PART 1: A Princess and a Market Place

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria...

Far below the shining Crystal Mountains in the snowy north, past the majestic and brilliant Canterlot City--where the great and wise Princess ruled--over forest, river and dale, lay nestled the small town of Ponyville. It was a quiet little village; quite different from the towering Manehattan City far away on the east coast, or the ever-lively Las Pegasus to the south-west. Both of these places were next to the sparkling seas. But Ponyville sat right in the middle of lush green country, at the heart of Equestria, where all the different kinds of ponies lived.

There were unicorns, who wielded spectacular magic with their horns; pegasi that soared through the deep blue sky with amazing speed, laughing and playing on the fluffy clouds; and powerful, strong -willed earth ponies, who farmed the lands.

Ponyville was home to all three types of ponies, and each one lived in harmony with the other, baking treats, selling flowers and planting gardens, making beautiful dresses, and all other manner of fun things you can imagine.

Now, it came to happen about this time that a little pegasus filly by the name of Fluttershy moved to Ponyville. She had lovely pale yellow fur, and a pink tale and mane, which draped lightly over one side of her face. She bore a cutie mark of three little butterflies, signifying that her special talent was to care for animals.

Fluttershy had come all the way from the sprawling city of Cloudsdale, that sat high up in the blue expanse above. Only pegasi could live in Cloudsdale, for it was a metropolis built not of stone, brick or wood, but of clouds. This meant earth ponies and unicorns would fall right through. Yet Fluttershy, unlike most pegasi, preferred to stay on the ground, and so she moved to Ponyville.

The yellow pegasus had no trouble in finding a nice little cottage in town to live in. It was built from a sturdy oak wood, with four windows and a stone chimney sticking out the top. A tiny dirt path led up to the light green door, flanked on both sides by all kinds of beautiful and wonderfully scented flowers. There were pink roses and blue orchids and vibrant violets and daisies and tulips. It was quite impossible to walk up to Fluttershy's home and not be enveloped in a cushion of the most lovely smells and lively colors.

So far, Fluttershy had dwelt in Ponyville for a whole week, and as the flaming golden sun rose on a brand new summer day, the pegasus awoke with a petite yawn. She sat up in bed, stretching out her yellow wings, and giving them a quick flutter.

"Oh my," Fluttershy said, spying the rays of sunlight streaming in through her window, "morning already? It feels like only moments ago that I laid down to sleep!"

Daintily she slid out from her covers, and stood. The filly gave her legs a nice stretch, and then was sure to make her bed before going to find herself some breakfast.

"Hm, I think I'll have a lovely daisy and cucumber sandwich," she said to herself, as she trotted outside. Fluttershy carefully picked three daisies from all her many flowers, and brought them back to her kitchen. But when she looked for some bread and cucumbers, she did not find any.

"Oh no, I'm all out!" she said, and her pink maned head drooped in disappointment. "Now I'll have to go to the market place."

Fluttershy shivered. She didn't like going to big, crowded areas of town, for she was the most timid of ponies, and very fearful. Why, a few times she had even been scared by her own shadow. Being a young filly, most of the ponies she saw were bigger than she was, often making them look intimidating. Not to mention the Ponyville market place was always full to the brim with ponies bargaining and doing business, making lots of noise. It was much too loud for the quiet pegasus, and all in all a very scary affair for timid little Fluttershy.

"Well, maybe I can go tomorrow," she said hopefully. Suddenly her stomach growled in hunger. "Or not."

Walking to the corner of her kitchen, Fluttershy grabbed a straw basket in her mouth, put on a brave face, and stepped outside to face the market place.

Just then, a young, blue pony with a messy rainbow colored mane poked her head over the edge of a small cloud house, up above the cottage. It was Fluttershy's good pegasus friend Rainbow Dash. Ever loyal, the fearless Dash had come to live in Ponyville with her shy, yellow friend. She too had a cutie mark; an image of a rainbow colored lightning bolt.

"Hey ya Fluttershy! Whatcha up to?" the blue and rainbow filly called down to her friend.

Caught off her guard, Fluttershy squealed in fright, dropping her straw basket and diving into the flowers for cover.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and smiled playfully. With an energetic hop, she fluttered down to the patch of flowers, which trembled with her hidden friend's nervous shaking.

"Aw come on Fluttershy, it's just me. I know you're not afraid of your awesome friend Rainbow Dash!"

The flowers stopped quivering, and a pink maned head popped out.

"Oh! It's just you, Rainbow--you startled me!"

The blue pegasus chuckled, and used her head to nudge the basket toward her friend, who stepped out shyly from the flowers.

"That's ok," Rainbow said, "I was just wondering where you were going, and without me, even!"

"Oh," said Fluttershy cheerfully, "well, um, I ran of out bread and cucumbers. So I was going to the market to buy some, so I could have breakfast." Fluttershy tried to put on a brave smile at the idea of going to the market place.

"Oh, a mission for some good ol' grub eh?" Rainbow grinned widely, crouching low and fluttering her wings. Suddenly, she shot into the air, and twirled around above Fluttershy, doing loop-de-loops with ease. Fluttershy smiled at her friend's antics.

"You know, I could go for some breakfast, too. Gotta keep up my strength if I want to be the best flyer in Equestria! I'll go with you."

