High above the ground, in Cloudsdale, there was a small and pretty house. It was in the middle of town, amoung the other houses. If you walked up to that house and peeked into the window, you probably wouldn't see much. You wouldn't see he pegasus that lived alone in that house. Even if it wasn't that late yet, the light was out. If the door was unlocked, you could sneak into the house and hear a small whimper from the bedroom. If you could come close to the bed unnoticed, you would realize that a sad and lonely pegasus was hiding underneath the blanket. It was a quiet pegasus named Fluttershy.
Fluttershy was often lonely. She thought that being with other pegasus was scary. However, being alone was probably worse. When being alone, dark thoughts sippered out from the back of her head. The thoughts that brings out anxiety, worry and despair.
In the dark, Fluttershy let her thoughts take over once again. Just thinking made her stomach hurt and she pressed her wings close to her body. She was still at an age when she should have her cutie mark. At the age when you should have found yourself, she was nothing by a blank flank. She was working in the cloud factory to make a living. She wasn't enjoying it, but didn't feel the right to complain. She feared that if she talked to anyone about her feelings, she would end up losing the job. She was doing what she was told and kept to her corner. At least the working clothes at the factory hid her flank, as well as the skirts she would wear anytime she was going outside.
Although she was just trying to act like a shadow and avoid talking with anypony, she had mixed feelings about living like that. As she was relieved about just being taken for granted as a character in this village and avoid conflicts, she was deeply hurt about the fact that she had not experienced any deeper emotional connection with someone.
Not being able to sleep at all, she slowly rose from the bed to make herself ready for the day. It was still dark out. To feel more awake and alert, she decided to take off for a morning flight. As she was slowly flying, she was still in deep thoughts. Like usual, she was spacing off. Being in her own world. That was why she didn't see or hear the air ship. She didn't even realize it was there until she was hit by it and immediately lost her consciousness. She helplessly fell down the sky and into a tree. She was hit by the branches several times and then landed on the ground.
It was just another morning at the Apple Acres. Applejack got up from bed, stretched and got ready for the day. She had plenty of time as she was an early bird. As she brushed her hair she watched the photo of her parents. They both died when she was young. Ever since Applejack could remember, granny Smith had been taking care of her and both of her siblings. Applejack had a talent to take care of the farm and discovered it at a very young age. She had been dedicating her life to the farm. It was a hard work, but she enjoyed it more than anything. She loved every corner of the farm and the business was going well. Sometimes she wondered what it would be to have parents though. Or someone special to help her with the hard work. 'Father, mother... I know you'd love to support me', she thought. 'You know I can make my way by my own and with the help of Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh and granny Smith. However, if I could wish for only one more thing in my life... I would wish for someone to share all the wonderful things here at the Apple Acres with me. A very special somepony'. Her thoughts was disturbed by her little sister Apple Bloom, who rushed into the room without even knocking.
"Sis, sis!, she screamed. "Th-there's something on the ground! Something! Something bloody!"
Applejack looked over at her, worried. She did look terrified.
"Apple Bloom! Take a big breath, calm down and tell me slowly what this is all about", she said as she put on her precious hat on her head, ready to go out. She was sure it was an animal who died. Maybe one of the hens got taken by the wolf. She hated it when that happened.
Apple Bloom took a big breath, just like she was told. She slowly exhailed and then looked up at her bigger sister, who she admired so much.
"I saw something strange under one of the apple trees. When I got there, I-I saw a pony with wings. On the ground. It's bloody and hurt!", she said, trying to keep herself calm.
Applejack stared at her. A pegasus on the ground? She knew very well that the pegasus ponies didn't want any contact with the ground. No pegasus was allowed to live on the ground and they were also forbidden to talk with any earth pony or unicorn if it was not for business. Being kind at heart, Applejack couldn't let this be. She decided to rescue that pegasus and then let her return to Cloudsdale.
"Thank you for tellin'. Me and Big Macintosh will carry her to the house. Bring the first-aid kit out and everythin' we might need", she said, immediately taking charge.
Apple Bloom nodded and ran off to do as she was told.
Just like she said, Applejack brought the hurt pegasus into the house together with Big Macintosh. Granny Smith, who was also very kind, didn't protest when she was asked to examine the pegasus.
