Episode 08: Hope for the Hopeless
The singing of the birds inside their long cages was a soothing sound, met with the gentle wind blowing through from the many open windows of the wooden cabin just outside of Canterlot. Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel relaxed and rejuvenated whenever she heard it; it was just one of those little things that made getting up in the morning worth the trouble. Of course, if she didn’t get up in the morning her little friends would all go hungry, and she simply couldn’t let that happen.
“Good morning little friends! Goodness, you’re all so cheerful! It’s so wonderful to hear.” Fluttershy approached the cages with a grin, carrying the bag of all-natural bird-feed in her loose grip. She popped the cage door open and reached inside with a handful of seed. The birds ignored the open door to freedom, hopping into her hand to take the offered food, and give her small, affectionate nuzzles of appreciation.
“Awww, I love you all too.” Fluttershy smiled wider and let the seed slip from her hand into the small bowl, where the birds gathered to enjoy their feast while Fluttershy pulled her hand back and closed the cage door once again.
“And don’t think I’ve forgotten you, Angel bunny.” Fluttershy approached the small rabbit snoozing in the far corner. As she kneeled down beside him, the small creature opened his eyes with a cute yawn. “You were up too late again, weren’t you? Oh you know better than that.” She plucked her little friend off the floor and carried him to the small round table set up in the corner of the cabin, where she set him on the table and set a carrot in front of him she retrieved from the solar-powered refrigerator against the wall.
“There you go, just eat your breakfast and you’ll have lots of energy for the day!” Her hand stroked the back of her bunny-friend’s head as he ate, then she stood and twirled her way toward the front door.
Her hand snapped up the handbag by the door as she strolled outside into the cool morning breeze blowing across the grassy field. Her modest yellow nightgown did nothing to shield her from the wind, but that was how she liked it. She would go naked all the time if she thought she could, but she wasn’t nearly that brave. She could barely take a shower with the other girls after gym without being afraid someone was staring at her. Even in her cottage she was always afraid someone would look in a window or open the door without warning.
Out here in the forest though, amid the protection of the trees and all of the wonderful woodland creatures flitting about their daily business… here was where she felt comfortable. The squirrels in the trees around her seemed to greet her passing with light chattering, while the fish in the flowing river bobbed just under the surface as she approached. She came here every day, it was such a beautiful and secluded place. And most importantly, private.
“Good morning my friends. I hope you all slept well.” Fluttershy smiled broadly as she pulled out a picnic blanket and laid it out on the grass beside the river. Her clothes were laid out daintily on top of it, as was the small portable stereo she pulled out of her handbag. The soft strings of Beethoven resonated throughout the forest while Fluttershy slipped into the stream with a bar of organic soap held in one hand.
“My, everybody is so lively this morning. It’s wonderful to see!” Fluttershy spread the fingers of her free hand to let some of the smaller fish in the gently flowing river swim through them. The river was so natural and clean that the water was clear enough to see straight through, not like some rivers she’d seen throughout the world that had been polluted.
“Hmph… at least you don’t have to worry about that, little friends.” Fluttershy stroked her palm against one of the fish. It darted away from her, but the rest lingered a while longer before leaving along their own daily path. “Nobody’s ever going to come wreck this place… I won’t let them. I just wish I could protect all the forests…”
With a wistful sigh Fluttershy leaned back against the shoreline, sunk into the water up to her chest. The babbling of the river over the smooth stones just underneath the surface was always soothing. “I bet they don’t have pollution in Equestria…”
Her mind wandered while one hand ran the soap idly over her skin. Twilight Sparkle hadn’t been around long, but what she had told them about her homeland had sounded almost magical. There were so many creatures all living in harmony, on lands untouched by the filthy greed of humankind. Even if the humans did go there and try to destroy nature, there were magical pony guardians who could defend the land!
