Fluttershy woke up bright and early with all the energy of Celestia’s warm sun pushing away a long winter. She hummed a cheery little tune to herself as she got out of bed, knelt down to Angel Bunny’s basket and nuzzled him awake. Angel blinked his eyes open and took a moment to stretch before following his caretaker down to the first floor of her cottage. With a glowing smile, Fluttershy continued her humming as she trotted into the living room. This was the place many birds, mice, bunnies, squirrels and other small creatures called home.
Fluttershy walked over to a small mousehole and gently tapped on the wall. “Time to wake up, little friends.” After a moment, a few yawning mice crawled out to greet the day. The pegasus knelt down close to one mouse in particular. “Good morning. How’s that leg of yours doing today, Miss Mousekewitz?”
Miss Mousekewitz rubbed one of her back legs for a moment and smiled up at Fluttershy.
“Oh, that’s good to hear. Let’s give it one more day of rest just to be safe, okay? We wouldn’t want you getting hurt again.”
The mouse gave a quick nod and scurried back into her little home within the wall.
Fluttershy turned and giggled a bit at Angel helping to wake his fellow bunnies by gently slapping them until they got up. There was only one bunny left, but every time Angel tapped him on the head he just waved a paw as if to say, ‘Leave me alone’. This particular bunny was getting old and just wanted to be left to relax in his later years. Fluttershy decided to intervene when she realized Angel wouldn’t give up.
“Thank you, Angel,” she said, lifting Angel and setting him down away from the other bunny. “I think we should let him rest for now. He’ll start his day when he’s ready.”
Angel rolled his eyes and hopped towards the kitchen. Most of the other animals were waking up on their own and those that still slept started to stir at the chirping of birds and chatter of the other animals. Fluttershy followed Angel into the kitchen to prepare food. This had been her normal morning routine for as long as she could remember; wake the animals, check that they were safe and accounted for, feed them and make herself breakfast.
She set several large bowls and plates of food out and watched to make sure all the animals had enough and were eating. The birds all perched on the rim of their bowl of feed and began pecking at the seeds. The youngest bird flew over and shoved his way between two other birds, nearly knocking one of them over. Before he could eat, Fluttershy picked him up.
“Kiwi,” she said sternly. “That was very rude of you. We do not push others around like that. There is plenty of food and space for all of you. Now be nice and apologize.”
Fluttershy let Kiwi down and he shifted his head down and chirped. The birds he had shoved aside slowly moved apart to give him a space. Kiwi quickly flew up and ate peacefully with the others.
Fluttershy smiled and patted him on the head. “There now. Isn’t that better?” She looked at the group of birds and noticed that one of them was missing. She flew up and looked around, but she couldn’t see the missing bird anywhere. She knew where he must have been, though. Peeking into one of the birdhouses that hung from the ceiling, she spotted him sleeping away.
“Excuse me. It’s time to get up now.”
The bird groggily picked himself up and hobbled out of the birdhouse, his old bones creaking a bit along the way. He blinked slowly and shook his head to throw off some exhaustion; instead, he only threw off a few aged feathers. He coughed as he looked up at his pegasus caretaker.
“Oh you poor thing!” Fluttershy said as she scooped the bird up into her forelegs. After taking a moment to diagnose the bird’s condition, she quickly flew him up to her bedroom. The abrupt exit was not lost on the other animals and many looked on in concern when the bedroom door slammed shut.
Taking the role of second in command, Angel Bunny hopped up a few steps where he could easily be seen by all the other animals. He crossed his arms for a moment before dismissively waving one of his paws as if to say, ‘Nothing to see here, move along’. With all the other animals tentatively going back to breakfast, Angel turned and hopped up to the second floor.
With a small gulp, he stared up at the bedroom door for a few seconds. He placed one ear firmly against the wood, trying to hear anything at all, but all he could make out was Fluttershy’s muffled humming. Gazing up at the doorknob, and briefly cursing his short stature, Angel furrowed his brow in determination and bounced once, twice, and with all his might, a third time to reach the knob.