"Both wings are broken", granny Smith told Applejack. "It won't be difficult to path that up. However, she can't fly for a while"
Applejack nodded and felt sorry for the pegasus. Supposely she would feel great pain once she woke up. Applejack had a worried look on her face as she caressed the pegasus' forehead.
"I'll call a relative who is a doctor. I'm afraid we can't ask the hospital for help this time", granny Smith said, wanting to give Applejack some hope.
Applejack nodded. It was very understandable that they couldn't ask the hospital to take care of someone who didn't even live on the ground. "That will be good enough", she said.
As they waited for the doctor to arrive with painkillers and everything else that was needed for this, Applejack cleaned up the ground and put plasters to her scratches. She knew Big Macintosh would handle the morning chores together with Apple Bloom. She checked the pegasus heart beat time to time. She felt relieved as she could clearly feel the heartbeat. As granny Smith told, nothing was badly hurt, except for the wings.
The doctor arrived. He was very serious and dedicated to his work. Although he was reluctant at first, he agreed to help the pegasus and not tell anyone about this. Applejack felt proud of the Apple family as she heard this. They always helped others out when they could. Even a pegasus pony.
Fluttershy slowly woke up in the bed. She grew more and more confused and terrified as she realized this wasn't her home. The bed she was laying in wasn't hers. Nor the bed clothing or any of the things around her. Even the noises around her sounded different. She felt dizzy as she tried to get up. Her back felt numb. Her throat was dry. Her eyes dizzy. After sleeping on her stomach for some more, she tried again to get out of the bed. She discovered that she couldn't move her wings. She whimpered and tried to figure out where this was. In order to do that, she walked up to the window, opened up the curtains and looked out. It was that moment she realized that she was in a house on the ground. Shocked, she backed away from the window. 'Oh no. The ground? That's prohibited', she thought. 'Why?'. She gasped as she remembered the air ship that hit her during her night flight. That would explain why her wings was broken. However, she couldn't figure out why she was inside a house. Someone must have taken care of her. Knowing there was no pegasus ponies on the ground, it must have been an earth pony, or a unicorn. Shaking, she laid down on the floor. She had no idea what to do.
Applejack left the pegasus side for a bit, since she was peacefully sleeping. She made some chores and then returned to the bedroom with a glass of water. She walked in without knocking and saw the pegasus laying on the floor. She put the glass of water away and ran up to her.
"Howdy. You alright?", she asked, worried.
Fluttershy looked up at the pony staring down at her with big eyes. Her heart was beating hard in fear. It as the first time she saw an earth pony. She didn't answer the question, just whimpering and looking down again.
Feeling that the pegasus was scared, Applejack thought of a way to make her feel safer. She got the glass of water and then approached the pegasus again. "Want some water?", she asked, trying to sound as friendly as possible.
Fluttershy didn't dare to move at first. However, she just couldn't ignore the question. So she slowly nodded and slowly got the glass. Her body was shaking from pain and fear.
After giving her some space, Applejack tried again to talk with her. "My name is Applejack. I work at this apple farm", she explained. "My sister found you under an apple tree".
Fluttershy looked up at her with big eyes. So it was this kind of place the pegasus ponies got the apples from?
"I will not tell anypony that you have been here, so don't worry about it", she said and smiled.
Fluttershy blushed. She felt a little bit better now when the other had promised to keep her stay a secret from anypony. Once her glass was finished she put it on the floor.
Assuming that this pegasus was feeling uncomfortable, she would give her some time to open up.
"You should get some rest. If you need anything, just tell me", she said as she walked towards the door.
Fluttershy felt less dizzy now. She followed the earth pony with her eyes. As she watched her, she thought that she looked weird without wings on her back. However, she seemed very kind. Much kinder than anyone in Cloudsdale. Once the earth pony left, Fluttershy slowly moved towards the bed again. She laid down on it and watched the apple trees silently. It was a peaceful sight. She liked the green colour of the grass and the leaves.
Rainbow Dash was looked up upon as one of the most dependable pegasus ponies in Cloudsdale. Everypony was sure that she was going to get really far. She was taking care of the weather as well as being the leader of various important missions. She was an excellent and fast flyer and she had a lot of confidence in everything she dedicated herself to. That was why she was assigned to lead the search for Fluttershy, who had been missing for days. She was not at work and neither at home. Rainbow Dash took on the mission in order to find her again and bring her back. Although Fluttershy was an anti-social, quiet and slow pegasus, Rainbow Dash was fond of her. She was really pretty, had the gentliest voice and was the kindest pegasus she knew. She tried to talk to her as often she could. She was sure that Fluttershy was either running away from home or had been hurting herself. She hoped for the first.