“I wish there were ponies here to protect this world. Or no humans to mess it all up. I bet if there were no humans you critters wouldn’t have anything to fear… except for your natural predators, of course.” Fluttershy smiled happily to herself at the thought. A world without humans, watched over by a benevolent pony princess who valued the lives of every living thing. The more she thought about it the more it made her happy. Even if this world couldn’t be like that, at least there was one that was.
Still, she would love to find out more about that world. She’d thought a lot about asking Sunset Shimmer about it. What it was like, how they lived, what kinds of undoubtedly enchanted creatures lived there… but Sunset Shimmer had made it pretty clear shortly after the dance that she didn’t want to talk about Equestria. Well, it had been over a month since then. Maybe she was feeling better now… but how did Fluttershy ask without seeming insensitive?
“What do you think?” Fluttershy glanced back at the squirrels near the trees as she ran the soap over her shoulders. “Should I ask Sunset Shimmer what Equestria is really like?” There was a pause for the squirrels to chatter helpfully at her. “Mmm… yeah, I think you’re right. Maybe she won’t want to talk about it, but she’ll just tell me if she doesn’t. Thanks, I think I will ask her! I just need to calm myself first.”
With her mind made up, Fluttershy turned her attention to more immediate concerns. She rested the soap on the shore beside the river and, after a deep breath, slowly leaned back, until she was lying on the bottom of the river. The water washed over her head to toe, just as it did the smooth stones underneath her. She was engulfed by the light bouncing before her eyes, and the sound of the water washing past her ears.
Drowned in the sensations of the world for just a moment, she let herself linger. This always calmed her down when she was nervous for any reason, and she’d become quite good at it. Holding her breath was easy. Even after a full minute she was able to sit up slowly, breathing only slightly harder than normal. With a smile she brushed her wet hair out of her eyes and looked over at her animal friends, who were watching from the forests’ edge.
“There… now I’m officially ready to face the day!” There was a small cheer from her furry friends. Yes, she was going to do this…
___
The rainbow van puttered down the streets of Canterlot. It was such a nice day out Fluttershy had decided to leave the windows rolled down. There was just a touch of chill in the air as she pulled up to the curb in front of Sunset Shimmer’s small apartment a few blocks from the school. The van door closed behind her with a click before she approached the apartment door, rapping on it softly with one hand.
After several minutes there was no answer, so she knocked again, slightly harder this time. When there was no answer yet again she glanced at the doorbell on the wall. She could ring it… but if she wasn’t answering the knocking she may be busy. Or she may just not hear her, of course. Rainbow Dash kept telling her she needed to be more confident. So she reached out and pushed the doorbell.
The door opened to reveal a somewhat disheveled Sunset Shimmer on the other side. Her eyes opened in surprise when she saw Fluttershy. “Oh, hey. It’s you.”
Fluttershy lowered her head. “Yes, it’s me… I’m sorry, I’m interrupting something, aren’t I?”
“Not at all, come on in.” Sunset stepped aside to hold the door open.
Fluttershy stepped inside. “Thank you, I just wanted to talk to you about- ah!” Fluttershy gasped when she saw Flash Sentry seated at the small table in the kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal. “Oh gosh, I really am interrupting, I’ll leave you two alone…”
Fluttershy whirled to leave, but Sunset Shimmer closed the door before she could go through it. “I told you you’re not. He just came over for a visit, that’s all. Come on, I’ll get you some cereal.”
“Oh, thank you very much, okay.” Fluttershy nodded and followed her friend into the kitchen.
Flash looked up with a bright smile. “Hey Fluttershy. What brings you here?”
“Oh, I just wanted to talk to Sunset Shimmer about something that’s been on my mind…” Fluttershy trailed off uncertainly.
Sunset spoke from the counter, where she was just pouring some Cheerios into a bowl. “Well we’re both here. Might as well get talking.”
Fluttershy spoke softly, as if afraid saying it would upset her friend. “Well, specifically… I was hoping you were ready to talk about Equestria.” Sunset Shimmer paused with the milk in her hand, facing away from them towards the counter. “It’s okay if you’re not… I’ve just been wanting to hear more, but I don’t want to bring it up if it’s too painful for you.”
