Carrot Top of the Lineby Fizzy OrangeChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 1A fine mist was clinging to the ground, the result of the rain shower the weather patrol had orchestrated the previous night. The mist lent a dreamlike aura to the early hour, when most of the population of Ponyville was still asleep. One pony in particular, though, was already wide awake. The huntress stood, silent like a deadly predator, crouched behind the wheelbarrow. She kept her cold gaze fixed on the wooded area that bordered the field. In the silent air of morning, the early birds sounded like chimes or bells hidden in the woods. Suddenly they grew silent. The huntress tensed in anticipation: her quarry was approaching. A twig snapped, breaking the silence and causing birds to fly away in protest. The huntress held her breath and willed herself not to blink, afraid to miss her prey. The beast appeared from the mist like a ghost. White as a cloud, it stood, and with eyes that betrayed a sinister and calculating intelligence, it scanned over the silent field. The prey’s muzzle twitched, hoping to catch the scent of any enemy, but the huntress had been prepared and stood downwind from her quarry. With a majestic leap that surprised the silent observer, the creature sailed over the hastily-erected barbed wire barrier encircling the field. Like a conquering king, the white intruder strutted down the field and chose its own target. Muscle tensed beneath wild white fur as it began to pull at its unsuspecting victim to claim it for itself. The huntress could no longer wait, for the white intruder was about to run off, once again, with ill-gotten loot! “Angel!” shrieked Carrot Top as she leapt over her wheelbarrow, galloping toward the bunny while gripping a large butterfly net in her mouth. The white bunny turned to look at the enraged pony, and his little eyes grew slightly. With one last effort, the bunny plucked his prize from the earth and ran off with one of the farmer’s carrots. He just as easily as before avoided the barbed-wire line, unhindered by the carrot he was carrying, and hopped back into the mist between the trees. Carrot Top was hot on his little heels, even if, she hated to admit, the little guy was pretty fast for his size. She was at full gallop when she too leapt over the barbed wire. For a tense minute she weaved between trees, straining to keep up with her agile target. While the mist was thicker in the forest, affording the white bunny a modicum of camouflage, he was still carrying a bright orange carrot. It flickered in and out of view as he ran behind trees. Suddenly Carrot Top saw her target duck through a hole under a large root that jutted from the ground, and she made another leap to avoid tripping over it. She landed in a puddle and immediately slipped on the mud. With a wail of confusion, she slipped backward, landing on her back, while her momentum propelled her forward. With a thud, she slammed bottom first into a tree trunk. The discarded butterfly net landed on her face, covering her muzzle with the net. “Ow,” she said, defeated. My little pony, My little pony Ahh ahh ahh ahhh... My little pony Friendship never meant that much to me My little pony But you're all here and now I can see Stormy weather; Lots to share A musical bond; With love and care Teaching laughter; It's an easy feat, And magic makes it all complete! You have my little ponies How'd I ever make so many true friends? Carrot Top was muttering under her breath as she came down the path to Ponyville. Her little adventure that morning had left her with nothing but mud splotches to clean and a bruised backside. Now she was clean again, but her bottom still hurt. It was still fairly early in the day, and, as she had expected, she ran into Cheerilee just as the Element of Laughter was about to walk into the schoolyard of Ponyville Elementary. The teacher waved at her farmer friend when she spotted her. “Hi Carrot! What brings you into town this early in the morning?” she asked, putting on a smile as bright as the sun. “Nothing good,” Carrot Top replied in a sullen tone; “nothing very good. Cheerilee, have you ever spoken to Fluttershy?” Cheerilee brought a hoof to her cheek. “Miss Fluttershy? I’m afraid not. From what Dinky tells me, she’s so shy she only speaks to Rainbow Dash, Ditzy Doo, and Dinky herself. Why?” Carrot Top sighed; her friend’s response had been what she had expected, but not what she had hoped for. Ditzy and Dinky were both out of town for the week, gone with Trixie, Lyra, and Bon Bon to enjoy the beaches of Cayo el Bayo down in the south. Trixie had extended the invitation to all her friends, but Raindrops, Cheerilee, and Carrot Top herself all had duties to attend to. With the Doo family out of town, Carrot Top would have trouble talking with Fluttershy; the poor mare would hide at the first sight of a stranger. Carrot Top wasn’t on speaking terms with the weather patrol captain either, not after the incident with Gilda. “Her bunny stole one of my carrots today. It’s been going on for a several days, but I only caught sight of him two days ago. He comes every morning, like clockwork, and makes off with a carrot.” “Oh my, that’s bothersome,” said the other mare, blinking in surprise. “It’s just so strange … Angel’s never done anything like this before. For Luna’s sake, the little guy does Fluttershy’s grocery shopping for her!” explained the farmer. “Really?” “Yes. Every week or so, Angel and one of Fluttershy’s bigger animals walk into the market place pulling a cart, lugging a bag of bits, and carrying a shopping list made of drawings. It’s quite hilarious to watch Angel convince the other merchants to drop their prices. He usually spends five minutes picking the best carrots from my stall. Not only do I want to talk to her to stop this, I’m kind of worried this might hide another problem,” explained the orange-headed mare. Cheerilee smiled at this. “Angel’s a nice pet then, if he does all that for Fluttershy. I understand your concerns, though. Sorry to say this, Carrot, but you might have to track down Rainbow Dash.” “That’s what I was afraid of. Thanks, Cheerilee; I’ll see you later,” replied Carrot Top before resuming her walk into Ponyville. It was a little later, after a trip to the post office, that Carrot Top found herself in front of the weather patrol headquarters. The pony at the post office had explained to Carrot Top that all of Fluttershy’s mail was being forwarded to Rainbow Dash’s address while Ditzy was on her well-deserved vacation, and as such nopony else could have had contact with the reclusive mare. The farmer was now hoping against all hope that Rainbow Dash would be behind the door. Carrot Top didn’t like Rainbow Dash. She felt she was a lazy jerk who always caused problems for her friend Raindrops. The pegasus and her griffin friend had also threatened her livelihood before, nearly destroying her reserves with their thoughtless prank. At the time, she had been too worried about her stock to properly get mad, and she now felt like that anger could burst forth at the worst moment. She didn’t want to have anything to do with Dash, but it looked like she had no choice. She entered the cavernous building that was the Ponyville weather station and looked at the crowd of pegasi flittering about. Seeing no sign of the polychromatic speedster anywhere, she waved Thunder Lane over. Thunder Lane was the pegasus usually in charge of the corner of the Ponyville sky above her farm, at least when Raindrops was busy elsewhere, and the two had become friends over the years. A while ago, they had entertained thoughts of going out, but that had led nowhere, and both, in common accord, had decided to simply remain friends. The way he was looking at Blossomforth these days seemed to hint that he had gotten over the farmer by now. Carrot Top was happy for her friend. “Hey, CT!” said the stallion, landing in front of her. “Hey, Thunder Lane. Have you seen Rainbow Dash today?” she asked. He shook his head before speaking. “Nah, she changed her schedule at the last minute again and took off for a week long vacation. I haven’t seen her around town since.” Carrot Top frowned at that. “You wouldn’t happen to know where she would hang out?” “She’s probably hanging out with Fluttershy,” said Thunder Lane, shrugging a little before he began to hover slightly. “Thanks, Thunder Lane. I won’t keep you longer; see you later!” “See ya, CT!” Carrot Top turned back to leave the weather station. If Rainbow Dash were indeed at Fluttershy’s cottage, it would make things easier for her. Feeling no need to postpone the confrontation any longer, she headed for Fluttershy’s rustic home on the other side of town. On her way, she realized that, as fast as Angel might be, the trip there from Fluttershy’s house must be quite the journey for a little bunny. That was another detail that made his recent behavior so strange. Hopefully this whole thing would be behind her soon. Carrot Top had been looking at Fluttershy’s cottage from the path below for at least five minutes by now. She wasn’t sure how to approach, and whether she should do so silently or with enough noise to warn the socially awkward pegasus that lived within. She was also wondering if Rainbow Dash was inside. Finally, she decided to give an advanced warning and began to whistle a happy tune she had heard Lyra perform before. She whistled for half a minute before making her way toward the door of the rustic home. She was about to knock when the door opened and Rainbow Dash’s multicolored head poked out, glaring at her. “What do you want, ginger-face?” she asked sternly. It took a few seconds for Carrot Top to find her voice. “I need to talk to Fluttershy.” “No! Fluttershy doesn’t want to see anypony!” replied Rainbow Dash, shutting the door. Carrot Top started knocking on the door, calling out, “Rainbow Dash! At least let me tell you what’s going on!” “Stop it! You’re scaring Fluttershy!” “Rainbow Dash! Please, this is important!” “Go away, ginger-face!” Carrot Top’s cheeks puffed in anger, and she glared angrily at the blank wooden door. When it failed to catch on fire, she turned around and walked away in a huff. “Jerk,” she muttered to herself. “You know what your problem is?” began Raindrops. “You’re a doormat. If it was me, I would have knocked on that door again. Probably until it broke.” Carrot Top glared at her with enough force that she felt she was about to shoot lightning bolts from her eyeballs, but the pegasus only took satisfaction in the fact her friend didn’t outright object. A part of Carrot Top had to admit her friend was right; sadly, it was also the same part of her that was a doormat. The irony wasn’t totally lost on the farmer. “You’re right; I need to learn to be more assertive,” she said, letting her head hang low and her ears droop. The pair had met up for lunch at a local sandwich shop during Raindrops’ break; they were sitting outside under the shade of a large purple tarp. There was a soft breeze, and the sun had dried up what was left of the nightly rain shower, making it a great day to eat in the shade. Carrot Top had been a bit too bothered about her encounter with Rainbow Dash to finish her meal just yet. “Raindrops … did you miss out on the trip to the beach because Rainbow Dash took off for a week without warning?” asked Carrot Top, looking back up. Raindrops shook her head. “No, I had already volunteered for Everfree watching duty for this week before Trixie’s invitation came; I would have been busy anyway.” “Do you think Rainbow Dash is a jerk?” “Sometimes, but I try not to let it get to me; she’s still a darn good weather pony, even if she doesn’t take it seriously. Either way, you still need to confront her. This is your livelihood we’re talking about, and she still owes you for that stupid prank,” said Raindrop, getting up from her seat. “Well, it was fun, but I have to get back to work. You go back there and demand Rainbow Dash let you settle this bunny problem, you hear? See you around.” “Have a nice day!” said Carrot Top; then she hung her head again, her ears flat against her head. She stood like that for a few seconds, wondering how