Fluttershy gasped lightly at the sound of the creaking door and darted her head to see who was there. She relaxed and sighed in relief when she saw who it was. “Oh, Angel, it’s only you. Please close the door.”
Angel’s ears drooped back as he entered the room and shut the door behind him. Fluttershy almost never kept her door shut. Angel recognized the scene before him all too well; Fluttershy had given up her bed so the old bird could be as comfortable as possible and she was humming to relax him to sleep. Angel moved close to Fluttershy and, with a melancholy air, rubbed her foreleg caringly.
Fluttershy’s bright smile never faltered for even a moment as she looked down at her most loyal bunny. “Don’t worry, Angel, everything will be just fine.”
But Angel knew better.
A small fit of coughs from the bird made Fluttershy rush to attention. “Oh, there, there, little one,” she said, gently petting the bird’s head. Once the coughing was over, Fluttershy grabbed a quill and small piece of paper from her nightstand, wrote a quick message and turned to her bunny friend. “Angel, could you do me a big favor and take this to Rarity for me?”
Angel looked at her skeptically.
“Please. For me,” she said sweetly.
Angel sighed and dropped his head in defeat as he snatched the note. Fluttershy opened the door for him before going straight back to the bird. Angel hopped through the doorway but took one last look behind him before leaving. He heard Fluttershy quietly say, “Don’t worry. Mama’s here,” before closing the door.
Rarity held Fluttershy’s note in her magic as she walked up to the cottage. She was supposed to meet Fluttershy for lunch later just like she did every Saturday. It wasn’t like either of them to cancel, especially not with a vague note, and especially not on the same day. Rarity knocked on the door a few times.
“Fluttershy?” she called, sounding a bit concerned. “Are you in, dear?”
She waited for a minute and looked around for anything out of the ordinary. As far as she could tell, everything was normal. The outdoor animals that lived on Fluttershy’s property were going about their day as animals do, nothing appeared to be damaged or out of place. There wasn’t even a cloud in the sky. She could scarcely imagine what might have been wrong unless Fluttershy herself was feeling under the weather. Rarity lifted a hoof and was about to open the door when it opened for her.
Fluttershy looked at her friend and furrowed her brow. “Oh, Rarity, what are you doing here? You did get my message didn’t you?” She glanced at a clock and noticed that it was still about an hour before their usual meetup time.
“Yes I did,” Rarity said, holding up the note. “But all you wrote was ‘Sorry, I must cancel lunch today’. It just made me a tad worried. Is everything alright?”
Fluttershy smiled just enough to reassure her friend. “It’s nothing to worry about. One of the animals isn’t doing too well and needs my full attention today. I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
“No, no, no, I completely understand. In fact, why don’t I lend you a hoof for a while?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to bother you.”
“Nonsense,” Rarity said as she entered the cottage. “What are friends for? Besides, my schedule is clear until this afternoon anyway.”
“Well, if you insist.”
“Now then, where is the patient?”
“He’s resting upstairs,” Fluttershy said as she led the way.
For Rarity, it didn’t really matter whether it was a spa treatment, lunch, a trip to a spooky castle, or taking care of a sick or injured animal. All that really mattered was getting to spend some time with one of her best friends. Besides, they could always simply eat lunch at the cottage; making sure that some animal would take its medicine and had soup to eat to stave off the sniffles was hardly a price to pay. At least, that’s what she thought.
The sight behind the door was not quite what Rarity had expected. A small bird was sleeping on Fluttershy’s pillow with the blankets pulled up just high enough to cover about half his body. What really surprised her were the IV tube and heart monitor the bird was hooked up to. She walked over to the nightstand and looked at a spare IV pouch and read what it was. Morphine.
Rarity’s face slowly shifted to a grave understanding as she unknowingly let her mouth hang open. “Fluttershy. W… What exactly is all this?”