“No, it’s… fine.” Sunset shimmer finished preparing the bowl and set it in front of Fluttershy before taking the third seat beside Flash Sentry. “What exactly do you want to know?”
“Oh, gosh, everything!” Fluttershy clasped her hands pleadingly in front of her. “The creatures! The culture! What do the ponies do? What do they eat? Are there any other creatures with civilizations like that?”
“I gotta admit… I’ve kind of wondered about this too.” Flash Sentry chimed in around a bite of cereal.
“Well…” Sunset Shimmer took a deep breath. “You might need to be more specific, but yes, there are some other species’ with their own kingdoms. The known ones include gryphons, dragons, and changelings.”
“Oh my goodness, a dragon kingdom…” Fluttershy shivered. “That sounds glorious!”
“Maybe if you’re not so flammable it is…” Sunset smirked.
“Tell me, what’s it like there!?” Fluttershy asked.
“In the dragon kingdom? I don’t know, nopony does. Ponies don’t go there.”
“Why not?”
“Because there are dragons there and ponies are flammable.”
“Oh… well, surely they’re not so dangerous, right? I mean, it’s a land of peace and harmony!”
Sunset Shimmer shook her head. “Yes, peace, that doesn’t mean everyone gets along.”
“But there aren’t any humans there! Nobody to destroy their habitats, make them fight each other and run to other forests where they don’t belong. It’s a place where nature still matters. No wars… no crime… just nature.”
“Is that what you think?” Sunset Shimmer leaned back in her seat with her arms folded across her chest. “That because there’s no humans, it means there’s no war? Or bigotry? Or stupid useless destruction?”
“Well, animals don’t do those things.” Fluttershy folded her arms as well. “That’s a fact.”
“Animals?” Sunset Shimmer smirked. “What’s the difference between a human and an animal? Intelligence. Take a pony and give it the intelligence of a human, and yeah, they’ll start some unruly crap. Hell, what do you think I came here for?”
“That’s different! You were… you were misguided and hurting.”
“So what is your hometown like, Sunset Shimmer?” Flash Sentry asked. “Maybe instead of us asking, you can just tell us, in your own way.”
“My hometown?” Sunset pursed her lips thoughtfully. “That’s as good a place to start as any. If you have any questions, I don’t mind answering… this could take a while.”
“Oh, the more detailed you get, the better.” Fluttershy smiled and folded her hands into her lap. “I can’t wait. Thank you.”
“Well, Equestria is a pretty big place… but I was born in the capital city. It’s called Canterlot as well, though it has little resemblance to the Canterlot of this world…”
“The capital city of Canterlot is a towering palace surrounded by a magnificent city, all carved straight out of the stone that used to be part of the mountain. Many ponies consider it to be a monument to the princess sisters, but the truth is it goes back far beyond them, to the time when Equestria was first founded. Obviously nopony remembers that time, but there are a few books in the royal library that point to the city being built by the first leaders who co-founded Equestria. The leaders of the three pony tribes, the earth ponies, the unicorns, and the pegasii.”
“The city of Canterlot was the first thing they built together. A city built from the stones shaped by the unicorns, smoothed over and made livable by the earth ponies, and held aloft by the knowledge of the pegasii. It stands even today as a symbol of the peace they’d created.”
Fluttershy spoke up softly. “What do you mean created? Weren’t they always peaceful?”
Sunset shook her head. “No, they weren’t. Before the city of Canterlot, the three pony tribes were always at each other’s throats. Not quite on the brink of war, but always ready for it if it came down to it. Interesting, isn’t it? How a group of herbivores, when given the intelligence of a human, can act so much like them? Both the good, and the bad. Even after they came together there were some tensions as the three royal families tried to decide who would control what sections of the kingdom. This squabbling all became inane when Dischord rose to power, and then the alicorn princesses, but that’s a story I don’t think we need to go over just now in great detail.”