she could face off against Rainbow Dash, when a voice brought her back to the present. “Why the glum look, my dear? A beautiful mare such as yourself should never look so depressed,” said Rarity, walking toward Carrot Top. “Oh! Thank you, Miss Rarity; it’s kind of you to say I’m beautiful,” replied the farmer. “Well, I only speak the truth; your mane has such amazing volume, such sheen! Whatever do you use to make it look so gorgeous?” asked the fashionista. “Vitamin B, like in carrots,” answered Carrot Top, blushing a little. “Of course. Now, allow me to lend you an open ear, and tell me what is bothering you?” Carrot Top sighed and told her about the carrot theft, then finding herself faced with Rainbow Dash at Fluttershy’s cottage. Rarity took the empty seat across from the earth pony, seated with her chin resting on her hoof, and listened to the full story. When it was finished, she allowed herself a short moment before speaking. “You know, I don’t know Fluttershy personally—in fact I find it hard to recall when the last time I even laid eyes on the poor thing was—but I know Rainbow Dash.” This declaration made Carrot Top’s ears perk in surprise. “I didn’t think you two had much in common.” Rarity let out a little laugh, like rain falling on crystal. “Oh, not at all. However—and this is not something I want you to go around repeating—every year when Fluttershy’s birthday rolls around, Rainbow Dash comes to me to help find the perfect gift for her oldest friend. She has done so ever since the two arrived in Ponyville.” “They arrived at the same time, didn’t they?” said Carrot Top. Rarity nodded in agreement. “Oh, yes; Rainbow wouldn’t be here otherwise. The point is, Fluttershy is a soft and fragile flower, while Rainbow is anything but. The poor dear is simply out of her depth when it comes to finding a gift for her soft-spoken friend, so she came to me for help. I could tell it cost her some measure of pride to do so. You see, Carrot Top, Rainbow Dash is brash, proud, and braver than any pegasus has any right to be, but she is also wracked with insecurities and doubt.” Carrot Top blinked. “How can someone so … over-confident be insecure?” “That’s the thing, my dear,” said Rarity, making a wide hoof movement to punctuate her point. “She is such a braggart because she’s full of doubt. She is not so much assuring other ponies of her skill as she is reassuring herself. Rainbow Dash fancies herself Fluttershy’s protector, and she is quite loyal to her, there is no doubt. She is, however, terribly ill-equipped for the task. If I had to take a guess as to why she chased you away with nary a chance to leave a message, it is because she is currently dealing with something. Something she can’t handle alone.” Rarity stepped down from her seat and walked to put a hoof on the other mare’s shoulder. “You are the Element of Generosity, my dear; the least you could do is give Rainbow Dash the benefit of the doubt. If you want to solve your problem, I advise trying to get her to open up to you, rather than confronting her head on,” she said, removing her hoof. “If you try too hard, she’ll only take it as a challenge and will want to prove you wrong, no matter what. To win, so to speak, you have to be on her side.” “Thank you, Miss Rarity; you’ve given me lots to think about.” “Think nothing of it, my dear. If you ever need help making your inner beauty radiate, you can find me in my shop.” And with that, the unicorn left Carrot Top to mull over her situation. Finally, she stood up and stamped the ground. She was going back to Fluttershy’s cottage and getting this situation resolved! This time it would be different! Chapter 2This time won’t be any different. That was the thought going through Carrot Top’s head as she hid behind a tree near Fluttershy’s cottage. Raindrops’s reproach and Rarity’s counsels had, originally, given her new resolve to come and confront Rainbow Dash, but as she neared the house all of that resolve had faded away. She could feel herself become more nervous with every step. Rainbow Dash was kind of scary, and Carrot Top wasn’t sure exactly how she could get a word in, let alone convince her to open up. She sighed and sat on her haunches in defeat. A sharp crunching noise broke the silence, causing Carrot Top’s closed eyes to snap open. It wasn’t loud, but to the pony it felt as clear as a peal of thunder. She knew exactly what that noise was: something biting into a carrot. She looked around, then spotted him. Angel. He was standing in front of the path leading from the road to the cottage, holding what was left of the carrot he had stolen that morning. He looked at the mare with a derisive smirk and tossed the little orange nub up in the air before catching it in his mouth. He chewed loudly while still staring at the sitting pony, then swallowed and wiggled his eyebrows at her. Once again, Carrot Top launched herself into a gallop after the little bunny, all the while shouting his name in anger. The little guy zipped toward the modest home of his owner. As he neared the door, it opened; with great agility, he slipped between the hooves of the suddenly dumbstruck Rainbow Dash. Carrot Top saw the pegasus and tried desperately to brake before she could collide with her, eyes bulging. She managed to dig her hooves into the ground and halt her gallop a few inches from Rainbow Dash, then quickly and awkwardly back away a few steps. “Rainbow Dash!” she said, grinning sheepishly. “Just the pony I wanted to see!” Rainbow Dash shook her head as if to clear her mind, and her surprised expression turned back into a cold stare. “You again? I told you to go away, ginger-face! Nopony bothers Fluttershy!” The sudden aggressiveness, coupled with the insulting nickname, made Carrot Top puff her cheeks in anger. She glared back at Rainbow Dash, who didn’t seem to notice. As the pegasus was about to close the door, the earth pony realized she needed to act fast before her window of opportunity closed with it. “Wait, wait, please,” she said, her expression turning into a pleading look. “Can I speak with you? I really need your help!” Rainbow Dash’s eyebrow went up as she stared at the farmer with skepticism. Carrot Top quickly thought of something to say that would help stroke the daredevil’s ego. “Help me, Rainbow Dash! You’re my only hope!” Rainbow Dash sighed and stepped outside, closing the door behind her with her hindleg. “Fine, no need to be a drama queen. So what is it?” Carrot Top allowed herself a small smile before putting her business face back on. “Angel’s been stealing my carrots. I don’t know why he would do that; I’m afraid something’s wrong. Can you tell Fluttershy to talk to him? This is my livelihood, you know.” Rainbow Dash bit her lower lip, her eyes quickly looking everywhere but at Carrot Top. “Yeah, I understand, carrots are important,” said Rainbow, unconsciously rubbing her face like some phantom wound was bothering her, “but … but I don’t think Fluttershy can talk to Angel right now.” Now it was Carrot Top’s eyebrows that rose in surprise. “Rainbow Dash, is something wrong with Miss Fluttershy?” Had Rarity’s analysis had been right? Rainbow Dash’s reluctance to talk and her sudden nervous appearance sure seemed to hint at it. Carrot Top could see a bead of sweat roll down the pegasus’ cheek, and her wings where fluttering as if she was getting ready to flee. “It’s none of your beeswax, okay?” declared Rainbow Dash, her wings flaring. Carrot Top decided to press on. “I can help, you know!” “I don’t need your help!” “I know! I know you don’t need my help, but I want to help Miss Fluttershy,” argued the farmer. “No!” Carrot Top gave the other mare the best pleading puppy look she could muster. “Please, Rainbow Dash, why are you acting like a bodyguard?” “Because I am!” declared Rainbow Dash, flying upward and pressing her face against Carrot Top’s. The reaction took the farmer by surprise, and she stayed silent, staring into the nervous eyes of the pegasus. Rainbow Dash suddenly realized how aggressive she had become and landed again, looking downward. “Sorta …” she said, kicking a loose pebble with her front hoof. Carrot Top looked at the usually confident mare with concern. “Sorta? I can lend you an ear if you want to talk about it.” The weather pony seemed to consider it for a moment. Finally she motioned toward the nearby pond with her head and slowly flew toward it. She landed and sat on her haunches, and Carrot Top soon joined her, sitting as well. “Do you know how Fluttershy can afford all this?” she asked, waving her front hoof at the cottage and the various animal habitats one could see in the backyard from their vantage point. “I always assumed she had a government grant for running an animal shelter,” answered the farmer. Rainbow Dash gave a short, sharp laugh at the statement. “Hah! Nah, it’s those snobs who run the veterinary clinic in town who get one.” “Then how?” “Promise not tell anypony in town? Not even your friends? Especially not that Trixie?” asked Rainbow. Carrot Top nodded. “I swear on my honor as an Element of Harmony! Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a carrot in my eye!” Carrot Top made a crossing motion over her chest, then wiggled her hooves like wings, and then put her left hoof on her closed eye. The whole ritual made Rainbow Dash snort in amusement, but it seemed to placate her, and she began speaking again. “Fluttershy isn’t her real given name. She was born Fluttering Posey,” said Rainbow. The name seemed familiar to Carrot Top. Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember where she had heard that family name. Suddenly she remembered a few newspaper articles, as well as Trixie telling her about families that had representatives at the Night Court. “Posey?” she gasped in sudden realization. “As in … as in ‘wealthy weather industrialist Thunderous Posey’? As in Duchess Fragrant Posey who has a seat at the Night Court?” Rainbow Dash was smiling just a little. “You sure know stuff, ginger-face. She doesn’t want anypony in town to know, but, yeah, Fluttershy is Thunderous Posey’s daughter. She doesn’t like the whole business thing; she just lets the family handle it, and they send her money in the mail.” Carrot Top blinked. “How did you ever meet an important pony like that?” Rainbow Dash looked up into the distance; the haze of nostalgia seemed to fill her eyes as her smile softened. “You know, how I met Fluttershy is also how she got her new name. My mom is staff manager at the Posey mansion back in Cloudsdale. She handles the butlers and maids and cooks and stuff … kind of boring stuff, but it’s hard work. One day, back in my first year of elementary school, I came down with a bad case of the feather flu. I had to stay home, but mom couldn’t stay to watch over me, so she got me a guest room for the day at the mansion …” A small filly with a multicolored mane was lying on a big comfy bed in a cavernous room made of cloud. In a cloud house, the level of luxury isn’t measured by the amount of space, as space is easy to come by in the air, but rather by how much furniture isn’t made of cloud. Normal material, such as wood or metal, would normally plummet through a cloud construction. It was possible to get anything enchanted to float on clouds; however, the bigger the object, the more expensive the enchantment. Little Rainbow Dash didn’t know all of that, but she did know she had never lain in a bed that wasn’t made of cloud before. The large mattress was almost as big as her whole room back home, and the dressers and nightstand were made of that weird hard stuff they call wood. The blankets weren’t really different than what she had back in her room, but the pillows and the mattress felt weird to the point where she couldn’t rest. Her mother had warned her not to get out of bed, so now she was bored. Really bored. The only thing she had to amuse herself was her Fireflye plushy, but even the captain of the Wonderbolts couldn’t make this big empty room fun for long. Right now she was reduced to staring at dust bunnies dancing in a ray of light. That and coughing. The door of the room opened slowly. At first Rainbow Dash thought it had been a stray gust of