A/N: Sorry for the long ass time away, I really lost all inspiration to write for a few months. I do want to finish this story in the long run and have no plans of abandoning it when I only just rebooted it.

Also, since I am the writer and I can do what I want (heh), I'm placing this sometime between Seasons 2-3 instead of Season 1 because I want a little more leeway to give the characters their development. (Mostly so I can make Fluttershy more confident.) Also also, just like the original version, this Equestria is a bit more technologically advanced.

Enjoy!

It had taken the better part of a half an hour to get back to Fluttershy's cottage; not too long, in retrospect, but the walk between the Everfree Forest and her residence is not that large in the first place.

Upon arriving at her cottage, Fluttershy had allowed Foxy inside where he had promptly curled up on her couch and fallen asleep. Well, "asleep."

She's not entirely sure if he can sleep in the literal sense. Foxy has his back to her, and from where Fluttershy is standing near the doorway, she can see there's no rhythmic pattern of breathing or any typical sign of life.

Foxy is some sort of robot, that's for sure, Fluttershy thinks. But where did he come from? Why was he in the Everfree Forest? Oh, I have so many unanswered questions. She glances over her shoulder to the window; it's still late. I'll wait until the morning to go see Twilight.

Fluttershy perks up when Angel squeaks angrily at her from the floor.

"Oh, I know he's in your favorite spot, but you can sleep in my bed, Angel Bunny. Besides, he's already asleep—remember that it's important to share," Fluttershy chides as she starts towards the stairs. Angel huffs and thumps the floor with a back paw before bouncing off to the kitchen.

Fluttershy travels up the stairs to her bedroom. She's tired from the night's events and wants to get some shuteye before going to Twilight. As she drifts off to sleep, images of pirates dance in her mind.

Fluttershy sets off for the Golden Oak Library early the next morning. She wants to get there and back before Foxy wakes up, but if she doesn't, she hopes he'll be fine by himself. Though part of her thinks he'd be more than fine.

"Hello, Twilight? Are you here?" Fluttershy asks as she peeks her head inside the library. She glances around before entering fully, and is soon met with the sight of the pony she's looking for.

"Hey, Fluttershy! What's up?" Twilight calls as she trots down the stairs, a book held in her magic. She places it back onto its appropriate shelf without even looking as she comes to stand in front of the pegasus.

"Well, I was hoping to talk to you about something? It's important."

Twilight blinks, perking up. "Yes? What is it?"

"I—"

"Twilight!" a voice interrupts. Fluttershy jumps, startled, while Twilight just twists around to see Spike come running downstairs, a letter clutched in his scaly hand. "You've got a letter from Princess Luna!"

"Oh, wow! She rarely sends me letters! Read it, would you, Spike?" Twilight asks.

Spike skids to a stop in front of the two mares and unfurls the scroll. He clears his throat and begins reading, "'Dear Twilight Sparkle, I have a very important task for you and your friends. Please gather in the library at noon so I may speak with all of you. Sincerely, Princess Luna.'"

Twilight taps her chin with a hoof. "An important task? What in the world could that mean?"

Fluttershy swallows, wondering if the thing she caught last night has anything to do with Luna's letter.

"Is everything all right, Fluttershy?" the unicorn asks, seeing her friend's pinched expression.

"O-oh, yes, everything is fine! W-why wouldn't it be?" Fluttershy says sheepishly.

"She's probably just nervous about seeing Princess Luna again," Spike chimes in.

"Oh, Fluttershy, there's no need to be worried! I'm sure whatever she's going to tell us isn't anything too bad," Twilight says. Fluttershy exhales softly, glad that they've misread her worry and she can wait until after Luna comes to have her questions answered. "We have about an hour to gather all of our friends. Come on, let's go get everypony."

Princess Luna enters the library with regal purpose, before dropping it and giving the ponies in the room a small smile.

"Greetings, my little ponies. I am glad you all could make it," Luna says. "The reason I have called you here is because I have a task of the upmost importance to bestow upon you, if you are willing."

"Don't worry, Princess, we're more than willing!" Twilight declares, puffing her chest out proudly.

"Yeah! No baddie can scare us!" Rainbow Dash brags. "Just tell us who you need vanquished!"

Princess Luna laughs, a melodic sound that makes the ponies pause.

"Oh, my little ponies, I have not called you forth to defeat an enemy. No, this time, unlike previous encounters, you will be saving another!" Luna explains, an amused smile still on her face.

"Huh? We're gonna be saving somepony?" Dash gapes. The group exchanges perplexed glances.

"During my time listening to the wishes and dreams of all, I came across a poor, lost soul in dire need of help and redemption. And, if I am to believe in anything, it has to be that everyone deserves a second chance. You've all taught me that after my time as Nightmare Moon."

