There was a time, not very long ago, where everyone lived in an enchanted world, full of grand things, and harmony and friendship echoed through the land of Equestria. It was the night of the Grand Galloping Gala, and the Ponyville Palace glowed with lights and various ponies from all over poured in through it's doors. It was a celebration of Celestia's and Sombra's 1000 year rule, and the blissful return of Luna.

The most joyful of all the ponies there were Princess Twilight, and the Grand Duchesses, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. They pranced around their father's feet, giddily laughing at his attempts to snatch them up. He was only able to grab Fluttershy, who screeched in laughter as he tossed her in the air. Celestia laughed at her children's and husband's antics, and smiled down at her sister.

"Truthfully, sister, I've never seen you so happy," Luna said, her voice brimming with surprise and a tinge of joy.

"I don't believe anything could go wrong. I have my six wonderful children, my sweet Sombra, and now, I have you back, little sister," Celestia replied, bowing her head to nuzzle her sister. She pulled away after a minute. "But it saddens me to have to leave them and Sombra here when I have to return to Canterlot, sometimes for weeks-months at a time."

"Why don't you bring them?"

"They're so young, I don't know if they could handle the constant travel, especially little Fluttershy. But," Celestia smiled, "I had some very special gifts made for them. You will probably remember them from long ago."

"You don't mean…"

"Yes."

"But they're only fillies-could they handle that much responsibility?"

"They will in time. But for now," Celestia's horn glowed, and a jeweled chest floated from behind her chair, "they serve as keys for something else."

She turned her attention back to the dance floor, and beckoned her children to her. They abandoned their game with their father, and galloped up the raised dais to their mother. Twilight flew to her, still a little clumsy with her wings, and nuzzled under her chin. The rest of the girls followed suit in a large mass of giggles.

"What is it mother?" Twilight asked. The rest nodded, Pinkie jumping all over the place.

"Is it a surprise? I love surprises! Is it a cake? Oh! No! Cupcakes? Magical artifacts that will be an important plot device for when we're older?"

Everypony looked at her bewildered.

"Pinkie, that sounds ridiculous," Rainbow Dash said, zipping around Celestia's throne to perch on the top piece above her head, "Wonderbolts tickets would be cooler. At least 20 percent."

"Rainbow Dash, it wouldn't be that!" Rarity said with a toss of her head, one eye on the glittering box, "Mother is the ruler of Equestria, she probably has a reserved box for their shows!"

"Oh right…."

"Then what is it?" Applejack said, all the while trying to get the pink bow out of her hair. Celestia laughed, and gently adjusted the bow.

"I have a gift for each of you," she said, her horn once again glowing as the the box floated up. Rainbow flew down to where the rest of them had gathered on the floor. They all stared up at it, eyes wide. The box opened and they all gasped. Inside were five necklaces with glittering gems, and one tiara. Between them sat a small, crystalline box with 6 ports that matched the shapes of the gems: one diamond, one balloon, one apple, one lightning bolt, one star, and one butterfly.

"Oh pretty!" Twilight exclaimed.

"They're divine," Rarity said, edging closer to the the open chest, "But what's in the smaller box?"

"You'll see," Celestia responded, and the necklaces and tiara were magicked into the air. They each settled on each of their necks and the tiara settled behind Twilight's horn. Celestia lifted the crystal box out of the box and placed it on the floor between them.

"This is where your other gift comes to play. Each of your necklaces, and your tiara, Twilight, serves as a key to open it. Go ahead, see what happens."

They each gathered around the box to their respectful ports, Fluttershy lagging behind a little, nervous. The necklaces and tiara began to glow, and they linked into the ports. The box opened, and music began to play.

"It's a music box! And it plays our lullaby!" Fluttershy girls smiled, enchanted with their gift. Discord, unseen by everypony, peeked out from behind one of the tapestries, and stared curiously at the scene before him. He thought it needed a little more…chaos. But before he could even snap his fingers, a guard came around the corner, forcing him back into hiding.

"It's for when I'm away in Canterlot, so you can pretend that I'm singing you to sleep," Celestia smiled, and began to gently sing.

"On the wind
Cross the sea
Hear this song and remember…"

The girls nestled in closer to her, and began to sing along softly.

"Soon you'll be
Home with Me
Once Upon a Warm Summer…"

Fluttershy glanced down at her necklace once it was released from the port.