wind because she couldn’t see anypony. After a moment a small head poked in timidly. It was another filly, about her age or maybe a bit older, with a pale yellow coat and long pink mane. The two fillies spent what felt like an hour just staring at each other. “Hi!” Rainbow Dash finally said. “Hello,” replied the other filly in the softest and sweetest voice Rainbow Dash had ever heard. “Are you Mrs. Cloudia’s daughter?” “Yup! I’m Rainbow Dash; what’s your name?” “I’m Flutteri …” began the filly, her voice getting progressively quieter and hard to understand. Little Dash cocked her head to the side like a confused dog. “What?” The yellow filly hid her face behind her hoof and tried again. “I’m flutt …” At this point the little pegasus’ voice had turned to squeaks that threatened to go beyond the hearing range of ponies. Rainbow Dash blinked a few time, scrunched her face, coughed, and finally smiled. “Fluttershy! Your name is Fluttershy, right?” The newly christened Fluttershy turned to look at the other filly, then nodded, smiling softly. “I like that name … Fluttershy,” she said, trotting up to the side of the bed. Rainbow Dash held up her Fireflye plush. “Want to play? I’m bored.” “Oh! That’s a Wonderbolt, right? I have the whole set, but I don’t know very much about them,” said Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash sat up in her bed, smiling broadly. “Really? Awesome! I know all about the Wonderbolts! If you go get your toys, I’ll tell you all about them!” “I’d like that,” replied Fluttershy, heading back to the door. “We’ve been friends ever since. Fluttershy was home-schooled, but we went to the same flight camps during the summer. That’s where she began using the name I thought of for her as her real name. Fluttershy doesn’t like other ponies to know about her family because it’s just too much pressure for her. She doesn’t do pressure real well, and she’s been bullied enough for how fragile she’s always been. Even her family calls her Fluttershy now,” said Rainbow Dash, finishing her story. “That’s an …” began Carrot Top, fishing for the right word. “… awesome origin for a name. You’ve been her protector for years now.” Rainbow Dash looked toward the horizon and frowned. “I don’t think it’s fair for other ponies to be mean to a nice pony like Fluttershy. She’s just so kind; she doesn’t deserve any bad things. It’s just not fair.” Carrot Top nodded in agreement. “Is that why you followed her to Ponyville?” Rainbow Dash sighed. At that moment she looked tired, and Carrot Top could see that something was stressing the pegasus. “Something like that, yeah. It was her father who told me Fluttershy was moving to Ponyville.” Rainbow Dash sat nervously on the large couch in the richly decorated room. The living room was filled with furniture, and the floor itself was covered with thick carpeting that had tickled Dash’s hooves as she moved across it. On the walls hung portraits of Posey family ancestors set in complex wooden frames. A vase of flowers sat in the middle of the low table at the center of the room. The flowers looked like exotic delicacies. Rainbow Dash considered eating one to calm her nerves, but that might not be acceptable. She had been called to meet with Mister Thunderous Posey himself, and the leader of the Posey family rarely met ponies for anything that wasn’t important. Finally a door at the far end of the room opened, and Thunderous Posey flew in at a leisurely pace. By pegasus stallion standards, Mister Posey was big. Really big: at least a head and a half taller than Dash herself. His legs looked powerful, and his large wings, when fully flared, made him look almost as big as Princess Luna herself. His coat was an immaculate bright yellow color, as bold as Fluttershy’s was subdued, and his short mane was a deep sunset red. His cutie mark was a large ominous dark cloud surrounded by six bolts of lightning emanating from the cloud. It was said that, in his youth, his wing beats could resemble the rumbling of thunder. He looked at Rainbow Dash with deep green eyes and a slight smile that seemed nothing but polite. “Rainbow Dash, thank you for your time. Orchid?” he said, presenting Dash with a flower from the vase. “Sure, Mister Posey. Thank you, sir,” she replied as politely as possible. The flower was exquisite and seemed to taste of foreign rainforests and terrible tropical storms. It was almost, just almost, enough of a distraction to make Rainbow Dash miss what Thunderous said next. “My little Flutter is ready to leave the nest. She wants to move down to the ground,” the industrialist said, a certain note of disdain creeping into his voice at the word ‘ground’. Dash swallowed her flower and looked at her friend’s father in surprise. “I had no idea, sir.” “I don’t think she wanted you to worry. I don’t blame her wanting to leave; poor Flutter just doesn’t have what it takes for the world of business, and I would be a terrible father if I forced her to act against her nature,” said the stallion, pacing back and forth. “However, I cannot help but worry about my dear daughter. She is moving to a small earth pony town called Ponyville in the hills surrounding Canterlot. It is a calm and harmless little hamlet, but I would feel much more comfortable about it if she had a good friend with her.” It took a few seconds for Rainbow Dash to understand what the stallion had meant. “You want me to move to Ponyville with her?” Thunderous Posey nodded in agreement. “Exactly. She is hoping for a fresh start and maybe conquering her crippling shyness, so she refused to let me lend her any staff. You understand that if you are to follow her, you cannot simply move in with her; you’ll need a cover story.” “A cover story, sir?” asked Rainbow, attacking what was left of the orchid’s stem. “Unless my sources are wrong, you have a weather management diploma, Miss Dash, yes?” he said, waiting for Rainbow Dash to nod in agreement before continuing. “It just so happens that the Ponyville weather manager has gotten a very sudden and unexpected promotion to a larger posting in Konikticut. Congratulations, Miss Dash, you’ve got the job.” The only reason Rainbow Dash didn’t fall backward at this declaration is because she was sitting on a couch. She had to fight to not spit the piece of orchid stem she was chewing, swallowing it instead. “Me? But I barely got my diploma! I don’t have any experience being a weather manager!” Thunderous dismissed her concern with a wave of his hoof. “Your teachers tell me you are very talented and that the only reason you had low scores was from lack of attendance. It’s a small town in the middle of nowhere, but the pay is still very good. I even secured you a nice cloud house that was on the market there. You can move in on the same day as Flutter. I know I can count on you to protect my daughter.” Rainbow Dash was still a bit dumbstruck by the proposition when Thunderous walked up to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. The industrialist looked at her with a very serious expression. “You will take care of her, won’t you? It would be a shame to be forced to give the job to dear Cloudia. The weather manager job doesn’t offer the same perks as staff manager of my estate does,” said Thunderous Posey, the implied threat lingering in the air. Dash swallowed. “Of course you can count on me. I’m Rainbow Dash; I’ve been taking care of Fluttershy for years now,” she said, puffing her chest out. “I can take care of a few clouds in Hicksville!” Thunderous Posey flew up and back with a satisfied smile on his face. “Very good! My secretary will bring you all the information you need. I bid you good day, Miss Dash. Thank you for being there for my daughter.” Rainbow Dash finished her second story and stood silent, looking down at her hooves on the grass. Carrot Top began to understand why the weather pegasus was acting the way she did. She felt bad for the chromatic speedster to have been put into such a position by her friend’s father. She also briefly wondered if the reason Rainbow Dash napped so much was because stress caused her to miss sleep. Stress that she was hiding from everypony, including her best friend. Now she really wanted to help this crazy mare deal with whatever was troubling her. “Truth is, I don’t deserve my job, but I can’t just ditch it completely,” Dash finally said. “I don’t mind doing weather work, but I’d rather not be the manager. Cloud Kicker is way better at this stuff.” “You mean when she’s not stressing out over Everfree weather?” joked Carrot Top. “Yeah … that poor pony is always nervous when things get out of control. But Raindrops is there; she can keep her cool. Mister Posey didn’t have to give me the weather manager spot just to get me to come help Fluttershy,” the pegasus said, stomping her hoof. “He underestimated your loyalty to your friend,” commented Carrot Top. “You’re a good friend to Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash. And I don’t think you don’t deserve the manager job. Raindrops is always praising you.” The weather pony looked at the farmer, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “Raindrops? Really? She’s always on my case.” Carrot Top nodded, a knowing smile on her lips. “She’s always complaining about you, but she’s also the first to defend your position. She says you’re the best flier in Equestria and that you could be the best weather pony if you just clocked in on time every once in a while. She’s really impressed the schedule is never missed,” she explained, “but please don’t tell her I told you so.” Once again Rainbow Dash seemed to rub a phantom wound as she chuckled. “I won’t. I know how Raindrops can get.” Carrot Top got up and put on a bright smile. “Well, Miss Dash, you might not need my help, but I really want to give it to you. I’m sure we can solve whatever is bothering you much faster if we work together.” Rainbow Dash seemed to ponder the proposal. She looked back at the cottage, then back at Carrot Top, absentmindedly scratching her chin with her hoof. Finally she nodded, more to herself than to Carrot Top, and got up as well. She closed her eyes and sighed, as if to steel herself for what she was about to do. “Do you know any herbal remedies?” she asked. Chapter 3NOTE: I updated chapter 2 with FredMSloniker's corrections. This time things were different after all. Carrot Top was standing in Fluttershy’s cozy living room. There was a comfortable-looking couch in the corner, a small bookshelf, and all sorts of rustic furniture. Shades of green and wooden panels gave the whole place a more grounded feel than the other pegasus houses that Carrot Top had visited in the past. Most importantly, the room was filled with birdhouses and other animal residencies of all kinds. Bags of feed were stored at random intervals in the room, and there were even several animal-sized flights of stairs leading to and from holes in the walls. A pair of mice was looking at Carrot Top from one of those holes, curiosity etched on their little faces. Carrot Top gave the animals an awkward smile; they bolted back into the darkness of the hole. If she strained her ears, she could hear the soft murmur of Rainbow Dash’s voice coming from the room above. She’d gone ahead to warn Fluttershy of the newcomer and try to get her to agree to see Carrot Top … or rather, make Fluttershy understand that she didn’t have to see her if she didn’t want to and that she didn’t have to just accept Rainbow Dash’s decision. Finally the pegasus’ multicolored head poked back into the room. “She’s ready for you; just … just take it slow, okay?” she told the farmer. Carrot Top nodded and went up the staircase that led into Fluttershy’s room. The room was decorated similarly to the room below, with a mirror on top of a dresser against one wall and a bed against another. A couple of chipmunks were asleep on the bed, a cat rolled up in a ball on a nearby carpet, and a lot of birds perched around the room in various states of wakefulness. A pet wasp was happily buzzing as it licked what was left in a near-empty jar of honey. Fluttershy was hiding in the bed, covers drawn up to her eyes and over her muzzle. Carrot Top could see that the