Fluttershy liked the idea of not going to the market alone. But ever kind, she said, "Oh, um, that's ok Rainbow. You don't have to go with me, if, um, you don't want to."

"Hey now," the blue pegasus said, as she fluttered in front of her polite friend. "It's me, remember? What kind of friend would I be if I let you go alone? Besides, the market is crowded, and I know it scares you."

Fluttershy's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Oh...well, I'm not that scared. Just, um, a tiny bit."

Rainbow Dash landed on the ground, and smiled knowingly.

"Come on, Fluttershy, we're going together. Ok?"

"Um...ok," Fluttershy agreed, happy she had such a loyal and confident friend.

"Great!" cried Rainbow, once again flying into the air. "Let's go!"

Fluttershy picked up her basket, and began to walk down the street.

"Uh, Fluttershy?" Rainbow called from up above.

"Yesh?" the yellow filly said through the basket in her mouth.

"Why don't you fly to the market?"

The young pegasus dropped the basket with a little squeak of fright.

"Oh, well...walking is just so much nicer!"

Rainbow laughed. "That was a good one! Now come on, you know it'll be faster."

"Um...no thank you," her friend said fearfully. The truth was, Fluttershy was a pegasus who didn't like to fly! Her friend knew this, and took every opportunity to try to get her to fly more.

"Come on, your wings could use the stretch! You'll enjoy it--I promise!"

"Oh dear," said Fluttershy, as she began to tremble. "Um, I really would prefer to walk, if, um, you don't mind."

Rainbow sighed--her friend was just so scared!

"If that's what you want," she said.

Together the two friends made their way through the colorful streets of Ponyville, which were filling with ponies getting ready to start their day. Pretty flowers grew in every yard, hedge and window sill, and birds twittered away joyfully in the many baths set out for them.

The pair of pegasi soon came to a wide open square, full of all kinds of open shops and venders. They sold all sorts of goods, from fruits and vegetables, to pies, cakes and yummy looking tarts, tasty juices, flowers, jewelry, dresses and stylish hats.

Already the market was quite noisy with ponies buying and selling. A delicious mix of warm smells reached their noses, causing their stomachs to growl in hunger. Rainbow Dash took a deep whiff of the wonderful smells, but Fluttershy shrank back at the sights and sounds of the busy square.

“Oh my,” she said fearfully, looking about. But Rainbow smiled bravely.

“Come on, Fluttershy, it’ll be fine—I promise! Just think of all the delicious treats you could get!”

“I don’t know…” the timid pegasus replied. Just then Rainbow spotted a brown earth pony selling cucumbers.

“Look, there’s a fellow who has just what you need. Let’s go.”

She got behind her nervous friend and pushed, but Fluttershy dug her hooves into the ground in fright. Rainbow Dash pushed harder, and suddenly her friend shot forward, landing right in front of the earth pony.

“Why good morning, miss!” he said in a deep, burly voice. “How may I be of service?”

Fluttershy didn’t respond, but instead cowered on the ground, trembling.

“Come on, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said patiently, “what would you like?”

“C-c-c-c-cucumbers, p-p-p-ple-ease.”

The earth pony smiled. “That’ll be three cucumbers for two bits.”

A quivering yellow hoof quickly deposited two gold coins on the counter in front of the brown pony. He then kindly handed her the cucumbers, which she set in her basket.

“Th-th-thank you,” Fluttershy said.

“There you go!” Rainbow Dash cheered. “Was that so bad?”

“Yes!” Fluttershy said in dismay, and she hung her head in shame. “I’m not a fearless, brave pony like you, Rainbow Dash, and I never will be.”

“Oh yeah?” retorted Rainbow, giving her friend a light bomp on the head. “I’m not scared of anything, so do you think I would spend my time hangin’ with a grade A chicken? No way! I’ve known you for a long time Flutters, and believe me when I say I know you have a spirit as fearless as a pegasus flying through a hurricane!”

Fluttershy looked earnestly at the messy, rainbow maned filly, who stared intently back.

“R-r-really?”

“Really. Or else my name isn’t Rainbow Dash!”

The yellow filly stared down at her hooves. “I don’t know…I wish I could believe you.”

Before Rainbow could reply, there was a sudden commotion in the market place. Many ponies ran past them to crowd around in the center of the square.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Rainbow asked curiously.

A large shadow passed over them, and the two pegasi looked up to see a beautiful, golden chariot fly overhead. It was led by two large, winged stallions in shining armor, and the chariot landed in the middle of the crowd.

“Oh my goodness, who is that?” asked Fluttershy.

Just then, a little unicorn filly with white fur ran by. She had a deep violet mane that curled over one side of her face, and a cutie mark of three little, purple diamonds. Rainbow Dash stopped her.

“Hey, do you know who that was?”

The young unicorn turned to them with wide eyes that sparkled with excitement.

“Certainly I do! It’s the Princess! She’s come to visit Ponyville!”

“The Princess?!” Rainbow and Fluttershy cried in unison.

“Oh my…here in Ponyville?” asked Fluttershy.

“This is so awesome!” cried Rainbow in excitement, as she fluttered into the air. “The Princess is the only pony cooler than me. Come on, let’s go see her!”

Fluttershy looked nervously at the large crowd gathered up ahead.

“Oh, um, you go ahead. I’ll stay here.”