"It has writing on it!" she said, and her sisters looked at their respective jewelry, excited. Celestia grinned, and Luna couldn't help but smile.

"Read what it says, darling," she said fondly, nudging Fluttershy's head. She brought it up closer to her eyes.

"Together…in…Canterlot…"

They all broke out in large grins and jumped on their mother.

"Oh thank you, thank you thank you!" they exclaimed in unison, and soon fell into a fit of giggles. Soon Sombra returned to the dais, and joined with his happy, and now complete again, family.

But, they would never together in Canterlot. A dark shadow grew over the party, silencing all, and vanquishing all the lights there. Ponies gasped in silent horror, and delicate glasses dropped from hooves and magic alike. The creature made it's way through to the dais, the crowd parting in his wake.

"Tirek!" Sombra hissed through clenched teeth. Tirek tore his cloak from his shoulders to the floor. While in one of his weaker forms, he was still massive-larger than Sombra. The little Princess and Duchesses hid behind their mother's feet and tail as she stood to confront the terror before them. Luna came to stand next to her, looks of determination on their faces. Sombra galloped down the steps to Tirek.

"How dare you come here," Sombra exclaimed, "Leave at once!"

"And why should I? I am becoming more powerful every day! I rival even your dear, sweet, Celestia," Tirek said mockingly. Celestia spread her wings, and flew above the crowd, horn glowing. The young fillies gasped in alarm, and raced behind Luna.

"Tirek! My sister and I banished you once, we could easily do it again! Leave at once, and no harm shall come to you."

Celestia scowled at him, and both Sombra's and Luna's horns began to glow. Tirek backed away a few feet.

"Fine! But I banish you with a promise! Mark my words, Celestia, your precious family will suffer horribly within a fortnight! I will not rest until you grieve, forever!"

And with that, he shot down a chandelier and disappeared in a puff of smoke. It crashed with a shatter, glass and candles flying every which way. Ponies screamed and began to panic, running from the mess of tangled metal and glass and out of the ballroom.

"Ponies, please be calm! It was nothing but a harmless threat!" Sombra yelled over the crowd, trying to calm them but to no avail. Celestia, still above them all, cast a powerful spell, and a large light burst from her horn. The crowd stopped, shocked.

"Be calm, my little ponies! Tirek may have threatened us, but he will not prevail, this I promise you," she called to them, floating back to the raised dais to her sister and daughters. They peered from behind their aunt's legs before running back to the safety of their mother. Sombra was very quick to join them. They smiled down at them, all of which but Fluttershy had stopped shaking. But the both of them couldn't banish the look of worry from their eyes.

Two Weeks Later

Tirek had grown only more powerful, and soon amassed an army of horrid creatures- Changelings, Diamond Dogs, and Griffins.

And he kept his horrible promise.

Soon all of Ponyville was besieged by him and his minions, the main focus being the castle. The servants and royal family ran as fast as they could, never pausing for a moment. Guards flew and ran around them, firing through the glass windows or diving through them to attack whatever was there. Sombra and Luna led the way, both firing spells as fast as the could. Sombra carried an unconscious Rainbow Dash, who had been knocked out by a piece of debris. Celestia followed closely behind, keeping the rest of her daughters together and safe.

Fluttershy ran as hard as she could. She was almost out the door when she realized something was missing.

"My necklace!" she cried, and just as quickly turned, running past her mother.

"Fluttershy, come back!" Celestia called after in a panic. She turned, and began running after her. "Sombra! Luna! Take the girls to the train! I'll be back soon!"

Sombra could barely hold himself back from running after, but the cries and pushes of Luna and the whimpers of his daughters got him out of the palace.

Fluttershy ran, screaming at every crash around her. She soon found the door to her and her sisters' nursery, and pushed them open. Celestia pushed her out of the way, quickly closing the door behind her. Fluttershy opened the jeweled chest, pulling out the necklace and clasping it around her neck. She was about to grab the music box too, when suddenly there was a slam against the window, shards of glass landing around their feet. A diamond dog grabbed through the window at them. Celestia went over to her daughter, draping one of her wings and fired a shot at the dog. He was only stunned for a moment. Fluttershy shuddered and began to cry as she and Celestia stepped back. There were thuds and cries from the door, blocking their only escape. They were trapped.

