a rainbow mane.

"I got Celestia," Fluttershy exclaimed.

"I have 'bout six of her," Applejack said.

     Fluttershy noticed a small cage on top of Applejack's luggage.

"That's Winona," Applejack said, pointing towards the small brown and white dog sitting inside. "She's sorta a family pet. This is my first year taking care of him. Pinkie and Dashie say he can roll over, but I've never seen it."

     Applejack pulled the dog out of the cage and set him on top.

Once again, the compartment door slid open. A purple unicorn with a dark violet mane stood there. She wore long black robes with blue lining. She was about the same age as Applejack and Fluttershy.

      "Excuse me?" She said. "Have either of you seen a toad? A filly named Ditzy lost one."

Fluttershy and Applejack shook their heads.

"Oh, is that your dog? Is caring for animals your special talent?"

"As a matter of fact," Applejack said. "My special talent is apple bucking."

"That sounds nice," she said without too much enthusiasm. She turned to look at Fluttershy. "Holy cricket! You're Fluttershy! I'm Twilight Sparkle."

     She turned back to Applejack. "And you are?"

"Applejack," Applejack said with a mouthful of pumpkin pastie.

"Charmed," she said. "You two should change into your robes. I suspect we'll be arriving soon."

She walked out of the compartment.

Applejack began mumbling something as she pulled some long tattered robes out of her suitcase.

     "She seemed nice," Fluttershy said as she threw on her custom made black and green robes.

"Nice?" Applejack spat. "Smug is more like it."

The train screeched to a halt and Applejack looked at all the remaining sweets.

"Whadd'ya reckon we should do with these?" Applejack asked.

"You can keep them," Fluttershy said. "I've never had much of a sweet tooth anyways."

     Applejack started scooping the candies into her suitcase. "Y'know, you're a really nice gal Fluttershy. Some ponies who are famous get big heads."

Fluttershy smiled.

     The two of them stepped off the train together with loads of other fillies and colts. Most of them were older than Fluttershy and Applejack. They were standing on a boarded walkway under the night sky. A few feet away, Fluttershy could see the chilly black surface of a lake. There were too many trees in the way for Fluttershy to see further than that.

     "First years follow me!"

Fluttershy instantly recognized Rarity's voice.

     "Oh, there you are Fluttershy darling," Rarity said. She looked at Applejack and bit her lip. She clearly didn't approve of the cowgirl hat or the hand me down robes. "And your friend. How wonderful."

Rarity lead the first years down a wooden walkway towards the lake.

     "Wait til ya see the school," Applejack whispered. "I hear it's really somethin!"

Fluttershy wasn't sure how much more "somethin" she could take in one day.

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

     Rarity lead the young fillies on a rickety wooden path to a large boathouse. Inside were twenty rowboats, all ready to go.

"Partner up and climb in a boat," Rarity instructed.

Fluttershy and Applejack immediately hopped into the first boat together. That made them the first ones to get out onto the lake.

     Across from the inky black waters stood a massive castle. It had several stone towers overlooking the lake, and it's large stone walls and open courtyards sent shivers through Fluttershy's spine. She had never seen such a spectacular structure in her eleven years of living, even in photographs. It was astounding. 

Applejack and Fluttershy both had to wait a few moments before they began rowing again.

**************

     Once they got inside, a tall dark blue alicorn was waiting for them in front of a giant doorway.

"May I have your attention!" she shouted. The room went silent. "I am Professor Luna!"

A toad hopped in front of her.

     "Trevor!" Shouted a pegasus with a grey coat and a blonde mane. She ran and picked up her lost pet, then looked around and realized everypony was watching her. She looked up at Professor Luna who was staring back down at her. "S-sorry," she said as she backed awkwardly into the crowd.

"In a few moments," Luna continued. "You will all be sorted into your houses. For now, I will ask you all to wait quietly while we prepare for you."

     Without another word, the navy blue alicorn pushed open the large bronze doors and slid through. 

Suddenly, some sort of creature approached Fluttershy. It had a white feathery head and two front talons, but light brown fur and paws on it's back. Fluttershy recognized it as a griffin.

"So it's true," the griffin said. "Fluttershy has come to Hogwarts."

The crowd of first year fillies whispered with excitement.

     "This is Snips and Snails." She motioned towards the two unicorns standing to each side of her. One was quite short and chubby, while the other was taller than her and incredibly scrawny. "And I'm Gilda the Griffin."

Applejack giggled.

     Gilda glared at her. "You think my name's funny do you? No need to ask yours. I can tell by the hand me down robe alone. You must be a Cake." She turned back to Fluttershy. "You'll soon find out that some ponies are more special than others. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort." She held out her right talon, as if she wanted to shake hooves (or talons). "I can help you there."

     Fluttershy didn't accept her hoofshake. "All the ponies I've met so far are really nice though. I don't think I need your help. Thanks for the offer though."

Gilda narrowed her eyes, and she opened her beak to say something when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. 

"We're ready for you," Professor Luna said.

     She pushed open the bronze doors with her magic and lead the first years through the doorway. 

Inside were four long tables seating hundreds of ponies. The walls and tables were lined with candles. Each spot had a golden plate and silverware, and many of the older ponies were banging their silverware against their plates impatiently. At the far end of the long corridor were three or four stairs. At the top of them was a golden table with several grown mares and stallions seated overlooking the students. In the center, on a golden and red chair far bigger than the other chairs sat a white Alicorn with a rainbow mane. Fluttershy recognized her as Professor Celestia from the chocolate frog card.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the room was the ceiling. It looked just like the night sky.

     "The ceiling isn't real of course," Fluttershy heard Twilight Sparkle explaining to another pony. "It's enchanted to look like the night sky. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."

Professor Luna lead them to the end of the hall, right in front of the steps and the golden staff table. At the top of the steps sat a wooden stool with a dusty black lump on it.

     "Now then," She said. "I would like to remind all of you about the House Cup that will be awarded to the house with the most points at the end of the year. Good behavior will earn your house points. Rule breaking will lose points. Now when I call your name, you will come up and I will place the sorting hat on your head, and it will tell us what house you belong in. The four houses are Gryffindor, the house of the courageous, Hufflepuff, the house of hard work and loyalty, Ravenclaw, the house of the intelligent, and Slytherin, the house of cunning." Professor Luna looked at a piece of parchment in her hoof. "Twist!!"

     A light cream colored pony with thick purple glasses trotted towards the hat. Professor Luna lifted it onto the filly's head with her magic.

Suddenly, the hat sprang to life. It's wrinkled black felt took the shape of a face.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" It shouted.

     One of the tables with a yellow banner hanging over it began stomping their hooves in applause. Twist ran over and found an empty seat.

"Gilda!" Luna called. 

     The griffin walked up to meet Luna. Before Luna had even placed the hat on Gilda's head, it shouted "SLYTHERIN!"

The table with the green banner started cheering. The griffin took her place at her table.

The sorting lasted for hours. Applejack got put in Gryffindor. All her older siblings were waiting for her at the Gryffindor table. 

Twilight Sparkle also got put in Gryffindor. After a while, only a few ponies remained.

"Fluttershy!"

     The room went silent. Nervous, Fluttershy sat on the stool as Professor Luna lowered the sorting hat onto her head. The tattered black hat was so big, it covered Fluttershy's eyes and ears, so she could hardly see or hear her fellow students.

     Ah, the hat spoke in Fluttershy's mind. Difficult. Very difficult. You aren't afraid to do what's necessary to get your way. Perhaps Slytherin is the house for you...

Oh, I don't know, Fluttershy thought. I don't think I'm too assertive. If you really think I'd do better there, then you can go ahead and put me there though.

     The sorting hat grinned.

Alright then, The sorting hat replied. That really leaves only one option...

"GRYFFINDOR!" He shouted out loud.

     The table with the red banners began cheering louder than anypony else.

"We got Fluttershy! We got Fluttershy!" Dashie and Pinkie began chanting. Dashie reached over and patted Fluttershy on the back as she took her seat.

     Fluttershy didn't know what to think. She didn't feel particularly brave. In fact, she felt the complete opposite. She was afraid this was all one big dream, and that she would wake up in her old closet with the Tiara's. She was afraid of this strange new world, and all the mysteries it held. She was amazed by it all, but still afraid. The last thing in the world that she felt was courage.

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

     "Attention everypony," Professor Celestia called. She stood up and looked over the students.

"Before the feast begins, I would like to welcome all the first years. I would also like to remind you all of some of the rules. First and foremost, the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to anypony who does not wish to die a most painful death. Also, Mr Hayseed has asked me to remind you that the Everfree Forest is off limits. Thank you."

     She took her seat, and her horn began to glow. Then, out of nowhere, entire trays of food just appeared. Hay fries, toast, and salads. Everypony filled their plates, but every time somepony grabbed a biscuit or scone, another one appeared in it's place.

     Even Fluttershy who was full from the sweets on the train couldn't resist the food. 

"My name's Scootaloo," Fluttershy heard a brown pegasus with a purple mane talking to some of the older ponies. "My dad's a blank flank. My mum's special. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out."

     As Fluttershy ate, she looked over to the staff table. At the center was Professor Celestia. To her left was Professor Luna, Rarity, and several mares and stallions that she didn't recognize. To her right was another pony wearing a strange purple turban and eating with trembling hooves. As Fluttershy looked further to the right, she noticed a blue unicorn with a white mane glaring back at her. As they locked eyes, Fluttershy felt a sharp pain right on her cutie mark.