“The royal families remain today, but not like they used to be. Princes and princesses in name only, with money and prestige, but no real power. The true rulers of Equestria are the alicorn princesses. Powerful beings who blend the strongest qualities of the three Equestrian races, and in many ways, keep the natural order of our world in check. Without them, the chaos Discord once sowed could destroy what harmony we have.”
“That is the city where I was born. It’s not a bad place to live, and my parents were pretty well off. No bad childhood to blame for my choices… I led a pretty good life up until the day I first saw the Summer Sun Celebration.”
“Summer Sun Celebration?” Fluttershy leaned forward with wide eyes. “What’s that?”
“It’s the first day of summer, where Princess Celestia emerges from the palace to raise the sun to its highest point in the sky. The sun comes up every day of course, but the celebration is sort of a symbol of her dedication to keeping the cycle going.”
“Wait, wait, wait. Time out.” Flash Sentry smirked and crossed his hands. “This princess claims to be responsible for raising the sun? I’m sorry but that just sounds like a bunch of hot air.”
Sunset Shimmer pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Mmm… yeah, I can believe that, based on what life is like here. But I assure you it’s very real. I mentioned Discord before… well let’s just say his reign had some very long lasting consequences for our world. The very fabric of nature was torn apart, any balance our world had was destroyed. During his reign the seasons ceased to have meaning, and day and night were inconsequential. More than one animal species went extinct.”
Fluttershy covered her mouth in shock. “Oh my goodness…”
“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were responsible for defeating him, and driving him out of power, but there is no restoring the natural balance once it’s lost… so they fake it. They keep the sun and the moon moving, while the Pegasii keep the seasons rolling along like they should be. It’s been like that so long the idea of nature governing itself is as foreign to the ponies as the idea of controlling it is to you.”
“F-fake it…?” Fluttershy’s voice shuddered. “B-but there has to be some way to fix it… you mean once it’s too far gone there’s nothing that can be done…?”
“If there is, nopony in Equestria knows it.”
“Oh no…” Fluttershy shivered in horror. “Wh-what if the same thing happens here…? If-if the pollution isn’t stopped, OUR world could be destroyed that way… and we wouldn’t have magical ponies to put it back together!”
“Pollution?” Sunset blinked, then burst into a laugh. “Fluttershy, all the pollution in the world can’t emulate what happened in Equestria. This world is just fine.”
Fluttershy jumped to her feet. “That’s not true! Every day more rainforests are destroyed and animals are left without a home!” Fluttershy gasped. “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry, I started yelling didn’t I…”
Sunset Shimmer just waved off her outburst with an amused smile. “You’re forgiven. I really think you’re exaggerating, though. Maybe humans aren’t the best nature caretakers, but you’re far from destroying the very fabric of the world.”
“I don’t know…” Fluttershy bit her lip. “If only some of your pony magic could fix this world too… at least make sure none of the helpless critters go extinct because of us…”
“You’re really down on humanity, aren’t you…?”
“Wh-what?” Fluttershy blinked in surprise. “Well no, I wouldn’t say that. I mean, I have lots of wonderful friends around school… Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie… I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world… it’s just… I hate what humans do sometimes. The world deserves better from us, and we’re responsible for the world.”
“And you think ponies are any better?”
“Of course they are.” Fluttershy nodded. “You just said, they do what they can to help nature, and they have the power to do it! If there were ponies here we wouldn’t need to worry about it, they could protect nature, and maybe they could even teach everyone why we need to protect it…”
“Well I don’t know if I’d go that far.” Sunset Shimmer pursed her lips thoughtfully. “The ponies of Equestria maintain the balance of nature because they need it. Learning what the world is like without it… that’s going to give anypony something to think about.”
“So you’re saying nobody will protect nature until it’s already gone…?”