pegasus’ fearful eyes were red, as though she had cried a lot recently, and her mane was in a complete state of disarray. “Hello. I’m Carrot Top,” the earth pony said, as softly as she could. Fluttershy seemed to almost physically shrink before Carrot Top’s eyes as her ears flattened against her head, but at least she didn’t cry or faint. Carrot Top took it as her cue to continue. “Tell me what’s wrong; maybe I can help.” Fluttershy glanced at Rainbow Dash, then at her animals, then back at Rainbow Dash. The other pegasus sighed and nodded, giving Fluttershy the go-ahead. The yellow mare reluctantly lowered the cover hiding her face and closed her eyes before speaking. “It’s my voice,” she said in a loud, rumbling, baritone, and very male voice. Carrot Top felt the floorboards beneath her hooves being rattled by the deep voice. All of Fluttershy’s animal friends suddenly ran away in fright, which visibly saddened the pegasus. Before she could start sobbing, Carrot Top spoke up. “I can fix that … I think,” said the earth pony, before turning to the other pegasus. “How long has she been like this?” “She woke up like that last Thursday; she was fine the day before,” explained Rainbow Dash. Carrot Top rubbed her chin with her hoof, her green eyes aimed at the ceiling. Normally an affliction would take Fluttershy’s voice away, not make it louder. She had her suspicions, but it felt like a long shot. In the end, she figured asking about it probably wouldn’t hurt. “I don’t suppose Fluttershy ever goes into the Everfree Forest?” asked Carrot Top, pointing her hoof toward the window and the gloomy forest beyond. She didn’t expect Rainbow Dash’s response to that question. “Every once in a while,” said the pegasus, shrugging. “Come to think of it, she went there Wednesday evening when one of her chickens ran away again … wait, do you think it has anything to do with it?” Carrot Top’s eyes were wide. “Yes! Miss Fluttershy, did you happen to notice if you stepped into a grove of plants with blue leaves?” Fluttershy’s nod made Carrot Top gasp, which in turn made the pegasus mare flinch in surprise. “I know exactly what happened to you, Miss Fluttershy! You stepped into poison joke!” Rainbow Dash flew up in surprise, hovering above the floor, obviously panicking as her gaze kept leaping between the two mares. “Poison joke?! Oh no! Is it dangerous? Should I bring her to the hospital? Tell me it’s not too late!” Rainbow Dash’s reaction frightened the poor yellow pegasus, who looked on with horror-stricken eyes. She was obviously on the verge of tears, and Carrot Top did not wish to know how much damage her new, louder voice could cause if she began crying. She tugged at Rainbow’s tail with her teeth and brought her back to the ground with a thud. “Calm down! It’s all right. It won’t harm her. Poison joke is a potent magic plant, but essentially harmless. It takes something about you and twists it around, like a cruel prank. It should wear off on its own in a about a week, but I know a way to fix it sooner,” she explained. Both pegasi let out a sigh of relief. Even Fluttershy’s animals returned from their hiding places. Carrot Top smiled broadly and turned toward the stairs. “Come on, Rainbow Dash; show me what kind of herbs Miss Fluttershy keeps around, then I’ll send you off on a shopping trip. You sit tight, Miss Fluttershy; by the time the sun comes down you’ll be back to your old self!” “Shopping trip?” “You should be able to find some of the plants we need at Daisy’s shop, and the other ingredients at Blossomforth’s shop,” said the earth pony, trotting down the stairs. Rainbow Dash made a comical expression of disgust at the last name. “Aww, not Blossomforth’s! Her shop smells too … too … too girly!” Carrot Top could only giggle at the pegasus. Blossomforth ran a successful shop that sold perfumes, scented candles, soap, oils, and other assorted scented products; obviously Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be a fan of such a place. Normally the white pegasus pony didn’t sell the raw ingredients she used in her concoctions, but Carrot Top figured she’d help out in this situation. It didn’t take long for Carrot Top to survey the rather impressive array of medicinal herbs, plants and tea leaves that Fluttershy kept on hoof. Each jar or box had a label with a carefully done drawing of the plant inside, and the farmer could identify each of them at a glance. A few minutes later, Rainbow Dash was zipping toward town, Fluttershy’s saddlebags on her flanks and a shopping list clutched in her teeth. Carrot Top finished pouring the mix of herbs she had prepared into the steaming hot bath. The water in the tub turned a pleasant shade of pink, and a reassuring aroma wafted into the room. Carrot Top breathed in the pleasing scent and sighed. She looked back to see Fluttershy, finally up from her bed, standing in the doorway. The poor thing must have been feeling really scared, not certain what was wrong with her voice, to say nothing of the effect her new voice had on her little friends. She must have sobbed for days on end. Carrot Top gave the pegasus a warm smile that the pegasus returned with a small smile of her own. “Once Dash comes back, we can add the other ingredients; then it’s just a matter of taking a nice soak and relaxing,” said the farmer. Carrot Top sat down next to the tub and began to absent-mindedly mix the water with the tip of her hoof. Fluttershy just stood in the doorway, making small circles with her front hoof and trying to look everywhere but at the new pony in her home. The awkward silence seemed to be ready to stretch until Rainbow Dash could come back from Ponyville with the other ingredients. Something had to be done about it. “I didn’t … I didn’t know you went into the Everfree Forest. That’s pretty brave of you, Miss Fluttershy,” said Carrot Top, looking back at the pegasus. The yellow mare blushed, then shook her head. “No, I’m serious. I know a lot of ponies that would be too scared to go into the forest. I suppose you go there for your little animal friends?” Fluttershy kept blushing, but she managed to nod. “Well, if you want, I can teach you about other dangerous plants that you need to avoid and those you might want to gather. I even have a sketchbook of plants found in the forest my grandparents put together. I could come back another day and show it to you if you wanted,” suggested the farmer. Fluttershy’s smile grew. “I’d like that,” she said with her big rumbling voice. Rainbow Dash had come back a few minutes ago, and the bathtub had been filled with the missing ingredients. The weather mare had suggested the farmer go and fix up a meal while she stayed by Fluttershy’s side. Carrot Top hadn’t argued; she was heading to Fluttershy’s kitchen to see what she could put together. Apparently the poor dear hadn’t had a solid meal since her ordeal began, and Rainbow Dash was probably famished after the frantic race she had been through to gather the ingredients. Carrot Top stopped in her tracks as she entered the room. On the counter, opposite the doorway, was the reason for her presence in the first place: Angel. The full force of Carrot Top’s emerald gaze hit the white bunny. Thankfully for Fluttershy’s kitchen, his head did not explode. The bunny was glaring back at her, immune to her death glare, and he quickly pointed to something next to him. It was a bunch of carrots, one of them clearly cut at the tip. Carrot Top’s eyes bulged, and she gasped as she realized those were the carrots the bunny had stolen from her … “… Since last … Friday?” she said, confused. The bunny stood up on the counter and pointed to the table, where a couple of silver bits were sitting. Exactly the price the carrots would have cost if the bunny had purchased them at the market. After that, he jumped down and headed for the living room, strutting past Carrot Top. Carrot Top snapped out of her confusion and turned toward the bunny. “Wait! Did you steal … take those carrots from me to force me to come here?” The white critter turned around, crossed his little arms, and looked at Carrot Top with a look halfway between disbelief and annoyance. Carrot Top looked upward, in the direction of the bathroom where Fluttershy was getting cured of her condition, with a small smile. “You knew I would want to help,” she said, looking back at Angel, tilting her head like a curious dog. “And you wanted her to find a new friend, didn’t you?” The bunny shrugged and turned around to hop away. “You’re a good friend, Angel. Fluttershy is lucky to have you. Thank you,” said the farmer, giving Angel a beaming smile. With that, Carrot Top turned around. She was about to head further into the kitchen when she stopped, as if suddenly remembering something. “But the next time you pull a prank like that … you won’t escape me that easily! We clear on that, you little vermin?” she added in a harsh tone, not turning back to look at the target of her threat. Angel looked back at the farmer, surprise written on his little face. As she trotted into the kitchen, he shot her departing form a satisfied smirk. It was almost closing time when the door of the shop opened, making the bell above it jingle merrily. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique! Where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique!” declared Rarity, trotting up to the door where she found a familiar orange-headed mare. “Why, hello there, darling! How did it go with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy?” Carrot Top smiled at the fashion designer. “It went really well. I solved both our problems, and I think I made a friend or two today. Your advice was really useful, Miss Rarity!” Rarity just waved her hoof. “Don’t mention it, my dear; it was my pleasure!” “I can’t thank you enough. Without your advice, I don’t think I could have gotten to a happy conclusion. If you need help with anything, I’ll be happy to lend a hoof in return,” said Carrot Top, smiling brightly. She was smiling so broadly, her eyes closed in adorable crescents, that she missed the predatory gleam that suddenly appeared in Rarity’s eyes. “Well, now that you graciously offer your help, it would be rude of me to refuse it. There is, indeed, something that you could help me with! Something I fear I may not ask of anypony else,” replied the unicorn, her eyes brimming with excitement. “Name it,” said Carrot Top with a smile, a smile that progressively vanished as Rarity explained her plight. “A famous fashion photographer heard of my work and is coming to Ponyville next week! It is a big opportunity for my modest boutique. A chance to, perhaps, break into the Canterlot market proper! I need somepony to model my dresses. Somepony with your kind of small town charm and grace,” said Rarity. Carrot Top stared blankly in confusion. “I’m from Fillydelphia.” Rarity gave this a few seconds of thought, rubbing her chin before shrugging. “Well, nopony’s perfect, I suppose. Still, as a fellow independent entrepreneur, I’m sure you understand how arduous it can be to establish oneself in a market dominated by large brand names. If one of the famous Elements of Harmony were to model for me, why, that would surely make a powerful impression on Photo Finish! Help my business go further! Come, dear; I’ll show you the dresses you’ll have to wear next week!” Rarity then put her hoof around Carrot Top’s neck and gently pulled her toward the back of the shop. Carrot Top smiled nervously, but nonetheless followed. She normally tried to keep her mane and tail looking good, but she had never been one for fashionable clothes like Rarity made. She usually put all her money into the farm; fancy hair products were practically the only luxury she would allow herself. The monthly trip to the spa with Trixie was a fairly new indulgence in her life, mostly due to the unicorn’s prodding. More importantly, she realized that, while she did solve her bunny situation, she had completely failed to solve the most important problem plaguing her: she was still a doormat. She let out a sigh of resignation. Rarity seemed blind to the fact that the farmer was now pouting, lost in her own world. “Did I ever mention that I really like your mane?” Cue the end credits!