     "Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked Applejack's multiple colored sister.

"Please," she said. "Call me Dashie."

"Oh, sorry," Fluttershy said. "So who is that?"

Fluttershy pointed at the blue unicorn with her hoof.

"That's Professor Trixie," Dashie explained. "Head of Slytherin."

"She teaches potions," Pinkie added. "Her class is so boring."

Dashie nodded in agreement.

Professor Trixie continued to glare at Fluttershy, occasionally taking a break to prod at her food with her fork.

     After the feast, Applejack's older brother, Big Macintosh, lead the first years to the Gryffindor common room.

"He's a Prefect," Applejack whispered. "They're the best students. They sorta lead the rest of the house and stuff."

"This way," Big Macintosh called. 

They entered a huge stairwell. There were stairs going in every direction.

The walls were covered in windows. Ponies on the other side moved about, playing, dancing, singing, talking. No, they weren't windows. Fluttershy realized that they were paintings. These paintings moved, but they were still parchment in picture frames.

"Be careful," Big Macintosh cautioned. "The staircases move a lot."

     He was right. The staircases twisted and turned, even while ponies were walking on them. The staircase ahead of the crowd of first years turned to the left instead of the right as they walked up it.

After five minutes of ascending moving stairs, the ponies finally reached a huge picture of a fat mare standing in front of an Italian vineyard.

"Fresh meat?" She said.

"Eeyuup!" Big Macintosh said. "First years! Just gonna drop 'em off in the common room."

"Do you have the password?" The fat mare asked.

"Return of Harmony!" Big Macintosh said.

"You may pass," the mare said indifferently. 

      The portrait swung open revealing a hole in the wall.

Inside, the common room was decorated with red and gold rugs and banners. There were several large crimson recliners placed around a toasty fire.

"Filly's dorm is up the stairs on your right," Big Macintosh said. "Colts, same on your left. All your stuff is waiting for you upstairs."

*************

     Some of the other ponies snored  late into the night. Fluttershy was tired, but she had too much on her mind to get any sleep.

Fluttershy sat, stroking Angel's white fur, staring at the cold black lake below.

     She didn't belong here. She didn't feel special or extraordinary like everypony else. Why did everyone think she was so great?

     It had been the longest day of her life. She had entirely forgotten it was still her birthday. It felt like a whole week had passed from when Rarity broke in and snatched her away from the Tiara's. Heck, she barely even remembered the Tiara's and how dreadful they were. Rather than worrying about silly things like cooking breakfast and visiting zoos, she was worrying about being the most famous filly in a strange new world.

     Fluttershy set Angel back in his cage, got into bed, and tried getting some sleep. She could figure this all out in the morning.

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

      Fluttershy and Applejack galloped full speed through an empty corridor. They were already late for their very first class. 

They burst through the doors to their classroom. The other ponies were already busy writing. Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes.

Applejack looked around. "Thank goodness Professor Luna ain't here yet! Could you imagine the look on her face if we were late!"

     Fluttershy nodded in agreement, but she saw movement in the corner of her eye. The shadow of the desk at the front began twisting and turning. Suddenly, a hoof rose from the shadow. A wing slid out, as well as a head. Soon, Professor Luna was standing in front of them.

     "That was amazin'" Applejack said.

"Thank you for that assessment Applejack," Professor Luna said. "Perhaps I should transfigure Fair Fluttershy and yourself into a pocket watch. That way, one of you might be on time."

"W-we got lost," Fluttershy said.

"Then perhaps a map," Professor Luna replied. "I trust you don't need one to find your seat."

Applejack and Fluttershy sat down on the front row and began taking notes as well.

*****************

      "What's our next class?" Fluttershy asked.

Applejack squinted at a piece of parchment.

"Potions with Professor Trixie," Applejack moaned.

"Maybe she isn't as bad as everypony says," Fluttershy suggested hopefully.

     The two of them walked down several sets of moving stairs until they reached the cold stone floor at the bottom.

They looked around. It was darker down here, and there weren't any portraits. The walls were lined with torches burning green flames. Fluttershy and Applejack walked down the corridor to potions.

****************

      Trixie's classroom was dark and dusty. The walls were solid stone, with the exception of two long slits near the ceiling to allow at least some light.

The back doors slid open and Professor Trixie marched into the room wearing a dark black cloak. 

     "First and foremost," she announced. "Regardless of your previous religious beliefs," she said. "When you are in this classroom, you worship me and only me. Is that clear? Now, you aren't going to be learning about foolish ponies throughout history or understanding cutie marks. Potions is a serious subject, and you shall give it almost as much respect as you are to give me. I can teach you how to bewitch the mind or ensnare the senses. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death."

     She walked over to Fluttershy's desk. "Miss Fluttershy," Trixie said. "Our new celebrity. Can you tell me what the effects of poisonous joke are?"

     Fluttershy glanced nervously at the other ponies. Twilight Sparkle's hoof shot straight up.

"I d-don't know," Fluttershy stuttered.

"I see," Trixie said with a smug expression. "Do you know how to cure a severe case of Cutie Pox?"

     Fluttershy looked around again. Gilda the Griffin was laughing her lion's tail off two rows over. Twilight Sparkle banged on her desk with her left hoof and held her right hoof high in the air.

"I don't know," Fluttershy said again.

"Well can you tell me where to find seeds of truth?"

     Fluttershy looked over to her left a third time. Twilight's purple face had turned red. She bit her lip as she pounded the desk with anxiety, all the while keeping her hand as high as she could in the air.

Trixie shook her head disapprovingly. "What a pity. Fame isn't everything, is it Miss Fluttershy."

     "Please Professor!" Twilight finally blurted. "Poisonous joke plays nasty tricks on those who come in contact with it. The cutie pox can only be cured by the seeds of truth, and the seeds of truth can be found quite easily in your average temperate coniferous environment."

     Trixie frowned. "You are correct. Five points to Gryffindor."

Applejack high fived another Gryffindor student in celebration.

"However," Professor Trixie added. "You spoke without being called upon. Ten points from Gryffindor!"

****************

     "It's ridiculous!" Applejack complained as they walked up and down the moving staircases. "Answerin' questions like that woulda gotten us ten points in any other class!"

As they ascended it, one of the staircases jerked to the left.

     "What was that?" Fluttershy asked.

"The staircases change, remember?" Twilight explained.

The stairs shifted so they were facing a different door than the one they had intended to go through.

"Let's go this way," Applejack said. "Before them stairs move again."

Without another word, the three of them opened the door on the third floor corridor on the right hand side, and entered.

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

     The three fillies were in a long dark corridor. Applejack took a step forward, and a torch ignited. 

"The torches must ignite automatically," Twilight Sparkle said.

     Fluttershy felt uneasy as she stared down the dead corridor.

"Do you get the feeling we shouldn't be here?" Fluttershy asked. 

     Twilight Sparkle thought for a moment, then facehooved.

"I'm so stupid!" She said. "We're on the third floor corridor on the right hand side. It's forbidden!"

"Let's get outta here," Applejack said.

     As they turned to leave, they were met by a small white cat with a purple bow.

"It's Hayseed's cat!" Twilight cried. "If he finds us here, we're done for!"

"Run!" Applejack yelled.

     The three fillies took off down the corridor. It was extremely dark. Fluttershy just about ran into the door at the end.

Applejack tried opening it, but the door handle merely rattled, refusing to open.

"That's it," Applejack said. "We're goners!"

"Move over!" Twilight snapped. She pushed Applejack aside, and her horn began to glow.

Suddenly, the door burst open.

"How'd you do that?" Applejack asked. 

"Standard Book of Unicorn Spells," Twilight explained. "Chapter 7."

     The three of them hurried through the door.

"Why in tarnation was that door locked?" Applejack asked.

"Er," Fluttershy stuttered. "Girls? I think I see why."

Twilight and Applejack saw what Fluttershy was staring at.

     In the center of the room was a giant black beast. It was three giant dog heads connected to one huge horrific body. It was lying down, asleep, but as they looked at it, its snoring stopped. The three heads began to stir, until they finally opened their six yellow eyes. It made a low rumbling growling sound as all three heads bared their teeth. All three fillies screamed at the top of their lungs.

     The head on the left lunged forward, trying to grab one of Fluttershy's wings in its giant teeth. Fluttershy leapt towards the door, just dodging the creatures mouth. The three ran back into the dark corridor and slammed the door shut behind them.

**************

     "What do they think they're doin'?" Applejack shouted as they climbed the stairs to their dormitory. "Keepin' a thing like that locked up in a school!"

"You don't use your eyes, do you?" Twilight Sparkle said. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"I wasn't looking at its feet!" Applejack cried. "I was sorta busy worrin' about his head!"

"It was standing on a trap door," Twilight explained. "It was guarding something!"

"Guarding something?" Fluttershy echoed.

"That's right," Twilight said. "Now if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed before either one of you comes up with another brilliant way to get us killed, or worse, expelled!"

Twilight kicked open the door, and hopped into her bed.

     Fluttershy and Applejack glanced nervously at eachother.

"She needs to figure out her priorities," Applejack said.