Sunset chuckled. “All I’m saying is it’s hard to appreciate something that’s always there until it’s gone…” One hand moved up to her forehead, stroking the spot just above her eyes. “Trust me, I learned that one the hard way…”
“But… you just said once it’s gone it’ll be too late to get it back…”
“Yeah… I did.” Sunset Shimmer stood up to approach Fluttershy, putting a soft hand on her shoulder. “Such is the tragedy of the real world, I guess.”
Fluttershy sniffled. “There must be something we can do…”
“Hey, I’m a genius, not a psychic.” Sunset Shimmer smiled and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “Just try not to worry about it so much. You’re not gonna save the world by fretting over it.”
“Mnh… no. No I’m certainly not…” Fluttershy stood up slowly. “Thank you, Sunset Shimmer… you’ve given me a lot to think about today.”
“Don’t mention it… and if you want to hear any more about Equestria, you’re free to ask me anything. I did a lot of studying before I left, there’s a lot more I could tell you.”
“Thank you… maybe some other time…” With a blush and a forced smile Fluttershy turned to leave, heading outside with her hands clasped tightly in front of her.
She needed time to think and digest all of this information. She’d dedicated her entire life to saving the world and now she was being told that it was basically hopeless. It couldn’t be true, it simply couldn’t… yet if magic guardian ponies couldn’t even fix their world, and wouldn’t until it was far too late to do so, what chance did the human race have of ever turning their ways around? Passing out flyers and giving speeches weren’t going to get anything done…
___
The cabin was dark, though this didn’t stop all of Fluttershy’s animal friends from flitting back and forth across the living room of her cabin. Her arms were wrapped around the small furry body of her closest friend, Angel, holding him tight against her chest as she sat silent on the edge of her sofa. The world outside felt far away, right where she wanted it, and yet her heart was still racing. It was a school day, and she hadn’t gone… it was her first time ever skipping class, but it didn’t feel like there was any point in it. What was she supposed to do? She couldn’t do what she really wanted… she couldn’t save the world.
“Oh Angel, all of your little friends are doomed…” Fluttershy sniffled and held him tighter against her chest. “We all are. Everything I’ve tried to do is just… pointless. I’m so sorry I can’t do anything… eep!” She looked up in surprise at the door when a soft knocking sound broke the dark silence.
“Fluttershy? Are you home?” The familiar voice of her best friend Rarity called from the other side of the door. “I didn’t see you at school today.”
“I didn’t go… I don’t want to go. What’s the point?” Fluttershy sniffled again and looked down. She ignored the light that flooded into the dark room as the front door opened and Rarity stepped in with a worried look on her face.
“My word darling, you look terrible.” Rarity closed the door behind her and moved to take a seat on the sofa close to her side. “Are you okay? What happened?”
“What happened…? I wasted my life, that’s what happened…” Fluttershy wiped at her eyes with the back of one hand. “After all my years of trying and caring… nothing’s changed, and nothing ever will change. Humanity is going to keep destroying the rainforests, and the world, and there’s nothing anybody can do to stop it…”
“Oh… my…” Rarity bit her lip. “Well, darling, you see… I mean… I realize you’re passionate in your beliefs, but that doesn’t mean you should give up your entire life.” Suddenly she smiled brightly and rubbed Fluttershy’s back. “And besides, you have made a difference. It’s because of you that the cafeteria serves veggie burgers.”
“Yes, which nobody eats because they’re right beside their normal meat-burgers. It didn’t improve anything.” Fluttershy sighed. “It didn’t save any innocent creatures… I’ve failed at everything I’ve tried to do…”
Rarity slipped an arm around her shoulders in a half hug. “Oh Fluttershy, you haven’t failed until you’ve given up.”
“Well congratulations, world… I have given up… they win… all I can hope for is that somebody can pick up the pieces after we ruin everything.” Fluttershy sniffled and buried her face in her knees, curling herself into a little ball to drown out the dying world outside of her cabin.