Chapter 1A fine mist was clinging to the ground, the result of the rain shower the weather patrol had orchestrated the previous night. The mist lent a dreamlike aura to the early hour, when most of the population of Ponyville was still asleep. One pony in particular, though, was already wide awake. The huntress stood, silent like a deadly predator, crouched behind the wheelbarrow. She kept her cold gaze fixed on the wooded area that bordered the field. In the silent air of morning, the early birds sounded like chimes or bells hidden in the woods. Suddenly they grew silent. The huntress tensed in anticipation: her quarry was approaching. A twig snapped, breaking the silence and causing birds to fly away in protest. The huntress held her breath and willed herself not to blink, afraid to miss her prey. The beast appeared from the mist like a ghost. White as a cloud, it stood, and with eyes that betrayed a sinister and calculating intelligence, it scanned over the silent field. The prey’s muzzle twitched, hoping to catch the scent of any enemy, but the huntress had been prepared and stood downwind from her quarry. With a majestic leap that surprised the silent observer, the creature sailed over the hastily-erected barbed wire barrier encircling the field. Like a conquering king, the white intruder strutted down the field and chose its own target. Muscle tensed beneath wild white fur as it began to pull at its unsuspecting victim to claim it for itself. The huntress could no longer wait, for the white intruder was about to run off, once again, with ill-gotten loot! “Angel!” shrieked Carrot Top as she leapt over her wheelbarrow, galloping toward the bunny while gripping a large butterfly net in her mouth. The white bunny turned to look at the enraged pony, and his little eyes grew slightly. With one last effort, the bunny plucked his prize from the earth and ran off with one of the farmer’s carrots. He just as easily as before avoided the barbed-wire line, unhindered by the carrot he was carrying, and hopped back into the mist between the trees. Carrot Top was hot on his little heels, even if, she hated to admit, the little guy was pretty fast for his size. She was at full gallop when she too leapt over the barbed wire. For a tense minute she weaved between trees, straining to keep up with her agile target. While the mist was thicker in the forest, affording the white bunny a modicum of camouflage, he was still carrying a bright orange carrot. It flickered in and out of view as he ran behind trees. Suddenly Carrot Top saw her target duck through a hole under a large root that jutted from the ground, and she made another leap to avoid tripping over it. She landed in a puddle and immediately slipped on the mud. With a wail of confusion, she slipped backward, landing on her back, while her momentum propelled her forward. With a thud, she slammed bottom first into a tree trunk. The discarded butterfly net landed on her face, covering her muzzle with the net. “Ow,” she said, defeated. My little pony, My little pony Ahh ahh ahh ahhh... My little pony Friendship never meant that much to me My little pony But you're all here and now I can see Stormy weather; Lots to share A musical bond; With love and care Teaching laughter; It's an easy feat, And magic makes it all complete! You have my little ponies How'd I ever make so many true friends? Carrot Top was muttering under her breath as she came down the path to Ponyville. Her little adventure that morning had left her with nothing but mud splotches to clean and a bruised backside. Now she was clean again, but her bottom still hurt. It was still fairly early in the day, and, as she had expected, she ran into Cheerilee just as the Element of Laughter was about to walk into the schoolyard of Ponyville Elementary. The teacher waved at her farmer friend when she spotted her. “Hi Carrot! What brings you into town this early in the morning?” she asked, putting on a smile as bright as the sun. “Nothing good,” Carrot Top replied in a sullen tone; “nothing very good. Cheerilee, have you ever spoken to Fluttershy?” Cheerilee brought a hoof to her cheek. “Miss Fluttershy? I’m afraid not. From what Dinky tells me, she’s so shy she only speaks to Rainbow Dash, Ditzy Doo, and Dinky herself. Why?” Carrot Top sighed; her friend’s response had been what she had expected, but not what she had hoped for. Ditzy and Dinky were both out of town for the week, gone with Trixie, Lyra, and Bon Bon to enjoy the beaches of Cayo el Bayo down in the south. Trixie had extended the invitation to all her friends, but Raindrops, Cheerilee, and Carrot Top herself all had duties to attend to. With the Doo family out of town, Carrot Top would have trouble talking with Fluttershy; the poor mare would hide at the first sight of a stranger. Carrot Top wasn’t on speaking terms with the weather patrol captain either, not after the incident with Gilda. “Her bunny stole one of my carrots today. It’s been going on for a several days, but I only caught sight of him two days ago. He comes every morning, like clockwork, and makes off with a carrot.” “Oh my, that’s bothersome,” said the other mare, blinking in surprise. “It’s just so strange … Angel’s never done anything like this before. For Luna’s sake, the little guy does Fluttershy’s grocery shopping for her!” explained the farmer. “Really?” “Yes. Every week or so, Angel and one of Fluttershy’s bigger animals walk into the market place pulling a cart, lugging a bag of bits, and carrying a shopping list made of drawings. It’s quite hilarious to watch Angel convince the other merchants to drop their prices. He usually spends five minutes picking the best carrots from my stall. Not only do I want to talk to her to stop this, I’m kind of worried this might hide another problem,” explained the orange-headed mare. Cheerilee smiled at this. “Angel’s a nice pet then, if he does all that for Fluttershy. I understand your concerns, though. Sorry to say this, Carrot, but you might have to track down Rainbow Dash.” “That’s what I was afraid of. Thanks, Cheerilee; I’ll see you later,” replied Carrot Top before resuming her walk into Ponyville. It was a little later, after a trip to the post office, that Carrot Top found herself in front of the weather patrol headquarters. The pony at the post office had explained to Carrot Top that all of Fluttershy’s mail was being forwarded to Rainbow Dash’s address while Ditzy was on her well-deserved vacation, and as such nopony else could have had contact with the reclusive mare. The farmer was now hoping against all hope that Rainbow Dash would be behind the door. Carrot Top didn’t like Rainbow Dash. She felt she was a lazy jerk who always caused problems for her friend Raindrops. The pegasus and her griffin friend had also threatened her livelihood before, nearly destroying her reserves with their thoughtless prank. At the time, she had been too worried about her stock to properly get mad, and she now felt like that anger could burst forth at the worst moment. She didn’t want to have anything to do with Dash, but it looked like she had no choice. She entered the cavernous building that was the Ponyville weather station and looked at the crowd of pegasi flittering about. Seeing no sign of the polychromatic speedster anywhere, she waved Thunder Lane over. Thunder Lane was the pegasus usually in charge of the corner of the Ponyville sky above her farm, at least when Raindrops was busy elsewhere, and the two had become friends over the years. A while ago, they had entertained thoughts of going out, but that had led nowhere, and both, in common accord, had decided to simply remain friends. The way he was looking at Blossomforth these days seemed to hint that he had gotten over the farmer by now. Carrot Top was happy for her friend. “Hey, CT!” said the stallion, landing in front of her. “Hey, Thunder Lane. Have you seen Rainbow Dash today?” she asked. He shook his head before speaking. “Nah, she changed her schedule at the last minute again and took off for a week long vacation. I haven’t seen her around town since.” Carrot Top frowned at that. “You wouldn’t happen to know where she would hang out?” “She’s probably hanging out with Fluttershy,” said Thunder Lane, shrugging a little before he began to hover slightly. “Thanks, Thunder Lane. I won’t keep you longer; see you later!” “See ya, CT!” Carrot Top turned back to leave the weather station. If Rainbow Dash were indeed at Fluttershy’s cottage, it would make things easier for her. Feeling no need to postpone the confrontation any longer, she headed for Fluttershy’s rustic home on the other side of town. On her way, she realized that, as fast as Angel might be, the trip there from Fluttershy’s house must be quite the journey for a little bunny. That was another detail that made his recent behavior so strange. Hopefully this whole thing would be behind her soon. Carrot Top had been looking at Fluttershy’s cottage from the path below for at least five minutes by now. She wasn’t sure how to approach, and whether she should do so silently or with enough noise to warn the socially awkward pegasus that lived within. She was also wondering if Rainbow Dash was inside. Finally, she decided to give an advanced warning and began to whistle a happy tune she had heard Lyra perform before. She whistled for half a minute before making her way toward the door of the rustic home. She was about to knock when the door opened and Rainbow Dash’s multicolored head poked out, glaring at her. “What do you want, ginger-face?” she asked sternly. It took a few seconds for Carrot Top to find her voice. “I need to talk to Fluttershy.” “No! Fluttershy doesn’t want to see anypony!” replied Rainbow Dash, shutting the door. Carrot Top started knocking on the door, calling out, “Rainbow Dash! At least let me tell you what’s going on!” “Stop it! You’re scaring Fluttershy!” “Rainbow Dash! Please, this is important!” “Go away, ginger-face!” Carrot Top’s cheeks puffed in anger, and she glared angrily at the blank wooden door. When it failed to catch on fire, she turned around and walked away in a huff. “Jerk,” she muttered to herself. “You know what your problem is?” began Raindrops. “You’re a doormat. If it was me, I would have knocked on that door again. Probably until it broke.” Carrot Top glared at her with enough force that she felt she was about to shoot lightning bolts from her eyeballs, but the pegasus only took satisfaction in the fact her friend didn’t outright object. A part of Carrot Top had to admit her friend was right; sadly, it was also the same part of her that was a doormat. The irony wasn’t totally lost on the farmer. “You’re right; I need to learn to be more assertive,” she said, letting her head hang low and her ears droop. The pair had met up for lunch at a local sandwich shop during Raindrops’ break; they were sitting outside under the shade of a large purple tarp. There was a soft breeze, and the sun had dried up what was left of the nightly rain shower, making it a great day to eat in the shade. Carrot Top had been a bit too bothered about her encounter with Rainbow Dash to finish her meal just yet. “Raindrops … did you miss out on the trip to the beach because Rainbow Dash took off for a week without warning?” asked Carrot Top, looking back up. Raindrops shook her head. “No, I had already volunteered for Everfree watching duty for this week before Trixie’s invitation came; I would have been busy anyway.” “Do you think Rainbow Dash is a jerk?” “Sometimes, but I try not to let it get to me; she’s still a darn good weather pony, even if she doesn’t take it seriously. Either way, you still need to confront her. This is your livelihood we’re talking about, and she still owes you for that stupid prank,” said Raindrop, getting up from her seat. “Well, it was fun, but I have to get back to work. You go back there and demand Rainbow Dash let you settle this bunny problem, you hear? See you around.” “Have a nice day!” said Carrot Top; then she hung her head again, her ears flat against her head. She stood like that for a few seconds, wondering how she could face off against Rainbow Dash, when