“But Fluttershy! It’s the Princess of Equestria! Don’t you want to see her? This is a once in a lifetime chance. We’ll probably never have it again!”

“Oh, I doubt she’ll want to meet a pony as scared and weak as me,” her friend lamented. “But she’ll be happy to meet you, Rainbow Dash. I’m, um, I’m going home.”

The blue pegasus drooped in disappointment, but did not know what to say. Without a word, she flew off towards the crowd.

Fluttershy was about to go home, but suddenly thought better of it. She couldn’t meet the Princess, but perhaps she could at least see her, from a safe distance. After all, she was the ruler of Equestria. As the yellow pegasus looked on, the crowd suddenly parted, and out walked the Princess!

Fluttershy gasped in amazement—the Princess was so big! Much taller than any pony around her, she had a brilliant coat of white fur, which nearly glowed in the sunlight. A great horn rose from her head, and she had two graceful yet powerful wings. She was neither unicorn nor pegasus nor earth pony, but all three.

A gleaming golden crown rested on her head, and about her neck hung a shining gold crest, bearing a large purple gem. On each hoof she wore pretty golden shoes.

The Princess also had the most beautiful mane and tail Fluttershy had ever seen. They shimmered with a mix of lively colors, and billowed constantly in an invisible breeze. Like all ponies, the Princess had a cutie mark. It was a depiction of the sun, for she used her magic to raise and set the sun each day, as well as the moon each night. She was a very wise creature, as she had ruled all the land for over a thousand years, longer than any pony had ever lived.

Fluttershy had never seen such a beautiful pony.

As the Princess stepped out from the crowd of ponies, all the little fillies and colts ran and surrounded her. She loved meeting all the different children from across Equestria. They were the favorite part of her visits, and her merry laughter rang out through the air like a lark song.

As she looked at their wonder filled eyes staring up at her (for even Rainbow Dash did not have the mind to fly in her presence), the Princess suddenly noticed a little, yellow pegasus filly. She was sitting timidly off by herself, on the edge of the town square.

'Why is that filly all by herself?' the Princess wondered. That certainly would not do. And so calmly she walked towards Fluttershy.

The timid, young pegasus saw the ruler of Equestria headed towards her, and she immediately trembled in fear. The Princess was coming to see her! What should she do? With an “eep!” of fright, she crouched to the ground and closed her eyes.

The great white winged unicorn lowered her majestic head down near Fluttershy’s.

“My dear little pony,” she said gently, “why do you tremble so?”

“Oh m-my…y-your m-majesty…”

“Hush now,” the Princess cooed. “There is no need to be afraid of me. I’m not that terrifying of a pony, now am I?”

Fluttershy stopped quivering. She didn’t know why, but it was so calming to be next to the majestic ruler.

“Oh, your grace it’s jus—” the Princess placed a wing tip over Fluttershy’s mouth to silence her.

“Please, just call me Princess,” she said with a smile.

“Ok, um, Princess. You see, it’s not you, it’s me. I’m just such a scaredy cat! You can ask my friend Rainbow Dash. I wish I wasn’t. If only I could be more like her, or even like you. I bet nothing scares you—not even terrifying dragons! You must be the bravest pony alive.”

The ruler of Equestria chuckled, smiling kindly, and then tapped her chin in thought.

“Tell me little one. Would you like to know how to be rid of your fear?”

“How do I do that?” Fluttershy asked, intrigued.

“Follow me.”

And so the Princess and Fluttershy walked across the market place. Every pony stared at them, and many a young filly or colt was quite jealous. Rainbow Dash looked on, but didn’t dare interrupt them.

Soon they reached the edge of town, and the tall winged unicorn pointed to a low, purple mountain, not far off in the distance.

“Do you see that mountain?” she asked the little filly. “That’s called Pegasus Peak. Legend has it that at the very top, a grove of magical solar flowers grow, whose pedals are sprinkled with star dust. Pluck just a single flower, and you will be granted courage to overcome all your fears.”

Fluttershy’s eyes grew big and wide.

“Really? Oh my goodness.”

“But be warned,” the Princess said, “the journey may be perilous.”

Fluttershy gulped.

“You must choose what to do, young one,” the ruler said, and then leaned down and whispered, “but know this: I believe in you.”

And with that, the wise Princess walked back to town. However, Fluttershy sat there, looking at Pegasus Peak.

What should she do? It looked dreadfully scary. But if she plucked one of the magical flowers, she would be as brave as her friend Rainbow Dash. No more being frightened of her own shadow! And perhaps she would even be brave enough to fly!

“Um…hi, Fluttershy.”

The winged pony jumped. She had been so lost in thought, she had not noticed Rainbow Dash walk up beside her.

“Oh Rainbow, you startled me!”

Her friend simply rolled her eyes.

“You were very lucky to spend time with the Princess. What did she show you?”

Fluttershy pointed to the mountain. “Pegasus Peak. She said at the top grow magical flowers painted with star dust. If I pick one, it’ll make me brave, and I won’t be a scaredy pony anymore.”

Rainbow’s eyes sparkled with excitement at the idea of an adventure.

“But…she said it might be dangerous,” added Fluttershy.

“What are you going to do?” Rainbow asked.

Her shy friend thought quietly for a moment. She looked at the mountain, then down at her shadow, and she gave her yellow wings a small flutter.

