The three ponies crossed the threshold, entering the small house. Inside, the small house offered, by virtue of its composition of selected trees from the Whitetail Woods, a very cosy atmosphere, which made Cadence smile as the smell of polished, aged wood entered her nose. It remembered her somehow of Sweet Apple Acres.

The first room was a living room which, that's separated by a thin wall with a window on the middle of it, doubled as a kitchen with its dining table next to it. The table was set up to six ponies, but it seemed it rarely saw that much use. Next to the kitchen, stood the biggest room of the house, with a king-sized bed and its own bathroom. A small, old rabbit snored peacefully, covered by soft white linen sheets and overlooked by portraits hanging from the walls, depicting ponies and small creatures of Fluttershy's cottage.

At the other side, stood two small bedrooms, separated by another bathroom. The first one was devoid of any special characteristics, having only a two-pony bed, a desk with a chair, and an old, oak-wood closet which smelt of clean clothes when opened. The other room was that of a foal, colorful and littered with toys and books everywhere.

The living room boasted a large, red sofa matching three smaller seats, all plastered with big, comfy cushions. In the walls, complementing the set of pictures from the main bedroom, photos hung around everywhere. Some of them depicted Fluttershy's animal friends, but most of them depicted ponies. Some had Fluttershy and her friends posing smiling to the camera; the whole group or just a small set of them. Others had Fluttershy too, with a stallion next to her. In those, Fluttershy appeared happy and serene, as did the ones where a foal appeared with the joyful couple.

The sight from the pictures brought a wide smile to Cadence's face, as it did whenever she saw them. Her eyes scanned the ones that had been added to the wall since her last visit, and her grin only grew wider as she saw the once tiny foal now grown up, almost as big as Winter Blossom. The white filly herself pouted at the absence of her cousin.

"Do you want cookies, Winter?" asked Fluttershy, beaming, to the small filly. Winter looked up to her aunt and nodded enthusiastically, her former mood completely swept away by the promise of sweets. Cadence laughed softly, passing one hoof through Winter's mane, ruffling it.

"Only a couple, though. She's just had breakfast."

A smaller pout formed on Winter's lips. She looked up to her mother, big puppy eyes ready for the killing, only for them to be received with Cadence's playful disapproving stare. She relented then, causing Fluttershy to giggle.

"Don't worry, Winter; they'll be delicious enough for many. And I'll make some cherry tea for us. Is that ok, Cadence?" asked Fluttershy, looking for confirmation from the older mare. Cadence nodded, smiling.

"You know I love it, Fluttershy." The yellow mare nodded and turned back to enter the kitchen; she could be seen through the window, fiddling around in cupboards. Cadence's attention turned back to the pictures hanging on the walls, while she snatched Winter away between her hooves, embracing the filly against her chest. Warmth filled her as she held her daughter close to her, and looked at the pictures, depicting Fluttershy, her special somepony and their foal, all with big, happy smiles that infected you from the frame, putting a Pinkie Pie-style smile on your lips.

While she could hear and see Fluttershy going around in the kitchen, Cadence threw around a look at the peaceful house; an atmosphere so calm that it seemed surreal to her for some reason. It was then that it dawned on her.

"Hey, Fluttershy, where's Angel?" asked the princess, softly. She felt the mare on the other side coming to a stop in the middle of her activities, the bustling kitchen falling into silence all of a sudden. It lasted only some brief moments, though, before Fluttershy's activity resumed once again.

"Well... Angel's pretty old already... He's been sleeping more lately, not being as active as he was before, and he's got some health problems. I'm doing my best to take care of him..."

Fluttershy's already soft voice broke halfway through her speech, mixed with small sobs that erupted into all out crying. Winter and Cadence stepped up and headed towards the kitchen. Winter wrapped her small forelegs around Fluttershy's yellow ones, looking up to the saddened pegasus with an equally distraught look on her eyes, tears coming down copiously from them.

"Please don't cry, Aunt Fluttershy," begged Winter, her clear eyes locking into Fluttershy's soft green ones, both blocked by the waterfall of tears. Fluttershy eventually calmed down, still breathing heavily. Winter stood next to her, comforting her, while Cadence took care of the tea in the stove. Once the tea was done, the three ponies went over to the dining table, where Cadence set up three cups of tea.

Fluttershy picked up the smoking drink carefully with her hooves, sipping the hot infusion. Her face lighted up considerably, despite the redness of her eyes. Putting the cup back down on the table, she let out a prolonged sigh and looked towards her guests.

"I'm sorry... I just can't bear the idea of losing Angel... I know it's inevitable, but..."

Cadence walked over to the pegasus, nuzzling her without saying a single word. Fluttershy let out a small smile and took another sip from her cup. Suddenly, their ears perked up from an almost imperceptible sound. Looking to the floor, Fluttershy and Cadence saw an old rabbit, its white fur missing patches and its ears flopping down, giving out weak kicks against the floor. The rabbit stopped once he caught their attention and winced from the pain. Another tear escaped from Fluttershy, who crouched down to embrace the rabbit softly.

"I'm sorry to have woken you up, Angel... Forgive mommy, I won't do it again. I love you, baby."

The rabbit looked at her with a harsh glare. The gaze did just last a few seconds, however, after which Angel's expression turned softer, and he returned Fluttershy's hug with his paws, staying silent. Finally, they let go, and he walked back slowly, disappearing through the kitchen while the three ponies looked at him concerned. Winter made a move to follow the small rabbit, but Fluttershy blocked her from following.

"Angel is very moody these days, Winter. Better to leave him alone."

After Angel disappeared from their sight, Winter unwillingly followed Fluttershy's advice, going back to her seat, followed by the Element of Kindness. Fluttershy looked towards Cadence with a curious look on her face.

"What are you planning to do this time, Cadence?"