"Big sis!", Apple Bloom complained at the dinner table. "Why won't she eat with us?"
Applejack looked at Apple Bloom with a slightly troubled look on her face. She was right on her complain. The pegasus pony had been there as a guest for one week already and was still eating alone in her room.
"She's still scared of us, I think. She won't talk to me, neither tell me her name", she said and sighed. She stared down at the food as she thought about how Fluttershy wouldn't talk, but let herself being taken care of. "Lookie, I'm trying to find a way to make her feel comfortable enough to talk to me. She'll be here for quite a while".
As Apple Bloom heard this, she thought about a way to make the pegasus pony feel comfortable.
"Can't you give her some ice cream?", she suggested.
"I already gave her lots of delicious apple treats", Applejack said and turned to granny Smith to ask her about the upcoming farming market.
"Oh, oh, oh! I know!", Apple Bloom suddenly said again, loudly as she thought she had the greatest idea.
Applejack turned to Apple Bloom again.
"What, Apple Bloom?", she asked.
"Let's bring a bunny to her!", she said, proud of her idea.
"A bunny?", Applejack asked, not thinking that was the best thing for someone who was hurt like that.
"Yeah!", she said, excited.
Applejack wasn't sure about it. Maybe this pegasus pony wasn't good with animals. That would make sense, since she lived in a place where animals would rarely come. However, she thought that she at least could try.
"Let's give it a try", she said and smiled. "We'll bring a bunny to her after dinner"
Apple Bloom got excited and really happy as her big sister thought it was an idea worth to try. After dinner, she went to get a pet bunny and gave it to Applejack so that she could bring it to the bedroom. Applejack went to the bedroom with the bunny of her back and knocked the door before walking in. She greeted the pegasus pony, who was staring out of the window again.
Fluttershy turned to Applejack and her eyes widened as she saw what she had. It was one of the ground animals that she had seen from the window. Those were incredibly cute. She walked up to Applejack and stared at the bunny.
"U-uhm...", she whispered.
Applejack blinked. It was the first time she heard the pegasus pony speak. "Yeah?", she asked, wanting to hear what she was intending to say.
"Can I... touch it?", she asked, not getting her eyes off the bunny.
"Yeah, sure!", Applejack said and put down the bunny on the bed.
Fluttershy walked up to the bunny and slowly reached out her hoof. She gently patted the ears, then the head and the body. It was so soft and warm. She made happy noises as she was touching the bunny. She thought that she had never felt happier in her whole life.
Applejack watched this and was amazed. She was really happy to see this pegasus pony so happy. She walked away to get the cat they kept around the farm. When she came back, the pegasus pony smiled widely and made a happy squeal.
"I didn't know you liked animals that much", Applejack told her and couldn't help but to smile.
"Me neither", Fluttershy whispered. She just couldn't get enough of them. "Are there more?"
"We have a lot of different animals. This is a farm, after all", Applejack said. "You want me to show them all to you?"
Fluttershy looked at her with a happy face. "Yes, please!", she said.
Rainbow Dash looked for clues and after a couple of days the news reached her ears that an airship had been hitting something the morning Fluttershy stopped coming to work. They assumed it was a bird and didn't investigate it as it fell down to the ground. Rainbow Dash got worried as she heard this. She decided to investigate the ground on her own as she was the fastest and had the most stamina. She hated that she had to get to the ground, but she knew she had to. For Fluttershy.
Applejack was feeling warm and cozy as she took time off to show the pegasus pony around the farm and introduce her to all the animals. She was happy that she had found a way to connect with her. She even knew her name by now. Fluttershy. It was an adorable name. Applejack loved how Fluttershy wanted to know everything about the animals on the farm and even said she wanted to help with the chores that involved the animals. Feeling it would be good for Fluttershy, Applejack gave her a couple of chores that she thought she could handle.
When going outside to do chores, Fluttershy made sure to hide her wings and press them close to her body, just in case. When working with the animals, Fluttershy felt really comfortable and happy. It was like she had found her purpose in life. She wondered to herself if that was the feeling other ponies had when they got to use their talents that was connected to their cutie marks.
Applejack was tired from work and was about to get ready for bed when she heard screams from the bedroom Fluttershy was staying in. She rushed there. "What's going on here?!", she asked.