Suddenly, her soft eyes steeled in determination, and she said, “I’m going!”

“Alright!” cheered Rainbow. “We’re gonna have an awesome adventure. Let’s go!”

But Fluttershy looked down at her hooves. “But Rainbow, um, you’re already brave.”

“So?” the blue pegasus replied. “I went with you to the market place, and I’m going with you to Pegasus Peak.”

Fluttershy smiled at her loyal friend, but something inside her kept her from giving in.

“Thank you so much, Rainbow Dash. But…I think I have to do this on my own.”

“What? But why?”

“I’m not sure,” came the cautious reply. “But I know I want to accomplish this on my own.”

The rainbow maned filly actually smiled. She knew her friend had a courageous heart hidden somewhere inside. Perhaps it just took a Princess to bring it out.

“Do you think you’ll make it?” she asked Fluttershy.

“I don’t know…but I have to try!”

“Well, I’ll be waiting right here for you when you return—I promise,” Rainbow Dash said, and plopped her bottom down on the ground.

Fluttershy nodded with a smile.

And with that, she turned, and began making her way to Pegasus Peak!




PART 2: Scaling Pegasus Peak


Pegasus Peak turned out to be much farther than Fluttershy thought. It was midday before she even reached the base of the mountain. Of course, she had taken a short break from her walk to enjoy a small meal of Wild Berries and Daisies. The young pegasus now sat hidden in a shady patch of trees, too scared to begin her journey to the top.

The mountain had seemed intimidating enough when she left Ponyville. But as she got closer and closer, Pegasus Peak grew larger and larger, and became scarier and scarier.

“Oh my,” said Fluttershy as she looked up at the mountain. She had to tilt her head all the way back, just to see the top.

“Maybe I shouldn’t try reaching the summit,” the shy pegasus said to herself. She was nearly ready to quit before she had even begun! Letting her fear get the better of her, Fluttershy began slowly backing up.

Suddenly, she bumped into something soft and furry, which squeaked in surprise. Fluttershy turned around to see a little white bunny. It was lying on its back in the undergrowth, gently rubbing its small button nose.

“Oh my goodness—I’m so sorry! You poor thing. I should have watched where I was going!”

The young filly leaned down and gently nuzzled the bunny. In return, he patted Fluttershy’s head, and gave a happy squeak—he was fine.

“May I ask what brings you to this scary mountain, Mr. Bunny?” Fluttershy asked.

The little creature nodded. Placing a paw to his lips, he gave a sharp whistle. Suddenly, bunnies all over popped out of the undergrowth. Most were very small, and Fluttershy could tell they were babies. Each one gazed at her with curious, black eyes.

“Why, it’s a whole family of bunnies!” the pegasus proclaimed. “Do you live here?”

A large bunny—the mother—hopped energetically over to Mr. Bunny—the father—and together they nodded to the young pony. Then Mrs. Bunny pointed to Fluttershy, and tilted her head to one side.

“Why am I here?” the filly asked, easily interpreting the little white furred creature. She looked nervously back up at the towering Pegasus Peak.

“Well, um, nothing of importance, really. I was, um, actually just returning home…” Fluttershy once again made to leave the mountain, but stopped. Suddenly she remembered the Princess’s words: 'I believe in you'. The timid winged pony bit her lip, and then recalled how her friend Rainbow Dash had promised to wait for her.

A sudden determination filled her spirit.

“No—I can’t go back home! Both Rainbow and the Princess have confidence in me. I can’t let them down—I can’t let myself down!”

With rekindled hope, Fluttershy looked down at the pair of bunnies before her. “I’m sorry Mr. and Mrs. Bunny. I’m actually here to reach the top of this mountain. As I’m sure you could tell, I’m a very scared pony. But at the top are flowers that will make me brave!”

The bunnies looked up at the pegasus in amazement, and hopped up and down excitedly.

“Since you live here, do you think you could show me where to start?” Fluttershy asked. Mr. Bunny nodded vigorously, and hopped quickly out beyond the trees. He stopped at a stony path that wound it’s way up the mountain.

“Thank you very much,” Fluttershy said, and she bent down and gave the bunny a little kiss on the top of his head. His cheeks turned a bright red, but he was happy to have helped the kind, young pony.

Fluttershy took a tentative step, and then another. She tried not to look up at the imposing mountain as began her journey along the stony path. She was concentrating so hard, that she failed to notice a small pair of curious eyes, watching her from a Wild Berry bush, near the edge of the trees.

As Fluttershy scaled Pegasus Peak, everything around her grew very quiet. There were no birds singing, or any of the other sounds of life she was used to hearing. Instead there was only the sound of the wind whistling through the rocks, and the clop clop of her hooves echoing around her. Every now and then she thought she heard the sound of pegasi wings flapping in the breeze.

“My, it sure is lonely up here,” the yellow filly said to herself. She gulped, but continued onwards. The path was fairly steep in some areas, and Fluttershy often had to climb over rocks much taller than she was.

The young pony often wished she could just use her wings, but she was still too scared. So on and on she climbed up the side of the steep mountain.

The air up on Pegasus Peak was very clear, but it lacked the sweetness of the breeze from down below on the ground. It was cooler, too. There also was very little vegetation on the mountain, and Fluttershy hadn’t seen a single tree so far. Well, she decided, she certainly preferred the ground below to the barren side of a rocky mountain!