a voice brought her back to the present. “Why the glum look, my dear? A beautiful mare such as yourself should never look so depressed,” said Rarity, walking toward Carrot Top. “Oh! Thank you, Miss Rarity; it’s kind of you to say I’m beautiful,” replied the farmer. “Well, I only speak the truth; your mane has such amazing volume, such sheen! Whatever do you use to make it look so gorgeous?” asked the fashionista. “Vitamin B, like in carrots,” answered Carrot Top, blushing a little. “Of course. Now, allow me to lend you an open ear, and tell me what is bothering you?” Carrot Top sighed and told her about the carrot theft, then finding herself faced with Rainbow Dash at Fluttershy’s cottage. Rarity took the empty seat across from the earth pony, seated with her chin resting on her hoof, and listened to the full story. When it was finished, she allowed herself a short moment before speaking. “You know, I don’t know Fluttershy personally—in fact I find it hard to recall when the last time I even laid eyes on the poor thing was—but I know Rainbow Dash.” This declaration made Carrot Top’s ears perk in surprise. “I didn’t think you two had much in common.” Rarity let out a little laugh, like rain falling on crystal. “Oh, not at all. However—and this is not something I want you to go around repeating—every year when Fluttershy’s birthday rolls around, Rainbow Dash comes to me to help find the perfect gift for her oldest friend. She has done so ever since the two arrived in Ponyville.” “They arrived at the same time, didn’t they?” said Carrot Top. Rarity nodded in agreement. “Oh, yes; Rainbow wouldn’t be here otherwise. The point is, Fluttershy is a soft and fragile flower, while Rainbow is anything but. The poor dear is simply out of her depth when it comes to finding a gift for her soft-spoken friend, so she came to me for help. I could tell it cost her some measure of pride to do so. You see, Carrot Top, Rainbow Dash is brash, proud, and braver than any pegasus has any right to be, but she is also wracked with insecurities and doubt.” Carrot Top blinked. “How can someone so … over-confident be insecure?” “That’s the thing, my dear,” said Rarity, making a wide hoof movement to punctuate her point. “She is such a braggart because she’s full of doubt. She is not so much assuring other ponies of her skill as she is reassuring herself. Rainbow Dash fancies herself Fluttershy’s protector, and she is quite loyal to her, there is no doubt. She is, however, terribly ill-equipped for the task. If I had to take a guess as to why she chased you away with nary a chance to leave a message, it is because she is currently dealing with something. Something she can’t handle alone.” Rarity stepped down from her seat and walked to put a hoof on the other mare’s shoulder. “You are the Element of Generosity, my dear; the least you could do is give Rainbow Dash the benefit of the doubt. If you want to solve your problem, I advise trying to get her to open up to you, rather than confronting her head on,” she said, removing her hoof. “If you try too hard, she’ll only take it as a challenge and will want to prove you wrong, no matter what. To win, so to speak, you have to be on her side.” “Thank you, Miss Rarity; you’ve given me lots to think about.” “Think nothing of it, my dear. If you ever need help making your inner beauty radiate, you can find me in my shop.” And with that, the unicorn left Carrot Top to mull over her situation. Finally, she stood up and stamped the ground. She was going back to Fluttershy’s cottage and getting this situation resolved! This time it would be different!
Chapter 2This time won’t be any different. That was the thought going through Carrot Top’s head as she hid behind a tree near Fluttershy’s cottage. Raindrops’s reproach and Rarity’s counsels had, originally, given her new resolve to come and confront Rainbow Dash, but as she neared the house all of that resolve had faded away. She could feel herself become more nervous with every step. Rainbow Dash was kind of scary, and Carrot Top wasn’t sure exactly how she could get a word in, let alone convince her to open up. She sighed and sat on her haunches in defeat. A sharp crunching noise broke the silence, causing Carrot Top’s closed eyes to snap open. It wasn’t loud, but to the pony it felt as clear as a peal of thunder. She knew exactly what that noise was: something biting into a carrot. She looked around, then spotted him. Angel. He was standing in front of the path leading from the road to the cottage, holding what was left of the carrot he had stolen that morning. He looked at the mare with a derisive smirk and tossed the little orange nub up in the air before catching it in his mouth. He chewed loudly while still staring at the sitting pony, then swallowed and wiggled his eyebrows at her. Once again, Carrot Top launched herself into a gallop after the little bunny, all the while shouting his name in anger. The little guy zipped toward the modest home of his owner. As he neared the door, it opened; with great agility, he slipped between the hooves of the suddenly dumbstruck Rainbow Dash. Carrot Top saw the pegasus and tried desperately to brake before she could collide with her, eyes bulging. She managed to dig her hooves into the ground and halt her gallop a few inches from Rainbow Dash, then quickly and awkwardly back away a few steps. “Rainbow Dash!” she said, grinning sheepishly. “Just the pony I wanted to see!” Rainbow Dash shook her head as if to clear her mind, and her surprised expression turned back into a cold stare. “You again? I told you to go away, ginger-face! Nopony bothers Fluttershy!” The sudden aggressiveness, coupled with the insulting nickname, made Carrot Top puff her cheeks in anger. She glared back at Rainbow Dash, who didn’t seem to notice. As the pegasus was about to close the door, the earth pony realized she needed to act fast before her window of opportunity closed with it. “Wait, wait, please,” she said, her expression turning into a pleading look. “Can I speak with you? I really need your help!” Rainbow Dash’s eyebrow went up as she stared at the farmer with skepticism. Carrot Top quickly thought of something to say that would help stroke the daredevil’s ego. “Help me, Rainbow Dash! You’re my only hope!” Rainbow Dash sighed and stepped outside, closing the door behind her with her hindleg. “Fine, no need to be a drama queen. So what is it?” Carrot Top allowed herself a small smile before putting her business face back on. “Angel’s been stealing my carrots. I don’t know why he would do that; I’m afraid something’s wrong. Can you tell Fluttershy to talk to him? This is my livelihood, you know.” Rainbow Dash bit her lower lip, her eyes quickly looking everywhere but at Carrot Top. “Yeah, I understand, carrots are important,” said Rainbow, unconsciously rubbing her face like some phantom wound was bothering her, “but … but I don’t think Fluttershy can talk to Angel right now.” Now it was Carrot Top’s eyebrows that rose in surprise. “Rainbow Dash, is something wrong with Miss Fluttershy?” Had Rarity’s analysis had been right? Rainbow Dash’s reluctance to talk and her sudden nervous appearance sure seemed to hint at it. Carrot Top could see a bead of sweat roll down the pegasus’ cheek, and her wings where fluttering as if she was getting ready to flee. “It’s none of your beeswax, okay?” declared Rainbow Dash, her wings flaring. Carrot Top decided to press on. “I can help, you know!” “I don’t need your help!” “I know! I know you don’t need my help, but I want to help Miss Fluttershy,” argued the farmer. “No!” Carrot Top gave the other mare the best pleading puppy look she could muster. “Please, Rainbow Dash, why are you acting like a bodyguard?” “Because I am!” declared Rainbow Dash, flying upward and pressing her face against Carrot Top’s. The reaction took the farmer by surprise, and she stayed silent, staring into the nervous eyes of the pegasus. Rainbow Dash suddenly realized how aggressive she had become and landed again, looking downward. “Sorta …” she said, kicking a loose pebble with her front hoof. Carrot Top looked at the usually confident mare with concern. “Sorta? I can lend you an ear if you want to talk about it.” The weather pony seemed to consider it for a moment. Finally she motioned toward the nearby pond with her head and slowly flew toward it. She landed and sat on her haunches, and Carrot Top soon joined her, sitting as well. “Do you know how Fluttershy can afford all this?” she asked, waving her front hoof at the cottage and the various animal habitats one could see in the backyard from their vantage point. “I always assumed she had a government grant for running an animal shelter,” answered the farmer. Rainbow Dash gave a short, sharp laugh at the statement. “Hah! Nah, it’s those snobs who run the veterinary clinic in town who get one.” “Then how?” “Promise not tell anypony in town? Not even your friends? Especially not that Trixie?” asked Rainbow. Carrot Top nodded. “I swear on my honor as an Element of Harmony! Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a carrot in my eye!” Carrot Top made a crossing motion over her chest, then wiggled her hooves like wings, and then put her left hoof on her closed eye. The whole ritual made Rainbow Dash snort in amusement, but it seemed to placate her, and she began speaking again. “Fluttershy isn’t her real given name. She was born Fluttering Posey,” said Rainbow. The name seemed familiar to Carrot Top. Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember where she had heard that family name. Suddenly she remembered a few newspaper articles, as well as Trixie telling her about families that had representatives at the Night Court. “Posey?” she gasped in sudden realization. “As in … as in ‘wealthy weather industrialist Thunderous Posey’? As in Duchess Fragrant Posey who has a seat at the Night Court?” Rainbow Dash was smiling just a little. “You sure know stuff, ginger-face. She doesn’t want anypony in town to know, but, yeah, Fluttershy is Thunderous Posey’s daughter. She doesn’t like the whole business thing; she just lets the family handle it, and they send her money in the mail.” Carrot Top blinked. “How did you ever meet an important pony like that?” Rainbow Dash looked up into the distance; the haze of nostalgia seemed to fill her eyes as her smile softened. “You know, how I met Fluttershy is also how she got her new name. My mom is staff manager at the Posey mansion back in Cloudsdale. She handles the butlers and maids and cooks and stuff … kind of boring stuff, but it’s hard work. One day, back in my first year of elementary school, I came down with a bad case of the feather flu. I had to stay home, but mom couldn’t stay to watch over me, so she got me a guest room for the day at the mansion …” A small filly with a multicolored mane was lying on a big comfy bed in a cavernous room made of cloud. In a cloud house, the level of luxury isn’t measured by the amount of space, as space is easy to come by in the air, but rather by how much furniture isn’t made of cloud. Normal material, such as wood or metal, would normally plummet through a cloud construction. It was possible to get anything enchanted to float on clouds; however, the bigger the object, the more expensive the enchantment. Little Rainbow Dash didn’t know all of that, but she did know she had never lain in a bed that wasn’t made of cloud before. The large mattress was almost as big as her whole room back home, and the dressers and nightstand were made of that weird hard stuff they call wood. The blankets weren’t really different than what she had back in her room, but the pillows and the mattress felt weird to the point where she couldn’t rest. Her mother had warned her not to get out of bed, so now she was bored. Really bored. The only thing she had to amuse herself was her Fireflye plushy, but even the captain of the Wonderbolts couldn’t make this big empty room fun for long. Right now she was reduced to staring at dust bunnies dancing in a ray of light. That and coughing. The door of the room opened slowly. At first Rainbow Dash thought it had been a stray gust of wind because she couldn’t see anypony. After