Fluttershy looked at her, shaking. "M-my... my cutie mark!", stammered. "I got my cutie mark!"
Applejack stared at Fluttershy's cutie mark. It was really there. Only a couple of days ago she had seen that she didn't have one.
"Congratulations!", Applejack told her happily. She walked up to look more closely at it. "It looks really good. It's butterflies, right? What does it stand for?".
Fluttershy got a bit embarrassed when Applejack looked at her,like that. "I, uhm...", she said as he covered the marks again. "I think it's the animals".
Applejack was surprised by this. Who would have thought that? "No wonder you didn't find your talent earlier then, since you had to stay in Cloudsdale", Applejack told her and walked up to her to pat her head.
Fluttershy blushed and scraped the floor. "I always thought it was my own fault that I couldn't figure out", she whispered and stared down as she said this. "I felt like a failure". As she said this, she started to sob.
"Hey, nopony's a failure", she told her and gave Fluttershy a hug to comfort her. "Especially not you".
Fluttershy cried out of happiness as she let herself get hugged by Applejack, the gentliest pony she had ever met.
During the following week, Fluttershy opened up more to them and even joined them for dinner. She still wasn't really talkative but Applejack thought that was fine. Not everypony had to talk like Pinkie Pie.
Rainbow Dash had been searching the whole area that was beneath the way the airship was taking. She couldn't find anything. She was starting to feel it was hopeless as she had spent almost a whole month to search. Maybe Fluttershy died from the fall? She swallowed and refused to believe that. It was then she saw an earth pony on the ground who looked quite like Fluttershy. She stopped and saw that her back was covered. That was when she quickly flew down and caught Fluttershy.
Fluttershy was suddenly attacked by something or somepony. She was about to scream when her mouth suddenly was covered. She closed her eyes tightly as she was lead to the closest bushes, where the somepony let go of her.
"You're Fluttershy, aren't you?!", Rainbow Dash asked her.
Fluttershy recognized this voice. She looked up to see Rainbow Dash in the eyes. She swallowed nervously and looked away. Lying wouldn't do, as everyone could see that she was Fluttershy and could easily prove it by uncovering her wings. So she nodded.
Rainbow Dash was sort of shocked. Here she had been searching and worrying. Just to find Fluttershy on some kind of farm. Although she doubted it, she hoped that she hasn't gotten in contact with any earth ponies or unicorns. "What the hell are you doing?", she asked. "We're not supposed to be at the ground!".
"I... I hurt myself badly. My wings broke", she whispered and nodded at them before she shyly looked over at Rainbow Dash again. "A farming family took care of me, and-..."
"A farming family?!", she asked. "That means they are earth ponies!"
"Pl-please don't tell anypony about this", she begged her.
Rainbow Dash sighed heavily. "Right. I'll take you back to Cloudsdale at once", she said. "Since you can't fly there by your own".
Fluttershy felt horrified at the bare thought of going back to Cloudsdale. "At once? B-but...", she said and glanced over at the farm.
"Yeah, right now!", Rainbow Dash said. "Or what, are you implying that you want to stay? You know that is going to get you into big trouble"
Fluttershy stared down at the ground quietly. She loved the grass, the trees and the animals there. How could she ever leave them?
Rainbow Dash stared at her as she showed that she didn't want to leave the ground. "I don't believe you...", she whispered, before she decided to do this the hard way. "You will follow me to Cloudsdale! If you don't, I'll have a bunch of pegasus ponies do that for you".
Fluttershy panicked as Rainbow Dash was going to force her on this. "N-no...", she said and grabbed Rainbow Dash to prevent her from flying away to get help. "Please... please listen to me".
Rainbow Dash couldn't stay mad at Fluttershy. She quickly softened and decided to hear her out. "Yeah?", she asked, showing that she would at least give it a try to listen.
Fluttershy didn't know where to start. She swallowed before she finally started to speak. "I love the grass, the trees and all the animals that lives here", she said. "The family I'm staying with has also become very dear to me. I don't want to leave anything here. I love everything about the ground"
"Fluttershy", Rainbow Dash said, sounding very concerned. "As a pegasus pony, you belong to Cloudsdale and nowhere else. You can't live on the ground".
"Then please let me be the first pegasus pony to live on the ground!", she begged, voice shaking.