**************

     Applejack and Fluttershy sat nibbling on some fruit at lunch, when they heard a loud screech.

"The mail's here!" A light blue and white filly said. 

Suddenly, a swarm of owls flew into the room. They all carried envelopes and packages alike and began dropping them. It was as if it was raining mail.

     A newspaper and envelope dropped in front of Applejack. Ditzy got a small cardboard box. 

A red envelope fell in front of Fluttershy. 

"This says Lyra on it," Fluttershy said.

"That's me," the light blue filly said. She took the red envelope.

"Sorry you didn't get anything Sugarcube," Applejack said.

"It's okay," Fluttershy replied. She didn't exactly want to hear from the Tiara's. Still, she felt out of place being the only one not tearing open a package or letter.

She picked up Applejack's newspaper.

     "Could I maybe borrow this?" Fluttershy asked.

Applejack nodded as she opened her own letter.

The Pony Tribune

     Fluttershy was expecting a boring description of how the stock market was fairing, just like one of Uncle Tiara's newspapers. Instead, the pictures on the paper moved, just like the pictures around Hogwarts. The front page had a large black and white moving picture of three baby dragons examining an empty bank vault.

     "Um... Applejack?" Fluttershy said timidly. "Look at this."

She pointed to the article and read it out loud.

     "Dragon Bank Has Been Robbed. Authorities believe this to be the work of evil ponies unknown. The vault in question, number 713, had in fact been emptied that very same day. Vault 713 is the one Rarity and I went to."

     "Hey look!" Scootaloo shouted. "Ditzy's got a rememberall!"

Ditzy held up a small glass orb.

     "I've read about those," Twilight chimed in. "When the smoke turns red, you've forgotten something."

Inside, a crimson cloud began to form.

Ditzy sighed. "The only problem is, I can't remember what I've forgotten!"

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

     "Welcome to your first flying lesson," Professor Spitfire said. She walked back and forth along the courtyard grass, eying each pegasus. "Some of you may be expert flyers, some of you may never have flapped a wing, but by the end of this year, you'll all pass the flying exam with perfect scores so I can get a raise. Got that?"

     "Yes Professor Spitfire," the students said together.

"Now on the count of three, I want all of you to begin flapping your wings. One... Two..."

     Before the professor got to three, Ditzy began flapping her wings rapidly. She gained more and more air.

"Miss Ditzy!" Professor Spitfire cried. "Come back down this instant!"

      Ditzy couldn't hear her. Her eyes were shut tight as she flapped her wings as hard as she could. She rose higher and higher.

     Finally, she opened her eyes and looked down. She yelped with fear, and her wing flapping grew uneven. She began to lose air.

     As she dropped in altitude, she grew more and more frightened. She finally stopped flapping all together and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Everypony stand aside," Professor Spitfire commanded. She ran over and looked at Ditzy.

"Ow," Ditzy squeaked. Her right hoof was bent out of shape, and tears poured out of her eyes.

"Oh dear," Professor Spitfire said. "It's a broken wrist."

     She picked up Ditzy and turned to the other students.

"Everyone will behave while I take Miss Ditzy to the hospital wing. If I see a single pony in the air, the one flying will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say Quidditch."

     After Professor Spitfire was gone, Gilda picked something off the ground.

Fluttershy immediately recognized it as Ditzy's rememberall.

     "Look here," Gilda announced, holding the rememberall in her right talon. "Maybe if the idiot had given this a squeeze, she'd have remembered to fall on her ass."

The other Slytherin ponies laughed.

      Fluttershy stepped forward. "Gilda? There seems to be a misunderstanding. You see, that rememberall belongs to Ditzy, and if you could just give it to me, I'll be sure to give it to her when she's feeling better."

Fluttershy smiled hopefully.

     Gilda just laughed. "If you want it," she said. "Come and get it!"

She took off and started flying in circles.

     "What are you waiting for?" Scootaloo asked Fluttershy. "Go get her!"

Nervous, Fluttershy took off. She wasn't that strong of a flyer, but she managed to fly in front of Gilda.

"Um," Fluttershy stuttered. "I don't think you understand. That belongs to somepony else, and if we get caught flying, we'll both be in so much trouble."

"Have it your way then," Gilda said. With her right talon, she threw the rememberall towards the castle walls. It was going to break on impact for sure.

     Fluttershy sped up. She flew directly underneath the ball. Just as it was about to collide with Professor Luna's window, she snatched it out of the air with her teeth and rocketed back towards the ground.

The other ponies began cheering. As she landed gracefully on the ground, the others formed a circle around her.

"Where'd you learn to fly like that?" A green pony asked.

"Could you teach me?" A pony with a bright red mane asked.

     "FLUTTERSHY!" An all too familiar voice shouted.

Professor Luna pulled Fluttershy out of the crowd with her left hoof. She must have seen Fluttershy out her window.

     As she dragged Fluttershy away from her fellow first years, Fluttershy wondered what sort of punishment was in store for her.

     Professor Luna stopped right outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Students didn't start this class until their second year, so Fluttershy hadn't seen the room before. At the front of the room was a grey unicorn with a scraggly black mane. He wore a purple turban and glasses that were far too big for him.

"Professor Jet Set?" Luna interrupted from the doorway. "Could I borrow Soarin' for a moment?"

"Y-yes," Professor Jet Set said. "Of c-course."

A blue colt a few years older than Fluttershy with a navy blue mane walked out into the corridor to talk to Professor Luna.

"Soarin'!" Luna squealed excitedly. "I have found you a seeker!"

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

     Soarin' dragged a large wooden trunk into the courtyard. Fluttershy sat in the grass, clopping her hooves together impatiently.

     "Sorry I'm late," Soarin' apologized in a thick Scottish accent. "I had detention with Professor Trixie."

He looked sadly towards the grass. "Again," he muttered.

     He unlatched the wooden trunk. Inside, a large red ball with three huge indents sat in the middle. To each side were two smaller brown balls wrapped in chains.

     On the top part of the trunk was a small box with the Hogwarts "H" on it.

"Quidditch is quite simple," Soarin' said. "You have three chasers, two beaters, one keeper, and a seeker." 

     He pointed at Fluttershy with his left hoof. "That's you," he said. He picked up the red ball.

"Now," he continued "This is called the quaffle. The chasers handle the quaffle, and they try to get it through one of those three hoops."

     Soarin' pointed towards the Quidditch field off in the distance. At each end of the field were three golden hoops on top of tall golden poles. 

Soarin' looked back at Fluttershy.

"The keeper, that's me, defends the hoops," he said. "With me so far?"

"I think so," Fluttershy said. "What're those?"

     She pointed towards the brown balls wrapped in chains.

"Ah," Soarin' said. "Those are the bludgers. Nasty things. The beaters try to hit us with the bludgers."

     Fluttershy winced at the thought of getting hit.

Soarin' grinned. "Don't worry. Just stay on your guard and you'll be fine. With Dashie as one of out beaters, the bludgers will remain in our possession for the most part."

"Dashie's on the team too?"

     "Oh yeah," Soarin' said. "Dashie is the best beater Gryffindor has seen in years. She's wicked fast, and could be our star chaser if she wanted, but she seems to enjoy hitting Slytherin's with bludgers. Anyways, the only thing I want you to worry about is this."

     Soarin' pressed the Hogwarts emblem, and it opened like a door to reveal a small ornate golden ball. It had long dragonfly wings, and it moved incredibly quick when Soarin' let go of it.

     "This one is pretty," Fluttershy cooed.

     "Sure is," Soarin' agreed. "It's called the snitch. It's incredibly fast and damn near impossible to see. You certainly aren't going to have the time to admire it."

"So what do I do with it?" Fluttershy asked.

"You catch it," Soarin' explained. "If you catch the snitch, the game is over. If you catch the snitch, we win."

     The golden snitch zipped back and forth in front of Fluttershy. It was incredibly fast, and Fluttershy couldn't see much more than a feint streak of gold where it flew. Fluttershy wondered how she qualified for this.

****************

     "Have you heard Fluttershy is our new seeker?" Scootaloo asked Lyra.

"I heard eight times," Lyra sighed. "All from you."

Scootaloo giggled with excitement.

     It was conversations like these that made Fluttershy so nervous. She sat next to Twilight and Applejack in the courtyard, prodding at leaves on the ground with her hooves.

     "Hey Fluttershy!" Pinkie said walking by. "I just heard you made the team."

"Yeah," Dashie said. "Hopefully you don't get beat up too bad on your first game."

Pinkie giggled. "Oh yeah," she said. "Rough game, Quidditch. Nopony has died in years, but you see an awful lot of injuries."

Pinkie and Dashie walked away laughing.

"Don't listen to them Sugarcube," Applejack said. "Quidditch is great!"

"But I've never played!" Fluttershy cried. "What if I make a fool of myself?"

"You won't," Twilight said. "It's in your blood."

     She stood up and motioned for Fluttershy and Applejack to follow.

She lead them to a trophy case just inside. Behind the thick glass was a line of gold medallions.

"Quidditch championship winners," Twilight explained. "This is sort of the Hogwarts Quidditch hall of fame."

Caramel

Gryffindor Championship Seeker

1979

"That's my father," Fluttershy said softly.

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

     The first month of school had flown by faster than an hour with the Tiara's.