Fluttershy looked her friend in the eye and smiled sympathetically. She said as simply and plainly as she could, “I’m afraid he’s dying.”
What could Rarity possibly say to that? “I’m so sorry. I… I didn’t even realize.”
Fluttershy’s expression and tone never changed. “It’s okay. He hasn’t been doing too well for some time now. We’ve been seeing the veterinarian for a couple of weeks, but there isn’t anything more that we can do. Old age has finally caught up with him. The best thing we can do now is keep him as comfortable as possible.”
“How long does he have?”
Fluttershy looked at her patient and took a long breath. “It’s hard to say. He may not even make it through the night.”
There was something unnerving about the way Fluttershy was acting. It wasn’t hard for Rarity to see it. She was too calm. This was the same pony who was almost brought to tears once when Rarity’s cat needed a cast after its paw got stuck under a rock. And yet here she was, one of her own animal friends literally on his deathbed, and she wasn’t even reacting. But it wasn’t like Fluttershy didn’t care. It was more like she didn’t mind.
“Fluttershy?” Rarity said, putting a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Are you going to be alright?”
“Don’t worry, Rarity. I’m fine. This is also a part of my job.”
A part of her job? That was something Rarity never even considered. Just how many times had this happened? Could somepony like Fluttershy really just pass it off like an everyday thing?
“So what kind of plans do you have this afternoon? …If you don’t mind me asking.”
The question snapped Rarity out of her head. “Hmm? I’m sorry, what?”
“You said your schedule was free until this afternoon. I was just curious what you’d be doing.”
“Oh. Yes. Well, Twilight has been trying to start up a book club. So far it’s just her, Rainbow Dash and I.” A large part of Rarity was relieved to change topics. Though she couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.
“I remember her asking me to join. I’d have loved to, but I’m not a very fast reader and I just couldn’t find the time. What book are you reading first?”
Rarity rolled her eyes a bit. “Daring Do.”
“Oh? But aren’t Twilight and Rainbow already into that series?”
“Of course. How else could we get Dash to join?”
Fluttershy giggled lightly. “Well, hopefully you can make her see that there is more than just Daring Do.”
“It would be nice. I would quite like to read and discuss the finer points of The Bridges of Mareson County.”
For a moment, Rarity forgot where she was and was simply enjoying her Saturday with Fluttershy. But the brief silence was enough for the beeping of the heart monitor to remind her. Her eyes slowly darted from place to place as she grew self-conscious. She could feel the beating of her own heart and how different in pace it was from the rhythmic beeping of the machine.
“Why don’t I go make us something to eat?” Rarity suggested as she headed for the door. “It’s almost lunchtime; I’m sure you must be hungry.”
The two ponies moved to the kitchen for lunch. Although Rarity intended to prepare the food for the both of them – if for no other reason than to keep her thoughts busy – Fluttershy insisted on at least helping. In little time, they had a couple of simple sandwiches and sat down at the kitchen table.
“So tell me about that book, The Bridges of Mareson County,” Fluttershy said. “I don’t think I’ve heard of it. Is it new?”
“Relatively. I believe it’s been out for a few years now, but it has only recently been gaining popularity. I received my copy in the mail a week ago. Though I haven’t had a chance to read it because of the club and Daring Do.”
“What’s the book abo…”
Fluttershy stopped when she noticed Angel Bunny climb onto the table and hop between her and Rarity. She was about to scold him for such a rude interruption but quickly realized that he wasn’t alone. Most of the animals had crowded around her, some on the table, some next to her chair and one young bird perched on her head. Each of them seemed rather concerned. Even if Fluttershy kept the door closed, they still understood what was going on upstairs.
“Aw, it’s okay,” Fluttershy said with a smile, petting some of the animals. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Angel turned toward Rarity and furrowed his brow. He gestured at Fluttershy and waved his arms a bit, but Rarity had no idea what he was trying to convey. With a sigh, Angel accepted his lack of communication and joined the other animals.