Rarity was silent for a long while, with one arm draped over Fluttershy’s shoulders, holding her in a soft, comforting embrace. “Isn’t there anything I can do to make you feel better?”
“I’m sorry, Rarity, I… I just want to be alone…” Fluttershy sniffled.
“I see…” Rarity sighed softly as her arm withdrew, and she stood from the fluffy sofa. “I’ll be here any time you need someone, okay? You have my number, just say the word and I’ll be right here.”
“Thank you…” Fluttershy squeaked without looking up. Eventually she heard her friend’s soft footsteps across the thick carpet towards the door, followed by the sound of the door closing behind her as Fluttershy was left, once again, alone in her cabin.
The darkness was almost comforting. She stayed in her cabin for several more days, tending to the needs of her woodland friends, the only creatures whose lives she really could make a positive difference in. She missed school day after school day, but she didn’t care. Let the police come talk to her, it didn’t matter, none of it mattered. Soon enough nature was going to be gone, and they were all going to be nothing but a leftover memory on a cold, lifeless rock spinning around the sun…
Her clothes were a ragged mess by the time the weekend came around again, unchanged since her eye-opening conversation with Sunset Shimmer. She didn’t care though; all that mattered to her now was tending to Angel and his little friends. The birds in their cages were getting louder by the day for some strange reason, but she didn’t mind. Even if it made it difficult to sleep, she wouldn’t send them away for anything in the world.
It was Saturday the next time she heard a knock at the door, though this one wasn’t really a ‘knock’ so much as someone trying to bash the door in with their fist. Sunset Shimmer’s voice came through from under the crack in the door. “Fluttershy! What the heck are you doing!?”
“Um… sitting.” Fluttershy replied in a soft voice from her sofa.
“You know what I mean!” Sunset Shimmer shoved the door open. Fluttershy was kind of wishing she’d had locks installed, but Canterlot was a peaceful place, and she preferred to stay as close to nature as possible. “You missed an entire week of school already, and for what? Some dark and broody self-pity fest?”
“You were right, Sunset Shimmer… there’s nothing I can do anyway. All I ever wanted was to make people see how precious nature is… without that… what’s the point?”
“Oh please, I didn’t say it like that at all.” Sunset Shimmer blushed. “Come on, I’m taking you out of here and you’re going to do something fun.”
“You don’t understand… this is how I have fun.” Fluttershy stood from her couch with Angel cuddled in one arm, approaching the bird cage on the far side of the room. “Tending to my animal friends, taking care of them… It’s what I live for.”
“What about your real friends?” Sunset Shimmer demanded. “You know, your human friends. They used to matter to you as much as these animals do.”
“Of course they matter to me…” Fluttershy trailed off for a moment before speaking again. “I just need a little time to figure out what to do with myself now…”
“And how long is that gonna take? Because I’m getting tired of listening to the others complain just because you’re overreacting to something stupid.”
“I’m sorry, Sunset Shimmer…” Fluttershy sniffled. “But I just can’t make myself go out there and see the world anymore. It’ll just remind me of how little I can do to save it… but please tell my friends I still love them…”
“Hey now, I really don’t like that tone.” Sunset narrowed her eyes.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to worry you… I’m fine, really.” Fluttershy forced a smile onto her lips, but Sunset Shimmer looked unconvinced. “I need to change the paper in the bird cages… if you’ll excuse me.” Fluttershy turned away from her friend, putting her hands against the cage to gaze at the birds inside.
Sunset was silent for a long time before Fluttershy heard rapid footsteps retreat to the door, which opened and closed quickly. Fluttershy glanced toward the door to make sure she was really alone before letting out a sigh of relief and turning back towards her feathered friends.
“I’m sorry… nothing else will distract me from taking care of you.” Fluttershy smiled.
Nothing else did. As the sun fell towards night in the sky outside, Fluttershy remained hidden in her dark cabin, watching Angel wander around her living room under the soft moonlight. Her birds had fallen silent a while ago in their slumber, allowing the dark night to turn peaceful. It was kind of nice, really, watching the stars through the window in the dead silence. She felt like she didn’t have to think about anything, or worry about anything.