"Normally I don't get involved. or want anything to do with you ponies," a voice echoed from nowhere, "but I really detest Tirek"

A snap was heard, and the diamond dog at the window was gone, but the problem at the door remained. Another snap, and the snake-like figure of Discord appeared. Fluttershy's eyes went wide, and she hid further behind her mother's feathers.

"Discord!" Celestia claimed, "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your royal flank, what does it look like?" he snapped in response, "Those mutts and bugs are going to get in here any minute. I'll hold them off, but then I'm out."

"But how are we supposed to escape?" Celestia asked, slightly panicked as the thudding increased. Discord looked around the room quickly, before noticing small marks on the wall.

"The servants' passage! Quick!" he said, prying open the small door, and shoved them through. The music box slipped from Fluttershy's hoofs, and she reached out to grab it back.

"My music box!" she cried as Discord slammed the door, and with a snap, sealed it up. The doors and window burst open with a flood of dogs and changelings. Discord, although all sharp claws and talons and the power of chaos, was overcome, and soon lay unconscious on the floor, talon draped over the crystalline box.

Soon enough Celestia and Fluttershy were outside, and were running to the train station. Tirek watched from the uppermost roof of the castle at the two of them before jumping off. He landed with a crash behind them, grabbing Fluttershy's tail, and dragging her towards him. She screamed, and Celestia turned, her face etched with horror.

"You're coming with me, little duchess!," he yelled, raising her up to eye level. Fluttershy's wings began to flap harder than ever, trying to get away from the monstrosity before, her eyes clamped in terror. There was a bright light behind her eyes, and she felt herself fall. She opened her eyes in panic, and upon seeing the ground become increasingly close, her wings snapped flat to her body, despite the need to fly. She started to scream, but soon felt a familiar pair of hoofs around her. She looked up to see her mother's face in pure unbridled rage, her horn glowing dark with a magic she had never seen her mother do. Celestia shot a powerful blast into Tirek's chest, pushing him backwards. Still holding onto Fluttershy, she flew higher, and with a mighty swish of her head, another shot rang out from her horn. But this time, a portal opened up behind Tirek , and began pulling him in. He looked behind him to see the depths of Tartarus, and attempted to get away from the portal. But he could not; the portal was stronger than he.

His powers could be visibly seen being taken from him as his body once again became tiny and weak. He grabbed and clawed at the ground, but to no avail. He lost his hold, and was sucked into the portal. There was another flash, and the portal disappeared. Celestia, breathing heavily, flew back down to the ground. She gently set down Fluttershy, her horn no longer glowing. Fluttershy could easily see that the spell had taken a lot from her, and nuzzled against her leg. All of a sudden, a piercing howl echoed around them, followed by more barks and yelps, and the rhythmic fluttering of insect wings.
Fluttershy cried out, spurring Celestia from her daze. She gasped, and using her wing, nudged her child in the direction of the town.

"We must go! Now!"

They ran as fast as they could to the station, ponies were pouring from everywhere in waves and nopony could hear one over the other. The train was slowly starting to pull from the platform, despite the protests of many ponies who desperately needed to get on the train. Fluttershy and Celestia ran after it, but Fluttershy could no longer keep up, her legs and wings on the verge of giving out.

Two royal guards were reaching out from the caboose. Luna, Sombra, Rainbow Dash, and the rest of the little fillies were inside the cart, being tended to by doctors. They were able to grab Celestia, and pull her onto the train. Celestia, having heard the cries of Fluttershy, turned and nearly lunged off the train, trying to grab her. They were able to grab each other's hooves for a moment.

"Hold on!" she cried, trying to levitate her daughter from the tracks and to her, but the strain of the previous spell impeded her. Tears started to stream down her face. "Grab onto my hoof!"

"Please don't let go! I can't -" Fluttershy screamed as she tripped on an uneven board in the tracks, falling down. She crashed, hitting her head, and didn't stir. Celestia's eyes widened, and she tried to get off, but the guards held her back. She fought against them, but was too weak.

"Fluttershy!" she screamed, shaking with sobs, as her beloved daughter was taken from view as a massive flood of ponies poured onto the tracks. "Fluttershy!"

.

.

So many lives were destroyed that night, and what had always been was gone forever for the Royal Family. And their Fluttershy, their beloved little Grand Duchess, was never seen again.