"So . . . you found somepony that's . . . bad but isn't really bad? I'm afraid I'm unsure of what you're asking of us," Rarity admits, and the other mares nod in agreement.

"Firstly, I must explain who it is that I have found. I understand this part may be confusing, but the soul I have found is not one who exists in Equestria, but instead, somewhere far away, perhaps even another world," Luna continues.

"Whoa! That's so cool!" Pinkie Pie blurts loudly, even over the 'awes' of the others.

Luna nods, her lips upturned in a smile. "Indeed. However, this one's life has been tainted by bloodshed and heartbreak and has had a lifetime of loneliness thrust upon them. They wished for a chance at redemption, and I, hearing their cry, knew how they felt. So, I've brought them to Equestria for that reason—I know you ponies can help this lost soul recover."

"Princess, you can count on us to help whoever is in need. But I have to say, you haven't told us much about them. What are they, what's their name, what happened to them?" Twilight says.

Luna nods in understanding. "I know I am being vague. Part of it is for a reason—I will not indulge in the secrets this soul is keeping. Earn their trust, and they may tell you. It is not for me to give away. However, the other things I will answer, of course.

"From this unknown place, I have pulled a creature unlike any we've seen. He is not human, nor animal, but machine."

Fluttershy turns white, nearly all of the color vanishing from her face. Luna doesn't notice this. She continues.

"This creature's name is Foxy, and, well, he looks like a large fox that walks bipedally. He's not dangerous, though he may look intimidating, but fear not, for he has no goal of hurt in his heart. The Everfree Forest is where the place between worlds is thinnest, so my spell has taken him there in his transport to Equestria. Find him, my little ponies, and bring him here so that we may speak with him."

"We're all over it, Princess! We'll find this big fox and bring him back!" Rainbow declares, leaping into the air.

"I hope he's nice! You think he's nice?" Pinkie asks, getting into Applejack's face.

Pushing the pink pony out of her comfort zone, Applejack responds, "If the Princess is right, Ah'm sure he'll be friendly."

"Um, I have something to say . . ." Fluttershy says, but her voice is so quiet that nopony hears her and they just continue speaking.

"What if he doesn't want to come with us? What then?" Rarity asks.

"I'm sure he won't be that stubborn. Who likes the Everfree Forest enough to stay there?" Dash replies.

"Yeah, that place is totally creepy!" Spike says.

"Time is of the essence, my little ponies. You must go," Luna interrupts.

"But Princess, I actually have to tell you something," Fluttershy tries again, but is drowned out.

"Right! Let's go, girls!" Twilight yells.

"Yeah!" comes the resounding response from the four other mares. The five of them race toward the door, but Fluttershy finally jumps in front of them and exclaims:

"STOP!"

The rest of the Main Six, plus Luna and Spike behind them, stop and look at the pegasus with wide eyes. Fluttershy swallows nervously and stands taller, trying to look confident.

"I've been trying to tell you all something," she says, a little out of breath from yelling. "I was in the Everfree Forest last night—I already found Foxy! In fact, this morning, I came to the library to tell Twilight that, but then Princess Luna came and I waited!"

Seven faces stared at Fluttershy, surprise written across every expression. Very quickly, however, Luna smiles fondly and approaches the pegasus.

"Excellent work, Fluttershy! I had no idea you had such courage to venture into the Everfree Forest at night and confront a strange creature such as Foxy. I'm proud," Luna says. Fluttershy turns a bit red in the face and hides behind her hair.

"I-it wasn't that bad, I heard him getting chased by Timberwolves and couldn't just turn away . . ." She scrapes a hoof against the floor.

"Whoa, you got away from Timberwolves? Awesome job, Shy!" Rainbow praises, grinning.

"What else happened?"

"Where is he now?"

"Is he nice?"

The flurry of questions leaves Fluttershy overwhelmed. Luna, seeing her struggle, steps forward and shushes the others.

"Easy now, girls," the princess says. She turns to Fluttershy and rests a gentle hoof on her shoulder. "What happened last night?"

Fluttershy begins to tell the story of her night, from hearing the roaring in the forest to attempting to get Foxy to cross the fields to her cottage. The others listen intently, impressed with the coy pegasus' actions.

"That is indeed quite a tale. And now Foxy is at your cottage?" Luna confirms.

Fluttershy nods.

"Well then. Perhaps we should go there since he is already. We can skip bringing him through town."

"That . . . would make sense. But . . . would you mind, Princess, if when we get there, you let me go in alone first?" Fluttershy asks. "J-just to make sure Foxy is okay?"

"Of course. I understand." Luna dips her head briefly, then stands straight again and glances around at the group. "Well, let's be off."

Foxy powers back on.

Slowly.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, the animatronic groans faintly and opens his eyes. He forgets where he is for a moment and nearly panics, but then remembers the previous night's events and sighs.