Onwards and upwards the stony path took her. Then, while trying to reach a tall ledge from atop a boulder, she got stuck. The ledge was too tall for her to reach, but she was too frightened to try to climb back down, for she feared she might slip and fall.

“Oh no, what am I going to do now?” she cried, but there was no one to hear her. “I wish Rainbow Dash was here—she would be able to help me. Now how will I reach the top, or even get back down again?” She realized she had been mistaken to go on this journey alone.

Unsure what to do, lonely and still too scared to fly, Fluttershy sat atop the boulder, and began to cry. If only she wasn’t such a fearful pony—then none of this would have happened!

Just then, a small squeaking noise interrupted her crying. Fluttershy looked through her tears, but couldn’t see anything.

“Hello? Is somepony out there? Please help me!”

She heard the squeaking again, but louder this time. Suddenly, a small pebble flew up and bomped her lightly on the nose. Fluttershy rubbed the tears from her eyes, and looked down.

Why, it was a little baby bunny!

The small animal looked up at her with a determined expression. He pointed to his fluffy, cotton tail, and then to the Fluttershy. Without wasting a moment, he hopped up to the boulder that the pegasus sat trapped upon. But he could only climb about half way up.

Fluttershy looked down at him from her perch. “Are you trying to reach me?” Suddenly, she didn’t feel so hopeless. The little bunny’s only response was to point to his tail again, and this time he did so impatiently.

“Oh! You want me to lower my tail down to you?”

The pegasus’s pink tail was very long for a pony her size, and it reached down to the baby bunny. He grabbed on, and used it to quickly scale the boulder and reach Fluttershy.

“Hello there,” the yellow filly said. “You’re certainly a clever little thing. Were you following me?”

The little bunny twitched his whiskers and looked down at his feet, and then shrugged casually. Then, hopping onto her head, he pointed to a longish plant root that stuck out from the cliff face above.

“Oh my, I didn’t see that before!” exclaimed Fluttershy. Carefully standing on her hind legs, she grabbed the root with her teeth. The bunny used it to quickly reach the top of the ledge, where he helped Fluttershy pull herself up also.

“Thank you so much!” she cried happily, grabbing the bunny up in a tight hug. She felt so relieved to be free and safe once more. “I was so scared and lonely, but you saved me!”

The tiny creature popped from her grasp. He brushed himself off in an irritated manner, but still smiled at her. Then he ran up and patted her wings.

“You want me to use my wings next time?” she asked, slightly embarrassed. The bunny nodded. “Oh, well, um, I don’t like flying—I’m too scared.”

The small bunny frowned.

“That’s why I have to reach the top of Pegasus Peak, so I can be brave!” Fluttershy explained. “Weren’t you scared, following me all the way up here by yourself?”

Her tiny companion shrugged. Hopping in front of her, he gestured up the stony path.

“Well, it looks like I have a friend on this journey after all!” the winged pony cheered happily. Confident that she could reach the summit of Pegasus Peak with her new friend, the two set off on the stony path.

It wasn’t long before Fluttershy realized she had forgotten something.

“Oh my, I never introduced myself! My name is Fluttershy.”

Her fluffy tailed companion nodded cordially.

“What’s your name?” the timid filly asked, but the baby bunny only shook his head.

“Oh, you don’t want to tell me?” Fluttershy said, disappointed. “Why not—don’t you like your name?”

Her companion frowned, shaking his head and pulling on his tail.

“But, I have to call you something!”

The bunny shrugged with indifference, and Fluttershy pouted. “Well, then I will simply make up a name,” she said, and the baby animal waited patiently.

“Hmmm, let’s see now…how about…snowball?”

The fluffy creature gave a sour expression, and shook his head.

“What about snowflake?”

The small bunny stuck out his tongue.

“Snowpelt?” she tried again.

Her little friend rolled his eyes, and placed his paws in his ears, before continuing to hop along the stony path.

“Snow….fur?”

Now he spat on the ground.

“Oh my…I’ll come up with something!” Fluttershy said determinedly.

And so the two continued their journey up Pegasus Peak, climbing ever higher. Fluttershy kept coming up with all manner of names for her new friend, but not a single one suited the little bunny’s tastes. In fact, the pegasus spent so much energy thinking up names, that she didn’t notice the sky grow dark with dangerous looking storm clouds.

“Um, how about Spot?” the filly asked, but her bunny friend was no longer paying attention. Instead he was looking up at the sky. Turning towards Fluttershy, he pointed dramatically into the air.

She looked at him curiously for a moment, before declaring, “Oh you actually like it!”

Her friend slapped a paw to his forehead, and dragged it down his face.

“Spot it is, then!”

Shaking his head, the bunny once more pointed skyward while bouncing in place. This time Fluttershy looked up, and immediately wished she hadn’t.

“Oh dear…” she mumbled, and began to tremble. Suddenly there was a brilliant flash of lightning, and the sharp BANG of a thunderclap shook them both. Within seconds, it was pouring down rain.

The little bunny huffed in annoyance, blinking water from his eyes. He ran up to his pegasus friend, who was cowering on the ground, shaking like a leaf.

“Oh Spot, there’s nowhere to hide!”