“Um, Rarity?” Fluttershy asked in the midst of every one of her animals demanding her undivided attention. “I don’t mean to be rude, but could we maybe finish this another day?”
Rarity sighed lightly beneath the chatter of attention-seeking creatures. “Perhaps you’re right. I suppose now isn’t the best time.”
As Rarity sat in the library later that evening, she replayed her morning with Fluttershy over and over in her mind. It just did not seem right that Fluttershy of all ponies would, could, or even should be okay with one of her animals passing. Then again, maybe that was just how anypony would react when seeing such a thing often. Rarity couldn’t even imagine it. Surely if it were her, she would be crying her eyes out and running to her friends and family every time.
“What do you think, Rarity?” Twilight asked.
Rarity didn’t respond. She just stared blankly into the distance.
Rainbow Dash hovered over and waved at her friend. “Rarity? Hello, anypony home?”
Fluttering her eyelids a few times, Rarity finally started paying attention. “Huh? What?”
“Twilight was asking you about Daring Do. Aren’t you even paying attention?”
“Of course I am. I was just… Um… What was the question?”
Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry, Rarity. I know you wanted to read something else.”
“Oh, no, no, no, it’s not that. My mind is simply… elsewhere at the moment.”
“What could be more important than Daring Do right now?” Dash asked.
“Well, earlier today, I payed a visit to Fluttershy. It seems one of her animals is about to pass away.”
“Oh my gosh!” Twilight said suddenly. “She must be so upset.”
“That’s just it. She isn’t.”
“What?” Rainbow asked. “How can Fluttershy not be upset at something like that?”
“I wondered the same thing. But she just seemed so collected and calm. If I hadn’t known any better, I’d have thought she was a different pony.”
The three ponies sat in silence for a few minutes, the light slowly fading as the sun began to set over the horizon. None of them really knew what to say. None of them really even knew if they should be concerned for their friend or just let things be.
Rainbow turned her head and saw the approaching night. “Sorry, guys, I’ve got to go. I’m covering for somepony on the night shift.”
“The weather team has a night shift?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah, it’s usually just one pony. Gotta keep the Everfree Forest clouds from getting into town and screwing up the next day’s weather. It’s totally boring though ‘cause that hardly ever happens.”
“Alright then. I’ll guess we’ll continue the book discussion next week. Goodbye.”
“Good night, Rainbow Dash.”
“See ya later.”
Dash got to work pretty quickly, kicking away any clouds that looked a little too close to town. The majority of the job was done after only about ten minutes. Now came the boring part, patrol duty for hours and hours. The one good thing about being on the night shift was the fact that she was alone. No supervisors meant nopony telling her to do more work. She kept one small cloud that was just big enough for her to lie on and relaxed.
As she rested on the cloud and kept a somewhat less than vigilant eye on the forest, her thoughts drifted to Fluttershy. Dash knew her for a long time; there was no way Fluttershy wouldn’t be upset if one of her animal friends were really dying. Even if she wasn’t crying her eyes out she would definitely be sad. Rarity must have been exaggerating; Fluttershy must have known the animal would make a full recovery and Rarity just misunderstood.
Hours passed and, at some point, Dash had fallen asleep. Her cloud continued to float in place as the forest and sky remained clear. The night was not dark, however, as the full moon brought plenty of light.
Dash’s eyes started fluttering open as she heard a small sound somewhere below her. She rubbed some of the sleep from her eyes as she listened to the sound happen every couple of seconds. After finally waking up completely, Dash could identify the noise. It sounded like somepony was digging with a shovel. Dash floated around, still on the cloud, to see if she could spot the source. After a moment, she could see somepony below her. Stealthily moving a bit closer, she could make out who it was.
“Fluttershy?” Dash whispered quietly enough that she couldn’t be heard. “What’s she doing?”