Too bad this wasn't all a dream, Foxy thinks tiredly. Well, it was obvious he didn't enter roaming mode last night, or else he wouldn't remember anything, and also, he definitely wouldn't feel so low on power.

Foxy stands, wobbling on his feet, and practically drags himself over to an open window. He glances outside and sees sweeping fields. This sends a shiver down his spine, and he backs up.

He has no idea what time it is. Typically, he spends his days in low power mode, or listening to the sound of children running past his Cove and wishing he could perform for them again. When the doors were left open, he could hear Freddy and the others singing on the Stage.

"Fluttershy?" Foxy calls out to distract himself. Wherever his hostess is, he would rather be there than sitting here doing nothing. For the first time in a decade, there's someone to talk to, and he's not about to pass that opportunity up. He calls her name again, but there's still no response.

Would she mind if I went upstairs? Or is it off-limits? Foxy asks himself. Because maybe she was up there and just couldn't hear him. And even if she's not, it couldn't hurt to explore this place a bit, right?

Foxy carefully walks up the stairs—they're narrower than he would like, but he's never been up stairs more than three steps tall and he's interested. It's harder than it probably would have been before he got attacked and used up most of his power, but hey, he's glad for something to do.

"Fluttershy?" he calls again as he reaches the top of the stairs. Still no answer. Foxy sees a few open doors and hesitates. He knows he shouldn't snoop, but . . . what harm can it really do? Fluttershy doesn't seem to be home, afterall.

Foxy limps towards the nearest door and peeks his head inside. A bed, a shelf, a nightstand . . . must be her bedroom. He doesn't spend any time in there and instead goes to the next room over. This one is strange. He doesn't think he's ever seen the inside of it at the pizzeria, but he's pretty sure it's a bathroom. Nothing too interesting either.

After nearly tumbling back down the steps, Foxy walks around downstairs. He wishes there was something to do or see, but Fluttershy's place seems fairly normal. He doesn't eat, so the kitchen means nothing, and there's no source of power anywhere that he can plug into, so he's stuck feeling drained.

"Well this is borin'," Foxy grumbles to himself. He flops backwards onto the couch and lays there, just staring up at the ceiling. I wonder when Fluttershy will be back. Deciding to power down until then, he closes his eyes.

Fluttershy cracks the door open and peeks her head inside. She doesn't want to startle Foxy, but it seems she doesn't have to worry about that as he's still asleep on her couch. The pegasus slips inside and pads over to him. Even laying down, he seems exceedingly large, and she wonders briefly how everypony else will react to him.

"Hey, Foxy, it's Fluttershy," she says softly, placing a hoof on his shoulder and shaking lightly. He doesn't move, and she frowns. She taps his forehead with the tip of a hoof, earning a hollow sounding ting, and she realizes that since he's a machine, perhaps he's actually turned off and won't respond.

Does he have a . . . power button somewhere? Fluttershy wonders, tapping her chin with a hoof. She bites her lip and squeaks, unsure of how to get him up. She pokes his arm again, expecting no response, but starts when the pirate suddenly whirs into life.

One golden eye meets hers, and Fluttershy laughs sheepishly, taking a step back.

"H-hey," she stammers, "glad to see you're up. Hope I didn't . . . interrupt anything."

Foxy tilts his head and blinks, flipping his eyepatch up. "I was already up earlier. Saw ya weren't here, so I just turned off to preserve power."

"Oh, sorry. I went to town this morning and ended up staying longer than I thought I would." Fluttershy backs up to allow room for Foxy to get to his feet, and she takes wing to hover at his eye level.

"Speaking of . . ." Fluttershy continues, running her hooves over one another, "turns out I know the reason you're here. And also, my friends are outside and would like to meet you."

Foxy pauses, looking at her as if she's crazy. "Why?"

"Why not?"

The animatronic shrugs, unsure of how to explain that he doesn't have friends and no one has been excited to meet him since he was first built. He's not much of a socializer anymore.

"Well . . . we all should talk, and there's some things you should know. There's quite a few of them, though—will you be okay with that? I know crowds can be stifling, especially if you're not used to them," Fluttershy explains.

"Er . . . how many we talkin'?" Foxy asks. The way the pegasus is speaking is making him nervous. Crowds used to fluster him before he really got the hang of his programming, but it's been so long. And he's used to kids. He doubts her friends are children.

"There's five of my friends and then there's Princess Luna—she's the one who brought you here."

Foxy scratches the back of his head with his hook. He probably won't end up avoiding any of them, so he might as well just bite the bit and meet them all at once. Looking back at Fluttershy, he nods to let her know she can bring them in.

"Oh, wonderful! I'll call them in; you can sit down or stay standing, whatever makes you comfortable."