She felt strangely at peace, now that she’d simply accepted the hopelessness of it all. Was hopeless the right word? The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was. She’d spent her life looking for ways to make it better, but looking back, she really hadn’t accomplished anything. She’d convinced a few people to offer alternatives to the normal routines, but nobody took them, nobody cared.
Nobody would care until it was simply too late. Teaching them otherwise really was hopeless.
With a grunt Fluttershy rose from her seat on the couch. Her stomach rumbled powerfully as she moved, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten in a while. Actually she wasn’t sure when the last time she’d eaten was. Could’ve been yesterday really, or the day before… not that it really mattered to her. She was far more concerned about her animal friends than her own stomach.
She tried to walk toward her bird cage, but it felt like the cabin was wobbling beneath her. She threw up a hand to catch herself on the wall beside the sofa, waiting a few moments for the spinning to stop, which it did after a few moments. Perhaps she was pushing it a little bit, not eating for such a long time. She really did need to get something in her, or she wouldn’t be able to take care of her animal friends.
She pushed away from the wall towards the kitchen. She barely noticed herself falling before the darkness from the night clouded her vision entirely.
___
The darkness was beginning to fade, lifting slowly from her sight as Fluttershy winced. She could feel something pressing against her lips, tilting up against them. It felt like a sturdy wooden mug, allowing a small trickle of water to pour out into her slightly-open mouth. She drank down the water slowly as her eyes opened, seeing Sunset Shimmer kneeling with her head in her lap, while Rarity and Rainbow Dash watched from above with nervous expressions on their faces.
Fluttershy gasped and coughed as some of the water went down the wrong pipe, but this only seemed to make her friends jump in joy.
“Fluttershy! Oh, thank goodness!” Rarity sighed in relief. “Oh darling, Sunset Shimmer told us you were feeling depressed… we came to find you, but we found you passed out on the floor. We were afraid you… you…” Rarity clasped her hands in front of her mouth. It was then Fluttershy noticed she was trembling.
“Afraid I… what?”
“What do you think!?” Rainbow Dash crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you think you’re doing shutting yourself away alone like this? I tried to give you your space but if you’re going to use it to hurt yourself then forget it!”
“Hurt myself…?” Fluttershy blinked. “Oh my goodness, I wasn’t trying to…”
“Yeah, well you were.” Sunset Shimmer helped her sit up with a hand on her back. “Just wait a few minutes, I’ll grab you something to eat, okay?”
“Oh… okay…” Fluttershy nodded meekly.
“Will you two keep an eye on her?” Sunset Shimmer asked.
“Of course!” Rarity knelt down beside Fluttershy, taking her shoulder in a gentle grip while Sunset Shimmer moved to head out, making her way out of the cabin, where it was still dark out.
Rainbow Dash knelt down on her knees in front of Fluttershy with a stern look remaining on her face. “Okay Fluttershy, what the heck is going on here? You’re starving yourself because you can’t ‘save the world’ or something?”
“I didn’t mean to…” Fluttershy wrung her hands in her lap nervously. “I was just trying to take care of my animal friends and I guess it just slipped my mind…”
“Slipped your mind? How do you just forget to eat!?” Rainbow Dash demanded.
“I don’t know… I just felt like… I didn’t want to think about anything anymore. Like there was no point in it…” Fluttershy muttered. “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash…”
“No point in it? Oh sweetie, of course there’s a point in it… the world will be a darker place if you’re not in it…” Rarity’s arm tightened around her.
“I don’t know that the world can get much darker than where it’s headed…” Fluttershy looked down. “Humans are never going to learn the error of their ways… not until it’s far too late, and there’s no way a single girl can change it, let alone a single girl like me…”
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash clenched her fists angrily at her sides, standing over her with her lip curled into a snarl. “How could you talk like that!?”