Frowning unhappily at the new name, the drenched Spot looked about him. Quickly he ran off up the stony path, leaving Fluttershy behind.

“Oh no don’t leave me!” Fluttershy wanted to run after him, but she was rooted to the ground in fear. Miserable, wet and scared, the fearful little pony didn’t know what to do.

However, her small companion had not abandoned her, and he came running back shortly after. The rain continued to fall in torrents, and Spot once more tried to get Fluttershy to follow him. Pulling on her wet mane, he pointed desperately up the stony path.

“What’s up that way—did you find something?”

The bunny only bounced impatiently in reply. There was another great flash of lightning, followed this time not by thunder, but by the terrible cracking of stone! Both pony and bunny looked up to see a large boulder, split from mountain face above, come tumbling down towards them. Fluttershy squealed in terror, and Spot covered his head with tiny, wet paws.

Then all at once, the large boulder was engulfed in a golden glow, and then disappeared entirely!

“Oh my goodness!” cried Fluttershy over the sound of the rain, amazed at what she had seen. Spot once more yanked on her pink mane. A sudden strength spread over Fluttershy’s limbs, as if warmed by the sun itself, and she managed to stand. Looking relieved, her small friend led her up the path, until they came to a small cave in the side of the mountain.

Once inside, the pegasus filly flopped to the ground in relief. “What a dreadful storm! I thought we were done for, Spot!”

Spot, for his part, puffed his cheeks out and shook himself free of water. But afterwards he was shivering from the cold. Seeing this, Fluttershy gently took the little baby bunny in her hooves, and curled up with him in a corner of the cave, calmly stroking his small, white furred head. Within seconds, he was warm again.

Fluttershy expected to wait many long hours for the storm to pass. But miraculously, the loud pitter patter of rain ceased after only a few minutes, and the entrance to the cave glowed with a golden light. The young pegasus poked her pink maned head out. Up above Pegasus Peak there was a large hole in the dark storm clouds, where warm sunlight poured down. Everywhere else but the mountain it was still raining fitfully.

“That’s strange,” said Fluttershy, “sunlight shouldn’t be coming straight down from above—it’s far past midday!”

Whatever the reason for the strange weather, both Fluttershy and Spot were happy to feel the warm sunlight drying their fur. Pleased with this turn of events, they continued up the stony path towards the top of Pegasus Peak.

“Oh my goodness, Spot, look—we’re almost there!” the little filly jumped in excitement, and she even gave her wings an energetic flutter. They were almost at the summit! Spot bounced quickly ahead, eager to finish, and Fluttershy merrily followed.

Up the stony path they ran, drawing ever nearer to their goal. Fluttershy could hardly contain her joy, and she imagined herself plucking one of the fabled solar flowers. I wonder what they will look like, she thought to herself.

Just then she rounded a corner, and immediately skidded to a stop. Up ahead, blocking the stony path, was a giant falcon! It was larger than any bird Fluttershy had ever seen, with brown and white feathers, long talons, and a sharp beak. Its hazel eyes glinted fiercely, and the great bird of prey was staring down at the small baby bunny. The falcon was a little taller than Fluttershy, but many times the size of the young bunny.

“Spot, get back here!” Fluttershy called to her companion. The little fellow looked at her with wide eyes, but bravely stepped towards the bird. The fearsome feathered creature leaned down and let loose a mighty screech, knocking the young bunny backwards. Getting up, Spot fearfully scrambled behind Fluttershy’s forelegs.

“That wasn’t very nice!” cried the winged pegasus indignantly. The Falcon’s only response was to stand to its full height in an attempt to intimidate the young filly.

“We are only looking to pass by. Won’t you please let us?” asked Fluttershy.

The bird shook its head defiantly. Fluttershy then noticed the beginnings of a nest off to the side. “Oh goodness, she must be building a nest, which means she’s protecting her home!”

The Falcon then spread its strong wings in a display of power, and marched towards Fluttershy. Spot trembled from his place beneath the pegasus, who didn’t move or even cower as the large bird approached.

“Please, I understand this is going to be your home, but I promise we’re only walking through,” Fluttershy reasoned, ignoring the little bunny pulling on her leg, trying to get her to back away. The bird drew very near, and gave another ear splitting screech. The young Spot plugged his ears from the sound, but Fluttershy didn’t flinch once.

After all, her special talent was working with animals, and the great bird of prey was no match for Fluttershy. Without a second thought as to the danger, the pegasus stepped firmly forward, surprising the Falcon and making it back up. Fluttershy continued to walk forward, unafraid.

“I understand this is where you want to make your home, but that does not mean you can block this path. That isn’t fair—this mountain doesn’t belong to you, it belongs to everyone!” the little filly said sternly, reprimanding the bird of prey. “Ponies like me have to use this path to reach to summit. Trying to prevent innocent creatures from passing by is mean, uncaring, and the act of a bully!”

Fluttershy then gave the Falcon such a stare that it lost all semblance of dignity, and cowered before her. Under the pony’s strict gaze, the bird uttered a cry of apology, and then quivered in shame.

“Now, there there,” the young pony said gently, giving the bird a nuzzle. “You’re not a true bully, you just made a bad decision. We forgive you.”