It was October 31, and they didn't have any classes. Apparently, Professor Luna was very enthusiastic about Nightmare Night, and refused to teach that day. So the rest of the staff agreed to give the students a break.

     After breakfast, the students were all supposed to leave the great hall while the teachers set up the decor for the Nightmare Night luncheon.

     "I'm going to the library," Twilight Sparkle announced proudly.

"Have fun," Fluttershy said politely as she and Applejack headed back towards the common room.

Inside, Fluttershy slipped a bit of toast into Angel's cage and watched the small white bunny eat.

     "I can't believe that girl!" Applejack said. "Twilight is just so smug!"

"I don't think we should be talking about her behind her back like this," Fluttershy said.

     "Aw shucks," Applejack said. "You're probably right. But that girl just needs to stop being such a know it all! It's no wonder she hasn't got any friends!"

     When Fluttershy looked up, she was horrified with what she saw. Standing in the doorway of the girls dormitory was Twilight Sparkle, tears in her eyes. She must have forgotten an overdue book or something.

She made a strangled whimper, almost as if there was a parasprite stuck in her throat. Then she ran down the stairs, trying to hold back hide her crying.

********************

     "I'm sorry," Applejack insisted during lunch. "I'm absolutely, positively, incredibly, truthfully, so very very sorry!"

Fluttershy looked up. The candles on the tables have been replaced by jack-o-lanterns, and cobwebs were in every corner. The table was covered with chocolates, pastries, and fruits. This was one of the greatest feasts Hogwarts had put together yet, but Fluttershy and Applejack felt far too guilty to enjoy it.

     "I know you're sorry," Fluttershy said. "But apologizing to me doesn't do anything."

Applejack sighed. "Well, where's Twilight?"

"Lyra said she's in the bathroom," Ditzy interrupted before Fluttershy could say anything. "She said she was crying too."

Applejack slammed her face onto the table.

"I feel awful 'bout this," Applejack said, her voice muffled by her empty plate.

"I think you should give her some time alone," Fluttershy said. "Then apologize."

     Suddenly the back door burst open. Professor Jet Set galloped into the room.

"Troll!" He shouted. "Troll in the dungeon!"

He stopped and looked around. His eyes rolled back into his head.

"Thought you ought to know..."

     Professor Jet Set fell to the floor unconscious.

"We're all gonna die!" Scootaloo screamed.

     Everypony leapt up from their seats and started screaming.

"We're done for!" Lyra cried.

"Mummy!" Ditzy shouted.

"Silence!"

     Everypony looked to the front. Professor Celestia was standing at the front of the room.

"If everyone could please not panic! Prefects are to lead everypony back to their common room. Teachers are to come with me to the dungeon."

********************

     "This is crazy!" Applejack said as they followed the other students to the Gryffindor common room.

Fluttershy stopped. "Twilight! She doesn't know!"

     Applejack and Fluttershy galloped off in the other direction.

Hogwarts had several bathrooms, so they really didn't know which one to check first.

They walked through an empty corridor near the Hufflepuff common room.

Thud

Thud

Thud

     The two fillies knew at once what it was.

"I think the troll left the dungeon," Applejack said.

     Then, they saw it. It was a dark green color, and it's body was covered in slimy warts. It wore a tattered leather loin clothe, and carried a huge wooden club half its size. It's head was incredibly small compared to its humongous body, and its blank expression showed that there wasn't much in the small head.

     It stomped slowly through the corridor. Then it rounded the corner and began stomping away.

Fluttershy and Applejack ran just behind it. As they rounded the same corner, they heard a very faint sound. It was sobbing. Somepony nearby was sobbing.

     Fluttershy hesitated, then looked at Applejack.

"That has to be Twilight."

Thud

Thud

Thud

     The troll stomped through a wide open door. He had to duck down to fit, but he made it through.

Applejack gulped. "And that's the door to the lil' filly's room."

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

     Twilight sparkle stepped out of the bathroom stall and wiped her tears with a paper towel. She had missed the feast, but she didn't care. They didn't want to see her there anyways.

     She looked down at her feet, wondering how smug she really was. Then she noticed it. She was standing in a shadow.

Towering above her was a green, slimy mountain troll.

*********************

     "Help!" Fluttershy and Applejack heard Twilight yell.

They rushed into the bathroom to find her hiding behind one of the sinks. The troll was holding the club high over his head.

"Twilight! Move!" Applejack commanded.

     Twilight leapt out from behind the bathroom sink just as the club came down on it. It broke through the sink and water shot everywhere.

     The troll raised the club again. This time, it was right above Twilight Sparkle. Her knees buckled, and she froze in fear.

     Fluttershy flew towards the troll. She came eye to eye with him.

"Don't you dare hit anypony with that club mister!"

The troll didn't seem to comprehend. He grabbed Fluttershy's tail.

"Ow! I'm warning you mister troll! Ow! If you don't let gow right now, I'll call your mother! Ow!"

     The troll held Fluttershy upside down by her tail.

"Do something!" Fluttershy yelled at Applejack.

The troll swung his club at dangling Fluttershy. She pulled herself up just in time to dodge it.

     Applejack looked around. There wasn't anything to use except for the rubble from the broken sink. She galloped to the sink and began kicking the jagged marble and rusty pipes at the troll.

Fluttershy dodged the club again. She wasn't sure how much longer she could do this.

     Applejack missed the troll twice. She lined up again and kicked a fragment of a pipe at the troll. It hit the hand that was holding Fluttershy. The hand was cut badly, and naturally, it let go.

Fluttershy fell to the ground. She had been fairly high up before, and wasn't able to flap her wings in time. 

Thud

     Fluttershy groaned and rolled over on the floor, and Twilight was still petrified with fear. The troll was angry now. It held the club high over its head, and prepared to bring it down on Fluttershy.

      Quickly, Applejack kicked another piece of jagged marble at the troll. This time, it lodged itself in the troll's right hand. It let go of the club and howled in pain. The club however, was right over his head. The troll's own club hit his head. He began stumbling around dizzy, before finally collapsing and falling to the floor with a giant thud.

     Just as the three fillies breathed a sigh of relief, Professor Luna and the rest of the staff rushed in.

"Oh my," Professor Luna gasped, looking at the unconscious troll. "Explain yourselves immediately!"

"Well..." Applejack stuttered.

"It's my fault Professor," Twilight interrupted Applejack and Fluttershy looked at each other shocked.

"I'd read about trolls," Twilight continued. "I thought I could handle it. I was wrong. If Applejack and Fluttershy hadn't come looking for me, I'd probably be dead."

     "Well," Luna said. "That was an extremely foolish thing to do, and I would've expected more rational behavior from you Miss Sparkle. Five points from Gryffindor."

Professor Luna turned to Fluttershy and Applejack.

      "And you," she said. "I just hope you two realize how fortunate you are. Not many first years could take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. Five points to each of you, for sheer dumb luck."

Professor Luna and the other teachers turned to leave. Fluttershy noticed Professor Trixie walking with a limp. Her cloak had blood on it as well.

      "I s-suppose I'll take care of it," Professor Jet Set said, pointing at the troll. "It could wake up."

The three fillies ran along to see what was left of the Nightmare Night Feast.

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

     "C'mon Sugarcube," Applejack said during breakfast. "Just have a bit of toast."

"I'm not hungry," Fluttershy insisted.

Twilight pushed a plate with eggs and potatoes towards Fluttershy. "Applejack is right. You'll need your strength for your first Quidditch game."

     Fluttershy reluctantly took a bite out of the fried potatoes and scrambled eggs.

"Good luck today Miss Fluttershy," said a voice from behind. Professor Trixie was standing over her.

Twilight and Applejack glanced at each other nervously, as if Professor Trixie was about to lecture them or take away points from Gryffindor. 

     Trixie grinned. "Perhaps you'll manage to make it a close game. Even if it is against Slytherin."

Finally, she turned and limped away.

********************

     "Welcome to the Hogwarts Quidditch season opener!" Pinkie Pie announced. She sat next to Professor Luna in one of the taller towers surrounding the field, and she spoke into a microphone, broadcasting her voice through several intercoms on the field.

     "This is an intense match up," Pinkie continued. "The rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin has become the most spiteful rivalry in Hogwarts history!"

     Fluttershy stood in a wooden tunnel on the edge of the field. She wore red and gold robes with the number five on the back.

     "Are you scared?" Soarin' asked as the chasers began flying onto the field. 

Fluttershy nodded.

     "Don't worry," Soarin' said. "I felt the same way in my first game."

Dashie and the other beaters flew out next. They began flying laps around the Quidditch field.

"How was it?" Fluttershy asked.

"My first game?" Soarin' scratched his head. "I don't really remember. I took a bludger to the head in the first few minutes."

      Fluttershy backed away from the field nervously.

"Well," Soarin' said. "You're due on the field."

He pushed Fluttershy out the tunnel, and Fluttershy had no choice but to flap her wings and try to look like she knew what she was doing.

     The Slytherin seeker skillfully looped around the stands doing summersaults and flips. He flew past the green fan section and high fived the other Slytherins.

     Fluttershy turned back to look at the red fan sections. She saw Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity. Scootaloo was wearing a ridiculous home made lion costume to resemble Gryffindor's mascot, and Big Macintosh was helping students find their seats. Fluttershy was going to let them all down. She was no athlete. How could she compete against these ponies?