a moment a small head poked in timidly. It was another filly, about her age or maybe a bit older, with a pale yellow coat and long pink mane. The two fillies spent what felt like an hour just staring at each other. “Hi!” Rainbow Dash finally said. “Hello,” replied the other filly in the softest and sweetest voice Rainbow Dash had ever heard. “Are you Mrs. Cloudia’s daughter?” “Yup! I’m Rainbow Dash; what’s your name?” “I’m Flutteri …” began the filly, her voice getting progressively quieter and hard to understand. Little Dash cocked her head to the side like a confused dog. “What?” The yellow filly hid her face behind her hoof and tried again. “I’m flutt …” At this point the little pegasus’ voice had turned to squeaks that threatened to go beyond the hearing range of ponies. Rainbow Dash blinked a few time, scrunched her face, coughed, and finally smiled. “Fluttershy! Your name is Fluttershy, right?” The newly christened Fluttershy turned to look at the other filly, then nodded, smiling softly. “I like that name … Fluttershy,” she said, trotting up to the side of the bed. Rainbow Dash held up her Fireflye plush. “Want to play? I’m bored.” “Oh! That’s a Wonderbolt, right? I have the whole set, but I don’t know very much about them,” said Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash sat up in her bed, smiling broadly. “Really? Awesome! I know all about the Wonderbolts! If you go get your toys, I’ll tell you all about them!” “I’d like that,” replied Fluttershy, heading back to the door. “We’ve been friends ever since. Fluttershy was home-schooled, but we went to the same flight camps during the summer. That’s where she began using the name I thought of for her as her real name. Fluttershy doesn’t like other ponies to know about her family because it’s just too much pressure for her. She doesn’t do pressure real well, and she’s been bullied enough for how fragile she’s always been. Even her family calls her Fluttershy now,” said Rainbow Dash, finishing her story. “That’s an …” began Carrot Top, fishing for the right word. “… awesome origin for a name. You’ve been her protector for years now.” Rainbow Dash looked toward the horizon and frowned. “I don’t think it’s fair for other ponies to be mean to a nice pony like Fluttershy. She’s just so kind; she doesn’t deserve any bad things. It’s just not fair.” Carrot Top nodded in agreement. “Is that why you followed her to Ponyville?” Rainbow Dash sighed. At that moment she looked tired, and Carrot Top could see that something was stressing the pegasus. “Something like that, yeah. It was her father who told me Fluttershy was moving to Ponyville.” Rainbow Dash sat nervously on the large couch in the richly decorated room. The living room was filled with furniture, and the floor itself was covered with thick carpeting that had tickled Dash’s hooves as she moved across it. On the walls hung portraits of Posey family ancestors set in complex wooden frames. A vase of flowers sat in the middle of the low table at the center of the room. The flowers looked like exotic delicacies. Rainbow Dash considered eating one to calm her nerves, but that might not be acceptable. She had been called to meet with Mister Thunderous Posey himself, and the leader of the Posey family rarely met ponies for anything that wasn’t important. Finally a door at the far end of the room opened, and Thunderous Posey flew in at a leisurely pace. By pegasus stallion standards, Mister Posey was big. Really big: at least a head and a half taller than Dash herself. His legs looked powerful, and his large wings, when fully flared, made him look almost as big as Princess Luna herself. His coat was an immaculate bright yellow color, as bold as Fluttershy’s was subdued, and his short mane was a deep sunset red. His cutie mark was a large ominous dark cloud surrounded by six bolts of lightning emanating from the cloud. It was said that, in his youth, his wing beats could resemble the rumbling of thunder. He looked at Rainbow Dash with deep green eyes and a slight smile that seemed nothing but polite. “Rainbow Dash, thank you for your time. Orchid?” he said, presenting Dash with a flower from the vase. “Sure, Mister Posey. Thank you, sir,” she replied as politely as possible. The flower was exquisite and seemed to taste of foreign rainforests and terrible tropical storms. It was almost, just almost, enough of a distraction to make Rainbow Dash miss what Thunderous said next. “My little Flutter is ready to leave the nest. She wants to move down to the ground,” the industrialist said, a certain note of disdain creeping into his voice at the word ‘ground’. Dash swallowed her flower and looked at her friend’s father in surprise. “I had no idea, sir.” “I don’t think she wanted you to worry. I don’t blame her wanting to leave; poor Flutter just doesn’t have what it takes for the world of business, and I would be a terrible father if I forced her to act against her nature,” said the stallion, pacing back and forth. “However, I cannot help but worry about my dear daughter. She is moving to a small earth pony town called Ponyville in the hills surrounding Canterlot. It is a calm and harmless little hamlet, but I would feel much more comfortable about it if she had a good friend with her.” It took a few seconds for Rainbow Dash to understand what the stallion had meant. “You want me to move to Ponyville with her?” Thunderous Posey nodded in agreement. “Exactly. She is hoping for a fresh start and maybe conquering her crippling shyness, so she refused to let me lend her any staff. You understand that if you are to follow her, you cannot simply move in with her; you’ll need a cover story.” “A cover story, sir?” asked Rainbow, attacking what was left of the orchid’s stem. “Unless my sources are wrong, you have a weather management diploma, Miss Dash, yes?” he said, waiting for Rainbow Dash to nod in agreement before continuing. “It just so happens that the Ponyville weather manager has gotten a very sudden and unexpected promotion to a larger posting in Konikticut. Congratulations, Miss Dash, you’ve got the job.” The only reason Rainbow Dash didn’t fall backward at this declaration is because she was sitting on a couch. She had to fight to not spit the piece of orchid stem she was chewing, swallowing it instead. “Me? But I barely got my diploma! I don’t have any experience being a weather manager!” Thunderous dismissed her concern with a wave of his hoof. “Your teachers tell me you are very talented and that the only reason you had low scores was from lack of attendance. It’s a small town in the middle of nowhere, but the pay is still very good. I even secured you a nice cloud house that was on the market there. You can move in on the same day as Flutter. I know I can count on you to protect my daughter.” Rainbow Dash was still a bit dumbstruck by the proposition when Thunderous walked up to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. The industrialist looked at her with a very serious expression. “You will take care of her, won’t you? It would be a shame to be forced to give the job to dear Cloudia. The weather manager job doesn’t offer the same perks as staff manager of my estate does,” said Thunderous Posey, the implied threat lingering in the air. Dash swallowed. “Of course you can count on me. I’m Rainbow Dash; I’ve been taking care of Fluttershy for years now,” she said, puffing her chest out. “I can take care of a few clouds in Hicksville!” Thunderous Posey flew up and back with a satisfied smile on his face. “Very good! My secretary will bring you all the information you need. I bid you good day, Miss Dash. Thank you for being there for my daughter.” Rainbow Dash finished her second story and stood silent, looking down at her hooves on the grass. Carrot Top began to understand why the weather pegasus was acting the way she did. She felt bad for the chromatic speedster to have been put into such a position by her friend’s father. She also briefly wondered if the reason Rainbow Dash napped so much was because stress caused her to miss sleep. Stress that she was hiding from everypony, including her best friend. Now she really wanted to help this crazy mare deal with whatever was troubling her. “Truth is, I don’t deserve my job, but I can’t just ditch it completely,” Dash finally said. “I don’t mind doing weather work, but I’d rather not be the manager. Cloud Kicker is way better at this stuff.” “You mean when she’s not stressing out over Everfree weather?” joked Carrot Top. “Yeah … that poor pony is always nervous when things get out of control. But Raindrops is there; she can keep her cool. Mister Posey didn’t have to give me the weather manager spot just to get me to come help Fluttershy,” the pegasus said, stomping her hoof. “He underestimated your loyalty to your friend,” commented Carrot Top. “You’re a good friend to Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash. And I don’t think you don’t deserve the manager job. Raindrops is always praising you.” The weather pony looked at the farmer, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “Raindrops? Really? She’s always on my case.” Carrot Top nodded, a knowing smile on her lips. “She’s always complaining about you, but she’s also the first to defend your position. She says you’re the best flier in Equestria and that you could be the best weather pony if you just clocked in on time every once in a while. She’s really impressed the schedule is never missed,” she explained, “but please don’t tell her I told you so.” Once again Rainbow Dash seemed to rub a phantom wound as she chuckled. “I won’t. I know how Raindrops can get.” Carrot Top got up and put on a bright smile. “Well, Miss Dash, you might not need my help, but I really want to give it to you. I’m sure we can solve whatever is bothering you much faster if we work together.” Rainbow Dash seemed to ponder the proposal. She looked back at the cottage, then back at Carrot Top, absentmindedly scratching her chin with her hoof. Finally she nodded, more to herself than to Carrot Top, and got up as well. She closed her eyes and sighed, as if to steel herself for what she was about to do. “Do you know any herbal remedies?” she asked.
Chapter 3NOTE: I updated chapter 2 with FredMSloniker's corrections. This time things were different after all. Carrot Top was standing in Fluttershy’s cozy living room. There was a comfortable-looking couch in the corner, a small bookshelf, and all sorts of rustic furniture. Shades of green and wooden panels gave the whole place a more grounded feel than the other pegasus houses that Carrot Top had visited in the past. Most importantly, the room was filled with birdhouses and other animal residencies of all kinds. Bags of feed were stored at random intervals in the room, and there were even several animal-sized flights of stairs leading to and from holes in the walls. A pair of mice was looking at Carrot Top from one of those holes, curiosity etched on their little faces. Carrot Top gave the animals an awkward smile; they bolted back into the darkness of the hole. If she strained her ears, she could hear the soft murmur of Rainbow Dash’s voice coming from the room above. She’d gone ahead to warn Fluttershy of the newcomer and try to get her to agree to see Carrot Top … or rather, make Fluttershy understand that she didn’t have to see her if she didn’t want to and that she didn’t have to just accept Rainbow Dash’s decision. Finally the pegasus’ multicolored head poked back into the room. “She’s ready for you; just … just take it slow, okay?” she told the farmer. Carrot Top nodded and went up the staircase that led into Fluttershy’s room. The room was decorated similarly to the room below, with a mirror on top of a dresser against one wall and a bed against another. A couple of chipmunks were asleep on the bed, a cat rolled up in a ball on a nearby carpet, and a lot of birds perched around the room in various states of wakefulness. A pet wasp was happily buzzing as it licked what was left in a near-empty jar of honey. Fluttershy was hiding in the bed, covers drawn up to her eyes and over her muzzle. Carrot Top could see that the pegasus’ fearful eyes were red, as though she