Fluttershy’s fluffy tailed companion sat with eyes wide and tiny mouth agape at what he had just seen. Swallowing, he ran and bounced to perch atop Fluttershy’s head. Paws on his hips, he stuck his chin out at the Falcon.

“Now I don’t ever want to hear that you prevented another kind soul from passing through, understand?” the yellow filly asked.

The great Falcon nodded its head, and then ambled slowly over to begin anew its work on the nest.

With a smile Fluttershy once more continued her journey up the stony path towards the mountain top. As she trotted along, her little friend gave her a tight hug, and a squeak of thanks for protecting him from the Falcon.

“It was no a problem at all, little one. Animals are my specialty, and that one just needed somepony to stand up to her, that’s all. Oh my, look at the sky—it’s all cleared up. And the sun is almost setting now.”

The filly wondered how the sun had gone from straight overhead to back where it belonged, near the horizon, so quickly. But then again, she was traveling up a strange mountain in search of legendary flowers. Perhaps that had something to do with it.

“Well either way, it certainly turned into a lovely evening, didn’t it Spot?”

The little bunny had a sickened expression on his face, and he stuck his tongue out at the name of Spot. His distaste however went unnoticed by his equine friend. Fluttershy walked over to the edge of the stony path, where it dropped away into a perilous fall. Seeing the amazing view offered by the tall mountain, the pair of friends gasped with wide eyes.

“Oh my goodness, you can see so far—that must be all of Equestria!”

And indeed, from her perch high up on the mountain side, Fluttershy could see the landscape unfurl like a scroll beneath her, stretching into the farthest reaches of the horizon. It was a swirl of colors, hills, trees, and sparkling rivers, and in the flare of the western sun the land glowed with a rosy hue. Fluttershy had never seen a sight so beautiful.

“You know Spot, I bet this is what it looks like every evening for a pegasus flying in the sky. And to get to see something this pretty everyday…well, perhaps flying wouldn’t be so bad.”

Her long eared friend simply nodded in agreement.

“Of course, that’ll be after I have the solar flowers to make me brave.”

Turning to face the mountain, Fluttershy then realized just how close she was to the summit of Pegasus Peak.

“Come on,” she cried excitedly, “there can only be a few more bends—yay!”

And it was true. The shy pegasus and her white furred friend rounded a few more curves, and were just shy of reaching the summit. There was only one last obstacle to overcome:

Straight ahead, a large dark chasm separated her from the very end of the stony path, and the summit of Pegasus Peak.

“Oh my!” cried Fluttershy in dismay, as she peered over the edge into the abyss below. The chasm took up the entire path, and there was no way around it. It was also much too long to jump. The timid young filly knew what she would have to do, but she was too afraid to do it.

Her companion hopped down from atop Fluttershy’s head, and poked her hoof in order to gain his friend’s attention.

“What is it, Spot?”

Momentarily rolling his eyes, the little bunny went about his demonstration. He got a little running start, and then jumped into the air, flapping his arms like wings. He did this many times, but Fluttershy already knew what he meant.

“I know I have to fly across! But it’s just so scary! That’s why I came here in the first place—to get the magic flowers so I could be brave, and fly. How am I supposed to do that before I even reach the flowers?”

Spot simply stamped his foot on the ground a few times, and then ran up and planted himself once more on Fluttershy’s head. The timid pegasus gulped a couple of times, and took a few steps back.

Then she ran forward, wings spread out, ready to fly. But just as she reached the chasm edge, her fear got the better of her, and the pony skidded to a stop.

“Oh, I don’t know if I can do this!” she cried in dismay. “What if I fall?” Her young friend simply patted her head, and pointed forwards with a paw.

Once again Fluttershy backed up, and prepared to run. But she never did so, and instead the yellow filly just stood there, stiff with fear. The young bunny squeaked in impatience. Fluttershy trembled, but decided to try again.

“Ok Fluttershy, you can do this,” she said. “Um…I think.”

As she hesitantly spread out her young wings, getting ready to make the run, the voice of the Princess echoed in her mind.

'I believe in you.'

Suddenly, the chasm didn’t seem so big. Then she remembered the words of her ever loyal friend Rainbow Dash.

'You have a spirit as fearless as a pegasus flying through a hurricane!'

Now she was almost certain she could make it. Suddenly, her fluffy tailed friend, who had saved her more than once, gave her great big bunny hug from atop her head.

Now she knew she could do it.

Fluttershy felt her wings strengthen as they stretched out wide. She lowered her head, eyes steeled with determination, scraped her hoof against the ground…

And took off!

The young, timid pegasus, who had journeyed up the perilous Pegasus Peak, ran head long and launched herself over the edge of the chasm. Spot held tight onto her mane and closed his eyes. He felt Fluttershy start to fall through the air…

And then soar high into the sky!

Fluttershy squealed in victory as her wings carried her aloft through the warm evening air. She didn’t just cross the chasm, she soared far past it. High into the air above the mountain summit she flew, laughing more happily and freely than she ever remembered before.

She had done it—she had bested Pegasus Peak!

With the wind whipping through her mane and tale, Fluttershy circled the summit. Below, she could see a large grove of beautifully glowing flowers, shimmering in the evening sunlight.

“That must be the flowers!” she cried. Spot gave a squeak as he held onto the pegasus for the ride of his life.