“I’m sorry Rainbow Dash… but it’s the simple truth… there’s nothing I can do.” Fluttershy sniffled. “There’s nothing anybody can do.”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t do it anyway!” Rainbow Dash insisted.
“Wh-what…?” Fluttershy looked up in confusion.
“I quite agree.” Rarity squeezed her shoulder encouragingly. “It doesn’t matter how it seems, darling, or even how it really is. What matters is that you keep doing your best.”
“But what’s the point if it’s completely hopeless?”
“It’s not hopeless!” Rainbow Dash spoke with such force that Fluttershy couldn’t help but look up at her. When she saw Fluttershy’s moist eyes Rainbow Dash’s expression softened, but her tone didn’t. “Listen Fluttershy, it doesn’t matter how hard or impossible it seems, you gotta keep fighting! Who else is going to if you just lay down and give up?”
“Nobody… because nobody else cares…”
“Exactly!” Rainbow Dash stared intensely into her eyes. “Maybe there’s nothing you can do… maybe you’re totally right, but that’s no excuse! You know what you want to do, what are you gonna do with yourself if you don’t do it? Let yourself starve? Is that really better than fighting for what you believe in, even if it’s hopeless?”
“Rainbow Dash…” Rarity smiled in admiration. “I could not possibly agree more. Besides, as long as someone is trying their hardest… it’s not hopeless. You’re the one who makes hope real.” Rarity’s hand took Fluttershy’s in a secure squeeze. “And if anybody can make the world see the beauty of nature, it’s someone with as much natural beauty as you, Fluttershy.”
“Gosh…” Fluttershy hid her deep blush behind her long hair. “I’m so sorry I worried you guys…”
Rarity smiled. “It’s no worry at all, darling… what we need to hear is that you’re feeling better, and that this won’t happen again.”
“I don’t know about feeling better…” Fluttershy shook her head. “But I promise I’ll take better care of myself… I don’t want to worry you girls.”
“Come on.” Rainbow Dash moved to take one of Fluttershy’s arms while Rarity got the other, the two of them hefting Fluttershy to her feet. “We’re going to get you something to eat, and then we’re not leaving you alone tonight.”
“You’re not?” Fluttershy blinked.
“Heavens no we’re not.” Rarity smiled. “We’re staying right here! Ooh, we’ll make it a girl’s night! We can give each other makeovers, and pedicures, and gossip about school…”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, I didn’t say any of that!” Rainbow Dash protested.
“It was implied.” Rarity smiled.
“It was not!”
Fluttershy couldn’t keep a slight smile off of her lips as her two friends led her into the living room, where Sunset Shimmer was just returning with several bags of Chinese food. Nothing had changed… Fluttershy still didn’t think she would make a difference in the world. A shy, sensitive girl like her couldn’t bring about real change, she couldn’t even convince her friends to give up eating meat. Still… even if she couldn’t save the world, at least she could spend the time in it making her friends happy.
Besides, maybe Rarity was right. She didn’t have anything else to do with her life but keep trying… at worst she would fail, and it wouldn't be any different than if she didn’t try at all. But if by some miracle she succeeded… that was worth living for.
And her friends were worth living for too.
Author's Note
Some characters just seem really difficult to write for, and Fluttershy is one of those characters. Her personality at its core dictates that she… really doesn’t do a whole lot. An unadventurous character like her tends to stick to her daily routines, which might explain why Fluttershy’s episodes are almost universally about her simply being shy and trying not to be shy. That or completely removing her from normal life to force her to do something interesting. The fact that she has no ambitions beyond her current daily routines (unlike Rainbow Dash or Rarity) doesn’t help much.
That’s about all I have to say about this one. I kind of finished it at the last minute. It took me a surprisingly long time to get through it. It might not be as good as my normal output either, but after spending weeks working on it, I might not be the most unbiased judge of that, so let me know what you think.
As always, thank you for reading.