Part of Dash wanted to fly right down and talk to her friend directly, but it was the middle of the night, far from Fluttershy’s house and just inside the Everfree Forest. Something was fishy. A few minutes went by and Fluttershy tossed the shovel aside, finished with digging a hole. Although it was faint, Dash could hear some heavy breathing and what she thought were stifled sobs. Fluttershy grabbed a small box, placed it in the hole and buried it. She took a few deep breaths, grabbed her shovel, turned and quickly trotted away.
Once Fluttershy was far enough away, Rainbow swooped down to the spot and started digging. The box wasn’t too deep and the dirt was still a bit loose which allowed her to get at it relatively easily. Dash opened the box and gasped at what she saw.
Fluttershy woke up the next morning bright and early. She smiled and stretched her muscles before climbing out of bed. She nuzzled Angel Bunny to wake him and hummed a little tune to herself.
Angel opened his eyes and looked around like he was expecting a different scene. His ears flattened back when he saw his caretaker happily trot out the bedroom door. Soon, he chased after her, a bit of determination in his eyes. Just as Fluttershy was about to start her usual routine waking the animals, Angel jumped onto her back then onto her head. He grabbed one of her ears and tried to raise a ruckus. He wasn’t very strong, though, so he only managed to grab Fluttershy’s attention.
“Angel, what are you doing? Please don’t jump on me like that. I know you’re hungry, but you’ll just have to wait for the others.”
Angel was hanging onto her muzzle now as he shook his head, trying to tell her she was wrong. Fluttershy took Angel and tried to put him down, but he wouldn’t give up without a fight. The minor kerfuffle was enough to start waking up the other animals. Within moments commotion and confusion began to grow. But an abrupt series of knocks at the front door quickly brought the room to a silence.
Fluttershy walked up and opened the door. “Hello?”
Immediately, Rarity darted in, nearly knocking Fluttershy over, and wrapped her in a hug.
“Um, good morning to you too.”
Rarity wasn’t alone. Behind her stood Rainbow Dash and Twilight.
“Fluttershy, why didn’t you say anything?” Rarity asked, not taking her forelegs away for a single moment.
“Um, what are you talking about?”
“It’s okay,” Twilight said. “We figured it all out. You don’t have to go through this alone.”
Fluttershy’s eyes darted back and forth. “I– I don’t know what you mean.”
“I saw you last night,” Rainbow said. “You buried that bird and I know you were crying.”
Fluttershy breathed in sharply but held it as she glanced at her animals. “N– No. I wasn’t crying. I was…” She tried to think of something to say, but her mind was starting to get foggy.
“It’s alright,” Rarity said, loosening her grip to look her friend in the face. “We’re here for you. You don’t need to keep such things a secret.”
Fluttershy’s eyes started to well up with tears. She breathed heavily, trying to keep them at bay. “But it’s fine. Everything’s fine.”
“It will be,” Twilight said. “If you let us help you.”
“No, see…” Fluttershy tried to say as water slowly fell from her eyes.
“Fluttershy, you can’t just hold that in,” Rainbow said. “Trust me, one day, you’ll just explode.”
Fluttershy tried to morph her quivering lips into a smile. Her quickening breath alone made that nearly impossible. She glanced again at her animals. “You don’t understand. They… they need me. They need me to be strong. I can’t… I can’t…”
Fluttershy fell to her haunches as she tried desperately to compose herself. Angel stood right in front of her and looked up to her with a caring grin. He slowly shook his head and did his best to give her a hug as if to say, ‘No. Right now, you need us’.
All the other animals joined in the embrace. Rarity, Dash and Twilight did their best to join in with the crowd as well. And Fluttershy cried. And she let herself cry. And her friends were right there with her. Many of them crying as well.
All Fluttershy could think about was her dead friends, all of her dead friends. She had made so many animal friends over the years and watched several of them pass away. And each time, she held her emotions in an effort to help the others cope.
But now she cried. And she cried until she had no more tears to give.
