Fluttershy did her best not to blush. Which was not much. She was blushing. Probably fitting for the circumstances.
Rarity was yelling at her. “Fluttershy, what in Equestria were you thinking?!”
She decided to play innocent. “Thinking about what?” she asked sweetly despite furious blushing. “I don’t think about anything.”
“You know perfectly well! You just started a fire, in my house!” shouted Rarity pointing to it. “It’s spreading!”
Fluttershy looked to the outlet at her left, a fork jammed in it. As pointed out, the small electrical fire she had started was quickly spreading. Somepony should really put that out if they don’t want their house to burn down.
“Oh. Did I do that?”
“Yes, you did. I just watched you do it. Are you well? What have I done to displease you?!”
Fluttershy ignored that. She smiled softly. “It is a pretty nice fire, don’t think you think?” She liked the colors of it.
“Gwah!” Rarity ran screaming to the sink, magically pulling a bucket from the cabinet beneath and filling it. “Gwaaaaaah!” She ran screaming back to the outlet and upending the bucket on the flaming outlet.
Unfortunately the fire had already spread and was now engulfing the nearby armchair.
“If you had done that two minutes ago, you would have put it out completely.” Fluttershy had had to move away from the rising inferno and was now sitting in the center of the room. It was a pretty good view.
“Fluttershy! Don’t just sit there, help me put this out! Call the fire department! Do Sooommethiiiiinng!”
Fluttershy did exactly nothing but sit on her butt.
Rarity screamed some more unladylike things and sprinted back to the sink. This time she pulled out two more buckets, for a grand total of three, each a different complementary color. Apparently there was still time for style.
She poured out the water on the armchair and surrounding flame, repeating the process until it was put out. Rarity gave a sigh of relief. Breathing heavily, she dropped her buckets and leaned against the wall. She stared at her now blackened chair and the accompanying scorch marks around it.
“Thank Celestia, I very nearly thought the whole boutique was about to burn down...” she said to no one in particular.
Because Rarity looked around the room and noticed Fluttershy was nowhere in it.
“Heh, heh,” Rarity chuckled nervously. “Hopefully that means she is gone. That means she is gone, does it not?”
“Fluttershy, what are you doing in my room?!” Sweetie Belle's voice shouted from upstairs. “You just started a fire, why would you do that?!”
“Noo!” Rarity screamed as she ran upstairs. Then ran back downstairs to fill the buckets, and back upstairs. Hovering them overhead, she raced to Sweetie Belle’s room and slammed the door open. “My sweet sister!”
There was the filly on her bed yelling at a certain pegasus. There were small fires on each side of the room. Apparently this time she had decided to hedge her bets.
Unfortunately for her, Rarity had also come prepared this time and promptly put out each fire, saving the third bucket for Fluttershy’s head.
Fluttershy gasped as the small torrent poured down on her. She made no other protest but sat there drenched. She was shivering adorably, but Rarity was not fooled. Rarity stomped in front of her.
“Rarity, you saved me! I woke up and Fluttershy was here setting fires in my room! I think she hates me.”
Staring daggers at Fluttershy, she spared a glance to her sister. “Yes, yes, the matter is being taken care of.” She thrust a hoof at the pegasus. “Now, you, explain. What was this for?! What has gotten into you today?”
Fluttershy pushed her dripping mane out of her face. She looked shyly at Rarity. She shrugged. “Uh-oh.”
Fluttershy went soaring out Sweetie Belle’s window. She landed in the lawn on her butt.
- - -
Spike sighed. He went to answer the knocking at the door. It was really early for someone to be coming here for books, unless it was one of Twilight’s friends.
He opened the door and it was. Fluttershy smiled sheepishly. She seemed soggy.
“Hey, Fluttershy. What can I do for you? Need a book?” He gestured to the tall stacks.
“Um, okay...”
“Did you go swimming or something?”
“No...”
Spike moved aside to let her in. He led her to the shelves. “Well, what do you need, something about animals I’m guessing.”
Curiously, Fluttershy was not paying much attention to the books. She seemed to be inspecting the walls. “Yeah, animals...”
“Oookay. Which one this time? We still have that mantaray care book on hold for you.”
“Glass of water.”
Spike was not familiar with that animal. “Huh?”
“Um, could I have a glass of water, if that is not too much trouble.”
Spike rubbed his neck. She was acting pretty strange for a Tuesday morning. “Yeah, sure.”
Spike retreated to the kitchen, snagging a cup and filling it at the sink. It wasn’t that he had a problem getting it for her, just if she was thirsty why didn’t she drink something before she left? He supposed her cottage was a bit of a walk away and maybe she’d worked up a thirst. She said she hadn’t went swimming. Maybe it was the weather. It was supposed to be warm today and that filled his insides with sunshine.
Carrying the glass, Spike made his way back to the main room.
“If you wanted to see Twilight, she’s still—Sweet Celestia, Fluttershy watch out, there’s a fire behind you!” Spike splashed the glass at the budding blaze, easily putting it out.
Fluttershy reflected on that. Asking for water was probably not the best idea.
Spike stared at the outlet. “Wh-bluh,” he sputtered. “There’s a fork in the outlet! Who put a fork in the outlet?!” He blinked and it was still there. It seemed to be sparking a bit, someone should probably take it out before it sets afire again.
“Who knows.” Fluttershy did her best to look helpless. Unfortunately there was nobody else around and she still had another fork in her right hoof.
“Fluttershy, get out! I’m telling Twilight.” As number one assistant, tattletaling was his primary function.
Spike grabbed his broom and chased the little rascal out.
- - -
Fluttershy would later try to gain access into several other ponies’ homes, but apparently someone had passed out warning fliers.