had cried a lot recently, and her mane was in a complete state of disarray. “Hello. I’m Carrot Top,” the earth pony said, as softly as she could. Fluttershy seemed to almost physically shrink before Carrot Top’s eyes as her ears flattened against her head, but at least she didn’t cry or faint. Carrot Top took it as her cue to continue. “Tell me what’s wrong; maybe I can help.” Fluttershy glanced at Rainbow Dash, then at her animals, then back at Rainbow Dash. The other pegasus sighed and nodded, giving Fluttershy the go-ahead. The yellow mare reluctantly lowered the cover hiding her face and closed her eyes before speaking. “It’s my voice,” she said in a loud, rumbling, baritone, and very male voice. Carrot Top felt the floorboards beneath her hooves being rattled by the deep voice. All of Fluttershy’s animal friends suddenly ran away in fright, which visibly saddened the pegasus. Before she could start sobbing, Carrot Top spoke up. “I can fix that … I think,” said the earth pony, before turning to the other pegasus. “How long has she been like this?” “She woke up like that last Thursday; she was fine the day before,” explained Rainbow Dash. Carrot Top rubbed her chin with her hoof, her green eyes aimed at the ceiling. Normally an affliction would take Fluttershy’s voice away, not make it louder. She had her suspicions, but it felt like a long shot. In the end, she figured asking about it probably wouldn’t hurt. “I don’t suppose Fluttershy ever goes into the Everfree Forest?” asked Carrot Top, pointing her hoof toward the window and the gloomy forest beyond. She didn’t expect Rainbow Dash’s response to that question. “Every once in a while,” said the pegasus, shrugging. “Come to think of it, she went there Wednesday evening when one of her chickens ran away again … wait, do you think it has anything to do with it?” Carrot Top’s eyes were wide. “Yes! Miss Fluttershy, did you happen to notice if you stepped into a grove of plants with blue leaves?” Fluttershy’s nod made Carrot Top gasp, which in turn made the pegasus mare flinch in surprise. “I know exactly what happened to you, Miss Fluttershy! You stepped into poison joke!” Rainbow Dash flew up in surprise, hovering above the floor, obviously panicking as her gaze kept leaping between the two mares. “Poison joke?! Oh no! Is it dangerous? Should I bring her to the hospital? Tell me it’s not too late!” Rainbow Dash’s reaction frightened the poor yellow pegasus, who looked on with horror-stricken eyes. She was obviously on the verge of tears, and Carrot Top did not wish to know how much damage her new, louder voice could cause if she began crying. She tugged at Rainbow’s tail with her teeth and brought her back to the ground with a thud. “Calm down! It’s all right. It won’t harm her. Poison joke is a potent magic plant, but essentially harmless. It takes something about you and twists it around, like a cruel prank. It should wear off on its own in a about a week, but I know a way to fix it sooner,” she explained. Both pegasi let out a sigh of relief. Even Fluttershy’s animals returned from their hiding places. Carrot Top smiled broadly and turned toward the stairs. “Come on, Rainbow Dash; show me what kind of herbs Miss Fluttershy keeps around, then I’ll send you off on a shopping trip. You sit tight, Miss Fluttershy; by the time the sun comes down you’ll be back to your old self!” “Shopping trip?” “You should be able to find some of the plants we need at Daisy’s shop, and the other ingredients at Blossomforth’s shop,” said the earth pony, trotting down the stairs. Rainbow Dash made a comical expression of disgust at the last name. “Aww, not Blossomforth’s! Her shop smells too … too … too girly!” Carrot Top could only giggle at the pegasus. Blossomforth ran a successful shop that sold perfumes, scented candles, soap, oils, and other assorted scented products; obviously Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be a fan of such a place. Normally the white pegasus pony didn’t sell the raw ingredients she used in her concoctions, but Carrot Top figured she’d help out in this situation. It didn’t take long for Carrot Top to survey the rather impressive array of medicinal herbs, plants and tea leaves that Fluttershy kept on hoof. Each jar or box had a label with a carefully done drawing of the plant inside, and the farmer could identify each of them at a glance. A few minutes later, Rainbow Dash was zipping toward town, Fluttershy’s saddlebags on her flanks and a shopping list clutched in her teeth. Carrot Top finished pouring the mix of herbs she had prepared into the steaming hot bath. The water in the tub turned a pleasant shade of pink, and a reassuring aroma wafted into the room. Carrot Top breathed in the pleasing scent and sighed. She looked back to see Fluttershy, finally up from her bed, standing in the doorway. The poor thing must have been feeling really scared, not certain what was wrong with her voice, to say nothing of the effect her new voice had on her little friends. She must have sobbed for days on end. Carrot Top gave the pegasus a warm smile that the pegasus returned with a small smile of her own. “Once Dash comes back, we can add the other ingredients; then it’s just a matter of taking a nice soak and relaxing,” said the farmer. Carrot Top sat down next to the tub and began to absent-mindedly mix the water with the tip of her hoof. Fluttershy just stood in the doorway, making small circles with her front hoof and trying to look everywhere but at the new pony in her home. The awkward silence seemed to be ready to stretch until Rainbow Dash could come back from Ponyville with the other ingredients. Something had to be done about it. “I didn’t … I didn’t know you went into the Everfree Forest. That’s pretty brave of you, Miss Fluttershy,” said Carrot Top, looking back at the pegasus. The yellow mare blushed, then shook her head. “No, I’m serious. I know a lot of ponies that would be too scared to go into the forest. I suppose you go there for your little animal friends?” Fluttershy kept blushing, but she managed to nod. “Well, if you want, I can teach you about other dangerous plants that you need to avoid and those you might want to gather. I even have a sketchbook of plants found in the forest my grandparents put together. I could come back another day and show it to you if you wanted,” suggested the farmer. Fluttershy’s smile grew. “I’d like that,” she said with her big rumbling voice. Rainbow Dash had come back a few minutes ago, and the bathtub had been filled with the missing ingredients. The weather mare had suggested the farmer go and fix up a meal while she stayed by Fluttershy’s side. Carrot Top hadn’t argued; she was heading to Fluttershy’s kitchen to see what she could put together. Apparently the poor dear hadn’t had a solid meal since her ordeal began, and Rainbow Dash was probably famished after the frantic race she had been through to gather the ingredients. Carrot Top stopped in her tracks as she entered the room. On the counter, opposite the doorway, was the reason for her presence in the first place: Angel. The full force of Carrot Top’s emerald gaze hit the white bunny. Thankfully for Fluttershy’s kitchen, his head did not explode. The bunny was glaring back at her, immune to her death glare, and he quickly pointed to something next to him. It was a bunch of carrots, one of them clearly cut at the tip. Carrot Top’s eyes bulged, and she gasped as she realized those were the carrots the bunny had stolen from her … “… Since last … Friday?” she said, confused. The bunny stood up on the counter and pointed to the table, where a couple of silver bits were sitting. Exactly the price the carrots would have cost if the bunny had purchased them at the market. After that, he jumped down and headed for the living room, strutting past Carrot Top. Carrot Top snapped out of her confusion and turned toward the bunny. “Wait! Did you steal … take those carrots from me to force me to come here?” The white critter turned around, crossed his little arms, and looked at Carrot Top with a look halfway between disbelief and annoyance. Carrot Top looked upward, in the direction of the bathroom where Fluttershy was getting cured of her condition, with a small smile. “You knew I would want to help,” she said, looking back at Angel, tilting her head like a curious dog. “And you wanted her to find a new friend, didn’t you?” The bunny shrugged and turned around to hop away. “You’re a good friend, Angel. Fluttershy is lucky to have you. Thank you,” said the farmer, giving Angel a beaming smile. With that, Carrot Top turned around. She was about to head further into the kitchen when she stopped, as if suddenly remembering something. “But the next time you pull a prank like that … you won’t escape me that easily! We clear on that, you little vermin?” she added in a harsh tone, not turning back to look at the target of her threat. Angel looked back at the farmer, surprise written on his little face. As she trotted into the kitchen, he shot her departing form a satisfied smirk. It was almost closing time when the door of the shop opened, making the bell above it jingle merrily. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique! Where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique!” declared Rarity, trotting up to the door where she found a familiar orange-headed mare. “Why, hello there, darling! How did it go with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy?” Carrot Top smiled at the fashion designer. “It went really well. I solved both our problems, and I think I made a friend or two today. Your advice was really useful, Miss Rarity!” Rarity just waved her hoof. “Don’t mention it, my dear; it was my pleasure!” “I can’t thank you enough. Without your advice, I don’t think I could have gotten to a happy conclusion. If you need help with anything, I’ll be happy to lend a hoof in return,” said Carrot Top, smiling brightly. She was smiling so broadly, her eyes closed in adorable crescents, that she missed the predatory gleam that suddenly appeared in Rarity’s eyes. “Well, now that you graciously offer your help, it would be rude of me to refuse it. There is, indeed, something that you could help me with! Something I fear I may not ask of anypony else,” replied the unicorn, her eyes brimming with excitement. “Name it,” said Carrot Top with a smile, a smile that progressively vanished as Rarity explained her plight. “A famous fashion photographer heard of my work and is coming to Ponyville next week! It is a big opportunity for my modest boutique. A chance to, perhaps, break into the Canterlot market proper! I need somepony to model my dresses. Somepony with your kind of small town charm and grace,” said Rarity. Carrot Top stared blankly in confusion. “I’m from Fillydelphia.” Rarity gave this a few seconds of thought, rubbing her chin before shrugging. “Well, nopony’s perfect, I suppose. Still, as a fellow independent entrepreneur, I’m sure you understand how arduous it can be to establish oneself in a market dominated by large brand names. If one of the famous Elements of Harmony were to model for me, why, that would surely make a powerful impression on Photo Finish! Help my business go further! Come, dear; I’ll show you the dresses you’ll have to wear next week!” Rarity then put her hoof around Carrot Top’s neck and gently pulled her toward the back of the shop. Carrot Top smiled nervously, but nonetheless followed. She normally tried to keep her mane and tail looking good, but she had never been one for fashionable clothes like Rarity made. She usually put all her money into the farm; fancy hair products were practically the only luxury she would allow herself. The monthly trip to the spa with Trixie was a fairly new indulgence in her life, mostly due to the unicorn’s prodding. More importantly, she realized that, while she did solve her bunny situation, she had completely failed to solve the most important problem plaguing her: she was still a doormat. She let out a sigh of resignation. Rarity seemed blind to the fact that the farmer was now pouting, lost in her own world. “Did I ever mention that I really like your mane?” Cue the end credits!