     "All players are on the field, and we are ready to begin the game!" Pinkie announced.

Professor Spitfire released the bludgers and the snitch. The small golden ball zipped in front of Fluttershy's face, then disappeared all together.

     Professor Spitfire blew her whistle. "I want a nice clean game!" She shouted. She tossed the quaffle into the air, and the chasers began zooming back and forth.

"Cappuccino takes the quaffle for Gryffindor!" Pinkie exclaimed. "He passes it off to Juicy Fruit! Juicy Fruit is going for the hoops! She's lined up to take a shot! Oh no! Thunder with the steal! Slytherin has the quaffle!"

     Fluttershy treaded air, wondering how long Pinkie Pie could keep this announcing up. She watched the game, scanning the air for the smallest flicker of gold.

"Icy Rain with takes the shot! Soarin' makes a fantastic block! It's still anypony's game!"

     Fluttershy watched the other seeker doing some flips and waving to the crowd. 

"Juicy Fruit to Cappuccino! Thunder is closing in! Ouch! Thunder takes a bludger to the back of the head, courtesy of Dashie!" Pinkie held her head proudly. "My twin sister! Way to bash some Slytherins!"

Professor Luna held her hoof over the mic, but you could still make out angry whispering about being impartial over the intercom.

"Sorry about that folks," Pinkie apologized. "Juicy Fruit with the quaffle, and an excellent score for Gryffindor! The score is now 10-0!"

     The red fan section erupted into applause.

"Let's go Gryffindor!" Scootaloo shouted, still wearing her ridiculous lion costume.

"It looks like Gryffindor got the quaffle again!" Pinkie shouted. "Juicy Fruit is weaving towards the Slytherin hoops, but wait! What's this? Thunder is flying side by side with Juicy Fruit! Thunder is actually pushing Juicy Fruit to the side! They're stuck together! Like pie on a clown's face! Like peanut butter on jelly!"

     Thunder pulled back and rammed Juicy Fruit one last time. Juicy Fruit spiraled into the canvas walls surrounding the field.

"A flagrant foul!" Pinkie cried. "Why is Spitfire not calling that?"

Luna covered the mic again. This time, Fluttershy could hear Luna giving Pinkie a few choice words. These were words Fluttershy had heard all too often when Mr. Tiara got upset.

     "Alright," Pinkie Pie announced reluctantly. "That wasn't necessarily a foul. You be the judge!"

Professor Luna smiled, satisfied.

"Looks like Slytherin has the quaffle. They're up against two chasers instead of three with Juicy Fruit out. Cloud Kicker has the quaffle. She throws, but Soarin' blocks! What's this? Icy Rain and Cloud Kicker kick both bludgers at once towards Soarin'! He dodges one, but the other nails him right in the kisser! That play was even fouler than Professor Luna's language! Cloud Kicker isn't even a beater!"

     Instead of covering the mic, Luna just hit Pinkie upside the head.

"You're never announcing again," Luna spat.

Pinkie shrugged. "I can live with that. But wait! What's this? The golden snitch has reappeared!"

********************

     Applejack and Twilight watched eagerly as Fluttershy and the Slytherin seeker chased the snitch. 

"What is Fluttershy trying to get again?" Twilight asked. 

"The silver twitch," Rarity said.

"Actually," Applejack explained. "It's the golden snitch."

"What's this?" Pinkie Pie's muffled voice rang over the intercom. 

     Applejack and Twilight looked up to see what it was. Fluttershy was flailing about, with a strange light blue glow around her.

"Somepony must be jinxing her!" Rarity cried.

Twilight held up a pair of binoculars and looked across the field at Professor Trixie in the staff section. She was concentrating hard on something and her horn was glowing light blue.

     "It's Trixie!" Twilight exclaimed. "She's jinxing Fluttershy!"

Applejack looked through the binoculars to see for herself.

"Well I'll be!" Applejack crowds "She is jinxin' Fluttershy! What do we do?"

Twilight thought for a moment.

"I've got a plan," she said. "Follow me."

     Twilight and Applejack crawled underneath the wooden stands. After weaving under hundreds of hooves, they reached the staff section on the other side.

"Ready?" Twilight whispered once they had crawled underneath Trixie's dangling cloak. 

Applejack nodded.

     Twilight's horn glowed, and a small streak of orange shot out. Trixie's cloak ignited.

"Fire!" One of the professors screamed. "You're on fire!"

Trixie hopped up and began stomping on her blazing cloak, trying to put out the flames. She hopped up and down and knocked Professor Jet Set over.

***********************

     Fluttershy finally regained control after the spell released her. She was able to begin flying again and catch up with the Slytherin seeker.

     The golden snitch zipped back and forth in front of them, just going fast enough to elude them but slowing down just enough to taunt them.

"Fluttershy and Pluto are neck and neck!" Pinkie announced. "Whichever seeker catches the snitch gets 150 points and wins the game for their team! Pluto pulls ahead by a nose! Fluttershy pulls ahead by a nose! Pluto pulls ahead by a nose! No wait! It's not a nose! More like half a nose! Or a smidgeometer! Pluto is ahead by a smidgometer!"

     Fluttershy and the Slytherin seeker both began chasing the snitch downwards. They were high up, but losing altitude fast as they both dived for the snitch.

"It's Pluto!" Pinkie screamed. "It's Fluttershy! It's Pluto! Fluttershy pulls ahead by two sevenths of a smidgeometer!

It's anypony's game!"

     The grass was getting closer and closer. Pluto and Fluttershy chased the snitch directly towards the ground. They had to pull up soon.

"What's this?" Pinkie cried. "Pluto pulls out of the nose dive, but Fluttershy's still going! She's headed straight for the ground! Can she pull up in time?"

     The snitch stopped going downwards and danced off in another direction. Fluttershy pulled up just in time. Her hooves skimmed the neatly trimmed grass below.

"The snitch is in sight!" Pinkie exclaimed. "It's time to make a grab for it!"

Fluttershy leaned forward, sticking her left hoof out. She could almost feel the paper thin metallic wings of the snitch.

Suddenly, her right hoof touched the ground. It got stuck in the dirt, sending her whole body into a flip.

The Gryffindor's rushed the field to see if she was alright.

Fluttershy stumbled to her feet. 

"It looks like she's fallen ill!" Rarity said.

     Suddenly, Fluttershy spat out a small golden lump into her hooves. It was covered in saliva, but everypony recognized it as the snitch.

"Fluttershy caught the snitch!" Pinkie shouted. "Gryffindor gets 150 points and the game ends as a result! Gryffindor wins!"

The fans in red erupted into cheering. Professor Luna began jumping up and down excitedly before grabbing Pinkie in an awkward hug.

     "We won!" Luna squealed as she squeezed the life out of Pinkie. 

"I'm... happy... too... Professor..." Pinkie choked.

The other Gryffindors picked Fluttershy up on their backs and marched towards the castle.

"Go go Gryffindor!" They chanted.

*********************

     When Fluttershy arrived in the common room, all she desired was a cup of cocoa and a nice warm bed. Instead, every single Gryffindor student was crammed into the small common room lobby. Colorful balloons and streamers lined the walls, and Pinkie was handing out cupcakes and cups of punch.

"What's going on?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's a party silly!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Haven't you ever been to one?"

     Fluttershy hadn't ever been to one, but she wasn't exactly sure she wanted to. Everypony was stomping around to the loud music that filled the air. Some of the older students were having a contest to see who could ram their head into the wall the hardest, and several of the picture frames had been shattered as a result.

     "In addition to being an excellent Quidditch announcer, I'm also a great party thrower," Pinkie said.

"It seems a bit messy," Fluttershy said.

"It's supposed to be messy," Dashie explained. "Just don't worry about it!"

"By the way," Pinkie said. "You did a great job out there. You won us the game!"

     Fluttershy blushed. "Oh, it was nothing."

"But it was something!" Dashie said. "It was a whole lot of something!"

"Hooray for Fluttershy!" Pinkie shouted.

"Hooray for Fluttershy!" The other ponies echoed.

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

     After the Quidditch match, Fluttershy was barely able to leave the dormitory without somepony either glaring at her or high fiving her. When Rarity invited Fluttershy, Twilight, and Applejack to her home for tea, Fluttershy saw it as an opportunity to get away from all that, even if it was only for an afternoon.

Rarity's home was a small purple and white victorian cottage with a wooden porch spanning all the way around it. Fluttershy grew anxious when she saw that Rarity's cottage was just on the outskirts of the dark and gloomy Everfree Forest.

"Hello Darlings!" Rarity exclaimed when the three fillies stepped inside her house. "I have tea and scones that will be ready in just a moment!"

     Rarity wore a purple apron as she dashed back and forth in her small kitchen. 

The room they were in was big and round. To the side were sewing machines and multiple yards of fabric. On the other end was an empty fireplace with a big purple chair next to it.

The three fillies sat down at the round table in the center of the room. 

A few minutes later, Rarity walked out of the kitchen and set a kettle of tea and a plate of scones on the table. She filled all three of their cups up to the brim.

Fluttershy took a sip.

     "What's in this tea?" She asked, her face contorted in disgust.

"It's a new type of tea," Rarity explained. "Ordered straight from Siberia! Do you like it?"

"Of course," Fluttershy said quickly.