Fluttershy flits over to the front door and exits briefly. Foxy hears voices, and then, the door opens again and Fluttershy comes back in. Behind her is a large entourage of other ponies, one of them much taller and more imposing than the rest.

Foxy fights the urge to hide when the ponies crowd into the room, all their eyes on him.

"He's a lot bigger than I thought he'd be," one of them murmurs to another, who nods.

Foxy's tail twitches nervously, and he lets his eyepatch fall back down over his perpetually half-glazed eye. Feeling very self-conscious, he crosses his arms and hunches his shoulders. He's very aware he looks like a freakshow; his endoskeleton is visible in multiple places, his jaw hangs down as if his mouth is always open, and his fur is patchy and dirty. Of all the first impressions, it's not the best.

"Everypony, this is Foxy," Fluttershy says, flying up to introduce the animatronic. She points out each of her friends and names them before nodding to Princess Luna.

"Greetings, Foxy," Luna says as she steps forward. "It is truly my pleasure to meet you. I am Luna, Princess of the Night. I know you may be very confused as to why you are here, but know that I only did so in order to help you. Afterall, your wish is the call that brought you to my attention."

Foxy visibly flinches, his ears twitching. "M-my wish?"

Luna nods. "Yes, your wish. I heard it and could not stand by. This is it being granted, I hope. These six ponies helped me when I felt very similar to how you do now. I have enlisted them to help you."

"H-help me? But why? I-I don't even know who y'all are," Foxy says.

"Just because you don't know someone doesn't mean you can't help them," Fluttershy reminds him, winking.

"Besides, the Princess told us your life sucks, so we're gonna show you how it can be way more awesome!" Rainbow says, which earns an annoyed look from everyone.

Rarity shushes the pegasus and adds, "Despite how crudely Rainbow Dash put that, we'd love to make you feel welcome."

"Yeah! Hey, have you ever had a party? I bet you'd love them; you look like you know how to throw it down!" Pinkie shouts loudly, proceeding to get way too close to Foxy, who shrinks back. "Heh, sorry."

Twilight rolls her eyes. "If you'll let us, we'd like to get to know you," she says with a smile.

"Everypony, er, one, could use a friend or too, an' from what we've heard, you're a might lonely," Applejack says. Foxy flattens his ears at that, but he can't disagree; he literally has no friends.

Princess Luna smiles at the ponies' words. She did pick the most remarkably fit group for this job.

"I am glad I have chosen well. I wish I could stay, but I have duties to attend to in Canterlot. But before I go," the alicorn begins, "I would like to have a word alone with Foxy."

The Main Six quickly back out of the room, leaving the two alone. Foxy taps a foot nervously, feeling warm.

"Foxy, I know what happened that night," Luna says.

Foxy nearly jumps out of his suit at the words. "W-what?! Ya do?!"

"Yes. I saw it in your nightmare. Despite the nature of the incident, I brought you here for a second chance. I wish for you to come to terms with your past and reconcile, as I once did. If it makes you uncomfortable, you do not have to share what happened with anypony else. Only if you deem it okay; I have not indulged with them anything I've seen."

"Why are ya tryin' to help me when you've seen what I did?" he asks. "A monster doesn't deserve a second chance."

"Because I do not think one action decides someone's fate. You are more than an error." Luna gives him a gentle smile. "And you are definitely not a monster."

Foxy averts his eyes, not sure he believes her words.

"If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask. I must return to Canterlot now, but I am only a letter away—just ask Twilight. Good luck, Foxy. Take advantage!"

Princess Luna turns and exits, throwing her parting words over her shoulder as she opens her wings. She waves to the assembled ponies below and continues off into the sky towards Canterlot.

The Main Six enter the cottage again, and Fluttershy walks up to Foxy.

"Anything on your mind?" she asks. Foxy just shrugs, still unnerved by the fact that someone knows his dark past. Fluttershy smiles sadly for just a moment. "Need anything?"

Foxy finally glances down at the buttery yellow pegasus who's standing at his feet.

"A charge, I guess. Me batteries're runnin' low," he admits with another shrug.

Twilight dashes forward, smiling, and says, "I think I can help you there—and maybe with some other stuff. You wouldn't mind a tune-up, would you? You're looking a bit rough around the edges."

"Ya wanna fix me?"

"If you'd like it, or, well, if you wouldn't mind me doing it. I've been working on some machinery lately, and I'm sure I could patch up those . . . holes." Twilight smiles sheepishly and waves a hoof.

"Well, if you're giving him a makeover then you simply must let me have a go! This dreary paint job drastically needs a revamp, if I do say so myself," Rarity adds. "Can't have him going around looking like he's just been chased by Timberwolves!" She pauses at the looks she receives and runs a hoof through her mane. "Quite literally!" She glances up at Foxy, who's head is tilted in confusion.

"Now, dear, it's not an insult if it's true! You need a bath."