"I can't do that!", Rainbow Dash told her, getting more and more worried. "I'm not the one to decide, it's nature itself!"
Fluttershy decided to use her last resort to talk Rainbow Dash into this. She pulled up her skirt to show her cutie mark.
Rainbow blushed as Fluttershy pulled her skirt up all suddenly, but then she saw what was covering her flank. Butterflies. Rainbow Dash stared at that. Surely butterflies never flied as high as to Cloudsdale. They prefered to keep themselves near the ground, even if they could fly. 'Are them the same as Fluttershy?', she asked herself and covered her mouth. "What is your special talent?", she asked. "Since you have butterflies as your cutie mark..."
Fluttershy had never seen Rainbow Dash so put out before.
"It has to do with the animals on the ground", she said. "I think I can communicate with them".
"That's...", Rainbow Dash said and suddenly got this realization that if she took Fluttershy back to Cloudsdale, she would make her a very unhappy pony by hindering her from being like her destiny was meant for her to be.
"Rainbow Dash?", she asked, as she saw that Rainbow Dash was very shocked about something. "What is it?"
Rainbow Dash looked at her again, wanting to try again to convince her to go to Cloudsville. "Can't you talk to birds?", she asked.
"I'm sorry... They don't pass by Cloudsdale much", she said. "And I want to be with the animals on the ground".
Rainbow dash swallowed. "If you want to leave Cloudsdale to live on the ground, you will have to look like an earth pony", she said, voice getting harder again. "How exactly are you going to do that, with those wings on your back?".
Fluttershy hadn't thought that deep about it. She stared down at the ground, desperately thinking about a way to be able to stay. She was ready to do just anything to stay on the ground.
As Rainbow Dash got no answer, she thought that she had won the discussion. "I'll come back in one month", she said. "Together with guards. Until then, spend your time as you like here".
Before Fluttershy could say anything more, Rainbow Dash was gone.
Now when Rainbow Dash was about to lose her, she realized how much she loved Fluttershy. Once she was back, she intended to assemble all kind of birds for her to communicate with. She was going to fly with her and teach her everything about where the birds were. It was going to work out somehow.
One month passed and Rainbow Dash went to the farm together with three trustworthy pegasus ponies. She found her outside the farm and landed in front of her.
"We're going to take you back to Cloudsdale, Fluttershy!", Rainbow Dash announced.
"But I'm not a pegasus pony... So I can't live in Cloudsdale", Fluttershy said, hoping that this would work.
Rainbow Dash laughed. "Don't lie. You have wings", she said. "So you're a pegasus pony"
Fluttershy shoke her head. "I don't have wings", she said.
The other pegasus ponies looked at each other, confused.
Rainbow Dash walked up to her, angry. "Stop playing around! You have your wings underneath this!", she said and grabbed the fabric that covered Fluttershy's wings. She pulled it away to prove that Fluttershy was lying. What she saw beneath the fabric wasn't wings. Instead Fluttershy had scars on each side of her back. She stared at this before she had to turn away. "Why... Why?!"
Fluttershy looked down on the ground, not being able to take seeing Rainbow Dash's heartbroken look. "I'm sorry", she whispered. "If I didn't have wings, I would not be a pegasus pony anymore. So I had to ask someone to remove them".
Rainbow Dash thought that was the sickest thing she had ever experienced. Even if Fluttershy got back to Cloudsdale, she would never again be accepted as a pegasus pony as she didn't have wings anymore. If Fluttershy stayed on the ground as an earth pony, no pegasus pony would ever be allowed to speak with her. Not even the pagesus pony who loved her. Thinking about that, Rainbow Dash couldn't hold back a sob. As soon as she realized she had started crying, she quickly left. She was soon followed by the other pegasus ponies.
Applejack didn't like the idea of having the doctor entirely amputate Fluttershy's wings. Even if she had been telling the doctor that they hurted badly, the healing was going good according to the doctor. Actually, she thought that Fluttershy might had amputated her wings just so she could stay at the farm. No matter what the reason was, anypony could tell that it was what Fluttershy really wanted. She seemed more and more happy the more time that passed. She was also able to show her clear signs of affection and Applejack believed that someday soon both of them were going to be able to tell each other about their feelings. Applejack was going to let her stay for as long as she wanted, even if that meant forever. 'Father, mother', she thought to herself as she watched Fluttershy feed the animals and happily talk to them. 'I found my special somepony'