Yellow feathers line the floor
"Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Fluttershy can hardly fly!"
Fluttershy heard the voices ringing in her head. Lifting her head out of the hard dirt, she looked around the marketplace, terrified. She was met with the unsympathetic glares of many ponies, most of whom were laughing.
"What's the matter, Fluttershy?" one teased.
"Did your clumsy hooves fail again?" another taunted.
The others laughed again. Fluttershy turned her head to see what had happened. A hind leg belonging to an unknown pony was stretched out in her path, obviously the cause of her fall. The owner had a piercing stare on his face.
"Watch where you're going, SLUTershy." the stallion snapped, before turning his head and trotting off, laughing.
Fast, heavy hoofsteps were heard as another figure quickly loped into the scene.
"What's goin' on here, y'all?" Applejack demanded, pulling to a stop. The ponies fell silent as the draft mare looked around. She spotted Fluttershy's bruised face peeking up at her through the forest of brightly colored legs. Applejack trotted over.
"Fluttershy, what happened?" she asked, gently helping her to her feet. Fluttershy tried to speak, but only a small squeak was heard. Giggles swept through the crowd.
"Now hush up, y'all!" Applejack said angrily, and immediate silence fell through the crowd.
"I-I-I, th-they t-t-tripped m-me." Fluttershy managed out in a hoarse whisper. Applejack glared at the ponies who stood silent before her.
"Now listen here," Applejack began in a stern tone, flexing her triceps threateningly. "There is no reason for y'all t' get'chur amusement from the pain an' misfortune o' others. Now y'all c'n break it up!"
The ponies obeyed, swiftly going about their business as they had before. A couple snickers were heard, and Applejack snorted in response, silencing the few whispering ponies. She turned back to Fluttershy, who had remained in the same position.
"C'mon, Flutters. We need t' take you on up t' nurse Red Heart so she can get a look at'cha. Some of them scratches may need stitchen' up."
Fluttershy jerked away sharply at AJ's extended hoof and backed up.
"N-n-no, no, no, no," Fluttershy stuttered, tears quickly filling her eyes. "I c-can't. I need to go home."
“Fluttershy, what’s going on?” Applejack asked, and extended her hoof again. Fluttershy whipped her head around, her hair slapping the hoof away.
“I j-just have to leave. I’m sorry Applejack.” Fluttershy said, her voice shaking. Hot tears spilled over her cheeks as she turned and galloped away.
"Fluttershy!"
Applejack walked up to the cottage door and knocked.
"Fluttershy?" she called through the door. She was met with no response. She knocked again, louder. She pushed the door slightly and found it was unlocked. Her hooves quietly clopped along the green wooden floor as she explored the dark house. She came to a room and listened, hearing quiet shuffles and sniffles.
"Sugar cube? You alright?" Applejack asked, the door slowly creaking as she pushed it open.
"Just pl-please leave me alone," she heard a quiet voice whisper back. Applejack walked in anyway. "At least, cl-close th-the door. Please." Fluttershy said once she knew her orange friend wasn't leaving.
"Fluttershy, what's wrong?" AJ said softly as she approached her friend. Fluttershy turned, AJ's eyes widening as she saw the crystallized tears frozen on Fluttershy's coat; they widened further and Applejack gasped as she caught sight of the crimson blood sparkling in the low light.
Applejack rushed up to Fluttershy and sat down, extending her hoof. "Let me see, Flutters." She demanded in a caring tone. Fluttershy turned her head away and buried it in the blanket she had draped around her, her face pressing into the cold cloth. Applejack tried again.
"Fluttershy, you know Ah ain't gonna hurt'cha. Let me see."
Fluttershy's sparkling eyes appeared as she lifted her head up. Shakily, she let the blanket fall and drew up her right wing, which was shaking in pain. AJ quickly but gently reached out and took the delicate appendage in her hoof and brought it closer, letting it into the small streak of light on the floor.
"Oh, Fluttershy." She whispered sadly.
The wing was mostly bare, with little tuffs of down being all that remained. The movement caused fresh bursts of blood to freely flow from the wing, as Fluttershy had pulled and torn at the developing and developed feathers alike.
"Shoot, sugar." Applejack muttered, seeing the blood. She used one hoof to take off the bandana around her neck and tore the fabric in half. She applied the red cloth to the wounds on the wing and Fluttershy squeaked with pain.
"Hush now, Fluttershy. It's alright. Why'd you do this?"
Fluttershy began to cry.
"Th-the way all th-those ponies la-laughed at me! I w-was s-so embarrassed!"
"So ya tore out'chur feathers? Ah'm no doctor, 'Shy, but even Ah know that pullin' on pin feathers can cause a pony t' bleed t' death." Applejack said, moving to bind the other wing. "Doesn't it hurt?" She added. Fluttershy nodded.
"Yeah, but I've gotten used to the pain. I started p-pulling out m-my feathers when I w-was a filly," She said, forcing her sobs to stay in her throat. Applejack looked at her, surprised.
"You never told us you were depressed! You can always talk to us. We're yer friends," Applejacks eyes filled with tears and she began to shake with a mixture of anger and sorrow. "You can't keep hurtin' yerself like this. It doesn't help, or make anythin' better."
"I'm scared, Applejack. I'm scared that, one day, this pain won't be enough, and I'll do something worse. Like..." Fluttershy began, but choked on the sobs. Applejack angrily forced Fluttershy to face her.
"Now you listen here. Don't you ever be thinkin' stuff like that! Do ya hear me, Fluttershy?! Ponyville needs you! We all do. I n-need you-" Applejack's voice broke as she tried to finish her sentence. She swallowed a couple of times to keep from crying, and continued in a much softer tone.
"Do you hear me, Fluttershy? Always come t' us if you need anythin'. Or at least come t' me." Applejack said, her voice trembling.
"Okay Applejack." Fluttershy managed as Applejack wrapped the blanket around her yellow friend and hugged her.
Fluttershy let her head fall against Applejack’s shoulder and began to cry. Sobs shook her body and Applejack stroked the pink hair lovingly, pulling her tighter.
"It's gonna be alright, Flutters.” Applejack soothed.
“It’s gonna be alright.”
Author's Note
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