    "Good," Rarity said. "I was a little unsure about it. If you three didn't like it, I would have gone back to the old stuff. But since you three like it, I'll use it every time you visit."

Applejack glared at Fluttershy.

"Good job in Quidditch Darling," Rarity said.

"Thank you," Fluttershy said politely.

     "She's a bit shaken up about it," Applejack said. "Somepony tryin' to curse her and all."

"You musn't let it bother you Darling," Rarity said. "You see that sort of thing in Quidditch all too often. Pranksters think they're so clever."

     "I don't think it was a prankster," Twilight said. "In fact, I know it wasn't a prankster."

"Who was it?" Rarity asked, leaning forward in her seat anxiously.

"Professor Trixie," Twilight said.

Rarity spat out the tea she was sipping. "Professor Trixie? She's a Hogwarts teacher, not a  devious criminal!"

"We've given it a lot of thought," Twiligt insisted. "Her horn was glowing while Fluttershy was being jinxed. That's a sure sign she was doing magic of some sort. Also, when the troll was on the loose, she snuck off on her own and got herself injured."

"Don't tell me she's responsible for the troll too!"  Rarity spat. "What exactly do you think she was doing when she supposedly snuck off."

     "She snuck to the third floor corridor to try getting past that three headed dog," Fluttershy said.

"Who told you about Fluffy?" Rarity demanded.

"Fluffy?" Applejack asked. "That thing has a name?"

"Of course he has a name," Rarity said. "Hayseed and I helped capture him. He was running a muck in the Everfree Forest. Then we gave him to Celestia to guard the..."

Rarity stopped. "I shouldn't have said that."

     "But Rarity!" Twilight whined. "Trixie is trying to steal whatever Fluffy is guarding."

"Now you three listen to me," Rarity said. "You're meddling in things you shouldn't be meddling in. What Fluffy is guarding is strictly between Professor Celestia and Combover Liverspot!"

"Combover Liverspot?" Fluttershy echoed.

Rarity facehooved. "Oh god," she moaned. "I shouldn't have said that."

*******************

Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy sat in the library.

"I looked everywhere in this library!" Twilight cried. "I looked at old newspapers! I looked in the Encyclopedia of Important Ponies! Combover Liverspot isn't mentioned anywhere!"

Applejack pointed her hoof towards the metal gate at the corner of the library. "What about there?"

"Oh no!" Twilight said. "That's the restricted section. Only fifth year students and older are allowed in."

"Do you think these dark and mysterious secrets are gonna be in the restricted section?" Applejack asked. She grabbed the book Twilight was holding. "Or in Important Ponies from A-Z?"

"I know," Twilight said sadly. "Let's just keep looking."

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

     Fluttershy and Applejack had been trapped in the library for what seemed like months. The dusty wooden table next to the window and bookshelves at the far corner had become a second home for them.

Fluttershy and Applejack rested their heads on the wooden table. Twilight was gone, swapping out their old stack of books for a new one. 

     "I'm just gonna rest my eyes here," Applejack yawned, her face on top of the table. "Tell me if Twilight's comin'..."

"Sure..." Fluttershy groaned, trying to get some sleep herself.

"What are you two doing?"

Fluttershy and Applejack sat up quickly.

"We weren't sleeping!" Applejack shouted. "We were just..."

"Meditating!" Fluttershy finished.

Applejack nodded in agreement.

Twilight pushed a whole new stack of books onto the table with her magic.

"Well we don't have time for that," Twilight snapped. "Hearth's Warming is in two weeks. I'll be leaving to visit home soon, and so will you Applejack."

     Fluttershy gazed out the window to her right. Lyra was building a snowpony in the snow, and Scootaloo was having a snowball fight with some Hufflepuff students. Fluttershy had been looking forward to her first winter away from home, since Mr. Tiara always made her stand still while Diamond Tiara threw snowballs at her.

"Can't we just take a ten minute break?" Fluttershy begged.

     Twilight shook her head. "We've searched every book in this library at least twice. I'm sure there's something on Combover Liverspot in one of these books!"

"No there ain't," Applejack said. "And I don't see why we should waste our winter in here searching for a pony that doesn't exist!"

"He does though!" Twilight insisted. "I know I've read that name before. I'll... I'll keep looking. You two go out and enjoy yourselves."

"But Twilight," Fluttershy said. "You don't have to do that."

"Yes I do," Twilight insisted. "Now go."

     Twilight practically pushed Applejack and Fluttershy out of the library.

"What's her problem?" Applejack asked as they hiked up to the Gryffindor common room to grab their coats.

Fluttershy shrugged. Twilight had been certain that Combover Liverspot was in one of the books. She had been insisting for nearly a week that she had read that book somewhere.

"Let's let her look," Applejack said. "If she wants to waste her time in the library, let her."

     They walked into the dormitory and Fluttershy began digging through her trunk to find her scarf. She reached further into the sea of folded clothes and lost homework assignments until she felt a thick piece of paper. Curious, she pulled it out.

"I remember this!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "This is the newspaper I borrowed during the very first week!"

Fluttershy looked down sadly. "Sorry I never gave it back."

Applejack laughed. "Don't worry 'bout it Sugarcube! I only get the papers for the funnies!"

     Fluttershy looked at the front page. She saw that same moving picture of the baby dragons puzzling over the empty vault.

"Wait a second," Fluttershy said. "Rarity said that the small package she picked up was a secret. What if-"

"What if that's what Fluffy's guarding!" Applejack finished.

Both young fillies were beaming as they galloped joyously around the room.

"Now we just need to figure out what was in that package," Fluttershy said. "Then we'll know why Trixie wants to steal it."

*********************

     Fluttershy and Applejack sat in the great hall enjoying breakfast.

"This is much better than regular breakfast," Applejack said, sipping some hot cocoa.

Fluttershy nodded in agreement nibbling on some toast. 

     The Great Hall was almost completely empty. Everypony was already packed up and ready to leave for Hearth's Warming break.

     Twilight dragged a huge purple duffle bag along the floor.

"I see you've packed," Applejack said.

"I see you haven't," Twilight replied.

"Change of plans," Applejack explained. "My parents decided to visit my brother Yellow Burst in Romania. They can't afford to take all of us, so they're leaving Dashie, Pinkie, Big Mac, and I here for Christmas."

"While I'm gone, you two need to check the library again for Combover Liverspot," Twilight said. "He's got to be the key to figuring out what was in that vault."

"We've looked a thousand times!" Applejack whined.

     Twilight leaned in really close. "Not in the restricted section," she whispered.

Fluttershy and Applejack glanced at each other nervously.

Twilight turned and left, dragging her duffle bag along.

"I think we've had a bad influence on her," Applejack said.

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Fluttershy! Fluttershy wake up!"

"Lemme sleep," Fluttershy squeaked. "I wanna sleep."

"C'mon Fluttershy! It's Hearth's Warming!"

Fluttershy's eyelids shot open.

"It is?"

"Yeah!" Applejack exclaimed. "C'mon!"

     Applejack and Fluttershy raced down the stairs to the common room Hearth's Warming tree. It was a large evergreen with shiny red ornaments. Underneath the tree was an assortment of boxes wrapped in colorful paper. There were only eight or nine Gryffindors who had stayed at school for Hearth's Warming, so the common room was entirely empty except for a fourth year pegasus who sat by the fire reading quietly.

"Here," Applejack said, holding up a present. "This one's yours."

"I have presents?" Fluttershy asked.

"What were you expectin'? Turnips?"

The two fillies made short work of the presents. Applejack got a box of chocolate frogs from Fluttershy. Fluttershy got an encyclopedia on Quidditch from Applejack. Both Fluttershy and Applejack were disappointed with the history books Twilight had given them, but they didn't really expect much else.

"This one's from your mum!" Fluttershy exclaimed. She tore into the present and pulled out a green sweater.

     "She makes those for us every year," Applejack said. She opened her next present and pulled out a red sweater for herself.

     Fluttershy unfolded the sweater and took a look at it. Weaved in gold on each side was the letter "F."

"F stands for Fluttershy," Applejack explained as she put on her own red sweater with a golden "A" on each side.

Fluttershy got to the last present. It had a small note attached.

"Your father gave this to me before he died," Fluttershy read out loud. "Use it well."

Fluttershy ripped open the wrapping and pried open the box.

"What is this?" Fluttershy asked, pulling a thin black cloak out of the box.

Applejack shrugged. "Put it on!"

     Fluttershy pulled the cloak over her body leaving only her head exposed.

She looked down to see that her body was completely gone. It was as if her head was just floating in mid air.

"Aiee!" Fluttershy screamed softly. "Where'd my body go?"

"I know what that is," Applejack said with a huge grin. "It's an invisibility cloak."

"An invisibility cloak?" Fluttershy echoed.

"Yeah," Applejack said. "They're really rare! Just imagine all the stuff we can do with it!"

"It ought to make sneaking into the restricted section easier," Fluttershy pointed out, putting the cloak back in it's box.

Dashie and Pinkie walked in, each wearing their own sweaters. 

"Happy Hearth's Warming you two!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"I got a brand new pair of flying goggles!" Dashie bragged.

"And I got a new cupcake cookbook!" Pinkie shouted. "I'll be sure to bake some for everypony later."