Now that she was finally flying, Fluttershy almost didn’t want to come down. But she knew she had to complete her journey. And so, gently flapping her wings, she landed softly in the grove of solar flowers.

Fluttershy looked on in awe at the magical and legendary plants, which glowed with a light all their own.

“Oh my gosh look at how lovely they are! I’ve never seen flowers like these! And look, they drop dust—star dust!” The pink maned pony twirled around, sending up an entire cloud of star dust. Spot jumped off of his friend and hopped around the grove with the young pony, until they both calmed down.

Finally, it was time to pluck a single flower, as the Princess had said.

“Oh, please grant me courage, and make me a brave pony!” whispered the timid filly, as she lowered her head and grasped a single flower in her teeth. Gently, she pulled it from the earth. Fluttershy waited…

And nothing happened.

She plucked another, and then another, but each time it was the same—she didn’t feel a thing!

“What’s happening?” she asked, frowning deeply. “Why don’t I feel any different?”

Fluttershy felt very upset. After all, she had worked so hard to get here! Had the Princess lied to her?

She couldn’t have, the pegasus thought.

Not sure what to do, and on the verge of tears, Fluttershy sat down, and pondered very hard. She thought about everything that had happened that day, from when she woke to when she met the Princess to her journey up the mountain. Her young furry companion simply watched as his friend fell deep in thought.

The yellow pegasus thought of how she had been stuck on the ledge, before the baby bunny had helped her overcome it. She thought of the storm, and the Falcon, and the giant chasm. She did all those things, just to reach the top of this mountain.

Then all at once, it dawned on Fluttershy.

Why, she didn’t need a magical flower to be brave and fearless. She had been courageous all day. She was so scared of Pegasus Peak at first, and it had seemed impossible to her. And yet, she climbed it. She was trapped on that ledge, but with the help of her friend, she overcame it. She was terrified of the chasm, and yet she soared over it with grace.

Perhaps…to be brave…one didn’t need to pluck a magical flower. Perhaps all they needed was to find strength in their friends, and face their fears head on.

Perhaps…Fluttershy already was a very brave pony.

A bright smile spread across the filly’s face, bigger and wider than she had ever smiled before.

“Oh my goodness! I am a brave pony! Did you hear that, Spot? I already have all the courage I need right here! With the help of my friends, I can be as brave as I have to be—I don’t need a flower!” Fluttershy picked up her bunny friend as she twirled around the garden in elation. She was so happy that her eyes began to fill with tears.

“And you helped me!” she cried to her little companion. “I couldn’t have done it alone—do you know what you are? You’re my little angel bunny!”

Suddenly Fluttershy gasped.

“Angel! That’s your name—Angel Bunny!” At last, the little white furred creature gave a joyful squeak of approval. That was name he liked.

Suddenly, a very kind and very wise voice spoke over the joyful noises the pair of friends were making.

“I’m so very proud of you, little one.”

Fluttershy gasped—she recognized that voice! Spinning around, she was amazed to see the Princess.

“Oh my goodness! Princess—what are you doing here atop Pegasus Peak?”

The majestic winged unicorn chuckled.

“I’ve been here, waiting for you, little one. Waiting for the moment when you learned the truth of what it really means to be brave.”

“You were?” the young filly gaped in amazement. Suddenly, she remembered all the strange occurrences since she had reached the mountain. The sound of fluttering wings, the falling boulder disappearing, the hole in the storm clouds over the mountain, and the sunlight pouring through.

The yellow pegasus walked slowly over to her ruler.

“Princess, was it you who did all those things? Was it you who helped Angel and I reach the summit of Pegasus Peak?”

The wise and beautiful Princess smiled warmly.

“Yes, my little pony, it was. As brave as you were, I could not let you face the possible dangers of this mountain alone. I was watching over you the whole time—you were always safe.”

Fluttershy was amazed. Did the Princess really care so much about one little pegasus pony? Angel, for his part, raised an eyebrow and puffed out his cheek nonchalantly, giving the Princess an indifferent look, which she laughed at.

“Come now, it is getting late. What do you say we fly back to Ponyville, hmm?”

Fluttershy smiled brightly.

“Ok!” she said.

Just then Angel hopped back up on her head.

“Oh my, Angel, we have to get you back home first!”

But the small white bunny shook his head furiously, and pointed down at Fluttershy.

“You don’t want to go back home?” the pegasus asked, and Angel shrugged. “Do you want to stay with me?” The bunny nodded vigorously.

“It seems you have made a permanent friend,” the Princess said happily.

Fluttershy smiled, and plucking another solar flower, she stuck one in her mane by her ear, and the other by Angel’s ear. Then together, the two ponies took off from Pegasus Peak. They soared gently through the warm evening air, and Fluttershy got to watch the ruler of Equestria set the golden sun and raise the silver moon, as they flew through the air.

As the pale, glowing orb rose in the sky, and star dust in Fluttershy and Angel’s flower sparkled and shimmered.

As they landed back down outside of Ponyville, the Princess bade Fluttershy farewell.

“Goodnight young one, and goodbye, though only for a while. I have a feeling we shall have many encounters in the times to come.”

“Oh I hope so,” declared Fluttershy.

The Princess smiled, and flew off. Fluttershy and Angel then walked back into town, where the ever loyal Rainbow Dash sat, still waiting for her friend.

Just as she had promised.


The End.