"Let's go," Dashie said. "We don't want to be late for the Hearth's Warming feast!"

     The four of them walked down the stairs to the Great Hall where Big Macintosh was already seated. 

"Always have to be first, don't you Big Mac?" Dashie asked.

"Eyuup!" Big Mac replied. 

The tables were set for much fewer people. Instead of sitting at separate tables, they all sat at one table, including the teachers.

     There were about three Hufflepuffs, five Ravenclaws, and not a single Slytherin left to attend the feast, making it all the more enjoyable. Several of the teachers were gone, but Professor Celestia, Professor Luna, Professor Trixie, Professor Jet Set, and Rarity all remained. Hayseed was still out patrolling the corridors with his cat and searching for troublemakers.

     "I would like to welcome all of you here today to out Hearth's Warming luncheon!" Professor Celestia announced. "As you all have noticed, there are only 20 of us rather than the usual 300 students. If you do the math, each one of you needs to eat 15 times what you usually do. Otherwise, we'll be eating leftovers tomorrow, and I despise leftovers."

     Most of the ponies in the room laughed, but Trixie kept her resilient scowl.

The food was the best that Hogwarts had served yet. There were potatoes and puddings, there were cakes and cookies, there were soups and salads. Every food Fluttershy could want for a Hearth's Warming feast was right in front of her.

     "Eat up!" Celestia said. "And remember to eat fifteen times what you normally would!"

Fluttershy must have eaten five-hundred times what she normally ate. 

Applejack burped. "I'm stuffed!" She announced.

"Me too," Fluttershy moaned. "I had too much pie."

Applejack leaned towards Fluttershy. "I reckon we have time to go back to the dormitory and take a nap before..." 

Applejack paused. She had forgotten that the teachers were sitting only a few feet away.

Applejack winked at Fluttershy. "Before we build a snowpony outside!" 

Fluttershy smiled. "Oh wow! I can't wait. I didn't know we were going to build a snowpony!"

*********************

    "So we aren't going to build a snowpony?" Fluttershy asked, disappointed as they sat in the Gryffindor common room.

Applejack sighed. "No. You're gonna take your invisibility cloak and sneak into the restricted section."

"W-what if I get caught?"

"Ya won't get caught Sugarcube. You'll be invisible! Just find somethin' that mentions Combover Liverspot!"

*********************

     Fluttershy could not find something that mentioned Combover Liverspot. The library was pitch black, so Fluttershy had to hold an oil lamp in her teeth as she searched the shelves.

She pushed past the rusty metal gate separating the restricted section from the rest of the library and wandered in. It was organized alphabetically, just like the rest of the library. Fluttershy walked past the A and B sections.

"Combover Liverspot..." Fluttershy said. "Combover Liverspot..." 

     Her eyes scanned the shelves for that name, and she realized very quickly that these books were restricted for a reason.

Civil Pony War: A Gruesome Description

Curses That Kill

Chimera Genocide

Cupcakes

     Fluttershy did a double take. She was fairly certain that a book entitled Cupcakes didn't contain anything about Combover Liverspot, but she was curious why such a book was in the restricted section.

Fluttershy opened the book and skimmed the first page. Her face was contorted with disgust, and she silently made a vow to never eat another cupcake for as long as she lived. She wondered why somepony would write such a gruesome tale.

Fluttershy set the book back on the shelf. A few moments later, a sliver of light shattered the inky darkness.

"Is anypony there?" Hayseed asked, stepping through the door.

     Fluttershy gasped. As she did so, she accidentally let go of the lantern with her teeth. It shattered into hundreds of shards of glass as it hit the ground. If Hayseed wasn't sure somepony was in the library, he was now.

"Show yourself!" Hayseed called. "You can't hide!"

     Fluttershy panicked. She trembled with fear as she slid on her invisibility cloak and snuck towards the library exit.

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

      Fluttershy walked through the long dark corridors with the invisibility cloak over her.

During the day, she could get back to the Gryffindor common room in ten seconds flat, but without her lantern she couldn't even see her own hooves. It was so dark, she almost bumped into Professor Jet Set and Professor Trixie.

"You don't want me as your enemy Jet Set," Trixie said.

"I d-d-don't know what your t-talking about," Jet Set stuttered.

     Trixie's horn glowed. Her magic grabbed hold of Professor Jet Set and pinned him to the wall.

"You don't know what you're doing," Trixie cautioned. "You-Know-Who isn't exactly somepony to take lightly. He could destroy you in a matter of seconds."

Jet Set gulped fearfully.

     "Now then," Trixie said. "If you're doing what I think you're doing, then there will be consequences."

Hayseed appeared out of the darkness and Trixie dropped Jet Set as if nothing had happened.

"I found this in the library," Hayseed announced, holding up Fluttershy's shattered lantern. "It's still hot. That means there's a student out of bed!"

     Fluttershy walked away quickly and quietly. She couldn't risk being heard.

She wandered the corridors until she found a large wooden door. For lack of a better option, Fluttershy opened the door.

Inside was a large, empty room. Well, almost empty. In the far corner sat a mirror.

     Fluttershy approached the mirror and removed her cloak. She could see she wasn't as skinny as she had been when she first came to Hogwarts, and her pink mane had grown longer. Then she saw an orange stallion with a short brown mane standing behind her. She looked back, only to find nopony was there. Then, another pony appeared. It was a green mare with a long bright red mane. 

     Again, Fluttershy looked back to see that nopony was standing behind her.

Then she realized it.

"M-mum? D-d-dad?"

     The two ponies in the mirror nodded their heads slowly. 

Fluttershy reached out to touch their smiling faces, only to be stopped by the cold glass wall.

*******************

     "Applejack!" Fluttershy cried, running full speed into the dormitory.

Applejack leapt out of her bed. "Did you find somethin' about Combover Liverspot?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "I found my parents."

"But Sugarcube," Applejack said softly. "You're parents are-"

"I know!" Fluttershy interrupted. "But they're here too! Come and see!"

     Luckily, the invisibility cloak was big enough to cover both of them. They finally arrived in the same room Fluttershy had discovered. The mirror still sat in the far corner.

"Come on," Fluttershy said. She pulled Applejack in front of the mirror.

"You see them don't you?" Fluttershy asked.

"I see me..." Applejack said quietly. "Except I'm older. And I got wings! I'm holding the Quidditch cup!"

Fluttershy stepped in front of the mirror to see what Applejack was talking about, but as usual, she saw her parents.

******************

     Fluttershy snuck out almost every single night to go and stare at the mirror. She'd sit on the floor and stare into the mirror. Every so often, she'd try reaching out and embracing her parents, but the cold glass stopped her everytime.

"Back again Fluttershy?"

     Fluttershy jerked around and saw Professor Celestia standing at the door.

"I'm s-s-sorry p-professor," Fluttershy choked.

"No need for apologies," Professor Celestia said. "I see that you have discovered the delights of The Mirror of Erised. I'm sure you've figured out by now what it does."

"It show's us what we want," Fluttershy replied.

"Yes, and no," Professor Celestia said. "It shows us the deepest desires of our hearts. You see your parents, while your friend Applejack sees herself playing a sport in which she was born incapable of playing. Tomorrow this mirror will be moved elsewhere, and I must ask you not to come looking for it again. It is not wise to dwell too much in dreams."

Fluttershy nodded. "Professor?" She asked. "What do you see in the mirror?"

     It wasn't until after she had said the words that Fluttershy realized how rude it was to ask such a personal question.

"I see myself holding a brand new pair of socks," Celestia explained. "There are few things in this world more joyful than a brand new pair of socks."

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

     A week after Hearth's Warming, Applejack and Fluttershy once again found themselves in the library.

Twilight marches in, dragging a book the size of a small filly. "How could I be so stupid?" Twilight asked. "I checked this out weeks ago for a bit of light reading!"

     She dropped the book on the table. The wood creaked under the weight, and Fluttershy thought it might actually break.

Twilight opened the book to page 4,347. 

     "Combover Liverspot," she read aloud. "Is known for creating the Stallion's Stone. The stone is the mane ingredient in the elixir of life which can make somepony immortal. Liverspot owns the only known stone in existence, and recently celebrated his hundred and fiftieth birthday alongside his wife."

Twilight looked up from the book.

     "That's what Trixie wants. The Stallion's Stone!

"So Trixie wants to become immortal?" Applejack asked.

"No," Fluttershy said. "She doesn't want the stone for herself. She wants to use it for Ponymort!"

Applejack's eyes went wide and Twilight bit her lip.

"For gosh sakes Sugarcube!" Applejack cried. "Ya can't just go tossin' that name out left and right!"

"Sorry," Fluttershy apologized. "I meant You-Know-Who."

     "Good afternoon," said a voice from behind. The three fillies turned to see Trixie standing behind them.

"What exactly are three fillies like yourselves doing inside on a day like this?" Trixie asked. "Somepony might start to think your up to something."

Trixie walked away.

     "Does she get off on bein' creepy?" Applejack cried.

"She might be right though," Twilight said. "It's not normal for us to be spending this much time in the library. I mean, for me it is, but not for you two. You go, and I'll read up more on the Stallion's Stone."

***********************

     Fluttershy and Applejack were sitting on the courtyard bench when Rarity walked by.

"Oh," Rarity said. "Fluttershy, darling. What a pleasure running into you!"

"How are you today Rarity?" Fluttershy asked politely.

Rarity bit her lip. "Actually, I'd love to have tea with you and your friends today!"

"What time?" Applejack asked.

     "One in the morning seems good," Rarity said.

"One in the morning?" Fluttershy echoed. "We can't sneak out at one in the morning to go have tea with you!"

Rarity chuckled nervously. "It's of utmost importance that you come have tea at one in the morning!"

Applejack shrugged. "Whatever ya say Rarity."

Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. "You girls are the best!"

************************

     The invisibility cloak wasn't big enough for Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy, so the very bottom of their hooves were still visible. Thankfully, the corridors were empty. Even Hayseed had gone to sleep.

They finally worked their way to Rarity's cottage. "Thank you girls for coming," Rarity said. "I don't know what I would have done with out you!"

"What is it Rarity?" Twilight asked.

Rarity motioned towards her kitchen table. Sitting in the center, rather than a pot of tea and a plate of scones sat a shining blue egg.

"A dragons egg!" Fluttershy cooed. "However did you find it Rarity?"

"A hooded unicorn I met at a fabric store gave it to me," Rarity explained. "It's almost ready!"

     Suddenly, there was a snapping noise. A large crack formed alongside the egg. Then another crack formed on the opposite side. Soon, a small red claw slid through the crack and pulled the egg apart. The shining blue shell collapsed on the table revealing a small, wet, red baby dragon.

"I'm so excited!" Rarity squealed.

     "I never knew you were so enthusiastic about animals, Rarity," Fluttershy said.

Rarity frowned. "I'm not enthusiastic about animals. Dragon egg shell makes the perfect glitter for my designs!"

     Rarity gathered up all the egg shell fragments with her magic and placed them in a large bowl. Then she picked up a rock with her magic and began grinding up the egg shells into a fine sparkling powder.

The dragon began crawling around the table, whimpering softly.

     Fluttershy was appauled. "What do you plan to do with the baby dragon?"

"Oh, that thing," Rarity said, her face contorted with disgust. "I'll just let him loose in the Everfree Forest."

"You can't just let a baby dragon loose in the Everfree Forest!" Fluttershy cried. "I've read all about them! They can't survive in this environment!"

     "You're startin' to sound like Twilight," Applejack mumbled.

Fluttershy picked up the dragon in her arms and began stroking the dragon's spines. "There, there Norbert," Fluttershy said.

"Norbert?" Twilight echoed. 

     "Well we have to call him something," Fluttershy said.

Norbert hiccuped and green flames shot out of his nostrils. 

"You have to keep him Rarity!" Fluttershy insisted. "I'll... I'll come by and take care of him every day! I'll train him! I'll sing to him! I'll even chew his food for him while he's a hatchling."

     "That sounds like an awful lotta work Sugarcube," Applejack said. 

"I agree with Applejack," Rarity said. "What am I supposed to do with him while your in class? And besides, you already have a pet."

     "I know," Fluttershy said. "But Angel is a good rabbit. He won't mind sharing the attention for a while. And when I'm in class, you'll just have to deal with him."

"Alright," Rarity groaned. "Curse my overwhelming generosity."

***********************

     Taking care of an untrained baby dragon in a small cottage full of flammable fabrics was like trying to catch a manticore with a butterfly net. Needless to say, it was very difficult. Even with Fluttershy skipping her assignments and showing up immediately after her classes, the dragon had to suffer through eight hours of neglect. Rarity was afraid to make eye contact with Norbert, let alone take care of him. 

     Norbert was growing too. He had nearly doubled in size and strength in one week.

True to her word, Fluttershy had even chewed up the dragons food until he had grown his own teeth. 

"You can't keep going like this," Twilight said while Fluttershy was chewing up an apple for Norbert to eat.

"Twilight's right!" Applejack agreed. "You're getting more and more tired, you've been neglectin' your own pet, and your grades are worse than mine!"

     Fluttershy spat the cream colored mush into a bowl and set it in front of Norbert. 

Twilight's face contorted with disgust as the small red dragon began scooping the semisolid into his mouth with his long red claws.

"I'm fine," Fluttershy insisted. "And so is Norbert."

*********************

     Gilda paced the Slytherin common room while Snips and Snails sat and watched her.

"Those three are up to something!" Gilda shouted. "They're spending all day at that brat Rarity's house. They must be plotting against me!"

     "Everypony is plotting against you," Snips said.

Snails nodded in agreement.

"Shut up!" Gilda snapped. "I'm the brains here! I've got to find out what their up to..."

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

        Peering through the window of Rarity's cottage, Gilda saw Twilight and Applejack talking. Then there was that brat Rarity sewing a dress or something no doubt. 

     Then she saw it. Through the glass, she saw Fluttershy clutching a small creature in a blanket. The creature hiccuped and green flames shot into the air.

"Fluttershy!" Rarity yelled. "You have to control that thing!" 

"I'm trying," Fluttershy cried. "Norbert! No flames inside! Norbert?"

     The creature wriggled out of Fluttershy's hooves. It stood up on it's own and began grabbing everything it could get it's paws on.

     "My hat!" Applejack yelled, trying to wrestle her hat away from the reptile. "Control your dragon Fluttershy!"

Gilda stepped away from the window. So that's what those ponies were up to. They were raising a dragon to destroy her. Well it wasn't going to work.

********************

     "Norbert!" Fluttershy shouted. "You're in big trouble mister!"

The dragon had doubled in size in only a few minutes. He had latched onto Rarity's fabric.

"My fabric is ruined!" Rarity whined.

     The dragon pulled more and more fabric into a big pile in the center of the room. 

Suddenly, the front door burst open.

"Why do I always have to clean up these messes?" Luna asked as she lifted up the dragon with her magic. Gilda was standing behind her, grinning.

     "Alright," Luna said as she placed the dragon in a cage. "What shall the punishment be? I think a weeks detention in the Everfree Forest with Rarity sounds fair."

"Th-the Everf-free F-forest?" Fluttershy asked, trembling.

"What Fluttershy means to say," Applejack explained. "Is ain't there some way we can avoid this detention?"

"Yeah," Twilight said. "Couldn't we write a well thought out letter to Professor Celestia about the lesson we learned and call it good?"

     "I'm afraid not," Luna said. "The four of you must attend detention."

Gilda frowned. "The four of us?"

"That's right," Luna said. "As honorable as your intentions were, you too were out after curfew. You will join Fair Fluttershy and company in detention, starting tomorrow evening."

Luna turned towards the door. "Now I have to get this blasted dragon shipped off. Honestly, who keeps a dragon at a school?"

*************************

     Hayseed lead the three fillies and the griffin down the hill to Rarity's cottage.

Hayseed grinned, showing his rotting teeth. "You three have fun in the Everfree forest!"

"Isn't that place off limits?" Gilda asked.

     "Not with supervision," Hayseed said. "You're getting off to easy if you ask me! I'd have you hanging from your hooves with the mane torn off your head if I was in charge!"

Rarity stepped outside of her cottage. "Alright, let's get this over with."

***********************

     Rarity lead the way through the dark and gloomy forest until they came upon a dark body on the ground. It was a manticore.

"This is what we're looking for," Rarity explained. "Somepony has been killing them. I don't want to be out here dealing with this any more than you, so let's split up and we'll get it done quicker."

     She grabbed Twilight and Applejack and pulled them near her. "I'll take you two, and Gilda and Fluttershy can go together!"

Before Gilda or Fluttershy could object, Rarity had rushed off pulling Twilight and Applejack along.

*********************

"This is so stupid!" Gilda whined.

     Fluttershy was terrified. The surrounding shady oak trees seemed to be leaning over Fluttershy, ready to gobble her up. She trembled more and more with each step she took.

"What was that?" She squeaked.

"Relax," Gilda said. "It's probably just a squirrel or something."

Snap!

     Fluttershy looked to the right and saw a hooded figure. It was a unicorn huddled overtop another manticore body. The unicorn looked up, and it's horn began to glow blue at the sight of Fluttershy. 

Gilda took off flying, but Fluttershy was petrified. She couldn't make her hooves move. Her cutie mark flared up, just like it had when she first saw Trixie. A white hot needle pierced her flank.

Suddenly, another figure sprang from the shadows. A tall earth pony tackled the unicorn. The hooded unicorn wrestled away and galloped into the shadows.

"Are you alright Fluttershy?" The tall earth pony asked.

     Fluttershy nodded. The earth pony stepped out of the shadows into a clearing. The moonlight on his face revealed that he was not a pony at all. At least not entirely. He had the lower half of a pony, but his top half was of a creature Fluttershy had never seen. He had another set of hooves, but they were long and with more appendages at the end. His head was not as long as a typical ponies head would be, and he was about as tall as Professor Celestia.

"I am Firenze, the Centaur," he said. "We must get you back to the school."

"Wh-what w-was that thing?" Fluttershy asked.

"That was a sad, pitiful pony," the centaur explained. "It was feasting on the blood of a manticore."

     Firenze leaned in closer. "The blood of a manticore can keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death. But you will live a half life; a cursed life. Tis better to die in my opinion."

     "Was that..." Fluttershy gulped. "You-Know-Who?"

The centaur leaned in even further. "Yes. Not in body, but in spirit. I must leave you now, dearest Fluttershy. And good luck."

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